cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Learning Hebrew by Writing in English.

This essay explores a midrange teaching and learning issue regarding the teaching of biblical languages and one strategy for addressing the issue. Seminary students do not yield a great enough return in exchange for the investment they are required to make in learning biblical languages. Students invest great time and money, but they do not learn to use the biblical languages to think critically about the Bible. This essay argues that a fruitful strategy for addressing this midrange issue is to require students to write in English about the Hebrew language. This strategy fosters students' ability to think critically about the biblical text. It also fosters their ability to use their budding knowledge of a biblical language to engage questions of meaning and issues of interpretation.
Rumination and Distraction Among Chronic Depressives in Treatment: A Structural Equation Analysis.

Response Styles Theory hypothesizes that rumination about one's symptoms amplifies and prolongs depressed mood, whereas distraction has the opposite effect. Response styles are also hypothesized to be trait-like dispositions. The generalizability of Response Styles Theory, as well as the linkages that may account for correlations between rumination, distraction, and depression, were explored with structural equation modeling in a sample of chronically depressed individuals undergoing treatment with psychotherapy, medication, or combination treatment. Results were not consistent with the hypotheses that rumination or distraction have causal effects on recovery from depression or that depression causes rumination or distraction. Rather a common cause or causes appeared to account for the correlations between these variables. Stability of rumination and distraction was low over a 12-week period. Implications of the findings are discussed.
Apoptosis as a Measure of Chemosensitivity to Cisplatin and Taxol Therapy in Ovarian Cancer Cell Lines

Abstract Objective. Cisplatin- and Taxol-induced apoptosis was studied in four human ovarian cancer cell lines to evaluate apoptosis as a measure of chemosensitivity. Methods. In vitro sensitivities of OVCAR-3, SKOV-3, UL-1, and UL-2 cells to cisplatin or Taxol were determined by the sulforhodamine B assay. Induction of apoptosis was studied by DNA fragmentation following treatment with cisplatin and/or Taxol after 24- and 48-hr exposure. DNA fragmentation was further quantitated by the diphenylamine assay and the proportion of cells in the G1, G2/M, and S phase of the cell cycle was determined by flow cytometry. Presence of the p53 gene product was examined by Western blotting. Results. The four cell lines represent various sensitivities to cisplatin and Taxol (LD 50 range for cisplatin, 5–30 μg/ml; Taxol, 30–1000 n M ). UL-2 represents a resistant cell line which was 10–30 times resistant to Taxol and 6 times resistant to cisplatin when compared to the others. Demonstration of apoptosis correlated with the sensitivity of the cell lines to both cisplatin and Taxol for OVCAR-3 and UL-2. DNA fragmentation of OVCAR-3 was uniformly present when treated with cisplatin or Taxol, at 24 or 48 hr. UL-2 demonstrated no apoptosis after 24 or 48 hr of treatment with either cisplatin or Taxol. When sequencing experiments were performed with cisplatin and Taxol, DNA fragmentation correlated with the cytotoxicity assays, except in UL-1 cells where no significant difference was observed in different interactions of cisplatin and Taxol. Pretreatment with Taxol generally resulted in enhanced cytotoxicity in a schedule-dependent manner, and increased fragmentation was demonstrated; cisplatin pretreatment consistently resulted in decreased fragmentation. Quantitation of the fragmented DNA correlated with that seen on gel electrophoresis. OVCAR-3 and UL-1 demonstrated the greatest change from baseline at 24 hr (3.8 and 3.7 times baseline, respectively), whereas UL-2 had little change from the baseline following treatment. G1 arrest occurred more readily in OVCAR-3 and SKOV-3 cells. UL-2 cells had very little change in the proportion of cells entering G1 arrest, but had a significant increase in the G2/M proportion. In OVCAR-3, UL-1, and UL-2 cells, we demonstrated the presence of an aberrantly expressed p53 gene product, while no p53 was detected in the SKOV-3 cells. Conclusions. Our findings indicate that the ability to achieve significant cytotoxicity by cisplatin and Taxol may be directly related to the induction of apoptosis; however, cellular and genetic characteristics determine the eventual outcome of these treatments.
The specific enthalpy of fracture for beta Ti-15-3 alloy

Fatigue crack propagation (FCP) experiments were conducted on beta Ti-15-3 alloy under various loading conditions to examine the constancy of the specific enthalpy for fracture, advanced by the Crack Layer (CL) theory as a material parameter characteristic of its intrinsic toughness. The energy release rate and the irreversible work were determined from load-displacement curves during crack propagation. Microscopic and diffraction analyses were conducted to identify the damage mechanisms ahead of the crack tip. A damage zone whose geometry exhibited plane strain character at the initial stage of crack propagation was observed optically. The damage zone transformed into plane stress configuration when the crack reached half its critical length. Damage mechanisms involved slip lines and microcracking which is believed to ensue from intense accumulation of slip processes. The magnitude of microcracking became more weighty as the crack moved deeper into plane stress dominance. The damage preceding crack advance was quantitatively assessed as the ‘crack resistance moment’ which is the volume of transformed material per unit crack extension. Application of the CL theory to the data generated under a wide range of applied stress levels gave rise to a constant value of the specific enthalpy of fracture, 20 MJ/m3. This value is in close agreement with the specific energy of slip lines computed from microstructural considerations.
Treatment of ovarian cancer: new strategies.

Abstract Objectives The objective was to review the progress made in gene- and molecular-based management of ovarian cancer over the past decade and the future direction of targeted therapies. Methods Research studies, review articles, and scientific meeting abstracts published between 1994 and 2002 were reviewed and analyzed. Results Significant progress has been made in understanding the molecular biology of ovarian cancer and the role that single-nucleotide polymorphisms, tumor suppressor genes, and oncogenes play in promoting tumor cell growth and proliferation. Strategies have been developed to correct gene defects or single out ovarian cancer cells for destruction. Molecular-based therapies are now under development to specifically target receptors and signal transduction pathways that control cell proliferation and apoptosis, angiogenesis, cellular adhesion, and cell motility in ovarian tumors. Conclusions The end product of this intense investigation will be new targeted therapies that offer the hope of improving the medical management of ovarian cancer while being significantly less toxic to normal cells.
Power of being present: the role of mindfulness on the relation between men's alcohol use and sexual aggression toward intimate partners

The primary aim of this investigation was to examine the association between men's level of mindfulness and histories of alcohol consumption and sexual aggression toward intimate partners. Participants were 167 heterosexual drinking males who completed self-report measures of mindfulness, frequency and quantity of alcohol consumption during the past 12 months and sexual aggression against intimate partners during the past 12 months. Results indicated that a history of consuming larger amounts when drinking was associated with more frequent sexual coercion/aggression among men who reported low, but not high, levels of mindfulness. However, drinking more frequently by itself was not associated with more frequent sexual coercion/aggression. These results support the attention-allocation model and suggest implications for future intervention research aimed at reducing alcohol-related aggression. Language: en
The bacterial flora of meconium specimenscollected from sixty-four infants within four hours after delivery

Summary In three of twenty-nine specimens of meconium collected within thirtyminutes after delivery, bacteria were demonstrated by plating methods. These three positive cases indicate that prenatal bacterial invasion of the intestinal tract does occur in a small percentage of cases. Some of the positive results obtained by enrichment might be invalidated by the failure to sterilize thoroughly the skin surrounding the anus, but a large number with corresponding sterile skin cultures, or skin cultures showing other bacterial species than in the meconium, indicated that a few organisms were present in the meconium at birth in about 36 per cent of this series of sixty-four specimens.
The human vomeronasal organ. Part II: prenatal development

During the 20th century, the human vomeronasal organ (VNO) has been controversial regarding its structure, function, and even identity. Despite reports that provide evidence for its presence throughout prenatal and postnatal ontogeny, some studies and numerous textbooks declare its absence in late fetal and postnatal humans. To that end, the present study was designed to establish firmly whether the human VNO is homologous with that of other mammals and whether it degenerates (partially or completely) or persists throughout prenatal development. Fifty human embryos and fetuses (33 d to 32 wk fertilisation age) and 2 neonates were examined by light microscopy. Four embryonic primates (mouse lemurs) were examined for a comparison of VNO embryogenesis. The presence or absence and structural characteristics of the VNO and supporting tissues are described. The first appearance of the VNO was in the form of bilateral epithelial thickenings of the nasal septum, the vomeronasal primordium. The primordia invaginated between 37 and 43 d of age and formed the tubular VNO. The tubular VNO was located dorsally at a variable distance from, but was always spatially separated from the paraseptal cartilages. The mouse lemurs examined in this study and other reports from the literature indicate that the human VNO resembles that of primates having functional VNOs until just after a tubular VNO is formed. Examination of the VNO and adjacent tissues suggested that the VNO may lose receptor cells and corresponding vomeronasal nerves and become a ciliated, pseudostratified epithelium between ∼ 12 and 14 wk of age. Our findings indicate the prenatal human VNO goes through 3 successive stages: early morphogenesis, transformation (of the epithelium), and growth. These observations indicated that (1) all embryonic humans develop a vomeronasal organ which is homologous with the VNOs of other mammals, but which has become displaced and highly variable in relative location during embryogenesis; (2) the human vomeronasal organ does not degenerate prenatally, but very likely loses the functional components of the vomeronasal complex of other mammals; and (3) the remnant of the human VNO persists until birth and beyond.
Coupled Enthalpic-Packing Effects on the Miscibility of Conformationally Asymmetric Polymer Blends

A systematic numerical study of a minimalist model of conformationally and interaction asymmetric model binary blends has been carried out based on a computationally convenient formulation of PRISM theory and the free energy route to the thermodynamics. Effective χ-parameters based on the correlated enthalpic contribution to the free energy of mixing are computed within a constant volume and conformationally ideal description. The model calculations are carried out for molecular parameters which span the plausible range for hydrocarbon materials such as the polyolefins. Distinct regimes of miscibility behavior are found depending on whether the conformational and interaction asymmetries reinforce or tend to compensate. The former case is the most common experimental situation, and large positive χ-parameters are predicted due to the nonadditive influence of unfavorable bare energetic interactions and local packing differences between the stiffness asymmetric species. The theory predicts many non-mean-fiel...
Response enhancement by metal doping of a silicon-selective flame ionization detector for gas chromatography

Abstract A detector selective for silicon-containing compounds eluting from a gas chromatograph was constructed by modifying a commercial flame ionization detector. This detector exhibited a sensitivity for silicon-containing compounds in the nanogram range and a selectivity for these compounds over normal hydrocarbons of approximately 2500. Both the sensitivity and the selectivity of this detector were increased by doping with a variety of metal compounds. When optimum amounts of vapors from organometallics were bled into the detector's hydrogen atmosphere, the minimum detectable amount of the detector to a silicon-containing standard was found to decrease to 50 pg. The sensitivity varied with the quantity of organometallic vapor introduced into the detector, and, at high doping concentrations, silicon-containing compounds were detected as decreases in background current. The potential for the utilization of internal doping sources (such as metal wires, ribbons, or pressed pellets placed on or around the tip of the detector's flame jet) was also investigated.
A class of hypo-elastic non-elastic materials and their thermodynamics

Thermodynamics is developed for a class of thermo-hypo-elastic materials. It is shown that materials of this class obey the laws of thermodynamics, but are not elastic.
Using temporal causal models to isolate failures in power system protection devices

Smart Electric Grids and their underlying generation, transmission and distribution systems are constantly exposed to dynamic environments resulting from varying power flows, both direction and magnitude, changing operational requirements and conditions, physical component degradation, and software failures. Maintaining reliability of the power grid even in the presence of faults is one of the top national priorities [1]. Recent blackouts and Hurricane Sandy in 2012 demonstrated the grid vulnerability and reasons to look at existing defense mechanisms more closely. State of the art relies on a network of protection devices that include relays to detect anomalies and circuit breakers to isolate parts of the system that include the faulty components. These local protection schemes operate in short timescales to arrest the fault propagation and protect the remaining system. While the protection devices can mask the fault effects locally, it is important to analyze the events in a global context to improve the decision making. Protection malfunction and its correlation with major blackouts require a careful rethinking of its system-wide effects [2], [3]. This problem is often compounded due to loss of information from relays or Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) failure in the field. Such hidden (unobservable) relay failures are hard to locate and may be responsible for cascades [3].
The relationship between problems with technology and graduate students' evaluations of online teaching

In this study the intent was to determine if the problems with technology that graduate students experience in online classes is related to their evaluations of their instructors. Participants included 131 graduate students in a College of Education. They were from 19 sections of five different online courses. In these courses, students took tests, found information, and participated in chat rooms, discussions, or emails with instructors. A university teaching evaluation scale was used in this study to measure students' perceptions of teaching effectiveness. A second instrument called Survey of Student Experiences in Online Courses measured technological problems students experienced in the online course and the detrimental effect these problems might have had on students' learning. A new variable was created and called impact score. This was the product of the frequency and detrimental effect for each activity. Results showed a positive relationship (r of .26, p = .003) which indicated that the more frequently students experienced technology problems or the more severely their problems impeded learning, the higher they evaluated the instructor and the course.
Maize root length density and mycorrhizal infection as influenced by tillage and soil phosphorus

Abstract Phosphorus added to soil in no‐till agriculture remains in the uppermost soil layer. Under conventional‐till age this stratification is not observed. This experiment investigated the effects of tillage and soil P on root length density (RLD), root hair growth, and mycorrhizal infection (VAM). Eight weeks after planting, plant and soil samples were taken to measure plant P uptake, soil extractable P, root parameters, and VAM. Our findings suggest that soil extractable P predominates as the factor most important in P uptake by maize. Tillage treatments affected the distribution of roots and the extractable P in the top soil layer. Soil depth significantly affected RLD, VAM, and soil P. The assumption that soil P would significantly alter root hair growth was not supported. The results of this field study are not consistent with the results of others based on pot or solution culture studies.
The binding of deoxycholate, Triton X-100, sodium dodecyl sulfate, and phosphatidylcholine vesicles to cytochrome b5.

Cytochrome b5 is composed of two domains that can be isolated after tryptic cleavage as two polypeptide fragments. One fragment is globular and hydrophilic and contains the heme; the other fragment is rich in hydrophobic amino acids and is essential for recombination of cytochrome b5 with microsomal membranes (Ito, A., and Sato, R. (1968), J. Biol. Chem. 243, 4922; Spatz, L., and Strittmatter, P. (1971), Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. U.S. 68, 1042). Equilibrium dialysis and sedimentation equilibrium measurements of the binding of deoxycholate, Triton X-100 and dodecyl sulfate show that neither intact cytochrome b5 nor its proteolytic fragments possess high affinity binding sites for any of these amphiphiles. However, each detergent binds to the protein in a highly cooperative manner at concentrations near the critical micelle concentration. Binding measurements using the separated tryptic fragments show that deoxycholate and Triton X-100 (both nondenaturing detergents) bind to the hydrophobic fragment to the same extent as to intact cytochrome b5, and not at all to the polar fragment. Sodium dodecyl sulfate (a denaturing detergent) is bound to both tryptic fragments, but 70% of the detergent is bound to the hydrophobic fragment although it comprises only 30% of the protein mass. Less detailed measurements were made with synthetic and natural phosphatidylcholines, and show that the intact protein is quantitatively incorporated into phosphatidylcholine vesicles, but that no interaction with the polar fragment occurs. These results are interpreted in terms of the hydrophobic domain of cytochrome b5 having a diffuse hydrophobic surface that can act as a nonspecific nucleus for the formation of a micelle with a variety of amphiphilic substances. This domain of the molecule will insert into any available hydrophobic environment, whether it be detergent micelles, synthetic phospholipid vesicles, or the microsomal membrane. The incorporation of cytochrome b5 into the microsomal membrane is only a specialized case of the general property.
Bending dynamics of DNA-linked colloidal particle chains

Colloidal particles and assemblies have proven to be useful models for analogous atomic and molecular systems. In this article, we present a colloidal worm-like chain (WLC) model using DNA-linked colloidal particle chains as an analogue to semiflexible linear polymers. The bending rigidity, or persistence length, of these chains can be determined by monitoring the thermal fluctuations of the chains. We show that the persistence lengths of the chains can be tuned from 1 to 50 mm which corresponds to a length-to-persistence length ratio of 0.002 to 0.1, by changing the length of the DNA used to link adjacent particles from 75 to 15 bases, respectively. We also studied the bending relaxation dynamics of these chains, which match well with theoretical predictions, further supporting the validity of using these colloidal chains as models for semiflexible polymer systems in both equilibrium and dynamic studies.
Unified Theory of Model Reduction via Gleason Measures

Previous work on the stochastic realization and approximation problem has cast this problem in the framework of theRV-coefficient, a measure of correlation recently introduced in the multivariate statistical literature. This allowed the introduction of a common measure for the “goodness of fit” for the different realization algorithms. This paper explores the deeper geometrical and logical foundation for this common measure in a unified theory for the data-driven and the exact covariance approaches.
Molecular mechanisms for viral mimicry of a human cytokine: activation of gp130 by HHV-8 interleukin-6.

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV, or HHV-8) encodes a pathogenic viral homologue of human interleukin-6 (IL-6). In contrast to human IL-6 (hIL-6), viral IL-6 (vIL-6) binds directly to, and activates, the shared human cytokine signaling receptor gp130 without the requirement for pre-complexation to a specific α-receptor. Here, we dissect the biochemical and functional basis of vIL-6 mimicry of hIL-6. We find that, in addition to the “α-receptor-independent” tetrameric vIL-6/gp130 complex, the viral cytokine can engage the human α-receptor (IL-6Rα) to form a hexameric vIL-6/IL-6Rα/gp130 complex with enhanced signaling potency. In contrast to the assembly sequence of the hIL-6 hexamer, the preformed vIL-6/gp130 tetramer can be decorated with IL-6Rα, post facto, in a “vIL-6-dependent” fashion. A detailed comparison of the viral and human cytokine/gp130 interfaces indicates that vIL-6 has evolved a unique molecular strategy to interact with gp130, as revealed by an almost entirely divergent structural makeup of its receptor binding sites. Viral IL-6 appears to utilize an elegant combination of both convergent, and unexpectedly divergent, molecular strategies to oligomerize gp130 and activate similar downstream signaling cascades as its human counterpart.
The development of ferritic steels for fast induced-radioactivity decay for fusion reactor applications ☆

Abstract The CrMo ferritic (martensitic) steels are leading candidates for the structural components for future fusion reactors. However, irradiation of such steels in a fusion environment produces long-lived radioactive isotopes that lead to difficult waste disposal problems once the structure is removed from service. One method proposed to alleviate such problems is the development of steels that contain only elements that produce radioactive isotopes that decay to low levels in a reasonable time (tens of years instead of hundreds or thousands of years). For such a solution for the CrMo steels, molybdenum must be eliminated. In addition, niobium must be maintained at extremely low levels. Tungsten is proposed as an appropriate substitution for molybdenum, and the procedures for developing CrW steels analogous to the CrMo steels are discussed.
Multiple attack hypothesis of α-amylase action: Action of porcine pancreatic, human salivary, and Aspergillus oryzae α-amylases

Abstract Three conceptual action patterns of α-amylase hydrolysis of amylose have been considered: single chain, multichain, and multiple attack. To test these concepts, curves were obtained relating the drop in amylose-iodine color to the increase in reducing value for amylolysis by human salivary (HS), porcine pancreatic (PP), Aspergillus oryzae (AO) α-amylases, and 1 m H 2 SO 4 . The observed differences in the curves for the amylases could only be interpreted as due to differences in degree of multiple attack. To test these concepts further, amylase digests at various stages of hydrolysis were separated by ethanol precipitation into polysaccharide and oligosaccharide fractions. The degree of multiple attack was determined from the ratio of the reducing value of the oligosaccharide fraction to that of the polysaccharide fraction. Under optimal conditions of pH and temperature, PP had a degree of multiple attack of 6, three times that of HS or AO. At pH 4.5, the degree of multiple attack of PP did not change, although its activity was reduced 10-fold. At pH 10.5, however, the degree of multiple attack was reduced to 0.7, approaching a multichain pattern.
Estimating the degree of emergency department overcrowding in academic medical centers: results of the National ED Overcrowding Study (NEDOCS).

Objectives: No single universal definition of emergency department (ED) overcrowding exists. The authors hypothesize that a previously developed site-sampling form for academic ED overcrowding is a valid model to quantify overcrowding in academic institutions and can be used to develop a validated short form that correlates with overcrowding. Methods: A 23-question site-sampling form was designed based on input from academic physicians at eight medical schools representative of academic EDs nationwide. A total of 336 site-samplings at eight academic medical centers were conducted at 42 computer-generated random times over a three-week period by independent observers at each site. These sampling times ranged from very slow to severely overcrowded. The outcome variable was the degree of overcrowding as assessed by the charge nurse and ED physicians. The full model consisted of objective data that were obtained by counting the number of patients, determining patients' waiting times, and obtaining information from registration, triage, and ancillary services. Specific objective data were indexed to site-specific demographics. The outcome and objective data were compared using a multiple linear regression to determine predictive validity of the full model. A five-question reduced model was calculated using a backward stepdown procedure. Predictive validity and relationships between the outcome and objective data were assessed using a mixed-effects linear regression model, treating center as random effect. Results: Overcrowding occurred 12% to 73% of the time (mean, 35%), with two hospitals being overcrowded more than 50% of the time. Comparison of objective and outcome data resulted in an R2 of 0.49 (p < 0.001), indicating a good degree of predictive validity. A reduced five-question model predicted the full model with 88% accuracy. Conclusions: Overcrowding varied widely between academic centers during the study period. Results of a five-question reduced model are valid and accurate in predicting the degree of overcrowding in academic centers.
Egg maturation, host feeding, and longevity in two Metaphycus parasitoids of soft scale insects

We investigated several physiological and life history correlates of egg maturation in Metaphycus flavus Howard and Metaphycus luteolus Timberlake (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), parasitoids of soft scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccidae). Both parasitoid species emerge from their hosts without mature eggs and, hence, are strictly synovigenic. Given only a carbohydrate diet, they mature eggs which, after three days, are gradually resorbed until they have almost no eggs and finally die. Egg maturation rates are temperature dependent and are slower at lower temperatures. Both species host feed and the nutrients obtained appear to facilitate egg maturation. The size of a host meal also influences the number of eggs that females mature; both species mature more eggs when they feed on larger than smaller scales upon emergence. Starved wasps have very limited longevity and, when fed only water, die within two days. Body size explains little variation in female longevity and its influence depends on diet (carbohydrate and host meals versus carbohydrates only). Our results suggest that nutrients obtained from host feeding are differentially allocated to reproduction versus somatic maintenance in the two species. M. flavus uses more resources from its host meals for reproduction (egg maturation), whereas M. luteolus uses some of these nutrients for metabolic maintenance (longevity). Aspects of the ecology and foraging behavior of these wasps, and how they are related to biological control are discussed within the context of their egg maturation and host feeding physiology.
Magma chamber profiles from the Bay of Islands ophiolite complex

Models of the oceanic lithosphere derived from constraints imposed by the geology of ophiolite complexes require a magma chamber to produce the cumulate and other plutonic portions of the oceanic crust and upper mantle. Evidence from the Bay of Islands ophiolite complex indicates that layered plutonic rocks have not formed solely due to differential crystal settling to the horizontal floor of a magma chamber, but have formed largely by heterogeneous nucleation and in situ crystallization along gently inclined as well as steeply inclined bounding surfaces of a large magma reservoir. Coherent, well defined and systematically oriented, large-scale, arcuate patterns described by mesoscopic igneous layering have been identified in the plutonic sections of two ophiolite massifs in the Bay of Islands complex. These layering patterns seem to outline the shape of a large, continuously evolving, steady-state magma chamber that extended along a ridge axis and ended at a transform fault intersection.
Improved inversion procedure for the retrieval of aerosol size distributions using aureole measurements

An improved inversion procedure for the retrieval of aerosol size distributions using aureole data is presented. The inversion procedure involved a modified Twomey–Chahine algorithm using differential kernels with subsequent averaging and smoothing of the inverted size distributions. The numerical simulations were performed by calculating the angular scattering coefficients between 1.08° and 10° for the wavelength of 0.2537 μm using four different aerosol models, including a realistic noise estimate of 4%. It is demonstrated that the differential kernel method is superior to the conventional direct kernel approach.
The formation of small-pore gels by an electrically charged agarose derivative.

Previous studies have shown that, during the formation of an underivatized agarose gel, agarose molecules laterally aggregate to form thicker fibers called suprafibers; the suprafibers branch to form a gelled network. In the present study, electron microscopy of thin sections is used to investigate both the thickness and the spacing of the fibers of gels formed by agarose chemically derivatized with carboxymethyl (negatively charged) groups. For carboxymethyl agarose, electron microscopy reveals that gels cast in water consist of both fibers narrower and pores smaller than those observed for water-cast underivatized agarose gels at the same concentration. This result is confirmed by using the electrophoretic sieving of spheres to determine the radius (PE) of the effective pore of the gel. At a given concentration of gel less than 1%, the PE for a water-cast carboxymethyl agarose gel is 0.25-0.30x the PE for a water-cast underivatized agarose gel. The value of PE predicts the extent of the electrophoretic sieving that is observed when double-stranded DNA is subjected to electrophoresis through a water-cast carboxymethyl agarose gel; DNA bands formed in a water-cast carboxymethyl agarose gel are comparable in quality to DNA bands formed in a water-cast underivatized agarose gel of equal PE. The following observation supports the hypothesis that electrical charge-charge repulsion among carboxymethyl agarose molecules inhibits the formation of suprafibers in water-cast carboxymethyl agarose gels: Increased content of suprafibers in carboxymethyl agarose gels is observed when the ionic strength is raised by the presence of NaCl, MgCl2, or any of several buffers during gelation of carboxymethyl agarose.
On optimal portfolio trading strategies for an investor facing transactions costs in a continuous trading market

Abstract Modern asset pricing theory generally assumes frictionless trading. Under this assumption, an investor would revise his portfolio holdings at every date on which he could trade. However, in models where an investor faces financial market frictions such as transactions costs, the portfolio is optimally rebalanced less frequently. This paper examines the portfolio trading problem for an investor who faces transactions costs and short sales constraints in a continuous time economy with general specifications of ask and bid prices. Our principal results state that the existence of the optimal trading strategy and solution to the investor problem implies the existence of two supermartingales whose ratio is bounded by the ask and bid prices and we can identify supporting prices which, in an economy with no transactions costs, would yield the trading strategy and optimal solution of the original economy. This leads to explicit representations of the value function for utility functions commonly analyzed in financial economics.
Evidence for assignment of 14.0 MeV state in 11B from 10B(n, n)10B

Abstract The differential cross section and polarization for neutrons scattered from 10 B have been measured at E n = 2.63 MeV ( E x = 13.85 MeV). The results of this experiment and other available neutron scattering data in the range 1 E n R -matrix calculation over the region 12 E x J π assignment for the 14.0 MeV level in 11 B is 11 2 + . The anomaly near E x = 13.1 MeV can only be explained in terms of two overlapping levels having assignments of ( 5 2 , 7 2 ) − and ( 3 2 , 5 2 , 7 2 ) + .
LYMPHOID LESIONS IN POLIOMYELITIS

Examination of 50 autopsied cases of human poliomyelitis showed prominent hyperplastic and inflammatory changes in the lymphoid tissues of 41, the most frequent and severe lesions observed save those in the central nervous system. Histologically the germinal centers showed prominent degenerative and regenerative alterations, fluid transudation, giant cell formation, and rare inclusion bodies, all consistent with virus effects. Treatment of mice with x-rays, aminopterin, and adrenocorticotropic hormone increased poliomyelitis infections following intraperitoneal injection of MEF strain virus, potentiated by intracerebrally injected corn starch. This was ascribed to the damage to lymphoid tissues produced by these agents. On the basis of combined morphologic and virus studies, the presence of gastrointestinal, lymphoid, nervous tissue, and nerve cell defense barriers to poliomyelitis virus is suggested. Use of irradiated mice might prove useful in primary isolation of virus from human poliomyelitis.
Temperature-dependent hysteresis in somatosensory and auditory evoked potentials.

Abstract Fourteen adult patients undergoing open heart surgery under induced hypothermia had median nerve, short-latency somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs) recorded during cooling (from 36°C to 19°C) and subsequent rewarming. Similar data on another group of patients who had brain-stem auditory evoked potentials (BAEPs) were also analyzed. Hypothermia produced increased latencies of the major SSEP and BAEP components and the latencies returned to normal with subsequent warming. The temperature-latency relationship during the cooling phase was significantly different from that during the warming phase. For SSEP components the temperature-latency relationship was linear during cooling and curvilinear during warming, whereas for BAEP it was curvilinear both during cooling and warming. Furthermore, the regression curves were different during the two phases of temperature manipulation, particularly for temperatures below 30°C both for SSEP and BAEP components. At the onset of warming there was an initial exaggerated warming response on the evoked potential (EP) latencies and amplitude of the EP components. The temperature-latency regression curves were uniformly less steep during the warming phase compared to those during cooling. These findings suggest the existence of hysteresis in the relationship between temperature and EP latencies. The latencies at a given temperature below 30°C depend on whether that temperature is reached during cooling or during warming.
MENOPAUSE AND HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY

Menopause is a normal biologic event marked for most women by the end of menstrual periods, and it signifies the depletion of functional ovarian follicles that are responsible for estradiol production. It is, in essence, the complementary event to menarche, the beginning of the menstrual years. Although the technical definition of menopause is the last menstrual period, the more clinically useful view is to consider the months or years surrounding this marker event. There has been an explosion of interest among investigators, clinicians, and women themselves about all aspects of the menopause—endocrinologic, metabolic, pathologic, sociocultural, and psychological. Of particular interest for clinicians is the role of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in the management of symptoms. This article presents an overview of each of these areas aimed at helping clinicians to respond better to inquiries from patients and to plan better for educational, screening, and preventive interventions. Much contemporary interest in menopause is actually directed at the postmenopause and the medical illness common to postmenopausal women that may be affected by endogenous or exogenous hormones. The most commonly discussed conditions are osteoporosis, coronary heart disease, and breast and endometrial cancer; interest has emerged in the effects of hormones on Alzheimer's disease, and surely others will be added to this list as more epidemiologic studies look for associations. This article summarizes what is known about hormone therapy and these conditions. Finally, women experience menopause as individuals, and care should be taken not to make inappropriate generalizations. For one, women become menopausal in a variety of ways, and for another, menopause is experienced across a wide age range, occasionally as early as the 30s or 40s, or as late as the 60s. Therefore, women face this event under variable life circumstances.
More mud, less crystal? Ambivalence, disability, and PGD.

Those attending to the discussions of disability in bioethics may suffer the intellectual equivalent of whiplash. If the topic is trisomy 13 or 18 or prematurity, the trend is toward attacking nega...
Valley bifurcation in an O(3) σ model. Implications for high-energy baryon number violation

Abstract The valley method for computing the total high-energy anomalous cross section σ anom is the extension of the optical theorem to the case of instanton-antiinnstanton backgrounds. As a toy model for baryon number violation in Electroweak theory, we consider a version of the O(3) σ model in which the conformal invariance is broken perturbatively. We show that at a critical energy the saddle-point values of the instanton size and instanton-antiinstanton separation bifurcate into complex conjugate pairs. This nonanalytic behavior signals the breakdown of the valley method at an energy where σ anom is still exponentially suppressed.
Influence of high energy radiation on oxidation of oleic acid and methyl oleate

1. Gamma radiation from Cobalt 60 influences the oxidation of oleic acid and methyl oleate even at low temperatures.
Excitotoxic protection by polyanionic polysaccharide: evidence of a cell survival pathway involving AMPA receptor-MAPK Interactions.

Growing numbers of studies indicate that polysaccharides influence signaling events important for brain function. It has been speculated that such polysaccharide modulation of neuronal signals can promote synaptogenesis and cell maintenance. Here, we tested whether dextran sulfate, a polyanion that mimics natural mucopolysaccharides, protects hippocampal neurons against excitotoxic insults. An excitotoxin was applied to primary hippocampal cultures in the absence or presence of a large 500-kDa dextran sulfate (DS-L), a smaller 5–8-kDa species (DS-S), or sulfate-free dextran of 500 kDa. Only DS-L prevented neuronal damage as determined by a membrane permeability assay and phase contrast morphology. The sulfate and size dependence is also characteristic of DS-L's modulatory action on the channel activity of α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid (AMPA)-type glutamate receptors. The extent of neuroprotection correlates with the level of modulation of AMPA responses, and DS-L exhibits comparable EC50 values for the two effects (3–7 nM). DS-L also modulates the link between AMPA receptors and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) involving extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK), well known for its involvement in cell survival and repair. Correspondingly, protection against N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) excitotoxicity was evident in hippocampal slice cultures when DS-L was applied 30 min postinsult. These findings suggest that polysaccharides elicit neuroprotection in the brain, including enhanced repair responses through the AMPA receptor-MAPK axis. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Genomics-assisted plant improvement to benefit human nutrition and health.

My report was supported in part by the US Dept of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service under Cooperative Agreement Number 58-6250-6-001. The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the US Dept of Agriculture, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products or organizations imply endorsement by the US Government.
HP41C AND TI59 PROGRAMS FOR ANISOTROPIC CONFINED AQUIFERS

. Programs are presented for the HP41C and TI59 programmable calculators for determining the ratio of horizontal to vertical hydraulic conductivity in anisotropic confined aquifers from pumping test data or for calculating drawdown given the aquifer parameters. The programs, based on Hantush's drawdown equations (1961), eliminate the need to perform triple interpolation in obtaining the drawdown correction factor given in tabular form by Weeks (1969). The programs are illustrated by example.
Osmoregulation in marine and estuarine animals: Its influence on respiratory gas exchange and transport

Abstract Three examples of recent findings illustrating the intricacy of inter‐relationships between mechanisms responsible for gas exchange and transport and salt and water balance are described: 1) Divalent cations raise the oxygen affinity of crustacean hemocyanins (Hcs). At low salinity the respiratory consequences of a loss of Ca++ from the blood of an estuarine crab are offset by a concomitant and compensatory rise in blood pH and a shift in intrinsic oxygen binding properties, possibly brought about by a change in composition of the constituent subunits of the He molecule. The net result is a return to the original oxygen affinity during normoxia but not hypoxia, when anaerobic metabolism results in acidosis due to the accumulation of acidic end products. The acidosis requires compensation by allosteric actions of L‐lactate, the chief end product, and Ca++, a product of acid dissolution of the exoskeleton. The combined actions of these two effectors restores oxygen affinity to the original level. 2...
Effect of sulfate level on selenium uptake by Ruppia maritima

Abstract Ruppia maritima (wigeongrass), the dominant aquatic macrophyte in the agricultural drainage evaporation ponds of the Central Valley of California, is a food source for various waterfowl and shorebirds. Whole-plant uptake and accumulation of selenate (SeO4−2 or Se+6), selenite (SeO3−2 or Se+4), and seleno-methionine (Se−2) by R. maritima from artificial evaporation pond water was compared over a 21 day period, and the effect of sulfate, a known selenate antagonist, on Se uptake was investigated. Plants were treated with 10, 100, or 1000 ug/l as selenium. Under both high and low sulfate conditions, R. maritima was found to accumulate seleno-methionine to a much higher level than either selenite or selenate. However, under low sulfate conditions, selenate uptake was two orders of magnitude greater than under high sulfate conditions, indicating a sulfate/selenate antagonism. Bioconcentration factors for seleno-methionine under high and low sulfate conditions and for selenate under low sulfate conditions were very high (up to 21,800 for seleno-methionine and 1080 for selenate).
Cylindrical Shell Under Axial Impact: Super/Sub-Critical Impact Velocities at Constant Momentum

The dynamic buckling response of a cylindrical shell under axial impact is considered in this study. Specifically, the effects of various combinations of mass and velocity on the response of the cylinder for constant (near critical) momentum. A rigid mass is affixed at one end of the cylinder and is impacted at the other end against an infinitely rigid wall. The boundary conditions are defined by considering the mass rigidly attached to one end, axial velocity towards the right wall, and simply supported contact interface conditions. An explicit finite element code is used (LS-DYNA3D), to determine the response of the shell as variations of mass and velocity are made for a given (near critical) momentum. Specifically, in the neighborhood of critical impact velocities.
Immune system dysregulation in adolescent major depressive disorder.

Background A large body of evidence suggests that immune system dysregulation is associated with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) in adults. This study extends this work to adolescent MDD to examine the hypotheses of immune system dysregulation in adolescents with MDD, as manifested by significantly: (i) elevated plasma levels of cytokines (interferon [IFN]-γ, tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin [IL]-6, IL-1β, and IL-4); and (ii) Th1/Th2 cytokine imbalance shifted toward Th1 as indexed by increased IFN-γ/IL-4.
INOSITOL SYNTHESIS : CONCISE PREPARATION OF L-CHIRO-INOSITOL AND MUCO-INOSITOL FROM A COMMON INTERMEDIATE

Abstract Fully stereoselective large-scale syntheses have been attained for l - chiro -inositol ( 2 ) and muco -inositol ( 3 ) by means of controlled peripheral oxygenation of cyclohexadiene diol 1 .
Continuous cultivation of Clostridium thermobutyricum in a rotary fermentor system

The growth behavior of Clostridium thermobutyricum JW171K and its production of butyric acid were investigated under continuous cultivation in a recently developed rotary fermentor. Using low dilution rates (up to 40 times the shortest doubling time), the continuous culture conditions caused metabolic shifts from butyrate formation to the production of acetate. Using an 18-h volumetric retention time, no true steady state in butyrate formation was achieved after 22 days, although the optical density was stable. Acetate and butyrate were formed in an oscillatory mode with an alternating predominance between these two products, indicating an oscillation between the less exergonic acetate-forming but higher ATP (4ATP mol−1 glucose) forming mode, and the more exergonic butyrate and 3ATP mol−1 glucose forming mode. During the continuous culture drastic changes in cell morphology occurred and, at the lower dilution rates, long, granulose-containing, filamentous cells with rounded protuberances and swellings were observed. A maximal butyrate concentration of 18.4 g L−1 and a productivity of about 2.4 g L−1 per h (at 25–27 mM concentration in the broth) were obtained. Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology (2000) 24, 7–13.