cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The mechanism and significance of pentagastrin-stimulated water intake in the pig.

Abstract The role of gastric secretion in drinking was investigated. Treatment of pigs with cimetidine (300 mg IV), which inhibits gastric secretion, did not change the level of feed or water intake, or alter the temporal relationship between eating and drinking. Gastric infusions of 0.15 M HCl (5 ml · kg −1 · h −1 ) did not increase drinking. Pentagastrin infusion (0.05 μg · kg −1 · min −1 ) increased water intake in some, but not all pigs during a 1-hour infusion. Plasma protein levels increased significantly during 1-hour pentagastrin infusions (0.05 μg · kg −1 · min −1 ), indicating an estimated fall in blood volume of 2.5%. Captopril (1.75 mg/kg IV), which blocks the renin-angiotensin system, abolished pentagastrin-stimulated drinking. It was concluded that gastric secretion does not play a direct role in normal, periprandial drinking but that in pigs the renin-angiotensin system is involved in pentagastrin-stimulated drinking.
Effects of Subvocal Suppression on Learning Disabled Readers' Sentence Comprehension:

The present experiment investigated the role of subvocalization in learning disabled readers' comprehension difficulties. Nondisabled and learning disabled readers were compared on silent reading and listening comprehension of noun lexical, verb lexical, semantic and inferential sentences under conditions of suppressed and nonsuppressed subvocalization. Compared to nondisabled readers learning disabled readers were inferior in comprehension when required to combine concepts and integrate ideas. However, the two groups were comparable in comprehension of noun and verb lexical sentences when allowed to subvocalize. For both reading groups subvocalization was found to be necessary for comprehension of individual words; however, suppression of subvocalization did not interfere with the integration of ideas. Three hypotheses were offered to account for disabled readers' comprehension performance. The results are best interpreted as an extended working-memory hypothesis supporting the theory that learning disab...
Blotting Index of Dissimilarity: use to study immunological relatedness of plant and animal High Mobility Group (HMG) chromosomal proteins.

The High Mobility Group (HMG) proteins of vertebrate animals have been the subject of intensive study because of evidence that they may be structural proteins of transcriptionally active chromatin. Organisms other than vertebrate animals have chromatin proteins which meet the operational criteria of salt extractability and trichloroacetic acid solubility to be termed HMG proteins. However, because the properties of these proteins resemble those of vertebrate HMGs to varying degrees and because no definition of “HMG” based on biological function is available, a real question exists as to whether the proteins from other organisms should be considered HMGs. Because wheat HMG proteins have several biochemical properties in common with vertebrate HMGs and yet vary in other properties, we have used an immunological approach to study the relatedness of these two groups of proteins. We have raised polyclonal antibodies to the denatured wheat HMG proteins and have used an immunoblotting procedure to compare the affinities of these antibodies to the homologous wheat proteins and to the heterologous chicken HMG proteins. We have expressed the immunological relatedness of members of these two groups of proteins as the Blotting Index of Dissimilarity. This index is intended to be analogous to the Index of Dissimilarity determined by microcomplement fixation, and a direct comparison of the two procedures results in similar values. The magnitudes of the Blotting Indexes of Dissimilarity indicate that the antigenic features of the plant and animal HMG proteins have little in common.
PILOT: a fast algorithm for enhanced 3D parasitic extraction efficiency

Integral equation methodologies applied to extract parasitics at the board, package, and on-chip levels involve solving a dense system of equations. In this paper, we present an improved oct-tree based multilevel QR compression technique for fast iterative solution. The regular tree and interaction structure of the fast multipole method, and the QR compression scheme applied to interaction sub-matrices as in IES/sup 3/ are combined to achieve superior time and memory efficiency. As is demonstrated by numerical simulation results presented herein, the new algorithm is found to be faster than both existing QR based methods and FastCap.
Addressing Preservice Teachers' Conceptions of Motivation.

Abstract Preservice teachers’ prior knowledge about teaching and learning may differ substantially from the theories and ideas presented in their education courses. In the present study, a refutational (conceptual change) text on motivation was used in an effort to address preservice teachers’ conceptions of motivation. Results indicated that preservice teachers who read the refutational text performed significantly better on a posttest and demonstrated more of a change in their knowledge. Further results indicated that in the absence of this text, self-regulated learning strategies enabled preservice teachers to undergo a change in their knowledge from the pretest to the posttest.
Water Loss and Desiccation Tolerances of Longwing Butterflies(Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae)

Abstract Water relations and desiccation tolerance of adults of five species of heliconiine butterflies were examined in laboratory studies. Percentage of total body water ranged from 63.25% in female Dryas iulia F. to 67.8% in male Heliconius charitonius L.; water content of females was less than that for males in all five species. Male and female H. hecale Hewitson and D. iulia had lower percentages of total body water than the other species and sexes. Cuticular permeability ranged from 30.71 ± 2.21 μg cm−2h−1 mmHg−1 in female D. iulia to 50.1 ± 15.5 μg cm−2h−1mmHg−1 in female H. charitonius using Meeh’s formula to estimate body surface area. Actual surface area measurements of butterflies were 12–15 times greater for a given body mass than surface areas calculated from Meeh’s formula. Mortality of butterflies exposed to 30°C and 0–2% RH ranged from 15% (female H. melpomene rosina Boisduval and H. hecale) to 60% (male H. cydno Bates). Time of death varied between 8.67 ± 2.0 h in male D. iulia and 11.3 ±...
Magnesium-28 in Rain: Produced by Cosmic Rays

Existence of magnesium-28 (half-life, 21.3 hours) produced by cosmic rays in rain at concentrations of 1.7 and 6.1 x 10-1 atoms per milliliter was established radiochemically by isolating this nuclide from several hundred liters of rain samples collected at Fayetteville, Arkansas.
A Solution-Adaptive Unstructured Grid Method by Grid Subdivision and Local Remeshing

An adaptive unstructured grid refinement technique has been developed and successfully applied to several three-dimensional inviscid flow test cases. The method is based on a combination of surface mesh subdivision and local remeshing of the volume grid. Simple functions of flow quantities are employed to detect dominant features of the flowfield. The method is designed for modular coupling with various error/feature analyzers and flow solvers. Several steady-state, inviscid flow test cases are presented to demonstrate the applicability of the method for solving practical three-dimensional problems. In all cases accurate solutions featuring complex, nonlinear flow phenomena such as shock waves and vortices have been generated automatically and efficiently
Human granulocytes lack red cell Kx antigen.

Summary We have investigated the presence or absence of the red cell Kx antigen on human granulocytes by measuring specific uptake of anti-Kx using three techniques: direct measurement by 125I-staphylococcal protein A (125ISPA) and avidin-biotin-complex (ABC) immunoperoxidase staining and also, an indirect measurement using granulocyte adsorption of anti-Kx, Our results with all three methods indicate that the Kx antigen is not present on normal human granulocytes. Prior to adsorption of the anti-Kx serum with purified, pooled, normal human granulocytes, 11 of 21 (53%) of normal granulocytes were non-reactive by 125I-SPA and 16 of 20 (80%) by ABC. This pattern of reactivity was shown to be due to contamination of our anti-Kx serum with an antibody to a granulocyte-specific antigen unrelated to the Kx antigen. After adsorption, there was no diminution in the reactivity of the adsorbed anti-Kx compared to the unadsorbed antiserum against red cells which express strong Kx antigen, i.e. Ko and DTT-modified normal human red cells, by either serologic or 125I-SPA techniques. Likewise, reactivity with McLeod red cells, which have weak expression of the Kx antigen, was not changed using either the unadsorbed or adsorbed anti-Kx. The adsorbed anti-Kx was nonreactive with all 12 normal donors’granulocytes tested by 125I-SPA and with 10 normal donors’granulocytes tested by ABC. Furthermore, granulocytes from a Ko individual were nonreactive using either unadsorbed or adsorbed anti-Kx. These studies indicate that Kx antigen is not present on normal human granulocytes. Further, additional adsorption studies using granulocytes from a boy with X-linked chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) indicated that these granulocytes also do not possess the Kx antigen. In contrast to previous reports, these data suggest that Kx antigen is most probably a red cell-specific antigen and that the red cell Kx antigen has no direct relationship to the biochemical defect in CGD.
Operating experience with a photovoltaic-hydrogen energy system

We report on the performance, safety, and maintenance issues of a photovoltaic (PV) power plant which uses hydrogen energy storage and fuel cell regenerative technology. The facility, located at the Humboldt State University (HSU) Telonicher Marine Laboratory, has operated intermittently since June 1991, and in August 1993 went into full-time, automatic operation. After more than 3900 hours, the system has an excellent safety and performance record with an overall electrolyzer efficiency of 76.7%, a PV efficiency of 8.1%, and a hydrogen production efficiency of 6.2%.
ORF73-Null Murine Gammaherpesvirus 68 Reveals Roles for mLANA and p53 in Virus Replication

Gammaherpesviruses establish lifelong, latent infections in host lymphocytes, during which a limited subset of viral gene products facilitates maintenance of the viral episome. Among the gamma-2-herpesvirus (rhadinovirus) subfamily, this includes expression of the conserved ORF73-encoded LANA proteins. We previously demonstrated by loss-of-function mutagenesis that the murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV68) ORF73 gene product, mLANA, is required for the establishment of latency following intranasal inoculation of mice (N. J. Moorman, D. O. Willer, and S. H. Speck, J. Virol. 77:10295-10303, 2003). mLANA-deficient viruses also exhibited a defect in acute virus replication in the lungs of infected mice. The latter observation led us to examine the role of mLANA in productive viral replication. We assessed the capacity of mLANA-deficient virus (73.Stop) to replicate in cell culture at low multiplicities of infection (MOIs) and found that 73.Stop growth was impaired in murine fibroblasts but not in Vero cells. A recombinant virus expressing an mLANA-green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion revealed that mLANA is expressed throughout the virus replication cycle. In addition, 73.Stop infection of murine fibroblasts at high MOIs was substantially more cytotoxic than infection with a genetically repaired marker rescue virus (73.MR), a phenotype that correlated with enhanced kinetics of viral gene expression and increased activation of p53. Notably, augmented cell death, viral gene expression, and p53 induction were independent of viral DNA replication. Expression of a mLANA-GFP fusion protein in fibroblasts correlated with both reduced p53 stabilization and reduced cell death following treatment with p53-inducing agonists. In agreement, accentuated cell death associated with 73.Stop infection was reduced in p53-deficient murine embryonic fibroblasts. Additionally, replication of 73.Stop in p53-deficient cells was restored to levels comparable to those of 73.MR. More remarkably, the absence of p53 led to an overall delay in replication for both 73.Stop and 73.MR viruses, which correlated with delayed viral gene expression, indicating a role for p53 in MHV68 replication. Consistent with these findings, the expression of replication-promoting viral genes was positively influenced by p53 overexpression or treatment with the p53 agonist etoposide. Overall, these data demonstrate the importance of mLANA in MHV68 replication and suggest that LANA proteins limit the induction of cellular stress responses to regulate the viral gene expression cascade and limit host cell injury.
Joint Venture Formation and Internationalization: A Japanese MNEs' Perspective

This article investigates the dynamics of joint venture formation and performance during the internationalization process, using data on the international joint ventures formed by the 22 largest Japanese multinational enterprises (MNEs) over a 16-year period. Three themes emerged: (a) large multinational enterprises do not necessarily seek a controlling equity holding in their subsidiaries, (b) the number of partners is affected by the risk profile of the targeted host country and previous international experience, and (c) controlling equity ownership and the greater the number of partners in the joint venture increase the likelihood of survival but do not significantly influence financial performance.
Number Needed to Screen: Appropriate Use of This New Basis for Screening Mammography Guidelines

AJR:198, May 2012 trials were conducted in the United States and Europe. The trials, their dates, and patient ages at entry were as follows: the Health Insurance Plan of Greater New York trial, 1963–1969, ages 40–64 years; the Malmo, Sweden, trial, 1976–1986, ages 45–69 years; the Swedish Two-County trial, 1979–1988, ages 40–74 years; the Edinburgh, Scotland, trial, 1981– 1985, ages 45–64 years; and the Gothenburg, Sweden, trial, 1982–1988, ages 40–59 years. Relative reduction in breast cancer mortality differed among these trials and ranged from 20–32% [2]. None of these randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were designed to separately assess the effect of screening women ages 40–49 years. Early subset analyses of this younger age group found no statistically significant benefit. When mortality reduction finally became apparent on longer-term follow-up, it was at first smaller and appeared later after the screening process than that for older women. The explanations for these initially disparate results for younger women included their lower breast cancer incidence rate, insufficient numbers of younger women in the trials, their faster breast cancer growth rates requiring shorter screening intervals, and their denser breasts making mammographic detection more difficult. Adequate assessment of the benefit for younger women initially required pooling results from multiple trials in a meta-analysis and longer-term follow-up. Not until 1996 did an 11to 15-year follow-up of five Swedish RCTs find a statistically significant 29% mortality reduction for women ages 40–49 years, identical in magnitude to the benefit for screening older women [2]. Subsequently, several individual trials reported statistically significant breast cancer mortality reductions for these younger women: 24% in a reanalysis of the Health Insurance Plan of Greater New York data; 36% for the Malmo, Sweden, trial; and 45% for the Gothenburg, Sweden, trial Number Needed to Screen: Appropriate Use of This New Basis for Screening Mammography Guidelines
A Krasnosel'skii theorem for open finitely starlike sets in R 3

Let S be an open set in R3 such that: (1) whenever three points x, y, z in S see each other via S, then conv{x, y, z}\( \subseteq \)S, and (2) every seven points in S see via S a common point. Then S is finitely starlike. The proof uses the topological version of Helly's theorem.
Two Small Crustal Plates in the South Pacific near Easter Island

THE evolution of the South Pacific during the Cainozoic involved several patterns of crustal plates in relative motion for various periods of time1. The present East Pacific Ridge, which now outlines the Pacific-Nasca Plate boundary, has been the only major spreading centre north of 36° S for the past 9 m.y. Before then, a fossil ridge, continuous with the still active Chile Ridge2,3 was a locus of spreading in what is now the middle of the Nasca Plate; between 9 and 20 m.y. ago, both the East Pacific and the Fossil Ridges were active, suggesting that the Antarctic Plate, which now occupies the area south of the Chile Fracture Zone between the Pacific-Antarctic and Chile Ridges, extended almost to the equator only 10 m.y. ago. The apparent ease with which the northern boundary of the Antarctic Plate has moved during the past 20 m.y. suggests the triple junction between the Antarctic, Pacific and Nasca Plates has been unstable.
Observation of intracellular potassium and sodium in the heart by NMR: a major fraction of potassium is "invisible".

Using 39K and 23Na NMR in conjunetion with extracellularly localized shift reagents, we have determined the intracellular concentrations of NMR visible sodium and potassium in isolated, perfused rat hearts. We find this concentration to be 9.9 mM/kg cell water for sodium and 31 mM/kg cell water for potassium. Values of activity determined by ionsensitive microelectrodes are in good agreement with our sodium value but do not agree with our potassium value. Our results mean that a major pool of intracelluar potassium is, on average, signifieantly immobilized and that the mobile NMR visible faction (31mM/kg) is not in exchange with the NMR invisible pool (114mM/kg). The immobilized fraction is characterized by T2 values which are too short to be observed by our conventional spectrometer. This fraction is, therefore, said to be “invisible” under our experimental conditions. © 1986 Academic Press, Inc.
'Gradiometer' head pulse shapes

Simple analysis of the isolated voltage pulse response expected for normal ring heads, single-pole heads, naked and shielded single-element magnetoresistive heads, and naked and shielded two-element differentially sensed gradiometer heads for the cases of longitudinal (x) and perpendicular (y) magnetization transitions are given. These analyses, which hold only to the first-order for small signals, yield simple results which can be written in closed form. The results appear to match the published experimental data on many of these types of heads considerably better than do the results of much more elaborate numerical studies of these problems. It is noted that a normal inductive ring head functions as a gradiometer since it actually measures the first differential of a scalar, the head flux. The two recently introduced magnetoresistive gradiometer heads discussed here have presumably been so named because they, too, measure the difference between the fluxes flowing in the magnetoresistive elements. >
Ethnography in Unstable Places: Everyday Lives in Contexts of Dramatic Political Change.

Ethnography in Unstable Places: Everyday Lives in Contexts of Dramatic Political Change. Carol Greenhouse. Elizabeth Mertz. and Kay B. Warren. eds. Durham, NC: Duke University Press 2002. 439 pp., bibliography, index.
Study of the Control Mechanism of a Half-Toroidal CVT during Load Transmission

In November 1999, the first vehicle with a traction drive CVT (continuously variable transmission) was manufactured and introduced to the market. The speed ratio changing mechanism of the half-toroidal CVT was theoretically analyzed by applying two equations of motion. However, neither analysis covers the effects of clearance and elastic deformation of the variator. Therefore, neither analysis can show correctly the behavior of the half-toroidal CVT during load transmission.In this paper, we present a new analytical model for determining the elastic deformation and clearance of the half-toroidal CVT. We have implemented systematically our analytical model using MATLAB and Simulink. As a result, we can determine the behavior of the half-toroidal CVT during load transmission.
Academic achievement and attributions among college students: Effects of gender and sex typing

Attribution questionnaires were completed by 137 students in an introductory economics course immediately preceding the first exam in their class and immediately after their exams were returned. Results indicate that males and females used attributions differently, although not as a function of perceived outcome. In contrast, sex-typing groups varied their attribution as a function of perceived outcome. Self-esteem is proposed as a possible mediating variable. It was concluded that sex typing in relation to perceived successful and unsuccessful performance is an important variable in attributional research.
The Influence of Dietary Oils on Chick Growth Rate

Abstract OILS of marine origin contain relatively small amounts of linoleic and arachidonic acids, but, in contrast with vegetable and animal oils, they contain large quantities of the long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) of the linolenic acid family. Menge et al. (1965) have reported data indicating that the PUFA 2 of menhaden oil stimulated the reproductive characteristics of the hen and substituted, at least in part, for linoleic or arachidonic acid, or both. Edwards et al. (1962) have shown that menhaden oil has a stimulatory effect on chick growth. Later, Edwards et al. (1963) presented evidence to indicate that the PUFA of menhaden oil inhibit the synthesis of eicosatrienoic acid from oleic acid. This premise was substantiated by Menge et al. (1965). The present study was designed to compare the effect of safflower, menhaden, and coconut oil on chick growth. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE In Experiment 1, 8 duplicated groups of 10 chicks each (Leghorn…
Long-Term Environmental Research: The Upper Washita River Experimental Watersheds, Oklahoma, USA

Water is central to life and earth processes, connecting physical, biological, chemical, ecological, and economic forces across the landscape. The vast scope of hydrologic sciences requires research efforts worldwide and across a wide range of disciplines. While hydrologic processes and scientific investigations related to sustainable agricultural systems are based on universal principles, research to understand processes and evaluate management practices is often site-specific to achieve a critical mass of expertise and research infrastructure to address spatially, temporally, and ecologically complex systems. In the face of dynamic climate, market, and policy environments, long-term research is required to understand and predict risks and possible outcomes of alternative scenarios. This special section describes the USDA–ARS’s long-term research (1961 to present) in the Upper Washita River basin of Oklahoma. Data papers document datasets in detail (weather, hydrology, physiography, land cover, and sediment and nutrient water quality), and associated research papers present analyses based on those data. This living history of research is presented to engage collaborative scientists across institutions and disciplines to further explore complex, interactive processes and systems. Application of scientific understanding to resolve pressing challenges to agriculture while enhancing resilience of linked land and human systems will require complex research approaches. Research areas that this watershed research program continues to address include: resilience to current and future climate pressures; sources, fate, and transport of contaminants at a watershed scale; linked atmospheric–surface– subsurface hydrologic processes; high spatiotemporal resolution analyses of linked hydrologic processes; and multiple-objective decision making across linked farm to watershed scales.
The KPNO Digital Television Acquisition Processor

Sky limit performance of an intensified detector acquisition system is degraded by noise that significantly exceeds the minimum detectable signal level. A digital television acquisition processor has been developed at Kitt Peak National Observatory to attenuate the noise by frame-to-frame integration and to enhance the contrast through an arithmetic mapping function. Recent experience at the 4M Mayall Telescope indicates that the new real-time Digital Processor will extend the useful range of RCA ISIT detectors by four stellar magnitudes. During the course of project development two important design principles were rediscovered: 1) Integration will improve an image if and only if the detector system generates frame-to frame pixel differences. 2) When a pixel in a stable image is perturbed by frame-to-frame spectral noise, the effective sampling frequency cannot exceed the Nyquist sampling frequency of the most significant noise component. In other words, the maximum √N signal-to-noise improvement factor depends upon the frequency of the frame-to-frame noise, not upon the fastest possible readout frame rate.© (1979) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Synthesis and Characterization of Nanocrystalline M50 Steel Powders by Cryomilling

The present study investigated the synthesis of nanocrystalline high speed steel M50 (4.5% Mo, 4.0% Cr, 1.0% V, 0.8% C, balance Fe) by cryogenic high energy ball milling (cryomilling). Pre-alloyed M50 steel was spray atomized, and subsequently cryomilled in liquid nitrogen for 25 hours. Elemental Al powder was added prior to cryomilling in order to promote the formation of nanoscale Al2O3 and AlN particles, which improved the thermal stability of the nanocrystalline M50 steel. Following annealing at 1373 K, the M50 steel was found to retain its nanocrystalline microstructure with the average grain size of 40–80 nm.
Rapid cycling of high-molecular-weight dissolved organic matter in the ocean

DISSOLVED organic matter (DOM) in the ocean is one of the largest active reservoirs of organic carbon on Earth. It is important to understand the processes by which DOM is recycled, particularly as changes in the oceanic DOM pool could affect atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations on timescales of 1,000 to 10,000 years (ref. 1). It is commonly believed that low-molecular-weight material, which comprises 65-80% of DOM2–5, is rapidly remineralized, and that high-molecular-weight material is refractory. But the average age of DOM in the deep ocean is about 6,000 years (ref. 6) which implies that a large proportion of the DOM cycles only very slowly. Here we present a study of the relative bioavailability of low- and high-molecular weight DOM in water samples taken from the northern Gulf of Mexico during a diatom bloom. Bacterial growth and respiration in the presence of high-molecular-weight DOM were respectively three and six times greater than for low-molecular-weight material. Although both of these pools undoubtedly contain mixtures of compounds with varying reactivities and turnover times, our results demonstrate that the bulk of oceanic DOM comprises small molecules that cycle slowly and are relatively unavailabe to microorganisms.
Kinetics are probe-dependent during downhill folding of an engineered λ6–85 protein

Abstract The Y22W/Q33Y/G46,48A mutant of the protein λ6–85 folds in a few microseconds at room temperature. We find that its folding kinetics are probe-dependent under a strong bias toward the native state, a new signature for downhill folding. The IR- and fluorescence-detected relaxation time scales converge when the native bias is removed by raising the temperature, recovering activated two-state folding. Langevin dynamics simulations on one- and 2D free energy surfaces tunable from two-state to downhill folding reproduce the difference between the IR and fluorescence experiments, as well as the temperature and viscosity trends. In addition, the 2D surface reproduces the stretched exponential dynamics that we fit to the glucose solution experimental data at short times. Nonexponential dynamics at <10 μs is a signature either for local free energy minima along the reaction coordinate (“longitudinal roughness”), or for folding on a higher-dimensional free energy surface (“transverse roughness”). fluorescence infrared helix bundle amide band landscape roughness
Three distinct mechanisms of HCO3− secretion in rat distal colon

HCO3− secretion has long been recognized in the mammalian colon, but it has not been well characterized. Although most studies of colonic HCO3− secretion have revealed evidence of lumen Cl− depende...
Potential Sources of Multiple Mutations in Human Cancers

Abstract Increasing evidence indicates that most human cancers contain multiple chromosomal alterations. These aberrations are the result of mutations produced not only during the initiation of cancer but also during tumor progression. Since the rates of spontaneous mutations exhibited by normal human cells cannot account for the large numbers of mutations routinely reported in human cancers, we argued that cancer cells are genetically unstable; i.e., they express a mutator phenotype. In this review, we consider potential endogenous sources of these mutations and the recent evidence demonstrating that multiple mutations are present in human cancers, These studies, which connect mismatch repair, genomic instability, and cancer, support the mutator phenotype hypothesis. We conclude that, if multiple mutations are necessary for the progression of cancer, then agents designed to delay their accumulation could significantly reduce cancer deaths.
The role of distortion in the lysozyme-catalysed hydrolysis of glucosides.

BLAKE et al. proposed that during cleavage of oligosaccharides, the saccharide bound in subsite D of the active site of lysozyme is distorted into a half chair conformation1,2. In agreement with this mechanism, Dahlquist et al.3,4 concluded that considerable carbonium ion character is involved in the hydrolysis of the synthetic substrate phenyl-4-O-(2-deoxy-2-acetamido-β-D-glucopyranosyl)-β-D-glucopyranoside (NAG-GLU-ϕ). Lowe and Sheppard5 found, however, in their study of the hydrolysis of NAG-GLU-(ϕNO2 that participation of the acetamido group is important in the lysozyme mechanism.
Innovation to motivation--pilot study of a mobile phone intervention to increase physical activity among sedentary women.

Abstract Objectives This uncontrolled pilot study assessed changes in pedometer-measured step counts and self-reported physical activity during a 3-week mobile phone-based intervention. We also explored whether age, BMI, and psychosocial factors were associated with changes in step counts. Methods Forty-one sedentary adult women in San Francisco, California were asked to report their pedometer steps using a study-supplied mobile phone from June to September 2008. In the second and third weeks, daily prompts delivered by the mobile phone encouraged participants to increase steps by 20% from the previous week. Results Mean age was 48 years. Average daily total steps increased by approximately 800 or 15% over three weeks ( p p p = 0.55) nor BMI ( p = 0.13) was significantly associated with changes in activity over the 3 weeks. Conclusions The intervention appeared to motivate sedentary women to increase their physical activity. A randomized controlled clinical trial is warranted and feasible.
Impact of the Special Supplemental Food Program on infants

The Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children,popularly known as WIC, provides participants with supplemental foods and nutrition education. The WIC participants are eligible pregnant, postpartum, and breast-feeding women, infants, and children up to their fifth birthday. The program currently serves 1.2 million infants each month. The U.S. Department of Agriculture National WIC Evaluation Study of infants and Children is the most comprehensive assessment of WIC's impact on a national infant sample. Its findings indicate that WIC infants consumed more iron-fortified infant formula (the core of the WIC infant food package) than non-WIC infants and, as a result, had higher daily intakes of formula-related nutrients—namely, iron and vitamin C. Because of lower consumption of whole cow milk, WIC infants had lower daily intakes of milk-related nutrients—calcium, protein, magnesium, and vitamin B 6 . The research team concluded that increased dietary intake of specific nutrients occurs only during program participation and has no residual effect after participation ceases. Possible scientific and social science research that would be useful in federal policy decisions affecting infant participation in the WIC program is discussed.
Growth Regulation via p38 Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase in Developing Liver

During normal development in the rat, hepatocytes undergo marked changes in the rate of proliferation. We have previously observed transient G1 growth arrest at term, re-activation of proliferation immediately after birth, and a gradual transition to the quiescent adult hepatocyte phenotype after postnatal day 4. We hypothesized that these changes in proliferation are due in part to growth inhibitory effects mediated by the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway. p38 kinase activity measurements showed an inverse relationship with hepatocyte proliferation during the perinatal and postnatal transitions, whereas p38 content remained constant. Anisomycin activated the p38 pathway in fetal hepatocyte cultures while inducing growth inhibition that was sensitive to the p38 inhibitor, SB203580. Activation of p38 in these cultures, via transient transfection with a constitutively active form of its upstream kinase MKK6, also inhibited DNA synthesis as well as reducing cyclin D1 content. Transfection with inactive MKK6 did neither. Furthermore, MKK6-induced growth arrest was sensitive to SB203580. Finally, administration of SB203580 to near-term fetal rats in uteroabrogated the transient hepatocyte growth arrest that occurs at term. These findings indicate a role for the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway in the physiological regulation of hepatocyte proliferation during normal development in the rat.
Photoreceptor degeneration and synaptogenesis in retinal-degenerative (rd) mice.

The influence of photoreceptor degeneration upon synaptogenesis in the photoreceptor terminal of developing retinae of rd mice (C3H/HeJ and C57BL rd le) is outlined and compared to the sequential development of the photoreceptor terminals of the retinae of normal mice. The initial phases of synaptogenesis in the photoreceptor terminal of the rd retina appear normal during the first postnatal week. Appositional contacts form between the photoreceptor terminal and neuronal processes before invagination of horizontal processes occurs to form a dyad configuration. A virtual absence of triad configurations in the photoreceptor terminal suggests that synaptogenesis is arrested in the photoreceptor terminal of the rd retina between the 7th and 10th day, at which time the central (bipolar) process normally invaginates into the photoreceptor terminal. During this period, photoreceptor cell death proceeds rapidly but few signs of degeneration are apparent. It is suggested that the inherited abnormality influences the maturation of bipolar cells more than that of horizontal cells. The b-wave component of the electroretinogram (ERG) of the immature rd retina is discussed in terms of photoreceptor/bipolar cell synaptic contacts.
Understanding and supporting online communities of practice: lessons learned from Wikipedia

In order to seek more effective ways to design and support online communities of practice, we examined how Wikipedia, a large-scale online community of practice, is developed and emerges over time. We conducted a Delphi study to explore the social, organizational, and technical factors that Wikipedia experts believe have supported the evolution of this community. Based on the findings, we present a model for thinking about online communities of practice and suggest it may serve as starting point to develop strategies of designing and supporting online communities of practice.
Endogenous KCNE Subunits Govern Kv2.1 K+ Channel Activation Kinetics in Xenopus Oocyte Studies

Kv2.1 is a voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channel that generates delayed rectifier currents in mammalian heart and brain. The biophysical properties of Kv2.1 and other ion channels have been characterized by functional expression in heterologous systems, and most commonly in Xenopus laevis oocytes. A number of previous oocyte-based studies of mammalian potassium channels have revealed expression-level-dependent changes in channel properties, leading to the suggestion that endogenous oocyte factors regulate channel gating. Here, we show that endogenous oocyte potassium channel KCNE ancillary subunits xMinK and xMiRP2 slow the activation of oocyte-expressed mammalian Kv2.1 channels two-to-fourfold. This produces a sigmoidal relationship between Kv2.1 current density and activation rate in oocyte-based two-electrode voltage clamp studies. The effect of endogenous xMiRP2 and xMinK on Kv2.1 activation is diluted at high Kv2.1 expression levels, or by RNAi knockdown of either endogenous subunit. RNAi knockdown of both xMiRP2 and xMinK eliminates the correlation between Kv2.1 expression level and activation kinetics. The data demonstrate a molecular basis for expression-level-dependent changes in Kv channel gating observed in heterologous expression studies.
Sunlight-initiated partial inhibition of the dissolved iron(III)-catalysed oxidation of S(IV) species by molecular oxygen in aqueous solution

Abstract The dissolved Fe(III)-catalysed oxidation of S(IV) species [SO 2 (aq), HSO 2 − /HOSO 2 − , SO 3 2− ] by molecular oxygen is partially inhibited by sunlight, relative to dark controls, under conditions that are realistic for tropospheric clouds and fogs {initial [S(IV] = 4.0–68 μ M, total [Fe(III)] = 38–750 nM, pH = 2.8–4.6}. Due to the unusual effect of sunlight on this reaction, empirical rate expressions for the Fe(III)-catalysed oxidation of S(IV) by O 2 should not be used to predict daytime rates of H 2 SO 4 formation in atmospheric hydrometeors via this pathway.
The ${\cal H}_{2} $ Control Problem for Quadratically Invariant Systems With Delays

This technical note gives a new solution to the output feedback ${\cal H}_{2} $ problem for quadratically invariant communication delay patterns. A characterization of all stabilizing controllers satisfying the delay constraints is given and the decentralized ${\cal H}_{2} $ problem is cast as a convex model matching problem. The main result shows that the model matching problem can be reduced to a finite-dimensional quadratic program. A recursive state-space method for computing the optimal controller based on vectorization is given.
Internalized stigma predicts erosion of morale among psychiatric outpatients

Abstract Stigma in society causes harm to people with severe mental illness (SMI) and internalized stigma represents its psychological point of impact. We evaluated the extent of internalized stigma in a sample of outpatients with SMI, using the Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness (ISMI) Scale, developed with consumer input. About a third of the sample reported high levels of internalized stigma. We tested whether internalized stigma predicted increased depressive symptoms and reduced self-esteem at 4-month follow-up, controlling for baseline levels. Depression was predicted by Alienation, Stereotype Endorsement, Social Withdrawal Scales and total ISMI score. Reduced self-esteem was predicted by Alienation. ISMI results were stronger than those for the widely used Devaluation–Discrimination Scale. The finding that alienation further reduces morale speaks to the difficulty of pulling oneself out of this type of vicious cycle without assistance.
Accuracy and suitability of selected sampling methods within conifer dominated riparian zones

Sixteen sampling alternatives were examined for their performance to quantify selected attributes of overstory conifers in riparian areas of western Oregon. Each alternative was examined at eight headwater forest locations based on a 0.52 ha square stem maps. The alternatives were evaluated for selected stand attributes (trees per hectare, basal area per hectare and height to diameter ratio), using root mean square error, absolute percent bias, and mean absolute deviation as criteria. In general, rectangular strip designs outperformed fixed area circular or radial plots and variable area plots. Sampling 3.6 m wide strips perpendicular to the stream outperformed all other alternatives.
Lesser scaup breeding probability and female survival on the yukon flats, Alaska

Information on the ecology of waterfowl breeding in the boreal forest is lacking, despite the boreal region's importance to continental waterfowl populations and to duck species that are currently declining, such as lesser scaup (Aythya affinis). We estimated breeding probability and breeding season survival of female lesser scaup on the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska, USA, in 2005 and 2006. We captured and marked 93 lesser scaup with radiotransmitters during prelaying and nesting periods. Although all marked lesser scaup females were paired throughout prelaying and incubation periods, we estimated breeding probability over both years as 0.12 (SE = 0.05, n = 67) using telemetry. Proportion of lesser scaup females undergoing rapid follicle growth at capture in 2006 was 0.46 (SE = 0.11, n = 37), based on concentration of yolk precursors in blood plasma. By combining methods based on telemetry, yolk precursors, and postovulatory follicles, we estimated maximum breeding probability as 0.68 (SE = 0.08, n = 37) in 2006. Notably, breeding probability was positively related to female body mass. Survival of female lesser scaup during the nesting and brood-rearing periods was 0.92 (SE = 0.05) in 2005 and 0.86 (SE = 0.08) in 2006. Our results suggest that breeding probability is lower than expected for lesser scaup. In addition, the implicit assumption of continental duck-monitoring programs that all paired females attempt to breed should be reevaluated. Recruitment estimates based on annual breeding-pair surveys may overestimate productivity of scaup pairs in the boreal forest.
Studies on amylose and its derivatives. Part IV. The viscosity behaviour of amylose in mixed solvents

Intrinsic viscosity measurements were made at 25°C. on several amylose fractions dissolved in various solvents and solvent mixtures. The obtained data indicate that the amylose molecule may exist in at least two configurations depending on the solvent environment. Die Strukturviskositaten einiger Amylosefraktionen in einzelnen und gemischten Losungsmitteln wurden bei 25°C gemessen. Die Resultate lassen annehmen, das das Amylosemolekul in Abhangigkeit von der Losungsmittelumgebung in mindestens zwei Konfigurationen vorkommt.
A mecânica da instabilidade de regime na américa latina

The paper is narrowly addressed to a single puzzle: How did it happen that countries that attempted to install democracy earlier enjoyed it less frequently? Regime dynamics are driven by two mechanisms: (1) Democracies become more durable as per capita income increases, and (2) Past experiences with democracy destabilize both democracies and autocracies. As a result, countries that experiment with democracy at lower income levels experience more regime instability. Moreover, until they reach some income threshold, at any time such countries are less likely to be democratic than countries that first enter democracy when they have higher incomes. Hence, paradoxically, the resistance of European monarchies against democracy resulted in democracies that were more stable than those following post-independence attempts in Latin America.
Inverse kinematics positioning using nonlinear programming for highly articulated figures

An articulated figure is often modeled as a set of rigid segments connected with joints. Its configuration can be altered by varying the joint angles. Although it is straight forward to compute figure configurations given joint angles (forward kinematics), it is more difficult to find the joint angles for a desired configuration (inverse kinematics). Since the inverse kinematics problem is of special importance to an animator wishing to set a figure to a posture satisfying a set of positioning constraints, researchers have proposed several different approaches. However, when we try to follow these approaches in an interactive animation system where the object on which to operate is as highly articulated as a realistic human figure, they fail in either generality or performance. So, we approach this problem through nonlinear programming techniques. It has been successfully used since 1988 in the spatial constraint system within Jack, a human figure simulation system developed at the University of Pennsylvania, and proves to be satisfactorily efficient, controllable, and robust. A spatial constraint in our system involves two parts: one constraint on the figure, the end-effector, and one on the spatial environment, the goal. These two parts are dealt with separately, so that we can achieve a neat modular implementation. Constraints can be added one at a time with appropriate weights designating the importance of this constraint relative to the others and are always solved as a group. If physical limits prevent satisfaction of all the constraints, the system stops with the (possibly local) optimal solution for the given weights. Also, the rigidity of each joint angle can be controlled, which is useful for redundant degrees of freedom.