cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Excess abdominal adiposity remains correlated with altered lipid concentrations in healthy older women.

OBJECTIVE: To determine associations between overall adiposity, absolute and relative abdominal adiposity, and lipid concentrations in healthy older women. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis of baseline data. SUBJECTS: Subjects were 21 healthy, untrained older women (71±1 y) entering a randomized, controlled aerobic training program. MEASUREMENTS: Overall adiposity was assessed by anthropometry and the body mass index (BMI=kg/m2). Absolute and relative abdominal adiposity was determined by computed tomography (CT) and circumference measures. Fasting serum lipid concentrations of total-, high density lipoprotein (HDL)-, and low density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol (C) and triglycerides (TGs) were determined by standard enzymatic procedures. RESULTS: Compared to the measures of overall adiposity, we observed much stronger correlations between measures more specific to absolute or relative abdominal adiposity and lipid concentrations. Visceral fat area was the strongest correlate of HDL-C (r=−0.75; P<0.001) and the total-/HDL-C ratio (r=0.86; P<0.001). The abdomen-to-hip circumference ratio (AHR) was strongly correlated with TGs (r=0.54; P<0.01), HDL-C (r=−0.69; P<0.001), and the total-/HDL-C ratio (r=0.75; P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Excess abdominal adiposity remains an important correlate of lipid metabolism, even in healthy older women of normal weight. Thus, overall obesity is not a necessary condition for the correlation between excess abdominal fat and metabolic risk among postmenopausal women.
Dynamic Multiaxial Response of a Hot-Pressed Aluminum Nitride

The dynamic multiaxial response of hot-pressed AlN is characterized through quasi-static uniaxial compression, dynamic uniaxial compression and dynamic confined compression experiments within the strain rate range of 10−3–103 s−1. Real-time visualization shows the failure patterns change from axial splitting under uniaxial dynamic compression to shear faulting under confinement. The compressive strength is moderately sensitive to both the confining stress and the loading rate. Post-mortem fracture surface studies show that the dominant fracture mechanism remains transgranular fracture under all loading conditions.
Marangoni forces created by surface plasmon decay

We present optical microfluidic manipulation of silicone oil and glycerol via surface tension driven forces sustained by surface plasmon deexcitation energy. The phonon energy associated with the decaying optically excited surface plasmons in a thin gold foil creates thermal gradients capable of actuating fluid flows. Spectral dependence of the plasmon decay length and control of optical beam characteristics are shown to provide a means for further manipulation.
Paradoxes of Measurement

Applying Husserl's Eidetic Phenomenology to the transcendental structure (or "phenomenological reduction") of scientific data "given" in measurement to a first-person individual observer (the experimenter, S(1)) and a related third-person individual observer (the observer of the measurement process, S(3)), and comparing the outcomes, two paradoxical theses, "paradoxes of measurement," are derived. Thesis I: classical science necessarily entails "complementarity," "uncertainty relations," and the "entanglement" of observers and the data they observe. This situation is analogous in structure to that of quantum physics. Thesis II: a quantum object is a physical object with footprints in the perceptual world, but lacking a space-time "body"; it exists ontologically before the constitution of the perceptual world of the laboratory.
Three-year review of pharmacy students’ interventions and activities in an outpatient teaching family medicine center

Abstract Objective Additional justification of the value of pharmacy students in outpatient settings is needed, as interventions have primarily been documented in the acute care setting. This study describes the clinical interventions and activities of fourth-year pharmacy students working under the supervision of one pharmacy practice faculty member in an outpatient teaching family medicine setting over a three-year period. Methods Students at this site see patients for individual appointments with the pharmacist, see patients with resident physicians, and perform medication reconciliation activities. All clinical interventions and activities documented by pharmacy students in a web-based system under the supervision of one pharmacy faculty member from 2011–2013 were analyzed. Results In the three-year study period, 5439 interventions and 1645 activities were documented at this practice site by 39 pharmacy students. The average number of interventions per student was 139.5 and the average number of activities was 42.2. The most commonly documented interventions were patient medication histories, patient counseling, and drug therapy adjustments/discontinuations/initiations. The total estimated potential cost savings/avoidance was $602,022, which equates to $15,436 per pharmacy student. Conclusion Pharmacy students performed a wide range of clinical interventions and activities in an outpatient family medicine center. Pharmacy students can have a significant impact on patient care in this setting and may contribute to significant cost avoidance. These data may be useful to schools of pharmacy, as they pursue the development of additional outpatient training sites.
Fabrication and evaluation of variable focus X-ray lenses

We report on the fabrication, preliminary metrology, and X-ray transmission results of variable-focus cylindrical beryllium lenses. Each lens consists of a number of 1-mm-diameter lenslets made by precision computer numerical control (CNC) drilling into a beryllium substrate. The substrate is then cut into five parts, each having a different number of lenslets, ranging from 10 to 50. Each lens is then cut diagonally, using an electron discharge machine, to provide it with focusing ability. Unlike the traditional lenses having a fixed focal distance for a given energy, the present lenses provide for a wide range of photon energies and focal distances. Additionally, X-ray transmission through the lens is enhanced by reducing lenslet wall thickness to about 50 μm, the thinnest reported to date.
Seasonal cambial growth and development of loblolly pine: Xylem formation, inner bark chemistry, resin ducts, and resin flow

Abstract Cambial activity of loblolly pine in central Louisiana under mild soilwater deficit lasted for 252 days, one-third of which was used in the formation of early-wood. Although more cells formed in the late-wood, the radial increments for both were statistically similar (1750 μm). Vertical resin duct formation started 12 weeks after cambial reactivation with the first duct in each tree, except two, forming at the early-wood. Resin flow, an important factor in pine resistance to bark beetle attack, was moderately correlated with vertical duct density, growth variables, and all measured environmental variables with total soilwater storage, cumulative water deficit, and maximum air temperature combined accounting for 73% of the variation. Levels of starch continuously declined from May to December, while total sugar fluctuated with no seasonal pattern. Amino nitrogen and total nitrogen changed seasonally with peak concentrations coinciding with cell initiation and active growth, leaf fall, and winter cold temperatures. Seasonal change in resin flow was associated with changes in physiology related to ontogeny as well as environment. Knowledge of such relationships improves the basis for future study of pine/bark beetle interactions.
Investigation of Properties of As x Se 1− x Thin Films for Direct Conversion

The electrical characteristics of metal/As x Se1−x /metal structures for potential use in direct-conversion x-ray detectors and imaging applications are reported. The structures exhibit current rectification in both solid (amorphous, crystalline) and liquid As x Se1−x phases. Capacitance–voltage measurements of the device in the amorphous phase find that the capacitance is essentially independent of bias. Transport phenomenon in the amorphous phase of the film was found to be influenced by trapping and the space-charge effect. In the liquid and crystalline phases, transport in the devices was characteristic of thermionic emission. The indium tin oxide (ITO)/a-As0.01Se0.99/Au 2.85-μm-thick device gave a short-circuit current (I sc) of 0.16 μA, an open-circuit voltage (V oc) of 0.1 V, and a fill factor of 0.29 at 384 K under irradiation from visible light. An interpretation of the current–voltage characteristics in the amorphous phase has been made using the self-consistent drift–diffusion model of transport, and material parameters of a-As x Se1−x films have been extracted by fitting the experimentally measured I–V data. The model indicated that transport in the ITO/a-As0.01Se0.99/Au film was dominated by shallow-level traps with density of 5 × 1015 cm−3 at depth of 0.3 eV from the band edge. The photoconversion efficiency was found to be limited by low photogeneration efficiency, high amount of recombination losses, and the level of charge injection in the a-As x Se1−x films.
A new method for estimating G-I absorption of alkali.

Le taux de synthese des acides endogenes est estime par le taux d'excretion urinaire de leurs anions. De la meme facon, l'alimentation contient des alcalins, dont l'absorption au niveau du tractus gastro-intestinal est estimee par la production nulle d'acide. Traditionnellement, pour estimer les alcalins absorbes a partir de l'alimentation est realisee une comparaison entre le contenu de l'alimentation et des selles. Les problemes rencontres sont lies au temps de recueil des selles, et a leur inhomogeneite. Apres analyse de la litterature est proposee une methode d'analyse des urines. Les resultats obtenus sont bien correles a ceux obtenus par la methode traditionnelle d'analyse des selles, et semblent utilisables meme en periode de metabolisme instable
The gas-phase thermal chemistry of tetralin and related model systems

The thesis is divided into 5 papers: gas-phase thermal decomposition of tetralin; flash vacuum pyrolysis of 3-benzocycloheptenone and 1,3, 4,5-tetrahydro-2-benzothiepin-2,2-dioxide (model systems for gas-phase pyrolysis of tetralin); high-temperature gas-phase reactions of o-allylbenzyl radicals generated by flash vacuum pyrolysis of is(o-allylbenzyl) oxalate; flash vacuum pyrolysis of 1,4-diphenylbutane; and flash vacuum pyrolysis of o-allyltoluene, o-(3-butenyl)toluene and o-(pentenyl)toluene were also used.
Improving branch predictors by correlating on data values

Branch predictors typically use combinations of branch PC bits and branch histories to make predictions. Recent improvements in branch predictors have come from reducing the effect of interference, i.e. multiple branches mapping to the same table entries. In contrast, the branch difference predictor (BDP) uses data values as additional information to improve the accuracy of conditional branch predictors. The BDP maintains a history of differences between branch source register operands, and feeds these into the prediction process. An important component of the BDP is a rare event predictor (REP) which reduces learning time and table interference. An REP is a cache-like structure designed to store patterns whose predictions differ from the norm. Initially, ideal interference-free predictors are evaluated to determine how data values improve correlation. Next, execution driven simulations of complete designs realize this potential. The BDP reduces the misprediction rate of five SPEC95 integer benchmarks by up to 33% compared to gshare and by up to 15% compared to Bi-Mode predictors.
Regulation of monoamine transporters: Role of transporter phosphorylation

Presynaptic biogenic amine transporters mediate reuptake of released amines from the synapse, thus regulating serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine neurotransmission. Medications utilized in the treatment of depression, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder and other psychiatric disorders possess high affinity for amine transporters. In addition, amine transporters are targets for psychostimulants. Altered expression of biogenic amine transporters has long been implicated in several psychiatric and degenerative disorders. Therefore, appropriate regulation and maintenance of biogenic amine transporter activity is critical for the maintenance of normal amine homoeostasis. Accumulating evidence suggests that cellular protein kinases and phosphatases regulate amine transporter expression, activity, trafficking and degradation. Amine transporters are phosphoproteins that undergo dynamic control under the influence of various kinase and phosphatase activities. This review presents a brief overview of the role of amine transporter phosphorylation in the regulation of amine transport in the normal and diseased brain. Understanding the molecular mechanisms by which phosphorylation events affect amine transporter activity is essential for understanding the contribution of transporter phosphorylation to the regulation of monoamine neurotransmission and for identifying potential new targets for the treatment of various brain diseases.
Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain in childhood herpesvirus infections

We used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to evaluate nine children with neurologic disorders caused by infections with members of the herpesvirus family. MRI studies were abnormal in eight children and demonstrated a wide range of central nervous system lesions, including cystic encephalomalacia, ventricular enlargement, cerebral atrophy and focal parenchymal lesions. When compared with conventional computed tomographic scanning, MRI was more sensitive in detecting abnormalities of white matter and in defining the extent of parenchymal lesions. These studies indicate that MRI scans are highly useful in children with herpesvirus infections involving the central nervous system.
Plumwood's Logic of Colonization and the Legal Antecedents of Wilderness

Val Plumwood argued for a reworking of our concept of wilderness in ways that would both recognize indigenous influence and expand the official "fake" history to include perspective from the Others'side. Borrowing from Plumwood's logic of colonization, I explore how the official history of wilderness in the United States of America is similar to Tasmania's "fake" history. I offer a philosophical analysis of Chief Justice John Marshall's opinion in the case of Johnson v. M'Intosh (1823) where the "wilderness" finds its first legal articulation. I argue that although multiple erasures of the Other as found in Marshall's concept of wilderness are serious problems, they do not support wilderness scepticism. Rather, in order to reshape the concept of wilderness in a new non-colonizing way, its antecedents must be clearly understood. Only then can we escape the precedents of control and find an ethical basis to repair the nature/culture split ending the war on the Other.
Are all audit committee financial experts created equally

There is little extant empirical research that classifies audit committee members based on expertise and independence simultaneously. Additionally, there is little empirical research where different types of gray audit committee members are considered separately. We find disclosure quality (as perceived by financial analysts) is positively related to the percentage of audit committee members who are affiliated with companies providing services to the firm and who are financial experts and negatively related to the percentage of audit committee members who are related to firm executives and who are financial experts. We also find that adding independent audit committee financial experts predates improvements in disclosure quality. As regulators around the world consider implementing audit committee requirements mandated in the United States, our results call into question disqualifying all gray directors from audit committees.
Lack of efficacy of blueberry in nutritional prevention of azoxymethane-initiated cancers of rat small intestine and colon.

Blueberries may lower relative risk for cancers of the gastrointestinal tract. Previous work indicated an inhibitory effect of consumed blueberry (BB) on formation of aberrant crypt foci (ACF) in colons of male Fisher F344 rats (inbred strain). However, effects of BB on colon tumors and in both genders are unknown. We examined efficacy of BB in inhibition of azoxymethane (AOM)-induced colon ACF and intestine tumors in male and female Sprague-Dawley rats (outbred strain). Pregnant rats were fed a diet with or without 10% BB powder; progeny were weaned to the same diet as their dam and received AOM as young adults. Male and female rats on control diet had similar numbers of ACF at 6 weeks after AOM administration. BB increased (P P > 0.05) to reduce overall gastrointestinal tract tumor incidence in males, however, tumor incidence in females was unaffected (P > 0.1) by BB. There was a tendency (0.1 > P > 0.05) for fewer adenocarcinomas (relative to total of adenomatous polyps plus adenocarcinomas) in colons of female than male tumor-bearing rats; in small intestine, this gender difference was significant (P < 0.05). BB favored (P < 0.05) fewer adenocarcinomas and more adenomatous polyps (as a proportion of total tumor number) in female rat small intestine. Results did not indicate robust cancer-preventive effects of BB. Blueberry influenced ACF occurrence in distal colon and tumor progression in duodenum, in gender-specific fashion. Data indicate the potential for slowing tumor progression (adenomatous polyp to adenocarcinoma) by BB.
HIV Entry and Its Inhibition

The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is an enveloped virus, and its envelope protein complex controls the key process of viral entry. This envelope protein determines viral tropism and facilitates the membrane fusion process that allows invasion of the viral genome. The envelope protein can also promote the fusion of infected cells with uninfected neighboring cells, a phenomenon called syncytium formation that is readily observed in cultured cells and may be responsible for some of the cytopathic effects of advanced HIV infection. Here we review recent insights in HIV envelope protein structure and function and present our current understanding of the entry process. We also review how these findings lead to new approaches for inhibiting HIV entry and may provide insights into the design of better HIV vaccines.
Syntheses, opioid binding affinities, and potencies of dynorphin A analogues substituted in positions, 1, 6, 7, 8 and 10.

Structural, stereochemical, stereoelectronic and conformational requirements for biological activity of dynorphin A1–11-NH2 analogues at opioid receptors were explored by substitution of Tyr1, Arg6, Arg7, Ile8 and Pro10 with other amino acid residues. Interestingly, substitution of Tyr1 with Nα-Ac-Tyrl, D-Tyr1, Phe1 or p-BrPhe1 led to analogues that were quite potent at κ opioid receptors, and additional substitution of Ile8with D-Ala8 and/or Pro10 with D-Pro10 retained high potency in brain binding assay: [Nα-Ac-Tyr1]- (1), [D-Tyr1]- (2) [Phe1]- (3), [Phe1. D-Ala8]- (5), [p-BrPhe1, D-Alas]- (6), [Phe1, D-Pro10]- (7) and [Phe1, D-Ala8, D-Pro10]-Dyn A1–11-NH2 (8) had IC50(nM) binding affinities of 13.2, 18.6, 1.64, 1.26, 1.84, 2.44 and 1.62 nM, respectively. The D-Phe1 analogue 4, however, was only weakly active (610 nM). All of the analogues except 4 were modestly selective for κ vs. μ guinea pig brain opioid receptor (11- to 88–fold) and quite selective for κ vs. δ receptors (65–576). However, all of the analogues appeared to have very low or essentially no activity in the guinea pig ileum and mouse vas deference functional bioassays, and one analogue, 5, appeared to have weak antagonist activities. On the other hand, if constrained amino acids such as β-methylphenylalanine or 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline carboxylic acid, and hydroxyproline were placed in the 1 position, inactive analogues or analogues with greatly reduced potency and biological activity were obtained (compounds 12–14). It had previously been suggested that the Arg6 and Arg7 residues were critical for biological activity. However, when we replace either one of these residues, [Nle6]Dyn A1–11 (9) and [Nle7]Dyn A1–11-NH2 (10) were both highly potent binders in κ receptor binding studies (IC50= 0.95 and 0.43 nM, respectively), and interestingly also were potent in μ and δ binding studies. Furthermore, both of the analogues were modestly potent in the GPI and MVD assays (94, 65 nM; 31, 81 nM, respectively). These results demonstrate that basic residues at positions 6 and 7 in dynorphin are not very important for binding to κ opioid receptors. Finally, many of the compounds reported here showed high selectivity for central vs. peripheral κ opioid receptors, with compound 4 being the most selective (63 000-fold).
Seismic stratigraphy and sedimentation history of the East Mariana Basin, western Pacific

Abstract An interpretation of the seismic stratigraphy and sedimentation history of the East Mariana Basin has been made using recently collected seismic reflection and refraction data. This Mesozoic(?) age basin, between the Marshall Islands and the Mariana Trench, is subdivided into three regions. The central region with about 1000 m of sediment probably records Jurassic to Late Cretaceous sedimentation of a pelagic biogenic and clay-rich section overlain by a thick section of mainly Cenozoic carbonates shed from nearby volcanic platforms. A western region is characterized by a thinner sediment cover and a shallower acoustic basement with a similar sedimentation history except that the upper section is thinner as a consequence of fewer nearby volcanic highs. Extensive Late Cretaceous mid-plate volcanics apparently masks the lower section and forms acoustic basement. The shallower eastern region (east of 157.5°E) contains WNW-trending ridges which may be either fracture zones or high-amplitude abyssal hills. The sedimentation appears controlled by the same factors as in the other regions but the area was bypassed by most Cenozoic basin-filling turbidites because of its elevation. The isostatistically corrected basement depths between the three regions suggest that the crust in the east may be substantially younger than in the rest of the East Mariana Basin, perhaps Cretaceous in age. This requires the existence of a tectonic boundary within the basin.
Retention model for proteins in reversed-phase liquid chromatography

This paper presents a retention model for proteins on an reversed-phase chromatography support in which retention is a function of the number (Z) of solvent molecules required to displace the solute from the surface. An equation is derived that relates the capacity factor of a protein to the displacing agent concentration and the stoichiometry of solvent-solute displacement. Experimental tests of the model indicate that each protein has a unique Z value and that Z is directly proportional to the molecular weight of a series of proteins when 60% formic acid is used as the mobile phase additive. This relationship is attributed to a direct relationship between Z and the contact surface area between polypeptide solutes and the support. Desorption curves for proteins also become more convex with increasingly molecular weight, as predicted by the retention model. In the solvent series of methanol, ethanol, propanol, the Z number decreases from the C1 to C3 alcohol. The Z number for any particular solvent is also related to other mobile phase additives, such as acids, and the concentration of additives.
The Effects of Large Doses of Intravenous Insulin in Psychotic Nondiabetic Patients

THE ADVENT of the insulin shock treatment of schizophrenia, introduced by Sakel (1), has furnished an unexcelled opportunity to increase our knowledge of certain phases of carbohydrate metabolism and of the pharmacodynamics of insulin. A number of studies have been made of blood sugar and lactate during prolonged hypoglycemic coma and convulsions produced by intramuscular injections of insulin (2-6). In Sakel's treatment several hours elapse before the onset of central nervous system irritation, and varying degrees of sensitivity to insulin are manifested. This variability has also appeared among the schizophrenic patients we have treated with insulin; some failed to display irritability of the central nervous system, even though 500 units of insulin was injected intramuscularly. It has been our desire to accelerate the onset of hypoglycemia and irritation of the central nervous system. Failure to accomplish this by massive intramuscular doses of insulin has led us to administer it intravenously. Some eff...
Current global status of taimen and the need to implement aggressive conservation measures to avoid population and species-level extinction

An international effort carried out during 2011-2012 culminated in three completed IUCN status assessments of Hucho spp., thus completing assessments for all species in this and a related genus Parahucho. These species hold great ecological and evolutionary significance in the salmonid family, and are recognized as the largest salmonids in the world. Specialists have long recognized their precarious status. The reports conclude that all species of taimen are now listed as threatened or Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™, and point to a host of ongoing and emerging threats, including habitat loss and overharvest. I summarize the key data used to arrive at the status categories, and emphasize some key conservation measures that must be taken to avoid extinction at both the local population scale and at the species level. I provide some cautionary advice on the use of hatcheries to recover depressed populations and emphasize the need to undertake new research expeditions to assess the uncertain current status of Hucho bleekeri Kimura and Hucho ishikawae Mori.
Roles of carbonyl oxygens at the bilayer interface in phospholipid-sterol interaction.

FROM many recent studies on the phospholipid–sterol interaction, it has become increasingly clear that the 3 α-and 3 β-hydroxy isomers of a range of sterols have quite different effects on the molecular mobility and functional property of lipid bilayer membranes1,2. For example, the addition of cholesterol or Δ5-cholesten-3 β-ol to liposomes decreases their permeability, whereas epicholesterol, a 3 α-isomer of cholesterol, exerts no apparent effect. It has been proposed that the 3 β-hydroxyl group engages in hydrogen bonding with the carbonyl oxygen of the fatty acyl groups in phospholipids in the bilayer3. Evidence supporting such hydrogen bond formation is strong4. The problem is, then, why does the 3 β-OH group of cholesterol, but not the 3 α-OH group of epicholesterol form such bonds?
Magnetoplasma modes of a spatially periodic two-dimensional electron gas

Abstract We examine the magnetoplasma dispersion of a two-dimensional electron gas with a spatially periodic charge density. The system studied is a periodic array of two-dimensional electron gas strips with constant equilibrium density. The integral equation describing the charge fluctuations on the strips, has been derived and solved numerically. The spatial dependence of the form of either propagating or evanescent waves. The latter are associated with the edge modes, recently discovered in electrons on liquid4 He. For a periodic array of two-dimensional strips, the modes in different strips, interact and form bands.
Guidelines for management of HIV infection with computer-based patient's record

Abstract Summary Computers are steadily being incorporated in clinical practice. We conducted a nonrandomised, controlled, prospective trial of electronic messages designed to enhance adherence to clinical practice guidelines. We studied 126 physicians and nurse practitioners who used electronic medical records when caring for 349 patients with HIV infection in a primary care practice. We analysed the response times of clinicians to the situations that triggered alerts and reminders, the number of ambulatory visits, and hospitalisation. The median response times to 303 alerts in the intervention group and 388 alerts in the control group were 11 and 52 days (p
Adrenal Gland Enlargement in Major Depression: A Computed Tomographic Study

To determine whether the well-documented hyperactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in depressed patients includes adrenal gland hypertrophy, adrenal gland size was evaluated by computed tomography. Assessments consisted of (1) global ratings by two radiologists ignorant of the diagnostic identity of the subjects and (2) calculation of adrenal volume. Of the 38 patients with major depression, 12 were rated as exhibiting adrenal hypertrophy. Adrenal volumes in the depressed patients were significantly increased when compared with those of normal controls. Adrenal gland size was not correlated with dexamethasone suppression test results, patient age, duration of the depressive episode, or depression severity. These results are concordant with the hypothesis that chronic corticotropin hypersecretion in depression results in adrenocortical hypertrophy. Adrenal gland enlargement may be a measure of cumulative lifetime depression.
Release of non-mast cell histamine from rat aorta.

Abstract We previously reported that A23187 induces release of histamine from bovine intrapulmonary vein and provided pharmacological evidence against an involvement of mast cells as the source of histamine. This study was conducted to test more definitively the hypothesis that histamine is released from non-mast cell sources in blood vessels. The effects of A23187 on release of histamine were determined using rat aorta which does not contain mast cells. Aortic rings were mounted for recording of isometric tension, and following exposure to A23187 or vehicle, histamine in the bathing media was measured using enzyme immunoassay. A23187 (100 nmol/l – 10 μmol/l) induced concentration-related release of histamine from rings with endothelium. The accumulation of histamine in the bathing media induced by 10 μM A23187 reached plateau at 60 min (6.2 ± 1.1 pmol/mg) and was markedly and significantly higher than vehicle control (0.4 ± 0.1 pmol/mg, p
Conformational characterization of DnaK and its complexes by small-angle X-ray scattering

DnaK, a member of the 70 kDa heat shock protein (hsp70) family, and its complexes with substrate proteins and nucleotides were characterized by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) techniques. The SAXS data indicated that DnaK has a dumbbell-shaped structure with a maximum dimension (dmax) of 112 A, which is consistent with the reported two major functional domains [Chappell et al. (1987) J. Biol. Chem. 268, 12730−12735; Flaherty et al. (1990) Nature 346, 623−628]. The data were best fit by a model in which the two domains either are connected by a short hinge region or are just in contact with each other. The radius of gyration (Rg) of DnaK was determined as 37.5 ± 1.0 A in the absence of nucleotide. Binding of ATP induces a conformational change in DnaK as reflected by the changes in its P(r) function and Kratky plot, the increases (1−2 A) in both its radius of gyration (Rg) and its Stokes radius (Rs), and the increase in its dmax (5−10 A). SAXS and SEC−HPLC result...
Empirical determination of thermal expansion in insulators with no experimental input

The localized-continuum model of thermal expansion which was applied to insulators in the previous paper is further refined by empirical means to allow the calculation of thermal expansion in insulating materials with no input other than the chemical formula. Estimation of the Madelung constants is made by using the empirical methods of Kapustinsky and Templeton while the atomic nearest-neighbour distances are estimated by using atomic radii tables. Approximate values of repulsive exponents are obtained by using an empirical scaling rule and a table of monovalent repulsive exponents. The Debye temperature is approximated by a simple formula involving the estimated parameters of the interatomic potential. Using this approach, thermal expansion is estimated in a group of binary and complex ternary materials and a group of complex salts. The agreement with experiment is generally good, although the elimination of experimental input appears to increase the probable error in the calculations by 15% to 20%. The results indicate that this approach is capable of predicting with reasonable accuracy the thermal expansion in a wide range of insulating materials with no experimental input and no adjustable parameters. The limitations of this method for certain cases is also discussed.
Visual operational feedback and design of vehicle front-end illumination for night driving performance

Visual operational feedback in vehicular control is the spatial difference between the roadway path and the positional changes of the vehicle in motion. A previous study showed that elimination of such feedback by obscuring the visibility of vehicle front and rear ends degraded driving accuracy. The hypothesis tested in the present study is that increasing visual operational feedback by illuminating certain points of the hood would facilitate safe and accurate driving performance at night. Three red-light indicators were designed as cursors in operator-vehicle-road tracking. Results confirmed the assumptions.
More on symmetry-constrained estimation

Abstract This paper extends the Fiebig-Theil (1983) simulation experiment to other specifications of the error covariance matrix. Also, a promising method of testing Slutsky symmetry is suggested.
Tn916-mediated genetic exchange in soil

Abstract In sterile soil, Tn916 was observed to transfer between Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis at an average frequency of 2.1 × 10 −5 conjugants per donor. Moreover, transfer of Tn916 between Enterococcus faecalis , from which Tn916 was originally isolated, and B. thuringiensis was demonstrated at an average frequency of 2.3 × 10 −6 . The ability of Tn916 to transfer between B. subtilis and B. thuringiensis was evaluated over varying conditions of soil moisture (2–13%), temperature (− 20–45°C), pH (3.8–9.2) and nutrient (0–2.5 mg g −1 brain heart infusion). Conjugal transfer of Tn916 was observed over the entire range of moisture conditions with maximum rates in the range of 2–5% whereas transfer was restricted to temperatures in the range 18–37°C (optimum of 30°C). Transfer of the transposon was restricted to pH values ranging from 6 to 8.9 but within this range, pH had minimal effect on transfer frequency. Increasing nutrients enhanced conjugal transfer of Tn916 throughout the range tested. Finally, besides conjugal transfer, mobilization of the non-conjugal plasmid pC194 by Tn916 was observed in a soil environment at an average frequency of 2.0 × 10 −6 . These results suggest that transposon-mediated genetic exchange between bacteria may facilitate transfer of antibiotic-resistance determinants as well as other non-conjugal DNA in soil.
Picasso and Iberian Sculpture

For many years it has been customary for writers on the work of Pablo Picasso to attribute to his encounter with African Negro sculpture certain unfamiliar features that began to appear in his work about 1906 or 1907. African Negro art is said to have caught the attention of the younger painters in Paris about 1905. Vlaminck and Derain were among the first amateurs in this field. Their lead was followed shortly by Matisse and others. About the same time in Germany a similar interest attracted the young painters of the Dresden Brucke group. It was not unreasonable, therefore, to conceive a possible affinity between these unfamiliar features of Picasso's work of 1907 and thereabouts and African Negro art on the basis of certain formal characteristics which appeared to afford a closer resemblance to that art than to any better-known source of inspiration. In the spring of 1939, however, a statement by Picasso on the subject, reported by Christian Zervos in the second volume of his comprehensive catalogue of ...
Systematic investigation of predicted effect of nonsynonymous SNPs in human prion protein gene: a molecular modeling and molecular dynamics study.

Nonsynonymous mutations in the human prion protein (HuPrP) gene contribute to the conversion of HuPrPC to HuPrPSc and amyloid formation which in turn leads to prion diseases such as familial Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease and Gerstmann–Straussler–Scheinker disease. In order to better understand and predict the role of HuPrP mutations, we developed the following procedure: first, we consulted the Human Genome Variation database and dbSNP databases, and we reviewed literature for the retrieval of aggregation-related nsSNPs of the HuPrP gene. Next, we used three different methods – Polymorphism Phenotyping (PolyPhen), PANTHER, and Auto-Mute – to predict the effect of nsSNPs on the phenotype. We compared the predictions against experimentally reported effects of these nsSNPs to evaluate the accuracy of the three methods: PolyPhen predicted 17 out of 22 nsSNPs as “probably damaging” or “possibly damaging”; PANTHER predicted 8 out of 22 nsSNPs as “Deleterious”; and Auto-Mute predicted 9 out of 20 nsSNPs as “Disease”...
Chemical evolution of an isolated power plant plume during the TexAQS 2000 study

Abstract Stack emissions from a coal-burning power plant were measured during a research flight of the DOE G-1 during the Texas Air Quality Study (TexAQS 2000) on 10 September 2000. Clean upstream air and an isolated location allowed the plume to be unambiguously sampled during 12 successive downwind transects to a distance of 63 km—corresponding to a processing time of 4.6 h. The chemical transformation rates of sulfur and nitrogen primary pollutants into aerosol SO 4 2 - and HNO 3 yield independent values of OH concentration (8.0 and 11 × 10 6 cm - 3 , respectively) that are consistent within experimental uncertainty and qualitatively agree with constrained steady-state (CSS) box model calculations. Ozone production efficiency increases with plume age as expected. Primary aerosol emissions with D p > 5 μ m were sampled near the stack. As the plume ages, aerosol size distributions adjusted for dilution show constant number concentrations of aerosols D p > 10 nm and a marked increase in accumulation-mode particles ( D p > 0.1 μ m) as gas-to-particle-conversion causes smaller particles to grow.
The chemical basis for the blockade of the D-1 dopamine receptor by SCH 23390

Abstract SCH 23390 (R(+)-7-chloro-8-hydroxy-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-3-methyl-1-phenyl-1H-3-benzazepine) is a potent, relatively selective antagonist of the D-1 dopamine receptor (Iorio et al., J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. 226, 462). Because SKF 75670, the 7-OH analogue of SCH 23390, is a partial D-1 agonist, we conclude that the 7-Cl substituent of SCH 23390 contributes to its D-1 antagonist activity. Because SKF 83509, the desmethyl analogue of SCH 23390, is a selective D-1 antagonist, we conclude that the N-methyl substituent of SCH 23390 is not essential for its D-1 antagonist activity.
Price uncertainty, saving, and welfare ☆

Abstract We analyze how commodity price uncertainty affects saving behavior and welfare in a dynamic model with multiple commodities, portfolio hedging, and a preference structure that disentangles ordinal preferences, attitudes towards risk, and attitudes towards intertemporal substitution. We show that the effect of price uncertainty on savings boils down to knowing (1) hf degree of resistance to intertemporal substitution and (2) the effect that uncertainty has on the certainty-equivalent real interest rate. We also show that, if the certainty-equivalent real interest rate is lower with uncertainty, consumers' welfare is also lower.
X-ray simulation of the sawtooth phenomena on TFTR

The m =1 island size or m =1 deformation of magnetic surfaces during sawtooth crashes is estimated on TFTR by comparing experimental observations of X-rays and ECE electron temperature with a simple simulation which calculates signals of line-integrated X-ray and local electron temperature assuming rigid rotation of the plasma. Sawteeth oscillations with a slow crash (τ crash ∼several ms) can be simulated by a Kadomtsev-type reconnection model in which an m =1 island grows to the size of the q =1 surface during the sawtooth crash. In the sawteeth which have a fast crash (50 µs∼τ crash ∼500 µs), the m =1 island size sometimes (not always) becomes ∼1/2 of the sawtooth inversion radius during the crash phase. The final structure, however, is hard to identify, because of the slow plasma rotation frequency. The “Hot Core” appears to move away from the plasma center in a Kadomtsev-type reconnection without causing very large transport or diffusion.
The statistical design of comparative fishing experiments

Abstract Experimental designs for alternate tow gear experiments are described and evaluated, considering situations with and without randomized complete blocks. Variance components relevant to the performance of these designs are identified, and a method for estimating them is presented and applied using data for the Pacific multispecies groundfishery. The aim of the Pacific experiment was to estimate the magnitude of changes in fish length for various species and total tow catch value due to changes in cod end mesh size. Alternative experimental designs are compared with regard to the sample sizes needed to reject the null hypothesis that there is no treatment effect. For the specific application examined, there is a 4–10-fold reduction in sample size when randomized complete blocks are used within a vessel trip, compared with an unblocked experimental design using only one treatment type per vessel trip.
Civil Rights and the Private School Movement in Mississippi, 1964–1971

The signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was heralded as a tremendous victory for the civil rights movement, the fulfillment of a decade-long struggle to enforce the Brown v. Board of Education decision. Along with measures against job and housing discrimination, the Civil Rights Act included provisions specifically designed to overcome the white South's massive resistance campaign and enforce school desegregation. Despite the continued intransigence of segregationists, these measures proved successful and white public schools across the South opened their doors to black children. With segregationists in retreat and the Voting Rights Act on the horizon, this was a time of celebration for civil rights activists. But this was not the end of the story.
Monotone methods for nonlinear boundary value problems in banach spaces

MONOTONE methods have been used to generate multiple solutions of nonlinear boundary value problems for both ordinary and partial differential equations. Keller [I] and Sattinger [2], extending the chord method, considered nonlinear partial differential equations containing no gradient term. The inclusion of the gradient term was first introduced by Chandra and Davis [3] who considered the ordinary boundary value problem
Photomorphogenesis in Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh Threshold Intensities and Blue-Far-red Synergism in Floral Induction

Arabidopsis seeds were germinated on sterile mineral agar supplemented with 1% glucose and cultured under continuous light regimes. With 4-hour incandescent plus 20-hour monochromatic illumination in the region from 400 to 485 nanometers there was effective floral induction at an intensity of 100 microwatts per square centimeter. Exclusion of far red wave lengths from the 4-hour incandescent period sharply reduced the effectiveness of subsequent monochromatic blue light in promoting floral induction. Delayed floral induction occurred under continuous incandescent light lacking far red and was attributable to the blue wave lengths. Continuous 485 nanometer (100 microwatts per square centimeter) exposure without any white light treatment during the postgermination growth period was ineffective in floral induction and meristem development. Light at 730 nanometers under the same conditions was partially effective, whereas energy between 500 and 700 nanometers was completely ineffective. When continuous monochromatic light at a 3-fold higher energy level was administered, all photomorphogenic responses were accomplished with 485 nanometer light, including germination and 100% floral induction without any white light treatment at any time during the experiment. Almost equal quantum effectiveness was calculated when equivalent quantum flux densities in the region from 710 to 740 nanometers or at 485 nanometers were used. It is postulated that floral induction in Arabidopsis may be the result of a continuous excitation of a stable form of far red-absorbing phytochrome localized in or on a membrane, and that excitation can be either by direct absorption of energy by far red-absorbing phytochrome or by transfer from an accessory pigment.
A model building approach to property measurement in black and white pictures

A method is described for extracting geometric and topological information from a picture that is represented as a matrix of black and white points. Essentially, a modified maxtrix of points is partitioned into subsets, each of which resembles a contour on a topological contour map. From this, a tree is created in which each node represents a contour and a downward sloping are indicates that one contour directly contains a second contour. A variety of picture properties can be obtained by examining the tree produced from a picture. In particular, it is possible to predict how the topological structure of the picture would change if the picture were subjected to thickening or thinning operations. Because the effect of operations on the picture can be predicted from the tree, the tree is called a model of the picture. This paper is primarily concerned with explaining the model building process and showing how picture properties can be extracted from the model. A variety of assertions about the model as well as the model building process are stated without proof. A more formal treatment of these assertions will appear in a subsequent paper.
Influence of a Diet High in Unsaturated Fat upon Composition of Arterial Tissue and Atheromata in Man

Detailed chemical analyses have been carried out on aorta, and on coronary and aortic atheromata, of men who died during a study of prolonged use of diets rich in unsaturated fat and of control subjects. Concentrations of total aortic lipid and of total aortic calcium were not significantly different for the two groups of subjects. Concentrations of cholesterol and cholesterol esters, triglyceride, and phosphatide showed no difference between the two groups in analyses of aorta, uncomplicated aortic atheromata, complicated aortic atheromata, and coronary atheromata. Coronary atheroma lipid contained substantially more triglyceride than did aortic atheroma lipid, whether derived from complicated or uncomplicated plaques. Atheroma triglyceride in experimental subjects contained more linoleic acid than in control subjects, in all types of plaques. Lesser but significant increases in linoleic acid were seen in cholesterol ester and phosphatide of coronary atheromata and complicated aortic atheromata. In the case of uncomplicated aortic atheroma, changes in linoleic acid of cholesterol ester and phosphatide were smaller and not significant. In both groups of subjects, coronary atheroma contained more cholesteryl oleate and less linoleate than did aortic atheroma. Linoleic acid contents of atheroma lipid fractions were positively correlated with the linoleic acid figures for corresponding fractions of the most recent antemortem serum samples. Ratio of linoleic acid in an atheroma lipid fraction to the linoleic acid content of the corresponding serum fraction was, in most cases, constant after the time of the first sample, obtained after 495 days on experimental diet. It is postulated that this ratio constitutes an estimate of the fraction of atheroma fatty acid derived from plasma. In cholesterol ester and triglyceride, the ratio was about 0.65 in experimental subjects, higher in subjects on the control diet. The ratio for phosphatide was about 0.5 in both groups of subjects.