cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Identifying sources of volatile organic compounds and aldehydes in a high performance building

The developers of the Paharpur Business Center (PBC) and Software Technology Incubator Park in New Delhi, India offer an environmentally sustainable building with a strong emphasis on energy conservation, waste minimization and superior indoor air quality (IAQ). To achieve the IAQ goal, the building utilizes a series of air cleaning technologies for treating the air entering the building. These technologies include an initial water wash followed by ultraviolet light treatment and biolfiltration using a greenhouse located on the roof and numerous plants distributed throughout the building. Even with the extensive treatment of makeup air and room air in the PBC, a recent study found that the concentrations of common volatile organic compounds and aldehydes appear to rise incrementally as the air passes through the building from the supply to the exhaust. This finding highlights the need to consider the minimization of chemical sources in buildings in combination with the use of advanced air cleaning technologies when seeking to achieve superior IAQ. The goal of this project was to identify potential source materials for indoor chemicals in the PBC. Samples of building materials, including wood paneling (polished and unpolished), drywall, and plastic from a hydroponic drum that was part of themore » air cleaning system, were collected from the building for testing. All materials were collected from the PBC building and shipped to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) for testing. The materials were pre-conditioned for two different time periods before measuring material and chemical specific emission factors for a range of VOCs and Aldehydes. Of the six materials tested, we found that the highest emitter of formaldehyde was new plywood paneling. Although polish and paint contribute to some VOC emissions, the main influence of the polish was in altering the capacity of the surface to accumulate formaldehyde. Neither the new nor aged polish contributed significantly to formaldehyde emissions. The VOC emission stream (excluding formaldehyde) was composed of up to 18 different chemicals and the total VOC emissions ranged in magnitude from 7 mu g/m2/h (old wood with old polish) to>500 mu g/m2/h (painted drywall). The formaldehyde emissions from drywall and old wood with either new or old polish were ~;;15 mu g/m2/h while the new wood material emitted>100 mu g/m2/h. However, when the projected surface area of each material in the building was considered, the new wood, old wood and painted drywall material all contributed substantially to the indoor formaldehyde loading while the coatings contributed primarily to the VOCs.« less
A novel sister clade to the enterobacteria microviruses (family Microviridae) identified in methane seep sediments

Methane seep microbial communities perform a key ecosystem service by consuming the greenhouse gas methane prior to its release into the hydrosphere, minimizing the impact of marine methane sources on our climate. Although previous studies have examined the ecology and biochemistry of these communities, none has examined viral assemblages associated with these habitats. We employed virus particle purification, genome amplification, pyrosequencing and gene/genome reconstruction and annotation on two metagenomic libraries, one prepared for ssDNA and the other for all DNA, to identify the viral community in a methane seep. Similarity analysis of these libraries (raw and assembled) revealed a community dominated by phages, with a significant proportion of similarities to the Microviridae family of ssDNA phages. We define these viruses as the Eel River Basin Microviridae (ERBM). Assembly and comparison of 21 ERBM closed circular genomes identified five as members of a novel sister clade to the Microvirus genus of Enterobacteria phages. Comparisons among other metagenomes and these Microviridae major-capsid sequences indicated that this clade of phages is currently unique to the Eel River Basin sediments. Given this ERBM clade's relationship to the Microviridae genus Microvirus, we define this sister clade as the candidate genus Pequenovirus.
‘Bridges to cash’ : Channelling agency in mobile money

Encountered by mobile money professionals - industry and philanthropic actors seeking to bring mobile phone-enabled financial products to poor people in the 'developing world' - the authors move together with new collaborators to inquire into a problem they had been grappling with for some time. This is the problem of agency; specifically, the agency of 'mobile money agents', the people 'on the ground' or 'in the field' who form a crucial function in permitting others to put cash into an electronic money transfer system and pull cash out of it. These 'human ATMs' or 'bridges to cash' become the object of analytical scrutiny for mobile money experts and anthropologists. This article takes that analytical scrutiny - and not mobile money agents themselves - as its object. It seeks to understand how 'agency' inflects debates over money, its meaning and its pragmatics, and its transformation in new communicative infrastructures, and how it might inform anthropology and political struggles over money and payment. © Royal Anthropological Institute 2013.
Computability and complexity properties of automatic structures and their applications

Finite state automata are Turing machines with fixed finite bounds on resource use. Automata lend themselves well to real-time computations and efficient algorithms. Continuing a tradition of studying computability in mathematics, we examine automatic structures, mathematical objects which can be represented by automata, and apply resulting observations to computer science. We measure the complexity of automatic structures via well-established concepts from model theory, topology, and set theory. We prove the following results. The ordinal height of any automatic well-founded partial order is bounded by ωω. The ordinal heights of automatic well-founded relations are unbounded below wCK1 , the first uncomputable ordinal. For any computable ordinal α, there is an automatic structure of Scott rank at least α. Moreover, there are automatic structures of Scott rank wCK1,w CK1+1. . For any computable ordinal α, there is an automatic successor tree of Cantor-Bendixson rank α. Next, we study infinite graphs produced from a natural unfolding operation applied to finite graphs. Graphs produced via such operations have finite degree and can be described by finite automata over a one-letter alphabet. We investigate algorithmic properties of such graphs in terms of their finite presentations. In particular, we ask how hard it is to check whether a given node belongs to an infinite component, whether two given nodes in the graph are reachable from one another, and whether the graph is connected. We give polynomial-time algorithms answering each of these questions. For a fixed input graph, the algorithm for infinite component membership works in constant time and reachability is decided uniformly by a single automaton. Hence, we improve on previous work, in which nonelementary or nonuniform algorithms were found. We turn our attention to automata techniques for deciding first-order logical theories. These techniques are useful in Integer Linear Programming and Mixed Integer Linear Programming, which in turn have applications in diverse areas of computer science and engineering. We extend known work to address the enumeration problem for linear programming solutions. Then, we apply a similar paradigm to give an automata theoretic decision procedure for the p-adic valued ring under addition and for formal Laurent series over a finite field with valuation and addition.
Standards support for software tool quality assessment

Recent years have seen significant activity in the development of standards for software quality and its assessment, and for the evaluation and selection and adoption of CASE technology. Initial use of these standards has been encouraging, but additional areas for further effort have been identified. This paper discusses the recent use of ISO/IEC 9126:1991 Information Technology-Software quality characteristics and their use, and ANSI/IEEE 1209-1992, Recommended Practice for the Evaluation and Selection of CASE Tools in two cases which indicate that these standards provide excellent frameworks within which to assess tool quality. Problems which arose during these evaluations due, at least in part, to the generality of the standards are identified. The paper ends with a discussion of the status of on-going standards efforts and how those efforts, if successfully concluded, can improve future evaluation tasks. >
Ozone threat remains high

The possibility of severe ozone losses over the Arctic and Europe remains high, due to slow chlorine decreases and the current increases of bromine concentrations, according to a 21 January report released by the European Commission. The “Assessment Report on European Research in the Stratosphere” also notes that the observed cooling of the stratosphere due to ozone depletion and greenhouse gas emissions further increase ozone losses and changes in atmospheric circulation.
Some direct observations of currents in the Gulf stream

Abstract This paper presents a description of currents in the upper layers of the Gulf Stream in an area between 53°W and 73°W and their relationship to the thermal structure within the system. The experiments were done during 1968 and 1969 and demonstrated for the first time that it was possible to trace Gulf Stream currents with drogues for paths greater than 1000 kilometers and that these drogues would maintain their same relative position within the Stream as indicated by the temperature field. It is also shown that the swiftest currents are associated with the left-hand portion of the Stream near the location of the 15°C isotherm at a depth of 200 m and that, in the area studied, both the currents and the cross-stream thermal gradients were reduced by about 50% along the track from west to east. A description of the current and thermal conditions in two anticyclonic loops is also given.
Detection and classification of multiple finger movements using a chronically implanted Utah Electrode Array

The ability to detect and classify individual and combined finger movements from neural data is rapidly advancing. The work that has been done has demonstrated the feasibility of decoding finger movements from acutely recorded neurons. There is a need for a recording model that meets the chronic requirements of a neuroprosthetic application and to address this need we have developed an algorithm that can detect and classify individual and combined finger movements using neuronal data acquired from a chronically implanted Utah Electrode Array (UEA). The algorithm utilized the firing rates of individual neurons and performed with an average sensitivity and an average specificity that were both greater than 92% across all movement types. These results lend further support that a chronically implanted UEA is suitable for acquiring and decoding neuronal data and also demonstrate a decoding method that can detect and classify finger movements without any a priori knowledge of the data, task, or behavior.
Single amino acid sequence polymorphisms in rat cardiac troponin revealed by top–down tandem mass spectrometry

Heterotrimeric cardiac troponin (cTn) is a critical component of the thin filament regulatory complex in cardiac muscle. Two of the three subunits, cTnI and cTnT, are subject to post-translational modifications such as proteolysis and phosphorylation, but linking modification patterns to function remains a major challenge. To obtain a global view of the biochemical state of cTn in native tissue, we performed high resolution top–down mass spectrometry of cTn heterotrimers from healthy adult rat hearts. cTn heterotrimers were affinity purified, desalted and then directly subjected to mass spectrometry using a 7 Tesla Thermo LTQ-FT-ICR instrument equipped with an ESI source. Molecular ions for N-terminally processed and acetylated cTnI and cTnT were readily detected as were other post-translationally modified forms of these proteins. cTnI was phosphorylated with a distribution of un-, mono- and bisphosphorylated forms of 41 ± 3%, 46 ± 1%, 13 ± 3%, respectively. cTnT was predominantly monophosphorylated and partially proteolyzed at the Glu29-Pro30 peptide bond. Also observed in high resolution spectra were ‘shadow’ peaks of similar intensity to ‘parent’ peaks exhibiting masses of cTnI+16 Da and cTnT+128 Da, subsequently shown by tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) to be single amino acid polymorphisms. Intact and protease-digested cTn subunits were fragmented by electron capture dissociation or collision activated dissociation to localize an Ala/Ser polymorphism at residue 7 of cTnI. Similar analysis of cTnT localized an additional Gln within a three residue alternative splice site beginning at residue 192. Besides being able to provide unique insights into the global state of post-translational modification of cTn subunits, high resolution top–down mass spectrometry readily revealed naturally occurring single amino acid sequence variants including a genetic polymorphism at residue 7 in cTnI, and an alternative splice isoform that affects a putative hinge region around residue 192 of cTnT, all of which co-exist within a single rat heart.
Wormholes, the Strong CP Problem and Peccei-Quinn Symmetries

We review some facets of the wormhole calculus developed by Coleman to explain the vanishing of the cosmological constant. We then apply this calculus to the strong CP problem and show how wormholes drive the QCD θ parameter (whose deviation from 0 or π indicates CP violation in QCD) to a CP conserving value, most likely π. We examine how the wormhole solution to the strong CP problem meshes with the Peccei-Quinn solution to this problem and show that they are in fact complementary in some sense. We also examine some of the phenomenological consequences of having θ = π.
Elastic analysis of the half plane inhomogeneity problem

The paper presents an analytical solution for the elastic field in the vicitity of a semi-circular inhomogeneity, embedded at the free surface of an elastic half-plane. This bi-material system is loaded by uniform remote tension or a constant eigenstrain sustained by the inhomogeneity.
Delayed cardioplegic reoxygenation reduces reoxygenation injury in cyanotic immature hearts

Abstract Background . Hypoxemic developing hearts are susceptible to oxygen-mediated damage that occurs after reintroduction of molecular oxygen. This unintended hypoxemic/reoxygenation injury leads to lipid peroxidation and membrane damage and may contribute to postoperative cardiac dysfunction. Biochemical and functional status are improved by delaying reoxygenation on cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) until cardioplegic arrest. Methods . Six immature piglets (3 to 5 kg) without hypoxemia underwent 30 minutes of cardioplegic arrest during 1 hour of CPB. Fourteen others underwent 2 hours of hypoxemia on ventilator before reoxygenation on CPB. Reflecting our clinical routine, 9 were reoxygenated on CPB for 5 minutes followed by 30 minutes of cardioplegic arrest and 25 minutes of reperfusion. The other 5 were put on hypoxemic CPB for 5 minutes, before being reoxygenated during cardioplegic arrest for 30 minutes followed by 25 minutes of reperfusion. Results . Cardioplegic arrest (no hypoxemia group) caused no functional or biochemical changes. In contrast, by preceding hypoxemia with subsequent reoxygenation on CPB (no treatment group) we found 39.5% decrease in antioxidant reserve capacity, 1,212% increase in myocardial conjugated diene production, significant increase in coronary sinus blood conjugated dienes, and an 81% reduction of left ventricular contractility, all of which were statistically significant ( p p Conclusions . A reoxygenation injury associated with lipid peroxidation and decreased postbypass contractility occurs in cyanotic immature hearts when reoxygenated on CPB. Delaying reoxygenation until cardioplegic arrest by starting CPB with ambient partial pressure of oxygen results in significantly improved myocardial status.
Description of a restricted randomization program (RRP)

A computer program, which produces restricted randomizations of numbers as an aid in counterbalancing large experimental designs, is described. The input to the program is a series of specifications for sampling a pool of random numbers. For example, it might be specified that each number in the pool be selected at least once and not more than twice in each replication of the experiment. The output would be a restricted randomization meeting these specifications. The program has been used in several memory experiments and could be used in other experimental paradigms in learning and perception.
The injury profile after the 2008 earthquakes in China

The 8.0 magnitude earthquake that struck China on May 12, 2008, was the deadliest earthquake in 30 years. Most hospitals were destroyed and limited facilities were available for medical service in the earthquake regions. Over the first 5 days, three general hospitals and one children's hospital admitted 1770 injured individuals. METHODS: We retrospectively collected data on 1770 injured subjects in three general hospitals (n=1723) and one children's hospital (n=47) in the quake-area during the first 5 days after the event. The diagnosis for the injuries was based on the final hospital diagnosis made by the physicians and classified by two-independent researchers using the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems ICD-10 (WHO ICD-10 Code.1993). To ensure the accuracy of the information, any questionable data was reviewed by phone with hospital staff. RESULTS: In three general hospitals, 848 patients (48%) were male and 922 (52%) were female. Nine percent (n=84) of females and 8.8% (n=75) of males were over the age of 75. Four (0.4%) females and 5 (0.5%) males were less than 1-year old. The most common injuries were the injuries of the knee, lower leg, ankle and foot (36%), followed by head injuries (18%). In the children's hospital, 31 (65%) of the patients were males and 16 (35%) were females. 40% of the subjects were 10-14, while 21% were less than 1-year old. The most frequently seen injuries were also of the knee, lower leg, ankle or foot (19%), and of the abdomen, lower back, lumbar spine and pelvis, andhip and thigh (15%). CONCLUSIONS: Wegathered information from resources in Chinese, which at the time contained more records on this event than any documents in English. The age of the patients ranged from 7 days to 84 years old. Subjects over age 75 and children between 10 and 14 were the largest population in their respective hospitals, indicating that these groups required the greatest medical resources. The injury profile presented here serves as a reference not only for present injury intervention but also for future earthquake disaster response. Language: en
The Acceleration of Pickup Ions

The well-established association of pickup ions with anomalous cosmic rays shows that acceleration of pickup ions to energies above 1 GeV occurs. At present, diffusive shock acceleration of the pickup ions at the termination shock of the solar wind seems to be the best candidate for acceleration to the high energies of anomalous cosmic rays, accounting well for many of their observed properties. However, it is shown that acceleration of pickup ions from their initial energies by this process appears to be difficult at very strong, nearly perpendicular shocks such as the termination shock. This “injection” problem remains without a clear solution. A number of alternatives have been proposed for the initial acceleration of pickup ions to the point where diffusive acceleration at the termination shock can take over, but none of these processes has yet emerged as a clear favorite.
A practical method for the minimum weight design of stiffened plates under uniform lateral pressure

Abstract A method for the plastic analysis and minimum weight design of grillages and orthogonally stiffened plates subjected to lateral uniform pressure, and under a varying degree of rotational restraint at the supports, is presented. A computer aided design procedure for orthogonally stiffened rectangular plates based on this method is also described. This includes two optimization stages: overall optimization, in which the plastic moments for the beam in each set are found, and stiffener optimization, in which the optimum stiffener geometry is obtained. This design methodology has proved to be very efficient and easy to apply, and it is particularly valuable in the case of ship structures, where the maximum total number of panel stiffeners is in general not large.
Quality of Reach During a Game and During a Rote Movement in Children with Cerebral Palsy

This study builds on previous research that contrasted occupational forms in terms of the kinematic characteristics of reaching. Two ABA single subject experiments examined the reaching movements of two 4 year old girls with spastic diplegia cerebral palsy. During the A phases, the child reached for a cylinder. In the B phase (occupationally embedded movement condition), the child reached for a cylindrical doll while playing a game. Three dimensional motion analysis equipment recorded kinematic variables. Visual analysis of the data showed the occupationally embedded movement was characterized by fewer movement units, less movement time, and greater velocity for both children. The peak velocity occurred at a later point in the reach for one child. No differences were found with displacement. The study clearly illustrated that the quality of movement was different when reaching for a doll while playing a game as opposed to reaching with limited meaning and purpose.
Engineering Recombinant Orsay Virus Directly in the Metazoan Host Caenorhabditis elegans

ABSTRACT The recent identification of Orsay virus, the first virus that is capable of naturally infecting Caenorhabditis elegans, provides a unique opportunity to explore host-virus interaction studies in this invaluable model organism. A key feature of this system is the robust genetic tractability of the host, C. elegans, which would ideally be complemented by the ability to genetically manipulate Orsay virus in parallel. To this end, we developed a plasmid-based reverse genetics system for Orsay virus by creating transgenic C. elegans strains harboring Orsay virus cDNAs. Both wild-type and mutant Orsay viruses, including a FLAG epitope-tagged recombinant Orsay virus, were generated by use of the reverse genetics system. This is the first plasmid-based virus reverse genetics system in the metazoan C. elegans. The Orsay virus reverse genetics we established will serve as a fundamental tool in host-virus interaction studies in the model organism C. elegans. IMPORTANCE To date, Orsay virus is the first and the only identified virus capable of naturally infecting Caenorhabditis elegans. C. elegans is a simple multicellular model organism that mimics many fundamental features of human biology and has been used to define many biological properties conserved through evolution. Thus, the Orsay virus-C. elegans infection system provides a unique opportunity to study host-virus interactions. In order to take maximal advantage of this system, the ability to genetically engineer mutant forms of Orsay virus would be highly desirable. Most efforts to engineer viruses have been done with cultured cells. Here we describe the creation of mutant viruses directly in the multicellular organism C. elegans without the use of cell culture. We engineered a virus expressing a genetically tagged protein that could be detected in C. elegans. This provides proof of concept for modifying Orsay virus, which will greatly facilitate studies in this experimental system.
Analysis of waves in Saturn's dayside magnetosphere: Voyager 1 observations

[1] Magnetic field fluctuations were observed in the data of Voyager 1 on its inbound leg in Saturn's magnetosphere from about 19 to 8.4 Saturn radii, during the interval 7–17 hours before closest approach. These low-amplitude oscillations had the appearance of irregular micropulsations. The wave periods in the spacecraft frame varied between ≈1 and 20 min with a tendency to be inversely correlated with the field strength. An eigenfunction analysis yielding wave propagation direction as a function of frequency showed that at and near peak frequency two distinct types of waves were present, one propagating along field lines (within 30°) usually at the higher frequencies considered, (4–14) × l0−3 Hz, and the other propagating along (the azimuthal direction in a standard spherical coordinate system) at lower frequencies, (0.8–4) × l0−3 Hz. The power spectral density (in (nT)2/Hz) at the peaks tended to be inversely related to frequency over the full set of frequencies. An interpretation of these results is that Alfven waves are propagating along field lines at the higher frequencies with wavelengths between 1/4 and 1/2 RS. These occur in both the mantle and plasma sheet. The waves traveling along , which are observed to occur in the low-latitude plasma mantle, are apparently manifestations of rapidly corotating MHD waves with large compressional components and are probably due to the operation of the centrifugal flute instability at the plasma sheet-mantle boundary. For both types, wave absorption occurs with a high-frequency cutoff at or near the gyrofrequency of O+ (and/or N+). Our results establish the framework for MHD waves within Saturn's outer magnetosphere, and it is expected that the Cassini mission, for which orbit insertion occurred on 1 July 2004, will add considerably to that presented here.
Living Beyond Apartheid: The Territorial Ethics of Reconciliation

This essay explores the ethical murkiness of interpersonal reconciliation in the post-liberation era, focusing on the problem of material, and specifically territorial, restitution—an aspect of justice which critics say was the missing component of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. A reading of J.M. Coetzee’s Disgrace alongside Bessie Head’s A Question of Power offers a window into the knotty relationship between reconciliation and redistribution, a relationship which, these novels insist, must be accounted for in reassessing directions for the future and defining new political horizons. Theories of post-apartheid interpersonal ethics, this essay argues, are incomplete and unachievable without a territorial dimension. While Coetzee shows territorial demarcations to be the silent shaper of human interaction and a constant snag in the fabric of the “new” South Africa, Head goes outside the boundaries of the apartheid state to envision the ethical restructuring of human relations through transformativ...
Relationship between the maturational state of oocytes at the time of insemination and sex ratio of subsequent early bovine embryos

Abstract The effect of maturational state of bovine oocytes at the time of insemination on early embryo development and the sex ratio of developing embryos was evaluated. Early maturing oocytes were inseminated either immediately after the first polar body extrusion or insemination was delayed for 8 h. Most of the zygotes completed the first embryonic cell cycle and reached the 2-cell stage by 35 h after insemination regardless of the time of insemination. Delaying insemination enhanced the proportion of cleaving zygotes and significantly improved their development to the 8-cell stage. At the same time delaying insemination produced significantly higher proportions of male embryos. Cleavage and development to 8-cell stage was significantly impaired when oocytes were inseminated immediately after polar body formation. Sex ratio in these embryos did not differ from 1. These results suggest that oocytes 1 1Avery B, Bak A, Schmidt M. Differential cleavage rates and sex determination in bovine embryos. Theriogenology 1989; 32:139–147. developmental ability as well as capability to process X and Y-bearing spermatozoa may be acquired at specific times during maturation.
GLIA: A novel drug discovery target for clinical pain

In many clinical pain syndromes, painful sensations are greatly amplified so that normally innocuous sensations, such as light touch or warmth, are perceived as pain. Presently available drugs are ineffective in controlling such pain in most patients and abolish the pain in only few. Why do they fail? These drugs were developed to target neurons that transmit nociceptive ('pain') information. However, glia have recently been recognized as powerful modulators of nociception, and could hold the key to the control of clinical pain and present a new target for drug discovery. This review examines the evidence for glial regulation of nociception and pharmacological approaches that might successfully control glially driven clinical pain syndromes.
Identification and characterization of novel murine cytomegalovirus M112-113 (e1) gene products.

Abstract The human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) UL112–113 gene products play important roles in viral DNA replication and transcriptional regulation. In this report, we characterize two novel transcripts originating from the homologous M112–113 (e1) region of the murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) genome. These transcripts of 2.0 and 2.4 kb represent alternatively spliced products of the e1 gene region. Analysis of the e1 proteins demonstrates the presence of a previously unidentified 87-kDa protein that is likely encoded by the 2.4-kb transcript. All four protein products derived from the e1 gene region are expressed with early kinetics, are coordinately regulated, and localize predominantly to the nucleus of MCMV-infected cells. The expression pattern and localization of the e1 proteins show significant similarity to those of the HCMV UL112–113 proteins, signifying that MCMV e1 will serve as a useful model for assessing the role of this early gene region during viral infection.
Race and Type of Maltreatment in an Elder Abuse System

This paper examines the relationship between race and types of maltreatment experienced by elderly people. In particular, it uses logistic regression analysis to examine whether race of victim is associated with self-neglect, neglect, physical abuse, and material abuse. The findings indicate that race is related to the likelihood of self-neglect and neglect but in opposite directions; whites are more likely to be associated with self-neglect, and blacks with neglect by others. Race was not significantly related to the likelihood of being physically or materially abused. The implications of these findings are discussed.
VASOPRESSIN RELEASE IN THE LAMB FETUS

Arginine vasopressin (AVP) release was studied in 16 chronic fetal preparations between 101 and 141 days gestation following the infusion of 5% NaCl. The mean baseline plasma AVP in fetuses from 101-120 (N=20) days was 1.90 ± 0.46 μU/ml with a plasma osmolality of 292.9 ± 1.75 mOsm/kg. In fetuses 121 days to 141 days gestation, the mean baseline plasma AVP (N=11) was significantly lower 0.77 ± 0.19 μU/ml (P=<0.05) whereas the plasma osmolality was similar to that in the younger fetuses (292.7 ± 1.9 mOsm/kg). The paired maternal baseline AVP concentrations at 101 and 120 days gestation were significantly lower (0.843 ± 0.17 μU/ml) than the mean fetal levels (1.59 ± 0.44 μU/ml) however fetal and maternal levels between 121-141 days were similar; 0.68 ± 0.27 μU/ml and 0.70 ± 0.22 μU/ml respectively. A linear regression of the logarithum of baseline plasma AVP and plasma osmolality in 30 fetuses showed a significant correlation (P=<0.001, r=0.62). Plasma AVP was elevated after 5% NaCl infusion in 16 of 19 experiments. Studies of the relationship between steady state plasma AVP and plasma osmolality in adult sheep show a slightly flatter slope (adult 0.0282, fetal 0.0395). This observation suggests that the fetal osmoreceptors are more responsive to changes in tonicity than the adult sheep. Furthermore, the response to 5% NaCl as measured by the difference in the log plasma AVP divided by the difference in plasma osmolality was greater in the fetus.
Building a Bridge: Lessons Learned from Family Mediation Training for the Hmong Community of Minnesota

This article examines how family mediation training was used in Minnesota to construct a bridge between cultural and legal norms in an attempt to help heal a community struggling with assimilation challenges.
Macrophage migration inhibitory factor in drug-induced liver injury: a role in susceptibility and stress responsiveness

Abstract Idiosyncratic drug-induced hepatitis may depend upon many factors including a balance between pro- and anti-inflammatory mediator production levels. Using a guinea pig model of liver injury induced by bioactivation of the anesthetic drug, halothane, we found that toxicity was commensurate with an increase in serum macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), a pro-inflammatory signal and counter-regulator of glucocorticoids, but only in susceptible animals. The pathogenic role of MIF was further investigated using a murine model in which liver injury was induced by the reactive metabolite of another drug, acetaminophen (APAP). MIF leakage from the liver into the sera preceded peak increases in toxicity following APAP administration. MIF null (−/−) mice were significantly less susceptible to this toxicity at 8 h. At 48 h following a 300 mg/kg dose, complete lethality was observed in wild-type mice, while 46% survival was noted in MIF−/− mice. The decreased hepatic injury in MIF−/− mice correlated with a reduction in mRNA levels of interferon-γ and a significant increase in heat shock protein expression, but was unrelated to the APAP-protein adduct formation in the liver. These findings support MIF as a critical pro-toxicant signal in drug-induced liver injury with potentially important and novel effects on heat shock protein responsiveness.
Expression of D2 dopamine receptor mRNA in the arterial chemoreceptor afferent pathway

Dopamine is a major neurotransmitter in the arterial chemoreceptor pathway. In the present study we wished to determine if messenger RNAs for dopamine D1 and D2 receptor are expressed in carotid body (type I cells), in sensory neurons of the petrosal ganglion which innervate the carotid body and in sympathetic neurons of the superior cervical ganglion. We failed to detect D1 receptor mRNA in any of these tissues. However, we found that D2 receptor mRNA was expressed by dopaminergic carotid body type I cells. D2 receptor mRNA was also found in petrosal ganglion neurons that innervated the carotid sinus and carotid body. In addition, a large number of sympathetic postganglionic neurons in the superior cervical ganglion expressed D2 receptor mRNA.
Giant-cell arteritis.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW Giant-cell arteritis frequently poses diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. This article summarizes recent investigations concerning diagnosis and treatment of giant-cell arteritis. RECENT FINDINGS Efforts to improve diagnostic accuracy have centered on serologic markers and imaging techniques. Although the erythrocyte-sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, and platelet count continue to be the primary markers, others such as interleukin-6 and fibrinogen can provide additional information. High-resolution magnetic resonance imaging and angiography, fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography, and color Doppler ultrasonography can show findings relevant to the diagnosis of giant-cell arteritis. Recent inquiries suggest a steroid-sparing benefit from initiation of treatment with intravenous steroids. Adjunctive treatment with methotrexate may also provide this benefit. Aspirin appears to decrease likelihood of stroke or visual loss in giant-cell arteritis without increasing bleeding complications. SUMMARY An expanded repertoire of imaging techniques and serologic markers may supply information relevant to the diagnosis of challenging cases of giant-cell arteritis. Treatment modifications, including initiation with intravenous steroids, or addition of methotrexate or aspirin to the regimen, may decrease morbidity from disease, corticosteroid treatment or both.
The Lipid Content of the Subcutaneous Fat Organs of the Chick Embryo

Abstract STUDIES carried out in our laboratory over the past three years have been directed toward determining the factors which influence cataract susceptibility in the chick embryo. The lesion was experimentally produced by injecting, 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP) into the incubating egg (Feldman et al., 1958). The embryo was found to be very susceptible to the DNP-induced cataracts after eight to twelve days of incubation, but increasingly resistant thereafter (Feldman et al., 1959). Studies were then undertaken to determine whether any biochemical changes occurred which could be related to DNP resistance. The embryonic lipids were among the first parameters to be measured and were found to exhibit striking changes in concentration which occurred at the same time that DNP resistance began (Feldman and Doyle, 1961). The neutral lipids increased from 37% of the total lipid on the eleventh day to 49% of the total lipid on the twelfth day of incubation. The neutral …
Metabolic syndrome and cognitive function in healthy middle-aged and older adults without diabetes.

ABSTRACT Objective: Few studies have addressed whether the metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its individual components are associated with cognitive function in middle-aged and older populations, as well as whether specific areas of cognition are more affected than others. We examined the cross-sectional association between MetS and six areas of cognitive function in healthy cognitively intact adults without diabetes (n = 853, mean age 61 years) randomized in two intervention trials. Methods: The National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) criteria were used to identify subjects with MetS. Cognitive function was assessed with a neuropsychological battery. A principal components analysis was used to extract five uncorrelated factors interpreted to represent five areas of cognition, and a measure of global cognition was calculated. Results: MetS was weakly but non-significantly associated with lower verbal learning (β = −.14 [SE(β) = 0.09], p = .15). As the number of MetS criteria increased, scores on global ...
The use of Monte Carlo techniques for determining optimal size of substitute teacher pools in large urban school districts

Abstract Providing substitute teachers in large school districts usually requires both an extensive organizational structure to coordinate substitute teacher demands with available supply and a large operating budget. In addition, the temporary nature of the substitute teacher position tends to preclude their effective integrating into regular school district inservice programs. The replacement of present substitute teacher procurement practices by a permanent pool of substitute teachers has been suggested as one possible method for improving substitute teacher quality and morale as well as reducing school district cost. This study demonstrates how Monte Carlo techniques might be utilized to determine the optimal size for a substitute teacher pool in a given district where optimal size is defined as (1) the size required to minimize cost to the district, (2) the size required to maintain present substitute teacher service levels in the district, and (3) the size needed to financially break even with the current substitute teacher program. Both uniform and non-uniform by day in the school week substitute teacher pool sizes were calculated for a school district using this technique. The results of the study strongly suggest that not only might permanent substitute teacher pools result in their better integration into regular school district programs, but substantial cost savings might also result.
Indoleacetic Acid Oxidizing Enzyme & Inhibitors from Light-Grown Cotton.

As one aspect of a study of abscission in the cotton plant, we have been interested in the possible presence of an indoleacetic acid (IAA) oxidase in the aerial portions of the green plant. The need for investigation was indicated by the possibility that IAA oxidase could affect the decline in detectable auxin in cotton which occurs just prior to leaf fall (1, 2). A study was initiated after noting that although there is evidence for the occurrence of IAA in cotton (3, 12), a preliminary attempt to demonstrate IAA oxidase was unsuccessful (13). Furthermore, information on the occurrence of the enzyme in other -green tissues was relatively limited and an unequivocal function of the enzyme in higher plants has not been clearly established. This paper presents evidence for the occurrence of an IAA oxidase in cotton and some characteristics of the enzyme and an inhibitor(s).
Justiça Administrativa no Brasil do Segundo Reinado (1842-1889)

Propoe-se no presente artigo discutir o exercicio de Justica Administrativa na Secao do Imperio do Conselho de Estado no Segundo Reinado.
Environ centrality reveals the tendency of indirect effects to homogenize the functional importance of species in ecosystems

Abstract Ecologists and conservation biologists need to identify the relative importance of species to make sound management decisions and effectively allocate scarce resources. We introduce a new method, termed environ centrality, to determine the relative importance of a species in an ecosystem network with respect to ecosystem energy–matter exchange. We demonstrate the uniqueness of environ centrality by comparing it to other common centrality metrics and then show its ecological significance. Specifically, we tested two hypotheses on a set of 50 empirically based ecosystem network models. The first concerned the distribution of centrality in the community. We hypothesized that the functional importance of species would tend to be concentrated into a few dominant species followed by a group of species with lower, more even importance as is often seen in dominance–diversity curves. Second, we tested the systems ecology hypothesis that indirect relationships homogenize the functional importance of species in ecosystems. Our results support both hypotheses and highlight the importance of detritus and nutrient recyclers such as fungi and bacteria in generating the energy–matter flow in ecosystems. Our homogenization results suggest that indirect effects are important in part because they tend to even the importance of species in ecosystems. A core contribution of this work is that it creates a formal, mathematical method to quantify the importance species play in generating ecosystem activity by integrating direct, indirect, and boundary effects in ecological systems.
Modulation of oligosaccharide processing in an exocrine secretory glycoprotein of rat parotid cells by β-adrenoreceptor activation

Abstract Such stimulation of rat parotid acinar cells in vitro modulated the rate of processing of N-linked oligosaccharides in a high-molecular weight (220 kdalton) secretory glycoprotein. Conversion of polymannose-type oligosaccharides to complex-type oligosaccharides was evaluated by sensitivity to endoglucosaminidase H and α-mannosidase, and with a specific inhibitor of glucosidases I/II. Oligosaccharide maturation in the 220 kdalton glycoprotein required one-third to half less time in cells exposed to the β-adrenergic agonist isoproterenol than in controls.
Narcissistic vulnerability in a group for psychiatrically hospitalized fathers

Three short-lived groups for psychiatrically hospitalized fathers comprise one aspect of a greater effort to study such men. Most of the fathers held a tenuous position within, or had been ejected from, their families. Their symptoms were often self-defeating efforts to regulate interpersonal distance. Many felt themselves to be too defective or unworthy to merit respect or authority. Shame and depression flooded the sessions and were rarely offset by hopefulness. On follow-up the men acknowledged the importance of paternal dysfunction but felt unable to tolerate further exploration. Further group treatment might employ a less focused format.
Distribution-Free Analysis of M/G/1 and G/M/1 Queues

The substantial gap between the state of the art of queuing theory and its application to real-world problems has been commented on by several authors: existing queuing models are either too specialized to be applied to a general problem or too generalized usually in terms of Laplace transforms and/or generating functions to be applied to a specific problem. This paper bridges this gap by constructing queuing models without making assumptions about the interarrival or service-time distributions. It obtains results for the M/G/1 and G/M/1 queues, where the "G" distributions are constructed from the observations on the queue.
Bacterial expression and characterization of the ligand-binding domain of the vitamin D receptor.

Abstract The ligand-binding domain of the rat vitamin D receptor (amino acids 115–423) was expressed as an amino-terminal His-tagged protein in a bacterial expression system and purified over Ni-nitrilotriacetic acid resin and a Mono S column. The purified protein bound its ligand, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, with high affinity, similar to that of the full-length protein. Saturation of the protein with ligand quenched 90% of the tryptophan fluorescence, consistent with the purified protein being uniformly able to bind ligand. Addition of ligand produced no change in the tryptophan fluorescence lifetime, suggesting static quenching as the mechanism of fluorescence decrease. The near-UV circular dichroism spectrum showed a large increase in signal following the addition of ligand, consistent with a change in the environment of aromatic amino acid side chains. The far-UV circular dichroism spectrum was consistent with a protein of high α-helical content. Sedimentation equilibrium experiments demonstrated that the protein formed higher-order complexes, and the distribution of the protein among these complexes was significantly shifted by addition of ligand.
E1-M1 Interference in Radiative Decay of Hydrogenlike Atoms in an Electric Field

An unpolarized hydrogenlike atom in the metastable $2{S}_{\frac{1}{2}}$ state in an electric field decays primarily by one- or two-photon emission. The angular distribution of the single-photon radiation is expected to be asymmetric with respect to the electric field direction as a result of $E1\ensuremath{-}M1$ interference. Observable consequences of this effect in high-$Z$ Lamb-shift experiments in progress are pointed out. A lowest-order estimate is given for the dependence of the asymmetry on the nuclear charge and the applied field strength.
Distributed detection of replica node attacks with group deployment knowledge in wireless sensor networks

Several protocols have been proposed to mitigate the threat against wireless sensor networks due to an attacker finding vulnerable nodes, compromising them, and using these nodes to eavesdrop or undermine the operation of the network. A more dangerous threat that has received less attention, however, is that of replica node attacks, in which the attacker compromises a node, extracts its keying materials, and produces a large number of replicas to be spread throughout the network. Such attack enables the attacker to leverage the compromise of a single node to create widespread effects on the network. To defend against these attacks, we propose distributed detection schemes to identify and revoke replicas. Our schemes are based on the assumption that nodes are deployed in groups, which is realistic for many deployment scenarios. By taking advantage of group deployment knowledge, the proposed schemes perform replica detection in a distributed, efficient, and secure manner. Through analysis and simulation experiments, we show that our schemes achieve effective and robust replica detection capability with substantially lower communication, computational, and storage overheads than prior work in the literature.