cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cryopreservation affects endothelial and smooth muscle function of canine autogenous saphenous vein grafts.

Abstract Cryopreserved veins used as arterial grafts may be affected by both rejection and the cryopreservation process. Experiments were designed to study changes in endothelial and smooth muscle function after cryopreservation but independent of rejection. One saphenous vein from each of eight dogs was cryopreserved for subsequent use as autografts. After 3 weeks one cryopreserved and one freshly harvested autogenous saphenous vein were implanted as bilateral femoral arterial interposition grafts. Platelet deposition was studied in vivo with indium 111—labeled platelets. At 4 weeks the autografts were removed, and the functional characteristics of the grafts were studied in organ chambers; and the ability of nerve terminals to uptake transmitter was studied with 3 H-norepinephrine. Neither patency rates, blood flows, nor platelet deposition were significantly different between freshly harvested and cryopreserved grafts. Uptake of 3 H-norepinephrine was significantly reduced in both grafts as compared to unoperated veins. The smooth muscle of the cryopreserved and fresh grafts contracted comparably to alpha-adrenergic agonists and endothelin. In cryopreserved grafts, the maximal tensions that developed to KC1, prostaglandin F 2α and endothelin were greater when the endothelium was present compared to that developed by the smooth muscle alone. Calcium ionophore A23187 caused relaxations only in rings with endothelium; these were not significantly different between graft types. However, relaxations of the smooth muscle to nitric oxide were decreased in the cryopreserved grafts. These results suggest the following: (1) cryopreservation does not influence early patency rates, blood flows or platelet deposition in autogenous vein grafts; (2) functional nerve terminals are not present in fresh or cryopreserved autogenous vein grafts after 4 weeks; (3) an endothelium-derived relaxing factor is present in both fresh and cryopreserved autogenous vein grafts at 4 weeks. It remains to be determined as to whether the increased endothelial contractile responses and decreased relaxations of the smooth muscle of cryopreserved autogenous grafts would influence long-term patency of these grafts. (J VASC SURG 1991;13:584-92.)
Nuclear gene expression changes due to mitochondrial dysfunction in ARPE-19 cells: implications for age-related macular degeneration.

Purpose To measure changes in nuclear gene expression resulting from mitochondrial dysfunction in retinal pigment epithelial cells. Methods ARPE-19 retinal pigment epithelial cells were depleted of their mitochondrial (mt)DNA by passaging in a low concentration of ethidium bromide. Loss of mitochondrial DNA was determined by uridine auxotrophy and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction of isolated DNA. Loss of mitochondrial membrane potential was estimated by uptake of JC-1. Changes in nuclear gene expression were determined by quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction of isolated total RNA from ethidium-bromide-treated and untreated cells. Morphologic and phenotypic changes were determined by phase-contrast microscopy, sensitivity to the oxidant tert-butyl hydroperoxide (tBH), and invasion assay. Results ARPE-19 cells became auxotrophic for growth on uridine after eight passages in 50 ng/mL ethidium bromide. Quantitative PCR revealed almost complete loss of mitochondrial DNA (rho(0) cells). Uptake of JC-1 was reduced in the rho(0) cells, indicating reduction of mitochondrial membrane potential. Quantitative RT-PCR measured increased expression of genes coding for drusen components, lipid transport, extracellular matrix components, and responses to inflammation in the rho(0) cells. The rho(0) cells also exhibited an increased sensitivity to killing by tBH and increased migration and invasion through solubulized basement membrane-coated tissue culture inserts. Conclusions ARPE-19 cells respond to loss of mitochondrial function by changes in nuclear gene expression that resemble changes observed in age-related macular degeneration. The results lead to the hypothesis that loss of mitochondrial function with age and resultant changes in nuclear gene expression may explain some of the changes in the macula that are associated with the known clinical manifestations of age-related macular degeneration.
NMR Assignments of the Sylvatic Dengue 1 Virus Envelope Protein Domain III

Nearly complete backbone and side chain resonance assignments have been obtained for the third domain, residues M289-K400, of the envelope protein from the sylvatic strain (P72-1244) of the dengue 1 virus, containing mutations N336S and E370K, using double- and triple-resonance spectroscopy.
Diffusion of lead in plagioclase and K-feldspar: an investigation using Rutherford Backscattering and Resonant Nuclear Reaction Analysis

Chemical diffusion of Pb has been measured in K-feldspar (Or93) and plagioclase of 4 compositions ranging from An23 to An93 under anhydrous, 0.101 MPa conditions. The source of diffusant for the experiments was a mixture of PbS powder and ground feldspar of the same composition as the sample. Rutherford Backscattering (RBS) was used to measure Pb diffusion profiles. Over the temperature range 700–1050°C, the following Arrhenius relations were obtained (diffusivities in m2s-1):
Application of national testing standards to simulation-based assessments of clinical palpation skills.

ABSTRACTWith the advent of simulation technology, several types of data acquisition methods have been used to capture hands-on clinical performance. Motion sensors, pressure sensors, and tool-tip interaction software are a few of the broad categories of approaches that have been used in simulation-based assessments. The purpose of this article is to present a focused review of 3 sensor-enabled simulations that are currently being used for patient-centered assessments of clinical palpation skills. The first part of this article provides a review of technology components, capabilities, and metrics. The second part provides a detailed discussion regarding validity evidence and implications using the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing as an organizational and evaluative framework. Special considerations are given to content domain and creation of clinical scenarios from a developer's perspective. The broader relationship of this work to the science of touch is also considered.
Desuppression of Leaf Primordia of Plagiochila arctica (Hepaticae) by Ethylene Antagonists

Silver nitrate , α- aminooxyacetic acid, and aminoethoxyvinylglycine, three potent inhibitors of ethylene synthesis and action, induced the same kind of phenovariation in the liverwort Plagiochila arctica Bryhn and Kaal (Hepaticae) as do antagonists of the synthesis of hydroxyproline-containing protein. This finding (i) supports the hypothesis that hydroxyproline-protein has a role in ethylene-mediated suppression, (ii) provides evidence that the role of ethylene in the correlative development of leafy liverwort gametophytes may be similar to its role in flowering plants, and (iii) contributes to the characterization of a morphoregulatory system that mediates cellular suppression in leafy liverworts and possibly all land plants.
A specialization of taste aversion learning during suckling and its weaning-associated transformation.

During ontogenesis, altricial mammals advance through different ecological niches with require correspondingly different adaptive strategies. We view learning as an important feature of ontogenetic adaptations and consider the acquisition and expression of taste aversion learning during nursing with in this framework. Fifteeen-day-old preweanling rat pups fail to acquire conditioned taste aversions while nursing, whereas 20-day-old weanlings readily learn flavor aversions while suckling (Martin & Alberts, 1979). The developmental emergence of taste aversion learning while nursing coincides with reduction in maternal milk supply and the rat pup's transition to a solid food diet. We considered the ontogenetic transformation of learning while nursing as a feeding-relaated adaptive strategy of the weanling rat and tested wot predictions derived from this view: (1) delayed weaning might postpone acquisition or expression of suckling-related taste aversions and (2) conditions that permit weaning (e.g., acess to alternate food sources) might induce acquisition or expression of such taste aversions. Both predictions were confirmed.
Diffuse Ionized Gas in M51/NGC 5195 and M81

We present deep Hα and [S II] emission-line images of three galaxies, the Sab spiral M81, the Sc spiral M51, and its companion, NGC 5195, in our ongoing study of the diffuse ionized gas (DIG) in spiral galaxies. M81 and M51 show widespread DIG with the characteristic enhanced [S II]/Hα line intensities also seen in other galaxies. A large fraction of the Hα emission in these systems, 0.40-0.50, is contributed by DIG, which is in agreement with results obtained for other disk galaxies. In spite of a drastic difference in the star formation rate per unit disk area and the difference in Hubble types, the overall properties of the DIG appear similar in both galaxies. In detail, however, differences do appear. There is some indication that the [S II]/Hα ratio is systematically lower in M51 than it is in M81. There is also a radial dependence on the [S II]/Hα ratio in M51 that is not seen in M81. The Hα emission from the general bulge area of M81, while diffuse in nature, has a distinctly higher [S II]/Hα intensity ratio than disk DIG elsewhere in M81. This ionized gas in the bulge is most likely not photoionized by massive stars, the dominant source of ionization for DIG in galactic disks. Overall, our results reinforce the important role of DIG in the ISM of spiral galaxies in general. We detect significant emission from the companion to M51, NGC 5195. We find clumps of Hα emission in an 800 × 800 pc region offset from the nucleus and spectacular kiloparsec-long filaments reminiscent of the outflow cones in starburst galaxies. We attribute these structures to the recent passage of NGC 5195 through the disk plane of M51, which led to a burst of star formation some 70 million years ago.
Family Focused Ethics

It is my intent to explore the family, parent, patient, social work relationships as a focus central to the solution of ethical dilemmas. In today's environment, patient selection continues to reflect persistent patterns of biased allocation of services. The ability of a family to make a decision about medical treatment begins with an understanding of how choices regarding that treatment are shared. Without taking appropriate precautions, an increased risk arises of providing surgical procedures involving real medical risk, yet unresolved psychological trauma remains unassessed. The unrelenting questions of, When?, How?, and Why?, a family should be involved in the process of ethical decision-making, begs the inherent prejudice involved.
Suppression of Persisting Corpora Lutea in Hypophysectomized Rats.

SummaryThe character of persisting corpora lutea in hypophysectomized rats was not influenced by the injection of oestrin, progestin or the follicle stimulating hormone of the hypophysis. The luteinizing fraction, however, caused almost total regression of the corpora lutea with marked diminution of ovarian weight.
Does sex influence proximal small intestinal CYP3A or P‐GP expression?

Background The higher systemic clearance of some CYP3A (whether also P-gp) drug substrates in women vs. men is attributed in part to a higher hepatic CYP3A4 content in women. This, combined with the lack of reported sex differences in the oral clearance of CYP3A substrates suggested a sex-dependent expression of CYP3A in the small intestine but in a pattern opposite to the liver. Methods Duodenal biopsies obtained from healthy men (n=46) and women (n=45) were analyzed by Western blot for CYP3A4, CYP3A5, P-gp, and the control protein villin. Results Among all subjects, CYP3A4 and P-gp content varied 8- and 10-fold, respectively. CYP3A5, which was readily detected in 27% of these predominantly Caucasian individuals, varied 7-fold. For all 3 proteins, a sex difference was not detected (p≥0.55). Comparing the 21 pre-menopausal women (all were aged <45 years) with the 43 men aged <45 years, again no sex differences were detected in CYP3A4 and P-gp content. While a difference in mean log10 (or median) P-gp content was not detected between the pre- and post-menopausal women, mean CYP3A4 content was 20% lower in the post-menopausal individuals (p=0.01). Conclusions The lack of a sex-dependent difference in proximal intestinal CYP3A4 and CYP3A5 could account in part for the lack of reported sex differences in the oral, relative to systemic, clearance of some CYP3A substrates. Ramifications of lower CYP3A4 content in post- vs. pre-menopausal women require further investigation. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (2005) 77, P2–P2; doi: 10.1016/j.clpt.2004.11.011
Role of thrombospondin in mesangial cell growth: possible existence of an autocrine feedback growth circuit.

Role of thrombospondin in mesangial cell growth: Possible existence of an autocrine feedback growth circuit. Thrombospondin (TSP) is an extracellular matrix glycoprotein involved in mesangial cell (MC) adhesive and migratory function. We have studied the role of TSP in activation and proliferation of rat MC in serum-free media. TSP, in a concentration dependent manner (5 to 20 µg/ml), caused an increase in thymidine uptake, first detectable at 28 hours and more prominent at 48 hours. This effect was inhibited by heparin and heparan sulfate. TSP induced epidermal growth factor (EGF) secretion and significantly augmented constitutive platelet-derived growth factor-AB (PDGF-AB) secretion by MC in a concentration dependent fashion. It did not, however, induce TGF-β, IL-1, IL-6, IL-8, or TNF-α production. TSP had an additive effect with exogenous EGF and PDGF on thymidine uptake. Anti-PDGF neutralizing antibody eliminated the effect of TSP on MC growth. MC displayed a single class of heparin-inhibitable TSP binding sites (B max 3.8 ± 1.8 × 10 6 /cell, K d = 80 ± 29 nM). Based on these observations, we propose the existence of an autocrine positive feedback loop of MC proliferation involving TSP and growth factors, and regulated by heparan sulfate.
Calcium antagonists and heat-induced hepatic injury

Several laboratories have demonstrated the value of the isolated perfused rat liver as a suitable model for heat-induced hepatic injury in vivo. Membrane changes caused by perfusion of rat livers at 42 degrees C for 90 min were similar to those induced by toxic chemicals or hypoxia. In an evaluation of several categories of drugs reported to reduce cell injury, calcium antagonists (nifedipine, dantrolene, and verapamil), were evaluated for their therapeutic potential for heat injury. Isolated rat livers were perfused at 42 degrees C for 90 min with and without calcium antagonists. Livers were also perfused at 37 degrees C. Potassium and transaminase leakage, bile production and ultrastructure were used to evaluate their responses. Neither of the three calcium antagonists significantly improved any of the functional parameters measured. However, dantrolene produced dilated or vesicular rough endoplasmic reticulum in the heated livers. These changes suggest selective intracellular action on endoplasmic reticulum of heated livers. Ring-shaped mitochondria and vesicular endoplasmic reticulum were observed in the heated, verapamil-treated livers, but these could not be quantitatively distinguished from controls. Nifedipine did not appear to alter intracellular membranes, but did increase bile production.
Primed fibroblasts and exogenous decorin: potential treatments for subacute vocal fold scar.

OBJECTIVETo investigate hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) primed fibroblasts and decorin application on skin and vocal fold fibroblasts in vitro and in vivo in rabbit vocal fold scar model.STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING:Vocal fold and skin fibroblasts underwent five in vitro treatment conditions: control, epidermal growth factor, HGF, both decorin and HGF, and decorin alone. Hyaluronic acid and collagen enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays were performed. In vivo, 12 rabbits underwent unilateral vocal fold stripping. Injured vocal folds were then injected with skin fibroblasts, HGF, HGF-primed fibroblasts and decorin, or decorin. Outcomes included histologic and lamina propria height analyses.RESULTS:In vitro, HGF increased hyaluronic acid synthesis in vocal fold fibroblasts (P < 0.001). HGF and decorin treatment diminished collagen secretion (P < 0.01). In vivo, histologic findings indicated minimal difference in collagen amount between treatment groups.CONCLUSION:HGF and decorin together may decrease collagen prod...
A review of the literature and a preliminary study of family compliance in a developmental disabilities clinic

To investigate the compliance of family members with the treatment recommended for patients, three child and adolescent psychiatrists assessed the charts of all active outpatients in a developmental disabilities clinic in the psychiatric department of a tertiary care municipal hospital utilizing a Family Compliance Checklist, a survey form for chart review, in October, 1993 (n = 40), and in April, 1994 (n = 41). Almost no clients missed appointments over a 6-mo. period. Only one family refused to permit the use of medication. Three families refused to make appointments. The majority of the patients were Hispanic and almost half were Roman Catholic. We conclude that most families of patients in a developmental disabilities clinic comply with recommended treatment plans including scheduled appointments and prescribed medications.
The loghyperbolic : an alternative to the lognormal for modeling oil field size distribution

The lognormal distribution is widely used to represent the distribution of deposit or reserve size of oil and gas fields. The purpose of this paper has been to investigate the potential usefulness of the loghyperbolic distribution as an alternative to the lognormal distribution. This hypothesis is tested using a set of data from the Denver basin. The results indicate that the loghyperbolic distribution shows a better fit to the empirical data than the lognormal distribution.
Risk assessment of occupational injuries using Accident Severity Grade

Abstract Problem In spite of recent efforts to improve occupational health and safety, many occupational accidents result in serious injury and death every year. Continued efforts are therefore necessary to improve current safety initiatives and reduce the frequency and severity of these incidents. To identify workplace hazards, many safety surveillance techniques have been used, including severity metrics to determine the significance of an accident. These techniques involve risk assessment to identify potential hazards and the expected severity of injuries which may result from these hazards, usually based on the severity of similar past injuries. However, these severity metrics do not consider important employee and workplace risk factors, such as age, gender, and weather, which may have significant impacts on accident severity. Method A new severity scoring system is introduced which considers multiple injury severity factors, and is used as part of a novel three-dimensional risk assessment matrix which includes an incident’s severity, frequency, and preventability. A case study using the proposed methodology with real data is presented. Discussion The consideration of additional severity factors improves risk assessment and the estimation of injury severity. A three dimensional risk assessment matrix allows for the analysis of an incident’s degree of preventability, frequency, and severity all at once. Practical Applications This study demonstrates that organizations, industries, and regulatory bodies can improve workplace safety surveillance tools by incorporating this new severity metric in a three-dimensional risk assessment matrix.
A review of lift fan propulsion systems for civil VTOL transports

Low pressure ratio lift fan propulsion system for intercity VTOL transports, considering thrust, safety, noise, weight, components, speed, turbine and transmission
A Bayesian approach to assessing the robustness of hedonic property value studies

Hedonic price models are widely employed to estimate implicit prices for bundled attributes. Residential property value studies dominate these applications. Using a representative cross-sectional property value data set, we employ Bayesian methods to translate a range of priors in covariate selection typical of hedonic property value studies into a range of posterior estimates. We also formulate priors regarding measurement error in individual covariates and compute the ranges of resulting posterior means. Finally, we empirically demonstrate that a greater and more systematic use of prior information drawn from one's own data and from other studies can break the collinearity deadlock in this data.
Control of Root Gnats (Sciaridae: Diptera) by Tetradonema plicans Hungerford (Tetradonematidae: Nematoda) Produced by a Novel Culture Method

Abstract A survey of adult sciarid root gnats in greenhouses at the University of California, Riverside, demonstrated that 9.0% were infected with Tetradonema plicans . The mean number of gravid T. plicans females per infected sciarid adult was 5.1 with a range of 1 to 48 parasites per host fly. Only 1.4% of the maggots collected from pots in the greenhouses were infected. To study the bionomics of T. plicans a simple system for culturing sciarid flies and T. plicans and extraction of T. plicans eggs was developed. Fermented sphagnum moss and cellulose (4:1) with rabbit chow was the basic culture medium. Up to 3 × 10 9 T. plicans eggs were produced from an inoculum of 6 × 10 4 eggs per culture container. Eggs were collected by seiving or sucrose flotation. Infections in 1-liter containers showed that T. plicans (10 T. plicans eggs per sciarid larva) reduced sciarid fly populations by 74 to 80% for 4 months. Steinernema carpocapsae had no effect on sciarid flies, but in contrast, Heterorhabditis bacteriophora (10 juvenile nematodes per host larva) decreased sciarid populations by 60%. At 100-fold higher infection level all sciarid larvae were killed, but H. bacteriophora was unable to reproduce in the sciarid larvae.
Racial differences in the contribution of wife's earnings to family income distribution

Abstract This study, based on the 1989 interview wave of the Panel Studies of Income Dynamics (PSID) and on the 1990 Latino Sample Survey of the PSID, examines wives' economic contribution, as compared to husbands', among three racial/ethnic groups-non-Hispanic whites, blacks, and Hispanics. The findings show that, although white and black wives were not different in their earnings, black wives' earnings accounted for a significantly higher percentage of the couples' combined earnings than did the white wives . The economic contribution of Hispanic wife-workers to their families was as significant as that of white wife-workers, because their husbands earned less than the white husbands. But, because a significantly lower proportion of Hispanic wives worked outside the home than did white or black wives, and because those who worked earned less, the family income distribution between white and Hispanic families and between black and Hispanic families became even less equal due to wives' earnings. Policy im...
Si(Li) X-Ray Detectors with Amorphous Silicon Passivation

Lithium-drifted silicon [Si(Li)] detectors with thin lithium n+ contacts and amorphous silicon (?-Si) junction passivation are described. These detectors (7 mm thick, 9 cm2 area) are intended for use in a sixelement detector array which is designed to measure trace amounts of plutonium in soil samples. Results are given showing a spectral resolution of ~ 400 eV (FWHM) for the 17.8 keV Np L x-rays entering through either the lithium n+ contact or the gold barrier contact on these detectors. Measurements on the effects of the fractional H2 concentration on the electrical behavior of the ?-Si/Si interface are reported. The increase with time in the lithium window thickness when the detectors are stored at room temperature is discussed.
Cubic curve update

The author considers the problem of cataloging all the shapes that can be generated by a cubic equation. In response to a letter commenting on an earlier column, he corrects an error in his listing of all the combinations of factorizations that could make degenerate curves, pointing out that all type 5's are really the same shape and all type 7's are really the same shape. He provides additional considerations on the possible shapes of nondegenerate curves. >
Radiometric assessment of tillage and seed treatment effect on soybean root rot caused by Fusarium spp. in central Minnesota

Soybean root rot, caused primarily by Fusarium solani f. sp. phaseoli in a complex with F. oxysporum and Rhizoctonia solani, has become an increasing problem for soybeans, dry beans, and other rotation crops in central Minnesota due to soil conditions associated with reduced tillage. This study was conducted, in two field sites in central Minnesota located near Staples and Verndale, to develop methods for nondestructive assessment of root rot severity using plant radiometric properties. Soybean canopy reflectance was measured with a hand-held multi-spectral radiometer. Prior to the radiometer measurements, attempts were made to create differing root rot situations with moldboard or chisel tillage, and with or without a biological seed treatment. Root rot severity was estimated using a visual disease severity scale. Colony-forming units (CFU) were determined to estimate soil populations of pathogenic F. solani and F. oxysporum. Results from the Verndale site consistently showed significant treatment effects in the measured canopy radiometric parameters, and in the visual disease rating and yield (significant for seed treatment). Values of a simple ratio vegetation index from this site exhibited negative relationships with disease rating and F. oxysporum CFU, and a positive linear relationship with yield. Treatment effects were generally not significant at the Staples site because of low initial F. oxysporum populations. The results indicate that remote sensing is potentially a rapid, nondestructive means for assessment of root rot diseases in soybean.
Memory NK Cells Take Out the (Mitochondrial) Garbage

The molecular mechanisms important to generate innate natural killer cell "memory" are poorly understood. In this issue of Immunity, O'Sullivan et al. (2015) demonstrate that mitophagy plays a critical role in natural killer cell memory formation following viral infection.
Negotiation in legislatures over government formation

We question results claiming to extend non-cooperative models of legislative bargaining to the theoretically general and substantively typical case with an arbitrary number of disciplined parties. We identify problems with both the derivation of formal results and empirical evaluation of these. No empirically robust formateur advantage is observed in field data on bargaining over government formation. Given this theoretical and empirical impasse, we reconsider the substantive premises that should form the foundation for any new attempt to model this fundamental political process, arguing that models should be grounded in binding constitutional constraints on the government formation process in parliamentary democracies.
Intracell modeling of lumped elements using the composite-cell MRTD technique

In this paper a method is presented that allows the modeling of subcell lumped elements in Haar based multiresolution time-domain (MRTD). The method is applied through the use of a reconstruction/discrete wavelet transform algorithm that is integrated into the MRTD update scheme. A derivation of the MRTD method is presented for generic wavelet bases to demonstrate the application of the technique and suggest methods for using other wavelet bases. The Haar subcell technique is further presented as a bridge between point based updates (FDTD) and wavelet based multiresolution schemes (MRTD). Extensions of this technique include other point based algorithm modifications such as subcell PML and wire modeling.
Overview of current energy-efficiency policies in China

Abstract From 1970 to 2001, China was able to significantly limit energy demand growth through aggressive energy-efficiency programs. Energy use per unit of gross domestic product (GDP) declined by approximately 5% per year during this period. However, the period 2002–2005 saw energy use per unit of GDP increase an average of 3.8% per year. To stem this out-of-control growth in energy demand, in November 2005 the Chinese government enunciated a mandatory goal of 20% reduction of energy intensity between 2006 and 2010. The National People's Congress passed legislation identifying the National Reform and Development Commission as the lead agency to design and carry out programs in support of this goal. These policies and programs, created after almost a decade of decline of the energy-efficiency policy apparatus, have had considerable impact. Although initial efforts have not been sufficient to meet the annual declines required to reach the ambitious 20% energy intensity target, the latest reports indicate that China may now be on track to meet this goal. The paper provides an assessment of these policies and programs to begin to understand issues that will play a critical role in China's energy and economic future. Activities undertaken in China will have a significant influence on the global effort to reduce the growth, and later the absolute quantity, of greenhouse gas emissions.
Investigation on the synthesis and characterization of rare earth metal‐containing polymers. II. Fluorescence properties of Eu3+–polymer complexes containing β‐diketone ligand

Europium(III) chelates of dibenzoylmethane (DBM) (1) and β-diketone-containing polymers, i.e., poly(p-benzoylacetylstyrene) (2) and poly(aryl β-diketone) (3), were prepared. In the polymer 2 the β-diketone moiety is attached to the phenyl ring, and for polymer 3 the β-diketone group is incorporated in the linear chain. The chelate structures were confirmed by measuring IR spectra, TGA, and DTA. The fluorescence emission intensity was measured on fine powder samples. For the composite samples of Eu(DBM)4 in polystyrene, the fluorescence intensity was found to increase linearly with increasing Eu content. However, for Eu coordination polymers, the intensity reached a maximum at Eu3+ content as small as 1 wt % and remained constant on further increasing the Eu3+ content. When the fluorescence intensities of Eu complexes were compared under the same conditions, namely, 1 wt % Eu, at which Eu–2 and Eu–3 show nearly maximum intensity, the order was found to be Eu–1 > Eu–2 > Eu–3. These phenomena were accounted for by the differences in the coordination number of the Eu complexes.
Extended tables of the exact distribution of a rank statistic for treatments versus control multiple comparisons in one- way layout designs

In this paper we present the required exact null distribution of a rank statistic used in making treatments versus control multiple comparisons in one- way layout designs. If we let Xi1, i=1,...,n1, denote the ith observation in a random sample from a control population and Xij, i=1,...,nj and j=2,...,k, denote the ith observation from the jth treatment population, then we are considering mutually independent random samples of sizes n1, n2,...,nk, from a control (1) population and (k-1) treatment (2,...,k) populations. Setting , j=1,…,k, where rij is the combined samples rank of Xij among all observations, and N∗=least common multiple of n1,...,nk, we define . Tables are provided for the upper tail probabilities of the appropriate null distributions of R∗ for most useful combinations of k=3, n1=1(1)6, 1≤n2 ≤n3 ≤6, and k=4, n1=1(1)6, 1≤n2 ≤n3 ≤n4 ≤6.
DETERMINATION OF GLUTATHIONE AND GLUTATHIONE DISULFIDE USING GLUTATHIONE REDUCTASE AND 2-VINYLPYRIDINE

Abstract The total glutathione content of biological samples is conveniently determined with an enzymatic recycling assay based on glutathione reductase ( F. Tietze, 1969 , Anal. Biochem. 27 , 502–522). In the original and several subsequent descriptions of this procedure, glutathione disulfide is selectively determined by assaying samples in which glutathione is masked by pretreatment with N -ethylmaleimide. Since N -ethylmaleimide is a potent inhibitor of glutathione reductase, it is necessary to remove excess reagent; the procedures used are laborious and contribute significantly to experimental error. It is reported here that 2-vinylpyridine is a much better reagent for the derivitization of glutathione. In contrast to N -ethylmaleimide, 2-vinylpyridine does not inhibit glutathione reductase significantly and therefore need not be removed from the sample solutions. 2-Vinylpyridine reacts with glutathione at slightly acidic pH values where spontaneous formation of glutathione disulfide is minimal. It is demonstrated that the total glutathione concentration in mouse plasma is substantially higher than generally reported and that glutathione disulfide constitutes less than 30% of the total glutathione present.
Schools, school quality and achievement growth: Evidence from the Philippines

Abstract A broad literature seeks to assess the importance of schools, proxies for school quality, and family background on children's achievement growth using the education production function. Using rich data from the Philippines, we introduce and estimate a model that imposes little structure on the relationship between intake achievement and follow-up achievement and evaluate school performance based on this estimated relationship. Our methods nest typical value-added specifications that use test score gains as the outcome variable and models assuming linearity in the relationship between intake and follow-up scores. We find evidence against the use of value-added models for our data and show that such models give very different assessments of school performance in the Philippines. Using a variety of tests we find that schools matter in the production of student achievement, though variation in performance across schools only explains about 4.4–5.3% of the total (conditional) variation in follow-up achievement. Schools providing basic facilities—in particular schools providing electricity—are found to perform much better in the production of achievement growth.
An Investigation of Mentoring and Socialization among Law Faculty.

This study examined mentoring and organizational socialization among law faculty at American Bar Association (ABA) approved law schools. Data obtained from respondents (n = 298) captured the types of mentoring (formal or informal) occurring in law schools and faculty perceptions of the effectiveness of each type of mentoring. Comparative analysis was used to examine mentoring as an antecedent of organizational socialization by comparing senior mentored faculty to senior non‐mentored faculty, junior formally mentored faculty to junior faculty with more informal types of mentoring, male to female faculty, and majority to non‐majority faculty. Results indicated that senior mentored faculty had higher mean scores than senior non‐mentored faculty on two of the six organizational socialization subscales. However, organizational socialization differences were not significant for other comparisons. The findings regarding mentoring are discussed within the context of diversity and suggestions for future research a...
Too Cool for School? Violence, Peer Status and High School Dropout

Research shows that peer status in adolescence is positively associated with school achievement and adjustment. However, subculture theories of juvenile delinquency and school-based ethnographies suggest that (1) disadvantaged boys are often able to gain some forms of peer status through violence and (2) membership in violent groups undermines educational attainment. Building on these ideas, we use peer network data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) to examine whether peer status within highly violent groups increases male risks of high school dropout. Consistent with the subcultural argument, we find that disadvantaged boys with high status in violent groups are at much greater risks of high school dropout than other students.
Responses of macroinvertebrate drift, benthic assemblages, and trout foraging to hydropeaking

We utilized both hydropeaking and experimental flows to quantify responses of macroinvertebrate drift, benthic assemblages, and fish consumption to double-peak release patterns. Our results suggest...
Miscellany and Collegiality in the British Periodical Press: The Harmonicon (1823–1833)

The Harmonicon was, in its day, London's premiere music periodical, gaining a wide and loyal readership at home and abroad. Perhaps the most the distinctive feature of the journal was its deliberate imperative to raise what it considered to be the ‘lamentable’ level of musical knowledge held by the British reading public. The journal's editor, William Ayrton, was deeply concerned that there was a lack of a national school of music in his own country that could ever match that which his rival French and German critics called their own. In this light, I argue that the journal's appeal and economic success was due to a didactic philosophy of ‘collegiality’ and ‘miscellany’ – to borrow William Weber's terms – as a means of disseminating musical knowledge to the broadest readership possible. Through reviewing, critiquing and publishing a remarkably assorted array of national styles and genres of music, the Harmonicon attempted to create a very general type of musical knowledge in Britain in the early nineteenth century, one which looked necessarily beyond national borders in an effort to build up a shared knowledge of music. Data drawn from musical examples spanning all 11 years of the journal's print run is analysed, assessing in particular the high number of international composers featured in the journal. The many miscellaneous strands interwoven throughout the Harmonicon reflect a mode of thinking about music that was integral to a valiant effort to raise the status and awareness of music in early nineteenth-century British culture.
Mechanisms of thymus organogenesis and morphogenesis

The thymus is the primary organ responsible for generating functional T cells in vertebrates. Although T cell differentiation within the thymus has been an area of intense investigation, the study of thymus organogenesis has made slower progress. The past decade, however, has seen a renewed interest in thymus organogenesis, with the aim of understanding how the thymus develops to form a microenvironment that supports T cell maturation and regeneration. This has prompted modern revisits to classical experiments and has driven additional genetic approaches in mice. These studies are making significant progress in identifying the molecular and cellular mechanisms that control specification, early organogenesis and morphogenesis of the thymus.
A rapid, user-friendly method for entering lesion morphology data after cardiac catheterization

An expert panel task force of the AHA/ACC reported that determination of lesion morphology was predictive of adverse events after diagnostic/interventional procedures. The authors have developed a coronary artery tree diagramming system that employs a graphical user interface to allow rapid and facile data entry by clinical personnel. In addition to the baseline anatomic descriptors of coronary artery anatomy, lesion morphology descriptors comprising each data element comprising the AHA/ACC class are easily entered. Average time for data entry per tree is 2 min. The system is used on a daily basis at Duke University Medical Center for recording the results of the 20-25 diagnostic and 10-15 interventional procedures. The recording of complex lesion morphology data can now be easily performed as part of routine clinical care in large clinical populations undergoing catheterization procedures. >
Using dew points to estimate savings during a planned cooling shutdown

In an effort to save money during the summer of 2003, Northern Illinois University (NIU) administrators instituted a four-day working week and stopped air conditioning buildings for the three-day weekends (Friday through Sunday). Shutting down the air conditioning systems caused a noticeable drop in electricity usage for that part of the campus that features in our study, with estimated total electricity savings of 1,268,492 kilowatt-hours or 17% of the average usage during that eight-week period. NIU's air conditioning systems, which relied on evaporative cooling to function, were sensitive to dew point levels. Greatest savings during the shutdown period occurred on days with higher dew points. An examination of the regional dew point climatology (1959–2003) indicated that the average summer daily dew point for 2003 was 14.9°C(58.8°F), which fell in the lowest 20% of the distribution. Based on the relationship between daily average dew points and electrical usage, a predictive model that could estimate electrical daily savings was created. This model suggests that electrical savings related to any future three-day shutdowns over summer could be much greater in more humid summers. Studies like this demonstrate the potential value of applying climatological information and of integrating this information into practical decision-making. Copyright © 2005 Royal Meteorological Society
Fallout tuffs of Trapper Creek, Idaho—A record of Miocene explosive volcanism in the Snake River Plain volcanic province

A 900-m-thick section of tuffaceous sedimentary rock, vitric fallout tuff, and ash-flow tuff is well exposed along Trapper Creek in south-central Idaho. This section provides nearly continuous exposure through the fill of the Goose Creek basin, a major north-trending Miocene extensional basin located along the southern margin of the Snake River Plain volcanic province (SRPVP). Some 51 separate units of vitric fallout tuff are recognized in the Trapper Creek section. Petrographic and chemical characteristics of these vitric tuffs indicate that most are from SRPVP sources. New 40Ar/39Ar laser-fusion dating, along with prior isotopic age determinations, show that the Trapper Creek tuffs span the period ca. 13.9 – 8.6 Ma. Chemical correlation indicates that fallout tuffs in the central part of the Trapper Creek section (12.5 – 10.0 Ma) are from sources in the Bruneau-Jarbidge volcanic field of the SRPVP centered ≈100 km west of Trapper Creek. Underlying fallout tuffs may have had sources in the Owyhee-Humboldt field of the SRPVP centered ≈200 km west of Trapper Creek, while overlying fallout tuffs, interlayered with several ash-flow tuffs, had a relatively proximal source, possibly in the proposed Twin Falls volcanic field centered ≈60 km north of Trapper Creek. The Trapper Creek tuffs provide insight into the characteristics of explosive silicic volcanism within the SRPVP during middle – late Miocene time. From ca. 13.9 to ca. 9.5 Ma, major eruptions (those depositing ≥1.5 m of fallout tuff) were frequent (about one event per 200 k.y.); their products display a trend toward the eruption of progressively less evolved, higher temperature silicic magma after 12.5 Ma. This trend to higher temperature eruptions, termed the Cougar Point “flare-up,” culminated in the eruption of high-temperature (≈1000°C), plagioclase-rich magma during the period 10.5 – 9.5 Ma. In contrast to these eruptions, later (<7.0 Ma) major silicic eruptions within the SRPVP were characterized by the lower temperature (≈850°C) of the erupted magma and by the longer intervals (about one event per ≈500 – 600 k.y.) between eruptions. Variations in the character of SRPVP explosive silicic eruptions may reflect changes in the structure, composition, or state of stress in the crust beneath the eastward propagating SRPVP, or, perhaps, changes in the Yellowstone hot-spot plume that may drive the SRPVP volcanism.
EDTA Inhibits Biofilm Formation, Extracellular Vesicular Secretion, and Shedding of the Capsular Polysaccharide Glucuronoxylomannan by Cryptococcus neoformans

The fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans can grow as a biofilm on a range of synthetic and prosthetic materials. Cryptococcal biofilm formation can complicate the placement of shunts used to relieve increased intracranial pressure in cryptococcal meningitis and can serve as a nidus for chronic infection. Biofilms are generally advantageous to pathogens in vivo, as they can confer resistance to antimicrobial compounds, including fluconazole and voriconazole in the case of C. neoformans. EDTA can inhibit biofilm formation by several microbes and enhances the susceptibility of biofilms to antifungal drugs. In this study, we evaluated the effect of sublethal concentrations of EDTA on the growth of cryptococcal biofilms. EDTA inhibited biofilm growth by C. neoformans, and the inhibition could be reversed by the addition of magnesium or calcium, implying that the inhibitory effect was by divalent cation starvation. EDTA also reduced the amount of the capsular polysaccharide glucuronoxylomannan shed into the biofilm matrix and decreased vesicular secretion from the cell, thus providing a potential mechanism for the inhibitory effect of this cation-chelating compound. Our data imply that the growth of C. neoformans biofilms requires the presence of divalent metals in the growth medium and suggest that cations are required for the export of materials needed for biofilm formation, possibly including extracellular vesicles.
Use of hyaluronidase in the treatment of granulomatous hyaluronic acid reactions or unwanted hyaluronic acid misplacement.

BackgroundIn the past, reactions or misplacement of soft tissue fillers has been fraught with anxiety because time has been the main thrust for improvement in spite of ancillary treatments. Hyaluronidase is an enzyme that dissolves hyaluronic acid in the skin and also assists in the management of gr
Arctic Marine Research: The Perspective of a US Practitioner

I have been asked to present the perspective of a US ‘practitioner’ of Arctic marine science – something that I am reasonably comfortable doing as I have had the privilege over the past few years to lead five research expeditions in the high Arctic on the USCG Cutter Healy.
Popular Demobilization, Agribusiness Mobilization, and the Agrarian Boom in Post-Neoliberal Argentina

Based on ethnographic research, archival data, and a catalog of protest events, this article analyzes the relationship between popular social movements, business mobilization, and institutional politics in Argentina during the post-neoliberal phase, which arguably began circa 2003. How did waves of popular mobilization in the 1990s shape business mobilization in the 2000s? How did contentious politics influence institutional politics in the post-neoliberal period? What are the changes and continuities of the agrarian boom that cut across the neoliberal and post-neoliberal periods? While I zoom in on Argentina, the article goes beyond this case by contributing to three discussions. First, rather than limiting the analysis to the customary focus on the mobilization of subordinated actors, it examines the demobilization of popular social movements, the mobilization of business sectors, and the connections between the two. Second, it shows the ways in which the state can simultaneously challenge neoliberal principles while also favoring the global corporations that dominate the contemporary neoliberal food regime. Finally, the case of Argentina sheds light on the political economy of the "Left turn" in Latin America, particularly the negative socio-environmental impacts of commodity booms. The article concludes that researchers need to pay closer attention to the connections between contentious and institutional politics, and to the protean possibilities of neoliberalism to inspire collective actions.