cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fluid flow analysis of a shark-inspired microstructure

The scales of fast-swimming sharks contain riblet structures with microgrooves, aligned in the direction of fluid flow, that result in water moving efficiently over the surface. In previous studies, these riblet structures have shown a drag reduction of up to 10 % when compared with a smooth, flat surface. These studies have suggested two prevalent drag-reduction mechanisms which involve the effect of vortices and turbulence fluctuations. To further explore relevant mechanisms and study the effect of riblet geometry and flow properties on drag, vortices and turbulence fluctuations, various shark-skin-inspired riblet structures were created using computational models in which velocity, viscosity, spacing, height and thickness parameters were independently modified. A relevant mechanism of drag reduction is discussed to relate riblet parameters and flow properties to drag change and vortex size. Modelling information will lead to a better understanding of riblets and allow for optimum drag-reducing designs for applications in marine, medical and industrial fields.
The Arc Spectrum of Cobalt

The present analysis classifies 2725 lines and identifies 768 multiplets of the doublet, quartet, and sextet systems. The results are in complete agreement with Hund's theory, and indicate that all the important features of the structure of the neutral atom are now known. The results agree closely with those of Catalan and Antunes (who classified 2076 lines) except where changes in term-designations have been made on account of Zeeman data or of a new interpretation of the convergence of the components of multiple terms to their limits. The principal ionization potential is 7.84 volts. Tables are given of terms, electron configurations, and of 3007 lines, of which 91 percent are classified. Zeeman effects have been observed for 871 lines and $g$ values derived for 270 levels. The large majority of these have nearly the theoretical values for $\mathrm{LS}$ coupling. There are some cases of $g$ sharing (Table VII). The wave-length list includes measures of 1282 lines made with the interferometer by Dr. Keivin Burns of the Allegheny Observatory, which, by his generosity, are here published for the first time; and also 274 newly measured lines between $\ensuremath{\lambda}2230$ and $\ensuremath{\lambda}1814$.
Spatial conditional simulation of facies objects for modeling complex clastic reservoirs

A novel methodology for object modeling of facies that links the concept of Boolean simulation to the geostatistical sequential indicator simulation (SIS) is developed leading to new technology for sequential modeling of geo-objects. The developed approach provides an algorithm for facies models honoring indicator variograms with object realizations. Results, based on stepwise conditioning of various categories, allow for realizations of clastic facies in a complex faulted grid. This technology is applied to modeling of a large clastic, faulted and pinched-out gas reservoir in Saudi Arabia.
Consensus bioactive conformation of cyclic GnRH antagonists defined by NMR and molecular modeling.

Little is known of the conformation of peptide hormones as they interact with their receptors for a number of reasons: peptide hormones are notoriously flexible in solution, their receptors are particularly complex, and there is strong evidence that receptor-ligand interaction leading to activation is a dynamic process. Insights into the active conformation of the decapeptide gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) have been obtained previously from the solution structures of four constrained GnRH antagonists ?cyclo(1-10)[Ac-Delta(3)-Pro(1),DCpa(2),DTrp(3,6),NMeLeu+ ++(7), betaAla(10)]GnRH (1), cyclo(4-10)[Ac-Delta(3)Pro(1),DFpa(2),DTrp(3), Asp(4),DNal(6),Dpr(10)]GnRH (2), dicyclo(4-10/5-8)[Ac-DNal(1), DCpa(2),DTrp(3),Asp(4),Glu(5),DArg(6),Lys(8),Dpr (10)]GnRH (3), and dicyclo(4-10/5-5'-8)[Ac-DNal(1),DCpa(2),DPal(3), Asp(4),Glu(5)(Gly), DArg(6),Dbu(8),Dpr(10)]GnRH (4)?. However, the precise location of the N-terminal tripeptide in the highly potent (K(i) < 0.4 nM) 2-4 remained unclear due to the lack of constraints in this region. The NMR structure of the newly discovered and potent (K(i) = 0.24 nM) dicyclo(1-1'-5/4-10)[Ac-Glu(1)(Gly),DCpa(2),DTrp(3),As p(4),Dbu(5), DNal(6),Dpr(10)]GnRH (5) now allows the definition of the conformation of this region. A combined computational analysis (consensus forcing) of compounds 2-5, designed to explore the common conformations available to them that are simultaneously consistent with the NMR data corresponding to each compound, leads to a consensus structural model for the GnRH pharmacophore. This model shares some common features with the structure of the nonpeptidic GnRH mimetic T-98475. In the course of that comparative study, two additional contact points to those proposed by the authors are identified, suggesting that this model has predictive value.
Level of dietary iron, not type of dietary fat, is hyperlipidemic in copper-deficient rats.

Objective: This study was conducted to determine whether high dietary iron will negate the protective effect of unsaturated fat against hyperlipidemia.Methods: Forty-eight weanling, male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly assigned to eight dietary groups differing in the levels of copper and iron and type of dietary fat (saturated or unsaturated). The diets were either deficient (0.6 μg Cu/g) or adequate (6.8 μg Cu/g) copper and either adequate (53 μg Fe/g) or high (506 μg Fe/g) iron. All diets contained starch as the sole source of dietary carbohydrate.Results: Regardless of the type of dietary fat, three copper-deficient rats fed the high levels of dietary iron died prematurely due to ruptured hearts. Surviving rats belonging to the copper deficiency and high-dietary iron regimen developed severe anemia, enlarged hearts and livers, and exhibited the highest levels of liver iron. These rats also developed hypercholesterolemia. Triglycerides were elevated by the consumption of high iron diets.Conclusion: D...
Educational Outreach at the NSF Engineering Research Center for Data Storage Systems

An aspect of the National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center in Data Storage Systems (DSSC) program that is valued by our sponsors is the way we use our different educational programs to impact the data storage industry in a positive fashion. The most common way to teach data storage materials is in classes that are offered as part of the Carnegie Mellon curriculum. Another way the DSSC attempts to educate students is through outreach programs such as the NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates and Young Scholars programs, both of which have been very successful and place emphasis and including women, under represented minorities and disable d students. The Center has also established cooperative outreach partnerships which serve to both educate students and benefit the industry. One example is the cooperative program we have had with the Magnetics Technology Centre at the National University of Singapore to help strengthen their research and educational efforts to benefit U.S. data storage companies with plants in Singapore. In addition, the Center has started a program that will help train outstanding students from technical institutes to increase their value as technicians to the data storage industry when they graduate.
Nature and Source of Organic Matter in the Shoemaker–Levy 9 Jovian Impact Blemishes☆

Abstract The 0.3–1.0 μm optical constants of the aerosols in the dark SL-9 Jupiter impact blemishes are nearly identical to those of the organic residue in the Murchison carbonaceous chondrite. Porous poly-HCN is also a reasonable match. The mass of organics needed to produce a typical blemish is 0.8–8 × 10 13 g, depending on the aerosol porosity. The 10 μm emission feature seen during the splash-back phase for the impact of fragment R, however, requires ∼1–5 × 10 12 g of astronomical silicate. The organics from the blemishes cannot be present at this point, or else its greater abundance would dominate the thermal flux, hiding or greatly modifying the 10 μm silicate feature. Furthermore, this mass of silicates, but not the mass of organics in the blemishes, is consistent with the HST reflectances of the impact plumes if the aerosols have radii ∼0.1 μm. In addition to the blemishes, a large expanding ring was observed for the G and K impacts between 3 and 4 μm but was not detected outside that range. Titan tholin has a strong absorption edge near 3 μm which decays by a factor of 8 by 4 μm. Poly-HCN and Murchison organic residue have similar but less extreme behavior. If the radiation from the ring is thermal emission instead of reflected sunlight, this feature is best explained by a very thin cloud of hot Titan tholin-like aerosols at the few microbar level. The rings require ∼10 10 g of material. The mass of organics required to produce the blemishes is comparable to the organic abundance expected in the ∼10 14 -g fragments, assuming cometary composition. However, the high temperature of the fireball would likely destroy most, if not all, of the organic matter contained within the fragments. Because of the low abundance of HCN seen at the impact sites, shock synthesis of organics from the jovian atmosphere is an improbable production mechanism. Quench synthesis of organics from cometary dissociation products, though, may satisfy the large mass requirements. The expanding ring requires a low enough mass of tholin that the latter is reasonably the result of shock synthesis, possibly during the splash-back phase.
Race, female headship, and delinquency: A longitudinal analysis

Two recent studies support the hypothesis of a positive association between the “broken family” and crime; one repeats an earlier finding that this relationship is stronger for blacks than for whites. The alarm over the upsurge in female family headship in the United States led to a test of the hypothesis with previously neglected longitudinal data. For the years 1971 to 1986, despite tremendous increases in female family headship among blacks, only one of eight index offenses (arrests) showed an increase among black juveniles. Among white juveniles, increases in three of eight index offenses accompanied the increase in female headship. More important, multiple regression analysis yielded no significant relationship between female headship and any of the eight index offenses or total index offenses for black or white juveniles. The findings may be explained in part by changing attitudes toward birth outside marriage, divorce, and women's competence to rear children by themselves. Also, proposed explanatio...
Progesterone in Ovarian Venous Plasma and Corpora Lutea of the Pig1

Ovarian venous blood and luteal tissue from one ovary were obtained at days 1, 4, 8, 12, 14, 16 and 18 of the estrous cycle. Pigs were hystei-ectomized at days 5–7, and blood and luteal tissue were collected at days 14, 18 and 25. Similar samples were obtained during early pregnancy, days 14, 18 and 25, and late pregnancy, days 102, 110 and 112. Plasma progesterone levels increased from day 1 to day 8 and declined thereafter to day 18. Either the presence of embryos in the uterus or the absence of theuterus caused increased progesterone production as early as the 14th day, when compared with the same day of the estrous cycle. Plasma progesterone levels were reduced even though corpora lutea were large during late pregnancy. There was a linear relationship between the logarithm of the concentration of progesterone in the ovarian venous blood and the content of this steroid in the luteal tissue during the estrous cycle. (Endocrinology 80: 240, 1967)
Geochemistry of Archean shales from the Witwatersrand Supergroup, South Africa: source-area weathering and provenance

With a few exceptions, shales from the Archean Witwatersrand Supergroup (~2800 Ma) in South Africa are depleted in Na, Ca, LILE, REE and HFSE compared to Phanerozoic shales. Cr, Co and Ni are enriched in all Witwatersrand shales and Fe and Mg are high in shales from the West Rand Groups (WRG) and lower Central Rand Group (CRG). Shales from the CRG and uppermost WRG are enriched in Na, Al, LILE, REE, HFSE and transition metals relative to shales from the lower WRG. Chondrite-normalized REE patterns for all Witwatersrand shales are enriched in light-REE and exhibit small to moderate negative Eu anomalies. A positive correlation of REE and Al2O3 contents in the shales suggests that REE are contained principally in clay minerals. Relative to shales from the CRG, shales from the WRG exhibit depletions of Na, Ca and Sr, a feature probably reflecting intense chemical weathering of their source rocks. CIA indices in Witwatersrand shales are variable (chiefly 70–98), even within the same shale unit. Such variations reflect chiefly variable climatic zones or rates of tectonic uplift in source areas with perhaps some contribution from provenance and element remobilization during metamorphism. Compared to present-day upper continental crust, all but the Orange Grove, Roodepoort, and K8 shales appear to have been derived from continental sources depleted in LILE, REE, and HFSE and enriched in transition metals. Computer mixing models based on six relatively immobile elements (Th, Hf, Yb, La, Sc, Co) and four source rocks indicate that the relative proportions of granite, basalt and komatiite increased with time in sediment source areas at the expense of tonalite. The contributions of basalt and komatiite appear to reach a maximum during deposition of the Booysens shale, and granite during deposition of the K8 shales and possibly during deposition of the Orange Grove shales.
A Decline in CCL3-5 Chemokine Gene Expression during Primary Simian-Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection

Background The CC-chemokines CCL3, CCL4 and CCL5 have been found to block the entry of CCR5-tropic HIV into host cells and to suppress the viral replication in vitro, but the in vivo role of endogenous CC-chemokines in HIV-1 infection is still incompletely understood.
Relatedness between jobs and academic majors: its relationship to academic involvement of college students

The study considered 10,072 third-year college students in Taiwan who had paid jobs while studying and found that students who worked in jobs related to their academic majors scored significantly higher on the academic involvement scale than students working in unrelated jobs. In addition, the effect of relatedness between jobs and majors did not interact significantly with either the effect of working on/off campus or the effect of working part-time/full-time.
Bioabsorbable pin fixation of intercarpal joints: an evaluation of fixation stiffness.

Abstract Objective . Bioabsorbable pins made of poly-p-dioxanone (Johnson and Johnson Orthopaedics, Raynham, Massachusetts) were compared to steel pins in the fixation of the scapholunate and lunotriquetral intercarpal joints of the wrist. Design . An in vitro experiment was performed using fresh-frozen cadaver wrists. Background . In the surgical treatment of wrist ligament injuries, temporary intercarpal joint fixation is required. Although steel pins are currently used, there are several clinical problems associated with their use. These complications could potentially be reduced by using bioabsorbable fixation. Methods . The carpal bones were mounted between sets of plates which were then attached to a materials testing machine. Two parallel pins were used for joint fixation; steel pin fixation was tested first in each joint. Seven scapholunate joints and seven lunotriquetral joints were each tested in three different modes: translation in two orthogonal directions, and rotation. Results . Bioabsorbable pin fixation provided an average of 46% of the stiffness of steel pin fixation. Conclusions . Although bioabsorbable pin fixation was statistically less stiff than steel pin fixation, relatively high loads were required to induce significant intercarpal joint translation and rotation.
The Continuing Education Student and the Study of Foreign Languages.

During the last decade there has been a great change in the concept of lifelong learning. Learners in an institutional setting increasingly include persons of all ages. More and more non-traditional students are and will be taking foreign language on the college level, either by choice or as a requirement. This article reports the findings of a questionnaire developed for the continuing education foreign language student. Of the 219 students who answered the questionnaire, 104 had taken foreign language at the college level. All students were extremely pragmatic in their approach and wanted to be shown specific reasons for the study of foreign languages. Students who had taken foreign language at the college level (a) had often had a positive experience in high school; (b) felt comfortable in a classroom setting with younger students; (c) found reading and vocabulary the easiest aspects of foreign language learning; (d) felt that more conversation and culture should be part of the foreign language experience; (e) did not consider age a disadvantage in the foreign language class; (f) rated their foreign language ability below their overall scholastic ability; (g) felt that their foreign language experience would be of some benefit in the future, and (h) wanted to be recognized and given consideration as a group with unique problems.
Decline in ventricular fibrillation threshold after successive premature extrastimuli: a possible explanation for the induction of ventricular fibrillation during programmed stimulation with multiple extrastimuli

To examine the relation between the ventricular fibrillation threshold and the number of premature extrastimuli delivered to the right ventricle during programmed ventricular stimulation, a clinical stimulation protocol was performed in nine normal, anaesthetised, closed chest dogs. In addition, the ventricular fibrillation threshold was measured in each dog after a train of eight paced (S1) beats (VFT-S2), after a single premature extrastimulus (VFT-S3), and after two extrastimuli (VFT-S4). The VFT-S3 was 32% lower than the VFT-S2 (16(7) mA vs 24(9) mA, p<0.001). The VFT-S4, or the current required by the S4 extrastimulus to induce ventricular fibrillation, was 25% lower than the VFT-S3 (12(8) mA vs 16(7) mA, p<0.05). The cumulative reduction in the ventricular fibrillation threshold measured by the S1S2S3S4 stimulation protocol was approximately 50%. Although in most dogs the VFT-S4 was still considerably higher than twice threshold current intensity, the results of the study suggest that a possible mechanism for the induction of non-clinical ventricular fibrillation in the clinical electrophysiology laboratory may be the progressive lowering of the ventricular fibrillation threshold caused by the addition of multiple extrastimuli. This may be particularly relevant in patients with an already reduced fibrillation threshold.
Integration of a temperature sensor for in situ monitoring of an acoustophoretic separation system

A novel device that uses acoustics to separate contaminants from blood is currently being developed. One potential application of the technology is to remove lipids that are inadvertently introduced into circulation during retransfusion of shed blood in cardiopulmonary bypass surgery, thus helping to avoid post-operative impairments such as stroke. However, the acoustic energy that is supplied to the system to achieve the separation may be heating the blood above the physiologically safe temperature limit. Therefore, a temperature sensor is being developed for in situ monitoring of the acoustophoretic separation system to determine if the filtered blood is viable for retransfusion back into the patient.
Structure, magnetization, and NMR studies of the spin-glass compound ( Li x V 1 − x ) 3 B O 5 ( x ≈ 0.40 and 0.33)

Structural and magnetic properties of ${({\mathrm{Li}}_{x}{\mathrm{V}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x})}_{3}\mathrm{B}{\mathrm{O}}_{5}$ powders $(x=0.33)$ and single crystals $(x=0.40)$ were studied by x-ray diffraction, magnetization, and NMR measurements. Both powder and single crystal x-ray diffraction data are consistent with the previously reported structure of the system. Magnetization measurements show an overall antiferromagnetic interaction among vanadium spins and reveal a transition into a spin glass state at a sample and magnetic field dependent temperature below $\ensuremath{\sim}10\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{K}$. The high temperature $(Tg20\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{K})$ susceptibility is analyzed using a linear spin trimer model suggested in the literature but such a model is found to be insufficient to explain the data. $^{7}\mathrm{Li}$ and $^{11}\mathrm{B}$ NMR studies indicate an inhomogeneous dynamics close to the zero-field spin-glass transition temperature. The distribution of electronic spin relaxation times is derived using a recently proposed method and the broad temperature-dependent distribution obtained gives a consistent description of the NMR results. The temperature dependence of the distribution indicates a strong slowing down of the local moment spin dynamics as the system cools toward the zero-field spin-glass transition temperature even in the presence of a strong applied magnetic field up to $4.7\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{T}$.
Data Day: CWIS Miss

It's No Use. For the last six years, since I first got involved with CWISs, I've written dozens of CWIS articles, taught CWIS seminars in every imaginable place, and generally have been a CWIS evangelist to anyone who would listen — and to many who would not. And I haven't been alone in spreading the word on how to do CWISs right. Steve Worona, Judy Hallman, Tim McGovern, Dan Updegrove, and Flossie Stavinsky, to name just a few, have been proudly carrying the CWIS banners too. By now you must have heard — probably several times from several people — why you need a CWIS, how to organize one properly, and what pitfalls to avoid in making one available. What more could one possibly hear about CWISs that hasn't been heard many times over?
Cosmology back to the beginning

Faint ripples in the cosmological microwave background, revealed by NASA's COBE satellite, were the seeds in the Big Bang that eventually became large-scale structures in the Universe.
The use of micro-audit in clinical practice

Often, towards the end of an introductory educational supervision discussion, a junior doctor will say something along the lines of “Oh, and I’ve got to do an audit,” and at this point look a bit sheepish. Oddly, the same sort of conversation happens quite frequently in consultant appraisal. The problem with audits is that, if you are going to do them properly, then they take a lot of work; you need to get the initial design right, decide about prospective versus retrospective, capture the right data, analyze it, present it, discuss it, make recommendations, implement them, and then, of course, the holy grail, complete the cycle by re-auditing. The hapless FY1 doctor has little chance of being more than a small cog in this process. The consultant finds that their carefully designed, complex audit is stymied by something simple e like inability to get hold of the notes after the patient has left hospital. We’ve initiated, been involved with, and have had done unto us, audits good, bad and downright ugly. And it was while reflecting on the good ones e the ones which drove genuine changes e that we stumbled across micro-audit. As with most good safety practice, the concept emerged in high risk industry, and has only recently begun to move into medicine; in PICU and NICU. Micro-audit is widely used in banking, the pharmaceutical industry, manufacturing and aviation. The central ideas, as we perceive them, are as follows: Keeping the audit really simple, with yes or no answers, means that it can be done really quickly, as part of a busy clinical practice. The speed of the audit can be combined with very quick feedback. The burden for doing the audit is very low e in marked contrast to retrospective casenotes audit. If you describe the standards in way that anyone in the team can understand, then anyone can undertake the audit, and anyone can understand why they’ve failed to achieve a standard. Empowerment of very junior members of the team to take ownership of basic standards and adherence to them.
Secondary hemorrhage in traumatic hyphema.

We analyzed the records of 132 patients hospitalized between July 1986 and February 1989 for management of traumatic hyphema. The incidence of secondary hemorrhage was compared between patients treated with or without systemic administration of aminocaproic acid in addition to an otherwise identical protocol. Results among patients who were examined within one day of injury disclosed a 4.8% secondary hemorrhage rate in aminocaproic acid-treated patients (three of 63 patients) compared with a 5.4% rate in the patients not treated with aminocaproic acid (three of 56 patients, P = .31). All six patients sustaining secondary hemorrhage recovered visual acuities of 20/40 or better, with five of six patients achieving 20/20 visual acuities. A separate group of 13 patients who were examined more than one day after injury were found to have a secondary hemorrhage rate of 38.5% (five of 13 patients). Macular injury, not secondary hemorrhage, was most often responsible among those patients suffering permanent visual loss. In this study of a predominantly white population, patients had a relatively low incidence of secondary hemorrhage and did not demonstrate detectable benefit from aminocaproic acid administration. Because of the recognized side effects and cost of treatment, further analysis to determine which patients will benefit from treatment with aminocaproic acid is indicated.
A systematic review and meta-analysis of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis in children

Objective: To summarize the published effects of systemic glucocorticoid therapy on bone mineral density (BMD) and fractures in children. Methods: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of existing literature, using Medline, CINAHL, and Cochrane databases to identify studies of BMD or fractures in children r18 years taking systemic glucocorticoid therapy. We excluded studies of inhaled glucocorticoids, chemotherapy, and organ transplantation. Two authors reviewed abstracts for inclusion, read full-text articles to extract data, and rated each study using the Downs–Black scale. Results: A total of 16 studies met eligibility criteria, including 10 BMD (287 children) and six fracture (37,819 children) studies. Spine BMD was significantly lower (� 0.18; 95% CI ¼� 0.25; � 0.10 g/cm 2 )i n children taking glucocorticoid therapy, compared to age- and gender-matched healthy controls. Spine BMD was also lower (� 0.14; 95% CI ¼� 0.27; 0.00 g/cm 2 ) in children taking glucocorticoids, compared to children with the same disease not taking glucocorticoids. Incident clinical fracture rates varied from 2% to 33%. Morphometric vertebral fracture incidence ranged from 6% to 10%, and prevalence was 29–45%. Conclusion: Published data suggest that children treated with glucocorticoid therapy have lower spine BMD compared to healthy children. Whether children receiving glucocorticoid therapy have lower spine BMD compared to children with milder disease not requiring such therapy is not certain. Clinical and morphometric vertebral fractures are common, although only one study assessed fracture rates in healthy controls. Additional well-designed, prospective studies are needed to evaluate the skeletal effects of glucocorticoid therapy in children.
Model for minimum driveway corner clearances at signalized intersections

A signalized intersection typically operates under both saturated and undersaturated traffic flow conditions at different times of the day. When an intersection operates under saturated flow conditions, its ability to dissipate traffic becomes a primary matter of concern. On the other hand, safety is often the major concern due to higher vehicular travel speeds associated with undersaturated flow conditions. The minimum corner clearance distances required under the two different flow conditions are not the same. To be effective, minimum corner clearances must be set such that the needs under both types of flow conditions are satisfied. Existing guidelines for minimum corner clearances were reviewed, and none were found to address the capacity issue. A new model designed to meet both capacity and safety needs is proposed. The model produces a refined minimum corner clearance distance by applying a set of adjustment factors to an initial minimum corner clearance, a procedure similar to that of the familiar ...
The use of flow cytometry for the detection of subvisible particles in therapeutic protein formulations

The amount, identity, and size distribution of particles in parenteral therapeutic protein formulations are of immense interest due to potential safety and efficacy-related implications. In this communication, we describe the use of a flow cytometer equipped with forward- and side-scattering as well as fluorescence detectors, to determine the number of subvisible particles in monoclonal antibody formulations. The method appears to detect particles of size 1 μ and larger, requiring relatively small sample volumes to estimate subvisible particle counts. Additionally, it facilitates differentiation of proteinaceous particles after staining with a fluorescent hydrophobic dye. The method is expected to be particularly well suited for pharmaceutical development, because it provides increased throughput due to the use of a 96-well autosampler.
Stability and sulfur‐reduction activity in non‐aqueous phase liquids of the hydrogenase from the hyperthermophile Pyrococcus furiosus

Hydrogenase from the hyperthermophilic archaeon, Pyrococcus furiosus, catalyzes the reversible activation of H(2) gas and the reduction of elemental sulfur (S degrees ) at 90 degrees C and above. The pure enzyme, modified with polyethylene glycol (PEG), was soluble (> 5 mg/mL) in toluene and benzene with t(1/2) values of more than 6 h at 25 degrees C. At 100 degrees C the PEG-modified enzyme was less stable in aqueous solution (t(1/2) approximately 10 min) than the native (unmodified) enzyme (t(1/2) approximately 1 h), but they exhibited comparable H(2) evolution, H(2) oxidation, and S degrees reduction activities at 80 degrees C. The H(2) evolution activity of the modified enzyme was twice that of the unmodified enzyme at 25 degrees C. The PEG-modified enzyme did not catalyze S degrees reduction (at 80 degrees C) in pure toluene unless H(2)O was added. The mechanism by which hydrogenase produces H(2)S appears to involve H(2)O as the proton source and H(2) as the electron source. The inability of the modified hydrogenase to catalyze S degrees reduction in a homogeneous non-aqueous phase complicates potential applications of this enzyme.
Western Culture and the Ambiguous Legacies of the Pig

In his paper, "Western Culture and the Ambiguous Legacies of the Pig," Benton Jay Komins provides a cultural lineage of the pig by the example and reading of Piggies by the Beatles. Komins observes that Piggies enacts the possibilities of the ubiquitous pig in Western culture by juxtaposing swinish antics with interpretations of limitation and heartbreak thereby forcing listeners to blur the distinctions between struggle, unrequited love, and boorishness. Komins continues his discussion by locating this juxtaposition within the Western pantheon of real, metaphorical, and imaginary animals, where the pig is noted to have obsessively endured. Komins argues that through the depictions and representations of the pig, we are able to gain particular insight into Judeo-Christian ambiguities, fixations, and inconsistencies. Komins's observations about the pig in Western culture serve to define and to delineate a boundary between the civilized and the uncivilized, the refined and the unrefined. This real or imagined border is further mapped out in the paper via a consideration of Orwell's Animal Farm, Carter's Nights at the Circus, and Henson's Miss Piggy. Benton Jay Komins, "Western Culture and the Ambiguous Legacies of the Pig" page 2 of 10 CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture 3.4 (2001):
Desulfomonile tiedjei gen. nov. and sp. nov., a novel anaerobic, dehalogenating, sulfate-reducing bacterium

An anaerobic, dehalogenating, sulfate-reducing bacterium, strain DCB-1, is described and nutritionally characterized. The bacterium is a Gram-negative, nonmotile, non-sporeforming large rod with an unusual morphological feature which resembles a collar. The microorganism reductively dehalogenates meta substituted halobenzoates and also reduces sulfate, sulfite and thiosulfate as electron acceptors. The bacterium requires nicotinamide, 1,4-naphthoquinone and thiamine for optimal growth in a defined medium. The microorganism can grow autotrophically on H2:CO2 with sulfate or thiosulfate as terminal electron acceptors. It can also grow heterotrophically with pyruvate, several methoxybenzoates, formate plus sulfate or benzoate plus sulfate. It ferments pyruvate to acetate and lactate in the absence of other electron acceptors. The bacterium is inhibited by MoOinf4sup2-or SeOinf4sup2-as well as tetracycline, chloramphenicol, kanamycin or streptomycin. Cytochrome c3 and desulfoviridin have been purified from cells grown in defined medium. 16S rRNA sequence analysis indicates the organism is a new genus of sulfate-reducing bacteria in the delta subdivision of the class Proteobacteria. We propose that the strain be named Desulfomonile tiedjei.
Renormalization of cocycles and linear ODE with almost-periodic coefficients

In the current paper we address the problem of classification of cocycles over an irrational rotation. We use the renormalization group approach.
The metabolic fate of monomethylhydrazine and unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine

Abstract The respiratory and urinary excretion of intraperitoneally administered unsymmetrieal dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) and monomethylhydrazine (MMH) and their metabolites by rats has been studied by means of radiotracer techniques. Animals given a very low dose of UDMH- 14 C metabolized almost 30 per cent of the compound to respiratory 14 CO 2 in 10 hr. The conversion of a convulsive dose of UDMH- 14 C to 14 CO 2 amounted to slightly more than 13 per cent at the end of 20 hr. At the various doses of UDMH- 14 C used, at least 50 per cent of the administered radioactivity appeared in the urine in a 2-day period. Rats given 0.12 m-mole MMH- 14 C/kg i.p. respired approximately 45% of the 14 C during the following 24 hr. Of the respired radioactivity, 20% to 25% was 14 CO 2 ; the remainder was 14 CH 4 . At the subconvulsive doses, 40 per cent of the administered radioactivity in MMH- 14 C was excreted in urine. The percentage of urinary excretion of 14 C from higher doses of MMH- 14 C was less, but the net amount excreted was slightly higher.
A Comparison of Four Measurement Models for the Watson–Barker Listening Test (WBLT)–Form C

This article compares 4 measurement models for the Watson–Barker Listening Test (WBLT)–Form C and constitutes the first confirmatory test of this listening comprehension measure. Results show that data does not conform to (a) a 5-factor correlated model, (b) a second-order model, or (c) a unidimensional model; and no model was sufficiently better than (d) the independence model. Exploratory analyses provide additional evidence that items are largely unrelated to one another. Given these findings, the use of the WBLT–Form C in assessments of listening comprehension is not recommended. The discussion explores what these findings imply for the conceptualization and measurement of listening and for potential revisions of the WBLT.
Fibro‐osseous pseudotumor of the digit: a comparison to myositis ossificans by light microscopy and immunohistochemical methods

Fibro-osseous pseudotumor of the digit is an unusual cutaneous process characterized histologically by a fibroblastic proliferation admixed with reactive/metaplastic osteoid formation. The osteoid formation can be florid and immature, mimicking the appearance of malignant osteoid-forming neoplasms. Fibro-osseous pseudotumor of the digit has histologic and clinical features in common with myositis ossificans. This has led many to consider the two to be synonymous. We studied three cases of fibro-osseous pseudotumor, compared to five cases of myositis ossificans, using routine light microscopy and a battery of immunohistochemical stains. Both entities displayed a "zoning" pattern of immature spindled areas admixed with more mature areas having osteoid metaplasia. This was more pronounced in myositis ossificans. In each lesion, the spindle cells stained positively for vimentin and actin. CD34 and Factor VIII highlighted the vasculature. No stromal staining for MAK-6 (cytokeratin) or S-100 was identified. Ki-67, a proliferation marker, showed positive staining of the stromal cells in both lesions, which was strongest in the immature spindled areas. The immunohistochemical and histologic similarities of the lesions support fibro-osseous pseudotumor of the digit being a cutaneous variant of myositis ossificans.
Ca2+, Mg2+-dependent endonuclease activity in different subpopulations of spleen cells from normal and erythroleukemic mice.

Abstract We have detected Ca2+,Mg2+-dependent endonuclease activity in spleen cells of normal, Friend erythroleukemic, and phenylhydrazine-treated mice. When nuclei were isolated and incubated in the presence of Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions, the activity resulted in the production of 3′-OH termini in the cellular DNA and the release of chromatin due to internucleosomal DNA fragmentation. This enzyme activity was chromatin-bound and could be extracted from chromatin in an active form in 0.35 M KC1. The majority of endonuclease activity from erythroleukemic spleens was present in nuclei of precursor erythroid cells of low buoyant density (1.025–1.05 g/ml). Uninfected normal splenic tissue contained an endonuclease activity which was almost entirely confined to a B-lymphocyte population of high buoyant density (>1.07 g/ml). Erythroid cell-enriched spleens from phenylhydrazine-treated mice exhibited a distribution of endonuclease activity in cells at low and high densities reflecting a mixture of erythroid and lymphoid cells. Cloned erythroleukemic cell lines propagated in vitro lacked cells of low density and showed no detectable endonuclease activity. However, nuclei from these cell lines were susceptible to exogenously added endonuclease extracted from erythroleukemic spleen cells. These same cell lines propagated as subcutaneous tumors contained endonuclease activity and a morphologically-similar low-density cell population which accounted for the endonuclease activity in these tumors. Nuclei from cloned lymphoid cell lines, representing different B-lymphocyte phenotypes, showed differences in the presence of endonuclease activity. Among the cell lines tested, only those expressing late B-cell markers showed detectable endonuclease activity.
Experiments on Fluidelastic Vibration of Cantilevered Tube Bundles

Results are presented of three series of experiments on coupled tube/fluid vibration. Natural frequencies and mode shapes of coupled modes as well as steady-state responses are measured for each tube bundle. An analysis is also made for each test. Experimental data and analytical predictions are found to be in good agreement.
Reduced levels of substance P in the brains of Cpefat/Cpefat mice

Abstract This study examines the role of carboxypeptidase E (CPE) in processing pro tachykinin to form the final bioactive amidated undecapeptide, substance P (SP) in various rat brain regions. Cpe fat /Cpe fat mice brain tissue was analyzed for total SP forms (including intermediates), and final amidated SP was compared to Cpe + /Cpe + and Cpe + /Cpe − controls. In all brain regions tested by radioimmunoassay, amidated fully processed SP was more than fivefold lower in Cpe fat /Cpe fat mice than in controls whereas total SP species levels were unchanged. This demonstrates that CPE is required for normal SP proteolytic processing. Substance P has numerous functions in the brain; therefore, SP deficiency due to the CPE mutation may contribute to the obese phenotype or even to other phenotypes not yet described in Cpe fat /Cpe fat mice.
Effects of landmarks on territorial establishment

Abstract The period of territorial settlement is critical for territorial species, and the initial disputes to fix the boundaries can be energetically expensive. Territorial residents may be able to reduce defensive costs during settlement by selecting territories with landmarks at the sites of potential boundaries. We examined the effects of landmarks on defensive costs in a laboratory study of a cichlid fish, the blockhead, Steatocranus casuarius . In the landmark treatment, we placed a row of flat rocks across the centre of the aquaria; trials in the control treatment were identical but lacked landmarks. When landmarks were present, blockheads spent significantly less time in territorial defence, as they had fewer and shorter aggressive interactions with their neighbours. In addition, fights in landmark trials tended to be of lower intensity than fights in control trials: most fights in landmark trials included only low-level displays but most fights in control trials included physical contact. Both of these measures thus indicated that defensive costs were lowered by landmarks. In addition, in landmark trials typically both pairs of fish successfully established territories; in contrast, in control trials generally only one pair was able to establish a territory, with the other pair being evicted. The presence of landmarks appeared to make possible the division of the area available for settlement, with pairs establishing smaller territories than when there were no landmarks. Copyright 2003 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd on behalf of The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.
Photothermal ablation therapy for cancer based on metal nanostructures

Besides conventional surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy, which all tend to have side-effects and damage normal tissues, new medical strategies, such as photothermal sensitization and photothermal ablation therapy (PTA) with near-IR laser light, have been explored for treating cancer. Much of the current excitement surrounding nanoscience is directly connected to the promise of new nanotechnology for cancer diagnosis and therapy. The basic principle behind PTA is that heat generated from light can be used to destroy cancer cells. Strong optical absorption and high efficiency of photothermal conversion at the cancer sites are critical to the success of PTA. Because of their unique optical properties, e.g., strong surface plasmon resonance (SPR) absorption, noble metal nanomaterials, such as gold and silver, have been found to significantly enhance photothermal conversion for PTA applications. Substantial effort has been made to develop metal nanostructures with optimal structural and photothermal properties. Ideal metal nanostructures should have strong and tunable SPR, be easy to deliver, have low toxicity, and be convenient for bioconjugation for actively targeting specific cancer cells. This review would highlight some gold nanostructures with various shapes and properties, including nanoparticles (NPs), nanorods (NRs), nanoshells, nanocages, and hollow nanospheres, which have been studied for PTA applications. Among these structures, hollow gold nanospheres (HGNs) exhibit arguably the best combined properties because of their small size (30–50 nm), spherical shape, and strong, narrow, and tunable SPR absorption.
Leukemogenic filterable agent from estrogen-induced thymic lymphoma in RF mice.

SummaryThe role of a latent virus in induction of lymphoma by diethylstilbestrol in Rf mice was investigated. Thymic lymphoma developed in 62.9% and non-thymic lymphoma in 8.6% of DES-treated mice within 400 days of age. Unlike radiations, estrogen failed to induce myeloid leukemia in Rf mice. Cell-free filtrates of one thymic lymphoma (No. 82) was lymphomogenic; that of 2 other lymphomas was apparently inactive. Whereas filtrate 82 caused lymphomas in 41.7% of 48 mice within 9 months of age, the incidence of lymphoma in 78 mice injected with the other 2 filtrates was 2.6%; this is about the spontaneous lymphoma incidence in Rf mice within 9 months of age.The development of 17 diverse tumors other than lymphomas in mice injected with filtrate 82 pointed to the presence of a polyoma virus in this filtrate contaminating the leukemia virus.
East Asian Regionalism from the Bottom-Up

Beyond Japan: The Dynamics of East Asian Regionalism. Edited by Peter J. Katzenstein, Takashi Shiraishi. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2006. 344 pp., $49.95 cloth (ISBN: 0-8014-4400-4), $24.95 paper (ISBN: 0-8014-7250-4). The regional dynamics of East Asia have become increasingly exciting for social science scholars, especially during the last 10 years—since the Asian financial crisis. Beyond Japan: The Dynamics of East Asian Regionalism , edited by Peter Katzenstein and Takashi Shiraishi, focuses on Japan and its interactions within East Asia, asserting that “East Asia is moving rapidly beyond any one national model” (p. 2) toward a new “hybridized” form. In his introductory chapter, Katzenstein sets the context for this new regional dynamics, explaining how “porous” regions have been produced by the fusion of international and global processes (see also Katzenstein 2005). He emphasizes that the process of hybridization in East Asia, which blends Japanization and Americanization with the touch of emerging Sinicization, leads to an “Asianization” of regional processes that range from production networks to environmental problems. New actors beyond governments—such as nongovernmental organizations, individual citizens, consumers, and corporations—participate actively in “region-making” through market-based mechanisms that shape the hybrid regionalism in the new East Asia. Beyond Japan is a sequel to Katzenstein and Shiraishi's (1997) widely cited earlier book entitled Network Power: Japan and Asia , in which they questioned whether East Asia will be dominated by Japan, China, or the United States (p. 3). Beyond Japan implicitly answers this future looking question, essentially arguing that East Asia has established its own system—a system that does not allow single-handed domination by any of the major powers or national models. To support and substantiate this claim empirically, Beyond Japan makes three sets of arguments in three clusters of chapters. The first cluster focuses exclusively on the economic, political, and social changes experienced by Japan, especially during the last 10–15 years. T. J. Pempel, with his customary clarity, sorts out the puzzle as to how and why Japan has yet to experience a …
Why neural networks don't yet fly: inquiry into the neurodynamics of biological intelligence

There are two documented hierarchical modes in which wetware brains sustain information for storage, transformation, and other operations. These modes are in some senses diametrically opposed but in other senses are strongly complementary. One is typified by the action potential and the point process; the other by the synaptic potential and the local mean field. In sensory systems the one is the basis for feature extraction, preprocessing, and analysis. The other is the basis for experiential integration, classification, and synthesis. Neither can supplant or function without the other. They coexist in the same layers of neurons, and whether an experimenter observes one or the other depends on the method used to acquire, process, and measure biological data. The author's aim is to exemplify these two modes of information, describe how they are derived from brains and how they are converted each to the other, and explain their significance for the design of new and more successful neural networks. >