cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Analysis and Design of a Quasi-Optical Mode Converter for a 1-kW, 550-GHz, $ {\rm TE}_{15,2}$ -Mode Gyrotron

A simple method is presented for the analysis and design of gyrotron output couplers based on a Vlasov-type launcher and a single focusing mirror. It is shown that a quasi-analytical solution to the Kirchhoff diffraction integral can be implemented to accurately model the diffraction spreading of the launched radiation with good accuracy relative to an Electric Field Integral Equation simulation. Spectral information is exploited in the design to appropriately size the mirror and to predict the conversion efficiency and Gaussian beam parameters of the converted beam. Additionally, a set of design equations, which is more general than any previously published, is derived for the reflector. A comparison of the conversion properties of a converter designed using the new equations and previously published equations is provided. For the case considered, the converter designed using the new equations generate a field distribution with almost complete isolation of the main radiation lobe at the window plane. For the reflector designed using the previous equations, the contamination of the main lobe by the side lobes is significant beginning at the 9-dB contour. The spot size of the gyrotron output beam has also been reduced by about 30% by using the new design equations.
Welfare reform, dependency reduction, and labor market entry

Dependency reduction requires altering the welfare incentive structure: reducing the rewards for nonwork and increasing the rewards for work. Requiring welfare recipients to work in exchange for welfare benefits reduces the attractiveness of welfare and is crucial to dependency reduction. However, most current workfare programs impose minimal requirements on welfare recipients and are ineffectual. This paper proposes methods for improving workfare as well as other reforms.
Prevalence of pulmonary hypertension in hereditary spherocytosis

Vascular complications, including pulmonary hypertension (PH), have been reported to occur following splenectomy for various disorders,including hereditary spherocytosis (HS). We performed a prospective cross-sectional study of 36 adults with HS (78% with prior splenectomy)utilizing echocardiography to estimate tricuspid regurgitant jet velocity (TRV) as well as measurement of N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) to screen for PH. No participant with HS hada significantly elevated TRV or NT-proBNP level, despite a median 25-year interval since splenectomy (95% confidence interval for point prevalence 0, 0.097). Although our study was limited by a small sample size, it appears that persons with HS, following splenectomy, appear unlikely to be at significantly increased risk of developing PH to the degree reported for thalassemia and sickle cell disease
Lysogenic virus–host interactions predominate at deep-sea diffuse-flow hydrothermal vents

The consequences of viral infection within microbial communities are dependent on the nature of the viral life cycle. Among the possible outcomes is the substantial influence of temperate viruses on the phenotypes of lysogenic prokaryotes through various forms of genetic exchange. To date, no marine microbial ecosystem has consistently shown a predisposition for containing significant numbers of inducible temperate viruses. Here, we show that deep-sea diffuse-flow hydrothermal vent waters display a consistently high incidence of lysogenic hosts and harbor substantial populations of temperate viruses. Genetic fingerprinting and initial metagenomic analyses indicate that temperate viruses in vent waters appear to be a less diverse subset of the larger virioplankton community and that these viral populations contain an extraordinarily high frequency of novel genes. Thus, it appears likely that temperate viruses are key players in the ecology of prokaryotes within the extreme geothermal ecosystems of the deep sea.
Phenotypic plasticity in hormonal and behavioural responses to changes in resource conditions in a migratory songbird

An emerging question in animal behaviour is whether and how behavioural plasticity will enable organisms to adjust to human-induced, rapid environmental changes that affect breeding conditions. Adaptive behavioural plasticity in response to changing resource conditions will depend on the sensitivity of the neuroendocrine system to food stimuli and on constraints in the mechanisms mediating the expression of reproductive behaviours. We tested the hypotheses that food availability mediates plasticity in androgen and corticosterone (CORT) responses, and that circulating concentrations of these hormones in turn mediate investment into competing mating and parental behaviours in a migratory songbird. We provided supplemental food to black-throated blue warblers, Setophaga caerulescens, breeding in habitats with natural low and high food abundance. The effects of supplemental feeding were most pronounced in food-poor habitat. During their social mates' fertile stage, fed males sang less near their nest sites, had lower plasma androgen and CORT levels, and had higher residual mass than control males. Fed males benefited indirectly from their mates' access to supplemental food because fed females provided more parental effort than control females. Fed males did not increase their own parental effort. Our results suggest that fed males increased mate-guarding effort over extrapair mate attraction while their social mates were fertile and invested additional resources into territorial defence or self-maintenance during the parental stage. These findings reveal plastic patterns of covariation among endocrine parameters and mating behaviours, but not parental behaviours, in response to food supplementation. These responses enabled individuals to adjust their reproductive effort rapidly to changes in resource conditions. Our findings suggest that adaptive reproductive investment in response to environmental change is unlikely to be constrained by the hormonal mechanisms underlying the mediation of competing mating and parental behaviours.
Effects of administration of oxytocin on embryonic survival in progestogen supplemented cattle.

Abstract Embryonic survival after administration of oxytocin (OT) was examined in 42 beef cows. All cows were bred (Day 0) and randomly assigned to receive either 25 mL saline (CON; n = 10), 100 IU OT + 20 mL saline (OT; n = 12), 100 IU OT + 1 g flunixin meglumine (OT + FM; inhibitor of prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase; n = 10), or 100 IU OT + lutectomy (OT + LUT; n = 10) administered (i.m.) at 8-h intervals on Days 5–8 after mating. Lutectomies were performed by transrectal digital pressure prior to initiation of treatments (0600, Day 5). All cows were fed 4 mg/head/day of melengesterol acetate (an orally administered exogenous progestogen) through Days 3–30 and were bled by jugular venipuncture at 0600 and 0700 h on Day 5 for determination of 13,14-dihydro-15-keto-PGF2a (PGFM). Pregnancy rates, as determined by transrectal ultrasonography at Day 30, were reduced in OT (33.3%) and OT + LUT (30%) groups compared to CON and OT + FM (80%; p ≤ 0.03). Number of short cycles were increased in OT (n = 6/12) group compared to CON (n = 0/10; p ≤ 0.009) and OT + FM (n = 1/10; p ≤ 0.045). Mean change in PGFM from the 0600 to 0700 h bleed was different (p ≤ 0.01) between the OT + LUT (31.6 ± 11.0 pg/mL) group versus CON (−11.2 ± 10.6 pg/mL) and OT + FM (−13.8 ± 10.6 pg/mL) groups. Administration of oxytocin appears to decrease embryonic survival by stimulating uterine PGF2a. Thus, previous reports indicating that removal of the corpus luteum during progestogen supplementation and prior to PGF2a administration increases embryonic survival can be explained through interruption of the luteal oxytocin-uterine PGF2a feedback loop.
Lessons learned: challenges in applying current constraints on research on chimpanzees to other animals.

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) Committee on the Necessity of the Use of Chimpanzees in Biomedical and Behavioral Research made a series of recommendations that, as of an announcement on June 26, 2013, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is turning into implemented guidelines. Many advocates, including some researchers and scholars, have suggested that the Committee’s recommendations could be applied successfully to other animal species. This article examines, from my perspective as the IOM Committee’s chair, some of the most important features of the Committee’s work, addresses whether chimpanzees represent a special or unique case for the purpose of research policy, and suggests an approach for evaluating the applicability of the Committee’s recommendations for other animal species used in research. I first present my perspective on the features of the Committee’s work that influenced its approach and conclusions. I then argue that despite the fact that chimpanzees represent a somewhat unique case for restricted research use, their case still offers important lessons for policy regarding the use of other species. Finally, I offer some observations regarding the recommendations and implications of the report from the NIH Working Group charged with crafting guidelines for implementing the IOM Committee’s recommendations.
Alcohol effects on behavioral control: the impact of likelihood and magnitude of negative consequences.

Background: This study utilized Signal Detection Theory to examine the relative influence of likelihood and magnitude of consequences when assessing alcohol effects on behavioral control. Methods: Moderate to heavy drinkers (N=101) were assigned to alcohol or placebo and completed 4 administrations of a go/stop task that varied the likelihood and magnitude of punishment. Results: Participants in the alcohol condition correctly responded to fewer go signals, and showed a trend toward reduction in sensitivity to task stimuli. Alcohol effects on sensitivity to go and stop signals were most evident when the likelihood of rewards and punishments were similar whereas the magnitude of punishment was not related to the strength of alcohol effects. Conclusion: Results suggest that likelihood of punishment is a more powerful determinant of alcohol-induced disinhibition than is magnitude.
Immunolocalization of the hyaluronan receptor CD44 in the reproductive tract of the mare

Hyaluronan (HA), a glycosaminoglycan, is a major component of the pericellular matrix which envelopes mammalian cells. Binding of hyaluronan to one of its specific receptors, CD44, modulates transduction of intracellular signals which direct a variety of processes, including embryogenesis, wound healing, inflammation, and neoplasia. Since regulation of these processes is critical to equine reproductive success, localization of constitutive CD44 expression was evaluated by immunohistochemical methods in ovarian, oviductal, and uterine tissues from healthy mares. Ovarian stroma contained thecal cells with varying CD44 immunopositivity. Follicular and granulosa cells of some antral and atretic follicles were positive for CD44. In the oviduct, the luminal epithelium was variably positive for CD44, with overall decreasing intensity of immunostaining from the infundibulum to the isthmus. The CD44 molecule was expressed strongly by surface epithelial cells of the uterine endometrium, but was present only rarely among cells of uterine glands. In addition, CD44 was expressed by smooth muscle cells of vascular walls, oviduct, and uterus. Since CD44 is known to modulate cell movement and differentiation, and was present at multiple sites in the reproductive tract of normal mares, we inferred there may be an important role for the HA-CD44 signaling pathway in reproductive function and inflammation.
Electron-waveguide transmission resonance at a defect

We study theoretically the effect of few elastic scatterers on electron transport in the ballistic regime. In laterally confined structures (quasi 1-d or 2-d), resonant transmission peaks occur when total electron energy equals any miniband energy. Unit transmission probability is approached when the scattering defect is small, and far from other scatterers, even if the scatterer is strong enough to decrease significantly the conductance away from resonance. Both numerical and analytical methods are used. Resonances occur for all shapes of confining potential.
Making gender relevant in Spanish-language sports broadcast discourse

Using the US Spanish-language television broadcasts of the FIFA Women’s World Cup soccer (football) tournament, the present study offers an analysis of the crucial role that language plays in the gendering of sport. Despite the framing of the coverage as a celebration of women’s participation in sports, this was undermined by the sometimes covert, sometimes overt, objectification, trivialization and patronizing of the players and their sport during the broadcast. We examine the ground-level interactional practices through which this marginalization was achieved. First we consider references to persons, presenting overarching quantitative distributions as well as contextualized examples. We then highlight how gender is brought to the interactional surface and made relevant – to the speakers themselves and to the at-home audience – through the discursive dichotomization of women’s versus men’s soccer, with particular attention to the ways in which topicalization of gender-based differences can pave the way for the recreation of gender-based inequalities. Finally, we illustrate how gendering soccer reflects and transcends the game itself, invoking and reestablishing normative gender roles and expectations in and from society.
Electro-thermal battery modeling and identification for automotive applications

In this paper, a methodology for modeling and identification of the electro-thermal dynamic behavior of batteries is developed with an equivalent circuit model for use in automotive applications. The developed model has a simple structure but can capture sufficient dynamics under both temperature and state of charge (SoC) variation, thus making it applicable for use with real-time model-based estimation algorithms (for example, in state of charge and state of health estimation). A systematic procedure is outlined for the data acquisition and identification process, and experimental results are presented for an A123 lithiumion iron phosphate battery.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Adenosine 3',5'-Cyclic Monophosphate and Phosphodiesterase Activities in Isolated Fetal and Neonatal Rat Pancreatic Islets

Adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cyclic AMP) and phosphodiesterase activity were assessed in isolated maternal fetal and neonatal rat pancreatic islets. Two- to three-fold increases in cyclic AMP content and phosphodiesterase activity were observed in neonatal islets from pups 24, 48 and 72 hr following spontaneous delivery with a decrease to normal adult levels by the 13th day postpartum. Cyclic AMP content and phosphodiesterase activity in isolated female adult islets were unchanged at all time periods examined both pre- and postpartum. Islets from 21-day-old fetal rats were not significantly different from maternal islets. Islets from nonfed neonates had smaller, but statistically significant, increases in cyclic AMP and phosphodiesterase activity. The relationship of these changes to fetal islet cell unresponsiveness to glucose and to the alterations in the insulin release mechanism which occur in the neonate is discussed. (Endocrinology 92: 614, 1973)
Shear piezoelectricity in bone at the nanoscale

Recent demonstration of shear piezoelectricity in an isolated collagen fibril, which is the origin of piezoelectricity in bone, necessitates investigation of shear piezoelectric behavior in bone at the nanoscale. Using high resolution lateral piezoresponse force microcopy (PFM), shear piezoelectricity in a cortical bone sample was studied at the nanoscale. Subfibrillar structure of individual collagen fibrils with a periodicity of 60–70 nm were revealed in PFM map, indicating the direct contribution of collagen fibrils to the shear piezoelectricity of bone.
EFFECT OF ALLOXAN ON THE LACTIC DEHYDROGENASE (LDH) ACTIVITY OF THE MICRODISSECTED MAMMALIAN PANCREATIC ISLETS.

Abstract Lactic dehydrogenase activity was determined in the microdissected islets obtained from normal and alloxan injected rats. The enzyme activity was not altered at 12 hours, but was significantly increased at 24 hours after alloxan administration. There was a fourfold increase in the islet enzyme activity, as compared to controls, at 48 hours after alloxan injection, but thereafter the islet enzyme activity showed a decline, although even at 168 hours after alloxan injection the LDH activity was appreciably higher than that in the controls. It is concluded that alpha plus endothelial cells contain much higher LDH activity than do the beta cells. The LDH activity in the acinar tissue is about two to three times greater than that contained in the islet tissue; alloxan administration did not affect the activity of this enzyme in the acinar pancreas.
Adding the third dimension—A new tool for constructing 3D models of the airway from 2D bronchoscopic video ☆

Abstract Objective To develop a new method of using existing bronchoscopic video technology to generate a 3D model of the airway for clinical purposes. Design Prospective pilot study with clinical correlation. Methods A Storz 7200 bronchoscope was used to obtain video of a standardized tube. The images were then processed using “open source” tools which detected feature points. A three dimensional model was then constructed using these feature points. An in-house 3D image program was then used to compare the 3D model with the standardized tube. Video from a representative airway patient who had previously had a CT of the chest and a bronchoscopic examination was also analyzed using this technique. The 3D model was correlated with CT images to clinically validate this technique. Setting Tertiary care hospital. Patients One airway patient video was used for clinical validation. Outcome measures (1) Average diameters of the 3D video derived tube model were compared to the actual tube and (2) a cross section of the 3D video derived patient model was compared to the patient CT derived model. Results Repeated measures on standardized tubes demonstrated that is it possible to construct an airway model using this novel technique with a less than 5% error. Further, it is possible to construct a 3D model from patient video using existing brochoscopic technology. Conclusions It is possible to extract 3D data from a sequence of 2D images. Further, this 3D model can be used for the purposes of management and planning and is quantitatively accurate and reliable. Initial data suggests that these measurements correlate with actual airway size and may provide a better instrument with which to make surgical decisions.
Bibliography of Atomic Line Identification Lists. VI. 2000 October Supplement

New references are presented for the bibliography of atomic line identification studies by Adelman & Snijders and its four supplements by Adelman.
Methadone for Cancer Pain

Pain is one of the most common and incapacitating symptoms experienced by patients with advanced cancer. Methadone is a potent opioid with strong affinity for the µ opioid receptor. In addition to being a potent µ opioid receptor ligand, methadone blocks the N-methyl-D-aspartic acid receptor and modulates neurotransmitters involved in descending pain modulation. These 3 properties enhance analgesic activity. Methadone’s lack of active metabolites makes it an attractive option when opioid responsiveness declines and renal insufficiency complicates opioid therapy. A lipophilic opioid, methadone can be given by multiple routes. Clinical trial data show equivalence with morphine as an analgesic in moderate to severe cancer pain. Further investigations are needed to define the role of methadone in the management of breakthrough pain and neuropathic pain and to determine whether it is truly superior to morphine, the gold standard of cancer analgesia.
Top-Down Analysis of Highly Post-Translationally Modified Peptides by Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry

Bovine κ-caseinoglycomacropeptide (GMP) is a highly modified peptide from κ-casein produced during the cheese making process. The chemical nature of GMP makes analysis by traditional proteomic approaches difficult, as the peptide bears a strong net negative charge and a variety of post-translational modifications. In this work, we describe the use of electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (ESI FT-ICR MS) for the top-down analysis of GMP. The method allows the simultaneous detection of different GMP forms that result from the combination of amino acid genetic variations and post-translational modifications, specifically phosphorylation and O-glycosylation. The different GMP forms were identified by high resolution mass spectrometry in both negative and positive mode and confirmation was achieved by tandem MS. The results showed the predominance of two genetic variants of GMP that occur as either mono- or bi-phosphorylated species. Additionally, these four forms can be modified with up to two O-glycans generally sialylated. The results demonstrate the presence of glycosylated, bi-phosphorylated forms of GMP never described before.
Developing Univariate Distributions from Data for Risk Analysis

The importance of fitting distributions to data for risk analysis continues to grow as regulatory agencies, like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), continue to shift from deterministic to probabilistic risk assessment techniques. The use of Monte Carlo simulation as a tool for propagating variability and uncertainty in risk requires specification of the risk model's inputs in the form of distributions or tables of data. Several software tools exist to support risk assessors in their efforts to develop distributions. However, users must keep in mind that these tools do not replace clear thought about judgments that must be made in characterizing the information from data. This overview introduces risk assessors to the statistical concepts and physical reasons that support important judgments about appropriate types of parametric distributions and goodness-of-fit. In the context of using data to improve risk assessment and ultimately risk management, this paper discusses issues related to the nature...
Evolution of Atchafalaya lacustrine deltas, south-central Louisiana

Abstract The entrenched Pleistocene/Holocene Mississippi alluvial valley was cut during the last low sea-level stand, and alluviation of the entrenched valley occurred during the Holocene sea-level rise. Regional Gulf Coast structures (salt domes and faults) have strongly influenced the morphology of the valley. Valley paleotopography has controlled depositional patterns and locations of major river courses, as well as partially isolated large interdistributary basins within the alluvial/deltaic plain. Interdistributary basin formation is further enhanced by distributary channel progradation, switching, and abandonment, in conjunction with compactional subsidence of the alluvial plain surface. Geomorphology and sediment cores from the Atchafalaya Basin, Louisiana, revealed that this basin has alternately accumulated fine-grained organic-rich sediments and terrigenous clastic-dominated meander-belt and lacustrine deposits. Basin subsidence and the presence of an active distributary channel in the basin are major determinants of the lithology of the sedimentary-fill. Prograding lacustrine deltas of the Atchafalaya River are the primary mechanism for filling the Atchafalaya Basin. These upward-coarsening deltas are relatively thin (3 m) but are areally extensive (tens to hundreds of kilometers), and because they occur so frequently during the infilling process, they account for a significant volume of the basin sequence. The Atchafalaya Basin sequence documents lacustrine deltaic episodes dating from the early Holocene (Maringouin and Teche deltas) to the present (Atchafalaya delta). Continued development of the Atchafalaya River will rework portions of the backswamp and lacustrine deposits into meander-belt deposits. Upon complete filling of the Atchafalaya Basin, sediment will mostly bypass the basin and become deposited in the marine delta in Atchafalaya Bay.
Retinal findings in patients with Alport Syndrome: expanding the clinical spectrum.

Aims: To describe previously unreported retinal findings in patients with Alport Syndrome (AS), as well as review the range of ophthalmic manifestations. Methods: Retrospective review of clinical records of patients with AS. Results: Nine patients with AS were identified, of whom three had no eye findings, four showed classic features of AS, and two had new findings, bull’s eye and vitelliform maculopathy. The genetic mutation responsible for the disease in the patient with vitelliform subretinal deposits was identified. Conclusions: Patients with AS can present with a variety of ophthalmic manifestations. Bull’s eye maculopathy and vitelliform deposits can be features of AS. The mechanism of these new macular findings remains unknown. Possible pathophysiological overlap with other maculopathies including age-related macular degeneration is discussed.
Disulfide linked dimers of apolipoprotein D in urine

Apolipoprotein (apo) D is a glycoprotein that contains at least one free cysteine. This allows the formation of disulfide linked dimers of apoD, a phenomenon that could interfere with the study of the isoforms of apoD. Consequently, it is important to consider the effects of hetero- and homodimer formation on the molecular heterogeneity of apoD as well as on the evaluation of the specificity of antibodies to this glycoprotein. The identification of apoD in urine has provided a potential new marker of tubular proteinuria [1]. Thus, we have studied the specificity of our polyclonal antibodies to apoD against the proteins present in normal urine, and at the same time, the existence of dimeric species of apoD linked by disulfide bonds in urine. The specimens were obtained from apparently healthy individuals and analyzed by Western blot. The results showed that apoD in urine exists as a mixture of monomers and dimers, the latter having apparent molecular weights different from those occurring in plasma. Only monomeric apoD was observed under reducing conditions, proving the monospecificity of the polyclonal apoD antibodies.
Analysis of the passivation layer by testing and modeling a cell impedance micro-sensor

Abstract This paper describes the fabrication and experimental results of a microchip for cell impedance spectroscopy. A model with parameters extracted from the measurement is used to investigate the influence of the passivation layer on the impedance measurement sensitivity. The 2 mm square chip fabricated with a simple two-mask process contains a sensor with a 1 mm square sensing window with 20 sensing micropatterned electrodes. The chip successfully monitored the growth of MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells and recorded the impedance from 1 kHz to 1 MHz and demonstrated a peak frequency of about 100 kHz in the impedance spectrum. Thorough analysis of the result revealed that the passivation layer, which is typically used to reduce the sensing window size, results in a drop in sensitivity of 13%. This observation is consistent with the simulation results based on parameters extracted from measurements. Thus, the passivation layer needs to be provided special consideration in future designs of the sensor as it can modify the response of the sensor, in order to alleviate its detrimental effect.
Signaling through Disabled 1 requires phosphoinositide binding

The Reelin signaling pathway plays a critical role in the correct positioning of neurons within the developing brain. Within this pathway, Disabled 1 (Dab1) serves as an intracellular adaptor that is tyrosine phosphorylated when Reelin, a secreted glycoprotein, binds to the lipoprotein receptors VLDLR and ApoER2 on the surface of neurons. The phosphotyrosine-binding (PTB) domain within its amino terminus enables Dab1 to recognize and bind to a conserved sequence motif within the cytoplasmic tails of the receptors. In addition, the PTB contains a Pleckstrin Homology-like subdomain that binds to phosphoinositides. Here, we show that the phosphoinositide-binding region within Dab1 PTB domain is required for membrane localization and basal tyrosine phosphorylation of Dab1 independently of VLDLR and ApoER2. Furthermore, receptor-independent membrane targeting of Dab1 is required for its interaction with Src and Crk, and disruption of phosphoinositide binding also blocks subsequent Reelin-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of Dab1.
Bicarbonate dependence of glutamate receptor activation by β-N-methylamino-l-alanine: Channel recording and study with related compounds

beta-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) is a neurotoxic glutamate agonist possibly responsible for the neuronal degeneration found in the Guam amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-Parkinsonism-dementia complex. The basis for glutamate receptor activation by BMAA has been unclear, as BMAA lacks the omega electronegative moiety characteristic of other excitatory amino acids. We recently reported that the neuroexcitatory and neurotoxic effects of BMAA depend strongly on the presence of bicarbonate ions and proposed that an interaction between bicarbonate and the beta amino group of BMAA produces a molecular configuration appropriate for activating glutamate receptors. We now report that bicarbonate potentiates the ability of BMAA to open NMDA receptor-activated channels in isolated membrane patches. Furthermore, the neurotoxic and neuroexcitatory effects of two structural analogs of BMAA, DL-2,4-diaminobutyrate and DL-2,3-diaminopropionate, were also potentiated by bicarbonate. These findings support the bicarbonate cofactor hypothesis for BMAA action and provide direct evidence that it may be generalizable to certain other compounds.
Third-sound resonance and thermal resistance in unsaturated helium films

We have obtained a thermodynamic state of thin helium films which permits precision measurements of their properties. Third-sound resonances indicate a transition in the superfluid density of these films. This transition is accompanied by an exponential rise in the thermal resistance of the helium film which indicates the formation of high-energy excitations of 0.08 eV. The dissipation at resonance indicates that thermodynamic fluctuations are the principal mode of third-sound damping.
Characterization of ionic transport at the nanoscale

This paper reports on the development of a multi-layer microscale impedance measurement system with integrated working, counter, and reference electrodes that can be used to probe transport at the nanoscale. System fabrication and testing are carried out to demonstrate the feasibility of such a system for characterizing transport through nanocapillary array membranes (NCAMs). Results indicate that transport through NCAMs is a complex phenomenon, and impedance does not scale linearly with either pore diameter or ionic concentration. Use of a microscale construct for probing ionic transport at the nanoscale appears to be a promising path forward with further development.
Electrophoretic, immunoelectrophoretic, and ultracentrifugal characterization of proteins in whey fractions prepared by salt fractionation.

Abstract Polyacrylamide gel disc electrophoresis (PAGE) in alkaline and acid buffers, immunoelectrophoresis, analytical ultracentrifugation, and sucrose density gradient were used to isolate immunoglobulins from bovine milk and colostrum by ammonium sulfate fractionation. The immunoglobulins were relatively free of other whey proteins and moved as one component on PAGE at pH 9.5. However, on PAGE at pH 4.3, one major and two minor components were evident. By analytical ultracentrifugation, immunoglobulins from colostrum of one cow resolved into three peaks with coefficients of 6.4S, 10.6S, and 18.8S for a second cow, only two peaks at 6.5S and 19.0S were present. Components corresponding to these coefficients were separated by linear density gradient in 10 to 40% sucrose.
Circularly permuted proteins

Over the past several years the study of genetically altered proteins has become an important experimental strategy for examining the relationships between the amino acid sequences and three-dimensional structures of proteins. In most of these studies, the effects of one or a few amino acid substitutions on protein structure, stability or folding kinetics have been examined. A recent paper by Luger et al. (1989) illustrates how genetic engineering can be used to create proteins in which the amino acid sequence is changed in a much more fundamental way, by circular permutation
Decreased prostacyclin production by liver non-parenchymal cells precedes liver injury in experimental alcoholic liver disease

We used the intragastric feeding rat model for alcoholic liver disease to investigate the relationship between prostacyclin and liver injury. Rats were fed the following diets for periods ranging from 1 to 8 weeks: corn oil plus ethanol (CO+E), corn oil plus dextrose (CO+D), saturated fat plus ethanol (SF+E) and saturated fat plus dextrose (SF+D). Prostacyclin production (assessed by 6-ketoprostaglandin F1 alpha) by liver non-parenchymal cells decreased steadily over the 8 week period in animals fed CO+E (liver injury present) whereas in animals fed SF+E (no liver injury) there was no change in prostacyclin production. Plasma levels of 6-ketoprostaglandin F1 alpha were also significantly lower in the CO+E group compared to the other groups studied. We propose that decreased prostacyclin production by liver non-parenchymal cells may contribute to the hepatotoxic effect of ethanol.
Investigating Sitosterolemia to Understand Lipid Physiology.

The cholesterol molecule is at the center of the pathophysiology of many vascular diseases. Whole-body cholesterol pools are maintained by a balance of endogenous synthesis, dietary absorption and elimination from our bodies. While the cellular aspects of cholesterol metabolism received significant impetus from the seminal work of Goldstein and Brown investigating LDL receptor trafficking, how dietary cholesterol was absorbed and eliminated was relatively neglected. The identification of the molecular defect of a rare human disorder, sitosterolemia, led to elucidation of a key mechanism of how we regulate the excretory pathway in the liver and intestine. Two proteins, ABCG5 and ABCG8, constitute a heterodimeric transporter that facilitates the extrusion of sterols from the cell into the biliary lumen, with a preference for xenosterols. This mechanism explains how dietary xenosterols are prevented from accumulating in our bodies. In addition, this disease has also highlighted the potential harm of xenosterols; macrothrombocytopenia, liver disease and endocrine disruption are seen when xenosterols accumulate. Mouse models of this disease suggest that there are more dramatic alterations of physiology, suggesting that these highly conserved mechanisms have evolved to prevent these xenosterols from accumulating in our bodies.
Intraband energy transfers in the BChl c antenna of chlorosomes from the green photosynthetic bacterium Chloroflexus aurantiacus

Two-color absorption difference profiles for the bacteriochlorophyll (BChl) c antenna of chlorosomes from Chloroflexus aurantiacus at 19 K show photobleaching/stimulated emission rise features with ∼300 fs kinetics when the probe wavelength is ∼30 nm to the red of the excitation wavelength. Similar rise features do not appear at 300 K, or in uphill two-color experiments at 19 K, or when the pump and probe wavelengths are separated by ≪30 nm. This appears to be the first direct observation of downhill electronic energy transfers within light-harvesting BChl c oligomers in intact chlorosomes.
Flavor enhances the antidipsogenic effect of naloxone

Naloxone suppressed ingestion of tap water following a 15 hour deprivation at doses of 20, 10 and 5 mg/kg. Addition of saccharine (0.2%), saline (0.8%), sucrose (2%) and HCl (0.1 M) to tap water resulted in an increased sensitivity to naloxone-induced suppression of water intake following the 15 hour deprivation. The volume of quinine solution (0.1%) consumed was not altered by administration of naloxone. We suggest that naloxone suppresses drinking behavior due to alterations in taste perception.
Executive Functions in Young Children with Autism

The executive dysfunction hypothesis of autism has received support from most studies of older people with autism; however, studies of young children have produced mixed results. Two studies are presented that compare the performance of preschoolers with autism (mean = 51 months/4.3 years of age) to a control group matched on age, and verbal and nonverbal ability. The first study (n = 18 autism and 17 control) found no group differences in performance on 8 executive function tasks (A not B, Object Retrieval, A not B with Invisible Displacement, 3-Boxes Stationary and Scrambled, 6-Boxes Stationary and Scrambled, and Spatial Reversal), but did find that children with autism initiated fewer joint attention and social interaction behaviors. The second (longitudinal) study of a subset of the children (n = 13 autism and 11 control) from the first study found that neither groups' performance on Spatial Reversal changed significantly over the course of a year. The results of these studies pose a serious challenge to the executive dysfunction hypothesis of autism.
The RNA structures engaged in replication and transcription of the A59 strain of mouse hepatitis virus

In addition to the RI (replicative intermediate RNA) and native RF (replicative form RNA), mouse hepatitis virus-infected cells contained six species of RNA intermediates active in transcribing subgenomic mRNA. We have named these transcriptive intermediates (TIs) and native transcriptive forms (TFs) because they are not replicating genome-sized RNA. Based on solubility in high salt solutions, approximately 70% of the replicating and transcribing structures that accumulated in infected cells by 5-6 h post-infection were multi-stranded intermediates, the RI/TIs. The other 30% were in double-stranded structures, the native RF/TFs. These replicating and transcribing structures were separated by velocity sedimentation on sucrose gradients or by gel filtration chromatography on Sepharose 2B and Sephacryl S-1000, and migrated on agarose gels during electrophoresis, according to their size. Digestion with RNase T1 at 1-10 units/microgram RNA resolved RI/TIs into RF/TF cores and left native RF/TFs intact, whereas RNase A at concentrations of 0.02 microgram/microgram RNA or higher degraded both native RF/TFs and RI/TIs. Viral RI/TIs and native RF/TFs bound to magnetic beads containing oligo(dT)(25), suggesting that the poly(A) sequence on the 3' end of the positive strands was longer than any poly(U) on the negative strands. Kinetics of incorporation of [(3)H]uridine showed that both the RI and TIs were transcriptionally active and the labelling of RI/TIs was not the dead-end product of aberrant negative-strand synthesis. Failure originally to find TIs and TF cores was probably due to overdigestion with RNase A.
Pubic Hair Removal among Women in the United States: Prevalence, Methods, and Characteristics

ABSTRACT Introduction Although women's total removal of their pubic hair has been described as a “new norm,” little is known about the pubic hair removal patterns of sexually active women in the United States. Aims The purpose of this study was to assess pubic hair removal behavior among women in the United States and to examine the extent to which pubic hair removal methods are related to demographic, relational, and sexual characteristics, including female sexual function. Methods A total of 2,451 women ages 18 to 68 years completed a cross-sectional Internet-based survey. Main Outcome Measures Demographic items (e.g., age, education, sexual relationship status, sexual orientation), cunnilingus in the past 4 weeks, having looked closely at or examined their genitals in the past 4 weeks, extent and method of pubic hair removal over the past 4 weeks, the Female Genital Self-Image Scale (FGSIS) and the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). Results Women reported a diverse range of pubic hair-grooming practices. Women's total removal of their pubic hair was associated with younger age, sexual orientation, sexual relationship status, having received cunnilingus in the past 4 weeks, and higher scores on the FGSIS and FSFI (with the exception of the orgasm subscale). Conclusion Findings suggest that pubic hair styles are diverse and that it is more common than not for women to have at least some pubic hair on their genitals. In addition, total pubic hair removal was associated with younger age, being partnered (rather than single or married), having looked closely at one's own genitals in the previous month, cunnilingus in the past month, and more positive genital self-image and sexual function. Herbenick D, Schick V, Reece M, Sanders S, and Fortenberry JD. Pubic hair removal among women in the United States: Prevalence, methods and characteristics.
CURIE'S PRINCIPLE

A reading is given of Curie's Principle that the symmetry of a cause is always preserved its effects. The truth of the principle is demonstrated and its importance, under the proposed reading, is defended.
Engagement of the Pathogen Survival Response Used by Group A Streptococcus to Avert Destruction by Innate Host Defense

Neutrophils are a critical component of human innate host defense and efficiently kill the vast majority of invading microorganisms. However, bacterial pathogens such as group A Streptococcus (GAS) successfully avert destruction by neutrophils to cause human infections. Relatively little is known about how pathogens detect components of the innate immune system to respond and survive within the host. In this study, we show that inactivation of a two-component gene regulatory system designated Ihk-Irr significantly attenuates streptococcal virulence in mouse models of soft tissue infection and bacteremia. Microarray analysis of wild-type and irr-negative mutant (irr mutant) GAS strains revealed that Ihk-Irr influenced expression of 20% of all transcripts in the pathogen genome. Notably, at least 11 genes involved in cell wall synthesis, turnover, and/or modification were down-regulated in the irr mutant strain. Compared with the wild-type strain, significantly more of the irr mutant strain was killed by human neutrophil components that destroy bacteria by targeting the cell envelope (cell wall and/or membrane). Unexpectedly, expression of ihk and irr was dramatically increased in the wild-type strain exposed to these same neutrophil products under conditions that favored cell envelope damage. We report a GAS mechanism for detection of innate host defense that initiates the pathogen survival response, in which cell wall synthesis is critical. Importantly, our studies identify specific genes in the pathogen survival response as potential targets to control human infections.
Resistivity Size Effect in Encapsulated Cu Thin Films

The work addresses the resistivity increase in Cu interconnects with decreasing linewidth. The surface and grain boundary scattering parameters in Cu thin films encapsulated in SiO 2 with and without Ta barrier layers are quantified, and grain boundary scattering is shown to be much greater than surface scattering. 21 samples and 17,882 Cu grains were measured to provide the grain size data. This work indicates that significant mitigation of the Cu resistivity increase with decreasing linewidth is possible, if the grain size can be maintained larger than the electron mean free path (39 nm at room temperature).
Syndrome of hyporeninemic hypoaldosteronism and hyperkalemia in renal disease.

Four patients presented with hyperkalemia and were found to have mild to marked chronic non-oliguric renal failure, normal diastolic blood pressure, mild hyperchloremic acidosis and impaired renal conservation of sodium during sodium restriction. The hyperkalemia was corrected by exogenous mineralocorticoids. Plasma renin activity and concentration, renin substrate, plasma aldosterone and cortisol were measured. Subnormal levels of plasma renin activity and concentration and of plasma aldosterone were found with diminished responses to upright posture, sodium restriction and exogenous catecholamines. Infusions of angiotensin or ACTH consistently caused modest increases in plasma aldosterone levels. Plasma renin substrate, plasma cortisol and urinary 17-OH-corticosteroids were normal. The data indicate that the hyperkalemia was caused by selective hypoaldosteronism secondary to failure of the renin-angiotensin system. It is postulated that possible factors contributing to this syndrome are structural or fu...
Paleophysiology: From Fossils to the Future

Future environments may resemble conditions that have not existed for millions of years. To assess the adaptive options available to organisms evolving under such circumstances, it is instructive to probe paleophysiology, the ways in which ancient life coped with its physical and chemical surroundings. To do this, we need reliable proxies that are based on fundamental principles, quantitatively verified in living species, and observable in fossil remains. Insights have already come from vertebrates and plants, and others will likely emerge for marine animals if promising proxies are validated. Many questions remain about the circumstances for the evolution of environmental tolerances, metabolic rates, biomineralization, and physiological responses to interacting species, and about how living organisms will perform under exceptional conditions.
Comparison of three biphasic defibrillation waveforms: Gurvich waveform is more efficient

The biphasic waveform has greater defibrillation efficacy than the monophasic waveform. Yet, the optimal type of biphasic defibrillation waveform is still unknown. Our objective was to compare the defibrillation efficacy of three morphologically different biphasic waveforms (named as truncated exponential waveform, modified Zoll waveform, and Gurvich waveform) in an isolated Langendorff perfused rabbit heart. Optical potential mapping techniques were used. The result showed that the Gurvich waveform has the lowest defibrillation threshold (DFT). A multiple comparison test showed that there is a significant difference of DFTs between the modified Zoll waveform and Gurvich waveform (mean/spl plusmn/SE: 0.31/spl plusmn/0.03 J and 0.25/spl plusmn/0.02 J, p<0.02). We also examined the change of membrane potential caused by shocks. The result showed an homogeneous response for different waveforms.
Affective Facial Expression Processing in 15-Month-Old Infants Who Have Experienced Maltreatment: An Event-Related Potential Study

This study examined the neural correlates of facial affect processing in 15 month-old maltreated and nonmaltreated infants. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were elicited while infants passively viewed standardized pictures of female models posing angry, happy, and neutral facial expressions. Differences between maltreated (N = 25) and nonmaltreated (N = 20) infants were observed on three ERP components: P1, P260, and Nc. The results for the P260 waveform were consistent with previous ERP findings in older maltreated children, showing a hyperresponsivity to angry facial affect relative to happy in maltreated infants. However, the findings for the P1 and Nc indicated a hyperresponsivity to relative affective novelty, whereby the maltreated infants had greater amplitude in response to happy facial affect, whereas nonmaltreated infants had greater responsivity to angry faces. The results provided further support for the hypothesis that the experience of maltreatment and the predominantly negative emotional tone in maltreating families alters the functioning of neural systems associated with the processing of facial emotion. In particular, the findings suggested that at this early stage in the development of facial affect recognition, novelty of facial emotion is especially salient. These results exemplify the importance of early preventive interventions focused on emotion for children who have experienced maltreatment early in life.