cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Inhibition of adenylyl cyclase activity by a homogeneous population of dopamine receptors: selective blockade by antisera directed against Gi1 and/or Gi2.

The 7315c pituitary tumor cell expresses a homogeneous population of dopamine receptors that are functionally similar to brain dopamine D 2 receptors. [ 3 H]- Sulpiride binding to 7315G cell homogenates was specific and saturable, and K i values for compounds to compete for these sites were highly correlated with values for the same compounds at D 2 receptors in brain. Dopamine maximally inhibited -65% of forskolin-stimulated cyclase activity in cell membranes. Some D 2 agonists had lower efficacies, suggesting that some compounds are partial agonists at this receptor. Removal of GTP from the assay buffer or pretreatment of the tissue with pertussis toxin abolished the inhibition of adenylyl cyclase by dopamine. ImmunodeteGtion of most of the known Gα subunits revealed that G i1 , G i2 , G i3 , G o , G q , and G s are present in the 7315c membrane. Pretreatment with the AS antibody (which recognizes the C-terminal regions of Gα i1 and Gα i2 ) significantly attenuated the inhibition of adenylyl cyclase activity by dopamine, whereas antibodies to C-terminal regions of the other Gα subunits had no effect. These findings suggest that the dopamine D 2 receptor regulates cyclase inhibition predominantly via G i1 and/or G i2 and that the 7315c tumor cells provide a useful model for studying naturally expressed dopamine D 2 receptors in the absence of other dopamine receptor subtypes
QUEST: quantitation using an elemental standardless technique for energy dispersion analysis.

Abstract A computerized quantitative system for standardless energy dispersion X-ray analysis of bulk specimens has been developed. The program is composed of five main modules controlling: pulse height acquisition, background correction, peak locating, peak deconvolution, and quantitation. Unique features include the use of a spline interpolation and simplex optimization. For background removal a third order spline interpolation procedure was used to calculate a specific Y value (background height) for each X value (energy) and the continuum was then removed by a pointwise subtraction of the computed background from the raw spectrum. When overlapping peaks were present the peaks were deconvoluted prior to quantitation. The simplex optimization algorithm assumes each peak to be Gaussian and minimizes the sum of squares of the observed spectral intensity value minus the calculated spectral intensity by successive iterations to yield estimates of peak areas. In the quantitation module, normalization factors were used based on the assumption that if the amount of primary ionizations produced by a pure element under standard excitation conditions can be converted to a constant factor, then a series of these factors for each element present can be used to convert the background corrected peak areas into relative composition. These preliminary estimates are further corrected for detector absorptions, fluorescence and absorption in the specimen to obtain a weight percent estimate of the elemental composition. The final analysis of an “infinitely” thick metal or randomly oriented crystalline standard was typically within ± 7% relative error and within 3 weight percent units of the known elemental composition.
Hydraulics and basin morphometry of the largest flash floods in the conterminous United States

Abstract The maximum rainfall-runoff floods measured by indirect methods in small basins (0.39–370 km2) in the conterminous United States are examined. This analysis identified twelve floods that were the largest ever measured. These floods all occurred in semiarid to arid areas. For eleven of the twelve largest rainfall-runoff floods measured in small basins by the slope-area method, values of hydraulic depth; hydraulic radius; width-depth ratio; n value; mean velocity; velocity-head coefficient; Froude number; water-surface, energy, and channel slopes; shear stress; and unit stream power are tabulated. Estimated composite n values weighted by subsection conveyance range from 0.028 to 0.048 with a mean of 0.038. Mean velocities ranged from 3.47 to 9.97 m s−1. Froude numbers ranged from 0.81 to 2.49, with 9 of 12 floods having values greater than 1.00. Water-surface, energy, and channel slopes vary considerably for each flood. Energy slope always was less than water-surface slope by values of 1–104%. Channel slope was greater than energy slope in eight floods. Shear stresses ranged between 61 and 855 N m−2, and unit stream power from 212 to 8131 w m−1. Floods in these small basins produced shear stresses and unit stream powers several hundred times greater than floods in large rivers. Floods on other small streams, with smaller unit discharges, produced greater shear stresses and stream powers. This indicates that the force of a flood is controlled by the depth-slope product, not absolute discharge. In the twelve watersheds studied, basin relief ranged from 165 to 1280 m, elongation ratios ranged from 0.55 to 0.80, the number of first-order streams (basin magnitude) ranged from 10 to 4297, drainage density ranged from 4.1 to 10.9 km km−2, basin slope ranged from 0.0043 to 0.2486, relief ratio ranged from 0.0097 to 0.34, ruggedness number ranged from 0.69 to 7.17, and first-order channel frequency ranged from 5.1 to 38.6 km−2. Elongation ratios were larger, and drainage density and first-order channel frequency lower, than other small flash-flood prone basins in the United States. These twelve basins have neither the most favorable morphometric characteristics which contribute to flash-flood peaks, nor did the storms causing these flash floods have the greatest short-duration intensities. Maximum flood peaks originate from an optimal combination of basin morphology and physiography, and storm intensity.
Evaluation of a new zirconium-containing, negative-working, single-layer resist with enhanced oxygen and fluorocarbon reactive-ion etch resistance

Resists for use in electron beam lithography usually have been made using polymers alone, or polymers with monomeric additives. The monomer may perform the role of a plasticizer or a sensitizer to radiation or enhance the reactive-ion resistance of the imaged resist. In the present work, a new approach was used. A negative working resist system containing two monomers, zirconyl dimethacrylate (ZrDMA) and dipentaerythritol pentaacrylate (DPEPA), was lithographically evaluated. The DPEPA acts as a sensitizer to electron beam radiation by enhancing exposure-induced crosslinking, while the presence of zirconium in the form of an organometallic results in the formation of an oxide based barrier to etch in oxygen and CF4/O2 plasmas. This results in a drop in the etch rate with time in situ.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Identification and Distribution of Inorganic Components in Water: what to Measure?

The molecular form as opposed to the total quantity of inorganic components in water often determines the role that these components play in the aquatic environment. Although the metal aquo ion is generally thought to be the reactive form for biologic interactions, the fraction of the total metal present in this form may be small and highly variable, depending on the available complexing ligands and the magnitude of the interactions. Calculations by use of the chemical equilibria model and the inorganic components in Lake Superior water as an example show the distribution of metals and ligands water to be complex and indicate that analytic measurements must be sensitive in the range of 10/sup -8/ to 10/sup -12/ M for most metals. Solutions that contain the same total metal concentration may be made completely nontoxic by adding complexing ligands. The comparison of calculated molecular distribution with effects on D. magna show that NTA and EDTA dominate the aquo chemistry of copper and cadmium, but not mercury. Mercury can be made nontoxic with cysteine. Metals introduced to water in the form of silicate mineral particles show some transfer to water and fish tissue but on the basis of total metal measurement wouldmore » contribute little total metal tissue content. The analysis of drinking water from Duluth on a continuous basis for suspended contaminates and at different locations shows large fluctuations caused by a variety of factors. Asbestiform fiber and mass content vary over almost two orders of magnitude. Changes in time, processes, and materials over the years result in changes in the water supply. Lead, chlorine, ammonia, asbestiform fibers, hexafluorosilicic acid, and glass have been introduced to the drinking water at various times, locations, and concentrations. Studies designed to look at the overall result of these components must consider all of the sources and variations.« less
Fracture of a GlideScope® Cobalt GVL® Stat disposable blade during an emergency intubation.

Abstract Background: Emergency airway management is a diverse discipline, often utilizing advanced equipment with video technology to enable the intubator to visualize a patient's vocal cords that would be difficult or impossible to see with routine direct laryngoscopy. The GlideScope® Cobalt (Saturn Biomedical Systems, Inc., Burnaby, BC, Canada) is one type of video laryngoscope with disposable plastic GVL® Stat blades (Saturn Biomedical Systems) that can improve glottic view over direct laryngoscopy. It also benefits from rapid turnaround time and few infection control issues due to its disposable blade. Objective: To report what we believe to be the first GlideScope® blade failure to be reported in the medical literature. The circumstances surrounding the blade failure may raise awareness of GVL® Stat usage in obese patients with limited mouth opening. Case Report: During a standard emergency intubation, insertion of the GVL® Stat into the patient's mouth resulted in breakage of the distal segment of the blade. The patient was severely obese and had limited mouth opening, which required the blade to be inserted obliquely, rather than in the midline, into the patient's mouth. As the handle was repositioned back to midline, the distal segment of the blade broke off. No excessive force was used during blade repositioning when breakage occurred. Conclusion: Twisting forces on the distal flat segment of the GVL® Stat may have caused its failure. Because this was only a single occurrence of breakage, it is not clear if design issues or atypical insertion of the blade was responsible for breakage. Care must be exercised when midline insertion is not possible, which can occur in obese patients with limited mouth opening.
Correlation of estrogen receptors and response to chemotherapy of cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and 5-fluorouracil (CMF) in advanced breast cancer.

Thirty-six patients with advanced breast cancer were treated with the regimen of cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and 5-fluorouracil (CMF). Their response to the combination chemotherapy and their survival were correlated in respect to estrogen-receptor (ER) status. No patient had received any form of hormonal therapy or other chemotherapeutic agents prior to the CMF treatment. Overall response rate, both complete and partial, to chemotherapy was 60% (21/36): 88% in the ER+ group (14/16) and 35% in the ER– group (7/20). Median duration of response was 17 months in ER+ and seven months in the ER–. Median duration of survival was 27 months in ER+ patients and nine months in ER– patients after initiation of chemotherapy. These data suggest ER+ status has a beneficial effect in the responsiveness of advanced breast cancer to CMF chemotherapy and is prognostic of better survival.
In vitro effects of direct current electric fields on adipose-derived stromal cells

Endogenous electric fields play an important role in embryogenesis, regeneration, and wound repair and previous studies have shown that many populations of cells, leukocytes, fibroblasts, epithelial cells, and endothelial cells, exhibit directed migration in response to electric fields. As regenerative therapies continue to explore ways to control mesenchymal progenitor cells to recreate desirable tissues, it is increasingly necessary to characterize the vast nature of biological responses imposed by physical phenomena. Murine adipose-derived stromal cells (mASCs) migrated toward the cathode in direct current (DC) fields of physiologic strength and show a dose dependence of migration rate to stronger fields. Electric fields also caused mASCs to orient perpendicularly to the field vector and elicited a transient increase in cytosolic calcium. Additionally, their galvanotactic response appears to share classic chemotactic signaling pathways that are involved in the migration of other cell types. Galvanotaxis is one predominant result of electric fields on mASCs and it may be exploited to engineer adult stem cell concentrations and locations within implanted grafts or toward sites of wound repair.
Marketing to the international housing industry

his a r t i c l e s u m m a r i z e s t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l e x p e r i e n c e s of a n u m b e r of U.S. f i rms w h o s e i n v o l v e m e n t in t rac t d e v e l o p m e n t , e x p o r t i n g of m a n u f a c t u r e d h o u s i n g un i t s a n d c o m p o n e n t s , a n d s u p p l y i n g of t e c h n i c a l a n d m a n a g e r i a l e x p e r t i s e h a v e i n c r e a s e d t h e s u p p l y of h o u s i n g s e r v i c e s in o t h e r c o u n t r i e s .
Rainbow Holography For Retroreflective Objects

A new method, exclusively applicable to retroreflective objects, is proposed for making rainbow holograms. The object is illuminated with a coherent wave scattered from a diffuse slit. The retroreflected object beam retraces the path of the incident beam, thus producing a slitlike function in the plane of convergence.
How accurate is the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Resident survey? Comparison between ACGME and in-house GME survey.

Purpose Increasing importance is being assigned to the annual Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Resident/Fellow survey. In certain circumstances, the survey has prompted site visits for programs with significant areas of noncompliance. However, the dichotomous "yes/no" responses available for most questions on the ACGME survey limit the range of resident responses. Our Graduate Medical Education (GME) department administers an annual survey similar in content to the ACGME survey but with answers using a 5-point Likert scale. The purpose of the current study was to compare the responses obtained on the ACGME survey with our in-house GME survey. Methods Responses to the 2009 ACGME and GME surveys were compared among 26 general surgery residents from a single institution. Fifteen questions assessed similar information on both surveys; these questions related to faculty support, rotation/program evaluation, work and educational environment, and duty-hour compliance. Results Of the 15 questions compared on the 2 surveys, significant differences were found in the following areas: faculty time spent teaching, interference of other trainees, and rotation emphasis of education over other concerns. In each instance, resident responses on the ACGME survey were less favorable compared with the responses elicited on the GME survey. Conclusions The results of the current study suggest that responses obtained on the ACGME survey may inaccurately reflect the magnitude of noncompliance found in certain areas. We propose that this discrepancy may be a result of the limited range of responses available on the ACGME survey.
Influence of the β2-adrenergic agonist clenbuterol on insulin-stimulated lipogenesis in mouse adipocytes☆

Abstract Growing mice fed the β2-adrenergic agonist clenbuterol (CB; 20ppm) had increased rate of growth and altered composition of gain (greater protein and less fat). Adipocytes prepared from the epididymal fat pads of treated and untreated mice were used to examine the influence of CB on lipid metabolism. Using cells from untreated mice, CB stimulated lipolysis to an equivalent maximum rate as epinephrine (EPI), but CB was far less potent (EC50 (μM); CB=5, EPI=0.2). Both CB and EPI inhibited insulin-stimulated lipogenesis over the physiological range of insulin concentrations. This inhibition was expressed as a dose-dependent decrease in tissue sensitivity to insulin and a decrease in maximal lipogenic capacity. Inhibition of maximal rate, but not of insulin sensitivity, could be simulated by the addition of palmitate without EPI or CB. Adipocytes isolated from CB-treated mice did not differ from controls in sensitivity to insulin or in activity of fatty acid synthetase. Increased lipolysis and reduced lipogenesis as observed in vitro with CB are consistent with reduced fat accretion in CB-treated mice. However, the absence of detectable changes in adipocyte lipogenesis from CB-fed mice leaves open the question of the relevance of altered lipid metabolism to the observed changes in body composition.
A Butterfly Answers Customer Service Calls in China: The Tempestuous Response to Service Offshoring Across the Globe and Why It’s Irrational

This paper will discuss the current and future status of service offshoring, and will argue primarily that owing to certain natural constraints on offshoring, there is limited prospect for future growth in this field. In particular service offshoring will not be the cause of massive job dislocations as was the case with manufactures offshoring. The paper will examine both empirical and theoretical reasons why this is the case, and will synthesize the two when appropriate. Particular attention is paid to diverse reasons for the rise of offshoring, including those resulting from economic, political, historical and managerial rationales. The interplay of factors that gave rise to manufactures offshoring is examined, as is its relation to future growth in service offshoring. The paper will then entertain arguments against service offshoring and its continued growth, and will argue that such growth is likely to be mild and short-lived, and that benefits redound to all participants in offshoring, but especially to developed Anglophone nations. Finally, the associated issue of the particular effects of offshoring on developing-country participants is discussed, as are possible political and economic remedies for those minor adverse effects of increased offshoring, both for developed and developing countries.
Conductometric Sensors Based on the Hypersensitive Response of Plasticized Polyaniline Films to Organic Vapors

The low conductivity of plasticized polyaniline films increases dramatically when the films are exposed to polar organic vapors. This effect was used to develop vapor sensors. Shown is the increase in conductivity (squares) and mass (solid line) resulting from exposure, beginning at 5 min, to the vapor above a 20% aqueous ethanol solution.
Complex trait divergence contributes to environmental niche differentiation in ecological speciation of Boechera stricta

Ecological factors may contribute to reproductive isolation if differential local adaptation causes immigrant or hybrid fitness reduction. Since local adaptation results from the interaction between natural selection and adaptive traits, it is crucial to investigate both in order to understand ecological speciation. Previously, we used niche modeling to identify local water availability as an environmental correlate of incipient ecological speciation between two subspecies in Boechera stricta, a close relative of Arabidopsis. Here, we performed several large-scale greenhouse experiments to investigate the divergence of various physiological, phenological, and morphological traits. Although we found no significant difference in physiological traits, the Western subspecies has significantly faster growth rate, larger leaf area, less succulent leaves, delayed reproductive time, and longer flowering duration. These trait differences are concordant with previous results that habitats of the Western genotypes have more consistent water availability, while Eastern genotypes inhabit locations with more ephemeral water supplies. In addition, by comparing univariate and multivariate divergence of complex traits (QST) to the genome-wide distribution of SNP FST, we conclude that aspects of phenology and morphology (but not physiology) are under divergent selection. In addition, we also identified several highly diverged traits without obvious water-related functions.
Using neural networks to monitor supply chain behaviour

Intelligent agents are expected to play an increasingly important role in Supply Chain Management (SCM) by automating event-tracking, trend-prediction and decision-making functions. In this paper, we proposed a new trend-prediction methodology that recognises behavioural patterns and predicts future performance based on those patterns. We used fuzzy Adaptive Resonance Theory (ART) Neural Networks (NNs) to build the patterns and BackPropagation NNs (BPNNs) to make the predictions. We based this methodology on System Dynamics (SD) models, which were used to train the NNs. We believe that our approach could be incorporated easily into a number of software agents. These agents could improve dramatically the capabilities of current dashboard-monitoring systems.
Stereo panorama photography in archaeology: Bringing the past into the present through CAVEcams and immersive virtual environments

Stereo panorama photography is able to create a visual immersive experience in which the viewer is able to see in any direction from a single static point. Acquiring data through CAVEcams [1, 2], we are able to create points of immersion at cultural heritage sites. Through this technique, the user can virtually experience archaeological sites, which they might not otherwise be able to do. These immersive data communicate a sense of place better than an individual photograph is capable of doing. CAVEcam images can be combined with data collected by LiDAR and "Structure from Motion" techniques to create a stereo fusion of gigapixel photography and 3D point cloud data. For museums, this means bringing the context of the artifacts they display to their visitors. Rather than isolated artifacts, visitors can experience where they come from and gain a better understanding for the story behind them. For researchers this means being able to visit their project, even when it is thousands of miles away. Collaborative tools in virtualization systems such as CalVR [3, 4] make it possible for researchers in different parts of the world to work on projects together. For the classroom, it means bringing the environments to the students in ways not previously possible. Hieroglyphs can be read from the walls of tombs, while benchmark sites can be visited and explored in conjunction with classroom lectures and presentations. Ultimately, this tool has very real implications for the preservation and presentation of cultural heritage and archaeology.
On the Statistics of Individual Variations of Productivity in Research Laboratories

It is well-known that some workers in scientific research laboratories are enormously more creative than others. If the number of scientific publications is used as a measure of productivity, it is found that some individuals create new science at a rate at least fifty times greater than others. Thus differences in rates of scientific production are much bigger than differences in the rates of performing simpler acts, such as the rate of running the mile, or the number of words a man can speak per minute. On the basis of statistical studies of rates of publication, it is found that it is more appropriate to consider not simply the rate of publication but its logarithm. The logarithm appears to have a normal distribution over the population of typical research laboratories. The existence of a "log-normal distribution" suggests that the logarithm of the rate of production is a manifestation of some fairly fundamental mental attribute. The great variation in rate of production from one individual to another can be explained on the basis of simplified models of the mental processes concerned. The common feature in the models is that a large number of factors are involved so that small changes in each, all in the same direction, may result in a very large change in output. For example, the number of ideas a scientist can bring into awareness at one time may control his ability to make an invention and his rate of invention may increase very rapidly with this number.
THE ENDURING PARTNERSHIP OF A NEOPLASTIC VIRUS AND CARCINOMA CELLS : CONTINUED INCREASE OF VIRUS IN THE V2 CARCINOMA DURING PROPAGATION IN VIRUS-IMMUNE HOSTS

The V2 carcinoma-a transplanted rabbit cancer derived originally from a virus-induced papilloma and carrying in masked or altered form the virus primarily responsible for it-was propagated in five successive groups of animals all previously hyperimmunized against the papilloma virus. The cancer grew as well in the hyperimmunized hosts as in normal animals implanted during the same months; and serological tests, made when the tumor was eventually returned to ordinary hosts, proved that the virus was still associated with the carcinoma cells: it had increased to the usual extent as the tumor grew in the hyperimmune animals. The continued increase of the neoplastic virus during propagation of the V2 carcinoma in hyperimmunized hosts contrasts sharply with the elimination of certain extraneous passenger viruses when the tumors they ride upon are grown in hosts previously immunized against them. The facts as a whole would seem to warrant a distinction between the enduring partnership of a neoplastic virus and carcinoma cells on the one hand and the casual association of passenger viruses with tumor cells on the other.
Evidence for a mechanism of phenotypic integration of behaviour and innate immunity in a wild rodent: implications for animal personality and ecological immunology

If a single mechanism influences multiple traits, it may facilitate functional integration or impede optimal trait expression to produce consistent individual differences and correlations among those traits. The fields of animal personality and ecological immunology each aim to understand variation and covariation of behavioural and immune traits. Studying these traits together may provide additional insight into patterns of (co)variation than studying behaviours or immunity in isolation, as trade-offs between behaviour and immunity are likely. Hormonal mechanisms may be involved in the variation and covariation between behavioural and immune traits, and the role of receptors in particular has rarely been tested in wild animals. In wild-caught Belding's ground squirrels, Urocitellus beldingi, we delivered mifepristone to experimentally block the actions of glucocorticoid receptors (GRs), a component of the stress response. Then we evaluated whether cortisol binding with GRs affects the plasticity of behavioural and immune traits, consistent individual differences and phenotypic integration of exploratory behaviour, activity, antipredator behaviour, response to restraint and bacteria-killing ability, a measure of innate immunity. Mifepristone treatment abolished relationships between faecal glucocorticoid metabolite levels and both exploratory behaviour and bacteria-killing ability. This result indicates that cortisol binding with GRs is a mechanism of plasticity of those traits. Mifepristone also affected relationships among traits. Specifically, mifepristone treatment significantly modulated the relationships between bacteria-killing ability and two behaviours, exploration and activity. This result supports the hypothesis that the GR–cortisol binding is a mechanism of phenotypic integration. Together, these results suggest that GR–cortisol binding balances the often observed trade-off between behaviour and immunity to produce patterns of (co)variation of behavioural and immune traits seen in nature.
Nicotine attenuates morphological deficits in a contusion model of spinal cord injury

Protection against the progression of secondary injury appears to be an effective therapeutic strategy in spinal cord injury (SCI). Evidence indicates that nicotine can induce potent neuroprotective effects against injury to spinal cord neurons. Therefore, the present study was focused on the effects of nicotine on the behavioral and morphological recovery associated with SCI. Adult male Long-Evans rats were subjected to a moderate contusion model of SCI and received subcutaneous injections of nicotine for 14 days at the dose of 0.35 or 7 mg/kg/day. The rats were examined using the BBB locomotor rating scale for 6 weeks. At the end of the BBB recording, spinal cords were examined for the volumetric tissue sparing of gray and white matters. All SCI rats demonstrated a loss of hindlimb function followed by a recovery phase that peaked at 2-3 weeks after the trauma. Compared to untreated SCI rats, chronic nicotine administration appeared to improve the recovery of the locomotor functions. Indeed, nicotine-treated animals scored consistently higher on the BBB scale indicating that the treatment altered animal behavior. However, when taking under consideration correction factors for multiple comparisons, these data did not reach significance at overall experimental levels of significance 0.05. Nevertheless, nicotine administration was effective in sparing tissue at injury epicenter and a lower dose of nicotine also resulted in significant sparing of white matter of the injured spinal cord. These results suggest that agonists of neuronal nicotinic receptors can be attractive candidates for SCI therapy.
Ultrasonic velocities, compressibilities, and heat capacities for binary mixtures of benzene, cyclohexane, and tetrachloromethane at 298.15 K☆

Abstract Ultrasonic velocities in binary mixtures of benzene, cyclohexane, and tetrachloromethane were determined at 298.15 K over the whole mole fraction range using a pulse-echooverlap method in a successive dilution cell. The results were combined with auxiliary information from the literature to obtain isentropic and isothermal compressibilities, and heat capacities at constant volume. The excess values of these properties are compared with previously published results.
A synchrotron radiation source with arbitrarily adjustable elliptical polarization

Abstract A device that can produce synchrotron radiation whose polarization is arbitrary and adjustable is proposed. The polarization can be linear and be switched between two mutually perpendicular directions, or it can be circular and be switched between right and left circular polarizations. The modulation rate of the polarization can be 1 kHz or more. The system works on electron storage rings with small beam emittance, and can cover a wide spectrum.
New eutectic ionic liquids for lipase activation and enzymatic preparation of biodiesel

The enzymatic preparation of biodiesel has been hampered by the lack of suitable solvents with desirable properties such as high lipase compatibility, low cost, low viscosity, high biodegradability, and ease of product separation. Recent interest in using ionic liquids (ILs) as advanced reaction media has led to fast reaction rates and high yields in the enzymatic synthesis of biodiesel. However, conventional (i.e., cation–anion paired) ILs based on imidazolium and other quaternary ammonium salts remain too expensive for wide application at industrial scales. In this study, we report on newly-synthesized eutectic ILs derived from choline acetate or choline chloride coupled with biocompatible hydrogen-bond donors, such as glycerol. These eutectic solvents have favorable properties including low viscosity, high biodegradability, and excellent compatibility with Novozym® 435, a commercial immobilized Candida antarctica lipase B. Furthermore, in a model biodiesel synthesis system, we demonstrate high reaction rates for the enzymatic transesterification of Miglyol® oil 812 with methanol, catalyzed by Novozym® 435 in choline acetate/glycerol (1 : 1.5 molar ratio). The high conversion (97%) of the triglyceride obtained within 3 h, under optimal conditions, suggests that these novel eutectic solvents warrant further exploration as potential media in the enzymatic production of biodiesel.
Toward a Grounded Theory of Lesbians' Recovery from Addiction

SUMMARY This article presents the results of a qualitative study on lesbians' recovery from addiction. The study involved semi-structured interviews with 20 lesbians in recovery from addiction and was analyzed using grounded theory method. The central theme that emerged was self-acceptance, both as a lesbian and as a recovering alcoholic/addict, with considerable interaction between the two. Categories that contributed to this theme were learning to recover, relationships with other people, and relationship with something bigger than self. The discussion addresses how this information can be used to assist lesbians trying to recover from addiction.
Kinetics of hydrolysis of methenamine

The kinetics of degradation of methenamine were studied in citrate-phosphate buffers between pH 2.0 and 7.4 at 37.5° GLC was used to monitor the rate of hydrolysis. The conversion of methenamine to formaldehyde was found to be pH dependent in the buffers of constant ionic strength, with the reaction half-life decreasing from 13.8 hr at pH 5.8 to 1.6 hr at pH 2.0. The kinetics of degradation also were measured at 47, 57, and 67°, and the reaction obeyed the Arrhenius relationship. At pH 2.0, the activation energy was calculated to be 23.5 kcal/mole; at pH 5.1, it was 12.0 kcal/mole.
The role of the list price in housing markets: Theory and an econometric model

SUMMARY Houses are routinely sold at prices below, but rarely sold at prices above, their list prices. List prices appear to be price ceilings that preclude the possibility of sales at higher prices. This paper presents a theory of sellers' behaviour that explains why there are list prices in housing markets and why list prices are distinct from sellers' reservation prices. The theory forms the basis of an econometric model that has been estimated using data from the Baltimore, MD, area. The estimated model predicts sale and reservation prices conditional on list prices. The predictions of sale prices are considerably more accurate than those obtained from a standard hedonic price regression. The estimated model also explains why sellers may not be willing to reduce their list prices even after their houses have remained unsold for long periods of time. Houses are routinely sold at prices below, and are virtually never sold at prices above, their list prices. The list price of a house appears to be a price ceiling that precludes the possibility of selling at a higher price. This phenomenon is stable over time, so it is not caused by market disequilibrium. What is the role of list prices in housing markets? Can list prices be used to predict sellers' reservation prices? Can they be used to make predictions of sale prices that are more accurate than predictions obtained from standard hedonic regressions? This paper develops an econometric model of the behaviour of sellers in housing markets that answers these questions. The model explains why there are list prices in housing markets and how sellers establish list and reservation prices. In addition, the model predicts sale and reservation prices conditional on list prices. The predictions of sale prices are considerably more accurate than those obtained from a hedonic price regression. The model also explains why sellers may not be willing to reduce their list prices even after their houses have remained unsold for long periods of time. There have been several previous attempts to model the formation of list prices in housing markets. Guasch and Marshall (1985) and Stull (1978) developed search models in which list prices must be set, but these models do not admit the possibility that sale prices may bse below list prices. Chinloy (1980) developed a model in which the seller's reservation price is assumed to be a constant fraction of the list price. But Chinloy did not explain why list and reservation prices are distinct or why they are proportional to one another. These difficulties are not present in the model developed in this paper. The theory underlying the model is developed in Section 2. The model is presented in Section 3. Estimation results and some applications are given in Section 4. Additional applications are given in Section 5, and concluding comments are given in Section 6.
Dispersion and absorption in C6H6

Abstract It is pointed out that a recent proposal, based on sound velocity measurements, to treat liquid benzene as having only one vibrational relaxation frequency (1.50 GHz) is inconsistent with sound absorption measurements.
Whatever happened to symptom substitution

Symptom substitution is a theoretical consequence of the psychodynamic model of psychopathology and symptom formation that contrasts markedly with behavioral models. Symptom substitution was a major scientific and clinical question about a half century ago that was abandoned rather than answered partly because it did not seem to occur and partly because perceived methodological problems impeded empirical research. The contemporary relevance of symptom substitution is that the psychodynamic model of psychopathology and symptom formation from which the prediction of symptom substitution stems continues to be widely taught and to broadly inform clinical practice. This article revisits the psychodynamic model of symptom formation and substitution, restates perceived methodological limitations to its empirical study, demonstrates that symptom substitution is an empirically testable prediction, reviews the relevant empirical literature, and discusses implications for the science and practice of clinical psychology including a proposed research design for certifying bona fide psychoanalytic symptoms.
Surface-Initiated Free Radical Polymerization of Polystyrene Micropatterns on a Self-Assembled Monolayer on Gold

We describe the in situ synthesis of nanometer thick films of polystyrene (PS) on a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) on gold by surface-initiated free radical polymerization and further demonstrate that three-dimensional polymer structures with micrometer lateral resolution and nanometer vertical resolution can be fabricated by combining microcontact printing (μCP) with surface-initiated polymerization (SIP). We implemented SIP onto a COOH-terminated SAM on gold using a sequential approach to couple an amine-terminated free radical initiator to the terminal COOH groups presented by the SAM, followed by free radical polymerization of styrene. Each step of SIP was characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and ellipsometry, and the PS film and micropattern were also characterized by atomic force microscopy. We typically obtained PS films with a thickness of 10−20 nm for a polymerization time of 12−24 h and with a root-mean-square roughness of ≤0.5 nm. PS micropatterns were also successfully fabricated ...
Non-traded and intermediate goods and the theory of protection

Abstract Using a model of an economy producing one non-traded good, one traded intermediate good and one traded final good, we have (1) derived plausible conditions under which the output of traded goods responds normally (or positively) to their relative prices, despite the presence of non-traded goods, which in earlier models have produced perverse results. (2) shown that the Metzler paradox continues to hold but under different sufficient conditions. Specifically, a tariff fails to be protective, provided the foreign elasticity of import demand falls short of the home marginal propensity to consume the non-traded good. (3) shown that Corden's celebrated theorem that for a small country a tariff is inferior to an equivalent production subsidy is invalid in a world where intermediate goods are traded.
The equation of state of water to 200°C and 3.5 GPa: model potentials and the experimental pressure scale

Abstract The velocity of sound in liquid water has been measured as a function of temperature and pressure in the heated diamond-anvil high-pressure cell. The equation of state is determined at temperatures up to 200°C and pressures as high as 3.5 GPa. Above 500 MPa, the results of molecular-dynamics simulations based on the TIP4P potential agree with the experimental density within 1%. Such simulations, however, do not achieve the accuracy required to usefully predict the thermodynamics of hydration reactions in the upper mantle. At pressures below 1 GPa a comparison is possible up to 150°C between velocities measured using the ruby fluorescence pressure scale and velocities based on an absolute pressure determination. Under the assumption that velocities deviations are a result of pressure uncertainty, the mean error of the ruby scale is 4 MPa (40 bars) with a standard deviation of 8 MPa (80 bars).
Green leaf volatiles enhance sex attractant pheromone of the tobacco budworm, Heliothis virescens (Lep.: Noctuidae)

Components of the green leaf volatile complex (Z-3-hexenyl acetate andE-2-hexenyl acetate) were shown to enhance responses of tobacco budworm,Heliothis virescens, males to the sex attractant pheromone of conspecific females in the field. The results are discussed with regard to green leaf volatiles which enhance the attractant pheromone of a cohabiting species, and serve as attractants of a parasitoid of conspecific larvae.
A COMPARISON OF TWO METHODS OF COLUMN ADDITION

Teachers and students alike have debated the merits of column addition methods, some preferring to add a column directly by adding each number to the partial sum without looking for familiar combinations or deviating from a set procedure; others feeling they are faster and more accurate if they use combinations that add up to ten. Certain other methods have been championed, but most people add in one of these two ways. A person adding directly would add the numbers shown in Figure 1 by saying 6, 13, 17, 22-adding the numbers in the order they appear without analyzing the problem. In adding the numbers in Figure 1 using the tens method, 6 and 4 are added first, then 7, and finally 5.
The Supply And Use Of Selected Medical Technologies

Over the years, both government and the private sector have used a mix of regulatory controls and competitive market incentives to reduce the rate of spending and minimize excess capacity in health services. Despite these efforts, this study finds an oversupply of five medical technologies in Pennsylvania, which adds costs and raises concern over the quality of care provided by underused facilities. Moreover, as providers compete for network selection, many continue to expand their service capabilities. These findings emphasize the importance of ongoing assessment of the appropriate application, supply, and use of medical services.
Manifest and concealed reentry: a mechanism of A-V nodal Wenckebach in man.

In five patients, bundle of His electrograms were recorded during right ventricular pacing at various cycle lengths. In all patients, as the cycle length of stimulation was decreased, the pattern of retrograde conduction proceeded from 1:1 retrograde conduction to retrograde Wenckebach with or without manifest reentry, to retrograde Wenckebach cycles with concealed reentry. The requisite condition for reentry was a critical retrograde A-V nodal delay. During retrograde Wenckebach cycles, reentry could be either concealed or manifest. Concealed reentry resulted in typical or ordinary Wenckebach cycles on the surface electrocardiogram and manifest reentry resulted in ventricular echo beats. Depending upon the cycle length of stimulation, reentry could be concealed on the surface electrocardiogram but manifest on the His bundle electrogram recording. Concealed reentry could be manifest by turning off the stimulator at the appropriate time in the cardiac cycle while manifest reentry could be concealed by changing the cycle length of stimulation. Reentry with collision of wavefronts within the A-V node or proximal His-Purkinje conduction system explains why the last ventricular impulse is not conducted to the atria during ordinary Wenckebach cycles.
Institutions, Roles, and Disorder: The Case of the Arab States System

This article explores the relationship between institutions, roles, and role conflict, and examines the destabilizing effects of the coexistence of overlapping international institutions in the context of the Arab Middle East. I am concerned with two features of the relationship between institutions and roles. First, while roles figure prominently in many definitions of institutions, they are given scant theoretical or empirical attention in the institutions literature. The second concern is what transpires when the state is embedded in more than one institution and each institution demands a different role and set of behavioral actions. Therefore, the state's actions that are consistent with the role requirements of one institution might be inconsistent with the role demands of another institution. States frequently experience role conflict as a consequence of their presence in two or more institutions, and such coexisting institutions, far from producing the stabilizing qualities observed by many theorists, can generate false expectations and conflict. We need a better understanding of the effects of overlapping institutions on state behavior. The Arab states system is used as an illustrative case study to demonstrate how role conflict complicated the search for regional stability. Arab states had two distinct roles because of the institutions of sovereignty and pan-Arabism: they were at one and the same time to recognize each other's authority and to follow pan-Arabism to its logical conclusion of political unification. These institutions provided different and potentially contradictory roles for Arab states, which complicated the search for regional order.
Particle Size Analysis of Cotton Dust Using Scanning Electron Microscopy

Particle size distributions of dusts generated in a model card room and collected on filter media by a vertical elutriator having a particle size cut-off of 15 μm dia have been determined using scanning electron microscopy. Photomicrographs, usually at 3000×, were made of the samples and the particle diameters were estimated by the Martin method. It was found that the average particle size of cotton dust samples measured by this technique was smaller than that reported in the literature obtained by light microscopy. It was also found that the distribution of particle sizes does not follow a simple log-normal distribution unless the smallest particles observed in this study are omitted. A bimodal or perhaps a multimodal distribution yields a better representation of the data. It is concluded that scanning electron microscopy is a practical and accurate method for sizing cotton dust particles on filter surfaces.
Synthesis and addition polymerization of vinylbenzyl transition metal compounds

The synthesis of three vinylbenzyl complexes (n5-C5H5)-M(CO)n(CH2C6H4CH=CH2), [1), M=Mo, n=3; (2), M=W, n=3; (3), M=Fe, n=2] is reported. Complexes (1) and (2) have been copolymerized with monomers, such as styrene, methyl methacrylate, andN-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone, in benzene using azoisobutyronitrile as initiator. The rates of incorporation of (2) into copolymers with styrene and methyl methacrylate were the same as the rate of incorporation of the organic monomer. The homopolymerization of (2) was also carried out. Polymerizations occurred satisfactorily except for the copolymerization of (1) with styrene, where little incorporation of the organometallic monomer occurred.
Comment on CP violation in B0-B0 mixing

Abstract We note that in the six-quark model the CP violating dilepton asymmetry in semileptonic B 0 - B 0 decays can be significant only if the non-zero value of the charm quark mass plays an important role in the B 0 - B 0 width or mass transition matrix elements. The annihilation diagram, which has been proposed as a source of the difference between the charged and neutral D meson lifetimes, is considered. We show that this diagram does not contribute to the B 0 - B 0 width transition matrix element because of a helicity mismatch.