cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An X-ray study of carbon blacks produced from coals

Abstract X-ray diffraction patterns of eight carbon blacks produced from coals have been studied. Layer diameters, L a , obtained from the (100) and (110) reflections ranged from 6 to 17A, and the stack heights, L c , derived from the (002) reflections, ranged from 12 to 14A. The above values compare with 20A and 14A, respectively, obtained from the diffraction patterns of a commercial black, viz. Pelletex. It appears that coal blacks are structurally similar to well-known commercial blacks.
In vitro studies on the inhibition of testosterone synthesis in the human testis by atamestane

Abstract In review of the well established clinical results of the deprivation of androgens through orchiectomy in prostatic cancer the structural similarities of 4-androsten-3,17-dione and atamestane (1-methyl-ADD), we studied the influence of 1-methyl-ADD on the conversion of 4-androsten-3,17-dione to testosterone by the 17β-hydroxysteroid reductase enzyme in human testicular tissue. Our studies, presented in this manuscript , demonsrate that 1-methyl-ADD is a competitive inhibitor of 4-androsten-3,17-dione in its reduction to testosterone by the 17β-hydroxysteroid reductase enzyme in the human testis.
Neurons of the pretectal area convey spinal input to the motor thalamus of the cat.

The aim of this study was to corroborate lesioning work (Mackel and Noda 1989), suggesting the pretectal area of the rostral midbrain acts as a relay between the spinal cord and the ventrolateral (VL) nucleus of the thalamus. For this purpose, extracellular recordings were made from neurons in the pretectal area which were antidromically activated by stimulation in the rostral thalamus, particularly in VL. The neurons were tested for input from the dorsal columns of the spinal cord, the dorsal column nuclei, and the ventral quadrant of the spinal cord. Latencies of the antidromic responses ranged between 0.6 and 3.0 ms (median 1.0 ms): no differences in latencies were associated with either location of the neurons in the pretectal area or with the site of their thalamic projection. Orthodromic responses to stimulation of ascending pathways were seen in the majority of neurons throughout the pretectal area sampled. Latencies of orthodromic responses varied considerably, with ranges of 0.9–9 ms, 6–20 ms, and 2.5–20 ms upon stimulating the dorsal column nuclei, dorsal columns, and ventrolateral quadrant, respectively. The shortest-latency responses to stimulation of the dorsal column nuclei or of the ventral quadrant were likely to be monosynaptic. Temporal and spatial facilitation of the responses to ascending input were common. The data show that neurons of the pretectal area are capable of relaying somatosensory input ascending from the spinal cord to the rostral thalamus. It is suggested that the pretectofugal output to VL converges with cerebellar input in VL neurons and becomes incorporated in cerebello-cerebral interactions and, ultimately, the control of movement.
Binding of human natural antibodies to nonalphaGal xenoantigens on porcine erythrocytes.

BACKGROUND Xenotransplantation is considered one of possible solutions for the serious shortage of organs and cells in transplantation. Although the alphaGal epitope (Gal alpha1,3Gal beta1,4GlcNAc-R) has been identified as being a major xenoantigen responsible for hyperacute rejection, the removal of anti-alphaGal antibody alone from human serum is insufficient to circumvent antibody-mediated immune responses. METHODS AND RESULTS We report here the characterization of xenoreactive human natural antibodies against antigens without the alphaGal epitope (nonalphaGal xenoantigens) on porcine erythrocytes using flow cytometry and the evidence for their involvement in complement-mediated hemolysis. Furthermore, a novel protein of 45-kDa has been isolated from the porcine erythrocyte membrane as a major protein antigen recognized by human anti-nonalphaGal. CONCLUSION The data presented here will add to our knowledge of xenoantigens on porcine red cells and be important for developing strategies to produce modified red cells immunologically compatible to humans.
Relative roles of Ca2+, Sr2+, Ba2+ and Mg2+ in controlling lens permeability characteristics

Abstract The effects of barium, strontium and magnesium upon lens permeability characteristics were studied in the presence and absence of 2 mM calcium in the bathing medium. Permeability characteristics were determined by measuring lens potential, resistance and 42 K efflux rates. Barium and strontium at equimolar concentrations to calcium were able to substitute for calcium in controlling lens sodium permeability. Magnesium was ineffective in this respect. Small changes in resistance and 42 K efflux rates occurred when calcium was eliminated from bathing solution containing either 2 mM barium or strontium. These changes were interpreted to be the result of an increase in lens permeability to potassium. When 2 mM strontium was added to calcium-containing solution, there was no significant change in the electrical or flux parameters of the lens. However, the addition of 2 mM barium to calcium-containing solution resulted in a 54% increase in lens resistance and a 13 mV depolarization. These observations indicated a barium-induced decrease in lens permeability to potassium, and this was confirmed by an observed decrease in 42 K efflux rate constant under similar experimental conditions. The rapid time course of all the observed changes implies that they are the result of changes in the permeability characteristics of membranes lying close to the surface of the lens.
Oligonucleotide probes for the analysis of specific repetitive DNA sequences by fluorescence in situ hybridization

Five non-isotopically labeled oligonucleotides have been designed and synthesized to facilitate the analysis of specific human and murine repetitive DNA sequences by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Three of the oligonucleotides contain alphoid DNA sequences; one hybridizes to the centromeres of all human and mouse chromosomes except the Y, while the other two are specific for human chromosomes 2 and 12, respectively. The fourth oligomer, containing sequences from the spacer region of a human 5S rDNA repeat, was used to confirm the map location of a approximately 100 copy 5S rDNA tandem repeat locus. The fifth oligomer, specific to the Alu family of repeats, generates a sharp R-banding pattern on human metaphase chromosomes, suitable for FISH karyotyping. These probes permit highly specific chromosome enumeration and aneuploidy detection with hybridization times as short as 30 minutes.
A computer-assisted page composing system: featuring hyphenless justification

The Central Intelligence Agency has a computer-assisted system for phototypesetting which is producing fully made-up pages of high-quality text composition on positive film. This system was developed by a team of representatives of the Printing Services Division (the Agency's printer) and the Agency's computer people.
Selective Prothymocyte Targeting by Prenatal Diethylstilbesterol Exposure

Estrogens have been reported to modulate immunologic responses at both physiologic and pharmacologic concentrations. Treatment of experimental animals with the synthetic estrogen, diethylstilbesterol (DES), markedly decreases thymic cellularity, manifested histologically as a progressive loss of cortical thymic lymphocytes. In the present report thymic atrophy after prenatal DES exposure was found to be more severe than has been reported following adult exposure, indicating a possible greater sensitivity of the developing immune system to estrogenic hormones. DES exposure resulted in a limited alteration of cell maturation within the fetal thymus as evidenced by only slight alterations in the expression of CD4 and CD8 cell-surface antigens. To examine the possibility that DES targets hematopoietic stem cells in the fetal liver, cytometric analysis was conducted using a panel of fluorescent antibodies to quantitate the hematopoietic subpopulations present in control and DES-exposed Gestational Day (gd) 18 fetal mouse liver. There were no significant DES-induced alterations in the number of hematopoietic stem cells, or in fetal liver cells expressing CD44 (hematopoietic precursors), Mac-1 (granulocyte-macrophage lineage precursors), or CD45R (B-lineage lymphocytes) surface antigens. However, DES selectively reduced the number of fetal liver precursors containing the lymphocyte stem cell-specific DNA polymerase, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase, which suggested that DES may specifically target the fetal liver prothymocyte. Reconstitution of irradiated hosts with gd 18 fetal liver from vehicle and DES-exposed syngeneic donors demonstrated an impaired ability of the DES-treated fetal liver to repopulate the thymus of irradiated hosts. In addition, fetal liver cells enriched for prelymphoid cells contained potentially significant levels of estrogen specific receptors. Taken together these data, in conjunction with the lack of direct thymocyte injury (necrosis, apoptosis, and/or inhibition of cell proliferation) by DES treatment, suggest that estrogen-mediated thymic atrophy may result, at least in part, from a specific alteration in the lymphocyte stem cell population responsible for colonizing the thymus.
Nonlinear interaction of a vortex pair with clean and surfactant-covered free surfaces

Abstract Two-dimensional unsteady viscous-flow problem associated with the normal incidence of a counter-rotating vortex pair on a free surface is analyzed. Effects of surface tension and insoluble surfactants on the generation of free-surface vorticity and surface waves are investigated. A recently developed finite-difference method based on boundary-fitted coordinates is used to solve the fully-nonlinear problem. Results show that in the absence of surfactants and at low Froude number (based on circulation strength and initial separation distance of the vortex pair), waves of short lengths are generated. However, secondary vorticity generated in this case is not strong enough to affect the outward translation of the primary vortices. At intermediate Froude number, a transient wave developing outboard of the primary vortex becomes steep, and eventually breaks because of local instability. Consequently, free-surface vorticity inhibits the outward translation of the primary vortices. Surface tension in a clean free surface dampens the steep short waves, hence also the generation of free-surface vorticity. However, variation in surface tension induced by surfactants intensifies the generation of surface vorticity, thereby causing the primary vortices to rebound. The increase in the rotational part of wave motion results in the dampening of overall free-surface deformations. However, it is found that the shear stress associated with a large gradient of surfactant concentration could cause local steepening of the short wave generated outboard of the primary vortex.
Selective Gene Transfection of Individual Cells In Vitro with Plasmonic Nanobubbles

Gene delivery and transfection of eukaryotic cells are widely used for research and for developing gene cell therapy. However, the existing methods lack selectivity, efficacy and safety when heterogeneous cell systems must be treated. We report a new method that employs plasmonic nanobubbles (PNBs) for delivery and transfection. A PNB is a novel, tunable cellular agent with a dual mechanical and optical action due to the formation of the vapor nanobubble around a transiently heated gold nanoparticle upon its exposure to a laser pulse. PNBs enabled the mechanical injection of the extracellular cDNA plasmid into the cytoplasm of individual target living cells, cultured leukemia cells and human CD34+ CD117+ stem cells and expression of a green fluorescent protein (GFP) in those cells. PNB generation and lifetime correlated with the expression of green fluorescent protein in PNB-treated cells. Optical scattering by PNBs additionally provided the detection of the target cells and the guidance of cDNA injection at single cell level. In both cell models PNBs demonstrated a gene transfection effect in a single pulse treatment with high selectivity, efficacy and safety. Thus, PNBs provided targeted gene delivery at the single cell level in a single pulse procedure that can be used for safe and effective gene therapy.
Evolution of prolonged development: a life table analysis for periodical cicadas.

Abstract According to conventional wisdom, natural selection should favor early reproduction. Prolonged development of 13 and 17 yr has been difficult to explain for periodical cicadas. Earlier, I hypothesized that development may be long for periodical cicadas because fecundity increases as a function of longer development with little increased risk of mortality. In this article, I tested whether the fecundity was greater for 17‐yr cicadas than for 13‐yr cicadas and estimated the shape of the survivorship curve. A cohort of 17‐yr cicadas was followed from 1979 through 1996. Most mortality occurred during the first 2 yr; thereafter mortality was uncommon. Across 17 yr, adult densities increased at five out of seven sites, and in no case did the change exceed three times. Seventeen‐year adults had heavier ovaries than did 13‐yr adults; this effect was greater for Magicicada cassini (1.80 times) than for Magicicada decim (1.16 times). For M. cassini, the extra fecundity associated with 17‐yr development swa...
Ecological Limits and Fitness Consequences of Cross‐Gradient Pollen Movement in Lasthenia fremontii

Abstract: The interaction between gene flow and environmental heterogeneity plays a key role in shaping the distribution patterns that we observe in natural populations. Although a growing body of theoretical work is exploring the effects of gene flow on the evolution of range limits and ecological specialization, explicit empirical tests of model assumptions and predictions in natural populations are almost entirely lacking. This study examines the potential for center‐to‐edge gene flow to occur and estimates the fitness consequences of cross‐gradient gene flow in an annual plant species restricted to California vernal pool wetlands. Phenological differences and highly focused foraging patterns of pollinators reduce the potential for center‐to‐edge gene flow across populations within pools. Furthermore, controlled crosses simulating different patterns of gene flow across the environmental gradient reveal that center‐to‐edge gene flow does not reduce plant fitness at the edge but instead yields an increas...
The Organization of Spatial Abilities in Older Men and Women

The objective of this study was to test the cognitive identity of older male and female populations with reference to raw score, component structure, and component score measures of spatial and verbal performance. One hundred women (average age, 70.2) and 96 men (average age, 69.0) were administered three verbal and six nonverbal congnitive subtests. The equivalence of four-factor principal component analyses of the male and female correlation matrices, corrected for restriction of range, were tested with the multiple group method of factor analysis. High coefficients of congruence for the three spatial and single verbal factors argue strongly for similar congnitive structures. Multivariate analysis of the factor scores, however, showed a significant mean difference between the older men and women. But when Joreskog's procedures are applied to test the equivalence of covariance structures, the best fit was obtained for a model involving equivalence of factor means, factor structure, factor coefficients and factor correlations.
Deforestation Trends in a Tropical Landscape and Implications for Endangered Large Mammals

Abstract: The remarkable large-mammal fauna of the Indonesian island of Sumatra is one of the most endangered on Earth and is threatened by rampant deforestation. We used remote sensing and biological surveys to study the effects of deforestation on populations of endangered large mammals in a Sumatran landscape. We measured forest loss and created a predictive model of deforestation for Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park and an unprotected buffer area based on satellite images between 1985 and 1999. We used automatic cameras to determine the distribution and relative abundance of tigers ( Panthera tigris sumatrae ), elephants ( Elephas maximus ), rhinoceros ( Dicerorhinus sumatrensis ), and tapirs ( Tapir indicus ). Between 1985 and 1999, forest loss within the park averaged 2% per year. A total of 661 km 2 of forest disappeared inside the park, and 318 km 2 were lost in a 10-km buffer, eliminating forest outside the park. Lowland forest disappeared faster than hill/montane forest ( by a factor of 6 ) and forests on gentle slopes disappeared faster than forests on steep slopes ( by a factor of 16 ). Most forest conversion resulted from agricultural development, leading to predictions that by 2010 70% of the park will be in agriculture and that by 2036 lowland forest habitat will be eliminated. Camera-trap data indicated avoidance of forest boundaries by tigers, rhinoceroses ( up to 2 km ), and elephants ( up to 3 km ). Classification of forest into core and peripheral forest based on mammal distribution suggests that, by 2010, core forest area for tigers and rhinoceros will be fragmented and reduced to 20% of remaining forest. Core forest area for elephants will be reduced to 0.5% of remaining forest. Halting forest loss has proven one of the most difficult and complex problems faced by Indonesia's conservation agencies today and will require a mix of enforcement, wise land-use strategies, increased education, capacity to manage, and new financing mechanisms.
Issues in clinical trial design II Selection of end point measures

The Workshop Breakout Session on Selection of End Point Measures in ALS clinical trials at the Advances in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis colloquium discussed several areas of clinical trial methodology that required further evaluation and development. It was clear that choosing among drugs in the treatment of ALS will be difficult because drug efficacy has been based on different end point measures in different trials. To date, the large clinical or pivotal trials have been sponsored by pharmaceutical companies, with the primary and secondary end point measures evaluated in phase IIB clinical trials and selected with the help of consulting neurologists. The World Federation of Neurology (WFN) Research Group on Neuromuscular Diseases Subcommittee on Motor Neuron Diseases, as a neutral body, has been active in sponsoring workshops addressing concerns affecting entry into drug trials and selection of clinical trial end point measures. The initial workshop on "The Clinical Limits of ALS" at El Escorial European Conference Center near Madrid, Spain, proposed a set of diagnostic criteria, critically reviewed at the 1990 International Congress on Neuromuscular Diseases in Munich, Germany, that could be used at the entry point for clinical trials in multiple settings. The El Escorial WFN criteria for the diagnosis of ALS establish different levels of certainty for the diagnosis of ALS as a function of the diagnostic testing available. [1] At the Orlando meeting, there was a strong consensus that it would be desirable to test drugs at the earliest stage of ALS, and that this is a challenge with the current use of "probable" and "definite" diagnostic levels of certainty used in clinical trials. It was pointed out that the El Escorial criteria allow for increasing the level of certainty by using diagnostic tests such as EMG and neuroimaging. The results of large trials suggest that few patients …
Ultrafast Dynamics of Coulomb Correlation Effects in Non-Equilibrium Fermi Seas

By spectrally resolving the transient four-wave mixing (FWM) signal and the differential transmission signal arising from electron-hole pairs optically excited into the continuum of a GaAs/AlGaAs quantum well structure, we directly measure the dynamics of the quantum coherence among such interacting carriers. We observe a dynamic blue-shift of the coherent FWM emission spectrum with respect to the excitation laser pulse. We interpret our results in terms of dynamic Coulomb correlation effects arising in non-equilibrium degenerate electron-hole systems.
Multi-scale mechanics from molecules to morphogenesis

Dynamic mechanical processes shape the embryo and organs during development. Little is understood about the basic physics of these processes, what forces are generated, or how tissues resist or guide those forces during morphogenesis. This review offers an outline of some of the basic principles of biomechanics, provides working examples of biomechanical analyses of developing embryos, and reviews the role of structural proteins in establishing and maintaining the mechanical properties of embryonic tissues. Drawing on examples we highlight the importance of investigating mechanics at multiple scales from milliseconds to hours and from individual molecules to whole embryos. Lastly, we pose a series of questions that will need to be addressed if we are to understand the larger integration of molecular and physical mechanical processes during morphogenesis and organogenesis.
Activation of central angiotensin type 2 receptors suppresses norepinephrine excretion and blood pressure in conscious rats.

BACKGROUND We have previously documented the finding that central angiotensin type 2 receptors (AT2R) negatively modulate sympathetic outflow and arterial blood pressure (BP). In this study, we investigated the effects of intracerebroventricular (icv) infusion of Compound 21 (C21), the first selective nonpeptide AT2R agonist, on norepinephrine (NE) excretion and BP in rats. METHODS C21 was infused icv for 7 days, using a micro-osmotic pump. Urinary NE concentration was measured using the NE enzyme immunoassay kit. BP was recorded by radiotelemetry. After 7 days, the rats were killed and three relevant samples from sympathetic brain regions and the cerebral cortex were obtained by micro-punching to measure neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) protein expression by western blot. In addition, the influence of C21 on neuronal potassium current (I(Kv)) was determined by whole-cell patch-clamp in a neuron cell line, CATH.a. RESULTS (i) Icv treatment with C21 significantly decreased both the concentration and the amount of NE in night time urine, but had no effect on daytime urine. (ii) C21-treated rats exhibited a slight but significant decrease in BP. (iii) The effects of C21 on NE excretion and BP were abolished by use of the AT2R antagonist, PD123319, and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor, N-omega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME). (iv) C21 treatment significantly upregulated nNOS expression in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) and rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM), but not in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) and cerebral cortex. (v) In CATH.a neurons, C21 treatment significantly increased I(Kv), and this increase was completely abolished by PD123319 and L-NAME. CONCLUSIONS These results demonstrate a central inhibitory influence of C21 on sympathetic outflow by means of a nNOS-dependent mechanism that might be mediated by facilitating the neuronal potassium channel.
Influence of Acidic and Alkaline Waste Solution Properties on Uranium Migration in Subsurface Sediments

This study shows that acidic and alkaline wastes co-disposed with uranium into subsurface sediments have significant impact on changes in uranium retardation, concentration, and mass during downward migration. For uranium co-disposal with acidic wastes, significant rapid (i.e., hours) carbonate and slow (i.e., 100 s of hours) clay dissolution resulted, releasing significant sediment-associated uranium, but the extent of uranium release and mobility change was controlled by the acid mass added relative to the sediment proton adsorption capacity. Mineral dissolution in acidic solutions (pH2) resulted in a rapid (<10 h) increase in aqueous carbonate (with Ca(2+), Mg(2+)) and phosphate and a slow (100 s of hours) increase in silica, Al(3+), and K(+), likely from 2:1 clay dissolution. Infiltration of uranium with a strong acid resulted in significant shallow uranium mineral dissolution and deeper uranium precipitation (likely as phosphates and carbonates) with downward uranium migration of three times greater mass at a faster velocity relative to uranium infiltration in pH neutral groundwater. In contrast, mineral dissolution in an alkaline environment (pH13) resulted in a rapid (<10h) increase in carbonate, followed by a slow (10 s to 100 s of hours) increase in silica concentration, likely from montmorillonite, muscovite, and kaolinite dissolution. Infiltration of uranium with a strong base resulted in not only uranium-silicate precipitation (presumed Na-boltwoodite) but also desorption of natural uranium on the sediment due to the high ionic strength solution, or 60% greater mass with greater retardation compared with groundwater. Overall, these results show that acidic or alkaline co-contaminant disposal with uranium can result in complex depth- and time-dependent changes in uranium dissolution/precipitation reactions and uranium sorption, which alter the uranium migration mass, concentration, and velocity.
Chemosis from trauma.

Author(s): Minckler, Michael Robert; Newell, Cameron; Drummond, Brian | Abstract: [West J Emerg Med. 2014;15(4):357–358.]
Consumer decision-making styles and mall shopping behavior: Building theory using exploratory data analysis and the comparative method

Abstract This article assesses how consumers' decision-making styles relate to their shopping mall behavior and their global evaluations of shopping malls. Based on exploratory data analysis including the use of the comparative method, the article provides a theoretical model of antecedents and consequences of consumer-decision making styles. Data for this report come from personal face-to-face mall intercepts of shoppers ( n =527) in two super-regional (West Edmonton Mall and Mall of America in Bloomington) and two regional (Pier 39 in San Francisco and Forum Shops in Las Vegas) malls. The EDA results support a complex view of the antecedents and consequences of consumer decision-making styles. The article concludes with specific suggestions for extending psychological theory of shopping behavior and advancing strategic mall-retailing strategies.
Hormonal responses to fasting and refeeding in chronic renal failure patients.

To study anorexia in chronic renal failure (CRF) patients, we measured appetite-related hormones in seven CRF patients and four controls. Plasma concentrations and fractional changes from baseline ...
WWW Search tools in reference services

Abstract An introduction to World Wide Web Search tools for reference services, including robot-generated services, review/rating services, metasearch engines, and subject directories.
Solution of the problem of a crack in a finite plane region using an indirect boundary-integral method

Abstract In a previous paper [1], an indirect boundary-integral approach was developed for the treatment of a finite, plane, linear-elastic region weakened by a hole of arbitary shape. It was suggested there that this method would yield excellent results on and near the hole boundary. In this presentation, the method is applied to the problem of a finite, plane, linear-elastic region containing a sharp crack. Numerical results are obtained for a simple geometry and the crack-opening-displacement and crack tip stresses are compared to the known solution. It is shown that the boundary-integral solution is quite accurate.
Determination of X6 valley hot electron dynamics and the intervalley X6 → Γ6 scattering time in GaAs

Abstract The time-resolved infrared absorption in a GaAs crystal was measured by picosecond visible-pump and infrared-probe absorption spectroscopy. The dynamics of hot electrons in the X6 valley subsequent to the excitation was obtained. From the time evolution of the population of the X6 electrons, the intervalley X6 → Γ6 scattering time was determined to be ≈ 500 fs by a rate equation analysis.
Detachment spectroscopy of metastable excitations in helium nanodroplets

Metastable states of helium nanodroplets in a beam are produced by electron impact and after several milliseconds are probed by a transverse light beam. Absorption of infrared photons by the excited droplets leads to the release of metastable triplet He*2 molecules. These are subsequently detected when they eject electrons upon reaching a surface. By this method we can study the rotational structure of the absorption lines and infer the rotational state distribution of the molecules while in contact with the clusters. The results are rather surprising, and suggest that only the high J states and the J = 1 state of the molecule are populated.
The substituted alkyne 3-heptyne is eclipsed.

bond theory which formulates hyperconjugation differently, concludes that steric effects make the dominant contribution to the barrier in ethane and hyperconjugation interactions contribute about one-third of the barrier height. The controversy remains. A distinguishing feature of the hyperconjugation and steric models is that hyperconjugation is sensitive to both separation and orientation of the interacting orbitals but steric interactions are sensitive only to separation. Butane is an analogue of ethane existing in anti and gauche conformations 1 consistent with the staggered conformation of ethane. In a previous study, we separated the two ethyl groups of butane by -CtC- (3-hexyne, CH3sCH2sCtCsCH2sCH3, or diethyl acetylene) and found that the compound has an eclipsed, C2V structure. The ethyl groups in 3-hexyne have been separated by an additional 2.65 A compared to butane, beyond the sums of the van der Waals radii between the atoms of the ethyl groups, and they take up an eclipsed configuration. Extensive ab initio calculations 9 support that model. In the elongated form of butane, which is 3-hexyne, any conformational control by hyperconjugation has disappeared. The steric/exchange repulsion from the close proximity of the ethyl groups in butane has also disappeared and been replaced by weak dispersion attraction. In this study, we present another test of the results described for butane (anti and gauche staggered conformations) elongated to 3-hexyne (syn-eclipsed conformation). Pentane contains two central CsC bonds with anti (A) or gauche (G) configurations including AA, AG, GGtrans, and GGcis staggered conformations. We propose separating the ethyl and propyl groups which make up pentane by -CtC- to form 3-heptyne (CH3sCH2s CtCsCH2sCH2sCH3 or ethyl propyl acetylene) (see Figure 1). In this compound, the tCsCsCsC dihedral angle is expected to exist in anti and gauche configurations. Determination of the structure of 3-heptyne will test whether the syneclipsed result in 3-hexyne is a general one (anti propyl form), and it will examine a new example when the opposing groups are asymmetrical (gauche propyl form). The triple bond in acetylene is cylindrically symmetrical and thus has no barrier to internal rotation. Groups bonded to each end of the triple bond change that slightly. The few acetylenes
Multiphoton gradient index endoscopy for evaluation of diseased human prostatic tissue ex vivo

Multiphoton microscopy can instantly visualize cellular details in unstained tissues. Multiphoton probes with clinical potential have been developed. This study evaluates the suitability of multiphoton gradient index (GRIN) endoscopy as a diagnostic tool for prostatic tissue. A portable and compact multiphoton endoscope based on a 1-mm diameter, 8-cm length GRIN lens system probe was used. Fresh ex vivo samples were obtained from 14 radical prostatectomy patients and benign and malignant areas were imaged and correlated with subsequent H&E sections. Multiphoton GRIN endoscopy images of unfixed and unprocessed prostate tissue at a subcellular resolution are presented. We note several differences and identifying features of benign versus low-grade versus high-grade tumors and are able to identify periprostatic tissues such as adipocytes, periprostatic nerves, and blood vessels. Multiphoton GRIN endoscopy can be used to identify both benign and malignant lesions in ex vivo human prostate tissue and may be a valuable diagnostic tool for real-time visualization of suspicious areas of the prostate.
Globalization and Shifting Economic Centers of Gravity

Changes in the political economy of countries in several parts of the world changed its economic balance, where traditional economic centers lost their relative significance and emerging countries gained. This study identifies and tracts the changes in economic centers of gravity for each country and regional economic bloc, and the whole world for the period of 1970 to 2009. It uses a different methodology and significantly higher number of locations, resulting in more reasonable centers than the previous research. The results demonstrate the increasing significance of Asian economies and illustrate the changes in the soft economic power across regions and the world, in countries’ ability to increase their multinationals’ market access, influence international policies, and be an attraction for skilled immigrants. Further, results can be used by multinationals for their location decisions. Results also suggest that the economic centers of gravity for countries in an economic bloc are moving toward the regional centers for that bloc. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A quantification of robustness

Abstract Robustness is an important construct in domains as diverse as evolutionary biology, structural engineering, and decision-making. Unfortunately, in many domains, most relevantly cognitive science, considerations of robustness end with vague semantic references. Little attention is paid to formal analysis. The aim of this paper is to initiate a discussion in the scientific community regarding methods for quantifying and analyzing robustness. To this end, we propose a means for assessing robustness that may supplant the current ambiguous use of the term. We demonstrate our quantitative approach using examples of heuristic-based decision processes, selected due to their explicit association with robustness in the psychological literature. These examples serve to illustrate basic properties of our general methodology for quantifying robustness.
Pseudohyphal forms of Cryptococcus neoformans: Decreased survival in vivo

Three pseudohyphal isolates of Cryptococcus neoformans were inoculated intracranially into mice. Four weeks post-inoculation the animals showed no symptoms of disease and the number of viable cells per brain decreased to zero. Possible roles of pseudohyphal forms of C. neoformans in the immunology and pathogenesis of cryptococcosis are discussed.
1H NMR studies of transfer RNA III: the observed and the computed spectra of the hydrogen-bonded NH resonances of baker's yeast transfer-RNAPhe1

The hydrogen-bonded NH resonances of Baker's yeast tRNAphe in H2O solution with Mg++ have been measured by a 360 MHz spectrometer at 23 degrees C. Totally, fifteen peaks and one shoulder can be resolved which represent 25 +/- 1 protons. Based on the refined atomic coordinates of the tRNAphe in the orthorhombic crystal, on the recent advances in the distance dependence of the ring-current magnetic field effects and on the adopted values for the isolated hydrogen-bonded NH resonances, a computed spectrum consisting of 23 protons was constructed. A quantitative comparison by computer was made between the computed spectrum and the spectrum simulated from the observed spectrum. These two spectra are closely similar but not identical. We suggest that the conformation of yeast tRNAphe in aqueous solution is closely similar but not identical to that found in the crystal, especially in the T psi C region and D region. Also the NH resonances in 3-4 proposed hydrogen bonds (most likely for tertiary structure) may exchange very rapidly in aqueous solution.
The hemodynamic effects of intrathecal oxytocin in normal dogs.

Objective— To evaluate the hemodynamic effects produced by intrathecal administration of oxytocin in healthy isoflurane-anesthetized dogs. Study Design— Prospective single-dose trial. Animal Population— Six healthy purpose-bred adult dogs weighing between 7.3 and 14.5 kg. Methods— Dogs were anesthetized with isoflurane and instrumented. Oxytocin at a dosage of 1.6 μg/kg was administered intrathecally at the cisternal space at time 0. Hemodynamic data were recorded immediately before and at 1, 5, 15, 30, and 60 minutes after oxytocin administration. Statistical analysis included an analysis of variance (ANOVA) for repeated measures over time. A P < .05 was considered significant. Results— Baseline values ± standard error of the mean for heart rate, mean arterial pressure, central venous pressure, cardiac output, systemic vascular resistance, mean pulmonary arterial pressure, pulmonary arterial occlusion pressure, and pulmonary vascular resistance were 101 ± 11 beats/minute, 76 ± 7 mm Hg, 4 ± 4 mm Hg, 1.9 ± 0.7 L/min, 3834 ± 2556 dynes.sec/cm5, 14 ± 3 mm Hg, 4 ± 2 mm Hg, and 430 ± 201 dynes.sec/cm5, respectively. Variations from the baseline values were seen in all parameters after intrathecal oxytocin administration, but no statistically significant differences were found. Conclusion— The intrathecal injection of 1.6 μg/kg of oxytocin is associated with minimal hemodynamic effects during isoflurane anesthesia. Clinical Relevance— This study revealed no clinically significant deleterious effects from the intrathecal administration of oxytocin, and investigations into its use as a perioperative analgesic are therefore warranted.
Role of chromodomain helicase DNA-binding protein 2 in DNA damage response signaling and tumorigenesis.

The chromodomain helicase DNA-binding proteins (CHDs) are known to affect transcription through their ability to remodel chromatin and modulate histone deacetylation. In an effort to understand the functional role of the CHD2 in mammals, we have generated a Chd2 mutant mouse model. Remarkably, the Chd2 protein appears to play a critical role in the development, hematopoiesis and tumor suppression. The Chd2 heterozygous mutant mice exhibit increased extramedullary hematopoiesis and susceptibility to lymphomas. At the cellular level, Chd2 mutants are defective in hematopoietic stem cell differentiation, accumulate higher levels of the chromatin-associated DNA damage response mediator, γH2AX, and exhibit an aberrant DNA damage response after X-ray irradiation. Our data suggest a direct role for the chromatin remodeling protein in DNA damage signaling and genome stability maintenance.
Relationship of Selected Quality Characteristics and the Cholesterol and Sodium Content of Turkey

Turkey breast roasts (pectoralis major muscles) were heated in three oven types to one of two internal endpoint temperatures. The relationship of cook time and rate, cook losses, proximate analysis, fat content of the cook drip, and percent cholesterol in the cook drip with the cholesterol and sodium content of the tissue was studied. On a wet-weight basis, the cholesterol content of the cooked turkey was not significantly correlated to either the fat content or the moisture content. Drip loss and total cook loss were positively correlated with cholesterol content. On a dry-weight basis, sodium content was significantly correlated with evaporative loss and total cooking loss.
Hardware hooks for transition scan characterization

Comprehensive transition scan content was deployed on an Intel® Itanium® server microprocessor design, including full coverage patterns for all core logic blocks. Since this was the first time at-speed scan patterns were being planned as a manufacturing screen on an Intel® CPU core design, the test deployment team needed to ensure that all concerns of over-and under-testing were systematically addressed. A few innovative and novel DFT solutions were deployed to ensure that the post-silicon team had the adequate tools to fully analyze the at-speed scan content. This paper describes these DFT solutions that proved invaluable during this process.
Stably computable predicates are semilinear

We consider the model of population protocols introduced by Angluin et al. [2], in which anonymous finite-state agents stably compute a predicate of their inputs via two-way interactions in the all-pairs family of communication networks. We prove that all predicates stably computable in this model (and certain generalizations of it) are semilinear, answering a central open question about the power of the model.
Accelerated hydrolysis of industrial organophosphates in water and soil using sodium perborate

Abstract Accelerated alkaline hydrolysis of organophosphates (OP) in sodium perborate (NaBO 3 ) solutions has been previously demonstrated with OP pesticides and OP warfare agents. The feasibility of an aqueous decontamination and an ex situ soil washing technique utilizing this reaction for the hydrolysis of isomers of tricresylphosphate (TCP), triphenylphosphate (TPP), and other industrial OPs was investigated. The hydrolysis half-lives ( t 1/2 ) of these compounds were studied in aqueous NaBO 3 solutions and in laboratory-scale slurries of OP spiked soil and water. Hydrolysis rates of the aryl OPs and of a trialkylthiophosphate (DEF) were enhanced 10–100 × over basic hydrolysis. These compounds demonstrated t 1/2 s in NaBO 3 solutions in the range of 4–90 min. Alkyl OPs, with the exception of DEF, were not hydrolyzed appreciably either in the presence of NaBO 3 or under basic conditions. Hydrolysis of aryl OPs in soil slurries was considerably slower. Data from 17-day degradation studies best fit a non-linear two parameter function developed to describe desorption kinetic studies. Addition of the surfactant Triton X-100 did not enhance degradation rates in the slurry. This reaction may be useful for direct detoxification of OP aqueous wastes, and has the potential for remediation of soil-bound OP contamination.
Photoisomerization of the C15-aldehyde and the C18-ketone in the vitamin a series. Solvent effect on photoisomerization of compounds related to retinal☆

The directions of photoisomerization of polyenals and polyenones are believed to be controlled by the relative ordering of the n,π* and π, πa* states.
Efficacy of native vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi after severe soil disturbance

SUMMARY Field and greenhouse experiments were conducted to determine whether the VA mycorrhizal fungi present on a site before surface coal mining could form effective mycorrhizas in the disturbed soil on the site after mining. The disturbed soil had different physical, chemical and morphological characteristics than the soil on the site prior to perturbation. Artemisia tridentata subsp. Wyomingensis Beetle and Young (Wyoming big sagebrush), inoculated or not with VA mycorrhizal fungi, was planted on the field site both as seed and as container-grown seedlings. The native VA mycorrhizal endophytes produced only limited amounts of mycorrhizal infection in the disturbed soil (approximately 20% of total root length) and after 2 years were found to have no significant effect on the establishment, growth or survival of sagebrush plants. In the greenhouse study, mycorrhiza development and efficacy was compared in native sagebrush-grassland soil and disturbed soil from the reclamation site with identical concentrations of mycorrhizal inoculum (19 propagules g−1). Mycorrhiza development in native soil greatly exceeded that in disturbed soil after 45 d growth (50 vs. 10% of total root length). Also, native mycorrhizal fungi effected significant increases in biomass production (+ 70%) and tissue phosphorus content (+ 70%) in sagebrush-grassland soil but not in reclamation soil. The ecological implications of these results are discussed.
What a Parent Brings to the Table: Young Children Writing with and without Parental Assistance

Twenty children aged 5 and 6 years were observed attempting to write a letter alone and with their mothers' assistance. Children produced more sophisticated products with adult mediation, using conventional spelling, writing longer messages, and using more mechanical details such as punctuation and salutations. Children's self-talk about the meaning of the message was associated with higher product quality in the solo task. Interactive talk about conventions (spelling, page placement, etc.) was associated with dyadic product quality. Children's rank order for message length and conventional details was maintained across tasks. Evidence of maternal fine-tuning of scaffolding behaviors in response to the child's independent level of print performance was revealed in a qualitative analysis of dyadic interaction. Most mothers appeared to have a sense of the developmental progression of writing skills.
One-Bit Distributed Sensing and Coding for Field Estimation in Sensor Networks

This paper formulates and studies a general distributed field reconstruction problem using a dense network of noisy one-bit randomized scalar quantizers in the presence of additive observation noise of unknown distribution. A constructive quantization, coding, and field reconstruction scheme is developed and an upper-bound to the associated mean squared error (MSE) at any point and any snapshot is derived in terms of the local spatio-temporal smoothness properties of the underlying field. It is shown that when the noise, sensor placement pattern, and the sensor schedule satisfy certain weak technical requirements, it is possible to drive the MSE to zero with increasing sensor density at points of field continuity while ensuring that the per-sensor bit rate and sensing-related network overhead rate simultaneously go to zero. A general condition for the optimization of the rate of decay of the MSE upper-bound with sensor density is derived. Specific MSE versus sensor density decay rates are illustrated for the constant and Lipschitz-1 fields with the former attaining order-optimal scaling behavior.
Extracorporeal Circulation: A Device for the Quantitative Study of Thrombus Formation in Flowing Blood

A standardized extracorporeal shunt system has been described. It allows examination of the sequence of events in thrombus formation and it provides a means of quantitating it in flowing blood. It further allows assessment to be made of the usefulness of classical in vitro clotting tests in thrombogenesis. The platelet adhesive index and clotting time in silicone showed the best correlation with the amount of thrombus formed. Pig serum presumably rich in serum thrombotic accelerator (STA) has been shown to enhance thrombus formation from flowing blood. Within the limits of these experiments, the rate of blood flow has been found to be of little importance.
Women's Underrepresentation and Electoral Systems

Women's parliamentary representation in the 27 long-established but “unfinished democracies” (Haavio-Mannila et al. 1985) of the world varies between 2.3% in Japan's lower house to 39.0% in unicameral Finland. Women state legislators in the United States range from 4% in Kentucky to 39% in Washington in the lower house. Women are 11% of the members of the U.S. House of Representatives. The causes of this variation are primarily the electoral arrangements by which legislators are chosen and, secondarily, the political, economic, and social context.Favorable societal conditions will not substitute for unfavorable electoral systems for women to reach their optimal representation in parliament and local legislatures. But unfavorable contextual conditions—including cultural biases and discriminatory practices—can be overcome to a great extent by alternate electoral systems. Electoral arrangements are not neutral; they are the means used to exclude or include groups. The arrangements are amenable to change faster than social biases and other barriers to women's election opportunity and fair representation.Democracy falls short when women of whatever color or ethnic group cannot cast an effective vote to elect representatives of their choice or to enact laws they believe are critically needed. When there are higher proportions of women in parliament, for example, more laws are enacted that benefit children (Lijphart 1991).