cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
First report of Fusarium arthrosporioides on medusahead ( Taeniatherum caput-medusae ) and preliminary tests for host-specificity

Medusahead ( Taeniatherum caput-medusae ssp. asperum ) is an economically important weed in the USA. Foreign exploration to search for natural enemies of this weed in its native range resulted in finding the fungus, Fusarium arthrosporioides (syn. F. roseum var. arthrosporioides ), isolated from the collar of medusahead in August, 2001 in Greece. Identification was made using both morphological and molecular criteria. The sequence of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region that was amplified by PCR using ITS1-F and ITS4-A primers, was similar to F. arthrosporioides sequences published in GenBank. Colonies were grown at 20 ° C on half-strength potato dextrose agar (PDA) (Difco Laboratories, Detroit, MI, USA). Colonies on agar were pink on the margin and red in the middle of the upper side with an abundant floccose aerial mycelium which was initially white and turned brown with time. Cultured on synthetischer nahrstoffarmet aghar (SNA), macroconidia were formed in pale orange sporodochia with three to five septa and a distinct footshaped base. Microconidia were oval, 0–1-septate. Fusarium arthrosporioides , a relatively common soilborne fungus, has never been reported on the genus Taeniatherum . In the past it has been studied as a potential biological control agent of Orobanche (Amsellem et al ., 1999). Two-week-old medusahead seedlings were transplanted into autoclaved soil artificially infested with 1 g of inoculum (1-month-old sterile wheat seeds inoculated with a 5 mm square side of a PDA-grown colony) for 10 g of soil. After 11 days, inhibition of normal root development with concomitant leaf discoloration was observed. After 3 weeks, re-isolation of the pathogen from the roots and collar was successful. Utilizing the same inoculation methods, preliminary tests of the medusahead isolates for host-range specificity on wheat, barley, oat and some grasses ( Elymus repens , Hordeum murinum , Pennisetum clandestinum , Phacelia tanacetifolia ) clearly demonstrated its nonspecificity. Eleven days after inoculation 60% of the barley plants showed symptoms of infection; after 3 days wheat exhibited severe dwarfing. Dry weight comparisons of both inoculated barley and wheat to controls were significant. To our knowledge, this is the first report of F. arthrosporioides attacking T. caput-medusae . Based on our results, F. arthrosporioides will not be considered for further studies on biocontrol of medusahead.
Stability and Change in the Informal Task Support Network of Frail Older Persons

This study examines predictors of stability and change in composition, size, and intensity of help of the informal task support networks of frail elders and their primary caregivers. The sources of data are the 1982 and 1984 National Long Term Care Surveys and the companion 1982 Informal Caregivers Survey. There was slightly more stability than change in the size and composition of family task support networks. We found little evidence that shifts in network composition were in the direction of including more distant kin. Changes in network size and intensity of help occurred in response to changes in health and functional status of the frail older person, but not in response to the level of burden of the primary caregiver.
Duodenojejunostomy and stapled occlusion for distal duodenal perforation from malignant retroperitoneal tumors

Three patients with unresectable malignant retroperitoneal tumors that invaded and perforated the distal duodenum presented with sepsis unresponsive to antibiotics. A technique of proximal side-to-side duodenojejunostomy with stapled occlusion of the distal duodenum resulted in successful diversion and immediate resolution of sepsis.
Can Prostate Specific Antigen Derivatives and Pathological Parameters Predict Significant Change in Expectant Management Criteria for Prostate Cancer

ABSTRACTPurpose: A prior report established that pretreatment criteria based on clinical and biopsy pathology parameters can predict men who harbor small volume prostate cancer who might be followed expectantly. However, some of these men will exhibit disease progression with time and will need definitive therapy. To detect those in whom disease may progress, repeat prostate biopsies are performed at yearly intervals. Therefore, we determined whether biomarkers could be used to determine those in whom disease is likely to progress and thus those who require definitive therapy.Materials and Methods: Initial and repeat biopsy information along with transrectal ultrasound measurements of gland volume, total prostate specific antigen (PSA), %free PSA (%fPSA) and total PSA velocity were evaluated in 78 men, 45 from the prior study, in whom disease was being managed expectantly. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses determined variables that predicted a favorable tumor burden based on biopsy ...
EFFECTS OF POSTMORTEM STORAGE CONDITIONS ON MYOFIBRILLAR ATPase ACTIVITY OF PORCINE RED AND WHITE SEMITENDINOSUS MUSCLE

This study was carried out to determine the effects of postmortem storage time, temperature and pH on myofibrillar proteins of red and white muscle. Myofibrils were isolated from (1) the red and white portion of semitendinosus muscle postmortem stored at 2°C and (2) at-death red and white portions and suspended and stored in unbuffered 0.15M KC1 at 2°C and in buffered 0.15M KC1 (pH 5.5 and 7.0) at 2° and 25°C. To determine the effect of storage conditions on myofibrillar proteins, ATPase activity was assayed at different ionic strengths and with different modifiers. Assays of myofibril ATPase activity from postmortem muscle showed that (1) myofibrils from the white portion had greater ATPase activity than those from the red portion, (2) Ca2+-modified activity from both portions increased and (3) Mg2+ -EGTA-modified activity increased from the white portion, but remained unchanged from the red portion, during postmortem storage. These changes could be due to modifications of the regulatory protein components of muscle by calcium-activated factor activity. For those myofibrils isolated from at-death muscle and incubated under simulated storage conditions, a precipitous decrease occurred in Ca2+ -and Mg2+-(low ionic strength) and Ca2+- and EDTA-(high ionic strength) modified ATPase activity of myofibrils stored in 0.15M KC1, pH 5.5, at 25°C. Otherwise, little change occurred in these activities under other simulated conditions of storage (i.e., 2°, pH 5.5 and 7.0; and 25°, pH 7.0) with the exception that EGTA modified activity (indicates loss of Ca2+ sensitivity) increased from the white portion at 25° and 2°C, pH 7.0, and from the red portion at 25°C, pH 7.0. Hence, a high storage temperature of 25°C has more detrimental effect on the integrity of myofibrillar proteins, as measured by changes in ATPase activity, than does a low pH of 5.5, or fiber type.
Experimental Study of Head-Disk Interface in Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording

Heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) has been proposed to achieve magnetic recording density. In HAMR systems, a laser is used to locally heat the magnetic disk to the Curie temperature, which is ~ 400°C-600°C, to assist in the data writing process. The high temperature working condition is a great challenge for the head-disk interface. Lubricant can be depleted by evaporation or decomposition. The protective carbon overcoat can be graphitized and oxidized. The surface quality, such as its roughness, can be changed as well. The near field transducer (NFT) structure is also vulnerable under the large number of heating cycles. All of those effects of the heating will present challenges for the reliability of the HAMR performance. In this paper, an experimental HAMR platform is introduced. The free space laser exposure of the media is calibrated based on the magnetization decay of special data tracks. Lubricant loss is determined from the optical surface analyzer. The lubricant changes as a function of different thermal load cycles are investigated as well. The disk topography is measured by an atomic force microscope after the mobile lubricant is removed. The hard overcoat's topography dependence on the laser exposure conditions is also studied. With regard to the media disk, we establish three distinct laser power thresholds for lubricant loss, disk surface degradation, and magnetization decay. As the laser power increases, the lubricant starts to change first before the magnetization starts to decay, indicating that lubricant could be the most vulnerable component to the laser heating in HAMR systems. Then, the disk overcoat's surface changes, becoming rougher after the magnetization starts to decay. Furthermore, the lubricant degradation is more serious under cyclic loading conditions. With regard to the transducer, the metal film of the NFT gets removed due to high energy laser ablation, and then the NFT loses its capability to focus the light, as required for HAMR systems.
Early Experiences of Young Men of Latin Descent: Herencia de los Jovenes

This article focuses on the narratives and experiences of young Hispanics in south Texas. These youths matured during America’s high period of civic engagement. Their involvement in the development...
Backbone additivity in the transfer model of protein solvation

The transfer model implying additivity of the peptide backbone free energy of transfer is computationally tested. Molecular dynamics simulations are used to determine the extent of change in transfer free energy (ΔGtr) with increase in chain length of oligoglycine with capped end groups. Solvation free energies of oligoglycine models of varying lengths in pure water and in the osmolyte solutions, 2M urea and 2M trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), were calculated from simulations of all atom models, and ΔGtr values for peptide backbone transfer from water to the osmolyte solutions were determined. The results show that the transfer free energies change linearly with increasing chain length, demonstrating the principle of additivity, and provide values in reasonable agreement with experiment. The peptide backbone transfer free energy contributions arise from van der Waals interactions in the case of transfer to urea, but from electrostatics on transfer to TMAO solution. The simulations used here allow for the calculation of the solvation and transfer free energy of longer oligoglycine models to be evaluated than is currently possible through experiment. The peptide backbone unit computed transfer free energy of −54 cal/mol/M compares quite favorably with −43 cal/mol/M determined experimentally.
Carbonate sedimentology of the early Precambrian Hamersley Group of Western Australia

Abstract The early Precambrian Hamersley Group of Western Australia contains both major and minor occurrences of well-preserved carbonate sedimentary rock. The Carawine Dolomite and the middle or Paraburdoo Member of the Wittenoom Formation are the two most extensive occurrences. The Carawine Dolomite is restricted to the eastern part of the Hamersley Basin and contains abundant stromatolites, oncolites, and wave ripples, as well as local occurrences of evaporite crystal pseudomorphs and oolitic to pisolitic textures. These carbonate strata were deposited in a shallow-water paleoenvironment herein referred to as the Carawine Platform. In contrast, the Wittenoom Formation is restricted to the centraland western parts of the Hamersley Basin, and such shallow-water features are entirely absent from its carbonate strata. These strata consist largely of thinly laminated lutite, but also include some thin carbonate turbidites. The carbonate sedimentary rocks of the Wittenoom Formation, as well as some in the Carawine Dolomite which display similar characteristics, are therefore interpreted as sediments that were deposited off-platform in deeper-water paleoenvironments. Paleocurrent, thickness, and grain size trends of the carbonate turbidites indicate they were deposited by paleoflows moving south and west. Even though the Carawine Dolomite lies to the northeast of the Wittenoom Formation, stratigraphic correlations using a newly recognized marker bed of probable impact origin suggest that the carbonate strata of the Carawine Dolomite are younger than the Paraburdoo Member of the Wittenoom Formation. If true, the Carawine Platform could not have been a source of sediment for most of the carbonate sedimentary rocks in the Wittenoom Formation, but it may havebeen the sediment source for similar carbonate turbidites in younger formations such as the Mt. McRae Shale and the Dales Gorge Member of the Brockman Iron Formation. This, in turn, suggests that carbonate sediments were accumulating in the shallower parts of the Hamersley Basin while some of the BIFs were being deposited simultaneously in the deeper parts.
WAYPOINT: scaling coherence to thousand-core architectures

In this paper, we evaluate a set of coherence architectures in the context of a 1024-core chip multiprocessor (CMP) tailored to throughput-oriented parallel workloads. Based on our analysis, we develop and evaluate two techniques for scaling coherence to thousand-core CMPs. We find that a broadcast-based probe filtering scheme provides reasonable performance up to 128 cores for some benchmarks, but is not generally scalable. We propose a broadcast-collective network for accelerating probe filter misses, which extends scalability but falls short of supporting 1024 cores. We find that a sparse directory with an invalidate-on-evict policy can work well for many throughput-oriented workloads. However, the on-die structures required to achieve good performance carry a large performance and power overhead. To achieve thousand-core scalability with smaller and less associative sparse directories, we introduce WayPoint, a mechanism that increases directory associativity and capacity dynamically. Using less than 3% of total die area, Way-Point achieves performance within 4% of an infinitely large on-die directory.
Stories In Context: Characteristics of Useful Case Studies for Planning and Evaluation.

Abstract Although case studies have long been important tools of the natural and social sciences, their varied uses have made them difficult to define (and to write). The case study is herein defined as a detailed description of some evaluation or planning process in its real life context, i.e., a story in context. This article then describes the advantages and attributes of useful case studies and proposes case writing guidelines for authors who might wish to prepare and submit case studies for possible publication in future issues of this journal.
Negotiating Workplace Equality: A Systemic Approach

Negotiations can operate as powerful engines of inequality, often because of the institutional and social context placing women and people of color at a systemic disadvantage. Yet, negotiation literature and practice has paid little attention to the question of how to reshape the context within which negotiations proceed. This article provides an approach for connecting individual level negotiations with institutional interventions that reshape the context for those negotiations, so that women and people of color can fully and fairly participate in the interactions and decisions so crucial to their advancement. It first lays out the systemic underpinnings of negotiated inequality, identifying structural disparities in information, networks, cognitive frames, and ground rules. It then identifies the role of organizational catalysts
Hiring subsidies, job creation and job destruction

Abstract We quantify the effects of hiring subsidies using the model of Mortensen and Pissarides (2003). The job creation effect can be large in a weak labor market. However, in the long-run, subsidies raise the wage and equilibrium unemployment.
Chilled out in the ice-age Atlantic

A new reconstruction of temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean during the last ice age, 21,000 years ago, is the latest act in providing climate modellers with details of the past to help predict the future.
Molecular Self-Assembly at Bare Semiconductor Surfaces: Investigation of the Chemical and Electronic Properties of the Alkanethiolate−GaAs(001) Interface

High-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HRXPS), time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS), and Raman scattering have been used to characterize the bonding and electronic properties of the interfaces formed by ambient-temperature, solution self-assembly of octadecanethiol and dodecanethiol under oxygen-free conditions on GaAs(001) surfaces. The combination of HRXPS and ToF-SIMS shows that both monolayers form direct S−[GaAs] attachment to the bare substrate with dominant As−S bonding and some fraction of Ga−S bonding, but the densely packed octadecanethiolate self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) are significantly more effective in protecting the interface from oxide regrowth compared to the less dense dodecanethiolate SAMs. Raman scattering measurements of the GaAs LO phonon modes indicate that the formation of these direct, oxide-free S−[GaAs] interfaces does not induce any significant changes in the GaAs surface electronic states, whereas control experiments with inorganic sulfide t...
Effect of increased compartment pressure on the microcirculation of skeletal muscle

To determine the changes in capillary perfusion, which occur with elevated tissue pressure, and to highlight the relationship between systemic blood pressure and compartment pressure, we designed an experiment that allowed direct observation of the microcirculation of skeletal muscle under normal and increased compartment pressures. In each of 10 anesthetized rats, the cremaster muscle was exposed and suspended in a transparent pressure chamber. In vivo videomicroscopy was then performed and blood pressure was monitored via left carotid artery cannulation. Two sets of data for each animal were obtained: deltaP (mean arterial pressure compartment pressure) at which the muscle capillary blood flow was completely arrested, and the number of capillaries per 10,000 square micrometers of skeletal muscle with blood flowing at compartment pressures of 0, 15, 30, 45, and 60 mm Hg. Capillary blood flow stopped at a deltaP of 25.5 mm Hg +/- 14.3 SD. We found that capillary blood flow, as measured by the number of capillaries with blood flow per 10,000 square micrometers, decreased significantly (P < 0.05) as compartment pressure reached 15, 30, 45, and 60 mm Hg, when compared to 0 mm Hg; there was no vessel collapse at these pressures. These data show that increasing compartment pressure reduces the number of perfused capillaries per unit area, and that there is complete cessation of muscle capillary blood flow when the compartment pressure is within about 25 mm Hg of the mean arterial pressure.
Factors Affecting the Vitamin K Requirement of the Chick

Abstract BLACK et al. (1942), Komberg, Daft and Sebrell (1944a, b) and Seeler el al. (1944) reported that sulfaguanidine, sulfapyrazine, sulfadiazine, sulfathiazole and sulfaquinoxaline induced vitamin K deficiency in rats and dogs. Asplin and Boyland (1947) found that sulfamethazine increased the blood clotting time of chicks and that this effect was overcome with vitamin K. Farr and Jaquette (1947) reported that chicks six weeks of age were more susceptible to the toxic effects of sulfamethazine than those 2–4 weeks old. Delaplane and Milliff (1948) observed hemorrhages of the legs and lesions of the liver, spleen, heart and lungs of pullets fed sulfaquinoxaline. Shelton el al. (1954) noted that the effects of sulfaquinoxaline were overcome with alfalfa meal and alleviated by a low level of 2-methyl-l,4-naphthoquinone (menadione). Cuckler and Ott (1955), using rations containing both natural vitamin K and menadione, reported that high levels of sulfaquinoxaline did not cause prolonged blood …
Trace determination of caffeine in surface water samples by liquid chromatography--atmospheric pressure chemical ionization--mass spectrometry (LC-APCI-MS).

A new method based on liquid–liquid extraction (LLE) coupled to reverse phase liquid chromatography and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry (LC–APCI–MS) has been applied to determine trace amounts of caffeine (1,3,7-trimethylxanthine) in surface water samples from a near coastal ecosystem such as Biscayne Bay, Florida. The rational behind the development of such method will be to evaluate the use of unmetabolized caffeine as a potential dissolved phase tracer of human waste contamination. The method allows for the determination of caffeine at levels as low as 4.0 ng/l (ppt) in both salt and freshwater by extracting and concentrating a 1-l water sample to a final volume of 500 μl and using HPLC separation coupled to an atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry (APCI–MS) system operated in selected ion monitoring (SIM) for the protonated molecular ions (M+H+). Samples from different portions of Biscayne Bay and the Miami River, one of its major tributaries, were analyzed and caffeine was detected in those areas previously identified for consistently exceeding the water quality criteria for fecal coliform bacteria contamination. The caffeine concentration in the samples with positive detection was generally low at levels equal or lower than 41 ng/l. However, there is a marked difference between samples collected in open bay areas and those collected from the Miami River.
Television Exposure and Overweight Risk in Preschoolers

Objective To test the independent effect of television exposure in preschool-aged children on overweight risk. Design Cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. Setting Ten US sites. Participants One thousand sixteen children selected via conditional random sampling. Main Exposure Being awake in the room with the television on for 2 hours or more per day, by maternal report at age 36 months. Main Outcome Measures Child overweight (body mass index [calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters] ≥95th percentile) calculated from measured anthropometrics at ages 36 and 54 months. Covariates tested included child sex and race; maternal marital status, education, age, and depressive symptoms; income-needs ratio, child behavior problems; Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment total score; hours per week in nonparental care; and proportion of television exposure that was educational. Results At age 36 months, 5.8% of children were overweight; at age 54 months, 10.0% were overweight. Exposure to 2 or more hours of television per day was associated with an increased risk of overweight at both age 36 months (odds ratio, 2.92; 95% confidence interval, 1.36-6.24) and age 54 months (odds ratio, 1.71; 95% confidence interval, 1.03-2.83) in unadjusted analyses. Only maternal age altered the concurrent relationship, and the effect of television remained significant (odds ratio, 2.61; 95% confidence interval, 1.21-5.62). Television exposure at age 36 months was no longer a significant predictor of overweight at age 54 months when controlling for covariates. Conclusion Excessive television exposure is a risk factor for overweight in preschoolers independent of a number of potential confounders associated with the quality of the home environment.
Catalyst-controlled diastereoselective hetero-Diels-Alder reactions.

The diastereoselective hetero-Diels−Alder reaction between Danishefsky's diene and chiral aldehydes is catalyzed by chiral chromium−Schiff base complexes. High levels of catalyst control are obtained in several cases, allowing access to all four stereoisomeric products through appropriate choice of aldehyde and catalyst enantiomers.
Oxygen Deficiencies at Defects in YBa2CU3O7-δ as Determined by High Resolution Parallel Electron Energy Loss

There has been considerable discussion on the exact nature of the pinning defects in the high temperature ceramic superconductors, and the YBa2Cu3O7-δ (Y123) structure in particular. High resolution parallel electron energy loss spectrometry (PEELS) allows for fine spatial resolution (<17 nm) and fast acquisition times to probe the oxygen content of defects (i.e., dislocations, stacking faults, twin boundaries and grain boundaries), all which have been proposed as potential pinning sites or weak-links. Oxygen deficiencies up to 13% were measured at twin boundaries, and 20% at grain boundaries while stacking faults showed an increase in oxygen and copper content. Regions of low oxygen (0.5 < δ < 1) were usually confined to an area within approximately 50 nm of the defect, which is within the spatial resolution of the measurements. Examination of the fine structure of the oxygen K-edge suggests that the oxygen holes are absent at the twin and grain boundaries.
Finishing of precision generated metal optical components

Diamond turning and precision generation of aspheric metal surfaces has promoted a change in lapping techniques due to the extremely close figure tolerances and surface finishes that have been achieved. Special tooling, diamond abrasive, silicon oil and special techniques used to polish the unusual aspheric figures are described. The studies include small flat diamond turned samples of copper, electroplated copper, electroplated silver, electroplated nickel and silver as well as large aspheres such as an f/0.75, 35 cm dia copper ellipse. Results from cleaning studies on flat samples using ultrasonics and vapor degreasers are also summarized. Interferograms of wavefront distortion and analysis of focal volume are included as well as 10.6 $mu$m reflectivity and a summary of laser damage experiments. (TFD)
Reification and the consciousness of the patient

Abstract The signs and symptoms of disease do something more than signify the functioning of our bodies: they also signify critically sensitive and contradictory components of our culture and social relations. Yet, in our standard medical practices this social “language” emanating from our bodies is manipulated by concealing it within the realm of biological signs. I try to show this by means of a patient's interpretation of the meaning of her illness. This case study illustrates that in denying the human relations embodied in signs, symptoms, and therapy, we mystify those relations and also reproduce a political ideology in the guise of a science of physical things. This I call reification, following Karl Marx's analysis of the commodity and Georg Lukacs' application of this analysis to the interpretation of capitalist culture and its mode of objectifying social relations. I argue that in sustaining reification, our medical practice invigorates cultural axioms as well as modulating the contradictions intrinsic to our culture and views of objectivity. In this way disease is recruited into serving the ideological needs of the social order, to the detriment of healing and our understanding of the social causes of misfortune.
Prospects for detection of gravitational radiation by simultaneous Doppler tracking of several spacecraft.

This paper reports a calculation of the effect of gravitational radiation on the observed Doppler shift of a sinusoidal electromagnetic signal transmitted to, and coherently transponded from, distant spacecraft. It is found that the effect of plane gravitational waves on such observations is not intuitively immediate, and in fact depends sensitively on the spacecraft direction, which suggests the possibility of detecting such plane waves by simultaneous Doppler tracking of several spacecraft. The need for broad band gravitational wave observations, the required stabilities of time keeping standards, and astrophysical sources expected in the Very Low Frequency band are briefly discussed.
Ultrawide band CBCPW to stripline vertical transition in multilayer LCP substrates

This article presents an improved design of conductor-backed coplanar waveguide (CBCPW)-to-stripline (SL) vertical transition in multilayer liquid crystal polymer substrates. The CBCPW and SL is designed on the top and second conductor layers, respectively, and electrically connected with each other through micro-vias. The reported transition is optimized using High Frequency Simulation Software, and the simulated results predict low loss over an ultrawide bandwidth. To validate our design, a CBCPW-to-SL-to-CBCPW transition was fabricated and characterized. The back-to-back transition shows an insertion loss of less than 2.5 dB and a return loss of less than −10 dB over a frequency band from DC to 78 GHz. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 57:1481–1484, 2015
Is U.S. Agricultural Productivity Growth Slowing

This paper uses statistics on agricultural productivity compiled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service to test the productivity slowdown hypothesis. The indexes of productivity growth span the years 1948 to 2009. In our analysis, we apply econometric techniques that allow for multiple structural breaks at unknown points in time and in various forms. The tests identify a break in trend in 1974 and an intercept shift in 1985. These results point to slower productivity growth in agriculture beginning in 1974. Prior to 1974, productivity grew at an annual rate of 1.71%, but this slowed to 1.56% after 1974. This slower rate of productivity growth persisted after the intercept shift in 1985 but from a higher absolute level of productivity. Copyright 2013, Oxford University Press.
Role of sphingosine kinases and sphingosine 1-phosphate in mediating adipogenesis

Recent Background: Development of obesity involves promotion of preadipocyte differrentiation. This study investigated the role that sphingosine kinases (SPHK) and ceramide-derived sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) play in adipocyte terminal differentiation. Materials and Methods: The mouse 3T3-L1 cell line was used as a model for adipogenesis. Cells were harvested at specific time points after initation of differentiation, and SPHK activity was measured. 3T3-L1 cells were treated with S1P and expression of early adipogenesis transcription markers was measured by real time PCR. The expression of S1P-receptors (S1PRs) during differentiation was measured. Results: SPHK activity is induced when 3T3-L1 cells are treated with insulin, dexamethasone, and isobutylmethylxanthine to induce differentiation. SPHK1 is active in preadipocytes and early in the differentiation process. Both SPHK1 and SPHK2 isozymes contribute to activity in differentiated adipocytes. Inhibition of SPHK1 attenuates adipocyte differentiation; however, extracellular S1P does not rescue the effect of SPHK1 inhibition on adipogenesis. Although treatment of preadipocytes with S1P induced message expression of the early adipogenesis transcription factor CC AAT/ binding proteinalpha, continued treatment did not fully support the development of differentiated adipocytes. Sphingosine 1-phosphate receptors (S1PRs) are expressed in preadipocytes and message expression declines markedly during adipocyte differentiation. Conclusion: These results demonstrate that the contribution of SPHK and S1P to adipogenesis is mediated primarily through biphasic activation of SPHK1 and 2 with extracellular S1P and S1PRs playing little role during preadipocyte differentiation.
Angiotensin II-induced release of oxytocin: interaction with norepinephrine and role in lactation.

Abstract These studies examined the receptors involved in angiotensin II (Ang II) stimulated secretion of systemic oxytocin (OT) and the role of this peptide in release of OT during suckling. Plasma OT concentrations were measured following intracerebroventricular (icv) injection of vehicle, Ang II, or Ang II following pretreatment with a selective AT1 (Losartan) or AT2 (PD 123319) receptor antagonist. Furthermore, we measured Ang II-induced OT release during central α-adrenergic receptor blockade (phentolamine). Finally, plasma OT concentrations before and during suckling were evaluated following central administration of Ang II receptor antagonists. The increase in systemic OT following central Ang II was abolished by AT1 receptor blockade and inhibited by the AT2 receptor antagonist. Furthermore, pretreatment with phentolamine significantly diminished systemic OT release in response to icv Ang II. Finally, central Ang II receptor blockade did not alter the increase in circulating OT during suckling. These data demonstrate that Ang II evoked OT release is mediated through activation of both AT1 and AT2 receptors and suggest that a component of Ang II-induced OT stimulation is due to norepinephrine release. Furthermore, central angiotensin systems do not have a direct role in stimulating OT release during suckling.
The safety of temozolomide in the treatment of malignancies

Background: Temozolomide (TMZ) has demonstrated clinical antitumor activity. In the US and the EU, TMZ is licensed for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme concurrently with radiation followed by a maintenance treatment, and for refractory anaplastic astrocytoma or glioblastoma multiforme. TMZ is also approved for metastatic melanoma in > 20 countries worldwide. Objectives: To ascertain the safety profile of TMZ. Methods: Synthesis of evidence from published clinical trials and the investigator's brochure of the manufacture. Conclusion: For a cytotoxic cancer-treatment agent, TMZ has an acceptable safety profile. Lymphopenia is common in patients treated with all doses and schedules of TMZ. All patients receiving TMZ should be observed for lymphopenia and potential opportunistic infections, particularly when it is combined with other immune suppressive therapies.
Occlusive hyperemia: a radiosurgical phenomenon?

OBJECTIVE: Causes of neurological deficits after arteriovenous malformation (AVM) radiosurgery, including hemorrhage, radiation injury, and delayed cyst formation, are described. CONCEPT: Occlusive hyperemia has been described as a reason for neurological deterioration after AVM resection. Thrombosis of draining veins or dural sinuses is thought to cause postoperative bleeding or neurological deficits secondary to venous hypertension. In a similar manner, local hemodynamic changes can occur in the brain adjacent to an AVM after radiosurgery if venous outflow is obstructed. Two patients are presented whose cases demonstrate this phenomenon. CONCLUSION: Patients can experience clinical worsening after AVM radiosurgery from premature thrombosis of draining veins. Local hemodynamic changes could explain why imaging changes thought to be radiation related occur more frequently after radiosurgery of AVMs than of tumors.
The in vitro photolysis of whole rat lenses using focused 290 nm laser radiation.

Whole rat lenses have been irradiated with a UV laser at 290 or 298 nm focused to a 0·08 mm diameter spot. The irradiated spot was analyzed using fluorescence spectroscopy and it was observed that the intensity of fluorescence (290 nm excitation, 335 nm emission) fell as the irradiation proceeded. These observations were interpreted in terms of a model which postulates photolysis of tryptophan, primarily present as residues in lens proteins, and formation of photoproducts which absorb the UV laser radiation to an ever-increasing extent as the irradiation proceeds. The effect is to produce a linear dependence of log If on log t, where If is the observed tryptophan fluorescence intensity after time, t, of exposure to the laser radiation. Evidence is also presented which indicates that an observed fast component of the tryptophan fluorescence decay results from local heating of the lens tissues due to energy dissipation by the laser. The most important conclusion from the present series of experiments is that tryptophan residues can be photolyzed by UV light in the whole lens, in vitro, in a fashion entirely analogous to that reported previously only for lens protein solutions. Hence the present work demonstrates that the photochemical behavior of lens protein solutions is indeed relevant to whole lens photolysis and that no special protective mechanism appears to be operative in the intact organ.
The Association Between Religio‐Ethnic Identification and Fertility Among “Contemporary” Protestants and Jews*

IT is a major thesis of demographic theory that full scale involvement in an urban-industrial system ought to result in a small size family.' Fertility study after fertility study in European countries, in Israel, in Japan, in Lebanon, and in Formosa show that as people become a part of an urban-industrial society they achieve greater fertility control and move toward a small size family.2 Nevertheless, there does exist a major exception to this general demographic trend, and that exception is the American Roman Catholic community. Large scale national fertility studies by Freedman et al. (1959b:103-115), Westoff et al. (1961:178-211; 1963:79-105), and Whelpton et al. (1966:69-73) have repeatedly shown a sizable Catholic fertility rate and a strong and consistent association between a greater degree of Catholic religiosity and bearing a large number of children with close child spacing. Furthermore, upper status Catholics display this high fertility pattern to a greater degree than do lower status Catholics, and they are also more religiously involved.3 Finally, this association between Catholic identity and a high fertility pattern is quite pronounced among Irish descendant Catholics, and this ethnic group is concentrated in the upper socioeconomic levels of the Catholic community.4 In summary, then, as American Catholics have become well integrated into the modern urban-industrial world, they have maintained a high fertility pattern and made such a pattern a specific and clear-cut Catholic issue. What about the association between identity and fertility among the vast numbers of Protestants who are deeply involved in our urban-industrial society
Development of a model for prediction of target insect mortality following field application of a Bacillus thuringiensis formulation

Abstract A model for predicting mortality of Schizura concinna larvae on Cercis occidentalis trees following application of Bacillus thuringiensis formulations is based on an estimation of the effective dose. This is calculated from the initial application level and field persistence characteristics of the pathogen and from the feeding rate of the target insects. Using the estimated effective dose and the time the pathogen was on the host plant, the probability of larval mortality is calculated by means of a multiple logistic dose-response model. Predicted mortalities for B. thuringiensis applications at concentrations 0.00025, 0.0025, 0.025, and 0.25%, w v , were 7.7, 23.3, 46.2, and 87.1%, respectively. Corresponding, observed mortalities adjusted for larval loss due to forces unrelated to the B. thuringiensis application were 6, 54, 66, and 100%.
Characterization of tobacco plants expressing a bacterial salicylate hydroxylase gene

Transgenic tobacco plants that express the bacterial nahG gene encoding salicylate hydroxylase have been shown to accumulate very little salicylic acid and to be defective in their ability to induce systemic acquired resistance (SAR). In recent experiments using transgenic NahG tobacco and Arabidopsis plants, we have also demonstrated that salicylic acid plays a central role in both disease susceptibility and genetic resistance. In this paper, we further characterize tobacco plants that express the salicylate hydroxylase enzyme. We show that tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) inoculation of NahG tobacco leaves induces the accumulation of the nahG mRNA in the pathogen infected leaves, presumably due to enhanced stabilization of the bacterial mRNA. SAR-associated genes are expressed in the TMV-infected leaves, but this is localized to the area surrounding necrotic lesions. Localized acquired resistance (LAR) is not induced in the TMV-inoculated NahG plants suggesting that LAR, like SAR, is dependent on SA accumulation. When SA is applied to nahG-expressing leave's SAR gene expression does not result. We have confirmed earlier reports that the salicylate hydroxylase enzyme has a narrow substrate specificity and we find that catechol, the breakdown product of salicylic acid, neither induces acquired resistance nor prevents the SA-dependent induction of the SAR genes.
Klenow and Klentaq-DNA Binding: the ‘Glutamate Effect’ is Primarily an Osmotic Effect

DNA binding by Klenow (E.coli) and Klentaq (T.aquaticus) DNA polymerases has been studied as a function of monovalent salt concentration, pH and osmotic stress. We previously showed that DNA binding resulted in the net release of 4.5∼5 ions from Klenow and 3∼3.5 ions from Klentaq. Here, we report that Klenow and Klentaq have minimal sensitivity to pH changes, with proton linkages of ∼0.06 and ∼0.3 respectively in KCl. Furthermore, osmotic stress data in KCl indicates 500∼600 waters are released upon binding by both polymerases.Glutamate is the major intracellular anion accumulated in E.coli in the presence of KCl in the external environment. The ‘glutamate effect’ is primarily characterized by an increase in DNA binding affinity when chloride is replaced by glutamate. Some proteins also exhibit decreased ionic linkage in glutamate.Klenow exhibits both aspects of the ‘glutamate effect’. Substituting glutamate for chloride reduces the ionic linkage for Klenow by >50%. The presence of glutamate also increases the proton linkage of Klenow five fold and decreases water release by ∼70% to approximately 150 waters. The dramatic decrease in water release highlights the osmotic nature of the glutamate effect. Glutamate and chloride salts behave as ionic inhibitors of DNA binding but glutamate salts also exhibit an osmotic enhancement effect.While Klentaq's DNA binding affinity is also enhanced by glutamate, its ionic and proton linkages are not altered. The osmotic enhancement is present for Klentaq but it is not as significant in the salt concentration range at which nanomolar Klentaq-DNA binding occurs. E.coli DNA-binding proteins might have evolved to bind tightly at higher salt concentration to utilize the glutamate effect while accumulating intracellular glutamate.
Data consistency, yield, maintenance, and hysteresis in batch cultures of Candida lipolytica cultured on n‐hexadecane

Candida lipolytica was cultured batchwise using n-hexadecane as the main carbon source. Biomass production, n-hexadecane consumption, oxygen consumption, and carbon dioxide evolution were measured to follow the fermentation. The consistency of the measured data was examined using integrated and instantaneous available electron and carbon balances. Values of the “true” growth yield, ηmax, and maintenance coefficient, me were estimated using three different sets of data (biomass and n-hexadecane, oxygen and biomass, and CO2 and biomass), and the results were compared with estimates obtained from literature data. Hysteresis patterns were observed in plots of specific rates of oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide evolution versus specific growth rate.
Molecular set theory: A mathematical representation for chemical reaction mechanisms

The present investigation is part of a program aimed at examining the mathematical basis of reaction rate theory (Bartholomay,Bull. Math. Biophys. 20, 1958) from the point of view of individual molecular events. Certain inconsistencies resulting from the classical procedure of using stoichiometric “chemical equations” to represent the kinds of mechanisms involved are pointed out and remedies are suggested by the introduction of set-theoretic notation within the framework of a so-calledMolecular Set Theory. It is concluded that whereas ordinary algebra is a suitable basis for stoichiometry, in discussing mechanisms of chemical reactions,molecular set theory is more appropriate. This is a theory of material transformations which is patterned afterabstract set theory: the individual molecules of a chemical species and chemical transformations from one species to another correspond to the abstract concepts of elements or points of a set and their mappings into other sets respectively. The new notions ofexact molecular sequences andequivalence classes of molecules arising from this study of chemical reactions may be of purely mathematical interest when referred back to the context of abstract set theory.
Cholecystitis in Pregnancy

Biliary tract disease is a relatively uncommon, heterogenous disease in pregnancy. Specifically, acute cholecystitis can be especially difficult to recognize in pregnancy. However, once diagnosed, the initial management plan should be conservative and include antibiotic therapy. Subsequent management depends on the gestational age at diagnosis. Surgical therapy, when indicated, should not be delayed and a planned intervention during the second trimester appears to offer a better outcome than surgery performed under emergent conditions.
Speciation of selenium compounds from high selenium broccoli is affected by the extracting solution.

The speciation of selenium compounds from high selenium broccoli (876 μg/g) depends on the extraction conditions. Twenty-seven extraction conditions were explored involving nine different buffering...
Marriage-Role Attitudes among Japanese-American and Caucasian-American College Students

Snmmary.-The study replicated an earlier study of marriage-role attitudes among Japanese-American and Caucasian-American college students in Hawaii for 41 third-generation (Sansk) Japanese Americans and 31 Caucasian Americans enrolled in human development courses. Attitudes toward marriage roles on the 28-item Jacobson scale indicated sex differences but non-significant ethnic effects and no interaction.
The use of priorities on token-ring networks for multimedia traffic

The authors consider the transport of multimedia traffic on a token-ring LAN. In order to guarantee acceptable QoS for multimedia traffic, resource management is required to insure that sufficient capacity from all shared resources is allocated to the priority traffic. Once a multimedia session is accepted and resources have been allocated, the next task is to insure that the high priority multimedia traffic actually obtains the resources which have been allocated to it. >
Planes, Pucks, Automobiles: Migration and Youth Hockey

This project positions the professionalization of youth hockey as a small component of a much larger process of the “globalization” of sport. Youth hockey players have moved to Canada internationally and among Canadian provinces locally. This study traces the movement and advances of young players (ages 16-20), 1980-2012, of the London Knights (London, Ontario), tapping into already compiled data on players’ team affiliation that many historians might overlook. This database shows an emerging pattern of transnational and internal migration among professional youth players.
Non-volcanic tremor beneath the Central Range in Taiwan triggered by the 2001 Mw 7.8 Kunlun earthquake

SUMMARY Non-volcanic tremor (NVT) is an extended-duration and non-impulsive seismic signal observed away from volcanic regions. Although NVT has been found along the circum-Pacific subduction zones and the transform plate boundary in California, it is not clear whether NVT occurs in other tectonic environments. NVT is often associated with slow-slip events, and can be triggered instantaneously during the surface waves of teleseismic events. However, the underlying mechanisms of tremor generation remain mysterious. Here we show clear evidence of NVT beneath the Central Range (CR) in Taiwan triggered by the 2001 M w 7.8 Kunlun earthquake in northern Tibet. Tremor occurs when the Love wave displacement is to the southwest (the lateral motion direction for the CR), suggesting a simple frictional response to the driving force. We hypothesize that tremor occurred on the weak basal detachment fault beneath the CR. Our observations indicate that tremor may exist at a wide range of active tectonic environments.