cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Review of pool boiling critical heat flux (CHF) and heater rod design for CHF experiments in TREAT

Abstract Preventing the occurrence of a departure from nucleate boiling (DNB) event is an important aspect of nuclear safety in pressurized water reactors (PWRs). This phenomenon is partially governed by the cladding-to-coolant heat transfer under transient irradiation conditions, such as during a reactivity-initiated accident (RIA). Currently, there are large uncertainties about cladding-to-coolant heat transfer under these rapid transient conditions. This effort aims to elucidate the mechanisms of CHF under in-pile fast transient irradiation conditions using the Transient Reactor Test (TREAT) facility. These experiments will be carried out under pool boiling conditions, within experimental capsules that will be inserted into the TREAT reactor. A heater rodlet made from stainless steel 304 with tailored natural boron content will be usedin these experiment capsules to induce CHF when submitted to a TREAT power pulse. We will investigate the impacts of the presence of an oxide layer, radiation-induced surface activation (RISA), heat transfer time constant, and rapid surface heating effects on the CHF phenomenon. We review the parameters with significant effects governing the predictions of pool boiling CHF. Only CHF influencing parameters that are highly important, among them coolant subcooling and pressure, as well as oxide layer thickness, RISA, and rapid heating effects were included in this literature assessment. Preliminary neutronics and thermal hydraulic results from the design of the experimental apparatus are also presented in this paper. To aid in the modeling approach, the energy deposition and occurrence of CHF were identified as the most crucial key Figures of Merit (FoMs). In the heater rod design, boron concentrations between 0.1 and 2.09 wt% were considered. Further, a self-shielding study was performed to determine whether an instrumented borated tube could be used in place of a solid borated rod. This study determined that the inner region of the rod can be excluded or instrumented without heat generation penalties. Lastly, a thermal-hydraulics sensitivity study determined the lowest limiting boron concentration needed to induce CHF in water with different degrees of subcooling. Additionally, the value of CHF is known to increase during a rapid transient. Therefore, a CHF multiplier sensitivity study determined what multipliers would inhibit CHF for varying degrees of subcooling of two chosen power coupling factors (PCFs). The current borated tube rodlet geometry configuration achieved a maximum CHF multiplier value of 7.8 using a 1400 MJ power pulse in TREAT. Although this was the power pulse with the greatest energy deposition considered for this study, the TREAT facility is capable of pulses up to ~2500 MJ. This provides a significant margin in energy capacity that was not included within the scope of the calculations carried out to date. The application of the heater rod design was successfully demonstrated in initial experiments in December 2019. The results of these experiments will be explored in future publications.
Death, sex, and sugars: variations in nonstructural carbohydrate concentrations in a sexually plastic tree.

Premise Environmental sex determination (ESD) is a rare sex determination system in which individuals may switch sex expression throughout their lifetimes in response to environmental factors. In sexually stable species, individuals usually bear more female flowers if the plants are larger, have greater access to limiting resources, or are in better condition. Research regarding sexually plastic species with ESD and how resources correlate with sex expression is limited. Furthermore, most research investigates resources at the population level, failing to account for resources available to individuals for growth, maintenance, or reproduction. Methods Acer pensylvanicum is a species that is known to switch sex. Using twig samples collected during 2014-2016 in December and May, we analyzed resource status in the form of stored nonstructural carbohydrates (NSCs) and compared this with expressed sex. Results We found that females had higher sugar concentrations than males. Furthermore, males changing expression to female had higher sugar concentrations during the prior winter than did males remaining male. We found that size was not a key predictor: neither male nor female-flowering individuals increased NSC concentrations with size. Dying female trees had high concentrations of NSCs throughout the dying process and only manifested reduced NSCs once dead. Conclusions This is the first study showing significant correlations between NSCs and sex expression in a plant species with ESD. These findings support the hypothesis that sex switching could be a consequence of increased resource availability and that the high female mortality of A. pensylvanicum populations is likely not a direct result of carbon starvation.
Chapter 28 – Genomics

Publisher Summary This chapter provides an introduction to genomics and its rapidly evolving technological environment, especially as it relates to the field of microbial forensics. The “genomic revolution” began with completion of the first microbial genome sequence. For the first time, the genetic basis of a bacterial isolate was completely characterized in 1995. Genomic research aims at revealing and analyzing DNA and RNA sequence information. Every organism on earth is defined in essence by its genome sequence. The genomic signature is considered the most specific fingerprint that can unambiguously identify most people on earth. It can help distinguish even closely related organisms, that is, those exhibiting identical phenotypes, and therefore is of special relevance to the field of microbial forensics. As new sequencing technologies are being developed that will facilitate access to genomic sequence information, the ongoing genomic revolution is expected to continue having its transformative effect and impact many aspects of our lives, including law enforcement and the forensic sciences. New sequencing technologies offer increasing sequence data output at decreasing costs per run, outpacing Moore’s law as applied to the growth of computing resources. New generation sequencing technologies provide the means to rapidly sequence the genome of thousands of individual bacterial isolates as well as mixed bacterial cultures (population genomics) or complex microbial communities (metagenomics).
Voter Beliefs and Strategic Voting in Two-Round Elections

How widespread is strategic voting in two-round electoral systems, and which types of voters are most likely to engage in such behavior? While runoff elections are common in presidential systems ar...
A DNAmRep epigenetic fingerprint for determining cellular replication age

Abstract Aging is known to elicit dramatic changes to DNA methylation (DNAm). However, the causes and consequences of such alterations to the epigenome remain unclear. Therefore, the utility of biomarkers of aging based on DNAm patterns will depend on our ability to link them to cellular features, such as proliferation, differentiation, transcriptional repression/activation, senescence, and transformation. Using DNAm from serially passaged mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs), we developed a predictor of replication that is able to accurately predict passage number in independent sample. Our measure, termed DNAmRep, was shown to strongly increase with age when examined in multiple tissues (blood, liver, kidney, lung and adipose). Furthermore, we observed replicative deceleration in animal undergoing caloric restriction. Upon reprogramming to iPSCs, cells derived from both lung and kidney fibroblasts exhibited resetting of our DNAmRep measure. This measure also increased in response to differentiation among B-cell populations. Enrichment analysis implicated CBX7, RNF2 and HDAC2 as potentially important transcription factors and chromatin regulators in the DNAm replication signature. Finally, DNAmRep correlated with beta-galactosidase activity in replicative senescent MEFs, but not in radiation or drug induced senescent MEFs, and was partially separated by immortalization with Large T antigen K1 mutant (LTK1), suggesting that it reflects mitotic history, rather than senescent state. Overall, this study identifies mitotically-derived alterations to the methylome, which partially underlie known epigenetic aging phenomena.
More than the bottom line: Exploring social responsibility practices in hospital settings in the United states

The purpose of this article is to examine hospital social responsibility practices using a content analysis method. It selected a sample of 522 hospitals in U.S. and collected data from hospitals' official websites. Significant emphasis is found to be placed on CSR practices associated with marketplace activities that are mostly stakeholder-driven. Non-profit hospitals had stronger awareness on the actions of being a socially responsible organization. The results also confirm significant relationship between active CSR programs and hospital. The findings shed light on hospital social responsibility and provides a unifying conceptual basis that explains how hospitals in U.S execute CSR programs.
Theology of Church Reform and Institutional Crisis: Reading Yves Congar in the Twenty-First Century

The sexual abuse crisis has put into serious question the paradigms of Church reform of the twentieth century and of the ecclesiology of Vatican II. Yves Congar’s theology of reform represents a fundamental step on the Catholic Church’s path towards a new relationship with history and modernity. There is no possible path forward that does not begin with that step, denies that moment of development, or dreams to go back to a pre-Vatican II Church. On other hand, in order to be faithful to Vatican II, at almost sixty years from the beginning of the council, theology must acknowledge the inevitable limits and the unintended consequences of an intellectual tradition shaped by the first half of the twentieth century in a Europe-dominated Catholic Church.
Leftists Possess More National Consensus in Europe in One of Two Data Sets

A regularity in the U.S. American politics is that liberals have more policy consensus than do conservatives, and both ideological groups have more consensus than moderates. One explanation for thi...
Defect Transformation Process at SiO2/Si Interfaces

The interface traps created by ionizing radiation or hot-electron injection in MOS capacitors have been found to undergo significant changes with time over an extended period (several months). Immediately after radiation or hot-electron damage, a interface trap peak above midgap (~ E v + 0.75eV) invariably appears. This peak, along with its background, would continuously change with time after damage, and one sailent feature of this change is the gradual conversion of this peak to a second peak located below midgap (~ E v + 0.35eV). The rate of this interfacial defect transformation process is a function of the device structure, its processing parameters, the details of the radiation or hot-electron treatment, the gate bias polarity, and the process is thermally activated. These and other pertinent results will be discussed.
Ancient Whispers:The Expanding Universe

The story that we now tell about the origins and history of the cosmos is perhaps the most dramatic demonstration of the ability of mathematical physics to coordinate experience with physical reality. The fact that this physics, which originated a mere instant ago in cosmic time, allows us to consider how the entire universe began and the manner in which it evolved over billions of years staggers the imagination. The current model for describing this universe, the big bang model with inflation, has enjoyed great success, but there are many indications that it may be badly flawed. To better understand how the original elegance and simplicity of this model has been compromised, we will begin with a brief history of cosmology.
Inhibition of TNF-α–induced Sickle RBC Retention in Retina by a VLA-4 Antagonist

PURPOSE Patients with sickle cell disease have elevated circulating levels of cytokines including tumor necrosis factor (TNF) alpha. TNF-alpha stimulates expression by endothelial cells of adhesion molecules, including vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM) 1. Others have demonstrated that VLA-4 (alpha(4)beta(1)), a ligand for VCAM-1 or fibronectin, is present on a fraction of sickle reticulocytes. The intent of this study was to determine, using a rat model, if TNF-alpha increases retention of sickle erythrocytes in retina and if that retention can be inhibited. METHODS TNF-alpha was given intraperitoneally to rats 5 hours before IV administration of FITC-labeled, density-separated sickle erythrocytes. After 5 minutes, rats were exsanguinated, and retinas were excised and incubated for ADPase activity, permitting the determination of the number and location of retained cells. RESULTS TNF-alpha caused a three- to fourfold increase in retention of sickle erythrocytes in retinal capillaries (P < 0.05) but not of normal human erythrocytes. Preincubation of sickle erythrocytes with TBC772, a peptide that blocks the binding of alpha(4)beta(1) and alpha(4)beta(7), or a monoclonal antibody against VLA-4 (19H8), significantly inhibited the TNF-alpha-induced retention (P < or = 0.02), whereas a control cyclic peptide and antibody had no effect. IV TBC772 also inhibited sickle erythrocyte retention (P = 0.01). Two intravenously administered anti-fibronectin antibodies inhibited sickle cell retention as well, but an anti-rat VCAM-1 antibody did not inhibit retention. CONCLUSIONS The authors conclude that TNF-alpha stimulates retention of sickle erythrocytes in the retinal vasculature. This increased retention can be blocked by a VLA-4 antagonist, suggesting that the cells retained after cytokine stimulation are reticulocytes. The counter-receptor for VLA-4 in this rat retina model appears to be fibronectin and not VCAM-1, based on data obtained using antibodies against these molecules.
Impact of Delta mB_s on the determination of the unitary triangle and bounds on physics beyond the Standard Model

We study the impact on the unitarity triangle of the Bs-bar{Bs} flavor oscillation data analyses being carried out at the Tevatron Run II. In the current version of this work we consider the first direct experimental bound on the mass difference Delta mB_s recently reported by DO along with the first measurement achieved by CDF, Delta mB_s=(17.33 + - 0.4) ps^{-1}. In particular we show how these measurements further constrain the compatibility between the experimental value of sin(2beta)^{exp.}=(0.591,0.783) at 99% C.L. and the value obtained by the fit of the CKM parameters considering just CP conserving experimental observables: sin(2beta)^{CP-conserv.}=(0.742,0.856) at 99% C.L. We also obtain bounds on certain classes of processes beyond the SM.
Database management for integrated avionics system

Utilizing AI (artificial intelligence) knowledge bases and digital-map-based spatiotemporal databases as primary examples, the authors describe the requirements for an avionics DBMS (database management system) and offer potential design solutions that could be implemented in an integrated avionics architecture. It is noted that one is witnessing an explosion of databases, including AI knowledge bases and sensor/map spatiotemporal databases, that will require a real-time, distributed DBMS that is interfaced with the entire avionics platform. The FIRM (Functional Integrated Resource Manager) project is developing a broad-based, object-oriented DBMS solution that will be applicable to future systems and upgrades to current systems. Given projected advances in onboard sensors and parallel processors, the FIRM DBMS will enable real-time AI and CA (cellular automata)-based data correlation that will greatly improve the ability to conduct challenging missions, such as precision strike and air superiority and defense. In addition, a standard DBMS will increase software maintainability and reusability, resulting in weapon system life-cycle cost savings. >
The effect of defects of single-walled carbon nanotubes on their hydrogen storage capacity

Hydrogen absorption of single-walled carbon nanotubes synthesized by the HIPCO, laser ablation, and carbon-arc techniques are evaluated to determine the influence of their chemical and structural defect density on their effectiveness as the nanocontainers of hydrogen. The results indicate that although there was a difference in the defect concentration between the three different SWNT samples, these defects have little effect on their hydrogen storage capacity.
Magnesium-deficiency potentiates free radical production associated with postischemic injury to rat hearts: Vitamin E affords protection

Preexisting magnesium deficiency may alter the susceptibility of rat hearts to postischemic oxidative injury (free radicals). This was examined in rats maintained for 3 weeks on a magnesium-deficient (Mg-D) diet with or without concurrent vitamin E treatment (1.2 mg/day, SC). Magnesium-sufficient (Mg-S) rats received the same diet supplemented with 100 mmol Mg/kg feed. Following sacrifice, isolated working hearts were subjected to 30-, 40-, or 60-min global ischemia and 30-min reperfusion. Postischemic production of free radicals was monitored using electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy and spin trapping with alpha-phenyl-N-tert butylnitrone (PBN, 3 mM final); preischemic and postischemic effluent samples were collected and then extracted with toluene. PBN/alkoxyl adduct(s) (PBN/RO.; alpha H = 1.93 G, alpha N = 13.63 G) were the dominant signals detected in untreated Mg-S and Mg-D postischemic hearts, with comparably higher signal intensities observed for the Mg-D group following any ischemic duration. Time courses of postischemic PBN/RO. detection were biphasic for both groups (maxima: 2-4 and 8.5-12.5 min), and linear relationships between the extent of PBN/RO. production and the severity of both mechanical dysfunction and tissue injury were determined. Following each duration of ischemia, Mg-D hearts displayed greater levels of total PBN adduct production (1.7-2.0 times higher) and lower recovery of cardiac function (42-48% less) than Mg-S hearts. Pretreating Mg-D rats with vitamin E prior to imposing 40-min ischemia/reperfusion, led to a 49% reduction in total PBN/RO. production, a 55% lower LDH release and a 2.2-fold improvement in functional recovery, compared to untreated Mg-D hearts. These data suggest that magnesium deficiency predisposes postischemic hearts to enhanced oxidative injury and functional loss, and that antioxidants may offer significant protection against the pro-oxidant influence(s) of magnesium deficiency.
Oscillations and hippocampal–prefrontal synchrony

The hippocampus, a structure required for many types of memory, connects to the medial prefrontal cortex, an area that helps direct neuronal information streams during intentional behaviors. Increasing evidence suggests that oscillations regulate communication between these two regions. Theta rhythms may facilitate hippocampal inputs to the medial prefrontal cortex during mnemonic tasks and may also integrate series of functionally relevant gamma-mediated cell assemblies in the medial prefrontal cortex. During slow-wave sleep, temporal coordination of hippocampal sharp wave-ripples and medial prefrontal cortex spindles may be an important component of the process by which memories become hippocampus-independent. Studies using rodent models indicate that oscillatory phase-locking is disturbed in schizophrenia, emphasizing the need for more studies of oscillatory synchrony in the hippocampal–prefrontal network.
Conflicts of Interest and Measurement Issues and Their Effects on Reporting of Environmental Liabilities

There are many decisions for which management must consider the broad interests of society at large (all stakeholders) in addition to the interests of the stockholders. One such situation is management's handling of decisions that could cause environmental damage. This paper will discuss the nature of the conflicts of interest between management and all stakeholders and how these conflicts affect the firms' incentives to disclose their responsibility for environmental liabilities. When faced with the choice of acting in the interest of current shareholders or society at large, management appears unwilling to disclose its responsibility for environmental cleanup in order to convince society that its interests are being protected. Businesses, as a group, have a massive responsibility to clean up environmentally damaged, hazardous sites. This responsibility leads to a large expected aggregate obligation (estimated in the hundreds of billions of dollars) for cleanup of environmental damage; however, there are many questions regarding how this responsibility is being accepted and communicated (reported) by the individual firms. Therefore, there is a discrepancy between the expected aggregate environmental obligation and the sum of the individual obligations as reported by firms.
Molecular analysis of HLA DP and DQ genes associated with dermatitis herpetiformis.

Abstract HLA class II DQ and DP genes from dermatitis herpetiformis patients were amplified and analyzed using molecular probes and compared to those from celiac disease patients and to an HLA and ethnically matched control group. In dermatitis herpetiformis, as in celiac disease, the strongest association of disease was with the DQ subregion alleles DQBI∗0201 and DQAI∗0501 that are linked to the DRB1∗0301 allele. DQB1∗0201 determines the DQw2 serologic marker whereas DRB1∗0301 determines the DRw17 serologic marker (formerly termed DR3). A DP subregion allele DPB1∗0301 was increased and a constellation of DPB1 alleles that included DPB1∗0202, ∗0901, and ∗ 1301 was decreased in dermatitis herpetiformis. DPB1∗0101, an allele reported to be increased in celiac disease, was not increased in dermatitis herpetiformis. DPβ chains that lack a negatively charged amino acid residue at position 69 of the DPβ chain are significantly over-represented both in dermatitis herpetiformis and celiac disease patients with the DRw17, DQw2 haplotype, compared to ealthy controls with that haplotype. These data favor a multigenic model for the contribution of HLA class II D region genes to dermatitis herpetiformis susceptibility. Further, they indicate that a specific DQ molecule, when present in combination with the product of one of several different DPB1 alleles, may contribute to susceptibility to the intestinal lesion, which is common to dermatitis herpetiformis and celiac disease.
Biomass partitioning and reproductive allocation in the invasive, cleistogamous grass Microstegium vimineum: Influence of the light environment

Abstract Cheplick, G. P. (Department of Biology, College of Staten Island, City University of New York, Staten Island, NY 10314). Biomass partitioning and reproductive allocation in the invasive, cleistogamous grass Microstegium vimineum: Influence of the light environment. J. Torrey Bot. Soc. 132: 214–224. 2005.—Biomass partitioning and allocation to chasmogamous (CH) and cleistogamous (CL) reproduction were investigated in the invasive, summer annual Microstegium vimineum in relation to light conditions. This shade-tolerant grass weed of Asian origin forms dense populations in the understory of moist deciduous forests in eastern North America. In autumn each flowering tiller produces one terminal raceme with CH spikelets and 2 to 7 sheath-enclosed axillary racemes with CL spikelets at the uppermost nodes. In a greenhouse, plants were reared from seed families collected from individuals in subpopulations of shady (2 to 8% full sun) or sunny, edge habitats. At maturity, tillers of the shade subpopulation ...
Isolation and structure of a cytotoxic epoxy sterol from the marine mollusc Planaxis sulcatus.

Abstract A novel epoxy sterol isolated from the marine mollusc Planaxis sulcatus has been identified as 9α, 11α-epoxycholest-7-ene-3β,5α,6β-triol by spectrometric methods.
Interfacial structure of photoresist thin films in developer solutions

A depth profile of the base developer counterion concentration within thin photoresist films was measured in-situ using contrast variant specular neutron reflectivity to characterize the initial swelling stage of the film dissolution. We find a substantial counterion depletion near the substrate and an enrichment near the periphery of the film extending into the solution. These observations challenge our understanding of the charge distribution in photoresist and polyelectrolyte films and are important for understanding film dissolution in medical and technological applications.
Large-scale, free Rossby waves in the atmosphere—an update

The existence of free, or normal mode Rossby waves has been known for 50 yr. Studies have indicated that they can affect the large-scale flow in important ways; nevertheless there has been little written on them during the last decade. Here, evidence of their presence in a 40-yr record of NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis data is presented. It provides a starting point from which other published observations based on varying data sets are summarized. In addition, literature pointing to their possible effects is summarized. This update is submitted in the hopes that it will reinvigorate interest that can increase our understanding of variations in the large scales.
INTERVALLING EFFECTS IN HONG KONG STOCKS

This paper investigates the intervalling-thinness effect in the Hong Kong stock market and compares the results with previous studies of United States and French data. The approach follows the three pass technique of Cohen, Hawawini, Maier, Schwartz, and Whitcomb. Various functional forms of an intervalling bias decay function are analyzed, both in the aggregate and for individual stocks. Careful modeling of the flattening of the beta profile at a finite interval value leads to robust estimated asymptotic betas.
ACM HotMobile 2013 poster: Bugu: an application level power profiler and analyzer for mobile devices

Mobile devices, such as smart phones and tablets, have become an integral part of our daily life, providing a lot of fancy and powerful applications. To understand and solve the battery drain problem, we design and implement the Bugu service which targets the applications running on mobile devices, analyzes event-power relationship, and provides users an overview of the power behavior of applications. We envision that three groups of people will benefit from the Bugu service. For end users, they know applications' power behavior which in turn helps them to decide which applications to install and run. For application developers, they could understand which events cause such amount of power dissipation and focus on optimizing them. For system developers, the insights provided by the Bugu service will enable them to understand the potential problem of the system so that further optimization can be enhanced.
The importance of the surface density of states in the photoemission spectra of the alkali and alkaline earth metals

Abstract Ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy results are shown to distinguish between the surface and bulk electronic structure of a simple metal. The spectra from Sr at low photon energies (long escape depth) is described by the bulk electronic structure; the spectra at ≈10 eV (short escape depth) is described by the surface electronic structure.
Engineering biomaterials to control cell function

In this review, we highlight some of the recent advances in understanding how environmental cues, presented through cellular adhesions, can regulate cellular processes such as proliferation and differentiation. We discuss how these findings may impact design considerations for new materials in biology.
AN INFORMATION PROCESSING PROBE INTO CONJOINT ANALYSIS

Protocol analysis was used to identify the actual choice rule used by respondents in a conjoint analysis interview under two different card-sorting instruction conditions. In both conditions respondents used a noncompensatory rule (conjunctive or lexicographic) and not the additive rule assumed in many conjoint analysis studies. Predictions based upon either the additive rule or the noncompensatory rule were, however, found to be consistent with preference ranks in a holdout sample. The protocols were further analyzed to provide partial validation of the conjoint weights and to investigate the nature of prediction errors observed in the conjoint analysis.
Physical function and quality of well-being in fibromyalgia: the applicability of the goodness-of-fit hypothesis

Objective: The goodness-of-fit hypothesis suggests that the effectiveness of a coping strategy depends on the match between type of strategy (problem-focused, emotion-focused) and the level of perceived control. This hypothesis was examined as a predictor of physical functioning and quality of well-being (QWB) in a large sample of women with fibromyalgia. Methods: Participants were 478 women with diagnosed fibromyalgia (M age = 54.31, SD = 11.2), who were part of a larger intervention in which no intervention effects were found. Hierarchical, mixed selection regressions were performed to determine whether the relationship between coping and control-predicted physical functioning and QWB. Results: Participants who reported having lower levels of perceived control over their fibromyalgia syndrome and who engaged in more self-controlling coping (emotion-focused strategy) experienced greater QWB and physical functioning than those who used less self-controlling coping. Various main effects for coping and perceived control were also found. Level of physical functioning was also related to escape-avoidance, distancing, and perceived control. The level of QWB was related to social-support seeking, accepting responsibility, distancing, problem-solving, and perceived control. Conclusions: This study provides a greater understanding of the relationships among coping, perceived control, physical functioning, and well-being for women with fibromyalgia. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.
Assay of sialyltransferase activity by reversed-phase ion-pair high-performance liquid chromatography.

Abstract Sialyltransferases (CMP-N-acetylneuraminic acid:glycoprotein sialyltransferases, EC 2.4.99.1) are involved in the transfer of a sialic acid moiety from CMP-N-acetylneuraminic acid (CMP-NeuAc) to an oligosaccharide side-chain of an acceptor, asialoglycoprotein (AGP), according to the following reaction: This enzyme occurs in elevated levels in the sera of patients with a wide variety of neoplastic diseases and its assay might be useful in monitoring treatment. Radioactive CMP-NeuAc has been used in assays and the radioactive sialylated product separated and counted by liquid scintillation spectrometry. This study shows that a simple, rapid, non-radiochemically based high-performance liquid chromatographic method developed for the analysis of CMP-sialic acid synthetase can be used for the quantitation of sialyltransferase activity by monitoring simultaneously the utilization of CMP-NeuAc and the release of CMP. We describe the application of this method to assay of commercially available sialyltransferase activity and to activities from synovial, ascites and gastric fluids.
Comparison of contemporary FCG life prediction tools

This paper summarizes a comparison of closure-based load interaction models used in two popular crack-growth-life prediction programs (FASTRAN and AFGROW) being used by government, industry, and academia. The load interaction models used in both codes appear to result in reasonable life predictions based on a limited amount of test data. The spectrum load interaction models used in these programs are examined in some detail. Load interaction models based on crack closure are arguably the most widely accepted today. The FASTRAN approach uses a widely accepted crack closure concept, which assumes that closure is the result of the plastic wake behind the crack tip. This model requires the use of a single crack growth rate vs. effective ΔK curve that must be determined by the user in advance for all materials. The AFGROW approach uses crack growth rate data models that are widely available in the open literature and makes no assumption on the cause of the closure phenomenon.
Genetic parameters of Italian brown Swiss for levels of herd yield.

Abstract Genetic parameters were estimated for yields and percentages of milk, fat, and protein for registered Italian Brown Swiss cows. Data were 72,690 mature equivalent 305-d first lactation yields split by herd average milk into four files. An expectation-maximization REML algorithm was used on a multiple-trait model with equal design matrices for fixed and random effects. Data were preadjusted for geographical area, age-month of calving, and days open. The model included herd-year and sire genetic group as fixed effects and sires as random effects. Estimates of heritability were .28, .30, .26, .42, and .34 for milk, fat, and protein yields, and fat and protein percentages, respectively. Genetic correlations of milk yield and milk component percentages were negative, as expected. Correlation of protein yield and protein percentage was null. Results show an increasing trend of variance components from low to high herd yields, indicating that dispersion of yield about the mean increases as average yield increases. Relative differences among environmental components were larger than those among genetic components, yielding larger estimates of heritability in herds with lower yield. Estimates of heritability for milk from low to high herd yields were .42, .38, .35, and .33.
Absence of an increase in gonad-independent drive to pulsatile luteinizing hormone secretion during photoperiod-induced puberty

This study was conducted to determine if photoperiod can influence the pattern of luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion in the absence of the ovaries in the developing female sheep. Lambs were raised in a photoperiod sequence (short, long, short days) known to induce puberty between 30 and 35 wk of age, or in a photoperiod (only short days) that prevents puberty during the first year. Their ovaries were removed at 10 wk of age, and the detailed pattern of LH was assessed (samples at 12-min intervals for 4 h) each 3- to 5-wk period between 9 and 45 wk of age. Rapid LH pulses (40- to 50-min interpulse interval) were evident within a few weeks after ovariectomy in both groups of females. Those exposed to the artificial photoperiod sequence that induces normal sexual maturity did not increase their pulse frequency further during the pubertal period. Moreover, their LH pulse frequencies were not greater than those in agonadal females exposed to the photoperiod that delays puberty. These findings indicate that photoperiodic induction of puberty in the sheep does not require steroid-independent modulation of pulsatile LH secretion.
Abstract 3418: Characterization of a survival pathway controlled by FGFR4 in alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma

The inefficiency of the currently used conventional treatment modalities for alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma (aRMS) stimulate the search for alternative treatment approaches such as targeted therapies exploiting addiction of tumors cells to specific signalling pathways. Indeed, inhibition of specific nodal points in such pathways such as growth factor receptors (e.g. IGF1R) was effective in preclinical model systems of aRMS and might advance to early clinical studies. However, experience from clinical studies of adult tumors suggests that tumor cells can escape such therapies targeting solely one signalling molecule via (re)activation of alternative pathways. Therefore, the evolution of tumor resistance needs to be addressed already in preclinical studies and might then be targeted upfront by employing an evidence-based combination approach. Here, we describe a FGFR regulated survival pathway which is able to rescue aRMS cells from apoptosis induced by blocking other growth factor pathways. The relevant receptor is FGFR4, a direct target of the oncogenic PAX3/FKHR fusion protein, whose activation efficiently blocks apoptosis induced by an IGF1R inhibitor in different aRMS cell lines. On the other hand, combined inhibition of both FGFR4 and IGF1R pathways synergistically reduces aRMS cell viability, involving upregulation of Bcl-xl. Interestingly, the survival pathway downstream of FGFR4 does neither involve MEK/ERK nor Akt. Experiments defining the components of this pathway using genetic siRNA screens are currently underway. Taken together, our data hint to a potential escape mechanism of tumor cells from therapies targeting the IGF1R/AKT axis via FGFR4 and suggests that combined inhibition of the FGFR4 and IGF1R pathways might be superior to single treatments. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3418.
Effects of Substance P and Substance P Antagonists on Rat Salivary Secretion

The intra-arterial infusion of substance P produced dose-related responses of both parotid and submandibular salivary secretion in anesthetized rats. The substance P-induced secretion in both glands was inhibited by the substance P analogues [D-Arg1, D-Trp7.9, Leu11]-substance P and [D-Arg1, D-Pro2, D-Trp7.9, Leu11]-substance P, but not by [D-Pro2, D-Trp7,9]-substance P. The profiles of protein and calcium levels obtained with substance P-induced salivary secretion for both glands were similar to those produced by acetylcholine stimulation and were not altered by the substance P analogues.
Peeling back the layers of locomotor control in the spinal cord

Vertebrate locomotion is executed by networks of neurons within the spinal cord. Here, we describe recent advances in our understanding of spinal locomotor control provided by work using optical and genetic approaches in mice and zebrafish. In particular, we highlight common observations that demonstrate simplification of limb and axial motor pool coordination by spinal network modularity, differences in the deployment of spinal modules at increasing speeds of locomotion, and functional hierarchies in the regulation of locomotor rhythm and pattern. We also discuss the promise of intersectional genetic strategies for better resolution of network components and connectivity, which should help us continue to close the gap between theory and function.
Differential effects of μ, δ and κ opioid agonists on fetal plasma cortisol levels.

Abstract During fetal life, pituitary-adrenal function is regulated by a number of factors, including corticotropin-releasing factor, arginine vasopressin and opioid peptides. Using the fetal sheep as an animal model, we have found that morphine (2.5 and 5.0 mg/h) causes a significant increase in fetal plasma cortisol levels. Recent studies on the multiple subtypes of opioid receptors suggest that μ, δ, and κ receptors exert vastly different actions on many physiological systems. In this study, we compared the effects of μ- and δ-selective agonists as well as dynorphin-A(1–13) on fetal plasma cortisol levels. When administered to the fetal lateral ventricle, DAMGO (μ-selective) caused a significant increase in fetal plasma cortisol levels, while DPDPE and deltorphin (δ-selective) had no effect. Peripheral and central administration of dynorphin also caused an increase in fetal plasma cortisol which was not reversed by naloxone. These results suggest that opioid-induced increase in fetal plasma cortisol is mediated by μ receptors, most likely at the hypothalamic or pituitary level.
Structural changes induced in scallop heavy meromyosin molecules by Ca2+ and ATP.

We have used physicochemical and ultrastructural methods to investigate the effects of Ca2+ and ATP on the structure of purified heavy meromyosin (HMM) from the striated adductor muscle of the scallop, a species with myosin-linked regulation. Using papain as a structural probe, we found that, in the presence of ATP, the head/tail junction was five times more susceptible to digestion at high levels of Ca2+ than at low levels.wBy HPLC gel filtration, two fractions of scallop HMM with different Stokes radii were detected in the presence of ATP at low Ca2+, while at high Ca2+ a single peak with the larger Stokes radius predominated. Electron microscopy of rotary-shadowed HMM suggested that molecules with the smaller Stokes radius had their heads bent back towards their tails, while those with the larger radius had heads pointing away from the tail. The number of molecules with their heads bent back decreased at high Ca2+ levels. The data also showed that in the absence of ATP or at high salt, HMM molecules behaved similarly to those in the presence of ATP at high Ca2+.
Contingent reinforcement of lowered blood-alcohol levels in an outpatient chronic alcoholic.

Abstract Recently. the proposition that alcohol abuse is an operant behavior and thus functionally related to its consequences has been investigated under experimental conditions. In controlled laboratory settings, in which inpatient chronic alcoholics are allowed access to alcoholic beverages, alcohol consumption has been markedly altered via operant strategies. Monetary rewards (Cohen et al ., 1971), the opportunity to participate in an enriched environment (Cohen et al. , 1971). and visits to a girlfriend (Bigelow et al., 1973) have been used as reinforcers for decreased drinking. Other investigators (Sulzer, 1965; Miller, 1972: Hunt and Azrin, 1973) have successfully applied similar contingency management techniques to alcoholics in the natural environment. However, failure to control for the influence of extraneous therapeutic variables (e.g., attention-placebo factors, job counseling) together with reliance on self-report measures of drinking behavior seriously limit the conclusiveness of these results. Objective assessment is particularly essential with operant techniques since consequent events must be systematically scheduled upon the occurrence or non-occurrence of drinking. Documentation of drinking in the natural environment is a difficult task since the alcoholic frequently consumes alcohol when he is alone. In lieu of direct observation, blood alcohol concentrations are an obvious means of objective assessment. Such data are most conveniently obtained via breath tests similar to the ones that law enforcement officers utilize to identify intoxicated motorists. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the influence of reinforcement contingencies on lowering blood alcohol concentrations obtained in an alcoholic's natural environment.
Superposition coding to support multiple streams, priorities, and channel capacities in the context of GMSK

It is well known in information theory that superposition coding is an optimal technique for providing a single transmission that both provides a high data rate when channel conditions are good and still provides some information when the channel conditions are poor (perhaps due to jamming). Typical superposition coding schemes for the additive white Gaussian noise channel combine signals after the modulator. For modulation schemes such as GMSK, this standard form of (additive) superposition is not acceptable because it does not maintain a constant envelope. This paper introduces a new approach in which newly designed nonlinear codes allow superposition to take place before the GMSK modulation. These codes are demonstrated to operate very close to the boundary of the achievable rate region for the broadcast binary symmetric channel which would result from GMSK transmission with hard decoding. The results also suggest that similarly optimal performance might be obtainable in the soft decoding regime.
Hormonal effects of high dose naloxone in humans

Utilizing a double-blind crossover design, the hormonal effects of high dose, 2 mg/kg, were compared to low dose, 0.4 mg (approx. 5 micrograms/kg), naloxone administration in physically healthy humans. A significant naloxone dose effect on plasma cortisol levels was found (p less than 0.001), but no significant effect on plasma or serum levels of prolactin, follicle stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, norepinephrine or epinephrine. These results confirm involvement of the endogenous opioid system (EOS) in the tonic regulation of the hypothalamicpituitary-adrenal axis, but fail to find evidence of EOS involvement in the regulation of adrenal medullary function or the gonadotrophic axis in man. The results are however consistent with a continuing action of naloxone as an EOS antagonist even at high doses in man.
Estrogen receptor alpha and androgen receptor are commonly expressed in well-differentiated liposarcoma

Liposarcoma (LS) is the second-most common type of soft-tissue sarcoma. Despite advances in knowledge and treatment of this disease, there remains a need for more effective LS therapy. Steroid hormone receptors regulate metabolism in adipocytes. Estrogen receptor alpha (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and androgen receptor (AR) have been implicated in the pathophysiology of other cancer types. We sought to comprehensively determine temporal expression patterns of these receptors in LS. We analyzed 561 histologically subtyped LS specimens from 354 patients for expression of ER, PR, and AR by immunohistochemistry (IHC) using diagnostic-grade reagents and protocols. The fractions of positively stained tumor cells were scored within each specimen. IHC scores were compared across LS subtypes using the Kruskal-Wallis test, and subtypes were compared using Dunn’s post-hoc test. Ages of patients with receptor-positive vs. -negative LS were compared by t-test. Genders and races were compared for hormone receptor positivity using Fisher’s exact test and Chi-square analysis, respectively. Recurrence-free survival was compared between receptor-positive and negative patients by log-rank test. p< 0.05 was considered significant. ER and AR were frequently expressed in LS, while few tumors expressed PR. Most of the ER + and AR + samples were of the well-differentiated LS subtype. A smaller fraction of de-differentiated LS expressed ER or AR, but expression was common within well-differentiated regions of tumors histologically classified as de-differentiated LS. In LS specimens from patients who underwent multiple surgeries over time, receptor expression frequently changed over time, which may be attributable in part to intratumor heterogeneity, varying degrees of de-differentiation, and biopsy bias. ER and AR were frequently co-expressed. Receptor status was not significantly associated with gender or race, but AR and PR expression were associated with earlier age at diagnosis. Receptor expression was not associated with altered recurrence-free survival. ER and AR are commonly expressed in LS, particularly in well-differentiated tumors. These data warrant further functional study to determine receptor function in LS, and the potential efficacy of anti-hormone therapies for the treatment of patients with LS.