cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Masses and Other Parameters of the Light Hadrons

The masses and static parameters of the light hadrons (the pseudoscalar and vector meson nonets and the baryon octet and decuplet) are calculated using the bag model. The effects of quark kinetic energy, bag energy, strange-quark mass, colored-gluon exchange in lowest order, and energy associated with certain quantum fluctuations are included. These are parameterized by four constants which have fundamental significance and do not change from multiplet to multiplet. The fit to the spectrum is good. The ordering of all the states is given correctly. The intramultiplet splittings are very accurate for the baryon decuplet and reasonably good for the other multiplets. The isosinglet pseudoscalar mesons eta and eta' are treated separately in light of the special role that gluon intermediate states play in these states. Magnetic moments, weak decay constants, and charge radii are calculated. Where comparison with experiment is possible, we generally obtain improvement over the naive quark model. It is shown that exotic baryons do not exist as narrow resonances in this approximation to the bag theory. (AIP)
Petrologic and AlMg isotopic clues to the accretion of two refractory inclusions onto the Leoville parent body: One was hot, the other wasn't

Abstract Two type B refractory inclusions found within several centimeters of each other in the foliated Leoville meteorite differ greatly in their styles of deformation, textures, and Mg-Al isotopic characteristics. One is a subspheroidal type B1 with textures similar to those observed previously in many type B1s from other CV3 meteorites, and whose deformation (fracturing, some granulation) has been almost entirely brittle in nature. Its isotopic composition shows 26 Mg 24 Mg correlated with 27 Al 24 Mg which, although disturbed, indicates a lower limit for initial 26 Al 27 Al of ~4.9 × 10−5. The other inclusion is a highly elongate ( L W ~6 ) object whose long axis lies in the plane of foliation of the Leoville meteorite. It has a predominantly metamorphic texture, but relict islands of an earlier and more “normal” type B precursor are preserved in its core. The isotopic compositions of the two textural variants in this inclusion are different, anorthite in the metamorphic region mostly showing little or no excess 26Mg [( 26 Al 27 Al ) 0 −6 ] that would be attributable to in situ decay of 26Al whereas anorthite in the relict islands shows well-resolved excess 26Mg that gives a lower limit for initial 26 Al 27 Al of ~4.6 × 10−5. The effects of shock metamorphism on the Leoville meteorite are clearly seen in both inclusions, including brittle deformation and local shock melting, but are not responsible for the major textural differences between the two inclusions. The most likely origin for the deformed and recrystallized features of the elongate inclusion is that it accreted onto the Leoville parent body while still very hot, and deformed into its present shape at the instant it impacted. If the resetting of the Al-Mg system occurred during this event, it must have taken place at least ~3.3 million years after formation of the precursor inclusion. The possibility that other deformed Leoville components accreted while hot should not be discounted.
Assessing temporally and spatially resolved PM2.5 exposures for epidemiological studies using satellite aerosol optical depth measurements

Land use regression (LUR) models provide good estimates of spatially resolved long-term exposures, but are poor at capturing short term exposures. Satellite-derived Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) measurements have the potential to provide spatio-temporally resolved predictions of both long and short term exposures, but previous studies have generally showed relatively low predictive power. Our objective was to extend our previous work on day-specific calibrations of AOD data using ground PM2.5 measurements by incorporating commonly used LUR variables and meteorological variables, thus benefiting from both the spatial resolution from the LUR models and the spatio-temporal resolution from the satellite models. Later we use spatial smoothing to predict PM2.5 concentrations for day/locations with missing AOD measures. We used mixed models with random slopes for day to calibrate AOD data for 2000–2008 across New-England with monitored PM2.5 measurements. We then used a generalized additive mixed model with spatial smoothing to estimate PM2.5 in location–day pairs with missing AOD, using regional measured PM2.5, AOD values in neighboring cells, and land use. Finally, local (100 m) land use terms were used to model the difference between grid cell prediction and monitored value to capture very local traffic particles. Out-of-sample ten-fold cross-validation was used to quantify the accuracy of our predictions. For days with available AOD data we found high out-of-sample R2 (mean out-of-sample R2 = 0.830, year to year variation 0.725–0.904). For days without AOD values, our model performance was also excellent (mean out-of-sample R2 = 0.810, year to year variation 0.692–0.887). Importantly, these R2 are for daily, rather than monthly or yearly, values. Our model allows one to assess short term and long-term human exposures in order to investigate both the acute and chronic effects of ambient particles, respectively.
The influence of the energy emitted by solar flare soft X-ray bursts on the propagation of their associated interplanetary shock waves

We have investigated the relationship between the thermal energy released from 29 solar flares and the propagation features of their associated interplanetary shock waves that were detected at 1 AU. The 29 interplanetary shock waves were identified unambiguously and their tracking from each solar flare was deduced by tracking their associated interplanetary type-II radio emission. The thermal energy released in the solar flares was estimated from the time-intensity profiles of 1–8 A soft X-ray bursts from each flare. We find a good relationship between the flares' thermal energy with the IP shock-waves' transient velocity and arrival time at the Earth — that is, the largest flare energy released is associated with the faster shock waves. The IP shock velocity (without influence of solar wind) varies asW+0.32 and transit time varies asW−0.32, wereW is the energy. The actual transit velocity at the IP shock (shock velocity + solar wind velocity) is exponentially proportional to the associated flare's thermal energy,Vactual≈W0.13. The flare thermal energy-shock velocity relationship could, we suggest, be used to predict the arrival time at the flare-generated IP shock at the Earth. Finally, we discuss a possible scenario of formation of a shock wave during the early phase of the flare and its propagation features.
Leptin regulation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma, tumor necrosis factor, and uncoupling protein-2 expression in adipose tissues.

It has previously been reported that intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administration of leptin induced adipose tissue apoptosis in addition to influencing lipid metabolism. The objective of the present study was to determine if the expressions of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR gamma), uncoupling protein-2 (UCP2), and tumor necrosis factor (TNF alpha) were influenced by in vivo leptin treatment. Expression of PPAR gamma, UCP2, and TNF alpha in epididymal fat tissue was examined by Western immunoblot and in situ immunocytochemical analysis after 5 days of i.c.v. leptin treatment. Young and old rats (3 and 8 months old) were treated with or without 5 micrograms/d leptin. Leptin treatment increased PPAR gamma expression by 70-80% (P < 0.01) in both age groups. Leptin treatment decreased the expression of UCP2 (P < 0.01) in young rats, whereas it increased UCP2 expression (P < 0.01) in old rats. Leptin treatment also decreased TNF alpha expression by 40% (P < 0.01) in young rats but did not influence its expression in old rats. The basal level of expression of PPAR gamma was greater in 3-month-old rats than in 8-month-old rats. The basal level of UCP2 and TNF alpha expression was not different between the two age groups. These immunoblotting data were further confirmed by in situ immunocytochemical analysis. The present study suggests that expression of PPAR gamma may be directly involved in the leptin-induced adipocyte apoptosis signal pathway, whereas UCP2 and TNF alpha may play roles in the leptin-induced lipolysis process.
Detection of an oxygen atmosphere on Jupiter's moon Europa

EUROPA, the second large satellite out from Jupiter, is roughly the size of Earth's Moon, but unlike the Moon, it has water ice on its surface1. There have been suggestions that an oxygen atmosphere should accumulate around such a body, through reactions which break up the water molecules and form molecular hydrogen and oxygen2,3. The lighter H2 molecules would escape from Europa relatively easily, leaving behind an atmosphere rich in oxygen. Here we report the detection of atomic oxygen emission from Europa, which we interpret as being produced by the simultaneous dissociation and excitation of atmospheric O2 by electrons from Jupiter's magnetosphere. Europa's molecular oxygen atmosphere is very tenuous, with a surface pressure about 10−11 that of the Earth's atmosphere at sea level.
Hereditary angioedema: a current state-of-the-art review, III: mechanisms of hereditary angioedema.

Objective To review the available evidence on the pathophysiologic mechanism of episodes of edema in hereditary angioedema (HAE). Data Sources MEDLINE and PubMed were searched using the following keywords: hereditary angioedema, C1 inhibitor, complement system, contact system , and bradykinin . Study Selection Studies were selected based on their relevance to the pathophysiologic features of HAE. Results Early studies from the 1970s and 1980s disagreed as to whether the symptoms in HAE were mediated via complement or contact system activation. Studies have demonstrated that, in vitro, in C1 inhibitor (C1-INH)-deficient plasma, only contact system activation results in generation of a vascular permeability enhancing factor. Furthermore, individuals who express a variant C1-INH that is a normal inhibitor of contact system proteases but is deficient in the ability to inactivate complement system proteases do not develop angioedema. The blood of patients with HAE, during attacks, contains elevated levels of cleaved high-molecular-weight kininogen and bradykinin. Last, C1-INH-deficient mice develop increased vascular permeability that is mediated via contact system activation. Conclusions Hereditary angioedema attacks are mediated by bradykinin generated via contact system activation. The specific factors that trigger attacks remain unclear.
A niche for infectious disease in environmental health: rethinking the toxicological paradigm.

ObjectiveIn this review we highlight the need to expand the scope of environmental health research, which now focuses largely on the study of toxicants, to incorporate infectious agents. We provide...
An application of the c-varieties clustering algorithms to polygonal curve fitting

An algorithm is described that fits boundary data of planar shapes in either rectangular coordinate or chain-code format with a set of straight line segments. The algorithm combines a new vertex detection method, which locates initial vertices and segments in the data, with the c-elliptotype clustering algorithm, which iteratively adjusts the location of these initial segments, thereby obtaining a best polygonal fit for the data in the mean-squared error sense. Several numerical examples are given to exemplify the implementation and utility of this new approach.
Small longitudinal vibration of an initially stretched circular cylinder

Abstract In the present paper small longitudinal oscillations of a circular, elastic cylinder initially subjected to a finite simple extension are studied. The cases of both compressible and incompressible materials are considered and the frequency is determined approximately for the Mooney material. The dependence of the speed of propagation on the initial stretch is shown for the Mooney material.
Characteristic X-Rays from Lithium

Critical potentials for metallic lithium, determined photo-electrically.---A previously described ${\mathrm{method}}^{1}$ has been used to determine radiation and ionization potentials of metallic lithium. The values obtained are 39.2, 43.07, and 46.0 volts as radiation potentials and 48.4 volts as the ionization potential. In terms of energy levels these are interpreted as corresponding to the differences ${1}_{1}$\ensuremath{\rightarrow}${2}_{1}$, ${1}_{1}$\ensuremath{\rightarrow}${2}_{2}$, ${1}_{1}$\ensuremath{\rightarrow}${3}_{1}$, and ${1}_{1}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\infty}$respectively.$K\ensuremath{\alpha}$ lines of light elements.---The radiation potential at 43.07 volts corresponds to the $K\ensuremath{\alpha}$ line of lithium. This value is used to extend the Moseley curve for the $K\ensuremath{\alpha}$ lines, and the values for the other light elements are obtained by interpolation. The wave-lengths in angstrom units given for these elements are: Li, 286.5; Be, 132.8; B, 74.4; C, 49.0; N, 33.2; O, 24.4; F, 18.6; Ne, 14.8.
Hepatitis C Virus Triggers Apoptosis of a Newly Developed Hepatoma Cell Line Through Antiviral Defense System

Background & Aims: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) has a tendency to cause chronic viral infection. Viral evasion of host immune systems plays a key role in the pathogenesis of HCV. However, the interaction between HCV and hepatocyte innate antiviral defense systems is not understood. The aim of this study was to examine how human hepatocytes respond to HCV infection. Methods: We have established a novel human hepatoma cell line, LH86, from a well-differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma tissue. An infectious HCV isolate, JFH-1, was used to infect LH86 cells. HCV replication and apoptosis after viral infection were examined. Mechanisms of HCV-induced apoptosis were determined. Type I interferon induction and the relevant signaling molecules were examined. Results: LH86 cells permitted JFH-1 HCV infection. The viral infection caused massive apoptosis. The apoptosis was related to viral replication, because blocking viral entry with anti-CD81 or suppressing viral replication with interferon protected cells from HCV-induced apoptosis. The HCV-induced apoptosis appeared to be triggered by tumor necrosis factor–related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) and its receptors, death receptor 4 and death receptor 5, which were up-regulated in HCV infection. HCV also activated interferon response factor 3, which induced expression of interferon and TRAIL in LH86 cells. Conclusions: Our study showed that a specific HCV isolate, JFH-1, is cytopathic in this new hepatoma cell line. LH86 cells mount an intact innate antiviral defense through induction of interferon and triggering apoptosis of infected cells. This study reveals a novel mechanism by which host hepatocytes respond to acute HCV infection.
A diagnostic study of the forcing of the Ferrel cell by eddies, with latent heat effects included

A diagnostic study of the forcing of the Ferrel cell by eddy fluxes in the Northern Hemisphere is carried out. The quasi-geostrophic omega equation, and Oort and Rasmusson's (1971) data set, are used. The effects of condensation associated with the large scale motions are introduced to the omega equation by using the quasi-geostrophic moisture conservation equation. Thus, the dry static stability is replaced by a moist static stability, and the forcing of the Ferrel cell by eddy latent heat fluxes as well as sensible heat and momentum fluxes is included. Both effects tend to enhance the forcing of the Ferrel cell. The numerical analysis indicates that the effects are small in January, but in July the maximum vertical velocities are enhanced by about 30 percent.
Changes in structure and composition of an assemblage of Hydroporus species (Coleoptera : Dytiscidae) along a pH gradient

SUMMARY. 1. Patterns of total abundance and species relative abundances in an assemblage of predatory dytiscid beetles of the genus Hydroporus were examined along a pH gradient within a ditch in north-cast England. 2. During spring, total abundance of adult Hydroporus was greatest at the less acidic (pH 5.6–6.2) upstream sites, whereas total abundance of larval Hydroporus was greatest at the more acidic (pH 4.5) downstream sites. Both adults and larvae were more abundant in samples from the edge than from the middle of the ditch. 3. Species number and evenness did not differ along the pH gradient. 4. Species relative abundance patterns varied along the pH gradient, with particular species dominating at different sites. However, relative abundances of species changed discontinuously along the pH gradient. 5. Comparison of species abundance patterns along this pH gradient with published patterns of presence/absence among bodies of water with different pH revealed that species relationships with pH are often not consistent. Possible sources of this inconsistency are: geographic variation in species' pH preferences; complex responses of individual species to many factors in addition to pH; or random variation among sites due to colonization and extinction history. 6. The overall results suggest that pH is not the only, or even the most important, factor influencing Hydroporus populations and assemblage organization.
Dispersal probability and forest diversity in a fragmented landscape

The diversity of forest stands may be affected by landscape fragmentation during periods of climatic change. A modified version of the jabowa-foret model of the dynamic processes of establishment, growth, and death of forest trees is used in a spatially explicit framework to elucidate differences in the effects of both spatial structure and spatial processes. In cases with and without climatic change, the effects of including random or structured fragmentation and successively lower dispersal probabilities (increased chance of long-distance dispersal) are examined in simulation experiments. The exclusion of very low dispersal probability (p < 0.001) has an important effect on species richness. Barriers and random fragmentation also lower diversity. Climatic change has little effect on diversity alone or in addition to fragmentation; changes in composition result. These results indicate that rare events, especially of the type seldom recorded in observations of seed dispersal, are extremely important. The results of our simulation experiments indicate that model scale must be addressed in more detail.
Analysis of ignition by a plane laminar thermal plume

Abstract A theoretical investigation of ignition of a premixed combustible gas by a line heat source is described. Laminar flow was examined by numerical solution of the nonsimilar boundary layer equations, for an ideal gas with a one-step reaction and neglecting radiation. A deflagration wave is always present in the plume for these assumptions. However, the flame makes a rapid transition away from the source over a relatively small range of reaction parameters. This transition state provides a practical estimate of limiting ignition conditions-assuming that flames far from the source are not observed due to flow disturbances, transition to turbulence, or quenching by surrounding surfaces. Computations of limiting ignition conditions using this criterion indicate that while plume ignition approximates ignition by finite-sized sources, as the source size becomes small, there are interesting differences between the two cases due to effects of distributed heat addition and surface friction when the source size is finite. Streamwise gradients were appreciable in some circumstances; therefore, further analysis of this problem is suggested-relaxing the boundary layer approximations.
Supermassive Black Holes and Their Relationships with Their Host Galaxies

We review how the masses of black holes in active galactic nuclei are measured and outline the current limitations and uncertainties. Masses have been measured directly by emission-line reverberation for nearly 50 relatively nearby AGNs, but uncertainties due to the unknown geometry and projection effects limit the accuracy of these masses to ~ 0.3 dex. Reverberation studies show that there is a very tight relationship between the broad-line region radius and the AGN luminosity, with an intrinsic scatter of ~ 0.1 dex, which shows (1) that the largest source of systematic uncertainty in the black hole mass determinations is how the velocity field of the broad-line region is characterized, not the size of the broad-line region, and (2) that the size of the broad-line region can be estimated to fairly high accuracy from the AGN luminosity alone, thus providing a powerful indirect method of estimating black hole masses in even distant AGNs.
Atlanta's Last Demolitions and Relocations: The Relationship Between Neighborhood Characteristics and Resident Satisfaction

Using data from an Atlanta-based longitudinal study following 311 public housing residents relocated between 2009 and 2010 as the city's housing authority demolished its remaining public housing, the purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between changes in relocated residents' satisfaction with home and neighborhood and the socioeconomic, racial composition, and crime characteristics of their destination neighborhood. Consistent with previous research, we find that residents moved to somewhat safer neighborhoods with less poverty than those of the public housing. In addition, we find that residents view their new homes and neighborhoods as improvements over public housing. However, subjective pre- to postmove changes in satisfaction are not driven by changes in neighborhood characteristics (i.e., reductions in poverty and crime), but rather by decreases in perceived social disorder and increases in community attachment. Thus, our findings challenge some of the assumptions of poverty deconcentration. Policy implications are discussed.
The pulse oximeter in free muscle flap surgery a microvascular surgeon's sleep aid

An open lower tibial fracture and an associated soft tissue defect were covered with a free latissimus muscle flap and skin graft. A 1.5 x 3.5 cm skin island "buoy" supplied by a single myocutaneous perforator was left attached to the revascularized muscle flap for seven days and monitored with a pulse oximeter. Pulsatile arterial flow and O2 saturation in the revascularized free flap were accurately and reliably followed postoperatively.
Exploiting loudness dynamics in stochastic models of turn-taking

Stochastic turn-taking models have traditionally been implemented as N-grams, which condition predictions on recent binary-valued speech/non-speech contours. The current work re-implements this function using feed-forward neural networks, capable of accepting binary- as well as continuous-valued features; performance is shown to asymptotically approach that of the N-gram baseline as model complexity increases. The conditioning context is then extended to leverage loudness contours. Experiments indicate that the additional sensitivity to loudness considerably decreases average cross entropy rates on unseen data, by 0.03 bits per framing interval of 100 ms. This reduction is shown to make loudness-sensitive conversants capable of better predictions, with attention memory requirements at least 5 times smaller and responsiveness latency at least 10 times shorter than the loudness-insensitive baseline.
Bud formation in Funaria: Organelle redistribution following cytokinin treatment

Cytokinin stimulates caulonemata ofFunaria to undergo an asymmetric division leading to the gametophore. The earliest detectable event is a small protuberance at the distal portion of the cell accompanied by the reorganization of the underlying organelles into a polarized distribution reminiscent of a tip growing cell. Dictyosomes and associated vesicles accumulate in the protuberance directly beneath the plasma membrane with mitochondria subjacent to the vesicular layer. Endoplasmic reticulum lies beneath the mitochondrial zone directly above the large central vacuole, while chloroplasts are outside the bud. As development continues the bud elongates causing the outer cell wall to exfoliate. During the above events the nucleus migrates toward the bud site concomitant with an increase in the number of microtubules between the nucleus and the base of the outgrowth. Nucleoli, extruded from the nucleus during a previous division, persist as diffuse fragments within the protuberance. Upon reaching the bud site, division occurs with the developing phragmoplast being initiated distal to the caulonema tip cell. The former polarized distribution of the cytoplasm is altered as mitochondria, chloroplasts and small vacuoles become evenly dispersed throughout the cytoplasm; dicytosomes and endoplasmic reticulum occupy a cortical position. These events indicate a change from 2-D tip growth to 3-D diffuse growth. To quantify the ultrastructural changes associated with bud formation we performed a morphometric analysis of cells in various stages of budding. The relative volumes of dictyosomes and vesicles adjacent to the bud apex decrease during bud development coincident with an increase in these organelles in lower portions of the cytoplasm. Mitochondria and chloroplasts follow this same pattern although their highest relative volumes initially are 4 μm from the bud apex and outside the bud site, respectively. These data, as well as density profile topographic maps for vesicle fractions, support the contention that cytokinin induces a change in morphological symmetry and polarity in the fine structure ofFunaria.
Efficient computation of various types of skeletons

The skeleton transformation is particularly useful in the field of image processing and may be computed by various techniques. This paper describes a new skeleton algorithm, which is based on the original concept of anchor point, i.e. of point that the skeleton is bound to contain. Its first step consists in extracting the desired anchor points. Then, the set X to skeletonize is progressively thinned in such a way that, on the one hand, the anchor points can never be removed and on the other hand, the homotopy of X cannot be modified. This operation is efficiently implemented thanks to a queue of pixels. The algorithm turns out to be extremely efficient and accurate on conventional computers. Furthermore, it allows to deal not only with standard skeletons, but also with such objects as minimal skeletons, homotopic markings, smoothed and pruned skeletons, etc. Its flexibility is also proved by the facts that it works both in the Euclidean and the geodesic cases, that its adaptation to any kind of grid is straight forward and that it can even be extend to n-dimensional images and to graphs skeletons in image analysis and shape recognition.
Sign and anisotropy of the paramagnetic Fe2+ hyperfine interaction in FeCO3

Abstract The sign and magnitude of the paramagnetic Fe 2+ hyperfine interaction in FeCo 3 at 86 and 295°K was determined by Mossbauer spectroscopy.
Death and Taxus: the high cost of palatability for a declining evergreen shrub, Taxus canadensis

Taxus canadensis Marsh., a shade-tolerant evergreen shrub, is in decline as a result of past anthropogenic disturbances and increased cervid browsing. To identify factors that may be influencing establishment for this species, we planted 1080 T. canadensis cuttings in a hemlock–hardwood forest in the spring of 2004. Cuttings were planted across a gradient of light environments, consisting of artificial canopy gaps (61–441 m2) and closed-canopy conditions, and half were protected with deer exclosures. Following four growing seasons, T. canadensis survival in exclosures was 92% compared with 75% in controls. A mixed-effects binary logistic regression analysis revealed that deer exclusion had the most influence on the probability of survival; all else being equal an individual was nearly seven times more likely to survive if planted inside an exclosure (P < 0.001). Increasing light intensity had a counterbalancing effect on growth and survival; light increased leader growth (P = 0.019) but reduced an individ...
The development of orientation categories between 2 and 4 months of age

Recent research has indicated that infants are capable of responding to stimuli in a manner indicating that they categorize them. Infant perception of orientation was examined within a framework of categorization. In one experiment, it was shown that 4-month-old infants generalized habituation from one range of oblique grating stimuli to another, consistent with the interpretation that any two oblique stimuli were perceived as more similar than a vertical and an oblique. Fourmonth-old infants' generalization was not due to a simple inability to discriminate between obliques (Experiment 2) so the results of Experiment 1 reflect in large part true categorization behavior and not categorical perception. Results for 2- and 3-month old infants suggest that “vertical” serves as a reference stimulus in infant orientation perception such that gross distinctions between vertical and nonvertical precede the development of the “oblique” category. The category boundary between oblique and vertical did not successfully predict better between-than within-category discrimination in 4-month-old infants (Experiment 3) under the conditions of these experiments.
Age, Growth, and Reproduction of Sheepsheads in South Carolina

Abstract The sheepshead Archosargus probatocephalus is a common estuarine and reef species that is found year round in South Carolina. Although not commercially important, the sheepshead is a significant recreational species, and most of the fishing pressure occurs in state waters. From 1990 to 2005, 5,692 sheepsheads were collected from fishery-dependent and fishery-independent monitoring programs in South Carolina. Fish ranged from 102 to 605 mm in fork length (FL) and were caught during every month of the year. Ages ranged from 0 to 19 years for males and from 0 to 23 years for females; the dominant age-classes were ages 2–5. Marginal increment analysis confirmed the formation of a single annulus per year, and annulus formation began in May. Males and females did not significantly differ in FL at age t(FL t ) or total weight at age t (Wt ); the pooled von Bertalanffy growth models were FL t = 498[1 − e −0.297(t + 1.10)] and Wt = 3,778[1 − e −0.165(t − 0.548)]2.997. Both males and females exhibited the ...
High-temperature magnetic properties of AnFe2 (An = Np, Pu, Am) Laves phases

Abstract Magnetization measurements have been performed on NpFe 2 , PuFe 2 , and AmFe 2 (cubic C15-type Laves phase) between 300 and 1100 K. The Curie temperatures were found to be 492 ± 2, 564 ± 2, and 613 ± 3 K, respectively. A correlation was found between the Curie temperature and the magnetic moment per iron atom determined in previous neutron-diffraction experiments. Critical exponents determined for NpFe 2 and PuFe 2 were found to be close to previously reported values for the chemically ordered metallic system Pd 3 Fe. The overall magnetic behavior of the compounds studied implies the presence of local magnetic moments, in contrast to the itinerant magnetic behavior of UFe 2 noted in the previous paper.
Anthracene-Functionalized Polystyrene Random Copolymers: Effects of Side-Chain Modification on Polymer Structure and Behavior

Copolymers consisting of styrene and 4-chloromethylstyrene (CMS) were functionalized via reaction with 9-anthracenecarboxylic acid, providing the corresponding esters. Increasing degrees of functionalization were found to increase the glass transition temperature, influence chain packing density, and induce microphase separation in block copolymer structures. The approach demonstrated in this study facilitates the investigation of the relationship between structure of side-chain groups and polymer properties, providing a general approach for the study of the effect of chemical functionality on material properties of polymers.
Tunable Inhibition and Denaturation of α-Chymotrypsin with Amino Acid-Functionalized Gold Nanoparticles

Water-soluble gold nanoparticles bearing diverse l-amino acid terminals have been fabricated to probe the effect of receptor surface on protein surface binding. The interaction of these nanoparticles with α-chymotrypsin (ChT) was investigated by activity assay, gel electrophoresis, zeta-potential, circular dichroism, and fluorescence spectroscopy. The results show that both electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions between the hydrophobic patches of receptors and the protein contribute to the stability of the complex. The microscopic binding constants for these receptor−protein systems are 106−107 M-1, with the capacity of the nanoparticle receptors to bind proteins determined by both their surface area and their surface charge density. Furthermore, it is found that the hydrophilic side chains destabilize the ChT structure through either competitive hydrogen bonding or breakage of salt bridges, whereas denaturation was much slower with hydrophobic amino acid side chains. Significantly, correlation betwee...
Enhanced gastrointestinal expression of cytosolic malic enzyme (ME1) induces intestinal and liver lipogenic gene expression and intestinal cell proliferation in mice.

The small intestine participates in lipid digestion, metabolism and transport. Cytosolic malic enzyme 1 (ME1) is an enzyme that generates NADPH used in fatty acid and cholesterol biosynthesis. Previous work has correlated liver and adipose ME1 expression with susceptibility to obesity and diabetes; however, the contributions of intestine-expressed ME1 to these conditions are unknown. We generated transgenic (Tg) mice expressing rat ME1 in the gastrointestinal epithelium under the control of the murine villin1 promoter/enhancer. Levels of intestinal ME1 protein (endogenous plus transgene) were greater in Tg than wildtype (WT) littermates. Effects of elevated intestinal ME1 on body weight, circulating insulin, select adipocytokines, blood glucose, and metabolism-related genes were examined. Male Tg mice fed a high-fat (HF) diet gained significantly more body weight than WT male littermates and had heavier livers. ME1-Tg mice had deeper intestinal and colon crypts, a greater intestinal 5-bromodeoxyuridine labeling index, and increased expression of intestinal lipogenic (Fasn, Srebf1) and cholesterol biosynthetic (Hmgcsr, Hmgcs1), genes. The livers from HF diet-fed Tg mice also exhibited an induction of cholesterol and lipogenic pathway genes and altered measures (Irs1, Irs2, Prkce) of insulin sensitivity. Results indicate that gastrointestinal ME1 via its influence on intestinal epithelial proliferation, and lipogenic and cholesterologenic genes may concomitantly impact signaling in liver to modify this tissue’s metabolic state. Our work highlights a new mouse model to address the role of intestine-expressed ME1 in whole body metabolism, hepatomegaly, and crypt cell proliferation. Intestinal ME1 may thus constitute a therapeutic target to reduce obesity-associated pathologies.
Dynamic Interactions between Nerve and Muscle in Caenorhabditis elegans

Synaptogenesis among developing motoneurons and muscles was examined in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. In this animal embryonic precursor cells give rise to regionally localized, contiguous clones of muscle cells that form two dorsal and two ventral sets that run longitudinally along the body wall. Ablation of selected embryonic muscle precursors resulted in gaps in the posterior dorsal muscle quadrants. We compared the morphological development of GABAergic locomotory neurons in the presence and absence of their target muscle cells. The results led to four main conclusions: (1) target muscle cells are not required for the morphological differentiation of the motoneurons; (2) target muscle cells appear to be required for the formation of presynaptic varicosities by the motoneurons; (3) embryonic muscle cells serve as a guide for migrating postembryonic muscle cells and in the absence of these guides the postembryonic muscles often assume ectopic locations; and (4) in the presence of ectopic muscle cells, the GABAergic locomotory neurons sprouted and formed branches that contributed to ectopic neuromuscular junctions.
Radiation-induced cavitation process in a metastable superheated liquid II. Interface formation and post-interface formation stages

Abstract In Part I, the flow fields in the initial stage and the pre-bubble formation stage of the radiation-induced cavitation process in a metastable superheated liquid were solved by the scaling transformation and donor-cell treatment, respectively. In Part II, Millers simple moving finite element method (simple MFEM) was used to compute the flow fields of the vapor-liquid interface formation stage and the post-interface formation stage for superheated isobutane and Freon-12. However, to be comprehensive, the MFEM in non-hierarchical p-refinement form was derived. The results, which are in fair agreement with the experimental data, give estimates of the threshold energies for cavitation, calculate the speeds of both the interface and the shock wave, determine the time scales and the length scales involved in the process. The results presented describe, for the first time, the detailed transformation occurring inside a superheated-droplet neutron detector. Results are immediately applicable to bubble chambers.
Excited-state energy- and electron-transfer reactions in multimetal systems

The ability of scientists to convert light into stored chemical potential energy has increased over the past ten years.1 A critical component of this development has been the sophistication of the synthesis of multi metal systems.1~2 Conceptually, the design of individual, but coupled, components in supramolecular systems with specific properties such as light absorption, light emission, chemical reaction, charge storage and conductivity are now possible through elaborate synthetic schemes.2 However, little is known about the coupling of these components. Extensive electronic coupling may perturb the desired characteristics of the mononuclear fragments. On the other hand, minimal coupling may preclude energyor electron-transfer processes within the lifetime of the excited state of the molecular ensemble. Our goal in this paper is to outline some of the design constraints present in supramolecular systems in terms of the coupling of metal centers in excited-state, energyand electrontransfer processes. Metal azine systems have been used extensively in the design of multimetal complexes. 13 One reason for this extensive use in the longlived excited state of complexes such as Ru(bpy)$+, where bpy = 2,2’bipyridine. Another reason is that polyazaaromatic ligands form stable, chelating, bridging ligands. The azines used as bridging and terminal ligands in this work are pictured in Figure 1.
Automated ground data acquisition and processing system for calibration and performance assessment of the EO-1 Advanced Land Imager

The calibration and performance assessment of the Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) Advanced Land Imager (ALI) required a ground data system for acquiring and processing ALI data. In order to meet tight schedule and budget requirements, an automated system was developed that could be run by a single operator. This paper describes the overall system and the individual Electrical Ground Support Equipment (EGSE) and computer components used. The ALI Calibration Control Node (ACCN) serves as a test executive with a single graphical user interface to the system, controlling calibration equipment and issuing data acquisition and processing requests to the other EGSE and computers. EGSE1, a custom data acquisition syste, collects ALI science data and also passes ALI commanding and housekeeping telemetry collection requests to EGSE2 and EGSE3 which are implemented on an ASIST workstation. The performance assessment machine, stores and processes collected ALI data, automatically displaying quick-look processing results. The custom communications protocol developed to interface these various machines and to automate their interactions is described, including the various modes of operation needed to support spatial, radiometric, spectral, and functional calibration and performance assessment of the ALI.
Impact of Organochlorine Contamination on Amphibian Populations in Southwestern Michigan

Organochlorine compounds (OCs) persist in the environment and can impair development and reproduction in birds, fish, mammals, and other wildlife. However, despite concerns about amphibian population declines and developmental deformities, little is known about the impact of OCs or other pollutants on amphibian populations. In the current study, five polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-contaminated wetlands were surveyed for anuran densities relative to four uncontaminated sites. Despite our finding that sediments contained PCB concentrations toxic to some organisms, we found no significant correlation between anuran density or species richness and severity of PCB contamination. In the laboratory, tadpoles and eggs of Rana pipiens and Rana utricularia were negatively affected by PCB concentrations comparable to field levels. Ranid adults and larvae collected from contaminated field sites contained tissue total PCB levels much lower than that of the sediments. Therefore, the apparent lack of population-level impact of PCBs in the field may be explained by limited contaminant accumulation, rather than low physiological sensitivity to chronic PCB exposure.
LRTOMT: a new tone in understanding the symphony of non-syndromic deafness.

Mutations of LRTOMT, a fusion gene with alternative reading frames, cause nonsyndromic deafness in humans Ahmed et al. (2008) Nature Genetics 40: 1335–1340.
Temporal reproducibility of taurine measurements in frozen serum of healthy postmenopausal women.

Animal studies and small clinical trials have shown that taurine (2-aminoethanesulphonic acid), a sulphur-containing molecule mainly obtained from the diet in human subjects, has a variety of biological actions that are related to atherosclerosis and cardiovascular functions. However, epidemiological studies of taurine and CHD risk are lacking. We evaluated whether a single measurement of serum taurine could serve as an estimate for long-term serum levels. Serum taurine was measured using HPLC in three annual samples from thirty postmenopausal women selected from the New York University Women’s Health Study. Overall, serum taurine values ranged from 62·8 to 245·3 nmol/ml, with a mean of 140 nmol/ml. The intraclass correlation coefficient of a single measurement of serum taurine was 0·48 (95 % CI 0·26, 0·68), which can be improved to 0·65 by using the mean of two annual measurements. The CV was 7 %. These results indicate that the mean of two or more annual measurements of serum taurine is a sufficiently reliable measure of long-term serum levels that can be used in epidemiological studies.
The protease genes of Bacillus subtilis.

Bacillus subtilis produces copious amounts of proteases which have made it difficult to purify intracel]ular enzymes from this organism. Furthermore, more recently, there have been many attempts to produce foreign proteins by use of B. subtilis as the host system. Although many of the non-protease extracellular proteins produced by B. subtitis are fairly resistant to its extracellalar proteases, foreign proteins (prokaryotic and cukaryotic) secreted from B. subtilis are rapidly degraded by the host extracellular proteases. For practical purposes, the presence of these proteases has made it difficult to use B. sublilix as a host system to express and secrete foreign proteins into the growth medium. These observations have led to studies of the B. subtilis proteases and to the characterization of their genes. Although the presence of three relatively major extraeellular proteases was known from many years ago, it has now been shown that several minor proteases are also present. These minor proteases appear to be very active and can attack eukaryotic proteins very effectively. One of the strategies developed to cope with this problem has been to clone the protease genes, make suitable deletions in vitro and then mutate the chromosomal gone by gone conversion techniques. In this brief review, we will discuss the protease genes and their properties.
Soil geomorphology: the linkage of pedology and surficial processes.

Geologists have made significant contributions to the discipline of pedology; however, until recently, direct contributions came largely prior to 1935, as exemplified by those of Powell and Shaler during the late 19th century (Tandarich et al., 1987 ). During much of the twentieth century, geology and pedology have generally evolved along nearly separate pathways. Re-integration of the two disciplines began slowly in the late 1950s and early to middle 1960s through the research and publications of Ruhe (1956, 1960, 1964), Richmond ( 1962 ), and Morrison ( 1964, 1965, 1967). Richmond's and Morrison's research has provided much of the basis for the use of soils in the study of the stratigraphy of Quaternary deposits in the western U.S.A. (Birkeland, 1984). The soil-stratigraphic unit, the Geosol, is a key component of the methodology developed by Morrison. Geosols are presumed to have formed only during "soil-forming intervals", interglacial or interstadial periods when climatic conditions were deemed optimal for rapid soil development. Recognition of soil-stratigraphic units as geosols automatically conferred climatic as well as stratigraphic significance to buried soils. This approach may have great utility in regions at higher latitudes that were characterized by extremes of climatic fluctuation during the Qua'ternary (Catt, 1986), with little or no soil development during cold-climate intervals. A rather different approach involving the use of soils has been adopted by geoscientists conducting geomorphological research. During the mid to late 1960s, studies by researchers such as Balster, Daniels, Hawley, Gile, Parsons and Yaalon focussed on the nature of the relationships linking soils and landscape elements. In many respects, the philisophical approach to soil-geomorphic research emphasized in the studies of these scientists strongly reflected the intellectual impact of Jenny ( 1941 ) on the science of pedology. This philosophy also strongly influenced the research of Birkeland, and, following publication of Birkeland's important textbook, Pedology, Weathering, and Geomorphological Research (1974), a dramatic increase in the use of pedology in the geosciences occurred as researchers focussed on the study of landscape evolution. In our view, this emerging marriage of pedology and studies of surficial processes provides a critical framework for both the study of soil genesis and the study of evolution of and/or stability of landscape elements.
Measurements of field‐aligned currents in a multiple auroral arc system

A rocket-borne experiment to study the currents associated with a system of multiple auroral arcs was conducted at Poker Flat, Alaska, at 1122 UT on February 2, 1972. The magnetic field in the vicinity of the auroral system was measured with a cesium vector magnetometer. Possible configurations were inferred by constructing model current systems that reproduced the magnetic field variations measured along the flight path. The data are interpreted in terms of a model current system consisting of two eastward electrojets and one westward electrojet and three pairs of oppositely directed Birkeland sheet currents, all lying in a plane approximately parallel to the auroral arcs. Sheet thicknesses ranged from 20 to 60 km and current densities from 10 to 45 µA/m²; the electrojet currents ranged from 1000 to 2000 A. A possible alternate model consisted of four pairs of sheets whose thicknesses range from 10 to 40 km with current densities from 10 to 90 µA/m². There was quite good agreement between the locations of the visual arcs and the upward current sheets. The overall current configuration is discussed in view of the theoretical models constructed by Atkinson and Sato and Holzer and of other observations.