cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Tachykinin peptide-induced activation and desensitization of neurokinin 1 receptors

The actions of four tachykinins on inhibition and desensitization of the M-current of bullfrog sympathetic neurons have been characterized. Radioligand binding parameters of the tachykinins were determined at a neurokinin receptor in a heterologous expression system. The correlation between binding, signaling and receptor regulation was investigated. A correlation between receptor binding and signaling was found between the peptides; however, their ability to produce desensitization was not correlated with binding and signaling. These results show that the ability of a tachykinin peptide to induce signal activation is not indicative of its ability to induce receptor regulation.
Walking disability in patients with peripheral artery disease is associated with arterial endothelial function.

Objective Patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) have varying degrees of walking disability that do not completely correlate with ankle-brachial index (ABI) or angiographic anatomy. We hypothesized that endothelial function (EF) is an independent predictor of symptom severity in PAD patients. Methods This was a cross-sectional study of 100 PAD patients presenting to a vascular surgery clinic. All patients received ABI testing and brachial artery flow-mediated, endothelium-dependent vasodilation (FMD) to assess arterial EF. Symptom severity and walking disability reported by Rutherford category was based on the patient's self-report during the clinic visit and recorded by the investigator-vascular surgeons. Demographic, biochemical, and physiologic parameters were entered into regression equations to determine association with symptom severity. Results Patients were a mean age of 66 ± 8 years, and 43% had diabetes. Mean FMD was 7.4%, indicating impaired EF. EF progressively declined as Rutherford category increased ( P = .01). Brachial artery FMD, ABI, systolic blood pressure, C-reactive protein, low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein, β-blocker use, and a history of diabetes or coronary artery disease were all associated with Rutherford category (all P P P P = .0001). Conclusions Symptom severity in PAD is multifactorial, reflecting impaired hemodynamics and vascular dysfunction. This is the first report demonstrating that walking disability in PAD is associated with arterial EF. The mechanistic link underlying these observations remains to be defined.
Ecology and Evolution of Darwin’s Finches. Peter R. Grant. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ. 2000. pp. 492. Price £14.50, paperback. ISBN 0 691 04866 5.

Being old enough to remember the era of vinyl record albums, in which record companies often repackaged the same songs in reissues which usually differed only in the album cover, I was transported back to those days by this book. Not because Peter Grant has suddenly become a country-and-western singer, but because Princeton University Press has copied the recording industry's tactics of the 1970s by reissuing his 1986 classic book on Darwin's finches, complete with new cover and the equivalent of 'liner' notes in a foreward by Jonathan Weiner.
Changing Pre-Exposure and Dark Adaptation

The dark adaptation of two subjects was measured following pre-exposures that changed from zero to maximum intensity and the reverse, from maximum to zero, as well as for equivalent unchanging pre-exposures. Three intensities and four durations of pre-exposure were investigated. The main effects found were between the two changing conditions: for most of these the zero to maximum intensity resulted in higher initial thresholds and longer times to reach the final dark-adapted threshold than the equivalent condition in which the pre-exposure was from maximum to zero.
Lightning-induced reduction of phosphorus oxidation state

Phosphorus is frequently the limiting nutrient in marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Analysis of lightning-derived glassy compounds from North America, Africa and Australia suggests that cloud-to-ground lightning increases the bioavailability of this nutrient. Phosphorus is frequently the limiting nutrient in marine and terrestrial ecosystems, largely owing to its poor solubility and slow movement through the rock cycle1,2. Phosphorus is viewed to exist in geological systems almost exclusively in its fully oxidized state as orthophosphate. However, many microorganisms use the partially oxidized forms—phosphite and hypophosphite—as alternative phosphorus sources3,4,5, and genomic evidence suggests that this selectivity is ancient6. Elucidating the processes that reduce phosphate is therefore key to understanding the biological cycling of phosphorus. Here we show that cloud-to-ground lightning reduces phosphate in lightning-derived glass compounds, termed fulgurites. We analysed the phosphorus chemistry of ten fulgurites retrieved from North America, Africa and Australia, using microprobes and 31P nuclear magnetic resonance. Half of the fulgurites contained reduced phosphorus, mainly in the form of phosphite. The amount and type of reduced phosphorus was dependent on the composition of the fulgurite section examined: carbon-rich sections contained around 22% reduced phosphorus in the form of iron phosphide, whereas other fulgurites contained between 37 and 68% in the form of phosphite. We suggest that lightning provides some portion of the reduced phosphorus used by microbes, and that phosphate reduction by lightning can be locally important to phosphorus biogeochemistry.
Perspective on Parental Involvement in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Learning Disabled Children

The provisions of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act can have a profound impact on parent-teacher relationships. The potential exists for a cooperative effort, as well as for an antagonistic one. This paper argues for the importance of parent-professional cooperation. Recognizing that new relationships often have to be consciously developed, the authors suggest a number of roles which can foster cooperation in educational settings. — G.M.S.Parents should be involved in services for their learning disabled children. In clinics, schools, homes, and communities there are many ways parents and professionals can cooperate more fully. Each phase of the intervention process, from identification through evaluation, offers ample opportunities for parent involvement.
MM5-HPAC simulation experiments

We evaluate mesoscale model predicted boundary-layer flow and the subsequent HPAC (Hazard Prediction and Assessment Capability) dispersion computation. The HPAC software allows for prediction of the effects of surface release of hazardous material into the atmosphere and collateral damage on civilian populations using either observed or numerical weather model data. The advanced mesoscale weather model MM5 was employed in the study. The real-data MM5 model simulations were verified with high-resolution observations from the West Texas Mesonet. MM5 worked well in simulating meteorologically relatively quiescent conditions. We examined the sensitivity of HPAC computations to the MM5 model’s grid resolution, lateral boundary conditions, and input weather data. Results suggest that the MM5-HPAC conjugation can provide useful prediction of airborne transport of hazardous materials near the surface. However, the accuracy of diffusion computations strongly depends on the performance of MM5, which in turn is likely to be a function of weather scenarios. A given state-of-the-art mesoscale model may perform well in some cases but not in others. There is a potential benefit of using several different model winds separately to run HPAC. A composite result of the HPAC runs could give a more comprehensive depiction of the transport of surface hazardous agents.
Inhibition of cellular transition from G1-resting to G1-prereplicative phase by aminonucleoside of puromycin.

Human embryonic lung fibroblasts (IMR-90 and WI-38) were arrested in the G1 phase of the cell cycle by serum deprivation and high population density. Within 1 hr after the addition of medium containing fresh serum, these cells showed an increase in rRNA synthesis. The inclusion of 100 μg per ml aminonucleoside of puromycin (AMS) in the fresh medium eliminated the serum stimulation of rRNA synthesis and prevented the cells from making the G1-resting phase to G1-prereplicative phase transition. AMS also prevented the synthesis of HnRNA normally found within 10 hr after serum stimulation. Serum-stimulated RNA synthesis in starved, SV-40 transformed fibroblasts (WI-38-VA-13 cells) was inhibited, but not completely prevented, by AMS indicating that transformed cells may produce specific RNA's that are not AMS-sensitive and that may be responsible for the failure of transformed cells to be arrested in G1.
Negative symptoms and concordant impairments in attention in schizophrenia: Associations with social functioning, hope, self-esteem and internalized stigma

Research has suggested that negative symptoms in schizophrenia may be closely linked to impairments in schizophrenia. Research on the strength and nature of this association has been equivocal, however. One possible explanation is that there are two distinct groups of persons with negative symptoms: those with and those without attentional impairments. To examine this question we performed a cluster analysis on 99 adults with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder on the basis of their level of negative symptoms and performance on a continuous performance task. Four groups were found: low negative/relatively better attention (n=31), low negative/relatively poor attention (n=20), high negative/ relatively poor attention (n=28), and high negative/relatively better attention (n=20). To determine whether these groups differed meaningfully from one another, we next compared their performance on other assessments of positive symptoms, social function, self-esteem and stigma. A MANOVA found significant differences (Wilks' lambda F=3.2; p<.01) with the high negative/poor attention group having poorer self esteem and greater acceptance of stigma than the other three groups and the high negative/relatively better attention group having higher levels of positive symptoms than the other groups. Implications for research and treatment are discussed.
Processed allograft: novel use in facial nerve repair after resection of a rare racial nerve paraganglioma.

Objectives To present a rare case of facial nerve paraganglioma and novel use of a processed allograft for facial nerve reconstruction. Study design Case report and review of the literature. Methods A 34 year old female presented with progressive onset right sided facial palsy for 5 months. CT and MRI demonstrated an irregular mass in the right facial nerve canal from the intratympanic segment to the stylomastoid foramen. Results Following transmastoid resection, the defect was repaired using processed allograft. Pathologic analysis was consistent with a paraganglioma. Facial nerve paraganglioma is a rare entity that has been reported only 10 times in the literature. Conclusions Traditional methods of facial nerve reconstruction, including autologous and cadaveric grafting, can lead to significant patient morbidity. Autologous nerve grafts are the "gold standard" for superior regenerative capability, but are limited by the length and potential neuroma formation at the donor site. Allogenic grafts from donors or cadavers have shown some efficacy, but can require immunosuppression. The Avance nerve graft is a cadaveric graft, processed and decellularized to maintain an extracellular matrix with laminin and intact endoneural tubes, thus providing support for the growing axon without generating an immune response. Initial studies of the Avance graft in animals and humans have examined repair of peripheral nerves, but this is the first reported case of human facial nerve reconstruction.
The economic costs of reducing greenhouse gas emissions under a U.S. national renewable electricity mandate

The electricity sector is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) in the U.S. Many states have passed and Congress has considered Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS), mandates that specific percentages of electricity be generated from renewable resources. We perform a technical and economic assessment and estimate the economic costs and net GHG reductions from a national 25 percent RPS by 2025 relative to coal-based electricity. This policy would reduce GHG emissions by about 670 million metric tons per year, 11 percent of 2008 U.S. emissions. The first 100 million metric tons could be abated for less than $36/metric ton. However, marginal costs climb to $50 for 300 million metric tons and to as much as $70/metric ton to fulfill the RPS. The total economic costs of such a policy are about $35 billion annually. We also examine the cost sensitivity to favorable and unfavorable technology development assumptions. We find that a 25 percent RPS would likely be an economically efficient method for utilities to substantially reduce GHG emissions only under the favorable scenario. These estimates can be compared with other approaches, including increased R&D funding for renewables or deployment of efficiency and/or other low-carbon generation technologies.
Matching two-arm spiral impedance without balun

Spiral antennas can be designed to cover decades of bandwidth (e.g. 350-8350 MHz). Connecting the antenna directly to the coaxial cable without a balun would reduce fabrication costs without sacrificing realized gain. This paper shows how two-arm spiral antennas can be designed to have a broadband impedance close to 50 Ohms, rather than the traditional 180 Ohms, without the need to make and attach a balun.
A 2 GHz effective sampling frequency K-Delta-1-Sigma analog-to-digital converter

As CMOS technology scales to nanometer dimensions, analog-to-digital converter (ADC) design has become increasingly more challenging. This is mainly due to the increased transistor leakage currents, process variations, and poor matching. The K-Delta-1-Sigma (KD1S) modulator was proposed as a practical solution for designing high-speed ADCs in nanometer CMOS processes. This paper presents an 8-path KD1S modulator with an effective sampling frequency of 2 GHz derived from a 250 MHz input clock. The simulation results confirm the true first-order noise shaping of the modulator. The simulated SNR is 44.95 dB and the simulated SNDR is 44.41 dB corresponding to N eff = 7.17 bits with a conversion bandwidth of 15.625 MHz.
Pathway modulation, circular permutation and rapid RNA folding under kinetic control.

Abstract The thermodynamics and folding kinetics of a circularly permuted construct of the ribozyme from Bacillus subtilis RNase P are analyzed and compared with the folding properties of the wild-type ribozyme using optical spectroscopy and catalytic activity. The folding of the wild-type ribozyme is slow due to the rearrangement of kinetically trapped species containing misfolded structures. To test whether any misfolded structure arises from interactions between the two independently folding domains of the RNase P RNA, a circular permuted form was created where one of the two phosphodiester bonds connecting these domains is broken. This construct folds ∼15-fold faster ( t 1/2 ∼ nine seconds) than the wild-type ribozyme at 37 °C. While the complete folding of both domains is kinetically indistinguishable in the wild-type ribozyme, one domain folds much faster than the other domain in the circularly permuted construct. Hence, the major kinetic trap in the folding of the wild-type RNase P RNA involves interdomain interactions. This kinetic trap is avoidable at 37 °C in the circularly permuted RNA. However, at temperatures below 30 °C or when refolding begins from an equilibrium intermediate stabilized by submillimolar concentrations of Mg 2+ , a subpopulation containing an interdomain misfold still forms. These results indicate that the folding pathway of this large RNA is highly malleable and can be under kinetic control.
Measuring rainfall in West Africa using cellular networks

With the dry Sahara Desert in the north and the tropical Sudanian savanna in the south, West Africa is a key spot for monitoring the extreme effects of climate change, such as the increasing rate of harsher droughts and higher floods.
Bioinspired synthesis of self-assembled calcium phosphate nanocomposites using block copolymer-peptide conjugates

Thermoreversibly gelling block copolymers conjugated to hydroxyapatite-nucleating peptides were used to template the growth of inorganic calcium phosphate in aqueous solutions. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, and small-angle scattering were used to characterize these samples and confirm that the peptides promoted the growth of hydroxyapatite as the inorganic phase. Three different polymer templates were used with varying charges on the polymer chains (nonionic, anionic, and zwitterionic), to investigate the role of charge on mineralization. All of the polymer-inorganic solutions exhibited thermoreversible gelation above room temperature. Nanocomposite formation was confirmed by solid-state NMR, and several methods identified the inorganic component as hydroxyapatite. Small angle x-ray scattering and electron microscopy showed thin, elongated crystallites. Thermogravimetric analysis showed an inorganic content of 30–45 wt% (based on the mass of the dried gel at ∼200 °C) in the various samples. Our work offers routes for bioinspired bottom-up approaches for the development of novel, self-assembling, injectable nanocomposite biomaterials for potential orthopedic applications.
Interactive image processing in swallowing research

Dynamic radiographic imaging of the mouth, larynx, pharynx, and esophagus during swallowing is used commonly in clinical diagnosis, treatment and research. Images are recorded on videotape and interpreted conventionally by visual perceptual methods, limited to specific measures in the time domain and binary decisions about the presence or absence of events. An image processing system using personal computer hardware and original software has been developed to facilitate measurement of temporal, spatial and temporospatial parameters. Digitized image sequences derived from videotape are manipulated and analyzed interactively. Animation is used to preserve context and increase efficiency of measurement. Filtering and enhancement functions heighten image clarity and contrast, improving visibility of details which are not apparent on videotape. Distortion effects and extraneous head and body motions are removed prior to analysis, and spatial scales are controlled to permit comparison among subjects. Effects of image processing on intra- and interjudge reliability and research applications are discussed.© (1991) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Studying the operational efficiencies of a multi-product supply chain using excel spreadsheet model

Abstract This paper presents a simple Excel spreadsheets-based model with @Risk add-in software that incorporates the effects of variability in demand, forecast and lead time. The model replicates a four-stage supply chain with multiple-retailers, wholesalers, manufacturers, and suppliers to demonstrate how a multi-product supply chain will react to certain changes. The model was created so that it could be used in either a teaching setting or in industry for making supply chain design decisions. From the teaching aspect, students can look at a supply chain and see the effects of changes without having to experience it firsthand. Professionals in industry can modify the model to make it more like their own supply chain and see what the affects are when they want to make changes in one or more attributes. Other key characteristics of a supply chain such as, bullwhip effect, total supply chain cost analysis and information sharing can also be studied using this model.
Photochemistry of neutral isonitrile gold(I) complexes: modulation of photoreactivity by aurophilicity and pi-acceptance ability.

This work demonstrates for the first time that aurophilicity and ligand π-acceptance ability sensitize the photoreactivity of Au(I) complexes. Photolysis of LAuICl (L = RNC or CO) complexes leads to free L, AuIII, and Au0 photoproducts. Solutions of (p-tosyl)CH2NCAuCl in dichloromethane undergo significant oligomerization leading to dimers and trimers with formation constants of 1.61 × 103 and 6.61 × 103 M-1, respectively, representing the highest values reported to date for complexes that exhibit aurophilic association in solution. The photoproduct quantum yield (Φ) varies with the LAuICl concentration in solution. For (p-tosyl)CH2NCAuCl, metallic gold forms with Φ = 0.0065 and 0.032 in 4.0 × 10-5 and 4.0 × 10-3 M dichloromethane solutions, respectively. Meanwhile, irradiation of t-BuNCAuCl primarily produces t-BuNCAuCl3 with Φ = 0.0045 and 0.013 for 5.0 × 10-5 and 5.0 × 10-3 M dichloromethane solutions, respectively. For Au(CO)Cl, metallic gold forms with Φ = 0.013 and 0.065 upon irradiation of 8.0 × 10...
Ballot Access Requirements in Congressional Elections

Ballot access laws attempt to limit the number and type of candidates who qualify to have their name appear on official ballots. A study was conducted of the relationship between the difficulty of access requirements and the number of congressional candidates from 1968 through 1976. Incumbency and electoral margin also were used as predictor variables. Ballot access requirements helped to explain the number of candidates running in House elections but not for the Senate contests. Incumbency and electoral competition variables were found to influence candidate competition for both houses in the primary but only for the House in general elections. Although the ballot access requirements have some effect on the opportunities for candidacy, the political factors have an independent effect which may be more important than the formal requirements in some circumstances.
Isochoric heating of hot dense matter by magnetization of fast electrons produced by ultra-intense short pulse irradiation

Ultra-intense short-pulse lasers are important tools for creating short-lived high energy plasmas, however to date, it has not been possible, with this method, to create several hundred eV solid density matter because of the rapid transport of the laser-generated hot electrons throughout the target volume. We propose a new way to isochorically heat matter at solid density to extreme temperatures by magnetic confinement of laser-generated hot electrons for several picoseconds by application of a multi-MG external field. In advance of an experiment at the Nevada Terawatt Facility (NTF), using a 100 TW-class laser, which will be synchronized to a IMA Z-pinch machine, we have performed theoretical studies using a collisional particle-in-cell codes PICLS, which is optimized for a study of isochoric heating of solid density plasmas.
Homological transfers for orbit space projections

If a compact Lie group G acts on a space X, one often has a transfer homomorphism from the homology of X/G to that of X for which projection following transfer is multiplication by a suitable integer (and dually for cohomology). Assuming the orbit types of the action all exceed some G/K, we construct such a transfer for the integer Χ(G/K.). This generalizes and unifies several known but separate cases. The problem of constructing transfers in some additional natural instances is also discussed.
Compatible Fluxes for van Leer Advection

Application of the standard second-order upstream-centered advection method of van Leer to a coupled transport equation system of the form (?/? t) ?A]+?·?A]u=0 can produce artificial extrema in the ratioT?A/?, even thoughTsatisfies a simple advection equation and is expected to preserve monotonicity. Hereuis velocity, ? is mass density, andAis a conserved quantity such as momentum density, energy density, or chemical species density. ThusTis a mass-specific transport quantity such as velocity, energy per unit mass, temperature, or species mass fraction. A new flux formulation and gradient limiting procedure is presented here which eliminates these artificial extrema, preserves the second-order accuracy, and preserves the monotone character of the van Leer method, even in the limit of vanishing mass density. Such a formulation is calledcompatible. The method is noniterative (i.e. explicit) and can be employed in a general finite-volume framework. Sample results for the transport of a square wave in one and two dimensions are provided.
Comment on "Pressure Dependence of Burning Rate of Composite Solid Propellants"

obtain a straight line for the portion of the curve which ought to be in the logarithmic region and plays no role in the model used to compute turbulent flows. To obtain the skin-friction coefficient from the slope of the straight-line portion of the curve, it is customary to assume that the von Karman constant retains its value for flows over smooth surfaces (see Ref. 2, p. 177). It is thus seen that the argument for parallel log-law portions for smooth and rough flows is an essential part of bringing the experimental data into tractable form. The shift Ay + employed by Rotta is simply the difference between the smooth and rough log-law portions of the curves on semilog plot as u + vs y + (see Fig. 4.29 and 4.30 of Ref. 1) and bears no relationship to the shift of virtual origin Az. The virtual origin y = 0 is a distance Az below the crests of the roughness elements. The y in Eqs. (7) and (9) in Mills paper are indeed measured from the virtual origin. Thus the contradiction in the eddy-viscosity formulas and the wall boundary conditions *'invented" by Mills does not exist. The appearance of Ay in Eq. (7) only affects the rate of approach to Eq. (9) when performing integration. However, this problem has been clearly overshadowed by the questions of where to start the solution and what the boundary conditions should be because the sublayer is reduced or nonexistent. It has been found by experience that the logarithmic boundary conditions, Eq. (9), are satisfactorily applied if >>^>50 and u0/ue >0.15 are satisfied simultaneously. Mills' objection 2 toward the end of his Comment simply states the obvious: Of course we are well aware that Eqs. (8) and (10) will have different forms for different roughness geometries (see Ref. 1, p. 129, Fig. 4.27). Unfortunately, so far only the sand-grain type roughness has been well researched and documented. Before we conclude, we would like to offer a word of caution. If the agreement between "theory" and all the available experimental data on the subject is quite good (so good that it may be difficult to beat these predictions by other turbulence models), it is perhaps advisable to be cautious in light of this agreement before raising objections which do not bear up under the weight of the theoretical, computational or experimental evidence.
Colorectal serrated pathway cancers and precursors

The serrated pathway (SP) can be viewed as two parallel, but partially overlapping, arrays of colorectal precursor lesions, and their respective endpoint carcinomas, that are distinct from those of the conventional adenoma-carcinoma sequence (APC-pathway). In this review we focus at the outset on the clinical impact, pathological features, molecular genetics and biological behaviours of the various SP cancers. Then we summarize the clinicopathological features, classification and molecular profiles of the two main precursor lesions that anchor the respective pathways: (i) sessile serrated adenoma/polyp (SSA/P), also called sessile serrated lesion (SSL), and (ii) traditional serrated adenoma (TSA). Activating mutations of the RAS-RAF-MAPK pathway initiate and sustain the lesions of the SP, and CpG island methylation of the promoter regions of tumour suppressor and DNA repair genes play the major role in their neoplastic progression. The SP includes microsatellite stable (MSS) carcinomas that are among the most biologically aggressive colorectal carcinomas (CRC), and also accounts for the great preponderance of sporadic hypermutated, mismatch repair (MMR)-deficient or microsatellite instable (MSI) CRC. The identification, removal and appropriate classification of at-risk SP precursors and surveillance of individuals who harbour these lesions present a challenge and opportunity for CRC prevention and mortality reduction.
Indomethacin and Sulindac Do Not Increase the Risk of Serious Neonatal Complications 1318

Indomethacin (IN) has been reported to increase the risk of neonatal complications such as intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) and renal failure. Recently other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents such as sulindac (SU) have been shown to be effective tocolytics, but the neonatal effects have not been described. Objective: investigate the outcome of infants born to mothers receiving IN and SU for tocolysis. Methods: Case control study of infants 1.4mg/dl in the 1st week of life), NEC, PVL, sepsis or length of hospital stay between infants in the SU and IN group as compared to each other or the control group. On univariate analysis the IN group was more likely to develop BPD (75%) compared to SU (40%, p=.05) and control (41%, p=.01). The IN (92%) and SU group (95%) were both more likely to require mechanical ventilation compared to controls(74%, p=.03). However, after controlling for potential confounding variables by multivariate analysis, infants in the IN group did not have an increased odds of developing BPD (odds ratio, 1.9, 95% Confidence Interval,.7-5.3) and neither IN (OR 1.1,CI.3-3.8) or SU (OR 2.7,CI.5-14) were associated with an increased odds of requiring mechanical ventilation. Conclusions: In our population of infants <1500g, SU or IN do not increase the risk of serious neonatal complications including IVH, renal failure, PDA and BPD when given antenatally.
Observations of the Deepening of the Wind-Mixed Layer in the Northeast Pacific Ocean

Abstract Measurements of winds, currents and temperature are used to describe the response of the upper ocean in the northeast Pacific to the passage of an August 1971 synoptic-scale meteorological disturbance. The experiment was designed so that at the beginning of the 32-day study the uppermost two current meters were located in the upper isothermal layer, a third current meter was placed at the top of the seasonal thermocline, and the fourth current meter was located near the bottom of the seasonal thermocline. Thermistors attached to a multi-conductor cable were placed in the mixed layer and in the thermocline region. Before the onset of the storm the thickness of the mixed layer was about 15 m. The storm produced a more homogeneous temperature distribution above 20 m with a lower average temperature, higher temperature values below 20 m, and a thicker (25 m) mixed layer. The heat content of the upper layer changed little (<±5%) as the mixed layer deepened. The storm generated large currents and verti...
Resistive diffusion of force-free magnetic fields in a passive medium. III. Acceleration of flare particles

A one-dimensional model is considered in which an increasingly large electric field is induced by a rapidly evolving magnetic field. In the case of solar flares, energies are estimated to which protons and electrons may be directly accelerated by such an induced electric field.
Modeling of Polarization Effects in Au Nanodots Excited With InAs Quantum Dot Emitters for Use as a HAMR Heat Source

We present modeling of a novel device structure with possible application as a heat assisted magnetic recording source. The structure consists of a mesa of GaAs containing InAs quantum dots (QD's), on a GaAs substrate. An Au dot atop the MESA is in proximity to a HAMR medium. The Au dot acts as a resonant absorber of the QD emission and also provides coupling between the optical transducer and recording medium. The device is illuminated through the substrate, with light that is absorbed by the QD's and re-emitted at a longer wavelength, characteristic of the dots. For varied polarization of the QD light emission, finite element modeling was used to compute the electromagnetic field structure of the device, along with the resultant temperature field in the recording medium and the device. We show that certain polarization emission are preferable for attaining more intense excitation of resonance in the Au dot atop the mesa. Temperature ratios (medium versus the Au dots) greater than 60 times were seen, due to the good heat sinking of the Au dot provided by the GaAs mesa and substrate. Coupling efficiencies between the device and medium were low, with typically less than 0.3% of the power emitted by all radiators coupling into the full-width half-maximum of the medium hot spot. While improvements may be possible, even at low efficiency this device shows promise in keeping the near field transducer cool relative to the medium.
Major influence factors in children's consumer socialization

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to first provide an overview of children's spending power, media exposure, and identification with brand names in the usa along with an updated overview of the major findings in the consumer socialization literature, and to then provide an empirical explanation of how the consumer socialization process works with today's children.Design/methodology/approach – Based on a survey administered to 663 children, a factor analysis was performed on items designed to measure young people's attitudes toward, and interaction with, the various consumer socialization agents and marketplace factors, including shopping and media usage behavior.Findings – Five major consumer socialization influence factors emerged: irrational social influence, importance of television, familial influence, shopping importance, and brand importance; and were used as dependent variables in subsequent analyses looking at the effects of a number of independent variables. Results indicate that the relativ...
Perfluoroalkyl chemicals in vacuum cleaner dust from 39 Wisconsin homes

Perfluoroalkyl chemicals (PFCs) have been used as surfactants and stain repellants in a variety of consumer products for more than 50years and there is growing concern regarding their persistence and toxicity. Human exposure to these chemicals is essentially universal in North America and researchers have linked them to a variety of health problems ranging from higher rates of cancer, to developmental and reproductive problems, and higher cholesterol levels. Major exposure pathways are food and water ingestion, dust ingestion via hand to mouth transfer. In an effort to assess residential exposure, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services tested vacuum cleaner contents from thirty-nine homes for 16 perflouroalkyl chemicals. PFOS, PFOA, PFHxS, PFHpA and PFNA were found in all of the vacuum dust samples and dust from eight homes contained all 16 PFCs included in our analysis. The most commonly detected compounds were perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS), perfluorohexanesulfonate (PFHxS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) which together made up 70% of the total PFC residues in dust from these homes. Summed PFC concentrations in these dust samples ranged from 70 to 2513ng/g (median 280ng/g). Our investigation suggests that these chemicals may be ubiquitous contaminants in US homes.
82. Mice injected with Escherichia coli as neonates have hyperactive behavior and an increased microglial inflammatory profile

Newborns surviving an early-life insult may have greater vulnerability to neuro-developmental complications including autism. We hypothesize that early-life infection (ELI) causes alterations in microglia and that a secondary immune challenge causes over-activation of these cells leading to prolonged cytokine production and behavioral complications. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the degree to which a neonatal Escherichia coli (E. coli) infection in neonatal BALB/c mice causes locomotor and anxiety disorders and increases the inflammatory reactivity of microglia. To accomplish this goal, three day old mice were injected subcutaneously with either saline or E. coli. Brain inflammation was confirmed 24 h after injection by RT-PCR. One and two months after neonatal injection, mice were tested in an open field behavior test. ELI mice traveled a greater distance and spent more time moving than their PBS-injected counterparts. To determine the level of inflammatory reactivity in microglia, adult mice were peripherally injected with saline or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to provide a secondary immune challenge. Microglia were isolated 4 or 24 h after challenge, and mRNA analysis revealed that microglia from adult ELI mice had an amplified inflammatory profile following challenge compared to controls. Furthermore, there was increased Iba-1 immunoreactivity in the amygdala and hippocampal regions of ELI mice 48 h following LPS. In conclusion, early-life infection led to hyperactive behavior and elevated microglial reactivity following a secondary immune challenge.
Progesterone Metabolism in Human Endometrial Stromal and Gland Cells in Culture

Metabolism of progesterone by human endometrium has been described, but the rapidity and extent of progesterone metabolism is incompletely documented in cellular fractions of normal endometrium. Therefore, we evaluated progesterone metabolism in separated stromal and gland cells in culture obtained from normal human endometrium by thin-layer chromatography. We find that in both cell types, the most abundant metabolite is 3beta-hydroxy-5alpha-pregnan-20-one (70%), followed by 5alpha-pregnane-3,20-dione (15%), and 3alpha-hydroxy-5alpha-pregnan-20-one (10%). A small amount is metabolized to 5alpha-pregnane-3alpha/3beta,20alpha-diols and to 3beta,6alpha-dihydroxy-5alpha-pregnan-20-one. The metabolism of progesterone in cultured endometrial cells occurs rapidly; 70% of progesterone is metabolised in 8 h, and 90% by 24 h. We conclude that when in vitro experiments are conducted utilizing progesterone treatment, the rapidity and the extent of the metabolism of this steroid should be taken into account.
EPA's approach to environmental research in the 90s

In the past four years the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has changed its approach to dealing with environmental problems, which resulted in placing much more emphasis on science. Whenever possible the Agency concentrates on addressing the highest environmental risks, stresses pollution prevention, prefers voluntary programs to regulatory approaches, and makes more use of the marketplace to achieve environmental goals. To meet the need for more technical information to support this approach, the EPA changed its planning process, increased its ecological research program, developed the Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP), increased its emphasis on reproductive and developmental toxicology and neurotoxicology, and restructured its approaches to risk assessment. The Agency also significantly increased its relationships with academia and the private sector in implementing its research program.
Progress in High-Power, High Frequency AlGaN/GaN HEMTs

Fundamental concepts and processing of undoped, polarization-induced 2DEG AlGaN/GaN HEMTs are covered, along with device characterization. Special care is required to stabilize surface state charge with passivation. Frequency response and drain voltage breakdown are determined experimentally, and temperature rise is simulated. Gate width, loading, and the effect of channel differences in phase, in manifold HEMTs are considered for their impact on drain efficiency. Normalized power limits of 11-12 W/mm in single-channel devices and ∼6.5 W/mm in 1.5 mm devices are presented.
GuardianAngel: An RFID-based indoor guidance and monitoring system

The current ubiquitous presence of RFID technology opens up possibilities for new applications. The RFID enabled indoor pervasive environment is the area of interest for our study. We explore the system requirements for an RFID enabled pervasive system and develop a middleware called GuardianAngel to support a monitoring and guidance system for use in an assisted living environment. This paper describes a prototype of such a system, using real RFID devices in a proof-of-concept to evaluate feasibility and emulated RFID devices to evaluate scalability. Our study illustrates the feasibility of such a system, demonstrating greater than 99% accuracy in situ with a confined testbed, and with above 93% accuracy estimated when emulated in a larger environment.
Deficient Concanavalin‐A‐induced suppressor‐cell activity in patients with bronchial asthma, allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis

Summary Concanavalin-A (Con-A)-induced suppressor activity against the proliferative response of autologous lymphocytes to phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) was examined in the peripheral-blood lymphocytes from fourteen patients with bronchial asthma, ten patients with allergic rhinitis and eleven patients with atopic dermatitis and compared with eleven simultaneously studied healthy normals. Eight of fourteen patients (57%) with bronchial asthma, eight of ten patients (80%) with allergic rhinitis and five of eleven patients (45%) with atopic dermatitis demonstrated deficient Con-A-induced suppressor function. Abnormal suppressor-cell functions could play an important role in the pathogenesis of atopic states.
Pain measurement with evoked potentials: combination of subjective ratings, randomized intensities, and long interstimulus intervals produces a P300-like confound.

Evoked potentials in response to painful stimuli have been studied as objective measures of pain. Bromm has advocated experimental conditions in which, (1) stimulus intensities are randomized, and (2) subjects rate each stimulus. However, a cognitive, i.e. information processing, ‘late positive component’ (LPC), e.g. the P300, may be elicited by these same conditions, whether or not the stimuli are painful. The LPC may overlap, and interfere with the measurement of, responses that are only seen with painful stimuli. We compared the LPC in two experimental protocols using ten subjects and electrical stimuli. In the ‘Rating Protocol’, shocks of different intensity levels were randomly presented and subjects rated the intensity of each stimulus. In the ‘Oddball Standards Protocol’, the same levels were used, but each was presented in a separate block of a single level. Stimuli were presented more rapidly and subjects had to push a button in response to occasional double shocks (oddball targets), but not to single shocks (oddball standards). The oddball targets served to direct subjects’ attention to the stimuli, but only the evoked potential responses to the oddball standards were used for data analysis. To look at the difference between protocols, we computed a difference condition (Rating protocol responses minus Oddball Standards protocol responses) which we called Incremental activity. The Incremental LPC (average amplitudes from 350 to 650 ms) had a more parietal topography (amplitude at electrode Pz greater than at Cz) than the Oddball Standards LPC (Cz>Pz; protocol×electrode interaction P<0.001). This implies that the Rating Protocol LPC included P300-like activity. The parietal Incremental activity began as early as 250–350 ms after the stimulus in the responses to the most painful stimuli and therefore can confound the measurement of pain activity in the evoked potential.
Both physiological and pharmacological levels of melatonin reduce DNA adduct formation induced by the carcinogen safrole

Hepatic DNA adduct formation induced by the chemical carcinogen, safrole, was suppressed by both endogenous pineal melatonin release and by the exogenous administration of melatonin to rats. DNA damage after administration of of melatonin to rats. DNA damage after administration of 100 mg/kg safrole (i.p.) was measured by the P1 enhanced 32P-postlabeling analysis method. The RAL (relative adduct labeling) x 10(7) of carcinogen modified DNA in the liver of untreated controls and in safrole treated animals killed during the day, at night, after pinealectomy and pinealectomy plus melatonin injection (0.15 mg/kg x 4 or a total of 0.6 mg/kg) was 0, 12.6 +/- 0.75, 10.9 +/- 0.72, 13.6 +/- 1.12 and 5.7 +/- 0.53 respectively. For the same groups of animals, circulating melatonin levels at the termination of the study were 31 +/- 3, 29 +/- 2, 276 +/- 31, 24 +/- 1 and 13,950 +/- 1016 pg/ml serum respectively. The higher the melatonin concentration in the serum the lower was DNA adduct formation in the rat liver. Thus, high nocturnal levels of melatonin were protective against safrole-induced DNA damage. These findings indicate that the functional pineal gland plays an important role in oncostatic actions of carcinogens such as safrole. At physiological levels, melatonin seemed to prevent especially the formation of what was referred to as the N1 DNA adduct. Melatonin's ability to suppress DNA adduct formation may relate to its inhibitory effect on a mixed function oxidase, cytochrome p-450, and on the recently identified hydroxyl radical scavenging capacity of the indole. The oncostatic action of melatonin is also suggested by its nuclear accumulation and DNA stabilization characteristics. At pharmacological levels melatonin is extremely potent in preventing DNA modification induced by the chemical carcinogen, safrole.
Emissions of carbon from land use change in sub‐Saharan Africa

[1] Previous estimates of the flux of carbon from land use change in sub-Saharan Africa have been based on highly aggregated data and have ignored important categories of land use. To improve these estimates, we divided the region into four subregions (east, west, central, and southern Africa), each with six types of natural vegetation and five types of land use (permanent crops, pastures, shifting cultivation, industrial wood harvest, and tree plantations). We reconstructed rates of land use change and rates of wood harvest from country-level statistics reported by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) (1961–2000) and extrapolated the rates from 1961 to 1850 on the basis of qualitative histories of demography, economy, and land use. We used a bookkeeping model to calculate the annual flux of carbon associated with these changes in land use. Country-level estimates of average forest biomass from the FAO, together with changes in biomass calculated from the reconstructed rates of land use change, constrained the average biomass of forests in 1850. Comparison of potential (predisturbance) forest areas with the areas present in 1850 and 2000 suggests that 60% of Africa's forests were lost before 1850 and an additional 10% lost in the last 150 years. The annual net flux of carbon from changes in land use was probably small and variable before the early 1900s but increased to a source of 0.3 ± 0.2 PgC/yr by the end of the century. In the 1990s the source was equivalent to about 15% of the global net flux of carbon from land use change.