cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mechanisms of Fast Protein Folding

▪ Abstract An explosion of in vitro experimental data on the folding of proteins has revealed many examples of folding in the millisecond or faster timescale, often occurring in the absence of stable intermediate states. We review experimental methods for measuring fast protein folding kinetics, and then discuss various analytical models used to interpret these data. Finally, we classify general mechanisms that have been proposed to explain fast protein folding into two catagories, heterogeneous and homogeneous, reflecting the nature of the transition state. One heterogeneous mechanism, the diffusion-collision mechanism, can be used to interpret experimental data for a number of proteins.
Circumportal pancreas: a review of the literature and image findings

Purpose Fused pancreatic tissue encasing the portal and/or superior mesenteric vein, circumportal pancreas, is a congenital anomaly that has been associated with operative complications in resections involving the head of the pancreas. We describe this anomaly and highlight its pathophysiology and surgical outcomes through a review of the literature to date, drawings and a computed tomography example.
Total energy flux in a marine bioluminescent bacterium

The total heat production from luminous bacteria growing on glycerol as a sole source of carbon and energy was measured in an isothermal microcalorimeter and compared to the light emitted and growth yield. Substrate concentration was measured before and after growth to calculate the amount of substrate utilized. From these data the total energy flux was determined for Vibrio harveyi: a 25 ml culture consumed 328 micromoles of glycerol (130 cal) and produced 54 calories of heat, 76.3 cal of biomass, and 3.5 millicalories of light. Bioluminescence was then only a very small fraction (0.007%) of the total energy expended.
Use of a vital fluorescent stain to identify apoptosis in bovine oocytes

s / Theriogenology 70 (2008) 576–591 581 in post-thaw semen quality were the percentage of progressively motile sperm and membrane integrity, with LE extender having the lowest mean progressive motility, but greatest mean membrane integrity. Differences in thawing protocols resulted in LE samples being analyzed for motility at a relatively high concentration, which may have affected the accuracy of the computerized semen analyzer for assessing progressive motility. Unlike the CaniPRO, the CanFreeze and the LE protocols do not require the addition of fresh egg yolk. CanFreeze and LE are simplified freezing protocols that may be of benefit for semen freezing laboratories with limited technical assistance.
Sitting On Bayonets?: the Soviet Defense Burden and Moscow's Economic Dilemma

Abstract : Not too many years ago, the burden of Soviet defense seemed a secondary issue. The conventional estimates of the size of the burden were low and the Soviet economy was growing rapidly. Now, the era of rapid growth seems to have come to an end and the Western estimates of the burden are much higher. The conjunction generates intense interest in the relation between the two developments. Especially important is the role of the defense burden in shaping future growth prospects. How serious a drag on the economy does the Soviet military budget represent? Is cutting defense spending the solution to current Soviet economic problems? Will the military budget nevertheless continue to grow? These questions are the focus of the present paper. The first section considers the various estimates of the size of the Soviet defense burden. It is followed by a discussion of the connections between defense burden and resource allocation choices. A final section speculates on the implications for future defense spending.
SU-GG-I-151: Background Subtraction From X-Ray Projection Images Using Prior Information: A Phantom Study

Purpose: Kilovoltage image guidance is increasingly available for daily imaging in radiotherapy departments. Improving image quality on the projection of a section of the anatomy can be of interest for some imaging techniques. Our purpose is to investigate a proof‐of‐principle background subtraction technique that improves contrast resolution in x‐ray projection images, by isolating the structures belonging to a selected slice of the anatomy, using prior CT information. Method and Materials: we acquired X‐ray projection images of a phantom with a CBCT Varian On‐Board Imager over a full gantry turn, using a standard CBCT acquisition technique. The CBCTscanner was equipped with antiscatter grid, without a bowtie filter. The dataset was comprised of a reconstructedCBCTimage and the set of 2D projections used to reconstruct the CBCTimage using the standard FDK algorithm. In the reconstructedCTimage we selected sets of slices parallel to the axis of gantry rotation on the CBCTreconstructed images, and obtained a background image by forward projecting the full CBCTimage minus the voxels belonging to the selected slice. No denoising was applied to the background image. The background was subtracted from the full projection to give an attenuation map of the selected slices. Results: the background‐subtracted X‐ray projections of selected slices of the Catphan phantom show a higher contrast than the projections of the full phantom. The CNR of the imaged slices improved by a factor of two with respect to the full projection. Conclusion: Background‐subtracted X‐ray projection images could show enhanced low contrast resolution when imaging pre‐selected slices of a previously imagedanatomy. Investigation supported by NCI grant R01CA117997.
The natural history of halo nevi: A retrospective case series

Background The time period between onset of depigmentation around the halo nevus (HN) to complete resolution of the nevus and halo has not been well studied. Objective We sought to better understand the natural history of the HN. Methods A retrospective chart review of patients with a clinical diagnosis of HN selected from a private practice database (1994-2010) was performed. In all, 52 patients with 80 HN were identified. The current stage of the HN was determined by a follow-up questionnaire and physical examination of 36 patients with 56 HN. Results Seven HN were excised. Of the remaining 49 HN, 51% (25) demonstrated no change in the halo or nevus after an average of 4.2 years; 14.3% (7) demonstrated partial nevus regression with persistence of the halo after an average of 6.7 years; 4.1% (2) demonstrated complete involution of the nevus with persistent halo depigmentation after an average of 7.7 years; 8.2% (4) demonstrated complete nevus involution with some repigmentation of the halo after an average of 11.8 years; 22.4% (11) demonstrated complete resolution of the nevus with complete repigmentation of the halo after an average of 7.8 years. Limitation Some subjects were lost to follow-up. The time of initial HN onset was dependent on patient recall. Conclusion These results demonstrate that HN typically persist for a decade or longer. A subgroup may progress through stages of involution with a return to normal-appearing skin, but even these lesions persisted for an average of 7.8 years. Education about the prolonged natural history of HN may reassure patients and avoid unnecessary excision.
Dimension reduction for hyperbolic space

A dimension reduction for hyperbolic space is established. When points are far apart, an embedding with bounded distortion into H 2 is achieved.
An Application of the Level Set Method to Underwater Acoustic Propagation

An algorithm for computing wavefronts, based on the high frequency approximation to the wave equation, is presented. This technique applies the level set method to underwater acoustic wavefront propagation in the time domain. The level set method allows for computation of the acoustic phase function using established numerical techniques to solve a first order transport equation to a desired order of accuracy. Traditional methods for solving the eikonal equation directly on a fixed grid limit one to only the first arrivals, so these approaches are not useful when multi-path propagation is present. Applying the level set model to the problem allows for the time domain computation of the phase function on a fixed grid, without having to restrict to first arrival times. The implementation presented has no restrictions on range dependence or direction of travel, and offers improved efficiency over solving the full wave equation which under the high frequency assumption requires a large number of grid points to resolve the highly oscillatory solutions. Boundary conditions are discussed, and an approach is suggested for producing good results in the presence of boundary reflections. An efficient method to compute the amplitude from the level set method solutions is also presented. Comparisons to analytical solutions are presented where available, and numerical results are validated by comparing results with exact solutions where available, a full wave equation solver, and with wavefronts extracted from ray tracing software.
BMP‐like signals are required after the midblastula transition for blood cell development

We have investigated the process by which the primitive erythroid cells develop during early vertebrate embryogenesis. Cultured Xenopus animal cap (AC) cells transiently activate the transcription of blood cell regulatory genes GATA-1 and GATA-2 but fail to commit stably to the blood lineage. By contrast, cells of the presumptive ventral marginal zone (VMZ), are committed by the midblastula transition (MBT) to express fully on erythroid program. Growth factor BMP-4, a member of the TGF-beta family of signaling molecules, has been implicated in the process of ventral mesoderm patterning. We show that expression of BMP-4 after MBT is sufficient to induce the blood program fully in AC cells. This includes high level expression of the blood markers SCL and globin, which are not activated in AC cells from uninjected embryos. Likewise, expression of a dominant negative receptor after MBT results in relatively normal embryos, which, however, completely lack differentiated blood cells. Our results are consistent with a role for BMP or BMP-like signaling during gastrulation in the differentiation of embryonic blood.
Solving multivariable mathematical models by the quadrature and cubature methods

The utilization and generalization of quadrature and cubature approximations for numerical solution of mathematical models of multivariable transport processes involving integral, differential, and integro-differential operators, and for numerical interpolation and extrapolation, are presented. The methodology for determination of the quadrature and cubature weights for composite operators is developed to accommodate for general functional representations. Application of these methods is demonstrated by solving two-dimensional steady-state and one-dimensional transient-state problems. The solutions are compared with exact-analytical solutions to evaluate the performance of these methods. It is demonstrated that the quadrature and cubature approximations are simple and universal; i.e., the same formula is applicable irrespective of the order of accuracy of the numerical approximation, the type of linear operator, and the number of temporal and/or spatial variables. Since the quadrature and cubature methods can produce solutions with sufficient accuracy even when using fewer discrete points, both the programming task and computational effort are reduced considerably. Therefore, the quadrature and cubature methods appear to be very practical in solving the mathematical models of a variety of transport processes. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Detection of an ultralow velocity zone at the core-mantle boundary using diffracted PKKPab waves

[1] Seismic phases diffracted around Earth's core contain information about lowermost mantle wave speeds. By measuring the slowness of incident diffracted energy from array recordings, seismic velocity along the diffracted path can be estimated. Here we apply this principle to diffraction of the major arc seismic phase PKKPab recorded at the Canadian Yellowknife array to estimate P wave velocity variations along the core-mantle boundary. We observe PKKPabdiff about 7.5° past the ray theoretical cutoff distance for PKKPab. We utilize 330 western Pacific rim earthquakes that allow us to probe the core-mantle boundary beneath the North Atlantic and the South Pacific oceans using PKKPabdiff. Slowness and back azimuth are measured by frequency–wave number analysis. Mapping PKKPabdiff slowness variations suggest 4–19% P wave velocity reductions relative to PREM, in good agreement with the magnitude of velocity reductions previously mapped in ultralow velocity zones. The PKKPabdiff slowness and back-azimuth variations combined with results from previous ULVZ studies using SPdiffKS imply that the lowered velocities occur at the base of the mantle beneath the North Atlantic Ocean, along the receiver side of raypaths. PKKPabdiff array measurements thus hold important potential for mapping ultralow velocity zone structure in so far unprobed regions of the lower mantle as well as for providing additional and independent information about lower mantle structure.
Signed Peer Reviews as a Means to Improve Scholarly Publishing

Part of the Agricultural and Resource Economics Commons, Behavioral Economics Commons, Climate Commons, Economic Policy Commons, Energy Policy Commons, Environmental Education Commons, Environmental Health and Protection Commons, Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment Commons, Environmental Monitoring Commons, Environmental Policy Commons, Fresh Water Studies Commons, Geographic Information Sciences Commons, Growth and Development Commons, International Economics Commons, Natural Resource Economics Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons, Natural Resources Management and Policy Commons, Nature and Society Relations Commons, Oil, Gas, and Energy Commons, Political Economy Commons, Public Economics Commons, Regional Economics Commons, Science and Technology Policy Commons, Sustainability Commons, Urban Studies and Planning Commons, and the Water Resource Management Commons
An integral recursive inequality and applications

An integral recursive inequality for two functions is obtained. It is used to describe the equality cases in the related inequalities. The applications involve some bi-Hermitian forms, integral transformations, and confluent hypergeometric functions.
Molecular beam epitaxial growth of zinc-blende FeN(1 1 1) on wurtzite GaN(0 0 0 1)

We report a study of the growth of iron nitride on gallium nitride using molecular beam epitaxy with Fe e-beam evaporation and rf N-plasma growth. Thin iron nitride layers of thickness about 16 nm were grown and monitored in situ using reflection high energy electron diffraction. The samples following growth were analyzed ex situ using a variety of techniques including X-ray diffraction, Rutherford Backscattering, and atomic force microscopy. By monitoring the structure, morphology, and lattice constant evolution of the iron nitride film, the crystal phase and orientation with respect to the GaN substrate are deduced; and from RBS data, the stoichiometry is obtained. The growth is discussed in terms of a 2-D to 3-D growth mode transition, and a critical thickness is estimated.
Method for estimating quantum efficiency for CMOS image sensors

The standard method for measuring QE for a CCD sensor is not adequate for CMOS APS since it does not take into consideration the random offset, gain variations, and nonlinearity introduced by the APS readout circuits. The paper presents a new method to accurately estimate QE of an APS. Instead of varying illumination as in the CCD method, illumination is kept constant and the pixel output is continuously observed - sampling at regular intervals. This makes it possible to eliminate random offset. The experiment is repeated multiple times to obtain good estimates of the pixel output mean and variance at each sample time. The sensor response is approximated by a piecewise linear function and using the Poisson statistics of shot noise gain, charge and read noise are estimated for each line segment. This procedure is repeated at no illumination so that dark charge may be estimated and subtracted from the total charge estimates. The method can also be used to estimate readout noise and gain FPN. Results from 64 X 64 pixel APS test structures implemented in a 0.35 micrometers CMOS process are reported. Using 6 different chips and 16 pixels per chip QE equals 0.37, gain FPN equals 2 percent, dark charge equals 832e-, and readout noise equals 40e-, are estimated.
Identification of 3'UTR sequence elements and a teloplasm localization motif sufficient for the localization of Hro-twist mRNA to the zygotic animal and vegetal poles.

The early localization of mRNA transcripts is critical in sorting cell fate determinants in the developing embryo. In the glossiphoniid leech, Helobdella robusta, maternal mRNAs, such as Hro-twist, localize to the zygotic teloplasm. Ten seven nucleotide repeat elements (AAUAAUA) called ARE2 and a predicted secondary structural motif, called teloplasm localization motif (TLM), are present in the 3′UTR of Hro-twist mRNA. We used site-directed mutagenesis, deletions, and microinjection of labeled, exogenous transcripts to determine if ARE2 elements, and the TLM, play a role in Hro-twist mRNA localization. Deleting the poly-A tail and the cytoplasmic polyadenylation element (CPE) had no effect on Hro-twist mRNA localization. Site-directed mutagenesis of nucleotides that altered ARE2 element sequences or the TLM suggest that the ARE2 elements and the TLM are important for Hro-twist mRNA localization to the teloplasm of pre-cleavage zygotes. Hro-Twist protein expression data suggest that the localization of Hro-twist transcripts in zygotes and stage two embryos is not involved in ensuring mesoderm specification, as Hro-Twist protein is expressed uniformly in most cells before gastrulation. Our data may support a shared molecular mechanism for leech transcripts that localize to the teloplasm.
Contributions to Synchronous-Machine Theory

Discussion and author's closure of a paper by A. S. Langsdorf published in the January 1937 issue, pages 41–48, and presented for oral discussion at the synchronous machinery session of the winter convention, New York, N. Y., January 27, 1937.
Hyperglycemia and Hemorrhagic Transformation of Cerebral Infarcts

Background Identification of factors that predispose to bleeding into ischemic brain could lead to safer use of thrombolytic agents in the setting of ischemic stroke. Recently de Courten-Meyers and colleagues reported that occluding the middle cerebral artery of markedly hyperglycemic cats was associated with 5-fold more frequent and 25-fold more extensive hemorrhage into infarcts than in normoglycemic animals. Hemorrhage associated with hyperglycemia in cats was much more pronounced with reperfusion than with permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion. Case Descriptions We describe two patients with a unique presentation of diffuse hemorrhagic infarction of the caudate and lentiform nuclei associated with initially marked hyperglycemia and the subsequent development of hemichorea. Conclusions We hypothesize that the marked hyperglycemia due to poor control of diabetes contributed to the hemorrhagic change of the caudate and lenticular nuclei. Because the hemorrhage in hyperglycemic cats was more pronounced in the setting of reperfusion, hemorrhagic risk associated with hyperglycemia should be investigated, particularly in ongoing thrombolytic treatment trials for acute ischemic stroke. We encourage other acute stroke investigators to prospectively look at the risk of brain hemorrhage in stroke patients with marked hyperglycemia.
Holographic discreteness of inflationary perturbations

The holographic entropy bound is used to estimate the quantum-gravitational discreteness of inflationary perturbations. In the context of scalar inflaton perturbations produced during standard slow-roll inflation, but assuming that horizon-scale perturbations ``freeze out'' in discrete steps separated by one bit of total observable entropy, it is shown that the Hilbert space of a typical horizon-scale inflaton perturbation is equivalent to that of about ${10}^{5}$ binary spins---approximately the inverse of the final scalar metric perturbation amplitude, independent of other parameters. Holography thus suggests that in a broad class of fundamental theories, inflationary perturbations carry a limited amount of information (about ${10}^{5}$ bits per mode) and should therefore display discreteness not predicted by the standard field theory. Some manifestations of this discreteness may be observable in cosmic background anisotropy.
Serum creatine phosphokinase activity in psychiatrically hospitalized children.

• Serum creatine phosphokinase (CPK) activity was determined in a series of 101 sequential admissions to the Pritzker Children's Hospital, an inpatient psychiatric facility. Black children had significantly higher serum CPK levels than whites, and males had significantly higher levels than females, as is the case with adults. There was a higher incidence of CPK elevations in children with organic brain pathology than in children with personality disorders or schizophrenia. Children with chronic symptoms of a psychotic nature did not have increased serum CPK activity, which is similar to the findings in adults. There were no children in the sample with acute psychotic symptoms, so it was not possible to determine whether acute psychosis in children is accompanied by increased serum CPK activity, as it frequently is in psychotics over the age of 17.
Pathophysiology of Obesity: Why Surgery Remains the Most Effective Treatment

Obesity is a rapidly increasing, worldwide epidemic. Despite recent scientific advances, no currently recommended dietary program or medication results in long-term weight loss of more than 10% of body weight for the vast majority of people who attempt these interventions. Hence, surgical intervention is recommended for patients with a BMI > or =40 kg/m2. Although surgery is an effective, sustainable treatment of obesity, it can be associated with potentially significant perioperative risks and long-term complications. Current research is focused on developing a medical therapy, which produces more effective and sustainable weight loss, yet avoids the risks inherent in major surgery. With a reduced risk profile, such therapy could also be appropriately offered to those who are less obese and, in theory, help those who have BMIs as low as 27 kg/m2. Toward that end, numerous scientists are working to both unravel the pathophysiology of obesity and to determine why surgical intervention is so effective. This review briefly examines the current status of obesity pathophysiology and management, the reasons for failure of conventional medical treatments, and the success of surgical intervention. Finally, future areas of research are discussed.
Self-gated cardiac magnetic resonance perfusion imaging compared with X-ray angiography: a pilot study

Background Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (CMR) stress perfusion is an effective noninvasive diagnostic clinical tool when combined with late gadolinium enhancement imaging (LGE) for evaluation of ischemia, infarct, and cardiac prognosis. Good ECG-gating is essential to the commonly used perfusion sequences, but ECG-gating is problematic in obese patients, high field magnetic fields, and patients with arrhythmias. We describe a rapid radial-based self-gated (SG) perfusion acquisition for detection of perfusion defects and compare this to LGE and X-ray coronary angiography (XCA) in the detection of infarction or ischemia. Methods
Acid phosphatase distribution in the trigeminal ganglion of the rat.

Localization of acid phosphatase in trigeminal ganglia of vascularly perfused, young, Wistar rats was demonstrated by Gomori's lead sulfide and Barka and Anderson's azo dye methods. Differences in deposition of reaction product, indicating differences in levels of enzyme activity, were demonstrated between small, intensely reactive (dark) neurons and larger, less reactive (light) neurons. Lengthening the fixation time to lessen the likelihood of artifactual origin of such differences resulted in a decreased reaction in all neurons; relative difference in intensity of large and small neurons was retained. The results indicate that the level of detectable acid phosphatase activity is an additional distinguishing feature between light and dark cells in trigeminal ganglia of the rat and suggest that differences between these cells are not artifactual.
Optical air mass: Daily integration and its applications

Daily integration of optical air mass should be of interest by its own merit as a synoptic factor, yet available solutions have been limited as numerical (and probably in error). This paper reports on a generic solution to daytime mean air mass by first defining instantaneous air mass in an integrable function. Daily air mass is then shown to be a key forcing factor in a numerically-derived formula solution to daily solar irradiance.
Female Physicist Doctoral Experiences.

The underrepresentation of women in physics doctorate programs and in tenured academic positions indicates a need to evaluate what may influence their career choice and persistence. This qualitative paper examines eleven females in physics doctoral programs and professional science positions in order to provide a more thorough understanding of why and how women make career choices based on aspects both inside and outside of school and their subsequent interaction. Results indicate that female physicists experience conflict in achieving balance within their graduate school experiences and personal lives and that this then influences their view of their future careers and possible career choices. Female physicists report both early and long-term support outside of school by family, and later departmental support, as being essential to their persistence within the field. A greater focus on informal and out-of-school science activities for females, especially those that involve family members, early in life may help influence their entrance into a physics career later in life. Departmental support, through advisers, mentors, peers, and women's support groups, with a focus on work-life balance can help females to complete graduate school and persist into an academic career.
Needs outlined for satellite program

‘Remote sensors operating from the vantage point of space will never replace direct measurements and acoustic remote sensing … but satellite remote-sensing observing and data relay and platform location techniques should play a substantial role that needs to be systematically recognized and exploited in future programs of ocean sciences research,’ according to the recent report to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) by the National Oceanographic Satellite System (NOSS) Science Working Group. ‘Needs, Opportunities, and Strategies for a Long-Term Oceanic Sciences Satellite Program’ stresses both the need for the integration of data obtained from remote-sensing satellites and from direct observations and the need for more precise data. The NOSS Science Working Group (see box) was established in 1980 under the chairmanship of Francis P. Bretherton of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) to address the scientific needs of the oceanographic community as a whole. The group was charged with three tasks, according to Lawrence F. McGoldrick of NASA's oceanic processes branch: to recommend sensor modifications and additions to fill the 25% of spacecraft capacity reserved for research instrumentation; to identify research problems amenable to using NOSS data;; and to recommend appropriate facilities for researchers to solve these problems. Since the group was formed, however, NOSS was deleted from the budget. The group views the report, dated November 1981 but released about 5 months later, as a focus for near term directions of NASA's satellite oceanography group.
Time-Varying Reflection from Rotating Convex Surfaces*

A method is presented for determining the time variation of the photometric flux density received in the far field by diffuse Lambert reflection from the surfaces of rotating objects of different shapes. The surfaces discussed are restricted to the class of convex quadric surfaces which can be identified with coordinate surfaces of systems of orthogonal, curvilinear coordinates in euclidean 3-space. The relative motion between the object and observer, and object and source is described by rotation with three degrees of freedom. Formulas permitting calculation of the received flux density by routine substitution are presented. The results for some of the more general quadric surfaces can be obtained by simple extension of the results for conical surfaces.
Optimal pointwise control of flexible structures

A class of optimal control problems for self-adjoint distributed-parameter systems is considered. An approach is proposed to damp the undesirable vibrations in the structures actively by means of pointwise controllers (actuators). Necessary conditions of optimality are derived as a set of independent integral equations which lead to explicit expressions for the pointwise controllers. A numerical example is presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the method.
Effect of tranquillizing agents on the resistance of rats to histamine stress.

IN view of the long-continued interest in the relationship of histamine to metabolic processes and disorders, most particularly allergy and psychosis, the present investigation sought to explore the effects of prolonged administration of various tranquillizers on response in the rat to histamine, including effects on such variables as histamine LD50, mortality and alterations in body-weight.
Is natural openness or trade policy good for the environment

In this paper, we estimate the individual effects of natural openness and trade policy on air pollution. Natural openness is the component of the trade share (imports and exports as a percentage of GDP) attributable to population, geography and factor endowment differences. We find that natural openness reduces air pollution, while trade policy has a limited impact. The implication is that ‘natural’ geographic and endowment differences play a more important role than deliberate trade policy decisions in explaining the trade and environment link.
Identification and characterization of an L-type Cav1.2 channel in spiral ligament fibrocytes of gerbil inner ear.

Abstract Intracellular free Ca 2+ levels are critical to the activity of BK channels in inner ear type I spiral ligament fibrocytes. However, the mechanisms for regulating intracellular Ca 2+ levels in these cells are currently poorly understood. Using patch-clamp technique, we have identified a voltage-dependent L-type Ca 2+ channel in type I spiral ligament fibrocytes cultured from gerbil inner ear. With 10 mM Ba 2+ as the conductive cation, an inwardly rectifying current was elicited with little inactivation by membrane depolarization. The voltage activation threshold and the half-maximal voltage activation were −40 and −6 mV, respectively. This inward whole-cell current reached its peak at around 10 mV of membrane potential. The amplitude of the peak current varied among cells ranging from 50 to 274 pA with an average of 132.4±76.2 pA ( n =19); 10 −6 M nifedipine significantly inhibited the inward currents by 90.3±1.2% ( n =11). RT-PCR analysis revealed that cultured type I spiral ligament fibrocytes express the α 1C isoform of the L-type Ca 2+ channels encoded by the Ca v 1.2 gene. The expression of this channel in gerbil inner ear was confirmed by RT-PCR analysis using freshly isolated spiral ligament tissues. The Ca v 1.2 channel may function in conjunction with a previously identified intracellular Ca-ATPase (SERCA) to regulate intracellular free Ca 2+ levels in type I spiral ligament fibrocytes, and thus modulate BK channel activity in these cells.
An analysis of laminar boundary layers on liquid curtains

A simplified analysis of the laminar boundary layer along an isothermal liquid curtain falling under gravity is presented. The analysis uses a von Karman-Pohlhausen integral method and includes the effects of gravity, pressure differences, surface tension and nozzle exit geometry on the convergence length of liquid curtains which have applications as chemical reactors and as protection systems in laser fusion reactors. It is shown that the effects of the surrounding gases on the curtain shape and convergence length are small, and that good approximations to the liquid curtain shape can be obtained by using inviscid flow analyses.
Direct determination of elliptic network functions

Abstract This paper is concerned with the determination of elliptic network functions. The coefficients of the numerator and denominator polynomials of these network functions are determined directly through the use of optimization techniques. A design chart produced by applying the method is included.
What's happening to soul food? Regional and income differences in the African American diet

When African American diets are described in the literature, they usually reflect traditional Southern diets. This study uses food consumption data from the USDA 1994–96 Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals (CSFII) to examine the African American diet Foods consumed more frequently at breakfast, lunch and dinner were found to differ by region and income. These findings indicate that dietary guidance must consider evolving economic, social, cultural, environmental, and even ethnic changes within the African American community.
The Questionable Role of Computed Tomography in Preoperative Staging of Esophageal Cancer

The findings of computed tomography (CT) in 18 patients with histologically proven esophageal carcinoma were compared with operative and pathological findings. Computed tomography delineated esophageal lesions in 14 of the 18 patients. In 11 patients, CT scanning was found to be inaccurate in assessing tumor involvement of esophageal lymphatic drainage. Nine patients had no abdominal nodal metastasis demonstrated by CT scan. Operative exploration revealed tumor involvement of celiac or left gastric lymph nodes in all of these patients. Two patients' CT scans demonstrated tumor involvement of celiac and left gastric lymph nodes; at operative exploration, these nodes were enlarged, but they were histologically negative for esophageal carcinoma. Operative exploration changed the preoperative TNM classification in 8 of the 11 patients. Review of these data indicates that surgical exploration continues to be the only reliable method of determining the actual extent and often the resectability of esophageal carcinoma.
High blood pressure in pregnancy.

Objectives Upon completion of this activity, the learner will be able to: 1Describe the steps necessary to ensure accurate measurement of blood pressure in pregnancy. 2Differentiate between four types of high blood pressure problems associated with pregnancy. 3Specify how the pathophysiology of preeclampsia-eclampsia determines clinical assessment and intervention strategies for this hypertensive disorder of pregnancy. Continuing Nursing Education (CNE) Credit A total of 2 contact hours may be earned as CNE credit for reading "High Blood Pressure in Pregnancy" and for completing an online post-test and participant feedback form. To take the test and complete the participant feedback form, please visit http://JournalsCNE.awhonn.org. Certificates of completion will be issued on receipt of the completed participant feedback form, application and processing fees. AWHONN is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation. Accredited status does not imply endorsement by AWHONN or ANCC of any commercial products displayed or discussed in conjunction with an educational activity. AWHONN also holds California and Alabama BRN numbers: California CNE provider #CEP580 and Alabama # ABNP0058.
Antithyroid properties of 2-amino, 5-nitrothiazole in rats.

SummaryRats fed 2-amino, 5-nitrothiazole had larger thyroid glands and a lower thyroidal accumulation of I131 than non-treated rats. It is suggested that the antithyroid properties of this compound might explain the inhibition of secretion of pituitary gonadotropin that has been reported following the administration of 2-amino, 5-nitrothiazole to fowl.
Payload drug vs. nanocarrier biodegradation by myeloperoxidase- and peroxynitrite-mediated oxidations: pharmacokinetic implications

With the advancement of nanocarriers for drug delivery into biomedical practice, assessments of drug susceptibility to oxidative degradation by enzymatic mechanisms of inflammatory cells become important. Here, we investigate oxidative degradation of a carbon nanotube-based drug carrier loaded with Doxorubicin. We employed myeloperoxidase-catalysed and peroxynitrite-mediated oxidative conditions to mimic the respiratory burst of neutrophils and macrophages, respectively. In addition, we revealed that the cytostatic and cytotoxic effects of free Doxorubicin, but not nanotube-carried drug, on melanoma and lung carcinoma cell lines were abolished in the presence of tumor-activated myeloid regulatory cells that create unique myeloperoxidase- and peroxynitrite-induced oxidative conditions. Both ex vivo and in vitro studies demonstrate that the nanocarrier protects the drug against oxidative biodegradation.
Multivariate visualization of 3D turbulent flow data

Turbulent flows play a critical role in many fields, yet our understanding of the fundamental physics of turbulence remains in its infancy. One of the long term goals in turbulence research is to develop an improved understanding of the dynamic evolution, interaction and organization of vortices in three-dimensional turbulent flow. However this task is complicated by the lack of a clear, mathematically precise definition of what a vortex is. We believe that the design of effective methods for vortex identification and segmentation in complicated turbulent flows can be facilitated by the clear, detailed visual presentation of the multiple scalar and vector quantities potentially relevant to the feature identification process. In this paper, we present several different methods aimed at facilitating the integrated understanding of a variety of local measures extracted from 3D multivariate flow data, including quantities, directions, and orientation. A key focus of our work is on the development of methods for illustrating the local relationships between scalar and vector values important to the vortex identification process such as vorticity, swirl, and velocity, along with their direction and magnitude. Our methods include the use of arrows and glyphs or 3D texture along with different color coding strategies. We demonstrate our methods on a range of data including 3D turbulent boundary flow data and time varying ring data. The variety of multi-variate visualization methods that we have developed has succeeded in supporting fluids researchers in their efforts to gain deeper insights into their data.
Climatic Control of Nitrate Loss from Forested Watersheds in the Northeast United States

Increased losses of nitrate from watersheds may accelerate the depletion of nutrient cations and affect the acidification and trophic status of surface waters. Patterns of nitrate concentrations and losses were evaluated in four forested watersheds (East Bear Brook Watershed, Lead Mountain, ME; Watershed 6, Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, White Mountains, NH; Arbutus Watershed, Huntington Forest, Adirondack Mountains, NY; Biscuit Brook, Catskill Mountains, NY) located across the northeastern United States. A synchronous pattern was observed in nitrate concentrations of drainage waters from these four sites from 1983 through 1993. Most notably, high concentrations and high drainage water losses followed an anomalous cold period (mean daily temperature −11.4 to −16 °C in December 1989) for all four sites. After high nitrate losses during the snowmelt of 1990, nitrate concentrations and fluxes decreased at all sites. These results suggest that climatic variation can have a major effect on nitrogen flux an...
Limitations on length scales for electrostatically induced submicrometer pillars and holes.

Thin leaky and perfect dielectric films can be driven electrically to form well-ordered patterns, typically of pillar arrays. While the technique appears to promise nanometer scale features, this paper begins to examine some of the limitations. The process, sometimes referred to as lithographically induced self-assembly, begins by spin coating a polymer onto a silicon wafer generating an initially featureless film and then overlaying a mask, which may be patterned, leaving a small gap. This configuration is heated above the glass transition temperature of the polymer, upon which flow ensues with a characteristic wavelength set by a combination of electrical forces and surface tension. The authors recently examined the initial stages of this process under pattern-free masks by deriving a generalized linear stability analysis not restricted to the lubrication approximation (J. Chem. Phys. 2003, 118, 3790). Herein comparison of this model with experimental data from the literature finds good agreement over a wide range of conditions including applied voltages and oxide layers on the mask and substrate. A significant discrepancy at the highest fields may be due to dielectric breakdown, suggesting that the minimum feature size may be limited. Viscous effects may also limit the effectiveness of large decreases in surface tension or large increases in electric field, leading to lower limits for the feature size. Long-range ordering seems to decrease as surface tension decreases and the potential increases, indicating that smaller pillars come with decreased quality. In the absence of an electric field, consideration of the viscosity-dependent time scale suggests an explanation for the apparent conflict between observations by Schaffer et al. (Nature 2000, 403, 874) and those of Chou and Zhuang (J. Vac. Sci. Technol., B 1999, 17, 3197).
An unusual tocopherol isomer with an O-methyl group from Euglena gracilis☆

Abstract A compound, isomeric with α-tocopherol, has been isolated from Euglena gracilis strain Z, and a method has been devised for the small-scale purification and quantitative assay of this isomer using gas—liquid chromatography. The new compound was present in another strain of E. gracilis , but could not be isolated from any of the other photosynthetic microorganisms, plants, or plant oils which were examined. Chemical and spectral studies of the acetyl derivative of the new compound showed the presence of the following substituents around a benzene ring; one methoxy, one acetoxy, two methyls, one proton, and a phytyl group. Since quinonoid compounds are frequently those with para orientation of the oxygens, the six possible structural isomers of the acetyl derivative in which the methoxy and acetoxy groups were oriented para , were synthesized. Gas chromatography and spectral information demonstrated that the acetyl derivative of the tocopherol isomer had a structure which was very similar, although not identical, to any of the synthetic compounds.
Multicompartment kinetic analysis of the amiloride block of Na+ fluxes in frog skin.

Previous studies have shown that the flow of Na+ in a multicompartment, dual Na+ pump frog skin model is in all hitherto tested kinetic and thermodynamic properties consistent with observations made on skin. It is shown here, that this is also true for a simulated amiloride block by which entrance of Na+ into a “transport compartment” via two parallel pathways is stopped. By the method of computer simulation, the following results were obtained.Before amiloride, steady state transmembrane influx (nEq×cm−2×min−1)Ji=21. EffluxJe=0.5 in a “tight” model, and 3.9 in a model which is “leaky” in its paracellular pathway. Total epidermal Na+ pool (under net flux conditions (nEq/cm2)Pn=330, or 160 in a model with a stronger “Na+ maintenance pump”. The steady state time was nearly 1 h.After amiloride, rapid decrease of uptake of Na+ from the outside, slower release of Na+ to the inside under influx conditions; half time (min)th=2.2 ifPn=330; 0.9 ifPn=160. A new steady state was reached in 12–15 min.Je decreased by 45% in the tight model. In the leaky model,Je increased by 3%. Loss of Na+ from the model under net flux conditions, ΔPn=30 nEq/cm2 ifPn=330, δPn=16 ifPn=160. The kinetic analysis suggests new laboratory experiments, and detailed layouts of speculative, but plausible Na+ current fields. These include for all compartments, values for [Na+]varying from 21 (Pn=160) to 63 (Pn=330) mM. In the Na+ transport compartment, [Na+] decreased from 5.5 to 1.4 mM after the simulated amiloride block.
Comparison of 60-Hz Field Measurements with Digital Analysis of 500-ky Transmission Line

Power system studies involving economics, stability, short circuits, load flows, etc., require a knowledge of transmission line characteristics. Traditionally, these characteristics have been determined either by field tests or by mathematical computations. The construction of a 118-mile bundled EHV line between Johnsonville and Memphis, Tenn., afforded a much needed opportunity to compare tested line characteristic values against digitally computed values. The comparison is of industry interest because of the increasing use of digital computers for such calculations.
Ultimate tensile strength of loblolly pine strands using stochastic finite element method

The purpose of the study was to predict the failure strength of different orientation of wood strands from different growth ring positions under tension loading. Stochastic models were constructed to account for the uncertainty of material properties. The Tsai–Hill criteria were used to predict the ultimate tensile strength (UTS). The UTS results from experimental testing were used to validate the results from models. The difference of UTS between experimental and SFEM ranged from 0.09 to 11.09%. Different stress distributions were found for different orientation strand models, whereas uniform stress distribution was found for homogeneous models. The magnitude of the stress distribution was greater for strands from the growth ring number 11–20. Sensitivity analysis showed that grain orientation and growth ring number influenced the UTS of strands. UTS of strands from growth ring number 1–10 showed strength indexes (Xt, Yt, and S) as dominant factor, whereas UTS of strands from growth ring number 11–20 showed both strength indexes and stress components (σ1, σ2, and τ12) as dominant factors.
Nucleic acids and protein synthesis after denervation of the rat hemidiaphragm

Abstract Following denervation of the hemidiaphragm in rats there is a period of transient hypertrophy. During this period, in addition to the increase in weight, there is an increase in the absolute concentration of RNA, but a decrease in the relative concentration of DNA. The total amount of DNA determined for the hemidiaphragm, however, remains virtually unchanged during this period. These results were compared to those reported of the denervated anterior latissmus dorsi of the chick, where not only is there an increase in weight but an increase in both the absolute concentrations of RNA and DNA.
Librarian Like a Rock Star: Using Your Personal Brand to Promote Your Services and Reach Distant Users

ABSTRACT The business world has been using corporate branding and relationship marketing to build customer loyalty and satisfaction. In recent decades, individuals have applied the tenets of branding to themselves to create the idea of personal branding—marketing yourself as your own brand. By thinking in terms of personal branding and relationship marketing, distance education librarians can more effectively reach out to remote students and build long term relationships that are beneficial to both students and librarians. This article originally published in Journal of Library Administration, Vol. 50, Issues 5–6, pages 628–637, 2010. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01930826.2010.488928.