cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mutation induction in Neurospora crassa incubated in mice and rats.

When Neurospora crassa conidia were injected into the peritoneal cavity of untreated mice or rats and kept there for more than 24 hours, the ad-3 mutation frequency among the surviving conidia increased sharply, more so in rats than in mice. This increase in the ad-3 mutation frequency was attributed both to direct cellular contact between conidia and mammalian cells and to macromolecules already present in untreated animals. Conidia enclosed in dialysis tubing or in diffusion chambers placed surgically in the peritoneal cavity had a much lower frequency of ad-3 mutations than conidia injected into the peritoneal cavity as a suspension. This was interpreted as indicating that the major fraction of mutations are mediated through a cellular contact. To determine whether the dialysis bags were permeable to mutagens, a comparison was made between the mutation frequencies obtained with conidia placed in dialysis bags and with conidia distributed at random throughout the peritoneal cavity in host animals treated with methyl methanesulfonate (MMS). MMS (100 mg/kg) was injected into the tail vein 8 hours after the conidia were placed in the animals. Ten hours after the injection of the mutagen, the conidia were recovered and analyzed for the induction of ad-3 mutations. The MMS-induced mutation frequency was the same among both groups of conidia, demonstrating that the dialysis bags did not become impermeable to small molecules during the time of incubation in the animal. In the host-mediated assay an indiactor organism is injected into the peritoneal cavity of an animal which is then treated with a chemical or its metabolites, to assay for mutagenicity. The present experiments show that the increased mutation frequency induced in the indicator organism after intraperitoneal injection and incubation may give false positive results in the host-mediated assay unless a comparison is made with suitable untreated controls. Autopsies of animals 24 days after intraperitoneal inoculation with Neurospora conidia, and sectioning and staining of various organs (Malling and Cosgrove, 1970) showed that some conidia were still localized in various organs, even though essentially all of them had been inactivated 96 hours after injection. The inactivation of these fungal spores may result from an enzymatic degradation of their DNA, mediated by the host, and halting this process prematurely may result in the induction of recessive-lethal mutations. Thus these studies also suggest that one of the important defense mechanisms of higher animals against infectious organisms may be the induction of mutations.
The Monetary Policy Regime and Banking Spreads in Barbados

The paper analyzes the determinants of banking spreads in Barbados, with a view to identifying the role of the monetary policy regime in explaining high spreads. The paper finds that interest rate spreads for Barbados are higher than would be suggested by its macroeconomic performance. Banking concentration and bank-specific variables, including bank size and provisions for nonperforming loans, do not have an important role in explaining variations in bank spreads. Rather, it appears that monetary policy variables, such as reserve requirements and capital controls, are the most important determinants of spreads.
Enlarged parathyroid glands discovered in normocalcemic patients during thyroid surgery

Abstract Background This is a retrospective study analyzing data of normocalcemic patients with enlarged parathyroid glands discovered during thyroid surgery and comparing it with data of patients operated on for proved primary hyperparathyroidism. Methods The records of patients with enlarged parathyroid glands (group 1) and those with primary hyperparathyroidism (group 2) were reviewed. Results There were 11 patients in group 1 and 123 patients in group 2. Enlarged parathyroid glands identified at thyroid surgery were lighter and developed in younger patients. Biochemistry and pathology revealed that these were less hyperfunctioning. Sex, number of diseased glands per patient, and cell type were not statistically different between the 2 groups. Conclusions Enlarged parathyroid glands discovered at the time of surgery are mildly hyperfunctioning. They may represent an early pathologic stage responsible for overt primary hyperparathyroidism. We recommend removal of enlarged parathyroid glands found during thyroid operation in normocalcemic patients as long as at least 1 normal parathyroid gland remains.
De novo cholesterol synthesis in three different animal models of diabetes

Recent studies have demonstrated that cholesterol synthesis is increased two to threefold in the intestines of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Cholesterol synthesis in tissues other than the intestines, including the liver, was not significantly altered by diabetes. In diabetic Chinese hamsters, cholesterol synthesis was increased 2.5-fold in both the small and large intestine. These observations are similar to our findings in diabetic rats and suggest that a stimulation of intestinal cholesterogenesis may be a uniform phenomenon in insulinopenic diabetes. In db/db mice, cholesterol synthesis was increased in both the liver and intestines but quantitatively the increase in hepatic cholesterogenesis was of much greater magnitude. Cholesterol feeding, which markedly inhibited hepatic cholesterol synthesis in both control and db/db mice, did not obliterate this difference in hepatic cholesterol synthesis. In ob/ob mice, the severity of the metabolic disturbances was less than that observed in db/db mice and no abnormalities in cholesterol synthesis were observed in animals ingesting a low cholesterol diet. However, in ob/ob mice fed a high cholesterol diet, hepatic cholesterol synthesis was increased. These observations suggest that in obese insulin resistant diabetic animals of milder severity, the abnormality in hepatic cholesterol synthesis manifests itself only when the animals are ingesting a high cholesterol diet. The results of this and previous studies suggest that in insulinopenic diabetes there is a stimulation of cholesterol synthesis that is localized to the intestines, whereas in obese, insulin-resistant diabetic animals, cholesterol synthesis is altered in the liver.
Effect of Interface Band Structure on Hot-Electron Attenuation Lengths in Au Thin Films

The hot-electron attenuation length in thin Au films has been determined by means of ballistic electron emission microscopy on $\mathrm{Au}∕\mathrm{Si}(111)$, $\mathrm{Au}∕\mathrm{Si}(001)$, and $\mathrm{Au}∕\mathrm{Ga}\mathrm{As}(001)$ Schottky diodes. The attenuation length measured for $\mathrm{Au}∕\mathrm{Ga}\mathrm{As}(001)$ was approximately ten times shorter than attenuation lengths measured on the Si substrates. In addition, the slope of the attenuation length vs tip bias decreases above the $X$ conduction band minimum in GaAs. These observations are attributed to differences in the amount of allowed parallel momentum at the interfaces of both semiconductors. These results suggest that these apparent attenuation lengths are not an intrinsic property of the metal and can be utilized as a powerful method to probe the band structure at metal-semiconductor interfaces.
Zeta potential measurement of muscovite mica basal plane-aqueous solution interface by means of plane interface technique

Abstract The zeta potentials of muscovite mica basal plane were investigated by means of the plane interface technique as a function of pH in the presence of 0.001 M KCl, compared with those of fused silica. For the plane interface technique, the negative zeta potentials of a large muscovite mica sheet, i.e., the mica basal plane, were uniformly higher in magnitude than those of a large silica plate over the pH range from 2 to 11, whereas the zeta potentials of the mica basal plane were markedly dependent on pH in the pH range of 3 to 6. In the pH range of 2 to 3, the zeta potenteials of the mica basal plane showed remarkably negative values of −80 to −60 mV and became more insensitive to the reduction in pH. In particular, we could not observe the presence of an isoelectric point (iep) of the mica basal plane, which has never been encountered normally in the case of pure oxides. For comparison, the electrophoresis measurements were made for both mica and silica particles. The negative mobility zeta potentials of mica particles were smaller in magnitude than those of fused silica particles in the pH range of 3 to 11 even though the positively charged alumina-type sites on the mica particles were neutralized by sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS). This result was quite the reverse of the trend obtained from the plane interface technique. However, the variation in flotation recovery of the muscovite mica with dodecyl ammonium chloride (DAC) as a collector at pH 3 was very consistent with that of crystalline quartz (ζ ∼ −65 mV) with dodecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (DTAB) at pH 7.4. This observation provided justification for the remarkably negative zeta potential (∼ −75 mV) of the mica basal plane obtained from the plane interface technique at pH 3.
Effects of sleep deprivation on serotonin function in depression

There is considerable evidence that antidepressant treatments enhance serotonin (5-HT) function. In order to evaluate whether sleep deprivation (SD) produces alterations in 5-HT function, the increase in prolactin (PRL) produced by intravenous tryptophan (TRP) was assessed in depressed patients following SD and undisturbed sleep (US). Eleven depressed patients received mood ratings and TRP infusions after either SD or US, 1 week apart. In five women, but not six men, the TRP-induced PRL rise was markedly enhanced after SD compared to US. Mood score changes were not significantly different between US and SD and there was no significant relationship of mood changes to the TRP induced PRL response. The data suggests that SD produces an increase in 5HT function in female depressed patients. The lack of identified SD-induced changes in 5-HT function in men may be due to lower sensitivity of the TRP-induced PRL rise in depressed men than women.
PCR-Directed Formation of Viral Hybrids in Vitro

When constructing viruses that have desired hybrid phenotypes, anticipated difficulties include the nonviability of many, possibly most, of the hybrid genomes that can be constructed by incorporation of DNA fragments. Therefore, many different hybrid genomes may have to be constructed in order to find one that is viable. To perform this combinatorial work in a single experiment, we have used bacteriophage T7-infected cell extracts to transfer DNA in vitro. In an extract, we have incubated T7 DNA, together with DNA obtained by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of the gene (gene 17) for the tail fiber of the T7-related bacteriophage, T3. After in vitro packaging of DNA in the extract, hybrid progeny bacteriophage were detected by probing with a T3-specific oligonucleotide; hybrids are found at a frequency of 0.1%. By determination of the nucleotide sequence of the entire gene 17 of 14 independently isolated hybrids, both right and left ends of the PCR fragment are found to be truncated in all hybrids. For all 14 hybrids, the right end is in the same location; the left end is found at 3 different locations. The nonrandom location of the ends is explained by selection among different inserts for viability; that is, most of the hybrid genomes are nonviable. Some hybrids acquire from T3 the desirable phenotype of nonadherence to agarose gels during agarose gel electrophoresis. q 1997 Academic Press
Peroxidase activity and phenolic content in elite clonal lines of Mentha pulegium in response to polymeric dye R-478 and Agrobacterium rhizogenes

Abstract Polymeric dyes are environmental pollutants widely used in the textile industry. Polymeric dyes have a structure analogous to common polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Plants that possess an inherent tolerance to these dyes are currently being investigated for use in phytoremediation. Tolerant plants create a healthy rhizosphere for microbial degradation and contribute to uptake of pollutants from soil or water. Tolerant plants have been found to contain high levels of endogenous phenolic compounds, which contribute to plant stress response mechanisms. Peroxidases are a ubiquitous group of enzymes known to participate in the oxidative coupling of phenolic compounds during the lignification process. Four elite clonal lines of Mentha pulegium were screened for high phenolic content on different concentrations of polymeric dye labeled R-478, a violet colored anthraquinone dye. One of the four clonal lines, MPH-4, showed a significant correlation between phenolic content and peroxidase activity in response to the polydye R-478. MPH-4 was chosen for further screening with polydye R-478 in conjunction with Agrobacterium rhizogenes . The use of A. rhizogenes was based on the rationale that the bacterium would induce root development and enhance dye uptake. Although the expected results were not observed, the changes seen in the innoculated plants may be due to the diversion of key metabolites from the primary metabolism towards cytokinins.
Investigation of the optoelectronic properties of organic light-emitting transistors based on an intrinsically ambipolar material

The realization of organic light-emitting transistors (OLETs) based on α,ω-dihexylcarbonylquaterthiophene (DHCO4T), an intrinsically ambipolar and luminescent semiconductor, is reported. In this de...
A high-potential redox component located within cyanobacterial photosystem II.

The calcium-dependent oxygen evolution activity of preparations of Phormidium luridum shows a marked selectivity in favor of ferricyanide over benzoquinone as Hill oxidant. In addition, the rate of oxygen evolution increases with increasing solution redox potential over the range +350 to +550 mV vs. the standard hydrogen electrode. These properties pertain to both 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea-sensitive and -insensitive fractions of the total oxygen evolution activity. Neither changes in solution potential nor use of oxidants other than ferricyanide obviate the need for added Ca2+. To explain these observations, two models are proposed, each of which invokes the existence of a redox component located within Photosystem II and having a midpoint potential greater than +450 mV. In one model, the postulated species is a donor which competes with water for oxidizing equivalents generated by System II. In the other model, the 450 mV species is a high-potential primary acceptor of System II electrons.
Isolation and characterization of the initial radical adduct formed from linoleic acid and α-(4-pyridyl 1-oxide)-N-tert-butylnitrone in the presence of soybean lipoxygenase

Abstract The spin trapping agent α-(4-pyridyl-1-oxide)- N-tert -butylnitrone (POBN) was used to trap the initial radical formed from [U- 14 C]linoleic acid in the reaction with soybean lipoxygenase. By using low levels of enzyme and relatively short incubation times it was possible to avoid the formation of secondary oxidation products and polymers. The adduct was extracted after methyl esterification, and isolated by a combination of open column chromatography on silicic acid and high pressure liquid chromatography on Spherisorb S5 CN with non-aqueous solvents. The 1:1 POBN-linoleate adduct was characterized by UV, IR and ESR spectra of the appropriate HPLC column fraction, by the ratio of the UV absorption to 14 C content, and by mass spectrometry of the reduced (hydroxylamine) form. The results indicated that POBN trapped a linoleic acid carbon-centered radical such that POBN was attached to the fatty acid chain at C-13 or C-9 (two isomers), the linoleate double bonds having become conjugated in the process. The exact locations of the bridges in the two isomers were only tentatively determined. There was no evidence for the presence of oxygen-bridged adducts. The trapped linoleoyl radical adduct provides evidence for the production of a free radical as part of the enzymatic mechanism of soybean lipoxygenase.
EFFECTS OF CHRONIC EXCESS SALT INGESTION ROLE OF GENETIC FACTORS IN BOTH DOCA-SALT AND RENAL HYPERTENSION

By selective inbreeding, two strains of rats were developed previously that differed markedly in their susceptibility to the development of experimental hypertension from excess salt ingestion (1, 2). The present report indicates that with animals derived from the same strains, similar differences in response were obtained in rats subjected to either combined desoxycorticosterone-NaCl (DOCA-salt) treatment or unilateral renal artery compression without extra dietary salt. Thus differences in genetic substrate appear to influence the development of experimental hypertension produced by these three techniques and possibly this may hold true for all "varieties" of experimental hypertension. If true, it might allow the development of a unifying hypothesis that could be relevant not only to experimental hypertension but perhaps to human hypertension as well. The DOCA-salt regimen was more toxic to the animals than unilateral renal artery compression. Tentatively, this was ascribed to either, or both, the younger age or the higher NaCl intake of the animals in the former.
Characterization of leukotriene C4 synthetase in mouse peritoneal exudate cells.

Abstract Cell lysates of mouse peritoneal macrophages, in the presence of reduced glutathione, converted leukotriene LTA 4 to LTC 4 , and neither LTD 4 nor LTE 4 was detected. Therefore, like cultured rat basophilic leukemia cells (RBL cells), the peritoneal macrophage contains LTC 4 synthetase and appears to contain little, if any, γ-glutamyl transpeptidase. When LTA 4 was added to subcellular fractions of mouse macrophage lysate, the highest specific activity of LTC 4 synthetase (nmol LTC 4 /mg protein per 10 min) was associated with the particulate or membrane fractions (i.e., 10 4 and 10 5 × g pellets). The 10 5 × g supernatant contains approx. 1% of the specific activity and 6% of the total LTC 4 synthetase activity compared with that of the 10 5 × g pellet. Conversely, the 10 5 × g supernatant had four-times more specific activity and 19-times more total GSH S -transferase activity than did the 10 5 × g pellet when evaluated using 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (DNCB) as the substrate. LTA 4 was converted to LTC 4 by the membrane enzyme LTC 4 synthetase in a dose-dependent manner at low LTA 4 concentrations (3–50 μM) and reached a plateau at approx. 30 μM LTA 4 using the macrophage 10 5 × g pellet as an enzyme source. The apparent K m value of LTC 4 synthetase for LTA 4 was estimated to be 5 μM based on Lineweaver-Burk plots. Enzyme in the 10 5 × g supernatant produced negligible quantities of LTC 4 (1% or less of the particulate fractions) over a wide range of LTA 4 concentrations. However, an enzyme in the 10 5 × g supernatant fraction presumed to be GSH S -transferase effectively catalyzes the conjugation of glutathione (GSH) with the aromatic compound DNCB. The apparent K m value of GSH S -transferase for DNCB was estimated to be 1.0–1.5 mM. On the other hand, enzyme from the membrane fraction (i.e., 10 5 × g pellet) catalyzed this reaction at a negligible rate over a wide range of DNCB concentrations. The apparent K m value of LTC 4 synthetase for GSH was estimated to be 0.36 mM and the corresponding K m value estimated for the glutathione S -transferase was 0.25–0.76 mM. These values indicate similar kinetics for GSH utilization by both enzymes. These K m values are also significantly lower than the intracellular GSH levels of 2 to 5 mM. Therefore, it is suggested that the substrate limiting LTC 4 synthetase activity is LTA 4 and not GSH. Our results indicate that LTC 4 synthetase from mouse peritoneal macrophages is a particulate or membrane-bound enzyme, as was reported by Bach et al. (Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 455 (1984) 230) for RBL cells. Conversely, GSH S -transferase, an enzyme unable to utilize LTA 4 as substrate, is distributed in the soluble fraction. We conclude that these two GSH enzymes exist in peritoneal macrophages and that each may play independent and important biochemical roles. The peritoneal macrophage, like the alveolar macrophage, is capable of generating large quantities of the potent mediator LTC 4 .
Hydrophilic Finishes: Effect on Selected Properties of Polyester Fabric

Polyester fabric treated with four hydrophilic finishes was evaluated on the basis of soil release and resistance to soil redeposition when laundered with and without fabric softener. Test methods AATCC 130-1977 Soil Release, Oily Stain Release Method and AATCC 151-1977 Resistance to Soil Redeposition were used to evaluate effectiveness of the finishes for those properties. Soil release performance was rated high for the fabrics with hydrophilic finishes when laundered with and without fabric softener. Durability of the finished fabrics through 20 launderings was satisfactory. The finishes varied in resistance to soil redeposition. Fabric softener significantly improved soil redeposition performance of all the finished fabrics. There was a tendency for finishes to lose effectiveness in resistance to soil redeposition as launderings progressed. The unfinished fabric (control) performed poorly for both soil release and soil redeposition when laundered without fabric softener but improved considerably when f...
Novel Nucleophiles Enhance the Human Serum Paraoxonase 1 (PON1)-mediated Detoxication of Organophosphates

Paraoxonase 1 (PON1) is a calcium-dependent hydrolase associated with serum high-density lipoprotein particles. PON1 hydrolyzes some organophosphates (OPs), including some nerve agents, through nucleophilic attack of hydroxide ion (from water) in the active site. Most OPs are hydrolyzed inefficiently. This project seeks to identify nucleophiles that can enhance PON1-mediated OP degradation. A series of novel nucleophiles, substituted phenoxyalkyl pyridinium oximes, has been synthesized which enhance the degradation of surrogates of sarin (nitrophenyl isopropyl methylphosphonate; NIMP) and VX (nitrophenyl ethyl methylphosphonate; NEMP). Two types of in vitro assays have been conducted, a direct assay using millimolar concentrations of substrate with direct spectrophotometric quantitation of a hydrolysis product (4-nitrophenol) and an indirect assay using submicromolar concentrations of substrate with quantitation by the level of inhibition of an exogenous source of acetylcholinesterase from non-hydrolyzed substrate. Neither NIMP nor NEMP is hydrolyzed effectively by PON1 if one of these novel oximes is absent. However, in the presence of eight novel oximes, PON1-mediated degradation of both surrogates occurs. Computational modeling has created a model of PON1 embedded in phospholipid and has indicated general agreement of the binding enthalpies with the relative efficacy as PON1 enhancers. PON1 enhancement of degradation of OPs could be a unique and unprecedented mechanism of antidotal action.
PHILOSOPHIC WARRANTS FOR SCRIPTURAL REASONING

Addressing readers who are already acquainted with the practices of Scriptural Reasoning (SR), this essay offers a logical strategy for warranting and testing such practices as well as all postmodern criticisms of modern inquiry. The strategy is to distinguish the logic of suffering, which is reducible to the binary terms of propositional logic, from the logic of repair, which is not. The essay argues that, if reduced to such binary terms, efforts at repair become inadvertent acts of oppression, or acts that produce suffering. The essay concludes that postmodern and postliberal theorists become inadvertent oppressors when their attempts to repair modern inquiry are presented through propositional logics. The practice of SR should be irreducible to such logics.
KINETIC STUDIES OF THE REGENERATION OF RECOMBINANT HIRUDIN VARIANT 1 WITH OXIDIZED AND REDUCED DITHIOTHREITOL

The regeneration of native recombinant hirudin variant 1 (rHV1) from the reduced unfolded form to the fully oxidized native state has been carried out with mixtures of oxidized and reduced dithiothreitol at pH 8.3 and 12 °C. The regeneration reaction was quenched at various times by the addition of 2-aminoethyl methanethiosulfonate to block unreacted sulfhydryl groups. The quenched protein-folding intermediates were fractionated by both capillary electrophoresis and a combination of anion exchange and reverse phase HPLC and characterized by mass spectrometry, amino acid analysis, and disulfide analysis. These intermediates (before quenching) were found to interconvert rapidly so as to achieve a steady-state distribution early in the regeneration process. The experimental data were fitted to a steady-state kinetic scheme. The analysis reveals that the rate-determining step in the regeneration of rHV1 with oxidized and reduced dithiothreitol involves the oxidation of one or more two-disulfide-containing spe...
Heat-induced cobalt entry: an assay for heat transduction in cultured rat dorsal root ganglion neurons

A histochemical stain to detect cobalt in cells was used to investigate the ionic basis of heat transduction in mammalian primary afferent neurons. Cultured dorsal root ganglion neurons from the adult rat were exposed to 10-min heat stimuli in an extracellular solution containing cobalt ions. When accumulated intracellular cobalt was precipitated, a subpopulation of neurons was darkly stained. The number of neurons stained depended on the intensity of the heat stimulus, ranging from 1.9% at 22°C to 24.0% at 45°C, a range of temperatures transduced by primary afferent nerve endings in vivo. Results of Trypan Blue exclusion experiments demonstrate that the heat-induced stain is not due to membrane damage, suggesting that heat opens a divalent-permeable ion channel. Agents that block many multivalent cation-permeable channels (lanthanum, ruthenium red and amiloride) did not reduce the number of cells that exhibited heat-induced cobalt staining. Heat-evoked cobalt staining provides an in vitro model for the investigation of the ionic mechanisms of thermal transduction in sensory neurons.
Metric entropy of high dimensional distributions

Let F d be the collection of all d-dimensional probability distribution functions on [0, 1] d , d > 2. The metric entropy of F d under the L 2 ([0,1] d ) norm is studied. The exact rate is obtained for d = 1, 2 and bounds are given for d > 3. Connections with small deviation probability for Brownian sheets under the sup-norm are established.
Gradient theory of wetting transitions

Abstract The physics of fluids near solids is studied with the gradient theory of inhomogeneous fluids. The theory defines fluid structure in terms of the equation of state of homogeneous fluid, the fluid-solid interaction potential, and the influence parameters of inhomogeneous fluid, the latter being moments of intermolecular distributions. Density profiles predicted by the theory reveal a first-order transition from zero to nonzero contact angle, the apparent angle of intersection of a fluid interface with the solid surface. When the states of two fluid phases lie near a critical point, one of the near-critical fluids is prevented from contacting any third phase by a wetting film of the other near-critical fluid. Far enough from critical points, however, the apparent contact angle is nonzero. The surface phase transition persists to temperatures and compositions where wetting film can no longer exist as bulk phase. The surface transition terminates at a critical temperature T es , below the bulk critical temperature T c . The variation of contact angle with fluid-fluid interfacial tension, a Zisman plot, is investigated. Two simple limiting relationships are found: one valid when the wetting transition is very near critical, where Cahn's critical point scaling law holds, the other valid when the wetting transition is far from critical, where the Good-Girifalco correlation holds. Gradient theory predictions of fluid structure near solids are compared with Monte Carlo simulations of fluids near solids, and with the predictions of theories based on the approximate density functional integral equation.
Updates on Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Learning Disorders

The relationship of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to learning disorders was reviewed and included reading disability, mathematics learning disability, and nonverbal learning disability. Genetic, neuroimaging, and neuropsychological functioning were examined for each disorder, along with a discussion of any existing literature when ADHD co-occurred with the disorder. All the disorders were found to frequently co-occur with ADHD. A review of the underlying neuroanatomic and neurofunctional data found specific structures that frequently co-occur in these disorders with others that are specific to the individual diagnosis. Aberrations in structure and/or function were found for the caudate, corpus callosum, and cerebellum, making these structures sensitive for the disorder but not specific. Suggestions for future research, particularly in relation to intervention, are provided.
WE‐E‐224‐02: Preparing for ABR Board Exams

It is easy to become overwhelmed by the pool of potentially useful study material for Part II of the ABR Board Exam in radiotherapy physics. Therefore it is difficult to extract a sufficiently broad and relevant subset of material to study. Moreover, balancing the time‐consuming exam preparation process with a full time job and family life is also challenging. In order to make best use of available study time, attendees are taught an efficient organizational framework for Part II exam preparation that maximizes high‐yield active learning study activities and minimizes low‐yield study activities. This method is then combined with a productive group‐based study technique. The format and scope of the Part II ABR exam in radiotherapy physics is described, and the eligibility requirements are reviewed. High‐ and low‐yield study activities are defined and examples are discussed in detail. A problem‐based strategy for limiting the scope of study material is described. A method for studying in groups by distributing delegable tasks among multiple group members and ensuring their completion is described. Educational objectives 1. Understand the scope of material covered on Part II of the ABR radiotherapy physics exam and which references to study for the exam. 2. Be able to design and execute an efficient study plan that enables an active learning approach. 3. Learn to use group study techniques to enhance efficiency.
'Carolina Gold', a hybrid tomato, and its parents, NC 1Y and NC 2Y

NC 1Y. Plant habit is determinate (sp) (Mutschler et al., 1987), with noncurled foliage that provides good coverage for fruit protection against weather-related defects. Fruit of NC 1Y are deep oblate to flattened globular. Immature fruit are uniform green (u). Fruit pedicels are jointed. Fruit ripen to a uniform yellowish-orange exterior and interior color. Fruit are firm and similar in flavor to ‘Mountain Gold’ (subjective ratings by author). NC 1Y yielded more than ‘Mountain Gold’ in earlyand total-season harvests over 4 years in seven replicated trials. U.S. combination grade yield (U.S. No. 1 + U.S. No. 2) and fruit size did not differ significantly from that of ‘Mountain Gold’ when averaged over all trials (Table 1). NC 1Y is resistant (I and I-2 genes) to races 1 and 2 of Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lycopersici (Sacc.) Snyd. and Hans., the incitant of fusarium wilt, and is resistant (Ve gene) to race characteristics. ‘Carolina Gold’ is earlier in maturity than ‘Mountain Gold’ PVP (Gardner, 1993) and has much better resistance to the fruit-ripening disorder graywall than does ‘Mountain Gold’.
Cardiac Repair With Autologous Bone Marrow Stem Cells

In a small town in northern Montana, a 64-yearold retired nurse, physically active, but moderately obese, had been having episodes of angina related to physical stress for 1 week. When a more severe attack of angina persisted, she immediately chewed and swallowed 325 mg of aspirin and called her family practitioner, who arrived at her home promptly and administered 5 mg of intravenous morphine sulfate. The chest pain was alleviated soon after, and she was given 20 mg of atorvastatin and then transported by medical air ambulance 150 miles to a tertiary hospital equipped to care for acute coronary events. The admitting electrocardiogram revealed an acute ST elevation anterolateral infarction with several multifocal ventricular premature beats and a heart rate of 100 beats/ minute. The duration of the acute myocardial infarction (MI) (from onset of chest pain to arrival at the hospital emergency department) was estimated to be 3 1 ⁄2 hours. Primary percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and drug eluting stenting of a proximal left anterior descending artery thrombotic occlusion was successfully performed. The cardiologist in attendance was a member of a national team investigating the therapeutic benefits of transplanting bone marrow‐derived endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) into the myocardium of patients with an acute MI. The patient agreed to participate in this investigation. QUESTIONS 1. Which of the following improve cell viability and reduce ventricular remodeling and as a result increase survival in patients with heart failure and following an MI? a. pharmacological therapy b. coronary artery bypass graft surgery c. cardiac catheterization d. mechanical assist devices e. cardiac transplantation f. cellular cardiomyoplasty g. all of the above
Fluctuations Between Crime and Terror: The Case of Abu Sayyaf's Kidnapping Activities

The Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in the Philippines is often labeled a terrorist organization, yet there are periods when the group has engaged in far more criminal activity than terrorism. Specifically, this article describes phases in which organized criminal activity far exceeds any terrorist activities before returning to a more predominant focus on terrorism. This study explores reasons for these temporal fluctuations in criminal versus terrorist activity from 1991 thru August 2011, identifying four categories of explanatory factors: leadership, structure, membership and grievances, and linkages to other actors. The study concludes by highlighting some implications for policy, research, and the future of ASG.
Cloning of CDP-Diacylglycerol Synthase from a Human Neuronal Cell Line

A critical step in the supply of substrate for the phosphoinositide signal transduction pathway is the formation of the liponucleotide intermediate, CDP-diacylglycerol, catalyzed by CDP-diacylglycerol synthase. Further insight into the regulation of phosphoinositide biosynthesis was sought by cloning of the gene for the vertebrate enzyme. Sequence of the corresponding gene from Drosophila was used to prepare a probe for screening of a human neuronal cell cDNA library. A cDNA was isolated with a predicted open reading frame of 1,332 bases, encoding a protein of 51 kDa. The amino acid sequence showed 50% identity (75% similarity) to that of Drosophila eye CDP-diacylglycerol synthase and substantial similarity to the Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Escherichia coli homologues. Northern blot analysis, with human cDNA riboprobes, suggested that the corresponding mRNA was expressed in all human tissues examined. Expression of the human cDNA in COS cells resulted in a more than fourfold increase in CDP-diacylglycerol synthase activity. Knowledge of the sequence of vertebrate CDP-diacylglycerol synthase should facilitate further investigations into its regulation and the possible existence of distinct isoforms.
HOW MUCH ARE WE WILLING TO CONTRIBUTE FOR BETTER EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES? EVIDENCE FROM A SURVEY EXPERIMENT

We use a survey experiment on a sample of Argentine households to elicit willingness to contribute toward improving the performance of public school students in international educational assessments. Households are presented with a sequence of bids that they can accept or reject. Information is presented in vignettes that vary in the proportion of children who benefited from the gains in educational attainment. We find a higher willingness to contribute for larger gains. In total, households would be willing to contribute an additional 12.8% of current educational expenditure to guarantee improved education quality. (JEL I22, I25, C83, H52)
A Fully Integrated 0.13 $\mu{\hbox {m}}$ CMOS Low-IF DBS Satellite Tuner Using Automatic Signal-Path Gain and Bandwidth Calibration

This paper presents the first low-IF fully integrated receiver for DBS satellite TV applications realized in 0.13 mum CMOS. A wideband ring oscillator based frequency synthesizer having a large frequency step was used to downconvert a cluster of channels to a coarsely defined low-IF frequency, while the second downconversion to baseband was performed in the digital domain. Eliminating the oscillator inductors reduced the parasitic magnetic coupling from the digital core, allowing a single-chip integration of the sensitive tuner and the noisy digital demodulator. A significant die area reduction was achieved by using a single oscillator to cover the entire satellite TV spectrum, while a noise attenuator was cascaded with the PLL loop filter to reduce the equivalent tuning gain. The low-IF architecture allowed a discrete-step AGC that improves both tuner noise and linearity performance. Tuner gain and IF corner frequency were calibrated using replica ring oscillators that are tuned up to the onset of oscillations. The tuner specifications include: 90 dB gain range, 9 dB noise figure at max gain, +25 dBm IIP3 at min gain, 1.3degrms integrated phase noise, les50 dBc spurs, 0.7 W power consumption from dual 1.8/3.3-V supplies, and 1.8times1.2 mm 2 die area
Current and future directions in culture and happiness research

Once believed to be universal, a growing body of research shows that both the conception and predictors of happiness vary cross-culturally. First, the meaning and importance of happiness varies both across time and between nations. Americans, for instance, tend to define happiness in terms of pleasure or enjoyment and view happiness as universally positive, whereas East Asian and Middle Eastern cultures may highlight the transient and socially disruptive nature of happiness and be ambivalent about whether it is good. Second, predictors of happiness vary between cultures. Recent work highlights new mediators (e.g., relational mobility), individual predictors (e.g., person-culture fit), societal factors (e.g., good governance and wealth), within-culture variations (e.g., at the state or city level), and interventions (e.g., practicing gratitude) that differ cross-culturally or help explain cultural differences in happiness. Though many questions remain, this review highlights how these recent advances broaden and revise our understanding of culture and happiness.
Testing adiabatic contraction with Sloan Digital Sky Survey elliptical galaxies

We study the profiles of 75 086 elliptical galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) at both large (70-700 h -1 70 kpc) and small (~4 h -1 70 kpc) scales. Weak lensing observations in the outskirts of the halo are combined with measurements of the stellar velocity dispersion in the interior regions of the galaxy for stacked galaxy samples. The weak lensing measurements are well characterized by a Navarro, Frenk and White (NFW) profile. The dynamical mass measurements exceed the extrapolated NFW profile even after the estimated stellar masses are subtracted, providing evidence for the modification of the dark matter profile by the baryons. This excess mass is quantitatively consistent with the predictions of the adiabatic contraction (AC) hypothesis. Our finding suggests that the effects of AC during galaxy formation are stable to subsequent bombardment from major and minor mergers. We explore several theoretical and observational systematics and conclude that they cannot account for the inferred mass excess. The most significant source of systematic error is in the initial mass function (IMF), which would have to increase the stellar mass estimates by a factor of two relative to the Kroupa IMF to fully explain the mass excess without AC. Such an increase could be achieved by switching from a Kroupa to a Salpeter IMF (with cut-off at 0.1 M ⊙ ), but doing so would cause significant tension with results from SAURON. We demonstrate a connection between the level of contraction of the dark matter halo profile and scatter in the size luminosity relation, which is a projection of the fundamental plane. Whether or not AC is the mechanism supplying the excess mass, models of galaxy formation and evolution must reconcile the observed halo masses from weak lensing with the comparatively large dynamical masses at the half-light radii of the galaxies.
Image segmentation from consensus information

A new approach toward image segmentation is proposed. A set of slightly different segmentations is derived from the same input and the final result is based on the consensus among them. The perturbations are introduced by exploiting the probabilistic component of a region adjacency graph (RAG) pyramid-based segmentation. From the set of initial segmentations the cooccurrence probability field is obtained in which global information about the delineated regions becomes locally available. The final segmentation is based on this field and is obtained with the same hierarchical, RAG pyramid technique. No user set parameters or context-dependent thresholds are required.
Prevalence of asymptomatic recurrences of atrial fibrillation after successful radiofrequency catheter ablation.

INTRODUCTION The long-term efficacy of radiofrequency catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF) has been based on patient-reported symptoms suggestive of AF. However, asymptomatic recurrences of AF may remain undetected. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of asymptomatic recurrences of AF after an apparently successful catheter ablation procedure for AF. METHODS AND RESULTS Among 244 consecutive patients (mean age 53 +/- 11 years) who underwent a pulmonary vein isolation procedure for symptomatic paroxysmal AF and who reported no symptoms of recurrent AF at > or =6 months after the procedure, 60 patients with a history of > or =1 episode of AF per week were asked to participate in this study. Preablation, these patients had experienced 19 +/- 13 episodes of AF per month. The patients were provided with a patient-activated transtelephonic event recorder for 30 days, a mean of 642 +/- 195 days after the ablation procedure, and were asked to record and transmit recordings on a daily basis and whenever they felt palpitations. Seven patients (12%) felt palpitations during the study, although they had not experienced symptoms previously. Each of these 7 patients had an episode of AF documented with the event monitor during symptoms. In these 7 patients, the mean number of episodes per month decreased from 19 +/- 14 preablation to 3 +/- 1 postablation (P < 0.001). Among the 53 asymptomatic patients, an episode of AF was captured in 1 (2%) patient during the study period. CONCLUSION Asymptomatic recurrences of AF after an apparently successful catheter ablation procedure for symptomatic paroxysmal AF are infrequent.
The Cu−Th (Copper-Thorium) system

The Cu-Th phase diagram is characterized by the occurrence of four congruently melting intermediate phases that are essentially line compounds, two terminal solid solution phases, (Cu) and (Th), with negligible homogeneity ranges, and five eutectic transformations. A metastable phase, as well as metastable extension of solubility of Cu in (Th), were observed on splat cooling. Reports on the crystal structures were available. Thermodynamic measurements presented negative enthalpy and Gibbs energy of formation values for the compounds, indicating strong compound forming tendencies in this system.
Ornamental pepper as banker plants for establishment of Amblyseius swirskii (Acari: Phytoseiidae) for biological control of multiple pests in greenhouse vegetable production

Silverleaf whitefly, Bemisia tabaci biotype B (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande), and chilli thrips, Scirtothrips dorsalis Hood (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), are key pests of vegetable crops in the US. The present study established ornamental peppers as banker plants supporting Amblyseius swirskii (Acari: Phytoseiidae) against the three pests. Specifically, this study (a) evaluated survival and population buildup of A. swirskii on three ornamental pepper varieties, Masquerade (MA), Red Missile (RM), and Explosive Ember (EE) in both laboratory and greenhouses and (b) determined the predation of A. swirskii reared on ornamental pepper plants to the targeted pests under greenhouse conditions. The results showed that the three pepper varieties were excellent banker plants and able to support at least � 1000 of all stages of A. swirskii per plant in greenhouse conditions and allow them to complete their life cycle. A. swirskii dispersed or released from the banker plants to target plants, resulting in significant suppression of the three pests, i.e., after 14 d post-release, a significantly lower average of 2.75 B. tabaci and 13.4 all stages of thrips (chilli thrips and western flower thrips) were found per bean plant, respectively, compared to 379.5 B. tabaci and 235.4 all stages of thrips per plant in the control. Furthermore, our experiment observed that the sweet pepper seedlings closed to banker plants were healthy, whereas those without banker plants were heavily infested by chilli thrips; their growth seriously stunted or died. This is the first report of ornamental pepper as banker plants supporting A.
A New Point of View

The conclusions we reached in the last two chapters seem to leave small hope that any solution to the problem of moral knowledge can be found within traditional moral theory. Perhaps the time has come to abandon traditional philosophy altogether and approach our problem from a radically new point of view. Such, indeed, would be the advice of a very important contemporary group of philosophers, mainly at Oxford. This group, whom A. G. N. Flew refers to as “the avant-garde of Oxford philosophy since the war,”1 is responsible for the most exciting and influential development, with the possible exception of existentialism, in Western philosophy in the past twenty years. In this chapter I shall describe the way in which these philosophers have approached the problem of moral knowledge and the answers they have given to it.
Mechanisms of Central Nervous System Alcohol-Related Birth Defects

It has been widely demonstrated that ethanol consumption by pregnant women has adverse effects on the unborn child (13, 15, 40, 86). The complex of alcohol-induced abnormalities are known collectively as the fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS; 39). Physical malformations include craniofacial dysmorphology and growth retardation (12), whereas dysfunctions of the central nervous system (CNS) are manifest as mental retardation, poor coordination and hyperactive behavior. A substantial number of experimental studies have been performed to determine the features and the mechanism (s) of ethanol effects on the development of the CNS. Although there is no clear delineation of a single etiology for the effects of ethanol on the development of the CNS, there are now several lines of evidence which indicate that malformations of the developing CNS are the result of the interaction of ethanol with several systems. These presumptive “mechanisms”, whether related or unrelated to one another, certainly contribute to the overall effects of ethanol on the induction of CNS malformations during development.