cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Skewed sex ratio and gametogenesis gene expression in eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) exposed to plastic pollution

Abstract Plastic pollution is ubiquitous in the oceans, and numerous studies have documented the dangers from entanglement, ingestion, or exposure to individual xenoestrogenic plastic additives. Plastic degradation in seawater poses a complex threat through sorption of harmful organic pollutants, release of complex chemical ingredients that compose plastics, and fragmentation of plastic pieces. Therefore, a more holistic approach is needed to understand the impact of plastic exposure on marine organisms. The eastern oyster ( Crassostrea virginica ) is a keystone species that serves as an ecosystem engineer in western Atlantic estuaries . Individuals undergo annual gametogenesis and are able to change sex from one year to the next, typically from male to female. A 1:1 sex ratio is maintained at the population level by younger/smaller oysters that are mostly male and older/larger oysters that are mostly female. As sessile bivalves, oysters are susceptible to damaging effects from plastic that settle on the seafloor. The objective of this study was to quantify changes in survival, growth, sex ratio, and gene expression of eastern oysters in response to polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic exposure. Hatchery-produced larvae settled onto either oyster shell or PET plastic and metamorphosed into juveniles. One set of juvenile oysters was reared in an aquaculture facility for three months, and a second set was placed on natural reefs in the St. Mary's River of the Chesapeake Bay for ten months. Juvenile oysters grown on PET showed significantly higher mortality rates and reduced growth than those grown on shell after three months. After ten months of growth and maturation in natural waters, oysters grown on shell were 82% male while oysters grown on plastic had a significantly lower proportion of males (56% male). We measured differential gene expression of eight candidate genes involved in gametogenesis. In general, expression patterns followed expectations based on putative roles in either spermatogenesis or oogenesis. Exposure to plastic did not have a significant impact on gene expression. Small sample sizes limited statistical power to detect small effect sizes. Although not significant, females on plastic had higher median and mean expression than those on shell for all genes, except for the mean expression level of vitellogenin-6 ( vit-6 ). Our findings suggest that plastic exposure alters the sex ratio of first-year oysters, resulting in more females than expected. Additional research into the expression of underlying genes that impact gamete differentiation and therefore sex determination is warranted.
A formula for the hopping expansion of 8-vertex models coupled to an external field

We study a generalized 8-vertex model where the vertices are coupled to a locally varying field. We rewrite the partition function as an integral over Grassmann variables. In this form it is possible to explicitly evaluate all terms of the hopping expansion. Applications of the resulting formula, in particular its relation to 2-D lattice field theories with fermions are discussed.
Floating exchange rate of the russian ruble: myth or reality?

Active globalization of the Russian economy has required more flexible exchange rate policy. By 2015, the Bank of Russia plans to finish transition to the floating exchange rate. Though the regulator has been aspiring to achieve this goal since 2007, the exchange rate policy’s mechanism has been changed only after sharp deterioration of external economic conditions in 2008—2009. Expanding bounds of a currency corridor and reducing volumes of carried out interventions, the Bank of Russia continues to weaken the influence on internal currency market, limited to leveling the speculative expectations of economic agents. Stages and reached results of this major transformation of exchange rate policy are investigated in the article.
Clinical Flow Cytometry: History and Horizons

Flow cytometry represents an important technology for the clinical laboratory. Its earliest routine clinical application involved impedance based cytometers, or Coulter counters, which remain the single most widely used technology for enumeration of peripheral blood cell populations. With the advent of flow cytometers capable of automated analysis of blood cells, using histochemical staining and absorbtion measurements on individual cells (e.g. Hemalog instruments), or laser based flow cytometers using the specificity provided by monoclonal antibodies, flow cytometry has become a central technology for clinical hematology. In this review, we will provide an overview of the currently used clinical applications of flow cytometry, and will try to provide some insight to developments in the technology in the research setting, which are likely to have a significant impact on clinical medicine in both the near term, and in the more distant future.
Diffraction and Imaging of Ordered Semiconductors

Transmission electron microscope diffraction and imaging of the ordered semiconductors Ga0.51n0.5P, Ga0.5In0.5As, and CuInSe2 are discussed.
Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasms: Can Mesothelin Expression Help us to Classify them Better?

Mesothelin is a cell surface protein and a differentiation antigen of mesothelial cells. Rcently, Mesothelin expression has been reported in mucinous neoplasms of the pancreas. The aim of this stud...
John Searle: Truth, representation and epistemology

Truth and facts In one sense, this chapter signals the end of the discussion of Searle's theory of social reality. Up to now, Searle's attention has been mainly on ontological issues. What is social reality? How does it differ from non-social reality? He is also concerned with the related question: How does social reality work? The answer to these questions goes like this. Social reality emerges from nonsocial reality and Intentionality. Humans create institutional facts from brute facts. For many institutional facts we need brute facts in the form of physical markers such as paper or pieces of metal to help create money. We also need we-intentions to get the job done. Whatever else is needed, it is clear that social reality emerges from simpler forms of reality in such a way that there is no sharp separation between the materials used to create social reality and that reality itself. For Searle there is one reality; not two, three or more. But as presented so far, the discussion of social reality has not said much about how we represent that reality. That is, little has been said about how it is we talk about it; and how it is that we know that when we speak about social reality we speak truly of it. So now Searle turns to these topics to complete his picture of that reality. However, in another sense, this chapter turns to new subjects having more to do with philosophy of language, and even more to do with theory of knowledge, than anything else.
Pensar la pedagogía de la direccionalidad a través de la imagen-tiempo: un proyecto filosófico, curatorial y pedagógico a partir de la colección Artium - DOI 10.5216/vis.v11i1.28182

The article analyzes the foundations and research process of a curatorial-pedagogic project centered on reactivating ARTIUM’s Collection (Vitoria, Spain). In this process art and pedagogy are seen as scenes of address, or spaces of production of difference between the positions that the cultural, museum, curricular text offers, and the responses given by its interpreters, students, viewers. Different moments of this research process are discussed, including: 1) The reactivation of the expressive languages of ARTIUM artworks through a Deleuzian image theory and a pedagogy of address, 2) the production of a dilemmatic museum space centered on producing knowledge from visitors’ memories, experiences and subjectivities, 3) the activation of this space through a Laboratory of Logics of Vision, 4) the production of visual narratives experimenting with the concept of image-time by the participants in such Laboratory. Keywords: Pedagogy of address, time image, contemporary art museum
A Multi-Wavelength Study of M81

To study spiral structure and star forming regions in M81, we analyzed a set of digitized radio and optical images (resolutions in the range 110–160 pc): H I maps from Hine and Rots (1989), B and I plates from Elmegreen (1981), radio continuum maps from Bash and Kaufman (1986), and Hα observations described in Kaufman et al. (1987). Some results are summarized here; a more extensive treatment appears in Kaufman et al. (1989a,b).
Extraction of Equine Infectious Anemia Immunodiffusion Antigen with the Aid of the Chaotropic Agent, Thiocyanate

Abstract Immunodiffusion antigen from spleens of horses infected with equine infectious anemia virus was prepared by methods employing freeze-thaw cycles and thiocyanate treatment. Thiocyanate (0.5 M) permitted the recovery of the greatest amount of antigen. Furthermore, it was most effective for recovery of immunodiffusion antigen from spleens which yielded unsatisfactory concentrations of antigen by the conventional freeze-thaw or water-extraction methods. The reactivity of the antigen did not appear to be affected by this chemical treatment.
Uterine adenomatoid tumors: immunohistochemical characteristics with emphasis on Ber-EP4 immunoreactivity and distinction from adenocarcinoma.

Uterine adenomatoid tumors (UATs) may be difficult to distinguish from metastatic adenocarcinoma, particularly in pelviscopic biopsy specimens, myomectomy specimens, or endometrial samplings. This problem may arise because of the infiltration of vacuolated mesothelial cells between fascicles of prominent smooth muscle, which is a characteristic feature in UAT. This diagnostic difficulty has led to inappropriate surgery as reported in the past. Eleven UATs were studied to clarify the differences between these tumors and metastatic adenocarcinoma. Six of the tumors were grossly indistinguishable from leiomyomas. Histologically, the neoplastic mesothelial cells diffusely infiltrated smooth muscle fascicles in all cases, mimicking the pattern of metastatic adenocarcinoma. Immunohistochemical studies using antikeratin and Ber-EP4 antibodies were positive in the mesothelial component in all 11 and nine tumors, respectively, whereas all 11 UATs were negative using antibodies to carcinoembryonic antigen, CD15, TAG-72, and epithelial membrane antigen. Immunoreactivity using Ber-EP4 was focal, membranous, and usually weak, although a strong signal was present in one case. Immunoreactivity using Ber-EP4 (compared with negativity reported for mesothelial proliferations of other sites) may be related to the unique mullerian characteristic of the female peritoneum. Although nonimmunoreactivity for Ber-EP4 favors a diagnosis of UAT over that of adenocarcinoma, Ber-EP4 immunoreactivity does not exclude UAT.
3574 A prospective study of outcomes in watermelon stomach patients with and without portal hypertension.

Watermelon stomach (WMS) is an unusual but significant source of recurrent upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage (UGIH)and anemia. The diagnosis is based on the characteristic endoscopic appearance of antral angiomas (AVM's) radiating in arrays to the pylorus. Some WMS patients also have portal hypertension (PH). Different endoscopic treatments (Rx) have been successfully used to treat WMS but outcomes in the PH sub-group have not been reported. In WMS patients, with and without PH, our purposes were to describe patient demographics, endoscopic appearances, and outcomes after endoscopic Rx. Methods: 26/744 (4%) of consecutive patients with non-variceal UGIH enrolled in our prospective hemostasis studies from 1991-9 had WMS. 8/26 (31%) with WMS also had PH and esophageal varices. Rx was with gold probe (n=13), heater probe (n=7), or argon plasma coagulator (n=6). Research nurses completed standardized data collection forms using medical records and telephone calls to blood banks, clinics, and hospitals. SAS was used for data management/analysis. Comparisons were made using Wilcoxon rank sum and signed rank tests. Results: Median age was 74 years for PH and 75 for WMS patients. 5/8 (63%) of PH and 16/18 (89%) of WMS cases were female. 75% of PH and 50% of WMS cases presented with melena, but none had hypotension. 88% of PH, but only 39% of WMS patients had active bleeding at endoscopy. PH patients also had more diffuse and smaller AVM's than other WMS patients. Median follow-up was 301 days for PH and 1005 days for WMS (p
Probabilistic Bounds on the Coefficients of Polynomials with Only Real Zeros

The work of Harper and subsequent authors has shown that finite sequences (a0, ?, an) arising from combinatorial problems are often such that the polynomialA(z):=?nk=0akzkhas only real zeros. Basic examples include rows from the arrays of binomial coefficients, Stirling numbers of the first and second kinds, and Eulerian numbers. Assuming theakare nonnegative,A(1)>0 and thatA(z) is not constant, it is known thatA(z) has only real zeros iff the normalized sequence (a0/A(1), ?, an/A(1)) is the probability distribution of the number of successes innindependent trials for some sequence of success probabilities. Such sequences (a0, ?, an) are also known to be characterized by total positivity of the infinite matrix (ai?j) indexed by nonnegative integersiandj. This papers reviews inequalities and approximations for such sequences, calledPolya frequency sequenceswhich follow from their probabilistic representation. In combinatorial examples these inequalities yield a number of improvements of known estimates.
Reducing heliospheric magnetic flux from coronal mass ejections without disconnection

[1] Until 1995, disconnection at the Sun was thought to be the only solution to the problem of balancing the magnetic flux coronal mass ejections (CMEs) added to the heliosphere, in spite of the fact that the expected solar wind signature of disconnection was rare. Disconnection was pictured as merging between open field lines to create completely disconnected U-shaped structures or merging between closed field lines to create, in two dimensions, completely disconnected plasmoids. Since 1995, both theoretical and observational studies have made important contributions toward a revision of this solution. On the basis of a synthesis of these studies, we suggest that the primary flux balancing mechanism is not complete disconnection but rather merging between closed and open fields, which we call “interchange reconnection.” Disconnection on closed fields plays a role but, in three dimensions, only as a partial process that prevents expansion of arcade loops into the heliosphere by creating helical fields still connected to the Sun. We suggest that interchange reconnection occurs in the leg of a CME until it is completely open, long after its leading edge has departed from the vicinity of the Sun, and we discuss preliminary findings from Ulysses testing this view. Further, we suggest that interchange reconnection in CMEs may be driven by the large-scale circulation of open field lines required by the Fisk model.
Effect of Hemopoietic Growth Factors G-CSF and pIXY 321 on the Activity of High Dose ARA-C in Human Myeloid Leukemia Cells

Recently, high dose Ara-C (HIDAC) has been shown to induce leukemic cell death in vitro by the alternative process of programmed cell death (PCD) or apoptosis which correlates with the inhibition of their clonogenic survival. Since co-treatment with hemopoietic growth facts (HGFs) GM-CSF and IL-3 have been demonstrated to enhance the metabolism and cytotoxic effects of HIDAC against leukemic progenitor cells, we examined the effect of HGFs pIXY 321 (a GM-CSF/IL3 fusion protein) and G-CSF on HIDAC induced PCD and related gene expressions as well as HIDAC mediated colony growth inhibition of human myeloid leukemia cells. Treatment with G-CSF or pIXY 321 alone for up to 24 hours neither suppressed nor induced PCD in HL-60 or KG-1 cells. However, exposure to either of the HGFs for 20 hours followed by a combined treatment for 4 hours with HIDAC plus either of the HGFs versus HIDAC alone significantly enhanced the intracellular Ara-CTP accumulation and the oligonucleosomal DNA fragmentation characteristic of P...
Surfactant-Mediated Cloud Point Extractions: An Environmentally Benign Alternative Separation Approach

Aqueous solutions of certain surfactant micelles exhibit phase separation behavior upon temperature alteration. This phenomenon can be exploited in separation science for the development of extraction, purification, and preconcentration schemes for desired analytes. Since the addition of just a small amount of an appropriate nonionic or zwitterionic surfactant to the aqueous sample solution is required, this approach is convenient and fairly benign, eliminating the need for the use of organic solvents as in conventional liquid−liquid or solid−liquid extraction. The basic features, experimental protocols, and selected recent applications of this alternative extraction approach, termed cloud point extraction (CPE) or micelle-mediated extraction (ME), are briefly reviewed. In addition, the advantages, limitations, and anticipated future directions of this methodology are discussed.
Inside the Revolution: Everyday Life in Socialist Cuba

Inside the Revolution: Everyday Life in Socialist Cuba. Mona Rosendahl. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1997.x. 197 pp., references, index.
Wireworm (Coleoptera: Elateridae) Sampling for Semiarid Cropping Systems

Experiments conducted from 1977 to 1979 showed that baited traps (soaked or un soaked grain sorghum seed covered with a layer of charcoal dust and a piece (1 m2)of 6-mil clear polyethylene) were more effective for detecting wireworm, Conoderus sp., infestations than uncovered traps. This type of trap attracted wireworm larvae earlier and weekly catches were usually higher than in uncovered traps. Irrigating fields before planting improved trap performance by providing soil moisture levels necessary for bait seed germination and, possibly, by drawing wireworm larvae closer to the soil surface. In semiarid regions, wireworm infestations can be detected before planting by incorporating traps into a sound pest management program.
Ubiquitin modification of serum and glucocorticoid-induced protein kinase-1 (SGK-1)

The serum and glucocorticoid-induced protein kinase gene (sgk-1) encodes a multifunctional kinase that can be phosphorylated and activated through a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-dependent signaling pathway. In many cell types, endogenous SGK-1 steady-state protein levels are very low but can be acutely up-regulated after glucocorticoid receptor-mediated transcriptional activation; in breast epithelial and cancer cell lines, this up-regulation is associated with promotion of cell survival. We and others have noted that ectopically introduced full-length SGK-1 is poorly expressed, although SGK-1 lacking the first 60 amino acids (Δ60SGK-1) is expressed at much higher-fold protein levels than wild-type SGK-1 in both human embryonic kidney 293T and MCF10A mammary epithelial cells. In this report, we demonstrate for the first time that the low steady-state expression level of SGK-1 is due to polyubiquitination and subsequent degradation by the 26S proteasome. Deletion of the amino-terminal 60 amino acids of SGK-1 results in a mutant SGK-1 protein that is neither efficiently polyubiquitinated nor degraded by the 26S proteasome, accounting for the higher steady-state levels of the truncated protein. We also demonstrate that a subset of SGK-1 localizes to the plasma membrane and that the polyubiquitin-modified SGK-1 localizes to a membrane-associated fraction of the cell. Taken together, these data suggest that a significant fraction of SGK-1 is membrane-associated and ubiquitinated. These findings are consistent with the recently described role of SGK-1 in phosphorylating the membrane-associated protein Nedd4-2 and the integral membrane Na+/H+ exchanger isoform 3 (NHE3) and suggest a novel mechanism of regulation of SGK-1.
An atomic model for the spin-polarized photoemission spectra of Fe

Abstract Spin-polarized 3p and 3s photoemission spectra have been determined from ab initio wavefunctions for the ionized states of an isolated Fe + (3d 7 ) atomic ion. This ion is used to model the atomic effects which contribute to the core-level photoemission, including spin-polarization, from bulk Fe. We find two important atomic effects for Fe in addition to the usual exchange splitting due to the partly filled d 7 shell. The first of these effects is that configurations with different d-shell angular momentum couplings may mix with the configuration for one-electron ionization. The second is that different distributions of the electrons over the 3s, 3p, and 3d shells may also mix; in particular, this effect occurs for 3s hole states. These two factors lead us to predict additional photoemission spectra peaks which have not yet been observed.
Is “4n + 2” a general quantum electromagnetic topological invariant?

We begin with a review of past work using a “gauge model” to compare the phase (or gauge) similarities of Huckel's and the Woodward–Hoffmann rules, and the Aharonov–Bohm effect. The conjugated circuits model provides a clearer description of the connection of aromaticity with the band model than previously used. A common attribute is the effect of a circular path enclosing at least one singularity which creates a nonsimply connected manifold in the presence of a vector potential, Ā. This condition leads to Dirac's ambiguity in the resultant magnetic field . A solution is a Dirac-like monopole proposed by Wu and Yang obtained by coordinate patching around the singularity. Another model attribute is the conservation of angular momentum of the molecule plus field. This obtains by consideration of the return flux, which links the circle of atoms in the molecule with a circle of flux, and provides a “linking” of the two circles. The linking is described by one of the oldest topological invariants, the “Gausslinking integral.” By expanding the monopole solution we can describe the linking integral by means of the (S3 S2) Hopf map, which necessitates adding a Chern–Simons term to describe this effect properly. Following a brief description of the Chern–Simons basis for the Jones-Witten topological knot theory, we conclude that there are three possible factors which could be responsible for the WH/Huckel 4n + 2 effect: curvature, torsion, and writhing. In this model the monopole (curvature) accounts for the 2, the torsion (orbital) effect for 4n, and the writhing (spin) for 0. Because a topological theory has no metric, it has no size dependence; hence, the model will support a “shell structure” of the periodic table based on 4n + 2. We close with a discussion of the integer quantum Hall effect (IQHE), where the commutivity of translation operators is combined with gauge transformations, thereby defining magnetic translation operators. The same selection rule for commutivity of the magnetic translation operators in the IQHE seems to apply in 4n and 4n + 2 ring compounds. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
The geometry of harmonic functions

(1994). The Geometry of Harmonic Functions. Mathematics Magazine: Vol. 67, No. 2, pp. 92-108.
Difficulties in Mosquito Control

This paper is limited to a discussion of some of the problems that arise in the Mosquito Abatement Districts in the San Francisco Bay Region where reclamation and industrial projects have complicated a situation that was at first a comparatively simple one.
Towards sustainable supply management: requisite governance and resilience capabilities

Sustainability entails avoiding net harm to natural or social systems while maintaining the buyer firm's economic performance over an extended time. Achieving this balance over the long term, however, may entail trade-offs. Existing literature falters at clarifying the roles of supply management (SM) in achieving effective trade-offs leading to a sustainable competitive advantage. This conceptual study aims to provide such clarification by exploring the necessary role of two contrasting aspects of SM resilience: engineering and ecological in making effective trade-offs. The proposed framework posits SM governance capabilities to determine SM engineering and ecological resilience and, ultimately, effective sustainability-related trade-offs. The study extends existing SM sustainability frameworks by introducing SM engineering and ecological resilience as the imperative of governance capabilities.
Comparison of Biopolymer Emulsifier Performance in Formation and Stabilization of Orange Oil-in-Water Emulsions

The effectiveness of various biopolymer emulsifiers at forming and stabilizing model beverage emulsions was examined: β-lactoglobulin (BLG); gum arabic (GA); conventional modified starch (MS-old); new modified starch (MS-new). Orange oil-in-water emulsions (5% oil) were prepared using high pressure homogenization. For BLG, MS-new, MS-old and GA, the minimum droplet diameters produced were 171, 254, 222 and 497 nm, while the minimum mass ratio of emulsifier-to-oil required to produce small droplets were 0.5:5, 1:5, 3:5 and 5:5, respectively. The influence of pH (3–8), ionic strength (0–500 mM NaCl, 0–50 mM CaCl2) and thermal treatment (30–90 °C) on the stability of the emulsions was examined. Extensive droplet aggregation occurred in BLG-stabilized emulsions around their isoelectric point (pH ≈ 5), at high salt concentrations (≥300 mM NaCl, ≥10 mM CaCl2, pH 7) and at high temperatures (>70 °C, 200 mM NaCl, pH 7) due to changes in electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions. There was little effect of pH, ionic strength and temperature on emulsions stabilized by GA or MS due to strong steric (rather than electrostatic) stabilization. The new type of modified starch used in this study was capable of forming stable emulsions with small droplet sizes at low concentrations.
An online optical system for inspecting tool condition in milling of H13 tool steel and IN 718 alloy.

Tool wear adversely affects surface integrity due to higher cutting forces and temperatures. However, an accurate and efficient tool wear measurement is a challenging problem. The traditional direct tool wear measurement methods such as optical microscope and scanning electron microscope (SEM) leads to error of tool reassembly, tool orientation, and low accuracy, while the indirect measurement methods cause poor accuracy. In this paper, tool wear phenomena in milling of tool steel AISI H13 and superalloy Inconel 718 have been studied. A novel online optical system has been developed to integrate with a CNC machine to directly inspect and measure tool wear conditions in milling which minimizes the above-mentioned measurement errors in traditional methods. The evolutions of tool flank wear of PVD-coated inserts in end milling of the two materials were inspected to demonstrate the function of the optical measurement system. The tool wear evolution versus cutting time were obtained and examined. The characteristic images of fast tool wear in milling of Inconel 718 were captured using SEM and compared with the optical images to estimate flank wear. Three basic modes of tool wear—flank wear, nose wear, and crater wear—were compared and analyzed. A two-parameter method has been developed to evaluate both flank wear and nose wear with respect to cutting time in milling of Inconel 718. The advantages of the on-line optical tool inspection system were discussed.
INTERPRETATION OF DISTURBANCES IN METABOLISM DUE TO THE GLANDS OF INTERNAL SECRETION

Meltzer was a convinced believer in the doctrine that most of the great advances in physiology have come from practitioners of medicine. In the field of internal secretions Addison (1860), Graves (1853), Gull (1890), Horsley (1916), Murray, Friedrich Muller and Kocher were the pioneers. That Banting, possessed of an idea, left the practice of medicine and inspired the discovery of insulin shows that the breed is not extinct. The subject matter of the internal secretions has in the course of its development become so complex that much has been written of it that is of purely imaginative character. Many years ago Lewellys F. Barker wrote some editorials entitled “The Truth and Poetry of Uric Acid.” Clinicians have stopped writing poetry about uric acid, for the field has been greatly extended. The appearance of a vast amount of poetry on the subject of endocrinology has in its turn filled the medical journals. One of the earliest themes I can recollect declared that β-granules of glycogen were carried from ...
Regulation of a potassium-selective current in rabbit corneal epithelium by cyclic GMP, carbachol and diltiazem.

The effects of cyclic GMP (cGMP), carbachol and diltiazem on a potassium-selective, delayed-rectifier current in freshly dissociated rabbit corneal epithelial cells were studied using a modified perforated-patch-clamp technique. The current was stimulated by both 500 μm cGMP (2.3–4.5-fold, mean = 2.9) and 250 nm carbachol, a muscarinic agonist (1.12–7.04-fold, mean = 3.8), and the stimulated current was totally blocked by diltiazem (10 μm). The effects of cGMP appeared to be, at least in part, different from those of carbachol as they required the presence of external calcium. Single-channel data suggest that cGMP and carbachol activate the potassium current by increasing the open probability of the channel via a second-messenger system and that the action of diltiazem is probably through a direct blocking effect on the open channel.
Interactive content delivery system for a museum

An interactive content delivery system was developed to allow a museum to expand the information it offers to its patrons. The system has several components: Interactive Touch Kiosk, Web Portal; Database and Control Management Interface. The Interactive Touch Kiosk allows a museum visitor to generate virtual tours which can be uploaded into mobile devices. Testing results of the Interactive Touch Kiosk are presented.
Molecular cloning, coding nucleotides and the deduced amino acid sequence of P-450BM-1 from Bacillus megaterium.

Abstract The gene encoding barbiturate-inducible cytochrome P -450 BM-1 from Bacillus megaterium ATCC 14581 has been cloned and sequenced. An open reading frame in the 1.9 kb of cloned DNA correctly predicted the NH 2 -terminal sequence of P -450 BM-1 previously determined by protein sequencing, and, in toto, predicted a polypeptide of 410 amino acid residues with an M r of 47 439. The sequence is most, but less than 27%, similar to that of P -450 CAM from Pseudomonas putida , so that P -450 BM-1 clearly belongs to a new P -450-gene family, distinct especially from that of the P -450 domain of P -450 BM-3 , a barbiturate-inducible single polypeptide cytochrome P -450:NADPH- P -450 reductase from the same strain of B. megaterium (Ruettinger, R.T., Wen, L.-P. and Fulco, A.J. (1989) J. Biol. Chem. 264, 10987–10995).
Osmolyte-induced changes in protein conformational equilibria.

Examining solute-induced changes in protein conformational equilibria is a long-standing method for probing the role of water in maintaining protein stability. Interpreting the molecular details governing the solute-induced effects, however, remains controversial. We present experimental and theoretical data for osmolyte-induced changes in the stabilities of the A and N states of yeast iso-1-ferricytochrome c. Using polyol osmolytes of increasing size, we observe that osmolytes alone induce A-state formation from acid-denatured cytochrome c and N state formation from the thermally denatured protein. The stabilities of the A and N states increase linearly with osmolyte concentration. Interestingly, osmolytes stabilize the A state to a greater degree than the N state. To interpret the data, we divide the free energy for the reaction into contributions from nonspecific steric repulsions (excluded volume effects) and from binding interactions. We use scaled particle theory (SPT) to estimate the free energy contributions from steric repulsions, and we estimate the contributions from water–protein and osmolyte–protein binding interactions by comparing the SPT calculations to experimental data. We conclude that excluded volume effects are the primary stabilizing force, with changes in water–protein and solute–protein binding interactions making favorable contributions to stability of the A state and unfavorable contributions to the stability of the N state. The validity of our interpretation is strengthened by analysis of data on osmolyte-induced protein stabilization from the literature, and by comparison with other analyses of solute-induced changes in conformational equilibria. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biopoly 53: 293–307, 2000
A one-dimensional model for seasonal variation of temperature distribution in stratified lakes

Abstract A one-dimensional, two-layer model describing the thermal structure in large bodies of stratified water is developed. The model accounts for the nonlinear interaction between the wind induced turbulence and the buoyancy gradients produced by surface heating, the effects of the attenuation of the solar radiation in the body of water. The model is applied to predict the seasonal variation of the depth of the thermocline and the vertical temperature distribution during the stratification period of Cayuga Lake, New York. The results agreed fairly well with the field data.
Three‐dimensional Green’s function for wave propagation in a linearly inhomogeneous medium—the exact analytic solution

A new exact solution of the Helmholtz equation is obtained in closed form for the case of a point source in a layered medium with refractive index variation of the form n=(1+Az)1/2. The solution is obtained by starting with a onefold integral representation for the solution that was derived by Holford [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 70, 1427–1436 (1981)] and Jeng and Liu [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 81, 1732–1740 (1987)]. The solution is particularly interesting because the classical ray picture for the medium exhibits a caustic and therefore a shadow zone is formed in the unbounded medium. The power flux due to a point source in such a medium is computed and the flow of energy into the region beyond the caustic surface is illustrated. The effects of scattering by turbulence are studied and it is shown that scattering can drastically affect the field levels in the shadow zone. Also, the field patterns of a simple array are studied in such a medium and are compared to patterns in a homogeneous medium.
Venture team human capital and absorptive capacity in high technology new ventures

In high technology environments, rapid technological change means that the value of a firm's existing knowledge is quickly eroded. In order to acquire needed capabilities, high technology new ventures engage in venturing strategies such as acquisitions and joint ventures. The top management team is an important source of inherited knowledge for these ventures and therefore influences their absorptive capacity. We hypothesise that high technology new ventures' ability to learn through venturing activities is influenced by their top management teams' human capital. This study analyses the human capital characteristics of the top management teams of 340 high technology new ventures from the USA. It is found that human capital diversity of the top management teams moderates the relationship between venturing activities and innovation and financial performance in these ventures. In contrast, the level of human capital has no effect. The implications for management practice and future research are discussed.
Mechanism of the Extraction of Proteins into Tween 85 Nonionic Microemulsions

Protein extraction into Tween 85 nonionic microemulsions is characterized. Apparently, a weak electrostatic interaction is the underlying extraction mechanism. The extraction of several proteins is examined as a function of protein size and net charge. The proteins that extracted successfully are positively charged. A size-exclusion limit (60 kDa) is also evident in these extractions. Tween 85 and several other nonionic surfactants possess a net negative charge at neutral pH. Titration measurements are an effective means of quantifying charge on these surfactants. In Tween 85 microemulsion separations, both the sign and the magnitude of surfactant charge play a role in extraction. Blends of Neodol 91−2.5 (capable of extracting 0% protein) and Tween 85 (capable of extracting 100% protein) indicate that a minimum net surfactant charge of 15 mequiv/mol is required for extraction.
Contact-Resistance Data Processing Using an On-Line Digital Microprocessor

Instrumentation which automatically measures and records dry-circuit contact resistance as lying within one of five adjustable resistance ranges has been previously devised and reported by Jedynak [ 1 ]. In this paper, we report on a major modification and improvement of the equipment involving the use of a cation and improvement of the equipment involving the use of an on-line digital microprocessor, to greatly improve the resistance measurement resolution and to convert the voluminous stream of data into more useful forms. The new system uses a special-function digital-to-analog converter controlled by the microprocessor to measure and record, for each operation of the contact, the dry-circuit contact resistance as lying within any one of 4096 contiguous 0.1-m12 resistance bins ranging from 0 to 0.41 \Omeg . The microprocessor also computes a running mean and standard deviation of the contact resistance based on the previous several hundred measurements. After every several thousand contact operations and concurrent measurements, the mean and standard deviation are printed out on a standard Teletype. During this normal printout time, the contact-resistance distribution of the last several hundred measurements is graphically displayed on the Teletype also. Numerical guard bands are placed on the mean and deviation computations so that if the contact resistance characteristic changes significantly between normal display points then the on-going results are automatically printed out on the Teletype on what amounts to an expanded time base: Thus the experimenter is assured that his data always accurately reflect the dry-circuit contact behavior even over millions of contact operations.
Hand inversion in sinistrals and lateral preference: Comments on Searleman, Porac, and Coren (1984)

Abstract A reanalysis of data from left-handers presented by A. Searleman, C. Porac, and S. Coren, (1984, Brain and Cognition , 3 , 86–93) cautions against premature conclusions that an inverted handwriting posture is more prevalent for sinistral men with leftward lateral preferences and for women with rightward or mixed lateral preferences. Although this may eventually prove to be true, the findings of Searleman et al. (1984) are insufficient for supporting this inference.
SOI-based micromechanical process

A new process is being developed for fabricating micromechanical structures using SOI material. This paper will review the process and show preliminary data for accelerometers made using the process. The focus of micromechanical technology at the C.S. Draper Laboratory, Inc. has been on the developement of inertial sensors, gyros, and accelerometers. Many of our current devices are fabricated using a dissolved wafer process. The resultant devices from that process are boron-doped silicon structures suspended over thin-film electrodes on a Pyrex substrate. It is a particularly attractive feature of this process that thick structures can be fabricated with small electrode gaps. Although this process has led to many excellent device results, requirements for future devices give reason to explore alternative technologies such as the SOI process, which yields an all-silicon device while preserving many of these advantages. Experimental devices were fabricated using a geometry similar to accelerometers being made by the previous process. Although not all of the geometric goals were met, the results are promising. Among the expected advantages for the new process are: a better thermal expansion match between device and substrate, the ability to add on-chip electronics, better alignment, and the capability of fabricating new types of structures.
The First Step in a Self-Assembling Process in a System: A Picking-Up a Module Algorithm

This paper mainly presents a simple and robust picking up a module algorithm based on subsumption architecture, wireless communications between modules, order analysis, and robot arm dynamics for a novel concept of self-assembling robots in a system (SRS). The system consists of multiple cooperative robots that are designed to self-assemble in a system, executing manipulative tasks, and self-repair, all without human assistance. The developed algorithm allows attaching a module without changing parameters to perform work. The robot is characterized by the following designs for self-assembling: an independent module, one touch assembly design, self-alignment, self-guiding, and independent module designs, which comprise independent motor control boards and a wireless communications board. We accomplished disturbance rejection without control by a motor with a large gear ratio. With the results of dynamic simulations and order analysis, we developed a preliminary algorithm for picking up a module based on subsumption architecture. Finally, we verified the design and algorithm via an application, picking up a module in unstructured environments.
Non-isotopic receptor assay for benzodiazepines using a biotin-labeled ligand and biotin-immobilized microtiter plate

A non-isotopic receptor assay for benzodiazepine drugs was developed using a biotin-labeled ligand, biotin-1012S. Biotinylated bovine serum albumin (biotin-BSA) was immobilized onto the wall of microtiter plate wells by simple adsorption. Avidin peroxidase conjugate could be extracted from solution owing to its strong interaction with biotin. The amount of avidin peroxidase taken up on the wall was then determined by measuring the enzyme activity. The competition between immobilized biotin on the wall and free biotin for avidin provided the basis for a solid-phase avidin-biotin binding assay. By this binding assay, not only biotin but also biotin-1012S could be measured sensitively. Because 1012S is a ligand with high affinity to benzodiazepine receptors, biotin-1012S could be utilized as a probe ligand for a non-isotopic receptor assay. Based upon the competition between biotin-1012S and various benzodiazepine drugs for the receptor binding sites, a non-isotopic receptor assay was demonstrated.
A 133-xenon inhalation system for cerebral blood-flow measurements in ventilated premature babies.

We constructed a Xenon-133 inhalation and trapping system in order to measure cerebral blood flow of ventilated premature babies by means of the noninvasive133Xe clearance method. The completely lead-shielded inhalation device is a closed system driven by the baby's own respirator and can thus be safely used at the patients beside in the intensive care unit. Reproducible proximal airway concentrations of133Xe (with or without leaks around the endotracheal tube) were obtained by in vitro simulation.
Brain Serum Amyloid P Levels are Reduced in Individuals that Lack Dementia While Having Alzheimer’s Disease Neuropathology

The neuropathological signs of Alzheimer's disease (AD) include beta amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. There is a significant population of individuals that have these key hallmarks but show no signs of cognitive impairment, termed non-demented with AD neuropathology (NDAN). The protective mechanism allowing these individuals to escape dementia is unknown. Serum amyloid P (SAP) is a serum protein associated with wound repair that is elevated in the brains of Alzheimer's patients and binds to amyloid plaques. Using immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry, we evaluated SAP levels in postmortem samples of hippocampus and frontal cortex in age-matched controls, AD, and NDAN individuals. AD individuals had significantly increased SAP levels compared to normal controls, while NDAN samples had no significant difference in SAP levels compared to normal controls. Our results suggest that low levels of SAP in plaques marks the brains of individuals that escape dementia despite the presence of beta amyloid plaques and tangles.
Development and characterization of the monobactams: Aztreonam, a directed therapeutic agent

Abstract The first β-lactam antibiotics, penicillins, were directed against a specific group of bacteria, ie, the staphylococci and the streptococci. The development of resistance strains along with the increasing prevalence of gram-negative infections led to the development of more potent broad-spectrum agents. Although such agents are highly effective in eradicating pathogenic bacteria, many of them have the potential to destroy the body's own microflora. Such disturbances can lead to colonization by potential pathogens, loss of essential nutrients to the host, and the development of intestinal complications as manifested in diarrhea and pseudomembranous colitis. One way to avoid these effects on colonization resistance is to use directed therapy, ie, antibiotics targeted against specific groups of microorganisms not associated with colonization resistance. Aztreonam represents a compound directed specifically against the aerobic gram-negative bacteria.
Relation Between Estrogen Inhibitory Activity and Binding to Cytosol of Rabbit and Human Uterus

The ability of a group of nonsteroidal antiestrogens to compete with tritiated 17β-estradiol (E2) for binding sites in the cytoplasm of rabbit and human uterus was tested in vitro.The mean relative activities (RA) and ratios of equilibrium constants of association (RAC) compa ed to E2 were much higher for the 2 stilbene derivatives, erythro-MEA and dimethylstilbestrol, than for CN-55-945-27, cisclomiphene, trans-clomiphene, U-11-555A and MER-25. In both species, cis clomiphene was much more active than trans-clomiphene. The RAC's of the non-stilbene derivatives resembled their estrogenic potencies, as found in the literature. Reports of antiestrogenic potencies were extremely variable but were frequently as low as or lower than the RAC. The datasuggest that all these inhibitors are weak estrogens competing effectively for uterine receptors when in high concentration, but rapidly lost from the target organ as a result of their low association constants for the specific binding site. (Endocrinology 87: 1119...
An Interactive, Video‐Teleconferenced, Graduate Course in Biomedical Engineering

A two-semester, video-teleconferenced (2-way video/audio) course entitled Principles of Biomedical Engineering I and II was offered from 1999 to 2001 for graduate students enrolled at Purdue University (PU; West Lafayette, IN) and Indiana University/Purdue University at Indianapolis (IUPUI; Indianapolis, IN). Results of the study provided evidence that during the control (i.e., traditional lecture) distance learning environment, on-campus students consistently received statistically significant higher final course grades than off-campus students. In contrast, upon implementation of interactive distance learning methods, the on- and off-campus students received similar (not statistically different) final grades. In this manner, the study demonstrated that effective use of video-teleconferencing occurs when students at remote-sites actively participate in the learning experience rather than passively observe the lectures on a television monitor (as occurs during traditional distance learning lectures).
"Playing with the Game That Art Is": John Kronik's Mastery at Play in Ático, by Gabi Martínez

Through John Kronik's insights on self-conscious art, in particular his essay "Galdosian Reflections: Feijoo and the Fabrication of Fortunata," this article examines the self-conscious dimension of contemporary neorealist texts, in particular the use and role of the video game in the novel Atico, by Gabi Martinez.