cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Morphology of the Neurosecretory System in Rats Homozygous and Heterozygous for Hypothalamic Diabetes Insipidus (Brattleboro Strain)

Rats homozygous for hypothalamic diabetes insipidus (DI), which appear unable to synthesize arginine vasopressin, show marked hypertrophy in the hypothalamo- neurohypophysial system (HNS). The supraoptic nucleus and the paraventricular nucleus contain enlarged cells with hypertrophic nuclei and nucleoli, and axons with very little or no neurosecretory material (NSM). This dearth of NSM exists also in the nerve fibers of the HNS as they course through the median eminence. The pars nervosa of the pituitary gland is enlarged and shows extreme reduction of NSM, when compared to the normal. But isolated clusters of NSM remain, and these may represent oxytocin which DI rats can produce. Heterozygous rats possess hypothalamic and neurohypophysial features intermediate between the normal and DI conditions. The morphological findings in both DI and heterozygous rats suggest excessive activity of the system responsible for the production, storage and release of neurohypophysial principles. (Endocrinology 77: 692, 1965)
Toward Predicting Drug-Induced Liver Injury: Parallel Computational Approaches to Identify Multidrug Resistance Protein 4 and Bile Salt Export Pump Inhibitors

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is an important cause of drug toxicity. Inhibition of multidrug resistance protein 4 (MRP4), in addition to bile salt export pump (BSEP), might be a risk factor for the development of cholestatic DILI. Recently, we demonstrated that inhibition of MRP4, in addition to BSEP, may be a risk factor for the development of cholestatic DILI. Here, we aimed to develop computational models to delineate molecular features underlying MRP4 and BSEP inhibition. Models were developed using 257 BSEP and 86 MRP4 inhibitors and noninhibitors in the training set. Models were externally validated and used to predict the affinity of compounds toward BSEP and MRP4 in the DrugBank database. Compounds with a score above the median fingerprint threshold were considered to have significant inhibitory effects on MRP4 and BSEP. Common feature pharmacophore models were developed for MRP4 and BSEP with LigandScout software using a training set of nine well characterized MRP4 inhibitors and nine potent BSEP inhibitors. Bayesian models for BSEP and MRP4 inhibition/noninhibition were developed with cross-validated receiver operator curve values greater than 0.8 for the test sets, indicating robust models with acceptable false positive and false negative prediction rates. Both MRP4 and BSEP inhibitor pharmacophore models were characterized by hydrophobic and hydrogen-bond acceptor features, albeit in distinct spatial arrangements. Similar molecular features between MRP4 and BSEP inhibitors may partially explain why various drugs have affinity for both transporters. The Bayesian (BSEP, MRP4) and pharmacophore (MRP4, BSEP) models demonstrated significant classification accuracy and predictability.
A Service Science Perspective on Strategic Choice, IT, and Performance in U.S. Banking

With the move to an information-based economy, financial services has become a key contributor to the U.S. gross domestic product. Even as consolidation reduces the number of banks, small banks with under $100 million in assets continue to report higher profit margins than large banks with over $100 million in assets. Lacking scale, small banks employ a service-oriented business strategy (customer intimacy), whereas large banks focus on productivity and throughput (operational excellence). Information technology (IT) plays a key role in applying each strategy, but as banks move toward customer intimacy in general, the challenge is to grow without undermining service quality. Using a balanced panel data set from 43 U.S. banks, this paper finds that banking strategies are becoming more customer focused. Yet for large banks in particular, IT remains resolutely operations focused. This misalignment could restrict future banking performance. In this way, this paper contributes to the service science literature by using size to dissect banking strategies and performance.
Phase Diagram of a Random Tiling Quasicrystal

We study the phase diagram of a two-dimensional random tiling model for quasicrystals. At proper concentrations the model has 8-fold rotational symmetry. Landau theory correctly gives most of the qualitative features of the phase diagram, which is in turn studied in detail numerically using a transfer matrix approach. We find that the system can enter the quasicrystal phase from many other crystalline and incommensurate phases through first-order or continuous transitions. Exact solutions are given in all phases except for the quasicrystal phase, and for the phase boundaries between them. We calculate numerically the phason elastic constants and entropy density, and confirm that the entropy density reaches its maximum at the point where phason strains are zero and the system possesses 8-fold rotational symmetry. In addition to the obvious application to quasicrystals, this study generalizes certain surface roughening models to two-dimensional surfaces in four dimensions.
Charged residues in the C-terminus of the P2Y1 receptor constitute a basolateral-sorting signal.

The P2Y1 receptor is localized to the basolateral membrane of polarized Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells. In the present study, we identified a 25-residue region within the C-terminal tail (C-tail) of the P2Y1 receptor that directs basolateral sorting. Deletion of this sorting signal caused redirection of the receptor to the apical membrane, indicating that the region from the N-terminus to transmembrane domain 7 (TM7) contains an apical-sorting signal that is overridden by a dominant basolateral signal in the C-tail. Location of the signal relative to TM7 is crucial, because increasing its distance from the end of TM7 resulted in loss of basolateral sorting. The basolateral-sorting signal does not use any previously established basolateral-sorting motifs, i.e. tyrosine-containing or di-hydrophobic motifs, for function, and it is functional even when inverted or when its amino acids are scrambled, indicating that the signal is sequence independent. Mutagenesis of different classes of amino acids within the signal identified charged residues (five basic and four acidic amino acids in 25 residues) as crucial determinants for sorting function, with amidated amino acids having a lesser role. Mutational analyses revealed that whereas charge balance (+1 overall) of the signal is unimportant, the total number of charged residues (nine), either positive or negative, is crucial for basolateral targeting. These data define a new class of targeting signal that relies on total charge and might provide a common mechanism for polarized trafficking of epithelial proteins.
Practitioners' Experiences Creating and Implementing an Emotional Recovery and Physical Activity Program Following a Natural Disaster.

On April 27, 2011 a series of tornadoes tore through the southeast United States. Sixty-four percent of the counties in the state of Alabama were directly affected by these storms. After a natural disaster, children who are directly or indirectly affected show numerous intense emotional reactions. Recovery programs can be set up to enable them to combat these reactions, and decrease stress. At the University of Alabama, the goals of a recovery program were to reduce students' anxiety and stress levels, offer students developmentally appropriate physical activity, allow students the opportunity to share their experiences, and provide students with methods to cope with the traumatic event. The recovery program encompassed both somatic and physiological stress-reducing techniques in addition to art therapy and group sharing sessions. The purpose of this article is to describe how the recovery program was created, share the challenges that were faced, and explicate the experiences from the program.
Identifying differences in mRNA expression by representational difference analysis of cDNA

Detection of differentially regulated genes has been severely hampered by technical limitations. In an effort to overcome these problems, the PCR-coupled subtractive process of representational difference analysis (RDA) [Lisitsyn, N. et al. (1993) Science 259, 946-951] has been adapted for use with cDNA. In a model system, RAG-1 and RAG-2, the genes responsible for activating V(D)J recombination, were identified in a genomic transfectant by cDNA RDA in a small fraction of the time taken by conventional means. The system was also modified to eliminate expected difference products to facilitate the identification of novel genes. Additional alterations to the conditions allowed isolation of differentially expressed fragments. Several caffeine up-regulated clones were obtained from the pre-B cell line 1-8, including IGF-1B, and a predicted homologue of the natural killer cell antigen, NKR-P1. The approach was found to be fast, extremely sensitive, reproducible, and predominantly lacked false positives. cDNA RDA has the capacity and adaptability to be applied to a wide range of biological problems, including the study of single gene disorders, characterization of mutant and complemented cell types, developmental or post-event expression time courses, and examination of pathogen-host interactions.
UPTAKE OF I131 BY FRESH-WATER ORGANISMS—AN ABSTRACT

Abstract Abstract—The Fern Lake Mineral Metabolism Program, which was initiated in 1957, has as its objective the improvement of the productive capacity of the land and water resources of an impoverished watershed in western Washington. Radioactive tracer experiments were conducted during 1960–1961, both in the laboratory and in the lake, to determine which biologically important minerals are deficient in Fern Lake and to study the patterns of uptake of the minerals by organisms living in the lake. The environmental conditions of the laboratory simulated those of the lake. Twelve radionuclides in mc amounts were added to separate tanks containing Fern Lake water, bottom material and important members of the lake community. Later, four radionuclides in c amounts were added to the lake itself. In both series of experiments, samples of organisms, water and bottom material were obtained at designated intervals and were assayed for radioactive content. This report summarizes the results of the I131 analyses in both experiments. In the closed-system experiment of the laboratory, all tissues of the organisms assayed contained I131, with maximum values attained about the fourth day after application of the radioisotope; a notable exception was the thyroid tissue of fish, which reached a maximum value after the fifteenth day. Under the natural conditions of the lake, radioiodine intake via the food chain was greater than from the water, although apparently slower. Concentration factors, however, were greater than those observed in the laboratory experiments.
Visualization of brain interstitial fluid movement during osmotic disequilibrium.

The movement of brain interstitial fluid was visualized in cats with the use of dextran blue 2000. The dextran blue was injected intracerebrally, and the cats were subsequently infused or perfused with anisotonic sucrose solutions. Increasing the serum osmolality by intravenous infusion of a hypertonic sucrose solution or decreasing the ventricular fluid osmolality by perfusion with a hypotonic sucrose solution effectively shuts off CSF flow. Conversely, volume flow is increased by either infusing hypotonic sucrose or perfusing with hypertonic sucrose solutions. Cats which were neither infused nor perfused demonstrated a relatively well-defined dye pattern in cerebral white matter. In the brains of cats infused with hypotonic sucrose the dye was more diffuse and asymmetrical. In the brains of cats infused with hypertonic sucrose the dye pattern was discrete and symmetrical. There was no apparent difference in the dye pattern, as compared to controls, in the brains of those cats whose ventricles were perfused with either hypertonic or hypotonic sucrose solutions. Injection of dye into the brains of dead cats produced dye patterns which were more discrete than those seen in controls. It is concluded from observations made on the various dye patterns that there is a movement of interstitial fluid within the brain when serum osmolality is altered. This fluid may contribute to the increase in CSF volume flow which results when serum osmolality is decreased.
Carbonaceous aerosol at two rural locations in New York State: Characterization and behavior

[1] Fine particle samples were collected to determine the chemical constituents in PM2.5 at two rural background sites (Potsdam and Stockton, N. Y.) in the northeastern United States from November 2002 to August 2005. Samples were collected every third day for 24 h with a speciation network sampler. The measured carbonaceous species included thermal-optical organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), pyrolytic carbon (OP), black carbon (BC), and water-soluble, short-chain (WSSC) organic acids. Concentration time series, autocorrelations, and seasonal variations of the carbonaceous species were examined. During this multiyear period, the contributions of the total carbon (OC + EC) to the measured fine particle mass were 31.2% and 31.1% at Potsdam and Stockton, respectively. The average sum of the WSSC acids carbon accounted for approximately 2.5% of the organic carbon at Potsdam and 3.0% at Stockton. At Potsdam, the seasonal differences in the autocorrelation function (ACF) and partial autocorrelation function (PACF) values for carbonaceous species suggest that secondary formation may be an important contributor to the observed concentrations of species likely to be secondary in origin, particularly during the photochemically active time of the year (May to October). This study also investigated the relationships between carbonaceous species to better understand the behavior of carbonaceous aerosol and to assess the contribution of secondary organic carbon (SOC) to the total organic carbon mass (the EC tracer method was used to estimate SOC). At Potsdam the average SOC contribution to total OC varied between 66% and 72%, while at Stockton it varied between 58% and 64%.
Role of the Breast Cancer Resistance Protein (BCRP/ABCG2) in Drug Transport—an Update

The human breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP, gene symbol ABCG2) is an ATP-binding cassette (ABC) efflux transporter. It was so named because it was initially cloned from a multidrug-resistant breast cancer cell line where it was found to confer resistance to chemotherapeutic agents such as mitoxantrone and topotecan. Since its discovery in 1998, the substrates of BCRP have been rapidly expanding to include not only therapeutic agents but also physiological substances such as estrone-3-sulfate, 17β-estradiol 17-(β-d-glucuronide) and uric acid. Likewise, at least hundreds of BCRP inhibitors have been identified. Among normal human tissues, BCRP is highly expressed on the apical membranes of the placental syncytiotrophoblasts, the intestinal epithelium, the liver hepatocytes, the endothelial cells of brain microvessels, and the renal proximal tubular cells, contributing to the absorption, distribution, and elimination of drugs and endogenous compounds as well as tissue protection against xenobiotic exposure. As a result, BCRP has now been recognized by the FDA to be one of the key drug transporters involved in clinically relevant drug disposition. We published a highly-accessed review article on BCRP in 2005, and much progress has been made since then. In this review, we provide an update of current knowledge on basic biochemistry and pharmacological functions of BCRP as well as its relevance to drug resistance and drug disposition.
Vitamin E Protects Against Oxidative Damage and Learning Disability After Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in Rats

Background. Reactive oxygen species induce neuronal damage, and their role in reducing synaptic plasticity and function is beginning to be understood. Vitamin E is a potent reactive oxygen species ...
The Saethre-Chotzen syndrome.

Five individuals in four generations affected with the Saethre-Chotzen syndrome are reported. Serial roentgencephalometric data obtained pre- and postoperatively on the proband were compared with similar measurements on the affected mother and maternal uncle, both of whom had not had operative corrections. Similarity in skull form among the affected individuals was demonstrated. Head circumference, as an index of cranial growth or intracranial capacity, was misleading in assessing the intellectual potential of the affected adults. In contrast, cranial capacity, as measured by the modulus, was found to be more reliable.
The effect of friction and inelastic deformation on chatter in sheet rolling

Vibrations or chatter of a rolling mill often accompany the processing of thin sheet. The oscillation of the work rolls produces an unsteady squeezing motion of the sheet in the roll bite gap that induces additional inelastic deformation of the sheet. This report evaluates the effect of this inelastic deformation on the chatter motion. The inelastic deformation of the sheet caused by the chattering motion produces a dynamic contribution to the roll force. The primary goal of this study is to determine this force and corresponding spring and damping coefficients. The formulation uses an asymptotic method valid for thin sheets. The material is rate sensitive and friction at the roll-sheet interface is proportional to the relative slip between the sheet and rolls. The main results are analytical expressions for the spring and dampening coefficients. They depend on the reduction, entrance gauge, roll bite length (or roll diameter), roll-sheet friction, processing rate, and material behaviour. The spring coefficient also depends on the entrance tension and slip parameter (or roll speed). The theory examines a linear reduction and a roll bite gap made by circular rolls. The qualitative behaviour of the spring and damping coefficients is rather insensitive to the nature of the reduction. An interesting prediction is negative damping or spring coefficient for some operating conditions. Control systems can use the spring and damping coefficients to predict deviations in the system stiffness or damping due to changes in the operating state of the mill.
Mesoporous silica beads embedded with semiconductor quantum dots and iron oxide nanocrystals : Dual-function microcarriers for optical encoding and magnetic separation

Mesoporous beads are promising materials for embedding functional nanoparticles because of their nanometer-sized pores and large surface areas. Here we report the development of silica microbeads embedded with both semiconductor quantum dots (QD) and iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanocrystals as a new class of dual-function carriers for optical encoding and magnetic separation. The embedding (doping) process is carried out by either simultaneous or sequential addition of quantum dots and iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanocrystals in solution. The doping process is fast and quantitative, but the incorporated iron oxide strongly attenuates the signal intensity of QD fluorescence. We find that this attenuation is not due to conventional fluorescence quenching but is caused by the broad optical absorption spectrum of mixed-valence Fe3O4. For improved biocompatibility and reduced nonspecific binding, the encoded beads are further coated with amphiphilic polymers such as octylamine poly(acrylic acid). The results indicate that the polymer-coated beads are well suited for target capturing and enrichment, yielding magnetic separation efficiencies higher than 99%. By combining the multiplexing capability of QDs with the superparamagnetic properties of iron oxide nanocrystals, this class of encoded beads is expected to find broad applications in high-throughput and multiplexed biomolecular assays.
Headphone localization of speech stimuli

Recently, three dimensional acoustic display systems have been developed that synthesize virtual sound sources over headphones based on filtering by Head-Related Transfer Functions (HRTFs), the direction-dependent spectral changes caused primarily by the outer ears. Here, 11 inexperienced subjects judged the apparent spatial location of headphone-presented speech stimuli filtered with non-individualized HRTFs. About half of the subjects 'pulled' their judgements toward either the median or the lateral-vertical planes, and estimates were almost always elevated. Individual differences were pronounced for the distance judgements; 15 to 46 percent of stimuli were heard inside the head with the shortest estimates near the median plane. The results infer that most listeners can obtain useful azimuth information from speech stimuli filtered by nonindividualized RTFs. Measurements of localization error and reversal rates are comparable with a previous study that used broadband noise stimuli.
Expression Profile of Differentiating Serotonin Neurons Derived from Rhesus Embryonic Stem Cells and Comparison to Adult Serotonin Neurons

The rhesus monkey embryonic stem cell line 366.4 differentiates into serotonin neurons. We examined the genetic cascade during differentiation and compared ESC-derived serotonin neurons to adult monkey serotonin neurons. RNA was extracted from ESC colonies, embryoid bodies (EBs), neurospheres in selection (N1) and proliferation stages (N2), differentiated serotonin neurons (N3) and from laser captured (LC) serotonin neurons of spayed female macaques treated with placebo, estrogen (E), progesterone (P) or E+P. The RNA was labeled and hybridized to Rhesus Monkey Affymetrix Gene Chips (n=1 per stage and 2 per animal treatment). Gene expression was examined with GeneSifter software. 545 genes that were related to developmental processes showed a threefold or greater change between stages. TGFb, Wnt, VEGF and Hedgehog signaling pathways showed the highest percent of probe set changes during differentiation. Genes in the categories (a) homeobox binding and transcription factors, (b) growth factors and receptors, (c) brain and neural specific factors and (d) serotonin specific factors are reported. Pivotal genes were confirmed with quantitative RT-PCR. In the serotonin developmental cascade, FGFR2 was robustly expressed at each stage. GATA3 was robustly expressed in EBs. Sonic hedgehog (Shh), PTCH (Shh-R) and Fev1 transcription factor expression coincided with the induction of serotonin specific marker genes during N1-selection. A majority of the examined genes were expressed in adult serotonin neurons. However, in the ESC-derived neurons, there was significant over-representation of probe sets related to cell cycle, axon guidance & dorso-ventral axis formation. This analysis suggests that the 366.4 cell line possesses cues for serotonin differentiation at early stages of differentiation, but that ESC-derived serotonin neurons are still immature.
Ultrahigh-resolution multicolor colocalization of single fluorescent nanocrystals

A new method for in vitro and possibly in vivo ultrahigh-resolution colocalization and distance measurement between biomolecules is described, based on semiconductor nanocrystal probes. This ruler bridges the gap between FRET and far-field (or near-field scanning optical microscope) imaging and has a dynamic range from few nanometers to tens of micrometers. The ruler is based on a stage-scanning confocal microscope that allows the simultaneous excitation and localization of the excitation point-spread-function (PSF) of various colors nanocrystals while maintaining perfect registry between the channels. Fit of the observed diffraction and photophysics-limited images of the PSFs with a two-dimensional Gaussian allows one to determine their position with nanometer accuracy. This new high-resolution tool opens new windows in various molecular, cell biology and biotechnology applications.
Variability of State School-Based Hearing Screening Protocols in The United States

The prevalence of hearing loss has increased among United States children. As schools commonly perform hearing screens, we sought to contrast current United States school-based hearing screening protocols. State department of health and education websites were reviewed to assess school hearing screening protocols for the fifty states and the District of Columbia. Individuals listed on these websites were contacted as necessary to confirm and/or acquire relevant data. School-based hearing screening is currently required in 34/51 (67 %) states. Of these 34 states, 28 (82 %) mandate grades for screening, but only 20 (59 %) require screening beyond 6th grade. Pure tone audiometry is the most common screening method (33/34 [97 %]). A majority of states screen at 1, 2 and 4 kHz usually at 20 or 25 dB hearing level. Six states recommend or require testing at 6 or 8 kHz, which is necessary to detect high-frequency hearing loss. The results indicate that United States school-based hearing screens vary significantly. They focus on low frequencies with few testing adolescents for whom high-frequency hearing loss has increased. Disparities in hearing loss detection are likely, particularly considering the evolution of hazardous noise exposures and rising prevalence of hearing loss.
A COMPARISON OF THE USE OF INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES BY FULL‐ AND PART‐TIME TEACHERS

The purpose of this paper is to report the results of a comparative study of the use of instructional resources by full‐ and part‐time teachers. The study is concerned with one of the major issues in community/junior college education today: the extensive use of part‐time teachers as instructors for regular credit courses. The issue is particularly sensitive for those colleges with a diversified vocational‐technical curriculum. In many of their programs, part‐time teachers are the only teachers available for highly technical courses. The problem, however, lies not with their industrial competencies but with their classroom competencies. That is, how effective are part‐time teachers as compared to their full‐time counterparts. Are students receiving the same level of instruction from both groups of teachers? While there are no standard criteria for evaluating the competencies of college teachers, a certain number of categories are generally agreed upon as being essential. One such category is concerned wit...
Function of lampbrush chromosomes: A hypothesis

A hypothesis about lampbrush chromosome function is proposed which takes into account several aspects of their morphology and behavior. It is suggested that in lampbrush loops, alterations of the deoxyribonucleoprotein fiber take place which reprogram the chromosome for development. Such reprogramming could involve exchange or enzymatic modification of regulatory molecules (i.e., non-histone proteins). Since inhibition of RNA synthesis causes the loops to collapse, it is possible that transcription largely occurs to generate and maintain the loop, allowing the DNP fiber to “enter” the nucleoplasm. Lampbrush chromosomes are also involved in the production of “masked” mRNAs for early development. The giant granular loops could either be the sites where such mRNAs are packaged or they could be sites where specific alterations of the deoxyribonucleoprotein fiber take place.
Motivations and Goals of Slow Tourism

The concept of slow tourism is gaining attention, and this study provides new insights into the phenomenon from the perspective of a goal-driven consumption process. The authors conduct primary qualitative research to define slow tourism, build a conceptual model, and develop measurement scales. Based on the data collected from four popular U.S. tourist destinations, the authors find that goal-driven consumption theory exhibits compelling explanatory power for the slow behavioral process in the tourism context. The slow tourism process also appears to coexist with fast modes of travel and they contribute differently to general tourism experience outcomes. Discussion includes approaches to understanding the slow tourism phenomenon, issues around slowness in human behavior, and future directions for research on slow tourism.
Noise effects on centroid tracker aim point estimation

An investigation of errors due to noise in centroid tracker aim-point estimation is presented. The centroid tracker discussed is similar to the tracker described by A.L. Gilbert et al. (1980). Simplifications to this algorithm were made so that the derived models would be consistent with the actual tracker algorithm. Two statistical models are derived which relate image noise effects to computation of the target centroid. The first model, the simplified aim-point error model, is derived by assuming that the probabilities of incorrectly classifying target and background pixels are equal. The second model, the extended aim-point error model, is derived by assuming that the probability of incorrectly classifying a target pixel can differ from the probability of incorrectly classifying a background pixel. These models are described and their mathematical implication is discussed. Simulation results which verify the models are presented. >
Organization of myosin in a submembranous sheath in well-spread human fibroblasts.

Abstract Using an indirect immunofluorescence technique, antibodies against human platelet myosin stain a highly organized layer of sheath of fibers in well-spread human fibroblasts. By adjusting the focus, the sheath is seen to be continuous over the top of the cell. Myosin staining along a fiber is periodic with a mean spacing of 0.71 ± 0.1 μm. Although the sheath becomes progressively disorganized and eventually disappears upon cell rounding after trypsinization, the mean spacing in the fibers remaining at intermediate stages does not appear to change. The organization is sensitive to cytochalasin B (CB), but insensitive to colchicine. Anti-myosin staining of the sheath persists in cells lysed in 0.1–0.5% Triton X-100 at low ionic strength despite some myosin extraction. Preparation of the cytoskeleton at increasingly higher ionic strength or extraction with ATP or pyrophosphate diminishes the sheath staining with anti-myosin. A detailed analysis of the mean myosin spacing in the cytoskeleton after various treatments designed to induce contraction suggests (1) that reagents which extract myosin, i.e., ATP, high salt and pyrophosphate, all cause contraction and (2) that the mean spacing does not detectably change. Anti-alpha-actinin and anti-tropomyosin also localize and demonstrate a periodicity for their respective antigens in the sheath fibers. Double staining with anti-myosin and anti-tropomyosin gives an enhancement of the basic myosin perodicity indicating co-localization. Double staining with anti-alpha-actinin and anti-myosin gives a nearly continuous fluorescence along the sheath fiber suggesting a complementary periodicity. This finding was confirmed with a direct anti-myosin-indirect anti-alpha-actinin staining experiment. A possible chemical mechanism, based on a competition of these proteins for actin, for the generation of the observed periodicity and formation of the sheath is considered.
Life cycle assessment of the production of hydrogen and transportation fuels from corn stover via fast pyrolysis

This life cycle assessment evaluates and quantifies the environmental impacts of the production of hydrogen and transportation fuels from the fast pyrolysis and upgrading of corn stover. Input data for this analysis come from Aspen Plus modeling, a GREET (Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Transportation) model database and a US Life Cycle Inventory Database. SimaPro 7.3 software is employed to estimate the environmental impacts. The results indicate that the net fossil energy input is 0.25 MJ and 0.23 MJ per km traveled for a light-duty vehicle fueled by gasoline and diesel fuel, respectively. Bio-oil production requires the largest fossil energy input. The net global warming potential (GWP) is 0.037 kg CO2eq and 0.015 kg CO2eq per km traveled for a vehicle fueled by gasoline and diesel fuel, respectively. Vehicle operations contribute up to 33% of the total positive GWP, which is the largest greenhouse gas footprint of all the unit processes. The net GWPs in this study are 88% and 94% lower than for petroleum-based gasoline and diesel fuel (2005 baseline), respectively. Biomass transportation has the largest impact on ozone depletion among all of the unit processes. Sensitivity analysis shows that fuel economy, transportation fuel yield, bio-oil yield, and electricity consumption are the key factors that influence greenhouse gas emissions.
The chain multinomial models of the HIV epidemiology in homosexual populations

In this paper, we propose a general class of stochastic models for the HIV epidemic in homosexual populations. This class of models are referred to as chain multinomial models. We illustrate this class of models by assuming some stochastic models of the HIV epidemic in homosexual populations in Sections 2-4 and derive the means, the variances and the covariances; we also derive results for the mean behaviors of these models. It is shown that under proportional mixing, the mean behaviors and the trend of these models are quite similar to one another; yet the variances and covariances of the infective people and AIDS cases of these models are very different over different models. These results suggest that the infection duration of infective people and sexual activity levels have significant impact on the projection of HIV epidemic.
Methods for characterizing and comparing populations of shock wave curves

At Los Alamos National Laboratory, engineers conduct experiments to evaluate how well detonators and high explosives work. The experimental unit, often called an “onionskin,” is a hemisphere consisting of a detonator and a booster pellet surrounded by high explosive material. When the detonator explodes, a streak camera mounted above the pole of the hemisphere records when the shock wave arrives at the surface. The output from the camera is a two-dimensional image that is transformed into a curve that shows the arrival time as a function of polar angle. The statistical challenge is to characterize the population of arrival time curves and to compare the baseline population of onionskins to a new population. The engineering goal is to manufacture a new population of onionskins that generate arrival time curves with the same shape as the baseline. We present two statistical approaches that test for differences in mean curves and provide simultaneous confidence bands for the difference: (i) a B-Spline basis ...
Implementation models for analog-to-information conversion via random sampling

We develop a framework for analog-to-information conversion based on the theory of information recovery from random samples. The framework enables sub-Nyquist acquisition and processing of wideband signals that are sparse in a local Fourier representation. We present the random sampling theory associated with an efficient information recovery algorithm to compute the spectrogram of the signal. Additionally, we develop a hardware design for the random sampling system that demonstrates a consistent reconstruction fidelity in the presence of sampling jitter, which forms the main source of non-ideality in a practical system implementation.
Properties of inelastic yielding zones generated by in-plane dynamic ruptures—II. Detailed parameter-space study

We perform a detailed parameter-space study on properties of yielding zones generated by 2-D in-plane dynamic ruptures on a planar fault with different friction laws and parameters, different initial stress conditions, different rock cohesion values, and different contrasts of elasticity and mass density across the fault. The focus is on cases corresponding to large strike-slip faults having high angle (ψ = 45◦) to the maximum compressive background stress. The simulations and analytical scaling results show that for crack-like ruptures (1) the maximum yielding zone thickness T_(max) linearly increases with rupture distance L and the ratio Tmax/L is inversely proportional to (1 + S)^2 with S being the relative strength parameter; (2) the potency density e^p_0 decays logarithmically with fault normal distance at a rate depending on the stress state and S; (3) increasing rock cohesion reduces T_(max)/L, resulting in faster rupture speed and higher inclination angle Ф of expected microfractures on the extensional side of the fault. For slip pulses in quasi-steady state, T is approximately constant along strike with local values correlating with the maximum slip velocity (or final slip) at a location. For a bimaterial interface with ψ = 45◦, the energy dissipation to yielding contributes to developing macroscopically asymmetric rupture (at the scale of rupture length) with the same preferred propagation direction predicted for purely elastic cases with Coulomb friction. When ψ = 10◦, representative for thrust faulting, the energy dissipation to yielding leads to opposite preferred rupture propagation. In all cases, Ф is higher on average on the compliant side. For both crack and pulse ruptures with ψ = 45◦, T decreases and e^p_0 increases for conditions representing greater depth. Significant damage asymmetry of the type observed across several large strike-slip faults likely implies persistent macroscopic rupture asymmetry (unilateral cracks, unilateral pulses or asymmetric bilateral pulses). The results on various features of yielding zones expected from this and other studies are summarized in a table along with observations from the field and laboratory experiments.
The cytological changes that occur in the anterior pituitary glands of rats injected with various doses of I131 and their significance in the estimation of thyroid function.

The value of a cytological study of the anterior pituitary as a tool for the estimation of thyroid activity has been pointed out by Griesbach et al. (1941, 1943, 1945, 1946, 1949). The percentage of basophilic elements, which are considered the site of thyroid stimulating hormone production, increases in the presence of a slight thyroxine deficiency. For example, there is a measurable increase in the percentage of pituitary basophils in goitrogen-treated rats when the amount of injected 1-thyroxine equivalent to their daily requirement is decreased by as little as 0.1 microgram per 100 gm. of body weight (Griesbach et al., 1949). A more severe thyroxine deficiency results in an increase up to eight-fold in the percentage of these cells and their transition into a signet-ring type of cell. The acidophilic elements, on the other hand, become sparsely granulated and decrease in percentage only when the thyroid deficiency is quite severe.
Sensitive and Multiplexed On‐chip microRNA Profiling in Oil‐Isolated Hydrogel Chambers

Although microRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to be excellent indicators of disease state, current profiling platforms are insufficient for clinical translation. Here, we demonstrate a versatile hydrogel-based microfluidic approach and novel amplification scheme for entirely on-chip, sensitive, and highly specific miRNA detection without the risk of sequence bias. A simulation-driven approach is used to engineer the hydrogel geometry and the gel-reaction environment is chemically optimized for robust detection performance. The assay provides 22.6 fM sensitivity over a three log range, demonstrates multiplexing across at least four targets, and requires just 10.3 ng of total RNA input in a 2 hour and 15 minutes assay.
Strategies for skeletal muscle tissue engineering: seed vs. soil

The most commonly used tissue engineering approach includes the ex vivo combination of site-appropriate cell(s) and scaffold material(s) to create three-dimensional constructs for tissue replacement or reconstruction. These three-dimensional combinations are typically subjected to a period of culture and conditioning (i.e., self-assembly and maturation) to promote the development of ex vivo constructs which closely mimic native target tissue. This cell-based approach is challenged by the host response to the engineered tissue construct following surgical implantation. As an alternative to the cell-based approach, acellular biologic scaffolds attract endogenous cells and remodel into partially functional mimics of native tissue upon implantation. The present review examines cell-types (i.e., seed), scaffold materials (i.e., soil), and challenges associated with functional tissue engineering. Skeletal muscle is used as the target tissue prototype but the discussed principles will largely apply to most body systems.
Refractory ceramic coatings: processes, systems and wettability/adhesion

Refractory materials such as ceramics and refractory metals/alloys are widely used for structural applications in severe environments where more efficient use of energy is a prime need. Owing to properties such as high strength and refractoriness, low thermal expansion and electric conductivity these materials may be used as turbocharger rotors, valves, valve seats and turbocharger turbine wheels in gas turbine engines, tubes in industrial heat exchangers, fuel elements in nuclear reactors, fusion reactor wall material, tool materials in machining and casting and as electronic packaging. In these applications, however, these materials often experience extreme mechanical, thermal and chemical loading conditions and are expected to perform effectively beyond existing limits. The existing limits of performance for these materials can be extended only via coating technology, which presently appears to be the most suitable technical and economic approach. Thus there remains a critical need to develop a suitable and reliable refractory coating system and coating technique. In view of the above requirements, the present paper embarks on a brief review of refractory coatings. The review begins with a set of criteria required for an effective refractory coating. The criteria include general thermophysical and mechanical properties for the refractory coating only and properties of the coating-substrate as a system. The review continues with a section on methods of coating. The classification of methods of coating is based on categories such as gaseous, solution, molten/semi-molten and solid state processes. Each category is explained with conventional and novel techniques and coatings that can be synthesized using these techniques. These categories are supplemented also with examples of applications. A major emphasis has been put on refractory materials in the following section on coating material systems. The most important materials systems have been grouped as oxides and nitrides, carbides, borides, silicides and aluminides. The general properties that make them useful as refractory coatings, along with specific materials and applications, have been reviewed. Wettability and adhesion between coating and substrate are very important for the coating-substrate system to perform effectively and reliably. The last section discusses the fundamentals of wettability and work of adhesion, based on which wetting in metal-metal, metal oxide, metal-carbon/carbide systems has been discussed. Finally, the review sets the motion of thoughts with a description on future developments.
Levinas in Japan: the ethics of alterity and the philosophy of no-self

Does the Buddhist doctrine of no-self imply, simply put, no-other? Does this doctrine necessarily come into conflict with an ethics premised on the alterity of the other? This article explores these questions by situating Emmanuel Levinas’s ethics in the context of contemporary Japanese philosophy. The work of twentieth-century Japanese philosopher Watsuji Tetsurō provides a starting point from which to consider the ethics of the self-other relation in light of the Buddhist notion of emptiness. The philosophy of thirteenth-century Zen Master Dōgen casts doubt on Watsuji’s commitment to reciprocal self-other relationality, showing that the idea of self-emptiness disrupts any conventional understanding of reciprocity and promotes instead other-oriented compassion. Despite interesting similarities between the ethics of alterity and Buddhist compassion, a Buddhist-influenced understanding of alterity differs from Levinas on important points, by making possible the claim that all others—human, animal, plant, and mineral—are ethical others.
Thermomechanical analysis of a compact-design high heat load crotch absorber

The Advanced Photon Source (APS) is a third-generation synchrotron facility built to generate extremely powerful X-rays. X-ray absorbers in the APS dipole vacuum chambers, known as crotch absorbers, are subjected to a very high power density of 750 Watt/mm/sup 2/ at 300 mA of beam current. In the compact design of the APS crotch absorbers, this high heat load is handled by a combination of optimized geometry, fins for power dispersion and cooling efficiency, and a material with high fatigue strength (Glidcop). The basic design and the results of detailed thermomechanical finite element analysis are presented in this paper.
Use of Polyethylene Glycol to Separate Free and Antibody-Bound Peptide Hormones in Radioimmunoassays†

ABSTRACT Aqueous polyethylene glycol causes precipitation of antibody-bound peptide hormones labeled with radioactive iodine with little or no precipitation of free hormones. Based on this finding, a method of separation has been developed and applied to radioimmunoassays of insulin, parathyroid hormone, growth hormone and arginine vasopressin. The new method provides several advantages over the double-antibody precipitation method. It appears particularly valuable in immunoassays of substances of low molecular weight.
Conversion of death signal into survival signal by redox signaling.

Reperfusion of ischemic myocardium produces reactive oxygen species (ROS) and results in apoptotic cell death and DNA fragmentation. Several redox-sensitive anti- and pro-apoptotic transcription factors including nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) and heterodimeric transcription factor AP-1 progressively and steadily increase in the heart as a function of the duration of ischemia and reperfusion. When the heart is adapted to ischemic stress by repeated short-term ischemia and reperfusion, NF-κB remains high, while AP-1 is lowered to almost baseline value. The anti-apoptotic geneBcl-2 is downregulated in the ischemic/reperfused heart, while it is upregulated in the adapted myocardium. Cardioprotective abilities of the adapted myocardium are abolished when heart is pre-perfused with N-acetyl cysteine to scavenge ROS, suggesting a role of redox signaling. Mammalian heart is protected by several defense systems, which include, among others, the redox-regulated protein thioredoxin. Reperfusion of ischemic myocardium results in the downregulation of thioredoxin 1 (Trx 1) expression, which was upregulated in the adapted myocardium. The increased expression of Trx 1 is completely blocked with an inhibitor of Trx 1, cis-diammine-dichloroplatinum, which also abolished cardioprotection afforded by ischemic adaptation. The cardioprotective role of Trx 1 is further confirmed with transgenic mouse hearts overexpressing Trx 1. The Trx 1 mouse hearts displayed significantly improved post-ischemic ventricular recovery and reduced myocardial infarct size and apoptosis compared to the corresponding wild-type mouse hearts. The results of this study implicate a crucial role of redox signaling in transmitting anti-death signal.
Crafting Thailand's new social contract

Abstract This paper assesses the rise of the Thaksin Shinawatra government in Thailand. It examines this in terms of the social impacts and political ramifications of the Asian economic crisis. It is argued that the economic crisis threatened the economic and political power of domestic capital and smashed the developmental social contract that had underpinned growth since the 1960s. The social and economic policies of Thaksin's government are intimately related to domestic capital's struggle to re-establish its competitiveness and profitability. In order to ‘buy’ the social and political order required for this restructuring, the Thaksin government saw the need to construct a new social contract involving a number of policies that establish a higher level of social protection than ever considered possible in the past. The cases of soft loans to villages and a universal healthcare scheme are considered.