cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Seven Ways Neuroscience Aids Law

Rapid advances in neuroscience have raised hopes in law, perhaps inevitably, that new techniques for revealing brain function may help to answer perennial questions about the sources, limits, and implications of human behavior, mental states, and psychology. As a consequence, lawyers have sharply increased proffers of neuroscientific evidence in both civil and criminal litigation, and have also invoked neuroscience as relevant to many doctrinal and policy reforms. These new developments make it essential for just legal systems to evaluate and separate legitimate from illegitimate uses of neuroscience. As part of that effort, this forthcoming essay identifies and illustrates seven distinct contexts in which neuroscience – skeptically evaluated but also carefully understood – can be useful to law. The essay is based on a talk delivered at The Vatican, Pontifical Academy of Sciences, November 2012.
A Longitudinal Analysis of US Adults’ Pornography Exposure

Several studies have explored whether pornography exposure is associated with a casual approach to sex. Much of this research, however, has been cross-sectional, has assessed only straightforward exposure–casual sex associations, and has employed convenience samples of adolescents. This study employed nationally representative longitudinal data from the General Social Survey to explore whether casual sex behavior predicted over time change in US adults’ pornography exposure and whether pornography exposure predicted over time change in US adults’ casual sex behavior. Casual sex behavior did not predict over time change in pornography exposure, but pornography exposure did predict over time change in casual sex behavior. To test the prediction of Wright’s acquisition, activation, application model of sexual socialization (3AM) that negative affective states make the application of risky sexual scripts provided by sexual media more likely (Wright, 2011a) the moderating role of unhappiness was explored. In s...
A strong constitutive ethylene-response phenotype conferred on Arabidopsis plants containing null mutations in the ethylene receptors ETR1 and ERS1

The ethylene receptor family of Arabidopsis consists of five members, falling into two subfamilies. Subfamily 1 is composed of ETR1 and ERS1, and subfamily 2 is composed of ETR2, ERS2, and EIN4. Although mutations have been isolated in the genes encoding all five family members, the only previous insertion allele of ERS1 (ers1-2) is a partial loss-of-function mutation based on our analysis. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent of signaling mediated by subfamily-1 ethylene receptors through isolation and characterization of null mutations. We isolated new T-DNA insertion alleles of subfamily 1 members ERS1 and ETR1 (ers1-3 and etr1-9, respectively), both of which are null mutations based on molecular, biochemical, and genetic analyses. Single mutants show an ethylene response similar to wild type, although both mutants are slightly hypersensitive to ethylene. Double mutants of ers1-3 with etr1-9, as well as with the previously isolated etr1-7, display a constitutive ethylene-response phenotype more pronounced than that observed with any previously characterized combination of ethylene receptor mutations. Dark-grown etr1-9;ers1-3 and etr1-7;ers1-3 seedlings display a constitutive triple-response phenotype. Light-grown etr1-9;ers1-3 and etr1-7;ers1-3 plants are dwarfed, largely sterile, exhibit premature leaf senescence, and develop novel filamentous structures at the base of the flower. A reduced level of ethylene response was still uncovered in the double mutants, indicating that subfamily 2 receptors can independently contribute to signaling, with evidence suggesting that this is due to their interaction with the Raf-like kinase CTR1. Our results are consistent with the ethylene receptors acting as redundant negative regulators of ethylene signaling, but with subfamily 1 receptors playing the predominant role. Loss of a single member of subfamily 1 is largely compensated for by the activity of the other member, but loss of both subfamily members results in a strong constitutive ethylene-response phenotype. The role of subfamily 1 members is greater than previously suspected and analysis of the double mutant null for both ETR1 and ERS1 uncovers novel roles for the receptors not previously characterized.
Structural diversity among retroviral gene products: a molecular approach to the study of biological function through structural variability.

Publisher Summary The chapter presents the structural comparisons, the relationships between the various mammalian retroviruses, defines the extent to which the retroviruses represent a polymorphic family of genes. The peptide mapping techniques and the data obtained by its use concerning the viruses of the family Retroviridae and to integrate this information with that obtained through different methods by others. The use of refined methods in peptide mapping technology to study the gene products of type B, C, and D retroviruses, especially MuLV, has enabled defining of markers on the viral gene products of most extant retrovirus isolates. This information, as a whole, has provided insight into the range of variability that exists among the mammalian retroviruses and allows the identification of virtually any unknown virus, its host range, Fv-1 type, and endogenous origin. Structural functional correlates have been noted in the chapter. The instances of intergenic and intragenic recombination have been identified using the structural markers on MuLV gp70, p30, and p15, and this evidence has presented the suggestions.
Leveraging kinase inhibitors to develop small molecule tools for imaging kinases by fluorescence microscopy

As the usage of fluorescence microscopy as a tool to study biological systems continues to grow, so does the need for additional tools that permit the selective detection of proteins of interest. Existing selective and well-characterized kinase inhibitors may be exploited to develop novel small molecule probes useful in imaging kinases by fluorescence microscopy.
Cholesterol-induced inflammation and macrophage accumulation in adipose tissue is reduced by a low carbohydrate diet in guinea pigs.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of a high cholesterol (HC) dietary challenge on cholesterol tissue accumulation, inflammation, adipocyte differentiation, and macrophage infiltration in guinea pigs. A second objective was to assess whether macronutrient manipulation would reverse these metabolic alterations. MATERIALS/METHODS: Male Hartley guinea pigs (10/group) were assigned to either low cholesterol (LC) (0.04g/100g) or high cholesterol (HC) (0.25g/100g) diets for six weeks. For the second experiment, 20 guinea pigs were fed the HC diet for six weeks and then assigned to either a low carbohydrate (CHO) diet (L-CHO) (10% energy from CHO) or a high CHO diet (H-CHO) (54% CHO) for an additional six weeks. RESULTS: Higher concentrations of total (P CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study strongly suggest that HC induces metabolic dysregulation associated with inflammation in adipose tissue and that L-CHO is more effective than H-CHO in attenuating these detrimental effects.
Factors Contributing to Improved Teaching Performance

This article focuses upon the quality and scholarship of teaching as it pertains to educational and faculty development. We outline what more than 200 faculty members at one institution have done over a 3-year period to make significant and sustained improvements in their teaching, surprisingly with minimal effort. The top three factors leading to improvement were active/practical learning, teacher/student interactions, and clear expectations/learning outcomes. We provide practical applications for change and suggestions for future research.
Italian for Sicilians

THE increased enrollment in Italian classes occasioned by an awakened pride in the motherland on the part of our Italian-American populace has brought in its train problems sufficient to challenge the ingenuity and skill of any teacher of the language. The transition from dialects, apocopated and truncated forms, current idiom, and slang, to the formality of classroom grammar is a task only matched by the identical parallel in English. A set of rules, carefully canvassed in a grammar, is scarcely sufficient to counterbalance the facile, incorrect jargon of the home. Solutions to the problem, however, are not lacking. Grammar should and must be reduced to its simplest terms. In place of such terms as the definite and indefinite article, choose the expression "the words for the and a in Italian are ... ". Look from the window and pick out one of a number of similar objects. Explain that no definite one is held in mind. Ask in English how to express more than one of the objects, still retaining no idea of a definite number. Following immediately upon your question comes the word some. You have gained half a point. Then some is the plural, indefinite idea, and some in Italian is formed by combining the word for of with the word for the, the form depending upon the noun (name of a person, place, or thing) which follows. Solution number two: Is there any way to know when consonants are doubled in Italian? Select a number of English words that are composed of root plus prefix. Note the dissimilarity between the consonantal ending of the prefix and the initial consonant of the root. In Italian we have a language-phenomenon known as assimilation of consonants, a simplification of pronunciation, if you will: admire-ammirare; exception-eccezione. Is your class lucky enough to have studied Latin? Remember the rate of forgetting and then state that Italian nouns usually retain the gender of their Latin predecessors. Has your class studied French? Gender in the Romance languages is a fairly constant quotient. Has your class studied neither? You have three ways to teach gender: word-ending, adjectival agreement, and word-meaning. Woe to the boy who says la padre-the gift of language perhaps is not his. Irregular verbs, those terrors of the average student, are best learned through the association of the participle with a noun from the same root:
Synthesis of Intermetallic PtZn Nanoparticles by Reaction of Pt Nanoparticles with Zn Vapor and Their Application as Fuel Cell Catalysts

Intermetallic PtZn nanoparticles with stable and high activities toward formic acid and methanol electrooxidation were synthesized by reaction of carbon-supported Pt nanoparticles with Zn vapor at 500 °C for 8 h under flowing nitrogen at atmospheric pressure. The resulting well-dispersed 3−15 nm diameter PtZn nanoparticles were tetragonal phase (P4/mmm: a=0.2842(1) nm, c=0.3488(3) nm) and their Pt:Zn ratio was approximately 1:1. Reactions using unsupported Pt nanoparticles (<5 nm domain size) produced aggregated masses consisting of 5−60 nm nanoparticles. The catalytic activities of supported PtZn nanoparticles toward formic acid and methanol electrooxidation were studied by differential electrochemical mass spectrometry (DEMS). The intermetallic PtZn nanoparticles exhibited higher currents for both formic acid and methanol oxidation than supported Pt nanoparticles with similar particle sizes, but the activity was not as high as that of PtPb. Finally, we established that vapor phase reactions of nano-Pt a...
Achieving a Corporate Goal for Influenza Vaccination Using Nurse Champions

Abstract ISSUE: Our medical center is a three-hospital system with 913 licensed beds and 5826 employees. While employee influenza vaccination has been a focus for the Infection Control Committee and the Epidemiology Department for many years, employee vaccination rates had only reached approximately 30%. In 2003 administration set a corporate goal to achieve a 50% vaccination rate among patient-contact employees. PROJECT: In summer 2003, the nursing Retention and Recognition Council (R&R) members were asked to act as champions for the employee influenza vaccination campaign. R&R membership consists of clinical registered nurses (RNs) from each nursing department (about 40 members). A training session was held with R&R to provide materials members could use to educate others. Members also agreed to vaccinate fellow employees in clinical departments. This allowed employee health nurses to focus attention on departmental visits in other areas. In addition to receiving the vaccine in nursing departments and employee health, employees could receive the vaccine in the emergency department during off-hours. R&R nurses were also responsible for documenting vaccination and submitting documentation to employee health for recordkeeping. Managers supported staff nurse administration of vaccine to limit time away from patient care. Posters and badges were developed by the marketing department to advertise the vaccination campaign. Administrative staff received departmental vaccination rates during the campaign. Individuals and departments who were successful in reaching the corporate goal were eligible to receive an award. RESULTS: Employee vaccination rates increased to 55% in clinical areas (47% hospital-wide). The R&R plans to adopt this as an ongoing program. LESSONS LEARNED: Having a team of clinical RN champions to implement the program at the department level encouraged other employees to receive the vaccine. Some employees preferred vaccination by a peer. Disseminating vaccine to clinical nursing departments made the vaccination process more convenient for employees and supported continuity of patient care.
Determination of trace element impurities in aspirin tablets by neutron activation analysis

Twenty five trace and minor elements (aluminium, arsenic, barium, bromine, cerium, chlorine, cobalt, chromium, cesium, europium, iron, hafnium, potassium, magnesium, manganese, sodium, rubidium, antimony, scandium, selenium, strontium, thorium, titanium, vanadium and zinc) in five different Egyptian aspirin brands (Aspo, Askin, Aspocid, Aspeol and Rivo) have been determined by instrumental neutron activation analysis. It has been concluded that the concentration of arsenic, barium, bromine, cobalt, chromium, iron (except in Aspocid), magnesium, manganese, rubidium, selenium, strontium and zinc in the Egyptian brands is below or within the concentration range reported for these elements in 16 American aspirin and aspirin-like brands.
TL we meet again

The MHC class I–like molecule TL selects high-affinity effector memory T cells to man the barriers in the intestinal mucosa.
A Tangled Web We Weave: Enforcing International Speech Restrictions in an Online World

It is no secret that the Internet has transforemd the way we communicate with each other in the modern world. No longer "a unique and wholly new medium of worldwide human communication,"2 the Internet has seen a dramatic increase in the number of users across the glove, from about 40 million at a time of trial in Reno v. ACLU ,3 to more than 1.1 billion today.4 As is becoming ever more clear as the technology contrinues to develpo, in merely a decade, this "explosion" of the Internet has led to a host of legal complications, challenging some of our most fundamental legal assumptions and doctrines. Basic notions of jurisdiction and enforcement are turned on their head, as "content on the Internet does not exist in one particular place; rather, it exists in several places at once."5 But these complications are not just a matter for scholars, lawyers, and judges. Underlying this legal chaso is a cultural battleground, as different nations find themselves confronted with the question of how to preserve national values in the face of a medium that is quite adept at transcending territorial borders.
Rare Earths and Magnetic Refrigeration

Abstract Magnetic refrigeration is a revolutionary, efficient, environmentally friendly cooling technology, which is on the threshold of commercialization. The magnetic rare earth materials are utilized as the magnetic refrigerants in most cooling devices, and for many cooling application the Nd2Fe14B permanent magnets are employed as the source of the magnetic field. The status of the near room temperature magnetic cooling was reviewed.
Development of a two-dimensional phase-grating mask for fabrication of an analog-resist profile

Fabrication of a thick analog profile with photoresist is a difficult task in photolithography. We demonstrate that a binary phase-grating photomask with an appropriate period and duty cycles is capable of manipulating the exposure illumination in an analog fashion and can be used for fabrication of the desired analog micro-optics profiles on the surface of a thick photoresist. By choosing the proper period and variation of duty cycle of the phase-grating mask, one can create the desired analog intensity of exposure illumination for an optical stepper. This allows the formation of a wide range of analog micro-optics profiles with an SPR 220-7 photoresist. The numerical convolution of the diffraction efficiency curve and resist exposure characteristics is used to predict the final resist profile and also to design the appropriate duty-cycle distribution for the binary phase grating. As a demonstration of this technology, we fabricated a variety of micro-optical elements, such as a positive lens, ring lens, prism, and vortex of ∼100-200 µm diameter, by using a phase-grating mask fabricated in a poly(methyl methacrylate) electron-beam resist.
Single-crystal growth and characterization of YBa2Cu4O8 with Tc ∼ 80 K

Abstract Single-crystals of YBa2Cu4O8 with Tc ∼ 80 K have been grown from a BaOCuO flux at 1100°C under 600 bar of O2. Unlike earlier crystals of this material that were grown in Al2O3 crucibles, crystals grown in ZrO2 crucibles show sharp superconducting transitions (ΔTc ∼ 0.5 K) with Tcs as high as the best polycrystalline material. The high crystal quality was confirmed by single- crystal X-ray diffraction. The incorporation of a small amount of aluminium in the lattice (confirmed by electron microprobe measurements) is the probable cause for the degradation of superconducting properties of crystals grown in Al2O3 crucibles.
New bioactive rosigenin analogues and aromatic polyketide metabolites from the freshwater aquatic fungus Massarina tunicata

Four new rosigenin analogues (massarigenins A-D; 1-4) and two new aromatic polyketide-derived secondary metabolites (massarinins A and B; 6, 7) and have been isolated from the freshwater aquatic fungus Massarina tunicata. The structures of these compounds were determined primarily by analysis of NMR data, and that of compound 1 was verified by X-ray crystallography. The known compound 4-(2-hydroxybutynyloxy)benzoic acid (11) was also obtained, and its absolute stereochemistry was assigned. Several of these metabolites showed antibiotic activity against Gram-positive bacteria.
The transition from transcriptional initiation to elongation

Transcription is the first step in gene expression, and its regulation underlies multicellular development and the response to environmental changes. Most studies of transcriptional regulation have focused on the recruitment of RNA polymerase to promoters. However, recent work has shown that, for many promoters, post-recruitment steps in transcriptional initiation are likely to be rate limiting. The rate at which RNA polymerase transitions from transcriptional initiation to elongation varies dramatically between promoters and between organisms and is the target of multiple regulatory proteins that can function to both repress and activate transcription.
Immediate and long-term assistance following the bombing of the US Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

On 7 August 1998 truck bombs destroyed the US Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.(1) The response in both countries was characterised by an absence of incident command, limited pre-hospital care, a disorganised hospital response and a lack of transportation for those injured. In the next five years USD 50 million was provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to alleviate the resulting suffering, support reconstruction and strengthen disaster preparedness capacity in the two countries. These two programmes have enhanced awareness of disaster management issues, improved training capacity, built response structures and provided material resources. Their design and implementation provide lessons for future disasters in developing countries. The assistance programmes evolved very differently. In Kenya the programme largely excluded the public sector and the potential for government coordination, while the Tanzanian programme concentrated heavily on central government and regional hospital structures-largely omitting the non-governmental or civil society sector. Excluding key stakeholders raises concerns about programme sustainability and the ability to respond effectively to future emergencies. Language: en
Phenol oxidase activity during melanotic tumor formation in Drosophila melanogaster

Abstract Radiometric and spectrophotometric studies were made of larval phenol oxidase activity in the sex-linked recessive, temperature-sensitive, lethal mutant Tum 1 (1, 34.5) of Drosophila melanogaster during formation of melanotic tumors. At the tumor-expressive temperature of 29°C, virtually no phenol oxidase (monophenol or diphenol oxidase) was detected in either the hemolymph or hemocytes of hemizygous (male) Tum 1 larvae during early (72 hr) and late stages (96 and 120 hr) of melanotic tumor formation. Compared to normal Basc, heterozygous (female) Tum 1 showed reduced hemolymph and hemocyte enzyme activities during the two developmental stages studied (96 and 120 hr). At 120 hr, when melanotic tumors were completely manifested in female Tum 1 , total hemolymph monophenol oxidase activity in this mutant was 50% that of Basc and hemolymph diphenol oxidase activity approximately 40% of the activity of Basc hemolymph with three enzyme substrates tested (dopa, dopamine, and N -acetyldopamine). Hemocyte diphenol oxidase activity in female Tum 1 at this stage of development also was comparably reduced to approximately intermediate levels (59% of the activity found in Basc cells), but hemocyte monophenol oxidase activity was substantially lower than the controls (25% of the activity of Basc ). These results suggest that monophenol and diphenol oxidase activities in the Tum 1 mutant are regulated either by the mutant locus itself, or by linked modifiers also on the X chromosome. The progressive reduction in enzyme activity during melanotic tumor formation may result from product inhibition, the sequestering of enzyme-melanoprotein complexes within the pigmented masses, or the depletion of requisite enzyme activators or substrates.
Silylated Initiators for the Efficient Preparation of Borane-End-Functionalized Polymers via ATRP

Borane-end-functionalized polymers have been prepared through (i) atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of styrene using a silylated initiator, 1-bromo-1-(4-trimethylsilylphenyl)ethane (PEB-SiMe3), (ii) exchange of the SiMe3 end groups with BBr3, and (iii) modification of the Lewis acidic boron centers with nucleophiles. Ditelechelic α,ω-borane-functionalized polymers were obtained through atom transfer radical coupling (ATRC) of the silane-end-functionalized polymers followed by exchange with BBr3 and subsequent reaction with nucleophiles. Self-assembly of the borane-functionalized mono- and ditelechelic polymers into supramolecular structures by means of reversible noncovalent and covalent interactions including Lewis acid−base complexation and boroxine formation has been explored.
Food motivated behavior in genetically obese and hypothalamic-hyperphagic rats and mice

Abstract The food-associated behavior of genetically obese Zucker rats, fa/fa and yellow obese mice, aAy, was studied using classic operant procedures. When obese Zucker rats and yellow mice are compared to their lean littermates and lean littermates made obese by electrolytic lesions and chemical lesions, respectively, the naturally obese animals do not display the behavioral patterns associated with rodents made obese by hypothalamic damage. These experiments point out the necessity for careful selection of animal models in studying behaviors associated with regulatory disturbances of normal food intake.
Serum low density lipoproteins with mitogenic effect on cultured aortic smooth muscle cells.

Low density lipoprotein (LDL) subspecies of different size and lipid mass were isolated by density gradient ultracentrifugation from the serum of male rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) fed both a low fat, low cholesterol commercial primate ration, and cholesterol-supplemented high-fat diets, as well as from the serum of human donors. The mitogenic effect of these lipoproteins was examined using primary cultures of rhesus aortic smooth muscle cells. It was observed that the smaller LDL (molecular weight 2.7 × 106) from normolipidemic monkeys and a small LDL (molecular weight 2.6 × 106) occurring in some normal human subjects exhibited no mitogenic action. In turn, the larger LDL subspecies (molecular weight >3.0 × 106, and buoyant density <1.030 g/ml), whether from normolipidemic or hyperlipidemic monkeys, or from some normal human subjects, had a marked proliferative action. The results indicate that both hyperlipidemic and normal sera (both human and rhesus) contain mitogenic LDL species although in different amounts. LDL-III, the rhesus equivalent of human Lp(a) was not mitogenic despite its similarity in size and lipid composition to the stimulating particles. However, on the removal of most of its large sialic acid moiety, a clear mitogenic action was observed. The mechanisms responsible for the proliferative effect are unclear and may involve LDL mass, lipid composition, and surface charge although other speculations cannot at present be ruled out. Furthermore, since the small LDL subspecies of either rhesus or human origin were nonmitogenic and similar in mass to the LDL found in calf serum, the mitogenic response of the smooth muscle cells to large LDLs may depend on their early conditioning with the LDL of calf serum.
Fluorescence Investigation of Multiple Partitioning Sites in Aqueous and Reverse Micelles

Our investigations seek to illustrate the use of fluorescence spectral deconvolution to characterize multiple partitioning sites for aromatic chromophores within aqueous and reverse micelles. The spatial distribution of solutes within micellar systems is dictated by a variety of noncovalent interactions. To probe for multiple partitioning microenvironments, we use the aromatic fluorophore Prodan with its extensive solubility in a range of media and its appreciable spectral sensitivity to the polarity of its surroundings. We conduct a systematic study of the partitioning of Prodan in aqueous micellar systems with anionic, cationic, zwitterionic, and nonionic surfactant headgroups and in reverse micellar systems with both anionic and cationic surfactant headgroups. By deconvoluting the overall Prodan fluorescence emission spectrum into a sum of overlapping Gaussian functions, the principal microenvironments of the Prodan molecules may be ascertained. Fluorescence data are consistent with the location of Pro...
Atmosphere and Ocean Origins of North American Droughts

AbstractThe atmospheric and oceanic causes of North American droughts are examined using observations and ensemble climate simulations. The models indicate that oceanic forcing of annual mean precipitation variability accounts for up to 40% of total variance in northeastern Mexico, the southern Great Plains, and the Gulf Coast states but less than 10% in central and eastern Canada. Observations and models indicate robust tropical Pacific and tropical North Atlantic forcing of annual mean precipitation and soil moisture with the most heavily influenced areas being in southwestern North America and the southern Great Plains. In these regions, individual wet and dry years, droughts, and decadal variations are well reproduced in atmosphere models forced by observed SSTs. Oceanic forcing was important in causing multiyear droughts in the 1950s and at the turn of the twenty-first century, although a similar ocean configuration in the 1970s was not associated with drought owing to an overwhelming influence of in...
The Transfer of an Electron Driven by Laser in Electronic Molecular Devices

Photon-assisted tunneling of an electron in proteins with slow relaxation modes is considered at room temperatures. Quasi-coherent oscillations are found for an electron that is strongly coupled to the environment. An applied electric field is shown to effectively change the relaxation of the protein modes from slow to fast (and vice versa). This changes the quasi-coherent oscillations (slow relaxation) to exponential decay (fast relaxation). These features could be applied in switches and quantum computers.
Kainic Acid Injections Result in Degeneration of Cochlear Nucleus Cells Innervated by the Auditory Nerve

When kainic acid, a putative neurotoxin for neurons with glutamatergic input, is injected into the brainstem, it produces a selective pattern of degeneration in the cochlear nucleus. The rate and extent of degeneration is correlated with the distribution of the primary auditory fibers. This evidence supports the hypothesis that glutamate is the neurotransmitter for primary auditory fibers.
Surface structures and beam-induced metallic reduction in InP

Abstract Reductions of In metallic particles from an InP crystal under illumination with an electron beam are observed. The main damage of 120 keV electrons to an InP crystal is the heating-up effect. The structures of InP (110) surfaces consist of many atomic-high surface steps and screw dislocations. It is suggested that the reduction process of the In atoms in an InP (110) surface might start from a monolayer reaction.
Dibutyryl cyclic amp inhibits ldl binding in cultured fibroblasts and arterial smooth muscle cells

Abstract The interaction of low density lipoproteins (LDL) with cell membrane receptors is regulated by certain hormones. To test whether LDL receptor activity is influenced by cyclic AMP, the effect of dibutyryl cyclic AMP on LDL binding uptake and degradation was studied in cultured human skin fibroblasts and in rat and human arterial smooth muscle cells. Dibutyryl cyclic AMP in concentrations of 10 −3 to 10 −7 M inhibited LDL binding and degradation in fibroblasts and rat arterial smooth muscle cells, and degradation in human arterial smooth muscle cells. Inhibition of LDL receptor activity by dibutyryl cyclic AMP did not appear to be due to a non-specific toxic effect of the nucleotide. It appeared to be mediated on the affinity of the receptor for LDL rather than receptor number.
Influence of Sediment Availability, Vegetation, and Sea Level Rise on the Development of Tidal Marshes in the Delaware Bay: A Review

Abstract Stammermann, R. and Piasecki, M., 2012. Influence of sediment availability, vegetation, and sea level rise on the development of tidal marshes in the Delaware Bay: a review. The ecological value of tidal marsh systems for the environment and their adjacent water body is increasingly recognized. Natural and anthropogenic changes in the environment represent challenges to the development and sustainability of marsh systems that can lead to degradation and losses when negative impacts accumulate. Physical, chemical, and biological processes in marshes are complex, highly intertwined, and still not entirely understood. A better understanding is essential for the management of marshes and the assessment of impacts caused by future changes. This paper presents a review of tidal marshes in general and the problems they are facing with a special emphasis on the Delaware Estuary. The number of factors affecting tidal marshes is large, and a review of all would go beyond the scope of this paper. In this re...
Helminths: comparison of their rhodoquinone.

Abstract A rhodoquinone (RQ) has been isolated from Stephanurus dentatus and has been shown to be identical with RQ-9 from Ascaris lumbricoides var. suis (A. suum) . The ratio of RQ/mg N is fairly constant among larval, juvenile, and adult forms of S. dentatus with an average value of 1.63 μg/mg N. A Chromatographie survey found RQ in all eleven species of helminths tested. Ubiquinone (UQ) was found in all larval forms, a free living nematode ( Rhabditis strongyloides ) and helminths with prepatent periods shorter than 35 days.
Adolescent perceptions of risk and need for safer sexual behaviors after first human papillomavirus vaccination.

Objectives To (1) examine perceptions of risk of human papillomavirus (HPV) and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), (2) examine perceived need for safer sexual behaviors, and (3) determine factors associated with less perceived need for safer sexual behaviors, all in the context of receiving the first HPV vaccination. Design Cross-sectional baseline analysis from an ongoing longitudinal cohort study. Setting An urban hospital-based adolescent primary care clinic. Participants Girls 13 to 21 years (for this article girls are defined as being aged 13 to 21 years) (n = 339) receiving their first HPV vaccination and their mothers (n = 235). Main Outcome Measures (1) Girls' perceived risk of HPV after HPV vaccination, (2) girls' perceived risk of other STIs after vaccination, (3) girls' perceived need for continued safer sexual behaviors after vaccination, and (4) factors associated with girls' perception of less need for safer sexual behaviors. Results Mean age of girls was 16.8 years. Most participants (76.4%) were black, and 57.5% were sexually experienced. Girls perceived themselves to be at less risk for HPV than for other STIs after HPV vaccination (P Conclusions Few adolescents perceived less need for safer sexual behaviors after the first HPV vaccination. Education about HPV vaccines and encouraging communication between girls and their mothers may prevent misperceptions among these adolescents.
Unintended Change of Physiological Lumbar Lordosis and Pelvic Tilt After Posterior Spinal Instrumentation and Fusion for Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis: How Much Is Too Much?

Abstract Study Design Retrospective review of prospective multicenter adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) database. Objectives To investigate the effect of decreased lumbar lordosis (LL) on measured pelvic tilt (PT) after posterior spinal instrumentation and fusion for AIS and to test the hypothesis that lumbar spinal fusion resulting in mismatched LL is associated with increased PT. Summary of Background Data Interaction between the spine and pelvis highly influences global sagittal alignment (GSA). In adults, correlation between health-related quality of life measures and LL proportional to a patient-specific pelvic incidence (PI) has been established, although the implications of poor sagittal alignment are less well-defined in AIS. This observation warrants further examination of regional spine contour and its relation to the pelvis in AIS. Methods The authors queried a prospective multicenter database for AIS patients who underwent posterior spinal instrumentation and fusion with lowest instrumented vertebra between L2 and L5 and identified 155 patients with minimum 2 years' follow-up. Lumbar lordosis (T12–S1), LL within fusion, LL below fusion, GSA, PT, and PI were measured preoperatively and at 2 years. Change in PT was compared between patients with matched or mismatched LL based on a common clinical definition (LL = PI + 10) and a research-driven model (LL = 0.56 PI + 33.43). Results Thirty-eight percent of patients had decreased LL from before surgery to 2 years after surgery. These patients had significantly higher rates of increased PT (73%) than patients without decreased LL (40%). Multivariate regression demonstrated that change in LL, LL within fusion, and GSA had a significant predictive effect on PT (p Conclusions Iatrogenic loss of LL commonly occurs in spine fusion for AIS and is associated with a reciprocal increase in PT. As such, spinal fusion in AIS can have unintended effects on sagittal alignment with currently uninvestigated potential consequences in the future.
A Biomimetic Composite from Solution Self‐Assembly of Chitin Nanofibers in a Silk Fibroin Matrix

A chitin nanofiber-silk biomimetic nanocomposite with enhanced mechanical properties is self-assembled from solution to yield ultrafine chitin nanofibers embedded in a silk matrix.
A simulation modeling framework for community-wide evacuation planning

Simulation is a useful and cost effective tool for evacuation planning. However, extensive data collection and preparation is necessary to build a traffic evacuation simulation model that can closely replicate real life conditions. In a community-wide evacuation process during an emergency, which covers hundreds of miles, input data related to simulation of traffic evacuations include (1) Traffic and roadway geometry, (2) Geographic distribution of the affected area, (3) Travel demand modeling, and (4) Behavioral analysis of potential evacuees. This paper presents a framework for preparing simulation inputs and ultimately developing a simulation model. Brief excerpts from a case study on the evacuation of Charleston, South Carolina are also included. An accurate input analysis is very important to the success of a simulation project since without correct input data, the output of a simulation cannot contribute to more effective decision making. This paper presents a simple and efficient methodology for data preparation regarding a large scale city evacuation simulation involving long distance trips.
Energy resource requirements of a solar heating system

Abstract The methods of energy analysis have been applied to a liquid-based, short-term storage solar space and water heating system suitable for a single family dwelling in Toronto. This system, which in many respects represents a worst case for solar heating, takes 1.0–3.5 years of operation to conserve the energy resources required to build, operate and maintain the system. Alternatively, over the twenty year lifetime of the system, the energy resources used indirectly by the solar heating system amount to between 6 and 24% of the direct energy resources conserved by the system. These considerations do not significantly alter the energy-conservation characteristics of the solar heating system unless thermally-generated electricity is used as backup for a 50% solar heating system which replaces oil or gas heating; in this case, only 4–9% of the energy resources are conserved by the solar system. A factor of three variation in energy resource use in collector materials was found in a sample of 7 flat-plate collectors with steel-based collectors using the least. The total energy embodied in the collector was about double that found in the materials alone. The collectors and annual operating energy for the pumps were found to be the two most significant factors in the analysis. An appendix summarizes the energy resource requirements embodied in the materials used for collectors.
Dream Content and Political Ideology

This pilot study focuses on the relationship of dream content and political ideology in a contemporary U.S. context. The study involved 56 people, 28 (14 male and 14 female) who identified themselves as members of the political right and 28 (14 male and 14 female) who identified themselves as members of the political left. “Most recent dream” reports from these subjects were analyzed using Hall and Van de Castle content analysis categories. Following that quantitative analysis, each dream was analyzed in terms of its narrative qualities (themes, images, emotional patterns, etc.). Although the small size of the study makes it impossible to offer definitive interpretations, the findings are suggestive: people on the political right had more nightmares, more dreams in which they lacked personal power, and a greater frequency of “lifelike” dreams; people on the political left had fewer nightmares, more dreams in which they had personal power, and a greater frequency of good fortunes and bizarre elements in their dreams. These findings have plausible correlations to certain features of the political ideologies of people on the left and the right, and merit future investigation in larger-scale studies.
Electrochemical separation of aluminum from uranium for research reactor spent nuclear fuel applications

Abstract Researchers at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) are developing an electrorefining process to treat aluminum-based spent nuclear fuel by electrochemically separating aluminum from uranium. The aluminum electrorefiner is modeled after the high-throughput electrorefiner developed at ANL. Aluminum is electrorefined, using a fluoride salt electrolyte, in a potential range of −0.1 V to −0.2 V, while uranium is electrorefined in a potential range of −0.3 V to −0.4 V; therefore, aluminum can be selectively separated electrochemically from uranium. A series of laboratory-scale experiments was performed to demonstrate the aluminum electrorefining concept. These experiments involved selecting an electrolyte (determining a suitable fluoride salt composition); selecting a crucible material for the electrochemical cell; optimizing the operating conditions; determining the effect of adding alkaline and rare earth elements to the electrolyte; and demonstrating the electrochemical separation of aluminum from uranium, using a U–Al–Si alloy as a simulant for aluminum-based spent nuclear fuel. Results of the laboratory-scale experiments indicate that aluminum can be selectively electrotransported from the anode to the cathode, while uranium remains in the anode basket.
Allergic respiratory diseases and environmental pollution: experience in the printing/paper‐manufacturing industry

Several studies have shown a correlation between airborne pollutants and respiratory disorders. To determine whether professional exposure to industrial pollution might represent a risk factor for allergic respiratory diseases, we administered allergologic tests to 275 workers employed in a paper-making/printing factory and to a control population composed of 160 office workers from the same urban area. All subjects were evaluated on the basis of personal and family histories, the results of prick tests with common airborne allergens, specific serum IgE levels, pulmonary function test, and standard chest radiography. The percentage of subjects with allergies in the factory-worker group (67/275 ; 24.4%) was significantly higher than that observed among the office workers (20/160 ; 12.5%) (chi-square test : 8.17 ; P<0.01). Of the 67 factory workers with allergies, 94% had histories of daily exposure to aliphatic hydrocarbons. The results of this study indicate that exposure to the latter type of industrial pollutants is associated with a significantly higher prevalence of allergic respiratory diseases.
CRYSTALLINE TOBACCO-MOSAIC VIRUS PROTEIN

THE PLANT disease known as tobacco mosaic, which was probably first recognized by Swieten (1857), was confused with a pock disease for about 35 years. Even Mayer (1886), who published a fairly accurate description of the symptoms of tobacco mosaic, did not recognize the fact that he was working with two different diseases. He did find, however, that the juice from diseased plants was infectious and that from healthy plants non-infectious. He also reported that twice filtering the infectious juice through ordinary filter paper rendered it noninfectious. In 1892 Iwanowski announced that the mosaic and the pock disease were in reality two separate diseases, and more surprising, that the juice from plants diseased with mosaic remained infectious after being filtered through a Chamberland filter. Although he could not demonstrate the presence of an organism in the infectious filtrate, he nevertheless regarded the disease to be bacterial in nature. Beijerinck (1898) confirmed Iwanowski's filtration experiments, but chose to regard the infectious agent, not as being bacterial in nature, but, as he wrote at the time, " as a contagious living fluid." He seemed to desire to convey the idea of an unorganized material, which was capable of growth in the presence of living cells. Iwanowski's filtration experiments of 45 years ago are generally regarded today as being the first demonstration of the group of infectious agents which we now call filterable viruses, or perhaps better, simply viruses. It is significant that he chose to regard the first of these agents as organismal in nature, whereas Beijerinck chose to regard it as a new type of infectious agent. This difference of opinion which arose 38 years ago has persisted down to the present time. Is tobacco-mosaic virus organismal in nature, or does it really represent some new type of infectious agent? Chemistry, then as now, was used as an aid in studying the nature of this virus. The year after Beijerinck announced his viewpoint, papers concerned with' the effect of various chemical reagents on the infectivity of tobacco-mosaic virus beoan to apnear. The earlier investigators, including Koning (1899), Heintzel (1900), Allard (1916, 1918), and Chapman (1917), appear to have been interested in obtaining an insight into the nature of viruses by studying the effect of chemical reagents on virus infectivity. Similar work was carried out later by Birkeland (1934), Duggar (1925, 1929), Fukushi (1930, 1933), Grant (1932), Henderson
CRYPTOCOLAX—A NEW GENUS OF FUNGI (ASPERGILLACEAE) FROM THE EOCENE OF OREGON

THE CLARNO FORMATION of Eocene age in northcentral Oregon contains a varied assortment of fossil plant remains. These include leaves (Chaney, 1948) and structurally preserved ferns (Arnold, 1952); fruits and seeds (Scott, 1954), and wood (Scott and Barghoorn, 1955). The fruits and seeds, from an outcrop in Wheeler County near the type locality of the formation, are accompanied by logs and numerous pieces of silicified wood. The fruit and seed assemblage is unusual among American early Tertiary floras in showing a marked relationship to the London Clay flora from the Eocene of England (Reid and Chandler, 1933). In order to evaluate the significance of this relationship on a broader basis than that furnished by the fruits alone, an investigation of the fossil woods from the Clarno formation has been undertaken by the writer. Preliminary examination of the fossil woods has revealed that over 25 distinct entities are represented. Although most of the woods are well preserved, there is ample evidence of the ubiquitous presence of fungi in the form of hyphae penetrating the tracheary elements. The fungal remains thus far found in the woods from the Clarno formation consist chiefly of vegetative hyphae. However, several specimens of the wood of one species belonging to the Fagaceae (Castanop,sis?) contain a fungus whose septate hyphae bear both asexual spores and non-ostiolate sexual reproductive structures. These cleistothecia contain numerous ascospores. Another wood specimen representing a species of the Magnoliaceae (Magnolia?) also has similar cleistothecia within its vessels. The fungi, Ascomycetes assignable to the family Aspergillaceae (Eurotiaceae) , are unusual in that their sexual stages are preserved and in that their cleistothecia are borne in the lumina of the vessels. Although exceptions are known among modern forms, the ascocarps of most Ascomycetes are borne superficially rather than within the substrate. The recent discovery by Tyler and Barghoorn (1954) of fungal remains, together with algae, in Precambrian chert from Canada establishes for the fungi a fossil record as long as that of any other group of plants. Fossil fungi have been reported from a wide range of geologic horizons and in association with diverse plant groups (Seward, 1898; Pia, 1927). Most of the occurrences are
Room temperature green electroluminescent diodes prepared from n-type vapour grown epitaxial gallium phosphide

Abstract Optimization of material characteristics and junction parameters which lead to green emission at room temperature in zinc diffused vapor grown epitaxial gallium phosphide diodes are reported. The use of sulfur as a dopant is found to improve the green efficiency. Enhancement of green from a graded junction structure is shown. Green emission arising from structural defects are noted. A shift to longer wavelength and an increase in green intensity is found by annealing p - n junctions formed via diffusion of zinc into the vapor grown epitaxial gallium phosphide.