cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Asperger Syndrome and Autism A Literature Review and Meta-Analysis

Studies on Asperger Syndrome (ASP) and autism (AUT) are synthesized and reviewed in terms of the (a) historical perspective, (b) clinical and diagnostic criteria, and (c) empirical data. The results of the synthesis suggest that these two groups of children differ in cognitive and adaptive behavior functioning and, as such, do not fall on the same autistic continuum. A meta-analysis procedure compares children and adolescents with ASP to study participants with AUT on various cognitive measures and using various adaptive behavior scales. The mean effect size for the category of cognitive functioning was + 0.98 in favor of ASP, whereas for adaptive behavior functioning it was + 0.86—again in favor of ASP. Overall, the results of the meta-analysis suggest that children and adolescents with ASP perform better than those with AUT on intelligence and cognitive measures as well as measures of adaptive behavior functioning. The results, therefore, suggest that ASP can be viewed as a distinct diagnostic category ...
Controlling Asthma by Training of Capnometry-Assisted Hypoventilation (CATCH) vs Slow Breathing: A Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND Hyperventilation has been associated with adverse effects on lung function, symptoms, and well-being in asthma. We examined whether raising end-tidal CO2levels (ie, Pco2) compared with slow breathing is associated with improvements in asthma control, including peak flow variability. METHODS One hundred twenty patients with asthma were randomly assigned to capnometry-assisted respiratory training (CART) for raising Pco2or slow breathing and awareness training (SLOW) for slowing respiratory rate. Patients received five weekly sessions and completed bid homework exercises over 4 weeks. Blinded assessments at baseline, posttreatment, 1- and 6-month follow-up of asthma control, Pco2, and diurnal peak flow variability were primary outcome measures. Additionally, we measured pulmonary function (spirometry, forced oscillation, exhaled nitric oxide, and methacholine challenge), symptoms, quality of life, and bronchodilator use. Because the control group received active treatment, we expected improvements in asthma control in both groups but more pronounced benefits from CART. RESULTS Improvements were seen in 17 of 21 clinical indexes (81.0%) in both interventions, including the primary outcome variables asthma control (d= 0.81), peak flow variability (d= 0.54), quality of life, bronchodilator use, lung function, and airway hyperreactivity. Most improvements were sustained across the 6-month follow-up. Compared with slow breathing, CART showed greater increases in Pco2(d= 1.45 vs 0.64 for CART vs SLOW, respectively) and greater reductions in respiratory impedance during treatment, less distress during methacholine challenge, and greater reduction in asthma symptoms at follow-up (P CONCLUSIONS Brief interventions aimed at raising Pco2or slowing respiratory rate provide significant, sustained, and clinically meaningful improvements in asthma control. Raising Pco2was associated with greater benefits in aspects of lung function and long-term symptoms. TRIAL REGISTRY: ClinicalTrials.gov; No.: NCT00975273; URL:www.clinicaltrials.gov
"P300" and memory: Individual differences in the von Restorff effect.

Abstract Event-related brain potentials (ERPs) were elicited by words in a free recall paradigm that included a novel item. The P300 component of the ERP is elicited by novel, task-relevant events, and we tested the hypothesis that P300 is a manifestation of the cognitive processing invoked during “context updating.” If the degree to which current representations in working memory need revision is related to P300 amplitude, then the P300 elicited by a given item should be related to the ability to recall that item on a subsequent test. Forty lists were presented to 12 subjects in each of two sessions. The lists were 15 words long, and 1 word, in position 6 through 10, was “isolated” by changing its size. Most subjects recalled these isolated words more often than other words in the same positions (von Restorff effect), and these words also elicited larger P300s than other words. Analysis of variance on the component scores from a principal components analysis revealed that words recalled had a larger amplitude P300 (on initial presentation) than words not recalled. Striking individual differences emerged, and there were strong relationships between the von Restorff effect, overall recall performance, mnemonic strategies, and the association between components of the ERP and recall performance. The overall recall performance of subjects who reported simple (rote) mnemonic strategies was low, but they showed a high von Restorff effect. For these subjects the amplitude of the P300 elicited by words during initial presentation predicted later recall. In contrast, subjects who reported complex mnemonic strategies remembered a high percentage of words and did not show a von Restorff effect. For these subjects P300 did not predict later recall, although a later “slow wave” component of the ERP did. The initial response to isolated items was the same for all subjects (a large P300), and all subjects recognized the isolates faster than other words in a recognition test given at the end of each session. The subjects in whom P300 did not predict recall reported mnemonic strategies that involved organizing the material. These strategies continue long after the time period reflected by P300 (600 msec). Because they were so effective they may have overshadowed the relationship between P300 and recall, which is based on the initial encoding of an event. Our interpretations were further confirmed and clarified from data obtained in a final grand recall and in the recognition test.
Astrocytes: Form, Functions, and Roles in Disease

Astrocytes, once relegated to a mere supportive role in the central nervous system, are now recognized as a heterogeneous class of cells with many important and diverse functions. Major astrocyte functions can be grouped into three categories: guidance and support of neuronal migration during development, maintenance of the neural microenvironment, and modulation of immune reactions by serving as antigen-presenting cells. The concept of astrocytic heterogeneity is critical to understanding the functions and reactions of these cells in disease. Astrocytes from different regions of the brain have diverse biochemical characteristics and may respond in different ways to a variety of injuries. Astrocytic swelling and hypertrophy-hyperplasia are two common reactions to injury. This review covers the morphologic and pathophysiologic findings, time course, and determinants of these two responses. In addition to these common reactions, astrocytes may play a primary role in certain diseases, including epilepsy, neurological dysfunction in liver disease, neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases, and demyelination. Evidence supporting primary involvement of astrocytes in these diseases will be considered.
Publication patterns of scientific serials

American libraries are undertaking computer-controlled inventories of serials holdings. Such automated records are posited on predictability of serials receipts. Publication patterns of serials, falling into 24 distinct classes and two further categories, are developed for machine-based prediction and record updating. The relationship between publication patterns and frequency/dating systems is examined. The publication patterns listed are considered universally applicable to machine methods.
DockoMatic: Automated peptide analog creation for high throughput virtual screening

The purpose of this manuscript is threefold: (1) to describe an update to DockoMatic that allows the user to generate cyclic peptide analog structure files based on protein database (pdb) files, (2) to test the accuracy of the peptide analog structure generation utility, and (3) to evaluate the high throughput capacity of DockoMatic. The DockoMatic graphical user interface interfaces with the software program Treepack to create user defined peptide analogs. To validate this approach, DockoMatic produced cyclic peptide analogs were tested for three-dimensional structure consistency and binding affinity against four experimentally determined peptide structure files available in the Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics database. The peptides used to evaluate this new functionality were alpha-conotoxins ImI, PnIA, and their published analogs. Peptide analogs were generated by DockoMatic and tested for their ability to bind to X-ray crystal structure models of the acetylcholine binding protein originating from Aplysia californica. The results, consisting of more than 300 simulations, demonstrate that DockoMatic predicts the binding energy of peptide structures to within 3.5 kcal mol(-1), and the orientation of bound ligand compares to within 1.8 A root mean square deviation for ligand structures as compared to experimental data. Evaluation of high throughput virtual screening capacity demonstrated that Dockomatic can collect, evaluate, and summarize the output of 10,000 AutoDock jobs in less than 2 hours of computational time, while 100,000 jobs requires approximately 15 hours and 1,000,000 jobs is estimated to take up to a week.
Biologically Relevant Phosphoranes: Hypervalent Phosphorus as Applied to Phosphoryl Transfer Enzymes

The coordination tendencies of phosphorus to form a hexacoordinated state from a pentacoordinated state, which might assist in describing the mechanistic action of phosphoryl transfer enzymes, are delineated. In view of the work reported here and recent work on enzyme promiscuity and moonlighting activities, it is suggested that donor action should play a role in determining active site interactions in phosphoryl transfer enzyme mechanisms. Biochemists studying phosphoryl transfer enzymes outline mechanisms of nucleophilic attack at phosphorus that take place by way of proposed trigonal bipyramidal intermediates or transition states. However, recent work has shown the ready availability of higher coordinate forms of phosphorus, particularly the ease of formation of hexacoordinate phosphorus. Our recent work established the X-ray structure of several biorelevant phosphoranes. Included are the structures of a xylofuranose based phosphorane 1 and a thymidine based phosphorane. Dynamic equilibrium between two...
Evaluation of a rotary laser body scanner for body volume and fat assessment.

This paper reports the evaluation tests on the reliability and validity of a 3-dimensional (3D) laser body scanner for estimation of body volume and % fat. Repeated measures of body imaging were performed for reproducibility analysis. Validity of the instrument was assessed by comparison of measures of body volume by imaging to hydrodensitometry, and body fat was compared to hydrodensitometry and dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. Reproducibility analysis showed little difference between within-subjects measurements of volume (ICC ≥ 0.99, p 0.05). These findings indicate that the 3D laser body scanner is a reliable and valid technique for the estimation of body volume. Furthermore, body imaging is an accurate measure of body fat, as compared to dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. This new instrument is promising as a quick, simple to use, and inexpensive method of body composition analysis.
Bridging fault detection in FPGA interconnects using IDDQ

This paper presents a vector generation approach for testing interconnects in configurable (SRAM-based) Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs). The proposed approach detects bridging faults and is based on quiescent current (IDDQ monitoring. Compared with previous voltage-based methods, IDDQ testing has the advantage of utilizing a small number of programming phases for configuring the FPGA during the test process with negligible observability requirements, even under multiple faults. Algorithms for test generation which exploit the homogeneous nature of the FPGA array, are described. An example using the XC4000 is described in detail. For testing the XC4000 series interconnect, a total of 20 phases and 11 vectors are required: 11 phases for S (switch) block testing, and 9 phases for C (connection) block testing.
Household behavior in a monocentric urban area with a public sector

Abstract This paper has examined how a public sector alters the model of urban household behavior and its predictions. The qualitative housing price and demand-location characteristics remain unchanged by the introduction of either an exogenous or endogenous public sector. In addition, the household's response to tax rate and public service changes depend solely upon the nonlocational demand relationships. The major impact of location per se on the household's demand vector is through an additional Hicksian price term; whether locational effects reinforce or vitiate nonlocational demand changes depends upon the compensated relationship between the good in question and housing. This paper also investigated the design of neutral public budgets. Government budgets using property, income, or comprehensive sales taxes to finance public services cannot be neutral with respect to housing demand and location. Of the four types of taxes considered, only a narrow-based sales tax can finance public services neutrally.
Evaluation of data sets used to force sea ice models in the Arctic Ocean

[1] Basin-scale sea ice models are often run uncoupled to either an atmosphere or ocean model to evaluate the sea ice model, to compare different models, and to test changes in physical parameterizations. Such simulations require that the boundary forcing be specified. The specification of atmospheric forcing associated with the surface heat and freshwater fluxes has been done in various sea ice simulations using climatology, numerical weather prediction analyses, or and satellite data. However, the errors in the boundary forcing may be so large that it is difficult to determine whether discrepancies between simulated and observed properties of sea ice should be attributed to deficiencies in the sea ice model or to the boundary forcing. To assess the errors in boundary forcing, we use data from the Surface Heat Budget of the Arctic Ocean (SHEBA) to evaluate various data sets that have been used to provide boundary forcing for sea ice models that are associated with the surface heat and freshwater fluxes. The impact of errors in these data sets on a sea ice model is assessed by using a single-column ice thickness distribution model, which is alternately forced with in situ measurements from SHEBA and output from large-scale analyses. Substantial discrepancies are found among the data sets. The response of the sea ice model to the different forcing data sets was considerable.
Controls on overbank deposition in the Upper Mississippi River

Abstract Floodplains contain valuable stratigraphic records of past floods, but these records do not always represent flood magnitudes in a straightforward manner. The depositional record generally reflects the magnitude, frequency, and duration of floods, but is also subject to storm-scale hysteresis effects, flood sequencing effects, and decade-scale trends in sediment load. Many of these effects are evident in the recent stratigraphic record of overbank floods along the Upper Mississippi River (UMR), where the floodplain has been aggrading for several thousand years. On low-lying floodplain surfaces in Iowa and Wisconsin, 137Cs profiles suggest average vertical accretion rates of about 10 mm/year since 1954. These rates are slightly less than rates that prevailed earlier in the 20th Century, when agricultural land disturbance was at a maximum, but they are still an order of magnitude greater than long-term average rates for the Holocene. As a result of soil conservation practices, accretion rates have decreased in recent decades despite an increase in the frequency of large floods. The stratigraphic record of the Upper Mississippi River floodplain is dominated by spring snowmelt events, because they are twice as frequent as rainfall floods, last almost twice as long, and are sometimes associated with very high sediment concentrations. The availability of sediment during floods is also influenced by a strong hysteresis effect. Peak sediment concentrations generally precede the peak discharges by 1–4 weeks, and concentrations are usually low ( The great flood of 1993 on the Mississippi River focused attention on the geomorphic effectiveness and stratigraphic signature of large floods. At McGregor, where the peak discharge had a recurrence interval of ∼14 years, the flood was most notable for its long duration (168 days above 1600 m3s−1), high sediment concentrations (three episodes >180 mg/l), and large suspended load (1.71 Mt). The flood of 2001, despite its greater magnitude (recurrence interval ∼70 years), was associated with relatively low sediment concentrations (
Analysis of the decomposition of methylene blue dye under the action of a pulsed DBD plasma jet

Summary form only given. A DBD plasma jet excited by a repetitively pulsed ns pulse power modulator was used to decolorize a 1.4 × 10−4 M solution Methylene Blue (MB). Time-resolved decomposition of the MB in solution was assessed using spectrophotometry and high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). Spectrophotometry results were found to be in agreement with chromatography measurements. HPLC revealed the absence of appreciable intermediates suggestions high-level mineralization. Acidification was also observed during processing. Also anecdotally explored was the affect of starting volume size on decomposition rate, which revealed that decomposition rates fairly invariant to volume over the range investigated. The discharge apparatus efficiency was also compared as a function of two distinct methods of excitation: 1) ac sinusoidal excitation and 2) excitation via ns pulsed power modulator. Finally, the stable operation of two applicators operating in parallel was demonstrated. Two-applicator operation was found to greatly improve decomposition times though overall decomposition efficiency remained approximately equal to that of a single applicator.
Architecture of kangaroo rat inner medulla: segmentation of descending thin limb of Henle's loop

We hypothesize that the inner medulla of the kangaroo rat Dipodomys merriami, a desert rodent that concentrates its urine to more than 6,000 mosmol/kgH2O water, provides unique examples of architectural features necessary for production of highly concentrated urine. To investigate this architecture, inner medullary nephron segments in the initial 3,000 μm below the outer medulla were assessed with digital reconstructions from physical tissue sections. Descending thin limbs of Henle (DTLs), ascending thin limbs of Henle (ATLs), and collecting ducts (CDs) were identified by immunofluorescence using antibodies that label segment-specific proteins associated with transepithelial water flux (aquaporin 1 and 2, AQP1 and AQP2) and chloride flux (the chloride channel ClC-K1); all tubules and vessels were labeled with wheat germ agglutinin. In the outer 3,000 μm of the inner medulla, AQP1-positive DTLs lie at the periphery of groups of CDs. ATLs lie inside and outside the groups of CDs. Immunohistochemistry and reconstructions of loops that form their bends in the outer 3,000 μm of the inner medulla show that, relative to loop length, the AQP1-positive segment of the kangaroo rat is significantly longer than that of the Munich-Wistar rat. The length of ClC-K1 expression in the prebend region at the terminal end of the descending side of the loop in kangaroo rat is about 50% shorter than that of the Munich-Wistar rat. Tubular fluid of the kangaroo rat DTL may approach osmotic equilibrium with interstitial fluid by water reabsorption along a relatively longer tubule length, compared with Munich-Wistar rat. A relatively shorter-length prebend segment may promote a steeper reabsorptive driving force at the loop bend. These structural features predict functionality that is potentially significant in the production of a high urine osmolality in the kangaroo rat.
Disruption of actin cytoskeleton attenuates sulfonylurea inhibition of cardiac ATP-sensitive K+ channels.

Two actin filament-depolymerizing agents, DNase I and cytochalasin D, were used to examine the involvement of the cytoskeleton in the functional interaction between the sulfonylurea receptor (SUR) and the ATP-sensitive K+ (KATP) channels. Isolated rat ventricular cardiomyocytes were studied using open cell-attached patches for single-channel recording. Bath application of DNase I (100 μg/ml) or cytochalasin D (10 μM) stimulated the KATP channel activities (in presence of 30 μM ATP), and these channels became resistant to inhibition by tolbutamide (0.5 mM). After exposure to tolbutamide, the relative NPo value was 0.09 ± 0.02 in control patches in absence of actin disrupters, and 0.67 ± 0.22* or 0.65 ± 0.10*, respectively, in cells treated with DNase I or cytochalasine D (*P < 0.05 vs. control). The inhibitory action of glibenclamide (10 μM) on the KATP channels was also attenuated by DNase I. Thus, the disruption of the actin cytoskeleton attenuates the ability of SUR to inhibit the opening of KATP channels.
Time-series analysis and measurements of intermendiate-species concentration spectra in turbulent non-premixed flames

The ability to make frequency-resolved measurements of minor-species concentrations in turbulent flames has recently been demonstrated by picosecond time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence (PITLIF). However, few previous studies have focused on the power spectral density (PSD) of minor species in reacting flows. What little information is available suggests that strong interactions between velocity fluctuations and scalar distributions complicate the PSD, making interpretation of flame data difficult. In this work, time-series analysis, previously applied in flame-radiation studies, is extended to the study of temporal fluctuations in minor-species concentrations. In particular, an assumed PSD model for mixture fraction (Z) is used to simulate its time series. State relationships for narrowly distributed minor species as a function of mixture fraction are applied to develop concentration time series. Extension of this laminar-flamelet approach to minor species requires additional consideration of the effect of flame strain rate on the width of a minor-species profile in Z space as well as its peak concentration. The resulting minor-species concentration PSDs are computed and studied as a function of profile width (in Z) and fluctuation intensity (Z′ RMS ). These simulations compare favorably to previously reported CH and OH PSDs in a low-Reynolds-number, methane diffusion flame. Similarly, new PITLIF measurements of OH time series in a hydrogen diffusion flame at several Reynolds numbers also demonstrate favorable comparisons to the PSD simulations.
OZONOLYSIS OF 3,4‐DEHYDROPROLINE

Ozonolysis of protected 3,4-dehydro-DL-proline (2) in methanol gives as the initially isolable product, a seven-membered ring cyclic peroxide (5). Compound 5 undergoes rearrangement thermally to give methyl N-tosylglycinate (8) and a stereochemical mixture of oxazolidine aldehyde esters (7). Structural evidence for 7 came from detailed 13C nmr studies of 7 and its reduction product (9).
Factors influencing sodium and water excretion in uremic man

Factors influencing sodium and water excretion in uremic man. Urinary excretion of sodium and water was investigated in patients with chronic end-stage renal disease before and after three different experimental manipulations: reduction in urea solute load by dialysis while extracellular fluid volume (ECFV) was maintained, dialysis without alteration in urea solute load or ECFV and reduction in ECFV without alteration in urea solute load. Sodium and water excretion significantly declined in association with a reduction in both urea solute load and ECFV, but not during a dialysis when reduction on both of these indexes was prevented. The excretory changes occurred in the absence of any alteration in creatinine clearance. The studies suggest that both solute load and the degree of extracellular fluid volume expansion contribute independently to the rate of sodium and water excretion in chronic renal disease. It is concluded that in any given patient the overall excretion of sodium and water is directly influenced by a number of factors including the solute load, the degree of ECFV and the glomerular filtration rate.
13C Chemical Shielding Tensors in Ampicillin and Penicillin-V: A Theoretical Study†

The principal components of the 13C shielding tensors in two antibiotics, ampicillin and penicillin-V, are calculated using the coupled Hartree−Fock gauge-including atomic orbital (CHF-GIAO) method as well as using a hybrid density functional scheme. Calculated results are compared with solid state experimental nuclear magnetic resonance data. Using the known X-ray structures of these antibiotics, it is demonstrated that the computed shieldings compare favorably with experiment such that, in some cases, calculations can now be utilized in assigning shielding tensor data.
The role of carcass chilling rate in the development of pale, exudative turkey pectoralis

Pale, soft, and exudative meat is a growing problem in the turkey industry that has been associated with processing conditions such as improper chilling. This condition is caused by accelerated postmortem glycolysis while carcass temperatures are still elevated, resulting in protein denaturation and poor meat quality. To evaluate the involvement of chilling rate, 48 toms were conventionally processed at 17.5 wk of age and chilled at 0,10, 20, or 30 C for 45 or 90 min and deboned. Temperature and pH of the breast fillet were recorded at 15 min, deboning time, and at 24 h postmortem (PM). Drip loss, L* value, expressible moisture, gel strength, and cook loss were determined on the fillets at 24 h PM. At 15 min PM, there were no temperature differences among treatments. At deboning, the carcasses chilled at 30 C had the highest fillet temperature and had significantly lower pH values when compared to those chilled at 0 and 10 C. L* value was significantly higher in carcasses chilled at 30 C and deboned at 60 min PM when compared to 0 and 10 C chilled carcasses. There were no significant differences in L* values at 105 min and 24 h PM among any treatment group. Drip loss and cook loss were significantly higher in carcasses chilled at 30 C compared to the remaining treatments. There were no differences in expressible moisture at 60 or 105 min PM or gel strength at 60 min PM in any of the treatments. However, at 105 min PM, carcasses chiled at 0 C had higher gel strength when compared to the remaining treatments. These results indicate that there is a relationship between chilling rates and meat quality with slower chilling producing PSE-like characteristics.
Dynamics of human keratin 18 phosphorylation: Polarized distribution of phosphorylated keratins in simple epithelial tissues

Phosphorylation of keratin polypeptides 8 and 18 (K8/18) and other intermediate filament proteins results in their reorganization in vitro and in vivo. In order to study functional aspects of human K18 phosphorylation, we generated and purified a polyclonal antibody (termed 3055) that specifically recognizes a major phosphorylation site (ser52) of human K18 but not dephosphorylated K18 or a ser52-->ala K18 mutant. Pulse-chase experiments followed by immunoprecipitation and peptide mapping of in vivo 32PO4-labeled K8/18 indicated that the overall phosphorylation turnover rate is faster for K18 versus K8, and that ser52 of K18 is a highly dynamic phosphorylation site. Isoelectric focusing of 32PO4 labeled K18 followed by immunoblotting with 3055 showed that the major phosphorylated K18 species contain ser52 phosphorylation but that some K18 molecules exist that are preferentially phosphorylated on K18 sites other than ser52. Immunoblotting of total cell lysates obtained from cells at different stages of the cell cycle showed that ser52 phosphorylation increases three to fourfold during the S and G2/M phases of the cell cycle. Immunofluorescence staining of cells at different stages of mitosis, using 3055 or other antibodies that recognize the total keratin pool, resulted in preferential binding of the 3055 antibody to the reorganized keratin fraction. Staining of human tissues or tissues from transgenic mice that express human K18 showed that the phospho-ser52 K18 species are located preferentially in the basolateral and apical domains in the liver and pancreas, respectively, but no preferential localization was noted in other simple epithelial organs examined. Our results support a model whereby phosphorylated intermediate filaments are localized in specific cellular domains depending on the tissue type and site(s) of phosphorylation. In addition, ser52 of human K18 is a highly dynamic phosphorylation site that undergoes modulation during the S and G2/M phases of the cell cycle in association with filament reorganization.
Cell-specific localization of the α-subunit of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II in Purkinje cells in rodent cerebellum

Abstract Brain calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase type II, a multimeric 600–650 kDa enzyme composed of α- (50 kDa) and β/β′ (60 and 58 kDa) subunits, may be formed by α- and β-subunits combining in variable proportions in different types of neurons. This study presents evidence, using cerebella from mutant mice, that the α-subunit displays a restricted localization in the rodent cerebellum, being detectable only in Purkinje cells. Immunocytochemical analysis of normal rat cerebellum with an antibody selective for the α-subunit confirmed that this subunit was detectable only in Purkinje cells. In contrast, the β/β′-subunits appeared to be present in all types of cerebellar mutants examined. These results indicate that different cells of the cerebellum express distinct isozymic forms of the multifunctional calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase type II. It appears that Purkinje cells primarily contain an isoenzyme formed by both α- and β/β′-subunits, and that non-Purkinje cells contain an isoenzyme formed primarily by β/β′-subunits.
Heparin prevents postischemic endothelial cell dysfunction by a mechanism independent of its anticoagulant activity.

Abstract Purpose: Heparin may have protective effects on postischemic vascular endothelial cell function that are distinct from its anticoagulant, antiplatelet, or anticomplement activity. We tested this hypothesis in isolated rat hindlimbs. Methods: Isolated rat hindlimbs underwent 60 minutes of normothermic ischemia and 10 minutes of reperfusion. Potential heparin interaction with plasma-based proteins or cells was eliminated by perfusion of the hindlimbs with a nonrecirculated albumin-enriched crystalloid buffer. Endothelial function was assessed by measurement of endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF) activity. Limbs perfused at constant pressure were subjected to increasing log dose infusions of acetylcholine and nitroprusside to measure endothelial-dependent (EDRF-mediated) and endothelial-independent vasoreactivity, respectively. Fifty limbs were divided into seven groups: two nonischemic groups (one with heparin) and five ischemia/reperfusion groups treated with increasing doses of heparin (0 to 1.0 U/ml perfusate). Results: The nontreated ischemia/reperfusion group ( n = 12) had a 46.2% reduction in endothelial-dependent vasodilation of the rat hindlimb when compared with the nonischemic control ( n = 7, p n = 6) nearly abolished this attenuation of endothelial-dependent vasodilation (4.3% reduction, p = not significant vs nonischemic control). The endothelial protective effect of heparin was dose-dependent: groups treated with 0.25 U/ml ( n = 6) and 0.1 U/ml heparin ( n = 7) showed progressive impairment in postischemic EDRF-mediated vasodilation. Endothelial-independent vasodilation induced by nitroprusside was unchanged by ischemia/reperfusion or heparin treatment, which confirmed that the postischemic damage and its protection by heparin were specific to the endothelium. Conclusions: Heparin prevented postischemic endothelial cell dysfunction by a mechanism independent of its interactions with plasma-based proteins or cells. This nonanticoagulant protective effect may contribute to the salutary effects of heparinization during acute ischemic events. (J VASC SURG 1993;17:318-27.)
Analysis of stable iodinated insulin by neutron-activation techniques.

Abstract Neutron activation analysis of stable iodinated insulin has been performed [127I(n, γ)128I]. Using a lithium-drifted germanium detector for counting the 128I gamma ray of 0·442 MeV, we have successfully analyzed less than one microgram of iodine without the necessity of pre- or post-irradiation chemistry. The theoretical lower limit for 128I using this technique appears to be 40–50 ng of iodine. Increased sensitivity was achieved by using a NaI (Tl) well detector with post-irradiation chemistry. The results indicated that with this destructive method, we should be able to measure as low as 1–2 ng of iodine. Excellent recovery of insulin by immunoassay, after neutron activation, provided evidence that the technique using freeze drying of insulin and a Ge (Li) detector did not damage the insulin molecule. We conclude that using two different detector systems after neutron activation, accurate and reliable studies could be performed with iodinated insulin and other proteins in biological functions studies.
20th- to 21st-Century Technological Challenges in Soft Coatings

Coatings are among the most ancient technologies of humankind. Relatively soft coatings comprising organic materials such as blood, eggs, and extracts from plants were in use more than 20,000 years ago, and coating activity has been continuously practiced since then with gradually improving materials and application techniques. The fundamental purposes of protecting and/or decorating substrates have remained ubiquitous across all the centuries and cultures of civilization. This article attempts to extrapolate the long tale of change in soft coating technology from its current state by identifying some key problems that attract research and development efforts as our 21st century begins.
The influence of formulation on emission, deaggregation and deposition of dry powders for inhalation

Carrier and drug (“active”) particles containing different fluorescent dyes were studied by performing an experimental and theoretical analysis of the influence of formulation on the performance of dry powders for inhalation. The performance was evaluated based on the emission, deaggregation, and deposition of powders from a Spinhaler® into a model throat connected to a collection filter or an isokinetic sampling system and Andersen cascade impactor. Powders containing recombinant human granulocyte-colony stimulating factor/mannitol (GM) exhibited improved dispersion, more facile deaggregation and increased deposition in the model lung than those containing only mannitol (M). These results appear to be due to smaller interparticulate cohesive forces between GM particles as indirectly evidenced by surface indentations and bulk density measurements. Carrier particles (PEG 8000) improved total powder emission, but in many instances reduced the percent of active powder inhaled compared to formulations consisting of active powder alone. In formulations containing the carrier, deaggregation and deposition of active powders were highly dependent on the properties of the active powder and flow rate. The theoretical analysis of particle aerosolization criteria was limited to aerosolization of dry, uncharged powders. A relationship is derived relating flow rate of aerosolized powder to the smallest size of particle ogglomerate that can be expected to survive the turbulence generated by the inhaler/mouth/throat flow profile.
Ganglioside loss promotes survival primarily by activating integrin-linked kinase/Akt without phosphoinositide 3-OH kinase signaling.

Keratinocyte gangliosides influence cellular functions, including proliferation, adhesion, migration, and differentiation. The effects of endogenous depletion of membrane gangliosides by gene transfection of a human ganglioside-specific sialidase on cell survival were investigated. Ganglioside depletion promotes survival of the human keratinocyte-derived SCC12 cell line through upregulated phosphorylation of β1 integrin, and increased phosphorylation and activity of integrin-linked kinase, protein kinase B/Akt, and Bad, with resultant inhibition of caspase-9 activation. Ganglioside deficiency also increases expression of cyclins D1 and E, promoting cell cycle progression from G 1 phase to S phase. Inhibition of either protein kinase B/Akt or integrin-linked kinase activity renders the ganglioside-deficient cells susceptible to triggers of apoptosis. Both serine-473 and threonine-308 sites of protein kinase B/Akt show increased phosphorylation in ganglioside-deficient cells, but the cell survival correlates with increased phosphorylation of the serine-473 site of Akt, not with increased phosphorylation of the threonine-308 site. Consistently, blockade of ganglioside GT1b function activates integrin-linked kinase and only the serine-473 site of protein kinase B/Akt. In contrast, antibody-induced blockade of GM3 function increases only threonine-308 phosphorylation of ganglioside-deficient cells. Whereas blockade of phosphoinositide 3-OH kinase function suppresses threonine-308 phosphorylation, it neither inhibits serine-473 phosphorylation nor triggers apoptosis. These data suggest that ganglioside depletion modulates cell survival primarily through protein kinase B/Akt stimulation by a pathway that does not require phosphoinositide 3-OH kinase and epidermal growth factor receptor signaling.
Criteria for an animal model of alcoholism.

Abstract A correspondence between the various components of human alcoholism and their animal analogue has not yet been achieved; in some part, this failure resides with experimental attempts which obtain which obtain only surface equivalencies and which lack an underlying motivational structure. Seven criteria for an animal model are proposed including the oral ingestion of alcohol without food deprivation, substantial ingestion of alcohol with competing fluids available, drinking directed to the intoxicating effect of alcohol, the performance of work to obtain alcohol, the maintenance of intoxication over a long period and, finally, the production of physical dependence and, on withdrawal, the abstinence syndrome.
Visually evoked eye movements: Effects of labyrinthectomy

Abstract Nystagmus responses of cats to both optokinetic and flicker stimuli were studied before and after unilateral and bilateral labyrinthectomy. Destruction of the labyrinths served to reduce significantly the number of eye movements to each type of the visual stimuli. The opposite-direction after-nystagmus elicited by the optokinetic stimulus were abolished by bilateral labyrinthectomy. No changes occurred in the frequency of the flash nystagmus response that could be ascribed to body position. Thus, the data confirm previous work by others, but suggest species differences with regard to several properties of visually evoked nystagmus.
Retention of inhaled hexafluorocyclobutene in the rat

Hexafluorocyclobutene (HFCB), a cyclic analogue of perfluoroisobutene (PFIB), is a reactive gas that induces a fulminating pulmonary oedema in rats from which animals may die after an apparently asymptomatic period between 24 and 30 h, depending on the dose. To determine the dose of inhaled gas to the respiratory tract, the retention of HFCB has been determined in the rat at three inhaled concentrations with simultaneous measurement of respiratory parameters. Rats exposed continuously to HFCB retained 25%, 19% and 16% of the inhaled dose after exposure to 1.2, 6 and 30 ppm, respectively, which fell to 24%, 17% and 9% at 30 min and 21%, 16% and 6.5% after 1 h. The rate of uptake of HFCB decreased markedly at the highest concentration from 200 to 112 nmol min-1 kg-1 after 30 min and to 90 nmol min-1 kg-1 after a further 30 min. Ventilatory parameters were unchanged throughout the experiment and there was no evidence of pathological or histopathological damage at the end of the exposure. On renewal of exposure to gas after a 15-min pause, the percentage of gas retained was unchanged from that determined previously. The results indicate that there is a saturable component within the respiratory tract that is both time and concentration dependent. Hexafluorocyclobutene does not produce direct pathological damage outside the lung, which indicates that it may react rapidly with tissue components within the lung.
Atorvastatin-Induced Hemorrhagic Cystitis: A Case Report

The first case of hemorrhagic cystitis due to atorvastatin for treatment of hyperlipidemia is reported. Hematuria resolved spontaneously with discontinuation of the drug.
Note on the “forbidden” (p, t) excitation of unnatural parity final states from 0+ targets via multistep processes

Abstract An estimate of the (p-d-t) successive single-neutron pickup cross section is shown to be in disagreement with experimental data for the “forbidden” 22 Ne(p,t) 20 Ne(4.97 MeV, 2 - ) transition. Furthermore, it is shown that cross sections at very forward angles are important to distinguish whether a “forbidden” transition proceeds via inelastic excitation or successive single-neutron pickup.
Mesoporous surface control of PVDF thin films for enhanced piezoelectric energy generation

Abstract We demonstrate that nanostructured thin films play a significant role in compact energy harvesting polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) nanogenerators. In this work, we introduced a surface control technique for preparing mesoporous PVDF thin films toward high piezoelectric output. We demonstrated that the morphology of the film could be controlled by varying the solvent evaporation rate. The material crystallinity was experimentally confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) measurement. The multilayer PVDF structure with porous surface significantly increased the compressibility and charge collecting area which contributes to the significant output enhancement. The piezoelectric output increased 100% with the modified mesoporous layer. The charging capacity increased 107% compared with the same thickness solid PVDF film.
Hollywood's insidious charms: the impact of American cinema and television on the Soviet Union during the Cold War

Using various archival documents, memoirs, diaries, periodicals and more than 70 personal interviews with contemporaries of the events, this essay is an attempt to show the paradoxes of the cultural Cold War in Soviet consumption of the American visual media – films and television from the United States.
Cytochemical analysis of oligosaccharide processing in frog photoreceptors.

Lectin cytochemistry, together with exoglycosidase enzyme digestion, has been used to characterize partially glycoconjugates of several intracellular compartments in frog photoreceptors. In order to obtain uniform access of reagents to all intracellular compartments, the experiments were performed directly on semi-thin sections ofXenopus laevis retinal tissue embedded in a hydrophilic plastic resin. In the rod, the major photoreceptor intracellular binding sites for wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) are the outer segment, the Golgi complex, and other inner segment organelles which are probably involved in the transport of glycoconjugates from the Golgi complex to the outer segment. In addition, shed outer segment tips (phagosomes) are uniformly labelled with WGA. The WGA-binding sites of the outer segment and of the presumed transport organelles are resistant to neuraminidase digestion. This is consistent with the possibility that glycoconjugates (primarily opsin) are transported from the Golgi complex to the outer segment without further oligosaccharide processing. Specific staining of rod outer segments and of phagosomes is also obtained with theN-acetylglucosamine-specific lectin, succinyl-WGA (S-WGA). Outer segments and phagosomes stain the same with WGA, S-WGA and a variety of other lectins tested suggesting that no major post-Golgi oligosaccharide processing accompanies the shedding-phagocytosis event. Concanavalin A (Con A) staining of intracellular sites in rod inner segments reveals a striking difference compared to WGA staining in that the Con A binding sites are concentrated in the photoreceptor axon and presynaptic terminal. These results, and results from previous studies, indicate that the photoreceptor may utilize different mechanisms of oligosaccharide processing from the level of a single Golgi complex to the opposite ends of this cell. Furthermore, those glycoconjugates destined for the presynaptic terminal may undergo post-Golgi processing at or near their sites of insertion into the presynaptic plasma membrane.
Fiber-fed time-resolved photoluminescence for reduced process feedback time on thin-film photovoltaics.

Fiber-fed time-resolved photoluminescence is demonstrated as a tool for immediate process feedback after deposition of the absorber layer for CuInxGa1-xSe2 and Cu2ZnSnSe4 photovoltaic devices. The technique uses a simplified configuration compared to typical laboratory time-resolved photoluminescence in the delivery of the exciting beam, signal collection, and electronic components. Correlation of instrument output with completed device efficiency is demonstrated over a large sample set. The extraction of the instrument figure of merit, depending on both the initial luminescence intensity and its time decay, is explained and justified. Limitations in the prediction of device efficiency by this method, including surface effect, are demonstrated and discussed.
Automated system for collecting snow and related hydrological data in mountains of the western United States / Système automatique pour la collecte des données concernant la neige et d'autres infourmations qui s'y rapportent dans les montagnes de l'oest des Etats Unis

ABSTRACT Snowmelt runoff, primarily from mountains, contributes about 75% of the water supply in the western United States. Snow and related hydrological data have been collected from remote mountain sites for more than 40 years primarily through manual methods. An automated data collection system called SNOTEL (for snow telemetry) is being installed. A portion of the system passed an operational test early in 1979, and installation of the entire system of approximately 500 automated data sites is expected to be complete by November 1980. Sensors to measure snow water content, accumulated precipitation, and temperature are standard at each SNOTEL site. The automated sensors will eliminate the need for manual measurements at more than 500 of the 1600 data sites in the snow data network. The SNOTEL communication system uses meteor trails to transmit data from the remote sites to a master station. The system, which operates in near real time, is capable of collecting and transmitting data from as many as 100...