cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Chapter 28 Knockout Heterokaryons Enable Facile Mutagenic Analysis of Essential Genes in Tetrahymena

Publisher Summary Gene knockout and gene replacement studies show that homologous recombination occurs frequently in Tetrahymena thermophila . In mutagenic studies employing somatic transformation methods for gene replacement in the macronucleus, recombinations with the endoreplicated endogenous wild-type genes often separate the mutations of interest from the selectable marker on the transforming DNA. In addition, prolonged drug selection is required to achieve complete replacements, providing opportunities for suppressor mutations to occur. Transcriptionally active Tetrahymena thermophila macronuclei can be transformed by microinjection, conjugant electrotransformation, or biolistic bombardment. Homologous recombination occurs frequently in Tetrahymena macronuclei enabling routine gene disruption and gene replacement. In the knockout construct strategy, the essential gene under study can be disrupted either by replacing the coding region with the coding region of a drug-resistant gene whose expression is driven by the flanking sequences of the disrupted gene or by replacing the coding region with a selectable marker that is a complete transcription unit.
Microprocessor Based Data Acquisition for Analysis of Engine Performance

A computer system for data acquisition and analysis has been assembled and tested as an engineering development tool for advanced diagnostic techniques. This system includes custom hardware and software to facilitate high-speed acquisition of data, both digital and analog. The digital data is acquired via a time-stamping procedure, whereas the analog signals are sampled with a multiplexed A/D converter. By simultaneously monitoring both types of signals available to the engine control module, the performance parameters of an engine can be analyzed as functions of either time or engine position. Examples of misfire detection are given which illustrate the need for accurate digital data. Other examples include high-resolution velocity profiles of a defective engine, and samples of signals obtained from a normal engine.
Lipopolysaccharide-induced Expression of Interferon-β Mediates the Timing of Inducible Nitric-oxide Synthase Induction in RAW 264.7 Macrophages

The production of nitric oxide by macrophages has been implicated as a host defense mechanism against microbial pathogens and tumor cells. Recent reports have implicated interferon-alpha/beta (IFN-alpha/beta) as an autocrine/paracrine signal critical for the induction of murine iNOS. In this report we have systematically investigated the role of IFN-beta in the induction of iNOS in the murine macrophage cell line, RAW 264.7. First, we demonstrate that IFN-beta expression is highly up-regulated, and is secreted in response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Treatment of RAW macrophages with LPS results in a time-dependent phosphorylation of STAT-1 on both tyrosine residue 701 (Tyr-701) and serine residue 727 (Ser-727) that is consistent with the timing of endogenous IFN-beta expression. LPS also induces interferon regulatory factor-1 expression with similar kinetics. We further demonstrate that exogenous IFN-beta accelerates the induction of iNOS by LPS. The acceleration of iNOS induction is observed at the levels of transcription, protein expression, and NO formation. Accordingly, we propose that the cytokine environment of macrophages may determine the rate and magnitude of nitric oxide production, thereby regulating the cytotoxic response to pathogen challenge.
Uniformity comparison: Automatic vs. manual SPECT/CT quality control

2241 Objectives Quality control (QC) is an integral part of any Nuclear Medicine department. The main goal of QC is to ensure optimal system performance so that reliable, high quality images can be produced to aid in diagnosis. The purpose of this study was to compare uniformity analysis results between automatic and manual quality control on the Symbia TruePoint SPECT/CT (Siemens Medical Solutions USA). Methods Integral and differential uniformity analysis was evaluated for manual and automatic intrinsic and extrinsic QC. Manual intrinsic verification was completed by removing the collimators and inserting a 26-31mCi 99mTc point source in the integrated point source holder. Automatic intrinsic verification was performed by using the AutoQC device with an internal 99mTc point source. Manual extrinsic verification was accomplished by placing a 57Co sheet source on the collimated detector and running the manual extrinsic QC protocol. Automatic extrinsic sweep was performed using the internal 153Gd source. Five same day runs of automatic and manual extrinsic and automatic and manual intrinsic QC were performed and the data collected. Results Both the intrinsic and extrinsic automatic vs. manual verification data favored manual uniformity analysis, with the exception of extrinsic Differential UFOV. The average variances are listed in the tables below. Conclusions Overall, uniformity analysis favored manual QC over automatic. Visual comparison of manual and automatic uniformity images is consistent with the above results. Additional data will continue to be collected to further validate these findings.
A post-genomic surprise. The molecular reinscription of race in science, law and medicine.

The completion of the first draft of the Human Genome Map in 2000 was widely heralded as the promise and future of genetics-based medicines and therapies – so much so that pundits began referring to the new century as ‘The Century of Genetics’. Moreover, definitive assertions about the overwhelming similarities of all humans' DNA (99.9 per cent) by the leaders of the Human Genome Project were trumpeted as the end of racial thinking about racial taxonomies of human genetic differences. But the first decade of the new century brought unwelcomed surprises. First, gene therapies turned out to be far more complicated than any had anticipated – and instead the pharmaceutical industry turned to a focus on drugs that might be ‘related’ to population differences based upon genetic markers. While the language of ‘personalized medicine’ dominated this frame, research on racially and ethnically designated populations differential responsiveness to drugs dominated the empirical work in the field. Ancestry testing and ‘admixture research’ would play an important role in a new kind of molecular reification of racial categories. Moreover, the capacity of the super-computer to map differences reverberated into personal identification that would affect both the criminal justice system and forensic science, and generate new levels of concern about personal privacy. Social scientists in general, and sociologists in particular, have been caught short by these developments – relying mainly on assertions that racial categories are socially constructed, regionally and historically contingent, and politically arbitrary. While these assertions are true, the imprimatur of scientific legitimacy has shifted the burden, since now ‘admixture research’ can claim that its results get at the ‘reality’ of human differentiation, not the admittedly flawed social constructions of racial categories. Yet what was missing from this framing of the problem: ‘admixture research’ is itself based upon socially constructed categories of race.
Regulation by molecular oxygen and organic substrates of hydrogenase synthesis in Alcaligenes eutrophus.

Chemoautotrophic growth of Alcaligenes eutrophus 17707 is inhibited by 20% oxygen in the gas phase. Lowering the oxygen concentration to 4% results in chloramphenicol-sensitive derepression of soluble and membrane-bound hydrogenase activity (and of soluble hydrogenase antigen), showing that oxygen inhibition is due at least in part to repression of hydrogenase synthesis. Mutations resulting in derepression of hydrogenase activity (and antigen) under 25% oxygen (Ose-) mobilized with a self-transmissable plasmid which is already known to carry genes necessary for hydrogenase expression. Plasmid-borne mutations resulting in loss of soluble hydrogenase activity have no effect on the Ose phenotype, but chromosomal mutations resulting in reduction or loss of both hydrogenase activities cannot be made Ose-. The Ose- mutation does not alter the thermostability of either hydrogenase, and soluble hydrogenase in the mutant reacts with complete identity with that of the wild type, indicating that the Ose- phenotype does not result from structural alterations in either enzyme. Ose- mutants are also relieved of normal hydrogenase repression by organic substrates, which aggravates hydrogenase-mediated inhibition of heterotrophic growth by hydrogen. Regulation of hydrogenase in Ose- strains of A. eutrophus 17707 is nearly identical to that of wild-type A. eutrophus strains H1 and H16. Images
Inhibition of myoblast fusion by lysosomotropic amines

Abstract Fusion of cultured chick embryo myoblasts was inhibited by treatment with several lysosomotropic amines. The concentrations required for half-maximal inhibition of fusion were approximately 2 μ M for chloroquine, 30 μ M for tributylamine, 3.2 m M for ammonium chloride, and 3.3 m M for methylamine. All the amines inhibited fusion appreciably at concentrations lower than those that reduced cell density. Both the rate and extent of fusion were affected by the amines, which had to be present for about 20 hr before the usual onset of fusion. Inhibition of fusion was reversible by transfer of inhibited cells to fresh medium. The amines did not cause accumulation of a nondialyzable inhibitor in the culture medium. Levels of creatine kinase increased by eight-fold or more between 18 and 65 hr in cultures treated with tributylamine or chloroquine, although this increase was not as pronounced as in control cultures. The increased creatine kinase activity in amine-treated cultures was due mainly to the BB and MB isozymes, with relatively little increase in the MM isozyme.
Ferroelectric properties of the KSr2Nb5O15-LaNb3O5 system

Abstract We find that many compositions of the form M + M 2 2+ Nb 5 O 15 (M + = Na, K, Rb; M 2+ = Sr, Ba) have the tungsten-bronze structure and are ferroelectric. The coefficients of the Devonshire free energy function are determined for crystals in the KSr 2 Nb 5 O 15 - LaNb 3 O 9 system. The results show that very large room temperature linear electro-optic coefficients can be obtained.
Na4EDTA-assisted in situ derivatization pressurized fluid extraction of polar herbicides in soil

Abstract Pressurized fluid extraction (PFE) is becoming popular for solid extraction due to its advantages of considerable time and solvent saving. The use of PFE was evaluated for the recovery of six agrochemicals from a Hawaiian soil. Six acid herbicides spiked at a 0.5 mg/kg level in soils were extracted with pressurized and heated acetone (1500 psi, 100°C) and analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) in negative chemical ionization (NCI) mode after ex situ derivatization of the analytes. In situ derivatization of the analytes with pentafluorobenzyl bromide (PFBBr) in presence of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid tetrasodium salt (Na 4 EDTA) was accomplished as one step in the PFE extraction cell, followed by GC–MS quantification. The effect of the amount of derivatizing reagents, static extraction time and roles of PFBBr and Na 4 EDTA on the extraction were investigated. Use of Na 4 EDTA significantly improved the recoveries of the analytes, with results from 69 to 117% (an overall average of 92±16%). The analysis time reduced from several hours (up to 24 h) for the conventional extraction to less than 1 h, and the good and consistent recoveries make this method very attractive for the analysis of acidic herbicides traditionally presenting difficulties for their test at low levels.
Key organizational factors in data warehouse architecture selection

Even though data warehousing has been in existence for over a decade, companies are still uncertain about a critical decision - which data warehouse architecture to implement? Based on the existing literature, theory, and interviews with experts, a research model was created that identifies the various contextual factors that affect the selection decision. The results from the field survey and multinomial logistic regression suggest that various combinations of organizational factors influence data warehouse architecture selection. The strategic view of the data warehouse prior to implementation emerged as a key determinant. The research suggests an overall model for predicting the data warehouse architecture selection decision.
Comments on Baker's "Draft model aggregated code of ethics for bioethicists".

of ethics can justify discipline or legal liability. So, for example, once a profession has a formal code of ethics, courts can appeal to it when deciding what reasonable care in that profession is. The code’s higher (more demanding) standard may, and should, replace the standard common sense would 25 otherwise set. A code of ethics should be designed with all these purposes in mind—if only to state expressly that the code should be used in such-and-such ways but not in others. The preamble is a good place for such a statement. I think Baker’s Preamble (2005) should say more than it does 30 about how the code should be used.
I Feel, Therefore, I am: The Insula and Its Role in Human Emotion, Cognition and the Sensory-Motor System

Background: The insula is instrumental in integrating the emotional, cognitive, and sensory-motor systems. This manuscript lays a foundational framework for understanding the insula’s mechanistic role in moderating brain networks in illness and wellness. Methods: Reviewed here is the select literature on the brain anatomy and function relevant to the insula’s role in psychiatrically ill and normative populations. Results: The insula is a hub for moderating social cognition, empathy, reward-driven decision-making, arousal, reactivity to emotional stimuli, and somatic pain processing. Findings indicate a spectrum of increasing complexity in insular function – from receiving and interpreting sensorimotor sensations in the posterior insula to subjective perception of emotions in the anterior insula. The insula plays a key role at the interface of cognitive and emotional domains, functioning in concert with other brain regions that share common cytoarchitecture, such as the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and the anterior cingulate cortex. Pharmacotherapy and mindfulness-based interventions can alter insular activation. Conclusion: The insula serves as a receiver and interpreter of emotions in the context of cognitive and sensory-motor information. Therefore, insular function and connectivity may potentially be utilized as a biomarker for treatment selection and outcome.
Focal reduction of neuronal glutamate transporters in human neocortical epilepsy.

Summary Purpose: To study the differential expression of excitatory amino acid transporters (EAATs) at localized epileptic foci compared to nonepileptic regions in human neocortical epilepsy. Decreased expression of EAATs, the predominant mechanism to remove synaptic-released glutamate, may explain mechanisms of heightened excitability at these epileptic foci. Methods: The differential expression of EAAT1-4 at the mRNA and protein levels was measured in electrically mapped human neocortical tissues using quantitative real-time PCR and immunoblotting. This required a novel way to prevent aggregation of EAAT proteins through cold solubilization. Layer-specific neuronal densities were measured to control for potential differences in neuronal density. Results: While focal epileptic brain regions show marked increases in immediate early genes, they have significant reductions in the neuronal glutamate transporter mRNAs (EAAT3 and EAAT4). These changes were not associated with changes in relative neuronal density, suggesting a reduction in EAAT mRNA per neuron. Immunohistochemical staining of epileptic human neocortex confirmed the presence of EAAT1 and EAAT2 proteins in astroglial cells and EAAT3 and EAAT4 proteins in human cortical neurons. At the protein level, western blots of the same epileptic and nonepileptic regions for a subset of these patients showed a similar decrease of EAAT3 and EAAT4. Despite no change in EAAT2 mRNA, EAAT2 protein expression was significantly reduced at epileptic foci. Conclusion: Regional reductions in EAAT expression at human neocortical epileptic foci could produce increased local glutamate levels that in turn may contribute to both hyperexcitability and the spontaneous generation of epileptic discharges that characterize human epileptic foci.
On the Generalized Gaussian CEO Problem

This paper considers a distributed source coding (DSC) problem where L encoders observe noisy linear combinations of K correlated remote Gaussian sources, and separately transmit the compressed observations to the decoder to reconstruct the remote sources subject to a sum-distortion constraint. This DSC problem is referred to as the generalized Gaussian CEO problem since it can be viewed as a generalization of the quadratic Gaussian CEO problem where the number of remote source K=1. First, we provide a new outer region obtained using the entropy power inequality and an equivalent argument (in the sense of having the same rate-distortion region and Berger-Tung inner region) among a certain class of generalized Gaussian CEO problems. We then give two sufficient conditions for our new outer region to match the inner region achieved by Berger-Tung schemes, where the second matching condition implies that in the low-distortion regime, the Berger-Tung inner rate region is always tight, while in the high-distortion regime, the same region is tight if a certain condition holds. The sum-rate part of the outer region is also studied and shown to meet the Berger-Tung sum-rate upper bound under a certain condition, which is obtained using the Karush-Kuhn-Tucker conditions of the underlying convex semidefinite optimization problem, and is in general weaker than the aforesaid two for rate region tightness.
Inverse model formulation of partial least-squares regression: a robust neural network approach

The Partial Least-Squares Regression (PLSR) approach to statistical calibration model development has been formulated using an inverse model. The inverse model PLSR algorithm is implemented using the Partial Least Squares neural NETwork (PLSNET) architecture. Generalized neural network learning rules derived from a statistical representation error criterion are presented. These learning rules will accommodate a quadratic optimization criterion, providing the linear solution. Optimization functions which grow less than quadratically can also be used to provide a robust solution when the empirical data contains impulsive and colored noise and outliers. The robust optimization criterion also accounts for the higher-order statistics associated with the input data. The inverse model PLSNET learning rules require fewer mathematical operations per weight update than the forward model robust PLSNET algorithms, resulting in faster convergence in many cases.
DOE plan to acquire special freight cars to transport nuclear spent fuels to Nevada repository

The objective of the paper is to inform the conference of the Department of Energy's program to transport nuclear spent fuel (SNF) to a repository in Nevada. Information about the opening of operations, the freight cars expected to haul SNF, the special requirements of the AAR Standard S-2043 and the procurement plans are detailed.
Gangarten des Rationalen. Zu den Zeitstrukturen der Quantenrevolution

Paces of Rationality in the History of Science: On the Temporal Structures of the Quantum Revolution. I argue that the Kuhnian picture of scientific revolutions must be modified by introducing various levels of historical reality (or historiographical reconstruction) and reference points for rational justification in order to permit the constant movement back and forth between long shots and close-ups that is indispensable in the history of science. Such an account makes it possible to describe a scientific revolution not as a simultaneous break on all levels, but as a sequence of ruptures on different levels, in which some levels allow the formulation of the new points of view or a justification of the transition. The proposed account appears reconcilable both with Michael Friedman's recent philosophical analysis of the dynamics of reason, even though it also admits of social and technological levels that are not representing a constitutive a priori, and Michel Foucault's archeology of nature, which does not contradict the fact that in studying the history of physical theory one typically finds precisely formulated and well-separated levels of knowledge. It is ironic that Kuhn's original account, which helped to shape the ‘new epistemology’, is still largely indebted to the Logical Empiricists' conception of a single linguistic framework, the establishment of which is merely a matter of convention and pragmatics. At the example of Mara Beller's assessment of the quantum revolution. I argue that the Kuhnian picture represents an obstacle against assessing one particular trait of the German physics of the 1920s, the important formative part played by philosophical convictions of the German physicist-philosophers.
Photodissociation of ICN at the Water/Chloroform Interface†

The photodissociation of ICN adsorbed at the water/chloroform liquid−liquid interface is studied using semiclassical molecular dynamics with nonadiabatic surface hopping. Several fundamental processes following the bond breakup of ICN adsorbed at the interface are compared with the same processes taking place in bulk water and bulk chloroform. These include cage escape, rotational relaxation of the CN product, recombination on the ground state to form ICN and INC, and their vibrational relaxation. The probability for cage escape at the liquid/liquid interface is larger than in the bulk of either liquid. Nonadiabatic transitions among the different electronic states have rates that are very similar in bulk water and at the interface but slightly more rapid in chloroform. The translational and rotational relaxation of the photofragments strongly depend on the final photodissociation outcome, but typically the dynamics in bulk water are slightly faster than at the water/chloroform interface and typically muc...
Performance of Manchester Coded FSK

Manchester coded FSK uses two shifts per message bit. Assuming each shift is an incoherent RF pulse, we show that for small p2, the input signal-to-noise ratio, a quadratic receiver is optimum and has Pe=?(1+p2/4) exp(-p2/4). By comparison, incoherent FSK has Pe=?exp(-p2/4).
Facilitating ZnO nanostructure growths by making seeds for self-catalytic reactions

Long and straight single-crystalline ZnO nanowires were successfully synthesized on ZnCl{sub 2}-coated Zn foils in oxygen environment by using simple thermal annealing processes. With relatively low reaction temperatures (410 and 700 Degree-Sign C), nanowires whose lengths and diameters are up to {approx}50 {mu}m and 10-100 nm were obtained. We found that ZnO seeds created from ZnCl{sub 2} played an important role in facilitating the ZnO nanowire growth via self-catalytic reactions. Systematic studies by altering critical synthesis factors that determine shape, length, diameter, and density of the nanowires were performed in order to unveil the growth mechanisms. We also compared the nanowires synthesized from Zn foils with tetrapod ZnO nanostructures synthesized from Zn powders at various temperatures. - Graphical abstract: (Left panel) ZnO seeds from ZnCl{sub 2} after thermal annealing at 500 Degree-Sign C for 5 min, (right panel) dense ZnO nanowires grown from Zn foils with ZnCl{sub 2} coating after thermal annealing at 700 Degree-Sign C for 60 min. Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer ZnCl{sub 2} facilitated ZnO nanowire growth by creating ZnO seeds. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer ZnO nanowires were synthesized via self-catalytic reactions. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Long and straight single-crystalline ZnO nanowires were synthesized. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Key parameters in thermal annealing processes were identified.
FoxM1 is a Novel Target of a Natural Agent in Pancreatic Cancer

Purpose Pancreatic cancer remains the fourth most common cause of cancer-related death in the United States. Therefore, novel strategies for the prevention and/or treatment are urgently needed. Genistein has been found to be responsible for lowering the rate of pancreatic cancer. However, the molecular mechanisms by which genistein elicits its effects on pancreatic cancer cells has not been fully elucidated. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to elucidate the anti-cancer mechanism(s) of genistein.
GABA induces activity dependent delayed-onset uncoupling of GABA/benzodiazepine site interactions in neocortical neurons.

Changes in the function of type A γ-aminobutyric acid receptors (GABAARs) are associated with neuronal development and tolerance to the sedative-hypnotic effects of GABAAR positive modulators. Persistent activation of GABAARs by millimolar concentrations of GABA occurs under physiological conditions as GABAergic fast-spiking neurons in neocortex and cerebellum exhibit basal firing rates of 5 to 50 Hz and intermittent rates up to 250 Hz, leaving a substantial fraction of synaptic receptors occupied persistently by GABA. Persistent exposure of neurons to GABA has been shown to cause a down-regulation of receptor number and an uncoupling of GABA/benzodiazepine (BZD) site interactions with a half-life of ∼24 h. Here, we report that a single brief exposure of neocortical neurons in primary culture to GABA for 5–10 min (t½ = 3.2 ± 0.2 min) initiates a process that results in uncoupling hours later (t½ = 12.1 ± 2.2 h). Initiation of delayed-onset uncoupling is blocked by co-incubation with picrotoxin or α-amanitin but is insensitive to nifedipine, indicating that uncoupling is contingent upon receptor activation and transcription but is not dependent on voltage-gated Ca2+ influx. Delayed-onset uncoupling occurs without a change in receptor number or a change in the proportion of α1 subunit pharmacology, as zolpidem binding affinity is unaltered. Such activity dependent latent modulation of GABAAR function that manifests as delayed-onset uncoupling may be relevant to physiological, pathophysiological, and pharmacological conditions where synaptic receptors are transiently exposed to GABA agonists for several minutes.
Metric Statistical Comparison Of Objective Cloud Detectors

A primary goal of satellite cloud analysis is to objectively detect the presence of a cloud field and to identify its spatial structure. Several different classical non-metric algorithms ex-ist which, to varying degrees, approach this goal. This paper describes how a technique using metric (Euclidean distance) statistical methods is applied in the detection and subsequent verification of cloud fields. To quantitatively and objectively determine the effectiveness of several different cloud detec-tion algorithms, an inferential metric statistical technique is applied. This method, termed Multi-Response Blocking Pro-cedures (MRBP), compares the results of the detection algo-rithms with a verification data set, resulting in a measure of agreement and a level of significance. The MRBP results are presented and discussed.
Muramyl tripeptide (mifamurtide) for the treatment of osteosarcoma.

Osteosarcoma is an ultraorphan disease. There are approximately 1000 new patients diagnosed with osteosarcoma each year in the USA and Europe. Current treatment for osteosarcoma utilizes multiagent chemotherapy and surgical resection of all clinically detectable disease. Current treatments for osteosarcoma achieve 60–70% event-free survival (EFS) for patients with localized disease and approximately 20% EFS for patients who present with metastasis. These results have been stable for two decades. The addition of muramyl tripeptide (mifamurtide) to chemotherapy resulted in a trend towards improved EFS and a one-third reduction in the risk of death from osteosarcoma. Mifamurtide has been approved in Europe for the treatment of newly diagnosed osteosarcoma in combination with chemotherapy.
A class of multivariate chi-square distributions with applications to comparsion with a control

A multivariate generation of Bose's ( 1935) bivariate chi-square distribution is presented. This multivariate family arises for some problems involving the comparison of k>I experimental treatments to a control when the limiting distribution of the twosample statistic is chi-square. 1nference for these comparison with control problems is based on the null distribut~on dfthe maximum component. A computation algorithm and tables for probability points are presented for the distribution of the maximum component. Two applications are discussed.
Role of novel protein kinase C isoforms in Lyme arthritis

Inflammation caused by Borrelia burgdorferi infection occurs as a result of induction of pro-inflammatory cytokines from activation of multiple signaling pathways. It has previously been shown that MAPK and JAK/STAT signaling pathways are activated by B. burgdorferi in cultured human chondrocytes. Protein Kinase C (PKC) signaling pathways are potential candidates that may control these downstream signaling pathways. Here we show that B. burgdorferi infection leads to phosphorylation and activation of novel PKC isoforms (PKC δ, e, η, and θ) in a time-dependent manner. A specific inhibitor of novel PKC isoforms blocked the induction of pro-inflammatory molecules in response to B. burgdorferi infection as did transient transfection of novel PKC dominant-negative plasmids into chondrocytes. B. burgdorferi-induced p38 MAPK phosphorylation was also significantly inhibited by an inhibitor of novel PKC isoforms, suggesting that PKC activation occurs upstream of p38 activation. In vivo, administration of an inhibitor of classical and novel PKC isoforms to C3H/HeN mice infected with B. burgdorferi resulted in significantly reduced ankle inflammation and swelling. In conclusion, these data suggest that novel PKC isoforms are specifically activated by B. burgdorferi infection and this can contribute to the regulation of inflammation in vitro and in vivo.
Photosystem II oxidation of charged electron donors. Surface charge effects.

Abstract Reactions occurring on the oxidizing side of Photosystem II have been studied in Tris-washed chloroplasts by monitoring the decay kinetics of EPR signal IIf, arising from the photoinduced oxidation of Z, an intermediate in the electron transport chain between P-680 and the water-splitting enzyme. Upon addition of electron donors, signal IIf follows pseudo-first order decay kinetics with rates dependent on the chemical nature of the donor. Negatively charged donors (I−, Fe(CN)4−6, W(CN)4−8) are poor reducing agents for Z+· whereas neutral donors (benzidine, hydroquinone, diphenylcarbazide) are more efficient, their effectiveness paralleling their lipophilicity. The slow signal IIf reduction observed with the charged donors is consistent with the non-polar nature of the thylakoid membrane and a location for Z toward the inner membrane surface. It most probably exists in a hydrophobic site as indicated by the positive correlation between rate constant and lipophilicity for the neutral donors. A detailed study of the mechanism of Photosystem II reduction by ascorbic acid has been carried out. The pH dependence of the decay kinetics of signal IIf in the presence of this donor is consistent with a model in which both the neutral acid and the ascorbate mono-anion serve as reducing agents to Z+·. The second-order rate constant for reduction by the mono-anion is less than that of the neutral acid and is found to vary with the suspension pH. This observation is interpreted to indicate the occurrence of negative charge on the inner membrane surface in the vicinity of Z. Additional experiments, which assessed the effect of mono- and divalent cations and of cationic detergents on the signal IIf reaction rate constants, support both the presence of negative surface charge and its location on the membrane inner surface.
When Is A Picture Worth A Thousand $Rh Values? A Comparison Of Visual And Quantitative Methods To Analyze Single Subject Data:

The agreement between visual analysis and the results of the split-middle method of trend estimation was examined using a set of 24 stimulus graphs. Thirty raters indicated whether a significant change occurred across the phases of the stimulus graphs. The average visual analysis score for each graph was then compared to the results of the split-middle method of trend estimation. Using the trend line and tables based on the cumulative binomial probability distribution, a statistical statement of change across design phases was generated. The level of agreement between visual and statistical inferences was .46. The sensitivity, specificity, and predictive value of visual analysis in relation to the statistical conclusions ranged from .38 to .73. Findings indicate the need for continued investigation of the various properties of visual and statistical analysis as applied to single subject data.
Diffusion in the random gap model of monolayer and bilayer graphene

In this paper we study the effect of a fluctuating gap in mono- and bilayer graphene, created by a symmetry-breaking random potential. We identify a continuous symmetry for the two-particle Green’s function which is spontaneously broken in the average two-particle Green’s function and leads to a massless fermion mode. Within a loop expansion it is shown that the massless mode is dominated on large scales by small loops. This result indicates diffusion of electrons. Although the diffusion mechanism is the same in mono- and in bilayer graphene, the amount of scattering is much stronger in the latter. Physical quantities at the neutrality point, such as the density of states, the diffusion coefficient and the conductivity, are determined bythe one-particle scattering rate. All these quantities vanish at a critical value of the average symmetry-breaking potential, signaling a continuous transition to an insulating behavior.
Fourier series direct method for variational problems

A direct method for solving variational problems using Fourier series is presented. An operational matrix of integration is first introduced and is utilized to reduce a variational problem to the solution of algebraic equations. Illustrative examples are also given.
Novel MEMS stiffness sensor for force and elasticity measurements

Abstract This paper presents the design, mathematical model, fabrication and testing of a novel type of MEMS stiffness sensor. The proposed sensor can measure both contact force and the stiffness of the object under contact. The sensing concept utilizes multiple membranes with varying stiffnesses. The relative deflection of the sensing membranes can be measured to calculate the stiffness or elasticity of the targeted object. In order to validate the new sensing concept, MEMS capacitive sensors are fabricated using surface micromachining with each fabricated sensor having a 1 mm × 1 mm square active sensor area. Finally, the sensors are characterized by using them to touch polymers of different elastic stiffness values. The test results show that the fabricated sensor can discriminate elasticity variation of polymer specimens with a resolution of 0.1 MPa over a range of 0.7–1.2 MPa. The force sensing resolution is excellent and is as small as 0.2 mN over a force range of 0–0.5 N.
Cool Collaborations: Designing a Better Library Experience

Academic libraries routinely partner with other campus units in such areas as information literacy or writing support. However, the Georgia Tech library collaborations described in this article step outside the norm in that librarians are involved throughout the process of designing the collaborative projects; the projects are integrated into the undergraduate curriculum and embrace the science, technology, and design campus focus; the library incurs little or no financial commitment; and projects are ongoing or have long-term effects. The projects continue to change campus perceptions of libraries and librarians, and they have made the library a sought after “cool” collaborator on campus.
THE PHOTOLYTIC DEGRADATION OF PICLORAM

Summary. The effects of sunlight and ultraviolet light (253.7 nm) on 4-amino-3,5,6-trichloropicolinic acid (picloram) in a basic aqueous solution were investigated. Electron-capture gas chromatography determinations showed that approximately 20% of a 2 × 10−2 M concentration of picloram was degraded for each 48-hr exposure to ultraviolet light of an intensity of 200 μW/cm2. Decomposition by sunlight was slower and more variable. Precipitation of the degradation products with AgNO3 indicated that two chloride ions were liberated for each molecule of picloram that was degraded. Titrations indicated that acids were formed in the degradation process, and ultraviolet spectra showed that the pyridine nucleus was destroyed. Chromatograms of the methylated decomposition products showed that at least five products were formed. The effect of the addition of a free radical scavenger, hydroquinone, on the rate of decomposition was investigated but no definite conclusions could be drawn. La degradation photolytique du piclorame Resume. Les effets de la lumiere du soleil et de l'ultra-violet (253,7 nm) sur l'acide 4-amino-3,5,6-trichloropicolinique (piclorame) ont eteetudies dans une solution basique. Les determinations par chromatographie en phase gazeuse de capture d'electrons montrerent que 20% environ d'une concentration 2 × 10−2 M de piclorame etait degradee pour chaque periode de 48h d'exposition a la lumiere ultra-violette avec une intensite de 200 microwatts/cm2. La decomposition par la lumiere solaire fut plus lente et plus variable. La precipitation des produits de degradation par AgNO3 montra que deux ions chlorure liberes pour chaque molecule de piclorame degradee. Les dosages montrerent que des acides furent formes au cours du processus de degradation et le spectre ultra-violet indiqua que le noyau pyridine etait detruit. Les chromatogrames des produits methyles de decomposition revelerent que cinq produits au moins furent formes.
Relation between ST segment shifts during ischemia and thrombin activity in patients with unstable angina

This study was designed to determine in patients with unstable angina whether specific electrocardiographic abnormalities associated with ischemia, the presence of coronary lesions consistent with thrombosis on angiography or the presence of recurrent ischemia reflects increases in thrombin activity as manifested by increased plasma concentrations of fibrinopeptide A. The concentration of fibrinopeptide A in plasma was increased to 6.7 ± 3.1 nMfor the group as a whole (n = 29). Increases were greater in the 17 patients who exhibited reversible ST segment shifts (10.2 ± 5.2 nM) than in the 12 patients exhibiting reversible T wave abnormalities alone (1.6 ± 0.2 nM) (p < 0.01). Nine of the 17 patients with reversible ST segment shifts who underwent coronary angiography had lesions with morphologic characteristics consistent with atherosclerotic plaque complicated by thrombosis compared with only 2 of 9 patients with T wave changes only (p < 0.05). Plasma concentrations of fibrinopeptide A were markedly elevated in 7 of the 11 patients in whom complex lesions were noted on angiographic examination. Thus, the occurrence of reversible ST segment shifts identifies a group of patients with unstable angina in whom ongoing thrombosis is likely and who may be particularly likely to benefit from antithrombotic therapy.
Vasopressin receptors in human pregnant myometrium and decidua: Interactions with oxytocin and vasopressin agonists and antagonists

Saturation analysis and competition experiments were performed to identify and characterize [ 3 H]arginine vasopressin binding to human myometrium and decidua in late pregnancy. [ 3 H]Arginine vasopressin bound with affinity similar to that of [ 3 H]oxytocin to both tissues (dissociation constant 1 to 2 nmol/L). The concentration of [ 3 H]arginine vasopressin binding sites was high, particularly in decidua, but in all instances was about 50% to 60% of [ 3 H]oxytocin binding. Analogs with selective oxytocic potency (4-threonine oxytocin, isotocin) had high affinity to both [ 3 H]arginine vasopressin and [ 3 H]oxytocin binding sites, as did analogs with both oxytocic and vasopressor activity (vasotocin). Analogs with selective antidiuretic activity (1-deamino-8-d-arginine vasopressin) showed drastically reduced affinity to [ 3 H]oxytocin binding sites and relatively low but significantly higher affinity to [ 3 H]arginine vasopressin binding sites. A new oxytbcin antagonist (RW22164 or [1-deamino-2d-tyrosine-(O-ethyl)-4-threonine-8-ornithine]oxytocin) competitively bound to both binding sites. Its affinity to [ 3 H]oxytocin binding sites was greater than to [ 3 H]arginine vasopressin binding sites whereas the relative affinities of a predominantly vasopressor antagonist (Manning compound) were reversed, suggesting the presence of distinct receptors for oxytocin and arginine vasopressin in pregnant human myometrium and decidua.
PARAMAGNETIC RESONANCE OF DYSPROSIUM IN CUBIC AND AXIAL FIELDS IN CaF$sub 2$

The paramagnetic resonance spectrum of dysprosium in Ca${\mathrm{F}}_{2}$ has been investigated at 9.6 kMc/sec at liquid-helium temperatures. In a site of cubic crystal field symmetry, the ${\mathrm{Dy}}^{3+}$ ground state is a ${\ensuremath{\Gamma}}_{8}$ quartet. The observed $g$ values and their angular dependences are in general agreement with predicted values derived from Bleaney's ${\ensuremath{\Gamma}}_{8}$ spin Hamiltonian. The first excited state is a ${\ensuremath{\Gamma}}_{7}$ doublet 8.5\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}1 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ above the ground state with an isotropic $g=7.52\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.05$. The fourth and sixth degree parameters describing the cubic crystal field are ${A}_{4}〈{r}^{4}〉\ensuremath{\sim}\ensuremath{-}200$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ and ${A}_{6}〈{r}^{6}〉\ensuremath{\sim}30$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$, respectively. The ${\mathrm{Dy}}^{163}$ hyperfine structure constant determined from the ${\ensuremath{\Gamma}}_{7}$ resonance is (280\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}10)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\ensuremath{-}4}$${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$. Two groups of lines exhibiting trigonal symmetry about the [111] crystallographic axes are observed with (I) ${g}_{\mathrm{II}}=16\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}1$, ${g}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}l1$, and (II) ${g}_{\mathrm{II}}=4.93\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.05$, ${g}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}=1.50\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.05$. A site with tetragonal symmetry about [100] axes is also observed with ${g}_{\mathrm{II}}=1.78\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.05$, ${g}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}=2.84\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.05$. Attempts to measure the spin-lattice relaxation time ${T}_{1}$ indicate ${T}_{1}l3$ \ensuremath{\mu}sec at 2\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K. Possible relaxation mechanisms and estimates of their magnitude and temperature dependence are discussed.
Satellite Lines in the Solar X-Ray Spectrum

Observations of solar X-ray line emission using crystal spectrometers during a large chromospheric flare have provided a list of wavelengths with a precision of 0.003 A in first order of diffraction and correspondingly better in higher orders. In addition to the resonance, intersystem (1 1 S 0-2 3 P 1) and forbidden (1 1 S 0-2 3 S 1) transitions of ions of the Hei isoelectronic sequence, we have recorded satellite lines arising from ions in the Lii, Bei and Bi isoelectronic sequences. These satellite features are most prominent in the iron spectrum. Apparent decreases in the ratio of forbidden and intersystem line intensities of Mgxi and Sixiii during the flare are used to derive electron densities possibly as high as 1 × 1013 cm−3 in the Mgxi emitting region and 1 × 1014 cm−3 in the Sixiii region during the event. A search for satellite lines on the long-wavelength side of the Lyman-alpha line of Hi-like ions has yielded no positive identifications.
Gas phase complexes: considerations of the stability of clusters in the sulfur trioxide—water system

Abstract Calculations of the structure of H2SO4, the SO3·H2O adduct, and the magnitude of the barrier between them, were made with the CNDO/2 method. The results suggest the importance of small cluster formation in the gas phase reaction of SO3 and H2O, and offer an explanation for its observed rapid rate.
Stretching of a liquid layer underneath a semi-infinite fluid

Exact similarity solutions of the Navier–Stokes equation are derived describing the flow of a liquid layer coated on a stretching surface underneath another semi-infinite fluid. In the absence of hydrodynamic instability, the interface remains flat as the layer thickness decreases in time. When the physical properties of the fluids are matched, we obtain Crane’s analytical solution for two-dimensional (2D) flow and a corresponding numerical solution for axisymmetric flow. When the rate of stretching of the surface is constant in time, the temporal evolution of the interface between the layer and the overlying fluid is computed by integrating in time a system of coupled partial differential equations for the velocity in each fluid together with an ordinary differential equation expressing kinematic compatibility at the interface, subject to appropriate boundary, interfacial, and far-field conditions. Multiple solutions are found in certain ranges of the density and viscosity ratios. Additional similarity solutions are presented for accelerated 2D and axisymmetric stretching. The numerical prefactors that appear in the analytical expressions for the interface location and wall shear stress are presented for different ratios of the densities and viscosities of the two fluids.
Speciation and Complexation of Cadmium in Extracted Soil Solutions

We report the soil solution speciation of Cd in 64 field-collected contaminated soils containing between 0.1 and 38 mg Cd kg-1. The soils were analyzed for pH (3.5−8.1), soil organic matter (8.0−108 g C kg-1), total dissolved Cd (0.03−182 μg Cd L-1), dissolved organic carbon (1.5−12 mg C L-1), and free Cd2+ (10-10−2 × 10-7 M). Free Cd2+ activity in solution was determined using differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV), assuming DPASV is sensitive to easily dissociated inorganic ion-pairs and free Cd2+ while excluding organic complexes. The solid/liquid partition coefficient (Kd) varied over a range from 10 to 100 000, and the fraction of the dissolved Cd present in solution as the estimated free Cd2+ species varied between 0 and 60% but averaged about 20%. The dissolved concentrations of Cd and the free Cd2+ activity in the soil solutions of contaminated soils of different origins can be predicted with reasonable accuracy using a simple competitive adsorption model dependent on pH and total...
Fear of punishment and the willingness to engage in criminal behavior: A research note

A survey of 611 college students (random cluster sample) examines the relationship between perceived probability of arrest and self-reported incidence of criminal behavior at the individual level. The study replicated and extended the previous investigations of Teevan, Tittle, Paternoster, and Saltzman. The study supported research which found little support for the notion that there is a direct link between fear of punishment and personal-level criminal inhibitions. Results showed that criminality tested to be a function primarily of one of two factors: whether the respondent had ever engaged in similar activities and whether the respondent thought the activity was wrong.