cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Bulk distribution of fault currents in a MHD faraday channel

Abstract A general impulse excitation technique is developed for exact two-dimensional analyses of electric faults. The exact impulse response function is derived and used to determine analytically the distribution of the fault current in the plasma core for the three specific cases: (1) short circuit of one load, (2) one load rejection, and (3) short circuit between two adjacent electrodes. The obtained fault currents are also presented in three dimensional plots for clarity. The results show that the faults hardly affect the core of the plasma, and that the perturbation currents flow in the thin boundary layers adjacent to the electrodes.
New developments in understanding rapid axonal transport

Abstract Fast axonal transport depends on translocation of organelles in a direction specified by each organelle. How is this translocation powered and how is its direction specified? New insights into both questions have arisen by using videomicroscopy to visualize organelle movement. A component of the axonal transport mechanism has been extracted, purified, and reassembled from axoplasm extruded from the squid giant axon. Organelles translocation in both directions depends on direct interaction with microtubules. A ≈500 kDa protein, kinesin, purified from axoplasm (or brain) promotes translocation exclusively in the anterograde direction and a different translocator promotes retrograde movement. These new results suggest that the direction of movement depends on properties of organelles that enable binding or activation of the appropriate protein translocator.
Further Studies on the Biology of the Pigeon Fly, Pseudolynchia maura Bigot (Diptera Hippoboscidae)

1. Observations indicate that the female uses the third pair of legs during deposition as an aid in forcing the larva through the vaginal orifice. 2. The young imago is able to free itself from the pupal case by dragging the case across a rough surface with the forelegs. 3. The act of copulation has been observed and described, including mounting, position and duration. 4. Evidence is presented to show that the insects are positively thermotropic and thigmotropic; negatively phototropic and hydrotropic. 5. The flies react positively to the odours of oil of cloves, camphor and ox gall; negatively to oil of wintergreen and amyl alcohol, and are indifferent to blood, fresh pigeon skin, pigeon scales, feathers, ammonia, oil of thyme, oil origanum, xylol and bergamot. 6. The length of life without food is found to be in direct proportion to the energy expended in motion, ranging from 77 to 109 hours. 7. The flies refuse to take unwarmed food. 8. The insect will not penetrate a perfectly smooth membrane, or one that is rancid. 9. According to data presented. Pseudolynchia maura will not live longer than 117 hours when artificially fed.
Mechanical mechanism for the ultrafast perturbation of electronic states in solution

The interaction dynamics between a nonpolar solute (dimethyl-s-tetrazine) and a nonpolar solvent (n-butylbenzene) have been explored over a wide temperature range (40 K - 300 K). On the basis of the results, a new model based on mechanical interaction between solute and solvent is proposed. The dynamics consist of two distinct components. A subpicosecond component is linked to the phonon-like motion about the instantaneous liquid structure. The other component is related to structural reorganization of the solvent. The time scale of the structural dynamics is identical to the shear relaxation time of the solvent. A model in which the solvent responds as a viscoelastic continuum to the difference in size and shape of the solute in the ground and excited states is presented. It accounts for the existence and time scales of both solvation components.
Comparing adaptive procedures for estimating the psychometric function for an auditory gap detection task.

A subject's sensitivity to a stimulus variation can be studied by estimating the psychometric function. Generally speaking, three parameters of the psychometric function are of interest: the performance threshold, the slope of the function, and the rate at which attention lapses occur. In the present study, three psychophysical procedures were used to estimate the three-parameter psychometric function for an auditory gap detection task. These were an up-down staircase (up-down) procedure, an entropy-based Bayesian (entropy) procedure, and an updated maximum-likelihood (UML) procedure. Data collected from four young, normal- hearing listeners showed that while all three procedures provided similar estimates of the threshold parameter, the up-down procedure performed slightly better in estimating the slope and lapse rate for 200 trials of data collection. When the lapse rate was increased by mixing in random responses for the three adaptive procedures, the larger lapse rate was especially detrimental to the efficiency of the up- down procedure, and the UML procedure provided better estimates of the threshold and slope than did the other two procedures.
The Computer in the United States: From Laboratory to Market, 1930-60

From the Publisher: This book examines how a technological innovation - in this case the computer - progresses from its origin as an idea in someone's mind to its eventual manifestation as a usable and marketable consumer product. It covers the early history of computer technology, the initial response to this technology of the vendors who eventually sold it, and the computer's fate in the American marketplace during the first decade of its existence. The book concludes with a comparison of the evolution of the computer with such earlier information technologies as the adding machine, the typewriter, and the tabulator. Throughout, the discussion is placed in the context of current historical debates and theories concerning the evolution of technology.
Long-circulating QD probes for in vivo tumor imaging

Biocompatible semiconductor quantum dot (QD) probes with extended plasma circulating times have been developed for cancer imaging in living animals. The structural design involves encapsulating luminescent QDs with a triblock copolymer, and linking this amphiphilic polymer to multiple poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) molecules. In vitro histology and in vivo imaging studies indicate that the QD probes can be delivered to tumor sites by enhanced permeation and retention. Using both systemic injection of long-circulating QD probes and subcutaneous injection of QD-tagged microbeads, we have achieved sensitive and multicolor fluorescence imaging of cancer cells under in vivo conditions. These results raise new possibilities for ultrasensitive and multiplexed imaging of molecular targets in vivo.
Education and Welfare Incidence among Black Women: Changes over Time.

Abstract This paper presents empirical evidence of an important benefit of education: reductions in welfare incidence. Cross-sectional data for black women in two periods, the late nineteen sixties and the early nineteen eighties, are compared. A strongly negative relation is observed between education and welfare incidence in both cross-sections, in several statistical analyses. Moreover, the payoff to education here increased over time. And in the later, but not the earlier, period education reduces the proportion who are single parents and hence contributes indirectly to lower welfare incidence. An observed increase over time in welfare incidence despite increases in educational attainment may be due to changes in the welfare system, to a sharp increase in the unemployment rate for black women, or to a combination of these and other factors. It is possible that the increase in welfare incidence would have been significantly greater if there had not been an increase in attainment.
Control of myocardial oxygenation-effect of atrial pacing.

Myocardial oxygenation is controlled by alterations in both oxygen supply and oxygen demand of the heart. The factors determining oxygen supply and demand in controlled and stressful conditions are discussed on a regional basis. Evidence is presented to show that the subendocardial (ENDO) region of the left ventricle has a lesser oxygen supply versus its demand compared to the subepicardial (EPI) region. The effects of stress are shown to worsen the disparity in myocardial oxygenation of the ENDO in relation to the EPI. Data is presented on the stress of atrial pacing. Experiments were conducted on 31 anesthetized open chest dogs. Electrodes were placed in the ENDO and EPI to measure tissue PO2 and blood flow by hydrogen clearance. The hearts were paced by left atrial stimulation at 150, 175, 200, and 225 beats/min. Tissue PO2 fell in a stepwise manner at every pacing rate. ENDO PO2 fell to a greater extent than EPI PO2 at every pacing rate. Pacing increased regional blood flow in the EPI more at every pacing rate. It can be concluded that the increases in flow observed did not totally compensate for the increased demand for oxygen in the heart brought on by the stress of pacing. This effect is considerably greater in the ENDO. These results are discussed in terms of several clinical findings.
Trustbusting in Automation Use

The use of automated decision aids is increasing. Unfortunately, the productivity of human-automated work teams is not always superior to that of the human operator or the computer working alone. Parasuraman and Riley's (1997) review indicates that human operators often overly rely on or underutilize automated aids. Several researchers have suggested that trust in the automated aid affects automation use (e.g., Dzindolet, Pierce, Beck, & Dawe's (1999) Framework of Automation Use). In two studies, we attempted to affect human operators' trust in an automated decision-aid by providing information to counter their expectations of near-perfect performances by the automated aid. Through various procedures, we were successful in encouraging human operators to appropriately rely on an automated decision aid.
Antiviral Instruction of Bone Marrow Leukocytes during Respiratory Viral Infections

Respiratory viral infections trigger a robust inflammatory response in the lung, producing cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors that promote infiltration of effector leukocytes. Whereas the role of chemokines and infiltrating leukocytes in antiviral immunity is well studied, the effect that lung cytokines have on leukocytes in distal hematopoietic and lymphoid tissues and their role in antiviral immunity is unknown. We show that, during infection with influenza or Sendai virus, the lung communicates with the sterile bone marrow, the primary site of hematopoiesis, through type I interferons. While in the bone marrow, leukocytes exposed to type I interferons activate an antiviral transcriptional program and become resistant to infection with different viruses. The protected bone marrow leukocytes are capable of migrating to the infected lung and contribute to virus clearance. These findings show that appropriate instruction of cells during their development in the bone marrow is needed for effective control of infection.
Rent Seeking and Endogenous Income Inequality

This paper studies the relationship between wealth inequality and occupational choice between rent-seeking and production. With imperfect credit markets and a fixed cost to rent-seeking, only wealthy agents choose to engage in rent-seeking as it enables them to protect their wealth from expropriation. Hence, initial wealth determines occupational choice and aggregate economic activity. The model also generates an unequal wealth distribution endogenously through fair gambles undertaken voluntarily, despite agents being identical ex ante. If agents have an altruistic bequest motive, income and occupational differences can be perpetuated from generation to generation.
Elevating the role of race in ethnographic research: navigating race relations in the field

Little work in the social sciences or in the field of education has fully explored the methodological issues related to the study of race and racism, yet qualitative researchers acknowledge that race plays (and should play) a role in the research process. Indeed, race frames and informs the context, practices and perspectives of everyday lived experiences in society and schools – even in those instances when race is not expressly recognised. In the case of ethnographic research, race emerges as a pivotal factor that is often undertheorised and sometimes unacknowledged. Though ethnographic research seeks to illuminate ‘culture’, and often does so in the context of research inquiries that are both racialised and that occur with researchers and participants who come from different racial backgrounds, this work often fails to place race at the centre. Drawing from data collected in a multi-sited ethnographic study on risk and academic achievement and using key insights from narrative inquiry and critical race...
Local harmonic analysis of planetary Doppler gravity data

Planetary gravity fields represented in terms of spherical harmonics or surface mass distributions\ do not have the necessary resolution to permit gravity analysis of local features. Doppler gravity maps representing residual line-of-sight (LOS) accelerations have much greater resolution but cannot be used for conventional geophysical analysis due to the geometric distortions inherent in LOS gravity patterns and lack of normalization of LOS data. However, LOS gravity data may be converted to vertical gravity anomalies by expressing the anomalous local gravitational potential over small rectangular areas in terms of a modified double Fourier series constrained by local Doppler gravity data. The vertical derivative of the resulting potential yields the vertical gravity components at desired altitudes. The resolution of the resulting normalized free air anomaly maps is limited only by that of the original Doppler gravity data. Extended gravity maps may be constructed this way using a moving window approach. It is anticipated that much of the lunar frontside can be mapped at resolutions ranging from 1 to 4 deg of arc.
Metallic and bimetallic nanocatalysts incorporated into highly porous coordination polymer MIL-101†

This paper reports the development of a facile, general and effective approach, based on microwave irradiation (MWI), for the incorporation of a variety of metallic and bimetallic nanoparticle catalysts within the highly porous coordination polymer MIL-101. The current approach is based on the simultaneous activation of the pores of MIL-101 and the rapid chemical reduction of metal precursors using MWI in the presence of a reducing agent. Small Pd, Cu and Pd–Cu nanoparticles of 2–3 nm are incorporated within the pores and larger particles of 4–6 nm are supported on the surface of the MIL-101 crystals. TEM images reveal that the loading of the particles using MWI is uniform across the MIL crystals. The observed catalytic activities toward CO oxidation of the Pd nanocatalysts supported on the highly porous MIL-101 polymer are significantly higher than any other reported metal clusters supported on metal–organic frameworks. The observed high activity is attributed to the small metal nanoparticles imbedded within the pores of the MIL crystals. The activity of the small embedded particles is higher than those supported on the surface. This allows the use of small metal loadings for efficient low temperature CO oxidation. These results should allow optimization of a new class of nanocatalysts incorporated within the highly porous MIL-101. These materials are promising environmentally relevant catalyst systems.
The interaction of bioconvection caused by gyrotactic micro‐organisms and settling of small solid particles

Purpose – To investigate numerically the settling of small solid particles in a suspension of motile gyrotactic micro‐organisms in order to evaluate the possibility of using bioconvection to slow down settling and enhance mixing between particles.Design/methodology/approach – Numerical computations are performed at the North Carolina Supercomputing Center utilizing an Origin 2400 workstation. A conservative finite‐difference scheme is used to discretize the governing equations. A staggered uniform grid with the stream function and vorticity stored in one set of nodes and the number densities of micro‐organisms and solid particles stored in another set of nodes is utilized. CPU time required to investigate plume development until it attains steady‐state for 36 × 36 uniform mesh is about 50 h.Findings – It is established that small solid particles that are heavier than water slow down bioconvection. Extremely small particles (nanoparticles) that have negligible settling velocity do not have any noticeable i...
Early Precambrian oxygen: a case against photosynthesis

Recent biological–biochemical and geological–geochemical data are inconsistent with the currently accepted view that early Precambrian fossil microbiotas are evidence of oxygen-generating photosynthesis contributing free oxygen to early Precambrian environments. The alternative is atmospheric photodissociation, perhaps with cyclic or periodic instability.
Base-catalyzed photosensitive polyimide

A scheme for imaging of polyimide films is described which is based on the amine-catalyzed imidization of poly(amic alkyl ester) precursor polymers. Films containing amine photogenerators along with poly(amic alkyl esters) are patterned by exposure followed by heating to partially imidize the exposed portion of the film. Negative images are developed by taking advantage of the greater solubility of the precursor polymer which is dissolved in an appropriate solvent mixture. A final cure is carried out to complete the imidization of the patterned film.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Changes in Presenilin 2-Binding Wnt Proteins, Behavior, Amyloid-β 42, γ-Secretase Activity, and Testosterone Sensitivity in Transgenic Mice Coexpressing Tetracycline- Controlled Transactivator and Human Mutant Presenilin 2

Nonregulatable promoters have been mainly used to produce transgenic mice that express the human genes for Alzheimer's disease (AD). The aim of this study was to produce doubly transgenic mice expressing the regulatable tet promoter-controlled transactivator (tTA) and human mutant presenilin 2 (N141I, hPS2m) genes in order to examine the AD-related phenotypes at the basal and inducible levels. To achieve this, the first lineage of the transgenic line, expressing Tet/tTA and the second lineage of transgenic mice, expressing Tet/hPS2m, were created, and the doubly transgenic mice were produced by crossing the Tet/tTA-transgenic mice with the Tet/hPS2m-transgenic mice. The doubly transgenic mice and nontransgenic littermates were then treated with or without doxycycline. The results showed that removing doxycycline from the transgenic mice resulted in the induction of the transgene, a Wnt signaling defect, behavioral impairment, elevated amyloid-β-42 and γ-secretase activity compared with in the group given doxycyline. Moreover, the expression levels of the hPS2m transgene decreased gradually in the transgenic males, with clear changes becoming apparent between 2 and 4 wk of age. Castrating these males resulted in an increased expression level of the hPS2m gene. This was restored to the normal levels by treatment with testosterone. Therefore, tetregulated transgenic mice can be used to examine the effect of the basal or inducible expression levels of hPS2m on the pathology of AD at the “on/off” states at any stage of development.
Mitochondrial mutations in adenoid cystic carcinoma of the salivary glands.

Background: The MitoChip v2.0 resequencing array is an array-based technique allowing for accurate and complete sequencing of the mitochondrial genome. No studies have investigated mitochondrial mutation in salivary gland adenoid cystic carcinomas. Methodology: The entire mitochondrial genome of 22 salivary gland adenoid cystic carcinomas (ACC) of salivary glands and matched leukocyte DNA was sequenced to determine the frequency and distribution of mitochondrial mutations in ACC tumors. Principal Findings: Seventeen of 22 ACCs (77%) carried mitochondrial mutations, ranging in number from 1 to 37 mutations. A disproportionate number of mutations occurred in the D-loop. Twelve of 17 tumors (70.6%) carried mutations resulting in amino acid changes of translated proteins. Nine of 17 tumors (52.9%) with a mutation carried an amino acid changing mutation in the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide dehydrogenase (NADH) complex. Conclusions/Significance: Mitochondrial mutation is frequent in salivary ACCs. The high incidence of amino acid changing mutations implicates alterations in aerobic respiration in ACC carcinogenesis. D-loop mutations are of unclear significance, but may be associated with alterations in transcription or replication.
Checks and Balances in Neuromodulation

Neuromodulators such as monoamines and peptides play important roles in activating and reconfiguring neural networks to allow behavioral flexibility. While the net effects of a neuromodulator change the network in a particular direction, careful studies of modulatory effects reveal multiple cases where a neuromodulator will activate functionally opposing mechanismson a single neuron or synapse. This review gives examples of such opposing actions, focusing on the lobster pyloric network, and discusses their possible functional significance. One important action of opposing modulatory actions may be to stabilize the modulated state of the network, and to prevent it from being overmodulated and becoming non-functional.
Performance analysis of image fusion methods in transform domain

Image fusion involves merging two or more images in such a way as to retain the most desirable characteristics of each. There are various image fusion methods and they can be classified into three main categories: i) Spatial domain, ii) Transform domain, and iii) Statistical domain. We focus on the transform domain in this paper as spatial domain methods are primitive and statistical domain methods suffer from a significant increase of computational complexity. In the field of image fusion, performance analysis is important since the evaluation result gives valuable information which can be utilized in various applications, such as military, medical imaging, remote sensing, and so on. In this paper, we analyze and compare the performance of fusion methods based on four different transforms: i) wavelet transform, ii) curvelet transform, iii) contourlet transform and iv) nonsubsampled contourlet transform. Fusion framework and scheme are explained in detail, and two different sets of images are used in our experiments. Furthermore, various performance evaluation metrics are adopted to quantitatively analyze the fusion results. The comparison results show that the nonsubsampled contourlet transform method performs better than the other three methods. During the experiments, we also found out that the decomposition level of 3 showed the best fusion performance, and decomposition levels beyond level-3 did not significantly affect the fusion results.
A non-finite element approach for tubular hydroforming simulation featuring a new sticking friction model

Abstract A new analytical (non-finite element) model for simulation of tubular hydroforming plane sections has been introduced. Unlike previous analytical models found in literature, the proposed model is capable of handling friction contact effects for near arbitrary cross sections through the employment of a new friction model. Although both burst pressure and final corner-fill radii can be predicted by the proposed model, the focus of the study is upon the final membrane hoop strain distribution. For both zero-friction and sticking-friction conditions, excellent agreement is observed among the proposed strain solutions and those from the finite element method for square die cross sections. For more arbitrarily defined die cross sections, reasonable agreement is observed among the proposed strain solutions and those from the finite element method. The proposed model has been introduced as a very early design/analysis tool. Therefore, it serves as a compliment to (not replacement for) the finite element method. If handled judiciously, use of the proposed model can lead to (1) reductions in the number of design iterations (2) reductions in manufacturing costs and (3) overall improvements in product quality.
Phenotypic expression time of mutagen‐induced 6‐thioguanine resistance in Chinese hamster ovary cells (CHO/HGPRT system): Expression in division‐arrested cell cultures

The phenotypic expression time of ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) induced 6-thioguanine-resistant mutants was studied with Chinese hamster ovary cells in culture (CHO/HGPRT system). After mutagen treatment of exponential phase cultures, the cells were maintained either in the exponential phase through subculture in medium containing 5% dialyzed fetal bovine serum (FBS) or in a nondividing viable state by use of medium containing 0-1% dialyzed FBS. The time course of expression of the 6-thioguanine-resistant phenotype was similar with both exponential phase and division-arrested cultures showing maximum expression by 9 days after mutagen treatment, and both methods of expression also yielded similar mutant frequencies over a range of EMS concentrations. This study shows that once the mutagenic event is fixed, the expression of the mutant phenotype does not require continued cell division since it occurs in division-arrested cultures. These results also suggest that both dilution of pre-existing hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (HGPRT) enzyme by cell division and turnover by protein degradation are involved in the phenotypic expression. Both processes occur in exponential cultures, but only protein turnover in arrested cultures. Consistent with this was the demonstration that the rates of total cell protein turnover increased in division-arrested cultures maintained in serum-free medium. These results separate genetic damage and phenotypic expression in a temporal sense, and point out the need to consider the mechanisms responsible for each process involved in the induction and expression of mutations.
Etanercept for the Treatment of Stage II and III Progressive Pulmonary Sarcoidosis

Background Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α is produced by macrophages and other cells, and is believed to participate in granulomatous inflammation. Targeted antagonism of TNF-α has been proposed as a novel treatment strategy for sarcoidosis. Etanercept is a dimeric fusion protein that binds specifically to TNF-α, rendering it biologically inactive. Objective To assess whether etanercept has potential efficacy in the treatment of progressive pulmonary sarcoidosis. Design Prospective, open-label, phase-2 treatment trial. Setting Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN. Patients Stage II or III progressive pulmonary sarcoidosis. Intervention Etanercept, 25 mg subcutaneously twice weekly. Measurements Pulmonary function, chest radiographs, dyspnea, and TNF-α levels in serum and BAL fluid. Results The study was terminated after the enrollment of 17 patients due to an early-stop clause of the pretrial study design related to excessive treatment failures. Neither absolute levels of TNF-α nor TNF-α activity in the serum, BAL fluid, or alveolar macrophages were able to predict which patients would respond to etanercept. Conclusions In patients with progressive stage II or III pulmonary sarcoidosis, etanercept was frequently associated with early or late treatment failure. These data would not support the design of a large multicenter randomized trial comparing etanercept with conventional corticosteroid therapy.
SNPs in CAST are associated with Parkinson disease: a confirmation study.

Using data from the National Institutes of Neurological disease and Stroke's (NINDS) study of Parkinson disease (PD), we recently reported that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a region containing the Calpastatin (CAST) gene were associated with PD. Here we follow up this finding with an analysis of the Center for Inherited Disease Research's (CIDR) genome-wide association study in familial PD. After adjusting for population stratification and multiple testing, we find a significant association (P = 0.0167) between PD and SNP rs1559085 in CAST. These findings confirm CAST/PD associations in a second, independent, dataset and suggest that CAST be prioritized for further investigation. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Inhibition of dopamine uptake by N-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine, a cause of parkinsonism.

Abstract N-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine has been reported to cause parkinsonism in man and monkeys, producing behavioral effects within 5 min of administration. The compound reversibly and competively inhibited (IC50 = 2 μM) dopamine uptake into PC12, a clonal line of rat pheochromocytoma cells that store and secrete dopamine and acetylcholine. Uptake of choline and 2-deoxyglucose was not affected. Prolonged exposure to the compound was lethal to PC12; survivors of this treatment lost the ability to store dopamine and acetylcholine and to extend neurites upon incubation with nerve growth factor.
Adsorption of hydrogen and H2-D2 exchange reaction on alumina

Abstract The chemisorption of hydrogen on alumina was investigated over a wide range of temperatures (−196–450 °C). At least five different states of chemisorbed hydrogen on alumina were detected by the temperature-programmed desorption as peaks with the peak maxima at about −40, 25, 100, 200, and 320 °C. These peaks (or types) are referred to as H(I), H(II), H(III), H(IV), and H(V), respectively. Except for H(IV), each type of chemisorption was separately investigated in more detail by measuring either the isotherms or the rates of adsorption and desorption. H(I) is the weakest chemisorption which occurs rapidly and reversibly at −75 °C and fits the dissociative Langmuir isotherm. At room temperature, H(II) and H(III) are the major chemisorption: The former is a reversible chemisorption which is equilibrated in 30 min, while the latter is a slow irreversible chemisorption which continues up to 70 hr at room temperature. H(V), the strongest chemisorption, is too slow to be detected at temperatures below 250 °C, but it is the major adsorption at higher temperatures. The total number of active sites for chemisorption was found to be 1.9 × 10 13 sites/cm 2 . The experimental results indicate that at least four types of chemisorption, H(I), H(III), H(IV), and H(V), share all or part of the sites which are the surface defects of alumina. Isotopic exchange of hydrogen and deuterium was also studied in connection with the above results. Two kinds of reactions were carried out: (1) surface-exchange reaction between various types of preadsorbed H 2 on alumina and D 2 in the gas phase; and (2) equilibration reaction of gaseous mixtures of H 2 and D 2 but without preadsorption. The results showed that at low temperatues the isotopic-exchange reaction occurred only through hydrogen chemisorbed as type H(I) and did not involve the other types of chemisorption.
Megafaunal biomass in the deep sea

THE conventional notion of the deep-sea ecosystem has been one where a rain of fine organic particles from above provides food for a great diversity of small creatures living in and on the sediments1–3. These, the meiofauna and macrofauna, live as deposit feeders, suspension feeders, and, in lesser proportion, as carnivores preying on other members of the fauna. The macrofauna in turn are thought to provide food for the generally more carnivorous megafauna, the echinoderms, decapods, and fishes. Although no data have been published concerning the abundance of the deep-sea megafauna in terms of biomass, the assumed trophic relationship and the Eltonian concept has led to the common feeling that the biomass of this component must be small in comparison to the meiofaunal and macrofaunal biomass4. Our data show that, on the contrary, the mega-faunal biomass approaches that measured in the macro-fauna. This observation re-focuses attention on the question of food supply to the deep sea, and implies that previously suggested falls of large dead animals from the pelagial5,6 may be important.
Studies directed toward the synthesis of lysocellin class polyether antibiotics. The asymmetric synthesis of the C1-C29 ferensimycin synthon

Abstract The asymmetric synthesis of the C 1 -C 9 ferensimycin synthon 3 is described. The absolute stereochemical relationships in this target structure were established through chiral enolate methodology.
Anti-salivary gland protein 1 antibodies in two patients with Sjogren’s syndrome: two case reports

Current diagnostic criteria for Sjogren’s syndrome developed by the American College of Rheumatology include the presence of antinuclear antibodies, rheumatoid factor, anti-Ro or anti-La autoantibodies. The purpose of this report is to describe two patients with biopsy-proven Sjogren’s syndrome lacking these autoantibodies but identified by antibodies to salivary gland protein 1. Diagnosis was delayed until salivary gland tumors developed in these patients because of the lack of the classic autoantibodies. This report emphasizes the existence of patients with primary Sjogren’s syndrome who lack autoantibodies anti-Ro or anti-La and may therefore be misdiagnosed. Antibodies to salivary gland protein 1 identify some of these patients. Two patients are described and were seen in the autoimmune disease clinics of the State University of New York (SUNY) at the Buffalo School of Medicine. In both patients, chronic dry mouth and dry eye had been dismissed as idiopathic because test results for autoantibodies anti-Ro and anti-La were negative. Both patients had swelling of major salivary glands that prompted biopsies. Biopsies of major salivary glands from both cases demonstrated salivary gland tumors and existence of inflammation consistent with Sjogren’s syndrome. Serologic testing revealed antibodies to salivary gland protein 1. Patients presenting with classic clinical symptoms of dry mouth and eyes do not always show the current serologic markers of Sjogren’s syndrome, anti-Ro and anti-La. In these cases, investigation for antibodies to salivary gland protein 1 is of importance to make the diagnosis of Sjogren’s syndrome. Early diagnosis of Sjogren’s syndrome is necessary for improved management as well as for vigilance regarding potential complications, such as salivary gland tumors as were seen in the described cases.
Microsatellite primers for the Pacific Northwest conifer Callitropsis nootkatensis (Cupressaceae).

Premise of the study: Microsatellite primers were developed for Nootka cypress (Callitropsis nootkatensis) to provide quantitative measures for gene conservation that can assist in guiding management decisions for a species experiencing climate-induced decline. Methods and Results: Using multiplexed massively parallel sequencing, we identified 136,785 microsatellite-containing sequences from 489,625 Illumina paired-end 80-bp reads. After stringent filtering, we selected 144 primer pairs and screened variation at these loci in five populations of C. nootkatensis. Loci show between three and 36 dinucleotide repeats per locus, with an average of 13. Screening of these markers in the Pacific Northwest relative Chamaecyparis lawsoniana demonstrated no marker transferability. This finding highlights the narrow taxonomic utility of microsatellite markers in Callitropsis. Conclusions: These microsatellites show high polymorphism and can be used for routine screening of natural variation in Callitropsis nootkatens...
Unequal Motherhood: Racial-Ethnic and Socioeconomic Disparities in Cesarean Sections in the United States

Disparities in cesarean rates in the United States represent an important social problem because cesareans are related to maternal deaths and to the high cost of American health care. There are pervasive racial-ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in maternity care as in health care more generally, yet there has been little scrutiny of how overuse of cesarean deliveries might be linked to these disparities. There are at least two possibilities when it comes to c-sections: black, Hispanic, Native American, and low socioeconomic status (SES) mothers could be less likely to have needed cesareans, leading to more negative outcomes for both mothers and babies, or they could be more likely to have medically unnecessary cesareans, leading to more negative outcomes as a result of the surgery itself. This research uses data on all recorded births in the United States in 2006 to analyze differences in the odds of a cesarean delivery by race-ethnicity and SES. The analysis reveals that non-Hispanic black, Hispanic/Latina, and Native American mothers are more likely to have cesarean deliveries than non-Hispanic white or Asian mothers. Also, after accounting for medical indications, increasing education is associated with a decline in odds of a cesarean delivery, especially for non-Hispanic whites. The results suggest that high cesarean rates are an indicator of low-quality maternity care, and that women with racial and socioeconomic advantages use them to avoid medically unnecessary cesarean deliveries rather than to request them.
Guests’ Reactions to In-Room Sustainability Initiatives: An Experimental Look at Product Performance and Guest Satisfaction

Subtle energy saving changes in guest rooms did not diminish satisfaction, based on a study of 192 guests at an independent four-star hotel. Two changes were tested, a television with three energy ...
Degradation Products of the Extracellular Pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae Access the Cytosol via Its Pore-Forming Toxin

ABSTRACT Streptococcus pneumoniae is a leading pathogen with an extracellular lifestyle; however, it is detected by cytosolic surveillance systems of macrophages. The innate immune response that follows cytosolic sensing of cell wall components results in recruitment of additional macrophages, which subsequently clear colonizing organisms from host airways. In this study, we monitored cytosolic access by following the transit of the abundant bacterial surface component capsular polysaccharide, which is linked to the cell wall. Confocal and electron microscopy visually characterized the location of cell wall components in murine macrophages outside membrane-bound organelles. Quantification of capsular polysaccharide through cellular fractionation demonstrated that cytosolic access of bacterial cell wall components is dependent on phagocytosis, bacterial sensitivity to the host’s degradative enzyme lysozyme, and release of the pore-forming toxin pneumolysin. Activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling is important for limiting access to the cytosol; however, ultimately, these are catastrophic events for both the bacteria and the macrophage, which undergoes cell death. Our results show how expression of a pore-forming toxin ensures the death of phagocytes that take up the organism, although cytosolic sensing results in innate immune detection that eventually allows for successful host defense. These findings provide an example of how cytosolic access applies to an extracellular microbe and contributes to its pathogenesis. IMPORTANCE Streptococcus pneumoniae (the pneumococcus) is a bacterial pathogen that is a leading cause of pneumonia. Pneumococcal disease is preceded by colonization of the nasopharynx, which lasts several weeks before being cleared by the host’s immune system. Although S. pneumoniae is an extracellular microbe, intracellular detection of pneumococcal components is critical for bacterial clearance. In this study, we show that following bacterial uptake and degradation by phagocytes, pneumococcal products access the host cell cytosol via its pore-forming toxin. This phenomenon of cytosolic access results in phagocyte death and may serve to combat the host cells responsible for clearing the organism. Our results provide an example of how intracellular access and subsequent immune detection occurs during infection with an extracellular pathogen.
Compensation for the response function of medium energy collimator in /sup 67/Ga planar and SPECT imaging

This preliminary study is to improve /sup 67/Ga planar and SPECT images by compensating for the response function of a medium energy (ME) collimator. The point response functions (PRFs) of a GE ME collimator for the 93, 185 and 300 keV photons of /sup 67/Ga at 5, 10, 15 and 20 cm from the collimator face were experimentally determined. For small pixel sizes, the PRFs for all distances showed hole pattern effects. Images from the higher energy photopeaks showed increased penetration fractions. For a specified source distance, a Butterworth filter can be designed to eliminate the collimator hole pattern with minimal degradation of the spatial resolution. Compensation for the distance-dependent collimator-detector response was accomplished using iterative reconstruction methods. To evaluate the compensation methods, planar images and SPECT projection data were acquired from a phantom consisting of 3 hot spheres with diameters of 1, 1.3 and 1.6 cm inside a cylindrical phantom. The iterative reconstruction-based compensation method provided improved resolution and fewer artifacts than in images reconstructed with filtered backprojection. The authors conclude that degradation caused by ME collimator in /sup 67/Ga imaging can be effectively compensated for using these techniques.
Structural and Functional Analyses of Bryophyte Canopies

Although not often discrete, the canopy (i.e., the organization of branches, shoot systems and their extent) remains the most definable and useful unit of function in bryophytes. Chambers used for gas exchange provide an integrated summary of canopy photosynthetic function. However, other techniques can provide more information on spatial variation in physiological process in both the horizontal and vertical planes. Three examples of such studies are presented here. First, variation in photosystem II (PSII) function has been evaluated, along a canopy surface, using an imaging chlorophyll fluorometer. We evaluated the quantum yield of PSII, ϕPSII, and calculated the relative rate of photosynthetic electron transport (RETR) on 7 cm diameter samples of ten Sphagnum species during drying. Spatial variation in RETR increased both during drying as well as in high light, which led to different relationships between mean RETR and its variation—across light gradients, the relationship was positive, but negative when RETR was reduced by tissue desiccation. Studies of photosynthetic function using chlorophyll fluorescence measurements need to match their sampling protocols to account for this difference. Further, combining a laser scanning approach that provides three-dimensional information on canopy structure with functional imaging allows assessment of function in three dimensions (3D) within the canopy. This is illustrated using a thermal imaging camera to measure temperature distribution within Pleurozium schreberi canopies under still conditions and with wind. This imaging system resolved 9 °C temperature differences within the canopy and localized shoot temperature relative to canopy height. Finally, computational canopy (i.e., virtual) models have been developed for bryophyte canopies, particularly ones with simple branching structure. A model of this type is shown here for the liverwort Bazzania trilobata and a light model implemented using a ray tracing algorithm. Output from this model followed the attenuation of light predicted by the Lambert-Beer Law and such a technique can be used to evaluate how branching architecture and density affect the dynamics of light capture in bryophytes. New approaches based on novel imaging technologies are in rapid development and present opportunities to further our understanding of function within bryophyte canopies.
Airborne Monitoring to Distinguish Engineered Nanomaterials from Incidental Particles for Environmental Health and Safety

Two methods were used to distinguish airborne engineered nanomaterials from other airborne particles in a facility that produces nano-structured lithium titanate metal oxide powder. The first method involved off-line analysis of filter samples collected with conventional respirable samplers at each of seven locations (six near production processes and one outdoors). Throughout most of the facility and outdoors, respirable mass concentrations were low (<0.050 mg/m3) and were attributed to particles other than the nanomaterial (<10% by mass titanium determined with inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry). In contrast, in a single area with extensive material handling, mass concentrations were greatest (0.118 mg m−3) and contained up to 39% ± 11% lithium titanium, indicating the presence of airborne nanomaterial. Analysis of the filter samples collected in this area by transmission electron microscope and scanning electron microscope revealed that the airborne nanomaterial was associated onl...
The Effect of Nomination Divisiveness on the 2008 Presidential Election

This research examines the effect of disgruntlement among primary and caucus voters who supported U.S. presidential nomination losers—a potentially divisive nomination process. I analyze the general election voting behavior of primary and caucus voters in the 2008 presidential election to determine if differences exist between supporters of the winning nominee in each party and backers of other candidates who also sought the nomination. A multivariate analysis of the determinants of “loyal party vote” suggests that Clinton and Edwards supporters showed a significantly higher degree of defection in the general election, although this behavior did not occur among people who voted for Romney or Huckabee in their state's primary or caucus.
Another Way Family Can Get in the Head and Under the Skin: The Neurobiology of Helping the Family

Families can be both challenging and mean- ingful. Advances in technology have allowed us to gain insight into the impact of family stress on biological and neurological development, but these tools also can be used to understand more deeply the social and cultural meaning of family experiences in the developing child. In this article, we describe a program of research examining the psychological, immunological, and neural correlates of children helping their families. Although difficult at times, such help can provide a sense of belonging and role fulfillment that may shape the neurobiology of the devel- oping child.
Protein Interaction Module–assisted Function X (PIMAX) Approach to Producing Challenging Proteins Including Hyperphosphorylated Tau and Active CDK5/p25 Kinase Complex

Many biomedically critical proteins are underrepresented in proteomics and biochemical studies because of the difficulty of their production in Escherichia coli. These proteins might possess posttranslational modifications vital to their functions, tend to misfold and be partitioned into bacterial inclusion bodies, or act only in a stoichiometric dimeric complex. Successful production of these proteins requires efficient interaction between these proteins and a specific "facilitator," such as a protein-modifying enzyme, a molecular chaperone, or a natural physical partner within the dimeric complex. Here we report the design and application of a protein interaction module-assisted function X (PIMAX) system that effectively overcomes these hurdles. By fusing two proteins of interest to a pair of well-studied protein-protein interaction modules, we were able to potentiate the association of these two proteins, resulting in successful production of an enzymatically active cyclin-dependent kinase complex and hyperphosphorylated tau protein, which is intimately linked to Alzheimer disease. Furthermore, using tau isoforms quantitatively phosphorylated by GSK-3β and CDK5 kinases via PIMAX, we demonstrated the hyperphosphorylation-stimulated tau oligomerization in vitro, paving the way for new Alzheimer disease drug discoveries. Vectors for PIMAX can be easily modified to meet the needs of different applications. This approach thus provides a convenient and modular suite with broad implications for proteomics and biomedical research.