cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Novel role for Sp1 in phorbol ester enhancement of human platelet thromboxane receptor gene expression

Expression of platelet thromboxane receptors is transcriptionally increased during megakaryocytic differentiation stimulated by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). We previously cloned and characterized the promoter region of the human thromboxane receptor gene and localized PMA-responsive elements to a region between 1.84 and 1.95 kilobase pairs (kb) 5' of the transcription initiation site (D'Angelo, D. D., Davis, M. G., Houser, W. A., Eubank, J. J., Ritchie, M. E., and Dorn, G. W., II (1995) Circ. Res. 77, 466-474). Herein we report the localization of the PMA response element to a 14-nucleotide C-rich sequence, flanked by an octanucleotide inverted repeat, located -1.938 to -1.925 kb 5' of the transcription start site of this gene. We further identify the PMA-responsive enhancer factor that binds to this C-rich sequence as Sp1. Heterologous thromboxane receptor gene promoter/thymidilate kinase reporter constructs transfected into K562 cells exhibited PMA responsiveness when the C-rich element was included with additional 3' sequence from -1.924 to -1.84 kb. However, mutations of the C-rich element that disrupted a GC box located on the inverse strand eliminated PMA responsiveness and, in gel mobility shift assays, eliminated binding of Sp1. PMA treatment of K562 cells significantly increased, by 5-fold, Sp1 binding to the C-rich element and increased both phosphorylated and nonphosphorylated Sp1 protein levels by 2-fold. Furthermore, PMA treatment transiently increased Sp1 mRNA levels prior to increasing thromboxane receptor mRNA, suggesting that up-regulation of Sp1 contributes to up-regulation of thromboxane receptors. Finally, we have detected an unidentified K562 nuclear protein that binds specifically to the sense strand of the C-rich sequence overlapping the Sp1 binding site and that, by stabilizing a double stem-loop conformation of this DNA segment, may also play a role in Sp1 regulation of this gene. These studies are the first to describe regulatory and regulated roles for Sp1 in PMA-responsive gene expression and suggest that modulation of Sp1 levels controls thromboxane receptor expression during megakaryocytic differentiation.
Sex differences in response to an observational fear conditioning procedure.

Abstract The present study evaluated sex differences in observational fear conditioning using modeled “mock” panic attacks as an unconditioned stimulus (UCS). Fifty-nine carefully prescreened healthy undergraduate participants (30 women) underwent 3 consecutive differential conditioning phases: habituation, acquisition, and extinction. It was expected that participants watching a confederate display mock panic attacks (UCS) paired with a previously neutral stimulus (CS+) would learn to respond fearfully to the CS+, but not to the CS− (i.e., a stimulus never associated with displays of panic). Women also were expected to report more distress and ratings of panic to the CS+ than the CS− compared to men, but no sex differences were anticipated on autonomic indices of conditioning (i.e., electrodermal responses). Consistent with expectation, aversive conditioning was demonstrated by greater magnitude electrodermal and verbal-evaluative (e.g., subjective units of distress scale, panic ratings) responses to the CS+ over the CS−, with women reporting more distress to the CS+ over the CS−, but not greater autonomic conditioning, compared to men. Overall, the results support the notion that modeled panic attacks can serve as a potent UCS for both men and women. Discussion focuses on sex differences in observational fear conditioning and its relation to the clinical presentation of anxiety disorders.
Long-range night/day human identification using active-SWIR imaging

Positive identification of personnel from a safe distance is a long-standing need for security and defense applications. Advances in computer face recognition have made this a reliable means of identification when facial imagery of sufficient resolution is available to be matched against a database of mug shots. Long-range identification at night requires that the face be actively illuminated; however, for visible and NIR illumination, the intensity required to produce high-resolution long-range imagery typically creates an eye-safety hazard. SWIR illumination makes active- SWIR imaging a promising approach to long-range night-time identification. We will describe an active-SWIR imaging system that is being developed to covertly detect, track, zoom in on, and positively identify a human target, night or day, at hundreds of meters range. The SWIR illuminator pans, tilts, and zooms with the imager to always just fill the imager field of view. The illuminator meets Class 1 eye-safety limits (safe even with magnifying optics) at the intended target, and meets Class 1M eye-safety limits (safe to the naked eye) at point-blank range. Close-up night-time facial imagery will be presented along with experimental face recognition performance results for matching SWIR imagery to a database of visible mug shots at distance.
Youth representations of community, art, and struggle in Harlem

This article describes how two African American young adults engage in learning and activism in their Harlem community through employment of art forms. Observations on the reversal of learning - from adults to young people in classrooms and young people to adults in the community - are critiqued.
Ubiquitin-like Protein Domains Show High Resistance to Mechanical Unfolding Similar to That of the I27 Domain in Titin: Evidence from Simulations

The I27 domain in the muscle protein titin can sustain large mechanical forces without unfolding. Recently it has been suggested [Eom, K.; Li, P.-C.; Makarov, D. E.; Rodin, G. J. J. Phys. Chem. B 2003, 107, 8730] that the “clamp” formed by the parallel strands in this domain represents an optimal topology maximizing the mechanical strength of cross-linked polymer chains. Here we use simulations to demonstrate that protein G IgG-binding domain III and ubiquitin, both exhibiting a parallel strand arrangement similar to that in I27 but otherwise having a distinctly different fold and not involved in an obvious load-bearing function, exhibit high resistance to mechanical unfolding. Using molecular dynamics simulations, we compute the potential of mean force as a function of the distance between the domains' C- and N-termini and use transition state theory to calculate the force-dependent rates of unfolding. We further predict the outcome of a hypothetical single-molecule AFM pulling experiment, in which one o...
ESR identification of a new N2− defect in X-ray irradiated NaN3☆

A relatively weak ESR spectrum is observed in single crystals of NaN3 after X-ray irradiation at 77 K. This spectrum, which has an anisotropic g value and exhibits a resolved 5-line hyperfine structure with components in the ratio 1:2:3:2:1, corresponds to a single unpaired electron interacting symmetrically with two spin-one nuclei, in three inequivalent sites. The spin-Hamiltonian parameters are: gx = 2.0054 ± 0.0005, gy = 2.0045 ± 0.0005, gz = 1.9688 ± 0.0005, |Ax| = 4.0 ± 0.2 G, |Ay| = 20.0 ± 0.2 G, and |Az| = 4.9 ± 0.2 G, c-axis, and y is perpendicular to the c-axis. This spectrum, which is clearly different from that of substitutional N2−reported by Gelerinter and Silsbee, is attributed to interstitial N2−.
Affinity Chromatographic Separations of Chemically Modified α-Chymotrypsins from α-Chymotrypsin

Abstract Affinity chromatographic conditions have been developed that allow the separation of chemically modified α-chymotrypsins with reduced esterase activities compared to native α-chymotrypsin. This technique should be useful in purifying modified proteins having altered affinities for an affinity absorbent.
Fast image/video retrieval on compressed image and video databases

Modern communication, networking, and multimedia technologies make it possible to distribution image and video electronically. More and more digital images and videos are available to the average users. Consequently, more and more users start to access digital image and video by means of new ways, such as through the Internet. Meanwhile, businesses also start seeking new technologies to enable new services that can accommodate the new trend. Techniques that facilitate easy and quick browsing, retrieval, manipulation, and secure access, transaction and purchasing of multimedia content through new communication channels are thus needed in order to provide new services. In this paper we propose a fast image/video retrieval methodology for easy and quick browsing and searching large image and video databases. Retrieval is done directly on the compressed images and videos, which enables real time performance.
Price Volatility and the Efficient Energy Portfolio for the United States

The current energy portfolio of the United States is exposed to significant risk, which depends on the price volatility of the energy sources. This paper focuses on the composition of energy portfolios for the energy sector of the United States and possible solutions to optimize this investment. The study utilizes the modern portfolio theory mean-variance approach, a risk-return analysis, to compose the efficient frontier of portfolios in which the risk is minimized for a given return. The performance of each energy portfolio, consisting of oil, coal, natural gas, nuclear energy, and renewable energy, is measured using the Sharpe Ratio and compared to the existing portfolio. Using future prices of fuels and accounting for external costs, the study provides further evidence that the current energy portfolio of the United States is not efficient. In addition, the study shows how including the cost of pollution, measured by the intensity of carbon emissions, changes the energy source allocation within the portfolio by including less carbon-intensive substances. The study implies that further diversification of the energy sector by including investment in hydroelectric energy generation technologies may decrease our dependence on more volatile sources of energy and consequently reduce the possibility of energy supply interruption from commodity price volatility. This proposes that the government focus on implementing a strategy to facilitate the introduction of renewable energy into our energy portfolio. The shift away from an infrastructure heavily dependent on fossil fuels towards one with more investment in renewable energy can be achieved by granting subsidies for renewable energy technologies and by implementing appropriate emissions prices to account for external energy generation costs.
Pallasite meteorites—mineralogy, petrology and geochemistry

Pallasites are highly differentiated meteorites and provide a unique sample from the deep interiors of solar system parent bodies. They contain evidence of the former existence of one or more residual melts. Olivine is a major phase. Its primary shape is rounded; the angular crystals in many pallasites are secondary. Tubular inclusions are widespread. They perhaps are the residence of CO2, released during laboratory heating experiments. Phosphoran olivine, a new variety of olivine containing 4–5 wt% P2O5, occurs in a few pallasites. Its Fe/Mg ratio is apparently independent of the host olivine composition. Pyroxene (not previously described from pallasites) occurs in symplectic intergrowths in seven meteorites. Compositionally, it lies in the gap between pyroxenes in chondrites and most irons. There are two groups: Fs11.6 ± 0.2 and Fs16.7 ± 0.2 The pyroxene contains exceptionally low Ca (< 0.1–0.2 wt%) and there is an indication of an inverse relation between Fe and Ca. Modal analyses and density measurements were made on all available specimens and bulk compositions were calculated. The ‘average’ pallasite contains 65 vol. % olivine and 50.5 wt % total Fe. Many of the densities of pallasites cluster around that calculated for close-packed olivine. Pallasites are exotic cumulates. Their textures resemble terrestrial cumulates, as does the presence of olivine and chromite. The metal texture resembles a solidified intercumulus liquid. Those pallasites containing olivine in excess of close-packing were subjected to adcumulus growth, thereby also explaining the widespread mutual borders. There is abundant evidence of deformation. For olivines this includes their fragmental shape and kink banding. Troilite formed a eutectic-like melt with kamacite: pieces of spalled olivine and schreibersite were injected into and captured by this melt. Troilite polycrystallinity resulted from the deformation. This deformation occurred while the pallasites were still deeply buried, resulting in incipient spheroidization of olivine fragments, including the formation of elongate, rounded crystals. A later, lower temperature deformation disrupted plessite. Pallasites formed in multiple parent bodies by processes that recurred in several places within the solar system, as shown by the mineralogical and textural similarities between pallasites that differ in their isotopic and trace element compositions. Type IIIB irons still seem the most likely associated meteorites. Two new pallasites, Dora and Rawlinna, are described briefly.
Comparing methods for estimating larval sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) density in the St. Marys River for the purposes of control

Abstract The St. Marys River is a major producer of parasitic sea lampreys ( Petromyzon marinus ) to Lake Huron making it an important area for larval control. Bayluscide treatments are conducted in areas of high larval density requiring density estimation at fine spatial scales to inform treatment decisions. We evaluated six methods of estimating spatially specific density including the currently used sampling-based estimates, a generalized linear model (GLM) based on mean larval density per plot, a GLM based on larval density per sample, a generalized additive model based on mean larval density per plot, a spatial age-structured population model, and a hybrid approach, which averaged the best performing sampling- and model-based methods. Methods were evaluated based on accuracy in matching independent validation data. Specifically, the methods were evaluated based on their ability to project plot-level larval density, identify high density plots for treatment, and rank plots in order based on density resulting in high numbers of sea lampreys killed per hectare treated. Performance was variable, and no single method outperformed the others for all metrics. Although the sampling-based estimation method and the GLM based on catch data performed adequately for estimating density and identifying high density plots, the hybrid approach was identified as the best method to inform sea lamprey control decisions in the St. Marys River due to its consistent performance. Incorporating model-based approaches should lead to a more efficient and effective treatment program in the St. Marys River and aid in making decisions about the allocation of control resources.
Multiple-effect rotating evaporator

Abstract A multiple effect rotating evaporator has been developed and operated on several aqueous feed materials including sea water from the Pacific Ocean at La Jolla near San Diego. Performance on sea water has been extensively evaluated and found to depend on the operating parameters such as rotational speed, feed rate, number of plates, temperatures, etc. Up to 8000 gallons per day of fresh water have been produced from sea water using steam up to 250 F with a steam economy of about 16.5 lb product per lb steam when operating with 24 effects. Rotor drive energy consumption is in the range from 1 to 10 horsepower (1.6 to 16% of the energy supplied by the steam). Scale problems are solved by acid treatment and prevention of overevaporation. Corrosion is controlled by oxygen elimination. Economics appear favorable only if units are mass produced. Some mechanical design problems remain to be solved before commercial exploitation would be possible.
Condensed tannins of pea seeds

Summary Condensed tannins were present in pea testas which contained anthocyanin, but were very much reduced in amount in testas lacking anthocyanin and in cotyledons. Testa tannin was more highly polymerised than that from cotyledons.
Catching some Zs: The solar neutrino problem, neutral current interactions, and the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory

Abstract The Solar Neutrino Problem (SNP) rivals CP violation as one of the oldest problems in physics that lacks a compelling explanation. The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO)—a heavy-water Cherenkov detector—is the first solar neutrino experiment that has the ability to discriminate signals from different neutrino flavors. Since all three presently known flavors participate in Zo exchange, SNO is extremely sensitive to neutrino oscillations. A brief overview of the SNP is given, including a discussion of sterile neutrinos. The ability of SNO to discriminate between the various possible solutions to the SNP is also discussed. The SNO detector is described, including a description of the neutral-current detection methods, and the current status of the experiment is given.
Gamma activity modulated by naming of ambiguous and unambiguous images: intracranial recording.

Abstract Objective Humans sometimes need to recognize objects based on vague and ambiguous silhouettes. Recognition of such images may require an intuitive guess. We determined the spatial–temporal characteristics of intracranially-recorded gamma activity (at 50–120 Hz) augmented differentially by naming of ambiguous and unambiguous images. Methods We studied 10 patients who underwent epilepsy surgery. Ambiguous and unambiguous images were presented during extraoperative electrocorticography recording, and patients were instructed to overtly name the object as it is first perceived. Results Both naming tasks were commonly associated with gamma-augmentation sequentially involving the occipital and occipital-temporal regions, bilaterally, within 200 ms after the onset of image presentation. Naming of ambiguous images elicited gamma-augmentation specifically involving portions of the inferior-frontal, orbitofrontal, and inferior-parietal regions at 400 ms and after. Unambiguous images were associated with more intense gamma-augmentation in portions of the occipital and occipital-temporal regions. Conclusions Frontal–parietal gamma-augmentation specific to ambiguous images may reflect the additional cortical processing involved in exerting intuitive guess. Occipital gamma-augmentation enhanced during naming of unambiguous images can be explained by visual processing of stimuli with richer detail. Significance Our results support the theoretical model that guessing processes in visual domain occur following the accumulation of sensory evidence resulting from the bottom-up processing in the occipital-temporal visual pathways.
“Mad Agnes” Ebbsmith: Revolutionary Roles and Reconfigured Relationships in A. W. Pinero's the Notorious Mrs. Ebbsmith

In The Notorious Mrs. Ebbsmith, Arthur Pinero's use of the “fallen woman” plot is an unusual one, with implications for the 1890s “New Women's” agenda that have continuing relevance today. Linking gender issues to national, religious, and class issues, Pinero examines the limitations of advocacy rhetoric and personal exemplification in promoting social change, and he uses the often puzzling action of the play to explore the possibility of viable alternatives.
Stream-dwelling copepods: Their life history and ecological significance1

The stream-dwelling harpacticoid copepod Bryocamptus zschokkei was reared in the laboratory at 3.5”, lo”, 15”, 18”, and 20°C with naturally conditioned leaf disks as a food source. Egg and naupliar development rates were fastest at 18°C. A complete life table experiment was conducted at 18°C. Females were longer-lived than other copepods and produced eggs continuously until death. The intrinsic rate of natural increase (r) and the net reproductive rate (R,) were found to be lower than those of most copepods. Reproduction is probably continuous throughout the year in the stream, since animals reproduced in the laboratory at the extreme temperatures experienced by the natural population. Since most copepods reproduce seasonally, the annual intrinsic rate of increase of B. zschokkei may be comparable to those of other copepods.
Robotic surgery: the computer-enhanced control of surgical instruments

Robotic procedures are still in a developmental stage. Studies have shown that many operations can be performed safely with computer-enhanced telemanipulators, but distinct advantages of robotic procedures have not been established. Before third-party payors begin paying a premium for the use of a robot, costs will need to decrease or outcomes will need to be sufficiently better. Manufacturers of robotic surgery systems are marketing directly to consumers and promoting their systems to hospitals based on the number of patients that can be attracted by such programs. Only the acceptance of robotics into mainstream surgical practice, however, will prove it to be more than just a niche technology.
New specimens for mixed mode fracture investigations of geomaterials

Abstract New test specimens derivable from cores are proposed by the senior author. The specimen is semicircular in shape with an edge crack, subjected to three-point bending. For mode I fracture, the edge crack is cut perpendicular to the bottom edge. Kinematics of mode I specimen have been investigated. For mixed modes I and II, the edge crack is cut at an angle (other than 90°) with the bottom edge. The specimen can be prepared from typical rock, concrete, or other cores with very little machining. It is especially adaptable to small, compact specimens requiring duplicate samples. The effect of crack length on the normalized stress intensity factor for the proposed geometry is investigated by finite elements. The fracture load is obtained by compressing the specimen to failure. As an example, the mode I fracture toughness is determined for oil shales (transversely isotropic materials) using compliance, energy and other methods. It is observed that data derived from the proposed specimen compare favorably with published data using conventional specimens, and that the independent methods in obtaining stress intensity factors and fracture toughness agree well with each other. Size effects are also investigated.
Nine demographic factors and their relationship to attitudes toward abortion legalization.

PIP: The 1967 Gallup Poll on attitudes toward abortion legislation taken for the Population Council was studied by multivariate analysis of 9 demographic factors: age, family income, occupation of household head, race, section of the country, sex, city size, education and religion. The poll was taken in two waves that totaled 6,065 cases (after weighting for a representative sample and elimination of "don't know" and "no answer" responses). The question asked for approval or disapproval of the legalization of abortion for the four "hard" reasons: mother's health, rape, incest, or expected child deformity. The analysis revealed that age, family income, occupation of household head, race, section of the country, and sex did not in themselves have an effect on attitudes towards abortion legalization, though they sometimes were an influence in combination with other variables. Significant statistical correlations were found between approval of abortion legalization and increasing city size and higher educational level. Abortion approval also increases along a religious scale from Jewish-Protestant-Catholic. The most significant theoretical conclusion of the study was that 6 of the 9 factors were not influential on abortion attitudes and the remaining 3 did not have strong predictive-explanatory power as expected. Re-examination of the causes of abortion attitudes is needed.
Diffusion mechanism of hydrocarbons in zeolites—II. Analysis of experimental observations

Abstract The influence of the properties of molecule-zeolite systems on the diffusional and equilibrium behavior is experimentally investigated. Sixteen hydrocarbons, including paraffins, two aromatics and a naphthene, were studied in ZSM-5. The activation energy for diffusion is mainly responsible for the different diffusivities of various compounds. The diffusion coefficients of benzene, toluene, and 2-methylbutane in ZSM-5 are insensitive to the concentration up to about four molecules/unit cell, and the isotherms within this concentration range are of the Langmuir type. At higher concentrations, the diffusivities show strong concentration-dependent trends, and the Langmuir adsorption parameter sharply decreases. The predictions of the mechanistic models proposed in Part I agree, in general, with the experimental results of the diffusion measurements here, both with regard to the order of magnitude and the concentration dependence. Good agreement is also found for 5A between the theoretical predictions and literature data on the diffusion and equilibrium behavior.
Aziridinyl ketones. XVIII. The rearrangement‐dehydrogenation of cis‐1‐cyclohexyl‐2‐phenyl‐3‐aroylaziridines

The sequential nature of the unique rearrangement-dehydrogenation of cis-1-alkyl-2-aryl-3-aroylaziridines (1a-d) into 2-alkylamino-3-arylindenones (2a-d) when treated with a lithium amide has been established. Furthermore, a competitive degradation pathway has been discovered which leads to ω-aminoacetophenones and benzaldehyde, thereby accounting for the major product of this reaction. trans-1-Alkyl-2-aryl-3-aroylaziridines do not react with the lithium amides employed in these studies. Although 1-cyclohexyl-2-methyl-3-benzoylaziridine reacts with lithium amide to produce a 3-carbanion, neither a rearrangement-dehydrogenation to a 2-aminoindenone nor a more extensive degradation involving carbon-carbon bond cleavage is observed. Mechanistic pathways for these base catalyzed reactions are discussed.
Treatment with histone deacetylase inhibitor attenuates MAP kinase mediated liver injury in a lethal model of septic shock.

Background. Despite global efforts to improve the treatment of sepsis, it remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in intensive care units. We have previously shown that suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA), a histone deacetylase inhibitor, markedly improves survival in a murine model of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced shock. SAHA has anti-inflammatory properties that have not been fully characterized. The liver plays an important role in the production of acute phase reactants involved in the inflammatory cascade and is also one of the major organs that can become dysfunctional in septic shock. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of SAHA treatment on MAP kinases and associated inflammatory markers in murine liver after LPS-induced injury. Methods. C57B1/6J mice were randomly divided into three groups: (A) experimental-given intraperitoneal (i.p.) SAHA (50 mg/kg) in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) vehicle solution (n = 12); (B) control- given vehicle only (n = 12), and; (C) sham-given no treatment (n = 7). Two hours later, experimental and control mice were injected with LPS (20 mg/kg, i.p.) and experimental mice received a second dose of SAHA. Livers were harvested at 3, 24, and 48 h for analysis of inflammatory markers using Western Blot, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), and Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) techniques. Results. After 3 h, the livers of animals treated with SAHA showed significantly (P < 0.05) decreased expression of the pro-inflammatory MAP kinases phosphorylated p38, phosphorylated ERK, myeloperoxidase and interleukin-6, and increased levels of the anti-inflammatory interleukin-10 compared with controls. Phospho-p38 expression remained low in the SAHA treated groups at 24 and 48 h. Conclusion. Administration of SAHA is associated with attenuation of MAPK activation and alteration of inflammatory and anti-inflammatory markers in murine liver after a lethal LPS insult. The suppression of MAPK activity is rapid (within 3 h), and is sustained for up to 48 h post-treatment. These results may in part account for the improvement in survival shown in this model.
The first example of an ansa-bis(cyclopentadienyl)aluminum compound. X-ray crystallographic characterization of [Me4C2(C5H4)2Al-μ-Cl]2 and its monomeric THF and t-BuNC adducts. NMR spectroscopic characterization of the structures and fluxional behavior of these compounds in solution

Abstract The ansa-aluminocene compound [Me4C2(C5H4)2Al-μ-Cl]2 (2) was prepared by reacting [Me4C2(η5-C5H4)2Mg] with AlCl3. Addition of THF and t-butyl isocyanide to 2 produced the corresponding monomeric Lewis base adducts [Me4C2(η5-C5H4)2Al(L)] (L = THF (3), t-BuNC (4)). X-ray crystal structure determinations revealed (η1,η5), (η1,η3), and (η1,η1) combinations of cyclopentadienyl ring hapticities for 2, 3, and 4, respectively. The solution structures and fluxional behavior of the compounds were characterized using a battery of dynamic and 2-D NMR techniques. Line shape analysis of variable temperature 1H and 13C{1H} NMR spectra of 2 in toluene-d8 yielded an activation barrier (Ea) of 8 kcal mol−1 for the dynamic averaging of proton and carbon environments of the bridged dicyclopentadienyl ligand framework. Circumambulatory migration of aluminum about its cyclopentadienyl rings could be ruled out as the source of this averaging. The cyclopentadienyl ring coordination modes that were identified in the solution spectra of 2 and 4 at slow exchange (η1,η1 and η2,η3, respectively) are considerably different from the ones found in the crystal structures of the compounds. Besides rearrangements in the bonding between aluminum and its cyclopentadienyl rings, there is another dynamic process, possibly inversion at aluminum, that leads to additional signal averaging in the 1H and 13C{1H} NMR spectra of compound 4.
Oral drug self-administration in the home cage of mice: alcohol-heightened aggression and inhibition by the 5-HT1B agonist anpirtoline

Rationale: In order to model heightened aggression after alcohol consumption and to study the inhibitory influence of 5-HT1B receptors on drinking and fighting, an experimental procedure should enable self-administration of precise amounts of alcohol in a limited period of time before an aggressive confrontation. Objectives: To design a new device that can reinforce operant responding by the delivery of sweet alcohol in the resident mouse home cage, where aggressive behavior toward an intruder can subsequently be examined, and to demonstrate inhibition of alcohol-heightened aggression by 5-HT1B receptor agonist treatment. Methods: Within one experimental session, all singly housed CFW male mice (n=26) performed a nose-poke response that was reinforced by 0.05 ml sucrose. Using the sucrose fading technique, eventually the mice consumed a 6% ethanol/4% sucrose solution after each fifth nose poke during daily 15-min experimental sessions. The number of ethanol reinforcements was adjusted so that 0.6, 1.0, 1.7, and 3.0-g/kg doses were consumed in 15 min or less. Assays confirmed blood alcohol levels at 68.1 mg/dl for intake of 1.0 g/kg. After consuming a specific dose of ethanol in the form of a fixed number of response-dependent deliveries, the response panel was removed from the home cage and, 15 min later, the resident confronted a male intruder. Anpirtoline was administered either before alcohol self-administration or before the aggressive confrontation. Results: After being reinforced with 1.0 g/kg or 1.7 g/kg sweet ethanol, the mice significantly increased attack and threat behavior relative to their aggressive behavior following sucrose or water consumption only. Treatment with the 5-HT1B receptor agonist anpirtoline (0.125, 0.25, 0.5 mg/kg, i.p.) before the confrontation decreased alcohol-heightened aggression and species-typical aggression in the absence of changes in other elements of the behavioral repertoire. Anpirtoline affected ethanol-reinforced behavior only at doses that were 5–10 times higher than those producing anti-aggressive effects. Conclusions: Self-administration of alcohol in the home cage of mice is readily accomplished with the aid of a simple, removable panel. The effective inhibition of high levels of aggressive behavior due to alcohol consumption after anpirtoline treatment confirm the 5-HT1B receptor as a critical site in the termination of aggression.
Antecedents and Consequences of Perceived Importance of Ethics in Marketing Situations: A Study of Thai Businesspeople

Building on an existing framework concerning ethical intention, this research explores how Thai business people perceive the importance of ethics in various scenarios. This study investigates the relative influences of personal characteristics and the organizational environment underlying the Thai business people’s ethical perception. Corporate ethical values and idealism are shown to positively influence a Thai manager’s perceptions about the importance of ethics. While their ability to perceive the existence of an ethical problem is negatively influenced by relativism, it is positively impacted by their existing perceptions about the importance of ethics. Results also suggest positive relationships between perceived importance of ethics and perceived ethical problems with ethical intention. These results extend research in understanding the relationship between the antecedents and consequences of perceived importance of ethics within an economically growing non-Western culture.
Modeling of Thermoacoustic Resonators With Nonuniform Medium and Boundary Conditions

The subject of this paper is modeling of low-amplitude acoustic fields in enclosures with nonuniform medium and boundary conditions. An efficient calculation method is developed for this class of problems. Boundary conditions, accounting for the boundary-layer losses and movable walls, are applied near solid surfaces. The lossless acoustic wave equation for a nonuniform medium is solved in the bulk of the resonator by a finite-difference method. One application of this model is for designing small thermoacoustic engines. Thermoacoustic processes in the regular-geometry porous medium inserted in resonators can be modeled analytically. A calculation example is presented for a small-scale thermoacoustic engine coupled with an oscillator on a flexing wall of the resonator. The oscillator can be used for extracting mechanical power from the engine. A nonuniform wall deflection may result in a complicated acoustic field in the resonator. This leads to across-the-stack variations of the generated acoustic power and local efficiency of thermoacoustic energy conversion.
Alternative transcript of the chick α2(I) collagen gene is transiently expressed during endochondral bone formation and during development of the central nervous system

Endochondral bone formation is characterized by several transitions in the pattern of collagen gene expression, the best characterized of which occurs during chondrogenesis. Prechondrogenic mesenchymal cells synthesize predominantly type I collagen; during chondrogenesis, type I collagen synthesis ceases and production of cartilage-characteristic collagens is initiated. We previously identified the molecular mechanism that mediates cessation of alpha 2(I) collagen synthesis in chondrocytes (Bennett and Adams [1990] J. Biol. Chem. 265:2223-2230). This mechanism involves a change in the transcription initiation site, resulting in an alternative transcript that cannot encode alpha 2(I) collagen. In this report we demonstrate that the alternative transcript appears only transiently in cartilage. Its initial appearance is coincident with the onset of high levels of type II collagen synthesis in differentiated chondrocytes. However, it disappears in hypertrophic cartilage, and production of the authentic alpha 2(I) collagen mRNA is reinitiated, contributing to synthesis of a high level of type I collagen in hypertrophic chondrocytes at the chondro-osseous junction. We also show that the alternative transcript is not restricted to cartilage during embryonic development, since it initially appears in presomite embryos, well before the appearance of cartilage. At early stages of embryo-genesis the alternative transcript is restricted to tissues derived from neuroectoderm; its appearance in those tissues is also transient. These data suggest that production of the alternative transcript of the alpha 2(I) collagen gene may be required for cessation of alpha 2(I) collagen synthesis during chondrogenesis, but the alternative transcript may be involved in other important developmental programs as well.
Prismatic Grid Generation for Three-Dimensional Complex Geometries

The paper describes generation of semiunstructu red prismatic grids for three-dimensional complex geometries. A new method of generation is presented, which couples both algebraic and elliptic steps. This combination yields low computation cost, as well as smoothness of the grid. Main advantages of the developed grid generator are its direct control of grid orthogonality and spacing, as well as its generality for treatment of three-dimensional geometries. The method marches a surface consisting of triangular faces away from the body surface. Employment of prismatic elements is a relatively new approach toward three-dimensional, complex geometry numerical simulations of viscous flows. A body surface is covered with triangles, which gives the geometric flexibility, whereas the structure of the mesh in the direction normal to the surface provides better resolution of the viscous regions. An F-16A aircraft geometry was included in the applications to investigate efficiency and to demonstrate robustness of the method in handling relatively complex topologies. Grid generation time for the entire aircraft domain was of the order of minutes on a workstation.
Opportunistic Sampling by Level-Crossing

Level-crossing A/D converters (LCA/D) have been considered in the literature and have been shown to efficiently sample certain classes of signals. In this paper we provide a stable algorithm to perfectly reconstruct signals of finite rate of innovation using level-crossing samples. Furthermore, we also apply level-crossing sampling to detection of event-arrival signals.
A numerical investigation of the interplay between fireline length, geometry, and rate of spread

The current study focuses on coupled dynamics and resultant geometry of fireline segments of various ignition lengths. As an example, for ignition lines of length scales typical for field experiments, fireline curvature is the result of a competition between the head fire and the flanks of the fire. A number of physical features (i.e. buoyancy and wind field divergence for example) arise in and around an incipient fire that defines the shape and spreading pattern of the flame zone. These features are explored using a numerical atmospheric dynamics model HIGRAD, and wildfire combustion physics model FIRETEC. HIGRAD/FIRETEC was designed to investigate wildfires and their interactions with the environment. In this study, the model was used to simulate grass fires that were initiated with a finite length, straight ignition line in homogeneous fuels. The dynamic evolutions of these firelines were analyzed to understand the individual events that evolve a wildfire. By understanding each individual process and how it interacts with other processes, information can be extracted to develop a theory about the mechanisms that combine to produce the observed wildfire behavior. In the current study, the flow field in the region of the simulated fires developed structures consistent with multiple buoyancy-induced vortex pairs. The series of stream-wise vortex pairs produce a regular alternating pattern of up-wash and down-wash zones, which allow air to penetrate the flame zone through troughs created in downwash regions. Consequently, this periodicity in the flow field within the fire resulted in a pattern of residual combustion where prolonged burning occurred in the up-wash zones separated by near-complete fuel depletion in the downwash zones. Some explanation is provided for why increased ignition line length leads to increased rate of spread (ROS) with some asymptotic limit.
Cell adhesion and cell signaling at gastrulation in the sea urchin

Abstract The sea urchin embryo follows a relatively simple cell behavioral sequence in its gastrulation movements. The embryo reaches the gastrula stage as a spherical monolayer of cells. To form the mesoderm, primary mesenchyme cells ingress by delaminating from the vegetal plate, crossing the basal lamina and moving into the central blastocoelar cavity. These cells then migrate along the basal lamina lining the blastocoel and eventually manufacture the skeleton. The presumptive secondary mesenchyme and endoderm invaginate as a tubular sheet of cells from the vegetal pole of the embryo. The archenteron extends across the blastocoel until its tip touches and attaches to the opposite side of the blastocoel. Secondary mesenchyme cells, originally at the tip of the archenteron, differentiate to form a variety of structures including coelomic pouches, esophageal muscles, pigment cells, and other cell types. The endoderm fuses with an invagination of the ventral ectoderm (the stomodaem), to form the mouth and complete the process of gastrulation. A number of experiments have established that these simple morphogenetic movements are accompanied by a number of cell adhesion changes plus a series of cell-cell interactions that provide spatial, temporal, and scalar information to cells of the mesoderm and endoderm. The requirement for cell signaling has been demonstrated by manipulative experiments where it has been shown that axial, temporal, spatial, and scalar information is obtained by mesoderm and endoderm from other embryonic cells. That information governs pattern formation and subsequent adhesive changes. This review describes the adhesion changes and the signaling that characterizes this early morphogenesis.
Are balance and quality of life impaired in children who are obese

Children who are obese have impaired physical fitness. Balance and coordination are key parameters of fitness and when impaired can lead to falls and musculoskeletal injury. The aim was to investigate whether children who are obese have impaired balance and to explore whether balance impairment is associated with quality of life. Children were recruited from an obesity clinic and were classified as Class 1 (C1) obese (BMI SDS 2.0–2.49) or Class 2 (C2) obese (BMI SDS > 2.5). Balance was measured using the BOT-II. Based on age-adjusted norms, children were classified as having a balance impairment. Quality of life was assessed using the PedsQL. A general linear model compared the differences in balance between C1 and C2 with correction for age, gender and musculokeletal injury. A t-test compared quality of life between children with and without balance impairment. Eighty-seven children (11.15 ± 2.7 years) who were obese (mean BMI SDS = 2.36 ± 0.32; C1: n = 57) were recruited. Mean balance was 26.52 ± 5.2 out of a maximum of 37. 71.26% Of children had impaired balance (C1 70.18% C1; C2 73.33%). C2 obese children had lower balance scores compared to C1 obese children (F = 5.27; p = 0.02). Mean quality of life was 59.0% ± 19.8% (C1 60.7% ± 19.1; C2 57.44 ± 19.8) and children with balance impairment had lower quality of life (56.43 ± 18.35 versus 66.88 ± 20.68, p = 0.04). Results of our study indicate that balance was impaired in children who were obese and that children with such impairment had a lower quality of life. Results highlight the importance of conducting a physiotherapy assessment in children who are obese.
A protocol for adaptive transmission in direct-sequence spread-spectrum packet radio networks

Wireless communication channels may change greatly from one transmission to the next, due to variations in propagation loss and interference. The use of fixed transmission parameters for such channels results in wasted energy when channel conditions are good. Adaptation of the power, code rate, and symbol rate reduces energy consumption and interference caused to other systems. Such adaptation requires information about the characteristics of the channel, which is more difficult to obtain in a packet radio network (PRN) or other mobile ad hoc network than in a typical cellular communication system. We develop methods for providing partial information about the channel state from three statistics that are derived by different subsystems in the receiving terminals of a direct-sequence spread-spectrum PRN. We present and evaluate a protocol that uses this information to adapt the transmission parameters in response to changes in interference and propagation conditions in the network. The performance of the new adaptive-transmission protocol is compared with a system with fixed transmission parameters and with an adaptive protocol that is furnished with perfect knowledge of the channel state at the completion of each transmission.
Skin exposure to aliphatic polyisocyanates in the auto body repair and refinishing industry: II. A quantitative assessment.

Objectives: Although respiratory exposures have been the primary concern with isocyanates, skin exposure also can occur and may contribute to sensitization and asthma. Methodologies to assess isocyanate skin exposure in the workplace are limited and skin exposure data scarce. The goals of this study were (i) to evaluate and validate the isocyanate colorimetric indicators against a quantitative assay, (ii) to evaluate the extent of isocyanate surface contamination and skin exposure among auto body shop workers and (iii) to evaluate isocyanate skin exposure determinants. Methods: The colorimetric indicators were compared with a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) quantitative assay based on the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Method 5525 using paired laboratory sampling. The colorimetric indicators were then used to assess surface contamination and skin exposure to aliphatic isocyanates in 35 auto body shops and 124 workers as part of an epidemiologic study. The positive sample rate was calculated for various surfaces, body parts and tasks. The color intensity of the colorimetric indicators was rated on a scale 0 (yellow color) to 5 (deep red). Side-by-side comparisons of the qualitative method with the quantitative HPLC assay were also performed in the field using paired samples. Results: Laboratory and field evaluation validated use of the colorimetric indicators. The rate of positive surface samples for isocyanates was 46% (n 5 145/313). Thirty-four percent (73/216) of samples were positive for unprotected skin and 20% (n 5 22/111) for skin under latex gloves. The highest positive rate observed on skin samples was obtained after paint mixing and spraying tasks. The colorimetric indicators were highly specific for isocyanates, but false negatives occurred when compared with the more sensitive HPLC quantitative assay. The presence of surface contamination and the performance of paint-related tasks were the major determinants of isocyanate skin exposure. Conclusions: This study documents extensive surface contamination and skin exposure, including under gloves, to aliphatic polyisocyanates during painting and paint mixing tasks in auto body shop workers. Contaminated surfaces and aerosol deposition during spray painting may both contribute to skin exposure. The colorimetric indicator is a quick, practical and lowcost, but not highly sensitive, industrial hygiene tool to detect isocyanate surface contamination and skin exposures following the use of isocyanate-containing products.