cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Peroxynitrite decomposition catalyst prevents matrix metalloproteinase activation and neurovascular injury after prolonged cerebral ischemia in rats

J. Neurochem. (2010) 115, 1266–1276. Abstract Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play an important role in reperfusion-induced brain injury following ischemia. To define the effects of peroxynitrite decomposition catalyst on MMP activation and neurovascular reperfusion injury, 5,10,15,20-tetrakis (2,4,6-trimethyl-3,5-disulfonatophenyl)-porphyrin iron (III) (FeTMPyP) was administered intravenously 30 min prior to reperfusion following a middle cerebral artery occlusion. Activation of MMP was assessed by in situ and gel zymography. Neurovascular injury was assessed using endothelial barrier antigen, collagen IV immunohistochemistry and Cresyl violet staining. Results were compared with sham and ischemia alone groups. We found that administration of FeTMPyP just before reperfusion after ischemia inhibited MMP-9 activation and total MMP-2 increases in the cortex and decreased active MMP-9 along with the total amounts of active MMP-9 and active MMP-2 in the striatum. Reperfusion-induced injury to the basal lamina of collagen IV-immunopositive microvasculature and neural cells in cortex and striatum was ameliorated by FeTMPyP. Losses of blood vessel endothelium produced by ischemia or reperfusion were also decreased in the cortex. These results suggest that administration of FeTMPy prior to reperfusion decreases MMP activation and neurovascular injury after prolonged cerebral ischemia. This strategy may be useful for future therapies targeted at preventing breakdown of the blood–brain barrier and hemorrhagic transformation.
No-Hair Theorem for Weak Pulsar

It is proposed that there exists a class of pulsars, called weak pulsars, for which the large-scale magnetosphere, and hence the gamma-ray emission, are independent of the detailed pattern of plasma production. The weak pulsar magnetosphere and its gamma-ray emission are uniquely determined by just three parameters: spin, dipole, and the spin-dipole angle. We calculate this supposedly unique pulsar magnetosphere in the axisymmetric case. The magnetosphere is found to be very close to (although interestingly not fully identical with) the magnetosphere we have previously calculated, explaining the phenomenological success of the old calculation. We offer only a highly tentative proof of this "Pulsar No-Hair Theorem". Our analytics, while convincing in its non-triviality, is incomplete, and counts only as a plausibility argument. Our numerics, while complete, is dubious. The plasma flow in the weak pulsar magnetosphere turns out to be even more intricate than what we have previously proposed: some particles, after being created near the star, move beyond the light cylinder and then return to the star.
Comprehensive Search for New Phases and Compounds in Binary Alloy Systems Based on Platinum-Group Metals, Using a Computational First-Principles Approach

We report a comprehensive study of the binary systems of the platinum-group metals with the transition metals, using high-throughput first-principles calculations. These computations predict stability of new compounds in 28 binary systems where no compounds have been reported in the literature experimentally and a few dozen of as-yet unreported compounds in additional systems. Our calculations also identify stable structures at compound compositions that have been previously reported without detailed structural data and indicate that some experimentally reported compounds may actually be unstable at low temperatures. With these results, we construct enhanced structure maps for the binary alloys of platinum-group metals. These maps are much more complete, systematic, and predictive than those based on empirical results alone.
Phase-matched generation of short wavelength, ultrashort-pulse light in capillary waveguides

In our novel phase-matching technique light is generated in the deep-UV through nonlinear parametric amplification in a gas-filled capillary waveguide. Phase-matching is achieved through a balance between the waveguide dispersion of the lowest order mode with the pressure-dependent gas dispersion. This results in near-Gaussian beam quality and high conversion efficiency.
Quantum Treatment of Semiconductor Laser Noise

Two decades of effort have made semiconductor lasers a reliable source of coherent near-IR radiation. Over this same period the noise properties of these devices have received considerable attention. Most recently, such interest has been fueled by the increasingly widespread system applications of semiconductor lasers.
Genes in the first and fourth inversions of the mouse t complex synergistically mediate sperm capacitation and interactions with the oocyte.

The t haplotypes (t) are recent evolutionary derivatives of an alternate form of the mouse t complex region located at the proximal end of chromosome 17. This variant form of approximately 1% of the mouse genome is a source of mutations altering numerous sperm functions crucial for fertilization. Males that carry two t haplotypes (t/t) are invariably sterile. t haplotypes contain four inversions relative to the wild-type t complex (+), so that in matings involving a +/t heterozygote, t is usually transmitted as a single unit. However, rare recombinants have been recovered, which carry only part of the t genotype and express only some of the t-dependent phenotypes. Use of these partial t haplotypes in genetic crosses has resulted in the general location of the two major t male sterility factors, S1 and S2, within inversions 1 and 4, respectively. Since sterility can result from a plethora of sperm defects, we have made a detailed study of various functional parameters of sperm from mice carrying S1 or S2 heterozygously or homozygously or in combination. Both S1 and S2 contain mutations altering sperm functions, including motility, capacitation, binding to the zona pellucida, binding to the oocyte membrane, and penetration of the zona pellucida-free oocyte. Therefore it seems clear that each of these factors contains multiple genes contributing to sterility. Furthermore, our results indicate that genes within S1 interact with genes in S2 for all sperm functions examined. However, S1 and S2 genes affecting motility interact in a purely additive fashion, while S1 and S2 genes affecting most other sperm characteristics interact in a synergistic manner. Additionally, the patterns of synergism between S1 and S2 for abnormalities in capacitation, sperm-oolemma binding, and zona-free oocyte penetration are nearly identical. This suggests that these three defects are caused by mutation of the same gene within each sterility factor. These findings will not only be instrumental in matching the various t haplotype sperm defects to candidate genes for S1 and S2, but will facilitate a more comprehensive understanding of the cellular and genetic mechanisms underlying t haplotype male sterility.
Parallel stereocorrelation on a reconfigurable multi-ring network

A reconfigurable network termed as the reconfigurable multi-ring network (RMRN) is described. The RMRN is shown to be a truly scalable network in that each node in the network has a fixed degree of connectivity and the reconfiguration mechanism ensures a network diameter of O(log2 N) for anN-processor network. Algorithms for the two-dimensional mesh and the SIMD or SPMD n-cube are shown to map very elegantly onto the RMRN. Basic message passing and reconfiguration primitives for the SIMD/SPMD RMRN are designed for use as building blocks for more complex parallel algorithms. The RMRN is shown to be a viable architecture for image processing and computer vision problems using the parallel computation of the stereocorrelation imaging operation as an example. Stereocorrelation is one of the most computationally intensive imaging tasks. It is used as a visualization tool in many applications, including remote sensing, geographic information systems and robot vision.
Empowering academia to look into the future: Nanotechnology safety education-creating the workforce that you will need

Nanotechnology is a broad, emerging area of technology development that cuts across nearly every sector of the economy and is gaining ground in the marketplace. During the last ten years, health safety personnel have been studying the effects of nanoparticles on human health. As nanotechnology gains momentum on the global market, there are some safety issues that must be explored and resolved before assuring a safe working environment. Workers need to be trained in sustainable and safe manufacturing practices. To have the greatest impact, safety training should be incorporated into two-year post-secondary and workforce education programs so that graduates enter the workforce with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to maintain a safe workplace from the outset of their careers. A number of professional organizations such as CDC, NIOSH, and ICON have begun collaboration efforts to establish a foundation to help define the fundamentals of nano-EHS safety content.
A eukaryotic-like Ser/Thr kinase signals bacteria to exit dormancy in response to peptidoglycan fragments

Bacteria can respond to adverse environmental conditions by drastically reducing or even ceasing metabolic activity. They must then determine that conditions have improved before exiting dormancy, and one indication of such a change is the growth of other bacteria in the local environment. Growing bacteria release muropeptide fragments of the cell wall into the extracellular milieu, and we report here that these muropeptides are potent germinants of dormant Bacillus subtilis spores. The ability of a muropeptide to act as a germinant is determined by the identity of a single amino acid. A well-conserved, eukaryotic-like Ser/Thr membrane kinase containing an extracellular domain capable of binding peptidoglycan is necessary for this response, and a small molecule that stimulates related eukaryotic kinases is sufficient to induce germination. Another small molecule, staurosporine, that inhibits related eukaryotic kinases blocks muropeptide-dependent germination. Thus, in contrast to traditional antimicrobials that inhibit metabolically active cells, staurosporine acts by blocking germination of dormant spores.
Organic builders: A review of worldwide efforts to find organic replacements for detergent phosphates

Continuing pressures to reduce phosphates in wastewaters have sustained an intensive worldwide search to develop acceptable substitutes. Organic polycarboxylate salts have been most extensively investigated because there are a large number of structural possibilities, and the possibility for biodegradation to innocuous CO2 and H2O offers an optimal answer to most environmental questions. In addition to testing known compounds, many novel structures have been synthesized in efforts to tailor materials with optimum properties. Stringent requirements for functional effectiveness, human safety, environmental acceptability, practical processability, and acceptable costs have limited the number of viable alternatives. Compounds that have been proposed are reviewed with particular attention to recent developments.
On the uniqueness of embedding a residual design

We prove that if a residual 2-(k(k+@l-1)@l,k,@l) design R has more than one embedding into a symmetric design then k =< @l(@l-1)^2. If equality holds then R has exactly two embeddings and the corresponding derived design is in both cases @l - 1 identical copies of the design of points and lines of PG(3, @l - 1). Using the main proposition from which these results follow we also prove that if a symmetric2-(v,k, @l) design has an axial non-central or central non-axial automorphism then k=<@l(@l^2 - 2@l + 2).
Modeling and Mutation of NHERF1 Dimerization Domains

Na/H Exchange Regulatory Factor-1 (NHERF1) is a cytoplasmic scaffolding protein that regulates parathyroid hormone receptor (PTHR) ligand bias, trafficking, and signaling. Mice lacking NHERF1 present a constellation of mineral ion abnormalities and are osteopenic. NHERF1 consists of 2 tandem PDZ domains and a MERM domain that itself terminates with a PDZ ligand (EB). Recently, 3 NHERF1 mutations were described (N Engl J Med 359: 1128-1135, 2008) in patients who exhibited pathologies similar to the mice. Two mutations (R153Q, E225K) are in PDZ2, and the third, L110V is in the linker region between PDZ1 and PDZ2. In earlier work we showed that the PTHR binds productively to either PDZ1 or PDZ2. Therefore, we hypothesized that the described mutations interfere with NHERF1 dimerization. To probe such interactions we performed computational mutations using thermodynamic integration method with atomistic Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations to quantitatively assess these predictions. We investigated interactions of EB with PDZ2, R153Q PDZ2 or E225K PDZ2 mutant. For the PDZ2-EB system it was assumed that the C-terminus LFSNL (L) of EB interacts with PDZ2. We confirmed that EB has a higher affinity to R153Q-PDZ2 than to PDZ2 or E225K-PDZ2. In the simulations the complex of EB with the mutated R153Q-PDZ2 is predicted to be more stable than that with the wild type PDZ2 by approximately 2 kcal/mol. Molecular biological methods show that wild-type NHERF1 dimerizes. NHERF1-R153Q abolishes dimerization; NHERF1-E225K reduces dimerization; and NHERF1-L110V dimerizes normally. Dimerization is enhanced in the presence of the PTHR carboxy terminus, which includes the PDZ ligand. Importantly, NHERF1 mutations do not disrupt interaction with the PTH1R. We conclude that NHERF1-R153Q and NHERF1-E225K may undermine PTHR action because of compromised dimerization. NHERF1-L110V interferes with PTHR action through a different mechanism.
Activation, Inhibition and Reversal of Inhibition of Plasma Volume Changes in Adrenalectomized and Intact Dogs.

SummaryAdenosine triphosphate raises the plasma volume of dogs possessing adrenal cortices but is without effect in 100 mg doses on the plasma volume of dogs lacking these glands. The negative action of adenosine triphosphate and also that of small (25 mg) ineffective doses of prednisolone per se upon the plasma volume of adrenalectomized dogs when injected singly, becomes highly positive when the two are administered together. These induced elevations of plasma volume in either type of test animal are completely inhibited by G-strophanthin and calcium. Prompt reversal of the inhibition follows administration of salts of K, Mg and Na and is accompanied by sharp increase in plasma volume.
Characterization of IN Vivo Effects of Dilithium Carbamyl Phosphate on Dog Hemoglobin Structure and Function

Abstract The effect of oral administration of dilithium carbamyl phosphate on adult beagle dogs is dose related. The levels of carbamylation as mol valine hydantoin/mol hemoglobin tetramer reaches a plateau of 0.3–0.38 with daily doses of 100 mg/kg body weight. Related changes in oxygen binding by whole blood and hemoglobin amount to a 5–15% left shift in oxygen isotherms. After discontinuing the administration of carbamyl phosphate, the disappearance of modified hemoglobin with a return to normal oxygen binding values follows the gradual replacement of old cells by new cells in the circulation. When the level of in vivo carbamylation in dog blood is greater than 0.16, it is similar to the levels of in vitro carbamylation of hemoglobin SS which result in the interference with sickling of erythrocytes at low levels of oxygen.
ANALYSIS OF TRACES AT ORNL'S NEW HIGH-FLUX NEUTRON ACTIVATION LABORATORY.

On a recemment installe un nouveau dispositif pour l'analyse par activation neutronique avec un flux thermique de 5X1014 cm−2 sec−1 au reacteur a haut flux du ORNL. Ce flux particulierement eleve combine avec un petit ordinateur et un programme adapte a la spectrometrie γ avec un detecteur Ge (Li), rend possible une irradiation plus courte, une analyse d'identification plus rapide et plus economique que si on utilise des moyens plus conventionnels. On discute des caracteristiques et des experiences du nouveau laboratoire d'analyse par activation neutronique a haut flux, de meme des resultats obtenus sur plusieurs types de matrices concernent l'environnement pour le mercure, le cadmium, le brome, l'arsenic, le chlore et le sodium.
Recent marijuana blunt smoking impacts carbon monoxide as a measure of adolescent tobacco abstinence.

Adolescent tobacco smokers have a higher prevalence of marijuana (MJ) smoking than adolescents who do not smoke tobacco. As part of an adolescent smoking cessation trial, we examined whether MJ smoking, and specifically “blunt” (gutted cigars filled with MJ) smoking, elevated participants' likelihood of a false indication of cigarette smoking on the basis of breath carbon monoxide (CO) testing. Using clinical data from 37 adolescents (mean age 15.1 ± 1.4 years, 78% female) who participated in a smoking-cessation trial in Baltimore between 1999 and 2002, and who on at least one occasion, reported abstinence from tobacco smoking for at least 7 days, we analyzed 146 cigarette-abstinent-visit exhaled CO concentrations classified into blunt occasions (12 participants, 33 visits), nonblunt MJ occasions (seven participants, 20 visits), and non-MJ occasions (27 paricipants, 93 visits). Repeated-measures logistic regression revealed that blunt occasions were associated with CO ≥ 8 ppm, compared to nonblunt occasio...
Computer Control of Equipment and Data Handling

In the 10 years since the first commercially available microprocessor was announced, nearly all commercial optical and infrared spectrometers have become computercontrolled. The advantages of such control and the cost of writing the necessary programs are discussed, and the industrial and academic situations contrasted. Data handling is discussed in terms of signal handling and the subsequent data-processing techniques available. Examples are given of the use of methods to aid visualization. Results are given of the application of the least-squares method to the measurement of a trace component, and an infrared interpretative search program is described.
Some properties of graphs determined by edge zeta functions

In 1989, Hashimoto introduced an edge zeta function of a finite graph, which is a generalization of the Ihara zeta function. The edge zeta function is the reciprocal of a polynomial in twice as many indeterminants as edges in the graph and can be computed via a determinant expression. We look at graph properties which we can determine using the edge zeta function. In particular, the edge zeta function is enough to deduce the clique number, the number of Hamiltonian cycles, and whether a graph is perfect or chordal. Finally, we present a new example illustrating that the Ihara zeta function cannot necessarily do the same.
NEW THERAPIES FOR SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS

Potential new therapies for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have received increased attention as demonstrated by the growing number of modalities being studied. This increase is a result, in part, of the efforts of groups such as the Systemic Lupus International Cooperating Clinics, European League of Associations of Rheumatology, Standing Committee on the Conduct of Clinical Trials, Outcome Measures in Rheumatology Clinical Trials, and others in establishing standard measurable end points for disease response and providing guidance in the design of clinical studies. SLE has nonetheless proved to be difficult to study, because it has a variable disease course characterized by exacerbations and remissions. This article provides a summary of the various therapies currently under study for the treatment of SLE. Biologic agents have been designed to interfere with the following immunologic processes: •T-cell activation and T-cell–B-cell collaboration •Production of anti-dsDNA antibodies (Abs) •Deposition of anti-dsDNA Ab complexes •Complement activation and deposition •Cytokine activation and modulation By targeting these specific immunologic responses, administration of these biologic agents may avoid nonspecific immunosuppression. More aggressive treatments under investigation include gene therapy and stem cell transplantation. Pharmaceutic treatments used for many years include hydroxycholoroquine and corticosteroids, including methylprednisolone, cyclophosphamide, and azathioprine, all of which have been demonstrated to be effective in one or more controlled trials. Weekly methotrexate and cyclosporine therapy has offered benefit in SLE; controlled trials to demonstrate their efficacy are currently underway. Promising pharmaceutic treatments include several immunomodulators and agents designed to downregulate estrogen or prolactin or to upregulate androgen levels.
Erythropoietic response of bone marrow cells cultivated in diffusion chambers.

IT is well known that cultivation of bone marrow by traditional in vitro methods does not sustain normal morphogenesis for prolonged periods of time1–4, and although synthesis of DNA and haem and some erythropoietic activity have been demonstrated in vitro5–9, these processes are maintained only for extremely short periods.
Some novel aspects of the chemistry of hydroxyindolenines.

Eine Ubersicht uber die Reaktionen eines Vertreters der Oxyindolenine, namlich des 11-Oxytetrahydrocarbazolenins (VIII), zeigt die ungewohnliche Bereitschaft dieses Systems und seiner Abwandlungsprodukte zu neuartigen Umlagerungen vom Wagner-Meerwein-und Benzilsauretypus. Sogar eine zweifache 1,2-Verschiebung eines funfgliedrigen Ringes wurde beobachtet, ein Vorgang, der in der organischen Chemie wohl noch kein Analogon haben durfte. Die skizzierten Reaktionen werden zur Zeit zum Abbau und Aufbau von Naturprodukten der Indolklasse benutzt.
Lattice Boltzmann method with two relaxation times for advection–diffusion equation: Third order analysis and stability analysis

Abstract The objectives of this study are to investigate the third order accuracy and linear stability of the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) with the two-relaxation-time collision operator (LTRT) for the advection–diffusion equation (ADE) and compare the LTRT model with the single-relaxation-time (LBGK) model. While the LBGK has been used extensively, the LTRT appears to be a more flexible model because it uses two relaxation times. The extra relaxation time can be used to improve solution accuracy and/or stability. This study conducts a third order Chapman–Enskog expansion on the LTRT to recover the macroscopic differential equations up to the third order. The dependency of third order terms on the relaxation times is obtained for different types of equilibrium distribution functions (EDFs) and lattices. By selecting proper relaxation times, the numerical dispersion can be significantly reduced. Furthermore, to improve solution accuracy, this study introduces pseudo-velocities to develop new EDFs to reduce the second order numerical diffusion. This study also derives stability domains based on the lattice Peclet number and Courant number for different types of lattices, EDFs and different values of relaxation times, while conducting linear stability analysis on the LTRT. Numerical examples demonstrate the improvement of the LTRT solution accuracy and stability by selecting proper relaxation times, lattice Peclet number and Courant number.
Finite Element Approach to Model Displacement Control of Smart Beams Using Photostrictive Optical Actuators

The objective of this research work is to investigate the displacement control of smart beams of different boundary conditions using photostrictive optical actuators. The authors have developed a computational method useful for design of systems incorporating thin film photostrictive actuators. The element has been implemented in an in-house finite element code. A finite element for static analysis of photostrictive thin films has already been developed and verified with analytical analysis approach of another author. Also the effect of different parameters such as actuator thickness, incident light intensity and convective heat transfer coefficient in the actuation of beam using the thin film photostrictive actuators has been investigated by the authors. In this current work, derived finite element for static analysis of photostrictive thin films has been used to investigate the application of photostrictive actuators for optimum displacement control of beam structure of various boundary conditions. Studies are performed on the effects of various actuator location and length on photoactuation. Photostrictive materials are ferrodielectric ceramics that have a photostrictive effect. The photostrictive effect arises from a superposition of the photovoltaic effect and the converse piezoelectric effect. Photostrictive materials are (Pb, La)(Zr, Ti) O3 ceramics doped with WO3 , called PLZT, exhibit large photostriction under uniform illumination of high-energy light. Photostrictive actuators can directly convert photonic energy to mechanical motion. Photostrictive materials can produce strain as a result of irradiation from high-intensity light. Neither electric lead wires nor electric circuits are required. Thus, photostrictive actuators are relatively immune from electrical interference. They have potential use in numerous MEMS devices where actuation of microbeams is a common phenomenon.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Hormonal Correlates of Divergent Growth Trajectories in Wild Male Anubis (Papio anubis) and Hamadryas (P. hamadryas) Baboons in the Awash River Valley, Ethiopia

Comparative investigations of hormone concentration and pattern during ontogeny can offer insight regarding the evolution of growth trajectories. Anubis (Papio anubis) and hamadryas (P. hamadryas) baboons exemplify primate populations at a crucial stage of phylogenetic divergence. Though not reproductively isolated, the species are distinguished by consistent morphological, behavioral, and physiological differences, including trajectories of growth and maturation associated with divergent male reproductive strategies. As a step toward understanding the proximate causes of these differences, we tested several hypotheses regarding the relationship of growth-regulatory hormones and binding proteins (insulin-like growth factor-I, insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 [IGFBP-3], growth hormone binding protein, and testosterone) to growth in several measurements. We collected samples (N = 559) across 13 field seasons, from 7 different social groups. Samples came from 398 different individuals. We sampled 285 once; 76, twice; 29, three times; 5, four times; and 3, five times. Although ages at peak hormone concentrations were not significantly different, concentrations of all hormones and binding proteins measured, except testosterone, were higher in hamadryas than in anubis. All factors measured correlated positively with growth in both species, and IGFBP-3 and testosterone in particular correlated significantly with growth in all measurements. Overall, our findings suggest a role for the growth hormone/insulin-like growth factor axis in producing distinctive patterns of growth in these species.
An introductory psychology laboratory system featuring inexpensive time-shared record-keeping

At California State University, Fresno, the introductory psychology lecture sections operate independently of the laboratory system. Each week, the faculty supervisor prepares the teaching assistants to instruct the following week’s laboratory presentation. The department’s subject pool is also administered through the laboratory system. At the end of the semester, the lecture instructors are supplied with laboratory grades for incorporation into the overall course grades. Record-keeping, especially for the subject pool, was a major problem until we computerized its various components. We use one of the university’s time-sharing systems for this purpose, which has proven cost effective, secure, and quite efficient.
The role of inventory in delivery-time competition

The paper operationalizes the notion of shortage cost by considering the behavior of customers and competing firms and examines the role of inventory in response time competition. We start with a single-firm production control model in which customers are characterized by their preferences of price, quality and delivery time. The optimal production/inventory policy and the optimal choice between make-to-order and make-to-stock operations are determined in simple "newsboy"-like formulas. The basic model is then extended to an n-firm market game in which firms compete for orders from the aspect of early delivery. One could think of this setting as an oligopoly racing market. The analysis shows that competition can breed a demand for produce-to-stock, just as other economic phenomena such as economies of scale, uncertainty, or seasonality can induce make-to-stock, and that delivery-time competition increases the buyer's welfare while decreasing the producer's welfare.
N-amino acid linoleoyl conjugates: anti-inflammatory activities

Several N-linked amino acid-linoleic acid conjugates were studied for their potential as anti inflammatory agents. The parent molecule, N-linoleoylglycine was tested in an in vivo model, the mouse peritonitis assay where it showed activity in reducing leukocyte migration at doses as low as 0.3mg/kg when administered by mouth in safflower oil. Harvested peritoneal cells produced elevated levels of the inflammation-resolving eicosanoid 15-deoxy-Δ(13,14)-PGJ(2). These results are similar to those obtained in earlier studies with N-arachidonoylglycine. An in vitro model using mouse macrophage RAW cells was used to evaluate a small group of structural analogs for their ability to stimulate 15-deoxy-Δ(13,14)-PGJ(2) production. The d-alanine derivative was the most active while the d-phenylalanine showed almost no response. A high degree of stereo specificity was observed comparing the d and l alanine isomers; the latter being the less active. It was concluded that linoleic acid conjugates could provide suitable templates in a drug discovery program leading to novel agents for promoting the resolution of chronic inflammation.
The crisis of representation: the limits of liberal democracy in the global era

Abstract In liberal thought, democracy is guaranteed by the unity of community and government. The community of citizens elects its government according to political preferences. The government rules over the community with powers which are limited by unalienable human, civil, and political rights. These assumptions have characterized Classical Liberalism, Revisionist Liberalism and contemporary Neo-liberal theories. However, the assumed unity of community and government becomes problematic in Global Post-Fordism. Recent research on the globalization of the economy and society has underscored the increasing inability of nation-states to exercise power over their communities which, in turn, limits the ability of communities to express their will at the nation-state level. The current phase of capitalism is characterized by socio-economic relations which transcend the jurisdictions of nation-states and local spaces. This paper addresses the issue of the fracture of the unity of community and government by introducing feature characteristics of Classical Liberalism, Revisionist Liberalism and Neo-liberalism. Moreover, it analyzes the contribution of the theory of Reflexive Modernization which represents a novel attempt to rethink democracy within the liberal tradition. The paper concludes that the inability of governments to control economic and non-economic environments creates a crisis of representation which implies serious limits to liberal democracy. This situation is particularly important for rural regions as their socio-economic development, and programs for its democratization have been historically based on the intervention of agencies of and control by the nation-state.
Identifying extremely large values using composite sample data

Quantifying a composite sample results in a loss of information on the values of the constituent individual samples. As a consequence of this information loss, it is impossible to identify individual samples having large values, based on composite sample measurements alone. However, under certain circumstances, it is possible to identify individual samples having large values without exhaustively measuring all individual samples. In addition to composite sample measurements, a few additional measurements on carefully selected individual samples are sufficient to identify the individual samples having large values. In this paper, we present a statistical method to recover extremely large individual sample values using composite sample measurements. An application to site characterization is used to illustrate the method.
The Causal Pathway From Socioeconomic Status to Disability Trajectories in Later Life: The Importance of Mediating Mechanisms for Onset and Accumulation:

This study examines the mechanisms by which different aspects of socioeconomic status affect disability trajectories among older adults. The author conceptualizes and models disability in two life course components, onset and growth, in order to see how socioeconomic status and its mechanisms differ in their effects on the timing and accumulation of disablement. Using the Duke Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly (EPESE), the author finds that the effects of education are mainly preventive for disability onset where financial resources both delay and ameliorate a trajectory of disability accumulation after onset. Health behaviors and mastery work as independent mediators of education while financial-based capital works to mediate both income and education effects. This study highlights transitions and trajectories in health processes, showing that education effects are far reaching and robust but only work for onset, while financial-based capital is effective in ameliorating a ...
Blood glucose prior to meal request in humans isolated from all temporal cues.

Abstract The factors responsible for meal initiation in man are not known. Recently, a small, transient decline in blood glucose was found to precede meals in freely feeding rats (1). To determine whether a similar decline in blood glucose precedes meals in humans, we measured plasma glucose concentration before and after requests for lunch on 4 different days in each of 7 subjects living in a setting that eliminated temporal cues and most or all external prompts for eating. Under these conditions, subjects could request any meal at any time by naming it and specifying its content. Meals were promptly prepared and served. Blood was sampled at randomized intervals averaging 20 minutes. Blood samples from 120 minutes preceding the subject's request for lunch to 90 minutes after the request were analyzed for glucose by the hexokinase method. The mean plasma glucose concentration did not change significantly from about 1 hour before lunch request to 20–30 minutes after the request. A transient decline in glucose similar to that reported in the rat was observed prior to only 1 of the 28 lunches. Given the ease of obtaining food and the absence of the usual temporal and psychosocial cues for eating, the results are not consistent with the hypothesis that meal requests in humans are triggered by a transient decline of plasma glucose concentration. The hypothesis is not disproven, however, since the intersample intervals of about 20 minutes may have failed to detect decreases of blood glucose that were smaller or of shorter duration than those of the rat.
The White Image in the Black Mind: African-American Ideas about White People, 1830-1925

Historical studies of white racial thought focus exclusively on white ideas about the "Negroes". Bay's study is the first to examine the reverse - black ideas about whites, and, consequently, black understandings of race and racial categories. Bay examines African-American ideas about white racial character and destiny in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In examining black racial thought, this work also explores the extent to which black Americans accepted or rejected 19th century notions about innate racial characteristics.
Transversely isotropic mechanical properties of PVC foam under cyclic loading

Cyclic material tests were done on Divinycell PVC H100 foam to obtain out-of-plane and in-plane compression and shear material properties after foam yielding. The compression and shear stress–strain behaviors were very similar to each other except that a plateau (flow) stress occurred after yielding in compression, while the foam underwent mild strain hardening after shear yielding. The ratio of out-of-plane to in-plane stiffness and yield strength for the PVC H100 was found to be approximately 3/2 in both the compression and shear modes. After viscoplastic yielding, the foam underwent permanent damage and exhibited hysteresis, mainly in the form of viscoelasticity. Damage that occurred in the foam after it yields followed the pattern of Mullins damage, i.e., the damage was essentially fixed at a given strain amplitude, and more damage occurred with increasing the strain amplitude. Hysteresis was much more pronounced as the damage grew, suggesting that viscoelastic properties of the foam could be changing with the amount of damage.
Steroid Analysis in Single Cells by Capillary Electrophoresis with Collinear Laser-Induced Fluorescence Detection

Capillary electrophoresis with collinear laser-induced fluorescence detection was used for the analysis of steroids in single R2C cells. Progesterone secretion was monitored from cultured cells and subsequently detected in single cells. Mass detection limit of 10(-18) mol for dansylated steroids was achieved with the 325-nm line of a helium-cadmium laser. Dansylhydrazine proved to be an effective fluorescent tag for derivatization of steroids outside and inside the biological cell. Fluorescence microscopy indicates that a dimethyl sulfoxide-containing physiological buffer was sufficient to incorporate the tag inside the cell for subsequent steroid derivatization.
Zumba: From Secondary Physical Education Classes to Adulthood Workouts: Staying Up to Date with the Growing Trends of Physical Activity In and Out of the Schools

The bell rings signaling the end of class and 27 sweaty high school students begin to grumble. “Why does class have to be over?” complains one student. “I wish I could have this class every day,” s...
Wavelet-based fault detection in grid-connected photovoltaic systems

This paper proposes a real-time wavelet-based fault detection as well as a real-time analysis of voltage sag/swell due to faults in a grid-connected photovoltaic system, which is the first step for a wavelet-based islanding protection. The spectral energy of the voltage is decomposed in scaling coefficient energy and wavelet coefficient energy. The real-time analysis of the scaling coefficient energy provides the undervoltage and overvoltage protection, whereas the wavelet coefficient energy provides a high-speed fault detection. The wavelet-based fault detection was assessed in an experimental grid-connected photovoltaic system.
Narrowband damping of grid-connected inverters for harmonic resonance mitigation

Harmonic resonance problems may appear in grid-connected inverter systems due to a mismatch between the power grid impedance and the inverter impedance. Wide band solutions to mitigate resonance problems have been proposed as active and passive damping methods. As an alternative solution, this paper proposes the use of narrowband digital filtering techniques within the DSP of the grid-connected inverter. Due to the selectivity of narrowband digital filtering methods, they avoid the unnecessary deterioration of the inverter regulation functions at frequencies differing from the specific band where the impedance mismatch occurs.
Cellular automaton modeling of epidemics

This study investigates random cellular automaton models with emphasis on their application to epidemiology. We conjecture that there may be a spatial factor involved in contagious disease. Random cellular automata would seem a natural mode for statistical exploration of this conjecture. We examine a random cellular automaton measle model proposed by Mollison (1977); a homogeneous version of this model is shown to coincide with the macroscopic spatially invariant ''basic stochastic'' epidemic model discussed by Bailey (1975). Some theory and proposed statistical methodology are suggested. Our experimental findings indicate that the course of an epidemic depends strongly on initial configuration of the infectives, all other parameters remaining fixed. This is consistent with our conjecture that the spatial distribution of the carriers contains significant information. Whether the random cellular automata are valid models for actual epidemics awaits statistical resolution.
Investigation of Effects of Radial Distortion on Transonic Fan Behavior

The flow analysis around blades of a transonic fan is presented for both clean and radially distorted inlets. Computations are shown for four-blade passages that are accomplished with a second order accurate code using a k-ω turbulence model. The mass flow rate along a speed line is controlled by varying a choked nozzle downstream of the fan. The results show good agreement with data for three speed lines. In the near-stall region, the flow first becomes unsteady and then unstable with the unsteadiness increasing at lower speeds. The four-blade simulations remained stable to lower mass flow rates than the single-blade simulations. In the near-stall vicinity, tip vortex breakdown occurred creating a low momentum zone near the blade tip on the pressure side that grew as the mass flow was decreased until it eventually blocked the passage. The presence of distortion reduced the operational range and moved the stall line to higher mass flow rates. At high speeds distortion reduced both the mass flow rate and total pressure ratio while at lower speeds, the choking mass flow rate was reduced, but the total pressure ratio was slightly improved. The flow separation near the hub on the suction side was caused by the distortion. Its size was decreasing with rotational speed.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
The uptake and metabolism of labelled testosterone by the brain and pituitary of the male rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta).

Abstract The ventricular systems of three male rhesus monkeys (one castrate) were infused over a one hour period with a small volume of labelled testosterone of high specific activity. The pituitary and various areas of the brain and samples of blood and spinal fluid were secured following infusion. Radioactive steroids were extracted from the tissues, separated chromatographically, and identified by recrystallization to constant specific activity. Radioactive testosterone (T), 5α-dihydrotestosterone (5α-DHT), 5α-androstane-3α, 17β-diol (5α-A-diol) and δ 4 -androstenedione ( δ 4 -A) were found in all samples of pituitary and brain and at a much higher concentration per unit weight than that noted in blood. The spinal fluid samples contained primarily unchanged T. Uptake of labelled T appeared to be greater in the pituitary and hypothalamus than in other areas of the brain. It is concluded that (1) ventricular infusion of labelled testosterone under the conditions of these experiments provided a suitable means of supplying deep structures of monkey brain and pituitary with a high concentration of steroid with relatively little reaching the systemic circulation, and (2) steroidal 5α-reductase and 17β-dehydrogenase activity was present throughout the brain.
Characterization of double potentials during ventricular tachycardia. Studies during transient entrainment.

BACKGROUND Double potentials have been recorded during reentrant tachycardias in animal models. Although they have also been recorded during ventricular tachycardia in humans, their meaning is uncertain. METHODS AND RESULTS We used transient entrainment as a method to help further understand the meaning of double potentials recorded during ventricular tachycardia in humans. Three patients with ventricular tachycardia (cycle lengths, 500, 450, and 290 msec) were studied. During transient entrainment of ventricular tachycardia (pacing cycle length, 470-260 msec), both double potential deflections were captured at the pacing cycle length. One deflection was captured with a short activation time, and the other deflection was captured with a long activation time. During ventricular pacing, the deflections were associated by the long rather than the short interdeflection interval. At termination of pacing, each double potential deflection was associated with separate but sequential QRS complexes, and each deflection maintained the same electrogram morphology at relatively "slow" overdrive pacing rates. The short interdeflection interval shortened further with faster pacing rates (to less than the ventricular refractory period), making it unlikely that both deflections of the double potential represent active depolarization of the same tissue. In two patients, at a critically rapid pacing rate, one of the double potential deflections changed morphology abruptly, associated with a shortened stimulus-to-double potential time interval (from 520 to 110 msec and from 530 to 240 msec, respectively), indicating a change in the direction of activation that caused that deflection. Interruption of ventricular tachycardia was associated with disappearance of the double potentials at the same recording site. The double potentials did not immediately bracket an area of slow conduction. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that double potentials recorded only during ventricular tachycardia represent activation wave fronts on either side of an area of block within a reentrant circuit. Thus, double potentials recorded during ventricular tachycardia in these patients do not appear to represent slow conduction per se but rather appear to represent an area of block at the center of a reentrant circuit around which the reentrant wave front circulates.
Fiber suspensions in complex geometries: Flow/orientation coupling

A Galerkin finite element solution is developed for the flow of fiber suspensions. Primary variables are velocity, pressure, and a second-order tensor describing the fiber orientation. The model treats the orientation as three-dimensional, includes fiber—fiber interaction effects, and uses an orthotropic closure approximation. The flow and orientation are strongly coupled through an orientation-dependent constitutive equation. We explore the effect of this coupling on the fluid mechanics of fiber suspensions by studying three flows: an axisymmetric contraction, an axisymmetric expansion, and a center-gated disk. Coupling enhances the corner vortex in the contraction, in quantitative agreement with published experiments and calculations. The expansion results demonstrate that the aligned-fiber approximation is not valid for this flow. In the center-gated disk the effects of coupling are modest and are only noticeable near the center of the disk. This supports the use of decoupled models for injection molding in thin cavities. On a mis au point une methode de resolution par elements finis de Galerkin pour l'ecoulement de suspensions de fibres. Les variables primaires sont la vitesse, la pression et un tenseur de second ordre decrivant l'orientation des fibres. Le modele traite l'orientation comme etant tridimensionnelle, inclut les effets d'interaction entre les fibres et utilise une approximation de fermeture orthotropique. L'ecoulement et l'orientation sont fortement couples par une equation constitutive dependante de l'orientation. Nous explorons l'effet de ce couplage sur la mecanique de fluide des suspensions de fibres en etudiant trois ecoulements : une contraction axisymetrique, une expansion axisymetrique et un disque crante centre. Le couplage ameliore le vortex du coin dans la contraction, ce qui concorde quantitativement avec les experiences et les calculs publies. Les resultats de l'expansion demontrent que l'approximation des fibres alignees n'est pas valable pour cet ecoulement. Dans le disque crante centre, les effets du couplage sont modestes et ne se remarquent que pres du centre du disque. Cela vient defendre l'utilisation de modeles decouples pour le moulage sous pression dans les cavites minces.