cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Report: 1988 NSF range image understanding workshop

Most computer vision research has concentrated on using digitized grayscale intensity images as sensor data. It has proven to be extraordinarily difficult to program computers to understand and describe these images in a general purpose way. One important problem is that digitized intensity images are rectangular arrays of numbers which indicate the brightness at individual points on a regularly spaced rectangular grid and contain no explicit information that is directly usable in depth perception. Yet human beings are able to correctly infer depth relationships quickly and easily among intensity image regions whereas automatic inference of such depth relationships has proven to be remarkably complex. In fact, many famous visual illusions, such as Kanizsa’s triangle, vividly demonstrate that humans impose 3-D surface structure on images to interpret them. Computer vision researchers recognized the importance of surfaces in the understanding of images. The popularity of shape from … approaches in the last decade is the result of this recognition.
Novel Mutations in the RAD3 and SSL1 Genes Perturb Genome Stability by Stimulating Recombination Between Short Repeats in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Maintaining genome stability requires that recombination between repetitive sequences be avoided. Because short, repetitive sequences are the most abundant, recombination between sequences that are below a certain length are selectively restricted. Novel alleles of the RAD3 and SSL1 genes, which code for components of a basal transcription and UV-damage-repair complex in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, have been found to stimulate recombination between short, repeated sequences. In double mutants, these effects are suppressed, indicating that the RAD3 and SSL1 gene products work together in influencing genome stability. Genetic analysis indicates that this function is independent of UV-damage repair and mutation avoidance, supporting the notion that RAD3 and SSL1 together play a novel role in the maintenance of genome integrity.
A Rotating Gas Cell for High-lntensity Monoenergetic Neutron Production

A rotating gas cell has been developed as a target for charged-particle beams to produce monoenergetic neutrons via the reactions 1H(t,n), 2H(d,n), 2H(t,n), 3H(p,n), and 3H(d,n). An intense monoene...
LOS PROCESOS DE REFORMAS Y MODIFICACIONES A LOS SISTEMAS DE CAPITALIZACIÓN INDIVIDUAL EN AMÉRICA LATINA

La oleada de reformas de los anos noventa en America Latina parece haberse frenado o por lo menos se vislumbra una moderacion en el entusiasmo por la privatizacion de los sistemas de pensiones. Las deficiencias del sistema de capitalizacion individual y las fallas en los marcos institucionales, aunadas a la informalidad, al desempleo y a los bajos salarios que caracterizan a la region, han dado lugar en el primer lustro del siglo XXI a diferentes procesos legales para resolver las problematicas enfrentadas: cobertura, eficiencia y equidad. A pesar de los enfoques distintos, ellos comparten, en cierta forma, el reforzamiento de la intervencion de las instituciones publicas y la incorporacion de mecanismos de solidaridad.
The perfect storm: Torsades de Pointes in a child with leukemia.

Torsades de Pointes (TdP) is a life-threatening ventricular arrhythmia that can be associated with metabolic abnormalities, exposure to arrhythmogenic medications, and congenital long-QT syndrome. This report describes a patient with ALL and multiple complications of therapy who developed TdP. The patient had no evidence of congenital long-QT syndrome, but a constellation of factors appears to have led to QT prolongation, ventricular ectopy, and TdP. Although the patient suffered cardiac arrest, rapid recognition of TdP and prompt defibrillation resulted in an excellent outcome. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2007;49:996–999. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Separation and properties of subcellular particles associated with 5-hydroxytryptamine, with acethylcholine and with an unidentified cardio-excitatory substance from Mercenaria nervous tissue

Abstract 1. 1. Seventy per cent or more of the acetylcholine and 5-hydroxytryptamine in Mercenaria ganglia is bound to particles which sediment when homogenates of this tissue, prepared in 1·1 M glucose, are centrifuged at high speed. 2. 2. Similarly, a large proportion of the unidentified cardio-excitatory factor, Substance X, is particle bound in Mercenaria ganglia. 3. 3. Particles binding each of these substances have been partially separated from each other by density gradient centrifugation. The acetylcholine particles were mainly associated with the least dense layers of the gradient, 5-hydroxytryptamine with more dense layers and Substance X with layers of intermediate density. 4. 4. A fraction of 5-hydroxytryptamine particles has been purified twenty times over the original homogenate. The level of acetylcholine contamination of this fraction, if any, was below the limit of detection. 5. 5. Particles binding acetylcholine and 5-hydroxytryptamine release their active substances in a quantitatively similar manner to changes in pH, hypotonicity and increased temperature.
Flow and heat transfer in a second grade fluid over a stretching sheet

Abstract An analysis is carried out to study the flow and heat transfer characteristics in a second grade fluid over a stretching sheet with prescribed surface temperature including the effects of frictional heating, internal heat generation or absorption, and work due to deformation. In order to solve the fourth-order non-linear differential equation, associated with the flow problem, a fourth boundary condition is augmented and a proper sign for the normal stress modulus is used. It is observed that for a physical flow problem the solution is unique. The solutions for the temperature and the heat transfer characteristics are obtained numerically and presented by a table and graphs. Furthermore, it is shown that the heat flow is always from the stretching sheet to the fluid.
Industry racial employment by skill level: The effects of market structure and racial wage gaps

Theories of expense preference suggest that market power gives employers the latitude to engage in employment discrimination. Additionally, labor market theory indicates that discrimination should cause a larger decline in black employment for prevalent and easily replaced low-skill workers relative to scarce, high-skill workers. Using industry-level data, we examine the relationship between worker skill level, market structure, and racial employment and we find that noncompetitive market structure reduces black employment for low-skill workers. In general, our findings indicate that market structure has less influence on the racial composition of highly trained workers relative to easily replaced low-skill workers
Oncology Fellows' Career Plans, Expectations, and Well-Being: Do Fellows Know What They Are Getting Into?

Purpose To evaluate the career plans, professional expectations, and well-being of oncology fellows compared with actual experiences of practicing oncologists. Methods US oncology fellows taking the 2013 Medical Oncology In-Training Examination (MedOnc ITE) were invited to participate in an optional postexamination survey. The survey evaluated fellows' career plans and professional expectations and measured burnout, quality of life (QOL), fatigue, and satisfaction with work-life balance (WLB) using standardized instruments. Fellows' professional expectations and well-being were compared with actual experiences of US oncologists assessed simultaneously. Results Of the 1,637 oncology fellows in the United States, 1,373 (83.9%) took the 2013 MedOnc ITE. Among these, 1,345 (97.9%) completed the postexamination survey. The frequency of burnout among fellows decreased from 43.3% in year 1 to 31.7% in year 2 and 28.1% in year 3 (P < .001). Overall, the rate of burnout among fellows and practicing oncologists was...
The association of interpersonal trauma with somatic symptom severity in a primary care population with chronic pain: exploring the role of gender and the mental health sequelae of trauma

Abstract Objective Female trauma survivors develop somatic symptoms more frequently than males. We propose a model for somatic symptom development among trauma survivors, focusing on gender. Methods Among 597 urban primary care patients with chronic pain, we examined the association between somatic symptom severity and three interpersonal trauma types: 1) sexual trauma (ST), 2) intimate partner violence (IPV), and 3) childhood trauma history (≥ 3 adverse childhood experiences (3 + ACE)). We developed a structural equation model in which PTSD, depression, and substance abuse were evaluated as potential mediators of the path between trauma exposure and somatic symptom severity, and explored the role of gender in this model. Results 350 (59%) respondents were female; the mean age was 47. Women reported significantly more somatic symptoms than men, although somatic symptoms were increased among all interpersonal trauma survivors. In models in which the potential intervening variables are considered in aggregate, we did not find a signficant interaction between gender and trauma on somatic symptom severity, with the exception of 3 + ACEs. A structural equation model showed depression and substance abuse, for men, and depression, for women, were associated with somatic symptom severity. PTSD was not associated with somatic symptom severity. Paths from trauma exposures to mental health sequelae were stronger for men. Conclusions Women have more severe somatic symptoms. With the exception of 3 + ACEs, the association between trauma and somatic symptoms is amplified in both genders. Structural equation models showed the pathways differed by gender in function and strength of association.
Physical activity, biliary lipids, and gallstones in obese subjects.

Abstract OBJECTIVE: Gallstone disease is a major source of morbidity in the US. Reduced physical activity has been shown to be a risk factor for gallstone formation in recent studies; however, the mechanisms to explain how physical activity may protect against gallstone formation have not been well elucidated. We investigated the relationships between physical activity, biliary lipids, and gallstone disease. METHODS: Three types of habitual physical activity (work, sport, and leisure time), biliary lipids, and serum lipids were estimated or measured in 53 obese subjects undergoing gastric bypass surgery. These physical activities were defined as activity at work, sport activity during leisure time, and activity during leisure time excluding sports, respectively. RESULTS: We found that sport activity but not work and leisure time activities was inversely associated with gallstone disease. Lower levels of biliary bile salts and percent biliary bile salts (expressed in percentage of total biliary lipids) and higher levels of percent cholesterol were also found to be associated with gallstone disease. A lower level of sport activity appeared to be associated with higher levels of biliary cholesterol, percent biliary cholesterol, and serum triglycerides. CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrate that low levels of physical activity are associated with gallstone formation. Our study also suggests that a possible mechanism for the protective effect of physical activity on gallstone formation is the lowering of biliary cholesterol levels, thus preventing cholesterol from precipitating in the bile. In addition, our data suggest that sport activity is a more effective form of physical activity than working and leisure activities in the prevention of gallstone disease.
Selective, tight-binding inhibitors of integrin α4β1 that inhibit allergic airway responses

Integrin alpha4beta1 mediates leukocyte recruitment, activation, mediator release, and apoptosis inhibition, and it plays a central role in inflammatory pathophysiology. High-affinity, selective inhibitors of alpha4beta1, based on the Leu-Asp-Val (LDV) sequence from the alternatively spliced connecting segment-1 (CS-1) peptide of cellular fibronectin, are described that employ a novel N-terminal peptide "cap" strategy. One inhibitor, BIO-1211, was approximately 10(6)-fold more potent than the starting peptide and exhibited tight-binding properties (koff = 1.4 x 10(-4) s-1, KD = 70 pM), a remarkable finding for a noncovalent, small-molecule inhibitor of a protein receptor. BIO-1211 was also 200-fold selective for the activated form of alpha4beta1, and it stimulated expression of ligand-induced epitopes on the integrin beta1 subunit, a property consistent with occupancy of the receptor's ligand-binding site. Pretreatment of allergic sheep with a 3-mg nebulized dose of BIO-1211 inhibited early and late airway responses following antigen challenge and prevented development of nonspecific airway hyperresponsiveness to carbachol. These results show that highly selective and potent small-molecule antagonists can be identified to integrins with primary specificity for peptide domains other than Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD); they confirm the generality of integrins as small molecule targets; and they validate alpha4beta1 as a therapeutic target for asthma.
Synthesis and biological evaluation of 6',7'-dihydroxybergamottin (6,7-DHB), a naturally occurring inhibitor of cytochrome P450 3A4

Abstract The recently isolated inhibitor of cytochrome P450 CYP3A4, 6′,7′-dihydroxybergamottin (6,7-DHB), was synthesized by an efficient route that is readily adaptable to the production of analogues. The compound was evaluated as an inhibitor of 3A4 in a purified enzyme preparation, as well as against human liver microsomes and human 3A4 expressed in Escherichia coli membrane. In each case, 6,7-DHB proved to be a potent NADPH- and time dependent inactivator of 3A4.
On the Number of Transitions Entering the States of a Finite Automaton

In recent years adaptive threshold ele-ments have been used as the basis for learning machines such as the Perceptron [1] and Adaline [2]. To the author's knowledge there has been no previously reported work on a systematic study of algorithms, used in learning machines, to modify the weightvalues of threshold elements.
A state transition model for distributed query processing

A state transition model for the optimization of query processing in a distributed database system is presented. The problem is parameterized by means of a state describing the amount of processing that has been performed at each site where the database is located. A state transition occurs each time a new join or semijoin is executed. Dynamic programming is used to compute recursively the costs of the states and the globally optimal solution, taking into account communication and local processing costs. The state transition model is general enough to account for the possibility of parallel processing among the various sites, as well as for redundancy in the database. The model also permits significant reductions of the necessary computations by taking advantage of simple additivity and site-uniformity properties of a cost model, and of clever strategies that improve on the basic dynamic programming algorithm.
Effect of interphase structure on the debonding of polycarbonate from S-2 glass fibers

Abstract The effect of interphase structure on the debonding of polycarbonate from S-2 glass fibers has been studied. The shear strength, fracture toughness and hydrolyic stability of the interphases were measured in a single fiber composite of a continuous S-2 glass fiber embedded in a polycarbonate matrix. Polycarbonate oligomers were chemically grafted onto the glass fiber surfaces through use of a silicon tetrachloride intermediary and the properties of the resulting interphases were compared with those of two commercial sizings and ozone-cleaned surfaces. Evaluation was accomplished by measuring the stress transmission across the interphase, τ, by carrying the embedded single fiber fragmentation test to saturation and by using computer simulations and a finite element analysis to calculate the strain energy release rate, G, of the observed fiber-matrix debonding accompanying the first fiber fracture. The oligomer-grafted interphase exhibited improved stress transmissibility and toughness, after 24 ho...
Experimental and Analytical Studies of 28-Pin Thin Small Outline Package (TSOP) Solder-Joint Reliability

The reliability of 0.5 mm pitch, 28-Pin Thin Small Outline Package (TSOP) solder joints has been studied by experimental temperature cycling and a cost-effective 3-D nonlinear finite element analysis. Temperature cycling results have been presented as a Weibull distribution, and an acceleration factor has been established for the failure rate at operating conditions. Thermal fatigue life of the corner solder joints has been estimated based on the calculated plastic strain, Coffin-Manson equation, and isothermal fatigue data on solders. A correlation between the experimental and analytical results has also been made. Furthermore, failure analysis of the solder joints has been performed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and an optical method.
Developmental and adult expression of semaphorin 2a in the cricket Gryllus bimaculatus

Developmental guidance cues act to direct growth cones to their correct targets in the nervous system. Recent experiments also demonstrate that developmental cues are expressed in the adult mammalian nervous system, although their function in the brain is not yet clear. The semaphorin gene family has been implicated in the growth of dendrites and axons in a number of different species. While the expression of semaphorin and its influence on tibial pioneer neurons in the developing limb bud have been well characterized in the grasshopper, the expression of semaphorin 2a (sema2a) has not been explored in the adult insect. In this study we used polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with degenerate and genespecific primers to clone part of the secreted form of sema2a from Gryllus bimaculatus. Using in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry, we confirmed that sema2a mRNA and protein expression patterns in the embryonic cricket were similar to that seen in the grasshopper. We also showed that tibial neuron development in crickets was comparable to that described in grasshopper. An examination of both developing and adult cricket brains showed that sema2a mRNA and protein were expressed in the Kenyon cells in mushroom bodies, an area involved in learning and memory. Sema2a expression was most obvious near the apex of the mushroom body in a region surrounding the neurogenic tip, which produces neurons throughout the life of the cricket. We discuss the role of neurogenesis in learning and memory and the potential involvement of semaphorin in this process. J. Comp. Neurol. 503: 169‐181, 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. Indexing terms: mushroom body; limb bud; tibial pioneer neurons; axon guidance
Methyl 2-(methylthio)benzoate: the unique sulfur-containing sex pheromone of Phyllophaga crinita

The female-produced sex pheromone of Phyllophaga crinita (Burmeister) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae; the adult has no common name) is identified as methyl 2-(methylthio)benzoate. This is the first identification of a sulfur-containing, long-distance, female-produced sex attractant from any insect taxa. The root-feeding larvae of this species are serious pests in many crops in Texas and Mexico. In field tests, many P. crinita males were captured in traps baited with the authentic compound. Interestingly, a heteroatom analog, methyl 2-methoxybenzoate, also captured P. crinita males, but only at a dose 10,000 times higher than the lowest tested dose of the authentic pheromone.
RADIATION-INDUCED IRREVERSIBLE G(0) G(1) BLOCK IS ABOLISHED IN HUMAN-DIPLOID FIBROBLASTS TRANSFECTED WITH THE HUMAN PAPILLOMA-VIRUS E6 GENE - IMPLICATION OF THE P53-CIP1 WAF1 PATHWAY

It has been shown previously with human diploid fibroblasts that a fraction of cells remains irreversibly blocked in the G(0)/G(1) phase of the cell cycle when the cells are irradiated in confluent, density-inhibited cultures and released by subculture to low density. In the present study we demonstrate that this G(0)/G(1) block is abolished when a human fibroblast cell strain is transfected with the human papilloma virus 16 E6 gene. Corresponding to the abolition of the G(0)/G(1) block in the E6-transfected cells, the expression of both the p53 and WAF1 genes is also abolished, suggesting that the p53 pathway of DNA damage response may be involved in this phenomenon.
A fast and accurate O(1) solution to the low-frequency breakdown problem of fullwave solvers

In this work, a fast full-wave finite-element based solution is developed to eliminate the low frequency breakdown problem in a reduced system of order one. It is applicable to general 3-D problems involving ideal as well as nonideal conductors immersed in inhomogeneous, lossless, lossy, and dispersive materials. The accuracy of the proposed method is theoretically guaranteed. Instead of introducing additional computational cost to fix the low-frequency breakdown problem of fullwave solvers, the proposed method significantly speeds up the low-frequency computation with its O(1) solution.
Branch specific and spike-order specific action potential invasion in basal, oblique, and apical dendrites of cortical pyramidal neurons

In neocortical pyramidal neurons, action potentials (APs) propagate from the axon into the dendritic tree to influence distal synapses. Traditionally, AP backpropagation was studied in the thick apical trunk. Here, we used the principles of optical imaging developed by Cohen to investigate AP invasion into thin dendritic branches (basal, oblique, and tuft) of prefrontal cortical L5 pyramidal neurons. Multisite optical recordings from neighboring dendrites revealed a clear dichotomy between two seemingly equal dendritic branches belonging to the same cell ("sister branches"). We documented the variable efficacy of AP invasion in basal and oblique branches by revealing their AP voltage waveforms. Using fast multisite calcium imaging, we found that trains of APs are filtered differently between two apical tuft branches. Although one dendritic branch passes all spikes in an AP train, another branch belonging to the same neuron, same cortical layer, and same path distance from the cell body, experiences only one spike. Our data indicate that the vast differences in dendritic voltage and calcium transients, detected in dendrites of pyramidal neurons, arise from a nonuniform distribution of A-type [Formula: see text] conductance, an aggregate number of branch points in the path of the AP propagation and minute differences in dendritic diameter.
Acute toxicity and skin corrosion data for some organic and inorganic compounds and aqueous solutions.

Abstract A table of acute toxicity and skin corrosion data is presented for about 110 organic and inorganic compounds and aqueous solutions. Although the chemicals tested are not new, either as commercial materials or as potential hazards to humans, basic toxicological data was lacking in many areas. The present report is an attempt to provide such fundamental acute toxicity data for these compounds.
Residue polynomial systems

In this paper, we present the basic ideas of the residue polynomial system (RPS), a polynomial analog of the familiar residue number systems (RNS) of integer arithmetic. Many of the properties of the RNS are shared by the RPS. The main exception is that division of polynomials in the RPS is much more tractable than its integer counterpart. Examples are included throughout. The underlying field of coefficients for polynomials under consideration can be the reals or the rationals, though extension to the complex field will be needed for division by irreducible quadratic factors.
Simulating total-dose radiation effects on circuit behavior

Using RAD, a new module of Berkeley Reliability Tools (BERT), as a tool, users can design circuits to be radiation hard and characterize circuit behavior in environments where radiation is present. Previous simulators could not provide circuit output waveforms after radiation because it was difficult to simulate the effect of radiation on a circuit in operation (AC bias condition) and because radiation affected MOSFETs of different processes in different ways. We have dealt with these problems and for the first time, successfully provided "SPICE-like" simulation results. >
MOS field threshold increase by phosphorus-implanted field

The threshold voltage of the field regions of p-channel Si gate devices can be controllably increased by phosphorus ion implantation prior to field oxidation without any additional masking step. For a 1.25-µ field oxide thickness, an increase of more than 20 V in intermediate field threshold can be achieved without lowering junction breakdown voltage.
Multilayer surface films coexisting with crystallites in model Fe/Al2O3 catalysts

Abstract In the case of iron on alumina model catalysts, contiguous patches of multilayer surface films have been observed to coexist with three-dimensional crystallites, following high-temperature oxygen treatment. The films are clearly visible around the particles in the electron micrographs. The film is likely to exist also farther away from the particles, but it is too thin to be directly observed. The existence of such a film on the substrate away from the crystallites is, however, inferred indirectly from the diminished sharpness of the substrate grain boundaries in oxygen as compared to that in hydrogen, and also from the formation of a large number of new particles on subsequent hydrogen treatment. In some instances, the visible films extend out farther and contact those around other crystallites thus generating patches of thick films which interconnect a few separated, neighboring crystallites. Following oxygen treatment, thermodynamic and kinetic conditions for wetting are so favorable that relatively small crystallites of the spectrum, but as large as 500 A, have been observed to have almost completely spread out, leaving only a patch behind. When such spreading occurs, the subsequent high-temperature reduction leads to the formation of a large number of new particles on the substrate even in the regions where particles were not present. The new particles form probably as a result of either the rupture of a contiguous multilayer surface film and the subsequent contraction of the resulting patches, or by the contraction of unconnected, extended patches of film present on the substrate. Thermodynamic considerations are employed to explain the stability of the thin surface film in an oxidizing atmosphere and its instability and rupture during subsequent reduction.
Use and diversion of medical marijuana among adults admitted to inpatient psychiatry

Background: Marijuana use is associated with anxiety, depressive, psychotic, neurocognitive, and substance use disorders. Many US states are legalizing marijuana for medical uses. Objective: To det...
Communication and Russia: Evolving media in a changing society

Abstract In the midst of societal change, even chaos, the Russian media are striving to establish their role in that change, in society and in the political process. The evolution of Russian media, and the factors influencing that evolution, ensure that the result will be significantly different than the expected typical Western model. Based on personal interviews with senior media executives, editors, correspondents and reporters (both Russian journalists and Western journalists in Russia) insights are provided to the historical, cultural, economic and political forces shaping Russian media in this time of turmoil. Observations on the current state of media and societal developmental trends help to predict the future function and role of media in Russian society. Parallels and contrasts with the development of Western media and society lend interesting perspective to what is a society and a people searching for themselves, pointing to the uniquely Russian role that media will play in the process and ultimately in the society.
The lognormal approach to predicting local distributions of selective mining unit grades

When planning highly selective mining operations, the challenge is to estimate mineable ore reserves that will be selected at the mining stage. From exploration data it is not possible to estimate accurately the grade (or thickness) of each future selective mining unit; however, it is possible to estimate the local distributions of these mining unit grades within large panels suitable for long-range mine planning. Application of a cut-off then allows estimation of the recovered ore tonnage and grade within each such panel. Derivation of local conditional distributions is rather simple when the grade is either normally or lognormally distributed. The geologically important lognormal case is fully described both in the stationary and the nonstationary case. Cross validations of these techniques using the exploration data of the Imouraren uranium deposit are presented.
Freedom and the market

Those who believe that the free market is positively related to both economic efficiency and individual freedom are prone to regard resistance to the establishment of the global market essentially free from any serious sociopolitical constraint as a politically insignificant expression of impatience, ignorance, and hypocrisy. This article attempts to endow the manifestation of discontent with the status quo evident in public protests in Seattle and Washington DC with political significance through explicating it as an expression of a fundamental conflict between economic efficiency and individual freedom inherent in the global implementation of the principle of self-regulating markets. This analysis of the antiglobalization movement is conducted from the perspective of the theoretical foundation of the evaluation of the dynamics of capitalism by Polanyi, Hayek, and Keynes, and its conclusions are brought to bear upon the validity of their contesting views of the relationship between economic efficiency and individual freedom.
Origin and Differentiation of the Inner Follicular Cells during Oogenesis in Molgula pacifica (Urochordata), an Ascidian without Test Cells

In Molgula pacifica small previtellogenic oocytes are found between cells of the ovarian epithelium. Each oocyte subsequently grows within a compartment of the epithelium known as a primary follicle. The wall of the primary follicle is composed of outer follicular epithelial cells. While growing from about 15–70 μm in diameter, each oocyte gradually recruits a set of about 950 non-epithelial inner follicular cells. These cells co-differentiate in sets with each oocyte, but test cells never appear. The first filamentous components of the vitelline coat appear on the surface of an oocyte in places where it is in contact with undifferentiated (stage 2) inner follicular cells. Each fully differentiated inner follicular cell stores adhesive precursors in a large compartment of the endoplasmic reticulum and probably secretes components of the vitelline coat. There is no evidence that the outer follicular epithelial cells transform into inner follicular cells by dedifferentiation as has often been assumed. Inner follicular cells, in stage 1, are nearly identical to hemoblasts. Hemoblasts may form the inner follicular cells, but to do this they would have to cross the outer follicular epithelium and this phenomenon has not yet been seen.
P2X7 receptors regulate multiple types of membrane trafficking responses and non-classical secretion pathways

Activation of the P2X7 receptor (P2X7R) triggers a remarkably diverse array of membrane trafficking responses in leukocytes and epithelial cells. These responses result in altered profiles of cell surface lipid and protein composition that can modulate the direct interactions of P2X7R-expressing cells with other cell types in the circulation, in blood vessels, at epithelial barriers, or within sites of immune and inflammatory activation. Additionally, these responses can result in the release of bioactive proteins, lipids, and large membrane complexes into extracellular compartments for remote communication between P2X7R-expressing cells and other cells that amplify or modulate inflammation, immunity, and responses to tissue damages. This review will discuss P2X7R-mediated effects on membrane composition and trafficking in the plasma membrane (PM) and intracellular organelles, as well as actions of P2X7R in controlling various modes of non-classical secretion. It will review P2X7R regulation of: (1) phosphatidylserine distribution in the PM outer leaflet; (2) shedding of PM surface proteins; (3) release of PM-derived microvesicles or microparticles; (4) PM blebbing; (5) cell–cell fusion resulting in formation of multinucleate cells; (6) phagosome maturation and fusion with lysosomes; (7) permeability of endosomes with internalized pathogen-associated molecular patterns; (8) permeability/integrity of mitochondria; (9) exocytosis of secretory lysosomes; and (10) release of exosomes from multivesicular bodies.
Ion-Cyclotron-Frequency Stabilization of Internal Kink Mode and Sawtooth Oscillations in Tokamaks

It is proposed that the ponderomotive force due to applied ion-cyclotron resonance-frequency waves can stabilize the internal kink mode in tokamaks. The sufficient stability criterion is derived and the necessary power estimated. It is concluded that at the rf power level, present in the Joint European Torus experiment, the ponderomotive force effects are significant and may be responsible for the modification of the sawtooth activity observed in recent experiments.
EFFECT OF STEROIDS ON GROWTH OF MOUSE FIBROBLASTS IN VITRO.

Fibroblasts of Clone 929-L were incubated in medium containing various concentrations of cortisol, tetrahydrocortisol, 11-desoxycortisol, dexamethasone, prednisolone, fluocinolone acetonide and fluocinolone acetonide acetate. Growth curves constructed by counting cells on days 3, 5 and 7 after inoculation into roller tubes showed tetrahydrocortisol to be without growth-inhibitory action below 25 ng/ml, while 11-desoxycortisol inhibited growth at concentrations as low as 1 μg/ml. The order of increasing activity of the other compounds was cortisol, prednisolone, dexamethasone, fluocinolone acetonide and fluocinolone acetonide acetate, the last 2 still having significant growth-inhibitory activity at 0.00075 μg/ml. None of the other steroids studied had such activity at 0.001 μg/ml. Morphologic changes induced by these steroids included disintegration of cytoplasm and nucleus, and loss of cell processes. One of the steroids tested was also found to have growthenhancing effects, and was able to partly revers...
RELATIVE POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBON CONCENTRATIONS IN UNSTEADY COUNTERFLOW DIFFUSION FLAMES

ABSTRACT Qualitative measurements of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations made in counterflow diffusion flames subjected to both steady and oscillating strain rates are presented. Planar laser-induced fluorescences was used to make spatially and temporally resolved measurements of the relative concentrations of PAH. The measurements for each PAH size class were made as a function of strain rate, forcing frequency, and fuel type. The peak laser-induced fluorescence spectra from PAHs is known to be a function of the number of benzene rings that make up the particular PAH. It was found that, with increasing strain rate, the intensity of PAH fluorescence decreases dramatically, though unequally, among the three size classes measured. With an unsteady strain rate, the PAH intensity oscillates in phase for frequencies below 50 Hz. When nondimensionalized relative concentration is plotted, it is shown that the smaller PAHs continue to respond to the instantaneous strain rate at a higher frequency...
Through Si vias using liquid metal conductors for re-workable 3D electronics

This paper describes the design and fabrication of liquid metal interconnects (vias) for 2.5D and 3D integration. The liquid metal is gallium indium eutectic (78.6% Ga, 21.4% In) with a melting temperature of approximately 15.7 °C, which is introduced into via openings of a silicon interposer. This liquid metal interconnect technology can be integrated with existing interposer technologies, including capacitors and traditional (solid metal) through-silicon vias (TSVs). We anticipate that liquid metal interconnects can better accommodate thermal stresses and provide re-workability in case of chip failure or upgrade. We determined the liquid metal resistance to be 1.67 KΩ at room temperature and observed an increase in the resistance to 5.6 KΩ at 37°C.
Laser-scanning astrocyte mapping reveals increased glutamate-responsive domain size and disrupted maturation of glutamate uptake following neonatal cortical freeze-lesion

Astrocytic uptake of glutamate shapes extracellular neurotransmitter dynamics, receptor activation, and synaptogenesis. During development, glutamate transport becomes more robust. How neonatal brain insult affects the functional maturation of glutamate transport remains unanswered. Neonatal brain insult can lead to developmental delays, cognitive losses, and epilepsy; the disruption of glutamate transport is known to cause changes in synaptogenesis, receptor activation, and seizure. Using the neonatal freeze-lesion (FL) model, we have investigated how insult affects the maturation of astrocytic glutamate transport. As lesioning occurs on the day of birth, a time when astrocytes are still functionally immature, this model is ideal for identifying changes in astrocyte maturation following insult. Reactive astrocytosis, astrocyte proliferation, and in vitro hyperexcitability are known to occur in this model. To probe astrocyte glutamate transport with better spatial precision we have developed a novel technique, Laser Scanning Astrocyte Mapping (LSAM), which combines glutamate transport current (TC) recording from astrocytes with laser scanning glutamate photolysis. LSAM allows us to identify the area from which a single astrocyte can transport glutamate and to quantify spatial heterogeneity in the rate of glutamate clearance kinetics within that domain. Using LSAM, we report that cortical astrocytes have an increased glutamate-responsive area following FL and that TCs have faster decay times in distal, as compared to proximal processes. Furthermore, the developmental shift from GLAST- to GLT-1-dominated clearance is disrupted following FL. These findings introduce a novel method to probe astrocyte glutamate uptake and show that neonatal cortical FL disrupts the functional maturation of cortical astrocytes.
Testosterone metabolism in imposex and normal Ilyanassa obsoleta: Comparison of Field and TBTA Cl-induced imposex

Abstract Tributyltin (TBT) is a marine biocide that alters activity of cytochrome P450 (P450) monooxygenases and elicits androgenization in gastropod molluscs. This study was conducted to determine whether testosterone metabolism was altered in field collected and TBT-induced imposex female mud snail, I. obsoleta. Normal and imposex snails were collected from two field sites. Imposex was induced by exposing normal snails to 2.5, 5.0, 10, 20, or 200 ng TBT l−1 seawater for 45 days at 19°C. Testosterone metabolism was studied by exposing snails to [14C]-testosterone for 24 h and determining conversion by phase I (P450s and reductases) and phase II (transferases) enzymes. All snails took up similar levels of testosterone from seawater, and radioactivity partitioned primarily into gonad/digestive gland complex. Testosterone was metabolized primarily by reductases. Field collected imposex snails had decreased rates of reduced metabolites, while there was no overall change in testosterone metabolism in TBT-induced imposex snails. These findings indicate that field-collected imposex snails metabolize testosterone differently from normal snails, as well as from TBT-induced imposex snails.
NON-DETECTION OF L-BAND LINE EMISSION FROM THE EXOPLANET HD189733b

We attempt to confirm bright non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (non-LTE) emission from the exoplanet HD 189733b at 3.25 μm, as recently reported by Swain et al. based on observations at low spectral resolving power (λ/δλ ≈ 30). Non-LTE emission lines from gas in an exoplanet atmosphere will not be significantly broadened by collisions, so the measured emission intensity per resolution element must be substantially brighter when observed at high spectral resolving power. We observed the planet before, during, and after a secondary eclipse event at a resolving power λ/δλ = 27, 000 using the NIRSPEC spectrometer on the Keck II telescope. Our spectra cover a spectral window near the peak found by Swain et al., and we compare emission cases that could account for the magnitude and wavelength dependence of the Swain et al. result with our final spectral residuals. To model the expected line emission, we use a general non-equilibrium formulation to synthesize emission features from all plausible molecules that emit in this spectral region. In every case, we detect no line emission to a high degree of confidence. After considering possible explanations for the Swain et al. results and the disparity with our own data, we conclude that an astrophysical source for the putative non-LTE emission is unlikely. We note that the wavelength dependence of the signal seen by Swain et al. closely matches the 2ν_2 band of water vapor at 300 K, and we suggest that an imperfect correction for telluric water is the source of the feature claimed by Swain et al.
Hot Zone Formation during Hydrogenation of Ethylene and Acetylene Mixtures in a Shallow Packed Bed Reactor

Localized hot spots have been observed in industrial reactors during the catalytic hydrogenation of acetylene present in ethylene-rich mixtures used as feed to polymerization reactors. It is important to determine the cause of these hot spots. Infrared imaging revealed that the transversal temperature on top of a shallow packed bed was not uniform during the hydrogenation of mixtures of ethylene and acetylene. Temperature patterns were observed only under relatively high conversion of ethylene, which is rather different from the operation of commercial acetylene purification reactors. Two qualitatively different nonuniform temperature patterns were observed: (a) antiphase oscillatory patterns and (b) nonuniform stationary hot zones. The periodic antiphase behavior, observed in approximately 60% of the experiments, consisted of a long period (35−50 min) during which the catalyst temperature was essentially at a pseudostationary state. Then, during a rather short period (3−5 min), the hot region moved from...
Structures and functional implications of an AMP-binding cystathionine β-synthase domain protein from a hyperthermophilic archaeon

Abstract Cystathionine β-synthase domains are found in a myriad of proteins from organisms across the tree of life and have been hypothesized to function as regulatory modules that sense the energy charge of cells. Here we characterize the structure and stability of PAE2072, a dimeric tandem cystathionine β-synthase domain protein from the hyperthermophilic crenarchaeon Pyrobaculum aerophilum . Crystal structures of the protein in unliganded and AMP-bound forms, determined at resolutions of 2.10 and 2.35 A, respectively, reveal remarkable conservation of key functional features seen in the γ subunit of the eukaryotic AMP-activated protein kinase. The structures also confirm the presence of a suspected intermolecular disulfide bond between the two subunits that is shown to stabilize the protein. Our AMP-bound structure represents a first step in investigating the function of a large class of uncharacterized prokaryotic proteins. In addition, this work extends previous studies that have suggested that, in certain thermophilic microbes, disulfide bonds play a key role in stabilizing intracellular proteins and protein–protein complexes.
Cholinergic neurons in the rabbit retina: dendritic branching and ultrastructural connectivity

The structure and synaptic connectivity of rabbit retinal cholinergic neurons have been studied with an immunocytochemical technique for the localization of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT). Cholinergic processes ramified in two narrow strata within the inner plexiform layer; viewed in the plane of the retina, each immunoreactive stratum took the form of a polygonal meshwork with openings of about 20 μm. There was frequently an extensive matching of the patterns of the two strata, such that openings in one meshwork lay directly over openings of similar size in the other meshwork. It is hypothesized that the pattern of branching of these cholinergic processes is a reflection of the branching pattern of ganglion cell dendrites in the cholinergic strata. The proximal cholinergic stratum was examined ultrastructurally, and had the following characteristics: (1) ChAT-immunoreactive processes made large numbers of synaptic contacts with ganglion cell dendrites; often there were many such ganglion cell dendrites running past each other at various angles within the plane of the cholinergic stratum; (2) cholinergic processes were never observed presynaptic to any other type of inner plexiform process; (3) the principal input onto cholinergic processes was provided by bipolar cell axon terminals; (4) ganglion cell dendrites within the cholinergic stratum also received direct bipolar input; and (5) unidentified (i.e. non-cholinergic and probably non-GABAergic) amacrine cell processes were often found that were presynaptic to these same ganglion cell dendrites, and that also formed reciprocal contacts with bipolar axon terminals within these synaptic complexes.