cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Six-Decade Study of the Portrayal of African Americans in Business Print Media: Trailing, Mirroring, or Shaping Social Change?

Abstract By examining the portrayals of African Americans in business-to-business advertising over time, this paper offers a longitudinal insight into the question of whether advertising trails, mirrors, or leads social change. It examines one social change, the influx of blacks into managerial roles in business, and compares this to numerical and occupational depictions of blacks in widely read business magazines over the period from 1957 to 2005. Findings indicate that in some periods there were significant increases in the portrayals of African Americans, and by the late 1970's black portrayals had moved significantly away from underclass images to depictions more reflective of professional occupations. Implications are discussed and suggestions for future research are offered.
Combination Antifungal Therapy: Is it for everyone and every mycosis?

A few precepts • To be of value, a combination must be more effective, show reduced toxicity, or cost significantly less than each component. • Statistical significance should support biological significance, i.e. a 10% reduction of morbidity/mortality, even if significant statistically, may not be worth routinely raising the cost of treatment form $100/day to thousands of dollars/day. Alternatively, a marked reduction of mortality/morbidity (e.g. 50%) may be well worth additive costs. • A superior combination might not take hundreds of patients to demonstrate it. On the other hand, too many case series consist of very small numbers insufficiently powered to be conclusive, and (excepting cryptococcosis) almost all are historical series. Case series may prompt randomized controlled trials, but are rarely sufficient in themselves to change medical practice. Randomized controlled trials should be designed to answer the most critical questions, and should have criteria for entry and for outcome evaluation clearly defined in the protocol.
Community violence exposure in a young adult sample: II. Psychophysiology and aggressive behavior

Research has shown a relationship between community violence exposure and heightened aggression in young adults (Scarpa, in press). This study tests the role of psychophysiological functioning in mediating this relationship. Fifty-four university students (mean age = 20.25) were selected from a screening sample (N= 476) based upon high- and low-violence exposure. Salivary cortisol, heart rate (HR), and heart rate variability (HRV) were obtained before and after two stressor tasks. Aggression was reported before the tasks. Aggression was significantly correlated with reduced baseline HR, increased baseline HRV, and increased poststressor cortisol. However, exposed groups did not differ psychophysiologically, suggesting that psychophysiological functioning does not serve as a mediator. Instead, violence exposure and psychophysiological functioning have independenteffects on aggressive behavior. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Rhabdomyomatous mesenchymal hamartoma: an unusual dermal entity with a report of two cases and a review of the literature.

Background: Rhabdomyomatous mesenchymal hamartoma (RMH) is a rare congenital lesion of the dermis and soft tissues consisting of a disordered and varied collection of mature adipose tissue, skeletal muscle, adnexal elements and nerve bundles. This entity exists under various names including striated muscle hamartoma, congenital midline hamartoma, and hamartoma of cutaneous adnexa and mesenchyme. Several published cases report the occurrence of RMH within the setting of other uncommon congenital abnormalities. Methods: We report the clinical and pathologic features of two cases of rhabdomyomatous mesenchymal hamartoma. Patient 1 is a 71-year-old man who presented for removal of a nodule located on his temple that had been traumatized during a recent haircut. Patient 2 is a 4-month-old infant with amnion rupture sequence and rare craniofacial abnormalities including facial clefts, microphthalmia, bilateral colobomas, and a mobile fingerlike projection above the left medial canthus. Results: Histological examination in both cases showed a deep dermal and subcutaneous fat collection of disorganized skeletal muscle fibers, adipose and neural tissue, and adnexal structures. Characteristically, the skeletal muscle approximated folliculosebaceous structures in a haphazard manner. Conclusions: RMH is a rare benign condition of the deep dermis and subcutaneous fat with only 22 cases existing in the English literature. To our knowledge, this is the first report of an elderly man presenting with RMH, presumptively present since birth. There was no evidence of cellular or malignant degeneration. While the etiology of RMH is unknown, possible explanations include aberrancy in the embryonic migration of mesodermally derived tissues or a genetic defect predisposing to the formation of hamartomas.
Modeling Our Understanding, Understanding Our Models – The Case of Inheritance in FRBR

IFLA’s Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) presents a compelling and influential model of the “bibliographic universe.” However there are interesting variations between FRBR’s formal model and the narrative expositions of FRBR’s authors and explicators - that is, between the formal model and the framework as more broadly understood by the FRBR community. In this paper we argue that despite a widespread belief to the contrary, attribute inheritance down the “hierarchy” of Group 1 entities is inconsistent both with the formal model and with the general spirit of the project. We believe these observations reveal an ongoing uncertainty about the nature of bibliographic entities as well as difficulties in maintaining a clear and exact understanding of the models we are using to represent those entities - even when those models are our own creation.
50 Mbps optical homodyne communication receiver with a photorefractive optical beam combiner

Performance measurements are reported for a coherent homodyne optical communication receiver that contained an iron-doped indium phosphide photorefractive beam combiner, rather than a conventional optical beam splitter. The system attained a bit error probability of 10/sup -6/ at received signal powers corresponding to about 75 detected photons per bit. No precision beam alignment or mode-matching optics were required, and tracking of slow phase changes between signal and local-oscillator light was performed automatically by the dynamic nature of the photorefractively formed refractive-index grating. The system used phase-modulated Nd:YAG laser light at lambda =1.06 mu m. >
Exploring and testing the predictors of new faculty success: a mixed methods study

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to investigate and test the factors contributing to new faculty members' success. In the first phase, qualitative analysis of focus groups revealed four prominent themes affecting new faculty members: expectations, collegiality, balance, and location. In the second phase, new faculty members completed an online survey using scales developed from the qualitative themes. Factor analysis revealed five distinct factors (qualitative theme ‘balance’ split into professional and personal), each demonstrating construct validity, reliability, and significant intercorrelations. Female faculty reported less personal balance, self-reported health, and general life satisfaction. Also, faculty with more years of service had lower job satisfaction and perceived departmental support. Finally, multiple regressions revealed professional balance had the greatest predictive effect on faculty members' self-perception of success at work; alternatively, expectations, collegiality, and ...
Itinerant Patient with Hematologic Abnormalities

Excerpt To the editor: The patient with "Munchausen's syndrome" previously described in your journal (1, 2) in the August and November 1976 issues remains active. He was recently admitted to the Ma...
Altered translatability of messenger RNA from suspended anchorage-dependent fibroblasts: Reversal upon cell attachment to a surface

Abstract Anchorage-dependent cells, when forced into suspension culture, display a repertoire of dramatic, coordinated regulatory phenomena. Message production promptly decreases 5 fold but the cells maintain a constant amount of poly(A) + by means of a concomitant stabilization of mRNA against decay. Protein synthesis shuts down much later and the mRNA is stored in a nonfunctioning state. In this study, the inactive mRNA is extracted from suspended cells and shown to have aberrant translation properties. Well defined polypeptides are apparently no longer synthesized when this mRNA directs protein formation in either reticulocyte or wheat germ-derived heterologous translation systems. Rather, shortened peptides are formed by this mRNA and these become smaller as mRNA is used from cells suspended for longer periods of time. Very few focused spots are formed when the aberrant polypeptides are analyzed in two-dimensional electrophoresis. The sedimentation properties of suspended cell mRNA and the size of poly(A) are unchanged from control monolayer cells. Cross-hybridization of cDNA transcribed from a control cell message population with suspended cell mRNA shows that all sequences are present in normal concentrations. While most identifiable spots disappear from the two-dimensional gel electropherograms of the protein products produced by suspended cell mRNA, a few polypeptides are still synthesized in relatively normal amounts. Conserved polypeptides are found in products of both the reticulocyte and wheat germ systems, but they are different products in each case. The lesion in the suspended cell mRNA does not seem to be at the 5′ termini, since synthesis of the shortened peptides is fully sensitive to inhibition by pm 7 G. Cells that contain extensively modified message can resume protein synthesis when allowed to reattach to a solid substrate. There is an apparent remodification of mRNA to normal translatability within a few hours of cell reattachment, since mRNA from recovering cells quickly resumes directing relatively normal patterns of polypeptide synthesis in vitro. The restoration of normal message function occurs even when new message formation is blocked with actinomycin. Cells recovering after reattachment synthesize supranormal amounts of a few major proteins involved with cell structure, as shown in these studies by an increased amount of translatable sequences which encode these proteins. The most apparent enhanced message is that coding for actin. mRNA from recovering cells produces in vitro several times more actin relative to other proteins than does control cell mRNA. The enhancement of actin mRNA is not seen in the message population of cells that reattach in the presence of actinomycin. The results suggest a morphologically related induction of gene expression.
Applications of factor analysis to electron and ion beam surface techniques

Factor analysis, a mathematical technique for extracting chemical information from matrices of data, is used to enhance Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), core level electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), ion scattering spectroscopy (ISS), and secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) in studies of interfaces, thin films, and surfaces. Several examples of factor analysis enhancement of chemical bonding variations in thin films and at interfaces studied with AES and SIMS are presented. Factor analysis is also shown to be of great benefit in quantifying electron and ion beam doses required to induce surface damage. Finally, examples are presented of the use of factor analysis to reconstruct elemental profiles when peaks of interest overlap each other during the course of depth profile analysis.
Hypoxia-inducible Factor-1 Mediates Neuronal Expression of the Receptor for Advanced Glycation End Products following Hypoxia/Ischemia

Activation of the receptor for advanced glycation endproducts (RAGE) by its multiple ligands can trigger diverse signaling pathways with injurious or pro-survival consequences. In this study, we show that Rage mRNA and protein levels were stimulated in the mouse brain after experimental stroke and systemic hypoxia. In both cases, RAGE expression was primarily associated with neurons. Activation of RAGE-dependent pathway(s) post-ischemia appears to have a neuroprotective role because mice genetically deficient for RAGE exhibited increased infarct size 24 h after injury. Up-regulation of RAGE expression was also observed in primary neurons subjected to hypoxia or oxygen-glucose deprivation, an in vitro model of ischemia. Treatment of neurons with low concentrations of S100B decreased neuronal death after oxygen-glucose deprivation, and this effect was abolished by a neutralizing antibody against RAGE. Conversely, high concentrations of exogenous S100B had a cytotoxic effect that seems to be RAGE-independent. As an important novel finding, we demonstrate that hypoxic stimulation of RAGE expression is mediated by the transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor-1. This conclusion is supported by the finding that HIF-1α down-regulation by Cre-mediated excision drastically decreased RAGE induction by hypoxia or desferrioxamine. In addition, we showed that the mouse RAGE promoter region contains at least one functional HIF-1 binding site, located upstream of the proposed transcription start site. A luciferase reporter construct containing this RAGE promoter fragment was activated by hypoxia, and mutation at the potential HIF-1 binding site decreased hypoxia-dependent promoter activation. Specific binding of HIF-1 to this putative HRE in hypoxic cells was detected by chromatin immunoprecipitation assay.
Mesozoic deep-water and Tertiary volcaniclastic deposition of Maio, Cape Verde Islands: Discussion and reply

No Abstract Available. The article discussed appeared in the Bulletin , v. 95, p. 433–453.
Characteristics of regionally reflectionless potentials

This paper considers potentials that are reflectionless for a range of energies and not reflectionless elsewhere. The focus of this paper is to see if reflection coefficients of this type have characteristics that would make it possible to solve for the associated potentials using known methods. Using the Gelfand-Levitan equation it is shown that the spectral measure function has several limits that match well to known solved cases. Thus, it seems that pursuing cases of potentials of this type is reasonable.
Commensurate, incommensurate and rough surface phases in lipid multi-structures under applied shear

A phenomenological lattice model of a multilayered or cylindrical arrangement of lipid molecules (lyotropic liquid-crystal smectic or hexagonal phase) is proposed in order to understand the structural surface properties of concentrated lipid dispersions in the presence of shear flow. It is argued that the shear flow induces surface anisotropies that result in a possibly ‘reconstructed’ surface phase for supercritical flow velocities (or shear rates). A domain-wall analysis reveals the presence of an intriguing incommensurate phase that turns into a rough surface phase for high enough temperatures or flow velocities.
Percutaneous core-needle biopsy of enlarged lymph nodes in the diagnosis and subclassification of malignant lymphomas.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of percutaneous core-needle biopsy of enlarged lymph nodes in the diagnosis and subclassification of malignant lymphomas. In a 1-year period 158 image-guided percutaneous core-needle biopsies of enlarged lymph nodes were performed on 149 consecutive patients using a Tru-cut needle fired by a biopsy gun. In 135 cases the biopsy findings could be confirmed by histologic examination of additional tissue samples (n = 59) or by correlation with the patient's clinical and radiologic course (n = 76). The final diagnoses were malignant lymphoma in 65 cases, leukemic nodal infiltration in 2, nodal metastases from a solid tumor in 37 and benign changes or no evidence of malignancy in 31 cases. The core-needle biopsies correctly diagnosed 58 of 65 malignant lymphomas, corresponding to a sensitivity of 89 % and a specificity of 97 %. Fifty-five of the 58 (95 %) correctly diagnosed malignant lymphomas could be subclassified on the basis of the core-needle biopsy. Image-guided core-needle biopsy of enlarged lymph nodes with a Tru-cut needle is a useful method for the diagnosis and subclassification of malignant lymphomas.
“We're the young generation and we've got something to say”: A Gramscian analysis of entertainment television and the youth rebellion of the 1960s

Using Grama's theory of hegemony to examine a growing crisis of authority erupting within American culture, this paper focuses on three popular, youth‐based television programs of the 1960s—The Monkees, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, and The Mod Squad—and on how their themes of youthful disaffection, countercultural values, and political rebellion circulated and were made meaningful in the popular press. Although conflicts and struggles manifest themselves within other sectors of the social order, the field of popular culture is particularly valuable in showcasing breakdowns in consensus, the unmasking of coercive power, and the process of incorporating rebellious social formations back into a reconfigured hegemonic structure.
Direct pore-level modeling of incompressible fluid flow in porous media

We present a dynamic particle-based model for direct pore-level modeling of incompressible viscous fluid flow in disordered porous media. The model is capable of simulating flow directly in three-dimensional high-resolution micro-CT images of rock samples. It is based on moving particle semi-implicit (MPS) method. We modify this technique in order to improve its stability for flow in porous media problems. Using the micro-CT image of a rock sample, the entire medium, i.e., solid and fluid, is discretized into particles. The incompressible Navier-Stokes equations are then solved for each particle using the MPS summations. The model handles highly irregular fluid-solid boundaries effectively. An algorithm to split and merge fluid particles is also introduced. To handle the computational load, we present a parallel version of the model that runs on distributed memory computer clusters. The accuracy of the model is validated against the analytical, numerical, and experimental data available in the literature. The validated model is then used to simulate both unsteady- and steady-state flow of an incompressible fluid directly in a representative elementary volume (REV) size micro-CT image of a naturally-occurring sandstone with [email protected] resolution. We analyze the quality and consistency of the predicted flow behavior and calculate absolute permeability using the steady-state flow rate.
Production of fast highly excited atoms in proton collisions with atomic hydrogen and argon

The study of keV ${\mathrm{H}}^{+}\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{H}(1s)$ collisions has been extended to the production by electron transfer of highly excited states with principal quantum numbers between 13 and 28. A fast-proton beam was passed through thermally dissociated hydrogen gas, and the resultant fast excited atoms were observed using electric field ionization and proton-counting techniques. The incident proton energy range was from 7 to 60 keV. The observed cross section for production of such excited states possesses a broad maximum near 30 keV. The sum of cross sections over the observed principal quantum numbers is 0.00089 ${\mathrm{\AA{}}}^{2}$ at 7 keV, 0.0070 ${\mathrm{\AA{}}}^{2}$ at 30 keV, and drops again with energy to 0.0023 ${\mathrm{\AA{}}}^{2}$ at 60 keV. Possible error in our cross section scale is \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 30%. Thus the fraction of electron-transfer collisions producing these highly excited states varies from a maximum value of about 0.03% in the range 30-60 keV to the lower value of 0.01% at 7 keV, values not markedly different from those found for inert-gas target atoms; this is contrary to the predictions of the Brinkman-Kramers-Oppenheimer approximation. The data at 60 keV agree with recent calculations by Band using the coupled Born approximation. The present results for ${\mathrm{H}}^{+}$-Ar collisions and $13\ensuremath{\le}n\ensuremath{\le}28$ are in agreement with previous investigations for $9\ensuremath{\le}n\ensuremath{\le}15$, assuming that the Jackson-Schiff scaling rule is valid for this collision system.
STRUCTURAL VARIATIONS DURING MITOSIS IN THE CHICK EMBRYO

Selected tissues from chick embryos were fixed in 2% glutaraldehyde and 1% OsO4, both buffered at pH 7.6 with Veronal-acetate, and were embedded in Maraglas or Araldite. Two types of cell division have been noted. Generally, epithelial cells divide predominantly by a shortening of the chromosome-to-pole distance rather than by spindle elongation; mesenchymal cells undergo extensive spindle elongation. The presence of numerous continuous microtubules in cells that undergo extensive spindle elongation functionally implicates these tubules in the elongation process. In most embryonic epithelia, the cleavage furrow converges to a fixed site forming a mid-body near the anchoring desmosomes at the free surface; symmetrical furrow formation is typical of mesenchymal cells which lack desmosomes. The hypothesis of cleavage furrow formation and the fate of the mid-body that is formed during cytokinesis are discussed.
Limulus Gill Cleaning Behavior

1. The gill cleaning movements ofLimulus occur in definite periods (bouts). The sequence of movements in a bout, and the movements themselves, are highly stereotyped. 2. In a bout of gill cleaning the paired gill plates are adducted across the midline so that opposite gill plates can interact. The interaction consists of rhythmic flicking of the inner lobe of a gill plate between the book gill lamellae of the contralateral gill. 3. Each bout of cleaning lasts for approximately one minute and can be divided into four basic phases: pairing, crossing over, lateral cleaning, and medial cleaning (Fig. 2). 4. There are two distinct pairing arrangements of the gill plates during cleaning. During left leading (LL) cleaning all the gill plates are paired with an adjacent gill plate, except L1 and R5. During right leading (RL) cleaning, which is the mirror image of LL cleaning, all the gills are paired except for R1 and L5 (Fig. 3). 5. Cleaning bouts are further organized into long-term patterns which last for hours (Fig. 4). 6. There are four major muscle groups involved in gill cleaning. Muscles 48/115 adduct the gill plate across the midline; muscles 113/114 flick the inner lobe, and muscles 20 (remotor) and 22 (promotor) control the anterior-posterior position of the gill plate during cleaning. The patterns of activity of these muscles are reliably different during RL and LL cleaning (Fig. 5). 7. Each abdominal ganglion controls the movements of a pair of gill plates. During a bout of cleaning one member of the pair is being cleaned (subprogram A) and the other is not being cleaned (subprogram B). It is suggested that there are higher-order interganglionic neurons which control the expression of either the RL or LL patterns of cleaning. This is accomplished by dictating which gill plate of a pair uses subprogram A and which subprogram B, for all five ganglia. 8. It is concluded that a gill cleaning bout constitutes a moderately complex fixed action pattern, meeting the criteria of stereotypy within and between animals, intricacy of appendage movements, involvement of more than one effector system, and tendency to occur in its entirety in the absence of apparent stimuli (vacuum activity).
Word Recognition among Learners of Chinese as a Foreign Language: Investigating the Relationship between Naming and Knowing

For students whose first language (L1) employs an alphabetic writing system, learning to read Chinese is especially challenging due to the nonalphabetic nature of its orthography. Because Chinese characters represent the spoken language in a largely irregular and unsystematic manner, it is important to establish the extent to which beginning Chinese language learners rely upon their developing spoken language resources when identifying Chinese word meanings. To investigate this relationship between speech and meaning, a word recognition study was conducted whereby 20 beginning learners of Chinese as a Foreign Language (CFL) were required to pronounce and later identify in English 46 Chinese words. The correlational analysis indicated a significant relationship between being able to pronounce and being able to identify Chinese words. Implications for theory building and pedagogical application are discussed.
Van der Waals forces between heavy alkali atoms and gold surfaces: Comparison of measured and predicted values

The Van der Waals potentials between heavy alkali-metal atoms (Cs, Rb, K) and gold surfaces have been investigated by the atomic-beam-deflection technique. The result is consistent with a potential of the form $V(R)=\ensuremath{-}\frac{k}{{R}^{3}}$. The observed interaction constant $k$ is 7.0 \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 0.29 ${\mathrm{D}}^{2}$, 6.04 \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 0.30 ${\mathrm{D}}^{2}$, and 5.10 \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 0.62 ${\mathrm{D}}^{2}$ for Cs, Rb, and K, respectively. These values are smaller than the predictions based on all available theories. At best there is agreement within 60% for estimates based on the macroscopic continuum theory of Lifshitz. Other models disagree with measurements by factors of three (200% difference) or more.
The Pleasant Life, the Engaged Life, and the Meaningful Life: What About the Balanced Life?

Martin Seligman, in his very popular book Authentic Happiness (Seligman 2002), argued that authentic happiness is derived from three major sets of experiences in life, namely experiencing pleasantness regularly (the pleasant life), experiencing a high level of engagement in satisfying activities (the engaged life), and experiencing a sense of connectedness to a greater whole (the meaningful life). In this paper, we maintain that balance in life contributes significantly to subjective well-being. Balance contributes to subjective well-being because of the satisfaction limit that people can derive from a single life domain. People have to be involved in multiple domains to satisfy the full spectrum of human development needs. Different life domains tend to focus on different human developmental needs. More specifically, balance contributes to subjective well-being because subjective well-being can only be attained when both survival and growth needs are met. High levels of subjective well-being cannot be attained with satisfaction of basic needs or growth needs alone. Both needs have to be met to induce subjective well-being.
PET scanners dedicated to molecular imaging of small animal models.

Abstract The dramatic advances of biological research in recent years that have focused on the molecular basis of how systems of the body (e.g. cells, organs and the whole organism) function, have increased the need for molecular imaging instrumentation. Of the several imaging modalities available today applied for in vivo studies of research animals, positron emission tomography (PET) is a technique that permits non-invasive use of positron labeled molecular imaging probes to image and assay biochemical processes of cellular function in the living subject. Imaging can be performed repeatedly before and after interventions and therefore allows the use of each animal as its own control. Many different positron labeled compounds have been and continue to be synthesized as probes that target a range of molecular targets within specific biochemical pathways. These molecular imaging probes are used in extremely low mass amounts, such that biological processes involving compounds in nanomolar concentration or lower can be imaged without disturbing the process. Biological processes from receptors and synthesis of transmitters in cell communication pathways, to metabolic processes and gene expression can be imaged. In the past, PET in animal research has been used extensively for studies of primates and larger animals. In recent years, the development of new detector technology has lowered the limits of spatial resolution. This has made it possible to use PET scanning for the study of the most important modern molecular biology model, the laboratory mouse. This paper presents some of the challenges facing small animal PET technology, provides an overview of the development of small animal PET systems, and discusses the current state of the art technology, some of its applications, as well as some future directions. (Mol Imag Biol 2002;4:47–63)
1α,25-Dihydroxy-3-Epi-vitamin D3, a natural metabolite of 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, is a potent suppressor of parathyroid hormone secretion

1Alpha,25(OH)2D3 is an important negative regulator of parathyroid hormone (PTH) gene transcription. In parathyroid cells, as in other target tissues, 1alpha,25(OH)2D3 is degraded by side chain oxidation by the inducible 24-hydroxylase. We have previously shown that one metabolite of this pathway, 1alpha,23(S),25-(OH)3-24-oxo-D3, potently suppresses PTH synthesis and secretion in cultured bovine parathyroid cells (bPTC). Further examination of the metabolites of 1alpha,25(OH)2D3 in bPTC has revealed another compound that is less polar than 1alpha,25(OH)2D3. By HPLC analysis and mass spectrometry, this metabolite was identified as 1alpha,25(OH)2-3-epi-D3. The activity of this metabol ite on PTH gene transcription was assessed by the steady-state PTH secretion by bPTC after 72-h treatment with concentrations from 10(-11) M to 10(-7) M. 1Alpha,25(OH)2-3-epi-D3 was found to be only slightly, but not significantly, less active than the native 1alpha,25(OH)2D3 in suppressing PTH secretion despite having 30 times lower affinity for the bPTC VDR. Both 1alpha,25(OH)2D3 and 1alpha,25(OH)2-3-epi-D3 maximally suppressed PTH secretion by 50%. Along with 1alpha,25(OH)2-3-epi-D3, the activities of the other two A-ring diastereomers were assessed. 1beta,25(OH)2D3 suppressed PTH only at 10(-7) M with a decrease of only 30%, in good agreement with its low VDR affinity. Surprisingly, 1beta,25(OH)2-3-epi-D3 stimulated PTH secretion by 30-50% at concentrations from 10(-11) M to 10(-8)M and fell to control (untreated) rates at 10(-7) M. The mechanism for this increase in PTH secretion is under investigation. Metabolism studies performed in bPTC cells using high concentrations of 1alpha,25(OH)2D3 substrate showed that in some incubations, the concentration of 1alpha,25(OH)2-3-epi-D3 was even higher than that of the parent substrate 1alpha,25(OH)2D3. This finding indicates a slower rate of metabolism for this diastereomer. Thus, production and accumulation of 1alpha,25(OH)2-3-epi-D3, as a major stable metabolite of 1alpha,25(OH)2D3 in parathyroid glands, may contribute to the prolonged suppressive effect of 1alpha,25(OH)2D3 on PTH gene transcription.
Mannose in the holocellulose of Panicum coloratum

Abstract Mannose was observed in addition to other neutral sugars in the holocellulose of Panicum coloratum leaves. It was present in the hydrolyzates of extracted hemicelluloses and was particularly resistant to extraction from the α-cellulose fraction.
Analysis of photoenzymatic repair of UV lesions in DNA by single light flashes. VII. Photolysis of enzyme-substrate complexes in vitro.

Abstract The extent of complexing of the repairable ultraviolet lesions in Haemophilus influenzae transforming DNA with yeast photoreactivating enzyme in the dark can be determined by applying intense light flashes, which cause repair of essentially all lesions complexed. With full complexing of repairable lesions the kinetics of photoreactivation by steady illumination reflect only the photochemical reaction occurring in the enzyme-substrate complex. Complexes are heterogeneous with respect to their rates of photolysis, described by the first-order rate constant k 3 . At early stages of repair k 3 = k p I , where I is the light intensity and k p is the photolysis constant. The measured value of k p permits calculation of the product ϵΦ, where ϵ is the molar extinction coefficient for the complex, and Φ is the quantum yield for photolysis, giving an absolute action spectrum. In the region of most effective wavelengths (355–385 nm), ϵ > 10 4 liter·mole −1 ·cm −1 , and Φ > 0.1, with the possibility that Φ ∼ 1. k p is independent of temperature and ionic strength over a range producing large effects on the rate of complex formation, but does increase with pH over the range 6.7–7.4. For the slower repair of a minority of lesions the measured value of k p depends somewhat on intensity and continuity of illumination, suggesting some differences not yet understood. At the usual illumination intensities used for photoreactivation k 3 is greater than k 2 the rate constant for dark dissociation of complexes.
Efficient down-regulation of glia maturation factor expression in mouse brain and spinal cord.

Long-lasting siRNA-based down-regulation of gene of interest can be achieved by lentiviral-based expression vectors driving the production of short hairpin RNA (shRNA). We investigated an attractive therapeutic approach to target the expression of proinflammatory GMF by using lentiviral vector encoding GMF–specific shRNA to reduce GMF levels in the spinal cord and brain of mice. To determine the effect of GMF–shRNA on GMF protein levels, we performed quantitative ELISA analysis in brain and in thoracic, cervical and lumbar regions of spinal cord from mice followed by GMF–shRNA (G-shRNA) or control shRNA (C-shRNA) treatments. Our results show a marked reduction of GMF protein levels in brain and spinal cord of mice treated with GMF–shRNA compared to control shRNA treatment. Consistent with the GMF protein analysis, the immunohistochemical examination of the spinal cord sections of EAE mice treated with GMF–shRNA showed significantly reduced GMF-immunoreactivity. Thus, the down-regulation of GMF by GMF–shRNA was efficient and wide spread in CNS as evident by the significantly reduced levels of GMF protein in the brain and spinal cord of mice.
#40-S association of depression with increases of plasma fibrinogen concentrations in midlife women

PURPOSE: Plasma fibrinogen has emerged as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease in adults. We want to compare the fibrinogen levels in depressed women (CES-D > 16) vs. non-depressed women (CED-D ⩽ 16) using the baseline data from the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN). METHODS: The plasmatic levels of fibrinogen were measured in 3198 women, aged 42–52 years from SWAN study. Depression status was determined during the same visit using scores ⩾16 from the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D). RESULTS: The prevalence of depression (CES-D ⩾ 16) was 24.3% (778/3198). Plasma fibrinogen levels were significantly increased (304.1 ± 72.2 vs. 290.6, ± 66.8 mg/dl; p <. 05) in depressed women. These differences were not explained by measured other variables, including smoking, ethnicity, prevalent diseases, and the use of non-psychotropic medications. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that raised fibrinogen levels in midlife women would be associated with the presence of depression.
Exploring the Heliosphere in Three Dimensions a Keynote Presentation

The 28th ESLAB Symposium marks the beginning of the sprint of the Ulysses mission to the very high heliographic latitudes and the pole-to-pole passage. The more than twenty-year quest to understand the Sun and the heliosphere in three dimensions is about to be realized. It is perhaps worthwhile, as we are poised to begin this journey, to ask how history is likely to judge this mission, or equivalently: what questions need to be answered so that the judgment will be kind?
Fragile X Mental Retardation Protein and the Ribosome

In this issue of Molecular Cell, Chen et al. (2014) provide evidence that FMRP represses translation by binding the ribosome, suggesting a novel form of translational control.
Once upon a time, i bought a movie and it played everywhere in my home

As digital media replaces analog, consumers are beginning to discover that their devices no longer interoperate in the way they are accustomed to. For example, they may find it impossible to transfer a DVR-recorded show onto a portable media player from a different manufacturer. Content creators are weary of supporting myriad ecosystems, each with different rules, restrictions, DRM systems, and file formats. To address these issues, IBM has developed the Advanced Secure Content Cluster Technology (ASCCT), which provides the highest levels of DRM protections for content owners, while at the same time being completely invisible to the user, allowing them to freely move, play, and backup content from any and all ASCCT devices within their home network. We describe the plug-and-play automatic construction of an interoperable secure cluster of heterogeneous devices using a minimal message protocol.
Probing the structure and activity of trypsin with amidination

Trypsin reacts with S-methylisothiourea for 1 to 2 h and the number of primary amine sites at which covalent labeling occurs is determined by mass spectrometry. By digesting the amidinated trypsin and mass analyzing the proteolytic peptides the sites of reaction are determined. The addition of cytochrome c to a solution of amidinated trypsin enables the proteolytic activity and autolytic properties of the enzyme to be studied.
Application of Inverse Heat Conduction Problems in the Slab Solidification Process

The surface heat transfer coefficient is obtained by the calculation of water-flowing in the second cooling zone of continuous casting; the parameters of this formula are determined by the engineering experiment methods. This paper adopts a new method-numerical calculation method to obtain these parameters. Firstly, the paper uses the method of solving inverse heat conduction problems to calculate the surface heat flux and the surface heat transfer coefficient. Secondly, by using the least square method, the parameters in the formula between the surface heat transfer coefficient and water-flowing are identified. Finally, a plant steel data is used to do some simulation experiments. The results of this simulation prove this numerical method feasibility and effectiveness.
Activation of Mouse and Human Peroxisome Proliferator−Activated Receptor Alpha by Perfluoroalkyl Acids of Different Functional Groups and Chain Lengths

Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) are surfactants used in consumer products and persist in the environment. Some PFAAs elicit adverse effects on rodent development and survival. PFAAs can activate peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARalpha) and may act via PPARalpha to produce some of their effects. This study evaluated the ability of numerous PFAAs to induce mouse and human PPARalpha activity in a transiently transfected COS-1 cell assay. COS-1 cells were transfected with either a mouse or human PPARalpha receptor-luciferase reporter plasmid. After 24 h, cells were exposed to either negative controls (water or dimethyl sulfoxide, 0.1%); positive control (WY-14643, PPARalpha agonist); perfluorooctanoic acid or perfluorononanoic acid at 0.5-100 microM; perfluorobutanoic acid, perfluorohexanoic acid, perfluorohexane sulfonate, or perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA) at 5-100 microM; or perfluorobutane sulfonate or perfluorooctane sulfonate at 1-250 microM. After 24 h of exposure, luciferase activity from the plasmid was measured. Each PFAA activated both mouse and human PPARalpha in a concentration-dependent fashion, except PFDA with human PPARalpha. Activation of PPARalpha by PFAA carboxylates was positively correlated with carbon chain length, up to C9. PPARalpha activity was higher in response to carboxylates compared to sulfonates. Activation of mouse PPARalpha was generally higher compared to that of human PPARalpha. We conclude that, in general, (1) PFAAs of increasing carbon backbone chain lengths induce increasing activity of the mouse and human PPARalpha with a few exceptions, (2) PFAA carboxylates are stronger activators of mouse and human PPARalpha than PFAA sulfonates, and (3) in most cases, the mouse PPARalpha appears to be more sensitive to PFAAs than the human PPARalpha in this model.
Information needs of adults living with type 2 diabetes: when cookbooks are more than just recipes

Adults managing life with Type 2 diabetes may receive material about diabetes and management, or they may seek health information. They may also keep information items in the home for subsequent use. Currently, health technology is striving to push topically relevant information items, but successful technology would deliver unique, but relevant information. Thus, a holistic view of kept information items, item uses, and information needs are required. Research of information needs, seeking, and use (INSU) often views information needs as explicit statements, but latent information needs may also exist. Kept and used information items may serve to project these implicit information needs. This exploratory study aimed to identify both explicit and implicit information needs of adults living with Type 2 diabetes. Semi-structured interviews conducted in 21 participant's homes focused on kept and used items (n = 300). Resulting rich narratives provided insight of context, item acquisition, and item usage. The results indicate that the majority of items kept and used to manage life with diabetes are paper based and pertain to nutritional management. However, items and their abundance also projected information needs. These findings and their implications contribute to discussions of diabetes-related collections development and health information technology tools.
Phosphorylation of NUMA occurs during nuclear breakdown and not mitotic spindle assembly

NuMA, the nuclear mitotic apparatus protein, is a component of the nuclear matrix at interphase that redistributes to the spindle poles at mitosis. While the function of NuMA is not known, it has been implicated in spindle organization during mitosis and nuclear reformation. Phosphorylation is thought to play a regulatory role in NuMA function. In this study, NuMA phosphorylation was examined through the cell cycle using highly synchronized cells. In intact cells labeled with 32P-orthophosphate, NuMA appeared as a 250 kDa phosphoprotein in interphase that shifted to a higher apparent molecular mass in mitosis. The shift was due to phosphorylation as shown by reduction of the shifted band to interphase mobility by phosphatase treatment. This phosphorylation event occurred roughly at the G2/M transition at the time of NuMA9s release from the nucleus and its redistribution to the mitotic spindle. However, mitotic phosphorylation did not require spindle formation since the phosphorylated species was detected in nocodazole-treated cells lacking microtubule spindles. Dephosphorylation of NuMA occurred in two distinct steps, after lamin B assembled into the nuclear lamina, in early G1 and at the end of G1. Based on the timing of the phosphorylation and dephosphorylation observed in this study, we propose that they may play a role in nuclear events such as nuclear organization, transcription, or initiation of DNA replication at G1/S.
Changes in area of shallow siliciclastic marine habitat in response to sediment deposition: implications for onshore-offshore paleobiologic patterns

Models presented here of shallow-marine siliciclastic deposition show that the widths of depth-defined regions differ markedly in response to sea-level change. These models add to recent studies that have emphasized the highly specific response of habitat area to sea-level change. Collectively, these studies indicate that a particular bathymetric zone on a particular margin may vary substantially in area during a sea-level change, while other such zones and margins may experience little or even opposite responses. In the models presented here, intermediate-depth and deep-water regions tend to show sinusoidal variations in width, with widening during relative falls in sea level and narrowing during relative rises. The shallow-water region displays markedly non-sinusoidal change and is consistently characterized by abrupt widening at the beginning of the highstand systems tract and an equally abrupt narrowing at the onset of sea-level fall at the beginning of the falling-stage systems tract. These onshore-offshore differences in how width and area change with sea level may explain why taxa in shallow-water settings tend to be more abundant, eurytopic, and widespread than those in deeper-water settings. Likewise, these models suggest that the evolution of novelty in nearshore habitats may be a response to wide variation in shallow-marine area during sea-level change.
Decreased glucagon activity: A mechanism for genetic and acquired endogenous hyperlipaemia.

Abstract Glucagon has a potent pharmacological effect in reducing serum-triglyceride concentration in man and animals. The activity of this hormone is reduced in various hyperlipaemic states apparently induced by diet, drug, or genetic abnormality. It is suggested that the loss of the normal hypolipaemic action of glucagon in conditions of decreased glucagon activity may be responsible for the development and/or maintenance of endogenous hyperlipaemia. This mechanism may be shared by many seemingly diverse pathological processes in which endogenous hyperlipaemia is recognised.
Neurokinin receptors modulate the neurochemical actions of cocaine.

The psychostimulant cocaine is an indirect agonist that increases synaptic dopamine (DA) by binding with high affinity to the DA transporter (DAT) and blocking the active transport of synaptic DA back into the terminal. The resulting increase in extracellular DA alters postsynaptic activity in the circuitry of the basal ganglia. This study examines the role of neurokinin receptors on cocaine-evoked DA overflow in the striatum. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 8) were treated with cocaine (10 mg/kg body weight i.p.) acutely or chronically. The pattern of DA release was assessed using in vivo microdialysis. In separate experiments two different neurokinin-1 (NK-1) receptor antagonists (D-Arg(1), D-Pro(2), D-Trp(7,9), Leu(11), or L-733,060) were perfused via the microdialysis probe for one hour in awake and freely moving animals that were subsequently injected i.p. with cocaine. Throughout the procedure, DA release was monitored at 1/2-hour intervals at a flow rate of 1 microl/min. In the groups of rats preperfused with NK-1 antagonists into the striatum, the cocaine-evoked release of DA was significantly reduced. This result suggests a significant role for the NK-1 receptor in the striatal response to acute and chronic cocaine administration.
ParaScale: exploiting parametric timing analysis for real-time schedulers and dynamic voltage scaling

Static timing analysis safely bounds worst-case execution times to determine if tasks can meet their deadlines in hard real-time systems. However, conventional timing analysis requires that the upper bound of loops be known statically, which limits its applicability. Parametric timing analysis methods remove this constraint by providing the WCET as a formula parameterized on loop bounds. This paper contributes a novel technique to allow parametric timing analysis to interact with dynamic real-time schedulers. By dynamically detecting actual loop bounds, a lower WCET bound can be calculated, on-the-fly, for the remaining execution of a task. We analyze the benefits from parametric analysis in terms of dynamically discovered slack in a schedule. We then assess the potential for dynamic power conservation by exploiting parametric loop bounds for ParaScale, our intra-task dynamic voltage scaling (DVS) approach. Our results demonstrate that the parametric approach to timing analysis provides 66%-80% additional savings in power consumption. We further show that using this approach combined with online intra-task DVS to exploit parametric execution times results in much lower power consumption. Hence, even in the absence of dynamic scheduling, significant savings in power can be obtained, e.g., in the case of cyclic executives