cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Elucidating mechanisms of tobacco budworm resistance to allelochemicals by dietary tests with insecticide synergists

Abstract Three major cotton ( Gossypium hirsutum L.) plant allelochemicals—gossypol, a mixture of condensed tannins, and isoquercitrin—were fed to 1-, 3-, and 5-day-old tobacco budworm ( Heliothis virescens Fab.) larvae at the 0.06% level with and without 0.02, 0.06, and 0.60% piperonyl butoxide, an insecticide synergist that inhibits the activity of an insect's existing detoxifying enzymes. All three allelochemicals were toxic to the 1- and 3-day-old larvae, but they were not toxic or were only marginally toxic to the 5-day-old insects. Piperonyl butoxide was toxic to the 1-, 3-, and 5-day-old insects, although less so to the 5-day-old insects. With both the allelochemicals and piperonyl butoxide in the diet, further decreases of growth were observed. Seven additional synergists representing several classes of compounds known to inhibit mixed function oxidases (MFOs; polysubstrate macrooxygenases, PSMOs) or esterases in the insect were also added to the diet at the 0.02 and 0.06% levels, with and without allelochemicals at the 0.06% level. However, only piperonyl butoxide decreased the growth rate of 5-day larvae fed the three allelochemicals. Thus, one effect of gossypol and other allelochemicals on insect feeding can be inferred to be toxicity, but gossypol may also act as an antifeedant.
Computation of poles of two-point Padé approximants and their limits☆

Abstract Algorithms are developed to compute simultaneously the poles of functions represented by continued fractions whose approximants lie on the main diagonal of two-point Pade tables. The algorithms are based on equations recently developed by McCabe and Murphy for producing continued fraction expansions of a pair of power series. Sufficient conditions are given to ensure that the computations can be carried out and that the resulting approximations converge geometrically to the desired poles. As a by-product, an algorithm is obtained for computing zeros of polynomials. The theory and methods are illustrated by means of numerical examples.
Acetylene combustion reactions. Rate constant measurements of HCCO with O2 and C2H2

Abstract The second-order rate constant for the reaction of the ketenyl radical (HCCO) with O 2 was measured at room temperature by using infrared kinetic spectroscopy as 6.5 (6) × 10 −13 cm 3 molecule −1 s −1 . An upper bound for the rate constant for the reaction between HCCO and C 2 H 2 was determined as 1 × 10 −13 cm 3 molecule −1 s −1 . HCCO was produced by 193 nm excimer laser photolysis of ketene and probed with a tunable infrared diode laser operating at 2014 cm −1 .
Mechanical and thermal properties of novel polymerized NDGA-gelatin hydrogels.

Abstract Nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA), an antioxidant with two functional ortho-catechols from the creosote bush, has been shown to increase the mechanical properties of synthetic collagen fibers, producing biologically based, biocompatible fibers with material properties in uniaxial tensile tests to failure that are comparable to those of native tendon (Koob and Hernandez, Biomaterials 23 (2002) 203; Koob et al., J Biomed Mater Res, 56 (2001) 31; 56 (2001) 40). The NDGA polymerization scheme was applied to gelatin hydrogels to determine whether it could provide a viable approach for producing gelatin based biological materials with advantageous mechanical and thermal properties. NDGA treatment eliminated gelatin solubilization from hydrogels in chaotropic agents and increased the thermal stability of gelatin hydrogels from less than 37°C to over 80°C. NDGA caused a dose dependent increase in the compressive stiffness and fracture load of gels ranging in concentration from 2.5% to 40% gelatin in uniaxial, unconfined compression tests to failure. Maximum fracture load averaged 0.5±0.1 MPa and the compressive modulus averaged 4.4±1.4 MPa for all gelatin concentrations, however, the concentration of NDGA that produced maximum strength and stiffness varied inversely with gelatin concentration. The compressive strength and stiffness of 5% gelatin hydrogels treated with NDGA were independent of temperature up to 52°C. These results indicate that NDGA polymerization renders gelatin hydrogels thermally and mechanically stable and thereby potentially useful for surgical procedures that would benefit from biocompatible, stable and mechanically competent gelatin-based biomaterials.
A Model of Gulf Stream Frontal Instabilities, Meanders and Eddies along the Continental Slope

Abstract For a simplified model of the Gulf Stream front along a vertical-walled continental slope of a constant-depth ocean basin, the dynamics governing frontal instabilities, meanders, and eddies depend primarily on (i) L0/ R0, the ratio of the cross-stream distance of the stream axis from the slope, L0, to the Roosby radius of deformation, L0, and (ii) h0/ H, the ratio of the depth L0 of upper layer of light water to ocean basin depth H. A nonlinear, time-dependent three-dimensional model is used to study this interdependency. Two different types of meander solutions are found, depending on the value of the (nondimensionalized) initial available potential energy per unit alongfront length and per unit “Rossby area,” HR0, APE = ( L0/ R0)(h0/ H)/2. For small APE, the meanders and their associated cyclones are slope-bounded as they propagate downstream. This solution has characteristics similar to observed Gulf Stream meanders south of a topographic feature at 31.5°N (the so-called “Charleston Bump”) on ...
International business and the eclectic paradigm: developing the OLI framework

For more than two decades, the eclectic OLI paradigm developed by John Dunning has provided a unifying framework for research on multinational enterprises. Numerous scholars, including John Dunning himself, have continuously extended it to analyze new research questions emerging with new forms of international business and with increased globalization. ‘International Business and the Eclectic Paradigm’ aims to reassess the contributions of the paradigm to the development of international business research, and its suitability for contemporary research agendas. How can it be adapted to analyze new research questions, and how does it relate to newer developments of theories applied in the international business field? John Cantwell and Rajneesh Narula brought together an impressive group of scholars to these issues. Ram Mudambi reviews their book, and thus reflects over the perspectives for the OLI paradigm within international business research. Klaus E Meyer JIBS Book Review Editor
Faculty Orientations toward Institutional Goals: A Broken Front with Implications for Planned Change.

The formulation of institutional goals in higher education often involves input from various campus constituencies including faculty. The faculty's viewpoint is typically treated as though it were a uniform perception. The research reported here tested the uniform nature of the faculty's goal orientations. Statistical comparisons were conducted on mean ratings of five discipline groups of 207 faculty from a major public university on the scales of the Institutional Goals Inventory. Although discipline groups shared common viewpoints on the importance of academic instruction, intellectual pursuits, and research, major differences among groups were found for goals involving university service, off-campus instruction, accountability, intercollegiate athletics, and humanistic values. Institutional planners desiring a change in one of these latter areas should expect different levels of faculty support and resistance from different discipline groups.
A New Look at the Pathogenesis of the Meconium Aspiration Syndrome: A Role for Fetal Pancreatic Proteolytic Enzymes in Epithelial Cell Detachment

We hypothesized that fetal pancreatic digestive enzymes play a role in the lung damage after meconium aspiration. We studied the effect of meconium on the A549 alveolar epithelial cell line. The exposure of the cells to 0.5 to 5% meconium resulted in significant disruption of connections between A549 cells and caused dose-dependent cell detachment, without signs of cell death. A protease inhibitor cocktail prevented the A549 cell detachment induced by meconium. After the exposure to 2.5% meconium, a protective effect was quantified by measuring light absorbance by gentian violet stain of still attached cells. The protease inhibitor cocktail and chymostatin showed significant protective effects, increasing the number of attached cells by 135 and 123%, respectively (p < 0.05). Other individual protease inhibitors tested in the detachment assay (AEBSF, leupeptin, E-64, aprotinin, benzamidine, phosphamidon, and aminohexanoic acid) did not offer statistically significant protection. These results afford a new perspective on the pathophysiology of meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS). We speculate that disruption of intercellular connections and cell detachment from the basement membrane are key events in the pathology associated with MAS. The observed protective effects of protease inhibitors suggest that they may be useful in the treatment and/or prophylaxis of MAS.
Genesis of Kaolinite from Montmorillonite by Weathering: Structural and Morphological Evidence of Transformation

Kaolinite originating by the low-temperature subaerial transformation of montmoril-lonite occurs extensively in Tertiary clayey sands of central and northern Florida. It occurs in gray iron-stained weathering zones, as much as several feet thick, that transgress primary green clays of the Bone Valley and other formations over hundreds of square miles. Subjacent deposits of opal and chert, clearly post-depositional, are a widespread byproduct of the transformation. Kaolinization begins as a hexagonal modification of the edges of montmorillonite flakes. X-ray study reveals that montmorillonite degrades and disappears up-section, with the appearance of the 7.2 kaolinite reflection and a very small 20–21 A reflection. The altered clay loses silica and gains alumina and water. The clay transformation apparently proceeds by intracrystalline leaching of tetrahedral silica layers by slightly acid ground water. Approximately regular interposition of resultant stripped packets within montmorillonite creates a regular 1:1 mixed-layered montmorillonite-kaolinite, which responds as montmorillonite does to glycolation and heating. The stripped kaoline-like packets develop hexagonal outgrowths of true kaolinite by lateral epitaxy. Nourished by the decomposing montmorillonite, the outgrowths enlarge and nucleate new vertical growth, observed as oriented crystallites, 40–50 A thick. Transformation of montmorillonite to kaolinite is a major geochemical process: creating goethite-stained kaolinitic sands of regional extent, liberating much silica for chert deposition and ground-water enrichment, and constituting an eluvial process that leads, in some areas, to residual quartz sand plains.
In situ stress tensor measured in an Alaskan glacier

An experimental program at Worthington Glacier, Alaska, U.S.A., has yielded the first in situ measurement of the full stress tensor in glacier ice. Measurements were made with an array of stiff (low-compliance) normal-force sensors frozen into a borehole at 120 m depth. Freezing in temperate ice was accomplished by a down-hole heat exchanger which extracted heat at a rate of 15 W. Under slowly varying stress conditions, relaxation of stress anomalies by viscous creep following drilling of the hole and installation of the sensors allows for equilibration of measured stresses with far-field stresses. Equilibration of local and far-field stresses was confirmed and pressure sensors calibrated in laboratory experiments prior to the field program. Results of the stress measurements show principal axes of the stress tensor oriented in directions consistent with the geometry of the glacier and broadly consistent with measured englacial strain rate. The magnitudes of stress-tensor components are more error-prone and more sensitive to uncertainty in sensor magnitude than uncertainty in sensor orientation. Mean stress determined by pressure measurements agrees with estimated lithostatic overburden to within approximately 15%. Unexpected results include a stress perturbation lasting about 5 days that caused a rotation of the orientations of the principal stress axes of approximately 5° about an axis pointing in the down-flow direction.
Attention is not unitary

A primary proposal of the Cowan target article is that capacity limits arise in working memory because only 4 chunks of information can be attended at one time. This implies a single, unitary attentional focus or resource; we instead propose that relatively independent attentional mech- anisms operate within different cognitive subsystems depending on the demands of the current stimuli and tasks.
Spatially Addressable Chemoselective C-terminal Ligation of an Intein Fusion Protein from a Complex Mixture to a Hydrazine-Terminated Surface

Protein immobilization on surfaces is useful in many areas of research, including biological characterization, antibody purification, and clinical diagnostics. A critical limitation in the development of protein microarrays and heterogeneous protein-based assays is the enormous work and associated costs in the purification of proteins prior to their immobilization on a surface; methods to address this problem would simplify the development of interfacial diagnostics that use a protein as the recognition element. Herein, we describe an approach for the facile, site-specific immobilization of proteins on a surface without any preprocessing or sample purification steps that ligates an intein fusion protein at its C-terminus by reaction with a hydrazine group presented by a surface. Furthermore, we demonstrate that this methodology can directly immobilize a protein directly from cell lysate on to a protein-resistant surface. This methodology is also compatible with soft lithography and inkjet printing, so that one or more proteins can be patterned on a surface without need for purification.
Phase-transition radiation in vapor condensation process

Energy release by radiative relaxation during water vapor condensation is considered to be responsible for phase-transition radiation in the water vapor condensation process. A two-level transition model is proposed to explain the radiative transfer mechanism for condensation radiation of water vapor. The absorption coefficient due to condensation radiation and the associated optical properties are defined in the radiative transfer equation. The spectral profile of the source function of vapor condensation radiation is examined and agreement with the experimental characteristic wavelength of condensation radiation is found.
Lossless Virtual Networks

Current hypervisor software drops packets in the virtual network. This behavior is suboptimal, wastes network resources and harms performance. We propose to extend the flow control mechanisms that currently exist only in physical networks to the virtual networks. Using a simple setup we show the advantages of losslessness in a virtualized environment. I. BACKGROUND AND AIM Traditionally, congestive events in the lower layers of the network stack - up to layer 3 - are handled by dropping the excess traffic. At layer 4, TCP provides reliability by handling congestion and recovering losses through retransmissions. This approach keeps the network hardware as simple as possible, leaving the more complex task of recovery and congestion management to the software domain. However, this solution has its drawbacks. Dropping a frame/datagram means at the very least that both the hardware resources and the energy used up to the dropping point are wasted. Next, in most cases, the lost information must be recovered and additional resources are needed. In addition, the recovery introduces extra delays which harm latency-sensitive applications. Hence, over the last decades a tremendous effort has gone to make the hardware network infrastructure lossless through the use of different flow control mechanisms. Today most network technologies allow lossless operation, including the probably most common and most widely deployed network technology: Ethernet. The introduction of 802.3x PAUSE flow control superseded by the Per-priority Flow Control (PFC) (1) in Converged Enhanced Ethernet (CEE) avoids buffer overflows inside the network devices by temporarily stopping the sender when the receiver does not have enough buffer space (while resuming it later on), thus avoiding any frame drops due to congestion. On the other hand, nowadays we assist to an increasing use of virtual network devices stemming from datacenters migrating to highly virtualized servers and networks in an effort to maximize utilization and reduce cost, as well as to enable new applications such as multi-tenant cloud data centers. The communication between virtual machines (VMs) located either within the same server or on different servers
Upper extremity musculoskeletal symptoms and disorders among a cohort of women employed in poultry processing.

Background We evaluated musculoskeletal problems among women employed in poultry processing in rural northeastern North Carolina. Poultry processing is the largest single employer of women in this economically depressed region with a black majority population. Methods Data were collected from a cohort of 291 women through interviews and physical exams conducted at 6-month intervals over 3 years. An index of cumulative exposure, based on departmental rankings and work history, was the primary exposure variable. Other variables of interest included work organization factors, other medical conditions, depressive symptoms, children in the home, and hand intensive home activities. Poisson regression with generalized estimating equations was used to evaluate factors associated with occurrences of upper extremity symptoms and incidence of disorders at follow-up. Results Symptoms making it difficult to maintain work speed or quality and depressive symptoms at baseline were associated with symptoms at follow-up; age, being overweight, and job insecurity at baseline were associated with incident disorders. After considering these factors, the exposure response pattern was J-shaped with risk decreasing in the second quartile of cumulative exposure and then going steadily up; the effect was stronger for disorders. Conclusions The pattern of risk is consistent with onset of early musculoskeletal problems among women new to the industry followed by a later increase with continued exposure. Among this highly exposed population, the effects of depressive symptoms and work organization factors were diminished when cumulative exposure was considered, illustrating the contextual nature of the complex relationships between physical work exposures and psychosocial factors. Am. J. Ind. Med. 51:24–36, 2008. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Immediate rather than delayed memory impairment in older adults with latent toxoplasmosis.

Abstract The neurotropic parasite Toxoplasma gondii infects one third of the world population, but its effect on memory remains ambiguous. To examine a potential relationship of the infection with immediate and delayed memory, a population-based study was conducted in 4485 participants of the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey aged 60 years and older. Serum anti-Toxoplasma IgG antibodies were measured by enzyme immune assay and verbal memory was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination and the East Boston Memory Test. The prevalence of latent toxoplasmosis was 41%; in one way analysis of variance, anti-Toxoplasma IgG antibody levels significantly differed across tertiles for immediate (P = 0.006) but not delayed memory scores (P = 0.22). In multinomial logistic regression adjusting for covariates, Toxoplasma seropositivity was associated with lower immediate memory performance (OR: 0.65, 95% CI: 0.44, 0.97 for medium tertile and OR: 0.61, 95% CI: 0.37, 0.98 for highest tertile in reference to the lowest tertile), especially in non-Hispanic Whites (OR: 0.56, 95% CI: 0.36, 0.88 for medium tertile and OR: 0.51, 95% CI: 0.30, 0.87 for highest tertile in reference to the lowest tertile). However, no relationship with delayed memory was observed. In conclusion, latent toxoplasmosis is widespread in older adults and may primarily affect immediate rather than delayed memory, particularly in White Americans.
The location of the polio genome protein in viral RNAs and its implication for RNA synthesis.

Evidence is presented that a small protein (VPg) is covalently attached to the 5′-terminal oligonucleotide VPg–pU-U–A–A–A–A–C–A–Gp of the polio genome, to nascent strands of the polio replicative intermediate and to poly(U) of minus strands. A model of polio RNA replication is proposed implicating VPg in initiation of RNA synthesis, possibly as primer.
Exogenous Superoxide Dismutase Mimetic Without Scavenging H2O2 Causes Photoreceptor Damage in a Rat Model for Oxygen-Induced Retinopathy

Purpose Frequent, brief intermittent episodes of hypoxia (IH) during hyperoxia increase reactive oxygen species in the immature retina with compromised antioxidant systems, thus leading to oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR). We examined the hypothesis that early exposure to a mimetic of superoxide dismutase (SOD), the first line of defense against oxidative stress, will decrease IH-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) and prevent severe OIR in our rat model. Methods To test this hypothesis, newborn rats (P0) were exposed to IH consisting of alternating cycles of 50% O₂ with brief hypoxia (12% O₂) until P14 during which they were treated with a single daily intraperitoneal (IP) dose of MnTBAP (a SOD mimetic) at 1.0, 5.0, or 10.0 mg/kg on P0, P1, and P2. A saline-treated group served as vehicle controls. Groups were analyzed following IH at P14 or allowed to recover in room air (RA) until P21. Control littermates were raised in RA with all conditions identical except for inspired O₂. Ocular assessment of OIR severity, oxidative stress, angiogenesis, antioxidant activity, and oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) were conducted at P14 and P21. Results Collectively, the data show increased oxidative stress and angiogenesis with MnTBAP, which was associated with photoreceptor damage, retinal characteristics consistent with severe OIR, and changes in genes regulating OXPHOS. Conclusions In the setting of IH, the use of exogenous SOD mimetics must be combined with H₂O₂ scavengers in order to prevent photoreceptor damage and severe OIR.
Segmentation in staged human embryos: the occipitocervical region revisited

The first seven somites, the rhombomeres, and the pharyngeal arches were reassessed in 145 serially sectioned human embryos of stages 9-23, 22 of which were controlled by precise graphic reconstructions. Segmentation begins in the neuromeres, somites and aortic arches at stage 9. The following new observations are presented. (1) The first somite in the human, unlike that of the chick, is neither reduced in size nor different in structure, and it possesses sclerotome, somitocoel and dermatomyotome. (2) Somites 1-4, unlike those of the chick, are related to rhombomere 8 (rather than 7 and 8) and are caudal to pharyngeal arch 4 (rather than in line with 3 and 4). (3) Occipital segment 4 resembles a developing vertebra more than do segments 1-3. (4) The development of the basioccipital resembles that of the first two cervical vertebrae in that medial and lateral components arise in a manner that differs from that in the rest of the vertebral column. (5) The two groups of somites, occipital 1-4 and cervical 5-7, each form a median skeletal mass. (6) An 'S-shaped head/trunk interface', described for the chick and unjustifiably for the mouse, was not found because it is not compatible with the topographical development of the otic primordium and somite 1, between which neural crest migrates without hindrance in mammals. (7) Occipital segmentation and related features are documented by photomicrographs and graphic interpretations for the first time in the human. It is confirmed that the first somite, unlike that of the chick, is separated from the otic primordium by a distance, although the otic anlage undergoes a relative shift caudally. The important, although frequently neglected, distinction between lateral and medial components is emphasized. Laterally, sclerotomes 3 and 4 delineate the hypoglossal foramen, 4 gives rise to the exoccipital and participates in the occipital condyle, 5 forms the posterior arch of the atlas and 6 provides the neural arch of the axis, which is greater in height than the arches of the other cervical vertebrae. Medially, the perinotochord and migrated sclerotomic cells give rise to the basioccipital as well as to the vertebral centra, including the tripartite column of the axis. Registration between (1) the somites and (2) the occipital and cervical medial segments becomes interrupted by the special development of the axis, the three components of which come to occupy the height of only 2 1/2 segments.
Heterarchical Paths to Evolution, The Role of External Economies

Heterarchy is a useful paradigm for reanalyzing aspects of social evolution. It supplies a fresh perspective on the concept of hierarchy and complexity. This study examines the effect of external trade on local social development. The Trobriands and the Yapese empire of the Carolines supply examples of the relationship between the evolution of hierarchy and centrality and the capture of external trade. If external trade is not captured as an economic armature for evolutionary development, external trade can serve as an alternative power base that works against the development of a strong hierarchy and centrality in evolution at home. The city-states of ancient Greece, the Maya, and Mesopotamia supply archaeological examples of social development that did not capture larger regional external trade networks. These archaeological analyses question the assumed inherency of taxation and tribute in state level evolution.
Comparative Study of Manufactured Housing Production Systems

This paper illustrates the production process of a manufactured housing factory and potential bottlenecks that could affect the system efficiency. To investigate ways for improving the performance of the U-shaped flow pattern layouts, a comparative study between two case study factories was conducted to realize their relative efficiencies and drawbacks. Process maps were prepared to establish the subactivity relationship at every assembly and subassembly station. Time data were collected for the station process time and the subactivity process time at the two factories to realize a generic (streamlined) system. The efficient criteria of the two systems were joined to develop a streamlined generic system.
Surgical treatment of nonconstrained glenoid component failure

Abstract Total shoulder replacement for pathological conditions of the glenohumeral joint has proven to be a very durable procedure with a low complication rate and a high rate of patient satisfaction. Glenoid component revision rates reported in the literature are generally less than 4% (range, 0 to 12.5%) for nonconstrained total shoulder replacements at 3- to 5-year follow-up. Glenoid component failure occurs as a result of loosening, breakage, or damage of the glenoid component. The causes for glenoid component failure include infection, trauma, eccentric loading after a rotator cuff tear, and technical errors. Technical factors include inadequate glenoid bone contouring allowing rocking of the platform, excessive cement buildup with noncontained cement that may break free and allow toggling of the platform, and component malalignment or poor soft tissue balancing leading to dislocations with associated loosening or breakage. The patients experience pain and loss of motion, and diagnostic radiographs often reveal a progressive increase in radiolucencies around the glenoid component. Treatment consists of glenoid component replacement when bone stock allows or glenoid component removal with upsizing of the humeral head when bone stock is insufficient to support a new component. In the case of infection, removal of both components is advocated. Results of glenoid component revision surgery are satsifactory in the majority of cases, with patients who have intact and normally functioning deltoid and rotator cuff muscles faring better than those who have some form of compromise.
Phase I Study of Temozolomide in Relapsed/Refractory Acute Leukemia

PURPOSE: To determine the dose-limiting toxicity and maximum-tolerated dose of temozolomide in patients with acute leukemia. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty patients (16 with acute myelogenous leukemia, two with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and two with chronic myelogenous leukemia in blastic phase) received 43 cycles of temozolomide. Patients began treatment at two different dose levels: 200 mg/m2/d for 7 days or 200 mg/m2/d for 9 days. RESULTS: Prolonged aplasia was the dose-limiting toxicity, and the maximum-tolerated dose was 7 days of temozolomide. Overall treatment was well tolerated: hospitalization was required in only nine of 43 courses, and there were no treatment-related deaths. Two patients obtained a complete response, and two others met criteria for complete response except for platelet recovery. Overall, nine of 20 patients had a significant decrease in bone marrow blasts after temozolomide treatment. CONCLUSION: Temozolomide was well tolerated and had significant antileukemic activity when a...
Evaluation of the role of second messenger systems in tumor necrosis factor-stimulated resorption of fetal rat limb bones

Abstract Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) actions in target tissues are mediated by various signalling pathways. The effect of TNF to stimulate resorption in fetal rat limb bones is not inhibited by indomethacin. The current studies were designed to assess the role of cyclic AMP (cAMP) and calcium as second messengers in this prostaglandin-independent action of TNF on bone resorption. TNF alone failed to increase cyclic AMP in fetal rat limb bones after either brief (15 min) or long-term (72 h) treatment. TNF-stimulated resorption in fetal rat limb bones was enhanced by the phosphodiesterase inhibitor isobutylmethylxanthine (IBMX). In short term incubations, the combination of TNF + IBMX did not elicit increases in cAMP in the limb bones. In 72 h cultures, addition of IBMX revealed a dose-dependent effect of TNF to increase cAMP. TNF produced a significant increase in inositol phosphate turnover in limb bones, with a greater response at 5 min than at 1 or 20 min. The calcium channel blocker nitrendipine inhibited TNF-stimulated resorption in the fetal rat limb bones. TNF-stimulated resorption was attenuated by pretreatment with pertussis toxin (PTx). PTx did not inhibit the effect of TNF to increase inositol phosphate turnover. TNF did not increase cAMP, intracellular calcium, or inositol phosphates in the UMR-106 cells. The data suggest the following: (a) cyclic mucleotides may play a role in TNF-stimulated resorption, although an increase in cAMP is not a direct rapid effect of TNF per se; (b) inositol phosphates could also play a signalling role in the action of TNF; (c) a pertussis toxin-sensitive step is required for TNF action on bone resorption.
Religion Crossing Boundaries: Transnational Religious and Social Dynamics in Africa and the New African Diaspora, edited by Afe Adogame and James V. Spickard, Koninklijke Brill: Boston, 2010, v + 280 pp. ISBN 978 90 04 18730 6, US$146.00 (hardback)

Religion Crossing Boundaries: Transnational Religious and Social Dynamics in Africa and the New African Diaspora, edited by Afe Adogame and James V. Spickard, Koninklijke Brill: Boston, 2010, v + 2...
Cognitive dissonance and behavior change in psychotherapy

Abstract Two therapy analog studies attempted to clarify previous ambiguities about whether cognitive dissonance reduction can contribute to improvement in psychotherapy. Study 1 tested whether manipulated therapy effort and personal responsibility for undertaking that effort, each of which has been shown separately to be important in producing behavior change, combine to produce improvement, as dissonance theory predicts. Snake phobics anticipated undertaking a procedure either high or low in effort; decision freedom for engaging in the effort was also varied (high vs low). Consistent with predictions, subjects tended to change their behavior most under high anticipated effort, but only when decision freedom was high. Study 2 was a partial conceptual replication that used a misattribution of arousal paradigm to distinguish dissonance from self-perception or other non-arousal-based explanations for change. Speech anxious subjects anticipated a procedure either high or low in effort and were either provided or not provided with an opportunity to misattribute dissonance arousal. Results indicated that High (vs Low) Anticipated Effort subjects were able to speak longer and tended to speak more fluently when faced with a noxious public speaking situation, but only when no misatribution opportunity had been provided. In both studies, improvement occurred mainly in behavior rather than in attitudes. Possible reasons for this, as well as the routes by which dissonance reduction might lead to improvement, were discussed.
Dialogic writing as a tool for thinking and learning about the environment

Competence in understanding and resolving environmental problems requires a curriculum that integrates traditional disciplines with applied problem-solving skills and/or methods. Building upon the work of scholars who are calling for curriculum reform so that students may understand better the ethical dimensions of environmental problems, we analyze the theory of using dialogic writing to think and learn about the environment, and we provide examples of application of this technique.
Structure and Mechanism of Yeast RNA Triphosphatase: An Essential Component of the mRNA Capping Apparatus

RNA triphosphatase is an essential mRNA processing enzyme that catalyzes the first step in cap formation. The 2.05 A crystal structure of yeast RNA triphosphatase Cet1p reveals a novel active site fold whereby an eight-stranded beta barrel forms a topologically closed triphosphate tunnel. Interactions of a sulfate in the center of the tunnel with a divalent cation and basic amino acids projecting into the tunnel suggest a catalytic mechanism that is supported by mutational data. Discrete surface domains mediate Cet1p homodimerization and Cet1p binding to the guanylyltransferase component of the capping apparatus. The structure and mechanism of fungal RNA triphosphatases are completely different from those of mammalian mRNA capping enzymes. Hence, RNA triphosphatase presents an ideal target for structure-based antifungal drug discovery.
COMPARATIVE UPTAKE OF DL-LYSINE-H3 BY NORMAL AND REGENERATIVE HYPOGLOSSAL NERVE CELLS IN EUTHYROID, HYPOTHYROID AND HYPERTHYROID MALE RATS.

The uptake of DL-lysine-H3 by normal and regenerating hypoglossal nerve cells was studied radioautographically in euthyroid, hypothyroid and hyperthyroid male rats. The radioactive material taken up in the brain tissue was identified by ascending paper chromatography as being lysine. Regenerating cells in all three groups were significantly larger than normal cells and showed a significant increase in the amount of radioactive material present per cell. Since cell enlargement paralleled uptake of lysine, the actual concentration of labeled material in normal and regenerating cells in euthyroid rats was found to be the same. The effect of the hypothyroid state was to increase uptake in both normal and regenerating cells as compared with comparable cells in euthyroid rats. The hyperthyroid state itself had no effect on uptake of lysine on normal cells, but did increase the uptake in regenerating cells. The significance of the increased uptake in regenerating cells and of altered total body metabolic state on lysine uptake is discussed with reference to the blood-brain barrier.
Visual radiation activity during a cortical penicillin discharge.

The electrical behavior of 274 principal cells of the dorsal nucleus of the lateral geniculate body of cat has been studied during the discharge of a penicillin focus in the primary visual cortex. In 17% of the cells, spike activity was observed during the penicillin discharge. The activity consisted of 1–40 spikes at frequencies as high as 500/sec. When the penicillin discharge initiated a prolonged seizure, activity in the principal cells continued throughout the seizures at rates from 100–200/sec. The temporal properties of the activity and the detailed structure of single spikes studied with glass microelectrodes in the geniculate suggest that this activity is antidromic. Stimulation of the visual radiation at its origin in the geniculate at various times during a penicillin discharge revealed marked reduction in amplitude of the population response recorded at the terminus of the radiation in the cortex. The degree of reduction followed approximately the time course of the penicillin discharge and was great enough to suggest two additive etiologies, viz., refractoriness or occlusion during the penicillin discharge and depolarization of the radiation fiber terminals.
Uncertainties in the Link Between Global Climate Change and Predicted Health Risks from Pollution: Hexachlorobenzene (HCB) Case Study Using a Fugacity Model

Industrial societies have altered the earth's environment in ways that could have important, longterm ecological, economic, and health implications. In this paper, we examine the extent to which uncertainty about global climate change could impact the precision of predictions of secondary outcomes such as health impacts of pollution. Using a model that links global climate change with predictions of chemical exposure and human health risk in the Western region of the United States of America (U.S.), we define parameter variabilities and uncertainties and we characterize the resulting outcome variance. As a case study, we consider the public health consequences from releases of hexachlorobenzene (HCB), a ubiquitous multimedia pollutant. By constructing a matrix that links global environmental change both directly and indirectly to potential human-health effects attributable to HCB released into air, soil, and water, we define critical parameter variances in the health risk estimation process. We employ a combined uncertainty/sensitivity analysis to investigate how HCB releases are affected by increasing atmospheric temperature and the accompanying climate alterations that are anticipated. We examine how such uncertainty impacts both the expected magnitude and calculational precision of potential human exposures and health effects. This assessment reveals that uncertain temperature increases of up to 5 degrees C have little impact on either the magnitude or precision of the public-health consequences estimated under existing climate variations for HCB released into air and water in the Western region of the U.S.
Surface modification of a microcellular porous solid: carbon foam

Abstract Microcellular solids such as carbon foams offer unique advantages over traditional solids in many applications. However, since these structures are 80–90% porous, they have a high interface/volume ratio, and surface driven properties such as atmospheric tolerance and bond formation with the matrix material are crucial for applicability. This calls for controlled surface modification techniques that can tailor surface-related properties without compromising the desirable bulk properties of the material (graphite in this case). Several types of modification, using liquid-phase and plasma-phase treatments, have been investigated by this group. One of the goals is to improve composite formation. If a composite is to be made with the foam, it needs to be infiltrated with a matrix phase (e.g. epoxy for structural composite or metal for thermal composite). Enhanced infiltration of the matrix material and optimum bond-strength is achieved by surface treatments that increase chemical affinity between the two phases. Hydrophilic coatings that increase oxygen-functional groups on the surface are seen to be very effective. The second modification goal is to enhance the foam’s durability as a stand-alone solid (such as in a lightweight sandwich structure or thermal dissipation foam). Coatings that incorporate moisture-repellent and chemically inert groups (such as fluorocarbons) achieve this. The following aspects of these coatings have been discussed: (a) chemistry of specific surface functional groups, (b) contact angle changes with water, and (c) infiltration of water (which is a predictor of infiltration of other polar compounds). The significance of these results to our understanding of composite interfaces and future fabrication issues has been discussed.
The Tumor Necrosis Factor-like Weak Inducer of Apoptosis (TWEAK)-Fibroblast Growth Factor-inducible 14 (Fn14) Signaling System Regulates Glioma Cell Survival via NFκB Pathway Activation and BCL-XL/BCL-W Expression

The Fn14 gene encodes a type Ia transmembrane protein that belongs to the tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily. We recently showed that fibroblast growth factor-inducible 14 (Fn14) is overexpressed in migrating glioma cells in vitro and in glioblastoma multiforme clinical specimens in vivo. To determine the biological role of Fn14 in brain cancer progression, we examined the activity of Fn14 as a potential mediator of cell survival. Tumor necrosis factor-like weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK)-stimulated glioma cells had increased cellular resistance to cytotoxic therapy-induced apoptosis. Either TWEAK treatment or Fn14 overexpression in glioma cells resulted in the activation of NFκB and subsequently the translocation of NFκB from the cytoplasm to the nucleus. In addition, Fn14 activation induced BCL-XL and BCL-W mRNA and protein levels, and this effect was dependent upon NFκB transcriptional activity. Substitution of a putative NFκB binding site identified in the BCL-X promoter significantly decreased Fn14-induced transactivation. Furthermore Fn14-induced transactivation of the BCL-X promoter was also diminished by the super-repressor IκBα mutant, which specifically inhibits NFκB activity, and by mutations in the NFκB binding motif of the BCL-X promoter. Additionally small interfering RNA-mediated depletion of either BCL-XL or BCL-W antagonized the TWEAK protective effect on glioma cells. Our results suggest that NFκB-mediated up-regulation of BCL-XL and BCL-W expression in glioma cells increases cellular resistance to cytotoxic therapy-induced apoptosis. We propose that the Fn14 protein functions, in part, through the NFκB signaling pathway to up-regulate BCL-XL and BCL-W expression to foster malignant glioblastoma cell survival. Targeted therapy against Fn14 as an adjuvant to surgery may improve management of invasive glioma cells and advance the outcome of this devastating cancer.
Microarray Profiling for Differential Gene Expression in Ovaries and Ovarian Follicles of Pigs Selected for Increased Ovulation Rate

A unique index line of pigs created by long-term selection ovulates on average 6.7 more ova than its randomly selected control line. Expression profiling experiments were conducted to identify differentially expressed genes in ovarian tissues of the index and control lines during days 2-6 of the follicular phase of the estrous cycle. Fluorescently labeled cDNAs derived from ovary and follicle RNA were cohybridized on microarray slides (n = 90) containing 4608 follicle-derived probes printed in duplicate. Statistical analysis of the resulting approximately 1.6 million data points with a mixed-model approach identified 88 and 74 unique probes, representing 71 and 59 unique genes, which are differentially expressed between lines in the ovary and ovarian follicles of different size classes, respectively. These findings indicate that long-term selection for components of litter size has caused significant changes in physiological control of the dynamics of follicular maturation. Genes involved with steroid synthesis, tissue remodeling, and apoptosis, in addition to several genes not previously associated with ovarian physiology or with unknown function, were found to be differentially expressed between lines. This study reveals many potential avenues of investigation for seeking new insights into ovarian physiology and the quantitative genetic control of reproduction.
IEF in microfluidic devices

IEF is one of the most powerful and prevalent techniques used in separation sciences. The power of IEF comes from the fact that it not only separates analytes based on their pI but also focuses them into highly resolved bands. In line with the miniaturization trend spurring the analytical community, the past decade has yielded a wealth of research focused on implementing IEF in microfluidic chip-based formats (microIEF). Scaling down the separation technique provides several advantages such as reduced sample sizes, assay automation, and significant improvements in assay speed without sacrificing separation performance. Besides presenting microscale adaptations of standard schemes, researchers have also developed improved detection techniques, demonstrated novel microIEF assays, and incorporated microIEF with other analytical methods for achieving on-chip multidimensional separations. This review provides a brief historical outline of IEF's beginnings, theoretical incentives driving miniaturization of the methodology, a thorough synopsis of microIEF publications to date, and an outlook to the future.
Distal Tibia Areal Bone Mineral Density: Use in Detecting Low aBMD of the Hip in Young Women

Abstract Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is a primary clinical tool for identification of adults with low areal bone mineral density (aBMD) and who are at increased risk for future osteoporosis and fragility fractures. Procedures for several aBMD scans of clinical interest might be limited by artifact, inaccessible anatomical regions, and positioning errors. Sites for scanning that overcome these limitations need further investigation for application to large-scale screening and relevance to clinical decisions regarding diagnosis and treatment. In this study, 146 women (mean ± SE age=20.1 ± 0.1 yr, height=163.3 ± 0.2 cm, weight=60.0 ± 0.2 kg) underwent DXA of the total body (TB) and right and left total proximal femurs (TPF), total forearms (TF), and distal tibiae (DT). Osteopenia was identified in 24 women. Areal BMD was positively related among all measurement sites ( r = 0.55–0.81, all p
Mitochondrial Metabolism in Developing Embryos of Brassica napus

The metabolism of developing plant seeds is directed toward transforming primary assimilatory products (sugars and amino acids) into seed storage compounds. To understand the role of mitochondria in this metabolism, metabolic fluxes were determined in developing embryos of Brassica napus. After labeling with [1,2-13C2]glucose + [U-13C6]glucose, [U-13C3]alanine, [U-13C5]glutamine, [15N]alanine, (amino)-[15N]glutamine, or (amide)-[15N]glutamine, the resulting labeling patterns in protein amino acids and in fatty acids were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Fluxes through mitochondrial metabolism were quantified using a steady state flux model. Labeling information from experiments using different labeled substrates was essential for model validation and reliable flux estimation. The resulting flux map shows that mitochondrial metabolism in these developing seeds is very different from that in either heterotrophic or autotrophic plant tissues or in most other organisms: (i) flux around the tricarboxylic acid cycle is absent and the small fluxes through oxidative reactions in the mitochondrion can generate (via oxidative phosphorylation) at most 22% of the ATP needed for biosynthesis; (ii) isocitrate dehydrogenase is reversible in vivo; (iii) about 40% of mitochondrial pyruvate is produced by malic enzyme rather than being imported from the cytosol; (iv) mitochondrial flux is largely devoted to providing precursors for cytosolic fatty acid elongation; and (v) the uptake of amino acids rather than anaplerosis via PEP carboxylase determines carbon flow into storage proteins.