cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A brief survey of oil spill weathering models

Abstract This chapter reviews traditional methods to characterize spilled oil and to model significant physical and chemical weathering processes that such oil will likely undergo. These processes include spreading, dispersion, oil–particle aggregation, emulsification, evaporation, dissolution, and photooxidation. However, important biologically influenced processes such as biodegradation and marine snow are not covered in this chapter as they are outside the expertise of the author. Excluded from this review for brevity are spills under special conditions such as spills in rivers, marshes, and, except for a minor aside, ice-infested waters. Useful precursor environmental models such as wave development and Langmuir processes are briefly summarized as these have a large impact on oil slick behavior. In recognition of the increased research effort springing from recent spills of international significance, the author includes a representative but not comprehensive discussion of resulting important new findings that may alter traditional ideas on spill weathering and behavior.
A Machine Learning Based Smart Contact-less pH Sensing and Classification

With the ever increasing world population, there is a critical need for healthy food resources. Fish are the most environmentally-friendly animal protein to produce, efficiently converting feed into meat while generating a fraction of the greenhouse gasses of livestock production. Therefore, fish farming is one of the most important fields for a sustainable future. Since there is no way for fishes in fish farming pools to migrate into healthier water, a key factor in this industry is to maintain the water quality in standard conditions. Out of different key measurements used to quantify water quality, pH is among the essentials. In this study a portable, cheap, non contact, reusable, and machine learning-based pH sensing system is introduced. This helps farmers to quantify the pH quality of their pools without spending significant amounts of money on measurement equipment. This work introduces a sensitive, non-invasive and reflection-based optical sensor along with an Autoencoder-ESN framework for pH sensing. Using the Autoencoder guarantees at least 5 percent better classification in comparison with simple Echo State Networks. Long lifetimes of the sensor along with high sensitivity of the machine learning algorithm makes this system valuable for local farmers.
The Prevalence of the Need for Esthetic Crown Lengthening in Post Orthodontically Treated Subjects

THE PREVALENCE OF THE NEED FOR ESTHETIC CROWN LENGTHENING IN POST ORTHODONTICALLY TREATED SUBJECTS By David C. Johnson, D.D.S. A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2004 Major Director: Thomas C. Waldrop, D.D.S., M.S. Professor, Program Director Graduate Periodontics The problem of excess gingival display is difficult to diagnose and treat. By studying one aspect of excess gingival display, namely the size relationships of the clinical crowns of teeth, we can begin to quantify reasonable goals of therapy. In this study, two hundred plaster models were used as subjects. These represented two hundred patients before and after orthodontic therapy. The six anterior teeth were measured for length and width and compared to known ideals. Teeth that did not meet ideal standards may require treatment. It was found that the mean tooth length after orthodontic therapy was approximately two millimeters shorter than ideal. The length of maxillary central incisors did not increase over the course of therapy. Eighty-five to ninety percent of maxillary central incisors exceeded allowable tooth width-to-length ratios. Twenty-nine to thirty percent of central incisors exceeded one hundred percent in their width-to-length ratio. Sixty-eight percent of patients displayed asymmetry in gingival architecture.
Regional Patterns of Political Preference in Russia: The December 1999 Duma Elections

Two specialists on the electoral geography of post-Soviet Russia analyze the spatial voting patterns of the December 1999 national parliamentary election (national party-list vote) in that country. Among the issues investigated are spatial variations in voter turnout, the geographic concentration/dispersion of voter support by party, and correlations between that support and selected demographic and socioeconomic variables. Particular attention is focused on the extent to which voting patterns mirrored those of previous electoral contests and were affected by the appearance of such new electoral coalitions as Fatherland–All Russia, Unity, and the Union of Right Forces. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: H10, O50, Z10. 13 figures, 5 tables, 27 references.
Future research directions for the wind turbine generator system

Abstract The headway of wind power generation is a great blessing to help meet up the electrical power demand day by day. The strongest challenges for wind energy conversion system (WECS) are to handle the intermittency of wind and to maintain the grid reliability. The power electronics and energy storage systems are essential elements of the WECS. This paper attempts to provide various new directions to the future wind energy researchers to improve the wind turbine aerodynamics, electric generators׳ configurations with improved control of power electronics and lower cost energy storage system for designing a reliable wind turbine generator system. This study will work as a guideline for the researchers to understand the development and requirement of a reliable and smart wind energy conversion system.
Mitochondrial longevity pathways

A cytosolic protein that translocates into the mitochondria may serve as an integration point for signaling pathways that control longevity and cell death.
Burning of a neonate due to a pulse oximeter: arterial saturation monitoring.

Monitoring of arterial hemoglobin saturations by pulse oximetry has become a fixture in neonatal and pediatric intensive care units, operating rooms, and in other hospital settings. Use with extremely premature neonates is especially beneficial because of their immature skin development and vulnerability to topical damage—whether due to chemicals, tape, or temperature.1,2 This report documents a case of a burn due to a presumed shorting of a pulse oximeter probe cable in an extremely premature neonate. CASE REPORT The patient was a 690-g Hispanic female neonate born prematurely at approximately 25 weeks9 gestation with respiratory distress syndrome requiring mechanical ventilation and supplemental oxygen.
Multiple molecular forms of uridine diphosphate glucose pyrophosphorylase from Salmonella typhimurium. II. Genetic determination of multiple forms.

Abstract Two genes were found to be involved in the synthesis of multiple forms of uridine diphosphate glucose pyrophosphorylase (EC 2.7.7.9) in Salmonella typhimurium. When one of them (galF) was deleted, all of the isozymic forms seen in the wild type extract (Enzymes II, IIIa, and IIIb) disappeared, and a single new form of the enzyme (Enzyme IV) was synthesized. When the other gene (galU) mutated to a "leaky" defective state, not only was the activity of Enzyme IV greatly reduced in the galF deletion strain but also the activities of Enzymes II, IIIa, and IIIb were very much diminished or undetectable in the strain containing the galF+ allele. Furthermore, strains containing another mutation in the galU gene produced a thermolabile Enzyme II in the presence of the galF+ allele. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that galU is a structural gene producing a polypeptide which is present in all the isozymic forms of UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase, and that the product specified by the galF gene modifies this polypeptide so that it is converted into Enzymes II, IIIa, and IIIb.
Mermaid During War

Beneath the bridge, a headless woman floats. Soldiers lean out to her, calling her name— Yemoja. Her throat sings mud up from the river. The soldiers without memory, without knowledge fall in. Their bodies drift close to her, hands reaching out. They touch her skin, press cheeks to her ribcage, if only to learn the rise and fall of breath.
Buying Voters with Dirty Money: The Relationship between Clientelism and Corruption

Abstract: Clientelism and corruption are often linked by conceptual similarities and by common causes. However, there have been few cross-national studies of how these forms of political behaviors are linked. Using data from a unique dataset on the perceived frequency of clientelist mobilization in 70 democracies, I demonstrate that both political experts and ordinary citizens perceive clientelist countries to have difficulties in controlling corruption. Clientelism is also associated with the level of corruption experienced by businesses in their interactions with government officials who set policy, distribute contracts, and raise funds for campaigns. However, it is not associated with the level of corruption firms have with non-political actors like utilities employees nor with the frequency government officials and policemen target citizens for bribes. The association of clientelism with grand corruption and not petty bribery suggests that not only may some forms of clientelism be corrupt in themselves, clientelism may generate incentives for other corrupt behaviors by influencing the need for funds to maintain clientelist machines.
Long pulse electron beam propagation

Propagation of a 1 μs electron beam over a distance of 90 m has been investigated in the EPOCH Laboratory at Sandia National Laboratories. The mode of propagation is Ion Focused Regime (IFR) transport. The plasma channel, which is required for IFR transport, is obtained by photoionization of trimethylamine gas with a krypton-fluoride laser. Beam voltage is 2.5 MV, and beam current is 1.1 kA. Propagation efficiencies better than 90% have been recorded. The ion hose instability is a key issue concerning long-pulse beam propagation. In previous work, growth of transverse beam oscillations (due to the ion hose instability) and moderate damping (due to phase-mixing) were measured in the first 6 m of beam propagation. Detailed displacement measurements in this region were used to determine the ion hose growth rate. [1,2] Damping of beam oscillations is accompanied by an increase in beam radius as measured from head-to-tail. This report describes extension of the previous work on ion hose in two areas: beam radius and beam displacement. A method which successfully reduced ion hose growth is also presented.
ECoG and perilymphatic fistulae: an experimental study in the guinea pig.

Perilymph fistulae present a diagnostic dilemma to the clinician. As yet, there is no readily available, widely accepted diagnostic test. Electrocochleography (ECoG), with the advent of extratympanic recording techniques, has become a clinically applicable probe of cochlear function. Clinical ECoG was used to study guinea pigs (n = 35) both before and after surgical fistulization (n = 18) or fistulization and repair (n = 17) of the round window membrane. The animals were killed, and histopathologic examination of the temporal bones was carried out 0, 1, 3, 4, 7, 10, 14, 21, and 28 days after surgery. Of the 33 animals that survived surgery, 30 demonstrated ECoG waveforms. No significant difference between the preoperative and postoperative waveforms could be detected. Histopathologic study showed rapid healing of the fistulae, with no evidence of hydrops. Although there appeared to be a relatively selective loss of the outer hair cells of the cochlear basal turn, autolysis precluded detailed analysis. ECo...
Aluminium and calcium transport interactions in intact roots and root plasmalemma vesicles from aluminium-sensitive and tolerant wheat cultivars

Recent research from our laboratory indicates that aluminium (Al) and calcium (Ca) transport interactions may play an important role in the mechanisms of Al phytotoxicity. In this study, we investigated the effects of Al on Ca2+ transport in intact roots of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars (Al-tolerant Atlas 66 and Al-sensitive Scout 66). We used both a vibrating Ca2+-microelectrode technique and 45Ca2+ to monitor Ca2+ influx in intact roots. Root apical Ca2+ uptake was immediately inhibited, when roots were exposed to Al levels that ultimately decreased root growth in Al-sensitive Scout 66. The Al-tolerant cultivar was able to resist this Al inhibition of Ca2+ uptake, and to resist Al inhibition of 45Ca2+ translocation from roots to shoots. We also studied Ca2+ transport in right-side out plasmalemma vesicles isolated from roots of Al-sensitive and tolerant wheat cultivars. Calcium influx into the vesicles was mediated by a voltage-gated Ca2+ channel. Aluminium blocks the Ca2+ channel equally well in the plasmalemma vesicles isolated from Al-sensitive and Al-tolerant wheat roots. The results indicate that the differential response observed in intact roots is not due to differences in Ca2+ channels. The Al-tolerant wheat cultivar may have an ability to reduce Al3+ activity in the rhizosphere, thus reducing the Al-inhibition of Ca2+ influx.
Naloxone can alter experimental pain and mood in humans

The present experiment investigated the possibility that endogenous opioids attenuate aversive experience in humans. Two experimental pain procedures—cold pressor pain, and ischemic pain produced by the submaximal effort tourniquet technique—were administered on each of 2 consecutive experimental days. Seven subjects received double-blind infusions of the opiate antagonist naloxone on Day 1 and saline on Day 2; for seven other subjects, the order was reversed. Based on earlier studies of exogenous opiate analgesics, the present experiment was designed to maximize subject anxiety and the “disturbingness” of the ischemic pain. Under these conditions, opiate receptor blockade significantly affected ratings and tolerance times for ischemic pain, anxiety, and mood. These results contrast with those of recent studies in which naloxone effects on experimental pain in humans were subtle or indiscernible, and suggest that psychological factors will have to be controlled and studied in the investigation of physiological bases of pain and other psychological states.
Conservation principles and variational problems

We show formally that integral conversation equations can be related directly to corresponding integral variational statements, without the usual appeal to the classical differential form and the associated smoothness assumptions.
Synthesis and identification of graft copolymers of wood pulp and styrene

Based on the graft copolymerization reactions of lignin and vinyl monomers, a series of graft copolymers of wood pulp and styrene (1-phenylethene) has been synthesized. The wood pulps used in this research are unbleached products produced by chemical, thermal, and mechanical pulping. All of them contain a high content of lignin (25–29 wt%). The grafting reaction is a free radical polymerization coinitiated by calcium chloride, hydrogen peroxide, and wood pulp in dimethylsulfoxide at 30°C. The effect of reaction temperature, reaction time, and the amount of the reactants on the conversion of monomer, yield of product, weight increase of pulp, and grafting efficiency of monomer has been studied. The grafted wood pulp was separated from homopolystyrene formed during the reaction by extraction of the reaction product with benzene in a Soxhlet apparatus for at least 48 h. The results show that after the reaction, the weight of all wood pulps was significantly increased and the weight increase of very high yield sodium bisulfite pulp (VHYS) was 333%. This proves that a part of the polymerized styrene was chemically bound to the wood pulp. The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra of the extracted products show absorbance peaks characteristic of both wood and polystyrene and, thus, provide strong proof of grafting. Grafting has completely changed the surface properties of the starting wood pulp from hydrophilic to hydrophobic, and under ordinary thermal compression conditions, thermoplastic composite objects of good uniformity can be made directly from reaction products which contain up to 52 wt% wood pulp.
Identification of PKC-isoform-specific biological actions using pharmacological approaches

The protein kinase C (PKC) family consists of at least 12 isoforms that possess distinct differences in structure, substrate requirement, expression and localization. To date, identification of the physiological function of individual PKC isoforms has been restricted by the availability of few agents that inhibit or activate the isoforms with specificity. More recent approaches that are used to modulate PKC isoforms include oligonucleotide antisense technology, and peptide fragments to either inhibit or promote translocation of PKC isoforms to specific anchoring proteins. In this review, several currently available inhibitors and activators of PKC that display varying degrees of selectivity for the PKC isoforms will be discussed.
Loehlin’s Original Models and Model Contributions

This is a short story about John C. Loehlin who is now at the University of Texas at Austin, dealing with his original simulation models and developments, which led to his current latent variable models. This talk was initially presented at a special meeting for John before the BGA in Rhode Island, and I was very pleased to contribute. It probably goes without saying, but John helped create this important society, has been a key contributor to this journal for several decades, and he deserves a lot for this leadership.
Sustaining cooperation in multi-hop wireless networks

Multi-hop wireless networks are vulnerable to free-riders because they require nodes to forward packets for each other. Deployed routing protocols ignore this issue while proposed solutions incorporate complicated mechanisms with the intent of making free-riding impossible. We present Catch, a protocol that falls between these extremes. It achieves nearly the low mechanism requirements of the former while imposing nearly as effective barriers to free-riding as the latter. Catch is made possible by novel techniques based on anonymous messages. These techniques enable cooperative nodes to detect nearby free-riders and disconnect them from the rest of the network. Catch has low overhead and is broadly applicable across routing protocols and traffic workloads. We evaluate it on an 802.11 wireless testbed as well as through simulation.
Sequence‐specific DNA binding by NIT4, the pathway‐specific regulatory protein that mediates nitrate induction in Neurospora

Summary The expression of the structural genes nit-3 and nit-6, which encode the nitrate assimilatory enzymes nitrate reductase and nitrite reductase, respectively, is highly regulated by the global-acting NIT2 regulatory protein. These structural genes are also controlled by nitrogen catabolite repression and by specific induction via nitrate. A pathway-specific regulatory protein, NIT4, appears to mediate nitrate induction of nit-3 and of nit-6. The NIT4 protein, composed of 1090 amino acids, contains a putative GAL4-like Cys-6 zinc cluster DNA-binding motif, which is joined by a short segment to a stretch of amino acids that appear to constitute a coiled-coil dimerization domain. Chemical crosslinking studies demonstrated that a truncated form of NIT4 forms homodimers. Mobility-shift and DNA-footprinting experiments have identified two NIT4-binding sites of significantly different strengths in the promoter region of the nit-3 gene. The stronger binding site contains a symmetrical octameric sequence, TCCGCGGA, whereas the weaker site has a related sequence. Sequences related to this palindromic element can be found upstream of the nit-6 gene.
Autonomous operation and maintenance of small-scale PVRO systems for remote communities

AbstractSolar-powered reverse osmosis desalination (Photovoltaic-powered reverse osmosis [PVRO]) is a technically feasible method of providing fresh water to many remote communities with saline water sources. To be practical, these systems must be well operated and maintained by non-experts. Their productivity is a complex function of their locations, water chemistry and demand, and the solar radiation history at their locations, which is quite variable with time. A key aspect of the maintenance program is the cleaning of the reverse osmosis (RO) membranes, including system flushing and chemical cleaning. Guidelines for cleaning from membrane manufacturers do not consider the complex, variable operating conditions for these small solar-powered systems. Local operators do not have the expertise to determine how and when cleaning should be done. While cleaning will generally improve clean water production, it is costly, requires the system to be shut down, and uses some of the clean water produced. Here, si...
Mechanism of intestinal-derived fungal sepsis by gliotoxin, a fungal metabolite.

Abstract Background/Purpose : Gut barrier dysfunction resulting from fungal overgrowth may be caused by the interaction of gliotoxin (GT), a fungal metabolite, with enterocytes. The goal of this study was to determine the mechanisms by which gliotoxin (GT), a fungal metabolite, causes enterocyte apoptosis. Methods : The authors measured enterocyte apoptosis, caspase-3 activity, pro-caspase-3, and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) cleavage in GT-exposed IEC-6 cells, a rat intestinal cell line. Results : GT induced apoptosis in IEC-6 cells. The pan-caspase inhibitor ZVAD suppressed this GT-mediated apoptosis. GT induced a 15-fold increase in caspase-3 activity over media control. The authors detected PARP cleavage by after GT exposure. DTT pretreatment decreased apoptosis compared with GT alone. Conclusions : This study supports the concept that fungal overgrowth may lead to gut barrier dysfunction by the local release of gliotoxin and the induction enterocyte apoptosis.
Kinetics of tire derived fuel (TDF) char oxidation and accompanying changes in surface area

Abstract The oxidation behavior of tire-derived fuel (TDF) char has recently been studied by several groups. In the present study, TDF char oxidation has been examined between 670 and 825 K, at oxygen partial pressures ranging from 2 to 19.8 kPa. The order of reaction with respect to oxygen varied with burnoff, and was in the range 0.72–0.86. The activation energy of reaction ranged with burnoff from 138 to 150 kJ/mol. The reaction rate does not correlate well with BET surface area, but did correlate well with the surface area in pores ranging in size from 1.2 to roughly 7 nm in width. Pores smaller than 1.2 nm exist in the char, but appear not to be used or developed by the oxidation reaction. Results for chars that have been acid washed to remove some inorganic matter show lowered reactivity, and a distinctly different pattern of pore development with burnoff. This is, in turn, reflected in a very different pattern of reactivity change with burnoff for such materials.
On books that popularize science

I found David Stern's review of Bill Brysonapos;s book, A Short History of Nearly Everything (Eos, 86(20), 198, 17 May 2005), rather disturbing, for it raised a question that has been bothering me for some time. Stern has high praise for the book but comments that “in the few instances where this reviewer knew the facts, they did not always jibe with the text.” He goes on to point out factual errors regarding rather basic information that anyone should be able to obtain from standard references.
Photosensitization of nanocrystalline TiO2 thin films by a polyimide bearing pendent substituted-Ru(bpy)3+2groups

Abstract Under visible illumination, a thin film of nanocrystalline TiO 2 coated with an adsorbed substituted-Ru(bpy) 3 +2 -labeled polyimide 1 produces a sensitized photocurrent when spin-coated on a conductive ITO support. The magnitude of the observed anodic photocurrent defines the efficiency of charge injection from the adsorbed dye to the nanoparticle and of interparticulate electron hopping to the conductive support. Power characteristics and photocatalytic activity of the sensitized film have been investigated. Laser flash photolysis at different applied potentials produces transient absorption spectra that have been analyzed as multicomponent charge injections. Lifetime measurements permit a characterization of the efficiency of electron migration across the semiconductor film. The polymeric dye is also shown to be an effective photosensitizer in inducing the catalytic oxidative decomposition of methylene blue.
Environmentalism Unbound: Reconnecting and Re-Envisioning Movements for Change

Disputes over environmental discourse have generated divergent pathways and discordant messages over the last three decades. An examination of them becomes a study of environmentalism s roots. The workplace is shown as a hidden and often discounted arena of debate about what constitutes an environmental issue. The triumph of the productionist and limitless consumption views helped to establish a focus on environmental change as a form of consumer action. Since the 1970s though, new forms of environmental discourse and action both community- and production-related have sought to shift the terrain. The possibility of becoming a broader, more socially inclusive movement capable of challenging the very structure and logic of capitalist social order is possible again, including the ability to identify new strategies for action. Overcoming the work/environment divide is perhaps the most contentious question facing the future of the environmental and labor movements. New approaches, including developing a community of interests, revaluing work, and developing an ethic of place (with urban, industrial, and global forms), require that the social and the ecological become joined in the construction of a common vision. When any environmental issue can be seen as socially determined, then environmentalism s great task will be to see itself as a primary agent of social change.
CT and ultrasound features of metanephric adenoma in adults with pathologic correlation.

Purpose: The purpose of this work was to correlate the CT, ultrasound, and pathologic features of metanephric adenoma, a rare benign renal tumor in adults. Method: Retrospective review of medical records (1990-1997) revealed three adult female patients who had both preoperative imaging and nephrectomy with pathologic diagnosis of metanephric adenoma performed at our institution. CT (n = 3) and ultrasound (n = 2) features were reviewed in consensus by two radiologists and correlated with pathologic findings. Results: In all three cases, the metanephric adenoma was of increased attenuation relative to adjacent renal parenchyma on unenhanced CT scans. No septa or calcifications were seen. Ultrasound images showed both tumors to be hyperechoic with enhanced through-transmission. Conclusion: The CT and ultrasound findings correlate with the pathologic features of a high nuclear-to-cytoplasmic ratio and psammomatous calcifications. In the adult population, it is unlikely that metanephric adenoma can be prospectively differentiated from renal cell carcinoma based on imaging features.
Ultra wideband 3-D tracking of multiple tags for indoor positioning in medical applications requiring millimeter accuracy

Ultra wideband (UWB) wireless positioning systems are robust for use in indoor environments where multipath is a factor. Indoor hospital environments including the operating room provide a challenging medium for wireless propagation. Medical applications for UWB positioning include tracking people and assets as well as computer assisted surgery. Our UWB positioning system can achieve real-time 3-D millimeter accuracy. Simultaneous tracking of multiple tags has been added to our system by designing an integrated tag, incorporating a squaring receiver, and careful real-time digital synchronization of the incoming data. Both static and dynamic experiments have been performed in 3-D. The 3-D dynamic experiment shows that a standalone integrated tag utilizing a high phase noise voltage controlled oscillator can still be tracked within 6.53 mm of 3-D real-time root mean square error. A static reference tag helps in mitigating errors due to receiver clock jitter and drift since these errors are consistent across all tags.
Necrotizing infection of scrotum.

Abstract Necrotizing infection of the scrotum (Fournier gangrene) rapidly spreads to adjacent skin with fever and toxemia and is life-threatening. Subcutaneous gas and a foul-smelling wet discharge from the skin are usually present. The infection is not cured with antibiotic therapy alone and requires immediate extensive debridement of all necrotic tissue. Repeated debridement each several days under general anesthesia is necessary until healthy granulation is present in the wound. Reconstruction with skin flaps or skin grafts shortens hospitalization and prevents the dense scar tissue and immobility of the testes that can occur with spontaneous epithelization.
Establishing a germ cell origin for metastatic tumors using OCT4 immunohistochemistry.

BACKGROUND There are diverse morphologic manifestations of metastatic tumors. The determination of tumor origin is critical for patient management, and it is especially important when the differential diagnosis includes metastatic germ cell tumor, which is a highly treatable condition. OCT4 is a nuclear transcription factor that is expressed in pluripotent embryonic germ cells. In this study, the author sought to determine the usefulness of OCT4 immunohistochemistry in the diagnosis of metastatic germ cell tumors. METHODS. Sixty-two retroperitoneal lymph node dissection specimens from patients with histories of testicular germ cell tumors were stained using the antibodies against OCT4. In addition, 84 metastatic, nongerm cell lesions from men with known primary tumors were studied in parallel for OCT4 immunohistochemistry. RESULTS. All embryonal carcinoma components (n = 29 specimens) and seminoma components (n = 18 specimens) from retroperitoneal lymph node dissection specimens showed strong, intense, diffuse nuclear staining for OCT4. Yolk sac tumors (n = 12 tumors), choriocarcinomas (n = 4 tumors), mature teratomas (n = 16 tumors), and primitive neuroectodermal tumors (n = 5 tumors) were negative for OCT4 staining. Metastatic, nonsmall cell carcinomas from the lung (n = 14 tumors), colon (n = 12 tumors), stomach (n = 5 tumors), pancreas (n = 7 tumors), prostate (n = 12 tumors), kidney (n = 3 tumors), and urinary bladder (n = 15 tumors) all were found to be negative immunohistochemically for OCT4, as were metastatic small cell carcinomas (n = 4 tumors) and metastatic melanomas (n = 7 tumors). In addition, malignant lymphomas (n = 5 tumors) also were negative for OCT4. CONCLUSIONS. Immunohistochemical detection of OCT4 is highly sensitive and specific for the diagnosis of seminoma and embryonal carcinoma metastatic from the testis. Establishing germ cell origin for metastatic tumors has important implications for assessing patient prognosis and treatment options. Cancer 2004 © 2004 American Cancer Society.
Abstract 460: The role of Cdc42 in cancer cell perineural invasion

Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL Perineural invasion (PNI) is the ability of cancer cells to invade in, around, and along nerves. PNI is widely recognized as an adverse pathologic feature of many malignancies. Glial-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) is secreted by nerve and glial cells, and is important in neural development. We previously showed that GDNF activation of the RET/GFR-alpha tyrosine kinase in cancer cells induces chemotaxis towards nerves and PNI. Cdc42 is a member of the Rho family of G proteins and a key regulator of cell polarity. We demonstrate here that GDNF-mediated activation of RET/GFR-alpha leads to activation of Cdc42 as a mediator of cancer cell chemotaxis and PNI. Exposure of MiaPaCa2 cells to GDNF or dorsal root ganglia (DRG) activates Cdc42. SiRNA inhibition of Cdc42 impairs MiaPaCa2 chemotaxis towards GDNF or DRG in Boyden chamber assays. SiRNA inhibition of RET decreases Cdc42 activity under GDNF stimulation and MiaPaCa2 chemotaxis. To study dynamic interactions between nerves and cancer cells in vitro, we used a DRG and cancer cell co-culture model of PNI in matrigel. Analysis of individual cell trajectories reveals that cell velocity remains unchanged, while directional migration is disrupted with shRNA inhibition of Cdc42. The disruption of directional response impairs the ability of shRNA Cdc42 MiaPaCa2 cells to migrate along neurites, as visualized by time lapse microscopy and measured by area of PNI. MRI imaging of live mice with sciatic nerves injected with shRNA Cdc42 MiaPaCa2 cells reveals significantly diminished length and volume of PNI as compared with injected shRNA control cancer cells when matched for equivalent overall tumor volume. Murine sciatic nerves injected with shRNA Cdc42 MiaPaCa2 cells exhibited preserved hindlimb and hind paw neurologic function, and diminished perineural invasion by histopathologic examination as compared with shRNA control MiaPaCa2. To identify potential activators of Cdc42 in this model, we performed a comprehensive siRNA screen of guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs), identifying specific GEFs which are necessary for MiaPaCa2 migration towards DRG in Boyden chambers. We identified and validated six GEFs ([FLJ10521][1], DOCK9, ARHGEF7, RASGRF1, ARHGEF5, PLEKHG1) that impair chemotaxis without affecting proliferation. These findings provide novel insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying cancer cell perineural invasion. The RET-GEF-Cdc42 axis may be an attractive target for novel therapies that may potentially interrupt perineural invasion. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 460. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-460 [1]: /lookup/external-ref?link_type=GENPEPT&access_num=FLJ10521&atom=%2Fcanres%2F72%2F8_Supplement%2F460.atom
Ethical Aspects of Animal to Human Xenografts.

minimizing the potential threat to the public health. In addition, a number of federal agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, and Health Resources Services Administration, and a number of professional societies are interested in a study of the issues raised by xenotransplantation. The IOM workshop will be held on June 25 to 27, 1995. The success of transplantation in treating life-threatening organ failure has exceeded the supply of human organs, despite concerted efforts by many organizations to recruit donors. The need to turn to nonhuman animals for organs raises a host of complex ethical, social, and scientific issues that must be considered by all those contemplating working in this difficult area. Many of these issues are dealt with in this first edition of ILAR Journal and will be further addressed by the IOM workshop. Clearly, with issues as complicated as these, there will be ongoing discussion for a number of years.
Software techniques to improve data reliability in superconductor and low-resistance measurements

Software techniques have been developed to take low-amplitude data in various patterns, assign a figure of merit to a set of data readings, edit data for erroneous readings (or other experimental variations), and to alert the experimenter if the detected errors are beyond the scope of the software. Erroneous voltage readings from digital voltmeters, intermittent electrical connections, and an array of similar variations in data have been detected through the use of a data editor. The fixed-limit data editor removes readings that are inconsistent with the distribution of the majority of the data readings. The frequency of erroneous readings from a particular digital voltmeter ranges from 1 error per 100 000 readings to 1 error per 100 readings. The magnitude of the error can be as large as 3% of full scale with a zero volt input to the voltmeter. It may be necessary to have multiple meters measuring voltages in the same circuit in order to generate these erroneous readings. The software techniques described here have been used in a variety of measurements, such as resistance-versus-temperature measurements made on cryoconductors or superconductors, and voltage-versus-current measurements made on superconductors to determine the critical current.
Optimization as a technique for studying population genetics equations

We use methods from dynamic optimization to study the possible behavior of simple population genetic models. These methods can be used, at least conceptually, to determine limits to the behavior of optimization algorithms based on genetic equations.
Cyclosporine Nephrotoxicity: Pathogenesis, Prophylaxis, Therapy, and Prognosis

Although cyclosporine (CsA) therapy has improved the outcome of allotransplantation, drug-induced nephrotoxicity presents a potentially serious complication in a significant proportion of patients. The nephrotoxic injury, which may present acutely in the peritransplant period, subacutely in the first few months, or chronically, may be caused by toxic effects at various levels of the nephron: arteriole, glomerulus, and/or proximal tubule. The nephrotoxic picture of decreased glomerular filtration rate, impaired urea secretion, hyperkalemia, hypertension, and tubular dysfunction with preserved sodium reabsorption occurs not only in the renal allotransplant setting, wherein it obscures the diagnosis of rejection, but also in recipients of other grafts and patients under treatment for autoimmune disease. Because conversion from CsA to other immunosuppressive agents carries a high risk of rejection and allograft loss (or recrudescence of autoimmune disease), the present management strategy uses cautious CsA dose reduction with concomitant institution of full-dose azathioprine (Aza) therapy. Definition of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties that predict patients at risk for nephrotoxic complications may lead to new CsA dosing regimens yielding an improved therapeutic index.
Differential Roles of Thought Suppression and Dispositional Mindfulness in Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms and Craving

Exposure to traumatic events often results in severe distress which may elicit self-medication behaviors. Yet, some individuals exposed to trauma do not develop post-traumatic stress symptoms and comorbid addictive impulses. In the wake of traumatic events, psychological processes like thought suppression and mindfulness may modulate post-traumatic stress and craving for substances. We examined the differential roles of mindfulness and suppression in comorbid post-traumatic stress and craving among a sample of 125 persons with extensive trauma histories and psychiatric symptoms in residential treatment for substance dependence. Results indicated that thought suppression, rather than extent of trauma history, significantly predicted post-traumatic stress symptom severity while dispositional mindfulness significantly predicted both post-traumatic stress symptoms and craving. In multiple regression models, mindfulness and thought suppression combined explained nearly half of the variance in post-traumatic stress symptoms and one-quarter of the variance in substance craving. Moreover, multivariate path analysis indicated that prior traumatic experience was associated with greater thought suppression, which in turn was correlated with increased post-traumatic stress symptoms and drug craving, whereas dispositional mindfulness was associated with decreased suppression, post-traumatic stress, and craving. The maladaptive strategy of thought suppression appears to be linked with adverse psychological consequences of traumatic life events. In contrast, dispositional mindfulness appears to be a protective factor that buffers individuals from experiencing more severe post-traumatic stress symptoms and craving.
A program evaluation of classroom data collection with bar codes

Abstract A technology incorporating bar code symbols and hand-held optical scanners was evaluated for its utility for routine data collection in a special education classroom. A different bar code symbol was created for each individualized Educational Plan objective, each type of response occurrence, and each student in the first author's classroom. These symbols were organized by activity and printed as data sheets. The teacher and paraprofessionals scanned relevant codes with scanners when the students emitted targeted behaviors. The codes, dates, and approximate times of the scans were retained in the scanner's electronic memory until they could be transferred by communication software to a computer file. The data from the computer file were organized weekly into a printed report of student performance using a program written with commercially available database software. Advantages, disadvantages, and costs of using the system are discussed.
Stability and electronic structure of CdSe nanorods from first principles

An ab initio computational study was performed for wurtzite CdSe nanorods over a range of diameters and cross-sectional topologies as a function of the types of terminating surface facets. Calculations show that hexagonal cross sections containing surface atoms with one dangling bond are highly stable, possessing a large electronic band gap and exhibiting minimal surface reorientation. It is also shown that the total energy of a nanorod of arbitrary size can be approximated by an algebraic expression based on ab initio bulk, surface, and edge energies.
Nursing Staff Members’ Assessments of Pain in Cognitively Impaired Nursing Home Residents

Our aim was to assess the reliability and validity of nursing staff members' assessments of pain in cognitively impaired nursing home residents. Participants were 57 cognitively impaired nursing home residents and 52 nursing staff members. Twenty-eight residents had mild/moderate cognitive impairment and 29 were severely impaired. Nursing staff members were asked to evaluate their patients' pain using 2 scales: the Nurse Global Scale of pain (NGS) and the Present Pain Inventory (PPI). Independent measures of pain were obtained from patient interviews, physician assessments, and from the Minimum Data Set (MDS) items; these were used to measure validity of the nursing staff's perception of pain. Test-retest and inter-rater reliabilities were also computed. Significant correlations were obtained between most of the physician-derived measures and the PPI for the moderately impaired group, but not for the severely impaired group. Both measures of nursing assistants' pain assessments correlated significantly with MDS-based measures; these correlations were higher for the less cognitively impaired group. Finally, the PPI correlated significantly and positively with resident-derived measures for those with moderate rather than severe cognitive impairment. Nursing staff members' ratings of pain were correlated with residents' level of cognitive functioning and with intake of pain medication. The results underscore the difficulty in assessing pain in those with severe cognitive impairment.
Doing Money Work in a Door-to-Door Sales Organization

Previous sociological accounts of money have focused on meanings that attach to types of money but have given insufficient attention to how these meanings arise out of and are sustained by their use in interpersonal interactions. In this case study of a door-to-door sales company, we use a “cultural toolkit” conception of money meanings to show how managers and salespersons draw on these meanings to get things done. We examine how money meanings are used in three settings: (1) the salesperson–sales prospect interaction, wherein the presentation of self takes center stage, (2) the managerial relationship between the salesperson and his or her manager, and (3) salespersons' time “between doors,” when they attempt to make sense of their situation and motivate themselves to continue. We show how money work is used for persuasion, worker control, decision making, and impression management.
Long-term trends in the incidence of distal forearm fractures.

In this population-based descriptive study covering the 50-year period, 1945-94, there was a statistically significant increase in distal forearm fractures due to severe trauma in both women and men (p < 0.001) but no secular increase in fractures due to moderate trauma (approximately osteoporosis). Since fractures attributed to severe trauma comprised a greater proportion of the total in men (52%) than women (21%), an overall doubling of age-adjusted forearm fracture incidence in men between 1945 and 1994 was statistically significant (p < 0.001), but the 7% increase in age-adjusted rates among women was not (p = 0.90). While the epidemiological pattern of distal forearm fracture incidence in Rochester was similar to that seen elsewhere, the overall incidence rate of 287.4 per 100,000 person-years (95% CI 267.7-307.1) in 1985-94 was less than current rates in Sweden, presumably because the great increase in distal forearm fracture incidence seen, for example, in Malmo between 1953-57 and 1980-81 was not observed in Rochester. The trends in distal forearm fracture rates in Rochester men and women over the past 50 years are broadly consistent with trends in hip fracture incidence in this community over the same time span.
Coronary heart disease mortality for six ethnic groups in California, 1990–2000

PURPOSE: To investigate ethnic variations in coronary heart disease death in California, the authors examined total and CHD-specific mortality among non-Hispanic white (white), Hispanic, non-Hispanic black (black), Chinese, Japanese, and Asian Indian Americans. Deaths were identified in the California Mortality Database and population information was derived from the 1990 and 2000 censuses. METHODS: Age-standardized death rates per 100,000 population were calculated for ages 25 to 84 years from 1990 to 2000. Proportional mortality ratios (PMRs) for each sex and age group were calculated by dividing the proportion of deaths due to CHD in each ethnic group by the proportion of deaths due to CHD in the total population. RESULTS: Blacks had the highest all-cause age-standardized death rates among men (1614) and women (1014). Blacks had the highest CHD death rates among men (272) and women (190). PMRs for CHD were highest in Asian Indian men (161) and women (144), reflective of the higher percentage of CHD deaths compared with all cause deaths in this group. All sex-ethnic groups showed a decline in all cause and CHD mortality compared with the period between 1985 and 1990, except Asian Indian women, who experienced a 16% increase in all cause mortality and 5% increase in CHD mortality. CONCLUSIONS: There is considerable heterogeneity in CHD mortality among ethnic subgroups, and additional research is needed to guide treatment and prevention efforts. Blacks and Asian Indians in California are identified as particularly high risk populations.
Full-field diffraction particle sizing

A particle-sizing technique that retrieves the size of particles by analysis of the far-field diffraction pattern their images produce has been developed. The technique consists of capturing images of particles, interrogating the images, and inverting the resulting data to yield particle-size distributions.The technique acquires spatially resolved size information that is especially useful in analyzing transient sprays. Dense groups of particles do not appear to hinder the performance of the technique.The technique is implemented to study diesel sprays. Both detailed spatially resolved size information and general size trends are obtained.