cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Identification of molecular pathways affected by pterostilbene, a natural dimethylether analog of resveratrol

Pterostilbene, a naturally occurring phenolic compound produced by agronomically important plant genera such as Vitis and Vacciunium, is a phytoalexin exhibiting potent antifungal activity. Additionally, recent studies have demonstrated several important pharmacological properties associated with pterostilbene. Despite this, a systematic study of the effects of pterostilbene on eukaryotic cells at the molecular level has not been previously reported. Thus, the aim of the present study was to identify the cellular pathways affected by pterostilbene by performing transcript profiling studies, employing the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. S. cerevisiae strain S288C was exposed to pterostilbene at the IC50 concentration (70 μM) for one generation (3 h). Transcript profiling experiments were performed on three biological replicate samples using the Affymetrix GeneChip Yeast Genome S98 Array. The data were analyzed using the statistical methods available in the GeneSifter microarray data analysis system. To validate the results, eleven differentially expressed genes were further examined by quantitative real-time RT-PCR, and S. cerevisiae mutant strains with deletions in these genes were analyzed for altered sensitivity to pterostilbene. Transcript profiling studies revealed that pterostilbene exposure significantly down-regulated the expression of genes involved in methionine metabolism, while the expression of genes involved in mitochondrial functions, drug detoxification, and transcription factor activity were significantly up-regulated. Additional analyses revealed that a large number of genes involved in lipid metabolism were also affected by pterostilbene treatment. Using transcript profiling, we have identified the cellular pathways targeted by pterostilbene, an analog of resveratrol. The observed response in lipid metabolism genes is consistent with its known hypolipidemic properties, and the induction of mitochondrial genes is consistent with its demonstrated role in apoptosis in human cancer cell lines. Furthermore, our data show that pterostilbene has a significant effect on methionine metabolism, a previously unreported effect for this compound.
The ultrastructure of the layers enveloping yolk-forming oocytes from Triturus viridescens

The peripheral membranous and extracellular layers of oocytes at the onset of yolk formation were studied by electron microscopy. It was shown that three cellular layers are present at this time. The outer or surface epithelium contains typical squamous cells. The middle or theca is the connective tissue layer which contains fibroblasts, blood vessels, and collagen fibers. The inner or follicular epithelium proper consists of compactly arrayed follicle cells that have distinct cell boundaries. Two extracellular layers were observed, a coarse granular homogeneous layer and a dense zona radiata. Macrovilli (0.2 μ in diameter), extensions from the follicle cells, project through the extracellular layers into the peripheral cytoplasm while more numerous microvilli (0.1 μ in diameter) project up to the dense matrix of the zona radiata. The plasmolemma separating the peripheral cytoplasm from the follicle cells is completely irregular; it forms microvilli. The relations of the enveloping layers as seen with both light and electron microscopes are discussed.
Superconducting accelerometer using niobium‐on‐sapphire rf resonator

An accelerometer is described which uses a rf niobium‐on‐sapphire resonator as its sensor element. The accelerometer uses a magnetically levitated spool as a test mass and the spool modulates the inductance of the resonator; its position is servo controlled to maintain the resonator at the external rf excitation frequency. The accelerometer has high sensitivity over the full audio frequency range, but is optimized for frequencies between 100 Hz and 1 kHz, where the calculated displacement sensitivity approaches 10−15 cm for a 1 Hz measurement bandwidth. The system noise sources are analyzed and possible improvements are discussed.
Calcium, Vitamin D, VDR Genotypes, and Epigenetic and Genetic Changes in Rectal Tumors

Calcium, vitamin D, exposure to sunshine, and vitamin D receptor (VDR) genotypes have been associated rectal cancer. We used data from 750 rectal tumors and 1,205 population-based controls examine associations with TP53, KRAS2, and CpG Island methylator phenotype (CIMP) markers. Rectal tumors were associated with high levels of calcium overall and with TP53 tumor mutations specifically (OR = 0.6, 95% CI = 0.42–0.84). High levels of sunshine exposure had a borderline protective effect for TP53 tumor mutations (OR = 0.78, 95% CI = 0.59–1.03). A mutation at codon 248 was significantly associated with dietary calcium intake (OR = 0.26, 95% CI = 0.09–0.77); having the Ff/ff genotypes of the FOK1 VDR polymorphism significantly increased the odds of a mutation at codon 245 (OR = 4.74, 95% CI = 1.05–21.39); high levels of dietary vitamin D (OR = 3.42, 95% CI = 1.15– 10.17) and the Ff/ff genotypes of FOK1 (OR = 3.34, 95% CI = 1.11– 10.02) and the GA/AA genotypes of the CDX2 VDR polymorphism (OR = 2.85, 95% CI = 1.23–6.58) increased the odds of a TP53 mutation at codon 273. These data support an association between calcium and rectal tumors overall as well as specifically with TP53 mutations. However, given the number of comparisons, findings need to be confirmed in other studies.
Sex Differences in the Effects of Surgical Isolation of the Medial Basal Hypothalamus on Linear Growth and Plasma Growth Hormone Levels in the Rat

The effects of surgical isolation of the medial basal hypothalamus (MBH) on linear growth and plasma growth hormone (GH) levels were studied in adult male and female rats. Whereas MBH isolation resulted in reduced linear growth in males, increased growth resulted in females. These effects were apparent in males 4 weeks after surgery and in females at 10 weeks. The altered growth rates persisted throughout the 28 weeks of the study. MBH isolation in both sexes led to increased food intake, obesity, and atrophy of reproductive tract organs. Non-stress plasma GH levels were unchanged at 4 weeks in both sexes but were elevated at 10 and 26 weeks in females and at 19 and 26 weeks in males. Serial samples of tail vein blood were obtained at 4-h intervals for 44 h from MBH-isolated and shamoperated females at 17 weeks postoperatively, and from similar groups of males at 19 weeks. GH levels were elevated in MBH-isolated rats of both sexes during the afternoons and evenings. Only sham-operated females showed evidence of a 24-h rhythmicity in circulating GH levels. The amplitudes of trough to peak excursions were similar in MBH-isolated and control females, but these excursions were reduced in MBH-isolated males. Although opposite effects on linear growth were noted in the two sexes, the resulting growth rates of operated males and females were similar, suggesting that MBH isolation disrupts mechanisms that normally regulate sex-specific growth patterns. Despite the sex difference in growth responses, MBH isolation caused an eventual increase in plasma GH levels in both sexes. Therefore, it is unlikely that the sex difference in growth responses is attributable exclusively to corresponding changes in circulating GH levels. A reduction in levels of circulating gonadal steroids may be an important factor. The elevations in plasma GH levels observed in both sexes suggest that MBH isolation interferes with mechanisms which inhibit GH secretion.
Pharmacological interventions in autism: theoretical and practical issues.

Discusses pharmacological treatment of childhood obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), chronic and underrecognized psychiatric condition that affects up to 2% to 3% of children and adolescents. Research in OCD in children, including neuropharmacology, brain imaging, genetics, and clinical phenomenology, informs current views of OCD pathophysiology. Contemporary research supports the notion of a dysregulation in serotonin subsystems in the central nervous system, with target areas of dysfunction including basal ganglia and orbitofrontal cortex. Pharmacotherapy, along with cognitive-behavioral approaches, constitutes the indicated treatment for childhood OCD. Pharmacological treatment is best guided by a phenomenological understanding of the type of obsessions and compulsions, the intensity and frequency of their presentation with attention to behavioral reinforcements, and psychosocial factors that affect the course of the disease. Serotonin-enhancing agents, such as fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, paroxetine, and...
DNA and histone synthesis in butyrate-inhibited BSC-1 cells infected with SV40

Abstract The effect of butyrate on DNA synthesis, histone synthesis, and virus production in SV40-infected monkey cells has been studied. When cells in which DNA and histone synthesis have been blocked by treatment with butyrate are infected with SV40, DNA synthesis is induced to a level at least equal to that in untreated infected cells. Both viral and cellular DNA sequences are replicated. Viral DNA synthesized is predominantly SV40 Form I. The amount of viral DNA which accumulates is reduced by 10-fold in the presence of butyrate, and the yield of infectious virus is lowered 100-fold. Histone synthesis in these cells is stimulated concomitantly with DNA synthesis. The hyperacetylation of histones characteristic of butyrate-treated cells is unchanged by SV40 infection; the newly synthesized histones are hyperacetylated. Thus the mechanism by which butyrate blocks DNA and histone synthesis is not directly related to the hyperacetylation of histones.
A comparison of health status between rural and urban adults

The objective of the study was to examine and compare health status between rural and urban adults. The data are from a 1993 statewide probability-based telephone survey of adult Kentuckians (n=662). Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) residents (n=264) and nonMSA residents (n=398) were compared using the Medical Outcomes Study, Short Form Health Survey (SF-20). Self-perceived urban (n=406) and rural (n=256) residents were also compared. Additional analyses were stratified by the age categories of 18–44, 45–64, and ≥65 years of age. Few differences in health status existed between rural and urban adults. However, rural elders (≥65 years) had significantly poorer health status than urban elders. After controlling for demographic variables in multiple regressions, rural elders had significantly poorer functioning (all p<.05) than urban elders as measured by the SF-20 subscales of a) physical functioning, b) role functioning, c) social functioning, d) general mental health, and e) general health perceptions. No differences between rural and urban residents were noted for the pain subscale. Although the health status of rural and urban adults is generally similar, the rural elderly have significantly worse health status than their urban counterparts.
Voice-enabled IT transformation: the new voice technologies

Voice technologies can enrich the ways in which people communicate and enable novel modes of collaboration, such as integrated voice- and text-based communication services, social and business networking facilities, and the evolving Internet technologies (collectively known as the Web 2.0 technologies). These new technologies can alleviate many problems in interpersonal communications, including those affecting person-to-person, online meeting, contact center, and business-process scenarios. In this paper, we identify some of the new challenges enterprise employees face and discuss the potential of voice technologies to help with these challenges. We also examine the new business environment, the communication services it demands, and the challenges enterprises face in delivering these services.
Is Creativity the Essential Link to Leadership

What is creativity? What is its significance to effective leadership behavior? The author explores these questions on the following pages.
Imperfect Information and the Theory of Government Intervention in Farm Credit Markets

This paper describes some possible economic motivations for government intervention in farm credit markets. These motivations are made possible by explicit departures from the perfect information and complete market assumptions that underlie both the neoclassical competitive paradigm and the fundamental theorems of welfare economics. To be more precise, the analysis focuses on three types of asymmetric information between farmers and prospective outside investors, both of whom are assumed to be risk neutral. Arguably, the three informational asymmetries examined here represent natural departures from "perfect markets" in that, unlike the unencumbered neoclassical model, each elicits farmers' optimal use of debt contracts (rather than equity instruments or other contractual forms) to raise investment capital. Despite their consistency with observed contractual choices, all three of the models analyzed below yield free-market equilibria that diverge from first best/perfect information outcomes. Given the inefficiency of these market equilibria, the key question raised and discussed here is: Can government improve upon the derived competitive outcomes and, if so, how? Despite the enormity of the credit rationing literature, only a few extant studies address this question in models that are consistent with debt contracts. Among them are DeMeza and Webb (1987, 1988, 1989) and Innes (1988), which focus on the third type of informational asymmetry considered below. The other two information structures posited in this paper have been studied in several analyses of credit markets, but with attention focused on positive attributes of the unfettered competitive equilibrium rather than on prospective implications for welfare-enhancing government intervention. In what follows, th s literature is surveyed and, for the first two information structures, some new policy results a e presented. A critical discussion of the paper's limitations concludes the article.
Mössbauer investigations of high-spin ferrous heme proteins. I. Cytochrome P-450

Anaerobically reduced samples of cytochrome P-450 from Pseudomonas putida were studied by Mossbauer spectroscopy. In the presence of an applied magnetic field the high-spin ferrous heme iron showed an intricate pattern of electric and magnetic hyperfine interactions which could be parametrized successfully in terms of a spin Hamiltonian formalism. The results imply a very low (triclinic) symmetry of the heme iron. The effects of the ligand environment and of spin-orbit coupling result in a large zero-field splitting of the electronic ground state. The electronic ground state. The electric-field gradient tensor is characterized by a large asymmetry parameter, and its principal axes are rotated substantially from the frame that defines the zero-field splitting. This study shows that high-field Mossbauer spectroscopy provides a unique tool for structural investigations of high-spin ferrous compounds and can substitute, under suitable conditions, for magnetic susceptibility measurements. The present paper focuses on the methodology and data analysis; in the subsequent paper the data obtained for P-450 are compared with new results obtained for hemoglobin, chloroperoxidase, and horseradish peroxidase.
Disclosure of contingent legal liabilities

Abstract There has long been user dissatisfaction with firm’s disclosure of contingent legal liabilities, and the FASB, IASB, and SEC have all considered compliance issues and standard amendments on this topic in recent years. This study uses a sample of employment discrimination cases to provide evidence on the extent to which current contingent legal liability disclosures provide useful contingency evaluations. Consistent with legal concerns influencing reporting decisions, I find that current disclosure practices provide limited quantitative detail regarding the magnitude of the expected loss. However, the text of the disclosures does provide qualitative indicators of the probability of loss. I find evidence that statements about the inestimable nature of the loss and statements about the firm’s willingness to consider a settlement are related to higher probabilities of loss and higher loss amounts. I also find evidence that statements regarding an existing accrual for losses and warnings about materiality reflect a higher likelihood of a nontrivial loss. These results emphasize firms’ strong resistance to quantitative disclosures of legal contingencies but suggest that existing SFAS 5 disclosures do contain qualitative information useful for evaluating the loss contingency.
Standard enthalpies of formation of lanthanum alloys, La + Me (MeRu, Rh, Pd, Os, Ir, Pt), by high-temperature calorimetry

Abstract The standard enthalpies of formation of lanthanum alloys, La+Me (MeRu, Rh, Pd, Os, Ir, Pt) were determined by direct synthesis calorimetry at 1473 ± 2 K. The following values of Δ f H m 0 (in kJ g −1 atom −1 ) are reported: LaRu 2 −(10.3 ± 2.8); LaRh 2 (57.5 ± 1.7); LaRh −(56.3 ± 2.3); LaPd −(76.2 ± 1.8); LaPd 3 (−77.1 ± 2.2); LaOs 2 −(9.0 ± 1.1); LaIr 2 −(62.9 ± 2.2); LaIr 3 (−49.7 ± 2.2); LaPt 2 −(90.0 ± 2.9); LaPt 3 −(92.1 ± 4.6). The results are compared with predicted values from the models of Miedema et al. , of Watson and Bennett, and of Colinet and Pasturel , and with earlier data for some of the corresponding yttrium and scandium alloys.
Positive Illusory Bias in Children with ADHD in Physical Education

(2012). Positive Illusory Bias in Children with ADHD in Physical Education. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance: Vol. 83, No. 9, pp. 43-48.
Effect of Posterior Pituitary Extract on Concentration of Urine Secreted during Osmotic Diuresis in Rabbit.

ConclusionsThe finding that the osmotic concentration, as revealed by the depression of the freezing point, remains constant during the action of pituitary extract on the diuresis induced by rapid intravenous infusion of sucrose solutions, lends support to the view that the absorption capacity of the tubules has been reached under these conditions of experiment.
Growth inhibition of a Fusarium verticillioides GUS strain in corn kernels of aflatoxin-resistant genotypes

Two corn genotypes, GT-MAS:gk and MI82, resistant to Aspergillus flavus infection/aflatoxin contamination, were tested for their ability to limit growth of Fusarium verticillioides. An F. verticillioides strain was transformed with a β-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene (uidA) construct to facilitate fungal growth quantification and then inoculated onto endosperm-wounded and non-wounded kernels of the above-corn lines. To serve as a control, an A. flavus strain containing the same reporter gene construct was inoculated onto non-wounded kernels of GT-MAS:gk. Results showed that, as in a previous study, non-wounded GT-MAS:gk kernels supported less growth (six- to ten-fold) of A. flavus than did kernels of a susceptible control. Also, non-wounded kernels of GT-MAS:gk and MI82 supported less growth (two- to four-fold) of F. verticillioides than did susceptible kernels. Wounding, however, increased F. verticillioides infection of MI82, but not that of GT-MAS:gk. This is in contrast to a previous study of A. flavus, where wounding increased infection of GT-MAS:gk rather than MI82 kernels. Further study is needed to explain genotypic variation in the kernel response to A. flavus and F. verticillioides kernel infections. Also, the potential for aflatoxin-resistant corn lines to likewise inhibit growth of F. verticillioides needs to be confirmed in the field.
Intragenornic sequence transposition in monkeypox virus

Abstract We constructed Hin dIII, Sac I, and Sma I restriction DNA maps for hemorrhagic-pock monkeypox virus, Copenhagen strain (COPE); one hemorrhagic-pock progeny, CpCR virus, randomly selected from a COPE-infected CAM and twice pock purified; and two white-pock variants, CpCW-N1 and CpCW-N2 viruses, that were pock purified from separate CpCR-infected CAMS. Terminal region DNA restriction fragment molarity differences and DNA-DNA fragment cross-hybridizations between COPE and CpCR viruses suggested that a spontaneous transposition of DNA occurred during COPE replication on CAMS to produce CpCR virus. The maps of COPE and CpCR were identical except that the COPE 5 megadalton right-end inverted repeat region appeared enlarged in CpCR by the inverted insertion of a DNA segment of 8 megadaltons (Md) copied from DNA adjacent to the original 5-Md left-end repeat region. Thus, in CpCR each inverted terminal repeat region was 13 Md. Sequence differences between COPE and CpCR were apparent at the junction of the main genome body and the respective right-end repeat region of each. The DNA of COPE was determined to be 125 Md. The DNA of CpCR and CpCW-N1 viruses were each 133 Md and each had identical restriction maps with the enzymes above. Inspection of the map of CpCW-N2 DNA (119 Md) suggested that 14 Md of sequences adjacent to the CpCR right-end inverted terminal repeat had been deleted to produce this variant.
A microtiter trypan blue absorbance assay for the quantitative determination of excitotoxic neuronal injury in cell culture

An automated method for the determination of neuronal cell death using trypan blue is described. Following various excitotoxic insults, murine mixed cortical cell cultures are stained with trypan blue (0.05%; 15 min), followed by SDS (1%) lysis. The absorbance of the dye is measured spectrophotometrically at 590 nm using a microtiter plate reader. When compared to the biochemical lactate dehydrogenase assay, no statistical difference in the calculated levels of excitotoxic neuronal cell death was noted between the assays in any given paradigm. This method is fast and reliable. It eliminates the need for cell counting, thus allowing for high volume sample analysis with a minimum of sample error. Utility of this trypan blue absorbance spectrophotometric assay is likely to extend beyond the study of excitotoxic neuronal injury and should complement existing methods for measuring neuronal viability and cytotoxicity in cell culture.
Synergistic antitumor activity of vincristine and VP-16-213.

The potential interaction of the antitumor agents vincristine and VP-16-213 was investigated in vivo. DBA/2 mice were inoculated with 106 P388 murine leukemia cells, after which single IP injections of saline only, vincristine only, VP-16-213 only, or a combination of vincristine and VP-16-213 were administered. Long-term survival (> 60 days) was observed in 0/45, 1/45 (2%), 9/135 (7%), and 44/135 (33%) mice, respectively (P<0.001). Treatment was most effective when VP-16-213 was administered 0–72 h after vincristine. A similar trend was observed in mice bearing P1534 murine leukemia. These data demonstrate synergistic antitumor activity between vincristine and VP-16-213 in a murine model.
Effect of gravitational radiation reaction on nonequatorial orbits around a Kerr black hole

The effect of gravitational radiation reaction on orbits around a spinning black hole is analyzed. Such orbits possess three constants of motion: iota, e, and a, which correspond, in the Newtonian limit of the orbit being an ellipse, to the inclination angle of the orbital plane to the hole's equatorial plane, the eccentricity, and the semimajor axis length, respectively. First, it Is argued that circular orbits (e = 0) remain circular under gravitational radiation reaction. Second, for elliptical orbits (removing the restriction of e = 0), the evolution of iota, e, and a is computed to leading order in S (the magnitude of the spin angular momentum of the hole) and in M/a, where M is the mass of the black hole. As a decreases, iota increases and e decreases.
Countering network worms through automatic patch generation

To counter zero-day worms that exploit software flaws such as buffer overflows, this end-point architecture uses source code transformations to automatically create and test software patches for vulnerable segments of targeted applications.
Microscopic mechanism of DNA damage searching by hOGG1

The DNA backbone is often considered a track that allows long-range sliding of DNA repair enzymes in their search for rare damage sites in DNA. A proposed exemplar of DNA sliding is human 8-oxoguanine ((o)G) DNA glycosylase 1 (hOGG1), which repairs mutagenic (o)G lesions in DNA. Here we use our high-resolution molecular clock method to show that macroscopic 1D DNA sliding of hOGG1 occurs by microscopic 2D and 3D steps that masquerade as sliding in resolution-limited single-molecule images. Strand sliding was limited to distances shorter than seven phosphate linkages because attaching a covalent chemical road block to a single DNA phosphate located between two closely spaced damage sites had little effect on transfers. The microscopic parameters describing the DNA search of hOGG1 were derived from numerical simulations constrained by the experimental data. These findings support a general mechanism where DNA glycosylases use highly dynamic multidimensional diffusion paths to scan DNA.
The Relevance of Fair Value Accounting: Investors’ Reactions to the 2008 Economic Crisis Events

We examine the relevance of fair value accounting (SFAS 157) to investors through the innovative prism of investors’ reaction to 44 key events (e.g., Lehman’s demise) during late 2008, the peak of the world-wide financial crisis. Based on the nature of these events, we further classify these 44 events into Distress, Rescue, Fed, Policy, and Capital Infusion event groups. We investigate whether the three-level classification mandated by SFAS 157 fairly captures the underlying fair value items for each level. We first examine the market reactions to Level 1-3 fair value variables during five event groups and 44 events overall. After hand-collecting detailed composition information for Level 1-3 variables for our sample of financial and non-financial firms, we further examine the market reactions to fair value items constituting Level 1-3 variables. Comparing our results for Level 1-3 variables and those for detailed fair value items, we find that the predictions from Level 1-3 variables do not always capture the predictions from the underlying fair value items, casting doubt on the usefulness of the three-level separation mandated by SFAS 157 in certain settings. After comparing Level 1-3 variables in COMPUSTAT and Level 1-3 variables in 10-Ks, we also report COMPUSTAT’s inconsistency in treating nonrecurring fair value items and document that the nonrecurring fair value items excluded from COMPUSTAT’s Level 1-3 variables are value relevant.
A scintillation detector signal processing technique with active pileup prevention for extending scintillation count rates

A new method for processing signals from scintillation detectors is proposed for very high count-rate situations where multiple-event pileups are the norm. This method is designed to sort out and recover every impinging event from multiple-event pileups while maximizing the collection of scintillation signal for every event to achieve optimal accuracy in determining the energy of the event. For every detected event, this method cancels the remnant signals from previous events, and excludes the pileup of signals from following events. With this technique, pileup events can be recovered and the energy of every recovered event can be optimally measured despite multiple pileups. A prototype circuit demonstrated that the maximum count rates have been increased by more than 10 times, comparing to the standard pulse-shaping method, while the energy resolution is as good as that of the pulse shaping (or the fixed integration) method at normal count rates. At 2/spl times/10/sup 6/ events/sec for NaI(Tl), the true counts acquired are 3 times more than the delay-line clipping method (commonly used in fast processing designs) due to events recovered from pileups. Pulse-height spectra up to 3.5/spl times/10/sup 6/ events/sec have been studied.
Isoforms and Functions of NAD(P)H Oxidase at the Macula Densa

Macula densa cells produce superoxide (O 2 − ) during tubuloglomerular feedback primarily via NAD(P)H oxidase (NOX). The purpose of the present study was to determine NOXs expressed by the macula densa and the role of each one in NaCl-induced O 2 − production. To identify which isoforms are expressed, we applied single-cell RT-PCR to macula densa cells isolated by laser capture microdissection and to MMDD1 cells (a macula densa-like cell line). The captured cells expressed neuronal NOS (marker of macula densa), NOX2, and NOX4 but not NOX1. Expression of the NOXs and neuronal NOS was essentially identical in the MMDD1 cells. Thus, we used MMDD1 cells to investigate which isoform is responsible for NaCl-induced O 2 − production. We used small-interfering RNA to knock down NOX2 or NOX4 in MMDD1 cells and measured O 2 − exposed to low-salt solution (LS; 70 mmol/L of NaCl) or high-salt solution (HS; 140 mmol/L of NaCl). Exposing control cells (scrambled small-interfering RNA) to HS increased O 2 − concentrations from 0.75±0.28 to 1.48±0.46 U/min per 10 5 cells in LS and HS, respectively ( P 2 − (0.62±0.39 versus 0.76±0.31 U/min per 10 5 cells in LS and HS groups, respectively). Blocking NOX4 did not affect HS-induced O 2 − levels. O 2 − levels in the control cells during LS and HS were 0.80±0.30 and 1.56±0.49 U/min per 10 5 cells, respectively ( P 2 − levels in NOX4-small-interfering RNA–treated cells during LS and HS were 0.40±0.25 and 1.26±0.51 U/min per 10 5 cells, respectively ( P 2 − generation.
Stratum corneum free amino acids following barrier perturbation and repair

Modulation of the skin environment after stratum corneum (SC) perturbation has profound effects on the rate and effectiveness of barrier repair. Intermediate water exposure, e.g. moderate relative humidity, may provide the optimum water gradient for SC repair. More rapid recovery with semipermeable (SP) films in vivo was associated with increased hydration measured as moisture accumulation rate. We hypothesized that (i) damaged SC recovering under the high water exposure of full occlusion (FO) would have lower free amino acids (FAA) than sites with low hydration (no occlusion, NO) and semi-occlusion (SP, semipermeable film, intermediate hydration) and (ii) SC under semi-occlusion would have higher FAA than with low hydration. Volar forearm sites in 15 healthy adults were perturbed via cellophane tape stripping and treated with SP, FO and NO for five days. Barrier recovery rate, hydration, dryness and erythema were determined. Serial SC samples (n=15) were collected on day 5 and FAA quantified using reverse-phase HPLC and fluorescence detection. The cumulative protein removed was higher for SP than the control, NO and FO. FAA as total, individual amino acids and citrulline were consistently higher in the control than the three damaged sites. Generally, FAA was higher in NO than FO. Citrulline was higher for NO than SP and FO over the sampled SC. Levels were higher for SP than FO in certain, but not all of the FAAs. FAA was inversely correlated to barrier integrity. Skin hydration was relatively constant at the external microenvironment of the SP site, whereas the NO and FO had a reduction, i.e. a gradient, over the time. Overall, barrier recovery under conditions of a decreasing hydration gradient produced SC with higher levels of FAA than did conditions of full occlusion.
Equality and Illusion: Gender and Tenure in Art History Careers

Using a national survey of 508 art history Ph.D.s including data on graduate school performance and careers 10 – 15 years post-Ph.D., this study investigates gender, family, and academic tenure in art history, the humanities field with the highest proportion of women. Alternative hypotheses derived from three perspectives—termed here clockwork, two-body, and synergy—are evaluated with multivariate logistic regression. Analysis finds that marriage increases men’s tenure odds and decreases women’s, but that some types of marriages do not decrease women’s odds, and some types dramatically increase men’s. This study calls attention to male advantage in female-dominated academic disciplines and demonstrates the potential to better understand the interactions of gender, marriage, and careers by conceptualizing different types of marriages. Studies of gender inequality in academia largely ignore disciplines in which women predominate; researchers have concentrated on science and engineering fields in which women are grossly underrepresented (Long, 2001). Yet significant
Enhanced Thermionic Emission Cooling in High Barrier Superlattice Heterostructures

Thermionic emission current in heterostructures can be used to enhance thermoelectric properties beyond what can be achieved with conventional bulk materials. The Bandgap discontinuity at the junction between two materials is used to selectively emit hot electrons over a barrier layer from cathode to anode. This evaporative cooling can be optimized at various temperatures by adjusting the barrier height and thickness. Theoretical and experimental results for nonisothermal thermionic emission in heterostructures are presented. Single stage InGaAsP-based heterostructure integrated thermionic (HIT) coolers are fabricated and characterized. Cooling on the order of a degree over one micron thick barriers has been observed. Nonisothermal transport in highly doped tall barrier superlattices is also investigated. An order of magnitude improvement in cooling efficiency is predicted for InAlAs/InP superlattices.
Utilization of the lambda functions in the analysis and synthesis of monopulse antenna difference patterns

The properties of a general class of monopulse antenna difference patterns which are obtained by differentiating a desirable class of antenna sum patterns are analyzed. Their corresponding aperture distributions are synthesized using the Fourier transform. It is found that of the general class of patterns considered, there is one family which gives the best compromise between slope at boresight and sidelobe level. Curves are presented which relate sidelobe level and slope at boresight for this particular family; these curves may be used to design monopulse difference patterns for either a specified slope at boresight or a specified sidelobe level. Simple expressions for the corresponding far-field difference patterns, their beamwidth, and their aperture distributions are given.
Tracing W. E. B. DuBois' “Color Line” in Government Regulations

In this article, I present findings from a discourse analysis of an often-overlooked genre of technical communication, regulatory writing. The study focuses on post-bellum regulations that disproportionately affected African Americans and the historical contexts in which the regulations were written. Historically, African Americans of all socioeconomic backgrounds have maintained an implicit mistrust of government regulations and the government officials who write them. The justification for this mistrust is deeply rooted in the fact that for decades regulations were not written to protect the rights of African Americans nor was their input considered in regulatory writing. In Communicating Across Cultures, Stella Ting-Toomey argues, "if conflict parties do not trust each other, they tend to move away (cognitively, affectively and physically) from each other rather than struggle side by side in negotiation" [1, p. 222]. This study reveals rhetorical strategies used in historical regulatory writing that may still impact the ethos of regulatory writers.
Things Fall Apart: Maritime Disputes and China's Regional Diplomacy

One central feature of China’s diplomacy since the end of the Cold War has been the steady engagement of its neighbors, improving ties with almost all these states. In some cases, the resolution of territorial disputes has created a foundation for improved ties, while in other cases, the significance of these disputes has been downplayed to allow for the development of deeper political and economic relations. Today, however, China’s successful engagement of its periphery has begun to unravel as China has affirmed and asserted its claims in maritime disputes in the East and South China Seas. As a stronger China seeks to defend what it views as its territorial and maritime interests, it threatens the security of its neighbors, who grow increasingly wary of China’s long-term intentions. As a result, China’s neighbors are balancing against Beijing, externally by improving ties with the United States and other major powers in the region and internally by strengthening their own military and especially naval capabilities. In turn, the influence of the United States in the region has grown, creating (from China’s perspective) the specter of balancing coalitions, at least in the security realm.
Genetic Control of Juvenile Growth Rate in Mice: Variation between a Congenic Strain and Its Background Strain

Studies on the genetic regulation of growth are confounded by the multigenic basis of growth. There is a need to isolate simplified genetic systems for the study of growth. We compared two closely related mouse strains and their F1 hybrids with regard to birth and weaning weights. The strains we used were C57BL/6 (B6) and a congenic derivative of B6 (HW54) that contains a short segment of BALB/c chromosome 7 spanning the H-24 and Gpi-1 loci. Despite the genetic similarity of these strains, they differed significantly in both birth and weaning weights. At birth, B6 pups were on average as much as 6.6% heavier than were pups from HW54. By the time of weaning, this trend was reversed; HW54 pups were as much as 13.8% heavier than were B6 pups. (B6 x HW54)F1 hybrids were intermediate between the parental strains in birth weight but were identical to B6 animals at weaning. An analysis of the F2 generation suggested that postnatal growth differences between B6 and HW54 are probably dependent on the maternal genotype. These strain-specific growth rates result from polymorphism at a restricted portion of the genome and represent a highly simplified system for the study of the genetics of growth.
Temperature distribution in target tumor tissue and photothermal tissue destruction during laser immunotherapy

Laser Immunotherapy is a novel cancer treatment modality that has seen much success in treating many different types of cancer, both in animal studies and in clinical trials. The treatment consists of the synergistic interaction between photothermal laser irradiation and the local injection of an immunoadjuvant. As a result of the therapy, the host immune system launches a systemic antitumor response. The photothermal effect induced by the laser irradiation has multiple effects at different temperature elevations which are all required for optimal response. Therefore, determining the temperature distribution in the target tumor during the laser irradiation in laser immunotherapy is crucial to facilitate the treatment of cancers. To investigate the temperature distribution in the target tumor, female Wistar Furth rats were injected with metastatic mammary tumor cells and, upon sufficient tumor growth, underwent laser irradiation and were monitored using thermocouples connected to locally-inserted needle probes and infrared thermography. From the study, we determined that the maximum central tumor temperature was higher for tumors of less volume. Additionally, we determined that the temperature near the edge of the tumor as measured with a thermocouple had a strong correlation with the maximum temperature value in the infrared camera measurement.
Building a gold standard to construct search filters: a case study with biomarkers for oral cancer.

OBJECTIVE To support clinical researchers, librarians and informationists may need search filters for particular tasks. Development of filters typically depends on a "gold standard" dataset. This paper describes generalizable methods for creating a gold standard to support future filter development and evaluation using oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) as a case study. OSCC is the most common malignancy affecting the oral cavity. Investigation of biomarkers with potential prognostic utility is an active area of research in OSCC. The methods discussed here should be useful for designing quality search filters in similar domains. METHODS The authors searched MEDLINE for prognostic studies of OSCC, developed annotation guidelines for screeners, ran three calibration trials before annotating the remaining body of citations, and measured inter-annotator agreement (IAA). RESULTS We retrieved 1,818 citations. After calibration, we screened the remaining citations (n = 1,767; 97.2%); IAA was substantial (kappa = 0.76). The dataset has 497 (27.3%) citations representing OSCC studies of potential prognostic biomarkers. CONCLUSIONS The gold standard dataset is likely to be high quality and useful for future development and evaluation of filters for OSCC studies of potential prognostic biomarkers. IMPLICATIONS The methodology we used is generalizable to other domains requiring a reference standard to evaluate the performance of search filters. A gold standard is essential because the labels regarding relevance enable computation of diagnostic metrics, such as sensitivity and specificity. Librarians and informationists with data analysis skills could contribute to developing gold standard datasets and subsequent filters tuned for their patrons' domains of interest.
Mervyn-Harwall Square Wave Polarograph Mark lll

Mechanism and functions of Mervyn-Harwall Square Wave Polarograph Mark lll are reviewed with 14 figures, which show the general features and characteristics of the instrument. Frequency of the square wave superposed on D.C. potential is 225 c/s, the amplitude of which can be selected between 2 and 32mV peak to peak. Capacity current in the electrode response is primarily limited to some extent by diodes and next, after amplification, eliminated by a diodes-gate circuit which opens for 100, u sec. at the latter end of each square wave life. The gate circuit is followed via a gain-selector and amplifier by a phase sensitive detector, which changes A.C. response into D.C. response fed into the polarogram recorder. When recording “Strobe Polarogram, ” the electrode potential can be set automatically at a definite potential near ECM (ca. -0.5V) for some time-interval before and after the fall of each drop, so that the drop-time may be kept constant at any potential. The time-delay for the strobe polarogram is 2 sec. after the fall of the preceding drop. D.C. potential sweep is generated by a electronical circuit which has not been used in the conventional polarographs. The proportionality of the wave heights to the square wave amplitudes is fairly beautifull up to 16mV (Fig. 11), and further it is found by Fig. 12 that the wave heights can also be proportionality selected by the gain control. The experience of the author in a few experiments so far has shown that the maximum sensitivity in practice seems to be about 10-7M in the case of lead or cadmium in chrolide medium, because of the irregular deflection of the recorder-pen, which might be due to the noise caused by the capillary or the electronical circuit or some other reasons.
Psychosomatic gastrointestinal disturbances. A multifactor, interactional concept.

Many common psychosomatic syndromes other than peptic ulcer and ulcerative colitis are referable to the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms range from pain or polyphagia to teeth grinding or trench mouth. A multifactor concept of the influence of stress emphasizes the interactions of the behavioral and biologic states of the organism in producing physical symptoms and signs of illness.
Elevated histaminase (diamine oxidase) activity in small-cell carcinoma of the lung.

To investigate the possible embryologic relation between small-cell carcinoma of the lung and medullary thyroid carcinoma, we measured plasma histaminase (an enzyme found in medullary carcinoma tissue) in 25 patients with small-cell tumors. The assays used histamine and putrescine as substrates. Thirty-two per cent of the patients by the histamine assay, and 31 per cent by the putrescine, had values greater than +2 S.D. from the mean for 63 normal persons. In contrast, among 20 patients with squamous and large-cell lung tumors, one (by the histamine assay), and two (by the putrescine) had elevated values. In four of five autopsy cases, histaminase was high in small-cell carcinoma tissue. The enzyme in plasma and in tumor behaved as classic histaminase in substrate specificity, and in response to inhibitors. The data support the proposed embryologic relation between small-cell lung carcinoma and medullary thyroid carcinoma, and further associate histaminase with some neural crest tumors.
Qualitative Analysis of Total Complement Activation by Nanoparticles

This chapter describes a method for qualitative detection of complement activation by western blot. This method uses the cleavage product of the C3 component as a marker for complement activation by any pathway. In this protocol, human plasma is exposed to nanoparticles and then analyzed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) followed by western blot with anti-C3-specific antibodies. These antibodies recognize both the native C3 component of complement and its cleavage products. The amounts of C3 and the C3 cleavage products are compared to the amounts in control (untreated) plasma and to plasma treated with a positive control to provide a quick and inexpensive qualitative assessment of complement activation.
The initial value problem for a Novikov system

It is shown that the initial value problem for an integrable Novikov system is well-posed in Sobolev spaces Hs, s > 3/2, in the sense of Hadamard. Furthermore, it is proved that the dependence on initial data is sharp, i.e., the data-to-solution map is continuous but not uniformly continuous. Also, peakon traveling wave solutions are used to prove that the solution map is not uniformly continuous in Hs for s < 3/2.
The Development of Standard Instruments for Radiation Measurements

The development of instruments for the measurement of solar radiation fluxes is reviewed with emphasis on instruments that can be used as primary or secondary standards for meteorological radiation measurements. The fundamental principles used in radiometric instruments are briefly discussed. It is shown that calorimetric techniques are the best suited for precision measurements because of their fundamental independence of the spectral characteristic of the fluxes to be measured. A simple first-order model of the caloric radiometer is used to demonstrate its different useful modes of operation. The historical evolution is shown by a discussion of the famous classical instruments that in their modern versions still represent or support the International Pyrheliometric Scale. Areas of possible improvement of today’s instruments are indicated and two very recent attempts to construct radiometers of the highest precision are described.