cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Novel, species-typical esters from preputial glands of sympatric voles,Microtus montanus andM. pennsylvanicus

Olfactory signals may facilitate species recognition between the sympatric voles,Microtus montanus andM. pennsylvanicus. In an effort to isolate and identify compounds that might contribute to such a chemical communication system, the preputial glands of those voles have been examined. Morphological examinations show both vole species possess preputial glands; however, the glands ofM. montanus are much larger than those ofM. pennsylvanicus. Gas Chromatographie analysis revealed that the preputial glands ofM. montanus contain a series of species-typical lipids that are not found inM. pennsylvanicus. Using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry, the species-typical lipids were identified as esters of branched, saturated, and unsaturated C5 and C4 alcohols and straight-chain C16, and “iso” branched C17 fatty acids. This is the first description of such esters from mammalian tissues. The results are discussed relative to the possibility that the species-typical esters act as species recognition cues for the sympatric voles.
Ovarian cyclicity and serum progesterone and luteinizing hormone in fine-wool ewes supplemented with alfalfa or pinto beans.

Effects of season and supplementation on the incidence and rate of ovulation and hormone profiles in multiparous, nonlactating ewes were investigated under range and drylot conditions during anestrus (February through August). Ninety ewes received one of six nutritional treatments: 1) range forage, 2) range forage plus 0.33 kg·hd−1·d−1 pinto beans, 3) 0.45 kg·hd−1·d−1 alfalfa pellets, 4) dry lot plus 1.33 kg·hd−1·d−1 prairie hay only, 5) pinto beans or 6) alfalfa pellets at rates used on the range and prairie hay. Supplemented ewes were heavier (P 0.40) by supplementation in range ewes. The ovulation rate tended to be highest in prairie hay plus pinto bean drylot ewes in February (P = 0.21) and in prairie hay plus alfalfa pellet and prairie hay plus pinto bean ewes in March (P = 0.13) compared with prairie hay ewes. Generally, seasonality of ovulation was not influenced by supplementation (P > 0.40). The incidence of ovulation approached zero for drylot ewes in April, May, June and July, while it was 43, 27, 35 and 21% for range ewes, in those same months. Supplementation did not affect serum progesterone during the estrous cycle. Luteinizing hormone (LH) concentrations were similar (P > 0.50) among drylot treatment groups before a 50-ug gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) challenge. Pinto bean supplementation enhanced serum LH response to GnRH (P < 0.10).
Defensive Distancing from Victims of Serious Illness: The Role of Delay

Defensive distancing from victims of serious illness was investigated by providing subjects with personality profiles of a target person who had either a serious life-threatening illness (stomach cancer) or a less serious health problem (sprained ankle). Either immediately after learning of the target person's illness or after a 3-min delay, subjects rated themselves on the same set of personality traits. A significant Illness x Delay interaction was found on a composite measure of distancing from the victim. Subjects distanced themselves from the cancer victim by rating their own personalities as discrepant from this person in the delay but not in the immediate condition. Immediate but not delay subjects indicated greater liking for the cancer victim than the sprained ankle victim. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
Effect of Interruption of the Visual Pathway on the Response to Geniculate Stimulation

Optic nerve section or destruction of the lateral geniculate nucleus increased the amplitude and elevated the recovery cycle of the cortical response to lateral geniculate radiation stimulation in cats. The lesions may have acted by eliminating tonic inhibitory or occlusive volleys originating in the retina, or both.
Airport surface gridlock analysis: A case study of Chicago O'Hare 2007

The evolution of Air Traffic Control (ATC) and Traffic Flow Management (TFM) over the last decade has resulted in improved coordination of departures and enroute trajectories to minimize airborne congestion and airborne holding. Since the system is a “closed-system,” the effect of these changes has been to shift airborne holding, to holding flights on the airport surface at the origin. This has placed increased emphasis on the coordination of gates, remote stands, airport parking, and surface trajectories. Previous research in this area has evaluated surface operations at specific airports through manual observation and/or surface track data, and through aggregate airport data and air traffic control logs. The purpose of this research is to develop a tool to systematically measure airport surface gridlock using publicly available data over extended periods of time (e.g. one year). The tool uses ASPM and AOTP data to count the number of aircraft on the surface but not at the gates (m i ). A measure of surface gridlock for a day is determined by identifying the number of flights on the surface (but not at the gates) for each 15-minute period in a 24 hour day. The maximum, mean, and median 15 minute flight count for a day is used to characterize the airport performance for a 24 hour period. A case study analysis of flight operations at Chicago O'Hare airport in 2007 identified the number of flights on the surface (but not at a gate) for each 15-minute period. ORD experienced an average in maximum 15-minute surface flight count of 97 flights with a standard deviation of 18 flights. Twenty-four days in the year experienced a maximum surface flight count in excess of 1.5 times the standard deviation (≈ 125 flights). Fifteen days in the year experienced a maximum surface flight count in excess of 2 times the standard deviation (≈ 134 flights). Eight days in the year experienced a maximum surface flight count in excess of 3 times the standard deviation (≈ 150 flights). The maximum surface flight count in excess of twice the standard deviation is concentrated in the summer convective season, and the winter snow season. Detailed analysis of the operations when the maximum surface flight count was in excess of three times the standard deviation identifies irregular operations with significant reductions in operations due to cancellations. However the coordination between arrivals, gates, and departures results in surface congestion. These results suggest that modernization initiatives that address normal operations are unlikely to affect these irregular operations.
Using physical distribution strategy for better channel management

Physical Distribution (PD) while given a great deal of attention in the marketing literature during the past decade, has not been examined explicitly in terms of how it interfaces with channel management. Yet an understanding of PD-channel management interfaces is necessary if the marketer is to play a role in shaping the firm's PD strategy so that it is more likely to foster channel member cooperation rather than conflict. PD interfaces with channel management in at least four areas: (1) defining channel member service standards, (2) making sure a proposed PD program meets these standards, (3) the selling of the program to the channel members, and (4) monitoring the program once instituted to determine if it contributes to fostering channel member cooperation. Regardless of how the manufacturer treats the PD function from the stand-point of his own internal organization structure, there is no escaping these PD-channel management interfaces. Consequently, the marketer who is concerned with the channels aspects of the manufacturer's overall marketing strategy has an important role to play in influencing the firm's PD strategy so that it helps to enhance channel member cooperation.
An Effective Assessment Model for Implementing Change and Improving Learning

Assessment at Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) involves asking the right questions and using data to determine what changes should be implemented to enhance student learning. Guided by a 5-stage design, CCBC's assessment program is faculty-driven, risk-free, and externally validated. Curricular and pedagogical changes have resulted in evidence-based learning improvements that benefit everyone.
Estimation of octanol-water partition coefficients from a molecular similarity parameter

Abstract For 1966 compounds for which experimental values of the octanol-water partition coefficient (as logK OW ) were known, the value of an intermolecular similarity parameter, S , was computed for all 3,863,190 possible pairs. The S parameter differs from those most often used to predict molecular properties in that S depends on the difference between whole structures rather than on the difference between two numbers derived from the structures individually. For each compound, the largest S values were used to estimate logKo OW , and the statistical quality of the results was compared with results for the same 1966 compounds obtained by fragment-constant methods.
Familial precocious puberty associated with isolated elevation of luteinizing hormone.

THE great majority of cases of central precocious puberty, with premature activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, are sporadic and idiopathic, with a female-to-male ratio of between 4:1 and 8:1.1 Familial central precocious puberty, however, is generally inherited as a male-limited autosomal dominant trait.2 In the 11 reported kindreds, transmission has usually been from affected male to affected male or through unaffected female subjects. There has been only one documented occurrence of central precocious puberty involving siblings of opposite sexes.3 We recently observed a unique familial abnormality in pubertal development, which resulted in isosexual precocious development in a boy and heterosexual . . .
Contaminant Estimates and Removal in Product Gas from Biomass Steam Gasification

Permanent gas species, tar compounds, sulfur compounds, and ammonia produced from a bench-scale (∼1 kg/h) fluidized-bed biomass gasifier were analyzed. Two commercial Ni-based catalysts and one commercial ZnO sorbent were evaluated under varied conditions by quantifying contaminants from the reactor inlet and outlet with specific sampling and analysis methods. The Ni catalysts targeted tar destruction and ammonia reduction, and the ZnO sorbent was selected for sulfur compound removal. Tar components were identified by gas chromatography−mass spectrometry (GC−MS) and quantified by GC−flame ionization detector (FID). A total of 13 compounds (≥C6) were identified in raw product gas, principally “lighter tar” species with an average concentration of 15.5 g m−3 (dry gas basis). For tar species that were not detected by GC, a gravimetric method was used to quantify the portion of “heavier tar” (5.3 g m−3 dry gas basis). These data are raw gas tar concentrations for the gasifier-operating conditions used for the...
Odorant receptors on axon termini in the brain.

In most sensory systems, peripheral neurons project axons to precise locations in the brain to create an internal representation of the external world. In mammals, individual olfactory sensory neurons express only one of ∼1000 odorant receptor genes, such that neurons are functionally distinct ([
Wind tunnel measurements of the preferential concentration of inertial droplets in homogeneous isotropic turbulence

We describe an experimental setup aimed at studying turbulent-induced droplet collisions in a laboratory setting. Our goal is to reproduce conditions relevant to warm-rain formation in clouds. In these conditions, the trajectories of small inertial droplets are strongly influenced by the background air turbulence, and collisions can potentially explain the droplet growth rates and spectrum broadening observed in this type of clouds. Warm-rain formation is currently under strong scrutiny because it is an important source of uncertainty in atmospheric models. A grid at the entrance of a horizontal wind tunnel produces homogeneous isotropic turbulence at a Re λ in the range of 400–500. Water droplets are injected from the nodes of the turbulence-inducing grid at a volume fraction (ϕ) of 2.7 × 10−5 and with sizes of 10–200 μm. A complex manifold-injection system was developed to obtain uniform water droplet seeding, in terms of both water content and size distribution. We characterize the resulting droplet-laden turbulent flow, and the statistics of droplet pairs are measured and analyzed. We found that the radial distribution function (RDF), a measure of preferential concentration of droplets that plays a key role in collision kernel models, has a large peak at distances below the Kolmogorov microscale of the turbulence. At very long separations, comparable with the integral length scale of the turbulence, these RDFs show a slow decay to the average probability given by the mean droplet number density. Consistent with this result, conditional analysis shows an increased local concentration of droplets within the inertial length scale (≈ 10–100 Kolmogorov lengths). These results are in good agreement with previous experiments that found clustering of inertial droplets with St ≈ 1 at scales on the order of 10η. Ultimately, our results support the hypothesis that turbulence-induced preferential concentration and enhanced settling can lead to significant increases in the collision probability for inertial droplets in the range 10–50 μm.
Information retrieval: A sequential learning process

Dans une recherche bibliographique un des problemes importants est de savoir comment decider a partir de diverses donnees, (auteur, titre, periodique, citation etc...) laquelle constitue un indicateur valable de la pertinence du document, quels documents il faut retenir et dans quel ordre les presenter. Les approches intellectuelles les plus satisfaisantes ont ete en general basees sur les modeles de decision reposant sur la theorie des probabilites. Jusqu'a present cette methode a consiste a choisir un document a un moment donne et a etendre ensuite cette pratique a de nombreux autres documents en ignorant l'interaction entre les documents... Le but de cet article est de presenter des modeles de decisions theoriques qui incluent intrinsequement les cas de recherches multiples. En particulier cette recherche de l'information devrait etre envisagee comme un processus dans lequel le systeme de recherche repond a une demande en presentant le document dans un ensemble, tient compte du feed-back dans le deroulement de la recherche et utilise cette information pour modifier les recherches futures. Une strategie de recherche decoulant naturellement de ce modele est decrite. Deux exemples sont etudies en detail
Distribution of the two mating types among Histoplasma capsulatum isolates obtained from an urban histoplasmosis outbreak

The mating type distribution among the 28 Histoplasma capsulatum isolates obtained from the histoplasmosis outbreaks which occurred in Indianapolis in 1978–1979 and 1980–1981 was studied. The overall ratio of + and — types was 1:2·5. The isolates from disseminated patients showed a 1(+):1(-) ratio while the isolates from non-disseminated pulmonary cases showed a 1(+):4(-) ratio. The frequency of the + type in these outbreaks was three times higher than that of the previous study. This was due to an unusually high prevalence of the + type among the patients with disseminated histoplasmosis.
Influences of Aging Precipitation on Corrosion Resistance of 18Cr-18Mn-2Mo-0.77N HNS

Influences of aging precipitation of Cr2N and Chi (χ) phases on the resistance to pitting corrosion and intergranular corrosion of 18Cr-18Mn-2Mo-0.77N high nitrogen steel (HNS) as a type of fundamental and structural materials were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern and electrochemical methods. Intergranular, cellular Cr2N and χ phases precipitate gradually along grain boundaries and inward grains. The volume fraction of precipitation presents a C-curve with a nose temperature of 850°C during 2h aging treatment. The solution-treated (ST) HNS exhibits the highest pitting corrosion potential because of high nitrogen content in steel, and especially no precipitation. The pitting corrosion resistance of aged HNS decreases because of the formation of aging precipitation which results in the depletion of Cr and Mo in the matrix. The pitting corrosion potentials firstly decrease then increase as the same tendency as the amount of precipitation expect 850°C and 900°C. Double loop electrochemical potentiokinetic reaction (DL-EPR) results show that the change tendency of IGC susceptibility is well consistent with the amount of precipitation of aged HNS for 2h at various temperatures. With prolonging the aging time at 850°C, aged HNS presents more obviously intergranular sensitization due to the formation of aging precipitation which results in the depletion of Cr and Mo.
Serum Deprivation Confers the MDA-MB-231 Breast Cancer Line with an EGFR/JAK3/PLD2 System That Maximizes Cancer Cell Invasion

Our laboratory has reported earlier that in leukocytes, phospholipase D2 (PLD2) is under control of Janus kinase 3 (JAK3), which mediates chemotaxis. Investigating JAK3 in cancer cells led to an important discovery as exponentially growing MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells, which are highly proliferative and metastatic, did not substantially use JAK3 to activate PLD2. However, in 2-h or 16-h starved cell cultures, JAK3 switches to a PLD2-enhancing role, consistent with the needs of those cells to enter a "survival state" that relies on an increase in PLD2 activity to withstand serum deprivation. Using a small-molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor, the flavonoid 4',5,7-trihydroxyflavone (apigenin), as well as RNA silencing, we found that the invasive phenotype of MDA-MB-231 cells is mediated by PLD2 under direct regulation of both JAK3 and the tyrosine kinase, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Furthermore, serum-deprived cells in culture show an upregulated EGFR/JAK3/PLD2-PA system and are especially sensitive to a combination of JAK3 and PLD2 enzymatic activity inhibitors (30nM apigenin and 300nM 5-fluoro-2-indolyl des-chlorohalopemide (FIPI), respectively). Thus, a multi-layered activation of cell invasion by two kinases (EGFR and JAK3) and a phospholipase (PLD2) provides regulatory flexibility and maximizes the aggressively invasive power of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. This is especially important in the absence of growth factors in serum, coincidental with migration of these cells to new locations.
Disseminated Mycobacterium avium Complex Infection in a Cat: Presumptive Diagnosis by Blood Smear Examination

Disseminated mycobacteriosis was diagnosed in a 4-year-old, castrated male Domestic Shorthair cat following the observation of one to three retractile, non-staining bacilli in neutrophils and monocytes on a Wright-Leishman-stained blood smear Organisms were bright red following acid-fast staining by Kinyoun's technique. The cat had a history of progressive weight loss, anemia, fever, and sporadic vomiting after eating. In addition to blood smears, mycobacteria also were observed in bone marrow aspirates. During necropsy, multiple small white nodules were observed in the spleen and liver. An enlarged sternal lymph node and ascites also were present. In histologic sections, mycobacteria were observed in granulomas within the lungs, liver, spleen, colon, mesenteric and sternal lymph nodes, omentum, and kidney. Mycobacterium avium complex was isolated from cultures of liver, spleen, lung, and kidney. Occult feline leukemia virus infection, detected by immunofluorescent testing of bone marrow aspirates, may have predisposed this cat to bacterial infection. The serum ELISA test for group-specific feline leukemia virus antigen was negative.
Cross‐training Decisions in Field Services with Three Job Types and Server–Job Mismatch*

To be cost-effective, field service managers must balance the high cost of machine downtime with the high cost of cross-training technicians in multiple skills. We study a field service system with three job types requiring three different skills. Each server has a primary skill, the cost of which is considered sunk, and up to two secondary skills, which is a managerial decision. We model two important characteristics that distinguish field services: server–job mismatch and the ratio of travel time to service time. We use a queueing framework and simulation to study three cross-training decisions: the number of servers cross-trained in secondary skills, the number of secondary skills each server should have, and the efficiency in each secondary skill. We find that complete cross-training is cost-effective in some field service situations. Typically, efficiency in secondary skills must be close to 100%, but when the probability of mismatch is high and the ratio of travel time to service time is high, efficiency in secondary skills must be less than 100%.
Reactor Irradiation of Semiconductor Devices

This experiment surveyed some parameter changes of several types of semiconductor devices exposed to a reactor radiation environment. Twelve irradiated and eight control specimens from production stock of two diode and eleven transistor types constituted the experimental groups. The experimental region of the reactor was initially flux mapped, and a flux determination was made for each irradiation. The total dose was about 1014 fast neutrons/cm2 and 108 ergs/gm(c) of gamma rays. Measurement of electrical parameters before, during, and after irradiation indicated a tolerance limit for some devices. The most radiation-resistant transistors measured were silicon double-diffused mesa units types 2N702 and 2N726, and germanium diffused-base mesa units types 2N710 and 2N797. Voltage regulator and switching diodes were hardly affected. Radiation tolerance was greater in the devices with a narrow base region. The increase in tolerable dose with increasing gain-band-width product is less for germanium than for silicon. There appears to be only a small difference between silicon and germanium in allowable dose for very-high-frequency devices.
Dynamical theory of light scattering in dilute macromolecular solutions: preliminary results based on oseen's model

Abstract A recently proposed method for solving the one-particle generalized Smoluchowski equation is used to determine the light scattering spectrum for a dilute solution of spherical, uncharged macromolecules. We find a frequency and wave number dependent effective diffusion coefficient which offers a possible explanation for the difference in sign found for this quantity at small and large frequencies in previous work. Our results are based on the use of Oseen's model for the hydrodynamic interaction, and in this sense are considered as preliminary; an extension of these results using a higher order hydrodynamic theory is in progress.
Whole body autoregulation in reduced renal mass hypertension

Whole body autoregulation in conscious rats can be shown in the absence of the rapid acting neural and hormonal controllers of blood pressure. It is hypothesized that this phenomenon is responsible for the gradual rise of vascular resistance observed in volume-dependent forms of hypertension such as reduced renal mass-salt-induced hypertension. To examine the hypothesis, we evaluated the gain of whole body autoregulation at various stages of reduced renal mass hypertension to determine if acute autoregulatory capacity is altered during chronic hypertension. Rats underwent reduced renal mass surgery (nephrectomy plus 70% reduction of remaining kidney) and were studied at 2 (n = 8), 4 (n = 6), and 6 (n = 7) weeks after high salt diet. Control rats (n = 6) underwent nephrectomy and sham surgery and were studied after 2 weeks of high salt diet. All reduced renal mass rats showed progressive hypertension (2 weeks, 136 +/- 5; 4 weeks, 157 +/- 8; and 6 weeks, 171 +/- 10 mm Hg) compared with sham rats (113 +/- 4 mm Hg). We observed an increase in basal level of total peripheral resistance index after neurohumoral blockade in reduced renal mass rats (2 weeks, 1.64 +/- 0.06; 4 weeks, 1.79 +/- 0.10; and 6 weeks, 1.89 +/- 0.09 mm Hg.100 g-1.min-1.ml-1) compared with sham rats (1.56 +/- 0.10 mm Hg.100 g-1.min-1.ml-1).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Determination of Degradation Pathways and Kinetics of Acyl Glucuronides by NMR Spectroscopy

Acyl glucuronides have been implicated in the toxicity of many xenobiotics and marketed drugs. These toxicities are hypothesized to be a consequence of covalent binding of the reactive forms of the acyl glucuronide to proteins. Reactive intermediates of the acyl glucuronide arise from the migration of the aglycone leading to other positional and stereoisomers under physiological conditions. In order to screen for the potential liabilities of these metabolites during the early phase of pharmaceutical development, an NMR method based on the disappearance of the anomeric resonance of the O-1-acyl glucuronide was used to monitor the degradation kinetics of 11 structurally diverse acyl glucuronides, including those produced from the known nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). The acyl glucuronides were either chemically synthesized or were isolated from biological matrices (bile, urine, and liver microsomal extracts). The half-lives attained utilizing this method were found to be comparable to those r...
Set size and impression certainty: Cue vs. extremity explanations

Impression certainty is higher when the impression is based on a large compared to a small amount of information. Because set size, impression extremity, and certainty have been completely confounded in past research, it has been impossible to determine whether the certainty results have been due to the direct cue effects of set size or to the extremity of the overall impression. Extremity effects are shown to significantly affect certainty when set size and semantic content are held constant.
Human Ecology: A Suprastructure for Global Education

Abstract Descriptions of global education have tended to be either fragmented or nebulous. Consequently, the educator is left with little tangible basis for developing an instructional program. This paper advocates using fundamental ideas from the fields of geography and environmental sociology, which collectively contribute to the formation of “human ecology,” as a suprastructure for the analysis of current issues that are critical to global well-being. Related concepts were arranged on a flow chart, and subservient issues were factored out, resulting in a cohesive structure that reveals interrelated human/environmental factors that interface the social, physical, and natural sciences.
Foetal development in rats FED AIN-76A diets supplemented with excess calcium

This study was designed to evaluate the developmental effects of moderate dietary calcium increases in rats fed nutritionally adequate diets. Female Charles River CD/VAF Plus rats were given 0.50 (control), 0.75, 1.00 or 1.25% dietary calcium as calcium carbonate in AIN-76A diets for 6 wk before mating, during mating and for 20 days of gestation. On gestation day 20, the animals were killed and caesarean sections were performed. Both the non-pregnant and pregnant rats in the 0.75, 1.00 and 1.25% groups ate slightly more than did the control group during most of the intervals measured, but not all the increases were statistically significant. There was no consistent pattern of increase or decrease in weight gain. No dose-related changes were found in maternal clinical findings, the average number of implantations, resorptions and viable foetuses, or foetal length or weight. Under the conditions of the study, there were no statistically significant increases as compared with the control group in the litter incidence regarding specific external, visceral or skeletal variations of the foetuses. Dietary calcium was neither foetotoxic nor teratogenic at the concentrations used.
Pharmacokinetics of β-Methyldigoxin in Healthy Humans II: Oral Studies and Bioavailability

The pharmacokinetics of orally administered aqueous 3H-beta-methyldigoxin solutions were studied at two dose levels, 0.3 and 0.6 mg, in healthy human subjects. The drug and its metabolites were specifically assayed in biological fluids and compared with results after intravenous doses to the same subjects. No significant dose dependency was observed. The apparent half-life of absorption was 16+/-6 min (SEM). Digoxin was the only metabolite observed in the plasma and comprised 28.6+/-3.7% of the dose in the urine. 3H-beta-Methyldigoxin, renally excreted unchanged, comprised 25.7+/-1.7% (SEM). Water-soluble metabolites in the urine comprised 9.0+/-1.8%. Fecal and urinary excretion accounted for 85% of the dose at 144 hr. The oral absorption of unchanged 3H-beta-methyldigoxin from solution was 59+/-6% by area under the curve methods and 60+/-4% by renal excretion. A total of 73% of the dose in the solution was absorbed as beta-methyldigoxin and digoxin. First-pass metabolism prior to absorption was largely prehepatic and assignable to GI degradation; 21.9+/-2.8% was degraded with 12.8+/-4.0% to digoxin and 9.1+/-4.0% to water-soluble metabolites. From 14 to 18% of the administered oral dose did not reach the systemic circulation. Analog computer fitting of plasma and urine levels of drug and digoxin was consistent with the first-pass premise with a delayed absorption of GI-generated digoxin and other metabolites. There were no significant differences between the oral absorption of a tablet formulation and the solution. Orally administered beta-methyldigoxin solution delivered 97% cardioactivity as itself and digoxin with respect to an equivalent amount of intravenously administered digoxin. This value contrasts to the 140% delivered by intravenously administered beta-methyldigoxin on the premise of pharmacodynamic equivalence of systemically appearing digoxin and beta-methyl-digoxin. Literature reports on the oral bioavailability of solutions and solid dosage forms of digoxin were critically reviewed, but no reliable comparison of the extent and reproducibility of oral absorption of cardioactive agents from administered digoxin or beta-methyldigoxin could be made from the widely variable digoxin studies with nonspecific assays.
Pilot response to off-nominal conditions in merging and spacing operation

This paper examines pilots' responses during a human-in-the-loop simulation to off-nominal conditions. During the simulation pilots used advanced flight deck tools to achieve automated spacing and merging assignments while in cruise, and prior to performing a continuous descent approach (CDA) into Louisville International Airport. The off-nominal conditions were represented by sparse and dense weather-patterned perturbations. Simulation results showed that, for the baseline nominal condition, the pilot response and the operation worked as expected. However, during off nominal conditions, qualitative analysis of traffic scenarios and quantitative data showed that pilot behavior in deviating for weather was difficult to predict, and that pilots often took aircraft-centric strategies to make decisions. These strategies lacked a system-centric perspective that could have allowed them to explore the availability of less disruptive and safer options. These responses formed emergent behaviors that may not have been anticipated by the system, and, can be attributed to the mismatches between the pilot strategies, the intended system/operation functionality, and the procedures/environment. Collectively these mismatches created dispersion in the temporal spacing at the merge point prior to the descent, flight path stretches that are likely larger than required, higher workload, and ultimately unfavorable initial conditions for the CDA operation subsequent to the weather encounter. To further develop the interval managed CDA concept, a number of recommendations were provided for aligning these mismatches by considering the nature of the decision processes within the operational concept and incorporating them into automation designs, by developing a battery of off-nominal scenarios and by conducting simulations to model and specify what the system should and should not do.
LEGAL, ETHICAL, AND SOCIAL ISSUES IN HUMAN GENOME RESEARCH

In the past several decades, biological sciences have been revolutionized by their increased understanding of how life works at the molecular level. In what ways, and to what extent, will this scientific revolution affect the human societies within which the science is situated? The legal, ethical, and social implications of research in human genetics have been discussed in depth, particularly in the context of the Human Genome Project and, to a lesser extent, the proposed Human Genome Diversity Project. Both projects could have significant effects on society, the former largely at the level of individuals or families and the latter primarily at the level of ethnic groups or nations. These effects can be grouped in six broad categories: identity, prediction, history, manipulation, ownership and control, and destiny.
Simulation of an ITER-like dissipative divertor plasma with a combined edge plasma Navier-Stokes neutral model

A combined edge plasma / Navier-Stokes neutral transport model is used to simulate dissipative divertor plasmas in the collisional limit for neutrals on a simplified two-dimensional slab geometry with ITER-like plasma conditions and scale lengths. The neutral model contains three momentum equations which are coupled to the plasma through ionization, recombination, and ion-neutral elastic collisions. The neutral transport coefficients are evaluated including both ion-neutral and neutral-neutral collisions.
Precipitation‐driven carbon balance controls survivorship of desert biocrust mosses

Precipitation patterns including the magnitude, timing, and seasonality of rainfall are predicted to undergo substantial alterations in arid regions in the future, and desert organisms may be more responsive to such changes than to shifts in only mean annual rainfall. Soil biocrust communities (consisting of cyanobacteria, lichen, and mosses) are ubiquitous to desert ecosystems, play an array of ecological roles, and display a strong sensitivity to environmental changes. Crust mosses are particularly responsive to changes in precipitation and exhibit rapid declines in biomass and mortality following the addition of small rainfall events. Further, loss of the moss component in biocrusts leads to declines in crust structure and function. In this study, we sought to understand the physiological responses of the widespread and often dominant biocrust moss Syntrichia caninervis to alterations in rainfall. Moss samples were collected during all four seasons and exposed to two rainfall event sizes and three desiccation period (DP) lengths. A carbon balance approach based on single precipitation events was used to define the carbon gain or loss during a particular hydration period. Rainfall event size was the strongest predictor of carbon balance, and the largest carbon gains were associated with the largest precipitation events. In contrast, small precipitation events resulted in carbon deficits for S. caninervis. Increasing the length of the DP prior to an event resulted in reductions in carbon balance, probably because of the increased energetic cost of hydration following more intense bouts of desiccation. The season of collection (i.e., physiological status of the moss) modulated these responses, and the effects of DP and rainfall on carbon balance were different in magnitude (and often in sign) for different seasons. In particular, S. caninervis displayed higher carbon balances in the winter than in the summer, even for events of identical size. Overall, our results suggest that annual carbon balance and survivorship in biocrust mosses are largely driven by precipitation, and because of the role mosses play in biocrusts, changes in intra-annual precipitation patterns can have implications for hydrology, soil stability, and nutrient cycling in dryland systems.
Respiratory Toxicity of Diacetyl in C57Bl/6 Mice

Diacetyl, a component of artificial butter flavoring, is a potential etiological agent of obliterative bronchiolitis (OB); however, the toxic dose and mechanisms of toxicity remain controversial. We evaluated the respiratory toxicity of diacetyl in a murine model using several exposure profiles relevant to workplace conditions at microwave popcorn packaging plants. Male C57Bl/6 mice were exposed to inhaled diacetyl across several concentrations and duration profiles, or by direct oropharyngeal aspiration. Effects of diacetyl on the respiratory tract were evaluated by histopathology and BALF analyses. Subacute exposure to 200 or 400 ppm diacetyl for 5 days caused deaths, necrotizing rhinitis, necrotizing laryngitis and bronchitis. Reducing the exposure to 1 h/day (100, 200, 400 ppm) for 4 weeks resulted in less nasal and laryngeal toxicity, but led to peribronchial and peribronchiolar lymphocytic inflammation. A similar pattern was observed with intermittent high-dose exposures at 1200 ppm (15 min, twice a day, 4 weeks). Subchronic exposures to 100 ppm (6 h/day, 12 weeks) caused moderate nasal injury, and peribronchial lymphocytic inflammation accompanied by epithelial atrophy, denudation, and regeneration. Treatment with 400 mg/kg by oropharyngeal aspiration to bypass the nose caused foci of fibrohistiocytic proliferation with little or no inflammation at the junction of the terminal bronchiole and alveolar duct. Depending on the route and duration of exposure, diacetyl causes significant epithelial injury, peribronchial lymphocytic inflammation, or fibrohistiocytic lesions in the terminal bronchioles. Collectively these results indicate that clinically relevant diacetyl exposures result in a pattern of injury that replicates features of human OB.
I-cell disease and pseudo-Hurler polydystrophy: Heterozygote detection and characteristics of the altered N-acetyl-glucosamine-phosphotransferase in genetic variants

Abstract The human disorders I-cell disease and pseudo-Hurler polydystrophy (also known as mucolipidosis II and III, respectively) are caused by an inherited deficiency of UDP-GlcNAc: lysosomal enzyme precursor GlcNAc-P transferase activity. The most common genetic variants of these diseases (complementation group A) can be identified in homozygotes and heterozygotes using a GlcNAc-P transferase assay with artificial acceptors and commercially available radiochemicals. The kinetic characteristics of the residual GlcNAc-P transferase activity in complementation group A fibroblasts indicates that the low activity is due to a low Vmax. The measured Michaelis-Menten constants for the substrates UDP-GlcNAc and α-methyl mannoside are in the normal range. Homozygotes and heterozygotes of another less common variant of pseudo-Hurler polydystrophy (complementation group C) have normal activity and normal kinetic characteristics with this assay using α-methyl mannoside as the acceptor substrate. Several PHP variants with unusual characteristics are discussed.
Theoretical diversity of the marine biosphere

In considering the history of biodiversity paleontologists have focused on exploratory investigations of empirical data derived from the fossil record. Starting with the pioneering work of Philips (1860), and continuing at an increasing pace through today, this inductive approach has dominated diversity research. In contrast, deductive theoretical considerations that focus on the expected history of biodiversity, and develop independently of empirical knowledge, have remained underexplored. Appreciating the need for a nomothetic paleobiology (Gould 1980), we here reconsider the history of biodiversity, using deductive models constrained by a few, self-evident parameters. This analysis centers on the marine fossil record, the primary target of most previous empirical studies on the geological history of global biodiversity (e.g., Valentine 1969; Raup 1972, 1976; Sepkoski et al. 1981; Alroy et al. 2008). Biosphere-scale studies of the geological history of diversity have followed two general strategies: (1) analyses of global-scale literature and meta-analytical compilations of fossil ranges and occurrences (e.g., Sepkoski 1981, 1984, 1993; Sepkoski et al. 1981; Benton 1995; Alroy et al. 2001, 2008; Stanley 2007); and (2) local-scale (alpha) abundance-diversity analyses of sets of quantifiable bulk samples, preferably with broad geographic coverage (e.g., Bambach 1977; Powell and Kowalewski 2002; Bush and Bambach 2004; Kowalewski et al. 2006; Wagner et al. 2006; Alroy et al. 2008). Given this empirical focus, it is not surprising that most of the process-oriented hypotheses and theoretical models proposed over the years represent inductive strategies—a posteriori explanations of preexisting empirical patterns. The logistic growth model (e.g., Sepkoski 1981, 1984), the unconstrained exponential model (Stanley 2007; see also Bambach 1999), rock-volume/sea level effects (e.g., Raup 1972; Peters and Foote 2001; Peters 2006), and “Pull-of-the-Recent” (e.g., Jablonski et al. 2003 …
Expression of wingless in the Drosophila embryo: a conserved cis-acting element lacking conserved Ci-binding sites is required for patched-mediated repression

Patterning of the Drosophila embryo depends on the accurate expression of wingless (wg), which encodes a secreted signal required for segmentation and many other processes. Early expression of wg is regulated by the nuclear proteins of the gap and pair-rule gene classes but, after gastrulation, wg transcription is also dependent on cell-cell communication. Signaling to the Wg-producing cells is mediated by the secreted protein, Hedgehog (Hh), and by Cubitus interruptus (Ci), a transcriptional effector of the Hh signal transduction pathway. The transmembrane protein Patched (Ptc) acts as a negative regulator of wg expression; ptc- embryos have ectopic wg expression. According to the current models, Ptc is a receptor for Hh. The default activity of Ptc is to inhibit Ci function; when Ptc binds Hh, this inhibition is released and Ci can control wg transcription. We have investigated cis-acting sequences that regulate wg during the time that wg expression depends on Hh signaling. We show that approximately 4.5 kb immediately upstream of the wg transcription unit can direct expression of the reporter gene lacZ in domains similar to the normal wg pattern in the embryonic ectoderm. Expression of this reporter construct expands in ptc mutants and responds to hh activity. Within this 4.5 kb, a 150 bp element, highly conserved between D. melanogaster and Drosophila virilis, is required to spatially restrict wg transcription. Activity of this element depends on ptc, but it contains no consensus Ci-binding sites. The discovery of an element that is likely to bind a transcriptional repressor was unexpected, since the prevailing model suggests that wg expression is principally controlled by Hh signaling acting through the Ci activator. We show that wg regulatory DNA can drive lacZ in a proper wg-like pattern without any conserved Ci-binding sites and suggest that Ci can not be the sole endpoint of the Hh pathway.
Roles of Ion Channels in Initiation of Signal Transduction in Higher Plants.

Recently, progress has been made in identifying initial signal reception mechanisms and early events in signaling cascades in higher plants. Ion channels, along with intracellular signaling proteins and second messengers, are critical components mediating early events in higher plant signal transduction. Ion channel-mediated signal transduction in higher plants has notable differences from signaling mechanisms in animal systems. Of the many types of ion channels found in higher plants, there are indications that anion channels, along with Ca2+ channels, play critical and rate-limiting roles in the mediation of early events of signal transduction. We have now begun to obtain the first insights into the modes of regulation, the membrane localization, and in the case of K+ channels, the molecular structure of higher plant ion channels.
Observation of stimulated Raman amplification in silicon waveguides

We report the first observation of Stimulated Raman Scattering (SRS) in silicon waveguides. Amplification of the Stokes signal, at 1542.3 nm, of up to 0.25 dB has been observed in Silicon-on-Insulator (SOI) waveguides, using a 1427 nm pump laser with a CW power of 1.6 W, measured before the waveguide. Two-Photon-Absorption (TPA) measurements on these waveguides are also reported, and found to be negligible at the pump power where SRS was observed.
New developments in the pharmacotherapy of tension-type headaches

The first International Headache Society classification defined tension-type headaches (TTHs) by itemising those characteristics of migraines TTHs did not possess [1]. As a result, TTHs, both episodic and chronic, remain the most nonspecific of all the commonly observed primary headaches. Until recently, there has been little impetus on the part of the pharmaceutical industry to investigate TTHs; many of the potentially useful drugs are now generic and unprofitable. In addition, few investigators have pursued the study of TTHs in lieu of its more glamorous neighbour, migraine. As a result, there are few well-designed studies on the pharmacotherapy of TTHs. The few studies that exist support the use of age-old standard drug classes, the tricyclic antidepressants and the NSAIDs. New research is now emerging that points to the potential utility of botulinum toxin type A, NMDA-receptor antagonists including Mg2+ and nitric oxide synthase inhibitors. More scientifically rigorous clinical studies are needed.
A review of the literature on octylcyanoacrylate tissue adhesive

Abstract Background Octylcyanoacrylate is a medical grade topical tissue adhesive that has been approved for closing surgical incisions and traumatic lacerations. We reviewed animal and human studies that evaluated its use for a variety of surgical indications and specialties. We also performed a meta-analysis of all clinical trials using octylcyanoacrylate. Data sources Animal and human studies published in peer-reviewed articles as well as published abstracts. A search of Medline was performed using the MESH terms: tissue adhesives, cyanoacrylates, and octylcyanoacrylate. Conclusions The current review and metanalysis demonstrate that octylcyanoacrylate can be used successfully in a wide variety of clinical and surgical settings for multiple types of wounds covering most of the surface of the human body. Prior knowledge of the limitations and technical aspects specific to wound closure with octylcyanoacrylate as well as appropriate wound selection and preparation will help ensure optimal results.
A Comparison of Comprehension and Production Abilities of Good and Poor Readers.

Research from several sources indicates that reading disability is often associated with difficulty in comprehending some complex spoken sentences, including those with relative clauses. The present study exploits a new methodology, elicited production, to identify the source of comprehension difficulties of poor readers. Both the elicited production task and a conventional act-out task were employed in a study of 30 children (aged 7-8), who were selected for reading ability. On the act-out task, the poor readers displayed a high error rate on two relative clause structures (SO and OO relatives), as had been found by Mann, Shankweiler, and Smith (1984), but these structures were elicited from the poor readers as successfully as from the good readers (on more than 80% of trials).
Water-based activity involvement for recreation consumers at state, federal, local, or private facilities.

: The water-based activity involvement of participants at state and federal and local and private facilities identified by using participation rate groups is examined. No differences between participant groups within activities based on socio-economic characteristics were found. However, groups of highly active individuals were identified at both types of properties. It is suggested that social action system variables be added to traditional social aggregate variables to assist the understanding of leisure involvement.