cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Determination of protein content in food by automatic distilling and titrating system.

Objective To establish an analytical method for the determination of protein in food by automatic distilling and titrating system. Methods The samples were distilled and titrated by VELP UDK152 automatic system after digested . The content of protein was calculated according to the consumption of acid. Results There was a good linear correlation (г0.999)within the content of 0～30mg. The limit of decteion was 0.108mg.The coefficient of variation were 3.32%,3.12% and 1.87% at low ,medium,and high contents. The recovery was between 95.12%～106.94%. Conclusion The method is simple,accurate and highly sensitive.
Market Frictions, Demand Structure and Price Competition in Online Markets

Recent empirical evidence shows the Law of One Price does not exist in online environment despite the unprecedented amount of price transparency. The failure of Law of One Price has been attributed to search costs, brand loyalty and other kinds of “market frictions” that enable retailers to keep some of their customers even if they don’t charge the lowest price in the market. While the presence of such frictions has been carefully studied, little is known empirically on how they affect consumer demand structure that is at the core of retailers’ pricing and marketing strategies. In this paper, we identify the impact of market friction on demand structure by empirically demonstrating a well-known insight from economic theory that market frictions could lead to a kink in consumer demand function. Using a unique dataset on prices and demand collected from Amazon and BarnesandNoble.com (BN), we first demonstrate the existence of consumer segments that demonstrate significant amount of frictions against shopping for lowest prices. Then we incorporate this finding and build an empirical model to show that significant jumps in price elasticity exist at points where price changes occur, which in turn, manifests as kinks in the aggregate demand function. Moreover, the jumps have opposite directions on Amazon and BN, indicating that market frictions have different implications across the two major online retailers. By examining kinks in demand functions, we contribute to prior empirical literature that has typically considered a constant level of price elasticity. We find that, on Amazon, price elasticity increases after a price reduction, suggesting that customers face low search costs for price information on Amazon or low brand loyalty toward BN. On the other hand, price elasticity decreases after a price reduction on BN, suggesting customers face high search costs for price information on BN or high brand loyalty towards Amazon. Further, an analysis of the differences in jumps in price elasticity for popular books compared to rare or unpopular books reveals that market friction is much higher for unpopular books. These findings suggest that online retailers have the potential to extract more value from the emergence of the Long Tail phenomenon.
השטח שבין טבע לתרבות: מבט אנתרופולוגי על 'השטחים הפתוחים' בישראל The Spaces between Nature and Culture - Anthropological Perspective on the 'Open Space' in Israel

תקציר בעברית: היחס בין טבע לתרבות הוא סוגיית יסוד באנתרופולוגיה ובמדעי החברה. בישראל התפיסה המפרידה בין טבע לתרבות משפיעה על סוגיות לאומיות, כלכליות ופוליטיות, וכן על פרשנות המונח "טבע". המאבק על השטחים הפתוחים בישראל – אחת הסוגיות הבולטות בסדר היום התכנוני והסביבתי בישראל כיום – משמש מקרה בוחן להשפעת הפרדה זו והמאבקים סביבה. במאמר זה, המבוסס על מחקר אתנוגרפי שנערך בצומתי המפגש והקונפליקט בין חקלאות לסביבה באזורי הערבה והשרון, אציג את התפתחות מושג השטחים הפתוחים בישראל ובעולם, אתאר את השימושים השונים שנעשו בו ואנתח את ההתנגדויות שהוא מעורר. בניגוד לגישות הטוענות שההפרדה בין הטבע לתרבות אינה רלוונטית עוד למחקר החברתי, מהמאמר עולה הפוטנציאל הגלום במושג השטחים הפתוחים לאתגר את תפיסת ההפרדה הזו. לטענתי, ניתוח התפיסות השונות של ההפרדה בין הטבע לתרבות מאפשר הבנה טובה יותר של מאבקים סביבתיים וחברתיים כיום ושל היחסים בין סביבה לחברה. English Abstract: The relationship between nature and culture is a key topic of study for anthropologyand social science. In Israel, the approach that sees nature and cultures as separateinfluences social, economic, and political discussions. The struggle over open spaces in Israel - one of the more prominent issues in planning and environmental discussions in Israel today — provides a case study to examine this separation and the conflicts around it. In this article, I present the development of the concept of "open space", both globally and in Israel. Drawing on ethnographic research on the meeting places and conflict points between agriculture and environmentalism in the Arava in Sharon regions, I examine the different uses of the “open space”concept, as well as the objections it elicits. The paper points to the challenge the“open space” concept poses to approaches that depict the separation of nature and culture as no longer relevant for social research. I argue that analyzing different conceptions of the boundary between nature and culture provides a better understanding of social and environmental struggles, and of the relations between environment and society.
How Elastic are Preferences for Redistribution? New Results on Partisan Polarization

I show that a stylized fact on the decades-long stability in preferences for income redistribution – which has surprised public economists, given the spike in inequality – masks a divergence across parties. I then demonstrate that the widening divide owes to preferences sorting rather than strengthening. Next, I return to survey experiments on the elasticity of preferences to information treatments and, in contrast to previous literature, I find a simple treatment that induces substantial support for taxation and redistribution among conservatives. This treatment closes upwards of half the gap in preferences between liberals and conservatives, a key finding amidst worsening polarization.
Development and perceptions of an academic success tool for pharmacy students

Abstract Objective Some students may face challenges with graduate-level reading and writing, particularly in certain active learning pedagogies, such as team-based learning or peer instruction, which require extensive pre-reading. The objective of this study is to determine the perceived utility of an academic literacy (reading/writing) test for first professional year student pharmacists (P1s). Methods In a collaboration between pharmacy and linguistics faculty, an academic literacy assessment tool was developed using fall P1 course materials. After pilot testing and adjustments, the revised test was administered to all P1 students by trained facilitators, then scored. Students needing literacy support were identified, met with individually to debrief on the assessment, and offered a year-long, one-on-one tutoring program. P1 faculty participated in an end-of-semester focus group session to determine whether the assessment correctly identified students who benefited from literacy support, and to decide on the impact of subsequent support. Thematic analysis was performed on the data. Results A total of 13 students were identified as at-risk through the assessment. Since tutoring was optional, eight students met at least once, and two students met weekly during the ensuing semester. Faculty from the end-of-semester focus group 1) stated that the assessment accurately pre-identified students who struggled with literacy components of P1 coursework, and 2) expressed a wish for earlier identification of students with required instead of optional tutoring. Conclusions Faculty perceived that the tool accurately identified students, but the timing and the volunteer nature of the follow-up tutoring limited the success of the assessment effort.
Is bilevel PAP more effective than CPAP in treating hypercapnic obese patients with COPD and severe OSA

Commentary on Zheng Y, Yee BJ, Wong K, Grunstein R, Piper A. A pilot randomized trial comparing CPAP versus bilevel PAP spontaneous mode in the treatment of hypoventilation disorder in patients with obesity and obstructive airway disease. J Clin Sleep Med. 20XX;XX(XX):XXX-XXX. doi:10.5664/jcsm.9506.
Equilibrium Systems without Explicit Interactions

Chapters 1 and 2 introduced the statistical mechanical fundamentals of equilibrium binding. Here the emphasis is more practical: we employ the grand partition function ξ (Chapter 2) for numerous simple binding models in order to indoctrinate the reader in the use of this very simple but powerful device. In this chapter we treat models without explicit interactions; Chapter 6 is a continuation of this discussion, where intermolecular interactions are introduced explicitly. However, we do include in this chapter a discussion of two limiting cases in which interactions are implicit and extreme: the A. V. Hill binding equation, and the Monod-Wyman-Changeux “concerted” conformation binding model.
Enzymatic Phosphorylation of Fish Phosvitin

Abstract As reported in the preceding paper, discrete fractions containing increasing amounts of phosphate were isolated from ling roe. The more highly phosphorylated fractions were found to be good acceptors of phosphate from protein phosphokinase and adenosine triphosphate. In contrast to hen phosvitin, enzymatic dephosphorylation lowered the reactivity as phosphate acceptor. With ling phosvitin and also, apparently, with hen phosvitin, enzymatic phosphorylation by protein phosphokinase and ATP causes a stepwise addition to new phosphate levels. A possible connection to the presence of rather large blocks of serine phosphate in phosvitins is suggested to explain their acceptor specificity.
Reaction Mechanisms and Microstructures of Ceramic-Metal Composites Made by Reactive Metal Penetration

Ceramic-metal composites can be made by reactive penetration of molten metals into dense ceramic preforms. The metal penetration is driven by a large negative Gibbs energy for reaction, which is different from the more common physical infiltration of porous media. Reactions involving Al can be written generally as (x+2)Al + (3/y)MOy → Al2O3 + M3/yAlx, where MOy is an oxide, such as mullite, that is wet by molten Al. In low Po2 atmospheres and at temperatures above about 900°C, molten Al reduces mullite to produce Al2O3 and Si. The Al/mullite reaction has a AGr°(1200K) of-1014 kJ/mol and, if the mullite is fully dense, the theoretical volume change on reaction is less than 1%. A microstructure of mutually-interpenetrating metal and ceramic phases generally is obtained.
Effect of PVP on the electroosmotic mobility of wet‐etched glass microchannels

We present an experimental study on the effect of polymer PVP on EOF mobility of microchannels wet etched into optical white soda lime glass, also known as Crown glass. We performed experiments to evaluate the effect of PVP concentration and pH on EOF mobility. We used on-chip capillary zone electrophoresis and a neutral fluorescent dye as a passive marker to quantify the electroosmotic flow. We performed experiments under controlled conditions by varying pH from 5.2 and 10.3 and concentration of PVP from 0 to 2.0% w/w at constant ionic strength (30 mM). Our experiments show that PVP at concentrations of 1.0% or above very effectively suppress EOF at low pH (6.6). At high pH of 10.3, PVP has a much weaker suppressing effect on EOF and increasing its concentration above about 0.5% showed negligible effect on EOF mobility. Finally, we briefly discuss the effects of pH on using PVP as an adsorbed coating. Our experiments provide useful guidelines on choosing correct pH and concentration of PVP for effective EOF suppression in glass channels.
Awash in a sea of ‘bath salts’: implications for biomedical research and public health

To conclude, the emergence of synthetic cathinones as drugs of abuse is a serious problem which negatively impacts global public health. Activation of central dopamine systems by synthetic cathinones portends a substantial risk for addiction, and patients exposed to high doses of these substances can experience life-threatening medical complications. Banning specific synthetic cathinones may be a viable law enforcement strategy, but this approach hinders the critical research that is needed to understand the basic pharmacology and toxicology of cathinone analogs. Given the growing list of new replacement cathinones, it seems likely that health-care professionals, forensic toxicologists and biomedical researchers will continue to face formidable challenges in dealing with this unfolding drug abuse phenomenon.
Organometallic chemistry of the transition metals : XXX. Reactions of tetraalkylhexapentaenes with iron carbonyls

Abstract Tetra-t-butylhexapentaene reacts with Fe2(CO)9 or Fe3(CO)12 to give a mixture of the yellow monoolefin complex [(CH3)3C]4C6Fe(CO)4 and the red butatriene complex [(CH3)3C]4C6Fe2(CO)6. Carbon-13 NMR spectroscopy indicates that the center carboncarbon double bond(s) of the hexapentaene chain are bonded to the iron carbonyl units in these complexes suggesting that the large size of the t-butyl substituents prevents access of the metal to the outer carboncarbon double bonds. A tetramethylhexapentaene complex, red (CH3)4C6Fe2(CO)6, is obtained in low yield by reaction of 2,7-dichloro-2,7-dimethyl-3,5-octadiyne with Fe3(CO)12 in the presence of zinc.
Chapter 5 Biosynthesis 7. How Can N-Linked Glycosylation and Processing Inhibitors be Used to Study Carbohydrate Synthesis and Function

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses how N-linked glycosylation and processing inhibitors can be used to study carbohydrate synthesis and its function. Glycoproteins are widely distributed in nature, not only in animal cells but also in plants, microorganisms and viruses. The oligosaccharide chains of the N-linked glycoproteins are believed to be involved in a wide variety of biological functions. Using various inhibitors to prevent synthesis of or to modify the carbohydrate portion of the glycoprotein has provided a useful way to determine the function of the oligosaccharide portion of a given glycoprotein. Such inhibitors are also useful for studies on the mechanism of biosynthesis of the oligosaccharide chains, since they may give rise to various intermediates that can provide important structural information. The assembly of the various types of N-linked oligosaccharides involves two distinct series of reactions. In the first stage of synthesis, a precursor oligosaccharide is synthesized on a lipid carrier by the stepwise addition of sugars from their nucleoside diphosphate derivatives or from a lipid-linked monosaccharide intermediate to the lipid oligosaccharide, and then this oligosaccharide is transferred “en bloc” to the polypeptide chain.
Women and drug use: The case for a justice analysis

Abstract Extensive data link women's use of drugs and their subsequent involvement in illegal activity to their growing involvement with the criminal justice system. Although research has established causal factors and consequences for drug use among women, these factors do not take into account the fundamental social injustices that also contribute to drug use among women, including interactions with social institutions, social sigma, and punitive public policy. This paper discusses the importance of developing theoretical frameworks and measures for assessing social (in)justice that would allow for it to be operationalized, generalized, and tested for validity in order to help explain what justice is and how injustice works as a broader causal mechanism in the growing problem of women and drug use.
Gender-Linked Linguistic Behavior in Television Interviews

We examined linguistic behavior among men and women in unscripted, televised interviews. Women used language that focused on social and sensory processes, and they expressed themselves with simpler language, more self-referent pronouns, and emphasized personal certainty in their ideas more than men. They did not show more emotion than men in their language. Men used less common language and larger words connected by articles than did women, and they produced more passive, third-person, depersonalized speech than women. Little evidence of accommodation and within-gender exacerbation of effects was seen. The importance of language as a device to signal messages about ourselves that we wish to convey to others is discussed.
Discontinuous feedback stabilization of nonholonomic systems in extended power form

Nonholonomic control systems in extended power form are studied. It is demonstrated that under appropriate assumptions Lagrange's equations, including classical nonholonomic constraints, can be transformed to the extended power form. A discontinuous time-invariant feedback controller is developed for the extended power form. This feedback controller provides global finite time stabilization. The controller can be interpreted as a hybrid system consisting of a high level discrete event supervisor and a family of low level feedback controllers. Implementation issues are addressed. >
Modulation of High Voltage-Activated Calcium Channels by Somatostatin in Acutely Isolated Rat Amygdaloid Neurons

We investigated actions of somatostatin (Som) on voltage-gated calcium channels in acutely isolated rat amygdaloid neurons. Somatostatin caused a dose-dependent inhibition of the high voltage-activated (HVA) Ca2+ current, with little or no effect on the low voltage-activated (LVA) current. Nifedipine (2–10 μm) reduced the peak current by ∼15% without reducing inhibition of current by Som significantly, ruling out L-type channels as the target of modulation. The modulation appears to involve N- and P/Q-type calcium channels. After pretreatment with ω-conotoxin-GVIA (ω-CgTx) or ω-agatoxin-IVA, the inhibition was reduced but not abolished, whereas the combined application of both toxins nearly abolished the modulation. The Som analog BIM-23060 mimicked the effects of Som, whereas BIM-23058 had no effect, implicating Som type-2 receptors (SSTR-2). The inhibition was voltage-dependent, being minimal for small depolarizations, and was often accompanied by a slowing of the activation time course. Strong depolarizing prepulses partially relieved the inhibition and restored the time course of activation. Intracellular dialysis with GTPγS led to spontaneous inhibition and a slowing of the current like that with Som and occluded the effects of the peptide. Dialysis with GDPβS also diminished the inhibition. A short preincubation with 50 μm of the alkylating agent N -ethylmaleimide (NEM) prevented the action of somatostatin. These results suggest a role for NEM-sensitive G-proteins in the Som inhibition. Application of 8-CPT-cAMP and IBMX did not mimic or prevent the effects of Som.
Effects of Ecological Information on Judgments about Scenic Impacts of Timber Harvest

The public is unlikely to accept ecosystem management practices unless they believe its ecological benefits outweigh its potentially adverse impacts. This study tested whether information about ecological benefits of ecosystem management can improve acceptance of impacts to visual resources. Students and office workers rated photographs of forest stands showing traditional and ecosystem management timber harvests. Half of the respondents first heard a 5 minute informational message about ecosystem management; the other half did not. Acceptability scores for some ecosystem management stands exceeded those for clear cuts or commercially thinned stands. Ratings varied significantly for different views of the same stand, but not between students and office workers or between message and control groups. However, there was a significant interactive effect: office workers who heard the message, rated the ecosystem managed stands asmore acceptablethan did the control group, while students who heard the message judged the stands asless acceptable. Managers hoping to influence public beliefs about ecosystem management must craft informational messages carefully, because poorly targeted messages may have unintended effects.
Cross-Level Influences of Empowering Leadership on Citizenship Behavior Organizational Support Climate as a Double-Edged Sword

Using a cross-level design and relying on a contingency approach to understanding empowering leadership, we investigate the mediating role of individual-level psychological empowerment in the cross-level relationship between team-directed empowering leadership and two complementary forms of individual-level citizenship: affiliative organizational citizenship behavior and taking charge. We also investigate the moderating role of organizational support climate in the relationship between empowering leader behavior and these two forms of citizenship. Using data collected from 98 work teams in one large organization in China, in addition to support for the mediating role of psychological empowerment, we found a “double-edged” moderating effect for organizational support climate. For affiliative organizational citizenship behavior, and consistent with reciprocation perspectives posited by social exchange theory, results showed that the highest levels occurred when both empowering leadership behavior and organi...
Comparison of Labyrinthectomy and Vestibular Neurectomy in the Control of Vertigo

One hundred twenty-six patients who were treated with labyrinthectomy (81 patients) or vestibular neurectomy (45) between the years 1979 and 1994 were reviewed. The cause for vertigo in 124 of the 126 patients was Meniere's disease (89 patients), labyrinthitis (15), delayed endolymphatic hydrops (8), vestibular neuritis (7), and failed labyrinthectomy (5). In the remaining 2 patients, a normal labyrinth was sacrificed to fistulize a petrous apex cyst. Both procedures were equally effective in relieving vertigo (labyrinthectomy 98.8% ; neurectomy 97.8%), but the length of hospitalization, length of disability before return to work, and cost were twice as great with vestibular neurectomy than with labyrinthectomy. More patients exhibited prolonged ataxia following neurectomy (5 patients) than after labyrinthectomy (2). Vestibular neurectomy was associated with several serious complications : reversible facial paresis (15 patients), meningitis (1), cerebrospinal fluid leak (1), and epidural hematoma (1). Labyrinthectomy was complicated by postoperative hyponatremia in 1 patient. Selective vestibular neurectomy preserved hearing in 32 (82%) of 39 patients. Criteria for recommending either ablation procedure are discussed. The incidence of sequential involvement of the contralateral ear was 1.5%.
Learning in rhesus monkeys after varying amounts of prefrontal lobe destruction during infancy and adolescence.

Summary Monkeys 5 and 24 months old were subjected to prefrontal topectomy or lobectomy, and were compared with like-aged controls on object discrimination, delayed response, object discrimination learning set, and oddity learning set. Size of lesion was the variable of primary importance in determining the extent of intellectual deficit. Total lobectomy produced significant performance decrements on the object discrimination, delayed response, and object discrimination learning set tasks. Differences between topectomized and control monkeys did not reach statistical significance on any of the tests utilized. There was little or no evidence from the present study that surgery at 5 months spared any intellectual functions that were lost after surgery at 24 months. Older monkeys were superior to younger monkeys on object discrimination, and to some extent on oddity learning set. Younger monkeys were superior to older monkeys on delayed response, but poor performance by the older control group suggests that this result may have been merely an age effect, rather than any compensation of function occurring after early surgery. Sparing of delayed response ability in monkeys operated during infancy is a concept supported by data from other sources, but the present study emphasizes the need for including older control groups in future work in this area.
Instruction and assessment of information literacy among STEM majors

The ability to find, use, and communicate information effectively is a critical competency for 21st century engineers. Thus it is an important element in retention, graduation, and placement of professional engineers. This study found scaffolded, engaging instruction resulted in impressive gains in higher-order skills associated with writing and information literacy among upper division engineering undergraduates. Students were evaluated using a brief diagnostic essay as an assignment and as a pre- and posttest to measure these skills in engineering majors taking a required technical writing course. The instruction included using Wikipedia as both a teaching tool and a writing assignment. The instrument was scored by multiple readers using a rubric. Interrater reliability was high and validation showed that the instrument could reliably measure and discriminate among five unique information literacy variables. Use of this constructed-response diagnostic enables the evaluation of higher order research and writing skills that have been difficult to assess using limited-response tests, so that learning experiences may be better designed to reach students at the appropriate skill level.
Private Charity and Public Inquiry: A History of the Filer and Peterson Commissions

Preliminary Table of Contents: Preface Note on Archival Sources 1. Introduction 2. Point and Counterpoint: Charities, New Committees, and Tax Policy 3. Leading to Reform: Patman, Treasury, and Congress 4. The Gathering Storm 5. In Whose Interest? 6. Law and Regulation 7. The Peterson Commission: A Summation 8. After the TRA: Emergence of a New Commission 9. The Filer Commission in Action 10. Filer Commission Follow UP: Missed Opportunities and Emergent New Groups 11. Lessons from the Past and Issues for the Future Appendices Notes
A decade of research with dyslexic college students: A summary of findings.

The major findings of several research projects that investigated dyslexic college students are summarized in this paper. Consistent findings of these investigations led to the following conclusions. 1) Developmental dyslexia is a syndrome made up of the following four symptoms: slow rate of reading, error-prone oral reading, poor written spelling, and grammatically incorrect writing; 2) all these symptoms could be traced to a poor mastery of the grapheme-phoneme relational rules; 3) developmental dyslexia can be found in subjects who appear to have adequate oral language skills; 4) ex-dyslexics who appear to be “poor spellers but good readers” have subtle reading deficits; and 5) the 20 dyslexic subjects investigated appear to constitute a homogeneous group which raises questions regarding dyslexia subtypes.
Democracy@internet.org revisited : analysing the socio-political impact of the Internet and new social media in East Asia.

Abstract This article explores the socio-political impact of the internet and new social media in East Asia. In particular it explores whether the new tools and platforms associated with the latter are having a democratising effect on the region's authoritarian and semi-authoritarian regimes by opening up a permissive online public sphere in which traditional hierarchies of power are challenged.
Interval Approach to Phase Measurements Can Lead to Arbitrarily Complex Sets - A Theorem and Ways around It

We are often interested in phases of complex quantities; e.g., in nondestructive testing of aerospace structures, important information comes from phases of Pulse Echo and magnetic resonance. For each measurement, we have an upper bound Δ on the measurement error Δx=\({\tilde x}\)−x, so when the measurement result is \({\tilde x}\), we know that the actual value x is in [\({\tilde x}\)−Δ,\({\tilde x}\)+Δ]. Often, we have no information about probabilities of different values, so this interval is our only information about x. When the accuracy is not sufficient, we perform several repeated measurements, and conclude that x belongs to the intersection of the corresponding intervals. For real-valued measurements, the intersection of intervals is always an interval. For phase measurements, we prove that an arbitrary closed subset of a circle can be represented as an intersection of intervals. Handling such complex sets is difficult. It turns out that if we have some statistical information, then the problem often becomes tractable. As a case study, we describe an algorithm that uses both real-valued and phase measurement results to determine the shape of a fault. This is important: e.g., smooth-shaped faults gather less stress and are, thus, less dangerous than irregularly shaped ones.
Transient forebrain ischemia induces delayed injury in the substantia nigra reticulata: degeneration of GABA neurons, compensatory expression of GAD mRNA

In rodents, transient forebrain ischemia causes preferentially neuron death in small and medium size neurons of the striatum and hilar neurons in the hippocampus within 24 h, and CA1 hippocampal neurons within 72 h. The temporal unfolding of pathological processes after longer time intervals between reperfusion and sacrifice now includes delayed degeneration of the substantia nigra reticulata (SNr). Animals were exposed to 20 min of transient forebrain ischemia and sacrificed within 7 days, or at least 3 weeks after reperfusion. Histological examination and quantitative morphometrics revealed that the degree of volume loss and neuron loss in the SNr depended on the initial ischemic injury. Initial ischemic injury confined to the caudate nucleus produced volume loss but not neuron loss in the SNr. However, initial ischemic injury that included the caudate nucleus and the globus pallidus produced not only greater volume loss but also neuron loss in the SNr. SNr neuron loss was restricted to the medial dorsal area, occurred in animals that survived at least 3 weeks after perfusion, and did not occur in animals that survived 7 days after perfusion, and was accompanied by increased staining of antibody to glial fibrillary acidic protein. The topographic specificity and delayed time course suggest that the mechanism for SNr neuron loss depends on transneuronal events initiated by ischemia but evolving over a longer time period. In situ hybridization with a cDNA probe for glutamic acid decar☐ylase (GAD) mRNA demonstrated increased GAD signal in the remaining SNr neurons of animals with CN and GP damage compared to animals with CN damage. The significant increase in GAD mRNA may indicate compensation at the level of gene expression for the loss of GABAergic neurons. This rodent model offers new in vivo opportunities to elucidate the requirements for neuronal viability, and phenotypic expression, and suggests that the current notions of windows of opportunity for therapeutic intervention may be expanded from hours to days to weeks.
Fluorescence spectroscopy studies of vaccinia type IB DNA topoisomerase. Closing of the enzyme clamp is faster than DNA cleavage.

The prototypic type IB topoisomerase isolated from vaccinia virus cleaves the phosphodiester backbone of duplex DNA at the sequence 5′-(C/T)CCTT, forming a covalent 3′-phosphotyrosyl adduct. A precleavage conformational change in which the enzyme clamps circumferentially around the DNA has been implicated on the basis of structural and biochemical studies. However, no direct measurements to elucidate this key step have been obtained to date. To address this shortcoming we have developed two new fluorescence assays that allow detection of conformational changes in both the enzyme and substrate DNA, and allow determination of the thermodynamic and kinetic mechanism for noncovalent DNA binding and phosphodiester cleavage. The results indicate that clamp closing occurs in a rapid step (>25 s−1) that is at least 14-fold faster than the maximal rate of DNA cleavage. Opening of the clamp to release the noncovalently bound substrate is also 5–8-fold more rapid than DNA cleavage. We propose a model in which DNA cleavage and religation are connected through a single high energy transition state involving covalent bond breaking. Alternative models that involve a slow precleavage conformational step are not easily reconciled with the available data.
How many fungi make sclerotia

Most fungi produce some type of durable microscopic structure such as a spore that is important for dispersal and/or survival under adverse conditions, but many species also produce dense aggregations of tissue called sclerotia. These structures help fungi to survive challenging conditions such as freezing, desiccation, microbial attack, or the absence of a host. During studies of hypogeous fungi we encountered morphologically distinct sclerotia in nature that were not linked with a known fungus. These observations suggested that many unrelated fungi with diverse trophic modes may form sclerotia, but that these structures have been overlooked. To identify the phylogenetic affiliations and trophic modes of sclerotium-forming fungi, we conducted a literature review and sequenced DNA from fresh sclerotium collections. We found that sclerotium-forming fungi are ecologically diverse and phylogenetically dispersed among 85 genera in 20 orders of Dikarya, suggesting that the ability to form sclerotia probably evolved � 14 different times in fungi.
Positron emission tomography (PET) of radiotracer uptake and distribution in living plants: methodological aspects

The use of radioisotopes as tracers in biology was pioneered in 1923 by Hevesy in the study of the uptake and distribution of lead in the bean plant. This seminal work has spawned applications of nuclear analytical methods in the life sciences. In medicine, nuclear imaging has become a standard part of patient care. Positron emission tomography (PET) is a nuclear medicine imaging modality that allows assessment of biochemical processes in vivo, to diagnose and stage diseases and monitor their treatment. Going full circle to Hevesy’s original biological study, PET imaging can be applied to the assessment of radiotracer uptake and distribution in living plants non-invasively. In order to apply PET imaging to the study of plants, several methodological aspects were examined in this study with the goal of establishing protocols that would be useful to investigators with access to commercial small animal PET scanners. The methodological aspects examined in this study included (a) the selection of suitable plant models, (b) standardization of scanning strategies such as PET tracer “injection” into plants and (c) imaging protocols to optimize detection of annihilation gammas.
Human alpha-1-proteinase inhibitor mechanism of action: evidence for activation by limited proteolysis.

Abstract Human plasma alpha-1-proteinase inhibitor (α 1 -antitrypsin) has been re-isolated from its complex with porcine trypsin. The re-isolated protein (α 1 -PI * ) was found to be non-inhibitory and 8,000 lower in molecular weight than the native inhibitor. Sequence analysis of α 1 -PI * showed that an amino terminal peptide had been lost, apparently the result of cleavage at a Lys-Thr bond. These data indicate that limited proteolysis is the first step in the inhibitory mechanism.
Intra-amygdala injections of CREB antisense impair inhibitory avoidance memory: role of norepinephrine and acetylcholine.

Infusions of CREB antisense into the amygdala prior to training impair memory for aversive tasks, suggesting that the antisense may interfere with CRE-mediated gene transcription and protein synthesis important for the formation of new memories within the amygdala. However, the amygdala also appears to modulate memory formation in distributed brain sites, through mechanisms that include the release of norepinephrine and acetylcholine within the amygdala. Thus, CREB antisense injections may affect memory by interfering with mechanisms of modulation, rather than storage, of memory. In the present experiment, rats received bilateral intra-amygdala infusions of CREB antisense (2 nmol/1 μL) 6 h prior to inhibitory avoidance training. In vivo microdialysis samples were collected from the right amygdala before, during, and following training. CREB antisense produced amnesia tested at 48 h after training. In addition, CREB antisense infusions dampened the training-related release of norepinephrine, and to a lesser extent of acetylcholine, in the amygdala. Furthermore, intra-amygdala infusions of the β-adrenergic receptor agonist clenbuterol administered immediately after training attenuated memory impairments induced by intra-amygdala injections of CREB antisense. These findings suggest that intra-amygdala treatment with CREB antisense may affect processes involved in modulation of memory in part through interference with norepinephrine and acetylcholine neurotransmission in the amygdala.
Albumin: a Gαs-specific guanine nucleotide dissociation inhibitor and GTPase activating protein

Heterotrimeric GTP binding protein (G protein)-mediated signal transduction events are regulated by their effectors and regulators of G protein signaling (RGS) protein family. The latter proteins function as GTPase activating proteins (GAPs) for G protein alpha subunits and terminate signaling events. In a search for proteins that modulate the activity of the stimulatory G protein of adenylyl cyclase (Galpha(s)), we found that bovine serum albumin (BSA) inhibits the steady-state GTPase activity of Galpha(s), but not the inhibitory G protein (Galpha(i1)). This effect of BSA is mediated by decreasing the rate of GDP dissociation from Galpha(s) and decreasing the rate of GTP binding. Thus, BSA functions as a guanine nucleotide dissociation inhibitor for Galpha(s). Moreover, BSA also increased the intrinsic GTPase activity of Galpha(s), but not Galpha(i1), demonstrating that BSA functions as a Galpha(s)-specific GAP. Using mutants of Galpha(s) (Q227L, Q227N, R201C, and R201K), we demonstrate that BSA mediates its GAP function by modulating the ability of R201 to increase GTPase activity. Moreover, using wild-type and Q227N forms of Galpha(s), our studies demonstrate that the GDI function of BSA decreases the ability of Galpha(s) to stimulate adenylyl cyclase. These findings assign a novel function to BSA as a regulator of G protein signaling.
Direct regulation of ENaC by bradykinin in the distal nephron. Implications for renal sodium handling.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW Locally produced peptide hormones kinins, such as bradykinin, are thought to oppose many of the prohypertensive actions of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. In the kidney, bradykinin, via stimulation of B2 receptors (B2R), favors natriuresis mostly due to the inhibition of tubular Na reabsorption. Recent experimental evidence identifies the epithelial Na channel (ENaC) as a key end effector of bradykinin actions in the distal tubular segments. The focus of this review is the physiological relevance and molecular details of the bradykinin signal to ENaC. RECENT FINDINGS The recent epidemiological GenSalt study demonstrated that genetic variants of the gene encoding B2R show significant associations with the salt sensitivity of blood pressure. Bradykinin was shown to have an inhibitory effect on the distal nephron sodium transport via stimulation of B2 receptor-phospholipase C (B2R-PLC) cascade to decrease ENaC open probability. Genetic ablation of bradykinin receptors in mice led to an augmented ENaC function, particularly during elevated sodium intake, likely contributing to the salt-sensitive hypertensive phenotype. Furthermore, augmentation of bradykinin signaling in the distal nephron was demonstrated to be an important component of the natriuretic and antihypertensive effects of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibition. SUMMARY Salt-sensitive inhibition of ENaC activity by bradykinin greatly advances our understanding of the molecular mechanisms that are responsible for shutting down distal tubule sodium reabsorption during volume expanded conditions to avoid salt-sensitive hypertension.
Citizen Science with Hubble Space Telescope Data

Many members of the general public are enthusiastic about science and, in particular, astronomy. Numerous opportunities to learn about and engage in enjoying astronomical discoveries exist, especially through the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) education and outreach program (http://hubblesite.org). In addition, the general public is interested in active participation in research, which is made possible through citizen science projects. Although many flavors of citizen science exist today, those involving HST data are of the visual classification variety and are aimed specifically at producing unique scientific results that would be difficult if not impossible to accomplish without large numbers of citizen science volunteers. This article touches on several projects based on HST data, covering several different astrophysics areas.
High-risk prostate cancer in the United States, 1990-2007.

Objectives This study aimed to describe national trends in presentation, management, and outcomes for men with high risk prostate cancer.
Children with Special Health Care Needs: Impact of Health Care Expenditures on Family Financial Burden

We investigated the relationship between health care expenditures for Special Health Care Needs (SHCN) children and family perception of financial burden. Using 2005/2006 National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs data, a multivariate logistic regression model was used to estimate the relationship between the SHCN child’s health care expenditure and perceived financial burden, while controlling for family and child characteristics. Our analysis suggests that health care expenditures for a SHCN child of $250 and more are associated with family perception of financial burden. In addition, families with lower socioeconomic status also perceived financial burden at lower level of expenditures. Members of the health care team who treat children with SHCN have an important role in understanding and assessing family financial burden as part of the care delivery to the child and the family. Our study reinforces the need to treat the whole family as the unit of care, especially when caring for children with special health care needs.
Dual-time-point Patlak estimation from list mode PET data

We investigate the potential of using dual-time-point PET data to perform Patlak modeling. If successful this approach could be used for whole-body dynamic PET in which we compute voxel-wise estimates of Patlak parameters using two frames of data for each bed position. Our approach directly uses list-mode arrival time for each event to compute the Patlak image. We evaluate performance of the method in comparison to fractional changes in SUV values computed from the same two frames of data. The area under ROC curves is used as a figure of merit to assess the relative performance of these two approaches in differentiating tumor from background. We calculate ROC curves using (i) variance estimates computed from the Cramer-Rao bound for a simplified 1D version of the problem and (ii) 4D Monte Carlo simulations of tumors with a range of sizes in a uniform background. Both the simulation and Cramer-Rao analysis suggest that our dual-time-point Patlak estimation method can achieve superior differentiation of tumor from background in small tumors compared to using fractional changes in SUV computed from the same dual-time-point data.
Humour and Insult in the House of Commons: The Case of Palmerston and Disraeli*

Formal prohibitions on "personalities" notwithstanding, a constant of parliamentary life is that members regularly insult one another.Within the conventions of 19th-century public decorum, humour served as an effective means for some politicians to deliver personal insults to their opponents. This article examines the nature of the personal attacks made by Disraeli and Palmerston on each other between 1837 and 1865, and describes how their styles of humorous insult were different but equally effective. Analysis of their political contest sheds new light on the careers of the two men, while also providing the basis for broader considerations about the changing nature and functions of humour in political discourse from the 18th to the 20th centuries.
Extracellular volume fraction measured by MOLLI: slow infusion versus bolus

Background Myocardial extracellular volume fraction (Ve) measures from myocardial and blood pool T1 data quantify diffuse fibrosis (Flett, 2010) not detectable by conventional late gadolinium (Gd) enhancement, but require steady state equilibrium between plasma and interstitium. While a bolus with a lengthy infusion produces steady state for Ve measures, it is unclear whether a Gd contrast bolus alone (e.g., Broberg, 2010) is sufficient. Given the relatively slow clearance of Gd, we hypothesized that a simple bolus accurately measures Ve, thus facilitating integration of Ve measurement into CMR workflow routines.
Microbial Mobilization of Arsenic from Sediments of the Aberjona Watershed

Arsenic mobilization from aquatic sediments is an issue of concern, as water-borne arsenic can migrate into pristine areas, endangering aquatic organisms and people. Such mobilization in the Aberjona Watershed has distributed nearly 20 t of arsenic throughout river and lake sediments. To gain an understanding of possible biological mechanisms contributing to this transport, mobilization of solid-phase arsenic was investigated in upper Aberjona sediment microcosms. Microcosms catalyzed rapid dissolution of arsenic from iron arsenate, a solid-phase surrogate for sedimentary arsenic, mobilizing 20−28% of the arsenic present. Sterilization prevented this transformation. Reduction of arsenate to arsenite accompanied iron arsenate dis solution, suggesting that reduction was driving dissolution. Sediment-conditioned, filter-sterilized medium showed no arsenic-transforming activity. A native enrichment culture of sulfate-reducing bacteria possessed one-fifth of the microcosm activity, while strain MIT-13, a nativ...
Mineralogical heterogeneity in fractured, porous media and its representation in reactive transport models

Abstract Reactive transport models that simulate processes in porous media have, generally, required abstracted representation of porosity, permeability, and mineralogy. This study compares abstracted, homogeneous representations of porosity and permeability, mineral surface areas and distributions, to discrete distribution representation of these same properties. Discretization was accomplished by high-resolution (ca. 1 μm2) characterization of fractured tuffaceous rock from Yucca Mountain, Nevada, using optical microscopy and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. A sample area of 106 μm2 was mapped in detail, and the resulting element and porosity maps were digitized. The domain was decomposed into 12,208 cells that were 8.77 × 10−6 m on a side. Simulations were conducted in which a dilute fluid enters the discretized porous medium at modest flow rates. Simulation results using a discrete mineral distribution point to the conclusion that slow flow rates, in which fluid residence times are on the order of days, provide fluid composition results that are very similar to those obtained from the homogeneous mineral distribution representation. At higher flow rates, where fluid residence times are on the order of hours, contrasts in fluid composition persist throughout the flow domain. The results demonstrate that the fluid composition characteristics in the homogeneous and discrete mineral representations will be similar only when the bulk average contact times for the individual mineral phases along the flow paths are approximately equivalent (within a few percent) for the two cases.