cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Experimental investigation of spark ignition energy in kerosene, hexane, and hydrogen

Quantifying the risk of accidental ignition of flammable mixtures is extremely important in industry and aviation safety. The concept of a minimum ignition energy (MIE), obtained using a capacitive spark discharge ignition source, has traditionally formed the basis for determining the hazard posed by fuels. While extensive tabulations of historical MIE data exist, there has been little work done on ignition of realistic industrial and aviation fuels, such as gasoline or kerosene. In the current work, spark ignition tests are performed in a gaseous kerosene–air mixture with a liquid fuel temperature of 60°C and a fixed spark gap of 3.3 mm. The required ignition energy was examined, and a range of spark energies over which there is a probability of ignition is identified and compared with previous test results in Jet A (aviation kerosene). The kerosene results are also compared with ignition test results obtained in previous work for traditional hydrogen-based surrogate mixtures used in safety testing as well as two hexane–air mixtures. Additionally, the statistical nature of spark ignition is discussed.
Magnetron sputter deposition onto fluidized particle beds

Abstract A system for sputter deposition of thin (10–1000 nm) metal and ceramic coatings onto vibro-fluidized beds of millions of microparticles has been demonstrated. Coatings are sputtered onto microspheres of various size distributions. Experiments show that the coating deposition rate onto particles decreases with decreasing particle size, for the case of a fixed total bed mass. Factors affecting particle coating thickness also include sputter power and fluidized bed container size. Coating surface morphology is evaluated using scanning electron microscopy. Lower sputter deposition power creates smoother, less porous coatings. Fluidizing parameters, such as vibration amplitude and frequency, are also shown to affect coating morphology. Dual-layer metal-ceramic coatings are also demonstrated using the sputter deposition technique. A dual-layer aluminum/tin-oxide coating is produced on glass microspheres, which are then shown to have distinct reflectance characteristics and colors. A model is developed to estimate coating thickness based on size, shape and number of particles.
Complex deformation during arc–continent collision: Quantifying finite strain in the accreted Alisitos arc, Peninsular Ranges batholith, Baja California

Abstract The Early Cretaceous Alisitos island arc, located in the western part of the Peninsular Ranges batholith, Baja California, accreted to North America during the mid-Cretaceous. A syn- to post-collisional fold-thrust belt dominated by sinistral transpression and orthogonal convergence developed along the northern and eastern edges of the arc, respectively. Field observations across the fold-thrust belt show a deformation gradient with stronger planar and linear fabrics, fold tightening, and greater finite strain towards the arc–continent suture. Flattening strains dominate and finite strain intensity ranges from 0.08 to 2.71 and generally increases towards the suture. In detail, the fold-thrust belt narrows southward from ∼12 km to ∼3 km. Furthermore, finite strain is heterogeneous reflecting a heterogeneous fold-thrust belt characterized by local high strain zones near faults, folds, and igneous intrusions. Finite strain data and field observations allow several conclusions: (1) the colliding arc deformed significantly as a result of collision; (2) strain contributes to bulk shortening and crustal thickening in the collision zone; (3) geometry, composition, and tectonic setting of the continental margin prior to collision control along-strike variations in the fold-thrust belt; and (4) narrowing of the fold-thrust belt southward is offset by increased deformation in continental margin units.
Earnings Management Using Asset Sales: An International Study of Countries Allowing Noncurrent Asset Revaluation

Bartov (1993) demonstrates that US firms time asset sales to smooth income and affect debt/equity relationships. This study examines earnings management behavior through asset sales in countries that allow asset revaluation: Australia/New Zealand (ANZ) and the United Kingdom (UK). Earnings management behavior differs across these two country groups when their accounting rules differed prior to 1993, but is similar during the 1993–95 period when the UK implemented FRS 3. The results also find that revaluer companies do not use asset sales to smooth income in ANZ nor in the UK after FRS 3 was implemented in 1993. UK revaluers (prior to FRS 3) and both countries’ non-revaluers sell assets consistent with income smoothing.
USE OF A PRESSURE-WEIGHTED INTERPOLATION METHOD FOR THE SOLUTION OF THE INCOMPRESSIBLE NAVIER-STOKES EQUATIONS ON A NONSTAGGERED GRID SYSTEM

A detailed study of the pressure-weighted interpolation method (PWIM) using a non-staggered grid proposed by Rhie and Chow [7] was conducted. Its implementation in the SIMPLEC algorithm in order to obtain results independent of relaxation factor is described. A comparison of predicted results for two test cases, one a flow in a shear-driven cavity and the other a laminar contraction flow, was made using both staggered and nonstaggered grids. Both hybrid and QUICK differencing schemes were used. QUICK differencing with a nonstaggered grid yielded results in closest agreement with experimental and numerical data. It was also found that in regions of very rapidly varying pressure gradients, PWIM can predict physically unrealistic convective velocities
Effects of surfactants on the hyperfiltration performance of dynamic membranes

Abstract The effects of surfactants on the permeability and the rejections of other solutes during hyperfiltration by zirconium oxide-polyacrylate dynamic membranes on porous stainless steel tubes were investigated. The hyperfiltration performance was dependent on the type of surfactant and in some cases the effect was dependent on pH. The effects are attributable to the presence of the surfactants at the feed-membrane interface and interactions with the membrane. Rejection is significantly increased at a small cost in permeability by the presence of an anionic surfactant. Large permeability declines occur when surfactant-membrane interactions are possible.
Application of a Poly(Hexafluoropropyl-Co-Tetrafluoroethylene) Thin-Film Architecture for Aqueous O2 Quantification

Compared to electrochemical methodologies, detection and quantification of O2 with optical means has been regarded as more advantageous. Among the optical approaches that have been exploited, fluorescence quenching schemes have attracted significant attention. More recently, several authors have used time-resolved fluorescence in concert with quenching schemes to sense O2. We report a new quenching-based architecture to detect dissolved O2 in water. The system is composed of a fluoropolymer film, namely poly(hexafluoropropylene-co-tetrafluoroethylene) (FEP), that has been subjected to a radio-frequency glow discharge plasma to introduce -OH groups, modified further with aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APS) to produce an aminated surface, and subsequently reacted with an activated pyrene (Py) residue to form FEP-APS-Py. In a sample cell configuration this system exhibits a sensitivity to aqueous O2 as high as 863 ± 28 M-1 and a detection limit on the order of 10 μM O2. If β-cyclodextrin is added to the aqueous solution, the sensitivity to O2 is enhanced further. Slow time-dependent reconfiguration of the FEP-APS-Py surface is the major drawback of this system.
A General Setting for Dedekind's Axiomatization of the Positive Integers

A Dedekind algebra is an ordered pair (B, h), where B is a non-empty set and h is a similarity transformation on B. Among the Dedekind algebras is the sequence of the positive integers. From a contemporary perspective, Dedekind established that the second-order theory of the sequence of the positive integers is categorical and finitely axiomatizable. The purpose here is to show that this seemingly isolated result is a consequence of more general results in the model theory of second-order languages. Each Dedekind algebra can be decomposed into a family of disjoint, countable subalgebras called the configurations of the algebra. There are ℵ0 isomorphism types of configurations. Each Dedekind algebra is associated with a cardinal-valued function on ω called its configuration signature. The configuration signature counts the number of configurations in each isomorphism type that occurs in the decomposition of the algebra. Two Dedekind algebras are isomorphic iff their configuration signatures are identical. ...
Contrast sensitivity, westheimer function and stiles-crawford effect in a blue cone monochromat

Abstract Measurements were made of contrast sensitivity, Westheimer function, Stiles-Crawford effect, spectral sensitivity and dark adaptation in a blue cone monochromat with eccentric fixation. The Stiles-Crawford measurements in circumstances designed to isolate the rods showed some directional sensitivity. Contrast sensitivity curves for the rods and blue cones had the same shape, but the rods were more sensitive. Peaks for the contrast sensitivity curve and Westheimer function occurred at comparable dimensions of the stimulus. No positive evidence was obtained for cones with 500 nm pigment in them, but the observer was able to name blue and yellow correctly.
Cocaine-induced changes in 3H-naloxone binding in brain membranes isolated from spontaneously hypertensive and Wistar-Kyoto rats.

Effects of sub-acute cocaine treatment on 3H-naloxone binding to 6 brain regions were examined in spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) and Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats. Cocaine hydrochloride (3 mg/kg, i.v.) was given by bolus injection daily for five days. Rats were decapitated 24 hr following the final injection and crude membrane fractions prepared from the cortex (CT), hippocampus (HI), striatum (ST), hypothalamus (HY), midbrain (MB) and medulla/pons (MD). Binding of 3H-naloxone was consistent with a single site model in CT, HI, HY, MB and MD from vehicle-treated SHR and WKY. Cocaine treatment of SHR significantly decreased the maximal binding capacity (Bmax) of 3H-naloxone in the HI, ST and HY and the binding affinity was increased in HI. In contrast, a significant increase in Bmax was noted in CT and HI membranes isolated from cocaine-treated WKY. The binding affinity of 3H-naloxone to MB membranes of WKY was significantly decreased by cocaine treatment. The binding characteristics of 3H-naloxone in MD membranes were not different following cocaine treatment or between strains. Scatchard analysis indicated biphasic binding of 3H-naloxone binding to ST membranes from both SHR and WKY. Our results indicate that cocaine produces complex and differential changes in opiate receptors and, presumably, opioid peptide neuronal function in SHR and WKY.
Movements and growth of tagged young-of-the-year Atlantic croaker (Micropogonias undulatus L.) in restored and reference marsh creeks in Delaware Bay, USA

Abstract The residence time, movements, and growth of tagged young-of-the-year Atlantic croaker, Micropogonias undulatus L., were studied from July to October 1998 as measures of the success of a marsh restoration project adjacent to Delaware Bay. A total of 8173 croaker (41–121 mm SL) were tagged from each of two creeks in both marshes during July and August with internal sequential coded wire microtags. A prior tag-retention study in the laboratory found a 95% tag retention rate. Of those tagged, 3.6% were recaptured within and nearby the study creeks using seines, otter trawls, and weirs during a 105-day period. Recapture percentages ranged from 1.5% to 6.1% in individual creeks in the restored marsh. There was some movement of tagged fish between creeks in the restored marsh and out into the main creek, but 95% of the recaptures were made in the subtidal and intertidal portions of the same creek in which they were tagged. Fewer fish were recaptured at the reference marsh (1.6% recapture; n =1489 tagged) up to 50 days after tagging, with no evidence of movement between creeks. The average individual growth rates for recaptured croaker was the same in both restored (0.69 mm/day) and reference (0.63 mm/day) marshes before egress from the creeks in September and October. As a result, both created creeks in a restored marsh and natural creeks in a reference marsh appeared to be utilized as young-of-the-year habitat in a similar way during the summer and until egress out of the marshes during the fall, thus this restoration effort has been successful in creating suitable habitat for Atlantic croaker.
Pressure shifts of the 3.51 μm line in xenon

Abstract Optical heterodyne techniques are used to determine the 3.51 μm line shift versus pressure in a 136 Xe laser amplifier. Measured shifts induced by helium and by xenon were −3.1 ± 0.3 MHz/Torr and 7 ± 3 MHz/Torr, respectively.
Computing absorption probabilities for a Markov chain

We present a new matrix construction algorithm for computing absorption probabilities for a finite, reducible Markov chain. The construction algorithm contains two steps: matrix augmentation and matrix reduction. The algorithm requires more memory and less execution time than the calculation of absorption probabilities by the LU decomposition. We apply the algorithm to a Markovian model of a production line.
Aspergillosis in the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

The role of Aspergillus species as a pathogen in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) has not been clearly defined. From 1984 to 1989, more than 2,000 AIDS patients were seen at Beth Israel Medical Center, New York. Aspergillus was isolated in ten patients; seven had invasive disease and three had noninvasive disease. Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) was diagnosed in six patients and invasive renal aspergillosis was found in one patient. Five were homosexual men and two were intravenous drug users. At presentation, all ten had fever, seven had cough, eight had dyspnea, and five had pleuritic chest pain. Chest roentgenograms revealed focal infiltrates in six patients, bilateral interstitial infiltrates in two patients, and bilateral pneumothoraces in one patient. Predisposing conditions included corticosteroid therapy in four, granulocytopenia (less than 1,000/cu m) in two, and broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy in five. Three of the four patients receiving corticosteroids received them as adjuvant therapy for Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP). Aspergillus was identified antemortem in eight patients, in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid in six, in transbronchial biopsy specimen in three, in open lung biopsy specimen in one, and postmortem in one patient. Six of seven patients had at least one concomitant pulmonary process. Six underwent necropsy and findings showed IPA in three, disseminated aspergillosis in two, and PCP in one. Invasive aspergillosis, although significant, is uncommon in AIDS. When Aspergillus is isolated in the setting of corticosteroid therapy, antibiotics, or granulocytopenia, one must suspect invasive disease.
How can search interfaces enhance the value of semantic annotations (and vice versa)

The organizers of this workshop have issued a call for help, stating that one challenge in using knowledge and semantic annotations in search is that "standard text search excels at shallow information needs expressed by short keyword queries, and so semantic annotation contributes very little". I suggest that the answer is right there in the question, meaning that those who work with deeper knowledge representations should also try to aid more complex information needs. I will talk about search user interfaces, current and future, that have and hopefully will successfully improve user experience by adding in more understanding of content.
Notes on Technic: Nissl Technique for Staining Embryonic Spinal Cord en Bloc

(1980). Notes on Technic: Nissl Technique for Staining Embryonic Spinal Cord en Bloc. Stain Technology: Vol. 55, No. 4, pp. 263-264.
Law, finance, and emerging market returns

Abstract This paper investigates how legal foundation influences the return distribution, the growth rate of market capitalization, the ratio of market capitalization to gross domestic product (GDP) and the correlation structure of emerging market indices with developed market indices. Using a sample of 24 emerging markets, we find that emerging markets from the French [civil] law systems earned higher returns, have higher correlations with the world market portfolio, higher average growth rates in market capitalization and lower average market capitalization to GDP than their English common law counterparts. Finally, most emerging markets returns are more highly correlated to the returns of developed markets with an English common law tradition. Our results suggest that diversification potential is highest with the English common law emerging markets but that the diversification benefits come at the cost of reduced returns.
Videogrammetry Dynamics Measurements of a Lightweight Flexible Wing in a Wind Tunnel

Videogrammetry is a measurement technique well suited to characterizing lightweight, flexible wings in wind-tunnel testing. It is noncontact, full field, and can capture the large-amplitude deflections experienced by the wings. Here videogrammetry is used to analyze the spectral content of the motion of a flexible Nighthawk mini-unmanned aerial vehicle wing and animate the operating deflection shapes of the wing corresponding to structural resonance frequencies. The wing was tested at angles of attack ranging from ―5 to 13 deg and wind speeds ranging from 20 to 40 mph. Results show that the flexible wing tends to experience flapping behavior at frequencies much lower than structural resonance at low angles of attack. This behavior is confirmed by the spectral content of the wing displacements and the corresponding animated deflection shapes. This analysis uses videogrammetry data in the spectral analysis and visualization of resonance shapes. The data are necessary to validate numerical models of the wings, understand complicated membrane-structure interactions, and optimize wing performance in different flight regimes.
North Atlantic influence on Tigris–Euphrates streamflow

Changes in streamflow of the Tigris and the Euphrates Rivers are shown to be associated with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), a large-scale mode of natural climate variability which governs the path of Atlantic mid-latitude storm tracks and precipitation in the eastern Mediterranean. Composite indices of Turkish winter (December‐March, DJFM) temperature and precipitation are developed which capture the interannual‐decadal climate variability for the Tigris‐Euphrates headwater region, a significant source of freshwater for Turkey, Syria and Iraq. These indices are significantly correlated with the NAO, with 27% of the variance in precipitation accounted for by this natural mechanism. As evidenced by the recent widespread drought events of 1984, 1989 and 1990, the Tigris‐Euphrates streamflow also exhibits significant, 940% variability, associated with extrema. Copyright © 2000 Royal Meteorological Society.
A growing chain of evidence linking genetic variation in angiotensinogen with essential hypertension: focus on “A haplotype of human angiotensinogen gene containing −217A increases blood pressure in transgenic mice compared with −217G,” by Jain et al.

the prevalence of hypertension across the globe continues to rise despite advances in treatment and an ever-growing battery of antihypertensive drugs. Untreated hypertension remains an important risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, including stroke. The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) has long
Duplicate Genes and the Root of Angiosperms, with an Example Using Phytochrome Sequences

The root of the angiosperm tree has not yet been established. Major morphological and molecular differences between angiosperms and other seed plants have introduced ambiguities and possibly spurious results. Because it is unlikely that extant species more closely related to angiosperms will be discovered, and because relevant fossils will almost certainly not yield molecular data, the use of duplicate genes for rooting purposes may provide the best hope of a solution. Simultaneous analysis of the genes resulting from a gene duplication event along the branch subtending angiosperms would yield an unrooted network, wherein two congruent gene trees should be connected by a single branch. In these circumstances the best rooted species tree is the one that corresponds to the two gene trees when the network is rooted along the connecting branch. In general, this approach can be viewed as choosing among rooted species trees by minimizing hypothesized events such as gene duplication, gene loss, lineage sorting, and lateral transfer. Of those gene families that are potentially relevant to the angiosperm problem, phytochrome genes warrant special attention. Phylogenetic analysis of a sample of complete phytochrome (PHY) sequences implies that an initial duplication event preceded (or occurred early within) the radiation of seed plants and that each of the two resulting copies duplicated again. In one of these cases, leading to the PHYA and PHYC lineages, duplication appears to have occurred before the diversification of angiosperms. Duplicate gene trees are congruent in these broad analyses, but the sample of sequences is too limited to provide much insight into the rooting question. Preliminary analyses of partial PHYA and PHYC sequences from several presumably basal angiosperm lineages are promising, but more data are needed to critically evaluate the power of these genes to resolve the angiosperm radiation. r 1998 Academic Press
Free fatty acids in human plasma U.S.P.

Human plasma U.S.P., a preparation used as plasma volume expander, showed unusually high levels of free fatty acids. Results of incubation studies with fresh human plasma samples, kept at 32 C for various lengths of time suggest that the high fatty acid levels in human plasma U.S.P. developed during the long incubation periods used in the preparation of the product. Sodium chloride (0.6M) reduced the release of fatty acids in the incubated fresh plasma samples.
Classical and Quantum Theories of Radiation

Quantum theory developed from the study of the interaction of light and matter. Around the beginning of this century, experimental physicists reported phenomena that demonstrated the inadequacy of classical physics. Quantum features of the electromagnetic field were first postulated by Planck in 1900 in order to account for the spectrum of blackbody radiation observed by Lummer and Pringsheim. In order to account for the discrete sequence of wavelengths in the spectrum of atomic hydrogen, Bohr in 1913 postulated that the electron could move only in certain stationary orbits; Planck’s constant appeared in his theory as the fundamental “unit of action.” We are all familiar with these and other inspired guesses which led finally to the birth of quantum mechanics, as we know it, in the years 1925–26. Dirac’s paper on the quantum theory of the electromagnetic field appeared in 1927,(1) and by 1930 there was little doubt that the quantum theory of light and matter was vastly superior to classical theory. Born was so impressed by the theory that at the Fifth Solvay Conference in 1927 he remarked, “We consider that quantum mechanics is a complete theory, and that its fundamental hypotheses, both physical and mathematical, are not susceptible to further modification.”
Convergence of the Mammalian Target of Rapamycin Complex 1- and Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3-β–Signaling Pathways Regulates the Innate Inflammatory Response

The PI3K pathway and its regulation of mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) and glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) play pivotal roles in controlling inflammation. In this article, we show that mTORC1 and GSK3-β converge and that the capacity of mTORC1 to affect the inflammatory response is due to the inactivation of GSK3-β. Inhibition of mTORC1 attenuated GSK3 phosphorylation and increased its kinase activity. Immunoprecipitation and in vitro kinase assays demonstrated that GSK3-β associated with a downstream target of mTORC1, p85S6K, and phosphorylated GSK3-β. Inhibition of S6K1 abrogated the phosphorylation of GSK3-β while increasing and decreasing the levels of IL-12 and IL-10, respectively, in LPS-stimulated monocytes. In contrast, the direct inhibition of GSK3 attenuated the capacity of S6K1 inhibition to influence the levels of IL-10 and IL-12 produced by LPS-stimulated cells. At the transcriptional level, mTORC1 inhibition reduced the DNA binding of CREB and this effect was reversed by GSK3 inhibition. As a result, mTORC1 inhibition increased the levels of NF-κB p65 associated with CREB-binding protein. Inhibition of NF-κB p65 attenuated rapamycin’s ability to influence the levels of pro- or anti-inflammatory cytokine production in monocytes stimulated with LPS. These studies identify the molecular mechanism by which mTORC1 affects GSK3 and show that mTORC1 inhibition regulates pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine production via its capacity to inactivate GSK3.
Constructive thinking, reactions to a laboratory stressor, and symptoms in everyday life

The present study is a replication and extension of a previous study that found that college students who were good constructive thinkers, as identified by the Constructive Thinking Inventory (CTI), reported more negative affect and negative cognitions, but not greater physiological reactivity than poor constructive thinkers in the stress phase of a laboratory stress test. Opposite results were obtained in a second recovery phase, in which the groups did not differ in self-reported negative affect and cognition, but the poor, unlike the good constructive thinkers, exhibited a paradoxical increase in physiological reactivity. Self-reported negative affect and cognitions in the laboratory, but not physiological reactions, were selectively associated with symptoms reported in everyday life. Because of the unexpected results for the physiological data, the present study was conducted with improved procedures and additional measures. The results replicated and extended the findings from the previous study, including finding significant relations between cognitive, affective, and physiological responses in the laboratory, on the one hand, and reports of symptoms in everyday life, on the other, and the importance of a distinction between stress-instigated and spontaneous negative cognitions was confirmed.
MAKING PUNISHMENT PAY: The Political Economy of Revenue, Race and Regime in the California Prison Boom.

Sociologists have neglected the politically channeled and racially connected role of leveraged debt in mass incarceration. We use qualitative and quantitative data from California, circa 1960–2000, to assess how Republican entrepreneurial leveraging of debt overcame contradictions between parochial preferences for punishment and resistance to paying taxes for building prisons. The leveraging of bond debt deferred and externalized the costs of building prisons, while repurposed lease revenue bonds massively enlarged and extended this debt and dispensed with the requirement for direct voter approval. A Republican-dominated punishment regime capitalized debt to build prisons in selected exurban Republican California counties with growing visible minority populations. We demonstrate that the innovative use of lease revenue bonds was the essential element that enlarged and extended funding of California prison construction by an order of magnitude that made this expansion a boom. With what Robert Merton called the consequences of imperious interest, this prison expansion enabled the imprisonment of an inordinately large and racially disproportionate inmate population.
Optical image stabilization for digital cameras

The collaboration between global electronics manufacturer, Panasonic, and lens maker, Leica, has resulted in an image stabilization system in the Lumix line of digital cameras. Called MEGA Optical Image Stabilization (MEGA OIS), the system detects camera movement before a picture is snapped. The image is stabilized using angular rate sensors, called gyrosensors, to detect how quickly the camera is moving in both vertical and horizontal directions. Then, a corrective lens is moved in the direction opposite to that of the detected data to counteract jitter. OIS can operate in two modes which provide clearer pictures compared to unstabilized systems. The MEGA OIS system is offered on ten models of Lumix digital cameras.
Management of dyslipidemia in the elderly population

The elderly population is increasing worldwide. Despite a major decrease in deaths from coronary heart disease (CHD), this malady remains the major cause of death in elderly men and women. In this paper, we review the role of dyslipidemia as a major known risk factor in the pathogenesis of CHD, age-related changes in lipoprotein metabolism, and differences in changes in lipids that occur in men and women during aging. Next we provide an overview of the available studies and recommendations from ATP III. Finally, we comment on the screening and management, cost and side effects of therapy as it applies to an aging population.
Oostatic hormone inhibits biosynthesis of midgut proteolytic enzymes and egg development in mosquitoes

Injection of partially purified oostatic hormone (0.7 μg) into female Aedes aegypti inhibited egg development, proteolytic enzyme activity, and blood digestion in the midgut, whereas control injections of saline or insulin chain A (0.7 μg) did not affect these processes. Oostatic hormone given by enema, on the other hand, did not inhibit proteolytic enzyme activity, indicating that the hormone acts outside the midgut. A single injection of oostatic hormone (0.7 μg) caused a 1.7–1.5-fold reduction in activity of trypsinlike enzymes during blood digestion, with a 10-h delay in peak activity. Using [1,3-3H]diisopropylfluorophosphate (DFP) in the presence of 8 mM tosylamide-2-phenylethyl chloromethyl ketone, the synthesis of trypsinlike derivatives was followed in the midgut of female A. aegypti. A 4-fold reduction in [1,3-3H]diisopropylphosphoryl-trypsinlike derivatives was noted after oostatic hormone treatment. Several isozymes that are normally synthesized were absent in the presence of DFP, as assessed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Injection of oostatic hormone into decapitated and ovariectomized females that did not synthesize ecdysteroids inhibited trypsinlike enzyme synthesis and blood digestion in the midgut, indicating that oostatic hormone inhibits the midgut cells and not the ovary or the brain's endocrine system. Comparison between oostatic hormone and soybean trypsin inhibitor indicated that the former inhibited trypsin synthesis whereas the latter inhibited trypsin activity. A. aegypti oostatic hormone is not species specific and injections of the hormone into Culex quinquefasciatus, Culex nigripalpus, and Anopheles albimanus caused inhibition of egg development, blood digestion, and synthesis of trypsinlike enzymes. A direct relation between oostatic hormone synthesis and the regulation of trypsinlike activity in the midgut is proposed.
In Vivo Comparison of the Pharmacodynamic Targets for Echinocandin Drugs against Candida Species

Previous pharmacodynamic studies using in vivo candidiasis models have demonstrated that the 24-h area under the concentration-time curve (AUC)/MIC is a good descriptor of the echinocandin exposure-response relationship. Further studies investigating the 24-h AUC/MIC target for a stasis endpoint identified free-drug 24-h AUC/MIC against Candida albicans and were similar for two echinocandins, anidulafungin and micafungin. The current studies expand investigation of a third echinocandin (caspofungin) and compare the pharmacodynamic target among C. albicans, Candida glabrata, and Candida parapsilosis. Treatment studies were conducted with six C. albicans, nine C. glabrata, and 15 C. parapsilosis strains with various MICs (anidulafungin, 0.015 to 4.0 g/ml; caspofungin, 0.03 to 4.0 g/ml; and micafungin, 0.008 to 1.0 g/ml). Efficacy was closely tied to MIC and the 24-h AUC/MIC. Therapy against C. parapsilosis required more of each echinocandin on a mg/kg basis. Caspofungin required less drug on a mg/kg basis for efficacy against all of the organisms than did the other two drugs. However, the 24-h AUC/MIC targets were similar among the echinocandins when free drug concentrations were considered, suggesting the relevance of protein binding. The targets for C. parapsilosis (mean, 7) and C. glabrata (mean, 7) were significantly lower than those for C. albicans (mean, 20) for each echinocandin. The results suggest that current susceptibility breakpoints and the consideration of organism species in these determinations should be reexplored.
Glutamine Induces Heat Shock Protein Expression Via O-Glycosylation and Phosphorylation of HSF-1 and Sp1

BACKGROUND Glutamine (GLN) improves outcome in experimental and clinical states of illness and injury. The authors hypothesized GLN-mediated enhancement of O-glycosylation and subsequent phosphorylation of key transcription factors in the HSP70 pathway would lead to increased HSP70 expression following experimental sepsis. METHODS Mice underwent cecal ligation and puncture (CLP)-induced sepsis and were treated with GLN (0.75 g/kg) or a saline placebo 30 minutes after CLP. A separate group of mice was treated with mithramycin, an Sp1 inhibitor. Lung tissue was harvested at 1, 2, 6, and 24 hours after CLP and was analyzed for HSF-1 and Sp1 O-GlcNAc modification, alpha-p-threonine modification, and HSP70. RESULTS GLN increased O-GlcNAc modification of HSF-1 and Sp1 at 1 and 2 hours after sepsis (P < .001 vs saline). Samples immunoprecipitated for Sp1 and probed for subsequent phosphorylation showed a significant increase in nuclear alpha-p-threonine-modified Sp1 at 2 and 6 hours after sepsis (P < .001 vs saline). GLN increased phosphorylated nuclear HSF-1 at 1 and 2 hours after CLP (P < .001). Finally, GLN treatment increased HSP70 4-fold (P < .01), but when treated with mithramycin, this increase was attenuated at 2, 6, and 24 hours (P < .001 vs no mithramycin treatment). CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that GLN induces HSF-1 and Sp1, which is known to lead to their nuclear translocation. The molecular mechanism of GLN-mediated HSP70 expression appears to be dependent on O-GlcNAc pathway activation and subsequent O-glycosylation and phosphorylation of key transcription factors required for HSP70 induction.
Systems Biology and the Future of Medicine

Contemporary views of human disease are based on simple correlation between clinical syndromes and pathological analysis dating from the late 19th century. Although this approach to disease diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment has served the medical establishment and society well for many years, it has serious shortcomings for the modern era of the genomic medicine that stem from its reliance on reductionist principles of experimentation and analysis. Quantitative, holistic systems biology applied to human disease offers a unique approach for diagnosing established disease, defining disease predilection, and developing individualized (personalized) treatment strategies that can take full advantage of modern molecular pathobiology and the comprehensive data sets that are rapidly becoming available for populations and individuals. In this way, systems pathobiology offers the promise of redefining our approach to disease and the field of medicine.  2011 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. WIREs Syst Biol Med2011 3 619‐627 DOI: 10.1002/wsbm.144
The Truth about Social Construction in Administrative Science

A great deal of confusion exists about social construction and what it means for administrative and organizational scientists. Eighteen years ago, W. Graham Astley (1985) argued that administrative...
Identification and characterization of pancreatic eukaryotic initiation factor 2 α-subunit kinase, PEK, involved in translational control

In response to various environmental stresses, eukaryotic cells down-regulate protein synthesis by phosphorylation of the alpha subunit of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 (eIF-2alpha). In mammals, the phosphorylation was shown to be carried out by eIF-2alpha kinases PKR and HRI. We report the identification and characterization of a cDNA from rat pancreatic islet cells that encodes a new related kinase, which we term pancreatic eIF-2alpha kinase, or PEK. In addition to a catalytic domain with sequence and structural features conserved among eIF-2alpha kinases, PEK contains a distinctive amino-terminal region 550 residues in length. Using recombinant PEK produced in Escherichia coli or Sf-9 insect cells, we demonstrate that PEK is autophosphorylated on both serine and threonine residues and that the recombinant enzyme can specifically phosphorylate eIF-2alpha on serine-51. Northern blot analyses indicate that PEK mRNA is expressed in all tissues examined, with highest levels in pancreas cells. Consistent with our mRNA assays, PEK activity was predominantly detected in pancreas and pancreatic islet cells. The regulatory role of PEK in protein synthesis was demonstrated both in vitro and in vivo. The addition of recombinant PEK to reticulocyte lysates caused a dose-dependent inhibition of translation. In the Saccharomyces model system, PEK functionally substituted for the endogenous yeast eIF-2alpha kinase, GCN2, by a process requiring the serine-51 phosphorylation site in eIF-2alpha. We also identified PEK homologs from both Caenorhabditis elegans and the puffer fish Fugu rubripes, suggesting that this eIF-2alpha kinase plays an important role in translational control from nematodes to mammals.
Juvenile Arrest and Collateral Educational Damage in the Transition to Adulthood.

Official sanctioning of students by the criminal justice system is a long-hypothesized source of educational disadvantage, but its explanatory status remains unresolved. Few studies of the educational consequences of a criminal record account for alternative explanations such as low self-control, lack of parental supervision, deviant peers, and neighborhood disadvantage. Moreover, virtually no research on the effect of a criminal record has examined the ‘‘black box’’ of mediating mechanisms or the consequence of arrest for postsecondary educational attainment. Analyzing longitudinal data with multiple and independent assessments of theoretically relevant domains, the authors estimate the direct effect of arrest on later high school dropout and college enrollment for adolescents with otherwise equivalent neighborhood, school, family, peer, and individual characteristics as well as similar frequency of criminal offending. The authors present evidence that arrest has a substantively large and robust impact o...
Non-quasi-static modeling/implementation of BJT current crowding for seminumerical mixed-mode device/circuit simulation

An non-quasi-static (NQS) model for transient current crowding in advanced bipolar junction transistors (BJTs) is presented. The model, which characterizes a time-dependent effective bias on the emitter-base junction in a seminumerical analysis, is intended for circuit simulation and has been implemented in MMSPICE. The novel modeling/implementation is based on the use of the previous time-step analysis, which is fact could allow general accounting for NQS effects in seminumerical mixed-mode device/circuit simulation. Demonstrative simulations, supported by purely numerical ones, show that, for the BJT switch-on transient, the NQS current crowding causes an added delay and tends to become insignificant only when the emitter width (W/sub E/) is scaled to deep-submicron values and that, for the switch-off transient, the added delay is negligible, at least for W/sub E/ >
Ingestion without Inactivation of Bacteriophages by Tetrahymena

Tetrahymena has been shown to ingest and inactivate bacteriophages, such as T4, in co-incubation experiments. In this study, Tetrahymena thermophila failed to inactivate phages ΦX174 and MS2 in co-incubations, although ΦX174 were ingested by T. thermophila, as demonstrated by: (1) recovery at defecation in a pulse-chase experiment, (2) recovery from Tetrahymena by detergent lysis, and (3) transmission electron microscopy. We conclude, therefore, that the phages must be digestion-resistant. Internalized ΦX174 were further shown to be partially protected from lethal damage by ultraviolet (UV) C and UVB irradiation. Finally, ingested ΦX174 were shown to be rapidly transported through buffer in a horizontal swimming, race tube-like assay. The transport and protection of phages may confer evolutionary advantages that explain the acquisition of digestion-resistance by some phages.
Effects of inorganic arsenic on the rat and mouse urinary bladder

Inorganic arsenic (arsenate and arsenite) is a known human carcinogen, inducing tumors of the skin, urinary bladder, and lung. Understanding the mechanism of inorganic arsenic carcinogenesis has been hampered by a lack of animal models. To define the urothelial effects of inorganic arsenic, we administered arsenate and arsenite in the diet or drinking water to rats and mice in several short-term experiments (2-10 weeks). Treatment with arsenate or arsenite in the drinking water or diet induced cytotoxicity and necrosis of the urothelial superficial layer and hyperplasia in rats and mice. Arsenate-induced changes occurred later in mice compared with arsenite-induced changes, but not in the rat. Hyperplasia in rats was evident by light microscopy at an earlier time point (2 weeks) than previously observed after treatment with dimethylarsinic acid (DMA(V)). The bromodeoxyuridine labeling index was increased in treated rats. We were unable to determine the bromodeoxyuridine labeling index in mice. The effects of inorganic arsenicals on the bladder were greater when administered in the drinking water than in the diet in rats and mice, but so was the overall toxicity to the animal. The female rat appeared more sensitive to the effects of inorganic arsenic than the male rat, but effects were similar in female and male mice. The mode of action of inorganic arsenic in rats and mice appears to involve urothelial cytotoxicity, increased cell proliferation and ultimately tumors. Cytotoxicity is likely due to the generation of reactive trivalent arsenicals excreted in the urine.
Effect of JS-K, a novel anti-cancer nitric oxide prodrug, on gene expression in human myeloid leukemia cells

AACR Annual Meeting-- Apr 12-16, 2008; San Diego, CA 3294 We have developed a class of O 2-arylated diazeniumdiolate nitric oxide (NO) generators that release NO upon activation by the glutathione S-transferases (GST). This drug design exploits the upregulation of GST in malignant cells as compared to normal tissue and thus provides selective delivery of NO to targeted tumors. Upon screening a library of these compounds for their in vitro anti-leukemic activity, we have identified O2 -(2,4-dinitrophenyl) 1-[(4-ethoxycarbonyl)piperazin-1-yl]diazen-1-ium-1,2-diolate or JS-K as a lead compound for clinical development. JS-K has been shown to induce apoptosis and differentiation in human myeloid leukemia HL-60 cells, and inhibit HL-60 cell growth in NOD/SCID mice xenografts. JS-K has also shown potent anti-neoplastic activity in vitro and in vivo against multiple myeloma, prostate cancer and liver cancer. Mechanistic studies have revealed that JS-K activates the intrinsic and extrinsic apoptosis pathways. JS-K is also a potent inhibitor of angiogenesis. Furthermore, protein arylation is likely to play a role in the anti-neoplastic properties of JS-K. To further examine the molecular events associated with the antileukemic effects of JS-K, HL-60 cells were treated with JS-K and total RNA was subjected to microarray analysis. JS-K induced concentration- and time-dependent gene expression changes in HL-60 cells. These included genes related to cell apoptosis, growth arrest, acute phase response, and tumor cell migration. Real-time RT-PCR confirmed and extended these findings, further showing induction of caspase genes, apoptosis protein gene Bax and TNF- α related apoptosis genes. JS-K treatment also induced HL-60 cell differentiation-related genes such as CD14 , CD11b , and vimentin . The anti-angiogenesis genes thrombospondin-1 and CD36 were also increased by JS-K. Some acute phase protein genes such as p53 , c-jun , and early growth response-1 ( EGR1 ) were increased, while the expression of c-myc and cyclin E was decreased. The expression of genes involved in cell migration such as tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases ( TIMP1 , TIMP2 and TIMP3 ), was also increased. This study demonstrates that JS-K affects multiple different genetic targets in leukemic cells indicating significant anti-neoplastic potency. JS-K establishes a new class of cancer chemotherapeutic agents worthy of clinical development.
Organ Care System for Heart Procurement and Strategies to Reduce Primary Graft Failure After Heart Transplant

Primary graft failure is a rare, but often fatal complication of heart transplantation. Although exact mechanism of primary graft failure has yet to be elucidated, prolonged ischemia time is one of the risk factors of early dysfunction of the donor heart. Organ Care System is the only device available for ex vivo perfusion of human donor hearts in a warm beating state. In this article, we provide step-by-step instructions of its use.
Combination bupropion SR and varenicline for smoking cessation: a systematic review.

ABSTRACTBackground: Tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death in the world. Current cessation medications include nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), varenicline, and bupropion, while combination therapy primarily entails NRT with either varenicline or bupropion. However, recent studies have examined varenicline and bupropion in combination. Objectives: A systematic review assessing the efficacy and safety of combination varenicline and bupropion was conducted. Methods: PubMed and Clinicaltrials.gov were searched using terms: “varenicline combination”, “bupropion combination”, “bupropion AND varenicline”, and “bupropion AND varenicline combination smoking cessation”, yielding four studies including 1193 total patients. Results: Combination therapy yielded greater efficacy than varenicline monotherapy in two randomized controlled trials and one retrospective outcomes study. One single-arm Phase II trial provided additional efficacy and safety data. Of the prospective trials, one displayed a greater...
Comparison of 3D Landmark and 3D Dense Cloud Approaches to Hominin Mandible Morphometrics Using Structure-From-Motion

The objective of this study is to compare landmark-based assessment of hominin mandible morphological variation with that from a high-density point cloud, using 3D models constructed from structure-from-motion (SfM) surface capture techniques. Surface models of nine hominin mandible casts were created using SfM photogrammetry. The morphology of these models was described using traditional geometric morphometrics based on identification of landmarks. This was compared to the morphological variation described by the differences between high-density point clouds, which do not rely on anatomical landmarks, using an iterative closest point algorithm. The landmark-based approach grouped the anatomically modern human and Neanderthal mandibles with reasonable success. The high-density point cloud approach also grouped these successfully, but was able to incorporate information from a specimen that was insufficiently preserved to be included in the landmark data set. This improved the accuracy of the grouping. The use of high-density point clouds from surface capture to analyse hominin mandible morphology allows for greater amounts of information to be included and offers a potential method to identify shape affinity that is as successful as landmark-based geometric morphometrics.