cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Chick limb bud mesodermal cell chondrogenesis : inhibition by isoforms of platelet-derived growth factor and reversal by recombinant bone morphogenetic protein

Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) influences the proliferation and differentiation of a variety of cells. In this study, we have investigated the effect of PDGF isoforms on chondrogenesis by stage 24 chick limb bud mesoderm cells in culture. Synthesis of sulfated proteoglycans, an index of chondrogenesis, was inhibited by all three PDGF isoforms (PDGF-AA, PDGF-AB, and PDGF-BB). Application of PDGF isoforms during the first 2 days of culture, before the cells were overtly differentiating, resulted in decreased synthesis of sulfated proteoglycans. This was similar to when PDGF isoforms were present throughout the culture period. However, application of PDGF isoform during only the last 2 days of culture, did not inhibit cartilage matrix production. When chondrogenic and nonchondrogenic cells were separated from the cultures and replated, PDGF-AB and PDGF-BB inhibited the incorporation of sulfate by the chondrogenic cells. Recombinant bone morphogenetic protein 2B reversed the inhibitory effects of PDGF on sulfated proteoglycan synthesis and DNA synthesis. PDGF receptor binding analysis indicated that β-receptors were predominant receptors present on the chondrogenic and nonchondrogenic cells of the stage 24 mesoderm. PDGF isoforms increased thymidine incorporation by 48 h in both high and low density cultures. However, at later periods, cell proliferation was inhibited by PDGF-AA and PDGF-AB but not by PDGF-BB. PDGF acted as a bifunctional modulator of mesodermal cell proliferation and thus may regulate chondrogenesis during limb differentiation and morphogenesis.
Quasi-Monte Carlo hybrid particle filters

We describe a new hybrid particle filter that has two novel features: (1) it uses quasi-Monte Carlo samples rather than the conventional Monte Carlo sampling, and (2) it implements Bayes' rule exactly using smooth densities from the exponential family. Theory and numerical experiments over the last decade have shown that quasi-Monte Carlo sampling is vastly superior to Monte Carlo samples for certain high dimensional integrals, and we exploit this fact to reduce the computational complexity of our new particle filter. The main problem with conventional particle filters is the curse of dimensionality. We mitigate this issue by avoiding particle depletion, by implementing Bayes' rule exactly using smooth densities from the exponential family.
Information Literacy and Global Readiness: Library Involvement Can Make a World of Difference

The need for information literacy continues to increase as colleges and universities begin to globalize their curricula and include global readiness in institutional missions. This article reports pretest and posttest data collected during a librarian–faculty collaboration to determine the effect of information literacy instruction on students participating in an anthropology class focused on global understanding. The results suggest emphasis on teaching specific skills can produce an increase in students’ information literacy levels. Also, emerging global curricula may provide an avenue for librarians to pursue the promotion of information literacy. Changes in students’ information literacy skills, successful teaching strategies, and their connection to global readiness are discussed.
Relationship of Online Teacher Professional Development to Seventh-Grade Teachers' and Students' Knowledge and Practices in English Language Arts.

Online professional development (OPD) has potential to improve teacher quality by improving teachers' knowledge and instructional practices. These changes, in turn, have potential to improve student achievement. Unfortunately, there is a dearth of scientific research on the effects of OPD on teachers and, more importantly, on students. This article presents the results of a randomized controlled trial exploring the effects of a series of three learning-community model OPD workshops on teachers' content knowledge, teachers' instructional practices, students' content knowledge, and students' practices in the context of seventh-grade English language arts. There were statistically significant effects on teachers' vocabulary and overall English language arts content knowledge and on vocabulary and writing practices. The effect sizes of these changes ranged from small to medium. There were statistically significant effects on students' reading comprehension practices.
Uremic malnutrition is a predictor of death independent of inflammatory status

Uremic malnutrition is a predictor of death independent of inflammatory status. Background Several studies have pointed out the influence of nutritional parameters and/or indices of inflammation on morbidity and mortality. Often, these conditions coexist, and the relative importance of poor nutritional status and chronic inflammation in terms of predicting clinical outcomes in chronic hemodialysis (CHD) patients has not been clarified. Methods We undertook a prospective cohort study analyzing time-dependent changes in several established nutritional and inflammatory markers, and their influence on mortality in 194 CHD patients (53% male, 36% white, 30% with diabetes mellitus, mean age 55.7 ± 15.4 years) throughout a 57-month period. Serial measurements of serum concentrations of albumin, prealbumin, creatinine, transferrin, cholesterol, and C-reactive protein (CRP), as well as normalized protein catabolic rate, postdialysis weight, and phase angle and reactance by bioelectrical impedance analysis were performed every 3 months. Clinical outcomes were simultaneously assessed using indicators of mortality. Results Serum albumin, serum prealbumin, serum creatinine, and phase angle were significant predictors of all-cause mortality, even after adjustment for serum CRP concentrations. Serum CRP concentrations were not significantly associated with mortality. Serum albumin concentrations and phase angle were also independent predictors of cardiovascular deaths in the multivariate model. Conclusion The nutritional status of CHD patients predicts mortality independent of concomitant presence or absence of inflammatory response. Prevention of, and timely intervention to treat uremic malnutrition by suitable means are necessary independent of the presence and/or therapy of inflammation in terms of improving clinical outcomes in CHD patients.
A Functional Protein Chip for Pathway Optimization and in Vitro Metabolic Engineering

Pathway optimization is difficult to achieve owing to complex, nonlinear, and largely unknown interactions of enzymes, regulators, and metabolites. We report a pathway reconstruction using RNA display-derived messenger RNA-enzyme fusion molecules. These chimeras are immobilized by hybridization of their messenger RNA end with homologous capture DNA spotted on a substrate surface. Enzymes thus immobilized retain activity proportional to the amount of capture DNA, allowing modulation of the relative activity of pathway enzymes. Entire pathways can thus be reconstructed and optimized in vitro from genomic information. We provide concept validation with the sequential reactions catalyzed by luciferase and nucleoside diphosphate kinase and further illustrate this method with the optimization of the five-step pathway for trehalose synthesis.
STUDIES WITH THE HYDROXYSTEROID DEHYDROGENASES. I. A SIMPLIFIED METHOD FOR THE ENZYMATIC ESTIMATION OF 3- AND 17-HYDROXYSTEROIDS.

A simplified method for the estimation of α and β substrates of the hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases using the enzymes recovered from the acetone powder of Pseudomonas testosteroni is described. In terms of sensitivity, accuracy, reproducibility, simplicity and speed, the method offers significant advantage over most techniques for the assay of steroids separated chromatographically, and is particularly valuable in the determination of certain steroids for which no satisfactory colorimetric method is available. It was discovered that p-hydroxymercuribenzoate is a potent inhibitor of the α-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase activity when added to the assay system over a wide range of concentrations. This selective inhibition of the α-activity allows the determination of β-hydroxyl functions in a mixture of steroids and provides structural information previously requiring complete separation of the enzymes.
Comparison of myocardial oxygen consumption using 11C acetate positron emission tomography scanning in a working and non-working heart transplant model.

Objective: In acute cardiac rejection, changes in myocardial oxygen consumption occur; non-invasive detection of these metabolic changes would have obvious clinical utility. In the classic cervical, heterotopic, canine, transplant model, the heart is non-working. It has a low myocardial oxygen consumption. Creation of a working model with normal myocardial oxygen consumption would enhance validity of non-human studies. Methods: Clearance of 11 C acetate was determined by positron emission tomography (PET) scanning and compared with myocardial oxygen consumption in normal and transplanted canine hearts. Donor hearts from mongrel dogs (2.5‐3 kg; na 4) were transplanted into the neck of adult beagles (12‐15 kg; na 4), no immunosuppression was given. Two non-working hearts were modified to eject only coronary flow via the right ventricle. In two hearts, a novel working model was created with aortic regurgitation to load the left ventricle. Working and non-working hearts underwent PET scanning on post-operative days 2 and 4. Normal dog hearts (na 2) and native hearts of transplanted dogs (na 3) were used to validate the scanning technique. Coronary sinus and aortic oxygen saturation data along with myocardial blood flow (radiolabeled microspheres) confirmed that clearance of 11 C acetate in normal and transplanted hearts followed a biexponential model. Results: Myocardial oxygen consumption was correlated with the rate constant of 11 C acetate rapid phase clearance (ra 0:91) in normal and transplanted hearts. The working hearts had increased myocardial oxygen consumption compared to non-working hearts. Conclusions: This study (1) introduces a model of a working heterotopic cardiac transplantation with near-normal oxygen consumption; and (2) demonstrates that regional myocardial oxygen consumption in transplanted hearts can be detected by 11 C acetate PET. q 2001
Expulsive Therapy Versus Early Endoscopic Stone Removal in Patients with Acute Renal Colic: A Comparison of Indirect Costs

Purpose: While medical expulsive therapy is associated with lower health care expenditures compared to early endoscopic stone removal in patients with renal colic, little is known about the effect of medical expulsive therapy on indirect costs.Materials and Methods: Using a previously validated claims based algorithm we identified a cohort of patients with acute renal colic. After determining the up-front treatment type (ie an initial course of medical expulsive therapy vs early endoscopic stone removal) we compared differences in rates of short-term disability filing. We used propensity score matching to account for differences between treatment groups such that patients treated with medical expulsive therapy vs early endoscopic stone removal were similar with regard to measured characteristics.Results: In total, 257 (35.8%) and 461 (64.2%) patients were treated with medical expulsive therapy or early endoscopic stone removal, respectively. There were no differences between treatment groups after propens...
Volatile response of four apple varieties with different coatings during marketing at room temperature.

Five experimental coatings with different resistance to gas exchange were used with freshly harvested and 20-week commercially stored apples of Delicious, Fuji, Braeburn, and Granny Smith varieties. The coated or noncoated apples were held at 20 °C for up to 4 weeks. The gas partial pressures inside the fruits with the various coatings ranged from 1 to 25 kPa CO2 and from 20 to 1 kPa O2. Volatile evaporation rates were measured, as also were the volatiles compositions in the fruit. The coatings with intermediate gas resistance (carnauba−shellac mixture and candelilla) gave intermediate values of CO2 and O2 in the internal atmosphere in Delicious, Fuji, and Braeburn apples and the highest concentrations of butyl acetate and 2-methylbutyl acetate in the fruits. The coatings with the highest gas resistance (shellac and shellac−protein) caused high internal CO2 and low O2, resulting in anaerobic fermentation in Braeburn and Granny Smith apples and relatively high amounts of low-molecular-weight ethyl esters t...
Surface Tension and Density of Molten Salts Based on Equimolar NaCl–KCl with Addition of Fluorides

Molten salts based on equimolar (NaCl-KCl) with small addition of fluorides are usually used in remelting secondary aluminum alloy scrap such as Used Beverage Cans. In this work, the surface tension of equimolar NaCl-KCl with addition of NaF, LiF, KF, and Na 3 AlF 6 have been measured by the pin detachment method. Addition of fluorides into NaCl-KCl increases the surface tensions of molten salts. The experimental results are compared to the Guggenheim model as well as the modified Guggenheim model. The binary modified Guggenheim model can give reasonable estimates for ternary salt systems. The density of these molten salts is also found to increase by the addition of fluorides. The implication of the surface tension and density data on ternary salt systems in remelting process is discussed.
Restenosis after directional coronary atherectomy: Differences between primary atheromatoes and restenosls lesions and influence of subintimal tissue resection

Rates of restenosis were evaluated in 70 patients (74 lesions) after successful directional coronary atherectomy. The extent of vascular tissue resection was correlated with restenosis rates for coronary (n = 59) and vein bypass graft (n = 15) lesions. After 6 months, the overall restenosis rate was 50% (37 of 74 lesions); it was 42% (15 of 36 lesions) when intima alone was resected, 50% (7 of 14 lesions) when media was resected and 63% (15 of 24 lesions) when adventitia was resected. Subintimal tissue resection increased the restenosis rate for vein grafts (43% with intimal resection versus 100% with subintimal resection, p = 0.01) but not for coronary arteries (50% versus 48%). There was no overall difference in restenosis rates after atherectomy between primary lesions and restenosis lesions that occurred after balloon angioplasty (46% versus 54%). Among postballoon angioplasty restenosis lesions, a higher rate of restenosis after atherectomy was found with subintimal than with intimal resection (78% versus 32%, p = 0.01). Tissues from patients undergoing a second atherectomy for restenosis after initial atherectomy (n = 8) demonstrated neointimal hyperplasia that appeared histologically identical to restenotic tissue developing after balloon angioplasty (n = 37). These data suggest that the cellular response to directional coronary atherectomy is characterized by neointimal proliferation similar to that which may develop after balloon angioplasty. The extent of fibrous hyperplasia appears to be related to the depth of tissue resection in vein graft lesions and coronary artery restenosis lesions that occur after balloon angioplasty but not in primary atheromatous coronary artery lesions.
Finite Fading Memory Filtering

The ``fading memory'' filter of Sorenson and the ``finite memory'' filter of Jazwinski are rigorously tied together. The resultant linear filter is shown to be sequential embodying the salient advantages of the fading and finite policies.
Radiative collapse of a relativistic electron-positron plasma to ultrahigh densities

It is shown that a relativistic electron-positron plasma formed by the coalescence of two counterstreaming intense relativistic electron and positron beams can collapse into a very-small-diameter filament. The collapse is accompanied by the emission of intense coherent $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ radiation. The radius of the collapsed state is determined by the quantum-mechanical uncertainty principle. At its maximum contraction the electron-positron plasma can approach nuclear densities. The predicted effect may have many interesting applications, some of which are briefly mentioned. The generation of the intense beams seems to be possible with existing techniques.
Regular equimodular sets of matrices for generalized matrix functions

Abstract Using expansions of generalized matrix functions by means of cyclic products and principal majors, conditions for regularity of equimodular classes of matrices are found.
Neurobiology: triggers for channel opening.

Fast transmission between nerve cells relies on specialized ion channels. Probing the structure of these proteins reveals how the binding of a neurotransmitter causes the communication channels to open.
What makes us tick? Functional and neural mechanisms of interval timing

Time is a fundamental dimension of life. It is crucial for decisions about quantity, speed of movement and rate of return, as well as for motor control in walking, speech, playing or appreciating music, and participating in sports. Traditionally, the way in which time is perceived, represented and estimated has been explained using a pacemaker-accumulator model that is not only straightforward, but also surprisingly powerful in explaining behavioural and biological data. However, recent advances have challenged this traditional view. It is now proposed that the brain represents time in a distributed manner and tells the time by detecting the coincidental activation of different neural populations.
A New Method of Autotransfusing Blood Drained after Cardiac Surgery

Ideally, autotransfusion after cardiac surgical procedures should offer the protection of underwater-seal drainage and involve additional cost to the patients only if their blood is reinfused. A technique of returning the patient's postoperatively drained blood that employs these features and that we have found to be safe, simple, and cost-effective is presented.
Mapping training: the transfer of a cognitive technology for improving counseling

To provide information that will reduce the gap between research and practice, the transfer of a complex drug abuse counseling technology is examined. This technology, cognitive mapping, is a graphic tool shown to effectively facilitate communication and problem solving in group and individual counseling sessions. Unlike some techniques, mapping requires substantial counselor time, effort, and expertise to learn and to use. This article briefly describes the development and evolution of mapping and supporting research. It then focuses on our efforts to develop mapping training that will facilitate use of this evidence-based technique in drug abuse treatment. Major training and transfer pitfalls are noted, and strategies for successful training are recommended.
Development of an Air-Cycle Environmental Control System for Automotive Applications

The Reverse-Brayton cycle has been used for aircraft cabin cooling for many decades. However, air-cycle cooling hasn’t been popular in the automotive field yet. This study demonstrates that air-cycle technology can provide sufficient cooling for certain applications. The primary focus is a novel forced induction engine control system, where compressor bleed is used both to provide engine boost control and air-conditioning. The bleed-air drives an air-cycle machine (ACM) consisting of typical automotive components: a turbocharger, heat exchanger, and ducting. The components of an ACM system are lightweight and compact compared to those of a typical vapor compression system; both qualities are critical in high performance applications, where such a system seems to make most sense. The ACM was tested first on a test stand and then directly on an engine, in a bootstrap-cycle configuration. The turbocharged test engine’s intake manifold pressure was controlled by bleeding air from the outlet of the engine’s intercooler and feeding the ACM compressor inlet. Once the compressed air was supplied to the ACM it was further compressed by the ACM, cooled by the secondary intercooler, and expanded through the ACM turbine. The engine’s turbocharger was resized to compensate for the increased air flow during ACM operation. The results show that a dry-air-rated (DAR) coefficient of performance (COP) of 0.73 and a DAR cooling capacity of 1.5 tons are possible on a test stand, and a DAR COP of 0.56 and a DAR cooling capacity of 0.72 tons are possible on-engine. The data available from the on-engine testing was limited to lower ACM pressure ratios due to a bearing failure before full testing was complete; performance would likely increase with higher inlet pressures, as shown by the compressed air test stand results. The test results strongly suggest that continued development and in-vehicle testing will provide adequate air-conditioning and engine performance, using only the most benign and environmentally friendly working fluid: air.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Successful rehabilitation with cochlear implant in post-irradiation-induced hearing loss in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patient.

(2004). Successful rehabilitation with cochlear implant in post-irradiation-induced hearing loss in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patient. Cochlear Implants International: Vol. 5, No. sup1, pp. 158-161.
The surface integral approach to radarclinometry

Because radarclinometry is fundamentally describable in terms of a nonlinear, first-order, partial differential equation, one expects that it can, in principle, be carried out by direct deterministic integration beginning at a given threshold profile along the azimuthal coordinate. Such a boundary condition could be provided by the altimetry profile obtained on a preceding or succeeding orbital revolution of the radar-bearing spacecraft. Notwithstanding the mismatched resolutions of the radar altimeter and the radar imaging system as planned for the Megallan mission to Venus, there are fundamental considerations, not involving system noise, that influence the possibility of success of this approach. From the topographic map of the Lake Champlain West quadrangle in the Adirondack Mountains of the U.S., a radar image is synthesized. Radarclinometry, in surface integral form, recaptures the topographic map when the applicable radar reflectance function is weakly variable over the range of application, but it diverges beyond a certain point for nominally variable reflectance functions. The effect can be understood by using results from the “shape-from-shading” literature. (This literature is produced by a group within the artificial intelligence community who have been independently attacking, for all practical purposes, photoclinometry, except that they have not given primacy to images of terrain.) The ubiquity of the instability suggests that the value of the surface integral approach is much in doubt.
Psychological stress and coping in adaptation and illness.

Research and thought in psychosomatic medicine must seek understanding of the psychological processes making a person's encounter with the environment stressful, and how these encounters lead to a variety of coping processes, emotional states, disease precursors, and stress disorders. One major theme of this paper is that every instance of adaptive commerce between a person and the environment is appraised cognitively as to its significance for the person's well-being. Such appraisals underlie the ebb and flow of emotional states, their quality and intensity. A second theme is an analysis of the debate about whether the bodily response to stress emotions is specific to the psychodynamics of the stressful encounter or general and non-specific. Third, it is argued that self-regulatory processes as well as cognitive appraisals are key mediators of the person's reactions to stressful transactions, and hence shape the somatic outcome. Two types of self-regulatory processes are distinguished: 1) direct action, ...
Optimal off-line detection of repetitions in a string

An algorithm is presented to detect—within optimal time O(n log n) and space O(n), off-line on a RAM—all of the distinct repetitions in a given textstring on a finite alphabet. The proposed strategy is self-contained, as it depends more heavily on algorithmic design considerations than on the combinatorial properties of the output. It is based on a new data structure, the leaf-tree, which is particularly suited to exploit simple properties of the suffix tree associated with the string to be analyzed.
Oxidation of the Fe(110) surface: An Fe 3 O 4 ( 111 ) / F e ( 110 ) bilayer

The oxidation state and magnetic behavior of in situ oxidized Fe(110) surfaces has been studied using x-ray absorption spectroscopy and magnetic circular dichroism (MCD). Low-energy electron diffraction has been used to monitor the surface atomic structure. At high oxygen exposures, the system is unambiguously identified as an ${\mathrm{Fe}}_{3}{\mathrm{O}}_{4}(111)/\mathrm{F}\mathrm{e}(110)$ bilayer. The MCD results show that the ${\mathrm{Fe}}_{3}{\mathrm{O}}_{4}$ overlayer is magnetically coupled (antiparallel) to the Fe substrate. This picture is in contrast to a previous report, which claims the formation of an FeO(111) overlayer with a reconstructed magnetic surface [Phys. Rev. Lett. 77, 3921 (1996)].
ADA policies and the editorial positions of four publications

Abstract This article explores the utility of using editorials as measures of ideology and as a mechanism for linking ideology with public policy formulation. It relates editorial positions taken by the New York Times , Washington Post , Wall Street Journal , and National Review to Americans for Democratic Action (ADA) scores on domestic policy, highlighting the advantages inherent in the use of editorials. It also answers critiques that the Times and Post are not liberal in orientation.
Isoplanatic angle direct measurements and associated atmospheric conditions.

Based on aperture averaging theory, the isoplanatic patch angular extent can be measured by using scintillometry from the ground and a stellar source. An experimental calibration constant for the isoplanometer agreed within 1.5% of a mean theoretically derived calibration constant found for a broad range of optical turbulent conditions. A total of 1232 isoplanatic angle measurements was taken at the White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) and the Capistrano Test Site (CTS). A substantial decrease in the mean isoplanatic angle was found for the WSMR data (5.9 μrad) compared with the CTS results (8.7 μrad). High wind shears associated with several jet streams that occurred during the WSMR measurement period were presumed to enhance optical turbulence. Contributions of optical turbulence from the planetary boundary layer affecting the isoplanatic angle were suggested. Periodic behavior of atmosphere Cn2 is discussed as measured by high altitude Doppler radar and derived from rocket atmospheric measurements in the stratosphere and mesosphere.
Perspectives on…copyright and fair-use guidelines for education and libraries: guidelines for distance learning and interlibrary loan: doomed and more doomed

The Conference on Fair Use (CONFU) was a useful forum for discussions among librarians, educators, and users on one side and the content providers on the other. Two particularly thorny issues were distance learning and interlibrary loan. Although the end result was the same in each area - no widely accepted guidelines - the process and intermediate results were very different. Distance-learning guidelines were produced after considerable negotiation, but they did not garner sufficient support to be accepted as CONFU guidelines. Interlibrary loan proved even more difficult, and no agreements were reached except that it was too early to develop guidelines on digital interlibrary loan. Thus, no interlibrary-loan guidelines were drafted as a part of the CONFU process.
TRAF3 Regulates Homeostasis of CD8+ Central Memory T Cells

Our laboratory reported previously that TNF receptor associated factor 3 (TRAF3) is a positive regulator of TCR signaling and T cell function. In the current study, we present new findings that reveal differential roles for TRAF3 in the regulation of CD4+ and CD8(+) T cells. In response to TCR stimulation in vitro, TRAF3 has greater impact in CD4(+) T cells than in CD8+ T cells. However, T cell-specific TRAF3 deficient mice (CD4Cre TRAF3(fl°x)/(fl°x); T-TRAF3(-/-)) have a greater number of CD4(+)CD44(hi) effector/memory T cells than littermate control (LMC) mice, possibly due to an inefficient suppressive effect of TRAF3 deficient Foxp3+ regulatory T cells. In contrast, CD8(+)CD44(hi)CD62L(hi) central memory (Tcm) cells are markedly reduced in T-TRAF3(-/-) mice in comparison to LMC mice, although CD8(+)CD44(hi)CD62L(l°w) effector memory T (Tem) cells and naive T cells (CD8(+)CD44(l°w)CD62L(hi)) do not show significant differences in number. Importantly, TRAF3-deficient Tcm cells exhibit defective homeostasis due to impaired IL-15 signaling. These results indicate that the involvement of TRAF3 in IL-15 mediated signaling to T cells plays a previously unappreciated and critical role in CD8(+) Tcm cell regulation and maintenance.
Three new O-methyltransferases are sufficient for all O-methylation reactions of ipecac alkaloid biosynthesis in root culture of psychotria ipecacuanha

The medicinal plant Psychotria ipecacuanha produces ipecac alkaloids, a series of monoterpenoid-isoquinoline alkaloids such as emetine and cephaeline, whose biosynthesis derives from condensation of dopamine and secologanin. Here, we identified three cDNAs, IpeOMT1–IpeOMT3, encoding ipecac alkaloid O-methyltransferases (OMTs) from P. ipecacuanha. They were coordinately transcribed with the recently identified ipecac alkaloid β-glucosidase Ipeglu1. Their amino acid sequences were closely related to each other and rather to the flavonoid OMTs than to the OMTs involved in benzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthesis. Characterization of the recombinant IpeOMT enzymes with integration of the enzymatic properties of the IpeGlu1 revealed that emetine biosynthesis branches off from N-deacetylisoipecoside through its 6-O-methylation by IpeOMT1, with a minor contribution by IpeOMT2, followed by deglucosylation by IpeGlu1. The 7-hydroxy group of the isoquinoline skeleton of the aglycon is methylated by IpeOMT3 prior to the formation of protoemetine that is condensed with a second dopamine molecule, followed by sequential O-methylations by IpeOMT2 and IpeOMT1 to form cephaeline and emetine, respectively. In addition to this central pathway of ipecac alkaloid biosynthesis, formation of all methyl derivatives of ipecac alkaloids in P. ipecacuanha could be explained by the enzymatic activities of IpeOMT1–IpeOMT3, indicating that they are sufficient for all O-methylation reactions of ipecac alkaloid biosynthesis.
Synthesis and pharmacological activity of 1,3,6-trisubstituted-4-oxo-1,4-dihydroquinoline-2-carboxylic acids as selective ETA antagonists

Abstract A series of 1,3,6-trisubsituted-4-oxo-1,4-dihyroquinoline-2-carboxylic acid analogs (2a–m) were designed and synthesized and their pharmacological activity determined, with the objective to better understand their SAR as potential ETA selective inhibitors. Most of the compounds displayed significant ETA antagonist activity having IC50 for inhibition of binding of the [125I]ET-1 to ETA receptor
Effects of induced shear deformation on microstructure and texture evolution in CP-Ti rolled sheets

Abstract Commercial pure titanium sheets were deformed by shear rolling at 400 °C with subsequent annealing to investigate microstructure and texture evolution along with its effects on the mechanical properties. A four sheet multilayer rolling scheme was used to isolate shear strains within the outer sheets, termed isolated shear rolling (ISR), thus allowing for direct comparison between shear strained material (outer sheets) and plane-strained material under similar conditions. Microstructure and texture evolution were investigated by electron backscatter diffraction analysis, while mechanical properties were evaluated through tensile testing aided by digital image correlation (DIC). Texture was seen to evolve from a ±30° transverse direction (TD) split basal texture to primarily basal texture (〈0001〉//Normal Direction) for the shear-strained sheets, in comparison with a slight rotation to a ±20° TD-split for the plane-strained sheets. After short-term annealing at 600 °C for 15 min, texture remained similar to that of the as-processed material yet at lower intensity levels. Compared to the base material, shear-rolled material showed much higher Lankford Coefficient values, with a significant boost attributed to shear deformation. The greater stretch formability is achieved in the shear-rolled material by rotation of the basal poles to become parallel to the sheet thickness. The results obtained here with ISR in regards to the effects of inducing higher shear strains on the rolled material are comparable to those reported in the literature by differential speed rolling (DSR).
Conomelus anceps (Germar) (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Delphacidae) New To North America, with Records of Four Other Delphacid Planthoppers New to Newfoundland

Abstract The common European planthopper Conomelus anceps (Germar) is reported from the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland, Canada, and Washington State, U.S.A., as the first North American records of this delphacid. Nymphs and adults were found in Newfoundland at 16 localities on common or soft rush, Juncus effusus ssp. effusus L., and at a site in Washington on J. effusus ssp. pacificus (Fernald & Wiegand) Lint ex Zika (Juncaceae). Although the distributional status is equivocal, we consider C. anceps an immigrant in Newfoundland and the Pacific Northwest. Also newly recorded for the Atlantic provinces of Canada are the Nearctic planthopper Phyllodinus nervatus Van Duzee, collected from common hairgrass, Deschampsia flexuosa (L.) Trin. (Poaceae); the Holarctic Megamelus flavus Crawford, which was found on the sedge Carex buxbaumii Wahlenberg (Cyperaceae); and the Nearctic Muellerianella laminalis (Van Duzee), swept from grasses. Pissonotus basalis Van Duzee, a Nearctic delphacid known previously in the At...
(p, He3) and (p, t) cross-section measurements

Abstract Results are given for some recent measurements of (p, He3) and (p, t) cross-sections. The results indicate no need for a sizable many-body correction in computing probabilities for emission of He3 and triton nuclei.
Mixing effects, optimisation, and dispersion modelling in bleachable and sensitised photoreaction mixtures

Abstract Radiation attenuation leads to mixing effects in photoreactors. Several characteristics of these mixing effects as found in bleachable chain reaction m Chain center mixing always enhances reactor performance while reactant mixing sometimes diminishes it. In either case mixing effects in bleachable syst An axial dispersion model was used to represent the combined effects of diffusion, non-uniform reaction rate distribution, and non-uniform velocity dis showed that at small optical thicknesses the axial dispersion coefficient approached that for a completely homogeneous reactor while at large optical t
Architecture of a K+ Channel Inner Pore Revealed by Stoichiometric Covalent Modification

Inwardly rectifying K+ channels bind intracellular magnesium and polyamines to generate inward rectification. We have examined the architecture of the inner pore of Kir2.1 channels by covalently attaching a constrained number (from one to four) of positively charged moieties of different sizes to the channel. Our results indicate that the inner pore is formed solely by the second transmembrane segment and is unprecedentedly wide. At a position critical for inward rectification (D172), the pore is sufficiently wide to bind three Mg2+ ions or polyamine molecules simultaneously. Single-channel recordings directly demonstrate that partially modified channels exhibit distinct subconductance levels. Such a wide inner pore may greatly facilitate ion permeation and high-affinity binding of multiple pore blockers to generate strong inward rectification.
Accurate and simple analytic representation of the electron-gas correlation energy

We propose a simple analytic representation of the correlation energy ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\varepsilon}}}_{\mathit{c}}$ for a uniform electron gas, as a function of density parameter ${\mathit{r}}_{\mathit{s}}$ and relative spin polarization \ensuremath{\zeta}. Within the random-phase approximation (RPA), this representation allows for the ${\mathit{r}}_{\mathit{s}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}3/4}$ behavior as ${\mathit{r}}_{\mathit{s}}$\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\infty}. Close agreement with numerical RPA values for ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\varepsilon}}}_{\mathit{c}}$(${\mathit{r}}_{\mathit{s}}$,0), ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\varepsilon}}}_{\mathit{c}}$(${\mathit{r}}_{\mathit{s}}$,1), and the spin stiffness ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\alpha}}}_{\mathit{c}}$(${\mathit{r}}_{\mathit{s}}$)=${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\partial}}}^{2}$${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\varepsilon}}}_{\mathit{c}}$(${\mathit{r}}_{\mathit{s}}$, \ensuremath{\zeta}=0)/\ensuremath{\delta}${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\zeta}}}^{2}$, and recovery of the correct ${\mathit{r}}_{\mathit{s}}$ln${\mathit{r}}_{\mathit{s}}$ term for ${\mathit{r}}_{\mathit{s}}$\ensuremath{\rightarrow}0, indicate the appropriateness of the chosen analytic form. Beyond RPA, different parameters for the same analytic form are found by fitting to the Green's-function Monte Carlo data of Ceperley and Alder [Phys. Rev. Lett. 45, 566 (1980)], taking into account data uncertainties that have been ignored in earlier fits by Vosko, Wilk, and Nusair (VWN) [Can. J. Phys. 58, 1200 (1980)] or by Perdew and Zunger (PZ) [Phys. Rev. B 23, 5048 (1981)]. While we confirm the practical accuracy of the VWN and PZ representations, we eliminate some minor problems with these forms. We study the \ensuremath{\zeta}-dependent coefficients in the high- and low-density expansions, and the ${\mathit{r}}_{\mathit{s}}$-dependent spin susceptibility. We also present a conjecture for the exact low-density limit. The correlation potential ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\mu}}}_{\mathit{c}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\sigma}}}$(${\mathit{r}}_{\mathit{s}}$,\ensuremath{\zeta}) is evaluated for use in self-consistent density-functional calculations.
Physicists Reading Physics: Schema-Laden Purposes and Purpose-Laden Schema

Reading, as well as writing, is a constructive activity. Interviews and observations of research physicists reveal reading processes permeated with individual purposes and schema. These schema, or personal maps of the field, include not only consensual knowledge about the phenomena being discussed, but also perceptions as to the most promising lines of current work, methods that are most likely to produce good results, and personal knowledge about the other workers in the field. Schema thus are formed around the active research purposes of the reader. Equally, purposes are framed within the researcher's schematic understanding of the field. With schema and purposes evolving dialectically, texts are read, not as static arguments, but as part of the dynamic process of research activity.
Differential and linear probabilities of a block-encryption cipher

We establish that the block-encryption algorithm proposed recently by Jakimoski and Kocarev (see ibid., vol.48, no.2, p.163-169, 2001) is secure against differential and linear attacks.
Pulmonary C-fiber activation before and after peptidase inhibition in rats

Inhibition of peptidases within the lungs not only potentiates the effects of neuropeptides released from C-fibers but also the effects of bradykinin and capsaicin both of which stimulate C-fibers. To determine if peptidase inhibition potentiates C-fiber activation, we challenged pulmonary C-fibers in rats with capsaicin or bradykinin before and after inhibition of neutral endopeptidase (NEP) or angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE). Inhibition of NEP by phosphoramidon (10 mg/kg, i.v.) potentiated the effect of capsaicin (0.5-1 micrograms, i.v.) on C-fiber activity but did not change the response to bradykinin (1-2 micrograms, i.v.). Inhibition of ACE by captopril (5 mg/kg, i.v.) potentiated C-fiber activation by either bradykinin or capsaicin. Aerosol administration of either phosphoramidon (1 x 10(-5) M, 2 min) or captopril (4.6 x 10(-3) M, 2 min) potentiated C-fiber activation by capsaicin aerosol (1.6 x 10(-4) M, 1 min) but not by bradykinin aerosol (9.4 x 10(-5) M, 1 min). Therefore, inhibition of NEP or ACE may potentiate airway obstructive mechanisms initiated by C-fiber stimulation.
Effect of pentagastrin on parietal cell ultrastructure in glucagon-pretreated subjects

The effect on parietal cells of glucagon given prior to pentagastrin is unknown. Fifteen healthy volunteers were studied during constant intravenous infusion of pentagastrin (2μg/kg body weight/hr) and during pentagastrin infusion initiated 20 min after intravenous injection of 2 mg glucagon. Three types of studies were performed: Gastric mucosal biopsies were obtained with a Quinton instrument. Electron micrographs of 320 parietal cells were analyzed by the Loud quantitative method, and intragastric pH (pH probe), or gastric potential difference (PD) were recorded continuously. Pentagastrin infusion produced a significant increase in canalicular and simultaneous reduction of tubulovesicular membrane area of parietal cells. Glucagon pretreatment did not inhibit canalicular and tubulovesicular membrane reaction to pentagastrin; unexpectedly this reaction was significantly greater when compared to that after pentagastrin alone. Initiation of pentagastrin infusion in subjects pretreated with glucagon produced a greater absolute value drop in gastric PD (23±2mV) and an earlier drop in intragastric pH (3 min) than in subjects receiving pentagastrin infusion alone (13±1mV and 10min, respectively). In conclusion, at the doses studied, glucagon pretreatment increases parietal cell canalicular reaction to pentagastrin.
Simulation of the chemical/electrochemical reactions and heat/mass transfer for a tubular SOFC in a stack

The heat and species transport processes in a tubular type solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) that works in a cell stack were analyzed and modeled. Since most of the single tubular SOFCs working in a cell stack share the same/similar chemical/electrochemical and heat/mass transfer conditions, it is plausible to assume that heat and species are not exchanged between one cell and its neighboring cells. Therefore, a surrounding fuel flow space was outlined controllable by a specific single cell, for which zero flux was assumed at its boundary in neighborhood with other cells. The numerical model subjects such a cell and its controllable fuel flow space to a two-dimensional analysis for the flow, heat/mass transfer and chemical/electrochemical performance. Computations were performed for three different tubular SOFCs having practical operating results available from publications by different researchers. The numerical results of the terminal voltages for those different SOFCs showed very good agreement with the published experimental data. It is expectable that the proposed numerical model be used to significantly help the design and operation of a SOFC stack in practical applications.
Enhanced Surface Diffusion in Low-temperature a-Si:H Processing

Glow discharge amorphous hydrogenated silicon (a-Si:H) prepared at near room temperature typically results in an inhomogeneous morphology that is undesirable for a number of thin film applications. The most commonly observed features of this include columnar morphology and surface roughness. This usually results from anodic deposition, where substrates are placed on the grounded electrode. We have discovered that placing substrates on the RF-powered electrode (referred to as cathodic deposition) offers a much wider processing range for homogenous growth than anodic growth. We have also found that the magnitude of the surface roughness and the bulk void fraction of both anodic and cathodic a-Si:H thin films processed at low-temperatures is proportional to ~D/F, where D is the surface diffusivity and F, the adatom flux, though anodic and cathodic deposition affect these global parameters differently. Surface processes unique to cathodic deposition can enhance adatom surface diffusion, while diffusion during anodic deposition is fixed and cannot attain homogeneous growth at high adatom fluxes. Processing a-Si:H on the cathode, associated with enhanced adatom surface diffusion, allows for homogeneous growth even at high deposition rates that has benefits for a number of applications.
Filtered Fractals and Texture Analysis

Filtered 2-D fractionally differenced discrete processes are proposed as texture models. An iterative algorithm is presented for estimating the parameters of the model from a given texture image. Synthesized textures are provided to demonstrate the power of the proposed model.
Pregnancy Interruption and Breeding Techniques in the Artificial Insemination of Cows

Summary A study was made comparing the effects of artificial insemination techniques on maintenance of pregnancy in cows (64th to 152nd day of pregnancy). Using semen diluted with sodium citrate-sulfanilamide-yolk, seven cows were inseminated by the rectovaginal technique with mid-cervical deposition of semen and eight cows with intrauterine semen deposition. All cows that received mid-cervical semen depositions continued normal pregnancies and had normal intact fetuses and fetal membranes when slaughtered 18 to 44 days later. Of eight cows inseminated just into the uterus, one aborted 9 days after the insemination. The remaining, cows of this group had fetal resorptions, as manifested by a purulent discharge prior to slaughter and the presence of disintegrated fetuses and fetal bones upon slaughter 18 to 77 days following the insemination. In four of six cows that were inseminated into the uterus with diluted semen containing added penicillin and streptomycin, normal pregnancies continued, while pregnancy was interrupted in the other two. Therefore, mid-cervical deposition of the semen by the rectovaginal technique is recommended in the artificial insemination of cows.
Pharmacokinetics of Aroclor 1254 components after intravenous administration to swine and sheep.

A method for quantitating individual PCB components as well as total PCB has been utilized in determining 2-compartment pharmacokinetic parameters of Aroclor 1254 after an i.v. dose in sheep and pigs. The resultant parameters show that PCB components are not eliminated from blood of these species at the same rates. The methods used provide a realistic means for assessing the time course of PCB in the living animal.
Fourth-generation fluoroquinolone-resistant mycobacterial keratitis after laser in situ keratomileusis

We report a case of mycobacterial keratitis resistant to fourth-generation fluoroquinolones after laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) with fourth-generation fluoroquinolone prophylaxis. While receiving moxifloxacin post LASIK, the patient was diagnosed with moxifloxacin-resistant Mycobacterium chelonae keratitis. Culture susceptibilities revealed isolates resistant to moxifloxacin and gatifloxacin, and treatment with topical amikacin and clarithromycin with oral doxycycline and clarithromycin along with flap amputation was necessary to control the infection. This case demonstrates the potential limitations in the coverage of these antibiotic agents.