cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Atmosphere, Magnetic Fields and Magnetospheres

A planet’s atmosphere is a key part of its make up, but sometimes we can overlook it or take it for granted, especially on the Earth. If we were to look at the four terrestrial planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars, we would see a vast difference in the atmosphere of each.
Strategies to Deal with Climate/Food Interactions in Developed Countries

This paper explores the linkage between climate and food with special emphasis on the problems of developing countries. The following sections will: Review the global trade implications of weather induced production variability on food production. Discuss responses to different weather regimes in developing countries. Outline actions which developed countries could take to ameliorate prospective developing country food problems.
Effects of age on across-participant variability of cortical reinstatement effects

Using functional magnetic resonance imaging data, we assessed whether across-participant variability of content-selective retrieval-related neural activity differs with age. We addressed this question by employing across-participant multi-voxel pattern analysis (MVPA), predicting that increasing age would be associated with reduced variability of retrieval-related cortical reinstatement across participants. During study, 24 young and 24 older participants viewed objects and concrete words. Test items comprised studied words, names of studied objects, and unstudied words. Participants judged whether the items were recollected, familiar, or new by making 'Remember', 'Know' and 'New' responses, respectively. MVPA was conducted on each region belonging to the 'core recollection network', dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and a previously identified content-selective voxel set. A leave-one-participant-out classification approach was employed whereby a classifier was trained on a subset of participants and tested on the data from a yoked pair of held-out participants. Classifiers were trained on the study phase data to discriminate the study trials as a function of content (picture or word). The classifiers were then applied to the test phase data to discriminate studied test words according to their study condition. In all of the examined regions, classifier performance demonstrated little or no sensitivity to age and, for the test data, was robustly above chance. Thus, there was little evidence to support the hypothesis that across-participant variability of retrieval-related cortical reinstatement differs with age. The findings extend prior evidence by demonstrating that content-selective cortical reinstatement is sufficiently invariant to support across-participant multi-voxel classification across the healthy adult lifespan.
Discursive Paths in Leadership Development: Dyadic and Network Knowledge Convergence

Contemporary leadership development theory and practice point to the value of emergent and generative organizing around complex, adaptive challenges. A growing theoretical and practical emphasis on...
The truth about screen time

Phones stand accused of warping our brains and harming our children. Douglas Heaven examines the evidence
Host and symbiont genetic determinants of nutritional phenotype in a natural population of the pea aphid

A defining feature of the nutritional ecology of plant sap-feeding insects is that the dietary deficit of essential amino acids (EAAs) in plant sap is supplemented by EAA-provisioning microbial symbionts in the insect. Here, we demonstrated substantial variation in the nutritional phenotype of 208 genotypes of the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum collected from a natural population. Specifically, the genotypes varied in performance (larval growth rates) on four test diets lacking the EAAs arginine, histidine and methionine or aromatic EAAs (phenylalanine and tryptophan), relative to the diet containing all EAAs. These data indicate that EAA supply from the symbiotic bacteria Buchnera can meet total aphid nutritional demand for only a subset of the EAA/aphid genotype combinations. We then correlated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) identified in the aphid and Buchnera genomes by reduced genome sequencing against aphid performance for each EAA deletion diet. This yielded significant associations between performance on the histidine-free diet and Buchnera SNPs, including metabolism genes predicted to influence histidine biosynthesis. Aphid genetic correlates of performance were obtained for all four deletion diets, with associations on the arginine-free diet and aromatic-free diets dominated by genes functioning in the regulation of metabolic and cellular processes. The specific aphid genes associated with performance on different EAA deletion diets are largely nonoverlapping, indicating some independence in the regulatory circuits determining aphid phenotype for the different EAAs. This study demonstrates how variation in the phenotype of associations collected from natural populations can be applied to elucidate the genetic basis of ecologically important traits in systems intractable to traditional forward/reverse genetic techniques.
Proof, Explanation, and Justification in Mathematical Practice

In this paper, I propose that applying the methods of data science to “the problem of whether mathematical explanations occur within mathematics itself” (Mancosu 2018) might be a fruitful way to shed new light on the problem. By carefully selecting indicator words for explanation and justification, and then systematically searching for these indicators in databases of scholarly works in mathematics, we can get an idea of how mathematicians use these terms in mathematical practice and with what frequency. The results of this empirical study suggest that mathematical explanations do occur in research articles published in mathematics journals, as indicated by the occurrence of explanation indicators. When compared with the use of justification indicators, however, the data suggest that justifications occur much more frequently than explanations in scholarly mathematical practice. The results also suggest that justificatory proofs occur much more frequently than explanatory proofs, thus suggesting that proof may be playing a larger justificatory role than an explanatory role in scholarly mathematical practice.
Life stages differ in plasticity to temperature fluctuations and uniquely contribute to adult phenotype in Onthophagus taurus dung beetles.

Adaptive thermal plasticity allows organisms to adjust their physiology to cope with fluctuating environments. However, thermal plasticity is rarely studied in response to thermal variability and is often measured in a single life stage. Plasticity in response to thermal variability likely differs from responses to constant temperatures or acute stress. In addition, life stages likely differ in their plasticity and responses in one stage may be affected by the experiences in a previous stage. Increasing the resolution with which we understand thermal plasticity in response to thermal variation across ontogeny is crucial to understanding how organisms cope with the thermal variation in their environment and to estimating the capacity of plasticity to mitigate costs of rapid environmental change. We wanted to know if life stages differ in their capacity for thermal plasticity under temperature fluctuations. We reared Onthophagus taurus dung beetles in either low or high temperature fluctuation treatments and quantified thermal plasticity of metabolism of pupae and adults. We found that adults were thermally plastic and pupae were not. Next, we wanted to know if the plasticity observed in the adult life stage was affected by the thermal conditions during development. We again used low and high temperature fluctuation treatments and reared individuals in one condition through all egg to pupal stages. At eclosion, we switched half of the individuals in each treatment to the opposite fluctuation condition and, later, measured thermal plasticity of metabolism on adults. We found that temperature conditions experienced during the adult stage, but not egg to pupal stages, affects adult thermal plasticity. However, temperature fluctuations during development affect adult body size, suggesting that some aspects of the adult phenotype are decoupled from previous life stages and others are not. Our data demonstrate that life stages mount different responses to temperature variability and uniquely contribute to the adult phenotype. These findings emphasize the need to broadly integrate the life cycle into studies of phenotypic plasticity and physiology; doing so should enhance our ability to predict organismal responses to rapid global change and inform conservation efforts.
Single Layers of Attention Suffice to Predict Protein Contacts

The established approach to unsupervised protein contact prediction estimates coevolving positions using undirected graphical models. This approach trains a Potts model on a Multiple Sequence Alignment, then predicts that the edges with highest weight correspond to contacts in the 3D structure. On the other hand, increasingly large Transformers are being pretrained on protein sequence databases but have demonstrated mixed results for downstream tasks, including contact prediction. This has sparked discussion about the role of scale and attention-based models in unsupervised protein representation learning. We argue that attention is a principled model of protein interactions, grounded in real properties of protein family data. We introduce a simplified attention layer, factored attention, and show that it achieves comparable performance to Potts models, while sharing parameters both within and across families. Further, we extract contacts from the attention maps of a pretrained Transformer and show they perform competitively with the other two approaches. This provides evidence that large-scale pretraining can learn meaningful protein features when presented with unlabeled and unaligned data. We contrast factored attention with the Transformer to indicate that the Transformer leverages hierarchical signal in protein family databases not captured by our single-layer models. This raises the exciting possibility for the development of powerful structured models of protein family databases.
Activity planning for a lunar orbital mission

This paper describes a challenging, real-world planning problem within the context of a NASA mission called LADEE (Lunar Atmospheric Dust Environment Explorer). We present the approach taken to reduce the complexity of the activity planning task in order to effectively perform it within the time pressures imposed by the mission requirements. One key aspect of this approach is the design of the activity planning process based on principles of problem decomposition and planning abstraction levels. The second key aspect is the mixed-initiative system developed for this task, called LASS (LADEE Activity Scheduling System). The primary challenge for LASS was representing and managing the science constraints that were tied to key points in the spacecraft's orbit, given their dynamic nature due to the continually updated orbit determination solution.
Converting heat to electricity by a graphene stripe with heavy chiral fermions

A conversion of thermal energy into electricity is considered in the electrically polarized graphene stripes with zigzag edges where the heavy chiral fermion (HCF) states are formed. The stripes are characterized by a high electric conductance G e and by a significant Seebeck coefficient S. The electric current in the stripes is induced due to a non-equilibrium thermal injection of “hot” electrons. This thermoelectric generation process might be utilized for building of thermoelectric generators with an exceptionally high figure of merit ZδT ≫ 1 and with an appreciable electric power densities ~1 MW/cm2.
Remarks on Quantum Physics and Noncommutative Geometry

The "quantum-event / prime ideal in a category/ noncommutative-point" alternative to "classical-event / commutative prime ideal/ point" is suggested. Ideals in additive categories, prime spectra and representation of quivers are considered as mathematical tools appropriate to model quantum mechanics. The space-time framework is to be reconstructed from the spectrum of the path category of a quiver. The interference experiment is considered as an example.
Cytologic diagnosis of squamous dysplasia and carcinoma of the cervix

Abstract A diagnostic classification for reporting cervical smears was evaluated over a 3 year period, including 37,299 consecutive specimens. All smears which would previously have been reported as Class III or above were interpreted in terms of histologic terminology. Correlation was then made with biopsy findings. In a series of 556 smears showing evidence of squamous dysplasia or carcinoma, the accuracy in predicting a diagnosis of mild-moderate dysplasia was 82 per cent; severe dysplasia-intraepithelial carcinoma, 90 per cent; and invasive carcinoma, 88 per cent. In comparison to the traditional numerical classification for reporting Papanicolaou smears, the diagnostic method provides greater precision and consistency and allows better correlation with biopsy reports.
A Review of “Hospice and Palliative Care Formulary USA”

In the year 2000, Drs. Robert Twycross and Andrew Wilcock—two eminent British palliative care physicians—founded pallativedrugs.com to promote and disseminate information about drug use in palliati...
Narrative and the Making of Us National Security

Dominant narratives - from the Cold War consensus to the War on Terror - have often served as the foundation for debates over national security. Weaving current challenges, past failures and triumphs, and potential futures into a coherent tale, with well-defined characters and plot lines, these narratives impart meaning to global events, define the boundaries of legitimate politics, and thereby shape national security policy. However, we know little about why or how such narratives rise and fall. Drawing on insights from diverse fields, Narrative and the Making of US National Security offers novel arguments about where these dominant narratives come from, how they become dominant, and when they collapse. It evaluates these arguments carefully against evidence drawn from US debates over national security from the 1930s to the 2000s, and shows how these narrative dynamics have shaped the policies pursued by the United States.
Genetic Mapping of Quantitative Trait Loci Governing Longevity of Caenorhabditis elegans in Recombinant-Inbred Progeny of a Bergerac-BO × RC301 Interstrain Cross

Recombinant-inbred populations, generated from a cross between Caenorhabditis elegans strains Bergerac-BO and RC301, were used to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) affecting nematode longevity. Genotypes of young controls and longevity-selected worms (the last-surviving 1% from a synchronously aged population) were assessed at dimorphic transposon-specific markers by multiplex polymerase chain reaction. The power of genetic mapping was enhanced, in a novel experimental design, through map expansion by accrual of recombinations over several generations, internally controlled longevity selection from a genetically heterogeneous, homozygous population, and selective genotyping of extremely long-lived worms. Analysis of individual markers indicated seven life-span QTL, situated near markers on chromosomes I (tcbn2), III (stP127), IV (stP13), V (stP6, stP23, and stP128), and X (stP41). These loci were corroborated, and mapped with increased precision, by nonparametric interval mapping-which supported all loci implicated by single-marker analysis. In addition, a life-span QTL on chromosome II (stP100-stP196), was significant only by interval mapping. Congenic lines were constructed for the longevity QTL on chromosomes III and X, by backcrossing the Bergerac-BO QTL allele into an RC301 background with selection for flanking markers. Survival data for these lines demonstrated consistent and significant effects of each QTL on life span.
Photoelectric line profiles in umbral spectra

Umbral line profiles of Hα, Na D2 and Hei 10830 have been observed photoelectrically with a pressure scanning spectrometer, URSIES (Ultravariable Resolution Single Interferometer Echelle Scanner). Intermittent pulse counting techniques are applied with integration times as short as 0.8 s which permits selection of moments of good seeing and guiding even in poor climates. The Hα line profile shows in a medium-sized spot (A u = 100 × 10–6 SH) a pronounced weakening in the wings but a persistence of the line core in agreement with the results of Fricke and Elsasser (1965). The profile of the Hei 10830 line shows an unexpected strengthening over the umbra of the two spots which have been observed. The strengthening of the line in the umbral spectrum of a third spot has been confirmed by Dr. Mallia at the Oxford Solar Station (Gornergrat, Switzerland). Na D2 line profile together with continuum observations at λ4260, λ5890, and λ6530 have been accounted for with an empirical (T, τ) relation by one of us (Yun, 1971). The wavelength dependence and the absolute values from 4000 A to 14000 A of the intensity curve generated by this relation shows very good agreement with the intensities observed by Wohl et al. (1970) in a spot of similar diameter. Precision observations of the continuum at λ5890 indicate umbra-to-disk continuum ratios that are higher (0.104) than the Mercury calibrated value by Mattig (0.086) even when a maximal correction for scattered light is applied. Only Zwaan's (1965) cool umbral model atmosphere approaches Mattig's continuum value, but this model renders the absorption wings in Na D2 much too deep. It is suggested that future definitive observations should be carried out with coronagraphs under coronal skies or in satellites.
Performance of a low-power subsonic-arc-attachment arcjet thruster

A subsonic-arc-attachment thruster design was scaled from a 30 kW 1960's vintage thruster to operate at nominally 3 kW. Performance measurements were obtained over a 1-4 kW power range using hydrogen as the propellant. Several modes of operation were identified and were characterized by varying degrees of voltage instability. A stability map was developed showing that the voltage oscillations were brought upon by elevated current or propellant levels. At a given specific energy level the specific impulse increased asymptotically with increased flow rates. Comparisons of performance were made between radial and tangential propellant injection. When the vortex flow was eliminated using radial injection, the operating voltages were lower at a given current, and the specific impulse and efficiency decreased. Tests were also conducted to determine the effects of background pressure on operation, and performance data were obtained at pressures of 0.047 Pa and 18 Pa. For a given specific energy level, the performance increased with a decrease in facility background pressure. Lowering the background pressure also caused a dramatic change in the voltage-current characteristic and the voltage stability, a phenomenon not previously reported with conventional supersonic-arc-attachment thrusters.
Biological membranes as pollution indicators

Abstract The giant cell of the alga Valonia provides a convenient laboratory tool for measuring pollution effects. Changes in the electrical properties of the cell membrane are closely correlated with lethal temperature levels, and perhaps other damaging conditions are similarly reflected in these changes.
Pharmacokinetics of Anti-HIV Nucleosides in Microswine

Abstract The objective of the study was to determine if the micropig (Sus scrofa) would serve as an animal model for the anti-HIV nucleosides 3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine (AZT), 2',3'-dideoxyinosine (ddI), and 2',3'-dideoxycytidine (ddC). Four adult male micropigs were administered i.v. 20 mg kg-1 AZT, 20 mg kg-1 ddI, both as 10 min infusions, and 5 mg kg-1 ddC, as an i.v. bolus. At least 12 days separated each drug administration. Following each drug administration, blood samples were collected by venipuncture and urine was collected by placement of the animals in metabolism cages. Concentrations of parent drug and AZT's glucuronide metabolite were quantitated in plasma and urine by HPLC. Data were analysed by noncompartmental methods to obtain pharmacokinetic parameters for each drug. Total and renal clearances for AZT, 0.482 +/- 0.058 and 0.326 +/- 0.075 L h-1 kg-1, respectively, and for ddI, 0.500 +/- 0.057 and 0.337 +/- 0.100 L h-1 kg-1, showed that these drugs were eliminated primarily by renal excretion rather than by liver metabolism as in man. ddC's clearances were similar to rates in man. Volume of distribution at steady state values were 0.784 +/- 0.071, 1.192 +/- 0.288 and 0.886 +/- 0.199 L kg-1 for AZT, ddI and ddC, respectively. Half-life values for AZT, ddI and ddC were 1.39 +/- 0.127, 2.585 +/- 0.243 and 1.832 +/- 0.380 h, respectively. Based on these findings, the micropig could be an appropriate model for the study of ddC in man, but not for AZT of ddI.
Novel Tungsten, Molybdenum, and Vanadium Oxides Containing Surfactant Ions

Hydrothermal reaction of tungstic acid, molybdic acid, and vanadium pentoxide with the surfactant template dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTABr) yielded one compound with a Keggin type structure, [C12H25N(CH3)3]6(H2W12O40)·xH2O, and two new layered compounds, [C12H25N(CH3)3]0.5(MoO3.25) and [C12H25N(CH3)3]2/3V2O5.33·H2O. The tungsten salt produced needlelike crystals of a hexagonal shape while the molybdenum and vanadium salts formed layered structures. FTIR analysis of the tungsten salt was consistent with materials containing Keggin anions. The X-ray powder diffraction data of this material were indexed to a monoclinic cell with a = 50.56(4) A, b = 54.41(4) A, c = 13.12(1) A, and β = 99.21°. The observed reflections are consistent with space group C2/m. Diffraction data obtained from the molybdenum salt showed a between layer d spacing of ca. 22 A. The vanadium salt was indexed to a triclinic cell with a = 9.813(3) A, b = 11.512(3) A, c = 21.725(5) A, α = 95.30(1)°, β = 93.82(6)°, and γ = 101.12(8)°,...
Whole-Body Counter for Neutron Activation Analysis

For the measurement of total-body calcium, sodium, chlorine, nitrogen and phosphorus by in-vivo neutron activation analysis, there are two basic requirements. First, it is necessary to achieve a uniform neutron flux through the human subject. It is also necessary to quantitatively measure the induced radionuclides in the body. The Brookhaven 54-detector whole-body counter with its on-line computer satisfies this latte requirement by providing an absolute measure of the induced activity in the subject, independent of its location in the body and the size of the body itself. The application of this whole-body counter in the in-vivo measurement of total body calcium, sodium, chlorine, nitrogen and phosphorus is described.
Mammographic Image Quality And Exposure Levels Using Conventional Generators And Type M Film

With the four technical factors of controlled motion, long target-film distance, exquisite collimation and good processing meticulously cared for, conventional generators and type M film mammography can be done with skin dose less than or comparable to other contemporary mammographic techniques with far superior image quality.
A study of the mechanism of cobaltocene intercalation in Cd2P2S6

Abstract Important details of the mechanism of cobaltocene [CoCp 2 (Cp = C 5 H 5 )] intercalation into single crystals of the layered trichalcogenophosphate Cd 2 P 2 S 6 were deduced. These details were obtained experimentally by the intercalation of lithium, ruthenocene (RuCp 2 ) and ferrocene (FeCp 2 ) into partially intercalated Cd 2 P 2 S 6 (CoCp 2 ) x (0.01 ⩽ x ⩽ 0.69) and the subsequent analysis of these compounds by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, mass spectroscopy and chemical analysis. Results indicate that intercalation is initiated by the oxidation of cobaltocene at the crystal edges, followed by the movement of cobaltocenium ions into the crystal, with the outermost galleries of the host filling most rapidily. Propagation of the intercalation front proceeds by the diffusion of neutral cobaltocene from the crystal edge, through the intercalated area to the reaction front, where it further reduces the Cd 2 P 2 S 6 crystal. Additional experiments indicate that it is possible to lithium-intercalate a crystal which was previously non-receptive to the reaction by first intercalating it with an easily oxidized species such as cobaltocene. Potential applications include the use of trichalcogenophosphate crystals pre-intercalated with cobaltocene as cathode materials in solid-state lithium batteries. Such a route could lead to improvements in the energy density of existing cathode materials. Another possibility is the use of CoCp 2 as a pillaring agent in the cathode material to reduce the swelling during intercalation.
Structural features of nitroaromatics that determine mutagenic activity in salmonella typhimurium

Seventeen structurally homologous nitroaromatics were tested for direct-acting mutagenic potency in nine strains of Salmonella typhimurium. The following four structural features were determined to have a strong influence on mutagenic activity: physical dimensions of the aromatic rings, isomeric position of the nitro group, conformation of the nitro group with respect to the plane of the aromatic rings, and ability to resonance-stabilize the ultimate electrophile. Progressive addition of five- and six-membered rings to a nitrobenzene nucleus demonstrated that mutagenic activity was a direct function of size. Fluoranthene was of optimal size (four rings) for mutagenicity; an additional benzene ring, giving benzo[k]fluoranthene, reduced mutagenic activity. Nitroaromatics with a nitro group oriented along the long axis of symmetry of the molecule were more potent mutagens than those with the nitro group oriented along the short axis. These results are discussed in light of the insertion-denaturation model for intercalation of certain DNA adducts. Nitroaromatics with nitro groups sterically forced out of the plane of the aromatic rings were weakly mutagenic or nonmutagenic. Nitro groups located between two peri hydrogens or in a bay-region are examples of this conformation. Finally, structural features that contribute to resonance stabilization of the reactive nitrenium ion enhance mutagenic potency. Thus, 6-nitroindene was at least tenfold more mutagenic than 5-nitroindene. These positional isomers are structurally identical with the exception of the position of an olefinic bond in the adjacent five-membered ring which can contribute to resonance stabilization of a carbonium ion formed after bioactivation of 6-nitroindene but not of 5-nitroindene. The predictive value of these structure-activity relationships should permit a first approximation in the assessment of mutagenic potency of nitroaromatics.
The Markov process approach to survival analysis.

Consider a two organs system for which one of the two organs must function for the individual to survive. This paper derives the survival probability distributions under more general situations by adopting [the] Markov process approach thus providing extensions of results given in Gross Clark and Liu (1971) and Kodlin (1967). The results obtained are then extended to a k-organs system. (EXCERPT)
The Measurement of Term Importance in Automatic Indexing.

The frequency characteristics of terms in the documents of a collection have been used as indicators of term importance for content analysis and indexing purposes. In particular, very rare or very frequent terms are normally believed to be less effective than medium-frequency terms. Recently automatic indexing theories have been devised that use not only the term frequency characteristics but also the relevance properties of the terms. The major term-weighting theories are first briefly reviewed. The term precision and term utility weights that are based on the occurrence characteristics of the terms in the relevant, as opposed to the nonrelevant, documents of a collection are then introduced. Methods are suggested for estimating the relevance properties of the terms based on their overall occurrence characteristics in the collection. Finally, experimental evaluation results are shown comparing the weighting systems using the term relevance properties with the more conventional frequency-based methodologies.
Role for para sodium channel gene 3′ UTR in the modification of Drosophila seizure susceptibility

Voltage-gated sodium channel genes are highly regulated at the level of transcription or translation. In this study, we have utilized the combination of genetic, electrophysiological, and molecular analyses to identify a 7-kb 3′-untranslated region (UTR) of the Drosophila para sodium channel gene. Disruption of this segment by P-element insertion causes reduction of para primary transcript, but not Rbp2 transcripts. The identification of this novel 3′-UTR is based on a P-insertion mutation called paraJS1, which was isolated from a P-element mutagenesis screen for seizure suppressors in a Drosophila model of epilepsy. The paraJS1 mutation was identified 6845 bp downstream of the para gene, which resides in an intergenic region that lies between para and Rbp2 (RNA-binding protein 2) genes. Interestingly, reverse-transcription PCR showed that the region containing paraJS1 is substantially transcribed and this transcribed region is associated with para coding region. We discussed possible mechanisms of how reduced transcription of the para gene or alterations in sodium channel subunit composition might be indicated by the paraJS1 mutation and implications for para 3′ UTR function. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol, 2007
Structure of human beta 1 beta 1 alcohol dehydrogenase: catalytic effects of non-active-site substitutions

The three-dimensional structure of human beta 1 beta 1 alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH; EC 1.1.1.1) complexed with NAD+ has been determined by x-ray crystallography to 3.0-A resolution. The amino acids directly involved in coenzyme binding are conserved between horse EE and human beta 1 beta 1 alcohol dehydrogenase in all but one case [serine (horse) vs. threonine (human) at position 48]. As a result, the coenzyme molecule is bound in a similar manner in the two enzymes. However, the strength of the interactions in the vicinity of the pyrophosphate bridge of NAD+ appears to be enhanced in the human enzyme. Side-chain movements of Arg-47 and Asp-50 and a shift in the position of the helix comprising residues 202-212 may explain both the decreased Vmax and the decreased rate of NADH dissociation observed in the human enzyme vs. the horse enzyme. It appears that these catalytic differences are not due to substitutions of any amino acids directly involved in coenzyme binding but are the result of structural rearrangements resulting from multiple sequence differences between the two enzymes.
In situ sulfur K-edge X-ray absorption near edge structure of an embedded pyrite particle electrode in a non-aqueous Li+-based electrolyte solution

Abstract Changes in the composition of embedded pyrite (FeS 2 ) particle electrodes in 1 M LiClO 4 propylene carbonate solutions as a function of the applied potential have been examined in situ by S K-edge fluorescence X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES), using a specially designed cell that minimizes attenuation of low energy X-rays. Pyrite electrodes that had been scanned from 3.0 V versus Li/Li + , i.e. close to the open circuit voltage, down to 1.0 V (fully discharged state, i.e. 4e − -reduction) and then half recharged (2e − -reoxidation) by scanning the potential in the positive direction up to 2.2 V versus Li/Li + , revealed features consistent with the presence of Li 2 FeS 2 , in agreement with in situ Fe K-edge results reported earlier by this research group. Moreover, only subtle changes were discerned between the in situ S K-edge XANES of the half-, and fully-recharged electrodes. This close resemblance may reflect similarities between the spectral signatures of Li 2 FeS 2 and Fe 1− x S (pyrrhotite), which is the main product of the discharge reaction. Evidence for the formation of elemental sulfur and Li 2 S, which are believed to be minor products of the reaction, was obtained from analysis of the first differential S XANES and selected difference spectra. The compositional variations of the embedded pyrite particles throughout the course of the electrochemical processes occur in the presence of a persistent sulfate coating.
The president‐news media relationship: A time series analysis of agenda‐setting

An examination of the influence of President Bush on the coverage patterns of the three national networks during his first 80 weeks in office suggests that the President may influence coverage of issues on which he is an important source (such as international crises) and on which he has a pet interest (such as patriotism /flag burning). For issues on which other sources may provide accurate information (such as economic issues) the President has much less influence. Finally, on social problems (such as crime and the environment) the President may use the media as a guide to the importance of issues to which he should respond.
A cross sectional study examining social desirability bias in caregiver reporting of children's oral health behaviors.

Our previous research (Pediatrics 2010:126) found a strong association between caregiver oral health literacy (OHL) and children’s oral health status; however, we found a weak association with oral health behaviors (OHBs). We hypothesize that this may be due to social desirability bias (SDB). Our objectives were to compare caregivers’ responses to traditional OHB items and newer SDB-modulating items, and to examine the association of caregiver literacy with OHBs. We performed a cross-sectional study of 102 caregiver-child dyads, collecting data for OHBs using both traditional and new SDB-modulating items. We measured OHL using REALD-30, a validated word recognition test. We relied upon percent agreement and Cohen’s kappa (k) to quantify the concordance in caregivers’ responses and multivariate log-binomial regression to estimate the impact of OHL on OHBs. Caregivers’ mean REALD-30 score was 20.7 (SD = 6.0), range 1-30. We found an association between OHL and 4 of 8 OHBs examined. A subset of behavior questions compared traditional versus SDB-modulating items: history of bottle-feeding: agreement = 95%, k = 0.83 (95% CL:0.68,0.99); daily tooth brushing: agreement = 78%, k = 0.25 (95% CL:0.04,0.46); fluoridated toothpaste use: agreement = 88%, k = 0.67 (95% CL:0.49,0.85). After controlling for caregivers’ race, marital status and study site, higher literacy scores remained associated with a decreased prevalence of parental report of “decided not brush the child’s teeth because it would be frustrating”. Agreement between responses was high for 2 of 3 behavior items. Item 3 (tooth brushing frequency) revealed discordance, likely due to SDB. Use of the SDB-modulating items appears to yield a better estimate of OHB.
Widow's Grief: The Impact of Age and Mode of Death

Two variables (age and mode of death) were tested to discover if they could predict the intensity of the grief reaction. It was hypothesized that widows who experienced anticipatory grief would res...
Poly(p-phenylene vinylene) copolymer patterns prepared via photolithographic techniques

Abstract Standard microlithographic techniques can be used for the spatially controlled light-directed synthesis of poly( p -phenylene vinylene) (PPV) block copolymers. Microscalar linear and circular patterns can be prepared in the 25 μm range. The success of the overall procedure rests on the photogeneration of triflic acid from triphenylsulfonium trifluoromethanesulfonate in a poly(9-hydroxy-[2.2]paracyclophan-1-ene) matrix to catalyze the formation of PPV. Absorption and photoluminescence studies were performed to demonstrate the efficiency of the conversion of the precursor polymer to PPV throughout the photolithographic sequence. FT-IR and UV-Vis data are also presented that illustrate how the precursor poly (paracyclophenes) can be patterned for certain block copolymer ratios in the absence of a photoacid generator.
Priming of T follicular helper cells by dendritic cells

T follicular helper cells (Tfh) are required to generate long-lived antibody responses, which confer long-term protection to pathogens following vaccination or infection. Despite significant advances in the field, however, little is known about the early steps that drive Tfh cell differentiation. In this review, we will discuss the mechanisms by which dendritic cells promote the initial commitment of activated CD4(+) T cells to the Tfh cell differentiation pathway.
Changes in composition and structure of wheat bran resulting from the action of human faecal bacteria in vitro.

Abstract Cell-wall material of wheat bran was incubated with human faecal bacteria for 24-72 h and the resulting structural changes were studied by methylation analysis. Of the carbohydrate content, ∼39% was degraded after 24 h, increasing to only 44% after 72 h. Arabinoxylans and mixed-linkaged β- d -glucans from the aleurone layer were degraded preferentially. After treatment of the bran with alkali, the extent of degradation was increased three-fold as a result of saponification of ester cross-links which facilitated increased degradation of the polymers from both the aleurone and outer, lignified, layers. There was evidence that ester linkages between the glucuronosyl residues, attached to O-2 of the (1→4)-linked xylosyl residues, and phenolic groups of lignin were also saponified. The treatment with alkali also rendered the cellulose more susceptible to bacterial attack. The alkali-soluble acidic arabinoxylan fractions of the bran were degraded readily by bacterial action, but the xyloglucans cross-linked to arabinoxylans by phenolics were relatively resistant.
Residual Efficacy of Fungicides for Control of Dollar Spot on Creeping Bentgrass

The duration of effective concentrations of fungicides for control of dollar spot on creeping bentgrass fairways was investigated using a bioassay technique. In each of three runs of the experiment, fungicide treatments were applied once to turf in replicated field plots; then, the plots were sampled periodically over 3 weeks by removing turf plugs from the field. The sampled plugs were placed in incubation containers and inoculated with sections from a 4-day-old colony of Sclerotinia homoeocarpa growing on potato dextrose agar. After a 96-h incubation period, the extent of pathogen growth on the turf plugs was measured. Results described a precipitous decline in effective concentration for all fungicide treatments beginning 7 to 10 days after application. The fungicides were only marginally effective at 14 days after application, and none provided any disease suppression at 21 days after application. The efficacy half-life (EHL) associated with four of the fungicides (chlorothalonil, iprodione, propiconazole, and thiophanate methyl) was estimated with two models. EHL estimates ranged from 6.1 to 15.2 days depending on the fungicide and the model. This research contributes to our knowledge of the duration of effective fungicide concentrations on creeping bentgrass and can provide insight for scheduling fungicide sprays for golf course fairways.
Population changes in the cecal protozoa of rats and some factors influencing them.

Abstract 1. 1. Twenty white male rats of the same age and breed, and kept on a standard balanced diet, were studied to ascertain what variability could exist in the protozoan population: a) between rats in the group, b) between various regions of the cecum in the entire group, and c) between various regions of the cecum in individual hosts. 2. 2. Within the group of rats, significant variation in population size was found for Trichomonas hominis, T. minuta and Chilomastix bettencourti. Trichomonas muris was found not to differ significantly. 3. 3. No region of the cecum was found to contain a significantly higher population size than any other region for the species of protozoa analyzed. 4. 4. Among regions of the ceca of individual rats, very great differences were found to exist in the uniformity of distribution of the various protozoan species present. 5. 5. For the first time, a time-series analysis was made of the cecal protozoan populations of a rat. Examinations were made every four hours on five rats for 100 points in time and the results given. 6. 6. On the basis of the variables measured, a simple additive regression hypothesis was formulated to account for the variability in population size exhibited by individual species over the survey period. The variables used were: dependent population at some previous time, the size of two other protozoan populations, plus water and food intake at some previous time. 7. 7. The proportion of variability accounted for by the regression differed from species to species and rat to rat, the lowest being approximately 35% and the highest 96%.
Efficacy of crizotinib inhibiting specific molecular pathways in non-small-cell lung carcinoma

The US FDA granted approval for crizotinib as the first-line treatment for patients with echinoderm microtubule-associated protein-like 4-anaplastic lymphoma kinase rearranged metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer, on November 20, 2013. Crizotinib is a customized and improved therapeutic option for patients with non-small-cell lung cancer that enhances overall survival without increasing toxicity. In the future, new targeted therapies may achieve additional indications for treating patients with lung cancer. This article summarizes data from crizotinib studies.
Evaluation of physical maturity at adolescence.

UMMARY Judgements of ‘puberal maturity’ were made independently by five skilled observeis on a sample of 70 males spread evenly over the range of puberty. The major variables—pubic hair, testicular volume and axillary hair—were identified and a weighting was calculated for each. The resulting equation gives a quick and precise method for calculation of ‘puberal maturity’. 0.5 (pubic hair rating) + 0.4 (testicular vol. rating) + 0.3 (axillary hair rating) + 0.5 (constant) RESUME Cinq observateurs experimentes ont donne independamment leur jugement sur la ‘maturite puberale’ d'un echantillon de 70 males couvrant la periode de la puberte. Les variables principales, poils du pubis, volume des testicules et poils de l'aisselle ont ete identifies et on a calcule une facon d'estimer le poids de chacun. L'equation obtenue donne une methode rapide et precise pour le cacul de la ‘maturite puberale’: 0.5 (cote pour les poils pubiens) + 0.4 (cote pour le volume des testicules) + 0.3 (cote pour les poils axillaires) + 0.5 (constante) ZUSAMMENFASSUNG Unabhangig voneinander beurteilten funf geubte Beobachter die Geschlechtsreife von 70 Knaben in verschiedenen Stadien der Pubertat. Die Hauptvariablen, Genitalbehaarung, Hodengrosse und axillare Behaarung wurden gemessen. Eine daraus abgeleitet Gleichung ist eine schnelle und sichere Methode zur Beurteilung der Geschlechtsreife: 0,5 × (Genitalbehaarung) + 0,4 × (Hodengrosse) + 0,3 × (axillare Behaarung) + 0,5 × Konstante RESUMEN Cinco observadores expertos hicieron independientemente valoraciones de la ‘madurez pubera’ de 70 varones en todas las fases de la pubertad. Se identificaron los variantes principales, pelo pubico, volumen testicular, pelo axilar, y se calculo un valor para cada uno. La ecuacion que resulta da un metodo rapido y exacto de calcular la ‘madurez pubera’: 0.5 (valor pelo pubico) + 0.4 (valor volumen testicular) + 0.3 (valor pelo axilar) + 0.5 (constante)
Working Youths: Select Findings from an Exploratory Study.

An exploratory study of working youths in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, is reported. The purpose of the study was to learn more specific research questions and hypotheses for more rigorous research about the life situation and personal experiences of youths who work. Two hundred seventy-two youths were interviewed in one of three ways. Select findings from 51 cases are presented on the youths' orientation to their future. The implications of these select findings for professional practice in human services are noted and other research foci are suggested.
A survey of the acoustical field of a rectangular wall jet

The acoustic field of a rectangular wall jet was surveyed for Reynolds numbers between 2000 and 9200. The study includes measurements of amplitude directivity, acoustic power spectra, and flow visualization. The effects of jet speed, wall length and trailing edge angle were examined. The flow visualization survey suggests an important role of discrete vortex convection in wall tone generation.
The cholinergic pharmacology of hippocampal pyramidal cells: A microiontophoretic study

Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine the pharmacological properties of an identified cholinergic system in the CNS of the rat. The responses of hippocampal pyramidal cells to the microiontophoretic application of various nicotinic and muscarinic agents were monitored via extracellular recording. In addition, interactions between musearinic and nicotinic compounds were investigated. Acetylcholine and carbachol, agents effective at both nicotinic and muscarinic sites, readily produced excitation of hippocampal pyramidal cells. The muscarinic agonists muscarine, acetyl-β-methylcholine and bethanechol also excited these cells at low iontophoretic currents. The muscarinic antagonists scopolamine and quinuclidinyl benzilate totally blocked acetylcholine excitation of pyramidal cells without altering their excitation by glutamate. Hippocampal pyramidal cells were also responsive to certain nicotinic compounds. The nicotinic agonist phenyltrimethylammonium caused excitation of pyramidal cells. The putative nicotinic agonist tetramethylammonium and the nicotinic antagonists dihydro-β-erythroidine and gallamine specifically blocked acetylcholine excitation of these cells. However, other nicotinic agents investigated produced a nonspecific block of acetylcholine excitation in that the response to glutamate was also affected. The classical nicotinic antagonist (+)-tubocurarine produced no effect in the amounts tested. In addition, the nicotinic antagonists dihydro-β-erythroidine and gallamine also completely blocked the excitation of pyramidal cells by the muscarinic agonists muscarine and acetyl-β-methylcholine. It was concluded that: (1) hippocampal pyramidal cells are responsive to muscarinic and some nicotinic agents and (2) these agents are not acting at two independent receptors since there is crossover between nicotinic antagonists and muscarinic agonists.
Developmental gene regulation in Aspergillus nidulans

Abstract The Ascomycete fungus Aspergillus nidulans reproduces asexually by differentiating conidiophores and conidia. Gene regulation during asexual reproduction was investigated by comparing poly(A) RNA populations derived from somatic hyphae, conidiating cultures and purified conidia. Single-copy and complementary DNA hybridization experiments showed that vegetative cells contained 5600–6000 diverse, average-sized poly(A) RNA sequences distributed into three prevalence classes. cDNA hybridization experiments indicated that a significant proportion of the poly(A) RNA derived from either conidiating cultures or spores consisted of sequences absent from somatic hyphae. To assess accurately the degree to which the poly(A) RNA populations differed, cDNA preparations were isolated which were complementary to sequences present only in conidia or in conidiating cultures. Hybridization of these cDNAs with poly(A) RNA from conidiating cultures showed that approximately 18.5% of the poly(A) RNA mass comprised 1300 diverse sequences not present in somatic cells. Of these, about 300 were present only in conidia. The remainder were accumulated specifically during sporulation, but were absent from spores. Analogous experiments showed that the great majority of the poly(A) RNA sequences accumulated by vegetative hyphae were also present in conidiating cultures. Thus, cell differentiation during A. nidulans asexual reproduction involves the accumulation of many new poly(A) RNA sequences, but not the loss of preexisting ones.