cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mercury residues and productivity in osprey and grebes from a mine-dominated ecosystem.

Mercury (Hg) and reproduction and status of Western and Clark's Grebes (Aechmophorus sp.) and Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) were studied from 1992 through 2001 and then less intensely through 2006 at Clear Lake, California, USA. Remediation to reduce Hg loading from the Sulphur Bank Mercury Mine was initiated in 1992. Mercury in grebe feathers declined monotonically from ∼23 mg/kg dry mass (DM) in 1967–1969 to 1 mg/kg in 2003, but then increased to 7 mg/kg in 2004–2006. Mercury in Osprey feathers varied similarly, with mean values of 20 mg/kg DM in 1992, declining to a low of 2 mg/kg in 1998, but increasing to 23 mg/kg in 2003, and 12 mg/kg in 2006. Mercury in Osprey feathers at our reference site (Eagle Lake, California) remained low (1–8 ppm) throughout the entire period, 1992–2003. Grebe productivity at Clear Lake improved from ∼0.1 to 0.5 fledged young per adult during the latter part of the study when human disturbance was prevented. At that period in time, improved productivity did not differ from our reference site at Eagle Lake. Human disturbance, however, as a co-factor made it impossible to evaluate statistically subtle Hg effects on grebe productivity at Clear Lake. Osprey reproduced sufficiently to maintain increasing breeding numbers from 1992 to 2006. Mercury in Clear Lake water, sediments, invertebrates, and fish did not decline from 1992 to 2003, but a shift in trophic structure induced by an introduced planktivorous fish species may have caused significant alterations in Hg concentrations in several species of prey fishes that may have produced concomitant changes in Osprey and grebe Hg exposure. The temporary declines observed in grebe and Osprey feather residues in the late 1990s, with coincidental improvements in reproductive performance, however, could not be attributed to remediation at the mine site.
Compromise - An effective approach for conceptual aircraft design

The Decision Support Problem (DSP) technique for aircraft design is presently demonstrated through the development of a compromise DSP template for the conceptual design of subsonic transport aircraft. System variables are wing span and area, fuselage diameter and length, takeoff weight, and installed thrust. Such system constraints as range and wing loading are represented algebraically using standard subsonic aircraft theory, and economic efficiency is modeled in terms of rates-of-return. The DSP template thus obtained has been tested and validated using the known mission requirements and design constants of the B 727-200 airliner.
Bacillus arsenicoselenatis, sp. nov., and Bacillus selenitireducens, sp. nov.: two haloalkaliphiles from Mono Lake, California that respire oxyanions of selenium and arsenic

Two gram-positive anaerobic bacteria (strains E1H and MLS10) were isolated from the anoxic muds of Mono Lake, California, an alkaline, hypersaline, arsenic-rich water body. Both grew by dissimilatory reduction of As(V) to As(III) with the concomitant oxidation of lactate to acetate plus CO2. Bacillus arsenicoselenatis (strain E1H) is a spore-forming rod that also grew by dissimilatory reduction of Se(VI) to Se(IV). Bacillus selenitireducens (strain MLS10) is a short, non-spore-forming rod that grew by dissimilatory reduction of Se(IV) to Se(0). When the two isolates were cocultured, a complete reduction of Se(VI) to Se(0) was achieved. Both isolates are alkaliphiles and had optimal specific growth rates in the pH range of 8.5–10. Strain E1H had a salinity optimum at 60 g l–1 NaCl, while strain MLS10 had optimal growth at lower salinities (24–60 g l–1 NaCl). Both strains have limited abilities to grow with electron donors and acceptors other than those given above. Strain MLS10 demonstrated weak growth as a microaerophile and was also capable of fermentative growth on glucose, while strain E1H is a strict anaerobe. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis placed the two isolates with other Bacillus spp. in the low G+C gram-positive group of bacteria.
Management of Aortic Brucellosis With Infection of a Descending Thoracic Aortic Stent Graft

A 74-year-old Iranian-born man initially presented with a penetrating atherosclerotic ulcer of the descending thoracic aorta. He underwent endovascular stenting of the lesion, but later presented with recurrent back pain and fever. He was then diagnosed with brucellosis and started on antimicrobial therapy, including 2 weeks of parenteral gentamicin and two oral agents that were poorly tolerated. Two years later he presented with fever, recurrent back pain, and new hemoptysis. He underwent successful resection of the descending thoracic aorta with in situ interposition graft reinforced with an omental wrap. Ten months postoperatively, the patient remains on lifelong suppressive antimicrobial therapy with ciprofloxacin and rifampin, without any sign of infection. No similar case has been previously reported in the English literature.
Real-time fiber-based multi-functional spectral-domain optical coherence tomography at 1.3 mu m

We demonstrate a high-speed multi-functional spectral-domain optical coherence tomography system, using a broadband light source centered at 1.3 µm and two InGaAs line scan cameras capable of acquiring individual axial scans in 24.4 µs, at a rate of 18,500 axial scans per second. Fundamental limitations on the accuracy of phase determination as functions of signal-to-noise ratio and lateral scan speed are presented and their relative contributions are compared. The consequences of phase accuracy are discussed for both Doppler and polarization-sensitive OCT measurements. A birefringence artifact and a calibration procedure to remove this artifact are explained. Images of a chicken breast tissue sample acquired with the system were compared to those taken with a time-domain OCT system for birefringence measurement verification. The ability of the system to image pulsatile flow in the dermis and to perform functional imaging of large volumes demonstrates the clinical potential of multi-functional spectral-domain OCT.
Pharmacogenomics: Translating Functional Genomics into Rational Therapeutics

Genetic polymorphisms in drug-metabolizing enzymes, transporters, receptors, and other drug targets have been linked to interindividual differences in the efficacy and toxicity of many medications. Pharmacogenomic studies are rapidly elucidating the inherited nature of these differences in drug disposition and effects, thereby enhancing drug discovery and providing a stronger scientific basis for optimizing drug therapy on the basis of each patient's genetic constitution.
Duals of orphan-free anisotropic voronoi diagrams are embedded meshes

Given an anisotropic Voronoi diagram, we address the fundamental question of when its dual is embedded. We show that, by requiring only that the primal be orphan-free (have connected Voronoi regions), its dual is always guaranteed to be an embedded triangulation. Further, the primal diagram and its dual have properties that parallel those of ordinary Voronoi diagrams: the primal's vertices, edges, and faces are connected, and the dual triangulation has a simple, closed boundary. Additionally, if the underlying metric has bounded anisotropy (ratio of eigenvalues), the dual is guaranteed to triangulate the convex hull of the sites. These results apply to the duals of anisotropic Voronoi diagrams of any set of sites, so long as their Voronoi diagram is orphan-free. By combining this general result with existing conditions for obtaining orphan-free anisotropic Voronoi diagrams, a simple and natural condition for a set of sites to form an embedded anisotropic Delaunay triangulation follows.
The original WWW: Web lessons from the early days of radio

ow do you evaluate a technology which has completely captured the public’s imagination? One which has spawned thousands of articles in newspapers and magazines. A technology that has come to indicate innovativeness, where failure to appreciate it is taken as a sure sign of belonging to the wrong side of a generational divide. Which has led, almost overnight, to the creation of new companies, brands, industries, and fortunes. A technology which commentators claim will revolutionize not only public culture, but also education and commerce. And, in moments of excess, a technology which is hailed as the best new chance for creating a peaceful world.
Interactions of carbon-containing fly ash with commercial air-entraining admixtures for concrete

The most important commercial outlet for coal ash is as a partial replacement for Portland cement in the concrete industry. High levels of unburnt carbon can render ash samples unsuitable for this high-value market by interfering with the action of air-entraining admixtures, which are specialty surfactants used to stabilize air bubbles in concrete mixtures. An initial laboratory investigation was carried out to identify the fundamental interaction mechanisms between fly ash and air-entraining admixtures. The results indicate that the interaction is time-dependent and occurs to a degree that correlates only crudely with the amount of carbon present. Measurements made on a variety of model additives suggest that admixtures are preferentially adsorbed from the aqueous phase on non-microporous carbonaceous surfaces.
Investigation of oscillatory discharges in various atmospheres using time-resolved spectroscopy

Abstract The change of the spectrum of a nickel alloy, in various gases, has been investigated using microsecond-resolution spectrography. During an oscillating discharge (in the 100 kc range) lines from doubly ionized atoms closely follow the current. Singly ionized nickel lines also follow the current and are slightly out of phase with the doubly ionized lines. Lines from the neutral atom persist longer and are almost continuous in time at the higher frequencies. Maxima in the intensity of these lines occur when the sample is cathode. The variations in excitational temperature, as measured by the ratio of a doubly ionized nickel line to a neutralatom nickel line, show that in the surrounding gas, which initially gives the most spark-like character to the sample spectrum, the spectrum decays most rapidly to the most arc-like in character. The relative rates at which line and background are emitted are important from an analytical standpoint only in the case of air. The ratio of the intensity of analytical lines, which are closely matched in excitation potential, varies considerably as shown by microsecond resolution of the spectrum. These variations are smaller in nitrogen than in the other gases used.
Crystallization of tobacco ringspot virus

Tobacco ringspot virus belongs to the nepovirus group of the small spherical plant viruses. It has been suggested that the protein capsid, which displays icosahedral symmetry, consists of 240 protein subunits which are arranged on a T = 4 surface lattice. The virus crystallizes in orthorhombic space group P212121 (a = 388 A, b = 396 A, and c = 405 A). The unit cell contains four virus particles while the crystallographic asymmetric unit consists of one complete virion. X-ray diffraction data from the crystals extend to at least 3.3 A resolution.
Saidism without Said: Orientalism and U.S. Diplomatic History

AMERICAN DIPLOMATIC HISTORIANS may not be interested in Edward Said, but he is interested in them. While Orientalism was primarily a study of British and French representations of Middle Eastern Others in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Said nevertheless devoted a good deal of space to the period after 1945, when American power supplanted that of Great Britain and France, and Americans, he argued, inherited the Western Orientalist apparatus. American Orientalism went well beyond vaguely populist stereotypes that Arabs or Muslims were prone to violence, incapable of rational thought, untrustworthy, devious, and unclean. Instead, "the Middle East experts who advise [U.S.] policymakers are imbued with Orientalism, almost to a person." Since 1978, as Said has refined his thinking about imperialism and paid increasing attention to its American version, he has read broadly in the field of U.S. foreign relations. Footnotes in his Culture and Imperialism (1993) include works by William Appleman Williams, Richard Van Alstyne, Walter LaFeber, Michael Hunt, and Paul Kennedy, all of them scholars of American foreign relations.1 Said's interest in the history of U.S. foreign policy has apparently not been reciprocated. Articles published over the past twenty years in the journal Diplomatic History, house organ for the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations (SHAFR), contain only a few references to Orientalism, most of them charitable but cursory. Akira Iriye, who has studied the influence of culture on United StatesJapan relations in the twentieth century, made a glancing reference to Orientalismn in his 1979 SHAFR presidential address. Diplomatic History frequently publishes pleas by senior historians for greater conceptual scope in the field. In one of these essays, John Lewis Gaddis managed to invoke Stephen Jay Gould, Freeman Dyson, and Douglas Adams-author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy-but not Said. Michael Hunt called for "Internationalizing U.S. Diplomatic History" in 1991without Said. In a 1994 essay, Emily S. Rosenberg used cultural analysis, in a manner reminiscent of Said, to connect two post-World War II films to interna-
On Various Modes of Scalar Convergence in L0(X)

Abstract A sequence {fn} of strongly measurable functions taking values in a Banach space X is scalarly null a.e. (resp. scalarly null in measure) if x*fn → 0 a.e. (resp. x*fn → 0 in measure) for every x* ∈ X *. Let 1 ≤ p ≤ ∞. The main questions addressed in this paper are whether an LP( X )-bounded sequence that is scalarly null a.e. will converge weakly a.e. (or have a subsequence which converges weakly a.e.), and whether an Lp( X )-bounded sequence that is scalarly null in measure will have a subsequence that is scalarly null a.e. The answers to these and other similar questions often depend upon p and upon the geometry of X .
Numerical study of degradation of fluvial hanging valleys due to climate change

[1] Hanging fluvial valleys form at mouths of tributaries that are unable to incise as quickly as the trunk stream. Although hanging valleys at tributary mouths are uncommon, in very rapidly eroding ranges, such as the Himalaya, they can attain heights of ∼1 km and display mean channel slopes exceeding 30°. Given a hypothesis based on bed load–saltation erosion for how such features form, this study addresses the question of why hanging valleys are not more common and what limits their growth. We implement a numerical model of bed load–saltation erosion for a tributary junction experiencing base-level fall to explore conditions that may lead hanging valleys to form or subsequently degrade owing to climate variability. We find that increased frequency of bed load mobilization and enhanced bed load supply can drive the degradation of hanging fluvial valleys. Moreover, when trunk aggradation overtops the hanging valley, the knickpoint tends to be removed during subsequent degradation of the alluvial surface. Channel narrowing, increased bed load size, or bed load supply each can inhibit the formation of hanging fluvial valleys. Under steady hydrological and sedimentologic conditions, bed load–saltation models predict hanging valleys could be quite common where main stem erosion is rapid. The frequency and magnitude of changes in climatically modulated sediment loads in natural systems, however, typically overwhelm factors that promote hanging valley formation without such bed load variability. Because rates of channel aggradation commonly outpace rates of hanging valley formation, we propose that hanging valleys tend to be preserved only in regimes where trunk-stream erosion exceeds several millimeters per year.
Anisotropic thermopower of the organic superconductor κ-(BEDT-TTF) 2Cu[N(CN)2]Br

The thermopower of the organic superconductor \ensuremath{\kappa}-(BEDT-TTF${)}_{2}$Cu[N(CN${)}_{2}$]Br single crystals has been measured in two crystallographic directions a and c within the most conducting organic donor molecule plane. [Here BEDT-TTF represents bis(ethylenethio)-tetrathiafulvalene.] While the thermopower in the a direction is positive, the thermopower in the c direction is negative. The drastic anisotropy in thermopower reveals that the carriers in the a direction are holelike, whereas the carriers in the c direction are electronlike. A calculation based on the tight-binding electronic band structure is able to describe the temperature dependence of the anisotropic thermopower, but with a much reduced band dispersion.
Geometric gauge potentials and forces in low-dimensional scattering systems

We introduce and analyze several low-dimensional scattering systems that exhibit geometric phase phenomena. The systems are fully solvable and we compare accurate solutions of them with those obtained in a Born-Oppenheimer projection approximation. We illustrate how geometric magnetism manifests in them, and explore the relationship between solutions obtained in the diabatic and adiabatic pictures. We provide an example, involving a neutral atom dressed by an external field, in which the system mimics the behavior of a charged particle that interacts with, and is scattered by, a ferromagnetic material. We also introduce a similar system that exhibits Aharonov-Bohm scattering. We propose possible practical applications. We provide a theoretical approach that underscores universality in the appearance of geometric gauge forces. We do not insist on degeneracies in the adiabatic Hamiltonian, and we posit that the emergence of geometric gauge forces is a consequence of symmetry breaking in the latter.
The Plastic Palm and Memories in the Making: Conceptual Art Work on Warsaw's Jerusalem Avenue

In 2001, Joanna Rajkowska, a Polish contemporary artist, made a trip to Israel, after which she decided to make people aware of the significance of Warsaw’s Jerusalem Avenue [Aleje Jerozolimskie], one of the Polish capital’s main streets. She intended to point out the street’s history in a vacuum, as she claimed, caused by the absence of Jewish community after World War II. She “planted” an artificial palm tree—in her view a plant typical of Jerusalem streets—in the middle of a major traffic circle in the center of Warsaw. Even though Rajkowska made a project based on “just” one of the forgotten pasts, it revealed a whole new potential for “other” pasts in that particular space, which suddenly became impossible to be taken for granted as they had been before. Furthermore, the artist opened a new social space in which pasts were brought back to interact with the present. The palm quickly became the object and symbol of much more contemporary Polish struggles: for gay rights, for nurses’ wages, for liberal values, and the right to think differently. Rajkowska’s palm tree managed to bring these and many other issues to the general public, to make it aware of the everyday inhabited space, to make that space visible—with all its ambiguities, different layers of meanings, interpretations of the past, and visions of the future—while transforming that very public along the way.
CONSTITUTIVE MODELING OF FRAGMENTED MATERIAL

Ceramics can deform non-elastically under compression and shear by sliding and ride up of fragments or grains, with accompnying competition between dilatancy and pore compaction. This paper describes a micromechanical model of such deformation based on multiplane plasticity and an analogy to the dynamics of atomic dislocations.
Skeletal alkaline phosphatase specific activity is an index of the osteoblastic phenotype in subpopulations of the human osteosarcoma cell line SaOS-2

During continuous culture with serial passage, the human osteosarcoma cell line SaOS-2 showed a time-dependent decrease in skeletal alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity. Because this was indicative of heterogeneity, subpopulations of SaOS-2 cells were isolated from replicate low-density cultures. The subpopulations were less heterogeneous and more stable (with respect to ALP) than the parent population. ALP specific activity in the subpopulations ranged from 0.05 to 2.3 U/mg protein, and cytochemical analyses indicated multiple steady-state levels of ALP activity per cell. The amount of ALP activity in SaOS-2 subpopulations was proportional to collagen production ([3H]proline incorporation into collagenase-digestible protein; r = .84, P less than .005), and to parathyroid hormone (PTH)-linked synthesis of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) (r = .88, P less than .01). From these data, we inferred that ALP activity in SaOS-2 cells can provide a useful index of the osteoblastic phenotype, and that ALP activity, collagen production, and PTH-linked adenylate cyclase were coordinately regulated in these osteoblast-like osteosarcoma cells (ie, selection of subpopulations for ALP activity coselected for collagen synthesis and PTH-linked synthesis of cAMP). Further comparative studies showed that micromolar fluoride concentrations stimulated cell proliferation ([3H]thymidine incorporation into DNA) in low-ALP SaOS-2 subpopulations, but not in high-ALP cells (P less than .001), and that this differential sensitivity to fluoride was associated with an inverse correlation between fluoride-sensitive acid phosphatase and ALP activities (r = -.91, P less than .001).
GS-nitroxide (JP4-039)-mediated radioprotection of human Fanconi anemia cell lines

Fanconi anemia (FA) is an inherited disorder characterized by defective DNA repair and cellular sensitivity to DNA crosslinking agents. Clinically, FA is associated with high risk for marrow failure, leukemia and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Radiosensitivity in FA patients compromises the use of total-body irradiation for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and radiation therapy for HNSCC. A radioprotector for the surrounding tissue would therefore be very valuable during radiotherapy for HNSCC. Clonogenic radiation survival curves were determined for pre- or postirradiation treatment with the parent nitroxide Tempol or JP4-039 in cells of four FA patient-derived cell lines and two transgene-corrected subclonal lines. FancG–/– (PD326) and FancD2–/– (PD20F) patient lines were more sensitive to the DNA crosslinking agent mitomycin C (MMC) than their transgene-restored subclonal cell lines (both P < 0.0001). FancD2–/– cells were more radiosensitive than the transgene restored subclonal ...
Multienzyme complexes in DNA precursor biosynthesis

Abstract Several features of DNA replication suggest the involvement of multienzyme complexes in deoxyribonucleotide biosynthesis. Such complexes could generate intracellular concentration gradients of DNA precursors, with high levels being maintained at their sites of utilization, namely, replication forks. Relevant facts or observations include the following. (1) Deoxyribonucleotides are highly specialized metabolites, whose sole evident function is to serve as DNA precursors; for the most part they are found only in cells which are synthesizing DNA. (2) Although average intracellular deoxyribonucleoside triphosphate concentrations are low, most in vitro systems for DNA synthesis require rather high triphosphate concentrations to maintain maximal incorporation rates; thus, the effective intracellular levels are probably much higher than the average concentrations; (3) DNA chain growth rates in vivo are one to two orders of magnitude higher than the corresponding rates for RNA chain growth; thus, DNA precursor supplies must be replenished very rapidly at the replication fork. Data on deoxyribonucleotide pool labeling kinetics indicate that DNA precursor pools are compartmentalized. Even in the absence of physically separated compartments, one can visualize a functional compartmentation in which the separate pools are kinetically distinct. In bacteria, for example, one could envisage a small, rapidly turning over pool of triphosphates near the replication forks, and a larger, more slowly replenished pool which is more evenly distributed through the cell and which is used primarily in DNA repair. A complex of deoxyribonucleotide-synthesizing enzymes, juxtaposed with the replication apparatus, could serve to maintain high local concentrations of triphosphates at the replication forks. Using T4 phage-infected E. coli as a model system, our laboratory has obtained considerable evidence supporting the above model. The evidence is derived from deoxyribonucleotide pool kinetic studies, experiments on DNA synthesis in vitro, and properties of an isolated multienzyme aggregate. The evidence indicates that effective DNA precursor concentrations at the replication fork are quite different from average intracellular concentrations as estimated from pool measurements. The desirability of being able to determine effective concentrations is emphasized.
Controlling interface characteristics by adjusting core-shell structure

Most grain boundary layer ceramics comprise semiconductive/conductive grains and insulated grain boundaries. Such a structure can be theoretically regarded as a shell (grain boundary layer) surrounds a core (conductive or semiconductive grain). The core-shell structure of titanium (Ti)-strontium titanate (ST) is composed of three zones - ST, non-stoichiometric strontium-titanium oxide and Ti, in order from shell to core. It was successfully prepared using a hydrothermal method. The Ti-ST core-shell structure was sintered in a reducing atmosphere and then annealed in air to achieve the metal-insulator-metal structure (MIM structure). The resulting MIM structure, annealed in air, changes with the oxygen stoichiometry of the ST shell (insulator layer) at various temperatures, which is thus used to tune its electrical characteristics. The characteristics exhibit nonlinear behavior. Accordingly, the thickness of the insulator layer can be adjusted in various annealing atmospheres and at various temperatures to develop various interfacial devices, such as varistors, capacitors and thermistors, without the use of complex donor/acceptor doping technology.
Adrenal chromaffin cells do not swell when exposed to nanosecond electric pulses.

Abstract High intensity, nanosecond duration electric pulses (NEPs) permeabilize plasma membranes causing osmotic cell swelling that can elicit a wide variety of cellular effects. This study examined the possibility that cell swelling is the mechanism by which 5 ns NEPs trigger the release of catecholamines from neuroendocrine adrenal chromaffin cells. Swelling was assessed by comparing measurements of cell area obtained from bright field images of the cells before and at 10 s intervals following exposure of the cells to 5 ns pulses at a field intensity of 5–6 MV/m. The results indicated that chromaffin cells do not swell in response to a single pulse or a train of ten pulses delivered at repetition frequencies of 10 Hz and 1 kHz. Swelling was also not observed in response to a train of 50 pulses whereas Jurkat T lymphoblast cell area increased 15% on average under the same NEP exposure conditions. These results demonstrating that chromaffin cells do not undergo swelling when exposed to 5 ns NEPs have important implications regarding the mechanism by which these pulses stimulate the release of catecholamines from these cells, namely that catecholamine secretion is most likely not caused by cell swelling.
Quality of life convergence of laparoscopic and open anti-reflux surgery for gastroesophageal reflux disease

SUMMARY. Although laparoscopic anti-reflux surgery (LARS) has become the surgical treatment of choice for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), it is unclear whether the quality of life (QoL) advantage of LARS over open anti-reflux surgery (OARS) persists in the long term. The purpose of this study was to compare long-term QoL between LARS and OARS patients. A prospectively gathered database of all patients who underwent either LARS or OARS for symptomatic GERD was reviewed. Preoperatively, patients completed the GERD- health-related quality of life (HRQL) symptom severity questionnaire (best score 0, worst score 50), and the Medical Outcome Short Form (36) (SF-36) generic bodily QoL instrument (eight domains, physical functioning, PF; role – physical, RP; role – emotional, RE; bodily pain, BP; vitality, mental health, social functioning, SF; general health, best score 100, worst score 0). Postoperatively, patients completed both questionnaires at 6 weeks and a least 1 year. Data are presented as medians and statistically analyzed using the Mann–Whitney U-test. A beta-error was determined to assess adequacy of sample size. A total of 289 patients underwent LARS and 124 OARS. At 6 weeks there were statistically significantly better scores for LARS in the domains of PF, RP, RE, BP and SF. However, after 1 year, there were no statistically significant differences. The beta-error for non-statistically significant differences were all < 0.2, which is considered an adequate sample size. Although LARS does produce better QoL scores in the early postoperative period, after 1 year, these scores converge.
Effects of nerve growth factor on cyclocytidine-induced growth responses of sympathectomized parotid or parotid of partially desalivated rat.

Abstract Cyclocytidine (CC), a potent antitumor agent, caused a 2.4- to 3.9-fold increase in [3H] thymidine uptake of rat parotid gland after 3 days of daily administration of the CC in a dose of 500 mg/kg body weight. Gland weight also was increased. Ablation of the submandibular-sublingual glands prior to initiation of the CC regimen prevented the usual CC-induced increase in [3H]thymidine uptake but this inhibition was partially reversed when nerve growth factor (NGF) was administered with the CC; values for [3H]thymidine uptake into parotid DNA were 81, 54, and 73% of those of glands of intact CC-treated rats. Submandibular gland ablation did not prevent the usual CC-induced increase in parotid size, and administration of NGF had no effect. Sympathectomy of the salivary glands also inhibited the thymidine increase in parotid gland usually induced by CC but in addition it also inhibited the usual CC-induced increase in gland weight. NGF, however, failed to reverse the effects of sympathectomy on [3H]thymidine uptake or gland size: both remained at the same level observed in sympathectomized parotid not given NGF.
The memorial structure of organized sequences

Subjects were asked to memorize a sequence of nine consonants which were grouped into three groups of three letters each (e.g., SBJ FQL ZNG). After learning the sequence, they were presented with single letters, letter pairs, or letter triples and asked to indicate if the probe item appeared in the memorized sequence. The latency results suggest that subjects engage in a linear self-terminating memory search in which the items from one chunk are retrieved from memory as the items from the immediately preceding chunk are being scanned. When the probe consisted of more than one item, the subjects were slowed in their comparison if the letters came from different chunks (e.g., JF vs. FQ in the above illustration), and the number of letters in the probe also influenced the reaction time. Neither of those effects were obtained if all the letters in the probe came from the same chunk, and that would seem to suggest that the probe items from the same chunk were compared in parallel to the letters in the memory item, while items from different chunks were compared serial.
Improved outcome for young children with AIDS, Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, and acute respiratory failure.

Objective: To describe the clinical course of children with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, requiring mechanical ventilation secondary to Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, with respect to intensive care unit outcome, long-term survival after intensive care unit discharge, and possible predictors of outcome. Design: Retrospective case series. Setting: Multidisciplinary, tertiary, pediatric intensive care unit. Patients: Thirteen consecutive patients accounting for 15 admissions to the intensive care unit, from September 1986 through December 1991, with the diagnoses of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, P. carinii pneumonia, and acute respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation. Results: All patients were less than 2 years of age and acquired human immunodeficiency virus infection perinatally. Survival after 15 admissions to the intensive care unit was 60%. Mean (± SD) and median long-term survival for the nine intensive care unit survivors was 30 ± 12.9 months and 27 months, respectively. Maximum oxygenation index and minimum partial pressure of arterial oxygen to fraction of inspired oxygen ratio were significantly different between survivors and nonsurvivors. Conclusions: Young children with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome who develop acute respiratory failure secondary to P. carinii pneumonia and who require mechanical ventilation may have a better acute outcome and long-term survival than previously reported.Pediatr Pulmonol. 1994;18:114–118. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Measurement of conversion temperatures for Si(111) 2 × 1

Abstract Vacuum cleaved Si(111) surfaces were heated in a miniature furnace to avoid thermal gradients, and the surface temperature was accurately measured with an infrared pyrometer. The results of three cleavages at room temperature, and cleavages at 250, 357 and 486°C, indicate loss of the half order low energy electron diffraction beams under short term heating between 350 and 400°C, with no immediate new fractional order beams. In one case a 5 × 5 structure was found by higher temperature heating. There is an apparent initial conversion to 1 × 1.
Characterization of the gating brake in the I-II loop of CaV3 T-type calcium channels.

Our interest was drawn to the I-II loop of Cav3 channels for two reasons: one, transfer of the I-II loop from a high voltage-activated channel (Cav2.2) to a low voltage-activated channel (Cav3.1) unexpectedly produced an ultra-low voltage activated channel; and two, sequence variants of the I-II loop found in childhood absence epilepsy patients altered channel gating and increased surface expression of Cav3.2 channels. To determine the roles of this loop we have studied the structure of the loop and the biophysical consequences of altering its structure. Deletions localized the gating brake to the first 62 amino acids after IS6 in all three Cav3 channels, establishing the evolutionary conservation of this region and its function. Circular dichroism was performed on a purified fragment of the I-II loop from Cav3.2 to reveal a high α-helical content. De novo computer modeling predicted the gating brake formed a helix-loop-helix structure. This model was tested by replacing the helical regions with poly-...
Molecular Cloning and Characterization of Homologs of Achaete–Scute and Hairy–Enhancer of Split in the Olfactory Organ of the Spiny Lobster Panulirus argus

The olfactory organ of the Caribbean spiny lobster Panulirus argus maintains lifelong proliferation and turnover of olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs). Towards examining the molecular basis of this adult neurogenesis, we search for expression of homologs of proneural, neurogenic, and pre-pattern genes in this olfactory organ. We report here a homolog of the proneural Achaete-Scute family, called splash (spiny lobster achaete-scute homolog), and a homolog of the pre-pattern and neurogenic hairy-enhancer of split family, called splhairy (spiny lobster hairy). Semi-quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) indicates a molt stage dependence of the levels of expression of splash and splhairy mRNA in the olfactory organ, with higher expression in premolt than in postmolt or intermolt animals, which is positively correlated with rates of neurogenesis. splash and splhairy mRNA are expressed not only in the olfactory organ but also in other tissues, albeit at lower levels, irrespective of molt stage. We conclude that the expression of achaete-scute and hairy-enhancer of split in the proliferation zone of the olfactory organ of spiny lobsters and their enhanced expression in premolt animals suggest that they play a role in the proliferation of ORNs and that their expression in regions of the olfactory organ populated by mature ORNs and in other tissues suggests that they have additional functions.
Microcode Optimization: Examples and Approaches

Firmware engineering strategies range from hand coding to the use of optimizing compilers. For fine-tuned microcode we often need the advantages of both ends of the spectrum.
Flow-assisted corrosion of steel and the influence of Cr and Cu additions

Abstract Flow-assisted corrosion (FAC) of steel feedwater lines occurs by dissolution of the surface oxide layer on the steel. The solubility of iron in water under FAC conditions is discussed through the use of potential-pH diagrams (Pourbaix diagrams). Alloying additions of chromium and copper both decrease FAC. An assessment is presented that Cr additions decrease FAC by forming a mixed oxide with iron instead of a pure iron oxide. The solubility of iron from the mixed oxide is smaller than for pure iron oxide and leads to a smaller FAC rate. The stable form of copper under FAC conditions is not the mixed iron-copper oxide but metallic copper, which may act in the underlying steel surface to impede FAC.
Reactions of Pd, Ni, and Cu metals with trifluoroacetic anhydride

The reactions of trifluoroacetic anhydride with palladium, nickel, and copper atoms at low temperatures have been studied by spectroscopic and synthetic techniques. Results indicate that metal-anhydride complexes are formed at low temperatures and subsequently decompose to give metal trifluoroacetates upon warming to ambient. The order of stability of these complexes is believed to be Ni < Cu < Pd. The reaction of Ni(CO)4 with trifluoroacetic anhydride also yields bis(trifluoroacetate) nickel.
Active mud volcanism observed with Landsat 7 ETM

Abstract Mud volcanoes are relatively small spatter cones that erupt water-laden mud and gases, and occur throughout the world. For many mud volcanoes, the eruption of warm mud (10–40°C) can be detected with high-resolution thermal satellite imagery. We demonstrate the utility of Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) imagery for thermal monitoring of active mud volcanism. We constrain the temperature and area of active mud discharge and estimate surface heat flux for two isolated mud volcanoes in the Copper River Basin, Alaska using Band 6 (10.4–12.5 μm). The heat flux results span a wide range due to uncertainties in the environmental conditions at the time of image acquisition, but can be constrained to be less than 0.24 MW for each of the two mud volcanoes considering previously published field measurements. With this higher-resolution Band 6 on the ETM+ sensor, as well as the high-resolution thermal bands on the ASTER sensor, reliable monitoring of mud volcanism on this scale is possible for the first time.
A Personal Advocacy Model for Serving Older Adults

ABSTRACT This paper examines the feasibility of enriching traditional advocacy to further enhance empowerment of older adults. The proposed process provides the community-based older aduit with the opportunity to actively participate in overcoming environmental barriers and maintaining their independence. Personal advocacy is defined and linked to the empowerment perspective, Further discussion includes the helping conditions of personal advocacy and the steps in the process for helping older adults. A proposed program for older adults using this strategy is then presented. Implications for gerontologicai social work practice are also identified.
Implications of the reported low-energy electron gradients

A recently reported measurement of a small electron gradient in the energy range from 1.9 to 8.4 MeV by Webber et al. (1973) is interpreted in terms of a large local value of the scattering mean free path for these particles. The possibility that the scattering mean free path may be large throughout the modulation region is then investigated under the assumption of an azimuthally symmetric modulation region of 5 AU extent, the applicability of the diffusion-convection-adiabatic energy loss transport equation, and a galactic origin for the low-energy electrons. The implications for the solar modulation of electrons and the interstellar electron spectrum are discussed.
An ab initio/RRKM study of the reaction mechanism and product branching ratios of the reactions of ethynyl radical with 1,2-butadiene

Abstract Ab initio/RRKM calculations have been performed to investigate the mechanism of the C2H + 1,2-butadiene reaction and to compute its product branching ratios under single-collision conditions. The reaction starts with barrierless C2H addition to various sites of H2C C CHCH3 producing different exothermic initial adducts. The chemically activated C6H7 adducts can then isomerize and decompose by splitting H or CH3. With the assumption of equal formation probabilities of all initial adducts, C6H6 (2-ethynyl-1,3-butadiene) + H are predicted as the dominant products (91–84% at collision energies of 0–7 kcal/mol), whereas C5H4 (penta-1,4-diyne) + CH3 (7–12%) and ethynylallene + CH3 (2–3%) are minor products.
A new compact model for external latchup

A model is presented for external latchup. The effects of spacing, temperature, supply voltage and layout are captured in the model. The model shows a good fit to measurement results from two different technologies, RF-CMOS and SmartMOS.
Electrocatalytic activity of ruthenium for oxygen reduction in alkaline solution

The electrochemical behavior and the electrocatalytic activity of ruthenium electrode for oxygen reduction are examined using cyclic voltammetry and rotating ring-disk electrode techniques. A surface oxide film on ruthenium metal is formed when the potential is scanned in the positive direction of hydrogen adsorption and evolution region. This oxide film affects the activity of ruthenium for oxygen reduction reaction. Oxygen reduction on ruthenium electrode proceeds primarily by a direct 4-electron reduction pathway without producing significant amounts of solution phase peroxide. The kinetic results suggest the initial electron transfer as the rate-determining step.
Melatonin suppression of PC12 cell growth and death

Melatonin has previously been reported to influence cell differentiation and growth in a number of cell culture systems in vitro. In this paper, we describe the effects of high pharmacological and low physiological concentrations of melatonin on cell growth in rat pheochromocytoma cells (PC12 cells). Melatonin produced a biphasic response with respect to cell growth in PC12 cells. At low concentrations (1-10 nM) melatonin suppressed PC12 cell growth whereas at higher concentration (10 microM) it prevented cell death. Cultures treated with high concentrations of melatonin displayed an increase in cell number and a decreased release of lactic acid dehydrogenase (LDH) into the culture media, indicating that melatonin was enhancing cell survival as opposed to stimulating cell proliferation. Inhibition of cell death by high concentrations of melatonin was both time and concentration-dependent and did not require the continued presence of melatonin throughout the entire time of incubation. These studies suggest melatonin is preventing either apoptosis or programmed cell death. In contrast, concentrations of melatonin (1-10 nM) at or near the binding affinity for the nuclear receptor, RZRbeta, suppressed PC12 cell growth. At these concentrations, melatonin failed to inhibit forskolin-induced cAMP formation and process outgrowth as well as prevent forskolin suppression of cell growth. These data indicate that PC12 cells probably lack functionally active cell surface receptors for melatonin and suggest the interaction of melatonin with the nuclear receptor may be responsible for suppression of PC12 cell growth.
Retrograde analyses of spinothalamic projections in the macaque monkey: Input to posterolateral thalamus

The distribution of retrogradely labeled spinothalamic tract (STT) neurons was analyzed in macaque monkeys following variously sized, physiologically guided pressure or iontophoretic injections of cholera toxin subunit B (CTb) in order to determine whether different STT termination sites receive input selectively from different sets of STT cells. This report focuses on posterolateral thalamus, where prior anterograde tracing observations identified the posterior part of the ventromedial nucleus (VMpo) as the major projection target of lamina I STT neurons. Large injections in posterolateral thalamus labeled predominantly STT cells in lamina I throughout the spinal cord. In cases with medium-sized or small injections centered in VMpo, almost all labeled STT cells (∼90%) were lamina I neurons. Small injections revealed a posteroanterior (foot to hand) somatotopographic organization consistent with that observed in prior anterograde tracing work; injections in posterior VMpo labeled primarily lumbosacral lamina I cells, whereas injections placed more anteriorly in VMpo labeled primarily cervical lamina I cells. These findings support the concept that VMpo is a primate lamina I spinothalamocortical relay nucleus important for pain, temperature, itch, muscle ache, sensual touch, and other interoceptive feelings from the body, and they provide strong evidence for the general hypothesis that the STT consists of several functionally and anatomically differentiable components. J. Comp. Neurol. 499:953–964, 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Smoothing document language models with probabilistic term count propagation

Smoothing of document language models is critical in language modeling approaches to information retrieval. In this paper, we present a novel way of smoothing document language models based on propagating term counts probabilistically in a graph of documents. A key difference between our approach and previous approaches is that our smoothing algorithm can iteratively propagate counts and achieve smoothing with remotely related documents. Evaluation results on several TREC data sets show that the proposed method significantly outperforms the simple collection-based smoothing method. Compared with those other smoothing methods that also exploit local corpus structures, our method is especially effective in improving precision in top-ranked documents through "filling in" missing query terms in relevant documents, which is attractive since most users only pay attention to the top-ranked documents in search engine applications.
Response of the pulmonary surfactant system to phosgene.

Rats were exposed to 240 ppm·min phosgene (1.0 ppm for 4 hrs) in a Rochester-type chamber. At intervals thereafter over a 4 day period, lungs were removed for determination of wet weight; total, microsomal and surfactant protein concentrations; surfactant phospholipid concentrations; and 1-acyl-2-lyso-phosphatidylcholine: palmitoyl-CoA acyl transferase activity. Immediately upon termination of the phosgene exposure, microsomal protein and acyl transferase activity were reduced below, and lung wet weight was elevated above, control levels. From Day 1 through Day 3 after the exposure, all measured parameters, except for the phosphatidylinositol constituent of the surfactant fraction, were increased above the control values. In general, maximum levels were observed on Day 2; however, the acyl transferase activity and surfactant concentration continued to increase on Day 3. The results suggest (a) components of the pulmonary surfactant system may be involved in maintenance of pulmonary fluid balance and (b) t...