cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Brain IL-1-induced immunosuppression occurs through activation of both pituitary-adrenal axis and sympathetic nervous system by corticotropin- releasing factor

Intracerebroventricular infusion of femtomolar quantities of interleukin-1 (IL-1) or stimulated release of endogenous IL-1 in the brain suppresses various cellular immune responses, decreasing natural killer cell (NK) activity, response to mitogen, and interleukin-2 production of splenic and blood lymphocytes (an effect hereafter called "brain IL-1-induced immunosuppression"). The present study examines mechanisms by which IL-1 produces this effect. First, because IL-1 in the brain activates the pituitary-adrenal axis by stimulating release of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), the role of CRF was investigated. To block CRF, affinity-purified antibody to CRF was infused into the lateral ventricle 30 min before introduction of IL-1. When this was done, suppression of cellular immune responses that normally follow IL-1 infusion was completely prevented. Infusion with an equal quantity of non-CRF IgG prior to IL-1 was without effect. Second, the role of sympathetic nervous activity was examined. To block neural transmission at sympathetic ganglia, chlorisondamine (3.0 mg/kg) was injected intraperitoneally 60 min before IL-1 infusion. When this was done, suppression of immune responses by IL-1 was partially blocked. These results indicate that IL-1 in the brain suppresses various cellular immune responses by activating both the pituitary-adrenal axis and the sympathetic nervous system, and that these systems are both activated through the influence of IL-1 on CRF.
Multilingual word spotting in offline handwritten documents

In this work, we propose a novel multilingual word spotting framework based on Hidden Markov Models that works on corpus of multilingual handwritten documents and documents that contain more than one handwritten script. The system deals with large multilingual vocabularies without need for word or character segmentation. A keyword is represented by concatenating its character models. We propose and compare two systems: a script identifier based (IDB) and a script identifier free (IDF) system. IDB uses a HMM based script identifier before spotting a keyword. While, IDF does the spotting without the script identification. The system is evaluated on a mixed corpus of public dataset from several scripts such as IAM for English, AMA for Arabic and LAW for Devanagari and on synthetic dataset generated by concatenating words and lines from different scripts in a document image.
Effects of extreme heat on teeth with implications for histologic processing.

This pilot study examined teeth subjected to extreme heat under laboratory conditions, and the subsequent effect of decalcification and histologic processing. Physical and microscopic findings were evaluated in relation to temperature and duration of thermal insult. Microscopic examination following decalcification and histologic processing revealed changes including severe tissue fragmentation, vapor bubbles within dentinal tubules, altered histologic staining, charring and tissue shrinkage. Dentin appeared to be the most reliable microscopic identifier of incinerated dental tissues. Temperatures above 600°C strongly predicted tooth disintegration following decalcification. This finding has implications in incineration cases where histologic evidence must be maintained and examined intact.
Measuring stress relaxation in a compression relaxometer

In stress relaxation measurements, utilizing a sample in the shape of a thick cylinder the stiffness of the sample is typically greater than the stiffness of the measuring unit of the device. In this case, the observed stress relaxation time may be orders of magnitude greater than that expected from the viscosity over shear modulus ratio. The relaxation characteristics of a glass sample can be found by using the theory presented and tested in this work.
Specialized computer labs: care and feeding

This paper is a brief overview of some of the challenges and successes related to the support of a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Windows lab and a music technology Mac OS lab at Williams College. Specialized computer labs can present some surprising issues that set them apart from general academic computer labs. The GIS lab and music technology labs at Williams have provided many examples of such challenges, including: Finding academic pricing for non-academic software. Creating secure lab spaces. Handling unusual license management, including dongles and hasps, as well as software management schemes that involve locking software to a specific computer. Working around security issues with products that assume that all users have full administrative access to the lab computers. Solving peripheral software and hardware interface challenges. Training users and creating effective documentation. Troubleshooting non-standard hardware and software-intensive lab stations. Creating and deploying an image for a specialty lab.The authors share their experience supporting these labs and confronting some of these issues at Williams College.
Revved up or turned off? How domain knowledge changes the relationship between perceived task complexity and task interest

This correlational study examined the relationship between perceived task complexity and task interest for individuals with varying levels of domain knowledge and/or individual interest. Forty-five college student participants (46% women) reported their knowledge and individual interest in biology before learning about the biology of fungus. Following the task, participants rated the complexity and their understanding of the material. Participants took a quiz on the material and reported their interest in fungus and willingness to return for another session. A significant Biology Knowledge × Perceived Complexity interaction emerged on task interest and willingness to return for another session, ps < .05. Perceived complexity predicted positive task outcomes for high-domain-knowledge individuals but negative task outcomes for low-domain-knowledge individuals, suggesting that domain knowledge and individual interest can help explain individuals' diverse responses to learning activities.
Geometry of KdV (1): Addition and the Unimodular Spectral Classes

This is the first of three papers on the geometry of KDV. It presents what purports to be a foliation of an extensive function space into which all known invariant manifolds of KDV fit naturally as special leaves. The two main themes are addition (each leaf has its private one) and unimodular spectral classes (each leaf has a spectral interpretation), but first a bit of background.
Inhibition of insect larval growth by phenolics in glandular trichomes of tomato leaves

We have found that the foliar tetracellular glandular trichomes (tetrads) of the tomato plant,Lycopersicon esculentum Mill., contribute significantly to the antibiotic effect of the leaf against the fruitwormHeliothis zea (Boddie), as measured by reduction in larval growth. This effect is attributable to phenolic compounds localized within the tetrads. We have found that the cellular fluid of the tetrads is particularly rich in the flavonol glycoside rutin, accompanied by lesser amounts of other phenolics.
What Am I Thinking About? John Duns Scotus and Peter Aureol on Intentional Objects

L'A. presente la theorie de la connaissance de Jean Duns Scot et montre qu'elle conduit a une multiplication des entites, ce a quoi ne parvient pas un autre penseur medieval (Aureol) qui introduit l'intentionnalite de la pensee vers l'objet comme modus essendi de cette chose reelle. L'A. compare les deux philosophes en soulignant des problemes qui restent encore ouverts
Epidemiology of hepatitis C virus infection in American veterans

Abstract OBJECTIVE: This study reports the findings of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in a large Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care System in suburban Northern California. METHODS: All veterans who had anti-HCV (EIA II) tested during a 6-yr period (7/92 to 6/98) were included in this study. To estimate the seroprevalence of anti-HCV among our population, 126 consecutive bloodborne pathogen exposure accidents were studied. RESULTS: Of 8558 veterans tested for anti-HCV (EIA II), 2985 (35%) veterans were positive with a mean age of 48.4 yr (range, 28–89 yr). Sixty percent were between the age of 41 and 50 yr. Risk factors for HCV infection identified in 409 consecutive veterans were intravenous drug abuse (81%), unknown (11%), blood transfusion (3%), sexual/household contact (2%), transfusion and intravenous drug use (2%), and tattoo (1%). Of 215 consecutive anti-HCV-positive veterans whose sera were tested by polymerase chain reaction, 96% were viremic. The most common HCV genotypes were 1a (50.5%), 1b (22.8%), 3a (12.1%), 2b (9.7%), 2a (1.9%), undetermined (1.9%), and mixed infection (1%). Veterans infected with genotype 1b were significantly older. Among 126 consecutive bloodborne pathogen exposure accidents, hepatitis C serology was available for 72 index veterans involved in the accidents and 18% were positive. CONCLUSIONS: We found the epidemiology of hepatitis C infection was different in the veteran population when compared to other published data on nonveterans. Hepatitis C infection was much more common among veteran, within a very narrow age distribution and intravenous drug use was the major risk factor.
Electro-optic polymer light modulator based on surface plasmon resonance.

The first experimental results, to our knowledge, for an optical modulator that makes use of an electro-optic polymer located between two thin silver films are presented. The methods used to fabricate the modulator are discussed. Initial results show 18.5% modulation in the intensity of the light reflected off of the modulator at a wavelength of 6328 A.
Confidence Intervals for Steady-State Simulations II: A Survey of Sequential Procedures

We continue our survey of methods for constructing confidence intervals for steady-state means via simulation by studying sequential procedures which determine the length of the simulation during the course of the run. Our goal is to provide the simulation practitioner with some guidance as to which published procedures might actually perform well in practice. Empirical results for a variety of stochastic models with known steady-state means suggest that sequential procedures by Fishman and by Law and Carson provide good performance relative to the criterion probability of coverage.
Children as research subjects: a dilemma.

A complex problem exists about how to promote the best interests of children as a group through research while protecting the rights and welfare of individual research subjects. The Nuremberg Code forbids studies without consent, eliminating most children as subjects, and the Declaration of Helsinki disallows non-therapeutic research on non-consenting subjects. Both codes are unreasonably restrictive. Another approach is represented by the Council for the International Organizations of Medical Science, the U.S. Federal Research Guidelines, and many other national policies. They allow research ethics committees or institutional review boards to authorize studies with acceptable balances of likely benefits and harms, but neither clarify how to balance them nor explain the meaning of pivotal concepts, like "minimal risk." Paths to the improvement of balancing or consequentialist approaches include (1) improving standardizing of risk assessment, (2) rejecting crude utilitarianism, (3) identifying and justifying normative or moral judgments, and (4) acknowledging extra-regulatory thresholds and deontological or non-negotiable duties to children.
TOR kinase and Ran are downstream from PI3K/Akt in H2O2-induced mitosis

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) activates signaling cascades essential for cell proliferation via phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) and Akt. Here we show that induction of mitogenic signaling by H2O2 activates sequentially PI3K, Akt, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), and Ran protein. Akt activation is followed by signaling through the mTOR kinase and upregulation of Ran in primary type II pneumocytes, a cell type implicated in the development of lung adenocarcinoma. Pretreatment of the cells with wortmannin, a specific inhibitor of PI3K, or rapamycin, a specific inhibitor of mTOR kinase, prevented H2O2-increased mitosis. H2O2-induced Akt ser-473 phosphorylation and upregulation of Ran protein were prevented by wortmannin but not by rapamycin, indicating that PI3K is upstream of Akt and mTOR is downstream from Akt. Overexpression of myr-Akt or Ran-wt in type II pneumocytes increased Akt ser-473 phosphorylation and mitosis in a catalase-dependent manner, indicating that H2O2 is essential for Akt and Ran signaling. These results indicate that H2O2-induced mitogenic signaling in primary type II pneumocytes is mediated by PI3K, Akt, mTOR-kinase, and Ran protein.
Unusual extramedullary relapses in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

threshold for thyrotropin suppression in congenital hypothyroidism. Am J Dis Child 1980;134:19. 12. Redmond GP, Soyka LF. Abnormal TSH secretory dynamics in congenital hypothyroidism. J PEDIATR 1981;98:83. 13. Bereiowitz M, Maeda K, Harris S, Frohman LA. The effect of alterations in the pituitary-thyroid axis on hypothalamic content and in vitro release of somatostatin-like immunoreactivity. Endocrinology 1980;107:24. 14. Asticr HS, DeFesi CR, Surks MI. Kinetics of dcoxyribonucleic acid synthesis and replication of thyrotrophs and somatotrophs during development of hypothyroidism and L-triiodothyronine treatment of hypothyroid rats. Endocrinology 1980;106:1537. 15. Hinkle PM, Goh KBC. Regulation of thyrotropin-releasing hormone receptors and responses by L-triiodothyronine in dispersed rat pituitary cell cultures. Endocrinology 1982; 110:1725.
Dust and spacecraft charging in Saturn’s E ring

The electrostatic potential of a spacecraft reflects the local physical conditions and also affects the in situ thermal plasma measurements. In this work we focus on the spacecraft charging in the high dust density region near Enceladus in Saturn’s E ring. In a dust-rich environment, the spacecraft charging is modified by the complex (dusty) plasma conditions as well as by the additional dust-associated charging currents (dust ram current and the dust impact plasma current). Adopting the Cassini plasma electron and dust profiles, we explore the longitudinal and latitudinal spacecraft potential variations in the E ring. Our results show that, under dust-rich condition, the spacecraft potential is neutralized due to the collection of the dust impact plasma ions. We suggest a systematic verification of our model calculation with the Cassini in situ measurements and also a search for signatures of dust-spacecraft impact plasma in the Cassini thermal plasma measurements.
The role of system responses on biodiesel nitric oxide emissions in a medium-duty diesel engine

The often-observed higher emission of nitrogen oxides with biodiesel, relative to petroleum diesel, is well-reported in the literature. Upon review of the literature, there seem to be two broad contributors that cause such a trend: those that are manifested by the effects of fuel property differences directly on in-cylinder processes and those that are manifested by the effects of fuel property differences on engine systems, thus rendering an indirect effect on in-cylinder processes. In this article, the former manifestations are called fundamental issues while the latter manifestations are called system response issues. Both can have significant impact on the magnitude and direction of nitrogen oxides emission differences between biodiesel and petroleum diesel fuels. This article has the objective to identify the distinction between fundamental and system response issues on nitric oxide emissions of biodiesel combustion in a diesel engine. It is noted that the article focuses mostly on the system respons...
Late Cenozoic ring faulting and volcanism in the Coso Range area of California

The Coso Range of southeastern California is underlain principally by Mesozoic granitic rocks that are partly veneered by upper Cenozoic volcanic rocks. The volcanic units (in apparent decreasing age) include (1) widespread basaltic flows, (2) dacitic flows and tuff, and (3) rhyolitic domes and flows and basaltic cones and flows. These volcanic rocks are encompassed by an oval-shaped zone of late Cenozoic ring faulting that measures about 40 km east to west and 45 km north to south and that defines a structural basin. Most of the Coso Range and a slice of the adjacent Sierra Nevada lie within this ring structure. The youngest volcanic rocks are Pleistocene and, with associated active fumaroles, occupy a north-trending structural and topographic ridge about 18 km by 10 km near the center of the basin. The ring structure and associated volcanic rocks suggest a large underlying magma chamber that has periodically erupted lava to the surface during the past few million years.
A Terror Management Perspective on the Role of Death-Related Anxiety in Psychological Dysfunction

Building on previous existential theorizing, terror management theory provides a unique approach to conceptualizing the development, maintenance, and impact of psychological disorders. The theory suggests that awareness of mortality creates the potential for anxiety, which is managed by an anxiety-buffering system consisting of one's cultural worldview, self-esteem, and interpersonal attachments. The pursuit of meaning, personal value, and interpersonal connections that motivates much human behavior is driven, in part, by the need to control this potential for death-related anxiety. This article provides an overview of terror management theory and a discussion of its implications for understanding clinical conditions, along with a review of research exploring the roles of death-related anxiety and the anxiety-buffering system in anxiety disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder, and depression.
Analysis of Σ- absorption in helium

The momentum spectra of the lambda and the triton observed in the reaction Σ− are calculated assuming a phenomenological interaction Hamiltonian for the basic process Σ- + p → λ+ n. Final-state interactions were neglected. Reasonable agreement is obtained for the λ -spectrum and also for the neutron spectrum. Marked deviation is obtained between the calculated and experimental triton spectrum indicating strongly the possibility of a An resonance at about 43 MeV in An system.
Unusual combinations of verbal and performance IQs in normal and neurologically impaired elderly.

For the WAIS-R old age standardization sample, unusual Verbal-Performance IQ combinations were generated at the .05 and .01 levels of significance. In a preliminary attempt to determine the neurological significance of these unusual test score combinations, the standardization based values were compared to those of a small sample of elderly brain-injured subjects. The frequency of unusual IQ combinations was essentially the same for the normal and brain-damaged elderly. Unusual VIQ-PIQ combinations should not be considered pathognomonic of neurological impairment.
A Fault-Tolerant Parallel Algorithm for Iterative Solution of the Laplace Equation

Algorithm based fault tolerance is an inexpensive method of achieving fault tolerance without requiring any hardware modifications. Algorithm-based schemes have been proposed for a wide variety of numerical applications. However, for a particular class of numerical applications, namely those involving the iterative solution of linear systems, there exist almost no fault-tolerant algorithms in the literature. In this paper, we describe a fault-tolerant version of a parallel algorithm for iteratively solving the Laplace equation over a grid.
Impact of online journals on citation patterns of dentistry, nursing, and pharmacy faculty.

The past decade has seen a major shift in the journal collections of academic health sciences libraries. Libraries gained access to vast numbers of journals as never before possible when they moved into licensing large electronic journal packages instead of the traditional title-by-title print journal selections. These changes have been a boon to researchers, who presumably no longer have to travel across campus or even down the hall to the library for articles. Instead, they retrieve articles with just a few clicks on their home or office computers. Libraries are reducing their print collections due to decreased utilization and increased access to online journals [1–3]. The convenience of accessing the online collection remotely instead of having to walk into the library has been cited as a reason [4]. A previous study that examined the impact of online journals on the citation patterns of medical school faculty found that when medical faculty had access to a small print collection and a large online journal collection, the use of the print collection significantly decreased. However, when faculty had access to a large print collection in addition to a large online collection, the impact on the use of the existing print collection was minimal [5]. A 2006 study that surveyed health sciences librarians also found that researchers are still using print journals in this electronic age [6]. The purpose of this study is to determine how online journal collections are impacting the citation patterns of researchers in dentistry, nursing, and pharmacy. Journal citation patterns before and after the introduction of online journals will be examined to determine whether researchers are more likely to limit the journal articles they cite to those journals available online rather than those available only in print.
An autoradiographic study of the postnatal development of sensorimotor and visual components of the corticopontine system.

Standard autoradiographic tracing methods which employed intracortical injections of 3H-leucine were used to describe the time course of development in those components of the corticopontine system which originate in sensorimotor (SM) or visual (VIS) cortices. These studies were performed using male or female pigmented rats ranging in age from 1 to 24 days (birth = day 0). Labeled axons could easily be recognized within the cerebral peduncle at the level of the basilar pons on postnatal day 1 following either an SM or a VIS cortical injection. Labeling over the basilar pontine neuropil suggestive of axonal ingrowth could also be seen on day 1 following SM injections but not until day 3 in cases with VIS injections. During the latter part of the first postnatal week, both SM and VIS axon terminal fields were established in the pontine neuropil in locations generally similar to those described in the adult. However, at this time they occupied a larger area and appeared more diffusely organized than in the adult. Subsequently during the second postnatal week, both SM and VIS projection fields gradually became more focused and circumscribed until by day 16 in the case of the SM system, and day 18 for the VIS projection, an adultlike configuration was attained. At no time during development was there any evidence of a more substantial contralateral projection than that described for the adult. Correlation of these events with previous Golgi observations and ongoing electron microscopic studies of pontine synaptogenesis suggest that the focusing or constriction of corticopontine axon terminal fields might be the result of a selective degeneration process in which the presynaptic (corticopontine axon) and postsynaptic (basilar pontine neurons) elements both play an active role. Furthermore, the absence of a stage in development characterized by an increase in the density of the contralateral component of the projection confirms the interpretation of earlier studies which suggested that the aberrant contralateral corticopontine projections observed following neonatal cortical lesions were the result of sprouting from the intact corticopontine system and not due to failure of retraction in one component of a system which in fact distributes bilaterally for a time during development.
Microstructural Observations on Constrained Densification of Alumina Powder Containing a Periodic Array of Sapphire Fibers

Alumina powder was packed within and around a square array of 16 sapphire fibers to study the density and microstructure of the matrix powder after different heat treatments. The matrix powder along the cell edges of the array (most closely spaced distance between fiber centers) was observed to become dense and support grain growth before the regions within the centers of the square unit cells. The denser, larger-grained material between the fibers formed a continuous network of creep resistant material that constrained the densification of the porous regions.
Design tool for injection molded snap fits in consumer products

In this paper, a Java™-based design tool for injection molding is presented that deals with the complicated design issues surrounding snap-fit attachments. The software tool helps a user design a snap fit with an appropriate mechanical behavior and ensures that the resulting feature is manufacturable within the context of the part as a whole.
Ionic calcium reservoirs in mammalian epidermis: ultrastructural localization by ion-capture cytochemistry.

Although calcium ions have been shown to regulate the differentiation of keratinocytes in vitro, the role of divalent cations in vivo is not known. Prior attempts to localize divalent cations in epithelial tissues have been impeded by a lack of specificity of ultrastructural techniques, as well as translocation of precipitates within tissues. The availability of an improved cytochemical method (oxalate-pyroantimonate technique) has facilitated more precise, reliable localization of calcium. When this technique (± 10 mM EGTA) was applied to neonatal mouse epidermis, Ca ++ -containing precipitates localized primarily within the cytosol, mitochondria, and nuclear chromatin of some basal and spinous cells, suggesting a possible relationship of Ca ++ with the cell cycle. In the lower granular layer, progressively more Ca ++ precipitates appeared intercellularly, with the only intracellular Ca ++ localized within mitochondria and lamellar bodies (limiting membranes and discs). The most apical granular cells always demonstrated dense extracellular deposits, and high intracellular Ca ++ , free in the cytosol. The extruded contents of lamellar bodies, at the granular-cornified layer interface, also demonstrated significant amounts of Ca ++ -containing precipitates between the lamellar discs. Although some corneocytes in the lower stratum corneum demonstrated intracellular precipitates, most were deviod of Ca ++ . The striking intercellular Ca ++ accumulation in the mid granular layer, coupled with Ca ++ influx in the upper granular layer, supports the view that changes in intracellular Ca ++ may regulate epidermal differentiation. Finally, the association of Ca ++ with lamellar body disc membranes and contents suggests that divalent cations may contribute to both lamellar body secretion and to the formation of intercorneocyte membrane bilayers.
Precise and efficient integration of interprocedural alias information into data-flow analysis

Data-flow analysis is a basis for program optimization and parallelizing transformations. The mechanism of passing reference parameters at call sites generates interprocedural aliases which complicate this analysis. Solutions have been developed for efficiently computing interprocedural aliases. However, factoring the computed aliases into data-flow information has been mostly overlooked, although improper factoring results in imprecise (conservative) data-flow information. In this document, we describe a mechanism which, in factoring in interprocedural aliases, computes data-flow information more precisely and with less time and space overhead than previous approaches.
Effects of leg loss on male crab spiders Misumena vatia

Although shedding a leg may save an individual's life, it may lower its subsequent fitness by decreasing its ability to obtain food, increasing its vulnerability to predators, or lowering its success in reproduction. We studied the effects of leg loss on common locomotory tasks and activity levels in adult male crab spiders Misumena vatia. Over three field seasons approximately 30% of adult males lost one or more legs, usually among their four large anterior legs. Although M. vatia do not build webs, they use their front legs extensively to traverse lines, their most important means of movement. Field-captured males missing one or more legs moved 38% more slowly across lines and 28% more slowly on surfaces than intact males. Since males must hunt to find unmated females, this reduced mobility suggests a significant fitness cost for males that have lost legs. However, a set of males with experimentally autotomized legs moved as rapidly on lines as intact males. Since individuals that lost a limb in the field weighed significantly less than intact individuals of the same size (carapace width), adjusting for leg mass, the slow rates of movement on lines by the field-caught individuals missing a leg probably resulted from poor body condition, rather than a loss of dexterity. Most studies have explained potential loss in fitness from losing a leg as a direct consequence of leg loss, seldom invoking indirect effects. The potential for leg loss to reduce fitness via impacts on body condition warrants further attention, for it could play an important role in cost of autonomy.
DNA-protein cross-links between guanine and lysine depend on the mechanism of oxidation for formation of C5 vs C8 guanosine adducts.

The reaction between Nα-acetyllysine methyl ester (Lys) and 2‘-deoxyguanosine (dGuo) was used to study structural aspects of DNA−protein cross-link (DPC) formation. The precise structure of DPCs depended on the nature of the oxidant and cross-linking reactions in which a series of different oxidation conditions generated a distribution of adducts, principally spirodiiminodihydantoins with lysine appended at the purine position of C5 (5-Lys-Sp), C8 (8-Lys-Sp), or both C5 and C8 (5,8-diLys-Sp). Singlet oxygen oxidation of dGuo produced 5-Lys-Sp exclusively when Rose Bengal or methylene blue was used to photochemically generate 1O2 in the presence of Lys, whereas riboflavin or benzophenone-mediated photochemistry generated lysine radicals and led to C8 adduct formation, yielding 8-Lys-Sp and 5,8-diLys-Sp. Notably, the yield of dGuo modifications from riboflavin photooxidation increased dramatically in the presence of lysine. Oxidation of deoxyguanosine/lysine mixtures with Na2IrCl6 or sulfate radicals produc...
Trace element distributions of a granular activated carbon

Abstract Elemental distributions obtained by energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) analysis, combined with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), are presented for used and virgin samples of a commercial granular activated carbon (GAC) Calgon F400 manufactured from bituminous coal. Distributions of Al, Si, K and Fe reveal the presence of large inclusions of a clay mineral such as illite, approximately 10–360 μm in diameter. We also find mineral inclusions of Fe alone, about 6–80 μm in diameter. The elemental distributions for S are diffuse and do not indicate the presence of iron sulfide compounds, although pyrite is the major iron mineral in bituminous coal feedstocks used for Calgon F400. The Mossbauer spectrum of Calgon F400 confirms the presence of iron oxides and iron metal, as probable products of pyrite during manufacture of the GAC. In samples of F400 used for potable water purification, Cl and Ca are characterized by diffuse distributions; results of quantitative EDXRF analysis indicate these elements are associated with compounds adsorbed from water on the surface of Calgon F400.
Police leniency in traffic enforcement encounters: Exploratory findings from observations and interviews

Despite the volume of time officers spend on traffic enforcement encounters, there was limited research exploring how they used their discretion in such interactions. Issues relating to police decision making patterns in the enforcement of motor vehicle laws were particularly salient in light of the on-going debate over racial profiling. This study examined how officers made decisions (in particular, to stop and to sanction) in the course of traffic enforcement. Using field observations and interviews with officers in a small midwestern agency, the authors described the factors and forces that officers used in making discretionary choices. The findings indicated that leniency in sanctioning was very common and that officers expected citizens to be contrite and acknowledge responsibility for their infractions. Implications for larger and more systematic observational studies are discussed.
Data Mining and Analysis of Large Scale Time Series Network Data

Large amounts of data are readily available and collected daily by global networks worldwide. However, much of the real-time utility of this data is not realized, as data analysis tools for very large datasets, particularly time series data are cumbersome. This research presents a comparative study of three data mining tools using a large scale time series dataset from NOAA for analysis and mining. Meteorological data, gathered daily, if used at all, is useful for a very short period of time, both to help determine current weather conditions and to predict upcoming weather events. Current weather prediction methods can only guess at what the conditions will be in the near-term future, approximately one week at a time. The goal of this research project was to take large amounts of archival NOAA weather data and use appropriate data mining algorithms to identify patterns that could help predict future weather events. The results of this work identify the merits of the Rapid Miner tool over Weka and Orange, and provide future direction for data mining on massive data sets gathered from global networks.
A 10-year experience with postpump chorea

Postpump chorea (PPC) is the development of choreoathetoid movements within 2 weeks following cardiopulmonary bypass. Over a 10-year period, 668 children underwent open cardiac surgery, of whom 8 (1.2%) developed PPC. Age at surgery ranged from 8 to 34 months. The onset of chorea was 3 to 12 days following surgery. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging showed atrophy but no focal lesions. Cerebral positron emission tomography using [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose in a patient following 12 months of chorea showed patchy areas of decreased glucose metabolism. None of the patients were developmentally normal 22 to 130 months following surgery. Three patients have had transient and 5 have persistent chorea. Neurological deficits ranged from a mild learning disability to progressive hypotonia and obtundation ending in death. One of 4 patients who received haloperidol had a decrease in the severity of chorea. We compared PPC patients with 39 randomly selected controls. During surgery, affected patients spent significantly more time on pump and at temperatures under 36 degrees C, were cooled to lower temperatures than controls, and were more likely to have had a circulatory arrest. One patient developed chorea without a history of circulatory arrest. We conclude that (1) there is a strong association between PPC, deep hypothermia, and circulatory arrest, (2) absence of characteristic macroscopic changes suggests a biochemical or microembolic etiology in some cases, (3) chorea is frequently associated with developmental delay, and (4) the prognosis for complete resolution of chorea is guarded.
Topology, cost and efficiency comparisons of a 2 MW DC supply using interleaved DC-DC converter

An optimal design of a 2-MW dc supply which has a variable output dc voltage range between 400 V and 1500 V and is intended for testing equipment under IEEE 1547 is presented in this paper. Trade-offs between size and system complexity must be taken into account because the main components (dc inductor, semiconductor switches, cooling system, etc.) of such a high power system are expensive and/or bulky. Several dc-dc converter topologies are considered and compared for the application and all the components in this design were selected based on current market availability. The 4-stage interleaved dc-dc converter topology is finally selected since it has a good performance to price ratio. The control algorithm based on the selected topology is illustrated and simulation results are presented and described. These simulations demonstrate that the proposed dc supply design provides an acceptable dc power source for testing distributed generation equipment under IEEE 1547 at relatively high power levels.
GIS-based emergency response planning in a Mexico–U.S. border community

Recent public interest in the environmental problems faced by communities in the Mexico/U.S. border region has led to increased efforts to assess technological hazards and emergency response capabilities. This research explores the use of geographic information systems (GIS) to evaluate emergency response capabilities relative to risk zones in Nogales, Sonora and Nogales, Arizona. The GIS allows capability assessment at a detailed level of spatial resolution, allowing planners to identify areas in the community with inadequate emergency-response facilities. Civilian evacuation scenarios, based on simulated hazardous material releases, identify network bottlenecks and other vulnerabilities. Finally, GIS allows easy visualization of these problems, thus aiding planners in identifying areas for improving emergency capabilities. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Coagulation in smoke plumes after a nuclear war

Abstract Several recent assessments have focused on the climate effects of a major nuclear war. Most studies have assumed smoke optical properties which remain constant with time. The optical properties of smoke, however, can change with time due to coagulation within the lofted smoke plumes. We present calculations that model this process and its effect on optical properties on short to intermediate time scales. We treat smoke that is high in elemental carbon content as expected from petroleum-based fuels as well as smoke from vegetative fuels. The model we use is necessarily restricted to spherical particles but our results are in qualitative agreement with the optical effects of smoke from the large forest fires which occurred in Alberta, Canada in the 1950s. If nuclear war smoke is similar (and some data imply that it is), we expect similar optical effects after a war. Our results suggest that coagulation can decrease the absorption cross-section by about 50% in 1 week for a smoke that is half from wood fuel and half from petroleum-based fuel. This decrease might limit the extent of the climate effects of smoke from a nuclear war, even in the absence of rainout of the smoke. The initial smoke size distribution evolves within a few days to a size that may be fit by a log-normal distribution with a mode radius of 0.4μm and a geometric standard deviation of 1.5. Climate model simulations should be initialized with larger smoke size distributions and smaller absorption cross sections than considered previously.
Instrumentation for high-performance capillary electrophoresis—mass spectrometry

Abstract An automated, commercially available capillary electrophoresis (CE) instrument was modified for interfacing with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). A Beckman P/ACE 2000 CE instrument with both electrokinetic and hydrostatic sample injection capabilities and efficient temperature control of the separation conditions was selected on the basis of these characteristics for this project. Modifications to it included extension of the fluid circulation path in an interface block extension and electrical modifications due to changes in electrophoresis current measurement capabilities. The capabilities for complete computer automation, capillary temperature control and on-line UV detection were retained. The minimum capillary length was increased by 35 cm due to the extension to the electrospray ionization—mass spectrometer interface. Initial results employing a laboratory—designed liquid sheath electrospray source are presented which show that very high separation efficiencies can be routinely obtained using the modified instrumentation. Capabilities for combined CE-MS are demonstrated for peptide and protein mixtures.
Valence parity renders z(*)-type ions chemically distinct.

Here we report that the odd electron z•-type ions formed by the electron-based peptide dissociation methods (electron capture or transfer, ECD or ETD) have distinctive chemical compositions from other common product ion types. Specifically, b-, c-, and y-type ions have an odd number of atoms with an odd valence (e.g., N and H), while z•-type ions contain an even number of atoms with an odd valence. This tenet, referred to as the valence parity rule, mandates that no c-type ion shall have the same chemical composition, and by extension mass, as a z•-type ion. By experiment we demonstrate that nearly half of all observed c- and z•-type product ions resulting from 226 ETD product ion spectra can be assigned to a single, correct, chemical composition and ion type by simple inspection of the m/z peaks. The assignments provide (1) a platform to directly determine amino acid composition, (2) an input for database search algorithms, or (3) a basis for de novo sequence analysis.
Protein quality control as a strategy for cellular regulation: lessons from ubiquitin-mediated regulation of the sterol pathway.

Selective intracellular protein degradation is involved in every aspect of cellular life. A unifying theme in eukaryotic protein degradation is found in the tagging and destruction mechanism called the ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS): a particular protein is targeted for degradation by the recursive covalent addition of the small protein ubiquitin (Ub), which leads to recognition of the resulting multiubiquitin chain by the 26S proteasome. The breadth of use of UPS in cellular life is allowed by the specificity of target protein recognition; in this way, drastic differences in protein half-life can be observed in the same cellular compartment, thus assuring the required specificity for a regulatory mechanism that is sufficiently flexible to destroy any cellular protein. Ubiquitination of proteins occurs by the successive action of a cascade of three enzymes (Figure 1). This process is extensively detailed in numerous reviews 1 so a useful summary is described here. The E1 ubiquitin activating enzyme uses ATP to covalently activate and then add ubiquitin to an E2 ubiquitin conjugating (UBC) enzyme. Ubiquitin is then transferred from the ubiquitin-charged E2 to the substrate or the growing ubiquitin chain by the action of an E3 ubiquitin ligase, resulting in a substrate-attached multi-ubiquitin chain that is recognized by the proteasome, leading to degradation of the ubiquitinated substrate. The ubiquitination enzymes operate in a hierarchy: in yeast, there is one E1, 10 E2s and a few hundred E3 ubiquitin ligases. In the mammal the same organization exists, but with many more E2s and E3s. The E3 ligases are the most immediately involved in selective targeting of ubiquitination substrates, and thus often the focus of investigation when studying a degradation pathway. This three enzyme cascade presents a skeletal picture; in most cases ancillary factors participate in substrate recognition and transfer of the ubiquitinated product to the proteasome 2,3. Open in a separate window Figure 1 The enzymes of ubiquitination The covalent attachment of the small (7.6 kD) protein ubiquitin (Ub) to a target substrate (S) proceeds by a cascade of enzymes. The ubiquitin activating enzyme (UBE), or E1, adds Ub to itself in a thioester linkage on the E1. Ubiquitin conjugating enzymes (UBCs), E2s, are charged by transfer of ubiquitin from the E1 to a thioester linkage on the E2. Finally, a ubiquitin ligase, or E3, brokers the transfer of ubiquitin to the target substrate S, producing a ubiquitinated protein. This process is continued by continued addition of the next ubiquitin to the previously added one, producing a polyubiquitin chain. The polyubiquitin chain is recognized with high specificity by the 26S proteasome, causing degradation of the S target. The E3 is thus a critical determininat of specificity in this modification scheme. Typically, there is one E1, tens of E2s (10 in yeast, ~ 50 in mammals) and many E3s.
Fast and accurate low-coherence interferometric measurements of fiber Bragg grating dispersion and reflectance.

We demonstrate fast and accurate measurements of fiber Bragg grating dispersion and spectral reflectance using low-coherence interferometry. Both dispersion and spectral reflectance are obtained in less than 60 seconds, rendering the results immune to errors caused by temperature variations and instrumental drift. To examine the accuracy of the low-coherence technique, we compare the results with independent measurements and demonstrate an agreement better than 1.5 ps for dispersion and 25 pm for spectral reflectance wavelength. This manuscript describes work of the US Government and therefore is not subject to copyright.
Waiting for the Body Count: Corporate Decision Making and Bladder Cancer in the U.S. Dye Industry

Scientists in Europe determined in the early part of the 20th century that beta-naphthylamine (BNA) and benzidine, two chemicals widely used in the production of dyes, were potent bladder carcinogens. Yet the accumulation and dissemination of scientific information about occupational bladder cancer had little impact on U.S. dye producers with regard to protecting the health of workers in their employ. As a result, hundreds of workers developed bladder cancer. This case study explores the worker protection policies offour U.S. dye manufacturers and demonstrates that these corporations allowed uncontrolled exposure to occur until the human cost became so obvious that it was no longer possible to ignore. These data underscore the limitations of voluntary corporate compliance with workplace health and safety regulation, and suggest the need for more active governmental involvement in the dissemination of technical information to employers, unions, and the public. ince its inception, the synthetic dye industry has been dominated by the largest multinational chemical manufacturers. While the technology developed for dye production has resulted in important advances in chemical, munitions, and pharmaceutical manufacturing, the intermediate chemicals used in producing dyes have been responsible for a series of epidemics of bladder cancer in virtually every region of the world where the industry has located (Hueper 1969). The U.S. dye industry has been responsible for at least seven documented outbreaks of occupational bladder cancer, with at least 750 cases of the disease appearing since 1930.1 Bladder cancer is an uncommon type of tumor, and for that reason the occurrence of more than one or two cases in any group of workers is cause for suspicion. When outbreaks of the disease have occurred at dye factories, the relative rareness of the cancer in the general population and the extreme magnitude of the increased risk associated with exposure to the dye intermediates have generally made the occupational clustering of the cases so obvious they ultimately could not be ignored. As a result, the manner in which the history of bladder cancer has unfolded for each dye manufacturer, a process entailing the "discovery" of the epidemic, the communication of information about the risk of exposure, the overdue decision to institute control measures, and the eventual acknowledgment that the product cannot be manufactured safely, is readily documented.2