cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Presynaptic Control of Impulses at the First Central Synapse in the Cutaneous Pathway

Publisher Summary The nerve impulses entering the spinal cord in large cutaneous nerve fibers come under the influence of a control mechanism while the impulses are still in the terminal arborization of the afferent fiber. There is evidence for a tonic presynaptic control mechanism, which determines the effectiveness of entering impulses on central cells. The control is exerted on the membrane potential of the terminal arbor. Depolarization may produce blockade of the terminal arbor and hyperpolarization may increase the effectiveness of synaptic transmission. Impulses in large fibers result in a depolarization of the terminal arborization while impulses in fine fibers result in a relative hyperpolarization. There is evidence for continuous action of this control mechanism so that phasic events modulate the position of the control mechanism and therefore, the sensory posture. The evidence that the cells of substantia gelatinosa mediate this control over entering sensory information is presented in the chapter.
Responding to Kelo v. New London: Avoiding Intrinsic Injustice by Paying a Fairer Price

The reason why some exercises of eminent domain feel so much like theft is that the accepted constitutional definition of "just compensation" systematically under-compensates certain categories of private owners. These categories particularly include residential owners as well as others who do not hold their property for primarily commercial or investment purposes. In the eyes of these owners, the principal significance of their property is not its commercial asset value as a commodity (or "fair market value") but, rather, its personal and subjective use value. The "willing seller" test used to measure constitutional compensation often falls far short of the mark because these residential and other owners are not willing sellers, at least not at prices anything like fair market value. Often, moreover, realistic market conditions make it impossible for these owners to replace what they lose with the money they receive as "just compensation." The resulting under-compensation for their real value - subjective use value - naturally results in a painful pinch and public outcry. This short piece proposes a fairer approach to pricing as an alternative to recent procrustean calls to cut down the power of eminent domain. It aim is to offer a more balanced possibility of preserving the salutary features of eminent domain while avoiding its manifest injustices.
A Brief Exposure to Tryptase or Thrombin Potentiates Fibrocyte Differentiation in the Presence of Serum or Serum Amyloid P

A key question in both wound healing and fibrosis is the trigger for the initial formation of scar tissue. To help form scar tissue, circulating monocytes enter the tissue and differentiate into fibroblast-like cells called fibrocytes, but fibrocyte differentiation is strongly inhibited by the plasma protein serum amyloid P (SAP), and healthy tissues contain very few fibrocytes. In wounds and fibrotic lesions, mast cells degranulate to release tryptase, and thrombin mediates blood clotting in early wounds. Tryptase and thrombin are upregulated in wound healing and fibrotic lesions, and inhibition of these proteases attenuates fibrosis. We report that tryptase and thrombin potentiate human fibrocyte differentiation at biologically relevant concentrations and exposure times, even in the presence of concentrations of serum and SAP that normally completely inhibit fibrocyte differentiation. Fibrocyte potentiation by thrombin and tryptase is mediated by protease-activated receptors 1 and 2, respectively. Together, these results suggest that tryptase and thrombin may be an initial trigger to override SAP inhibition of fibrocyte differentiation to initiate scar tissue formation.
Management of bilateral patellar luxation in an alpaca.

Objective To report surgical management bilateral lateral patellar luxation in a mature alpaca using a combination of trochlear wedge recession (TWR), tibial tuberosity transposition (TTT), and joint capsule imbrication. Study Design Clinical case report. Animals 9-year-old castrated male Alpaca. Methods Bilateral, grade III/IV, lateral patellar luxation was identified by palpation, lameness examination and confirmed with radiography and ultrasonography. Surgical procedures were staged, with the left stifle treated first. Bilateral TWR, TTT, and joint capsule imbrication were performed. Outcome was assessed by radiography and follow up lameness examinations. Results An immediate improvement in weight bearing occurred after surgery of the left hind limb. Five months after initial surgery, right hind limb patella luxation was corrected. After surgery on the 2nd limb, the alpaca had progressive improvement in weight bearing during hospitalization. At 12 months, there were no signs of lameness and the alpaca had resumed normal activities. Conclusions For bilateral lateral patellar luxation, a combination of TWR, TTT, and joint capsule imbrication resulted in excellent long-term outcome.
Long-term assessment of orthodontic relapse☆

The long-term stability of orthodontic treatment was evaluated in a group of ninety-six former patients who were treated between 12 and 35 years previously. Dental relationships were recorded on study models taken prior to orthodontic treatment, at the end of active treatment, and at long-term follow-up. A malocclusion score was developed for this study, and the over-all static occlusal relationships were categorized by defining an ideal range for eleven variables. Ninety of the ninety-six cases were within the ideal range at the end of treatment. Most of the cases showed an improvement of their malocclusions in the long-term stage. However, of the ninety-six subjects, sixty-nine (72 percent) had at least one variable outside our ideal range in the long-term follow-up. A moderately increased overjet and overbite was responsible in most instances for the result being outside the ideal range in the long term. The long-term result as compared to the original malocclusion exhibited increased overbite in 16 percent of the cases, increased mandibular anterior crowding in 9 percent of the cases, and increased overjet in 5 percent of the cases. The range of ideal, considering only the variables used in this study, will to some extent vary with the eye of the beholder. Therefore, the results of this study need to be interpreted accordingly. It is suggested that orthodontists be well aware of long-term changes in dental relationships many years after treatment and take this into account when advising patients as to the potential benefits of orthodontic treatment.
Femtosecond Optical Kerr Effect Studies of Liquid Methyl Iodide

The collective polarizability anisotropy dynamics of liquid methyl iodide at room temperature and ambient pressure was studied by using optical heterodyne-detected Raman-induced Kerr effect spectroscopy (OHD-RIKES) with 45 fs laser pulses. The OHD-RIKES data are analyzed by using both the model-dependent approach, which assumes four distinct temporal responses, and the model-independent Fourier transform approach, which generates a spectral density. Near zero time, the OHD-RIKES transient is dominated by the instantaneous electronic response. The short-time nuclear response is characterized by two components. The first component is interpreted as arising from an inhomogeneously broadened (fwhm ≈ 62 cm-1) underdamped intermolecular vibrational mode with a mean frequency of ∼60 cm-1. The second component is an intermediate quasi-exponential response with a 1/e time constant of ∼200 fs. At longer times, the OHD-RIKES transient decays exponentially with a 1/e time constant of 1.76 ± 0.05 ps, which corresponds...
Do carriers internalize congestion costs? Empirical evidence on the internalization question

Abstract Economists have long suggested overhauling the existing U.S. airport landing/departure fees to reflect market valuations of scarce runway capacity. Economists, however, do not agree on the optimal congestion-based pricing scheme. While some researchers advocate for a uniform congestion fee regardless of a carrier's airport market share, others suggest that airport tolls should only reflect the congestion costs imposed on other carriers. This paper uses ten years of ontime performance data to empirically determine if carriers internalize congestion costs. While previous researchers (e.g., [Mayer, Christopher, Sinai, Todd, 2003a. Network effects, congestion externalities, and air traffic delays: Or why all delays are not evil. American Economic Review 93 (4), 1194–1215]) use “excess travel time” to measure flight delays, the contribution of this paper is the addition of on-time arrival and delay measures based on actual versus scheduled arrival and departure times. We find that estimates based on these new delay measures reverse earlier findings by Mayer and Sinai [2003a. Network effects, congestion externalities, and air traffic delays: Or why all delays are not evil. American Economic Review 93 (4), 1194–1215] and hence imply that carriers are not internalizing flight congestion costs.
History of irradiation in squamous cell carcinomas of the larynx and hypopharynx.

Radiation therapy in squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx and hypophamyx is of great historical importance since these were the first deep-seated tumors to be cured by fractionated external irradiation as designed by Coutard in 19 19. External irradiation had been generally given in one treatment of approximately 1100 roentgens, which was called the HED (Haut-skin in German-erythema dose). Only skin cancers had been cured with this technique. Cancers of the oral cavity and cervix had been cured by interstitial or intracavitary radium therapy.
WBP model stripping calculations with Hamada-Johnston wave function

Abstract The use of the Hamada-Johnston deuteron wave function in WBP model calculations yields results which are essentially identical to the results of previously reported calculations with the Yamaguchi wave function.
The role of metabolism in bacterial persistence

Bacterial persisters are phenotypic variants with extraordinary tolerances toward antibiotics. Persister survival has been attributed to inhibition of essential cell functions during antibiotic stress, followed by reversal of the process and resumption of growth upon removal of the antibiotic. Metabolism plays a critical role in this process, since it participates in the entry, maintenance, and exit from the persister phenotype. Here, we review the experimental evidence that demonstrates the importance of metabolism to persistence, highlight the successes and potential of targeting metabolism in the search for anti-persister therapies, and discuss the current methods and challenges to understand persister physiology.
Photoconductivity of Single Carbon Nanotubes

We observe infrared laser excited photoconductivity from a single carbon nanotube incorporated as the channel of an ambipolar field-effect transistor (FET). Electron−hole pairs are generated within the nanotube molecule, and the carriers are separated by an applied electric field between the source and drain contacts. The photocurrent shows resonances whose energies are in agreement with the energies of exciton states of semiconducting nanotubes of the appropriate diameter. The photocurrent is maximized for photons polarized along the direction of the carbon nanotube. Thus, the nanotube FET acts as a polarized photodetector with a diameter 1000 times smaller than the wavelength of the light it detects and has an estimated quantum efficiency of >10%. A photovoltage is observed when an asymmetric band lineup due to two nonequivalent Schottky barriers or an asymmetric coupling of the gate to the nanotube is present.
EFFECTS OF ELECTRICAL STUNNING DURATION ON POSTMORTEM RIGOR DEVELOPMENT AND BROILER BREAST MEAT TENDERNESS

Experiments were conducted to determine the effect of electrical stunning duration on poultry breast meat postmortem biochemistry and texture. Broilers were stunned with 100 V AC for 0, 5, 10, 20, or 40 s, killed by conventional neck cut, and bled for 180 s to determine percentage blood loss. Breast fillets were removed from the carcass immediately after picking or following 24 h of aging in an ice-water bath. R-values and pH were determined at both deboning times and Allo-Kramer shear values were recorded after holding the samples for 48 h at 2 C. Stunning durations of 10, 20 and 40 s resulted in lower (P < 0.05) blood losses than birds stunned for 0 or 5 s. Stunning inhibited postmortem glycolysis as indicated by higher (P < 0.05) pH values and lower R-values at 15 min postmortem, but not after 24 h. Stunning had no effect on Allo-Kramer shear values. Stunning durations from 5 to 40 s at 100 V AC had no significant effect on postmortem rigor development, or meat quality.
Prospective association between hormone replacement therapy, heart rate, and heart rate variability. The Atherosclerosis risk in communities study.

Abstract Hormone replacement therapy is universely associated with coronary heart disease (CHD) in observational studies, but it is unknown whether this association is mediated by the autonomic nervous system. We tested the hypothesis that postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy was associated with more favorable heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) in a population sample of women ( n =2,621). Hormone therapy use was measured at four examinations beginning in 1987. Supine HR and HRV indices were measured for 6 minutes at the final examination (1996–1998). In unadjusted linear regression models, hormone therapy was associated with lower HR (hormone use=64.7 vs. never=65.7 beats/min, P =.01) and higher HRV. However, following adjustment for age and CHD risk factors, both associations were eliminated. Results from this observational study suggest that hormone therapy is not associated with HR or HRV. These analyses should be replicated in a randomized trial.
Lack of inhibition by dideoxy-forskolin and verapamil of DIDS-sensitive volume-activated Cl- secretion in human squamous lung carcinoma epithelial cells.

The effect of osmotic stress on Cl− permeability in human squamous lung carcinoma epithelial (S1) cells was investigated using a macroscopic 125I efflux assay. Hypotonic challenge of monolayers led to a significant (P < 0.01) dose-related increase in efflux from pre-loaded cells, returning to pre-activation rates within 10 min. A similar magnitude of response could be produced by challenge with an isotonic low chloride-containing solution. Neither 100 mM dideoxy-forskolin nor 100 mM verapamil inhibited the increase in Cl− secretion after hypotonic challenge, whereas 100 mM DIDS inhibited volume-activated Cl− secretion by 55%. Both Northern and Western blot analysis confirmed the absence of MDR1 mRNA and P-glycoprotein in the S1 cells. We conclude that these cells have a volume-regulated Cl− secretory pathway that is independent of the ABC transporter, P-glycoprotein.
Relationship of axis II pathology to sex- and drug-related risk behaviors among patients in HIV primary care

Abstract Some HIV+ patients continue to engage in high-risk behaviors post-diagnosis. To tailor risk reduction interventions for “positives,” it is necessary to understand contributing factors. We recently showed that HIV+ patients with co-morbid Axis I psychiatric and substance use disorders had the highest rates of ongoing risk behavior and those without diagnoses the lowest; substance dependence was more impactful than psychiatric disorders. In this companion paper, we provide complementary information about Axis II pathology based on data obtained from the same sample of 179 patients receiving HIV primary care. Patients were categorized as sub-threshold or as having personality traits/disorders (BR ≥ 75) on any of the 14 personality scales of the Millon Multiaxial Personality Inventory (MCMI-III). HIV risk behaviors assessed included (1) the number of sexual partners; (2) any sex without a condom; (3) lifetime and recent injection drug use (IDU); and (4) sharing of injection equipment. After controlli...
Bedside echocardiography by emergency physicians.

Abstract Study Objective: Timely diagnosis of a pericardial effusion is often critical in the emergency medicine setting, and echocardiography provides the only reliable method of diagnosis at the bedside. We attempt to determine the accuracy of bedside echocardiography as performed by emergency physicians to detect pericardial effusions in a variety of high-risk populations. Methods: Emergency patients presenting with high-risk criteria for the diagnosis of pericardial effusion underwent emergency bedside 2-dimensional echocardiography by emergency physicians who were trained in ultrasonography. The presence or absence of a pericardial effusion was determined, and all images were captured on video or as thermal images. All emergency echocardiograms were subsequently reviewed by the Department of Cardiology for the presence of a pericardial effusion. Results: During the study period, a total of 515 patients at high risk were enrolled. Of these, 103 patients were ultimately deemed to have a pericardial effusion according to the comparative standard. Emergency physicians detected pericardial effusion with a sensitivity of 96% (95% confidence interval [CI] 90.4% to 98.9%), specificity of 98% (95% CI 95.8% to 99.1%), and overall accuracy of 97.5% (95% CI 95.7% to 98.7%). Conclusion: Echocardiography performed by emergency physicians is reliable in evaluating for pericardial effusions; this bedside diagnostic tool may be used to examine specific patients at high risk. Emergency departments incorporating bedside ultrasonography should teach focused echocardiography to evaluate the pericardium. [Mandavia DP, Hoffner RJ, Mahaney K, Henderson SO. Bedside echocardiography by emergency physicians. Ann Emerg Med. October 2001;38:377-382.]
Effect of long-term administration of an analog of growth hormone-releasing factor on the GH response in rats.

Abstract The effect of the repeated or continuous administration of an analog of GH releasing factor (GH-RF), D-Tyr-1, D-Ala-2, Nle-27, GH-RF (1–29)-NH 2 (DBO-29), on the subsequent response to this peptide was investigated in pentobarbital-anesthetized male rats. A sc administration of this analog induced a greater and more prolonged GH release than doses 10 times larger of GH-RF(1–29). The GH increase after sc injection of 10 μg/kg bw of the analog was greater than that induced by iv administration of 2 μg/kg bw of GH-RF(1–44). Pretreatment with 10 μg/kg bw of the analog did not affect the pituitary response to a strong stimulus (20 μg/kg bw) of GH-RF(1–44), 24 h later. Pretreatment with the analog in doses of 10 μg/kg bw, sc twice a day, 5 days per week for 4 weeks, significantly diminished the GH release in response to a sc injection of the analog (10 μg/kg bw), as compared to vehicle-pretreated controls (P
A nuclear encoded chloroplast ATP synthase mutant of Zea mays L

Numerous Escherichia coli mutants have been used to determine the genetics and sequence of assembly of the prokaryotic proton-translocating ATP synthase complex. Similar studies with the analogous chloroplast ATP synthase in higher plants have not been possible due to lack of suitable mutants. We describe here a preliminary characterization of cfr, a nuclear mutation in Zea mays L. that appears to destabilize or prevent assembly of the chloroplast ATP synthase complex. Biochemical and physiological analyses indicate that the amounts of both the CF1 and CFo components of the complex are severely diminished. Mutant seedlings are pale green and occasionally survive, with greatly reduced vigor, to maturity. The cfr locus has been mapped genetically to the short arm of chromosome. 1.
Depressive implicit associations and adults' reports of childhood abuse

Theory and research suggest that negative events in childhood (e.g., childhood abuse) may contribute to the development of a cognitive vulnerability to depression. A limitation of past research, however, is that the majority has focused on explicit cognitions (e.g., attributional style) and it remains unclear whether similar relations would be observed for more implicit measures of depressive cognitions. This study investigated the relation between young adults' reports of childhood abuse and their implicit depressive cognitions, as measured by the Implicit Association Test. As hypothesised, young adults reporting a history of childhood abuse exhibited stronger implicit associations for depression-relevant stimuli than did individuals with no abuse history. These results were maintained even after statistically controlling for the influence of current depressive symptom levels.
On the nature of the omega transformation

Abstract The symmetry change associated with the b.c.c. to omega transformation is examined using the Landau criterion for a second order reaction. The ordering parameter η is defined in terms of the transformation displacements such that the structure denned by +η is omega. The structure given by −η, however, is not omega. As a result the reaction cannot occur by a second order reaction according to the Landau criterion. The −η structure, called anti-omega, is described by a collapse of the nearest neighbor {111} planes to every fourth {111} plane of the b.c.c. parent lattice. The resulting free energy expression as a function of η is ΔF = Aη2 + Bη3 + Cη4 + …, where B 0 is the stable low temperature phase. Above the transformation temperature the term B
Language Style Matching as a Predictor of Perceived Social Support in Computer-Mediated Interaction Among Individuals Coping With Illness

Several forms of computer-mediated communication (e.g., online support groups, blogs, social network sites) have been shown to be important resources for social support among individuals coping with illness. The reported study attempts to better understand social support processes in these settings by examining the implications of language style matching—a form of interpersonal coordination involving the degree to which speakers match one another’s use of function words (e.g., articles, prepositions, pronouns). Language style matching among a sample of health bloggers and their readers over a 3-month period was tested as a predictor of bloggers’ perceptions of support available from their readers. The results show that language style matching contributed to bloggers’ perceptions that their readers are willing and able to serve as a resource for specific forms of social support.
Pharmacological characterization of high-fat feeding induced by opioid stimulation of the ventral striatum

Nucleus accumbens μ-opioid stimulation causes marked increases in the intake of highly palatable foods, such as a high-fat diet. However, to date there has been little examination of how other striatal neurotransmitters may mediate opioid-driven feeding of palatable foodstuffs. In the current study, free feeding rats with bilateral cannulae aimed at the nucleus accumbens received intra-accumbens pretreatment with antagonists for dopamine D-1 (SCH23390; 0 μg or 1 μg/0.5 μl/side), dopamine D-2 (raclopride; 0 μg or 2.0 μg/0.5 μl/side), AMPA (LY293558; 0 μg, 0.01 μg or 0.10 μg/0.5 μl/side), muscarinic (scopolamine 0 μg, 0.1, 1.0, or 10 μg/0.5 μl/side) or nicotinic (mecamylamine; 0 μg, 10 μg/0.5 μl/side) receptors, immediately prior to infusions of the μ-receptor agonist D-Ala2, NMe-Phe4, Glyol5-enkephalin (DAMGO; 0.25 μg/0.5 μl) or vehicle. The effects of these pretreatments on 2 hr fat intake was compared to pretreatment with a general opioid antagonist (naltrexone; 0 μg or 20 μg/0.5 μl/side). DAMGO-induced feeding was unaffected by prior antagonism of dopamine, glutamate, or nicotinic receptors. As expected, naltrexone infusions blocked DAMGO-elicited fat intake. Antagonism of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors reduced feeding in both the DAMGO and vehicle-treated conditions. In an additional experiment, cholinergic receptor stimulation alone did not affect intake of the fat diet, suggesting that nucleus accumbens cholinergic stimulation is insufficient to alter feeding of a highly palatable food. These data suggest that the feeding effects caused by striatal opioid stimulation are independent from or downstream to the actions of dopamine and glutamate signaling, and provide novel insight into the role of striatal acetylcholine on feeding behaviors.
Trail pheromone of the red imported fire antSolenopsis invicta (Buren)

Z,Z,Z-Allofarnesene (2Z, 4Z, 6Z)-2,6,10-trimethyl-2, 4, 6, 10-dodecatetraene) was identified as the trail pheromone of the red imported fire ant by comparing chromatographic and spectral properties of the pheromone obtained from ant Dufour's glands with those of synthetic compounds.
Los egresados de comunicación y el mercado laboral: un estudio de trayectorias profesionales

In this research report I study the professional career of graduates of communications based on the analysis of their performance and professional development. The combination of scope of performance and stages of development facilitated the identification of five professional experiences: two related to their career, one indirectly related and two not related. Most of the communications graduates work in the field they trained for. However, they are just in their initial stage of development that all communications graduates have to undergo when starting their adventure in the labor market, but it means stagnation for those who have been working for several years.
Long-range electron spin-spin interactions in the bacterial photosynthetic reaction center

The electron spin-lattice relaxation behavior of the oxidized bacteriochlorophyll a dimer in reaction center from Rhodobacter sphaeroides has been examined by the method of saturation-recovery EPR over the temperature range 3.8 K [le] T [le] 22 K. Its spin-lattice relaxation is nonexponential due to an orientation-dependent dipolar interaction with the non-heme Fe(II) of the reaction center. The saturation-recovery EPR traces were fit by using an equation which models the recovery in terms of a sum of isotropic (scalar) and orientation-dependent (dipolar) rate constants. The center-to-center distance between the bacteriochlorophyll a dimer and the non-heme Fe(II) is 28 [angstrom] and it is found that the Heisenberg exchange interaction is too small to make a measurable contribution to the scalar relaxation rate of the oxidized bacteriochlorophyll a dimer. The scalar relaxation rates for the oxidized bacteriochlorophyll a dimer show a T[sup 1] temperature dependence which differs significantly from that of model porphyrin radicals. It appears that the unusually rigid protein environment surrounding the bacteriochlorophyll a dimer produces a strong coupling between the spin transitions of the radical and the low-frequency vibrational modes of the lattice. 29 refs., 4 figs.
Tobacco Related Disease Research Program

While the most visible battles about tobacco are political, the politics is driven by science and the tobacco industry has always fought scientific work that would elucidate the dangers of smoking and, in recent decades, passive smoking.1 From the beginning the tobacco industry understood the potential importance of the research program that Proposition 99 created—the Tobacco Related Disease Research Program (TRDRP)—and carefully monitored it using standard industry tactics, such as periodic public records act requests.2Just a month after the voters enacted Proposition 99, the tobacco industry's primary “political” law firm in California, Nielsen-Merksamer, had already prepared recommendations for how to minimise the impact of the research program that Proposition 99 required.3 Since most of the public controversy around the tobacco control efforts created by California's voters when they passed Proposition 99 centred on the high profile anti-tobacco education program, particularly the anti-smoking advertising campaign,4 5 TRDRP was established with minimum interference from the tobacco industry. Once TRDRP funded research threatened the industry and its political allies, California Governor Pete Wilson and pro-tobacco legislators led by Assembly Speaker Willie Brown (D–San Francisco) shut it down. The program was revived following a strenuous political campaign led by the American Heart Association and Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights.5 My work was at the centre of much of the controversy that the tobacco industry and its allies generated about TRDRP, and it is from this perspective that I offer this commentary. When I received the first call for applications from the new TRDRP program, I considered applying for a grant to study the tobacco industry. The industry, after all, had spent years studying the public health advocates and I thought it would be interesting to return the favour. Just as stopping malaria required understanding mosquitos, preventing heart disease and …
Autoimmune Esophagitis: IgG4-related Tumors of the Esophagus

We present a case of a 23-year-old gentleman who presented with dysphagia, weight loss, and recurrent esophageal strictures requiring multiple dilatations. An endoscopic ultrasound with esophagogastroduodenoscopy revealed a mass present in the distal esophagus. Fine needle aspiration suggested that the mass in the lower esophagus resembled a gastrointestinal stromal tumor. After surgical resection, final pathologic analysis revealed that the tumor was comprised of benign-appearing fibroinflammatory cells with an increase and predominance of IgG4-positive plasma cells. The microscopic appearance was consistent with a benign condition as a result of an IgG4-related process. He did not, however, have any other symptoms indicative of systemic autoimmune disease or connective tissue disorders. We present the pre-operative imaging, operative management, pathologic diagnosis, and literature review of this rare condition and the first known report of autoimmune esophagitis as part of the IgG4 spectrum of diseases.
Monoclonal antibodies in organ transplantation

I N 1975 Kohler and Milstein established the technology for the production of monoclonal antibodies. 1 This procedure combines the fusion of myeloma cells with immunized spleen cells to produce a hybridoma. This fusion provides the benefits of linking the immortality of the myeloma cell with the antibody production and secretion of the immunized spleen cell. The selected antigen is injected into a murine host. The animal's spleen cells (antibody-producing) are harvested at this time and mixed with mutant mouse myeloma cells and polyethylene glycol to promote fusion. The newly created hybridomas are assayed for antibody activity. Cells showing positive activity are placed into separate culture wells and cloned. The desired hybridomas are then either frozen for future use or are cultured for the production of the monoclonal antibody. This process occurs in mass tissue culture or by intraperitoneal injection into immunodeficient mice, producing an ascites tumor that generates large amounts of monoclonal antibodies after 2 to 4 weeks. The monoclonal antibody produced is of a single predetermined specificity. In contrast to polyclonal antibodies, monoclonal antibodies are homogenous, have greater potency at lower doses, and have a more predictable and consistent effect. Fusion technology has led to the development of monoclonal antibody immunoconjugates, so that cytotoxic therapy may be delivered with specificity to cells that carry epitopes reactive with the antibody portion of the conjugate. This allows for delivery of the immunotoxin to the cell type
Effects of sulfur on the fatigue and fracture resistance of interfaces between γ-Ni(Cr) and α-Al2O3

Dramatic effects of S on the adhesion and fatigue resistance of interfaces between γ-Ni(Cr) and α-Al2O3, have been explicitly demonstrated and quantified. This has been achieved by using two bonding conditions: one involving solid-state diffusion (SSDB) and another through a liquid phase (LPB) that forms at temperatures above a eutectic that releases a S-rich liquid. Upon SSDB, there is no significant S excess at the interface, whereas LPB forms a thin interphase with a high local concentration of S. The SSDB materials have interfaces with such high toughness (above 300 J m−2) and fatigue resistance that mode I cracks divert into the Al2O3, rather than propagate at the interface. Conversely, the LPB materials delaminate at the interface, solely as a result of the residual stresses from thermal expansion misfit, with an interface toughness in the range 2 to 7 J m−2.
Genetic engineering of streptavidin, a versatile affinity tag

Streptavidin, a tetrameric protein produced by Streptomyces avidinii, has been used as a useful, versatile affinity tag in a variety of biological applications. The efficacy of streptavidin is derived from its extremely high binding affinity for the vitamin biotin. For the last several years, we have used genetic engineering as a primary means to enhance the properties of streptavidin and to expand the application of streptavidin as an affinity tag. In this review, we describe several genetically engineered streptavidin variants, which include a streptavidin with a reduced biotin-binding affinity, a dimeric streptavidin, and a fusion protein between streptavidin and protein A, along with their potential applications in biological science.
X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic studies of hydrophilic surfaces modified via admicellar polymerization

Admicellar polymerization with styrene monomer was used to coat the surface of two porous solids: titanium dioxide and alumina. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements clearly indicate that after admicellar polymerization, organic material and surfactant are present on the surface of the solids. Water washes, performed immediately after admicellar polymerization, were successful in removing approximately 30% of the organic material, presumably mostly surfactant. The water wash was followed by Soxhlet extraction with toluene, with no measurable removal of organic material according to ignition loss measurements of the solid, gel permeation chromatography of the extracting solvent and also UV/VIS spectroscopy of the extracting solvent. However, there was a 5-15% drop in organic material after Soxhlet extraction according to XPS measurements. This difference is attributed to the difference in sampling; XPS samples only the exterior surface area while these bulk measurements sample both the interior and exterior surface area. This study details the ability of different washing steps to remove materials from the porous substrates used in this study.
Performance standards for urban search and rescue robots

In this paper, we describe work in performance standards for urban search and rescue (USAR) robots begun in 2004 by the Department of Homeland Security. This program is being coordinated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and will result in consensus standards developed through ASTM International, under the Operational Equipment Subcommittee of their Homeland Security Committee. The first phase of the program involved definition of requirements by subject matter experts. Responders participated in a series of workshops to identify deployment categories for robots, performance categories, and ranges of acceptable or target performance in the various categories. Over one hundred individual requirements were identified, within main categories such as Human-System Interaction, Logistics, Operating Environment, and System (which includes Chassis, Communications, Mobility, Payload, Power, and Sensing). To ensure that the robot developers and eventual end users work closely together, "responders meet robots" events at situationally relevant sites are being held to refine and extend the performance requirements and develop standard test methods. The results of these standard performance tests will be captured in a compendium of existing and developmental robots with classifications and descriptors to differentiate particular robotic capabilities. This, along with ongoing efforts to categorize situational USAR constraints such as building collapse types or the presence of hazardous materials, will help responders match particular robotic capabilities to response needs. In general, these efforts will enable responders to effectively use robotic tools to enhance their effectiveness while reducing risk to personnel during disasters.
A numerical evaluation of flexible footing settlement into uniform snowcover

Abstract Finite difference equations are developed to analyze the deformation of snow subjected to flexible foundation loading. A constitutive equation which describes the response of snow to long term finite strains is used in the solution. The results are compared with the available experimental data. Effects of footing size and shape on the settlement of snow are discussed. Stress distribution in the snow-mass is plotted. The settlement and effect of load on settlement are found to agree with the experimental data. The stress distribution under the footing is similar to the stress distribution obtained by the Boussinesq solution and agrees with experimental data obtained by others. For a good quantitative agreement between theory and experiment, the effects of equitemperature metamorphism should be included in such solutions.
Variation in diazotrophic community structure in forest soils reflects land use history

Abstract Microbial nitrogen fixation is an important source of nitrogen in soils of both old and secondary-growth forests. Considering that many soils, which today support secondary-growth forests were once under cultivation, no studies have examined how this kind of disturbance history affects contemporary populations of nitrogen-fixing microbes in forest soils. In the work presented here, we compare secondary-growth forest sites, which were under cultivation more than 150 years ago, to old-growth forest sites in Cadwell Forest, Massachusetts. For each site, nitrogenase activity was measured and the diversity of the nifH gene pools was examined. Three sites with prior agricultural history exhibited higher nitrogenase activity and were dominated by diazotrophs closely related to the α- and γ-Proteobacteria. In contrast, lower nitrogenase activity and the dominance of the anaerobic Cluster III diazotrophs characterized the three old forest sites. Further analyses of species overlap among all six sites revealed that the diazotrophic composition was closely related to previous management history, with agricultural sites clustering together and separate from old forest sites, independent of the proximity between sites. By specifically targeting one of the main functions of microbial communities in soils, the activity and diversity of nitrogen-fixing microorganisms, this work points to a long-lasting effect of former agricultural activities on secondary-growth forest soils, more than one hundred years after succession.
The Efficient Design of Adhesive Bonded Joints

Abstract A concise method of analysis is used to study the numerous parameters influencing the stress distribution within the adhesive of a single lap joint. The formulation includes transverse shear and normal strain deformations. Both isotropic or anisotropic material systems of similar or dissimilar adherends are analysed. Results indicate that the primary Young's modulus of the adherend, the overlap length, and the adhesive's material properties are the parameters most influential in optimizing the design of a single lap joint.
5-keto-D-fructose VIII. Synthesis of 5-keto-D-fructose 1,6-bisphosphate and some of its properties

Abstract 1. 1. Skeletal muscle and yeast phosphofructokinase (ATP: D -fructose 6-phosphate 1-phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.1.11) were shown to catalyse the phosphorylation of 5- keto - D -fructose 1-phosphate (D- threo -2,5-hexodiulose 1-phosphate) in the presence of ATP. The product of the reaction was isolated and identified as 5- keto - D -fructose 1,6-bisphosphate. 2. 2. The bisphosphate ester of 5- keto - D -fructose was found to inhibit competitively the action of muscle and liver aldolases (fructose 1,6-bisphosphate D -glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate lyase, EC 4.1.2.13) on fructose 1,6-bisphosphate. 5- keto - D -fructose 1,6-bisphosphate probably forms a Schiff-base intermediate with aldolase although its rate of cleavage is negligible. 3. 3. 5- keto - D -fructose 1,6-bisphosphate was found to be a relatively poor substrate for liver fructose-1,6-diphosphatase ( D -fructose 1,6-bisphosphate 1-phosphohydrolase, EC 3.1.3.11) and inhibited fructose 1,6-bisphosphate hydrolysis in a competitive manner. 4. 4. The new ketose bisphosphate ester was shown to act as an allosteric effector in the activation of liver pyruvate kinase (ATP: pyruvate phosphotransferase, transferase, EC 2.7.1.40) and as an inhibitor of liver and yeast 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenases (6-phospho- D -gluconate: NADP + oxidoreductase, decarboxylating, EC 1.1.1.44).
Falling margins and rising costs

Several recent papers have examined the way that industrial price-cost margins have evolved over time in response to changing demand and competitive conditions. This paper discusses a rationale for the inclusion of a third determining factor — changing unit costs. Time series analysis of a sample of seven oligopolistic industries indicates that in all cases, shocks to unit costs do play an important and statistically significant role in determining the margin. Moreover, the longer term trend in unit costs is also found to have a negative relationship with the margin, in five industries significant. This finding helps explain the decline in price-cost margins in high concentration industries in the 1970s, and provides some micro-level support for the hypothesis of an aggregate profit squeeze in the U.S. manufacturing sector over that period.
The annual cycle of the Rufous-collared sparrow (Zonotrichia capensis) in three biotopes in north-western Argentina

This investigation delineates the phenology of the annual cycle (gonadal activity, nesting, moult, behavioural events) in the Rufous-collared sparrow and attempts to identify the environmental factors involved in the temporal coordination of the annual cycle with environmental seasonality. Populations of sparrows were studied in arid chaco plains, subtropical foothill transition zone, and mountain semi-desert along a 100-km east-west transect at 26.9dS in the eastern piedmont of the Andes. This is a region of summer rainfall and winter drought characterized by a temporally unpredictable onset of vernal rains and vegetative rejuvenation. All three populations have a strong gonadal cycle including a period of histological collapse and reorganization. Measureable gonadal growth began in spring concurrently in all three populations when the daily photoperiod surpassed about 12 hours. The rates of gonadal growth in the log-linear phase were alike in the chaco and mountain populations, but were only 35–45% of the rate in the intervening foothill population. The earliest nestings in all populations were closely correlated with the first growth of vegetative ground cover, but less closely correlated with other environmental variables. The growth of ground cover to an arbitrary index stage differed by several weeks in the three biotopes, and the onset of the nesting season differed accordingly. Rufous-collared sparrows in this region nest almost exclusively on the ground in dense grass, and are evidently dependent on its concealment. Gonadal regression began at different times in the three populations and was not uniformly correlated with any obvious changes in the condition of the habitat. In all cases, regression began after the summer solstice, and thus coincided with decreasing daylength. Postnuptial moult in adults began almost simultaneously in all three populations regardless of the phase of the nesting cycle. Moult (suspended temporarily in some individuals) thus overlapped the end of the nesting season in the chaco and foothill populations, but not in the mountain population. Postjuvenal moult in immatures also began almost simultaneously in the three populations, about two weeks later than the onset of postnuptial moult. The temporal coordination of the annual cycle of Rufous-collared sparrows in northwestern Argentina appears to be controlled basically by the annual photocycle, with habitat conditions (probably vegetative growth in spring) acting as essential modifiers in the final adjustment of nesting to local conditions. This system allows the sparrows to exploit suitable nesting conditions as soon as they occur each year in a temporally unpredictable environment in which an exclusively photoperiod control of the gonadal cycle would be deleterious in a large proportion of years.
Suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCS) in T cell differentiation, maturation, and function

Cytokines are key modulators of T cell biology, but their influence can be attenuated by suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCS), a family of proteins consisting of eight members, SOCS1-7 and CIS. SOCS proteins regulate cytokine signals that control the polarization of CD4(+) T cells into Th1, Th2, Th17, and T regulatory cell lineages, the maturation of CD8(+) T cells from naive to "stem-cell memory" (Tscm), central memory (Tcm), and effector memory (Tem) states, and the activation of these lymphocytes. Understanding how SOCS family members regulate T cell maturation, differentiation, and function might prove critical in improving adoptive immunotherapy for cancer and therapies aimed at treating autoimmune and infectious diseases.
Coating thickness of magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles affects R2 relaxivity.

Purpose To evaluate the effect of coating thickness on the relaxivity of iron oxide nanoparticles. Materials and Methods Monocrystalline superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (MIONs), coated with a polyethylene glycol (PEG)-modified, phospholipid micelle coating, with different PEG molecular weights, were prepared. The particle diameters were measured with dynamic light scattering (DLS) and electron microscopy (EM). The R1 and R2 of MIONs were measured using a bench-top nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxometer. pH was varied for some measurements. Monte Carlo simulations of proton movement in a field with nanometer-sized magnetic inhomogeneities were performed. Results Increasing the molecular weight of the PEG portion of the micelle coating increased overall particle diameter. As coating thickness increases, the R2 decreases and the R1 increases. Changing pH has no effect on relaxivity. The Monte Carlo simulations suggest that the effect of coating size on R2 relaxivity is determined by two competing factors: the physical exclusion of protons from the magnetic field and the residence time for protons within the coating zone. Conclusion Coating thickness can significantly impact the R2, and the R2/R1 ratio, of a MION contrast agent. An understanding of the relationship between coating properties and changes in relaxivity is critical for designing magnetic nanoparticle probes for molecular imaging applications using MRI. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Cosine broadening of Mössbauer spectra with source and absorber of equal radii: Theory and experiment

Abstract The exact integral expression for the Mossbauer spectrum from a coaxial circular disk source and absorber of equal radii has been computed for values of the ratio of radius to separation from 0.01 to 0.5 and for peak positions corresponding to the hyperfine splitting in 57 Fe. These computer generated spectra are compared with experimental results. The geometry studied here is found in some conversion electron Mossbauer experiments, among others, but in the typical Mossbauer transmission the solid angle is reduced by having a large source/absorber separation. However, the results of this study show discernible broadening effects even at relatively large separation.