cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
1397 HEMODYNAMIC RESPONSE TO SINGLE AND REPEATED EPISODES OF APNEA IN NEWBORN (NB) PIGLETS

This study investigates the ability of hemodynamic mechanisms to respond to multiple episodes of apnea in 5 NB piglets. Following catheterization and tracheostomy, piglets were paralyzed and mechanically ventilated (PO2 = 60-70 torr, pH = 735-7.45, PCO2 = 30-35). After baseline measurements of blood gases, pH, Hct. BP, HR, and organ blood flow by microspheres, apnea to the point of bracycardia (HR < 80) was induced by disconnecting the ventilator; 30-40 sec later, mechanical ventilation was resumed until HR and BP returned to baseline. A total of 7 apneas were induced over 1½ hrs. Microspheres were injected during the first apnea (PO2 = 16±13, pH = 7.34±.06, PCO2 = 42±5), recovery from first apnea (Rec 1), and ½ hr after the 7th apnea (Rec 2). Tissue blood flows (ml/min/100g, mean ±S.E. and % change): The rapidity of hemodynamic response to apnea, redistribution of blood flow occurring 130-180 sec after cessation of ventilation, 30-40 sec after onset of bradycardia indicates oxygen sensitivity of newborn vasculature. Kidney and skeletal muscle flows return to near baseline during Rec 1 and Rec 2, while heart and brain flows remain elevated; lack of significant difference between Rec 1 and Rec 2 despite 6 intervening apneas suggests no cumulative effect in the newborn piglet of brief, repeated hypoxemic insults.
Fruit Polyphenols: A Review of Anti-inflammatory Effects in Humans

Underlying etiological factors in the development of obesity-related chronic diseases are long-term imbalances of oxidative and inflammatory stress leading to tissue dysfunction, damage, and ultimately failure. Poor dietary quality contributes significantly to the oxidative and inflammatory status of an individual. Conversely, various dietary approaches, including specific dietary factors can mitigate or prevent the occurrence of these risk-conferring imbalances brought about by modern lifestyle. Plant-derived polyphenolic compounds are well known for their antioxidant properties. Recent evidence indicates these compounds may confer anti-inflammatory and/or inflammatory response stabilizing activities, which would have important implications in health maintenance and disease risk reduction. Commonly consumed fruits, such as grapes, berries, and oranges/orange juice, contain polyphenolic compounds that have been studied for their effects on inflammation, but the nature and extent of their effects in humans remain unclear. Therefore, this article aims to provide a comprehensive overview of human clinical trials investigating the acute and chronic (feeding) effect of polyphenols from commonly consumed fruits or their derived products on inflammation.
Database Directories: Review and Recent Developments

Directories of online databases vary in content and quality. Here, Beverly Feldman reviews nine publications, including comprehensive guides and basic introductions for users of home computers.
On the unreliability of introspection

In his provocative and engaging new book, Perplexities of Consciousness, Eric Schwitzgebel makes a compelling case that introspection is unreliable in the sense that we are prone to ignorance and error in making introspective judgments about our own conscious experience. My aim in this commentary is to argue that Schwitzgebel’s thesis about the unreliability of introspection does not have the damaging implications that he claims it does for the prospects of a broadly Cartesian approach to epistemology.
Phenolphthalein- and harmaline-induced disturbances in the transport functions of isolated brush border and basolateral membrane vesicles from rat jejunum and kidney cortex

Abstract Phenolphthalein and harmaline were examined with respect to their effects on the transport functions of purified brush border and basolateral membrane vesicles from rat jejunum and kidney cortex. Phenolphthalein (0.5 mM) inhibited Na + -coupled d -glucose uptake by intestinal brush border membrane vesicles without affecting Na + -coupled l -alanine transport, Na + transport or Na + -independent d -glucose transport. In renal brush border membrane vesicles, the same concentration of this drug did not even affect Na + -coupled d -glucose uptake. At a concentration of 1 mM or higher, however, Phenolphthalein rendered both intestinal and renal vesicles leaky to these solutes. In intestinal and renal basolateral membrane vesicles, phenolphthalein at a concentration of 0.5 mM noticeably inhibited (Na + -K + )-ATPase activity, but showed no effect on phloretin-sensitive Na + -independent d -glucose uptake. At 1 mM this drug also inhibited ouabain-insensitive ATPase activity. Harmaline, at concentrations greater than 2 mM, inhibited not only Na + -coupled d -glucose and l -alanine uptake by both intestinal and renal brush border membrane vesicles, but also Na + translocation. The drug, however, affected neither Na + -independent d -glucose uptake nor the general permeability of these membranes. Harmaline also inhibited (Na + -K + )-ATPase activity of intestinal and renal basolateral membrane vesicles without affecting ouabain-insensitive ATPase. It did not influence, however, phloretin-sensitive Na + -independent d -glucose uptake by these vesicles. These observations suggest that harmaline acts as an inhibitor of Na + and Na + -dependent transport mechanisms in intestinal as well as renal brush border membranes. Phenolphthalein at the lower concentration selectively inhibited certain transport processes in these membranes as well as in basolateral membranes, whereas at the higher concentration it caused widespread structural disturbances, possibly through its chaotropic action on membranes.
The monotonic diameter of traveling salesman polytopes

The monotonic diameter of the polytopes arising in the asymmetric and the symmetric traveling salesman problem (TSP) are obtained. For the asymmetric TSP polytope associated with the complete directed graph on n nodes, the monotonic diameter is shown to be exactly @?n/3@?, for all n>=3. For the symmetric TSP polytope associated with the complete undirected graph on n nodes, the monotonic diameter is shown to be exactly @?n/2@?-1, for all n>=3, except for n=5, in which case it is @?n/2@?.
Bounds on long-lived relics from diffuse γ -ray observations

We place bounds on long-lived primordial relics using measurements of the diffuse {gamma}-ray spectrum from EGRET and COMPTEL. Bounds are derived for both radiative and hadronic decays with stronger bounds applying for the latter decay mode. We present an exclusion plot in the relic density-lifetime plane that shows a nontrivial dependence on the mass of the relic. The violations of scaling with mass are a consequence of the different possible scattering processes which lead to differing electromagnetic showering profiles. The tightest bounds for shorter lifetimes come from COMPTEL observations of the low energy part of the spectrum, while for longer lifetimes the highest observable energy at EGRET gives the tightest bounds. We discuss the implications of the bounds for dark matter candidates as well as relics that have a mass density substantially below the critical density. These bounds can be utilized to eliminate models that contain relics with lifetimes longer than 10{sup {minus}4} times the age of the universe. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}
Effect of Estradiol on the Response to LH-RH in Male Rats at Different Times After Castration

SummaryThe effects of pretreatment with estradiol benzoate on the pituitary release of LH and FSH in response to LH-RH were investigated in male rats at various time intervals after castration. In oil-treated control rats, LH-RH brought about a significant increase in serum LH at all the periods after castration. One day after castration, pretreatment with estradiol significantly inhibited the response to LH-RH, as observed in normal male rats. One week after castration estradiol induced a greater response to LH-RH than observed in oil-treated control rats, although the difference was not significant. One and two months after castration, estradiol significantly increased the response to LH-RH.The authors express their gratitude to Dr. G. D. Niswender, Dr. H. Papkoff and to NIAMD, Rat Pituitary Program, for the gift of materials used in radioimmunoassays. Thanks are also given to Mr. L. Garcia, Mrs. M. Esslinger, and Mrs. J. Gauthier for technical assistance.
HISTORICAL HAZARDS: THE GEOGRAPHY OF RELICT INDUSTRIAL WASTES∗

Current inventories of hazardous waste sites seldom include older, unreported sites, thereby creating a serious shortcoming in attempts to assess risks posed by one type of technological hazard. Based upon a review of urban morphogenesis, hazardous material use in industry, and past waste management practices, this paper presents a model of historical hazards accumulations. Reviews of past industrial waste disposal practices in three Illinois urban settings illustrate the model's effectiveness.
Spatial partitioning for distributed agents driven by a line-of-sight navigation law in a spatiotemporal drift field

We consider the problem of characterizing a Voronoi-like partition of a two-dimensional Euclidean space which encodes information about the proximity relations between a team of spatially distributed aerial/marine vehicles and arbitrary points in the plane. In particular, a point in the plane is assigned to a particular vehicle if the latter can reach this point faster than any other vehicle from the same team. It is assumed that each vehicle is constrained to travel along the line-of-sight direction to its destination point in the presence of a spatiotemporal drift field, which is induced by, say, local winds/currents. We present an efficient scheme for the computation of the Voronoi-like partition which exploits the direct correspondence between the level sets of the Euclidean distance and those of the time-to-go by means of a bijective mapping. Next, we identify a number of important topological properties enjoyed by the generators and the cells of the partition. Finally, we present simulation results using data from real drift fields.
A solvatochromatic approach to quantifying formulation effects on dermal permeability

Dermal risk assessments are most often concerned with the occupational and environmental exposure to a single chemical and then determining solute permeability through in vitro or in vivo experimentation with various animal models and/or computational approaches. Oftentimes, the skin is exposed to more than one chemical that could potentially modulate dermal permeability of the chemical that could cause adverse health effects. The focus of this article is to demonstrate that these formulation effects on dermal permeability can occur with simple solvent formulations or complex industrial formulations and that these effects can be modeled within the context of a linear solvation energy relationship (LSER). This research demonstrated that formulation-specific strength coefficients (r p a b v) predicted (r 2 = 0.75–0.83) changes in the dermal permeability of phenolic compounds when formulated with commercial metal-working fluid (MWF) formulations or 50% ethanol. Further experimentation demonstrated that chemi...
Chronic dieldrin exposure increases hepatic disposition and biliary excretion of [14C]Dieldrin in rainbow trout

Previous work demonstrated that exposure of laboratory animals including fish to certain organochlorine (OC) insecticides altered the tissue distribution of a subsequent tracer dose of the same [14C]OC. In the present study, 10- to 20-g rainbow trout were exposed to 15 ppm dieldrin in the diet. Fish were subsequently challenged at 2-week intervals with an intraperitoneal injection of 0.1 mg/kg [14C]dieldrin and viscera (liver, bile, mesenteric fat, kidney, and intestine) analyzed for radioactivity 24 hr later. After 10 and 12 weeks of dieldrin pretreatment, [14C]-dieldrin was significantly elevated relative to controls in liver (200%), bile (500%), and fat (500 and 1200% for 10 and 12 weeks, respectively) of pretreated fish. Other tissues were unchanged. Chloroform/methanol extractions revealed a time-dependent increase in label disposition to carcass lipid in controls but not in pretreated fish. Altered disposition could not be explained by changes in total body lipid or induction of total cytochrome P-450 or ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase, pentoxyresorufin-O-deethylase, glutathione S-transferase, or UDP glucuronosyltransferase activities. In vivo assessment of [14C]dieldrin metabolism revealed no increase in hepatic and only a slight (22%) increase in biliary polar:nonpolar concentration ratio after 9 weeks 20 ppm dieldrin pretreatment. Results suggest that constitutive changes in liver integral to dieldrin sequestration, transport, or excretion may be an adaptive response of trout to chronic OC exposure.
EXISTENCE OF A BARYON ANTIDECUPLET.

We discuss, in the context of certain recent experimental results, the possibility that baryon antidecuplets exist in nature, and conclude that current data are consistent with this possibility. Analysis of long-range elastic forces in meson-baryon systems suggests that an antidecuplet may have spin-parity ${\mathrm{\textonehalf{}}}^{+}$.
Separation of a midlevel density current from the bottom of a continental slope

The high-salinity water flowing out of the Mediterranean Sea descends to mid depths in the density-stratified ocean, continues as a narrow jet along the Iberian continental slope, and intermittently detaches large-scale eddies (called “Meddies”). This process is important because it maintains the relatively high mean salinity of a major water mass (the “Mediterranean Intermediate Water”) in the North Atlantic. Our simplified model of this jet consists of a moving layer with intermediate density ρ2 sandwiched between motionless layers of density ρ1 ρ2. The inshore (anticyclonic) portion of the midlevel jet (in the “ρ2-water”) rests on an inclined bottom (the continental slope), whereas the (cyclonic) offshore portion rests on the density interface of the stagnant deep (ρ3) layer. An inviscid, steady, and finite-amplitude longwave theory is used to show that if the cross-stream topographic slope increases gradually in the downstream direction, then the “ρ2-jet” is deflected off the bottom slope and onto the upper density interface of the ρ3 layer. The computed magnitude of this separation effect is such as to produce an essentially free jet which is removed from the stabilizing influence of the continental topography. It is therefore conjectured that time-dependent effects (baroclinic instability) will produce further amplification, causing an eddy to detach seaward from the branch of the jet remaining on the slope.
A new player in the puzzle of filovirus entry

Viruses of the genera Ebolavirus and Marburgvirus are filoviruses that cause haemorrhagic fever in primates, with extremely high fatality rates. Studies have focused on elucidating how these viruses enter host cells, with the aim of developing therapeutics. The ebolavirus glycoprotein has been found to play key parts in all steps of entry. Furthermore, recent studies have identified Niemann-Pick C1 (NPC1), a protein that resides deep in the endocytic pathway, as an important host factor in this process.
Tuning of the auditory brainstem OFF responses is complementary to tuning of the auditory brainstem ON response.

Abstract Continuous masking studies show a complementary pattern of effects on the auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) which are generated by the onset and by the offset of a midfrequency tone. The masking profiles of the two responses are almost opposite with a probe stimulus frequency of 32 kHz (16–32 kHz is the midfrequency region for the CBA/J mouse). The Offset and Onset ABR tuning curves (TCs) also reveal very different properties at the midfrequencies of 16, 20, 24 and 32 kHz. The Offset TC is exquisitely senstive to masking by very low intensity stimuli at a narrow range of frequencies which are lower than the probe stimulus frequency. Continuous masking produces a well-tuned low frequency tip to the Offset TC. For Offset TCs generated in response to midfrequency tones, the Q + 10dB of this tip averages 8.3. Masking at this low frequency tip of the Offset TC has no observable effect on the Onset ABR. The Offset ABR is also sensitive to masking by a narrow range of frequencies which are higher than the probe stimulus frequency. This occurs at an intensity which also has no observable effect on the Onset ABR. The Q + 10dB of this high frequency tip averages 9.2. The average frequencies where these Offset TC tips occur fit the cubic difference formula (2f1–f2), which describes a distortion product of two-tone suppression. At low probe stimulus frequencies, there is only a high frequency Offset TC tip; at high stimulus frequencies, only a low frequency tip. The high frequency tip has a higher threshold and appears more susceptible to metabolic disturbance. The Offset ABR TC also has a peak which corresponds to the probe stimulus frequency. Continuous masking with the stimulus frequency produces nonmonotonic enhancement of the Offset ABR, while it simultaneously reduces the magnitude of the Onset ABR. The tuning of this Offset TC peak (measured as Q+10dB) is almost always much sharper than the corresponding Onset TC tip in the same mouse. These values for midfrequency stimuli average 6.2 for the Onset, and 13.6 for the Offset TCs. This fine tuning of the Offset TC at the probe stimulus frequency occurs at SPLs from 50 to more than 90 dB.
The Incidence of “Causal” Statements in Teaching-and-Learning Research Journals:

The authors examined the methodologies of articles in teaching-and-learning research journals, published in 1994 and in 2004, and classified them as either intervention (based on researcher-manipulated variables) or nonintervention. Consistent with the findings of Hsieh et al., intervention research articles declined from 45% in 1994 to 33% in 2004. For nonintervention articles, the authors recorded the incidence of “causal” statements (e.g., if teachers/schools/parents did X, then student/child outcome Y would likely result). Nonintervention research articles containing causal statements increased from 34% in 1994 to 43% in 2004. It appears that at the same time intervention studies are becoming less prevalent in the teaching-and-learning research literature, researchers are more inclined to include causal statements in nonintervention studies.
The role of muscle mass in exercise-induced hyperemia

Exercise-induced hyperemia is often normalized for muscle mass, and this value is sometimes evaluated at relative exercise intensities to take muscle recruitment into account. Therefore, this study...
Site-specific ORC binding, pre-replication complex assembly and DNA synthesis at Schizosaccharomyces pombe replication origins

Previous studies have shown that the Schizo saccharomyces pombe Orc4 subunit is solely responsible for in vitro binding of origin recognition complex (ORC) to specific AT-rich sites within S.pombe replication origins. Using ARS3001, a S.pombe replication origin consisting of four genetically required sites, we show that, in situ as well as in vitro, Orc4 binds strongly to the Δ3 site, weakly to the Δ6 site and not at all to the remaining sequences. In situ, the footprint over Δ3 is extended during G1 phase, but only when Cdc18 is present and Mcm proteins are bound to chromatin. Moreover, this footprint extends into the adjacent Δ2 site, where leading strand DNA synthesis begins. Therefore, we conclude that ARS3001 consists of a single primary ORC binding site that assembles a pre-replication complex and initiates DNA synthesis, plus an additional novel origin element (Δ9) that neither binds ORC nor functions as a centromere, but does bind an as yet unidentified protein throughout the cell cycle. Schizosaccharomyces pombe may be an appropriate paradigm for the complex origins found in the metazoa.
Antimigraine medication use and associated health care costs in employed patients

Migraine is under diagnosed and suboptimally treated in the majority of patients, and also associated with decreased productivity in employees. The objective of this retrospective study is to assess the antimigraine medication use and associated resource utilization in employed patients. Patients with primary diagnosis of migraine or receiving antimigraine prescription drugs were identified from an employer-sponsored health insurance plan in 2010. Medical utilization and health care costs were determined for the year of 2010. Generalized linear regression was applied to evaluate the association between health care costs and the use of antimigraine medications by controlling covariates. Of 465 patients meeting the study criteria, nearly 30% that had migraine diagnosis were prescribed antimigraine medications, and 20% that had migraine diagnosis were not prescribed antimigraine medications. The remaining 50% were prescribed antimigraine medications but did not have migraine diagnosis. Patients with antimigraine medication prescriptions showed lower frequency of emergency department visits than those without antimigraine medication prescriptions. Regression models indicated an increase in migraine-related health care costs by 86% but decreases in all-cause medical costs and total health care costs by 42 and 26%, respectively, in the antimigraine medication use group after adjusting for covariates. Employed patients experienced inadequate pharmacotherapy for migraine treatment. After controlling for covariates, antimigraine prescription drug use was associated with lower total medical utilization and health care costs. Further studies should investigate patient self-reported care and needs to manage headache and develop effective intervention to improve patient quality of life and productivity.
Effect of impurities on the stability of a moving grain boundary

Abstract A two-dimensional model for impurity-controlled grain boundary migration, which accounts for both forward and lateral diffusion of bound impurities, has been developed and analyzed as a function of grain boundary shape, applied driving force, impurity concentration and temperature. Local boundary shape and concomitant variation of impurity concentration are interrelated through appropriate force and flux balances for all finite macroscopic grain boundary velocities v 0 . When v 0 is less than a critical value v 1 , the boundary remains planar, whereas when v 0 exceeds a critical value v 2 , breakaway of the boundary from impurities occurs. In either case distribution of impurities is not affected. When v 1 v 0 2 , however, boundary shape and concentration profile are inherently unstable. In this case boundary shape may fluctuate greatly with only slight redistribution of impurities or the impurity profile may fluctuate greatly with only slight variation of boundary shape. Likelihood of these processes depends on the relative degree of impurity diffusion parallel and perpendicular to the moving boundary. Therefore, the present model indicates that clustering of impurities in the boundary and subsequent breakaway of the boundary from these clusters are natural consequences of grain boundary migration.
Characteristics of REM sleep following different conditioned rates of waking eye movement in the monkey.

Rates of waking eye movement to rapid eye movement in sleep conditioned monkeys using electrooculogram
Graduate Education in Conservation Biology

: Cross-disciplinay approaches stemming from the fields of resource management and biological science provide needed breadth for the education of conservation biologists. The growing urgency of training individuals to protect, maintain, and restore the planet's biological diversity is challenging academic institutions to overcome narrow disciplinary perspectives. Yet the development of programs in conservation biology is inhibited by long-standing academic constraints, including disciplinary structure, communication barriers among disciplines, and lack of reward systems, research funds, model curricula, and evaluation techniques for cross-disciplinary work Descriptions of 16 graduate programs in conservation biology indicate that academia is responding to the challenge. Housed in both resource management and biological science departments, these programs offer new degree options as well as new cross-disciplinary courses, field classes, and research projects. Resumen: Los enfoques interdisciplinarios que surgen de las areas de, manejo de los recursos y ciencias boilogicas ofrecen un respiro necesario para la educacion de los biologos de la conservacion. La creciente urgencia de la capacitacion de individuos para proteger, mantenery restaurar la diversidad biologica del phneta esta retando a las instituciones academicas para que superen las estrechas perspectives disciplinarias. Aun asi, el desarrollo de programas on biologia de la conservacion se ve inhibido por limitaciones academicas, presentes desde hace mucho tiempo, que incluyen la estructura disciplinaria, las barreras de comunicacion entre las disciplinas, la ausencia de sistemas de premiacion, los recursos para investigacion, los curricula modelo, y la evaluacion de tecnicas para un trabajo inter-disciplinario. Las descripoiones de 16 programas de postgrado en biologia de la conservacion indican que la academia esta respondiendo a este reto. Alojados tanto en los departamentos de manejo do roourooo como en los de las ciencias biologicas, estos programas ofrecen opciones para nuevos grados asi como nuems cursos interdisciplinarios, clases de campo y prayectos de investigacion.
Self-starting of passively mode-locked lasers

The self-starting condition of passively mode-locked lasers, including those locked by additive-pulse mode locking, is reexamined. A quantitative model is developed for a threshold intensity for self-starting based on the hypothesis that spurious reflections have to be overcome by coherent injection signals of sufficient amplitude.
Pleasure Reading: Associations Between Young Women's Sexual Attitudes And Their Reading Of Contemporary Women's Magazines

Associations between magazine use and sexual attitudes were explored among 205 female college students. Measures assessed reading levels of adult-focused (e.g., Cosmopolitan) and teen-focused (e.g., Seventeen) contemporary women's magazines, reading motivations, sexual attitudes, and femininity ideologies. Frequent reading of adult-focused magazines was associated with weaker support of sexual stereotypes about men, of a view that equates sex with risk, and of women's reports of self-censorship. In contrast, frequent reading of teen-focused magazines was associated with stronger endorsement of male sexual stereotypes. In addition, reading women's magazines intently for sex advice was associated with stronger support of both male sexual stereotypes and a sexually assertive female role. Implications are discussed in terms of both relevant media theories and of magazines as sources of sexual scripts.
Some stochastic models for plasmid copy number

Some stochastic models for the copy number of plasmids in a cell line are studied. When considering the behavior of copy number in the whole cell line, the theory of multitype branching processes is appropriate. Attention is paid to the cure rate in the cell line, and the asymptotic fractions of cells containing a given number of plasmids. These quantities are used to compare the models numerically.
Isotopic lead investigations on the Allende carbonaceous chondrite

Abstract Uranium and lead concentrations and the isotopic compositions of lead were determined on samples of total rock, matrix, white inclusion, pink inclusion, white aggregate and four chondrules from the Allende carbonaceous chondrite. Observed 206Pb/204Pb ratios varied from 10.004 to 107.29; 207Pb/204Pb ratios from 10.695 to 69.07; 206Pb/204Pb ratios from 30.062 to 207.96. In a 207Pb/204Pb-206Pb/204Pb diagram a regression line fitted to all of data has a slope of 0.6240 ± 0.0015, corresponding to a single stage model age of 4.565 ± 0.004 AE. The regression line also includes the ratios for primordial lead as determined in previous investigations from Canyon Diablo troilite and the Mezo-Madaras chondrite. Although the lead in the matrix is not very radiogenic, the 207Pb/206Pb ages of four samples average 4.505 AE, a value 0.06 AE younger than that of the chondrules and inclusions. The matrix age agrees closely with a total rock Pb/Pb model age previously reported for Allende by Tatsumoto, Knight and Allegre. The matrix Pb/Pb model age is also 0.06 AE younger than the Pb/Pb isochron ages determined by previous investigators on total samples of H and L chondrites. The H and L chondrite and Allende chondrule and inclusion Pb/Pb ages are indistinguishable. The lead isotope systematics require either that the matrix is ca. 0.06 younger than the silicate inclusions and chondrules (or that radiogenic lead was inherited from a younger external source) or that the initial lead in the matrix differed from primordial lead. The lead data cannot be reconciled to a model in which the bulk material of Allende first crystallized 4.57 AE ago, followed by transfer of radiogenic lead between phases since that time. In a concordia diagram four chondrules and three inclusions plot along a chord intersecting concordia at 4.57 and 0.28 ± 0.07 AE. This indicates disturbance of the U-Pb systems relatively recently, perhaps around 0.3 AE ago. The time of disturbance is not readily understood and needs further confirmation. It correlates most closely with a possible cut-off in K-Ar and U, Th-He ages of chondrites. Although the Th/U ratios of the bulk samples and matrix are around the normal value of 3.8, much higher values are observed in some of the inclusions, the highest being 9.0.
Presence of unfavorable cytogenetic abnormalities is the strongest predictor of poor survival in secondary myelofibrosis

BACKGROUND Postpolycythemic (PV) and postthrombocythemic (ET) myeloid metaplasia are consensually referred to as secondary myelofibrosis (sMF). Prognostic variables in sMF are not as well defined as they are for de novo myelofibrosis with myeloid metaplasia (MMM), which is also known as agnogenic myeloid metaplasia (AMM). Such information is particularly crucial for management decisions in transplant-eligible patients. METHODS Diagnoses of PV and ET required fulfillment of the World Health Organization criteria for the diagnosis of MMM as well as an antecedent history of either polycythemia vera or essential thrombocythemia that was supported by bone marrow examination. Cytogenetic findings were classified as being either favorable (normal or isolated 13q- or 20q- clones) or unfavorable (presence of abnormalities other than 13q- and 20q-). RESULTS The study population was comprised of 66 young patients (age <60 yrs) with sMF, including 37 patients with PV and 29 patients with ET. Multivariate analysis of parameters other than cytogenetics identified older age (P = .02), anemia (hemoglobin level <10 g/dL [P = .007]), and PV (P = .009) to be independent risk factors for shortened survival. However, when such analysis was restricted to patients in whom cytogenetic studies were performed (n = 31 patients), the presence of unfavorable cytogenetic abnormalities (i.e., clones other than 20q- and 13q-) became the only adverse prognostic factor for survival (P = .001). A similar analysis in a temporal cohort of 50 age-matched patients with AMM also identified unfavorable cytogenetics as an independent predictor of poor survival, along with thrombocytopenia and anemia. CONCLUSIONS The results of the current study suggest that cytogenetic findings might supersede AMM-derived prognostic scoring systems for predicting survival in patients with sMF. Cancer 2006. © 2006 American Cancer Society.
Effects of low energy Ar+ ion bombardment on GaAs

Abstract Several effects were observed due to low energy Ar + ion bombardment on (100) surfaces of GaAs substrate and have been addressed from a fundamental standpoint. Time-dependent phototransport, deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS), Schottky diode and Rutherford backscattering measurements revealed several striking observations. Such experimental evidence suggests several distinct effects due to ion beam etching (IBE), such as persistent photoconductivity, photo and thermal quenching of metastable defect complexes introduced as a consequence of IBE, incorporation of a few distinct eletron traps: 0.32, 0.52 and 0.69 eV below the conduction band edge, and trap-assisted tunneling in Schottky diodes resulting in increased reverse saturation current. An experimental result, indicating loss of EL2 emission signal as indicated by DLTS of IBE samples, supported an earlier proposed model for the metastable defect complex formation and was consistent with literature dealing with the configurational bistability of multicharged defects. The damage depth profile was simulated theoretically employing Lindhard-Scharff-Schiott theory, the standard projected range and the straggle parameters, and experimental process parameters of the test structures. Such calculations indicated that the ion-beam-induced damage was confined to a depth of only a few hundred angstroms below the surface. A large discrepancy in the depth of damage was also observed with the results obtained employing pertinent optical probes. The results have also been compared with full cascade TRIM simulations. To account for such discrepancy a microscopic model consistent with the experimental observations has been proposed suggesting that the highly amorphized layer was followed by a transition region, where a fine-grain mixture of the microcrystals and amorphous GaAs coexist and the microcrystalline component gradually disappeared into the bulk, indicating a gradual transition.
Nuclear and plastid genetic engineering of plants: comparison of opportunities and challenges

Plant genetic engineering is one of the key technologies for crop improvement as well as an emerging approach for producing recombinant proteins in plants. Both plant nuclear and plastid genomes can be genetically modified, yet fundamental functional differences between the eukaryotic genome of the plant cell nucleus and the prokaryotic-like genome of the plastid will have an impact on key characteristics of the resulting transgenic organism. So, which genome, nuclear or plastid, to transform for the desired transgenic phenotype? In this review we compare the advantages and drawbacks of engineering plant nuclear and plastid genomes to generate transgenic plants with the traits of interest, and evaluate the pros and cons of their use for different biotechnology and basic research applications, ranging from generation of commercial crops with valuable new phenotypes to 'bioreactor' plants for large-scale production of recombinant proteins to research model plants expressing various reporter proteins.
Glass transition and ionic conduction in plasticized and doped ionomers

Abstract The relationship between ionic conduction and matrix glass transition was investigated in selected plasticized and doped poly((ethylene glycol)n-co-5-sulfoisophthalate lithium) ionomers. Plasticization with a poly(ethylene glycol) oligomer significantly increases the ionic conductivity, despite a decrease in lithium concentration. Doping with LiClO4 leads to much lower conductivity, despite the increase in Li+ content. These observations were reconciled by considering the corresponding change in ionomer glass transition temperature (Tg), and it was found that ionomers with different plasticizer/dopant levels exhibit similar conductivity at constant T − Tg. The fact that Tg plays such a strong role suggests that Li+ ion mobility is controlled by segmental motion of PEO.
HIV infection of human brain capillary endothelial cell — Implications for AIDS dementia

We have demonstrated that human brain capillary endothelial (HBCE) cells, unlike umbilical or aortic endothelial cells are permissively infected by HIV. HIV infection of HBCE cells is noncytolytic and is mediated by a CD4- and GalCer-independent mechanism, implying that HBCE cell tropic strains utilize a unique receptor. The V3 loop of gp120 appears to be important in this reaction. T-cell tropic but not brain-derived macrophage tropic HIV strains selectively infect brain endothelium suggesting that T-cell tropism is important for HIV entry through the blood-brain barrier (BBB). The ability of HIV to infect cells that compose the BBB implies that the virus may be directly involved in the BBB dysfunction observed in AIDS patients. HIV infection of HBCE cells may allow the flow of cytokines or toxic metabolites from the circulating blood into the brain parenchyma either by disrupting tight junctions or by altering the ability of the cells to regulate transport of substances across the BBB by transcytosis. HIV infection may also result in endothelial cell-induced astrocytosis by release of cytotoxic substances or modulation of abluminal surface antigens which contact astrocytic foot processes. Finally, HIV infection of the brain endothelium could facilitate virus entry to the CNS either by infection of HBCE cells or via entry of HIV-infected leucocytes. The establishment of our in vitro HIV-HBCE cell system will allow us to explore the potential mechanisms which mediate AIDS dementia.
Causes and consequences of fiscal stress in Michigan cities

Abstract As the world economy emerges from the real estate and financial crises, economists and policymakers are considering the implications for government finance. One facet of the recession is the precipitous fall in housing values that is expected to have long-lasting effects on local government finance. Throughout the United States and Europe, local officials have not experienced challenges of this magnitude in generations. How might we expect local government finances to respond/evolve in the wake of the crisis? We gain insight on this question by studying city finance in a state that has struggled for years. In particular, many Michigan cities have experienced significant and ongoing fiscal challenges for at least a decade and acute crisis over the last several years. We examine how expenditure patterns have changed in response to these challenges. Using data for most cities in Michigan for years 2005 through 2009, we find that expenditures in the General Government, Public Works, and Parks and Recreation categories were responsive to fiscal stress, and Capital Expenditures have been particularly vulnerable. However, expenditures in essential services such as Public Safety were generally not adversely affected. Our research offers insights regarding the likely implications of the real estate crisis for cities in the United States as well as in Europe that have, until very recently, enjoyed relative economic prosperity and limited fiscal challenges.
Child protection assessment in humanitarian emergencies: case studies from Georgia, Gaza, Haiti and Yemen.

Abstract Objectives The paper reviews the experiences of conducting child protection assessments across four humanitarian emergencies where violence and insecurity, directly or indirectly, posed a major threat to children. We seek to identify common themes emerging from these experiences and propose ways to guide the planning and implementation of assessments that effectively identify, and suggest means of response to, threats to children's rights and well-being in emergency settings. Methods In the context of a field evaluation of an inter-agency resource kit, crisis settings where an inter-agency assessment of child protection had been considered in the period August 2008 to July 2010 were identified. Email correspondence, telephone-based structured interviews and documentary review collated information from child protection coordinating agencies from a total of twenty sites, the minority of which had proceeded to complete an assessment. This paper presents case studies of the experience in Georgia (following the conflict between Russian and Georgian forces in August 2008), Gaza (following the Israeli military incursion beginning in December 2008), Haiti (following the earthquake of January 2010), and Yemen (following the ceasefire agreement between the government and rebel forces in early 2010). Case study findings In each setting the context of the humanitarian emergency is outlined. The processes of the planning (and, where appropriate, implementation) of the child protection assessment is described. Where available, the findings of the child protection assessment and their use in shaping interventions are summarized. Practice implications Case studies document experience across humanitarian settings widely divergent in terms of the nature of the emergency, social–political context, and institutional capacity. Despite such differences, analysis suggests securing inter-agency coordination, preparation and capacity building, and means of ensuring timeliness of findings to be recurrent themes in the effective mobilization of an effective assessment able to inform programming.
Problem solving, recall, isomorphic transfer, and nonisomorphic transfer among third-grade and fourth-grade children

Abstract Analogical reasoning processes were studied in third- and fourth-grade children. During acquisition, each child received analogs of one of the following seven-move scheduling problems: “farmer's dilemma,” “three missionaries/two cannibals,” or “tower of Hanoi.” On each presentation of a problem, the child heard a list of statements representing the exact series of moves necessary to solve the problem and was immediately asked to recall the list. Physical materials representing the problem were then produced and the child was asked to solve it. A trial was terminated and a new one begun when an error was made on the physical task. Following acquisition, the children were transferred to either an isomorphic analog or an analog from one of the other training conditions. During acquisition, the propositions representing the solution to each problem were acquired piecemeal and incrementally, but consolidation of the generalizable problem representation was abrupt. Isomorphic transfer was good in all conditions, but nonisomorphic transfer was unexpectedly asymmetrical. This finding was discussed in terms of each problem space, number of solution paths, and similarity relations.
Role of Cuticle in Spoilage of Chicken Eggs

SUMMARY: The role of cuticle (mucoprotein layer on the egg shell) in preventing spoilage of eggs by microorganisms was studied. Eggs collected from the uterus or eggs treated with 5% EDTA solution to remove cuticle spoiled at a much faster rate than the normally laid eggs. The weight of the egg shell and its membranes did not affect the spoilage of eggs collected from the uterus. The protection provided by the cuticle was found to last at least up to 96 hr after the eggs are laid.
Impact of Web based language modeling on speech understanding

Data sparseness in building statistical language models for spoken dialog systems is a critical problem. In a previous paper we addressed this issue by exploiting the World Wide Web (WWW) and other external data sources in a financial transaction domain. In this paper, we evaluate the impact of improved speech recognition due to Web-based language model (WebLM) on the speech understanding performance in a new domain. As speech understanding system we use a natural language call-routing system. Experimental results show that the WebLM improves the speech recognition performance by 1.7% to 2.7% across varying amounts of in-domain data. The improvements in action classification (AC) performance were modest yet consistent ranging from 0.3% to 0.8%
Regional Quaternary submarine geomorphology in the Florida Keys

High-quality seismic reflection profiles fill a major gap in geophysical data along the south Florida shelf, allowing updated interpretations of the history of the Quaternary coral reef system. Incorporation of the new and existing data sets provides the basis for detailed color maps of the Pleistocene surface and thickness of overlying Holocene accretions. The maps cover the Florida Keys to a margin-wide upper-slope terrace (30 to 40 m deep) and extend from The Elbow Reef (north Key Largo) to Rebecca Shoal (Gulf of Mexico). The data indicate that Pleistocene bedrock is several meters deeper to the southwest than to the north east, yet in general, Holocene sediments are ∼3 to 4 m thick shelf-wide. The Pleistocene map demonstrates the significance of a westward-dipping bedrock surface to Holocene flooding history and coral reef evolution. Seismic facies show evidence for two possible Holocene stillstands. Aerial photographs provide information on the seabed surface, much of which is below seismic resolution. The photographs define a prominent, regional nearshore rock ledge that extends ∼2.5 km seaward from the keys9 shoreline. They show that bands of rock ridges exist along the outer shelf and on the upper-slope terrace. The photographs also reveal four tracts of outlier reefs on the terrace, one more than had been documented seismically. Seismic and photographic data indicate the tracts are >200 km long, nearly four times longer than previously thought. New interpretations provide insights into a youngest possible terrace age (ca. 175 ka?) and the likelihood that precise ages of oxygen isotope substage 5e ooid tidal-bar and coral reef components may differ. The tidal-bar/reef complex forms the Florida Keys.
The Apparent Water Vapor Sinks and Heat Sources Associated with the Intraseasonal Oscillation of the Indian Summer Monsoon

AbstractThe possibility of using remote sensing retrievals to estimate apparent water vapor sinks and heat sources is explored. The apparent water vapor sinks and heat sources are estimated from a combination of remote sensing, specific humidity, and temperature from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder/Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AIRS) and wind fields from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)’s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)’s Modern Era Retrospective-Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA). The intraseasonal oscillation (ISO) of the Indian summer monsoon is used as a test bed to evaluate the apparent water vapor sink and heat source. The ISO-related northward movement of the column-integrated apparent water vapor sink matches that of precipitation observed by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) minus the MERRA surface evaporation, although the amplitude of the variation is underestimated by 50%. The diagnosed water vapor and heat budgets associated with convec...
Selenium requirement in children

Under approved dietary treatment the daily Se intake amounted only to 1.0-4.7/ug in patients with phenylketonuria (PKU) or maple-syrup-urine disease (MSUD). For 120 days 5 patients got an oral Se supplementation by yeast rich in Se, daily dose 0.56 g yeast, equivalent to 45/ug Se. Before supplementation the Se contents of serum and whole blood were reduced to 5-16 ng/ml, 10-27 ng/ml resp., that means to 10-20% normal. The activity of the erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase (GSHPx) amounted only to 0.19-2.69 U37/g Hb. After 4-8 weeks of supplementation the Se contents of serum and whole blood reached normal values. The activity of the erythrocyte GSHPx showed only a slow increase of the values after 4-6 weeks of Se supplementation. Within 9-15 weeks it reached a plateau at low normal values - a time similar to normal red cell life span. There was a close positive relationship between the erythrocyte Se content and the activity of the erythrocyte GSHPx.- Although mammalian GSHPx has been shown to contain seleno-cysteine residues in polypeptide linkage, our knowledge about the Se requirements in man is still scarce.