cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An empirical model of global spread-F occurrence

Abstract A method of combining models of ionospheric F-layer peak electron density and irregularity incremental electron density into amodel of the occurrence probability of the frequency spreading component of spread-F is presented. The predictions of the model are compared with spread-F occurrence data obtained under sunspot maximum conditions. Good agreement is obtained for latitudes less than 70° geomagnetic. At high latitudes, the inclusion of a ‘blackout factor’ in the model allows it to accurately represent the data and, in so doing, resolves an apparent discrepancy in the occurrence statistics at high latitudes. The blackout factor is ascribed to the effect of polar blackout on the spread-F statistics and/or the lack of a definitive incremental electron density model for irregularities at polar latitudes. Ways of isolating these effects and assessing their relative importance in the blackout factor are discussed. The model, besides providing estimates of spread-F occurrence on a worldwide basis, which will be of value in the engineering of HF and VHF communications, also furnishes a means of further checking the irregularity incremental electron density model on which it is based.
Composition of the sterol fraction from various organs of termite queens

Abstract The sterol fraction from various organs of mature Macrotermes sp. queens were separated by thin-layer chromatography and investigated by mass spectrometry. Spectra of sterols from haemolymph, reproductive organs, and fat bodies were very similar in composition and showed the preponderance of cholesterol with small quantities of campesterol and β-sitosterol. Very small quantities of cholestanol and possibly 7-dehydrocholesterol were also present.
Ultrasonography as an Adjunct in the Diagnosis of Acute Appendicitis: A 4-Year Experience

This study was designed to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of abdominal ultrasonography as a diagnostic modality in a large series of children who presented with possible appendicitis. From August 1990 to July 1994, 452 children (203 boys, 249 girls) with an average age of 11 years (range, 1 to 20 years) underwent graded compression ultrasonography of the right lower quadrant of the abdomen for the evaluation of possible appendicitis. In the first 18 months of the study all patients with the possible diagnosis of appendicitis (group I; 180 patients) had abdominal ultrasonography after members of the surgical team evaluated and documented their findings in the medical record. In the second study period (30 months), abdominal ultrasonography was recommended only when the clinical diagnosis of acute appendicitis was equivocal (group II; 272 patients). Abdominal ultrasonography was performed using the graded compression technique with a 5.0-MHz linear array transducer. A positive ultrasound study for appendicitis was defined as the presence of an enlarged noncompressible appendix with an outer wall to outer wall diameter of greater than 6 mm, the presence of a complex mass, or the presence of an appendicolith. The sonographic data were correlated with surgical and pathological findings. Appendicitis was confirmed in 112 of the 452 cases. In 17 of these, the appendix was perforated. In the overall group of 452 children, abdominal ultrasonography had a sensitivity of 90%, specificity of 96%, and accuracy of 95%. There was no significant morbidity in the 11 patients with a false-negative study result. All 11 patients had an uncomplicated appendectomy. There were 11 false-positive results; 10 of these patients had a negative laparotomy result (negative laparatomy rate, 8.9%). For the two groups, the sensitivity and specificity of ultrasonography in the diagnosis of appendicitis were equivalent (group 1: 88% sensitivity, 96% specificity; group 2: 92% sensitivity, 97% specificity). On the basis of the high sensitivity and specificity rates, ultrasonography of the appendix can be a useful adjunct to standard examination in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis.
An Assessment of Risk Understanding in Hispanic Genetic Counseling Patients

This study sought to identify if differences existed in risk comprehension and risk format understanding between genetic counseling patients of Hispanic and Caucasian ethnicity. A total of 107 questionnaires were collected, 56 from Hispanic patients, and 51 from Caucasian controls. Of the total population 41.1% (44/107) could not demonstrate sufficient risk understanding, which was 71.4% (40/56) of Hispanics and 7.8% (4/51) of Caucasians. Fractions were the best-understood format for all participants. However, both Hispanics and Caucasians had difficulties with the percentage risk format. Discrepancies were also noted in qualitative word format understanding. Awareness of differences in risk comprehension may affect the selection of counseling techniques and strategies utilized by genetic counselors when educating patients about risk related information.
Cryogenic gallium phosphide acousto-optic deflectors

We present measurements of the acoustic intensity in a gallium phosphide acousto-optic deflector for the 0.6–1.3-GHz frequency range and the 8–295-K temperature range. The data show a significant increase in the available time aperture of this deflector as a result of cryogenic cooling.
Comparison of experiment and theory for the resonance Raman spectrum of I2 in solution. II. The Raman excitation and depolarization profiles in n-hexane

The calculations for I2 in n‐hexane, which were started in paper I [J. Chem. Phys. 85, 3791 (1986)] are improved by considering the effect of the D state and of charge–tranfer states. Changes in intensities and positions of the B states and the effect of the rotation of I2 in the excited states are also considered. The experimental excitation profiles are recalibrated and compared to calculations. The depolarization profiles are measured and are also compared to calculations. The measured Raman cross sections are higher than calculated in the high frequency wing of the profile—a discrepancy for which we have not found an explanation. The depolarization ratios of the overtones may be explained by shifting the B and B‘ states about 200 cm−1 further apart than in the gas phase and by taking into account the effect of rotation of the I2. The excited state relaxation time, T2, is still determined as about 0.3 ps.
Extracting a revised labor supply theory from Becker's model of the household

Abstract Conflicting assumptions about labor supply behavior lie at the nexus of ideological and theoretical debates regarding the reality of involuntary unemployment, the efficacy of Keynesian macro-policy, and the appropriate nature of welfare policy. This can in part be attributed to the fact that orthodox theory is effectively predicated upon describing the behavior of individuals whose level of affluence enables them to voluntarily withhold their labor from the market. Ironically, a means of resolution appears if we extend Gary Becker's utility producing model of the household to recognize two latent behavioral concerns: (1) the ‘need’ of households for money income in order to produce utility, and (2) the presence of work activity in the home. The resulting generalized labor supply model extends Becker's analysis to explicitly encompass both the behavior of the affluent, and the behavior of the poor who need to work in order to sustain their existence.
Reproducing Cardiac Restitution Properties Using the Fenton–Karma Membrane Model

Modern models of cardiac membranes are often highly complex and computationally expensive, particularly when used in long simulations of spatially extended models of cardiac tissue. Therefore, there is a need for simpler membrane models that preserve the features of the complex models deemed important. This communication describes an empirical procedure that was used to choose the parameters of the three-variable Fenton–Karma (FK3V) model to reproduce the restitution properties of the Courtemanche–Ramirez–Nattel model of atrial tissue. The resulting parameter values for the FK3V model and the sensitivity table for all its parameters are provided. Thus, this study gives insight into the behavior of the FK3V model and the effect of its parameters on restitution properties.
Ability of induced corpora lutea to maintain pregnancy from the third month of gestation to term in cattle.

Abstract The local relationship between the pregnant uterine horn and the CL during maternal recognition of pregnancy is well-documented. It continues beyond that time; pregnancies were maintained in lutectomized cows when CL were induced on the ovary ipsilateral, but not contralateral, to the uterine horn of pregnancy during Days 28–53. This study evaluated factors affecting maintenance of pregnancy by CL induced after Day 53, in lutectomized cows that had received exogenous progesterone from Day 29 to 15 days after induction of a CL. Twenty-four suckled beef cows were lutectomized on Day 29 of gestation; pregnancy was maintained with progesterone from two controlled internal drug releasing (CIDR) inserts, exchanged every 5 days. Beginning on Day 53, ovaries and viability of pregnancy were evaluated by ultrasonography every 5 days. When a follicle ≥10 mm in diameter was present ipsilateral to the fetus, each cow received 1000 IU of hCG. Following induction of a CL (20 of 24), progesterone was reduced to a single CIDR for 5 days, then removed. Retention of pregnancy was confirmed by rectal palpation and calving. Cows with induced CL maintained pregnancy to term, including four with the CL contralateral to the fetus. Three cows failed to form normal CL by Day 98 and lost pregnancy after removal of exogenous progesterone. One cow that did not respond to hCG lost pregnancy during exogenous progesterone. In conclusion, CL induced after Day 53 maintained pregnancy to term, even when induced contralateral to the pregnant uterine horn.
Development of a scale to measure adults' perceptions of health: Preliminary findings

Given the national agenda on chronic disease self-management, the goal of the project described in this brief report was to develop a scale that measured adult perceptions about health but did not focus on a specific condition. The Perception of Health Scale (PHS) is based on earlier work that used the Health Belief Model as a focus. The 15-item PHS was administered to 322 patients in several settings, and the responses were analyzed by the method of principal components. Four factors emerged that were named: Center of Control, Self-Awareness, Certainty, and Importance of Health, each of which showed high internal consistency by Cronbach's α. Overall, the PHS is of sufficient internal consistency to make it a potentially useful tool in research designed to include a measure of personal beliefs about health. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comm Psychol 35: 557–561, 2007.
Hippocampal laminar glucose utilization and theta rhythm following unilateral fimbria-fornix lesions in rats.

Abstract Laminar profiles of glucose utilization were related to the presence or absence of movement-related hippocampal theta rhythm in CA1 and dentate gyrus of rats after aspirative unilateral combined lesions of the fimbria-fornix and cingulum. Three groups were studied: (1) sham-operated rats, (2a) lesioned rats with an ipsilateral loss of theta activity at 4 weeks post-lesion that persisted at 12 weeks post-lesion, and (2b) lesioned rats with a loss of theta activity at 4 weeks post-lesion, but a recovery of theta rhythm at 12 weeks post-lesion. Fimbria-fornix/ cingulum lesions served both to abolish ipsilateral theta rhythm and to decrease ipsilateral glucose metabolism in all cell layers of CA1 and the dentate gyrus, when normalized to the contralateral hemisphere. Although glucose metabolism in lesioned animals with a recovery of theta rhythm was not as high as control levels, in several laminae it was significantly higher than that of lesioned animals with persistent loss of theta rhythm. These laminae included the dentate hilus and strata oriens, pyramidale and lucunosum-moleculare of CA1. The increased glucose metabolism associated with the return of theta rhythm suggests a functional reinnervation of these layers of the hippocampus in such animals.
DNA polymerase activity in homogenates of cells infected with MC29 virus.

Abstract DNA polymerase activity was found in chick embryo cells (CEC) that were infected with a tumor virus, strain MC29 (myelocytomatosis) virus. The enzyme activity in homogenates of virus infected cells was greater than in homogenates from noninfected control cells. DNA polymerase activity from noninfected CEC was not able to use the homopolymer duplex, poly dC:poly rG as a template. However, polymerase in cells infected with tumor virus was able to utilize this homopolymer duplex as template, as was the DNA polymerase associated with MC29 virus. The results demonstrated that DNA polymerase activity found in MC29 virus was detectable in the infected-cell homogenate and was distinguished from the cell DNA polymerase by its ability to utilize dC:rG as template.
Kinetic description of structural changes linked to membrane import of the colicin E1 channel protein.

Upon binding to membranes, the 178-residue colicin E1 C-terminal channel protein forms a steady-state closed-channel intermediate that is a flexible extended two-dimensional helical array [Zakharov et al. (1998) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 95, 4282-4287]. Analysis of the kinetics of binding-insertion to liposome membranes of the channel protein, P178, and of changes of spectral parameters associated with structure transitions allowed a correlation of the sequence of tertiary and secondary structure changes with binding-insertion. Binding and insertion were distinguished by use of lipids modified with quenchers of Trp fluorescence attached to lipid headgroups or acyl chains. Secondary and tertiary structure changes were inferred, respectively, from changes in far-UV circular dichroism and relative changes of interresidue distances by fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). "Single Trp" mutants were used in FRET analysis, with the background Tyr contribution determined through use of a "zero Trp" mutant. The sequence of distinguishable events and the pseudo-first-order rate constants under "standard" conditions (large unilamellar vesicles, pH 4.0, I = 0.1 M) was binding (30 +/- 5 s(-)(1)) --> unfolding (12.6 +/- 0.5 s(-)(1)) --> helix elongation (9.0 +/- 1.0 s(-)(1)) --> insertion (6. 6 +/- 0.5 s(-)(1)). Thus, helix elongation on the surface of the membrane can occur after unfolding and does not require insertion. Binding-insertion and structural transitions of P178 occur significantly faster with small unilamellar vesicles. The relevance to general mechanisms of protein import of the structural changes associated with import of the colicin channel is discussed.
Condom use among sterilized and nonsterilized women in county jail and residential treatment centers

Abstract Purpose Although sterilized women do not need condoms for pregnancy prevention, they may still be at risk for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Previous studies have shown that sterilized women have lower rates of condom use but have not controlled for the nested multilevel structure of data in which individual women have multiple partners with different STI risk factors. We address this limitation by testing the association of condom use and tubal ligation using multilevel analysis. Methods Data were obtained from a cross-sectional survey of sterilized and nonsterilized women aged 18 to 44 in substance abuse treatment centers or county jail. Multilevel, random intercept logistic models examined the association of tubal ligation and any condom use in the 30 days before entry and controlled for individual- and partner-level correlates. Findings Of 484 premenopausal respondents without hysterectomy, 194 (40.1%) reported tubal ligation. Overall, 48.4% of all women reported any condom use. In unadjusted and adjusted analyses, sterilized women were less likely to report any condom use. Women were least likely to use condoms with their main partners and more likely to use condoms with other partners and partners with whom they trade sex for drugs or money. Women were also more likely to use condoms if they are HIV positive or if they have partners they believe are HIV positive. Conclusion In these high-risk settings, we found a high prevalence of women reporting tubal ligation and lower odds of condom use among these women. Condom use interventions targeting sterilized women in these settings are needed.
Alterations in rat intestinal mucin patterns following luminal infusion of acetylsalicylic acid and prostaglandin derivatives.

The secretion of gastrointestinal mucin and/or the formation of mucoid caps have been implicated in cytoprotective or repair mechanisms related to mucosal injury models. In this study, rats were treated with acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) or prostaglandins (PG), and their effects on the synthesis and secretion of small intestinal mucin were examined. A newly developed polyclonal antibody to rat intestinal mucin was used for immunoassay of rat intestinal luminal and tissue mucin. The mucin antigen source was obtained by vacuum aspiration of luminal mucus. A high-molecular-weight glycoprotein (2×106 Da) fraction injected into rabbits produced a primary mucin antibody. A sensitive and quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed that yielded a highly reproducible and linear response with mucin aliquots containing 0–20 ng of protein/ml. Incorporation of the plasma tracers ([3H]glucose and [35S]sodium sulfate) into mucin derived from hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide precipitation after treatment with ASA (100 mg/kg body wt) decreased, although administration of dimethylprostaglandin E2 (100 μg/kg body wt) significantly increased the specific tracer incorporation values for the sialomucin and sulfomucin indices in luminal mucin fractions. The immunoassay data pattern for the ELISA technique was virtually identical to the results of the radiolabeled tracer method obtained for the same pharmacologic treatments. These experiments demonstrate that the estimation of synthesized mucin (tissue source) or secreted mucin (luminal source) as determined by the ELISA technique is similar to that obtained by the time-consuming and labor-intensive tracer incorporation methodology.
Moon Plants as Model System for Life Support to Enable Human Exploration

Abstract We propose to develop a plant growth chamber for the Moon. Our goal is to support germination over a 5-day period in a spacecraft on the Moon. The system will validate the ability of plants to provide fundamental life support for future human exploration. The autonomous system provides basic environmental control to grow the plants under harsh lunar conditions characterized by high radiation and partial gravity. Several innovative technologies are brought together for this lunar plant growth module; solar concentrators that allow light to get to the plants while increasing the power of solar arrays by 2-3 times, wireless communications that allow a sealed environment to communicate with the spacecraft, and a strain of plants tailored to survive lunar night. This integration of new technology to support plant growth ultimately contributes to human exploration.
Volunteers Versus Non-Volunteers—Which Group Cheats More, and Holds More lax Attitudes About Cheating?

Academic dishonesty has been a frequent topic of research and discussion. In this article, we examine the differences between student volunteers and student non-volunteers in terms of their attitudes towards academic dishonesty as well as their cheating behaviors. We found that student volunteers held more serious attitudes towards cheating and academic dishonesty than did student non-volunteers; however there were not many significant differences between student volunteers and student non-volunteers when it came to cheating behaviors. We finally provide some suggestions for future research in the topic of academic dishonesty.
Epitaxial Electrodeposition of High-Aspect-Ratio Cu2O(110) Nanostructures on InP(111)

Epitaxial cuprous oxide nanostructures with high aspect ratio were deposited electrochemically on n-InP(111) from aqueous solution at room temperature. High-resolution X-ray diffraction shows that the Cu2O and InP form three equivalent epitaxial orientation relationships that are rotated 120° relative to each other: Cu2O(110)[100] || InP(111)[110], Cu2O(110)[100] || InP(111)[101], and Cu2O(110)[100] || InP(111)[011]. The size and aspect ratio of the Cu2O nanostructures depend on the applied deposition current density. At a deposition current density of 0.125 mA/cm2, uniformly sized nanostructures 30 nm wide and 1000 nm long were obtained. Transmission electron microscopy reveals an amorphous, oxygen-rich interlayer and a crystalline Cu3P layer between the Cu2O and InP.
Growth of bone marrow stromal cells on small intestinal submucosa: an alternative cell source for tissue engineered bladder.

OBJECTIVE To assess the potential use of bone marrow stromal cell (BMSC)-seeded biodegradable scaffold for bladder regeneration in a canine model, by characterizing BMSCs and comparing them to bladder smooth muscle cells (SMCs) by immunohistochemistry, growth capability, and contractility. MATERIALS AND METHODS Bone marrow was taken by direct needle aspiration from the femurs of five beagle dogs for the in vitro study. Mononuclear cells were isolated by Ficoll-Paque® density gradient centrifugation and cultivated in medium 199 with 10% fetal bovine serum. BMSCs were characterized by cell proliferation, in vitro contractility, immunohistochemical analysis, and the growth pattern on small intestinal submucosa (SIS) scaffolds compared to bladder SMC cultures from the same dogs. Another six dogs had a hemicystectomy and bladder augmentation with BMSC-seeded (two), bladder cells including urothelial cells plus SMC-seeded SIS (two) and unseeded SIS scaffolds (two). The six dogs were followed for 10 weeks after augmentation. RESULTS In vitro BMSCs had a significant contractile response to calcium-ionophore, with a mean (sem) 36 (2)%, relative contraction (P < 0.01), which was similar to bladder SMCs but markedly different from fibroblasts. BMSCs also expressed α-smooth muscle actin by immunohistochemical staining and Western blotting, but did not express desmin or myosin. In vivo, both BMSC-seeded and bladder cell-seeded SIS grafts had solid smooth-muscle bundle formation throughout the graft. CONCLUSIONS BMSCs had a similar cell proliferation, histological appearance and contractile phenotype as primary cultured bladder SMCs. SIS supported three-dimensional growth of BMSCs in vitro, and BMSC-seeded SIS scaffold promoted bladder regeneration in a canine model. BMSCs may serve as an alternative cell source in urological tissue engineering.
Bias caused by self-reporting distraction and its impact on crash estimates

Over the last decade, driver distractions, such as cell phone use and texting, have become a significant contributor to roadway crashes. Some states now have legislation that severely restricts or bans driver activities deemed distracting. However, many policies and engineered countermeasures are based on self-reported crash data. This raises the issue of potential bias and when not controlled for in analysis supporting policy decisions, can lead to poor allocation of public resources. This study explores the impact of self-reporting driver distraction on the likelihood estimates of the injury severity category of vehicle crashes. Using a two-step correction technique, the presence of bias is tested, when present corrected, and its impact is interpreted. The findings show that self-reporting bias is present in the national database, a database often used to help evaluate policy and engineering options, self-reporting bias understates the true effect of driver distraction on injury severity, and it is not uniform across injury categories. As a result, the forecast of potential savings of countermeasure policies or in-vehicle devices will be distorted leading to inefficient allocation of public resources.
Noise from the periphery in autism.

No two individuals with the autism diagnosis are ever the same – yet many practitioners and parents can recognize signs of ASD very rapidly with the naked eye. What, then, is this phenotype of autism that shows itself across such distinct clinical presentations and heterogeneous developments? The “signs” seem notoriously slippery and resistant to the behavioral threshold categories that make up current assessment tools. Part of the problem is that cognitive and behavioral “abilities” typically are theorized as high-level disembodied and modular functions – that are assessed discretely (impaired, normal, enhanced) to define a spectral syndrome. Even as biology reminds us that organic developing bodies are not made up of independent switches, we remain often seduced by the simplicity of mechanistic and cognitive models. Developmental disorders such as autism have accordingly been theorized as due to different modular dysfunctions -typically of cortical origin, i.e. failures of “theory of mind” (Baron-Cohen et al., 1985), of the “mirror neuron system” (Ramachandran and Oberman, 2006), of “weak central coherence”(Happe and Frith, 2006) or of the balance of “empathizing” and “systemizing” (Baron Cohen, 2009), just to list a few. The broad array of autonomic (Ming et al., 2005;Cheshire, 2012) and sensorimotor (Damasio and Maurer, 1978;Maurer and Damasio, 1982;Donnellan and Leary, 1995;Leary and Hill, 1996;Donnellan et al., 2012) differences experienced and reported by people with autism have by such theories typically been sidelined as “co-morbidities”, possibly sharing genetic causes, but rendered as incidental and decisively behaviorally irrelevant symptoms –surely disconnected from cognition. But what if the development of cortically based mental processes and autonomous control relies on the complexities and proper function of the peripheral nervous systems? Through such an “embodied” lense the heterogeneous symptoms of autism invites new interpretations. We propose here that many behavioral-level findings can be re-defined as downstream effects of how developing nervous systems attempt to cope and adapt to the challenges of having various noisy, unpredictable and unreliable peripheral inputs.
Pseudo-Signatures as a Biometric

Recent work has shown that biometric key generation using handwriting as input is susceptible to attacks based on generative models and population statistics. In this paper, we examine a new scheme we have proposed that attempts to address this issue. Pseudo-signatures are intended to be easy for users to create and reproduce while being more resilient to forgery attempts. We consider some basic quality and performance measures to try to determine whether a user's pseudo-signatures are sufficiently idiosyncratic. Our preliminary results indicate the approach shows promise and is deserving of further study.
Is the United States Europe's Other?

Sous la forme d'un forum de debat, avec une contribution introductive (une provocation), six commentaires, et une reponse de l'A., ce dossier propose quelques perspectives anthropologiques sur l'evolution recente des relations entre les Etats-Unis et l'Europe, entre le Nouveau Monde et l'Ancien Monde. L'argument de depart (la provocation) soutient que la relation entre les Etats-Unis et l'Europe n'est plus triangulee par le communisme (et la Guerre froide), mais par une nouvelle configuration des forces : par l'europeanisation, l'americanisation, et le Moyen Orient. Selon cet argument, la distance entre les Etats-Unis et l'Europe a ete transformee par l'administration Bush en un fosse politique et social qui est fondamentalement antagoniste, et probablement durable. Le provincialisme de l'americanisation, marque par une politique publique inspiree par un darwinisme social belligerent et une guerre des classes, s'oppose aux inspirations democratiques egalitaires et cosmopolites de l'elargissement de l'europeanisation, ce provincialisme nord-americain etant devenu le contre-concept, et donc l'Autre, pour la comprehension de soi des Europeens.
Lipophilic amino alcohols with calcium channel blocking activity.

Abstract A series of novel lipophilic amino alcohols, analogs of the anticholinergic drug vesamicol, were evaluated for Ca 2+ channel blocking activity. The effects of these drugs on depolarization-induced intracellular free Ca 2+ concentration ([Ca 2+ ] i ) transients were examined in single NG108-15 cells and dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons in culture. [Ca 2+ ] was recorded with the Ca 2+ indicator Indo-1 and a dual emission microfluorimeter. Structure-activity studies indicated that features required for Ca 2+ channel blocking activity were distinct from those required for anticholinergic activity. In particular, the Ca 2+ channel blocking activity was insensitive to the configuration at the chiral center, whereas the anticholinergic activity was clearly enantioselective. One of the most active compounds, 3-(3-bromophenyl)-2-hydroxy-1-[1-(4-phenylpiperidinyl)]propane ( 2b ), was characterized in more detail. This compound inhibited the dihydropyridine-sensitive Ca 2+ channel response in NG108-15 cells, evoked by depolarization with 50 mM K + , with an ic 50 of 5 μM. Field potential stimulation of DRG neurons elicited [Ca 2+ ] i transients mediated by at least three Ca 2+ channel subtypes; compound 2b inhibited the entire Ca 2+ channel response with an ic 50 of 1 μM. A key element required for Ca 2+ channel blocking activity was the presence of an electron withdrawing substituent on the pendant phenyl ring. Modification of the amino alcohol structure may lead to more potent compounds with broad spectrum Ca 2+ channel blocking activity. These structures provide a new chemical starting point for the development of Ca 2+ antagonists.
Ultrastructure of early cleavage stages and preimplantation in the rabbit.

Fertilized rabbit ova were studied in the period from 25 to 144 hr after insemination. Eggs were recovered by flushing the uterine horns and oviducts with Hank's solution. The cells were morphologically alike in the 24 and 48 hr ova. At 661/2 hr blastomeres were differentiated into an inner mass of cells with dense cytoplasm and an outer trophoblastic layer with less dense cytoplasm. Otherwise no morphological differences were seen. Whether the 661/2 hr ova were morulas or blastocysts is discussed. The 96 hr ova were clearly blastocysts. Inner cells and trophoblastic cells at this stage bad the same cytoplasmic density. Mitochondria were increased in number and crystal-like figures were present for the first time. In the 120 and 144 hr ova the cytoplasm of the trophoblastic cells was denser than that of the inner cells. Trophoblastic cells were characterized by their density, crystal-like figures, elongated mitochondria with transverse cristae and many single ribosomes and they were interconnected with well developed junctional complexes. In a few cases a continuity seemed to exist between trophoblastic cells and inner cells. The latter were characterized by cytoplasm of less density than that of the trophoblastic cells, rounded mitochondria and fewer ribosomes. The fine structure of the crystal-like figures, their possible origin and differentiation of the mitochondria are discussed.
Disaturated and dipolyunsaturated phospholipids in the bovine retinal rod outer segment disk membrane

Thin-layer chromatography was used to separate the major phospholipid headgroup classes of the rod outer segment disk membrane into subfractions which differ markedly in fatty acid composition. At least 18% of the rod outer segment phosphatidylcholine must contain two saturated fatty acids. Furthermore, two unsaturated fatty acids are found in at least 43% of the phosphatidylserine, 24% of the phosphatidylcholine, and 24% of the phosphatidylethanolamine. The unsaturated acids are predominantly polyunsaturated in all cases. A similar separation, but with less resolution, was achieved with silicic acid column chromatography. The temperature dependence of the polarization of the fluorescence of trans-parinaric acid (9,11,13,15-all-trans-octadecatetraenoic acid) showed that the thermal behavior of aqueous dispersions of the phosphatidylcholine subfractions was consistent with their fatty acid compositions.
Linguistic or pragmatic description in the context of the performadox

In this paper, I want to consider some problems which arise in relating the linguistic properties of a sentence (or other linguistic object) and the actual or potential speech act properties the sentence might have as an utterance. In doing so, I will be discussing some specific instances where there seems to be a grammatical relation between a linguistic element or process, and some aspect of the sentence as part of a speech act. The issue will be to determine which descriptive approach, if any, adequately characterizes such gram matical relations. It will be argued that both linguistically based and pragmatically based theories of linguistic objects and illocutionary forces postulate the same structures which undergo semantic interpretation. Hence both kinds of description fall within the Performadox of Boer and Lycan (1980). And so pragmatically based descriptions offer no advantage over linguistically based descriptions, and further fail to offer adequate or natural descriptions of linguistic patterns. Speech acts necessarily consist of linguistic objects: words, phrases, and sentences. Thus a theory of speech acts, such as Austin (1975) and Searle (1969), might attempt to characterize the connection between the illocu tionary force which may be ascribed to an utterance, and the form and contents of the linguistic content of the utterance. It might be claimed further that there is some connection between the illocutionary force which a speech act may have and the meaning (in a strict or loose sense) of its linguistic contents; some writers restrict the representation of the linguistic object so that its illocutionary force as a speech act is determined by virtue of what the sentence means literally (cf. Searle (1975), Stampe (1975), for various approaches in this vein). There is much appealing simplicity in this view, especially when applied to indirectly conveyed illocutionary forces. Clearly, there is some regular connection of meaning between Can you give me a lift and the request it conveys, as opposed to a private, previously arranged code whereby, for example, I own an Airedale conveys Meet me out in back.
The method of the kernel function in the theory of elastic plates

Diese Arbeit befasst sich mit der Anwendung der Bergmanschen Methode der Kernelfunktion auf die Probleme der Statik dunner elastischer Platten. Die Bergmansche Methode besteht im wesentlichen aus 1) der Erzeugung eines vollstandigen Satzes partikularer Losungen der Differentialgleichung, 2) der Orthogonalisierung dieses Satzes in einem geeigneten Sinne und 3) der Approximation der Losung von den gegebenen Randwerten aus durch lineare Kombination der Orthogonalfunktionen. Mit Hilfe dieser Methode werden die Durchbiegungen und Randmomente einer Halbkreisplatte mit eingespanntem Rand fur gleichmassig verteilte und linear veranderliche Vollbelastung gefunden und mit den Ergebnissen einer anderen Untersuchung verglichen.
New assignment of vibrational spectra of molecules with the normal-to-local modes transition

Abstract A new assignment is proposed for vibrational spectra of molecules with the normal-to-local modes transition. Using information contained on the polyad phase sphere, levels with local mode dynamics are assigned with local mode quantum numbers, and levels with normal mode dynamics are assigned with normal mode quantum numbers.
PREVALENCE OF HEMOGLOBINS S AND C IN HISPANIC AND HAITIAN CHILDREN

Hemoglobin (Hb) S and C prevalence was determined for several ethnic groups that comprised the population born at our hospital in 1985 by review of data obtained by cord blood screening. The infant's race and nationality were designated as that listed for the mother and prevalence calculated using data available for all births. The rates of FAS and FAC in all White children were higher than previous reports possibly because of the considerable proportion of Hispanics comprising this population. FAS and FAC were more frequently found in H than in BA (p<.01) as was FA (p<.05) although FAS prevalence in BA was less than some previous reports. These data provide further definition of Hb S and C prevalence in H and various white Hispanic populations and may be useful in determining what groups must be included when establishing screening programs.
Scattering functions near the Sun by large aerosols.

In the course of a lengthy series of observations since 1975, a large, continuous decrease of the brightness of the solar aureole has been found west of Boston, at Hanscom Air Force Base and at Lexington, Mass. This points to the virtual disappearance from the lower atmosphere of giant particles larger than ∼ 10 μm in size while total suspended particulates in Boston and other U.S. cities have barely decreased. Results of calculations to better understand the relation between forward scattering and aerosol mass distribution [coarse fraction (CF)] are presented. In addition, a method to modify steep scattering functions calculated for a plane-wave source (Sun treated as a star) to those of the actual (and limb-darkened) Sun is presented. The calculated wavelength dependence of extinction, which is lower than that observed, is found to be little affected by the CF, but seems, like forward scattering, to be sensitive to mass distribution of sizes of <0.4 and ∼ 0.6 μm because of the anomal scattering behavior of spheres.
An outbreak of Reye's syndrome associated with influenza B.

In an epidemiologic study of Reye's syndrome in the state of Oklahoma over a 21 month period, a cluster of cases involving 11 patients, all of whom died, was identified. Eight of these cases occurred over a 4 month period and, on the basis of epidemiologic and laboratory evidence, appear to have been associated with a concurrent epidemic of influenza B virus infection.
Probing Sub-Micron Critical Composition Fluctuations using Super-Resolution Techniques in Giant Plasma Membrane Vesicles

Giant plasma membrane vesicles (GPMVs) harvested from mammalian cells have a compositional critical point near room temperature which is characterized by a diverging correlation length of fluctuations as the critical temperature (Tc) is approached from above. The temperature dependence of the correlation length was previously examined using wide-field microscopy, which limited the accessible length scale to fluctuations greater than the point spread function of the microscope, on the order of 0.5 µm (Veatch et al. ACS Chem Bio 3:287 2008). Fluctuations of this size only occur at temperatures within 1°C of Tc and predict roughly 20nm sized fluctuations at 37°C. Here we utilize super-resolution and single molecule techniques to measure correlations smaller than accessible to wide-field microscopy through two distinct experiments that utilize cholera toxin B subunit (CTxB) which labels the liquid-ordered phase of GPMVs. In the first set of experiments, we probe the lateral heterogeneity of CTxB by quantifying the time-resolved cross-correlation between two pools of CTxB labeled with spectrally distinguishable fluorescent probes. By this method, we are able to measure the magnitude and length scale of critical composition fluctuations over a broader temperature range than was previously accessible. In the second set of experiments, we track the mobility of single CTxB proteins diffusing on the GPMV vesicle surface. Recent theoretical work predicts that strongly partitioning single molecules should experience anomalous diffusion in near-critical membranes (McConnel, J. Chem. Phys. 137:215104 2012). We find that the diffusion coefficient of CTxB varies as a function of diffusion time, in general agreement with theoretical predictions.
Water-driven structure transformation in nanoparticles at room temperature

The thermodynamic behaviour of small particles differs from that of the bulk material by the free energy term γA—the product of the surface (or interfacial) free energy and the surface (or interfacial) area. When the surfaces of polymorphs of the same material possess different interfacial free energies, a change in phase stability can occur with decreasing particle size1,2. Here we describe a nanoparticle system that undergoes structural changes in response to changes in the surface environment rather than particle size. ZnS nanoparticles (average diameter 3 nm) were synthesized in methanol and found to exhibit a reversible structural transformation accompanying methanol desorption, indicating that the particles readily adopt minimum energy structural configurations3,4. The binding of water to the as-formed particles at room temperature leads to a dramatic structural modification, significantly reducing distortions of the surface and interior to generate a structure close to that of sphalerite (tetrahedrally coordinated cubic ZnS). These findings suggest a route for post-synthesis control of nanoparticle structure and the potential use of the nanoparticle structural state as an environmental sensor. Furthermore, the results imply that the structure and reactivity of nanoparticles at planetary surfaces, in interplanetary dust5 and in the biosphere6,7, will depend on both particle size and the nature of the surrounding molecules.
Scalable delivery and pricing of streaming media with advertisements

This paper presents a delivery framework for streaming media with advertisements and an associated pricing model. The delivery model combines the benefits of periodic broadcasting and stream merging. The advertisements' revenues are used to subsidize the price of the media content. The pricing is determined based on the total ads' viewing time. Moreover, this paper presents three modified scheduling policies that are well suited to the proposed delivery framework and analyzes their effectiveness through simulation.
Performance analysis of spectral estimation techniques for steady State Visual Evoked Potentials (SSVEPs) based Brain Computer Interfaces (BCIs)

This paper presents the major challenges and solutions for the Brain Computer Interfaces (BCIs), which are based on Steady State Visual Evoked Potentials (SSVEPs). A BCI utilizes the information transmitted by the brain; there are several methods available for analyzing these brain activities. One of the major challenges in BCI is to remove the noise successfully. Averaging along with Wavelets has been proposed in this paper for de-noising the brain activities. Moreover, three different approaches have been investigated to estimate the frequency spectrum of the brain signals. In addition to the well known Fourier Transform (FT) technique, for spectral estimation, there are many parametric and non parametric techniques for computing the frequency content of a signal. This paper presents a comparison between Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), MUltiple SIgnal Classification (MUSIC) and Linear Predictive Coding (LPC). The effectiveness of different techniques has been studied and the simulation results have shown that MUSIC outperforms the other approaches.
Ethnic differences in sleep quality accompany ethnic differences in night-time blood pressure dipping.

Background African Americans exhibit a smaller nocturnal decrease in blood pressure (BP) than whites, and there are also reports of poorer sleep quality among African Americans. We examined the contribution of sleep quality to ethnic differences in BP dipping in African American and white male and female college students. We hypothesized that African Americans would exhibit blunted nocturnal BP dipping compared to whites, which would be partly accounted for by poorer sleep quality among African Americans. Methods Forty-three African American and 46 white college students aged 18 to 25 years completed an ambulatory BP protocol that included wrist actigraphy, which was used in conjunction with participant self-reports of sleep times for analyses of sleep quality. Results Although daytime and night-time BP did not differ according to ethnicity, African Americans had a smaller dip in systolic BP (P Conclusions Sleep quality accompanied ethnic differences in systolic and diastolic BP dipping, but did not account for these differences.
Improved Synthesis of Proline-Derived Ni(II) Complexes of Glycine: Versatile Chiral Equivalents of Nucleophilic Glycine for General Asymmetric Synthesis of α-Amino Acids

A synthetically practical and operationally convenient method for preparing (S)-2-[N-(N‘-benzylprolyl)amino]benzophenone (BPBP) and hitherto unknown (S)-2-[N-(N‘-benzylprolyl)amino]-4-methylbenzophenone (4-Me-BPBP), (S)-2-[N-(N‘-benzylprolyl)amino]-5-nitrobenzophenone (5-NO2−BPBP), and their corresponding Ni(II) complexes with glycine [GlyNi(II)BPBP], a widely used chiral equivalent of nucleophilic glycine, and new analogues [GlyNi(II)-4-Me-BPBP] and [GlyNi(II)-5- NO2-BPBP] is described. The key step of the method is the synthetically efficient amid bond formation between the corresponding o-aminobenzophenones, featuring significant steric shielding and low nucleophilicity of the amino functionality as well as sterically constrained (S)-N-benzylproline (BP).
Comparison of serum and plasma measurements of Müllerian inhibiting substance

The authors sought to determine whether measurement of plasma Mullerian inhibiting substance (MIS) is a suitable substitute for measurement of serum MIS. Eighteen samples of serum and plasma were examined that were drawn simultaneously. Levels of MIS were measured with an ELISA kit, and plasma levels were studied in parallel to serum samples. A 98.5% correlation was found between serum and plasma MIS values.
Deletion of the diploid dihydrofolate reductase locus from cultured mammalian cells

Abstract Gamma rays have been used to induce Chinese hamster ovary cell mutants in which the entire locus for dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) has been eliminated. These mutants were isolated in two steps from a methotrexate-resistant clone (Flintoff, Davidson, and Siminovitch (1976). Somat. Cell Genet. 2, 245–262). The resistant cells contain amplified copies of a mutant dhfr gene that codes for a drugresistant form of the enzyme. In the first step, methotrexate-sensitive mutants of the amplified line were selected. These mutants exhibit a reduced level of DHFR activity and contain a reduced number of dhfr genes. The remaining DHFR activity is methotrexatesensitive. These mutants appear to be hemizygotes that have lost all copies of the amplified altered dhfr genes and retain one wild-type allele. In a second mutagenic step, mutants completely deficient in DHFR activity were isolated. Three of four of these mutants were the result of double deletions: they lack all traces of dhfr DNA sequences. The fourth mutant contains a deletion that extends through the 5′ half of the dhfr gene. The hemizygotes for dhfr should be useful for the study of mutation at an autosomal mammalian locus without the complications of diploidy.