cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT

AbstractThe management of radioactive waste is a very important part of the nuclear industry. The future of the nuclear power industry depends to a large extent on the successful solution of the perceived or real problems associated with the disposal of both low-level waste (LL W) and high-level waste (HL W). All the activities surrounding the management of radioactive waste are reviewed. The federal government and the individual states are working toward the implementation of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act and the Low-Level Waste Policy Act. The two congressional acts are reviewed and progress made as of early 1990 is presented. Spentfuel storage and transportation are discussed in detail as are the concepts of repositories for HL W. The status of state compacts for LL W is also discussed. Finally, activities related to the decommissioning of nuclear facilities are also described.
“Now That Mom Is in the Lord's Arms, I Just Have to Live the Way She Taught Me”

Abstract This article reports findings from an exploratory, qualitative study of African American, middle-aged daughters' responses to the death of their elderly mothers. Particular attention was given to the coping strategies described by daughters in their bereavement experience. In-depth, open-ended interviews were conducted with 30 African American women ranging in age from 39 to 68 whose elderly mothers were 65 years of age or older and widowed at the time of death. Results indicate that themes of reciprocity, family continuity and cognitive strategies framing an elderly mother's death as an important loss to family-community are important aspects of coping and life restructuring processes for these women. The implications of these findings for social work and future research are also discussed.
Enron, Watergate and the Regulation of the Legal Profession

The most famous scandal of the twentieth century was the Watergate scandal, which most notably led to the resignation of Richard Nixon as President of the United States. The significance of Watergate, however, extends further than the resignation of Nixon. Because Watergate involved so many lawyers, it had a great impact on the regulation of the legal profession. Although the twenty-first century has just started, the strongest contender for this century's most famous scandal is the Enron scandal. Although the Enron scandal is identified mostly with misconduct by accountants and corporate officials, it too involved lawyers and has impacted on the regulation of the legal profession. Although the two scandals differ in that Watergate was a political scandal involving the misconduct of government officials, and Enron was a financial scandal involving misconduct of accountants and corporate officials, the issues involving lawyers are identical. Most significant to this symposium is that both scandals involve important issues concerning the role of an attorney for an organization when the attorney learns of information indicating misconduct by those working for and/or in charge of the attorney's organizational client. The purpose of this article is to discuss these issues as presented by the Watergate and Enron scandals, and to analyze how the responses by the legal profession and the federal government have impacted the regulation of the legal profession. The article will first discuss how issues involving the role of an attorney when representing an organizational client that has engaged in misconduct were central to the Watergate scandal. The article will then discuss reforms of the legal profession that were made in response to Watergate. These reforms were primarily the efforts of the legal profession itself. Next, the article will discuss the similarity of the Enron scandal to the Watergate scandal. Enron also involved issues of an attorney's role when representing an organizational client that has engaged in misconduct. As the article will discuss, the reform efforts in response to the Enron scandal differed from those in response to Watergate in that after Enron, the federal government through the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and various actions by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), sought to control various aspects of the regulation of the legal profession. As the article will demonstrate, the Enron scandal has brought forth changes that seriously challenge the traditional view of the legal profession as self-regulating.
Finding Boundaries in Natural Images: A New Method Using Point Descriptors and Area Completion

We develop an approach to image segmentation for natural scenes containing image texture. One general methodology which shows promise for solving this problem is to characterize textured regions via their responses to a set of filters. However, this approach brings with it many open questions, including how to combine texture and intensity information into a common descriptor and how to deal with the fact that filter responses inside textured regions are generally spatially inhomogeneous. Our goal in this paper is to introduce two new ideas which address these open questions and to demonstrate the application of these ideas to the segmentation of natural images. The first idea consists of a novel means of describing points in natural images and an associated distance function for comparing these descriptors. This distance function is aided in textured regions by the use of the second idea, a new process introduced here which we have termed area completion. Experimental segmentation results which incorporate our proposed approach into the Normalized Cut framework of Shi and Malik are provided for a variety of natural images.
Implementation of a Gaussian process-based machine learning grasp predictor

With the goal of advancing the state of automatic robotic grasping, we present a novel approach that combines machine learning techniques and physical validation on a robotic platform to develop a comprehensive grasp predictor. After collecting a large grasp sample set (522 grasps), we first conduct a statistical analysis of the predictive ability of grasp quality metrics that are commonly used in the robotics literature. We then apply principal component analysis and Gaussian process (GP) algorithms on the grasp metrics that are discriminative to build a classifier, validate its performance, and compare the results to existing grasp planners. The key findings are as follows: (i) several of the existing grasp metrics are weak predictors of grasp quality when implemented on a robotic platform; (ii) the GP-based classifier significantly improves grasp prediction by combining multiple grasp metrics to increase true positive classification at low false positive rates; (iii) The GP classifier can be used generate new grasps to improve bad grasp samples by performing a local search to find neighboring grasps which have improved contact points and higher success rate.
Fan-complete graph Ramsey numbers

It is shown that if G and H are arbitrary fixed graphs and n is sufficiently large, then , where k = χ(G) and m = |V(H)|. Also, we prove that for any forest ??? whose largest component has m edges. Thus , where . We conjecture that . © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
What does that Picture Sound Like to You? Oculomotor Evidence for Phonological Competition in Visual Search.

Consider an experiment wherein, on each trial, you are shown a picture of some object (e.g., a hammer) as a visual search target, and then must find an image of a hammer against a background of oth...
Application of a liquid-phase sintering technique in the manufacture of a less toxic, composite bird shot☆

Abstract The problem of lead poisoning among bottom feeding waterfowl is outlined. A programme for the development of an alternative, non-toxic shot material is described. Power metallurgical techniques were used to prepare composite pellets consisting predominantly of iron and lead. These shot proved to be significantly less toxic than the mere reduction in lead content would indicate. The reduction in toxicity apparently occurs through fixation of lead by iron oxide, formed by corrosion of the iron component of the shot pellets.
Severe wear and tooth loss in wild ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta): A function of feeding ecology, dental structure, and individual life history

Abstract The ring-tailed lemurs at Beza Mahafaly Special Reserve, Madagascar, exhibit a high frequency of severe wear and antemortem tooth loss. As part of a long-term study, we collected dental data on 83 living adult ring-tailed lemurs during 2003 and 2004. Among these individuals, 192 teeth were scored as absent. The most frequently missing tooth position is M1 (24%). As M1 is the first tooth to erupt, its high frequency of absence (primarily a result of wear) is not remarkable. However, the remaining pattern of tooth loss does not correlate with the sequence of eruption. We suggest that this pattern is a function of 1) feeding ecology, as hard, tough tamarind fruit is a key fallback food of ring-tailed lemurs living in gallery forests; 2) food processing, as tamarind fruit is primarily processed in the P3–M1 region of the mouth; and 3) tooth structure, as ring-tailed lemurs possess thin dental enamel. The incongruity between thin enamel and use of a hard, tough fallback food suggests that ring-tailed lemurs living in riverine gallery forests may rely on resources not used in the past. When comparing dental health in the same individuals (n = 50) between 2003 and 2004, we found that individual tooth loss can show a rapid increase over the span of one year, increasing by as much as 20%. Despite this rapid loss, individuals are able to survive, sometimes benefiting from unintentional assistance from conspecifics, from which partially processed tamarind fruit is obtained. Although less frequent in this population, these longitudinal data also illustrate that ring-tailed lemurs lose teeth due to damage and disease, similar to other nonhuman primates. The relationship between tooth loss, feeding ecology, dental structure, and individual life history in this population has implications for interpreting behavior based on tooth loss in the hominid fossil record.
The Acquisition of Anaphora by Simple Recurrent Networks

This article applies Simple Recurrent Networks (SRNs; Elman 1991, 1993) to the task of assigning an interpretation to reflexive and pronominal anaphora. This task demands more refined sensitivity to syntactic structure than has been previously explored. Measured quantitatively, SRNs perform quite well. However, the way in which they achieve such performance diverges in key respects from the target grammar: (i) linear N-V-reflexive/pronoun sequences affect the SRN's interpretations, even without a relevant structural relation, yielding errors unlike those made by humans; (ii) the SRN's representations distinguish sentence types, inhibiting structural generalization; (iii) the SRN's knowledge of the conditions on anaphoric dependencies fails to generalize to novel lexical items. These results have important consequences not only for the viability of SRNs as models of language learning but also for the systematicity of generalization in neural networks (Hadley 1994; Marcus 1998).
A lens of many facets. Science through a family's eyes.

ABSTRACT This essay argues for the relevance of the history of family life to the history of science, taking the example of the Exners of Vienna. The Exners were an influential case of the nineteenth‐century European phenomenon of the “scientific dynasty.” The focus here is on their collaborative research on color theory at the turn of the twentieth century. At first glance, this project looks like a reactionary strike against aesthetic innovation, a symptom of what historians assume was an unbridgeable gulf between scientific reason and artistic modernism. We can better understand the Exners’ motivations by situating this research at the intersection of the family's public and private lives. The domestic context sheds light on their use of such scientific terms as “subjective,” “normal,” and “universal,” providing a more nuanced sense of what rationality really meant in fin‐de‐siecle Vienna.
A malonic acid ester derivative of naringin in grapefruit

Abstract A malonic acid ester derivative of the flavanone naringin was abundant in the young leaves and fruits of grapefruit plants, but not in the mature leaves and fruits. After isolation, the structure of this compound was established as naringin 6″-malonate (naringenin 72″- O -α- l -rhamnosyl)-β- d -glucoside 6″-malonate).
Deweyan integration: moving beyond place attachment in elderly migration theory.

The fact that aging-in-place and elderly migration are intricately linked has been overlooked by behavioral approaches to elderly migration. “Humanistic” inquiry has provided important insights into aging-in-place and elderly migration as well as the connection between the two. Humanistic approaches, however, do not encapsulate the full range of experience involved in elders' lives. To move beyond humanistic research and key concepts such as place attachment, the philosophy of John Dewey is introduced. Dewey's viewpoint is merged with the geographical concept of place into what is termed “place integration.” This perspective is subsequently compared with humanistic perspectives on aging-in-place and elderly migration decision-making. Fundamental differences such as temporal orientation and substantive focus are illustrated and discussed. Conclusions address the utility of such a perspective.
Effects of S-containing ligands on the structure and electronic properties of CdnSen/CdnTen nanoparticles (n = 3, 4, 6, and 9)

Abstract To understand ligand capping effects on the structure and electronic properties of Cd n X n (X = Se, Te; n = 3, 4, 6, and 9) species, we performed density functional theory studies of SCH 2 COOH–, SCH 2 CH 2 CO 2 H–, and SCH 2 CH 2 NH 2 –capped nanoparticles. Cd n X n capping with all three capping groups was found to produce significant NP distortions. All three ligands destabilize the NP HOMOs and either stabilize or destabilize their LUMOs, leading to closure of the HOMO/LUMO gaps for all of the capped species, because the HOMO destabilization effect is generally large than the LUMO destabilization effect. The calculated absorption spectra of bare and capped NPs, exemplified by Cd n X n with n = 4 and 6, show that all capping groups cause noticeable red shifts for n = 4 and mostly blue shifts for n = 6.
Systematic targeted integration to study Albumin gene control elements.

To study transcriptional regulation by distant enhancers, we devised a system of easilymodified reporter plasmids for integration into single-copy targeting cassettes in clones of HuH7, a human hepatocellular carcinoma. The plasmid constructs tested transcriptional function of a 35-kb region that contained the rat albumin gene and its upstream flanking region. Expression of integrants was analyzed in two orientations, and compared to transient expression of non-integrated plasmids. Enhancers were studied in their natural positions relative to the promoter and localizedby deletion. All constructs were also analyzed by transient transfection assays. In addition to the known albumin gene enhancer (E1 at −10 kb), we demonstrated two new enhancers, E2 at −13, and E4 at +1.2 kb. All three enhancers functioned in both transient assays and integrated constructs. However, chromosomal integration demonstrated several differences from transient expression. For example, analysis of E2 showed that enhancer function within the chromosome required a larger gene region than in transient assays. Another conserved region, E3 at −0.7 kb, functioned as an enhancer in transient assays but inhibited the function of E1 and E2 when chromosomally integrated. The enhancers did not show additive or synergistic behavior,an effect consistent with competition for the promoter or inhibitory interactions among enhancers. Growth arrest by serum starvation strongly stimulated the function of some integrated enhancers, consistent with the expected disruption of enhancer-promoter looping during the cell cycle.
The impact of minimum goals and aspirations on judgments of success in negotiations

Experiment 1 examined the impact of minimum goals and aspiration values on feelings of success. Negotiators with low minimum goals felt more successful than did those with higher minimum goals, even though their final settlements were identical. Furthermore, negotiators with low aspirations felt more successful than did negotiators with higher aspirations, even though the final settlement was identical. Experiment 2 examined the relative impact of minimum goals and aspirations and found that aspirations influenced negotiators' perceptions of success more than did minimum goals. Experiment 3 examined how goals affected the demands negotiators made to their opponents. Negotiators with low minimum goals and high aspirations demanded more from their opponents than did negotiators with high minimum goals and low aspirations. In general, aspirations, as compared to minimum goals, exerted a more powerful influence on the demands people made to others in negotiations and how successful they felt about negotiated outcomes.
PILLING OF SWEATSHIRTS THAT ARE A 50/50 BLEND OF POLYESTER AND COTTON

Good correlations were found between the pill ratings by the random tumble pill tester method and the wear performance of sweatshirts. Pilling during the wear tests was determined for three areas o...
Generation, Characterization, and Reactivity of the Transition Metal−o-Benzyne Analog of Pyrazine (Fe+−2,3-Didehydropyrazine) in the Gas Phase: An Experimental and Theoretical Study

Fe+−2,3-didehydropyrazine (2) has been generated and its reactivity with simple olefins and alkynes studied by using Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) mass spectrometry. 2, which is prepared by dehalogenation of chloropyrazine by Fe+, undergoes a simple adduct formation (no ligand coupling) with ethene and ethene-d4. Ethyne also yields adduct formation; however, ligand coupling has clearly occurred in this reaction. Interestingly, reactions with propene and isobutene yield the same products with similar product distributions. Again, ligand coupling is involved and a metal-centered mechanism featuring activation of the allylic carbon−hydrogen bonds is proposed. Propyne, allene, 1-butene, and cis-2-butene yield a variety of products with 2. However, 2 yields exclusive dehydrogenation with 1,3-butadiene to generate FeC8H6N2+. CID results suggest that this FeC8H6N2+ ion consists of quinoxaline bound to Fe+. Ligand displacement reactions yield a bond dissociation energy of 47 ± 5 kcal/mol for D...
Long-lived states in solution NMR: selection rules for intramolecular dipolar relaxation in low magnetic fields.

Abstract Recent work has shown that singlet states of two-spin systems in low magnetic fields can have lifetimes up to an order of magnitude longer than the usual spin–lattice relaxation time. This result may enable new applications of NMR, and in particular hyperpolarized NMR via parahydrogen-induced polarization, to the study of slow processes that take place over previously inaccessible timescales. At present it is unclear whether similar results apply to multi-spin systems, or if these long lifetimes are a peculiarity of the two-spin case. Moderately long-lived states have been observed in systems containing more than two spins, although the mechanisms that prolong their lifetimes are not well understood. Here we present formalism for the study of relaxation in multi-spin systems in low magnetic fields. This approach is used to derive a family of quantum-mechanical selection rules governing intramolecular dipolar relaxation at low field that may account for the extended lifetimes observed in multi-spin systems.
Reliable bonding using indium-based solders

Low temperature bonding techniques with high bond strengths and reliability are required for the fabrication and packaging of MEMS devices. Indium and indium-tin based bonding processes are explored for the fabrication of a flextensional MEMS actuator, which requires the integration of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) substrate with a silicon micromachined structure at low temperatures. The developed technique can be used either for wafer or chip level bonding. The lithographic steps used for the patterning and delineation of the seed layer limit the resolution of this technique. Using this technique, reliable bonds were achieved at a temperature of 200°C. The bonds yielded an average tensile strength of 5.41 MPa and 7.38 MPa for samples using indium and indium-tin alloy solders as the intermediate bonding layers respectively. The bonds (with line width of 100 microns) showed hermetic sealing capability of better than 10-11 mbar-l/s when tested using a commercial helium leak tester.
Coexistence resulting from an alternation of density dependent and density independent growth.

Abstract When two species compete with each other, one is likely to displace or exclude the other. Several circumstances under which they may coexist indefinitely have been presented in the literature; the present contribution presents examples of one more. Under circumstances where both populations are repeatedly decreased (for example because of annual environmental changes) then subsequent to each decrease both species grow unrestrictedly and then interact with each other in a competitive fashion. If the species that grows more rapidly under unrestricted conditions is at a disadvantage during competitive phases of growth, this effect prolongs coexistence but may not prevent eventual extinction of one or the other species. However, it is shown that there are certain broad ranges of conditions for population growth that lead to permanent cyclical stability. The stability described here is such that the ecosystem will return to the same dynamic balance even when severely perturbed. It is also shown that this kind of stability can be either favored or prevented in certain cases by random fluctuations in the environment affecting season length, kill factor, etc.
Targeting Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Acidic Microenvironment

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the USA, accounting for ~40,000 deaths annually. The dismal prognosis for PDAC is largely due to its late diagnosis. Currently, the most sensitive diagnosis of PDAC requires invasive procedures, such as endoscopic ultrasonography, which has inherent risks and accuracy that is highly operator dependent. Here we took advantage of a general characteristic of solid tumors, the acidic microenvironment that is generated as a by-product of metabolism, to develop a novel approach of using pH (Low) Insertion Peptides (pHLIPs) for imaging of PDAC. We show that fluorescently labeled pHLIPs can localize and specifically detect PDAC in human xenografts as well as PDAC and PanIN lesions in genetically engineered mouse models. This novel approach may improve detection, differential diagnosis and staging of PDAC.
Lessons from the program on chronic mental illness.

Prologue: In 1986 The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation awarded the first grants under its Program on Chronic Mental Illness, which funded service demonstrations in nine cities to combine scattered services for the mentally ill into a central authority. Since then, the programs multidisciplinary national evaluation team, led by Howard Goldman, has been collecting data and anecdotal evidence on the program s impact in the nine cities. Although the final data will not be available until the end of 1992, Goldman and his colleagues offer this “evaluation without the numbers.” They are convinced, Goldman states, that the program s greatest significance has already been realized: “that the problem of caring for individuals with severe and persistent mental illness has remained part of the public consciousness and has been placed before the mainstream of health and social policymakers,” Goldman, who is principal investigator for the program evaluation, is professor of psychiatry and director of the Mental Health Po...
Vapor‐liquid equilibria and dielectric constants for the helium‐carbon dioxide system

Phase equilibria data are presented for the helium-carbon dioxide system at 253°, 273°, and 293°K. and pressures to 139 atm. Equilibrium is established under flow followed by nonflow conditions, and liquid and vapor samples are isolated without disturbing equilibrium. Liquid-and vapor-phase compositions are monitored with miniaturized capacitors, and compressibility factors are computed from resulting dielectric constants. The data are internally consistent and compare favorably with available literature values.
Quaternary glaciation in the Nubra and Shyok valley confluence, northernmost Ladakh, India

Abstract Three glacial stages (Deshkit 1, Deshkit 2 and Dishkit 3 glacial stages) are identified in the Nubra and Shyok valleys in northernmost Ladakh, northwest India, on the basis of geomorphic field mapping, remote sensing, and 10Be terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide surface exposure dating. The glacial stages date to ∼ 45 ka (Deshkit 1 glacial stage), ∼ 81 ka (Deshkit 2 glacial stage) and ∼ 144 ka (Deshkit 3 glacial stage). A mean equilibrium line altitude depression of ∼ 290 m for the Deshkit 1 glacial stage was calculated using the area accumulation ratio, toe-to-headwall ratio, area–altitude, and area–altitude balance ratio methods. Comparison of glaciation in the Nubra and Shyok valleys with glaciations in the adjacent Central Karakoram of northern Pakistan and northern side of the Ladakh Range of northern India indicates that glaciation was synchronous on Milankovitch timescales across the region during MIS-6, but differed greatly in extent, with more extensive glaciation in the Karakoram than the morphostratigraphically equivalent glaciation on the northern slopes of the Ladakh Range. This highlights the strong contrast in the extent of glaciation across ranges in the Himalaya–Tibetan orogen, necessitating caution when correlating glacial successions within and between mountain ranges.
422 1.25 DIHYDROXYVITAMIN D(1,25 D) AMELIORATES PREDNISONE INDUCED GROWTH RETARDATION IN LONG EVANS RATS

High-dose prednisone therapy in rapidly growing children is complicated by decreased linear growth. Alterations in Vitamin D metabolism are proposed as a factor contributing to this. To test this hypothesis, 50ng of 1,25 D were administered to weanling Long Evans rats, in addition to 1.0mg of prednisone, from days 21-45. This 21 day period represents the period of most rapid growth for the weaned rats. The mean increments of growth (cm ± SD) for the prednisone treatment and control groups are as follows: The mean increment of growth for rats treated with prednisone is significantly less than the sham-fed group and the group treated with 1,25 D(p 0.2). Thus, 1,25 D supplementation improves growth when administered to rats receiving high-dose prednisone therapy. This supports the hypothesis that decreased 1,25 D contributes to reduced growth during high-dose prednisone therapy. *analysis by single-tailed t test.
ON TRANSIENT MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMIC FLOW IN CHANNELS

Magnetohydrodynamic flow in a channel of insulating walls is investigated for any change in the time-dependent axial pressure gradient. The velocity field and induced electric and magnetic fields are of the oscillatory type with decaying amplitudes. Special cases such as a sudden start and a sudden removal of the pressure gradient are considered. (C.E.S.)
Oxford Practice and Cambridge Theorising: Some Thoughts on Initial Teacher Education

(1992). Oxford Practice and Cambridge Theorising: Some Thoughts on Initial Teacher Education. Educational Philosophy and Theory: Vol. 24, No. 1, pp. 1-16.
The distribution of the soluble proteins from the crystalline lenses of young and mature vertebrates.

Abstract 1. 1. The soluble proteins from the lenses of young and mature dogs, rabbits and chickens were studied by free electrophoresis, zone electrophoresis (cellulose acetate) and sedimentation. 2. 2. Lenses of the young mammals showed enhanced amounts of components similar to the classical γ-crystallins. Lenses of mature mammals showed enhanced amounts of α-crystallins. 3. 3. Lenses of young chickens had enhanced quantities of components corresponding to the classical β-crystallins. Both α-crystallins and γ-crystallins were absent in the lenses of all chickens. 4. 4. Certain components were common to both young and mature lenses, while others were present only in either the young or the mature lenses.
Photoelectric and thermionic schottky deviations for molybdenum single crystals

Abstract The theoretically predicted photoelectric and thermionic Schottky deviations both have been observed for emission from a molybdenum single crystal grown in 0.004-in. diameter polished wire. Photocurrents were measured from a 30°-sector of the crystal centered around the (111) direction. Experimental runs were made with the research tube pressure in the 10 −10 Torr region. Background currents were controlled so that the deviations could be measured from theoretical Fowler-Schottky first-order curves fitted to the experimental data. The photoelectric data exhibit agreement with theory in the deviation period and in the increase in amplitude with applied electrostatic field. The deviation phase is not in satisfactory agreement with any of the usual theoretical models but agrees best with that calculated by Juenker for the same square-well image-force potential barrier used originally by Guth-Mullin, while the amplitude is approximately two times that calculated by Juenker. A reproducible change in phase, amplitude, and period was observed corresponding to a change in emission surface from a freshly outgassed, “clean” Mo crystal, to the same surface after it had remained in vacuum for several hours — this change in parameters can be assigned possibly to adsorption of residual gases by the photoemission surface. The extent of such gas adsorption for each run may be indicated by the change in the apparent work function hv 0 ∗∗ obtained from the best-fit Fowler-Schottky curves: 4.49 ± 0.06 eV for a “clean” surface to 4.67 ± 0.02 eV for a “gassy” surface. As a check on the photoelectric results, thermionic measurements were obtained from the same single-crystal surface and in the same research tube as the photoelectric data. The observed thermionic Schottky deviations were found to agree within experimental error with the photoelectric results in phase, period, and increase in amplitude with applied electrostatic field.
Cytotoxicity by matrix metalloprotease-1 in organotypic spinal cord and dissociated neuronal cultures.

Extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, including collagens and laminins, are critical to the structure of the neuronal synapse and may also be involved in cell survival. In the present study, we therefore examined the possibility that select ECM degrading proteins might be toxic to organotypic spinal cord and dissociated neuronal cultures. Of those proteins tested, including MMP-1, -7, and -9, we observed that MMP-1 was toxic to spinal cord cultures as determined by release of lactic acid dehydrogenase as well as uptake of propidium iodide. Pretreatment of cell cultures with 50 μM α-tocopherol partially reversed these effects. We also observed that MMP-1 was toxic to human neurons grown in dissociated cultures and that increased amounts of MMP-1 were released by astrocytes following their stimulation with IL-1β. These results suggest that further studies may be warranted to determine whether MMP-1 contributes to neurodegenerative conditions in which activated astrocytes may play a role.
Genetic Identification of Hatchery-Released Red Drum in Texas Bays and Estuaries

Abstract The stock enhancement program for red drum Sciaenops ocellatus in Texas annually releases from 25 to 30 million fingerlings into Texas bays and estuaries and represents one of the largest such programs for marine fishes worldwide. We used 16 nuclear-encoded microsatellites and a 370-base-pair fragment of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) D-loop to assign red drum sampled from two bays along the Texas coast to either hatchery or wild origin. A total of 30 hatchery-released fish were identified among 321 red drum belonging to three year-classes sampled from Galveston Bay, while a total of 11 hatchery-released fish were identified among 970 red drum belonging to four year-classes sampled from Aransas Bay. Allelic richness (microsatellites) was significantly lower among hatchery-released fish than among hatchery broodfish and wild fish. Similarly, the expected number of mtDNA haplotypes in hatchery-released fish (based on simulation analysis) was significantly lower than that expected in a random sample ...
The botanical aspects of ancient Egyptian embalming and burial

The ancient Egyptian art of embalming, a highly developed process, involved many plants and plant products. Thirty-one genera of plants have been mentioned by various writers in the operations of embalming, cosmetic application, wrapping and coffin construction. The materials employed and methods of use have interested scholars of all periods. Herodotus gave the earliest account of the various aspects of embalming.
Comparing several independent correlations with a standard correlation

Abstract The Dunnett procedure for comparing several treatments with a control is applied to the problem of comparing several independent correlations with a standard correlation. Appropriate critical values are specified and an example is provided.
NASA Mars 2007 Phoenix Lander Robotic Arm and Icy Soil Acquisition Device

[1] The primary purpose of the Mars 2007 Phoenix Lander Robotic Arm (RA) and associated Icy Soil Acquisition Device (ISAD) is to acquire samples of Martian dry and icy soil (DIS) by digging, scraping, and rasping, and delivering them to the Thermal Evolved Gas Analyzer and the Microscopy, Electrochemistry, and Conductivity Analyzer. The RA will also position (1) the Thermal and Electrical Conductivity Probe (TECP) in the DIS; (2) the TECP at various heights above the surface for relative humidity measurements, and (3) the Robotic Arm Camera to take images of the surface, trench, DIS samples within the ISAD scoop, magnetic targets, and other objects of scientific interest within its workspace. The RA/ISAD will also be used to generate DIS piles for monitoring; conduct DIS scraping, penetration, rasping, and chopping experiments; perform compaction tests; and conduct trench cave-in experiments. Data from the soil mechanics experiments will yield information on Martian DIS properties such as angle of repose, cohesion, bearing strength, and grain size distribution.
A combination of body condition measurements is more informative than conventional condition indices: temporal variation in body condition and corticosterone in brown tree snakes (Boiga irregularis)

The body condition index is a common method for quantifying the energy reserves of individual animals. Because good body condition is necessary for reproduction in many species, body condition indices can indicate the potential reproductive output of a population. Body condition is related to glucocorticoid production, in that low body condition is correlated to high concentrations of corticosterone in reptiles. We compared the body condition index and plasma corticosterone levels of brown tree snakes on Guam in 2003 to those collected in 1992/1993 to determine whether that population still showed the chronic stress and poor condition apparent in the earlier study. We also examined the relationship between fat mass, body condition and plasma corticosterone concentrations as indicators of physiological condition of individuals in the population. Body condition was significantly higher in 2003 than in the earlier sample for mature male and female snakes, but not for juveniles. The significantly lower levels of corticosterone in all three groups in 2003 suggests that although juveniles did not have significantly improved energy stores they, along with the mature males and females, were no longer under chronic levels of stress. Although the wet season of 2002 was unusually rainy, low baseline levels of corticosterone measured in 2000 indicate that the improved body condition of snakes in 2003 is likely the result of long-term changes in prey populations rather than annual variation in response to environmental conditions.
Tidal modulation of ice-shelf flow: a viscous model of the Ross Ice Shelf

Three stations near the calving front of the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica, recorded GPS data through a full spring-neap tidal cycle in November 2005. The data revealed a diurnal horizontal motion that varied both along and transverse to the long-term average velocity direction, similar to tidal signals observed in other ice shelves and ice streams. Based on its periodicity, it was hypothesized that the signal represents a flow response of the Ross Ice Shelf to the diurnal tides of the Ross Sea. To assess the influence of the tide on the ice-shelf motion, two hypotheses were developed. The first addressed the direct response of the ice shelf to tidal forcing, such as forces due to sea-surface slopes or forces due to sub-ice-shelf currents. The second involved the indirect response of ice-shelf flow to the tidal signals observed in the ice streams that source the ice shelf. A finite-element model, based on viscous creep flow, was developed to test these hypotheses, but succeeded only in falsifying both hypotheses, i.e. showing that direct tidal effects produce too small a response, and indirect tidal effects produce a response that is not smooth in time. This nullification suggests that a combination of viscous and elastic deformation is required to explain the observations.
Retrospective review of patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer treated at the University of Pittsburgh.

OBJECTIVES The management of locally advanced esophageal cancer is controversial. Treatment options include neoadjuvant chemotherapy or chemoradiation therapy (CRT) followed by definitive surgery or definitive chemoradiation. A single center experience was reviewed to determine the oncologic outcomes of these 3 approaches. METHODS We retrospectively reviewed records of 100 patients with adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus of which 22 patients received neoadjuvant chemotherapy, 49 patients received neoadjuvant CRT, and 18 patients received definitive CRT. The majority of patients underwent minimally invasive esophagectomy (74%). The mean follow-up was 34 months (median, 22 mo; range, 1 to 180 mo). RESULTS Median survival of the entire group was 22.9 months [95% confidence interval (CI) 19.3-30.4]. The 2-year and 5-year overall survival rates were 47.9% and 23.2%, respectively. Median survival of patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy, neoadjuvant CRT, and definitive CRT was 31.9 (95% CI 21.2-51.5), 28.7 (95% CI 20.2-40.7), and 8.9 (95% CI 5.7-14.4) months, respectively. Patients who received neoadjuvant CRT were more likely to have pathologic complete response (pCR) (20%) compared with patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy alone (0%; P=0.04). The 2-year and 5-year overall survival rates of patients with pCR were 75% and 50%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS There was no survival benefit or differences in failure pattern seen among the 3 treatment approaches in this series. However, patients who received neoadjuvant CRT were more likely to have pCR and these patients showed a trend toward improved survival.
Expression of a ClC chloride channel in Caenorhabditis elegans gamma-aminobutyric acid-ergic neurons

Abstract In this study, we report the complete cDNA sequence, genomic organization and expression pattern of the Caenorhabditis elegans ClC chloride channel gene, clh-6. Two different types of reporter gene fusions suggest that clh-6 expression is restricted to two gamma-aminobutyric acid-ergic RME neurons. These results are in striking contrast with the wide tissue distribution of messenger RNA for the related mammalian isoforms, ClC-6 and ClC-7. The restricted expression pattern of clh-6 provides a unique opportunity to study the biological function of a neuronal ClC chloride channel.
A passive transmembrane helix.

Every residue of a putative transmembrane helix in diacylglycerol kinase can be converted to both alanine and leucine while maintaining high specific activity, indicating that some transmembrane helices play a relatively passive role in structure and function.
Using structural information in XML keyword search effectively

The popularity of XML has exacerbated the need for an easy-to-use, high precision query interface for XML data. When traditional document-oriented keyword search techniques do not suffice, natural language interfaces and keyword search techniques that take advantage of XML structure make it very easy for ordinary users to query XML databases. Unfortunately, current approaches to processing these queries rely heavily on heuristics that are intuitively appealing but ultimately ad hoc. These approaches often retrieve false positive answers, overlook correct answers, and cannot rank answers appropriately. To address these problems for data-centric XML, we propose coherency ranking (CR), a domain- and database design-independent ranking method for XML keyword queries that is based on an extension of the concepts of data dependencies and mutual information. With coherency ranking, the results of a keyword query are invariant under a class of equivalency-preserving schema reorganizations. We analyze the way in which previous approaches to XML keyword search approximate coherency ranking, and present efficient algorithms to process queries and rank their answers using coherency ranking. Our empirical evaluation with two real-world XML data sets shows that coherency ranking has better precision and recall and provides better ranking than all previous approaches.
Social-emotional classroom climate in child care, child–teacher relationships and children's second grade peer relations.

We used a five-year longitudinal study of children’s teacher-child relationships and social-emotional competence to examine the relative contributions of preschool social-emotional climate and early individual child-teacher relationships and behavior problems in predicting second grade social competence with peers. Three hundred and seven children (152 girls) had complete second grade data on peer social competence. We used the Peer Play Scale to measure the climate of peer social competence in preschool classrooms. We used the Classroom Behavior Inventory to measure behavior problems and the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale to measure child-teacher relationship quality at both the classroom and individual level. Children’s second grade social competence with peers could be predicted by preschool classroom social-emotional climate, four-year-old behavior problems and child-teacher relationship quality, and contemporary child-teacher relationship quality. The particular pattern of these predictors differed by aspect of social competence with peers.
X-Ray Spectral Signatures of the Photon Bubble Model for Ultraluminous X-Ray Sources

The nature of ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) in nearby galaxies is one of the major open questions in modern X-ray astrophysics. One possible explanation for these objects is an inhomogeneous, radiation-dominated accretion disk around a ~10 M☉ black hole, the so-called photon bubble model. While previous studies of this model have focused primarily on its radiation hydrodynamics aspects, in this paper, we provide an analysis of its X-ray spectral (continuum and possible edge and line) characteristics. Compton reflection between high- and low-density regions in the disk may provide the key to distinguishing this model from others, such as accretion onto an intermediate-mass black hole. We couple a Monte Carlo-Fokker-Planck radiation transport code with the XSTAR code for reflection to simulate the photon spectra produced in a photon bubble model for ULXs. We find that reflection components tend to be very weak and in most cases not observable, and we make predictions for the shape of the high-energy Comptonizing spectra. In many cases, the Comptonization dominates the spectra even down to approximately a few keV. In one simulation, a ~9 keV feature was found, which may be considered a signature of photon bubbles in ULXs; furthermore, we make predictions of high-energy power laws which may be observed by future instruments.
Callus induction and growth from the mature embryo ofTriticum aestivum (Wheat)

Cell proliferation from the mature embryo of wheat occurs on a defined medium in the presence of 2,4-D. Unorganized growth is observed when the 2,4-D concentration is equal to or greater than 2 mg/l, but increasing levels of 2,4-D inhibit cell division. Cell divisions begin after 4 days in culture from parenchyma cells within and near the procambial tissues of the embryo axis. By day 8 continuous meristematic zones are formed in association with vascular tissues, and DNA synthesis and cell divisions are distributed throughout these zones. No morphological evidence exists to show that these zones consist of proliferating root primordia, which are formed only after the level of 2,4-D falls below some critical concentration. When the concentration of 2,4-D is lowered, the meristematic zones first become dissected and then give rise to many root meristems.
Wittgenstein on language: toward a theory (and the study) of language in organizations

What has emerged in large organizations is the use of hybrid language of abstractions, jargon, euphemisms, and complex syntax known as bureacratease. Often this misuse of language is done with the purpose of deceiving and misinforming. Whether or not this was the intent, however, the result of bureaucratees is often just that along with the breakdown of communication between the organization and the clientele it serves. Moreover, there is insufficient research devoted to this phenomenon. Borrowing from Wittgenstein, this article offers a model for understanding bureaucratese and attempts to move the field of public administration toward a theory of this misuse of language in organization.
The effect of site disorder on the giant shapiro steps in Josephson junction arrays

Abstract The giant Shapiro steps in site-disordered planar arrays of proximity-coupled (NbAuNb) Josephson junctions have been studied as a function of rf current. The heights of the integer steps in arrays with 100%, 90% and 80% occupied lattice sites were measured and compared with numerical simulations.
Corneal topography reconstruction algorithm that avoids the skew ray ambiguity and the skew ray error

Background. Because corneal shape is typically measured with Placido ring targets, there is an ambiguity in determining which point on the ring corresponds to which point on the image. This ambiguity is expected to lead to errors (which we call the skew ray error) in reconstructing the corneal shape from Placido ring videokeratoscope (VKS) images. Methods. A coordinate system based on cylindrical coordinates is developed for handling the case when the corneal normal does not lie in the meridional plane. A simple solution is found for the forward problem of locating the Placido ring object given the VKS image and the corneal slope. Results. Algorithms for solving two inverse problems are developed: (1) the inverse problem of determining the Placido image given the Placido ring object and the corneal shape, and (2) the inverse problem of reconstructing the corneal shape based on knowledge of the Placido ring object and image. The algorithm compensates for the skew ray error and does not assume the cornea to be small. Both inverse algorithms are applied to a corneal shape with eight-fold corrugations similar to what might occur in radial keratotomy (RK). The reconstruction algorithm assumes sufficient smoothness for an arc-step algorithm to be possible. We find that the reconstruction algorithm does an excellent job of obtaining the correct corneal shape without the skew ray error. Conclusions. The concrete reconstruction algorithm demonstrates that one can recover the correct corneal shape just from the reflection of the Placido rings. A dart board pattern is not necessary for removing the skew ray ambiguity, as long as the cornea has sufficient smoothness in the radial direction, an assumption common to all reconstruction algorithms.