cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Imbalance of Systemic Redox Biomarkers in Children with Epilepsy: Role of Ferroptosis

To assess if ferroptosis, a new type of programmed cell death accompanied by iron accumulation, lipid peroxidation, and glutathione depletion, occurs in children with epilepsy, and in order to identify a panel of biomarkers useful for patient stratification and innovative-targeted therapies, we measured ferroptosis biomarkers in blood from 83 unrelated children with a clinical diagnosis of epilepsy and 44 age-matched controls. We found a marked dysregulation of three ferroptosis key markers: a consistent increase of 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (4-HNE), the main by-product of lipid peroxidation, a significant decrease of glutathione (GSH) levels, and a partial inactivation of the enzyme glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), the mediator of lipid peroxides detoxification. Furthermore, we found a significant increase of NAPDH oxidase 2 (NOX2) in the blood of children, supporting this enzyme as a primary source of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in epilepsy. Additionally, since the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) induction protects the brain from epileptic seizure damage, we also evaluated the NRF2 expression in the blood of children. The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory transcription factor was activated in patients, although not enough to re-establish a correct redox homeostasis for counteracting ferroptosis. Ferroptosis-mediated oxidative damage has been proposed as an emergent mechanism underlying the pathogenesis of epilepsy. Overall, our study confirms a crucial role for ferroptosis in epilepsy, leading to the identification of a panel of biomarkers useful to find new therapeutic targets. Developing innovative drugs, which act by inhibiting the ferroptosis signaling axis, may represent a promising strategy for new anti-seizure medications.
Health Care Experiences of Patients with Nonbinary Gender Identities

Purpose: The primary purpose of this study was to characterize the health care experiences of diverse patients with nonbinary gender identities across a range of geographic locations. A secondary a...
A New Design Technique for Power Amplifiers Operating Close to Unit-Current-Gain Cutoff Frequency

In this paper, we presented the design and implementation of a two-stage power amplifier (PA) operating at a frequency close to 90% of the unit-current-gain cutoff frequency $(f_{T})$. Instead of the conventional configuration where inductors and capacitors were adopted as the matching components, a simple yet novel topology composed of transmission lines as matching components was proposed. Optimum choice of the transmission line parameters minimized the matching loss which in turn pushed the operating frequency toward the limit. Implemented in standard 0.15$-\mu$mGaAs pHEMT technology, the measurement results exhibited good performance making such approach feasible for PA designs beyond millimetre-wave frequencies.
NASA SpaceWire Activities/Comments/Recommendations

This viewgraph presentation reviews NASA's activities, and proposes recommendations for the further use of the SpaceWire (SpW). The areas covered in this presentation are: (1) Protocol ID assignment, (2) Protocol development, (3) Plug & Play (PnP), (4) Recommended additions t o SpW protocol and (5) SpaceFibre trade.
Airway Management in Penetrating Trauma

Airway management in patients with penetrating trauma can be one of the more challenging situations you will face. This is particularly true with penetrating neck and facial injuries, which have the potential to wreak havoc when you attempt to establish an airway: blood, edema, debris, and, in rare cases, complete laryngotracheal transection. Airway management in such cases may involve direct laryngoscopy, video-assisted laryngoscopy, fiber-optic intubation, the use of supraglottic devices, cricothyrotomy, tracheostomy, or direct intubation through a neck wound. Conversely, impressive neck lacerations may pose no immediate airway problem but distract you from life-threatening injuries in the thorax or abdomen: one-third of patients with penetrating neck injuries have moderate to severe injuries elsewhere. Facing a patient with penetrating injuries, you must be skilled at evaluating the airway, be able to quickly determine the need for a definitive airway, and be familiar with the various techniques to do so. While some centers may have 24-h anesthesia support, there will be times when you are the most capable physician at establishing an airway, surgical or otherwise. Even when a skilled anesthesiologist is present, you, the surgeon, must decide what type of airway is most appropriate. Will oral intubation worsen a potential laryngotracheal injury? Will it be ineffective? Would fiber-optic intubation or a surgical airway make the most sense? In this chapter, we will review the pearls and pitfalls of airway management in penetrating trauma: who needs immediate intubation, how to do it, and what situations dictate a more creative means of establishing an airway.
Applying Microfluidic Chemical Analytical Systems to Imperfect Samples

Over the last 4 years our group has been involved in developing a series of devices for chemical separation and analysis. These devices share a theme of utilizing the low Reynolds number properties of liquids flowing at slow speeds in small channels. These devices allow some types of function that are not possible in larger devices because of the possibility of bringing flows together without convective mixing. We have taken two somewhat different approaches to coping with samples that contain particles that are incompatible with one or more analytical methods to be used.
Microwave-Assisted Phosphitylation of DNA and RNA Nucleosides and Their Analogs

Microwave-assisted chemical phosphitylation of novel nucleoside analogs containing a ribulose sugar unit was successful with yields ranging from 50% to 79% using 2-cyanoethyl-N,N-diisopropyl chlorophosphoramidite as the phosphitylating reagent. The resultant phosphoramidite products remained intact, with no signs of degradation over extended reaction times (up to 60 min) at an elevated temperature (65°C). When the same microwave-mediated phosphitylating protocols were applied to canonical DNA and RNA nucleoside monomers as substrates, using either 2-cyanoethyl-N,N,-diisopropyl chlorophosphoramidite or 2-cyanoethyl-N,N,N′,N′-tetraisopropyl phosphane with an activator, 40% to 90% yields of DNA and RNA phosphoramidites were obtained within 10 to 15 min. These results demonstrate that microwave-assisted phosphitylation is an efficient alternative to standard phosphitylating conditions that can be expanded and refined to include a variety of substrates. © 2015 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Keywords: microwave; phosphoramidite; nucleoside; ribulose; phosphitylation
Tre effects of classroom gender dynamics on elementary level engineering education

1 Brian Gravel, Center for Engineering Educational Outreach, Tufts University, brian.gravel@tufts.edu 2 Erik Rushton, Center for Engineering Educational Outreach, Tufts University, erik.rushton@tufts.edu 3 Carol Kelley, Educator, Center Elementary School, Stow, Ma., dencala@berkshire.net 4 Sima Maitland, Educator, Center Elementary School, Stow, Ma., MaitlandT@aol.com Abstract – This work in progress is a study to examine the effect of gender dynamics in elementary level engineering education. Three experimental populations are created to investigate the impact gender has on attitude and performance in elementary aged students. Small groups in each population are required to design and build a contraption capable of meeting a defined set of requirements. To reinforce previous curriculum work, each group must utilize simple machines in their designs. Populations will be observed by educators and Tufts University GK-12 Graduate Fellows for motivation, selfdetermination, and overall interest in the project and classroom dynamics. This study will provide insight into appropriate gender make-up and structuring in the classroom to achieve successful integration of engineering concepts that male and female students can benefit from equally.
Higher Plant Steroids

Further biosynthetic degradation of tetracyclic triterpenes leads to the plant sterols and steroids. The common plant sterols occur ubiquitously, and surprisingly one of the simplest, β -sitosterol (80), is known definitely to inhibit growth of the WA neoplasm. Presumably very few of the more highly hydroxylated sterols, such as those functioning as insect hormones and the plant steroids, have been evaluated for antineoplastic activity. This may account in part for the paucity of such substances now known to be antineoplastic agents. Some possible future prospects for the multihydroxylated sterols may be evidenced by the few steroidal saponins, such as digitonin and gitogenin galac-toside (81), active in the WA system. The latter saponin was found to be an antitumor constituent of Agave schottii Engelm. (Amaryllidaceae).29
The Climate of Rebellion in the Early Modern Ottoman Empire: Land at The Margins

By the late 1580s, the empire faced systemic threats to its stability and the functioning of its provisioning systems. However, the crisis and rebellion that would sweep Ottoman lands in the following decade was also rooted in the problems of one particular region: the province of Karaman in south-central Anatolia, especially its southeastern district of Larende. In order to understand how the crisis broke out here in this poor, inland province rather than in one of the major urban or agricultural centers of the empire, this chapter takes a closer look at Karaman's peculiar history and geography. A relatively late and difficult conquest, Karaman had once been the seat of an independent empire and had long resisted Ottoman rule. By the late sixteenth century, this region of south-central Anatolia also exemplified the worst effects of population pressure and economic turmoil in the empire, creating an explosive situation that would blow up in the Celali Rebellion of the 1590s.
Advanced Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation

Describe the evolution of various CPR techniques, including open and closed chest resuscitation. Describe the epidemiology of sudden cardiac death. List the various etiologies of sudden cardiac arrest. Describe the research-validated mechanisms by which blood flows in a forward direction during CPR. Correlate coronary and cerebral perfusion pressures with survival and clinical outcome. Describe several techniques by which CPR can be performed, along with pros and cons for each technique. List the techniques for assessment and support of the airway, breathing, and circulation. Recite the algorithms for the treatment of asystole, pulseless electrical activity (PEA), ventricular fibrillation, ventricular tachycardia, and bradycardic rhythms. Alter properly the resuscitation techniques for victims of cardiac arrest associated with hypothermia, near-drowning, trauma, electrical shock/lightning, and pregnancy.
X-rays from charge transfer in astrophysics: Overview

X-rays produced by charge transfer provide a major fraction of the soft X-ray background. If they contribute significantly to emission from other astrophysical sources, then model fits that ignore them will yield wrong answers, and an important diagnostic opportunity will be missed. Several recent papers suggest charge transfer contributions to observed X-ray spectra. This informal overview discusses analysis that might confirm the charge transfer interpretation and carry it toward the status of a useful diagnostic (© 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Análise sumária de urina de rotina: porquê e para quê?

Objectives: To determine the benefit of urinalysis in screening asymptomatic adults from the best evidence available. Data Sources: Cochrane Library, Trip Database, Dare, National Guideline Clearinghouse, Finland Evidence Based Medicine Guidelines, PubMed, UpToDate, Index of Medical Portuguese Journals and related citations. Review Methods: Search for articles and related citations using the MeSH terms urinalysis and mass screening, published until March of 2012, in English and Portuguese. The Strength of Recommendation Taxonomy (SORT) scale of the American Academy of Family Physicians was used for assigning levels of evidence and the strength of recommendation. Results: The search produced a total of 459 articles. Six met the inclusion criteria. These included one systematic review, two original studies, two clinical practice guidelines, and one review article. Although urinalysis is frequently ordered, a change in management occurs in less than 5% of the cases after the test. It may lead to the ordering of other more expensive and invasive diagnostic tests. Conclusions: Urinalysis as screening test in asymptomatic adults is not beneficial for patients. It is not recommended as a screening test (SOR A). The evidence against systematic use has been clear for several decades. In Portugal it is commonly requested as a «routine» or preoperative test. In the light of published evidence, new guidelines seem necessary
Rule of Marine Capture versus Rule of Cooperation in the East China Sea: Exploring Options for Regional Ecosystem Restoration

The nations enclosing the East China Sea have already agreed to numerous international and regional agreements based on two competing rules: the Rule of the Capture and the Rule of Cooperative Conservation. Imperfect management under the Rule of Capture has led to a greater demand for cooperation. Yet, meaningful cooperation at the ecosystem level has been largely ignored leading to a disastrous degradation of the East China Sea ecosystem. Part One of this paper begins with a discussion of marine law as a field where Parties operate under two conflicting sets of rules: property based rules based on species capture and environmental protection rules based on cooperation. Given the incompatibility of these rules in practice, with one rule requiring action and the other rule premeditated inaction, current efforts to cooperate on conservation have been ineffective. Part Two suggests that because inaction is harder to sustain than action for a historical industry, East China Sea States should refocus their conservation effort on active restoration of marine and coastal ecosystems in order to avoid further degradation of the oceans.
A CONTINGENCY FRAMEWORK FOR ENVIRONMENTAL DECISION-MAKING:

This article explores a contingency framework for environmental decisionmaking. This framework suggests when environmental decision-makers will use certain decision-making processes by arguing that the process used is contingent on the type of environmental problem confronted and the attributes of the decision being made. I examine environmental decision-making from two points. First, in the policy and organizational behavior literatures, a shortage of decision typologies exists. Thus, the article suggests a general typology of decision-making based on dichotomized categories, e.g., short-term versus long-term decisions, decisions made under certainty versus uncertainty, new versus redressed decisions. Second, I suggest a general classification of environmental problems and describe their characteristics. The two typologies are superimposed and predictions made for when certain decision processes will be used. By categorizing decision types and process conditions, one can suggest what processes best suit which decisions and offer suggestions for improving policy outcomes.
N-Cadherin Redistribution during Synaptogenesis in Hippocampal Neurons

Cadherins are homophilic adhesion molecules that, together with their intracellular binding partners the catenins, mediate adhesion and signaling at a variety of intercellular junctions. This study shows that neural (N)-cadherin and β-catenin, an intracellular binding partner for the classic cadherins, are present in axons and dendrites before synapse formation and then cluster at developing synapses between hippocampal neurons. N-cadherin is expressed initially at all synaptic sites but rapidly becomes restricted to a subpopulation of excitatory synaptic sites. Sites of GABAergic, inhibitory synapses in mature cultures therefore lack N-cadherin but are associated with clusters of β-catenin, implying that they contain a different classic cadherin. These findings indicate that N-cadherin adhesion may stabilize early synapses that can then be remodeled to express a different cadherin and that cadherins systematically differentiate between functionally (excitatory and inhibitory) and spatially distinct synaptic sites on single neurons. These results suggest that differential cadherin expression may orchestrate the point-to-point specificity displayed by developing synapses.
NanoHUB.org - the ABACUS tool suite as a framework for semiconductor education courses

More than 170,000 users annually in 172 countries use nanoHUB.org for web-based access to simulation programs as well as a vast selection of related content, including online presentations and lectures, teaching materials, curated topic pages, podcasts, and downloads. With over 2500 resources including over 200 simulation tools, the science gateway nanoHUB.org is the world's largest nanotechnology user facility. Over 10,000 research and educational users utilized nanoHUB simulation programs to run over 364,000 simulations last year. In academic year 2009–10, nanoHUB.org content was used in 150 undergraduate and graduate courses at 97 institutions. From the time of its inception through the beginning of 2011, nanoHUB.org has been cited 719 times in the literature. A detailed analysis of these citations indicates a dual use of nanoHUB content in both education and research, with educational tool usage by researchers and research tools migrating into the classroom. By leveraging existing capabilities, we have developed the Assembly of Basic Applications for Coordinated Understanding of Semiconductors (ABACUS) suite of simulation tools and supporting educational content that can serve as an aid to an introductory semiconductor course. ABACUS serves as a one-stop-shop for students and teachers to enable rapid access to the critical elements needed in the introduction to semiconductor devices.
ESR studies of hydrogen trapped in alkali halides by proton irradiation

Trapped hydrogen atoms detection in proton irradiated KCl and NaCl single crystals at 77 K, using electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy
Gender, Objectivity, And Realism

Evelyn Fox Keller's Reflections on Gender and Science1 was a provocative, interdisciplinary contribution to the feminist critique of science. Keller has con tinued her iconoclastic ways with Secrets of Life, Secrets of Death,2 a collection of essays published in various books and journals after Reflections. She is renowned, in particular, for her intriguing psychoanalytic exploration of the mas culinity of science, which was received with some fanfare, although primarily only among feminists.3 Still, Keller's essay "Feminism and Science" is the token feminist piece in the gigantic, mainstream teaching anthology The Philosophy of Science,4 so her work has been noticed, and will be scrutinized, by a wider audience. Many scholars occupied with the feminist epistemology project tip their hats to Keller for having done ground-breaking work.5 She proposed, for example, that "masculine" and "scientific" have, historically, been yoked to gether, but also that men's (or a masculine) cognitive/emotional style does not have to be the principal or only mode of investigating the world. In light of this latter supposition, we are naturally prompted to wonder how far the feminist revamping of science can be pushed. Would women's (or a feminine) cogni tive/emotional style have even more to contribute to our understanding of the world? In this paper I examine to what extent Keller's work grounds this exciting, but extreme, idea. Keller's attitude toward science can be situated in the humanist tradition that is more suspicious than congratulatory. We get a taste of this antipathy in Bertrand Russell, whose The Scientific Outlook6 voiced sixty years ago some of the concerns that animate Keller in Reflections and Secrets. According to Russell, "We may seek knowledge of an object because we love the object or because we wish to have power over it. The former impulse leads to the kind of knowledge that is contemplative, the latter to the kind that is practical" (p. 261). The original, ancient impulse for knowledge was the love for the world that sought the "ecstacy" (p. 262) of contemplating it, not the love for the material benefits of manipulating it. Where science went wrong was in replacing contemplation with manipulation. "In the development of science the power impulse has increasing ly prevailed over the love impulse" (p. 261), and science became "sadistic" (p. 263). Russell is here anticipating a motif of Keller's, for in speaking about the
The design considerations for ozone and acid aerosol exposure and health investigations: The fairview lake summer camp — Photochemical smog case study

Abstract The health effects associated with ozone and acidic particulate sulfate exposures to active children have been and are being addressed in field epidemiological studies at summar camps in rural areas of the Northeastern U.S. The rationale and study design for studies, which have been conducted in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, are developed and reviewed. As background, results are summarized for human clinical and epidemiological studies and animal studies. These provided the basis for selection of health outcomes measured results from chemical characterization and transport studies are reviewed to define the criteria used for selection of a site which is effected by high ozone and acid species during photochemical smog episodes. The integration of the study design is discussed in detail by reviewing it application to the 1984 — Fairview Lake Camp Study (July 8 to August 4). The features of the camp study are reviewed, including the study population, pulmonary function procedures and analyses, air pollution monitoring instrumentation, and the site characteristics. The pollution exposure data are presented, for ozone and acidic sulfates and examined for the range and distribution concentration. Further information is provided on the intensity and duration of episodes encountered over the course of the study. Episodes occurred which had ozone and acid sulfates, ozone alone, and acid sulfates alone.
Chronic cortisol suppresses pituitary and hypothalamic peptide message expression in pigtailed macaques

Abstract The effects of chronic elevations in circulating glucocorticoids on the expression of peptides and peptide receptors of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis have been studied extensively in rodents, but they have not been examined in primates. To determine the responses of the HPA axis in primates to elevated cortisol, hypothalamic and pituitary tissue from normal older pigtailed macaques ( Macaca nemestrina ) that had received daily oral administration of cortisol or placebo for 1 year were studied. Pro-opiomelanocortin in the anterior pituitary and corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) mRNA expression in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) were significantly reduced in cortisol-treated monkeys in comparison with controls. CRF receptor 1 (CRF-R1) expression in the anterior pituitary and arginine vasopressin mRNA expression in the PVN were unchanged by chronic cortisol administration. Sustained elevation of circulating glucocorticoids results in suppression of HPA peptide and peptide receptor expression in the PVN and anterior pituitary similar to those found in rodents. Chronic therapeutic administration of glucocorticoids in humans may have unintended consequences for hypothalamic and pituitary function.
Conditioned stimulus-induced reinstatement of extinguished cocaine seeking in C57BL/6 mice: a mouse model of drug relapse.

The scarcity of mouse models for relapse to cocaine seeking has curtailed the study of genetic factors that may contribute to susceptibility for drug relapse. To contribute to the development of a new mouse model of drug relapse, C57BL/6 (B6) mice were trained to press a lever for infusions of cocaine (0.35 mg/kg, i.v.) on a fixed ratio 1 schedule of reinforcement during daily 2-h sessions. A light+tone stimulus complex was presented simultaneously with each cocaine infusion. Mice then underwent a series of extinction sessions during which lever presses had no scheduled consequences. As a result, lever pressing gradually declined. In experiment 1, the ability of the cocaine-paired light+tone stimulus complex to reinstate extinguished cocaine-seeking behavior (i.e. non-reinforced responses) was assessed. In experiment 2, the ability of cocaine priming (0, 1, 2.5, 5, 10, 20, and 40 mg/kg, i.p.) to reinstate cocaine-seeking behavior was measured. B6 mice failed to reinstate in response to i.p. cocaine priming; however, they exhibited robust conditioned stimulus-induced reinstatement. These findings suggest that conditioned stimulus-induced reinstatement in B6 mice is a promising model to study genetic and neurobiological factors that alter the ability of cocaine-paired stimuli to elicit relapse to cocaine seeking behavior.
AGGREGATING TRANSITIVE FUZZY BINARY RELATIONS

We discuss the aggregation problem for transitive fuzzy binary relations. An aggregation procedure assigns a group fuzzy binary relation to each finite set of individual binary relations. Individual and group binary relations are assumed to be transitive fuzzy binary relation with respect to a given continuous t-norm. We study a particular class of aggregation procedures given by quasi-arithmetic (Kolmogorov) means and show that these procedures are well defined if and only if the t-norm is Archimedean. We also give a geometric characterization of t-norms for which the arithmetic mean is a well-defined aggregation procedure.
Experimental evaluation of biases associated with sampling estuarine fishes with seines

Beach seines are widely used to estimate the density and species richness of fishes in estuaries. We evaluated the causes and extent of bias in estimates from seines using a series of field experiments in small estuaries in southern California, USA. Seining in spatially paired areas that were either enclosed by block nets or not, revealed that seines used without block nets underestimated density by more than 4-fold and species richness by more than 2-fold relative to blocked areas. Seining in paired blocked areas with seines of two lengths revealed that net length affected estimates of density, but not species richness; a 7.6-m long seine produced 1.6-fold higher estimates of total density than did a 15.2-m long seine due to increased catches of demersal fishes, but not midwater species. Paired sampling in blocked areas also revealed that many fishes initially evaded capture by the seine. Estimates of density but not species richness were significantly higher in areas through which a seine was swept 5 times compared to once. This was due to higher catches of demersal fishes but not midwater fishes in areas seined 5 times. Repeated seining through blocked areas revealed that the vast majority (90% or more) of species and individuals of midwater fishes were captured within the first 5 sweeps, compared to only about 50% of the individuals of demersal species. A mark-recapture study in blocked areas revealed lower probabilities of capture for demersal species relative to midwater species.
An Algorithm for Detecting Clipped Waveforms and Suggested Correction Procedures

Waveform clipping due to instrumental limitation is a common problem in seismic data recorded by local and regional networks. With high-amplitude data missing, clipped waveforms, which usually have short epicentral distances and high signal-to-noise ratios, have to be removed from the estimation of magnitudes and other earthquake properties. An efficient automatic algorithm for detecting clipped waveforms can help eliminate artifacts associated with analysis of clipped seismograms. In addition, a reliable algorithm for correcting some clipped waveforms can increase the availability of data closer to the source locations and data for larger magnitude events. The severity of waveform clipping at a given station is expected to increase with the earthquake size. Since the frequency of earthquakes generally decreases with size, following the Gutenberg-Richter relation, a large number of clipped waveforms are likely to have only a small number of clipped points. In such cases, it may be possible to provide reasonably accurate corrections for the clipped waveforms. Interpolation methods are often used to reconstruct missing data. By using a spline interpolation method, Karabulut and Bouchon (2007) corrected the peak values of clipped waveforms recorded by strong motion accelerometers during the 1999 Mw 7.1 Duzce earthquake in Turkey. Subsets of earthquakes recorded by local or regional networks often have very similar waveforms with high cross-correlation coefficient (CCC) values ( e.g. , Aster and Scott 1993; Nadeau et al. 1994). Another possible way of correcting clipped waveforms may be by scaling up portions of unclipped similar waveforms with sufficiently high CCC values. Here we analyze statistical features of clipped waveforms in a large data set of 26,080 aftershocks, recorded with sampling frequency of 100 Hz by a ten-station near-fault seismic network in the six months following the 1999 Mw 7.4, Izmit mainshock (Figure 1). Based on the response of instruments to amplitude saturation, …
Toxic acetylene-containing lipids from the red marine alga lamouroux

Abstract Four new acetogenins, three of which contain acetylene functionalities, have been isolated from the red seaweed Liagora farinosa from both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. Two of these compounds are lethal, at the 5–8 μg/ml range, to the reef-dwelling fish, Eupomacentrus leucostictus .
DIFFERENTIAL EFFECT OF SODIUM AZIDE ON THE FREQUENCY OF RADIATION-INDUCED CHROMOSOME ABERRATIONS VS THE FREQUENCY OF RADIATION-INDUCED CHLOROPHYLL MUTATIONS IN HORDEUM VULGARE.

A considerable synergistic increase of the frequency of cells carrying chromosome aberrations was observed in seeds of Hordeum vulgare , variety Himalaya, irradiated dry with gamma rays and hydrated in sodium azide solutions buffered at pH 3, 7 and 11. This effect, which was most evident at pH 3, was detected throughout development up to the formation of the male gametophyte. No synergistic increase of the frequency of radiation-induced chlorophyll-deficient mutants was observed. This differential effect of the sodium azide post-irradiation treatment on the frequency of chromosome aberrations vs. the frequency of mutations is attributed to the formation of two kinds of lesions in the genetic material of barley following exposure to gamma rays. One kind of lesion, similar to those leading to point mutations in procaryotes, is reparable at low energy potentials and, thus, its frequency is not affected by the sodium azide treatment. The other kind of lesion is associated with chromosome breaks and its repair is affected by the presence of the enzymatic inhibitor.
Chronic Ethanol Consumption before Retrovirus Infection is a Cofactor in the Development of Immune Dysfunction during Murine AIDS

Chronic ethanol (EtOH) consumption has been presumed to be a cofactor in the development of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). AIDS is identified as a major public health priority in the United States, with heavy economic and social impact. In the present study, we tested this hypothesis that EtOH users are more predisposed to immunosuppression because of retrovirus infection in murine AIDS. Adult female C57BL/6 mice were fed 4.5% (v/v) in liquid diet and control diets for 10 weeks. Then all mice were infected with LP-BM5 retrovirus, causing murine AIDS, and were fed control liquid diets without EtOH. Interleukin (IL)-2 production produced by concanavalin A (Con A)-stimulated splenocytes was suppressed during murine AIDS. It was further inhibited in EtOH-fed mice compared with controls at 6 weeks postinfection, whereas decreased level of interferon-gamma during murine AIDS was not further affected in EtOH-fed mice. The levels of IL-5, IL-6, and IL-10 secreted by Con A-induced splenocytes, elevated during murine AIDS, were significantly further enhanced in EtOH-fed mice compared with controls at 6 weeks postinfection, whereas retrovirus-induced elevated release of IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha, produced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated splenocytes, were further increased in EtOH-fed mice compared with controls at 6 and 9 weeks postinfection, respectively. Con A- and LPS-induced splenocyte proliferation, inhibited by retrovirus infection, was significantly further suppressed in EtOH-fed mice compared with controls. These results suggest that dietary EtOH consumption before retrovirus infection aggravated progression of immune dysfunction, because it modified production of immunological regulatory cytokines and immune functions.
Viscosity of Cellular Protoplasm

The protoplasmic viscosity was studied by using a small spin label having high permeability and broad solubility properties and nickel chloride as an extracellular spin-subtracting agent to localize signal inside cells. The viscosity is variable and in some cells is many times that of water or phospholipids, suggesting that lateral diffusion in biological membranes is important to cell function.
A convex optimization approach for clone detection in wireless sensor networks

Abstract When deployed unattended in hostile environments, static and mobile Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are vulnerable to node capture and cloning attacks, where an adversary physically compromises network nodes and extracts all information known to them, including the assigned cryptographic material and the internal states of network protocols. The obtained knowledge is used to disrupt the network by deploying and controlling copies of captured nodes (clones). Recently, a variety of novel clone detection methods have been developed, using concepts such as birthday paradox, sequential detection or random encounters in mobile environments. At present there is no framework to evaluate an individual detection method based on the WSN performance under attack or to compare and choose a method appropriate for a given application. In this paper, we develop an optimization framework for choosing the parameters of a detection method so that the cost of clone detection is minimized. We show that every detection method can be characterized in terms of four costs, namely, the impact of leaving undetected cloned nodes in the network, the cost of revoking nodes falsely identified as compromised, and the costs of communication and storage. A convex combination of these costs defines the cost of clone detection, which is then minimized with respect to the parameters of the detection method. Using this framework, we analyze existing clone detection algorithms and provide efficient methods for obtaining optimal detection parameters.
Comparative metabolism and pharmacokinetics of seven neonicotinoid insecticides in spinach.

The metabolism of seven commercial neonicotinoid insecticides was compared in spinach seedlings (Spinacia oleracea) using HPLC-DAD and LC-MSD to analyze the large number and great variety of metabolites. The parent neonicotinoid levels in the foliage following hydroponic treatment varied from differences in uptake and persistence. The metabolic reactions included nitro reduction, cyano hydrolysis, demethylation, sulfoxidation, imidazolidine and thiazolidine hydroxylation and olefin formation, oxadiazine hydroxylation and ring opening, and chloropyridinyl dechlorination. The identified phase I plant metabolites were generally the same as those in mammals, but the phase II metabolites differed in the conjugating moieties. Novel plant metabolites were various neonicotinoid-derived O- and N-glucosides and -gentiobiosides and nine amino acid conjugates of chloropyridinylcarboxylic acid. Metabolites known to be active on nicotinic acetylcholine receptors included the desnitro- and descyanoguanidines and olefin ...
A speleothem record of Younger Dryas cooling, Klamath Mountains, Oregon, USA

Awell-dated d 18 O record in a stalagmite from a cave in the Klamath Mountains, Oregon, with a sampling interval of 50 yr, indicates that the climate of this region cooled essentially synchronously with Younger Dryas climate change elsewhere in the Northern Hemisphere. The d 18 O record also indicates significant century-scale temperature variability during the early Holocene. The d 13 C record suggests increasing biomass over the cave through the last deglaciation, with century-scale variability but with little detectable response of vegetation to Younger Dryas cooling. D 2005 University of Washington. All rights reserved.
Dynamic elimination of pointer-expressions

Evaluating high-level language pointer-expressions can require a significant portion of the execution time and memory bandwidth in programs, especially for pointers with multiple memory accesses and address computations. Often such pointers repeatedly follow the same evaluation paths and return the same values. We present a microarchitecture technique that dynamically eliminates the execution of pointers based on results obtained from previous evaluations, without using prediction. We experiment with a benchmark set that includes continuous-speech recognition, MPEG-1 decoding, and SPECint95 ijpeg, li and go programs. Simulations of Digital Alpha 21164 microprocessor show that the eliminated pointers account for up to 11.3% of execution time, and 26% of data memory bandwidth of an entire program. Hence, the proposed microarchitecture provides substantial performance gains by significantly reducing the number of executed pointers.
Effect of Synthesis Conditions on the Performance of Cu ­ CeO2 ­ YSZ Anodes in SOFCs

The effect that synthesis procedures have on the performance of Cu-CeO 2 -YSZ (yttria-stabilized zirconia) anodes for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) has been investigated. Using a fixed concentration of 20 wt % Cu and 10 wt% CeO 2 , impregnated into a porous YSZ matrix using metal salts, it is shown that the methods used to prepare CeO 2 and Cu have a large effect on the cell performance. Direct reduction of Cu(NO 3 ) 2 to Cu, without intermediate calcination to CuO x , results in Cu films that have better electrical connectivity, but this does not enhance the final cell performance after exposure to n-butane. The calcination temperature for preparing CeO 2 from Ce((NO 3 ) 3 has a much more significant effect, with the area-specific resistance (ASR) of the anode in H 2 at 973 K increasing from 0.8 Ω cm 2 at 723 K to >1.8 Ω cm 2 at 1273 K and >2.6 Ω cm 2 at 1523 K. X-ray diffraction results indicate that most of the ceria has not formed a solid solution, even at 1523 K. The cell performance is also affected by the solvent used for impregnation of CeO 2 . Forming the CeO 2 film with (NH 4 ) 2 jCe(NO 3 ) 6 in ethanol resulted in a cell with an anode ASR of ∼0.4 Ω cm 2 . Possible reasons for the strong dependence of the ceria film on cell performance are discussed.
Black magic and illness in a Malaysian Chinese community

Ah Yuk Je is a successful Hakka Chinese spirit medium practicing in a small Chinese community in Malaysia. Her clientele consists largely of young children suffering from a culturally specific condition called haak geng or 'soul loss' and women concerned about infertility, prenatal problems and errant spouses. While in a trance state, assisted by her tutelary spirits, she diagnoses, prescribes and treats illnesses. Her treatment includes naturalistic and magico-religious elements such as 'cooling' herbal teas, tonics to strengthen the body, rituals and amulets. Because Ah Yuk Je is a wife and mother, women find her sympathetic and astute at solving family problems. When faced with an illness herself, which she suspects to be the result of kong tao (black magic) instigated by someone in her own village, she seeks assistance from a healer outside her own ethnic group as well as outside her community. Four important factors influence Ah Yuk Je's decision to seek out this healer. The first two, recommendation from a trusted friend and a positive previous experience, are obvious, and require no further discussion. The remaining factors are the special nature of the illness, which requires treatment from a specialist, and her practice as a spirit medium. Successful spirit mediums are perceived to have a certain immunity to and control over supernatural forces. Thus the need for secrecy when a spirit medium becomes the victim of evil forces. She is able to preserve her professional reputation by consulting someone outside her ethnic group of potential clients as well as outside her physical community.
Induction of receptivity in female rats and cats with estrogen and testosterone

Abstract The present study sought additional information on the hormonal induction of receptivity in both rats and cats. Particular consideration was given to the relative effectiveness of estrogen and testosterone in the induction of estrus.
The effects of age at the onset of drinking to intoxication and chronic ethanol self-administration in male rhesus macaques

Rationale Consumption of alcohol begins during late adolescence in a majority of humans, and the greatest drinking occurs at 18–25 years then decreases with age.
Identification of novel alternatively spliced isoforms of the tropomyosin-encoding gene, TMnm, in the rat cochlea

Abstract Analysis of a rat cochlear cDNA library for the expression of the non-muscle (nm) tropomyosin (TM)-encoding gene ( TMnm ), demonstrated that four nm isoforms were present. These four TMnm variants are NM -1, NM -2, NM -3 and NM -4. Nucleotide (nt) sequencing revealed that all these isoforms expressed the nm exon 1b sequence, but varied in their usage of the alternatively spliced exons 6a and b and 9a/b and d, representing skeletal muscle (sk) (exons 6b and 9a/b) and nm (6a and 9d) sequences. A novel exon 9 (designated as exon 9c) was associated with the NM -4 isoform and was also found to be expressed in the cochlea. Comparisons of the nt and amino acid (aa) sequences demonstrated a high homology between rat, mouse and human sequences encoding the ‘classical’ nm isoform, TM30nm, which is designated herein as NM-1. The rat NM -1 nt homology with mouse and human sequences also included the 3' untranslated region. Homologies were found between aa sequences of the C termini of NM-1 and the TMa smooth muscle and TMβ nm isoforms, between the sk sequence of NM-3 and the TMα and β sk isoforms, and between the novel 9c sequence of NM-4 and the TMα brain-1 isoform. These data predict that the nm isoforms share biochemical properties described for the other TM isoforms.
Mapping the mythological landscape: An aboriginal way of being‐in‐the‐ world

Abstract Warlpiri Aborigines utilize graphic and cognitive systems to represent their connections to landscape. The Dreaming is the primary mechanism through which Warlpiri organize and understand the significance of places. Each Dreaming myth has an accompanying graphic map, which references incidents and places associated with Ancestors. The maps recount sites along Dreaming tracks, and provide assessments of resources. Warlpiri create these coded images to coordinate physiographic and mythical components of the landscape. They structure knowledge about the world and facilitate the recollection of activities in space. Dreaming maps signify, among other things, aspects of cultural ecology around which society is organized.
The resolution dependence of explicitly modeled convective systems

Abstract The representation of convective processes within mesoscale models with horizontal grid sizes smaller than 20 km has become a major concern for the simulation of mesoscale weather systems. In this paper, the authors investigate the effects of grid resolution on convective processes using a nonhydrostatic cloud model to help clarify the capabilities and limitations of using explicit physics to resolve convection in mesoscale models. By varying the horizontal grid interval between 1 and 12 km, the degradation in model response as the resolution is decreased is documented and the processes that are not properly represented with the coarser resolutions are identified. Results from quasi-three-dimensional squall-line simulations for midlatitude-type environments suggest that resolutions of 4 km are sufficient to reproduce much of the mesoscale structure and evolution of the squall-line-type convective systems produced in 1-km simulations. The evolution at coarser resolutions is characteristically slow...
Tatlockia, a Genetically and Chemically Distinct Group of Bacteria. Proposal to Transfer Legionella maceachernii (Brenner et al.) to the Genus Tatlockia, as Tatlockia maceachernii comb. nov.

Summary In addition to the previously reported DNA hybridization and base composition data, comparison of the nucleotide sequence of 16S-ribosomal RNA fragments and the total cellular carbohydrate content of Tatlockia micdadei and Legionella pneumophila strains strongly support their separation into different genera. In the present study Legionella maceachernii was found to be very similar to T. micdadei , and like T. micdadei , it was easily distinguished from the other legionellae. Based on the accumulated phenotypic and genotypic data Legionella maceachernii should be transferred to the genus Tatlockia , as Tatlockia maceachernii comb. nov.
Cytosine Arabinoside Release from Polymeric Matrices

AbstractCytosine arabinoside (Ara-C) has been used in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia. However, rapid deamination reduces its effectiveness. Polymeric matrices containing ara-C were prepared in polyether polyurethane copolymer to form a protective, supply of ara-C. Release studies from these devices showed linear relationships between Q, the amount release per unit area, versus the square root of time. Burst effects were predominant at higher loading doses. The diffusivity values indicated that enough drug could pass through the polymer for the combination to have potential application as implants in cancer therapy.
Atrial Arrhythmias Related to Trauma to Sinoatrial Node

This is a clinical and conduction system study of a patient who developed sinus bradycardia probably caused by fatty infiltration about the sino-atrial (SA) node. Following a traumatic incident, there ensued hemorrhage in the SA node which produced atrial arrhythmias and collapse.