cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Regulatory effects of C5a on IL-17A, IL-17F, and IL-23.

The complement anaphylatoxin, C5a, through binding to its receptors (C5aR or C5L2), has important biological properties for recruitment and activation of phagocytes. C5a has been identified as a powerful modulator of TLR-induced cytokine and chemokine production by macrophages. Both the complement system and the IL-17 cytokine family protect against extracellular pathogens by enhancing innate immune functions. On the basis of its concentration, C5a can either positively or negatively modulate the production by macrophages of IL-17 family members as well as IL-23 via the PI3K/Akt signaling cascade. C5a can also affect the production and maintenance of IL-17-producing T cells. Using C5a, C5aR, or C5L2 deficiency or blockade, IL-17/IL-23 production and/or IL-17-dependent disease progression has been shown to be substantially modified. The contributions of C5a interaction with its receptors in the production of IL-17/IL-23 and promotion of IL-17-dependent immune responses are reviewed.
Tectonics versus eustatic control on supersequences of the Zagros Mountains of Iran

Abstract At least 12 km of strata ranging in age from the latest Precambrian to the Recent are exposed in the Zagros Mountains of Iran. This sedimentary cover is characterized by distinct stratal packages separated by major unconformities forming twelve supersequences. They are informally named as: (1) Late Precambrian – Cambrian Hakhamanesh Supersequence, (2) Ordovician Kourosh Supersequence, (3) Silurian Camboojiyeh Supersequence, (4) Devonian Darioush Supersequence, (5) Mississippian – Pennsylvanian Khashayar Supersequence, (6) Permian – Triassic Ashk Supersequence, (7) Jurassic Farhad Supersequence, (8) Early Cretaceous Mehrdad Supersequence, (9) Late Cretaceous Ardavan Supersequence, (10) Paleocene – Oligocene Sassan Supersequence, (11) Oligocene – Miocene Ardeshir Supersequence, and (12) Miocene – Pleistocene Shapour Supersequence. These supersequences and their correlatives in neighboring areas have been used to infer tectonic events. The dominant interpretation has been that local or regional epeirogenic movements were responsible for the formation of these supersequences. Unconformities are considered as indications that epeirogenic movements associated with tectonic events affected the area. The present investigation provides an alternative to the established view of the Phanerozoic supersequences of the Zagros Mountains. A good correlation exists between the lithofacies of supersequences in the Zagros Mountains and the second-order eustatic sea-level changes. Deposition of deep-water, marine shales occurred during periods of eustatic sea-level rise. Platform-wide unconformities coincided with eustatic sea-level lows. In fact, supersequences of the Zagros Mountains are nearly identical to those described from the North American Craton and the Russian Platform suggesting that these stratal packages are global. These observations suggest that supersequences of the Zagros Mountains formed by second order eustatic sea-level changes and not by local or regional epeirogenic movements. Although tectonic events did not produce supersequences of the Zagros Mountains, they influenced regional lithofacies patterns through the formation of intrashelf depressions such as the Hormoz Salt Basin during the Precambrian and the Dezful Embayment and the Lorestan Basin during the Mesozoic. Tectonic events also affected sedimentation during the Tertiary collision of Arabia and the Central Iran microplate through uplift, erosion, and the formation of the Zagros Foreland Basin. The results of this investigation necessitate a re-evaluation of the role and the significance of pre-Tertiary tectonic events commonly used to interpret the geological evolution of the Zagros Mountains.
Isomeric states of 92Nb

Abstract The literature reports the existence of isomeric states of 92Nb with half-lives of 21·6 hr, 13 hr, 5·9 μsec, and 191 min. Evidence is presented which indicates that all but the 5·9 μsec isomer are in error. In connection with this investigation, the following total activation cross sections for 14·7 MeV neutrons have been measured: 92Mo (n, p) 92Nb (10·1 days + 5·9μsec), 60±15 mbarns; and 92Mo (n, α) 89Zr (79·0 hr+4·4 min), 20±8 mbarns.
Optogenetics, physiology, and emotions.

Optogenetics is a powerful tool for investigating causal links between neural circuits and behavior. In recent years, optogenetic studies have expanded into the emotional realm, elucidating new facts about the circuits that underlie anxiety, depression, and reward. One caveat with investigating this realm is that emotional responses can be non-linear. Reward is pleasurable to a point, beyond which it can produce mania, an anxious, and unpleasant state. Consistent with this, stimulant drugs that increase dopaminergic function are reinforcing across a limited dose range, above which they are no longer reinforcing, presumably because of anxiogenic effects (Ettenberg and Geist, 1991, 1993; Yang et al., 1992; Deroche et al., 1997). Many published optogenetic studies have not examined potential non-linearities in the relationship between neural activity and the behavior being studied, nor identified where on such a curve their optogenetic manipulation is acting. In addition, the state a neural system achieves during optogenetic stimulation may not necessarily reside on a physiological curve at all, as optogenetics can drive firing parameters outside of physiological ranges (Figure ​(Figure1).1). We believe that further consideration of this point may lead to more accurate insights into the relationships between neural activity, emotions, and behavior.
Molded continuous poly(styrene-co-divinylbenzene) rod as a separation medium for the very fast separation of polymers Comparison of the chromatographic properties of the monolithic rod with columns packed with porous and non-porous beads in high-performance liquid chromatography of polystyrenes

Gradient elution separations of polystyrene standards in a monolithic molded 50×8 mm I.D. poly(styrene-co-divinylbenzene) rod column and in 50×8 mm I.D. and 30×4.1 mm I.D. columns packed with porous and non-porous poly(styrene-co-divinylbenzene) beads has been carried out. All of these separation media differ in shape and porosity. Excellent separations of eight polystyrene standards were achieved with both the molded monolithic rod and porous beads at moderate flow-rates. However, the monolithic medium proved to be superior for high-speed separations using very steep gradients at a flow-rate of 20 ml/min. Three polystyrene standards were separated in the rod column within 4 s. The separation in the column packed with non-porous beads was poor at flow-rates of 2–8 ml/min, while higher flow-rates led to an unacceptably high back pressure.
A Toolkit for ARB to Integrate Custom Databases and Externally Built Phylogenies

UNLABELLED Researchers are perpetually amassing biological sequence data. The computational approaches employed by ecologists for organizing this data (e.g. alignment, phylogeny, etc.) typically scale nonlinearly in execution time with the size of the dataset. This often serves as a bottleneck for processing experimental data since many molecular studies are characterized by massive datasets. To keep up with experimental data demands, ecologists are forced to choose between continually upgrading expensive in-house computer hardware or outsourcing the most demanding computations to the cloud. Outsourcing is attractive since it is the least expensive option, but does not necessarily allow direct user interaction with the data for exploratory analysis. Desktop analytical tools such as ARB are indispensable for this purpose, but they do not necessarily offer a convenient solution for the coordination and integration of datasets between local and outsourced destinations. Therefore, researchers are currently left with an undesirable tradeoff between computational throughput and analytical capability. To mitigate this tradeoff we introduce a software package to leverage the utility of the interactive exploratory tools offered by ARB with the computational throughput of cloud-based resources. Our pipeline serves as middleware between the desktop and the cloud allowing researchers to form local custom databases containing sequences and metadata from multiple resources and a method for linking data outsourced for computation back to the local database. A tutorial implementation of the toolkit is provided in the supporting information, S1 Tutorial. AVAILABILITY http://www.ece.drexel.edu/gailr/EESI/tutorial.php.
Specific heat of the superconducting-Kondo system (La, Ce)Al2

Abstract Specific heat measurements between 0.5 and 4.2°K on the system ( La , Ce) Al 2 in the normal and superconducting states are reported. In the normal state, the Ce impurities cause a strong enhancement of the electronic specific heat coefficient γ N and an exchange scattering anomaly which varies as (−ln T ) between 0.5 and 2.5°K. Both effects scale with Ce concentration. The specific heat jump at the superconducting transition temperature T c is depressed more rapidly with decreasing T c than predicted by the theory of Abrikosov and Gor'kov. At low temperatures, the specific heat in the superconducting state exhibits a γ S T term, and γ S /γ N is linear in Ce concentration above ≈0.1 at.% Ce substitution in La.
Productivity of men and women and the sexual division of labor in peasant agriculture of the Peruvian Sierra

Abstract This paper estimates the productivity of men and women in the peasant agriculture of the Peruvian Sierra, using recent household survey data. A sexual division of labor on the farm implies that male and female labor are not perfectly substitutable. Evidence is found for female specialization on livestock production. A translog production function reveals that the use of animal traction and land affect the marginal productivity of male and female labor differently, suggesting that the two types of labor cannot be aggregated. Overall, adult male labor is found to contribute more to farm output at the margin than adult female labor, though the extent of the difference is sensitive to how farm output and the labor inputs are measured.
Molecular determinants of Hv1 proton channel inhibition by guanidine derivatives

The voltage-gated proton channel Hv1 plays important roles in proton extrusion, pH homeostasis, and production of reactive oxygen species in a variety of cell types. Excessive Hv1 activity increases proliferation and invasiveness in cancer cells and worsens brain damage in ischemic stroke. The channel is composed of two subunits, each containing a proton-permeable voltage-sensing domain (VSD) and lacking the pore domain typical of other voltage-gated ion channels. We have previously shown that the compound 2-guanidinobenzimidazole (2GBI) inhibits Hv1 proton conduction by binding to the VSD from its intracellular side. Here, we examine the binding affinities of a series of 2GBI derivatives on human Hv1 channels mutated at positions located in the core of the VSD and apply mutant cycle analysis to determine how the inhibitor interacts with the channel. We identify four Hv1 residues involved in the binding: aspartate 112, phenylalanine 150, serine 181, and arginine 211. 2GBI appears to be oriented in the binding site with its benzo ring pointing to F150, its imidazole ring inserted between residue D112 and residues S181 and R211, and the guanidine group positioned in the proximity of R211. We also identify a modified version of 2GBI that is able to reach the binding site on Hv1 from the extracellular side of the membrane. Understanding how compounds like 2GBI interact with the Hv1 channel is an important step to the development of pharmacological treatments for diseases caused by Hv1 hyperactivity.
An IBM XT-compatible, computer-based, slide-projector laboratory

In the present paper, we describe the software and hardware of an on-line, visual-memory laboratory running under Turbo Pascal on an IBM PC XT-compatible computer. The display system includes one Kodak random access projector and four standard Kodak carousel projectors, all equipped with tachistoscopic shutters and luminance-control devices. The response system consists of eight 16-key response boxes. The laboratory can be used for any experiment in which 35-mm slides are to be used as stimuli, and in which precise display times, stimulus luminances, and reaction times are required. The laboratory is particularly well suited to picture-perception and picture-memory experiments.
A result about determinantal divisors

Let Rbe a principal ideal ringRn the ring of n× nmatrices over R, and dk (A) the kth determinantal divisor of Afor 1 ⩽ k⩽ n, where Ais any element of Rn , It is shown that if A,BeRn , det(A) det(B:) ≠ 0, then dk (AB) ≡ 0 mod dk (A) dk (B). If in addition (det(A), det(B)) = 1, then it is also shown that dk (AB) = dk (A) dk (B). This provides a new proof of the multiplicativity of the Smith normal form for matrices with relatively prime determinants.
The Person of the Millennium: The Unique Impact of Galileo on World History – By Manfred Weidhorn

In astronomy, Galileo Galilei [1564–1642] made crucial observational discoveries and theoretical contributions to the confirmation of Copernican heliocentrism. In physics, he discovered the laws of...
A nanoinjector for microanalysis.

We describe a simple miniature injection device that can be used for introduction of nanoliter sample volumes in microfluidic systems. The hybrid microstructure consists of two hydraulically connected parts, a pulse micropump, and a multilevel cross-flow injector. Sample injection is accomplished by creating a transient pressure pulse in the sample line by means of the solenoid-based micropump. The sample line is aligned at right angles to the main carrier flow line. The two flow channels are located in two different parallel planes. The cross section of the two channels is defined by a self-sealing aperture in an elastomer. During the pressure pulse, the sample is introduced through this aperture directly into the main flow stream. Fast impulse-based injection causes rapid mixing of the injected sample with the main flow stream. This permits simple single-line manifold micro flow injection (MFI) systems. The deformation/relaxation of the elastomer is fast and repeatable; as such, rapid serial actuations ...
Characterization of the deposition of particles from the atmosphere to a flat plate

Abstract The airborne concentration of coarse particles ( > 1 μm diameter) was measured with a Rotary Impactor simultaneously with the measurement of particle dry deposition flux with a smooth surrogate surface with a sharp edge, mounted on a wind vane. The deposition surface was designed to provide minimum air flow disruption and thus provide an estimate of the lower limit for dry deposition flux. The deposited particles were weighed and counted. Microscopic count data generated the size distribution of particles collected on the deposition plate. The results demonstrated that 99% of the mass deposited on the plate was due to particles > 2 μm diameter. Because the measured dry deposition mass was due to atmospheric coarse particles and the measured airborne concentration was also due to coarse particles, the two data sets were combined to evaluate the dynamics of atmospheric coarse particle deposition. Deposition velocity was calculated by dividing the particle flux by the airborne coarse particle concentration. The deposition flux was 3.0 μg m −2 s −1 for 17 samples taken over a 1-month period in an urban area. The deposition velocity averaged 11.7cm s −1 . The deposition flux, deposition velocity and coarse particle Mass Median Diameter (MMD) were all shown to increase as wind speed increased. There was a large difference between day and night samples. Night samples had lower airborne concentrations (47%), lower deposition flux (65%) and lower deposition velocities (40%). These differences were accompanied by a 47% decrease in wind speed and a 30% decrease in the MMD of airborne coarse particles. This is in agreement with deposition model results where deposition velocity decreases when wind speed and particle size decrease.
A four-point probe correlation of oxygen sensitivity to changes in surface resistivity of TiO2(0 0 1) and Pd-modified TiO2(0 0 1)

Abstract The objective of the current study was to investigate changes in the surface electrical resistivity of single crystal TiO2(0 0 1) under ultra-high vacuum conditions for gas sensor studies. Using a linear four-point probe (FPP), we investigated the effects of surface stoichiometry and of exposure to oxygen on the surface resistivity. We also investigated the effect of palladium (Pd) particles of varying sizes on the surface resistivity using both FPP and scanning tunneling microscopy. Our results showed that there was a strong dependence of the resistivity on the average Ti oxidation state of the clean TiO2(0 0 1) surface. A decrease in the surface resistivity of TiO2(0 0 1) was observed after the surface was reduced by Ar+ ion sputtering, whereas an increase in the resistivity of the sputtered-TiO2 surface was detected after reacting with gas-phase oxygen. In addition, we found that the presence of Pd particles enhanced the sensing performance to oxygen, and that the degree of enhancement depended strongly on the size of the Pd nanoparticles.
Real Enough: Using Virtual Public Speaking Environments to Evoke Feelings and Behaviors Targeted in Stuttering Assessment and Treatment

Purpose Virtual reality environments (VREs) are computer-generated, 3-dimensional worlds that allow users to experience situations similar to those encountered in the real world. The purpose of thi...
Coordinate regulation of two genes encoding gluconeogenic enzymes by the trans-dominant locus Tse-1

Tissue-specific extinguisher-1 (Tse-1) is a mouse genetic locus that can repress liver-specific tyrosine aminotransferase gene expression in trans. To search for other Tse-1-responsive genes, hepatoma microcell hybrids retaining mouse chromosome 11 or human chromosome 17, containing murine Tse-1 and human TSE1, respectively, were screened for expression of liver-specific mRNAs. While most liver gene activity was unaffected in such hybrids, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase and tyrosine aminotransferase gene expression was coordinately repressed in these clones. Extinction of both genes was apparently mediated by a single genetic locus that resides on human chromosome 17.
Heat transfer augmentation in channels with porous copper inserts.

Copper mesh, compressed and formed into porous matrices of various shapes and sizes, has been routinely used in high heat load/flux component cooling at the Advanced Photon Source (APS) to significantly enhance the heat transfer performance. Substantial research has been performed at the APS over the last eight years in order to better quantify and optimize the selection of the mesh copper matrix attributes (porosity, wire size, core size, bonding technique, etc.) for various water-cooled component applications in single phase. The same mesh configuration can also be applied in cryogenic cooling of optical components, such as monochromators, mirrors and multilayers, with liquid nitrogen. This paper reviews the experimental data and the analytical calculations, compares the data with existing single- and two-phase correllations, and interprets the results for a cryogenically cooled monochromator.
Spatial organization of cofilin in dendritic spines

Synaptic plasticity is associated with morphological changes in dendritic spines. The actin-based cytoskeleton plays a key role in regulating spine structure, and actin reorganization in spines is critical for the maintenance of long term potentiation. To test the hypothesis that a stable pool of F-actin rests in the spine "core," while a dynamic pool lies peripherally in its "shell," we performed immunoelectron microscopy in the stratum radiatum of rat hippocampus to elucidate the subcellular distribution of cofilin, an actin-depolymerizing protein that mediates reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton. We provide direct evidence that cofilin in spines avoids the core, and instead concentrates in the shell and within the postsynaptic density. These data suggest that cofilin may link synaptic plasticity to the actin remodeling that underlies changes in spine morphology.
CONTROL OF ALGAL BIOMASS BY INFLOW NITROGEN

ABSTRACT Dilution water has entered Moses Lake since 1977, usually in amounts exceeding 100 106m3, which has amounted to exchange rates of around 10 percent day−1in 8 percent of the lake volume nearest the input. The principal cause for the marked reduction in algal biomass and increased transparency, prior to the Mount St. Helen's ashfall, was the dilution of inflow concentrations of NO3. Average summer chlorophyll a was closely correlated with flow-weighted mean inflow NO3. Increased NO3–N:SRP in undiluted inflow water following the ashfall caused P limit growth in the lake. Increased dilution water input in 1982, compared to the 2 post-ash years, reduced inflow NO3to biomass-controlling levels in spite of continued high ratios of soluble N:P in the lake. Dilution water was pumped to previously undiluted Pelican Horn in 1982 at a rate of 1.4 m3s−1during July through August. Algal biomass was reduced largely because of cell washout, because undiluted water was pumped after July, but chl a actually increa...
Social perception and social skill in schizophrenia

The relationship of social perception to social skill in schizophrenia was investigated. Twenty-six outpatients completed three social perception tasks (i.e. facial affect recognition, social cue recognition, and self-ratings of social skill) and participated in two role-plays. Correlational analyses revealed that the self-ratings of social skill had the most consistent relationship with social skill among the social perception measures, even after controlling for symptomatology and subject demographics. Other measures of social perception (i.e. social cue recognition) had weaker relationships with social skills. Implications for future research and psychosocial interventions are discussed.
Treatment of chelated iron and copper wastes by chemical oxidation

Abstract Chelating agents are used commonly to remove deposits from surfaces of industrial equipment and to solubilize metals in electroless plating baths. The destruction of chelate (Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, EDTA) in chemical cleaning wastes using hydrogen peroxide and/or ozone as oxidants is described. The experiments were conducted in a batch reactor using simulated wastes containing elevated levels of iron, copper, and EDTA. With hydrogen peroxide as the oxidant, the pH, hydrogen peroxide dose, temperature, and initial composition of the solvent had the greatest effects on chelate destruction. A pH between 4 and 5, a 20:1 molar ratio of hydrogen peroxide to EDTA and a temperature of 40–60 °C consistently produced >95% destruction of the chelate. For ozone, EDTA removal was more dependent on the initial iron and EDTA concentrations than on the pH or ozone flowrate. Overall, hydrogen peroxide alone at above ambient temperatures was judged to be the most effective oxidant for destroying chelates ...
Powder processing of ductile-phase-toughened NbNb3Al in situ composites

Abstract Model high temperature NbNb3Al in-situ intermetallic matrix composites have been successfully fabricated using powder metallurgy and arc-melting techniques. Vacuum hot pressing of elemental Nb and Al powders, mixed in the ratio Nb6wt.%Al and synthesized at 1200 °C, yeilded a dual-phase microstructure consisting of equiaxed islands of ductile Nb particles in a brittle Nb3Al matrix. Subsequent thermal treatment at 1800 °C for 24 h resulted in an alternative composite microstructure with the Nb present in a lamellar morphology following a peritectic transformation, similar to structures obtained via arc-melting and thermal treatment procedures. The precipitation of ductile Nb phase following thermal aging was found to nucleate heterogenously at grain boundaries and to progress along specific growth directions, resulting in a uniform and fine distribution of filamentary Nb within the Nb3Al matrix. Both equiaxed and lamellar bNb3Al composite microstructures show improved fracture toughness of about 6 MPa m1/2 compared with unreinforced Nb3Al (about 1 MPa m1/2), principally because of crack bridging and crack renucleation effects induced by the presence of the ductile Nb phase.
Formation of Aluminide Coatings on Ferritic–Martensitic Steels by a Low-Temperature Pack Cementation Process

Abstract A pack cementation process was developed to coat commercial 9% Cr ferritic–martensitic steel T91 at temperatures below its tempering temperature (∼ 750 °C) to avoid any potential detrimental effect on the mechanical properties. Two Cr–Al binary masteralloys with different Al levels were used to explore possibilities of forming FeAl-based coatings without the Al-rich intermetallic phases, such as Fe 2 Al 5 . In contrast to the pure Al masteralloy, which led to the formation of Fe 2 Al 5 coatings at 650 °C, a coating consisting of a thin Fe 2 Al 5 outer layer and an FeAl inner layer was formed at 700 °C by utilizing a Cr–25Al masteralloy. When the Cr-15Al masteralloy was employed, thin FeAl coatings (∼ 12 μm) containing 4 Cl– x (Cr–15Al)–(98– x )Al 2 O 3 , where x ranged from 10 to 70 wt.%. Both coating thickness and surface Al content increased, when the amount of the masteralloy was increased from 10 to 40 wt.%. However, no further increase was observed once the masteralloy amount was greater than 40 wt.%.
Complex regulation of human NKG2D-DAP10 cell surface expression: opposing roles of the γc cytokines and TGF-β1

Natural killer (NK) cells help protect the host against viral infections and tumors. NKG2D is a vital activating receptor, also expressed on subsets of T cells, whose ligands are up-regulated by cells in stress. Ligation of NKG2D leads to phosphorylation of the associated DAP10 adaptor protein, thereby activating immune cells. Understanding how the expression of NKG2D-DAP10 is regulated has implications for immunotherapy. We show that IL-2 and TGF-β1 oppositely regulate NKG2D-DAP10 expression by NK cells. IL-2 stimulation increases NKG2D surface expression despite a decrease in NKG2D mRNA levels. Stimulation with IL-2 results in a small increase of DAP10 mRNA and a large up-regulation of DAP10 protein synthesis, indicating that IL-2–mediated effects are mostly posttranscriptional. Newly synthesized DAP10 undergoes glycosylation that is required for DAP10 association with NKG2D and stabilization of NKG2D expression. TGF-β1 has an opposite and dominant effect to IL-2. TGF-β1 treatment decreases DAP10, as its presence inhibits the association of RNA polymerase II with the DAP10 promoter, but not NKG2D mRNA levels. This leads to the down-regulation of DAP10 expression and, as a consequence, NKG2D protein as well. Finally, we show that other γc cytokines act similarly to IL-2 in up-regulating DAP10 expression and NKG2D-DAP10 surface expression.
Silicon Epitaxial Layers for CCD and CMOS Imager Sensors : Limits and Challenges of the In-Line and Off-Line Metal Detection Techniques

The need of an effective control of residual metal content inside the silicon epitaxial wafers is revamping for CCD and CMOS applications, which are very sensitive to small amount of heavy metals. The paper will discuss the strengths and the challenges associated to the integrated use of well known electrical techniques when metals like iron and molybdenum are present in concentration lower than 1E11 cm^3.
An Impact Equivalence Principle of Separating Control Designs for Networked Heterogeneous Affine Systems

Abstract In this paper, the new concept of generalized passivity is introduced to extend the concept of passivity to a dynamical system of any relative degrees and to quantify by a penalty coefficient the impact of its dynamics on the performance of its networked operation. It is shown that the knowledge of an upper bound on those penalty coefficients is sufficient to synthesize a network-level cooperative control and that, if all the physical systems are individually made to be generalized passive by appropriately designing their self-feedback controls, they can arbitrarily be placed at the nodes of a network-enabled cooperative control system. The proposed separation principle prescribes a completely modularized design methodology, and it unravels the complexity of analyzing and designing cooperative control of heterogeneous physical systems.
The southern oscillation: Sea surface temperature and wind relationships in a 100‐year data set

The development of sea surface temperature (SST) and surface wind anomalies during the course of the Southern Oscillation is examined with a 100-year data set covering most of the Pacific Ocean region. Correlation coefficients of SST and winds with Wright's (1975) Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) are presented for lags and leads up to four seasons relative to the Index. The primary SST response is in the eastern and central equatorial ocean, the regions usually associated with the El Nino phenomenon, but there are important SST and wind changes elsewhere in the Pacific. Significant precursors in the SST include warming (cooling) in the northwest subtropical Pacific up to one year preceding positive (negative) SOI and like-signed anomalies near New Guinea one season later, in addition to the cooling (warming) along the Chilean coast and in the eastern equatorial region beginning 3 seasons before positive (negative) SOI. (Positive SOI corresponds to pressures higher than average over the south-east Pacific and lower than average over the western equatorial Pacific.) The major wind response is an area of easterly (westerly) anomalies in the central and western equatorial ocean beginning (in the latter portion) north of the equator 2 seasons before positive (negative) SOI. There is evidence for increased (decreased) westerlies in the southern mid-latitudes as well as easterly and southerly (westerly and northerly) anomalies in the southeast subtropics 1-3 seasons before positive (negative) SOI. For both SST and surface winds, little seasonal dependence of the correlation results is found for the equatorial anomalies, but in the Indonesian-New Guinea region positive correlations are found in the latter portion of the year; mid-latitude SST anomalies in both hemispheres are restricted to June to August. The mechanisms that determine the response of the SST and winds to the SOI are examined and compared with the factors that control the seasonal cycle in selected regions. Subtropical precursors to positive SOI are consistent with enhanced subsidence, higher anticyclonic vorticity and stronger oceanic gyres. Advection seems to account for the spreading of the SST anomalies westward along the equator. SST anomalies in the Indonesian region may be due to solar radiation changes accompanying cloud cover variations.
Distribution of glucosinolates in ornamental cabbage and kale cultivars

Abstract Glucosinolate concentrations were measured in seven ornamental cabbage and six ornamental kale ( Brassica oleracea var. acephala) cultivars. Fifteen glucosinolates were detected in varying concentrations, but only four (progoitrin, sinigrin, glucoraphanin and glucobrassicin) were found in concentrations greater than 0.5 μmol g −1 dry weight. In general, total glucosinolates in ornamental cabbage were about 35% higher than in ornamental kale. Differences in total glucosinolates were also observed within each Brassica group. In cabbage, total glucosinolates were significantly higher in ‘Osaka Pink’, ‘Osaka Red’, ‘Pigeon Red’ and ‘Tokyo Pink’ than in ‘Osaka White’ or ‘Tokyo White’, while total glucosinolates in ‘Tokyo Red’ was not significantly different from the other five cultivars. In kale, total glucosinolate concentration was highest (17.16 μmol g −1 dry weight) in ‘Coral Prince’ and lowest (6.8 μmol g −1 dry weight) in ‘Sparrow White’. Ornamental cabbage cultivars contained higher glucoraphanin, followed by sinigrin, progoitrin and glucobrassicin, while ornamental kale cultivars contained about the same concentrations of glucoraphanin, sinigrin and glucobrassicin, except ‘Coral Prince’ which contained three- to nine-fold higher glucoraphanin than the other five kale cultivars. The presence of higher concentrations of glucoraphanin in ornamental cabbage and ornamental kale warrant further investigation into their potential use as breeding stocks to enhance the level of this important phytochemicals in edible cabbage and kale.
Effects of cellulose adulteration on maintenance-feeding behavior in rats with VMH lesions

Female rats with lesions of the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) overate and gained more body weight than same-diet control rats, following extended maintenance on a ground-chow diet adulterated with an equal weight of cellulose. Adulteration with cellulose clearly decreased diet palatability, because control rats fed the cellulose-adulterated diet ate and weighed less than control rats fed the unadulterated ground-chow diet. The overeating of a less palatable diet by VMH rats is consistent with the hypothesis that VMH lesions increase hunger motivation.
Ubiquitination-independent trafficking of G protein-coupled receptors to lysosomes.

Ubiquitination of cytoplasmic lysine residues can target G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) to proteasomes and has recently been shown to also be required for sorting of certain GPCRs to lysosomes following ligand-induced endocytosis. We addressed the generality of this mechanism by examining regulated proteolysis of the murine δ opioid receptor (DOR) expressed in human embryonic kidney 293 cells, a well characterized model system in which receptors are sorted to lysosomes. Incubation of cells in the presence of the highly specific proteasome inhibitor lactacystin did not detectably affect ligand-induced proteolysis of DOR but significantly delayed ligand-induced proteolysis of epidermal growth factor receptors. Mutation of all cytoplasmic lysine residues in DOR, creating a mutant opioid receptor that is unable to be ubiquitinated, did not detectably inhibit either ligand-induced endocytosis or proteolytic degradation of endocytosed receptors. Furthermore, the lysine-mutated DOR, like its wild type counterpart, colocalized extensively with lysosomes after ligand-induced endocytosis. These results demonstrate that ubiquitination of DOR is not required either for its ligand-induced endocytosis or for postendocytic trafficking to lysosomes.
Infrared spectra of the iodine complexes of mono N-oxides of some heterocyclic diazines

Abstract The N-O stretching frequencies of the I 2 , complexes of the mono N-oxides of some heterocylic diazines have been observed. These data give some indication that in all the compounds investigated, it is the oxygen and not the ring nitrogen that acts as a donor site.
Heads and Hearts: The Endothelial Connection

Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory, proliferative, thrombotic arterial disease initiated by risk factor injury to the endothelium. Although obstructive plaques develop locally, the disease is always diffuse if examined by intravascular ultrasound or histology. Assessing and treating the initiating risk factors and the resulting obstructive disease has been the traditional approach to managing atherosclerosis. Our recent understanding of how the related pathophysiological processes of endothelial dysfunction and inflammation connect risk factors and disease expression has led to an interest in using these pathways to assess patient risk and determine therapies.1,2 In the future, we will also directly assess our genetic predisposition for developing and clinically manifesting atherosclerosis. See p 2805 In response to physical and chemical stimuli, the endothelium regulates vascular physiology through control of vasoactivity, inflammation, vessel growth and remodeling, monocyte adhesion, platelet activation, thrombosis, and thrombolysis.3 Normal endothelium is associated with a vasodilatory, antiatherogenic state, whereas dysfunctional endothelium is associated with a proatherogenic state and plaque instability. The predominant endothelium-derived vasodilator, nitric oxide, has several antiatherogenic properties, including inhibition of platelet aggregation and smooth muscle cell proliferation. In experimental animals, nitric oxide availability is inversely related to disease progression. Endothelial function is impaired by all traditional risk factors. Endothelial function is thought to be a gauge of cumulative risk factor burden modified by genetic susceptibility. Conversely, improvements in endothelial function have been demonstrated with risk factor modification, such as with cholesterol and blood pressure reduction. Risk factors and risk factor modification change endothelial function very rapidly, and endothelial dysfunction is evident even before intravascular ultrasound evidence of atherosclerosis is present.4 Over the past decade, endothelium-mediated vasoactivity and inflammation have evolved into clinically relevant markers of ongoing atherosclerosis. Endothelium-dependent vasodilation can be assessed in the coronary and peripheral arteries as conduit vessel diameter or blood flow (resistance …
Intramolecular α-Glucosaminidation: Synthesis of Mycothiol

A protected cyclitol aglycon was tethered to an (N-arylsulfonyl)glucosamine donor by a methylene linker; the exclusively α-selective intramolecular glycosyation reaction was then initiated by electrophilic activation of the thioglycoside donor portion. Further transformations of the glycosylation product to give the M. tuberculosis detoxifier mycothiol and its oxidized congener, the disulfide mycothione, are detailed.
Axial-vector current and quark spin content of the proton in an effective theory

Abstract The background field theory is applied to study the internal spin structure of the proton in terms of both the large N c expansion and derivative expansion. A new flavor-independent axial-vector current has been derived. Due to the higher order of this current in the large N c expansion and the higher order in the derivative expansion a small quark spin content is expected and a nonzero strange quark spin content is revealed from the large N c expansion. The numerical results are in agreement with the data.
Older Adult Substance Abuse: Prevalence and Risk Factors for Treatment Failure

Introduction: The proportion of American adults aged 50+ years with a substance use disorder (SUD) is projected to increase to about 5.7million individuals by 2020 (1). SUD in the elderly is associated with numerous health and social problems such as increased risk of hospitalization, nursing home placement and death (2). Despite these staggering epidemiologic data, there is a paucity of research exploring the prevalence of SUD in the elderly, and much less attention has been paid to the factors that determineengagementoftheelderlyinasubstanceabusetreatmentprogram.ItishighlylikelythatneedforSUDcareamongolder adultsislikelytoincreaseinthecomingfewyears(3),itisessentialtodescribethescopeoftheproblemandtoidentifyfactorsthat may contribute to failure of engagement in SUD treatment. This study examined the prevalence of substance abuse in an elderly population and explored factors that determine lack of engagement (LOE) of older patients in a SUD treatment program. We hypothesize that age and presence of medical comorbidities are important risk factors for failure to engage in SUD treatment. Methods: This was a retrospective cross-sectional study of the Serious Mental Illness Treatment Resource and Evaluation Center (SMITREC) database, a nationally representative Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) data repository of a random sample of patients seenwithinVAhealthcarefacilities.Studysubjectswereseenbetween2010and2011foreitherSUD,alcoholusedisorder(AUD)orboth. AUDandSUDwerebasedonpatientinterviewsandphysiciandiagnosis.Lackofengagementwasdefinedasfailuretoreturnforatleast 30 days after a new SUD intensive outpatient (IOP) consultation. Patients with SUD treatment within the last year were excluded. Results: Among628adultpatients,547hadadiagnosisofanalcoholusedisorder(AUD)only,while557hadanotherSUD,and483 patientshadconcomitantAUDandSUD.Patientdistributionbyagegroupswasasfollows:18-29yr ¼2.1%;30-49yr ¼30.9%;50-64yr ¼63.1%and>65yr ¼4%.Followingtheinitialassessmentvisit,lossofengagementoccurredin26%ofpatients.Amongthese,older individualsweremorelikelytonotreturnthanyoungerpatients(age<50yr ¼23.2%vs.age � 50yr ¼27.6%;Chi-square ¼3.88;p ¼ 0.04). Furthermore, despite constituting only 4% of the study subjects, 1 in 4 elderly failed to engage in SUD treatment.
Poverty and prosperity among migrant settlers in the Amazon rainforest frontier of Ecuador

Household‐level interview data from a probability sample survey conducted in the northeastern Ecuadorian Amazon in 1990 are used to examine the determinants of income and assets among migrant farmers in the agricultural frontier. Multivariate analysis indicates that size of plot owned, proximity to markets, duration of residence, quality of soil, receipt of technical assistance, off‐farm employment and initial wealth positively influence current household income and wealth. More land in cattle pasture is also associated with higher status. Some settlers are prospering relative to others despite variable soil quality, unsustainable land uses, geographic isolation, apparent scarcity of labor, and lack of supportive infrastructure. The article closes with a discussion of implications for policies to assist small farmers, with some consideration of the potential ecological consequences of farmers’ activities.
Negative Functional Response to Sensory Stimulation and Its Origins

Functional imaging studies typically give prominence to positive responses. However, negative changes that accompany activation-induced positive responses are not yet clearly understood. The authors investigated the origin of sustained negative CBF responses that accompanied positive CBF changes. Measurements were made in the rat somatosensory cortex in response to whisker stimulation using laser-Doppler imaging. Flux images indicative of CBF were obtained at rest and during whisker stimulation with a spatial resolution of 200 μm. Large and intermediate blood vessels in the cortical surface exhibiting high flux values were clearly resolved. This greatly reduced the contamination of the tissue pixel volume with macroscopic blood vessels. Regions that responded positively to whisker stimulation were from areas with intermediate to low baseline flux and distinctly away from high flux areas. Stimulation-induced change in signal intensity was the largest in pixels with low baseline flux, presumably from tissue...
Avian germinal disc region secretes factors that stimulate proliferation and inhibit progesterone production by granulosa cells.

Microscopic analysis of ovarian follicles in the domestic hen has revealed differences in the cellular structure of granulosa cells that are dependent upon the location of granulosa cells relative to the germinal disc, which contains the female gamete. These differences appear as a morphological gradient, which implies variations in granulosa cell function. This observation prompted us to hypothesize that the germinal disc region (GDR) of the avian preovulatory follicle participates in the process of follicular growth by producing factors that act in a paracrine manner to stimulate proliferation of and inhibit steroidogenesis in the granulosa layer, establishing a gradient in the morphology and physiology of the granulosa layer. To test our hypothesis, we asked two questions : 1) Are physiological gradients of proliferation and steroidogenesis present within the granulosa layer of a preovulatory follicle ? 2) Does the GDR secrete factors that affect granulosa cell proliferation and/or steroidogenesis ? Incorporation of 3 H-thymidine was used as a measure of proliferation, and production of progesterone was used as a measure of steroidogenesis. In the first experiment, 8-mm-diameter sections were obtained from three morphologically distinct regions of the granulosa monolayer : 1) the GDR, 2) granulosa cells distal to the GDR (distal granulosa), and 3) granulosa cells midway between the GDR and distal granulosa cells (proximal granulosa cells). The GDR incorporated the most 3 H-thymidine and produced the least progesterone. Distal granulosa cells incorporated the least 3 H-thymidine and produced the most progesterone. Proximal granulosa cells incorporated an intermediate amount of 3 H-thymidine and produced an intermediate amount of progesterone. To answer the second question, conditioned medium was prepared from GDRs and distal granulosa cells (control) obtained from the F1 (largest preovulatory follicle) and F3 (the third-largest preovulatory follicle) follicles. Sections (8-mm in diameter) of the distal granulosa layer (F3 for 3 H-thymidine incorporation, F1 for progesterone production) were incubated in GDR-conditioned medium or granulosa cell-conditioned medium to determine whether factors secreted into the medium by the GDR and distal granulosa cells affect granulosa cell proliferation and/or steroidogenesis. Certain samples of GDR-conditioned medium and granulosa cell-conditioned medium were boiled, protease-treated or charcoal-stripped. F3 and F1 GDRs produced heat- and protease-sensitive factors that promoted proliferation and inhibited progesterone production by granulosa cells. These data indicate that diametrically opposed gradients of proliferation and steroidogenesis are present within the granulosa layer of an individual preovulatory follicle. Furthermore, the GDR produces proliferation-stimulating and steroidogenesis-inhibiting factors that may act in an autocrine or paracrine manner to influence proliferation and steroidogenesis in granulosa cells.
Too Ill to Find the Cure?: Corruption, Institutions, and Health Care Sector Performance in the New Democracies of Central and Eastern Europe and Former Soviet Union

This article tackles the questions of why some Central and East European countries have been more successful at creating a better-performing health care sector while others left it in decay. To answer this question, the effects of corruption, institutional effectiveness, and level of democratic consolidation are considered regarding the ability of the health care sector to prevent cancer deaths. The tests of the hypotheses through an auto-regressive distributed lags model yield a mixed bag of results. First, corruption has a significant increasing short-term effect on cancer mortality in some models and a decreasing effect in models where the alternative measure of corruption is used. These same effects persist over the long term. Institutional effectiveness also has mixed results. However, effective institutions lower cancer mortality in the long term.
Getting things straight: The effects of ballot design and electoral structure on voter participation

This paper considers the implications of the straight-party voting option (STVO) on participation in judicial elections. Voters using straight-party options (by definition) do not vote for candidates in nonpartisan elections. Consequently, ballot roll-off in these elections is more likely to occur when people are given the chance to vote the party ticket and complete the voting process quickly. This is the case because nonpartisan judicial elections are considerably less salient than statewide and federal partisan elections. This article separates out the effects of the institutional structure of the election on political participation with the effects of ballot design. We find that in nonpartisan elections, the straight-party option decreases voter participation since voters who utilize the straight-ticket option may erroneously believe that they have voted for these nonpartisan offices, or simply ignore them. However, in nonpartisan elections without straight-ticket voting, participation is increased compared to nonpartisan elections with straight-ticket voting. Additionally, both forms of nonpartisan elections have less participation than partisan elections, all of which have the straight-ticket option. Thus, voter participation is affected not only by the type of election, but the type of voting rules in the election.