cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cysteamine, zinc, and thiols modify detectability of rat pituitary prolactin: a comparison with effects on bovine prolactin suggests differences in hormone storage.

Abstract Little is known about the structure of prolactin (PRL) within secretory granules. Evidence from our previous studies in bovine tissue preparations suggests that control of secretion may reside, in part, in the conversion of storage hormone to releasable PRL. The conversion can be monitored by measuring changes in immunodetectability since the oligomeric, storage form is poorly recognized by antisera raised against monomeric PRL. Since many investigators use rats to study the secretory process and changes in detectability of rat pituitary PRL occur during lactation ("depletion-transformation"), we undertook the present immunodetectability studies to gain insight into the storage structure of rat (r) PRL. Cysteamine and zinc inhibited tissue PRL immunoassayability in male rat pituitary homogenates and also in partially purified secretory granules as they had inhibited bovine (b) PRL; however, zinc inhibited the rodent hormone less potently than the bovine. In vitro incubation of rat tissue samples without additions resulted in increases in rPRL detectability of up to 84% after 180 minutes; such incubation of bovine samples had no significant effect. A striking additional difference between the species was that exposure to reduced glutathione (GSH), cysteine, homocysteine, mercaptoethanol, and dithiothreitol inhibited rPRL by up to 44%. This compared to thiol stimulation of bPRL by as much as 450%. The inhibitory GSH effect on rPRL was abolished when 0.5% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) was included; in contrast, the stimulatory GSH effect on bPRL did not change with added SDS. SDS alone had no effect on rat homogenate PRL, and only increased rat granule rPRL by 23% compared to its ability to increase bPRL assayability by 44%. High performance liquid chromatography demonstrated a high molecular weight peak of immunoreactive rat PRL. This was largely abolished, with a simultaneous increase in monomer and intermediate zone material, by treatment of extracts with either GSH or 4 mol/L urea. The immunoreactivity of the high molecular weight peak was increased nearly 50% by treatment with GSH. The striking qualitative discrepancy between rPRL and bPRL responses to GSH and other thiols cannot be accounted for by dosage of exposure, the use of fresh v frozen tissue, or old v young donor animals. The mode of hormone packaging within secretory granules or differences in nonhormonal granule components (eg, enzymes) may explain the differential responses. Alternatively, since only a small amount of the total rPRL is oligomeric, the differences may be partly explained by major GSH action on intramolecular rPRL bonds, with a tendency to decrease monomer immunoactivity, v major GSH action on intermolecular bonds in bPRL, with generation of monomers. These results indicate that if thiol:disulfide mechanisms are an important feature of rPRL as well as of bPRL tissue storage, the details must differ between the species.
Cross-Cultural Differences in the Effects of Abstract and Concrete Thinking on Imagery Generation and Ad Persuasion

ABSTRACT This study examines the effect of culture on imagery generation and ad attitudes. Although research suggests that concrete stimuli generate more images than abstract stimuli, our study shows that this finding is not universal across cultures. Chinese generate more imagery than Americans when encountering abstract stimuli because Chinese tend to think concretely. Moreover, Chinese and Americans have different attitudes toward different stimuli. While Chinese prefer concrete stimuli to abstract stimuli, Americans have the same attitudes toward concrete and abstract stimuli.
A preliminary comparison of two apparently diverse cementite/austenite orientation relationships

Summary Two reproducible yet apparently dissimilar cementite/austenite ORs have been reported. Both ORs have a common bicrystal symmetry axis which is [010] C ‖ [101] A . Further analysis indicated parallelism of close-packed planes for both ORs. Based on these observations, the statement of both ORs in the form: { 103 } C ∥ { 111 } A 010 > C ∥ 101 > A 301 > C ∥ 121 > A while possibly serving to emphasize good atomic matching which may be responsible for these ORs, does not uniquely describe the crystallographic relationships between the two phases. Similarities between the ORs suggest that comparable nucleation kinetics might be expected.
A learning progression for water in socio‐ecological systems

This article reports on our work of developing a learning progression focusing on K-12 students' performances of using energy concept in their accounts of carbon-transforming processes in socio-ecological systems. Carbon-transforming processes—the ecological carbon cycle and the combustion of biomass and fossil fuels—provide all of the energy for living systems and almost 90% of the energy for human economic activities. Energy, as a crosscutting concept across major disciplines, is a tool for analysis that uses the principle of energy conservation to constrain and connect accounts of processes and systems. Drawing on ideas from cognitive linguistics, the history of science, and research on students' energy conceptions, we identify two crucial practices that both scientists and students engage in when accounting for carbon-transforming processes: association and tracing. Using association and tracing as progress variables, we analyzed student accounts of carbon-transforming processes in 48 clinical interviews and 3,903 written tests administered to students from fourth grade through high school. Based on our analysis we developed a Learning Progression Framework that describes a progression from accounts that use energy as an ephemeral “force” that enables actors to make events happen to energy as a scientific tool for analysis. Successful students developed a sense of necessity with respect to accounts of carbon-transforming processes—a sense that energy MUST be conserved and degraded in every individual process and in the system as a whole. This level of success was achieved by <3% of the students in our sample. Implications for science standards, curriculum, and instruction are discussed. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 49: 1149–1180, 2012
Adequacy of a Single 24-Hour Urine Collection for Metabolic Evaluation of Recurrent Nephrolithiasis

Purpose: There is much debate about whether 1 or 2, 24-hour urinalyses are adequate for metabolic evaluation of stone formers. We determined whether repeat 24-hour urine collection provides information similar to that of the initial 24-hour urine collection and whether repeat collection is necessary.Materials and Methods: We analyzed 2, 24-hour urine collections in 777 patients obtained from 2001 to 2005. Samples were collected 3 days or less apart before pharmacological intervention and analyzed elsewhere for routine stone risk profiles of urine calcium, oxalate, citrate, uric acid, sodium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, ammonium, chloride, urea nitrogen and creatinine.Results: No parameters showed a statistically significant difference between 24-hour urine samples 1 and 2 when mean values were compared (pairwise t test each p >0.05, range 0.06 to 0.87). Using Pearson's correlation all parameters showed positive correlation coefficients (r = 0.68 to 0.89, each p <0.0001). The mean of individual patie...
A comprehensive review of strain localization in elastoplastic soils.

Abstract The paper reviews the theory of strain localization for elastoplastic soils and relates it to past works on the inclination of shear bands. It outlines and discusses the main theoretical assumptions, describes the localized velocity field, compiles experimental results and compares them to theoretical predictions on shear band orientations. It studies the effect of elastic unloading and examines systematically the influences of friction angle, dilatancy angle, Poisson's ratio and hardening modulus on shear bands. After comparing the predictions of the Mohr-Coulomb and Drucker-Prager models, the study concludes that the application of the strain localization theory to elastoplasticity does not account for the observed shear band orientations in all circumstances. It also recalls that the strain localization theory provides a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for the emergence of shear bands, a theoretical feature which enhances the disagreement between the experimental observations and theoretical predictions on shear band inclinations.
The influence of regulatory forest policy tools on biodiversity measures for forests in Ukraine

Abstract The transition from a state-oriented forest economy to a market-oriented one requires a critical analysis of the set of tools designed to implement state forest policies. One of the important goals of Ukrainian forest policy is conservation of the biodiversity of forest ecosystems. This paper analyzes the influence of two of the regulatory forest policy instruments (zoning and prohibition of final harvesting) on the diversity of woody vegetation using Tobit regression. Data on the forest resources of the Sumy administrative province in Ukraine are used for the analysis. Additionally, we look at how diversity of woody vegetation is affected by the form of forest tenure.
EXPRESSION OF FOUR IMMUNOGLOBULIN SUPERFAMILY ADHESION MOLECULES (L1, NR-CAM/BRAVO, NEUROFASCIN/ABGP, AND N-CAM) IN THE DEVELOPING MOUSE SPINAL CORD

To identify cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) expressed by mammalian motoneurons, we applied the polymerase chain reaction to a murine motor neuron-like cell line, NSC-34. Using primers derived from a group of L1-related CAMs, we cloned two alternatively spliced forms of mouse L1, which differ by a 12-base-pair insert, plus putative murine orthologs of the chicken cell adhesion molecules Nr-CAM/Bravo and neurofascin. All four mRNAs are expressed in NSC-34 cells, but only neurofascin and the insert-minus form of L1 are expressed in its neuroblastoma parent, N18TG2. Analysis of RNA in neonatal tissues reveals expression largely restricted to the brain and spinal cord. In situ hybridization histochemistry of spinal cord shows that motoneurons express L1, Nr-CAM, and neurofascin as well as N-CAM. L1 and N-CAM RNAs are detected throughout the period studied (from embryonic day [E]11 to postnatal day [P]28), whereas Nr-CAM is expressed only at early ages (< E15) and neurofascin is predominantly expressed postnatally. Moreover, each CAM is expressed by distinct subsets of neighboring cells and at distinct times. For example, Nr-CAM mRNA is present in floor plate cells of embryonic spinal cord, whereas neurofascin is expressed by a subset of glia postnatally. Finally, we show that each CAM has a distinct spatiotemporal pattern of expression in dorsal root ganglia.
Toward a Hydrodynamic Description of Bimolecular Collisions in Micelles. An Experimental Test of the Effect of the Nature of the Quencher on the Fluorescence Quenching of Pyrene in SDS Micelles and in Bulk Liquids

The simple hydrodynamic description of bimolecular collision rate constants afforded by the Stokes−Einstein−Smoluchowski (SES) equation is tested in a bulk liquid as well as in sodium dodecyl sulfate micelles. Fluorescence quenching of pyrene by three different quenchers is used as a model to study collision rate constants. One quencher is itself a cationic surfactant, one an uncharged long alkyl chain labeled with a nitroxide, and the third an uncharged aromatic compound. The SES equation is found to give a remarkably good description of the fluorescence quenching rate constant not only in bulk but also in micellar media. The fluorescence quenching rate constant is independent of the type of quencher and varies with temperature, viscosity (microviscosity in the case of micelles), and quencher concentration in accordance with the SES equation. A zero-order model of diffusion in micelles is introduced in which pyrene and quencher diffuse through the polar shell. The microviscosity of the shell is deduced f...
Enhanced Histopathology of the Lymph Nodes

Routine histopathology of lymphoid organs is the cornerstone in the identification of immunotoxic and immunomodulatory compounds. Enhanced histopathology is a systematic approach that can be used to further characterize, both qualitatively and semi-quantitatively, the immunomodulatory effects that may occur within both primary and secondary lymphoid organs. The lymph nodes are the major route of entry for antigens and pathogens, via the afferent lymph flow, and they can be sensitive indicators of compounds with regional or systemic immunomodulatory/toxic effects and should therefore be included in the battery of lymphoid organs to evaluate for enhanced histopathology. As with all lymphoid organs, the separate compartments should be evaluated independently and descriptive rather than interpretive terminology should be used to characterize changes within those compartments. This data, in conjunction with gross findings, clinical pathology and changes in organ weight (i.e., thymus), will enable the pathologist to determine if a significant effect on the immune system is present. Moreover, this data may enable the pathologist to determine the critical site or compartment in the targeted tissue, provide some indication of target cell population (B or T cell) and characterize a dose-response relationship.
Anomalous nuclear reactions in condensed matter: Recent results and open questions

We have observed clear signatures for neutron emission during deuteron infusion into metals, implying the occurrence of nuclear fusion in condensed matter near room temperature. The low-level nuclear phenomenon has been demonstrated in collaborative experiments at Brigham Young University, at the Gran Sasso laboratory in Italy, and at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. We have shown that neutron emission can be induced in metals using both electrochemical and variational temperature/pressure means to generate non-equilibrium conditions. Observed average neutron emission rates are approximately 0.04–0.4 no/s. Current efforts focus on trying to understand and control the phenomenon. In particular, we wish to understand the correlation of neutron yields with parameters such as hydrogen/metal ion ratio, pressure (induced, for example, by electrical field or gas pressure or mechanical pressure), temperature variation, hydride phase changes, and surface conditions, e.g., a palladium coating on titanium. We want to know if fusion arises due to the close proximity of the deuterons in the lattice (piezonuclear fusion), or possibly from “microscopic hot fusion”, accompanying strong electric fields at propagating cracks in the hydride. The latter interpretation would imply neutron emission in bursts. Our experiments show clear evidence for emission of ∼102 neutrons in bursts lasting <128 μs, although random neutron-singles emissions were also observed. Experiments now underway to compare thed−d, andp−d, andd−t reaction rates will be important to a consistent description of the new phenomenon. Careful scrutiny of this effect could increase our understanding of heat, helium-3, and tritium production in the earth, other planets, and even the stars.
High Energy Tunable IR Source And Applications

Remote analytical sensing requires a high pulse energy tunable infrared source for detection of molecular species. This paper describes progress made in a Nd:YAG pumped, computer controlled LiNbO3 parametric oscillator with a tuning range of 1.4 - 4.4 μm The device is now well engineered and is finding applications in laser chemistry and remote air pollution monitoring.© (1976) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Transformation of VOHPO4 · 1/2H2O to (VO)2P2O7: crystallographic, microstructural, and mechanistic aspects

Abstract A detailed study of the transformation of the butane oxidation catalyst precursor VOHPO 4 · 1/2H 2 O to γ-(VO) 2 P 2 O 7 is reported. The vanadyl hydrogen phosphate precursors used in this study were in the form of single crystals and powders, each prepared from aqueous media. Electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction clearly show the transformation to be topotactic: single crystals are converted to pseudomorphs which are unchanged in size or shape with respect to the starting crystals. The pseudomorphs are made up of highly-oriented vanadyl pyrophosphate microcrystals. A large contraction of the atomic structure in the direction perpendicular to the basal plane induces cracks and voids within the crystal. A transformation mechanism involving phosphorus-atom inversion, along with supporting MNDO SCF-MO calculations, is presented. This mechanism accounts for at least some of the interlayer, crystallographic disorder that is often attributed to the sterically hindering effects of residual organics. The generation of cracks to accommodate unit cell shrinkage along the thin dimension of the crystal plates creates additional basal plane surface area that may be beneficial in terms of catalytic performance.
Economic and Monetary Union in Europe: Moving beyond Maastricht

This book provides a comprehensive account and analysis of the plan for European monetary union contained in the Maastricht Treaty. The provisions of the treaty itself are examined, showing how they evolved, what must be done to implement them, and some of the problems they will pose. Kenen goes far beyond the treaty, however, to survey and adapt recent research by economists on the benefits and costs of monetary unions, the conduct of monetary policy, and the consequences of large public deficits and debts. The European exchange-rate crises of 1992 and 1993 are analyzed, as well as their impact on the prospects for monetary union and the problems they pose for implementation of the Maastricht Treaty. The author makes specific proposals to handle the transition to a single currency, integrate the existing central banks into a single system, and modify parts of the treaty itself. The implications of European monetary union for the international monetary system in the mid-to-late 1990s are also considered.
The flow of rarefied gases through long tubes of circular cross-section

A brief review is presented of various models of rarefied gas flow in long tubes. The complex treatments based on the Boltzmann equation provide only numerical solutions for the transition region unless some arbitrary assumptions are made, while those based on the traditional approach of simple kinetic theory have usually involved empiricism to a greater or lesser extent. An analytic expression is derived here based on a physically realistic model, making use of simple kinetic theory and containing no arbitrary assumptions. The model is completely predictive and adequately describes the flow in long tubes over the entire pressure range, from free-molecule to continuum laminar flow, and also predicts the “Knudsen minimum” in the transition region. The concept of a “geometric mean free path” is introduced and appears to be useful in analyzing rarefied gas dynamics in a confined space. A relation is also obtained for the viscosity coefficient in the transition region.
PlusÇa Change?1 evidence on global trends in gender norms and stereotypes

Abstract Gender norms and stereotypes that perpetuate inequality are deeply embedded in social and individual consciousness and, as a result, are resistant to change. Gender stratification theories propose that women's control over material resources can increase bargaining power to leverage change in key institutions, prompting a shift to more equitable norms. By extension, policies that promote women's paid employment should serve as a fulcrum for gender equitable change. Is there any evidence to support this hypothesis? Investigating this requires a means to capture gender norms and stereotypes. The World Values Survey provides just such a mechanism because it contains a series of gender questions that span a twenty-year period and includes respondents from more than seventy countries. This paper uses that survey's data to analyze determinants of trends in norms and stereotypes over time and across countries, and finds evidence that increases in women's paid employment promotes gender equitable norms a...
Accuracy of estimating the multipole moments of a massive body from the gravitational waves of a binary inspiral

If the gravitational field of a massive, compact body is stationary, axially symmetric, and reflection symmetric across the equatorial plane, and if a much less massive compact object (such as a neutron star or a small black hole) were to orbit in a circle on the equatorial plane of the central, compact body, then the produced gravitational waves would carry the values of the central body's multipole moments. By detecting those waves and extracting from them the central body's lowest few moments, gravitational-wave detectors have the potential to test the black-hole no-hair theorem and search for exotic objects such as naked singularities and boson or soliton stars. This paper estimates how accurately we can expect to measure the central body's moments. The measurement errors are estimated using a combination of, first, the leading-order (of a post-Newtonian series) contribution of each moment to the gravitational-wave phase, second, an a priori probability distribution that constrains each moment's magnitude to a range appropriate for a compact body, and third, any relations that the multipole moments satisfy among themselves, which reduce the number of degrees of freedom for the waves (this is useful in cases when one is searching for a specific type of compact body). We find that the Earth-based LIGO detector cannot provide sufficiently precise measurements of enough multipole moments to search for exotic objects, but the space-based LISA detector can do so.
Trying versus Liking Fruits and Vegetables: Correspondence between Mothers and Preschoolers

Extensive research indicates that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables (FV boys and girls liked 55%. Mothers' likes correlated with F&V that their children tried, but mothers' likes also limited the number of F&V that their children tried. Mothers reported preferences for F&V are associated with estimates of their preschoolers' preferences for F&V. Relative to girls, boys may need additional opportunities for F&V exposure.
Creating a state-of-the-art center for fetal diagnosis and treatment: Importance of a multidisciplinary approach

Abstract Prenatal diagnosis has become increasingly sophisticated fueled by technologic advances which enhance the range of diagnostic capabilities. Pre- and postnatal interventions have developed from an expanded understanding of the natural history and pathophysiology of structural anomalies and the ability to prenatally diagnose a birth defect with greater accuracy. Congenital anomalies, heart defects being the most common, now surpass prematurity as the leading cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality, but are still rare. Thus, the complex, unusual, and unique needs of abnormal fetuses and their families are best served in specialized centers with focused expertise, and access to on-site multidisciplinary subspecialties with extensive clinical experience. In this article, we will discuss the creation of a state-of-the-art Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment based upon our experience at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
The Social Control of Illegitimacy Through Adoption

Birth is a culturally patterned life-cycle event that has personal and political significance. Core cultural values are transmitted to participants during pregnancy and the postpartum period. For illegitimate births, cultural values may be transmitted by punishments for the unapproved mother that include abandonment or, in some instances, pressures to relinquish her child to adoption. In this article relinquishing mothers offer a cultural critique of American adoption programs enacted in earlier decades and provide support for the hypothesis that adoption was used as a form of social control.
Internet connection for Web access: an example for performance modeling and simulation

This paper describes a simplified model of a bottleneck in user access to the World-Wide Web. It has been used to illustrate performance modeling, queueing analysis and simulation in courses on simulation and computer networking.
Neural correlates of behavior in the moth Manduca sexta in response to complex odors.

With Manduca sexta as a model system, we analyzed how natural odor mixtures that are most effective in eliciting flight and foraging behaviors are encoded in the primary olfactory center in the brain, the antennal lobe. We used gas chromatography coupled with multiunit neural-ensemble recording to identify key odorants from flowers of two important nectar resources, the desert plants Datura wrightii and Agave palmeri, that elicited responses from individual antennal-lobe neurons. Neural-ensemble responses to the A. palmeri floral scent, comprising >60 odorants, could be reproduced by stimulation with a mixture of six of its constituents that had behavioral effectiveness equivalent to that of the complete scent. Likewise, a mixture of three floral volatiles from D. wrightii elicited normal flight and feeding behaviors. By recording responses of neural ensembles to mixtures of varying behavioral effectiveness, we analyzed the coding of behaviorally “meaningful” odors. We considered four possible ensemble-coding mechanisms—mean firing rate, mean instantaneous firing rate, pattern of synchronous ensemble firing, and total net synchrony of firing—and found that mean firing rate and the pattern of ensemble synchrony were best correlated with behavior (R = 41% and 43%, respectively). Stepwise regression analysis showed that net synchrony and mean instantaneous firing rate contributed little to the variation in the behavioral results. We conclude that a combination of mean-rate coding and synchrony of firing of antennal-lobe neurons underlies generalization among related, behaviorally effective floral mixtures while maintaining sufficient contrast for discrimination of distinct scents.
Substitution of Specific Amino Acids in Insulin-like Growth Factor (IGF) Binding Protein 5 Alters Heparin Binding and Its Change in Affinity for IGF-I in Response to Heparin

Abstract Heparin binding to insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-binding protein 5 (IGFBP-5) leads to a 17-fold decrease in its affinity for IGF-I, and a region that contains several basic amino acids (Arg-Arg) may be involved in this affinity shift. In the present study, mutagenesis was used to analyze the effect of substitutions for basic amino acids in the Arg-Arg region of IGFBP-5 on heparin-binding and the heparin-induced affinity shift. Nine mutant forms were prepared. Their association constants (K) for IGF-I were similar to native IGFBP-5. When 10 μg/ml of heparin was added, the K of native IGFBP-5 decreased 17-fold, and the K of the K134A/R136A mutant decreased 16-fold. In contrast, substitutions for specific basic amino acids in the Arg-Arg region decrease the affinity shift to 1.1-3.2-fold. Lys was especially important. When a mutant containing that single substitution was tested, heparin caused only a 2.5-fold reduction in IGF-I affinity. Affinity cross-linking studies showed that heparin was equipotent in inhibiting the formation of I-IGF-I•K134A/R136A mutant complexes compared to native IGFBP-5. In contrast, heparin had minimal effects on the formation of complexes between I-IGF-I and the other mutants. The heparin-binding activity of each mutant was determined. Four mutants, R201A/K202N, K202A/K206A/R207A, R201A/K202N/K206N/K208N, and K211N/R214A/K217A/R218A, had reduced heparin binding compared to native IGFBP-5. The other five mutants, including the K211N mutant, showed no change in heparin binding. The four mutants with reduced heparin binding could be dissociated from heparin-Sepharose with much lower NaCl concentrations, indicating that they had reduced affinity. These findings suggest that Arg, Lys, Lys, and Arg are important for heparin binding. In contrast, Lys is not important for the binding of IGFBP-5 to heparin, but substitution for it reduced the heparin-induced affinity shift.
Oxygen isotope cosmothermometer

Variations in oxygen isotopic abundances of meteoritic minerals, chondrules, whole meteorites, and planets are discussed in terms of a model involving isotopic exchange between primordial dust and a cooling solar nebular gas. From the temperature-dependence of the isotopic fractionation factors, temperatures have been assigned to the processes of initial condensation, chondrule formation, and planetary accretion. Separated phases from carbonaceous chondrites fall into three isotopic groups representing widely differing conditions of formation: (1) low-iron olivine and pyroxene, and calcium-aluminum silicates condensed at temperatures above 1000 K; (2) high-iron olivine and pyroxene melted to form chondrules after prior cooling and exchange to temperatures of 530-620 K; and (3) hydrous silicates condensed at temperatures below 400 K.
Characterization of urinary metabolites from Sprague-Dawley rats and B6C3F1 mice exposed to [1,2,3,4-13C]butadiene

1,3-Butadiene (BD) is used in the production of synthetic rubber and other resins. Carcinogenic effects have been observed in laboratory animals exposed to BD, with mice being more sensitive than rats. Metabolic oxidation of butadiene to epoxides is believed to be a crucial step in the initiation of tumors by BD. However, limited information is available that describes the in vivo metabolism of BD. Male Sprague-Dawley rats and B6C3F1 mice were exposed to 800 ppm [1,2, 3,4-13C]butadiene for 5 h, and urine was collected during and for 20 h following exposure. Urinary metabolites were characterized using 1- and 2-dimensional methods of NMR spectroscopy. Three metabolites previously detected in vivo, N-acetyl-S-(2-hydroxy-3-butenyl)-l-cysteine, N-acetyl-S-(1-(hydroxymethyl)-2-propenyl)-l-cysteine, and N-acetyl-S-(3,4-dihydroxybutyl)-l-cysteine, were present in both rat and mouse urine, accounting for 87% and 73% of the total metabolites excreted, respectively. A fourth metabolite, previously detected in vitro...
The crystal structure of the UvsW helicase from bacteriophage T4.

Abstract In bacteriophage T4, the WXY system repairs DNA damage by a process that involves homologous recombination. This system comprises three proteins, the RecA-like recombination protein UvsX, a recombination mediator protein UvsY, and a helicase UvsW. Here we report the 2.0 A resolution crystal structure of the N-terminal two domains of the UvsW helicase (UvsWNF; residues 1–282). The structure reveals a typical helicase RecA-like domain linked to a small N-terminal α/β domain that likely binds the nucleic acid substrate. The missing C-terminal portion of UvsW almost certainly corresponds to the second RecA-like domain typically found in monomeric helicases. The putative substrate binding domain is unique within the known helicase structures, and it resembles the novel "double-wing" DNA binding domain from the phage T4 MotA transcription factor that mediates the expression of T4 middle genes. The functional implications of this homology for the role of UvsW in T4 DNA metabolism are discussed.
Impurity Diffusion by NMR

We discuss a recently developed technique for studying the diffusion of spins with a small gyromagnetic ratio and apply it to investigate the nature of Ag+ diffusion in AgF. We also investigate the potential application of this technique to the observation of diffusing impurities. Experimental studies on Cu:3% Al and (P2O5)0.8(Li2O)0.2 glass are described.
Quinoa saponins—analysis and preliminary investigations into the effects of reduction by processing

A gas chromatographic method has been developed for the analysis of saponins in quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd). The method, which involves separation and quantitation of the trimethylsilylated sapogenols, has been applied to the analysis of the UK-grown crop obtained by selection from lowland Chilean ecotypes. Total saponin contents of 1·03 and 1·19% were found for material grown in 1987 and 1988. The major aglycone in the quinoa saponin mixture was identified as phytolaccagenic acid (>40% total), with hederagenin (∼25%) and oleanolic acid (30%) aglycones also being present. The effects of washing and abrasion on total and individual saponin content were investigated; the data obtained suggest differential cellular locations of the individual saponins. The processing of quinoa led to changes in sensory characteristics; removal of saponins was associated with reductions in bitterness and astringency. Microscopic analysis revealed considerable differences in washed and abraded samples, both before and after cooking; in particular the abraded samples showed a greater degree of cellular disruption.
Effect of NbO Additions on the Grain Size of 1010 Steel Castings

This paper describes a set of experiments that used NbO powder additions to decrease the final as-cast microstructure of 1010 steel castings. NbO has excellent crystallographic matching between its (002) plane and the (001) plane in ferrite, making it a possible heterogeneous nucleation site for delta ferrite. A set of 1010 steel plates were cast in green sand molds and then sectioned into tensile bars. NbO powder was added via the downsprue during pouring. The yield strength and ultimate tensile strength increased with the amount of NbO added. Percent elongation was unaffected in the samples with 6 ppm of NbO powder. Specimens with higher NbO powder additions had a significantly lower elongation than the baseline material. The microstructure of the NbO containing samples was finer than the baseline castings. The increase in strength and drop in ductility was theorized to be more consistent with a grain pinning strengthening mechanism than heterogeneous nucleation.
Combined effects of troglitazone and muscle contraction on insulin sensitization in Balb-c mouse muscle.

Abstract Thiazolidinediones, represented by troglitazone, are insulin-sensitizing agents with proven efficacy for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Exercise is also recommended for patients with type 2 diabetes because it both stimulates glucose uptake directly and it increases insulin sensitivity following exercise. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of troglitazone combined with exercise on 2-deoxyglucose (2DG) uptake in both the epitrochlearis and soleus muscle of Balb-c mice. Acute, 1-h treatment with troglitazone (10 or 20 μM), in the presence or absence of insulin, had no effect on 2DG uptake in either muscle. Chronic treatment with troglitazone by feeding enhanced the insulin sensitivity and responsiveness of 2DG uptake primarily in the epitrochlearis. Direct electrical stimulation of in situ muscle was used to model exercise while the contralateral muscle was used as the unexercised control. This model mimicked exercise in that glycogen was depleted, immediate 2DG uptake was enhanced, and there was a post-exercise increase in insulin sensitivity. Troglitazone feeding had no effect on 2DG uptake in the soleus when measured immediately after electrical stimultion. However, 2DG uptake in the unstimulated epitrochlearis from troglitazone-fed mice was elevated when measured immediately after removal such that no additional effects of the electrical stimulation were measured. We found that the insulin-sensitizing effect of troglitazone was not additive to the insulin-sensitizing effect of exercise, which suggests that troglitazone and exercise share similar pathways. A unique finding in this study was the differential response to troglitazone between the epitrochlearis (fast twitch) and the soleus (slow twitch) muscle types. Possible mechanisms are discussed.
Implementation of a real-time differential path-length spectrometer system

We report on the development of an optical-fiber-based diagnostic instrument to determine the local optical properties of a turbid media. The system relies on making differential diffuse reflection measurements. We present a method to correct for the variations in the spectral characteristics of the two spectrometers. We also introduce a novel method to evaluate the differential reflectance by encoding a relative wavelength sensitivity constant into the signal processing to account for differences in the spectral sensitivity between spectrometers. This method allows us to record differential reflectance without needing to make additional reference measurements before an experiment to account for spectral variation of the lamp.
A sidelight on long range forecasting

A gradually cumulative error due to the use of the hydrostatic approximation is examined through consideration of a simple mathematical model taken from the classical theory of gravity waves. Two cases are chosen which differ solely in the circumstance that in one the hydrostatic assumption is made while in the other it is not. A large divergence of the results present in the later stages is then to be referred to the neglect of terms contained in the exact equation of motion for the vertical direction in one of the solutions. The inference is drawn that comparable phenomena might arise in the integration of the atmospheric equations over long time periods.
The Effects of H2O, CO and CO2 on the H2 Permeance and Surface Characteristics of 1 mm Thick Pd80wt%Cu Membranes

The hydrogen permeance of 1 mm-thick Pd80wt%Cu foils was measured in the presence of equimolar mixtures of H2 with CO, CO2 or H2O over the temperature and total pressure ranges of 623–1,173 K and 0.62–2.86 MPa, respectively. In all cases, permeance losses at 623 and 738 K were very modest. At higher temperatures, more significant decreases in membrane permeance were observed with the highest reduction of about 50% occurring when macroscopic carbon deposition occurred on the membrane surface during H2–CO exposure at 908 K. The more worrisome effects of exposure to these gases, however, were the micron-scale surface defects observed at 908 and 1,038 K. Although the 1 mm thick disk membranes retained their mechanical integrity, such defects could cause catastrophic failure of ultra-thin, Pd–Cu membranes (1–5 μm thick) deposited on porous substrates.
Beyond its cost, the value of maintenance: An analytical framework for capturing its net present value☆

Abstract Maintenance planning and activities have grown dramatically in importance across many industries and are increasingly recognized as drivers of competitiveness if managed appropriately. Correlated with this observation is the proliferation of maintenance optimization techniques in the technical literature. But while all these models deal with the cost of maintenance (as an objective function or a constraint), only a handful addresses the notion of value of maintenance, and seldom in an analytical or quantitative way. In this paper, we propose that maintenance has intrinsic value and argue that existing cost-centric models ignore an important dimension of maintenance, namely its value, and in so doing, they can lead to sub-optimal maintenance strategies. We develop a framework for capturing and quantifying the value of maintenance activities. Our framework is based on four key components. First, we consider systems that deteriorate stochastically and exhibit multi-state failures, and model their state evolution using Markov chains and directed graphs. Second, we consider that the system provides a flow of service per unit time. This flow in turn is “priced” and a discounted cash flow is calculated resulting in a present value (PV) for each branch of the graph—or “value trajectory” of the system. Third as the system ages or deteriorates, it migrates towards lower PV branches of the graph, or lower value trajectories. Fourth, we conceptualize maintenance as an operator (in a mathematical sense) that raises the system to a higher PV branch in the graph. We refer to the value of maintenance as the incremental PV between the pre- and post-maintenance branches of the graphs minus the cost of maintenance. The framework presented here offers rich possibilities for future work in benchmarking existing maintenance strategies based on their value implications, and in deriving new maintenance strategies that are “value-optimized.”
A Definition That Includes First and Second Generation Immigrants Returning to Their Countries of Origin to Visit Friends and Relatives Still Makes Sense to Me

This issue of the Journal of Travel Medicine contains two articles drafted by an expert committee of the International Society of Travel Medicine (ISTM) charged with examining what it means to be a traveler who visits friends and relatives (VFR).1,2 They have arrived at the decision that a new definition is needed. Previous definitions of VFR travelers usually included variations on the theme that the travelers involved were recent immigrants who were returning to their country of origin to visit friends and relatives. These authors propose that a VFR should be anyone traveling for the purpose of visiting a friend or a relative (regardless of the traveler's immigrant status or ethnicity) and that there is “an epidemiological risk gradient” between their current location and the travel destination. The authors first assert that there is no universally accepted definition in the medical literature and that one is needed. That is not entirely true. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC)'s “Health Information for International Travel 2010” (the Yellow Book) defines a VFR as “an immigrant, ethnically and racially distinct from the majority population of the country of residence (a higher‐income country), who returns to his or her homeland (lower‐income country) to visit friends or relatives. Included in the VFR category are family members such as the spouse or children, who were born in the country of residence.”3 The International Travel and Health Book of the World Health Organization (WHO) also defines VFRs as immigrants traveling to their place of origin.4 The principal textbook for the field of travel medicine also includes ethnicity in definition and acknowledges that subsequent generations who maintain cultural identity with their country of origin who travel to visit friends and relatives should also … Corresponding Author: Paul M. Arguin, MD, USPHS, Domestic Unit, Malaria Branch—Division of Parasitic Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Highway NE, MS F‐22, Atlanta, GA 30341, USA. E‐mail: parguin{at}cdc.gov
A solid state lightning propagation speed sensor

A device to measure the propagation speeds of cloud-to-ground lightning has been developed. The lightning propagation speed (LPS) device consists of eight solid state silicon photodetectors mounted behind precision horizontal slits in the focal plane of a 50-mm lens on a 35-mm camera. Although the LPS device produces results similar to those obtained from a streaking camera, the LPS device has the advantages of smaller size, lower cost, mobile use, and easier data collection and analysis. The maximum accuracy for the LPS is 0.2 microsec, compared with about 0.8 microsecs for the streaking camera. It is found that the return stroke propagation speed for triggered lightning is different than that for natural lightning if measurements are taken over channel segments less than 500 m. It is suggested that there are no significant differences between the propagation speeds of positive and negative flashes. Also, differences between natural and triggered dart leaders are discussed.
Capillary electrochromatography of peptides on microfabricated poly(dimethylsiloxane) chips modified by cerium(IV)-catalyzed polymerization

Vinylsulfonic acid, acrylic acid, 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid (AMPS), 4-styrenesulfonic acid, and stearyl methacrylate were used for successful modification of the surface of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) by cerium(IV) catalyzed polymerization on microfabricated collocated monolith support structures microchips. Reproducible and stable coatings were obtained allowing highly efficient separations of a peptide mixture with RSD for retention times below 2.6%. AMPS-coated PDMS channels were shown to give a reproducible separation of a synthetic peptide mixture for over a month. Subsequent modification of microchip channels by AMPS and methoxydimethyloctadecylsilane allowed selective separation of complex bovine serum albumin digest with high reproducibility, and efficiency of about 620 000 plates/m.
Fabrication studies for scaling photonic MEMS micro-shutter designs

This paper will investigate micro-shutter MEMS "fabrication techniques" and processes to identify opportunities and barriers for successful implementation of micro-shutter technologies to enable adaptive coded aperture imaging and nonimaging systems. The use of photonic MEMS for creating adaptive coded apertures has been gaining momentum since 2007. Both Industry-based1, 2 and University-based3 studies have demonstrated their unique solutions for implementing MEMS-based micro-shutter technologies; however, there are many unique and novel MEMS-based "fabrication and characterization" processes and solutions that will be considered herein as we explore micro-shutter technologies. This paper discusses challenges and opportunities that may arise from in-house fabrication of MEMS which may prevent and/or improve structural uniformity, reproducibility, & reliability. This paper will also discuss characterization of the micro-shutters to include mechanical, electrical and optical properties. The "open and close" speeds of the micro-shutter device will also be assessed from a scaling perspective to determine usability.
Uncertainty, redistribution, and the labor market since 2007

Uncertainty and its composition can affect the demand for social insurance, and thereby the labor market. This paper shows that small to medium-sized increases in uncertainty or risk aversion are enough to recommend an expansion of the safety net that would be broadly similar to the actual safety net expansions in the United States since 2007, which significantly depressed the labor market. Labor market effects of uncertainty through investment and insurance channels are also examined with employer and employee labor wedges measured from 2007 through 2013.
Factors affecting dissolved organic matter dynamics in mixed-redox to anoxic coastal sediments

Abstract Mixed-redox (suboxic, or oscillating between oxidizing and reducing conditions) to anoxic marine sediments from the Raritan -New York Bay complex and the Inner New York Bight of the eastern U.S. were studied to investigate the factors controlling the accumulation of pore-water dissolved organic carbon (DOC). DOC increased with depth at each of four study sites, but accumulation was generally limited in the mixed-redox zone relative to the anoxic zone. Humic-like fluorescence intensity also differed between mixed-redox and anoxic zones of the sediment, such that anoxic pore waters were relatively enriched in fluorescent, humic-like compounds. A pore-water DOC model was tested for its capacity to explain these geochemical patterns. Model results for a heavily irrigated and a non-bioturbated site both suggest that, excluding the uppermost few cm of the sediment column, pore-water DOC is predominantly comprised of poorly-reactive material with estimated degradation rate constants on the order of 10−3 yr−1. Model results are also consistent with the suggestion that DOC accumulation is suppressed in the mixed-redox compared to the anoxic zones of the sediment due to rapid oxidation of high-molecular-weight DOC, and limited production and enhanced oxidation of the less reactive polymeric low-molecular-weight component of the DOC pool. An assessment of sorptive behavior of DOC in the surface sediments of the study area suggests that sorption can influence pore-water DOC distributions under conditions of high sedimentation and low bioirrigation.