cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Studies of the effects in vitro of β-propiolactone and β-propiolact[14C]one on whole mouse skin chromatin☆

Abstract Whole mouse skin chromatin was reacted with β-propiolactone (BPL) in vitro. The alkylated chromatin preparation was isolated essentially intact. The transition mid-point (Tm) of the alkylated chromatin preparation was reduced by 24°. its template activity for RNA synthesis was virtually abolished, its chromosomal RNA (cRNA) content was reduced and lysine-rich histones F1 and 1° could no longer be detected on polyacrylamide gels. DNA from this alkylated chromatin showed a similar decrease in Tm and template activity. The histones in alkylated chromatin stabilized DNA against heat denaturation to a similar extent compared to untreated chromatin. Mouse skin DNA alkylated with BPL had properties similar to those of DNA from alkylated chromatin. Buoyant density studies revealed that DNA isolated from alkylated chromatin exhibited peaks corresponding to alkylaled and normal DNA. Mouse skin DNA alkylated under identical conditions exhibited a single peak for alkylated DNA. Thus portions of DNA in mouse skin chromatin appeeared to be protected against alkylation in vitro with BPL. This was confirmed in studies using β-propiolact[14C]one (BPL-14C). The alkylation reactions were repeated using reduced quantities of BPL-14C. DNA isolated from BPL-14C-alkylated whole mouse skin chromatin contained 29 per cent of the bound radioactivity found in mouse liver DNA alkylated under identical conditions. Acidic proteins and histones as well as DNA were shown to bind BPL-14C. Among the histone classes, F1 and 1° contained the greatest amount of bound BPL-14C.
Higher wild kernels and divisibility in the K-theory of number fields

Abstract The higher wild kernels are finite subgroups of the even K -groups of a number field F , generalizing Tate's wild kernel for K 2 . Each wild kernel contains the subgroup of divisible elements, as a subgroup of index at most two. We determine when they are equal, i.e., when the wild kernel is divisible in K -theory.
Impact of maturational status on the ability of osteoblasts to enhance the hematopoietic function of stem and progenitor cells

Osteoblasts (OBs) exert a prominent regulatory effect on hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). We evaluated the difference in hematopoietic expansion and function in response to co-culture with OBs at various stages of development. Murine calvarial OBs were seeded directly (fresh) or cultured for 1, 2, or 3 weeks prior to seeding with 1000 Lin-Sca1 + cKit+ (LSK) cells for 1 week. Significant increases in the following hematopoietic parameters were detected when comparing co-cultures of fresh OBs to co-cultures containing OBs cultured for 1, 2, or 3 weeks: total hematopoietic cell number (up to a 3.4-fold increase), total colony forming unit (CFU) number in LSK progeny (up to an 18.1-fold increase), and percentage of Lin-Sca1+ cells (up to a 31.8-fold increase). Importantly, these studies were corroborated by in vivo reconstitution studies in which LSK cells maintained in fresh OB co-cultures supported a significantly higher level of chimerism than cells maintained in co-cultures containing 3-week OBs. Characterization of OBs cultured for 1, 2, or 3 weeks with real-time PCR and functional mineralization assays showed that OB maturation increased with culture duration but was not affected by the presence of LSK cells in culture. Linear regression analyses of multiple parameters measured in these studies show that fresh, most likely more immature OBs better promote hematopoietic expansion and function than cultured, presumably more mature OBs and suggest that the hematopoiesis-enhancing activity is mediated by cells present in fresh OB cultures de novo. © 2011 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
The current role of radiography in the assessment of skeletal tumors and tumor-like lesions

Radiography offers more information than any other imaging modality in the study of bone lesions and remains the cornerstone for the differential diagnosis of skeletal tumors and tumor-like lesions thanks to its higher specificity in detecting tumor morphologic hallmarks. the radiographic features that help the radiologist make the diagnosis of a bone tumor or tumor-like lesion, or at least narrow the diagnostic possibilities, include patterns of bone destruction (geographic, moth-eaten and permeated), lesion margins (from sclerotic rim to ill-defined margin), internal characteristics of the lesion (non-matrix producing tumors, non-mineralized matrix producing tumors, mineralized matrix producing tumors), type of host bone response (medullary or periosteal), location (femur, tibia, humerus, etc.), site (metaphysis, diaphysis or epiphysis), and position (central, eccentric or periosteal) of the lesion in the skeletal system and in the individual bone, soft tissue involvement, and single or multiple lesion nature. Patterns of bone destruction, margins, and reactive changes in the host bone clearly depict the growth rate of a bone lesion, that is its biologic activity; the matrix of the lesion, as well as lesion location, site and position may allow a specific diagnosis. This general information coupled with clinical information helps define whether the lesion is neoplastic or non-neoplastic, benign or malignant, primary or metastatic, and will help further direct the subsequent work-up. CT may be indicated for the optimal assessment of tumor matrix especially in complex anatomical sites, such as the spine, pelvis and hindfoot. The main role of MRI lies in local tumor staging, especially for planning limb-salving resections. Biopsy is the definitive diagnostic procedure and should be carried out only after the appropriate diagnostic and staging tests. Whenever a bone lesion is suspected, clinical-radiologic pathologic correlation is essential to make a more accurate diagnosis and to improve patient care.
Alkaline hydrolysis of oligoribonucleotides on chromatographic paper

Abstract A method is described which permits the alkaline hydrolysis of oligoribonucleotides while on chromatography paper. In one example of this technique, the dinucleotides from a pancreatic RNase digest are characterized. In the second example, some new information about the diversity of sequences found at the 5′-triphosphate termini of bacterial RNA is obtained. There are at least three different pancreatic RNase fragments beginning with adenosine, two with guanosine, and at least three RNase T1 fragments beginning with adenosine.
Whose mass is it anyway? : Particle cosmology and the objects of theory

Physicists in different branches of the discipline were puzzled by the problem of mass during the 1950s and 1960s: why do objects have mass? Around the same time, yet working independently, specialists in gravitational studies and in particle theory proposed that mass might arise due to objects’ interactions with a new (and as yet undetected) field. Although the questions they posed and even the answers they provided shared several similarities - and even though both proposals quickly became ‘hot topics’ in their respective subfields - virtually no one discussed one proposal in the light of the other for nearly 20 years. Only after massive, unprecedented changes in pedagogical infrastructure rocked the discipline in the early 1970s did a new generation of physicists begin to see possible links between the Brans-Dicke field and the Higgs field. For the new researchers, trained in different ways than most of their predecessors, the two objects of theory were not only similar - some began to proclaim that th...
Nuclear spin relaxation and quasiparticle excitations in superconducting aluminum--3d alloys

Aluminum-27 nuclear spin--lattice relaxation times T/sub 1/ have been measured in the normal and superconducting states of dilute alloys of Mn, Cr, and V in aluminum. These measurements prove the spectrum of thermally excited quasiparticle states in the superconductor and its modification by nonmagnetic resonant impurities. Theoretical studies of such systems indicate that in the Hartree--Fock (HF) approximation the BCS character of the host is basically retained in the alloy, with a reduced pairing interaction and a small additional broadening of quasiparticle states at the gap edge. Spin-fluctuation improvements on the HF approximation renormalize the parameters involved, but do not change the basic picture. Our T/sub 1/ data indicate gap edge broadening an order of magnitude greater than predicted. The discrepancy is nearly as large for V and Cr impurities as for Mn, which makes it unlikely that localized spin fluctuations play an important role in the broadening. Recent speculation on the effect of dislocation pinning by resonant impurities may be relevant to these results.
Shared Mental Model Development During Technology-Mediated Collaboration

This study examines how collaboration mode â€“ face-to-face and videoconferencing technology-mediated virtual teams - shapes negotiated shared interpretation of ideas needed for shared mental model construction. Social impact theory and group action theory provide a framework for explaining how technology-mediated collaboration constrains or enhances team shared mental model development. Social impact theory suggests that team member behavior is affected by 1) influential members, 2) number of members, and 3) proximity. Group action theory proposes that team member behavior is guided by 1) assessment of task requirements, 2) adopted task strategy, and 3) evaluation of task solution. This study argues that technology-mediated collaboration will exhibit lower participation rates and intra-team communication deficiencies while developing a shared mental model of task requirements, strategy and status. Partial least squares analysis revealed that technology-mediated collaboration does impact shared mental model development. Observers noted that decision making effectiveness and timeliness regarding task execution strategy and solution content was facilitated by a shared understanding of the task context. The study also confirmed the utility of direct observation for studying communication behaviors and social interaction in the development of shared mental model and teamwork.
Transforming the pattern of conflict: Geopolitics and post‐cold‐war Europe

Abstract What role will Western Europe play in the post‐cold‐war world? Most assessments of the new Europe see it as an emerging component in a new balance of power from a realist or neorealist standpoint. The problem with the varieties of realism is that they ignore geography, which leads them into abstractions about stability in the international system based upon the number of actors. Thus, whether Europe is seen as being stabilizing or not depends on what type of polarity is seen as being most stable. A geopolitical approach to the new Europe is quite different from this, although geopolitics and realism are not entirely separate since both share an array of power‐centric variables. But rather than seeing Western Europe as simply a new actor, whose behavior will be a function of its balancing calculations vis‐d‐vis other actors, Western Europe will be an amphibious center of power that will have structurally expressed interests on land and sea, which will interact with other powers with structurally e...
The social ecology of changing pain management: do I have to cry?

Objective: To improve acute pain management for children with systematic assessment and appropriate analgesia. Design: An action research design was used; pre-post data were collected during a four-phase intervention. The intervention was a social ecological approach to changing pain assessment and prescription practices. Setting: A university-affiliated public hospital in the greater Los Angeles area. Participants: An interdisciplinary team of clinicians and hospital administrators were engaged in implementing new pain management procedures for children with postoperative and procedural pain. Interventions: We implemented the Poker Chip Tool as a standard pain assessment tool, changed policy to make morphine drug of choice for acute postoperative pain, provided extensive educational activities, and conducted weekly rounds with anesthesiologist/intensivist, nurses, pharmacist, and child life specialist. Role modeling by leaders was used to build skill in interdisciplinary collaboration for staff. We promoted the initiative as an activity of the medical center strategic plan. Efforts were linked to national shifts in pain management through guideline review and use of a visiting expert. Outcome measures: Charts were audited for assessment of pain intensity. Doses dispensed by pharmacy were used as a proxy measure of analgesia administered to children to establish change in pattern of analgesic use. Results: In Phase I: 54% of charts audited had documentation of pain intensity. This rate climbed to Phase II, 93% of the audited charts at full implementation and stabilized at 84% at the project conclusion. Record of doses of analgesia dispensed demonstrated a shift from reliance on meperidine to morphine and acetaminophen with codeine. The relative rates demonstrated a 100% increase in acetaminophen with codeine distributed from the beginning of the study to full implementation of the project (χ2 = 9.01, df = 1, p < 0.002). The relative rate for meperidine demonstrated a 250% decrease (χ2 = 12.26, df = 1, p < 0.0004), and the relative rate for morphine exhibited a 455% increase (χ2 = 209.20, df = 1, p < 0.0001). By the final phase (IV: Evaluation), meperidine was only 1% of the analgesia dispensed. Morphine doses that were initially 35% climbed to 62% at the close of the study. Acetaminophen with codeine shifted correspondingly from 24% to 36%. Anecdotal reports suggested that skills in assessment and building collaboration generalized to other patient care situations. Conclusions: Using a social ecology approach that focused simultaneously on the environment (ward, medical center, and national scene) and relationships among the clinical team improved pain management practices. These changes took place over 2 years and were sustained 2 years after the intense intervention.
Biosynthesis of lipophosphoglycan from Leishmania donovani: characterization of mannosylphosphate transfer in vitro

Lipophosphoglycan (LPG) is the major surface glycoconjugate of Leishmania donovani promastigotes and is composed of a capped polymer of repeating PO4-6Gal(beta 1,4)Man alpha 1 disaccharide units linked via a phosphosaccharide core to a lyso-1-O-alkylphosphatidylinositol anchor. An exogenous acceptor composed of the glycolipid anchor portion of LPG was shown to stimulate the enzymatic synthesis of the repeating phosphorylated disaccharide units of LPG in a cell-free system. Using the exogenous acceptor, GDP-[3H]Man, [beta-32P]GDP-Man, and unlabeled UDP-Gal as substrates, membrane preparations from an LPG-defective mutant of L. donovani that lacks endogenous acceptors catalyzed the incorporation of the doubly labeled mannosylphosphate unit into a product that exhibited the chemical and chromatographic characteristics of LPG. Analysis of fragments generated by mild acid hydrolysis of the radiolabeled product indicated that [3H]mannose-1-[32P]PO4 had been transferred from the dual-labeled sugar nucleotide. These results are consistent with the proposal that the repeating units of the L. donovani LPG are synthesized by the alternating transfer of mannose 1-phosphate and galactose from their respective nucleotide donors.
Corruption cleanups in developing societies: the public choice perspective

This paper employs the method of public choice to examine corruption cleanup strategies in the developing countries, with special emphasis on Africa. Most African countries have weak, inefficient and non-viable institutional arrangements and heavily regulated economies. Pervasive state intrusion in all aspects of economic activities has created many opportunities for rent seeking. Bureaucrats who are charged with implementing national development programs and enforcing the state's regulations, are able to extort bribes from entrepreneurs seeking favors from the government. Favors sought include opportunities to obtain lucrative import licenses, foreign exchange permits, access to subsidized credit, and investment and production licenses, and to minimize taxes that an enterprise must pay the state. Bureaucratic corruption, thus, is primarily rent-seeking behavior and is directly related to the scope and level of government intervention in private exchange. The politicization of resource allocation accounts...
Structure of the human ubiquitin fusion gene Uba80 (RPS27a) and one of its pseudogenes.

Abstract Ubiquitin is a highly conserved 76 amino acid protein that is generated in the cell by proteolysis of larger proteins containing either polyubiquitin chains or ubiquitin fused to carboxyl extension proteins (CEPs). In humans, the two human ubiquitin-CEP genes are Uba80 and Uba52, which code for ubiquitin fused to ribosomal protein S27a and L40, respectively. Working from a recently generated physical map of human chromosome 2p16, we determined the genetic and physical location and the genomic structure of the Uba80 gene in its entirety. A comparison of Uba80 to Uba52 revealed that the two genes share a conserved 5′-end structure, but that the structure of the ubiquitin coding regions was not conserved. Analysis of 400 bp of the promoter of Uba80 revealed strong similarity not only to the Uba52 promoter, but also to the other known human ribosomal gene promoters that have been identified to date. Homology searches also detected the presence of a pseudogene for Uba80, and the structure of this sequence feature is also reported.
Recent sedimentation in the southeast Indian Ocean with special reference to the effects of Antarctic Bottom Water circulation

Abstract In the southeast Indian Ocean the influence of the Anarctic Bottom Water (AABW) on sedimentation is evidenced by the intensity of the water turbidity near the bottom, and by the mineralogy (carbonate and quartz abundances) of the sediments and current markings on the sea floor. In the deep basins south of 50°S (South Indian and Tasman basins), besides high biogenic siliceous opal productivity, the greater influence of AABW is recorded in shallower carbonate compensation depths (
Further Studies on Protection of DNA against Ionizing Radiation

SummaryThe protection of irradiated DNA against structural damage (measured by changes in molecular weight) and against functional damage (measured by DNA primer activity, RNA chain-length, and the effect of irradiated DNA on unirradiated DNA primer activity in enzymatic RNA synthesis) has been studied. Bis(2-guanidoethyl) disulphide (GED) gave good protection against both structural and functional damage. Pentamethylene diguanidine (PMDG), which has no radical scavenging group, was not protective and cystamine, which shows less binding than GED to DNA, gave weak protection against functional damage. The mechanism of protection postulated is ‘localized radical scavenging’.
Game for Peace: progressive education in peace operations

We present a modeling and simulation approach that clearly increases the efficacy of training and education efforts for peace support operations. Our discussion involves how a computer simulation, the Peace Support Operations Model, is integrated into a training and education venue in Kyrgyzstan for a "Game for Peace." On September 12-23, 2011 members of NATO's Partnership for Peace Training and Education Centers collaborated to instruct a United Nations' Peacekeeping Operations course at the Kyrgyz Separate Rifle Battalion in Bujum, Kyrgyzstan. Phase II of the course was also conducted on October 17-21, 2011 for members of the Peacekeeping Brigade of the Kazakhstan Army (KAZBRIG) in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Although such courses are a mainstay in NATO support in preparing member nations for peace support operations, the application of a computer simulation is unique. We relate the decision to use a computer simulation to support the training event and provide an overview of the methodology for planning and executing the game. Insights from the game about training and educating future peacekeepers and lessons for using computer simulations are instructive for future efforts and mark the way to leverage the advantages of computer simulations. Language: en
The Emerging Role of Libraries in Data Curation and E-science

ABSTRACT The role of libraries is to collect, preserve, and disseminate the intellectual output of the society. This output includes books and serials as well as the digital versions of the same. Scientists, other scholars, and all of society are now producing, storing, and disseminating digital data that underpin the aforementioned documents in much larger volumes than the text. The survival of this data is in question since the data are not housed in long-lived institutions such as libraries. This situation threatens the underlying principles of scientific replicability since in many cases data cannot readily be collected again. Libraries are the institutions that could best manage this intellectual output.
The LINUS UV imaging spectrometer

We present an overview of the Naval Postgraduate School's new LINUS instrument. This is a spectral imager designed to observe atmospheric gas plumes by means of absorption spectroscopy, using background Rayleigh-scattered daylight as an illumination source. It is a pushbroom instrument, incorporating a UV-intensified digital camera, interchangeable gratings and filters, and a DC servo-controlled image scanning system. LINUS has been developed to operate across both the near-ultraviolet and the short visible wavelength portions of the spectrum in overlapping passbands. This paper provides an outline of LINUS's design, operation and capabilities, and it summarizes results from initial laboratory and field trials.
Molecular mobilities of soluble components in the aqueous phase of chromaffin granules.

Abstract NMR relaxation times have been used to characterize molecular motion and intermolecular complexes in the aqueous phase of bovine chromaffin granules. Partially relaxed 13 C and proton spectra have been obtained at 3 and 25°C. T 1 measurements of five protonated carbons on epinephrine (C 2 , C 5 , C 6 CHOH and NCH 3 ) give a correlation time of 0.15 (10 −9 ) s at 25°C for the catechol ring and methine carbon, while the effective correlation time for the NCH 3 group is somewhat shorter due to its internal degree of rotational freedom. Resonances of protonated carbons on the soluble protein chromogranin give very similar corerlation times: 0.20 (10 −9 ) s for the peptide α-carbon and 0.2 (10 −9 ) s for the methylene sidechain carbons of glutamic acid. The correlation time ( τ R ) of ATP was not measured direrctly using 13 C T 1 data due to the weakness of its spectrum, but its reorinetation appears to be substantially slower than that of epinephrine or chromogranin. This conclusion is based on three observations: (1) the qualitative temperature dependence of T 1 for H 2 and H 8 on the adenine ring places τ R for ATP to the right of the T 1 minimum, or τ R ⩾ 1.0 (10 −9 ) s; (2) 13 C resonances of ATP have anomalously low amplitudes compared with epinphrine resonances, a fact that is readily explained only if ATP undergoes substantially slower reorientation; and (3) a comparision of the T 1 data on H 8 on chromaffin granules and in a dilute aqueous solution, where ρ R for ATP cam be measured directly, indicates that τ R ∼ 1.0 (10 −9 s at 25°C in the granules. The relaxation data are consistent with the concept of a storage complex based on electrostatic interaction between a polyion (chromogranin) and its counterious (ATP and epinephrine), in which ATP cross-links cationic sidechains of the protein.
Abnormal Global Left Ventricular Relaxation Occurs Early During the Development of Pharmacologically Induced Ischemia

In animal and human models, left ventricular (LV) diastolic function has been observed to be highly sensitive to myocardial ischemia. The response of LV diastolic parameters to pharmacologically induced ischemia, however, has not been characterized and might be important in the interpretation of dobutamine stress echocardiography. Eight mongrel dogs, in which were inserted a high-fidelity micromanometer LV catheter, coronary sinus sampling catheter, and ultrasonic coronary artery flow probe, underwent intravenous dobutamine infusion at escalating doses both before (control protocol) and after (ischemia protocol) creation of left anterior descending coronary artery stenosis with a hydraulic cuff occluder adjusted to maintain resting coronary artery flow but attenuate reactive hyperemia. At each dobutamine dose, epicardial short-axis 2-dimensional echocardiographic images and hemodynamic measurements were obtained. LV diastolic function was examined by calculation of peak (-)dP/dt and the time constant of isovolumic relaxation (tau). The dobutamine infusion protocol was terminated on the earliest recognition of an anterior wall motion abnormality. Peak (+)dP/dt normalized for developed isovolumetric pressure was calculated as a relatively load-independent index of global LV contractile function. Dobutamine infusion with and without ischemia resulted in comparable changes in heart rate and (+)dP/dt/IP, with no change in LV end-diastolic or -systolic pressure. The magnitude of peak (-)dP/dt increased less during the ischemia (1231 +/- 109 to 1791 +/- 200 mm Hg/sec) versus the control (1390 +/- 154 to 2432 +/- 320 mm Hg/sec) protocol (P <.05). Similarly, the observed decrease in tau was less during the ischemia (53 +/- 3 to 38 +/- 4 msec) than the control (51 +/- 5 to 23 +/- 3 msec) protocol, corresponding to a slower rate of relaxation (P <.05). In addition, the smaller decrease in tau was observed at the dobutamine dose before the dose at which an echocardiographic wall motion abnormality was first recognized. Dobutamine-induced ischemia is associated with abnormal LV diastolic function. In addition, these abnormalities seem to occur early in the development of ischemia. These observations extend to pharmacologically induced ischemia prior findings from other models of ischemia, suggesting the high sensitivity of LV diastolic function to the development of myocardial ischemia.
The neurobiology of hypocretins (orexins), narcolepsy and related therapeutic interventions

Narcolepsy is characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness, cataplexy and other manifestations of dissociated rapid eye movement sleep. Narcolepsy is typically treated with amphetamine-like stimulants (sleepiness) and antidepressants (cataplexy). Newer compounds, such as modafinil (non-amphetamine wake-promoting compound for excessive daytime sleepiness) and sodium oxybate (short-acting sedative for fragmented nighttime sleep, cataplexy, excessive daytime sleepiness), are increasingly used. Recent discoveries indicate that the major pathophysiology of human narcolepsy is the loss of lateral hypothalamic neurons that produce the neuropeptide hypocretin (orexin). Approximately 90% of people diagnosed as having narcolepsy with cataplexy are hypocretin ligand deficient. This has led to the development of new diagnostic tests (cerebrospinal fluid hypocretin-1 measurements). Hypocretin receptor agonists are likely to be ideal therapeutic options for hypocretin-deficient narcolepsy but such compounds are still not available in humans.
Magnetic Properties of New Layered Heisenberg Antiferromagnets

The magnetic properties of layered Heisenberg antiferromagnets with antiferromagnetic interaction between spins within a layer and ferromagnetic interaction between layers are studied by using a spin-wave theory and double time-temperature spin Green's function theory. At low temperatures a characteristic temperature is defined reflecting the layered features of the system and the low-temperature region is divided into two new ones, giving asymptotic expressions of sublattice magnetization and parallel suseeptibility in different temperature region, including the low-temperature region. the vicinity of the Neel temperature, and the high-temperature region. Also given is the Neel temperature in an asymptotic form when the interlayer coupling is weak. It is shown that the characteristies of dimensional cross-over for physical quantities exists at low temperatures. The interlayer coupling is essential to keep long-range ordering and the properties of this king of antiferromagnets are very similar to those of normal antiferromagnets.
Oblique in situ screw fixation of stable slipped capital femoral epiphysis.

Background Percutaneous in situ single screw fixation is the preferred treatment for stable slipped capital femoral epiphysis. The recommended screw placement is in the center of the epiphysis and perpendicular to the physis. We reviewed the results of in situ fixation with the screw placed oblique to the physis. Methods Thirty-six stable slips were treated with a modified technique. The screw was started as close to the mid lateral cortex of the proximal femur as possible while maintaining the screw anterior to the posterior cortex of the femoral neck and ending at the apex of the epiphysis ignoring the resultant angle to the physis. Thirty-five of these hips were followed till physeal closure. Results Thirty-five of the 36 hips showed physeal closure at an average of 5 months. There were no screw-related complications or symptoms. The oblique screw path allowed for an extra screw thread to be placed in the epiphysis and also allowed adequate femoral neck osteoplasty. Conclusions Oblique placement of the screw for in situ fixation in stable slipped capital femoral epiphysis did not cause any deleterious effects and offered several potential advantages. Level of evidence IV - Case series.
THE OIL SPILL TRIANGLE: A PREVENTIVE TOOL

ABSTRACT The oil spill triangle supports the premise that the most potent means of protecting marine resources and of avoiding penalties is through the prevention of oil spills. This triangle provides a logical, structured approach to evaluating and identifying spill-prone procedures and to establishing focused training and maintenance programs to help eliminate operational oil spills.
Lack of local structural orientation in oxide glasses quenched during flow: NMR results☆

Abstract Despite of importance of viscous flow of silicate and oxide melts in industry and nature, and the many theoretical treatments of the subject, spectroscopic observations pertinent to the mechanism of flow are few. Birefringence in sheared glasses and liquids has often been interpreted in terms of the alignment of small-scale structural units, as have Raman spectroscopic data that reveal changes in polarizability. NMR spectroscopy is very sensitive to the orientation of many types of non-spherical local structural units, such as planar BO 3 groups. By using 11 B, 27 Al, and 29 Si NMR, we have examined a variety of borate and silicate glasses (e-glass and Pyrex fibers, B 2 O 3 , and Na 2 Si 2 O 5 ) quenched during rapid shearing of liquids. Despite the fact the computer simulations of NMR lineshapes show that a few percent of local alignment could be detected, none whatsoever is seen. These results indicate that alternate explanations of anisotropy in oxide glasses should be sought, and may place important constraints on flow mechanisms in the liquid.
The influence of bone and marrow on cartilage hypertrophy and degradation during 30‐day serum‐free culture of the embryonic chick tibia

In this study, an organ culture system is defined which demonstrates complete loss of cartilage matrix from embryonic chick tibiae. Efficient loss of the cartilage matrix occurs within 30 days of serum-free culture only when the intact tibiae containing bone, marrow, and cartilage tissue are cultured. During organ culture nonhypertrophic chondrocytes become hypertrophic and stain positively for type X collagen and alkaline phosphatase. The cartilage loses Safranin O staining, and finally all cartilage matrix disappears leaving the bony collar and marrow cells. If the tibial cartilage is separated from the bony collar and cultured alone in serum-free medium, the nonhypertrophic chondrocytes also hypertrophy; the matrix loses Safranin O staining; however, some components of the matrix including type X collagen still remain after 30 days. In the presence of serum, the chondrocytes will hypertrophy but cartilage degradation is not evident. The results of this study support the conclusions that (1) hypertrophy is inherently programmed in the chondrocyte and (2) while Safranin O staining of cartilage cultured alone is diminished in serum-free organ culture, the degradation of cartilage is complete only when bone and marrow are also present. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
On the relaxation between Debye and nonexponential relaxation in supercooled monohydric alcohols and water: A solution study

We examine one of a number of possible classes of exceptions to the usual rule that non‐Arrhenius behavior in supercooled liquids is accompanied by a departure from exponential relaxation kinetics. The exceptions we study are the dielectric relaxations of monohydric alcohols and supercooled water, in which also the dielectric relaxation times may greatly exceed their mechanical relaxation counterparts. This paper gives evidence that the exceptional behavior is due to a clustering or self‐micellization phenomenon by showing how both the relaxation time ratio and Debye relaxation anomalies can be removed by small additions of ionic solutes. These compete with the hydrogen bonding interactions responsible for the clustering. The study, which uses the electrical modulus formalism for data analysis, is restricted by the rapid merging of conductivity and dielectric loss peaks at salt content increases. The relaxation times extracted from a given data set depend on the formalism employed in the data analysis, and the importance of consistency in this respect when comparing mechanical and electrical pheonomena is emphasized. We conclude that comparisons between different responses are most appropriately made in the susceptibility formalism, that the dielectric response in n‐propanol is ∼160 times slower than the mechanical response at ∼130 °C, and that the difference is due to the fact that slowly relaxing hydrogen bonded molecular clusters dominate the dielectric susceptibility, hence also the dielectric relaxation. Using the susceptibility formalism for comparsions, we then infer that in water the dielectric relaxation process is considerably slower than the mechanical relaxation process, and that this fact, as well as the fact that the dielectric relaxation in supercooled water remains exponential while uniquely non‐Arrhenius in temperature dependence, is to be explained by the dominance of the dielectric relaxation process by ‘‘network clusters.’’
Cyclic mechanical property degradation during fatigue loading of cortical bone

Fatigue damage accumulation has been demonstrated in living bone and postulated as a stimulus to the bone modeling and remodeling response. Mechanical property degradation is one manifestation of fatigue damage accumulation. This study examines changes in secant modulus and cyclic energy dissipation behavior during axial load-controlled fatigue loading of cortical bone specimens. The findings suggest that secant modulus degradation and cyclic energy dissipation are greatly increased at loading levels above critical damage strain thresholds of 2500 and 4000 mu epsilon in tensile and compressive fatigue, respectively. Tensile and compressive fatigue loading also caused different forms of modulus degradation at loading levels above these thresholds. Bone behaves as a linear viscoelastic material below these thresholds, even after prior property degradation at higher loading levels. Cyclic energy dissipation was proportional to the 2.1 power of the applied effective strain range for all loadings below 2500 mu epsilon. Above 2500 mu epsilon, tensile fatigue loading caused cyclic energy dissipation proportional to the 5.8 power of the applied effective strain range. Compressive fatigue loading dissipated cyclic energy proportional to the 4.9 power of applied effective strain range over 4000 mu epsilon. Lifetime energy dissipation over all fatigue tests to fracture at a single loading level was well fitted by the same power law in the number of cycles to failure raised to the 0.6 power. Loading levels of 2500 mu epsilon in tension and 4000 mu epsilon in compression are within the ranges observed in living animals, and thus these phenomena may play a role in initiating the remodeling response in live bone tissue.
Fast Electrical Control of a Quantum Dot Strongly Coupled to a Photonic-Crystal Cavity

The resonance frequency of an InAs quantum dot strongly coupled to a GaAs photonic-crystal cavity was electrically controlled via the quadratic quantum confined Stark effect. Stark shifts up to 0.3 meV were achieved using a lateral Schottky electrode that created a local depletion region at the location of the quantum dot. We report switching of a probe laser coherently coupled to the cavity up to speeds as high as 150 MHz, limited by the RC constant of the transmission line. The coupling strength g and the magnitude of the Stark shift with electric field were investigated while coherently probing the system.
Called to nursing: perceptions of student nurses.

Purpose:This study uncovers reasons students report for wanting to become nurses, to quantify those who feel that they are called to nursing, and to learn what “being called” means to them. Method:A descriptive, cross-sectional survey was conducted with all students enrolled in nursing courses at one program in a private, faith-based university. Findings:Most students decided to go to nursing school while in high school or college and chose nursing because they had a desire to help others. The most common personal characteristics they identified that will be helpful in nursing were being caring or compassionate. Almost two thirds of the students indicated they were “called” by God to become nurses. Conclusion and Implications:Findings can help nursing educators and leaders determine howto better recruit and retain individuals into the nursing profession and howto support and encourage caring and compassionate qualities in all nurses.
Factors influencing reduction of sexual risk behaviors for human immunodeficiency virus infection: A review

The past decade witnessed an alarming increase in prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. In this paper, we review the literature on factors which influence the reduction of risk behaviors for human immunodeficiency virus among gay and bisexual men, intravenous drug users, and non-intravenous drug using heterosexual adolescents and adults. In this review, specific attention is paid to the reduction of sexual modes of viral transmission. Several risk reduction factors are identified. Methodological limitations are discussed and suggestions for further research are offered.
Stochastic Gating and Molecular Transport in Carbon Nanotube Ion Channels

Living systems control transport of ions or small molecules across biological membranes using ion channels that form highly efficient and selective pores in lipid bilayers. Although bottom-up synthesis and top-down fabrication could produce pores of comparable size, an unresolved challenge remains to build nanopore scaffolds that fully replicate transport properties of membrane channels. We will show that pores in lipid membranes formed by ultra-short carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have transport properties that come remarkably close to that goal. These carbon nanotube channels can transport water, protons, small ions, and DNA and their ion-rejection properties can be controlled by the charge at the pore mouth. Interestingly, these pores also display the stochastic "gating" behavior common for biological ion channels. We attribute this effect to a spontaneous reversible ionic "penetration-exclusion" transition, suggesting that it represents a general feature of nanofluidic transport in sub-2-nm pores. Overall, transmembrane CNT ion channels represent a robust and versatile biomimetic scaffold for studying fundamentals of transport in biological channels, artificial cell design, and stochastic sensing.
Synthesis and decarbonylation of platinum carbonyl cluster anions in zeolite NaY made basic by treatment with CsOH

Abstract Zeolite NaY, made basic by treatment with CsOH, was brought in contact with an aqueous solution of Pt(NH3)4Cl2 and then treated in CO at 50–60°C with exclusion of air. Infrared spectra and the pinkish-violet color indicate that the Pt salt in the zeolite cages was converted to Chini-Longoni clusters, most likely [Pt9(CO)18]2−. The synthesis is analogous to that giving the cluster in solution. When a less basic zeolite (containing less Cs) was used instead, the clusters were not formed. The clusters were decarbonylated by treatment under vacuum at 120°C; recarbonylation in the presence of CO at 1 atm and 25°C led to the formation of Pt metal clusters; the Longoni-Chini clusters were not reformed.
The Supervision to Aid Reentry (STAR) programme Enhancing the social capital of ex-offenders

This article explores a central finding from a process evaluation of a federal reentry court programme entitled the Supervision to Aid Reentry (STAR) programme in Philadelphia, PA, USA. Using induc...
Review Of Progress In Remote Sensing By Tunable Diode Laser Heterodyne Spectroscopy

Heterodyne spectroscopy at infrared wavelengths is a unique approach to the study of atmospheric species and astrophysical objects. It's coherent detection properties ma4 it 7 the only optical technique to combine ultra-high frequency resolving power (v/A = 106- 107) with diffraction-limited spatial resolution. The use of lead-salt tunable diode lasers (TDL's) as local oscillators in a heterodyne instrument offers the additional advantage of continuous tunability, permitting operation over the entire nominal tuning range of the device. Previous investigators have obtained high signal-to-noise TDL heterodyne spectra of terrestrial atmospheric features in solar absorption and molecular features in sunspots. Until recently, however, the noisy character and low output power of TDL's have precluded their use for heterodyne detection of objects much fainter than the sun. Attempts to observe planets and astrophysical infrared sources have produced only a handful of weak continuum detections. The major categories of TDL excess noise are now fairly well understood, and new device fabrication techniques have produced dramatic improvements in noise reduction, power output, single mode tunability and operation at long wavelengths (X > 10 microns). These next generation devices should result in ground-based instrument performance which rivals the CO2 laser heterodyne technique throughout the 8 to 13 micron atmospheric window.© (1983) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
A multicolour fluorescence in situ hybridization test predicts recurrence in patients with high-risk superficial bladder tumours undergoing intravesical therapy.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether a multicolour fluorescence in situ hybridization test (UroVysionTM, Abbott Molecular Inc., Des Plaines, IL, USA) in patients with high-risk superficial bladder tumours maintains its predictive ability in a multivariate model for recurrence and progression, incorporating clinical and pathological predictors of outcome. PATIENTS AND METHODS The charts of patients with superficial bladder cancer treated with induction or maintenance intravesical therapy (IVT) were reviewed retrospectively. UroVysion testing was used at the beginning and end of each IVT cycle, and cytology and cystoscopy 6 weeks after completing each cycle. Kaplan-Meier actuarial survival was analysed, stratified by the UroVysion result after IVT. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to identify significant predictors of recurrence. RESULTS In all, 42 patients had induction IVT with bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG), BCG + interferon, or mitomycin. The median follow-up was 21 months. Recurrent disease was detected in 18 patients. In a univariate analysis, chronic renal insufficiency (hazard ratio 12.1, P = 0.03), positive cytology after IVT (2.7, P = 0.05), and a positive UroVysion test after IVT (8.3, P 6 (4.7, P = 0.02) and a positive UroVysion test after IVT (6.7, P < 0.01) were significant predictors of recurrence. CONCLUSION In patients with high-risk superficial bladder tumours undergoing IVT, a positive UroVysion test after treatment is highly predictive of recurrence, even in a multivariate model. Additional adjuvant therapy might be necessary in these patients to improve the outcome.
A CONSISTENT TEST OF CONDITIONAL PARAMETRIC DISTRIBUTIONS

This paper proposes a new nonparametric test for conditional parametric distribution functions based on the first-order linear expansion of the Kullback–Leibler information function and the kernel estimation of the underlying distributions. The test statistic is shown to be asymptotically distributed standard normal under the null hypothesis that the parametric distribution is correctly specified, whereas asymptotically rejecting the null with probability one if the parametric distribution is misspecified. The test is also shown to have power against any local alternatives approaching the null at rates slower than the parametric rate n−1/2. The finite sample performance of the test is evaluated via a Monte Carlo simulation.
The Neuroscience Information Framework: A Data and Knowledge Environment for Neuroscience

With support from the Institutes and Centers forming the NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research, we have designed and implemented a new initiative for integrating access to and use of Web-based neuroscience resources: the Neuroscience Information Framework. The Framework arises from the expressed need of the neuroscience community for neuroinformatic tools and resources to aid scientific inquiry, builds upon prior development of neuroinformatics by the Human Brain Project and others, and directly derives from the Society for Neuroscience’s Neuroscience Database Gateway. Partnered with the Society, its Neuroinformatics Committee, and volunteer consultant-collaborators, our multi-site consortium has developed: (1) a comprehensive, dynamic, inventory of Web-accessible neuroscience resources, (2) an extended and integrated terminology describing resources and contents, and (3) a framework accepting and aiding concept-based queries. Evolving instantiations of the Framework may be viewed at http://nif.nih.gov, http://neurogateway.org, and other sites as they come on line.
Embryonic Stem Cells as a Model for Cardiac Development and Disease.

This review highlights recent progress in the use of embryonic stem cell (ESC) systems for studying and treating cardiovascular disease. Although ESCs represent an in vitro system, they can provide a rich source of progenitor cells, and this has been exploited recently to identify novel precursors and to investigate the lineage relationships among various cell types that comprise the developing heart, including cardiac muscle, endothelium (EN) and smooth muscle. ESCs grown in aggregates (embryoid bodies) recapitulate normal developmental programs. Because they can be grown under defined culture conditions, they have been used to identify specific genes systematically and signaling pathways that promote cardiogenesis. A major goal is to optimize the production of cardiac progenitors and differentiated cell types, and to test their ability to promote healing in transplant assays, for example postinfarction. Although many challenges remain, the development of iPS technology provides a means for generating cells for autologous transplant and for investigating patient-specific disease mechanisms. The development of new techniques to derive cardiac derivatives in vitro from ESC or iPS sources, coupled with novel tissue-engineering approaches and a better understanding of how explanted cells can survive and integrate in host tissue, should have a significant impact on the development of both cell-based and pharmacologic therapies for cardiovascular disease.