cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Terror from the Right:: Revolutionary Terrorism and the Failure of the Weimar Republic

The First World War damaged the European psyche, and physically and mentally maimed a whole generation of European men fortunate enough to survive the maelstrom. Nowhere was this more apparent than in post-war and Weimar Germany. For some young German veterans, the war never ended; they simply brought it home to continue the fight in the chaotic streets of the new republic. They revelled in the experience of violence, which they directed against their enemies, real and imagined. Between 1919 and 1923, dozens of loosely-organized groups embarked on a campaign of revolutionary terrorism designed to spark a civil war and unite the disparate elements of the German Right behind the goal of creating an authoritarian state. After the failure of the Hitler Putsch in November 1923, the extreme Right altered its tactics and developed sophisticated political organizations capable of competing for influence in the government it once worked to destroy. While the Weimar Republic weathered multiple attempts to bring it down through violence, it was overcome by a combination of internal events and the misguided attempt by the mainstream conservatives to co-opt the Nazis. Assassinations and other terrorist acts alone did not destroy the Weimar Republic, but those responsible for such acts conducted a protracted, multi-faceted, effort to undermine its legitimacy. The extreme Right's early campaign of violence destabilized the Weimar government and both intimidated and enthralled the German people. The Nazis deployed revolutionary terrorism in their political struggle and delivered the death blow to the Weimar Republic.
Caterpillar-induced nocturnal plant volatiles repel conspecific females

Plants respond to insect herbivory by synthesizing and releasing complex blends of volatile compounds, which provide important host-location cues for insects that are natural enemies of herbivores1,2,3. The effects of these volatile blends on herbivore behaviour have been investigated to only a limited extent4,5, in part because of the assumption that herbivore-induced volatile emissions occur mainly during the light phase of the photoperiod6,7. Because many moths—whose larvae are some of the most important insect herbivores—are nocturnal, herbivore-induced plant volatiles have not hitherto been considered to be temporally available as host-location cues for ovipositing females. Here we present chemical and behavioural assays showing that tobacco plants (Nicotiana tabacum) release herbivore-induced volatiles during both night and day. Moreover, several volatile compounds are released exclusively at night and are highly repellent to female moths (Heliothis virescens). The demonstration that tobacco plants release temporally different volatile blends and that lepidopteran herbivores use induced plant signals released during the dark phase to choose sites for oviposition adds a new dimension to our understanding of the role of chemical cues in mediating tritrophic interactions.
mRNA stability plays a major role in regulating the temperature-specific expression of a Tetrahymena thermophila surface protein.

Synthesis of the serotype H3 (SerH3) surface antigen is temperature dependent and responds within 1 h to a change in incubation conditions (G.A. Bannon, R. Perkins-Dameron, and A. Allen-Nash, Mol. Cell. Biol. 6:3240-3245, 1986). Recently, a Tetrahymena thermophila cDNA clone (pC6; D.W. Martindale and P.J. Bruns, Mol. Cell. Biol. 3:1857-1865, 1983) has been shown to be homologous to a portion of the SerH3 mRNA (F.P. Doerder and R.L. Hallberg, personal communication), and it was shown that the cellular levels of this RNA rapidly decreased when cells were shifted from 30 to 41 degrees C (R.L. Hallberg, K.W. Kraus, and R.C. Findly, Mol. Cell. Biol. 4:2170-2179, 1984). These observations indicate that synthesis of the SerH3 protein is highly regulated in response to temperature and led us to initiate studies to determine the mechanism(s) by which SerH3 gene expression is controlled. Using pC6 as a hybridization probe for the SerH3 mRNA, we have determined that (i) the level of SerH3 protein synthesis is directly correlated with the amount of SerH3 message available for translation; (ii) there is, at most, a twofold difference between the relative transcription rates of SerH3 genes at 30 and 40 degrees C; (iii) the SerH3 mRNA half-life in cells incubated at 30 degrees C is greater than 1 h, whereas the half-life in cells incubated at 40 degrees C is only approximately 3 min. These results demonstrate that Tetrahymena SerH3 surface protein expression is regulated by mRNA abundance. Furthermore, the major mechanism controlling mRNA abundance is a dramatic temperature-dependent change in SerH3 mRNA stability.
Structural basis for recognition and repair of the endogenous mutagen 8-oxoguanine in DNA

Spontaneous oxidation of guanine residues in DNA generates 8-oxoguanine (oxoG). By mispairing with adenine during replication, oxoG gives rise to a G x C --> T x A transversion, a frequent somatic mutation in human cancers. The dedicated repair pathway for oxoG centres on 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase (hOGG1), an enzyme that recognizes oxoG x C base pairs, catalysing expulsion of the oxoG and cleavage of the DNA backbone. Here we report the X-ray structure of the catalytic core of hOGG1 bound to oxoG x C-containing DNA at 2.1 A resolution. The structure reveals the mechanistic basis for the recognition and catalytic excision of DNA damage by hOGG1 and by other members of the enzyme superfamily to which it belongs. The structure also provides a rationale for the biochemical effects of inactivating mutations and polymorphisms in hOGG1. One known mutation, R154H, converts hOGG1 to a promutator by relaxing the specificity of the enzyme for the base opposite oxoG.
1‐Pyrrolidino‐1‐cyclohexene

(1; R = 1-pyrrolidino) [1125-99-1] C10H17N (MW 151.28) InChI = 1S/C10H17N/c1-2-6-10(7-3-1)11-8-4-5-9-11/h6H,1-5,7-9H2 InChIKey = KTZNVZJECQAMBV-UHFFFAOYSA-N (2; R = 4-morpholino) [670-80-4] C10H17NO (MW 167.28) InChI = 1S/C10H17NO/c1-2-4-10(5-3-1)11-6-8-12-9-7-11/h4H,1-3,5-9H2 InChIKey = IIQFBBQJYPGOHJ-UHFFFAOYSA-N (3; R = 1-piperidino) [2981-10-4] C11H19N (MW 165.31) InChI = 1S/C11H19N/c1-3-7-11(8-4-1)12-9-5-2-6-10-12/h7H,1-6,8-10H2 InChIKey = KPVMGWQGPJULFL-UHFFFAOYSA-N (4; R = 1-perhydroazepino) [23430-63-9] C12H21N (MW 179.34) InChI = 1S/C12H21N/c1-2-7-11-13(10-6-1)12-8-4-3-5-9-12/h8H,1-7,9-11H2 InChIKey = YGJSWQVRNFTZMC-UHFFFAOYSA-N (5; R = Me2N) [13815-46-8] C8H15N (MW 125.24) InChI = 1S/C8H15N/c1-9(2)8-6-4-3-5-7-8/h6H,3-5,7H2,1-2H3 InChIKey = YQMFWWIHWNGOEK-UHFFFAOYSA-N (both the enamine nitrogen and its β-carbon atom are nucleophilic, undergoing substitution or conjugate addition;1 can take part in 1,2- or 1,4-cycloadditions;1 iminium salts act as electrophiles1, 2) Physical Data: (1) bp 114–115 °C/15 mmHg; nD20 1.5217; IR (CC) 1638 cm−1. (2) bp 118–120 °C/10 mmHg; nD20 1.5146; IR (CC) 1641 cm−1. (3) bp 108–109 °C/12 mmHg; nD20 1.5144; IR (CC) 1637 cm−1. (4) bp 122–126 °C/8 mmHg; nD20 1.5251; IR (CC) 1632 cm−1. (5) bp 171–172 °C; nD20 1.4747. Preparative Methods: the most commonly used method of preparation for these enamines is the acid-catalyzed condensation of a secondary amine with cyclohexanone.3 An example is the reaction of Pyrrolidine with cyclohexanone (eq 1).3a The use of a preformed Titanium(IV) Chloride–amine complex with cyclohexanone greatly decreases the reaction time while maintaining high yields.4 (1) This technique is also is effective with functionalized cyclohexanones.5 When unsymmetrical tin(II) amides are allowed to react with cyclohexanone, good yields of enamines result.6, 7 Handling, Storage, and Precautions: readily reacts with water or atmospheric oxygen; should be stored under dry nitrogen.
Operation of parallel rail-gap switches in a high-current, low-inductance crowbar switch

The Field-Reversed Configuration Heating Experiment (FRCHX) was designed to form closed-field-line magnetized target plasmas for magneto-inertial fusion and other high energy density plasma research. These plasmas are in a field-reversed configuration (FRC) and are formed via a reversed-field theta pinch on an already-magnetized background plasma. To extend the duration and uniformity of the pinch, the capacitor bank driving the reversed-field discharge is crowbarred near the current peak. Four parallel rail-gap switches are used on FRCHX for this application to ensure a low-inductance crowbar discharge path and to accommodate the large magnitude of the discharge current (often greater than 1 MA). Parallel operation of spark gap switches in a crowbarring arrangement, however, has often proved to be difficult due to the very low voltage present on the bank and across the switches at the time of peak current [1]. This paper reports on the successful efforts made to develop a low-inductance crowbar switch for FRCHX and to ultimately enable successful triggering and operation of the four parallel rail-gap switches used in the crowbar. The design of the parallel switch assembly is presented first, followed by a description of the triggering scheme employed to ensure conduction of all four switches.
Does Occupational Training by the Trade Adjustment Assistance Program Really Help Reemployment?: Success Measured as Matching

The Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) Program is a dislocated worker program established by the U.S. Department of Labor to reduce the adjustment cost of workers displaced due to import competition. The program offers occupational skills training and reemployment services. This paper investigates the impacts of successful skill acquisition through occupational skills training on post-participation labor market outcomes such as wage replacement rates, post-participation earnings, and retention rates. I use matching between the occupations of training and entered employment as an indicator of successful skill acquisition through training. The data set used in this study is the Trade Act Participant Report (TAPR) and is acquired through the Freedom Of Information Act. The data set shows a 37.53% of matching rates among occupational skills trainees. Matching is important in improving wage replacement rates. Trainees with a match display wage replacement rates that are 2 to 3 percentage points higher than trainees without a match. Trainees without a match display lower wage replacement rates than non-trainees. This is potentially due to their more limited skill sets that led them into training enrollment in the first place. Successful skill acquisition – indicated by a match – more than compensates this disadvantage of trainees. Trainees with and without a match display the same post-participation earnings. The results from wage replacement rates and post-participation earnings together suggest that although the trainees with a match displayed lower earnings prior to participation given individual characteristics, successful skill acquisition through training put these two groups of trainees on par with each other. These results suggest that the occupational choices matter and the training provision of the TAA program can be more fruitful if more resources are allocated to thorough worker assessment/counseling and good usage of local labor market information.
The application of alternating current polarography in the determination of phenobarbital in dosage forms.

The technique of alternating current polarography has been applied to phenobarbital, using a relatively simple modification of the Sargent model XXI polarograph. Distinctive analytically useful waves were obtained in pH 8 borate buffer containing 1 M potassium nitrate. Phenobarbital was determined in both liquid and solid dosage forms with an accuracy of 2 per cent by dilution of the sample and subsequent comparison of the wave scanned in buffer to that of a standard. Results indicated that the barbiturate could be determined directly in the presence of a wide variety of drugs without the necessity for isolation from the dosage form.
Medullary pathways mediating specific sympathetic responses to activation of dorsomedial hypothalamus

We sought to determine which medullary sympathetic premotor neurons mediate the cardiovascular and thermogenic effects resulting from activation of neurons in the dorsomedial hypothalamus (DMH) in urethane/chloralose-anesthetized, artificially ventilated rats. Unilateral disinhibition of neurons in the DMH with microinjection of bicuculline (2 mM, 30 nl) caused significant increases in brown adipose tissue sympathetic nerve activity (BAT SNA, +828+/-169% of control, n=16), cardiac SNA (+516+/-82% of control, n=16), renal SNA (RSNA, +203+/-25% of control, n=28) and, accompanied by increases in BAT temperature (+1.6+/-0.3 degrees C, n=11), end-tidal CO(2) (+0.7+/-0.1%, n=15), heart rate (+113+/-7 beats/min, n=32), arterial pressure (+19+/-2 mm Hg, n=32) and plasma epinephrine and norepinephrine concentrations. Inhibition of neurons in the rostral raphe pallidus (RPa) with microinjection of muscimol (6 mM, 60 nl) abolished the increases in BAT SNA and BAT temperature and reduced the tachycardia induced by disinhibition of DMH neurons. Inhibition of neurons in the RVLM with microinjection of muscimol (6 mM, 60 nl) markedly reduced the increase in RSNA, but did not affect the evoked tachycardia or the increase in arterial pressure. Combined glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD-67) immunocytochemistry and pseudorabies viral retrograde tracing from BAT indicated close appositions between GABAergic terminals and DMH neurons in sympathetic pathways to BAT. In conclusion, these results demonstrate the existence of a tonically active, GABAergic inhibitory input to neurons in the DMH and that blockade of this inhibition increases sympathetic outflow to thermogenic and cardiovascular targets by activating functionally specific populations of sympathetic premotor neurons: the excitation of BAT SNA and BAT thermogenesis is mediated through putative sympathetic premotor neurons in the RPa, while the activation in RSNA is dependent on those in RVLM. These data increase our understanding of the central pathways mediating changes in sympathetically mediated thermogenesis that is activated in thermoregulation, stress responses and energy balance.
Individual differences in immediate serial recall: A matter of mnemonics?

Abstract Normal adults differ in a fairly general immediate serial recall ability which is commonly assessed on individual IQ tests. Two experiments tested the role of rehearsal, grouping, and chunking strategies in producing such individual differences. The general approach was to limit interindividual variation in the application of these mnemonics and observe the effects on individual differences in recall. This was accomplished by (1) presenting items too fast to allow variation in rehearsal strategy and (2) requiring all subjects to group and chunk items in the same way. Both manipulations affected average recall, but neither one affected the size or order of individual differences. It was concluded that immediate serial recall differences between normal adults are largely a consequence of something other than differences in rehearsal, grouping, or chunking strategies.
Two Ser/Thr protein kinases essential for efficient aggregation and spore morphogenesis in Myxococcus xanthus

Myxococcus xanthus has a complex life cycle that involves vegetative growth and development. Previously, we described the espAB locus that is involved in timing events during the initial stages of fruiting body formation. Deletion of espA caused early aggregation and sporulation, whereas deletion of espB caused delayed aggregation and sporulation resulting in reduced spore yields. In this study, we describe two genes, pktA5 and pktB8, that flank the espAB locus and encode Ser/Thr protein kinase (STPK) homologues. Cells deficient in pktA5 or pktB8 formed translucent mounds and produced low spore yields, similar in many respects to espB mutants. Double mutant analysis revealed that espA was epistatic to pktA5 and pktB8 with respect to aggregation and fruiting body morphology, but that pktA5 and pktB8 were epistatic to espA with respect to sporulation efficiency. Expression profiles of pktA5-lacZ and pktB8-lacZ fusions and Western blot analysis showed that the STPKs are expressed under vegetative and developmental conditions. In vitro kinase assays demonstrated that the RD kinase, PktA5, autophosphorylated on threonine residue(s) and phosphorylated the artificial substrate, myelin basic protein. In contrast, autophosphorylation of the non-RD kinase, PktB8, was not observed in vitro; however, the phenotype of a pktB8 kinase-dead point mutant resembled the pktB8 deletion mutant, indicating that this residue was important for function and that it likely functions as a kinase in vivo. Immunoprecipitation of Tap-tagged PktA5 and PktB8 revealed an interaction with EspA during development in M. xanthus. These results, taken together, suggest that PktA5 and PktB8 are STPKs that function during development by interacting with EspA and EspB to regulate M. xanthus development.
The Effect of Welfare Benefit Levels on Poverty Among Single-Parent Families

This study addresses the question of whether higher welfare guarantees (maximum benefit levels) perpetuate the poverty of poor families, or whether they enable poor families to climb out of poverty. To this end, I use event history analysis to examine whether the size of the AFDC guarantee (a policy variable) affects how quickly single-parent families escape poverty. I also explore whether the effect of the AFDC guarantee varies by the route out of poverty or by family characteristics. The results indicate that higher welfare guarantees hasten exits from poverty when welfare benefits are counted as part of family income. When welfare benefits are not counted as part of family income, higher guarantees have no effect on poverty exits for families headed by women who became single parents at age 20 or older, but they delay earnings-related poverty exits for teenage mothers.
Caregiver burden should be evaluated during geriatric assessment.

This study examines the relationship between caregiver burden and use of long-term care services following geriatric assessment. One hundred nine older subjects underwent comprehensive assessment, which included a questionnaire completed by the primary caregiver to assess the sense of burden in providing care. Logistic regression was used to identify independent predictors of service use at 12 months. Among measures of the older person's cognitive and physical abilities, only activities of daily living predicted increased use of services. When the measure of caregiver burden was added, it also entered as an independent predictor, which significantly improved the prediction of service use (chi 2 = 5.9, P less than .02). In a separate analysis, caregiver burden predicted both the use of home services and nursing-home placement. During longitudinal follow-up, the measure of burden decreased over 12 months for the sample, with the greatest reduction in burden occurring for caregivers whose relative was placed in a nursing home. The fact that caregiver burden was the most important factor in determining who would use formal services suggests that burden should be evaluated as part of geriatric assessment.
RNAi-based gene silencing in primary mouse and human adipose tissues

Cultured adipocyte cell lines are a model system widely used to study adipose function, but they exhibit significant physiological differences compared with primary cells from adipose tissue. Here we report short interfering RNA-based methodology to selectively attenuate gene expression in mouse and human primary adipose tissues as a means of rapidly validating findings made in cultured adipocyte cell lines. The method is exemplified by depletion of the PTEN phosphatase in white adipose tissue (WAT) from mouse and humans, which increases Akt phosphorylation as expected. This technology is also shown to silence genes in mouse brown adipose tissue. Previous work revealed upregulation of the mitochondrial protein UCP1 in adipose cells from mice lacking the gene for the transcriptional corepressor RIP140, whereas in cultured adipocytes, loss of RIP140 has a little effect on UCP1 expression. Application of our method to deplete RIP140 in primary mouse WAT elicited markedly increased oxygen consumption and expression of UCP1 that exactly mimics the phenotype observed in RIP140-null mice. This ex-vivo method of gene silencing should be useful in rapid validation studies as well as in addressing the depot- and species-specific functions of genes in adipose biology.
Antenatal urologic intervention: current status.

The devastation caused by fetal obstructive uropathy is now well known. At the most severe end of the spectrum of obstructive uropathy not only is the developing kidney damaged but the resultant oligohydra-mnios prevents pulmonary development and causes skeletal defects. The most significant changes are noted in patients with posterior urethral valves (PUV). The obvious solution to the problem is to either correct or by pass the obstruction prior to the development of permanent changes. Unfortunately, this simple concept is not easy to apply since it raises numerous ethical, legal, economic and technical problems.
Characterization of the cis-Acting Elements Controlling Subgenomic mRNAs of Citrus tristeza virus: Production of Positive- and Negative-Stranded 3′-Terminal and Positive-Stranded 5′-Terminal RNAs

Citrus tristeza virus (CTV), a member of the Closteroviridae, has an approximately 20-kb positive-sense RNA genome with two 5' ORFs translated from the genomic RNA and 10 3' genes expressed via nine or ten 3'-terminal subgenomic (sg) RNAs. The expression of the 3' genes appears to have properties intermediate between the smaller viruses of the "alphavirus supergroup" and the larger viruses of the Coronaviridae. The sgRNAs are contiguous with the genome, without a common 5' leader, and are associated with large amounts of complementary sgRNAs. Production of the different sgRNAs is regulated temporally and quantitatively, with the highly expressed genes having noncoding regions (NCR) 5' of the ORFs. The cis-acting elements that control the highly expressed major coat protein (CP) gene and the intermediately expressed minor coat protein (CPm) gene were mapped and compared. Mutational analysis showed that the CP sgRNA controller element mapped within nts -47 to -5 upstream of the transcription start site, entirely within the NCR, while the CPm control region mapped within a 57 nt sequence within the upstream ORF. Although both regions were predicted to fold into two stem-loop structures, mutagenesis suggested that primary structure might be more important than the secondary structure. Because each controller element produced large amounts of 3'-terminal positive- and negative-stranded sgRNAs, we could not differentiate whether the cis-acting element functioned as a promoter or terminator, or both. Reversal of the control element unexpectedly produced large amounts of a negative-stranded sgRNA apparently by termination of negative-stranded genomic RNA synthesis. Further examination of controller elements in their native orientation showed normal production of abundant amounts of positive-stranded sgRNAs extending to near the 5'-terminus, corresponding to termination at each controller element. Thus, each controller element produced three sgRNAs, a 5'-terminal positive strand and both positive- and negative-stranded 3'-terminal RNAs. Therefore, theoretically CTV could produce 30-33 species of RNAs in infected cells.
Drop Test Performance Of Isotropic Electrically Conductive Adhesives

Drop test survival is a crucial element of isotropic conductive adhesive (ICA) reliability. Drop test data are presented for four different ICA materials, with varying cure profiles. Only one of the materials passes the ad hoc standard (including none of the “snap cure” formulations, although performance is improved by extended cure times). Drop test performance deteriorates when the sample has survived a series of smaller drops, leading to a cumulative damage model based on crack initiation at interface bubbles, and is improved by a pre-cure heat soak to drive off the bubbles.
Modeling and control for vibration suppression of a flexible active structure

Theoretical and experimental results of the modeling and control of a flexible ribbed antenna are presented. The antenna consists of eight flexible ribs that constitute an active antenna in the sense that the actuators and sensors are an integral part of the structure. The antenna exhibits closely spaced and repeated modes, thus multi-input, multi-output (MIMO) control is necessary for controllability and observability of the structure. The structure also exhibits a mode localization phenomenon and contains postbuckled members making an accurate finite element model of the structure difficult to obtain. An identified MIMO minimum-order model of the antenna is synthesized from identified single-input, single-output transfer functions curve fit in the frequency domain. The identified model is used to design a positive position feedback and //oo controller that increases damping in all of the modes in the targeted frequency range. Because of the accuracy of the open-loop model of the antenna, the closed-loop response predicted by the identified model correlates well with experimental results.
Acquisition of p53 mutations in response to the non-genotoxic p53 activator Nutlin-3.

Wild-type p53 is a stress-responsive tumor suppressor and potent growth inhibitor. Genotoxic stresses (for example, ionizing and ultraviolet radiation or chemotherapeutic drug treatment) can activate p53, but also induce mutations in the P53 gene, and thus select for p53-mutated cells. Nutlin-3a (Nutlin) is pre-clinical drug that activates p53 in a non-genotoxic manner. Nutlin occupies the p53-binding pocket of murine double minute 2 (MDM2), activating p53 by blocking the p53–MDM2 interaction. Because Nutlin neither binds p53 directly nor introduces DNA damage, we hypothesized Nutlin would not induce P53 mutations, and, therefore, not select for p53-mutated cells. To test this, populations of SJSA-1 (p53 wild-type) cancer cells were expanded that survived repeated Nutlin exposures, and individual clones were isolated. Group 1 clones were resistant to Nutlin-induced apoptosis, but still underwent growth arrest. Surprisingly, while some Group 1 clones retained wild-type p53, others acquired a heterozygous p53 mutation. Apoptosis resistance in Group 1 clones was associated with decreased PUMA induction and decreased caspase 3/7 activation. Group 2 clones were resistant to both apoptosis and growth arrest induced by Nutlin. Group 2 clones had acquired mutations in the p53-DNA-binding domain and expressed only mutant p53s that were induced by Nutlin treatment, but were unable to bind the P21 and PUMA gene promoters, and unable to activate transcription. These results demonstrate that non-genotoxic p53 activation (for example, by Nutlin treatment) can lead to the acquisition of somatic mutations in p53 and select for p53-mutated cells. These findings have implications for the potential clinical use of Nutlin and other small molecule MDM2 antagonists.
Balloon dilation of stenosed systemic venous pathways following the Mustard operation

Stenoses of the systemic venous pathways are a potentially dangerous complication after the Mustard operation. The acute and intermediate-term efficacy of balloon dilation of these stenoses has not previously been studied in a large group of patients. A retrospective analysis of clinical and angiographic data, with prospective clinical and echocardiographic follow-up, was performed in a consecutive group of 25 patients (17 male, 8 female) who underwent balloon dilation of the superior or inferior caval venous pathways. For 17 dilations of stenoses in the superior pathway, the mean pressure gradient decreased from 9.1±5.7 to 3.4±2.3 mm Hg (p<0.01), while the diameter of the stenosis increased from 5.9±2.9 to 11.2±3.0 mm (p<0.01). For 25 dilations of the inferior pathway, the mean gradient decreased from 4.3±1.8 to 1.4±1.1 mm Hg (p<0.01), while the diameter of the stenosis increased from 7.3±1.5 to 10.6±2.3 mm (p<0.01). Over a median follow-up of 3.5 years, 16 patients have been without symptoms or signs suggestive of recurrence of stenoses. In the remaining nine patients, 11 further procedures were performed at a median of 3.1 years after initial dilation. In five patients who had previously undergone dilation of the superior (3), inferior (1) or both (1) pathways, further dilations of the same pathway(s) and/or stent implantations were performed. Three patients, including one in whom superior caval venous stenosis had recurred, had developed a new stenosis of a previously undilated pathway, while in two patients no further dilations were required. Balloon dilation offers an alternative to reoperation for stenoses of the systemic venous pathways after the Mustard operation, and appears to provide satisfactory intermediate-term palliation. Recurrences of stenoses in previously dilated pathways, and new stenoses in previously unobstructed pathways, are commonly seen at follow-up. Alternative measures, such as placement of stents, need to be considered in the long-term management of these patients.
Separation of Tyrosine Phosphorylated Calmodulin from Calmodulin Using Non-Porous Anion-Exchange HPLC

Abstract Calmodulin is a protein which exerts control over various physiological processes by binding and modulating key enzymes after it undergoes a calcium-induced conformational change. The insulin receptor kinase has been shown to phosphorylate tyrosine 99, in the third calcium binding cleft of the protein. Since each molecule accommodates only four calcium ions, the introduction of phosphate into one of these calcium binding pockets may alter biological activity. To determine the effects of this modification, required the separation of phosphorylated calmodulin from the unphosphorylated form. This paper addresses the HPLC techniques we have used for the successful separation of various forms of calmodulin. Reversed-phase HPLC at pH 7.8 in the presence of 100μM CaCl2 or 1mM EGTA gave different elution profiles, reflecting the effect Ca++ has on calmodulin conformation. Such changes were not observed using 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid in mobile phases since calmodulin binds essentially no calcium at pH 2....
A simple add-on microfluidic appliance for accurately sorting small populations of cells with high fidelity

Current advances in single cell sequencing, gene expression and proteomics require the isolation of single cells, frequently from a very small source population. In this work we describe the design and characterization of a manually operated microfluidic cell sorter that 1) can accurately sort single or small groups of cells from very small cell populations with minimal losses, 2) that is easy to operate and that can be used in any laboratory that has a basic fluorescent microscope and syringe pump, 3) that can be assembled within minutes, 4) that can sort cells in very short time (minutes) with minimum cell stress, 5) that is cheap and reusable. This microfluidic sorter is made from hard plastic material (PMMA) into which microchannels are directly milled with hydraulic diameter of 70 μm. Inlet and outlet reservoirs are drilled through the chip. Sorting occurs through hydrodynamic switching ensuring low hydrodynamic shear stresses, which were modeled or experimentally confirmed to be below the cell damage threshold. Manually operated, the maximum sorting frequencies were approximately 10 cells per minute. Experiments verified that cell sorting operations could be achieved in as little as 15 minutes, including the assembly and testing of the sorter. In only one out of 10 sorting experiments the sorted cells were contaminated with another cell type. This microfluidic cell sorter represents an important capability for protocols requiring fast isolation of single cells from small number of rare cell populations.
Detecting level crossings without solving the Hamiltonian. I. Mathematical background

When the parameters of a physical system are varied, the eigenvalues of observables can undergo crossings and avoided crossings among themselves. It is relevant to be aware of such points since important physical processes often occur there. In a recent paper [M. Bhattacharya and C. Raman, Phys. Rev. Lett. 97, 140405 (2006)] we introduced a powerful algebraic solution to the problem of finding (avoided) crossings in atomic and molecular spectra. This was done via a mapping to the problem of locating the roots of a polynomial in the parameters of interest. In this article we describe our method in detail. Given a physical system that can be represented by a matrix, we show how to find a bound on the number of (avoided) crossings in its spectrum, the scaling of this bound with the size of the Hilbert space and the parametric dependencies of the Hamiltonian, the interval in which the (avoided) crossings all lie in parameter space, the number of crossings at any given parameter value, and the minimum separation between the (avoided) crossings. We also show how the crossings can reveal the symmetries of the physical system, how (avoided) crossings can always be found without solving for the eigenvalues, how they may sometimes be found even in case the Hamiltonian is not fully known, and how crossings may be visualized in a more direct way than displayed by the spectrum. In the accompanying paper [M. Bhattacharya and C. Raman, Phys. Rev. A 75, 033406 (2007)] we detail the application of these techniques to atoms and molecules.
(Methanol + ethene): phase behavior and modeling with the SAFT equation of state

Abstract Pressure (composition) isotherms for (methanol + ethene) were obtained at the temperatures (303.65, 333.15, 382.35, and 431.95) K. The critical-mixture pressures from these isotherms are in good agreement with the critical-mixture results obtained by Brunner ( J. Chem. Thermodynamics 1985 , 17, 871). The experimental results are modeled with the statistical associating-fluid theory (SAFT), which explicitly accounts for methanol-methanol association and for ethene-methanol complex formation. The SAFT model, with a single temperature-independent mixture parameter fitted to one isotherm, correctly predicts the type of phase diagram exhibited by (methanol + ethene). However, calculated critical pressures are as much as 4 MPa greater than observed values. The Peng-Robinson equation of state is not capable of even qualitatively predicting the correct phase behavior with two temperature-independent mixture parameters, because it cannot account for either methanol-methanol self-association or ethene-methanol complexing.
Mengo virus 3C proteinase: Recombinant expression, intergenus substrate cleavage and localization in vivo

Mengo virus 3C proteinase was cloned and expressed to high levels in a bacterial vector system. The protein was solubilized from inclusion bodies then purified to homogeneity (>95%) by ion exchange chromatography. The recombinant enzyme was proteolytically active in cell-free processing assays with a mengo capsid precursor substrate, L-P1-2A, correctly and proficiently cleaving it into L, 1AB, 1C, 1D and 2A protein products. Further analyses with synthetic peptide substrates encompassing the Mengo or rhinovirus-14 2C/3A cleavage sequences, showed the Mengo 3C could recognize and process specific glutamine-glycine sites within these peptides. The reactivity with the rhinovirus peptide was unexpected, because cross-reactivity between a picornavirus 3C enzyme and a protein substrate from different genus of this family has otherwise never been observed. In reciprocal reactions, a rhinovirus-14 3C preparation was unable to cleave the Mengo-derived synthetic peptide substrate. The recombinant Mengo 3C reactions were also characterized with regard to substrate Km, optimum pH and temperature. The protein was additionally used to raise monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) in mice, which in turn localized natural 3C, 3ABC, 3CD and P3 in immunoblots, immunoprecipitations and indirect immunofluorescence assays of Mengo-infected HeLa cells. The monoclonals showed cross-reactivity with 3C and 3C-containing precursors from encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV), but did not react with 3C proteins from rhinovirus-14 or poliovirus-1M.
Regulation of insulin release by phospholipase C activation in mouse islets: differential effects of glucose and neurohumoral stimulation.

Rat islets respond to glucose stimulation with a marked first and second phase increase in insulin secretion. In contrast, mouse islets have a similar first phase response but little second phase secretion. In these studies, we determined if activation of phospholipase C (PLC) accounts for these differences in second phase insulin secretion in these two species. Stimulation of freshly isolated mouse and rat islets with 15 mM glucose resulted in comparable first phase insulin secretion; however, the second phase response from mouse islets was only doubled from 28 +/- 6 to 60 +/- 7 pg/islet.min compared with an increase from 24 +/- 4 to 1064 +/- 93 pg/islet.min from rat islets. The addition of the muscarinic agonist carbachol (100 microM) in the presence of 15 mM glucose, however, markedly increased second phase insulin release from mouse islets to 801 +/- 80 pg/islet.min. Similar increases in second phase insulin release from mouse islets were obtained with the addition of 500 nM of the protein kinase C ac...
Usefulness of sugar mapping by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry in comparability assessments of glycoprotein products.

We previously reported on glycopeptide mapping of erythropoietin (EPO) by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS). Using this method, glycopeptides in proteolytic digestion can be eluted before peptides, and are further separated on the basis of the carbohydrate structure. The detailed glycosylation at each glycosylation site can be elucidated based on mass chromatography and mass spectroscopy. In this study, we evaluated glycopeptide mapping with regard to its use in comparability assessment of glycoprotein products possessing multiple glycosylation sites. Models of closely related glycoprotein products used in this study are EPOs produced from three different sources. We previously reported that there are differences in the carbohydrate heterogeneity of these EPOs with regard to sialylation, acetylation, and sulphation patterns, using sugar mapping by LC/MS. In this paper, we demonstrated that glycopeptide mapping can distinguish site-specific glycosylation among these three EPOs and reveal the differences in acetylation, sialylation, and sulphation at each glycosylation site in one analysis. Our method can thus be useful in comparability assessment of therapeutic glycoproteins in terms of glycosylation.
Right ventricular outflow tract ventriculartachycardia: Detection of previously unrecognized anatomic abnormalities using cine magnetic resonance imaging

Abstract Objectives. This study attempted to determine whether cine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), because of its unique ability to image the right ventricle, detects abnormalities in patients with right ventricular outflow tract ventricular tachycardia. Background. Right ventricular outflow tract ventricular tachycardia occurs in the absence of apparent structural heart disease. Methods. We compared cine MRI scans in 22 patients with right ventricular outflow tract ventricular tachycardia, 16 subjects without structural heart disease and 44 patients with other cardiovascular diseases. Echocardiography was performed in 21 patients with ventricular tachycardia. Results. All 22 patients with ventricular tachycardia had normal left ventricular function and no evidence of coronary artery disease. Cine MRI revealed right ventricular structural and wall motion abnormalities more often in patients with ventricular tachycardia (21 [95%] of 22) than in normal subjects (2 [12.5%] of 16, p
Optical performance monitoring using asynchronous amplitude histogram

We report on the state of development of optical performance monitoring (OPM) method based on asynchronous amplitude histogram analysis. Accurate monitoring of noise and chromatic dispersion is demonstrated for intensity- and phase-modulated signals.
Tolerance of bitter compounds by an herbivore,Cavia porcellus.

Many plant defensive chemicals are bitter to humans. Because of this taste characteristic, and because bitter compounds are often toxic, such substances, and the plants that contain them, are regarded as generally unpalatable to wildlife. These assumptions may be unwarranted. To test the hypothesis that herbivores are indifferent to ‘bitter’ tastants, we investigated the responsiveness of guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) to denatonium benzoate, denatonium saccharide, limonene,l-phenylalanine, naringin, quebracho, quinine, Ro-Pel (a commercial animal repellent containing denatonium saccharide) and sucrose octaacetate. Only quinine and sucrose octaacetate slightly but significantly reduced feeding (P<0.05). Our findings are inconsistent with the notion that herbivores generally avoid what humans describe as bitter tastes.
Behavioral effects of neonatal irradiation of the cerebellum. III. Qualitative observations in aged rats

Rats aged 2–2½ years, whose cerebellums were focally irradiated with a variable number of daily does of 200 R X ray during infancy were tested on a number of qualitative behavioral observations (motor activity, ataxia, tremor, and emotionality). We noted that many of the behavioral abnormalities, in evidence in the preweaning observations which had then disappeared, reappeared again in old age. A treatment-senescence interactions was suggested to account for the data.
Rain chemistry at a midcontinent site, U.S.A., 1980-1984

Abstract Rains were collected weekly at Fayetteville, Arkansas and classed as normal or anomalous by the cation/anion equivalents per equivalent ratios. For normal rains (83 % of the precipitation) the ratios were 0.85–1.15. The deviation of anomalous rains from this range was primarily because of HCO3− for which no analyses were made. A close association of certain cations with certain anions in normal rains is indicated by a constant ratio of their fluxes in equivalents per equivalent. These associations and the flux ratios for normal rains during 1980–1984 are (with ratios for anomalous rains in parentheses): ( NH 4 + + H + ) SO 4 2− = 1.01 (1.13) and ( Ca 2+ + Mg 2+ + K + ) NO 3 − = 0.96 (2.26) . Weekly flux ratios for these ions for normal rains are also near unity for all seasons. Correcting for sea salt contributions, the weekly fluxes have the following relationships based on the flux of ions in equivalents ha−1 week−1: NH4+ + H+ − SO42− = ΔSO42−Ca2+ + Mg2+ + K+ + Na+ − NO3 = ΔNO3−ΔSO42− + ΔNO3− =0 and ∑ΔSO42− = 0 and ∑ΔNO3− = 0 within experimental error, when the summations are over a year or a season. In normal rains ΔSO42− and ΔNO3− averaged 18 % and 31 %, respectively of their base values due to scavenging of NH4NO3, HNO3 or mineral carbonate. In anomalous rains, the Δ values may be 100 % of the base values due to scavenging of large amounts of mineral carbonate. Most notable seasonal variations were: 1. (1) greater flux of all ions in spring and summer. 2. (2) SO 4 2− NO 3 − flux ratios in equivalents are 2.3 in winter, 1.8 in summer, and 2.0 in spring and fall. The following composition, in wt %, represents the average rain composition for the 1980–1984 collection period: 1.37 (NH4)2SO4 · H2SO4(51%), Ca(NO3)2 (27%), Mg(NO3)2(3%), NaNO3(3%), NH4NO3(2%). KNO3(4.5%), NaCl (6.8%), and several sea-salts of less than 2%.
The normal ileo-cecal valve.

An attempt at the study of the roentgenological appearance of the normal ileo-cecal valve is made with a description of the technique of examination. Correlated specimen roentgenographic study is presented supporting the observations found in the living. The various morphological variations and the corresponding roentgenological appearances are described.
Image restoration algorithms based on the bispectrum

In this paper we propose two algorithms for the restoration of images based on the bispectrum. The bispectrum of a signal is the Fourier transform of its triple correlation. While second- order statistics (e.g., correlation function, power spectrum, etc.) do not provide any information about the phase of the signal, third-order statistics (e.g., triple correlation, bispectrum, etc.) allow the recovery of the phase of the signal. We propose two algorithms for estimating the magnitude and the phase of the image, where the ambiguity due to the use of the principal value of the phase component is taken into account. Image lines are used in our experiments to test the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms.
Single-electron entrapment of [8]annulyne, biannulenylenes, and an annulenoannulene.

The low-temperature (−100 °C) dehydrohalogenation of bromocyclooctatetraene followed by immediate electron-transfer yields a stable solution of the [8]annulyne anion radical. If the unstable [8]annulyne is reacted with itself, cyclobutadiene, or benzyne, the respective bi-[8]annulenylene, [6]annuleno[8]annulene, or [6]-[8]annulenylene can be trapped as their anion radicals via one-electron transfer. These condensation products were all obtained from simple [2 + 2] cycloaddition reactions. B3LYP/6-31G* geometry optimizations were carried out, and the calculated spin densities were compared to the EPR spectral results obtained for the anion radicals of [6]annuleno[8]annulene, [8]annulyne, bi[8]annulenylene, and [6]-[8]annulenylene, and excellent agreement has been realized. This simple “one-pot” approach should be applicable to a wide range of such systems.
Value Negotiation for Healthy Food Selection in Restaurants

This research was designed to investigate healthy food selection in restaurant settings using several related valid scales to elicit information on the value negotiation portion of the food choice model. A snowball technique was used to collect data from a convenience sample of consumers. Results found weak relationships among the food negotiation items. This study provided initial insights into the trade-offs involved in value negotiation utilized when a customer selects a healthy food item in a restaurant setting. These results can benefit the restaurant industry by understanding healthy food choice strategies among consumers that may serve as the basis for new marketing approaches.
Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) inhibits rat alveolar macrophage phagocytosis and chemotaxis in vitro

Abstract Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) has been shown to inhibit lymphocyte function and is believed to modulate the immune response. We explored the possible immunomodulatory effects of VIP on alveolar macrophage (AM) function by examining its influence on AM phagocytosis and chemotaxis. Rat AMs were collected by bronchoalveolar lavage and incubated for 90 min with polystyrene beads in the presence or absence of VIP in concentrations from 10−11 M to 10−5 M. VIP significantly ( P ) inhibited AM phagocytosis of polystyrene beads at concentrations of 10−11 to 10−6 M, with a maximal inhibition of 35% at 10−6 M (but no inhibition at 10−5 M). AMs were also incubated for 90 min in a chemotaxis chamber with endotoxin-activated rat serum (EARS) as a chemoattractant, with or without VIP in concentrations from 10−9 to 10−6 M. VIP significantly ( P ) inhibited AM chemotaxis by at least 30% at concentrations of 10−9 to 10−6 M, with a maximal inhibition of 46% at 10−7 M. These results indicate that VIP, in concentrations from 10−11 to 10−6 M, inhibits rat AM function as assessed by phagocytosis of polystyrene beads and chemotaxis to EARS. The inhibition of alveolar macrophage function is another mechanism by which VIP may modulate the immune response in the lung.