cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Use of fiber-reinforced composites to improve the durability of bridge elements

Fiber composites made of carbon fibers and organic polymers are being used to strengthen plain, reinforced, and prestressed concrete structures. The composites are becoming more popular as compared to traditional strengthening with steel plates and jackets because they do not corrode and also have a very high strength to weight ratio. Organic polymers have been used as protective coatings for more than thirty years. The impermeable membrane of the polymer seals the concrete surface of the structures preventing the ingress of salts. Their main drawback is their inability to release vapor pressure buildup that causes damage in the concrete and delamination of the bonded fiber reinforced plastic. As a result of this and other weaknesses in the organic polymers, a new generation of breathable coating materials is being developed. These compositions range from epoxy modified portland cement coatings to completely inorganic silicate systems. The durability of five of the most promising compositions was evaluated under freeze-thaw, wet-dry, and scaling conditions. The silicate matrix was also used to bond carbon tows and fabrics to unreinforced concrete members. These beams were tested after exposure to wet-dry and scaling conditions. The results indicate that the inorganic matrix can be effectively used for repairs. The carbon tows can be used to replace the existing corroded reinforcing bars. The possibility of embedding optical fibers with the carbon fibers to monitor the field performance is being studied.
Applications of the quadratic Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker band-theory method

Comparisons with other calculations in the literature are used to demonstrate that the quadratic Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker band-theory method gives excellent eigenvalues for full self-consistent potentials with no shape approximation. The equations for the Green function are reformulated, thus eliminating a problem that had hampered calculations of self-consistent potentials and total energies with the use of this method.
Path of light in near crack tip region in anisotropic medium and under mixed-mode loading

Abstract The theory governing the propagation of light in the region near a plane strain crack tip is extended to optically anisotropic media. As for the case of isotropic media, an incident wavefront of light is split into two independent wavefronts. The planes of polarization of the two wavefronts lie in planes parallel and perpendicular to the crack front only for specific crystal orientations relative to the crack front. The general functional forms for the index of refraction of both the parallel and perpendicular wavefronts are given in terms of the principal indices of refraction, orientation of the index ellipsoid, and the direction of propagation of the wavefront. It is demonstrated how the principal indices of refraction and the orientation of the index ellipsoid can be calculated from the results of a finite element analysis and the coefficients of the elasto-optic tensor for a specific case. The characteristic equations which govern the propagation of light in anisotropic media are solved for a specific case to calculate the path of light relative to a crack tip in a bicrystal specimen. We also report the path of light rays approaching a mixed Mode I and Mode II crack tip in a material that is optically isotropic in its unstrained state.
Boveri's long experiment: Sea urchin merogones and the establishment of the role of nuclear chromosomes in development

Theodor Boveri's major intellectual contribution was his focus on the causality of nuclear chromosomal determinants for embryological development. His initial experimental attempt to demonstrate that the character of the developing embryo is determined by nuclear rather than cytoplasmic factors was launched in 1889. The experimental design was to fertilize enucleate sea urchin eggs with sperm of another species that produces a distinguishably different embryonic morphology. Boveri's “hybrid merogone” experiment provided what he initially thought was empirical evidence for the nuclear control of development. However, for subtle reasons, the data were not interpretable and the experiment was repeated and contested. At the end of his life, Boveri was finally able to explain the technical difficulties that had beset the original experiment. However, by 1902 Boveri had carried out his famous polyspermy experiments, which provided decisive evidence for the role of nuclear chromosomal determinants in embryogenesis. Here we present the history of the hybrid merogone experiment as an important case of conceptual reasoning paired with (often difficult) experimental approaches. We then trace the further history of the merogone and normal species hybrid approaches that this experiment had set in train, and review their results from the standpoint of current insights. The history of Boveri's hybrid merogone experiment suggests important lessons about the interplay between what we call “models”, the specific intellectual statements we conceive about how biology works, and the sometimes difficult task of generating experimental proof for these concepts.
A quantitative analysis of an athermal design for a long period grating based tunable filter

In this paper, a quantitative analysis of an athermal design for a unique all-fiber tunable filter based on the combination of a single resonant band long period grating (LPG) with an electro-optic polymer second cladding layer is presented. The single resonant band LPG is used to select the resonant wavelength, which can be tuned by changing the refractive index of an electro-optic polymer second cladding layer via external electric field. Although the basic operational principle and implementation of this unique tunable filter have been previously reported, this paper is focused on the quantitative analysis of the athermal design, which may significantly enhance the practicability of the proposed tunable filter.
The Strange Budgetary Politics of Agricultural Research Earmarks

This article explores how members of the House and Senate Subcommittees on Agricultural Appropriations use the appropriations process to earmark special grants for agricultural research projects without forming a majority logroll. It also shows how subcommittee members coerce the USDA into administering individual earmarked research grants even though the precise allocation of these grants does not have the force of law. This article makes an important contribution because it analyzes an institutional development within the appropriations process that has not been explored in the existing literature, and it examines the consequences that this development has had on the quality of USDA-funded agricultural research.
White Male Suicide in the United States: A Multivariate Individual-Level Analysis

Les AA. examinent un certain nombre de donnees rassemblees entre 1979 et 1985 dans le cadre d'une etude nationale americaine de type longitudinal sur la mortalite. Ils utilisent dans ce but une methode d'analyse multivariee pour etudier les facteurs sociaux des suicides concernant les blancs de sexe masculin. Ces resultats sont examines sous l'angle de l'hypothese qui lie le suicide aux phenomenes d'exclusion sociale. Les divorces ainsi que les hommes separes sont plus sujets a se suicider. Le statut social ne semble pas influer sur les taux de suicide des celibataires ni des hommes maries. Ils montrent que les individus qui se suicident vivent principalement en milieu urbain
Electrochemical activation of electrodes for amperometric detection of nitric oxide

An open question in the literature of nitric oxide detection was investigated: does electrochemical activation account for the enhanced properties of certain presumed chemically-modified electrodes? Uniform electrodes of graphite, iridium, palladium, platinum, and ruthenium were exposed to potential cycling and then tested for amperometric response to nitric oxide to identify principles that govern electrochemical activation of nitric oxide electrodes. These electrodes were compared to similar electrodes that were not cycled. Only cycled graphite and ruthenium showed significantly increased responses. Graphite demonstrated enhanced performance after exposure to cycling potentials at which oxygen, CO2, and soluble carbonates form, suggesting that erosion of the electrode enhanced its response by increasing the surface area accessible to nitric oxide. This may explain the performance of carbon fibers cycled to the same potentials in solutions containing metalloporphyrins. The response of ruthenium was enhanced after cycling to less extreme potentials at which soluble species do not form and at which a metallic conductive oxide, RuO2, could lay down a stable, adherent layer on the electrode surface. Cycled ruthenium also exhibited a much greater increase in capacitance after cycling, consistent with the formation of a conductive surface layer.
Statistics of narrow distributions

Abstract In expressing the results of particle size analysis from micrographs, i t is customary to report statistics of the distribution such as mean diameter and standard deviation, together with various weighted average diameters. Each of these values represents one or more moments of the distribution, as do the various average particle sizes which are determined by different experimental methods. An analogous situation prevails in the reporting of molecular weights of heterogeneous polymers. During recent extensive work in this laboratory on lattices of very narrow-size distributions, correlations among the various statistics became apparent; this led us to consider the narrow distribution as a special limiting case.
Serotonergic function in the central nervous system is associated with daily ratings of positive mood

Abstract Serotonin constrains a broad array of animal and human behavior and may also inhibit the expression of mood or affective states among humans. For the most part, this research has focused on the association of central serotonergic function with negative affectivity (i.e., anxiety, depression, hostility), with less attention on the relationship between serotonergic function and positive affect or mood. The current study was conducted to examine the relationship between a measure of central serotonergic activity and daily ratings of positive and negative mood in a nonpatient sample. Two hundred and fifty-four adults, aged 24–60, completed end-of-day ratings of positive and negative mood items over 7 consecutive days. A neuropharmacological challenge was administered to index central serotonergic function, i.e., the maximal prolactin (PRL) response to fenfluramine, a serotonin releasing agent. Hierarchical linear regression analyses indicated that the peak PRL response to fenfluramine was positively associated with positive mood, averaged over 7 days, after controlling for known predictors of the PRL response. This relationship remained significant after controlling for average negative mood, for the presence of a current DSM-III-R diagnosis, and for trait measures of Neuroticism and Extraversion. In contrast, the PRL response to fenfluramine was not associated with average negative mood, although it was inversely correlated with trait negative affectivity (i.e., Neuroticism). These results suggest that deficiencies in serotonergic function may reflect the relative absence of positive mood.
Tetrodotoxin inhibits the formation of refined retinotopography in goldfish

One optic nerve of mature goldfish was crushed in the orbit and allowed to regenerate. During regeneration impulse activity was eliminated by periodic intraocular injections of tetrodotoxin (TTX). At 32-104 days, the retinotopography of the retinotectal projection was measured autoradiographically by intraocular [3H]proline injections simultaneous with either small (10-20 degrees sector) or half retinal mapping lesions. TTX had no effect on the time-course and quality of the regeneration of gross topography seen with half retina mapping, but indefinitely inhibited higher order (refined) retinotopography normally seen by 2 months with retina sector mapping.
Alteration of liver plasma membrane protein conformation by bovine growth hormone in vitro.

Abstract The response of liver plasma membranes prepared from hypophysectomized, bovine growth hormone-treated hypophysectomized, and normal rats to addition of bovine growth hormone in vitro were studied by circular dichroism and spectrofluorometry. Membranes of hypophysectomized but not normal or treated rats showed increased negative ellipticity in the presence of bovine growth hormone (10 −9 ) without any change in trough position; at higher concentrations (10 −7 −10 −6 , m ) there was less negative ellipticity. Membranes of hypophysectomized, normal, and growth hormone-treated rats all showed decreased emission of fluorescence and a small shift of the emission peak from 333 to 338 nm in the presence of bovine growth hormone (10 −17 −10 −7 , m ). The excitation of fluorescence was quenched by bovine growth hormone. Polarization of excitation of fluorescence was unchanged.
Redox‐based control of the γ heavy chain ATPase from Chlamydomonas outer arm dynein

The outer dynein arm from Chlamydomonas flagella contains two redox-active thioredoxin-related light chains associated with the alpha and beta heavy chains; these proteins belong to a distinct subgroup within the thioredoxin family. This observation suggested that some aspect of dynein activity might be modulated through redox poise. To test this, we have examined the effect of sulfhydryl oxidation on the ATPase activity of isolated dynein and axonemes from wildtype and mutant strains lacking various heavy chain combinations. The outer, but not inner, dynein arm ATPase was stimulated significantly following treatment with low concentrations of dithionitrobenzoic acid; this effect was readily reversible by dithiol, and to a lesser extent, monothiol reductants. Mutational and biochemical dissection of the outer arm revealed that ATPase activation in response to DTNB was an exclusive property of the gamma heavy chain, and that enzymatic enhancement was modulated by the presence of other dynein components. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the LC5 thioredoxin-like light chain binds to the N-terminal stem domain of the alpha heavy chain and that the beta heavy chain-associated LC3 protein also interacts with the gamma heavy chain. These data suggest the possibility of a dynein-associated redox cascade and further support the idea that the gamma heavy chain plays a key regulatory role within the outer arm.
Integrating research ethics with graduate education in geography

Geography has promoted responsibility in science for decades. However, a monster is on the loose of our own creation and is wreaking havoc. Geocoded/locational data have enormous research potential. However, expectations of privacy and confidentiality norms flux and turn gray. Does graduate training sufficiently prepare students to respond to ethical dilemma? “Best practices” exist but US federal agencies recently have gone farther to require responsible conduct of research (RCR) education. RCR content is important for immersing students using effective pedagogies that provide graduate students tools to uphold professional responsibilities and change culture – and perhaps to understand the monster that now roams.
Using NIRS to predict fiber and nutrient content of dryland cereal cultivars.

Residue from cultivars of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), winter wheat, and spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) was characterized for fiber and nutrient traits using reference methods and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Calibration models were developed for neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), acid detergent lignin (ADL), carbon (C), sulfur (S), nitrogen (N), and C:N. When calibrations were tested against validation sets for each crop year, NIRS was an acceptable method for predicting NDF (standard error of prediction (SEP) 0.90) and ADF (SEP 0.92) and moderately successful for ADL in 1 year of the study (SEP = 0.44; R2 = 0.81) but less successful for C, S, N, and C:N (R2 all <0.57). These results indicate that NIRS can predict the NDF and ADF of cereal residue from dryland cropping systems and is a useful tool to estimate residue decomposition potential.
Performance evaluation methodologies for abstract data type implementation techniques

Abstract The runtime management system for a programming language must allow the efficient manipulation of complex objects, such as instances of abstract data types (ADTs). We describe an implementation model for ADTs based on coroutine objects (i.e. as an alternative to ad hoc modifications of the runtime stack). We evaluate the performances of variants of our implementation model using two different approaches: a benchmarking technique which monitors actual costs for test programs and a “pseudo-execution” technique which estimates costs based on idealized instruction timings. The results of our comparison indicate that the two forms of evaluation give very similar cost estimates, supporting the use of the (cheaper) pseudo-execution technique. The overall performance results identify applications in which our coroutine implementation model has definite strengths and weaknesses. Finally, our implementation approach is compared with modified stack implementations used in other ADT systems.
Studies on isolated islets of Langerhans (Brockmann bodies) of teleost fishes I. Metabolic activity in vitro

Abstract Conditions are described for incubation of islet tissue of toadfish (Opsanus tau). Sterile tissue culture medium (Eagle) was used at relatively low temperature (15–20°) for prolonged incubation periods. Tissue viability up to 48 h was demonstrated by the linearity of several metabolic indices: glucose uptake, lactate production, oxidation of substrate carbon to CO2, and incorporation of substrate carbon into both total trichloroacetic acid precipitate and acid ethanol soluble islet protein. The comparative use of different substrates showed about equal metabolism of carbon from glucose, mannose and pyruvate, whereas fructose carbon was metabolized at a much lower rate. Results obtained with differentially labeled glucose add further evidence for an operational hexose monophosphate pathway in islet tissue. Incorporation rates of glucose carbon and leucine into total and acid ethanol extractable islet protein suggest that this preparation might be a useful tool for the study of insulin biosynthesis in vitro.
From Schlockspeare to Austenpop

The substantial scholarly work done in the field of Shakespeare and popular culture in the last two decades has much more to offer Austen scholars confronting turn-of-the-millennium Austen-mania than has yet been acknowledged. Many of the anxieties and concerns that arise among academics about popular-culture evocations of Austen have already been thought through – and in many cases debated – by our colleagues in the Shakespeare arena. As the field of Austen and popular culture takes shape and gains credence, we who wish to contribute to it would do well to consider the arguments that have been made, and the questions that have been raised, about “Shakespop” and “Schlockspeare”. Considering the ways in which Austen differs from Shakespeare in terms of popular reinventions will further sharpen our investigations of her present-day popularity. Shakespeare scholars and specialists in other authors too can gain, I will argue, from pondering the ways in which this more recent canonical English author has been ...
CoNiCu and Cu Nanotube Electrodeposition

Electrodeposition was used to fabricate metallic CoNiCu and Cu nanotubes in polycarbonate membranes. The tubes were obtained from a low-efficiency CoNiCu electrolyte, critical to the evolution of tube formation. Tube wallthickness was assessed and alloy tubes filled with Cu metal demonstrated. A high-efficiency electrolyte was used to show the importance of the side reaction on the nanotube formation. Nanowires were obtained in the high-efficiency electrolyte while nanotubes were generated from the low-efficiency electrolyte. Both gas evolution, resulting from electrodeposition, and partial pore coverage on the bottom of the membranes accounted for the tube formation.
Metastable Solid Phase at the Crystalline-Amorphous Border: The Glacial Phase of Triphenyl Phosphite

The fragile glass-forming liquid triphenyl phosphite (TPP) melts at 298 K, has a glass transition at about 186 K, and can undergo a first order transition to a metastable, solid, apparently amorphous phase (denoted the glacial phase) at about 230 K. Though apparently amorphous (on the basis of preliminary X-ray data), we have shown that the glacial phase is well described as a plastic crystal composed of nanocrystallites; it is thus not a second liquid or glass nor a poor ordinary molecular crystal. This picture of the glacial phase with its close connection to the supercooled liquid from which it forms is placed in the context of the frustration-limited-domain theory of supercooled liquids, and the glacial phase is associated with the defect-ordered phase predicted by that theory. In examining the applicability of this picture, we carried out extensive experimental studies, many of them by means of NMR at both ambient and high pressures, on the glacial phase and on the dynamics of the transformations to ...
Infant vesicoureteral reflux: a comparison between patients presenting with a prenatal diagnosis and those presenting with a urinary tract infection

Abstract Objectives To evaluate the severity, laterality, and gender distribution of infant vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) and its potential impact on renal outcome, we compared patients presenting fetally (FDR group) and those presenting with a urinary tract infection (INF group). Methods A retrospective review of 202 patients with the diagnosis of VUR before 6 months of age was performed. The grade of VUR, gender, laterality, initial renal scarring, breakthrough urinary tract infections, new renal scarring, and surgical intervention were compared between the INF group (n = 146) and FDR group (n = 56). Results The male/female ratio in the FDR group was 1.67:1 compared with 0.60:1 in the INF group. The FDR group had more unilateral VUR than the INF group ( P P = 0.13), percentage of initial damage (28% of FDR patients versus 23% of INF patients), or clinical course. In either group, boys and girls exhibited a very similar distribution of grade and renal damage. Conclusions Our findings do not support the commonly held belief that fetally diagnosed reflux is an overwhelmingly male, bilateral, and high-grade phenomenon. Few differences were observed between infants diagnosed fetally and those diagnosed subsequent to urinary tract infection. Once diagnosed, from either group, infant reflux has neither great morbidity nor a frequent need for surgery.
Nozzle injection displacement mixing in a zero boil-off hydrogen storage tank

This paper presents a steady-state analysis of fluid flow and heat transfer in a zero boil-off cryogenic liquid hydrogen storage tank in microgravity environment. The storage tank is equipped with an assembly of an inlet tube and a nozzle head that contains many nozzles on its front face. Liquid hydrogen is cooled by an external cryocooler, flows along the nozzle head assembly, penetrates into the bulk liquid through the nozzles in order to prevent the boiling off due to heat leak from the surroundings through the tank wall insulation, exits the tank through an annular outlet opening coaxial with the inlet, and then goes back to the external cooling system. Eleven cases for different geometry settings were analyzed. Typical distributions of velocity and temperature are presented. The results show that thermal performance of the system can be improved by increasing the inlet diameter and properly selecting the depth and the span of the nozzle head.
Do soil fertilization and forest canopy foliage affect the growth and photosynthesis of Amazonian saplings

Most Amazonian soils are highly weathered and poor in nutrients. Therefore, photosynthesis and plant growth should positively respond to the addition of mineral nutrients. Surprisingly, no study has been carried out in situ in the central Amazon to address this issue for juvenile trees. The objective of this study was to determine how photosynthetic rates and growth of tree saplings respond to the addition of mineral nutrients, to the variation in leaf area index of the forest canopy, and to changes in soil water content associated with rainfall seasonality. We assessed the effect of adding a slow-release fertilizer. We determined plant growth from 2010 to 2012 and gas exchange in the wet and dry season of 2012. Rainfall seasonality led to variations in soil water content, but it did not affect sapling growth or leaf gas exchange parameters. Although soil amendment increased phosphorus content by 60 %, neither plant growth nor the photosynthetic parameters were influenced by the addition of mineral nutrients. However, photosynthetic rates and growth of saplings decreased as the forest canopy became denser. Even when Amazonian soils are poor in nutrients, photosynthesis and sapling growth are more responsive to slight variations in light availability in the forest understory than to the availability of nutrients. Therefore, the response of saplings to future increases in atmospheric [CO2] will not be limited by the availability of mineral nutrients in the soil.
Existence of perfect matchings in a plane bipartite graph

We give a necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of perfect matchings in a plane bipartite graph in terms of elementary edge-cut, which extends the result for the existence of perfect matchings in a hexagonal system given in the paper of F. Zhang, R. Chen and X. Guo (1985).
All that jazz: The success of jazz musicians in three metropolitan areas

Abstract We draw on a survey of jazz musicians to examine their economic success (annual amount of money earned through music) and critical success (national recognition of their talent). In doing so, we bring together literatures that are not normally in dialogue—one addressing generalism and the careers of creative personnel and the other addressing the circulation of capitals (e.g., cultural capital) in fields of cultural production. We find, among other things, that aesthetic generalism (being conversant in a wide range of genres) has a positive impact on both earnings and national recognition—with veteran musicians particularly benefitting from the relationship between aesthetic generalism and critical success. Those musicians with much social capital (e.g., number of local musicians known by name) and much human capital (years of musical experience) enjoy heightened economic, but not critical, success. Technical generalism (playing a wide range of musical instruments) has no bearing on economic success but has a negative impact on critical success—particularly for veteran jazz musicians. We discuss how such findings demonstrate the analytical utility of heeding the resources and “signaled competencies” that creative personnel have for negotiating fields of cultural production.
Comparison on effects of phenobarbital and nicotine on nuclear protein synthesis in rat liver

Recently, effects on the synthesis of nuclear proteins have been reported to occur after the administration of agents which are capable of producing enzyme induction in animal cells. Bresnick [l] has reported that administration of 3-methylcholanthrene to rats produced an increase in the synthesis of a species of hepatic nuclear protein. Stein and Baserga [2] have shown that acidic nuclear protein formation was elevated in mouse salivary glands 2 hr after isoproterenol administration. In addition, an increased synthesis of specific non&stone nuclear proteins has been reported to occur in rat liver after phenobarbital injection [3] or after hydrocortisone administration [4] and in rat uterus after estradiol treatment [5]. In general, these elevations of nuclear protein formation occurred early in the induction process, e.g. prior to increases in enzyme synthesis. This evidence suggests that alteration of synthesis and turnover of specific non&stone nuclear proteins is a crucial event in activation of the flow of genetic information in mammalian cells challenged with agents that produce proliferative or enzyme inductive responses in these cells. Chronic administration of nicotine to rats in doses of 4-5 mg/kg/day has been shown to increase the activity of a number of hepatic microsomal drug metabolizing enzymes [6] . The increased activity after nicotine treatment appeared to be due to an in-
Effects of low-level sarin and cyclosarin exposure on hippocampal subfields in Gulf War Veterans.

A B S T R A C T Background: More than 100,000 US troops were potentially exposed to chemical warfare agents sarin (GB) and cyclosarin (GF) when an ammunition dump at Khamisiyah, Iraq was destroyed during the 1991 Gulf War (GW). We previously reported reduced hippocampal volume in GW veterans with suspected GB/GF exposure relative to matched, unexposed GW veterans estimated from 1.5 T magnetic resonance images (MRI). Here we investigate, in a different cohort of GW veterans, whether low-level GB/GF exposure is associated with structural alterations in specific hippocampal subfields, estimated from 4 T MRI. Methods: The Automatic Segmentation of Hippocampal Subfields (ASHS) technique was used to quantify CA1, CA2, CA3 and dentate gyrus (DG), and subiculum (SUB) subfields volumes from high-resolution T2weighted images acquired on a 4 T MR scanner in 56 GW veterans with suspected GB/GF exposure and 56 ‘‘matched’’ unexposed GW veterans (mean age 49 7 years). Results: GB/GF exposed veterans had smaller CA2 (p = 0.003) and CA3/DG (p = 0.01) subfield volumes compared to matched, unexposed GW veterans. There were no group difference in total hippocampal volume, quantified with FreeSurfer, and no dose–response relationship between estimated levels of GB/ GF exposure and total hippocampal or subfield volume. Conclusions: These findings extend our previous report of structural alterations in the hippocampi of GW veterans with suspected GB/GF exposure to volume changes in the CA2, CA3, and DG hippocampal subfields in a different cohort of GW veterans with suspected GB/GF exposure.
Low oxalate bioavailability from black tea

Abstract Hyperoxaluria is a primary risk factor for the development of kidney stones, and the propensity of a specific foodstuff to raise urinary oxalate is dependent on both oxalate content and efficiency of absorption. Because previous studies that assessed oxalate absorption from black tea have yielded inconsistent results, this issue was further investigated by using 2 assessment methods: the oxalate load test and the use of 13 C 2 -oxalic acid consumed concurrently with black tea. Ten healthy nonstone formers (7 females and 3 males) participated in both an oxalate load test and a control treatment separated by a minimum of 2 weeks. The oxalate load test involved the ingestion of 4 cups of tea, containing 10.0 mg oxalate/150 mL cup, followed by the ingestion of a gelatin capsule that contained 25.0 mg 13 C 2 -oxalic acid. Based on the oxalate load method, the almost identical urinary oxalate excretion levels for the tea and control treatments suggested very low bioavailability of tea-derived oxalate. In addition, a 2.4 % absorption rate was observed for the 13 C 2 -oxalic acid provided in conjunction with the tea ingestion, which is markedly lower than what has been reported in previous studies that used this assessment method. The lower than expected 13 C 2 -oxalic acid absorption supports the possibility that there may be components in black tea that are able to inhibit oxalate absorption. Both methods suggested that black tea–derived oxalate is of low bioavailability. At the present time, there is little overall support for the recommendation that kidney stone formers limit their intake of black tea.
Calmodulin Is the Divalent Cation Receptor for Rapid Endocytosis, but Not Exocytosis, in Adrenal Chromaffin Cells

Abstract Exocytosis and the ensuing rapid endocytosis in adrenal chromaffin cells are both Ca 2+ -dependent phenomena but differ in their divalent cation specificity, implying distinct Ca 2+ receptors for the two processes. To ascertain whether calmodulin is the Ca 2+ receptor for either process, we blocked its function by introducing calmodulin-binding peptides or anti-calmodulin antibodies into these cells. Exo/endocytosis was followed by measurement of cell membrane capacitance. Rapid endocytosis, but not exocytosis, was abolished by these treatments, indicating that calmodulin is the Ca 2+ receptor for rapid endocytosis but is not involved in exocytosis. The principal calmodulin target is not protein phosphatase-2B, as antagonism of this enzyme did not inhibit but accelerated rapid endocytosis. Calmodulin may thus regulate both the rate and extent of rapid endocytosis by distinct pathways.
Fluid evolution and transport during metamorphism: evidence from the Llano Uplift, Texas

A field, petrologic and stable isotopic investigation of the marbles and calc-silicates of the 1.15 b.y. Valley Spring Gneiss documents the dilution of internally evolved CO2-rich fluids by externally derived aqueous fluids introduced along channelways. Reaction textures within calcsilicates record the evolution through time of initially CO2-rich fluids toward increasingly more aqueous compositions. Assemblage zonations within calc-silicates require equilibration within local gradients of the mole fraction of CO2 in the fluid, and suggest that the infiltration of aqueous fluids was largely channelized along more permeable lithologies. Localized depletions in 13C and 18O corroborate petrologic evidence for channelized infiltration. Isotopic compositions reflect both devolatilization and the introduction of low-δ18O fluids; estimated minimum oxygen-equivalent fluid-to-rock ratios are near unity. Both mineralogical and stable isotopic systematics document the essential role of infiltration in driving decarbonation reactions during calc-silicate formation. The calc-silicate assemblages which equilibrated with fluids of the lowest mole fraction of CO2 record isotopic exchange equilibrium with fluids of δ18O typical of those derived from “normal granites”, as do the granitic aplites and pegmatites which transect most calcsilicate occurrences. Thus the infiltrating fluids are believed to be genetically linked to the intrusion of a suite of granitic plutons emplaced after the peak of regional metamorphism.
Toward a Square-Grid Polymer: Synthesis and Structure of Pedestal-Mounted Tetragonal Star Connectors, C4R4−Co−C5Y5

We report the synthesis of (cyclobutadiene)cyclopentadienylcobalt derivatives, C4R4−Co−C5Y5, where R is a rigid arm capable of linear coupling through its para position and the tentacle Y carries a functionality with a large affinity for the surface of mercury. The compounds are needed for a proposed synthesis of a square-grid polymer by 2-dimensional cross-linking polymerization, which calls for cross-shaped star connector modules mounted horizontally on a flat pedestal with a large affinity to a liquid interface. The substituents are R = 4-pyridyl, 4-iodophenyl, 4-bromophenyl, 4-(ethoxycarbonyl)phenyl, 4-(1,12-dicarba-closo-dodecaboran-1-yl)phenyl, 4-carboxyphenyl, 4−[(triethylsilyl)ethynyl]phenyl, Y = H; R = phenyl, Y = (trifluoroacetoxy)mercurio, iodo; R = 4-bromophenyl, Y = (trifluoroacetoxy)mercurio; R = 4-(ethoxycarbonyl)phenyl, Y = [(2-hydroxyethyl)thio]mercurio. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction structures are reported for R = 4-pyridyl, 4-(1,12-dicarba-closo-dodecaboran-1-yl)−phenyl, 4-(ethoxycar...
1323 NEURODEVELOPMENTAL OUTCOME AT 2 YEARS IN PRETERM INFANTS WITH INTRAVENTRICULAR HEMORRHAGE

1323 NEURODEVELOPMENTAL OUTCOME AT 2 YEARS IN PRETERM INFANTS WITH INTRAVENTRICULAR HEMORRHAGE
A controlled trial of 5-hydroxy-L-tryptophan for ataxia in progressive myoclonus epilepsy

To study the role of serotonin in the ataxia of progressive myoclonus epilepsy, eight patients received oral 5-hydroxy-L-tryptophan (L-5-HTP) or placebo plus carbidopa for 1 month in a controlled, double-blinded, dose-ranging, cross-over, add-on study. Ataxia was evaluated using objective and subjective scales. All of the subjects had significantly slower motor performance on timed, repetitive tasks than controls and had moderately severe ataxia. L-5-HTP was not efficacious for ataxia or speed of motor performance. Serotonergic drugs that work through mechanisms different than L-5-HTP may be more effective in correcting the abnormal serotonergic neurotransmission suggested by reduction of serotonin metabolites in cerebrospinal fluid in patients with progressive myoclonus epilepsy.
Is There a Biological Law of Human Population Growth

The work of Pearl and Reed, 558 — Their postulates, 559. — The logistic formula, 561. — The question of closeness of fit of the formula to the observed data, 562. — The applications of a mathematical formula of growth, 564. — Intercensal interpolation, 564. — Prediction of future growth, 566. — Malthus, 568. — Elkanah Watson, 569. — Department of Agriculture experts, 570. — Pritchett, 571. — Critique of Pearl's assumptions and of his formula as a predictive device, 573. — Cultural influences and cycles of growth, 577. — Empirical versus rational laws, 579. — The use and abuse of analogy, 582. — The analogy between the growth of an individual and that of an aggregate, 583. — Relation of changing birth rates, death rates, and age constitution to the shape of the growth curve, 586. — The Algerian population, 587. — Inconclusiveness of Pearl's analysis, 589. — Further analogy — correlation of population growth with density, 590. — Doubtful value of the logistic formula, 593.
Sustainable Manufacturing Indicator Repository

Sustainable manufacturing promotes manufacturing processes that minimize environmental and social impacts while maintaining economic benefits. To achieve this, manufacturers seek metrics and measurement methods to enable them to track the progress and manage their manufacturing processes and product designs. A number of indicator sets have been devised to analyze and score sustainable manufacturing; however, presence of many indicator sets has created difficulty in selecting the appropriate set. This paper presents a sustainability indicator repository, called Sustainable Manufacturing Indicator Repository (SMIR), an integration and extension of thirteen popular sustainability indicator sets. From an extensive review of publicly available indicator sets, the SMIR is based on five dimensions of sustainability: environmental stewardship, economic growth, social well-being, technological advancement, and performance management. The purpose of the SMIR is to provide an organized set of centralized, Web-based, open, and neutral indicators that can be accessible by small and medium size manufacturing enterprises. The SMIR can be an application as well as educational tool for manufacturers by providing them with necessary information on in-process and off-line sustainability measures.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
General Stress in Anthropological Fieldwork

Human stress reactions are responses to physical, biotic, and sociocultural stimuli that lead to appraisal of the need for adaptive activity. Commonly used measures of stress in anthropology, such as questionnaires, are subjective in nature and inappropriate for cross-cultural comparisons. Physiological measures of stress, such as urinary levels of catecholamines and corticosteroids, are applicable for these comparisons and may have wide utility in anthropological fieldwork, particularly for: studies of culture change, identification of highly stressed groups or individuals within groups, and observations of temporal patterns of stress in human populations. [stress, biocultural anthropology, adaptation, physiological anthropology, human ecology]
Detecting subsurface drainage systems and estimating drain spacing in intensively managed agricultural landscapes.

Detailed location maps of tile drains in the Midwestern United States are generally not available, as the tile lines in these areas were laid more than 75 years ago. The objective of this study is to map individual tile drains and estimate drain spacing using a combination of GIS-based analysis of land cover, soil and topography data, and analysis of high resolution aerial photographs to within the Hoagland watershed in west-central Indiana. A decision tree classifier model was used to classify the watershed into potentially drained and undrained areas using land cover, soil drainage class, and surface slope data sets. After masking out the potential undrained areas from the aerial image, image processing techniques such as the first-difference horizontal and vertical edge enhance filters, and density slice classification were used to create a detailed tile location map of the watershed. Drain spacings in different parts of the watershed were estimated from the watershed tile line map. The decision tree identified 79% of the watershed as potential tile drained area while the image processing techniques predicted artificial subsurface drainage in approximately 50% of the Hoagland watershed. Drain spacing inferred from classified aerial image vary between 17 and 80 m. Comparison of estimated tile drained areas from aerial image analysis shows a close agreement with estimated tile drained areas from previous studies (50% versus 46% drained area) which were based on GIS analysis and National Resource Inventory survey. Due to lack of sufficient field data, the results from this analysis could not be validated with observed tile line locations. In general, the techniques used for mapping tile lines gave reasonable results and are useful to detect drainage extent from aerial image in large areas. These techniques, however, do not yield precise maps of the systems for individual fields and may not accurately estimate the extent of tile drainage in the presence of crop residue in agricultural fields and/or existence of other spatial features with similar spectral response as tile drains.
[3H]Dopamine release by d-amphetamine from striatal synaptosomes of reserpinized rats.

The injection of reserpine, 5 mg/kg i.p. (ipRes), the regimen employed by a majority of investigators, results in synaptosomal and vesicular preparations which are incompletely reserpinized as determined by [3H]dopamine ([3H]DA) accumulation. Reserpine administered by the subcutaneous route, 5 mg/kg (scRes), appears to produce complete reserpinization. Release of [3H]DA by d-amphetamine (Amph) was observed from striatal synaptosomes prepared both from normal rats and those pretreated with reserpine intraperitoneally but not from those injected subcutaneously. In the more completely reserpinized scRes synaptosomes, so little [3H]DA had accumulated that release by Amph was not measurable, indicating that if a labile, reserpine-resistant, extravesicular DA storage pool releasable by Amph is present under these conditions, it must be extremely small. In scRes monoamine oxidase (MAO)-inhibited preparations, Amph released preloaded [3H]DA located in the cytosol in the absence of functional vesicles. Although chromatographic analysis of the superfusate from ipRes striatal synaptosomes showed that significant amounts of preloaded [3H]DA were released by Amph, the level of dihydroxyphenylacetic acid was not increased over controls, indicating that Amph releases only DA and not its metabolite and is also acting as a MAO inhibitor. No [3H]DA could be released by Amph from superfused hyposmotically shocked normal or ipRes synaptosomes, suggesting that an intact membrane is required for Amph-induced release.
DEGENERATION OF MITOCHONDRIA IN LEAD POISONING.

Electron microscopic studies of the liver of swine which had been given lead acetate in the feed for 3-6 months revealed the presence of fine, closely packed arrays of lamellar formations in some of the mitochondria. The individual lamellae measured 55-85 A in thickness and 0.1-0.5 ..mu.. in length. The mitochondria containing such structures were usually enlarged and had only a few, short cristae. The presence of these changes was interpreted as a sign of mitochondrial malfunction and degeneration. 17 references, 1 figure.
How big are anomalous dimensions

Abstract The anomalous dimension of the isovector tensor operator analogous to the energy-momentum tensor is estimated using measured deep-inelastic structure functions and the known value of the proton-neutron mass difference. It is found to be about 0.04 or smaller.
FACTOR STRUCTURE OF THE MY EDUCATION SCALE

Principal components factor analysis of responses of 442 students in Grades 6 and 7 yielded no clear evidence for a “home environment index” on the My Education scale, a 50-item multiple-choice questionnaire. To be a useful measure of motivation this scale needs further psychometric development.
Development of cholesteryl peptide micelles for siRNA delivery

Despite the rapid progress in the siRNA field, developing a safe and efficient delivery system of siRNA remains to be an obstacle in the therapeutical application of siRNA. The purpose of this study is to develop an efficient peptide-based siRNA delivery system for cancer therapy. To this end, cholesterol was conjugated to a series of peptides composed of lysine and histidine residues. The resultant cholesteryl peptides were characterized, and their potential for siRNA delivery was evaluated. Our results indicate that short peptides (11–21 mer) composed of various numbers of lysine and histidine residues alone are not sufficient to mediate efficient siRNA delivery. However, the amphiphilic cholesteryl peptides can self-assemble to form a micelle-like structure in aqueous solutions, which significantly promotes the siRNA condensation capability of the peptides. The cholesteryl peptides form stable complex with siRNA and effectively protect siRNA from degradation in rat serum up to three days. Furthermore, the cholesteryl peptides efficiently transfect siRNA into different cancer cells and trigger potent gene silencing effect, whereas peptides without cholesterol modification cannot deliver siRNA into the cells. In addition, one of the cholesteryl peptides Chol-H3K2s displays comparable cellular uptake and gene silencing effect but less cytotoxicity compared with branched polyethylenimine (bPEI) and Lipofectamine-2000. Our results reveal that the cholesteryl peptides possess great potential as an efficient siRNA delivery system.
Dependence of Snow Gauge Collection Efficiency on Snowflake Characteristics

Accurate snowfall measurements are critical for a wide variety of research fields, including snowpack monitoring, climate variability, and hydrological applications. It has been recognized that systematic errors in snowfall measurements are often observed as a result of the gauge geometry and the weather conditions. The goal of this study is to understand better the scatter in the snowfall precipitation rate measured by a gauge. To address this issue, field observations and numerical simulations were carried out. First, a theoretical study using finite-element modeling was used to simulate the flow around the gauge. The snowflake trajectories were investigated using a Lagrangian model, and the derived flow field was used to compute a theoretical collection efficiency for different types of snowflakes. Second, field observations were undertaken to determine how different types, shapes, and sizes of snowflakes are collected inside a Geonor, Inc., precipitation gauge. The results show that the collection efficiency is influenced by the type of snowflakes as well as by their size distribution. Different types of snowflakes, which fall at different terminal velocities, interact differently with the airflow around the gauge. Fast-falling snowflakes are more efficiently collected by the gauge than slow-falling ones. The correction factor used to correct the data for the wind speed is improved by adding a parameter for each type of snowflake. The results show that accurate measure of snow depends on the wind speed as well as the type of snowflake observed during a snowstorm.