cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
R-phenylisopropyladenosine attenuates noise-induced hearing loss in the chinchilla.

Abstract Reactive oxygen species, which are cytotoxic to living tissues, are thought to be partly responsible for noise-induced hearing loss. In this study R-phenylisopropyladenosine (R-PIA), a stable non-hydrolyzable adenosine analogue which has been found effective in upregulating antioxidant enzyme activity levels, was topologically applied to the round window of the right ears of chinchillas. Physiological saline was applied to the round window of the left ears (control). The animals were then exposed to a 4 kHz octave band noise at 105 dB SPL for 4 h. Inferior colliculus evoked potential thresholds and distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE) were measured and hair cell damage was documented. The mean threshold shifts immediately after the noise exposure were 70–90 dB at frequencies between 2 and 16 kHz. There were no significant differences in threshold shifts at this point between the R-PIA-treated and control ears. By 4 days after noise exposure, however, the R-PIA-treated ears showed 20–30 dB more recovery than saline-treated ears at frequencies between 4 and 16 kHz. More importantly, threshold measurements made 20 days after noise exposure showed 10–15 dB less permanent threshold shifts in R-PIA-treated ears. The amplitudes of DPOAE also recovered to a greater extent and outer hair cell losses were less severe in the R-PIA-treated ears. The results suggest that administration of R-PIA facilitates the recovery process of the outer hair cell after noise exposure.
Use of Force-Feedback Joysticks to Promote Teamwork in Virtual Teleoperation

Force feedback about fellow team-member control actions was evaluated as a means to improve team coordination and performance in virtual teleoperation. Each member of a two-person team received continuous force feedback about the other team- member's joystick control movements. In Study 1 (N=22 teams), participants worked in parallel to control vertical and horizontal forces exerted on a simulated inertial object. Although force feedback improved joystick coordination between participants, teleoperation performance worsened. In Study 2 (N=24 teams) where participants instead had direct control over horizontal and vertical position of a cursor, force feedback improved both joystick coordination and teleoperation performance. Performance impairment in Study 1 may be explained by the visual feedback of inertial movements being asynchronous to the social force feedback. These findings suggest force feedback about team member control actions can benefit team coordination and performance during virtual teleoper...
The Competitive Binding of STAT3 and NF-κB on an Overlapping DNA Binding Site☆

Interleukin-1 (IL-1) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), two early-response cytokines expressed during an acute inflammatory reaction, regulate the expression of several acute phase proteins (APP) in the liver. IL-1 relays its signal to specific genes via NF-kappaB, whereas IL-6 sends its signal to the nucleus via STAT1alpha and STAT3. Interestingly, overlapping binding sites for STAT3 and NF-kappaB can be found on promoters of several APP genes. We show here that both STAT3 and NF-kappaB are active during inflammation and are capable of binding to a STAT3/NF-kappaB overlapping DNA motif derived from the alpha2-macroglobulin gene promoter. In vitro binding assays demonstrated that NF-kappaB competes with STAT3 binding on this probe. Our results suggest that these transcription factors regulate each others' function through competition for overlapping DNA binding sites.
Hypertensive crisis associated with renal cell carcinoma

Abstract This case report is of a fifty-five-year-old black man with renal cell carcinoma of the right kidney who suffered hypertensive crises during arteriography and radical nephrectomy.
A structured mesh boundary motion approach for simulating wind effects on bluff bodies with changing boundaries

Abstract In a number of computational fluid dynamics based wind engineering applications the possibility to move the boundary of the structure without having to re-mesh the computational domain represents a significant computational advantage. Examples of such applications are aerodynamic shape optimization, mesh generation around complicated geometric forms and simulations around bodies with time dependent rigid/deformable boundaries. Strategies for solving this type of problem have been widely investigated in both a general context—e.g. dynamic mesh, adaptive mesh refinement or embedded boundary method—as well as more specific cases such as aerospace applications and fluid–structure interaction problems. This paper focuses on developing an efficient method for morphing the kind of structured meshes often encountered in civil engineering applications that are characterized by complicated bluff bodies. In particular a coupled parametric user-defined boundary motion and dynamic mesh approach is proposed specifically for solving fluid simulation problems around such bodies. The method is focused on providing an efficient means for updating structured wall clustered boundary meshes, important for reliable turbulent flow simulations, where the aim is the estimation of the effects of small/local deformations of the boundary. A novel algorithm is also developed to protect/repair the mesh during boundary motion when folding, and therefore loss of mesh validity, is likely to occur. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is demonstrated on a number of structural engineering applications such as turbulent flows around chamfered corners of tall buildings, rapid mesh generation around geometrically more involved bluff bodies and forced oscillations of bridge decks.
Emergency control of power grid based on hybrid particle swarm optimization

When wavelet variation operation is increased on the basis of standard particle swarm optimization algorithm (SPSO), an innovative hybrid particle swarm optimization algorithm (HPSO) is formed. Based on the HPSO, aiming to the UHV power system containing 1000 kV and 500 kV, we can carry out the coordination optimization of emergency control for transient stability problem, here, the transient stability includes transient voltage stability and transient power Angle stability. Then we give a generator tripping strategy table for different UHV power flow section. The proposed HPSO-based approach has a better global convergence property and can obtain a higher quality of the optimal solution. Simulation results in the testing and demonstrating project of UHV power system show the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Low temperature detectors of particles

A number of fundamental scientific questions in particle and nuclear physics, astronomy, condensed matter science, and biological research require higher sensitivity and resolution, larger amounts of information, and a wider range of materials than offered by conventional detectors of particles (e.g., Si−Li or Ge ionization detectors). These needs are driving an intense development of novel low temperature detectors of particles using the small excitation energies available in superconductors (quasiparticles) and insulating crystals (phonons). After reviewing some of the most critical applications, this talk will map the recent progress made with devices based on superconducting transition, tunnel junctions and semiconductor thermistors.
The optimization of the double mask system to minimize the contact resistance of a Ti/Pt/Au contact

The fabrication of Ti/Pt/Au ohmic contacts on diamond using two transmission line model masks during the photolithography step was modified as a result of the adverse effects on the resistance from the rectifying lip created by the overlap of the two masks, and the possible inhibition of carbide formation due to the presence of oxygen on the diamond surface before metallization. The first modification consisted of decreasing the rectifying lip by diffusing a small amount of Ti from beneath the contact defined by the first mask, and decreasing the overlap of the two masks from 5 to 2 μm, which is close to the minimum allowable by our photolithography techniques. The second modification consisted of the desorption of oxygen from the diamond surface using a heat treatment in vacuum and cool down in purified hydrogen. As a result of these changes, the contact resistance was decreased by more than two orders of magnitude from 8.1 × 10-2 Ω-cm2 to 1.2 × 10-4 Ω-cm2.
Intercomparison of ETM+, MODIS, and SeaWiFS using a land test site

The Remote Sensing Group at the University of Arizona has recently shown the successful use of a cross-comparison approach between the high spatial resolution sensor Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) on the Landsat-7 platform and the 1-km footprint of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). This work showed that these two sensors compared to better than 5% in solar reflective bands not affected by atmospheric absorption. In this paper, the work is extended to include the 1-km spatial resolution sensor SeaWiFS as part of a three-way comparison. The method described here relies on data ground-based reflectance data to estimate the surface reflectance in the MODIS and SeaWiFS bands based on surface reflectance data derived from ETM+. The cross-comparison takes into account changes in solar zenith angle due to the time separation in overpass times of the three sensors and the differing view angles between SeaWiFS and the other two sensors (MODIS and ETM+, while 40 minutes apart view the test site with the same view angle). Also included are corrections due to the spectral differences between the sensors. Results show that the at-sensor reflectance agrees to better than 4% in the solar reflective for bands not affected by atmospheric absorption and view angles out to 35 degrees.
Successful Intravenous Thrombolysis for Acute Stroke in a Child

We report an 8-year-old white girl with no previous medical history who developed sudden onset right hemiplegia, left gaze preference, and global aphasia. An acute left middle cerebral artery stroke syndrome was diagnosed. She was treated with intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator, 2 hours after the onset of symptoms. A magnetic resonance image demonstrated an acute left middle cerebral artery stroke, and a magnetic resonance angiography showed a patent left middle cerebral artery. At discharge, she was able to speak normally and walk without support. She was also able to raise the right arm up to the level of the shoulder and showed increased motility of the hand and fingers. No treatment-related complications happened. To the best of our knowledge, this is, so far, the youngest child successfully treated with intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator for acute ischemic stroke.
A nanoscale optical biosensor: The long range distance dependence of the localized surface plasmon resonance of noble metal nanoparticles

The elucidation of the long range distance dependence of the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of surface-confined noble metal nanoparticles is the aim of this work. It was suspected that the linear distance dependence found in CH3(CH2)xSH self-assembled monolayer (SAM) formation was the thin shell limit of a longer range, nonlinear dependence. To verify this, multilayer SAM shells based on the interaction of HOOC(CH2)10SH and Cu2+ were assembled onto surface-confined noble metal nanoparticles and were monitored using UV−visible spectroscopy. Measurement of the LSPR extinction peak shift versus number of layers and adsorbate thickness is nonlinear and has a sensing range that is dependent on the composition, shape, in-plane width, and out-of-plane height of the nanoparticles. Theoretical calculations based on an accurate electrodynamics description of the metal nanoparticle plus surrounding layered material indicate plasmon resonance wavelength shifts that are in excellent agreement with the meas...
Alteration and fracturing of siliceous mudstone during in situ combustion, Orcutt field, California

Abstract Changes in rock mineralogical composition and in fracture density and distribution resulting from natural in situ combustion of hydrocarbons were characterized to infer comparable processes of alteration and fracturing during enhanced oil production from heavy oil reservoirs by in situ combustion or fireflooding. Natural combustion alteration was studied in siliceous mudstone of the Miocene Sisquoc Formation at Orcutt oil field, California, where centers of most intense combustion alteration are composed of 1–2 m thick tabular zones of brecciated clinker. These centers are surrounded by 10–20 m wide alteration haloes of oxidized and sintered oxidized mudstone and an outer fringe of coked organic matter. Based on the stability of mineral phases around an individual combustion center, peak temperatures of combustion were estimated to have reached 1100 °C at the center of combustion, tapering off to about 350 °C at the outer edge of the coked zone. Changes in fracture density, distribution, and style were quantified based on fracture scanline measurements across alteration zones and in unaltered mudstone. With increasing alteration, newly formed fractures connect with and intersect preexisting tectonic joints, providing an isotropic permeability structure for fluid flow. Addition of newly formed fractures to the existing joint systems is distinctly developed in oxidized mudstone, corresponding to alteration temperatures of about 750–800 °C, and well developed in sintered oxidized mudstone that formed at inferred temperatures of about 900 °C. Fractures with large aperture to length ratios in clinker are inferred to have formed at peak temperatures of about 1100 °C. Based on alteration haloes around tectonic and combustion-induced fractures, it is demonstrated that these fractures contributed significantly to flow of air or steam during combustion. Combustion zone centers are inferred to follow faults and joint zones that contained hydrocarbons that migrated into these migration conduits prior to and possibly during combustion. The natural combustion alteration is interpreted as the result of slowly outward moving alteration fronts around stationary combustion centers. The observed alteration distribution and associated pattern of induced fractures may thus be considered a natural outcrop analog of alteration associated with a well-developed combustion front during fireflooding of heavy oil reservoirs. Although peak temperatures at Orcutt oil field likely exceeded temperatures characteristic of firefloods, fractures similar to those formed in the outer alteration zones may enhance the flow of oxidant to combustion fronts and of light hydrocarbons to production wells in firefloods.
Target flexibility in molecular recognition

Abstract Induced-fit effects are well known in the binding of small molecules to proteins and other macromolecular targets. Among other targets, protein kinases are particularly flexible proteins, so that such effects should be considered in attempts at structure-based inhibitor design for kinase targets. This paper outlines some recent progress in methods for including target flexibility in computational studies of molecular recognition. A focus is the “relaxed complex method,” in which ligands are docked to an ensemble of conformations of the target, and the best complexes are re-scored to provide predictions of optimal binding geometries. Early applications of this method have suggested a new approach to the development of inhibitors of HIV-1 Integrase.
Initial-value problems in quantum field theory in the large-N approximation

We derive the time-evolution equations appropriate to initial-value problems in \ensuremath{\lambda}(${\ensuremath{\varphi}}_{\ensuremath{\alpha}}$${\ensuremath{\varphi}}_{\ensuremath{\alpha}}$${)}^{2}$ field theory at large N. The Heisenberg equations of motion for this theory are compared to the Schr\"odinger equation for a wave functional constrained to be in a Gaussian state [the time-dependent Hartree-Fock (TDHF) ansatz]. The TDHF ansatz corresponds to a special choice of initial conditions for the general large-N Heisenberg equations of motion. The renormalization of the theory is discussed in both approaches and a simple method is given to arrive at finite differential equations suitable for numerical integration forward in time. A necessary and sufficient general condition for these equations to be finite is that the initial state contain a finite average number of particles and/or correlated particle pairs per unit volume.
Linker dependence of energy and hole transfer in neutral and oxidized multiporphyrin arrays.

The excited-state photodynamics of the neutral and one-electron-oxidized forms of five porphyrin dyads were studied in benzonitrile containing tetrabutylammonium hexafluorophosphate as the supporting electrolyte. Each dyad contains a zinc porphyrin (Zn) and a free base porphyrin (Fb) joined by a linear biphenylene (Φ2), terphenylene (Φ3), quaterphenylene (Φ4), diphenylbutadiyne (L), or phenylethyne (E) linker (ZnFbΦ2, ZnFbΦ3, ZnFbΦ4, ZnFbL, ZnFbE). The findings along with recent results on the neutral and oxidized forms of ZnFb dyads containing a diphenylethyne or phenylene linker (ZnFbU, ZnFbΦ) and steric hindrance to porphyrin−linker internal rotation at one or both ends of a diarylethyne linker (ZnFbD, ZnFbP, ZnFbB) give insights into the effects of linker characteristics (length, orbital energies, orbital overlap with the porphyrins) on the rate constants for excited-state energy transfer, excited-state hole transfer, and ground-state hole transfer. Analysis of the results is aided by density function...
Language Learners and Multimedia Literacy In and After School

This study examines how 20 English Language Learners (ELLs) utilized multimedia as part of their in-school instruction and after-school programme at a technology-intensive urban middle school. Qualitative data, including observations, surveys, interviews and student-produced texts, were collected across an academic year. Data were analyzed to examine the range of multimedia literacy practices that characterized ELL learning during class time across their core subject areas as well as during a school-based after-school digital storytelling club. Findings indicate that, despite the benefits of greater student involvement and better student facility with many software programs, several tensions also emerged, including the limited use of computers to support students in sustained academic work. The article concludes with a discussion of the pedagogical implications suggested by these findings and offers a discussion of possible frameworks for thinking about how to provide more extensive support for ELL studen...
PTEN expression in PTEN-null leukaemic T cell lines leads to reduced proliferation via slowed cell cycle progression

The balance of activities between the proto-oncogene phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) and the tumour suppressor gene PTEN has been shown to affect cellular growth and proliferation, as well as tumorigenesis. Previously, PTEN expression in the PTEN-null Jurkat T cell leukaemia line was shown to cause reduced proliferation without cell cycle arrest. Here, we further these investigations by determining the basis for this phenomenon. By BrdU pulse-chase and cell cycle arrest and release assays, we find that PTEN expression reduced proliferation by slowing progression through all phases of the cell cycle. This was associated with reduced levels of cyclins A, B1 and B2, cdk4, and cdc25A and increased p27KIP1 expression. Apoptosis played no role in the antiproliferative effect of PTEN, since only marginal increases in the rate of apoptosis were detected upon PTEN expression, and inhibitors of effector caspases did not restore proliferative capacity. Active Akt blocked the antiproliferative effects of PTEN, indicating that PTEN mediates its effects through conventional PI3K-linked signalling pathways. Similar results were obtained from a different PTEN-null leukaemia T cell line, CEM. Together, these results show that PTEN expression in leukaemic T cells leads to reduced proliferation via an apoptosis-independent mechanism involving slower passage through the cell cycle.
DEVELOPMENT OF ANATOMIC SCIENCE IN THE LATE MIDDLE AGES: THE ROLES PLAYED BY MONDINO DE LIUZZI AND GUIDO DA VIGEVANO

Medical historians generally consider anatomic science, as we know it today, to have been established through the pioneering work of Vesalius during the Renaissance. Although this is largely true, detailed assessment of the scientific advances made in the late Middle Ages, though not as spectacular as those made during the Renaissance period, did pave the way and form a foundation for subsequent progress. During the two centuries of AD 1300 to 1500, several worthwhile advances occurred. Many universities, centers of learning excellence, were established throughout Europe, most notably in Italy. King Frederick II, the Holy Roman Emperor, established guidelines for medical education and practice that seem to parallel current regulations. Human cadaveric dissection was performed, after a hiatus of over 1700 years, as the foundation for the study of anatomy. Observation of human dissection became a requirement for medical students. A manual for anatomic dissection was written, printed, and published for the first time in history by Mondino de Liuzzi. His student, Guido da Vigevano, who also had an engineering background, established two "firsts" of his own: providing illustrations of anatomy and designing the first automobile in history. The authors believe that the contributions of these two key anatomists in the late Middle Ages should not be forgotten.
Stathmin family protein SCG10 differentially regulates the plus and minus end dynamics of microtubules at steady state in vitro: implications for its role in neurite outgrowth.

SCG10 (superior cervical ganglia neural-specific 10 protein) is a neuron specific member of the stathmin family of microtubule regulatory proteins that like stathmin can bind to soluble tubulin and depolymerize microtubules. The direct actions of SCG10 on microtubules themselves and on their dynamics have not been investigated previously. Here, we analyzed the effects of SCG10 on the dynamic instability behavior of microtubules in vitro, both at steady state and early during microtubule polymerization. In contrast to stathmin, whose major action on dynamics is to destabilize microtubules by increasing the switching frequency from growth to shortening (the catastrophe frequency) at microtubule ends, SCG10 stabilized the plus ends both at steady state and early during polymerization by increasing the rate and extent of growth. For example, early during polymerization at high initial tubulin concentrations (20 μM), a low molar ratio of SCG10 to tubulin of 1:30 increased the growth rate by ∼50%. In contrast t...
When are habitat patches really islands

Here we present a method for determining whether habitat patches are truly functioning as habitat islands. We do so by assessing if the species distribution pattern across the islands, when compared to a mainland pattern, conforms to the predictions of the theory of island biogeography. The putative islands in our study are a series of hummocks in a swamp in the ES George Reserve, Pinckney, MI. We assess the tree flora on each hummock and find that hummocks that are at a distance from the mainland forest have fewer tree species than subsets of the mainland having the same area as the island. The four hummocks greater than 350 m from the mainland had significantly fewer species than mainland samples of the same size, while those less than 200 m away were not statistically different. These results suggest that at least some of the hummocks function as biological islands for trees.
The effects of inhaled acetone on place conditioning in adolescent rats.

Abstract Introduction Acetone is an ubiquitous ingredient in many household products (e.g., glue solvents, air fresheners, adhesives, nail polish, and paint) that is putatively abused; however, there is little empirical evidence to suggest that acetone alone has any abuse liability. Therefore, we systematically investigated the conditioned response to inhaled acetone in a place conditioning apparatus. Method Three groups of male, Sprague–Dawley rats were exposed to acetone concentrations of 5000, 10,000 or 20,000 ppm for 1 h in a conditioned place preference apparatus alternating with air for 6 pairing sessions. A place preference test ensued in an acetone-free environment. To test the preference of acetone as a function of pairings sessions, the 10,000 ppm group received an additional 6 pairings and an additional group received 3 pairings. The control group received air in both compartments. Locomotor activity was recorded by infrared photocells during each pairing session. Results We noted a dose response relationship to acetone at levels 5000–20,000 ppm. However, there was no correlation of place preference as a function of pairing sessions at the 10,000 ppm level. Locomotor activity was markedly decreased in animals on acetone-paired days as compared to air-paired days. Conclusion The acetone concentrations we tested for these experiments produced a markedly decreased locomotor activity profile that resemble CNS depressants. Furthermore, a dose response relationship was observed at these pharmacologically active concentrations, however, animals did not exhibit a positive place preference.
Functional Roles of Slow Enzyme Conformational Changes in Network Dynamics

Extensive studies from different fields reveal that many macromolecules, especially enzymes, show slow transitions among different conformations. This phenomenon is named such things as dynamic disorder, heterogeneity, hysteretic or mnemonic enzymes across these different fields, and has been directly demonstrated by single molecule enzymology and NMR studies recently. We analyzed enzyme slow conformational changes in the context of regulatory networks. A single enzymatic reaction with slow conformational changes can filter upstream network noises, and can either resonantly respond to the system stimulus at certain frequencies or respond adaptively for sustained input signals of the network fluctuations. It thus can serve as a basic functional motif with properties that are normally for larger intermolecular networks in the field of systems biology. We further analyzed examples including enzymes functioning against pH fluctuations, metabolic state change of Artemia embryos, and kinetic insulation of fluctuations in metabolic networks. The study also suggests that hysteretic enzymes may be building blocks of synthetic networks with various properties such as narrow-banded filtering. The work fills the missing gap between studies on enzyme biophysics and network level dynamics, and reveals that the coupling between the two is functionally important; it also suggests that the conformational dynamics of some enzymes may be evolutionally selected.
Piezomagnetism and fatigue: II

The cumulation of damage in test specimens of AISI 1018 steel, subjected to repeated cycles of tension and compression leading to fatigue failure at Nf cycles, is correlated with the evolution of stress–strain (σ − e) hysteresis and piezomagnetic (B–e) hysteresis. Specifically, the σ − e hysteresis loop areas, when plotted as a function of the number of loading cycles N, show systematic variations that can be identified with the three principal stages of fatigue: initial accommodation (i.e. strain softening or hardening), N < N2; accretion of damage, N2 < N < N3, and terminal failure (crack coalescence and growth); N3 < N < Nf. Data from 49 fatigue trials, spanning the range 1219 ≤ Nf ≤ 250 200, show that the transitional cycles N2 and N3 have an approximately invariant relation to final fatigue failure at Nf: i.e. N2/Nf ≈ 12% and N3/Nf ≈ 90%. Piezomagnetic hysteresis develops in parallel with stress–strain hysteresis and also exhibits transitions at N2PM and N3PM corresponding to N2 and N3. Detailed analyses of eight fatigue trials yield the approximately invariant ratios N2PM/Nf ≈ 12% and N3PM/Nf ≈ 93% where 3561 ≤ Nf ≤ 189 629.
Development, implementation and testing of a discourse model for newspaper texts

Texts of a particular type evidence a discernible, predictable schema. These schemata can be delineated, and as such provide models of their respective text-types which are of use in automatically structuring texts. We have developed a Text Structurer module which recognizes text-level structure for use within a larger information retrieval system to delineate the discourse-level organization of each document's contents. This allows those document components which are more likely to contain the type of information suggested by the user's query to be selected for higher weighting. We chose newspaper text as the first text type to implement. Several iterations of manually coding a randomly chosen sample of newspaper articles enabled us to develop a newspaper text model. This process suggested that our intellectual decomposing of texts relied on six types of linguistic information, which were incorporated into the Text Structurer module. Evaluation of the results of the module led to a revision of the underlying text model and of the Text Structurer itself.
Using SOLO to Classify the Programming Responses of Primary Grade Students

This paper presents an assessment designed to measure computational thinking skills of fourth grade students. The students in two public schools were given a set of Scratch programming challenges. The SOLO taxonomy was used to classify student programming responses based on the degree of understanding of the problem structure. The majority of fourth grade students from one school demonstrated the ability to synchronize the costume and motion of a single character sprite, as well as synchronize a basic conversation between multiple sprites. However, they struggled to integrate motion and costume changes into a multi-sprite conversation. The majority of fourth grade students from the second school, where reading and math comprehension scores fall below the state minimum requirements for proficiency, were unable to demonstrate a basic understanding of the programming tasks. The results suggest that fourth grade students who read at grade level are capable of understanding the relationships between multiple concerns within a single script, along with synchronizing a single concern across multiple scripts, but are challenged when synchronizing multiple concerns across multiple scripts.
Instrumental Measurement of Physical Properties of Cooked Asian Wheat Flour Noodles

ABSTRACT Instrumental texture tests on cooked noodles are valuable research tools and are well suited for monitoring noodle texture after changes in formulations, raw materials, and processing. Uniaxial tests are most common, and a variety of test types, strains, strain rates, and probe dimensions are used. Consequently, standardization is a challenge. Compressive tests (cutting and blunt probe compression) are more frequently reported than tensile tests. Combining results of tensile and compressive tests shows potential to uncover aspects of noodle texture not detectable using one method alone. Tensile and blunt-probe compression tests can be both adapted for stress relaxation experiments and may be used to derive fundamental rheological information. Dynamic oscillating rheometry shows promise as a tool for investigating composition/structure/function relationships in cooked noodles. However, unlike large deformation “texture” tests, dynamic oscillating rheometry struggles to match sensory perceptions of...
AN ANALYSIS OF GROUP ANNUITIES

THE DRIVE FOR SECURITY since the depression of the 1930's has led to greatly increased interest and activity in the problems of old age due in part to the effects of the depression itself and in part to the increasing proportion of our population coming into the older age brackets. Today the individual, private industry, and government are all playing a vital role in seeking a solution to the needs of our older citizens. The role of private industry in this area has been an important one with perhaps its most significant contribution lying in the development of private pension plans. This development was stimulated by many factors including the depression of 1932, the Federal Social Security legislation, high tax rates, wage controls, and, last but not least, union pressure which has been very important since World War II. As the number of private retirement plans has increased, two broad categories have developed, insured and uninsured. The uninsured plan is in reality a self-administered plan usually employing a bank or trust company to handle the investment aspects of the plan. While the employer assumes all of the risks under such a plan, in recent years this type of plan has become very popular, particularly among large employers. The other category, the insured pension plan, includes those plans underwritten by life insurance companies on a group or individual policy basis. In this area, the entire administration of the plan is turned over to the insurance company and advantage is taken of the insurance company's capacity to guarantee promised benefits. It is the insured type of plan written under a group contract with which this study is concerned. This study sets forth the development and current status of the group annuity retirement plan and analyzes and evaluates as far as possible significant trends. To appraise such trends, it was necessary to examine the policies and practices of the various companies underwriting group annuity plans and to determine the reasons behind the various developments that have taken place.
P-ANCA for ulcerative colitis management-hype or hope?

Abstract The presence of perinuclear antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (P-ANCAs) and antibodies against cathepsin G, a target antigen for P-ANCAs, was determined in the sera of patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), relative to endoscopic severity and disease activity. P-ANCAs were detected by indirect immunofluorescent assay on ethanol-fixed human neutrophils. Antibodies to cathepsin G were detected by an ELISA and Western blotting. P-ANCAs were detected by indirect immunofluorescent assay in 62.5% of 32 patients with active UC. Anti-cathepsin G antibodies were detected in 40.6% of 32 patients with active UC, and their prevalence was significantly higher in patients with severe colitis, as determined by endoscopy, than in those with mild or moderate colitis. The prevalence and titers of anti-cathepsin G antibodies were significantly higher during the active phase of the disease than the inactive.
Myofibrillar protein degradation after eccentric exercise

Male rats were run downhill for 90 minutes (nonexhaustive). Following the exercise, muscle protein degradation was increased, as determined by urinary 3-methylhistidine. However, minimal changes were observed in the relative percentage of the minor myofibrillar proteins and in the protease calcium activated factor in the long head of the triceps brachii muscle (eccentrically exercised) following the exercise bout.
MECHANISMS OF TEMPERATURE ACCLIMATION IN THE CHANNEL CATFISH ICTALURUS PUNCTATUS : ISOZYMES AND QUANTITATIVE CHANGES

Abstract Enzymes from liver and muscle of channel catfish acclimated to 7, 15 or 25°C were analyzed by starch gel electrophoresis and Western blot analysis to examine the roles of isozymes and quantitative changes in enzyme expression during temperature acclimation. No temperature-induced changes in isozyme expression were found for glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH), 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) or malate dehydrogenase in either muscle or liver. Relative concentration (Western blot scan intensity normalized to protein or DNA content of tissue homogenate) of liver G6PDH was higher for cold-acclimated fish than for warm-acclimated fish. This trend was consistently seen when 7°C-acclimated fish were compared to 15- and 25°C-acclimated fish and in three of four experiments comparing 15- and 25°C-acclimated fish. Differences in G6PDH concentration paralleled differences in G6PDH activity between the temperature groups. Concentration and activity of LDH showed no consistent trend with respect to acclimation temperature. It is concluded that changes in G6PDH activity associated with temperature acclimation are not the result of qualitative isozyme changes but are due to quantitative changes in the enzyme. LDH, which displays little change in activity during temperature acclimation, does not change significantly in concentration during temperature acclimation.
Measurement of the probability distribution of electric field fluctuations in a turbulent plasma

Abstract The probability distribution of electric field fluctuations in a stationary turbulent state of unstable ion-acoustic waves has been measured. For high instability levels the distribution function is found to be Gaussian. Deviations from the Gaussian shape are observed close to onset of the instability.
Sleep-Disordered Breathing in Healthy, Aged Persons: Fifth and Final Year Follow-up

The frequency of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) events increases dramatically with age, although the clinical significance of this phenomenon is uncertain. We report herein on data from the fifth follow-up observation of a cohort of healthy elderly which we selected, evaluated, and followed up in an effort to address this issue. Baseline observations on this group of 95 normal older persons medically screened for good health included standard nocturnal polysomnograms and daytime assessment of medical, sleep/wake, and psychological variables. At fifth-year follow-up, 42 subjects returned for assessment. Comparison of returning vs nonretuming subjects indicated no significant differences in baseline characteristics between these groups. Division of returning subjects into moderate (apnea-hypopnea index [AHI] ≥5) vs low (AHI
A study of changes in middle school teachers' understanding of selected ideas in science as a function of an in‐service program focusing on student preconceptions

This article examines the impact of a specially designed in-service model on teacher understanding of selected science concepts. The underlying idea of the model is to get teachers to restructure their own understanding of a selected science topic by having them study the structure and evolution of their students' ideas on the same topic. Concepts on topics from the life, earth, and physical sciences served as the content focus and middle school Grades 4–9 served as the context for this study. The in-service experience constituting the main treatment in the study occurred in three distinct phases. In the initial phase, participating teachers interviewed several of their own students to find out what kinds of preconceptions students had about a particular topic. The teachers used concept mapping strategies learned in the in-service to facilitate the interviews. Next the teachers teamed with other teachers with similar topic interests and a science expert to evaluate and explore the scientific merit of the student conceptual frameworks and to develop instructional units, including a summative assessment during a summer workshop. Finally, the student ideas were further evaluated and explored as the teachers taught the topics in their classrooms during the fall term. Concept maps were used to study changes in teacher understanding across the phases of the in-service in a repeated-measures design. Analysis of the maps showed significant growth in the number of valid propositions expressed by teachers between the initial and final mappings in all topic groups. But in half of the groups, this long-term growth was interrupted by a noticeable decline in the number of valid propositions expressed. In addition, analysis of individual teacher maps showed distinctive patterns of initial invalid conceptions being replaced by new invalid conceptions in later mappings. The combination of net growth of valid propositions and the patterns of evolving invalid conceptions is discussed in constructivist terms.
Interleukin 1 participates in the development of anti-Listeria responses in normal and SCID mice.

Using T- and B-cell deficient C.B-17 mice with the scid mutation, we have previously documented the existence of a T-cell-independent but interferon gamma-dependent pathway of macrophage activation that confers upon the host partial resistance to the facultative intracellular bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. This pathway is operative in both normal and SCID mice and consists of at least four components: interferon gamma, tumor necrosis factor, macrophages, and natural killer cells. Here we demonstrate that interleukin 1 also participates in this pathway but at a different site of action. Using monoclonal antibodies that neutralize the biologic activities of interleukin 1 alpha and interleukin 1 beta, we document that interleukin 1 participates neither directly in the induction of interferon gamma from isolated SCID natural killer cells nor in the antigen-specific activation of CD4+ T cells derived from Listeria-immune C.B-17 mice. In contrast, injection of a mixture of anti-interleukin 1 alpha, anti-interleukin 1 beta, and a newly derived monoclonal antibody specific for the murine type I interleukin-1 receptor into either SCID or normal C.B-17 mice blocked the in vivo elaboration of class II major histocompatibility complex-positive macrophages after infection of the animals with Listeria. Moreover, SCID mice treated with the anti-interleukin-1 mixture failed to control the growth of Listeria in vivo and eventually succumbed to the infection. These results document that endogenously produced interleukin 1 plays an obligate role in the Listeria-dependent induction of activated macrophages in vivo and demonstrate that the action of interleukin 1 is distinct from the generation of natural killer cell-derived interferon gamma.
Occlusive dressings and the healing of standardized abrasions.

Abstract Context: Acute skin trauma during sport participation, resulting in partial-thickness abrasions, is common. The limited investigations focusing on the acute wound environment and dressing ...
The astroglial cell that guides nerve fibers from growth cone to synapse in organotypic cultures of the fetal mouse spinal cord

We present electron microscopic and autoradiographic studies done using organotypic cultures of spinal cord explants excised from 15 days of gestation mouse embryos. Nerve fibers growing from the spinal cord explant carry at their tips immature mitotic astrocytic cells that lead their growth cones. These glial cells divide only during the active phase of neuronal growth, and correspond ultrastructurally to radial glia. They provide a specific cellular substrate for neuronal growth. Some growth cones form axoglial synapses with smooth membranes of immature glial cells. In contrast, maturing glial cells sprout cytoplasmic processes that tightly wrap individual growth cones and effectively arrest their growth. Next, the processes gather nerve endings into islets and nerve fibers into bundles. After internalizing nerve endings, the glial processes withdraw, bringing the endings into contact with each other. The direct neuronal appositions lead to the transformation of growth cones into presynaptic endings, signaled by their collection of presynaptic vesicles. Clustering of the vesicles at presynaptic axoglial or axodendritic membranes indicates the onset of synaptogenesis—completed by differentiation of spinous and compound synapses. Concomitant with the progress of synaptogenesis, astrocytic investment within the neuropil progressively diminishes. The differentiating astrocytic processes show secretory and tethering activity toward nerve fibers and their endings. Our observations demonstrate that astroglial cells—depending on their developmental stage—first promote and then arrest neuronal growth, and induce synaptogenesis. Thus, at any time, the growing nerve fibers are not only supported but also controlled by the astroglial cells. Synapse 59:183–200, 2006. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Improving effectiveness of protection efforts in tiger source sites: Developing a framework for law enforcement monitoring using MIST

Wild tigers are in a critical state with an estimated population decline of more than 95% over the past century. Improving the capacity and effectiveness of law enforcement in reducing poaching of tigers is an immediate priority to secure remaining wild populations in source sites. From 2008–2010, standardized patrol-based law enforcement monitoring (LEM) was established under the Tigers Forever Program across 8 key tiger sites in order to improve and evaluate law enforcement interventions. Patrol-based monitoring has the distinct advantage of providing regular and rapid information on illegal activities and ranger performance, although, until recently, it has received relatively little scrutiny from the conservation community. The present paper outlines a framework for implementation of LEM in tiger source sites using MIST, a computerized management information system for ranger-based data collection. The framework addresses many of the technical, practical and institutional challenges involved in the design, implementation, sustainability and evaluation of LEM. Adoption of such a framework for LEM is a cost-effective strategy to improve the efficiency of law enforcement efforts, to increase the motivation of enforcement staff and to promote the accountability of law enforcement agencies in addressing threats to tigers. When combined with independent, systematic and science-based monitoring of tigers and their prey, LEM has great potential for evaluating the effectiveness of protection-based conservation investments.
What Do Bureaucrats Want? Estimating Regulator Preferences at the FCC*

We use a unique and comprehensive data set spanning 32,515 individual Federal Communications Commission (FCC) commissioners' votes over 27 years to estimate FCC commissioner preferences. Employing Multinomial Logit and Multinomial Probit choice models, we estimate FCC commissioners' preferences over different vote choices. According to multinomial logit results, idiosyncratic commissioner preferences are far important than party affiliation in determining commissioner votes. Multinomial probit results indicate that the vote choices concur and dissent are close substitutes of each other.
Democracy and Growth

Growth and democracy (subjective indexes of political freedom) are analyzed for a panel of about 100 countries from 1960 to 1990. The favorable effects on growth include maintenance of the rule of law, free markets, small government consumption, and high human capital. Once these kinds of variables and the initial level of real per capita GDP are held constant, the overall effect of democracy on growth is weakly negative. There is a suggestion of a nonlinear relationship in which more democracy enhances growth at low levels of political freedom but depresses growth when a moderate level of freedom has already been attained. Improvements in the standard of living—measured by GDP, health status, and education—substantially raise the probability that political freedoms will grow. These results allow for predictions about which countries will become more or less democratic over time.