cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An approach towards the measurement of nanometer range distances based on Cu2+ ions and ESR.

We present the measurement of Cu2+−Cu2+ and Cu2+−nitroxide distance distributions using double electron−electron resonance (DEER) on a proline-based peptide and an alanine-based peptide. The proline-based peptide contains two well-characterized Cu2+ binding segments, PHGGGW, separated by seven proline residues. The alanine-based peptide contains a PHGGGW segment at one end of the peptide and a nitroxide spin label attached to a cysteine residue close to the other end of the peptide. DEER experiments were performed at several external magnetic fields and resonance offsets to probe the orientational effects on the Cu2+-based DEER signal. Subtle but detectable orientational effects were observed from the DEER spectra of both peptides. A general theoretical model was developed to analyze the experimental data sets. We show that the Tikhonov regularization-based method is not applicable to extract precise Cu2+-based distance distributions. Instead, a full data analysis is required to obtain the distance distri...
Reflecting on the Past, for the Sake of the Future

: The Lutheran decision to ordain women happened in two broader contexts—ecumenical and inter-Lutheran—that still influence the way that the decision has been received in the congregations and in the wider public realm. Ordained women have not “arrived” yet, but the ongoing journey has been interesting and rewarding.
Electronic conductivity in nonstoichiometric cerium dioxide

Abstract The electrical conductivity of sintered specimens of nonstoichiometric CeO2−x was measured as a function of temperature (750–1500°C) and oxygen pressure (1–10−22 atm). The isothermal compositional dependence of the electrical conductivity of CeO2−x was determined by combining recently obtained thermodynamic data, x = x(PO2, T), with the conductivity data. The compositional and temperature dependence of the electrical conductivity may be represented by the expression σ=410[x]e −(0.158+x) kT ( ohm cm ) −1 over the temperature range 750–1500°C and from x = 0.001 to x = 0.1. This expression was rationalized in terms of the following simple relations for (a) the electron carrier concentration n ce ′ ce = 8x a 0 3 where nCe′Ce is the number of Ce′Ce per cm3 and a0 is the lattice parameter and (b) the electron mobility μ=5.2(10 −2 )e −(0.158+x) kT ( cm 2 / V sec ) .
Runaway limits for homogeneous and catalytic reactors

Abstract A unified approach that relates and combines the concepts of parametric sensitivity, ignition, extinction, hysteresis and isola formation is presented and used to derive a single universal runaway criterion valid for all homogeneous reactor models. It is also shown that the heat and mass dispersion have very little impact on this runaway locus. Next, the approach is extended to heterogeneous reactor models where interphase gradients strongly influence the runaway boundary. It is shown that the model of a well-mixed two-phase reactor may be used to derive runaway boundaries for a cooled multitubular catalytic reactor influenced by interparticle and intraparticle transport limitations. The validity of the approach is verified by numerical simulations of temperature profiles under safe and runaway conditions for some selected cases. The analysis of the heterogeneous model shows that the heat transfer resistance between the solid and the fluid introduces a qualitative change in the shape of the stability boundary. There exists a limiting value of the dimensionless heat of reaction parameter B , above which the reactor is in a runaway region regardless of the rate of external cooling. This limiting value of B corresponds to the ignition of catalyst particles. It is also shown that within the safe region of operation, there exists an optimal catalyst particle diameter that maximizes the reactor productivity. The main concepts involved and computation of the runaway boundaries for multiple reactions are illustrated by discussing three specific examples of consecutive, simultaneous and consecutive-simultaneous reactions. The important result is that the runaway locus for any multiple reaction network differs significantly from that of the single reaction only when the product λbψ > 0.1. Here, λ, ψ and b , represent, respectively, the ratio of rate constants at feed conditions, heats of reaction and feed concentrations of the primary reaction to that of the main competing reaction. This work also presents slightly conservative analytical results for the determination of the runaway limits of homogeneous and catalytic reactors for most cases of practical interest.
Spinal cord injury. Role of steroid therapy.

STUDY DESIGN: The authors review the evidence supporting the role of glucocorticosteroids in spinal cord injury, critique published studies, and provide recommendations for steroid use in this complex and difficult problem. OBJECTIVES: The authors detail the evolution of the use of glucocorticosteroids for acute spinal cord injury and objectively assess the results of NASCIS I and II. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Glucocorticosteroids were first used in patients with acute spinal cord injury in the 1960s. An initial randomized clinical trial (NASCIS I) did not demonstrate a difference in outcome between the low- and high-dose steroid therapy. A subsequent study (NASCIS II) demonstrated that a treatment could enhance neurologic recovery. METHODS: The authors critically review the preclinical studies of glucocorticosteroids, NASCIS I and NASCIS II: The majority of the critique focuses on NASCIS II and independent analysis of the data generated by that trial. RESULTS: NASCIS II suggests clinical benefit from high-dose intravenous methylprednisolone therapy. The true benefit of steroid therapy is unclear because of the difference in outcome of the two placebo groups who entered the protocol before and after 8 hours. The initial promising results may be negated by the better recovery of the delayed treatment and/or untreated group of patients in the greater than 8-hour placebo group. However, until the raw patient data from NASCIS II is made available for independent review, the actual benefit of intensive steroid therapy will remain elusive. CONCLUSIONS: Even with the controversies and unresolved issues, we advocate initiation of intensive glucocorticosteroid therapy as soon as possible after acute spinal cord injury, and not beyond the first 8 hours. There is too much data available to arrive at any other conclusion.
Lipids and fatty acids of Mysis diluviana in lakes Michigan and Huron, 2008

The opossum shrimp (Mysis diluviana) is a vital component of Great Lakes food webs. Baseline data on the nutritional condition of Mysis populations are necessary to evaluate potential impacts of recent, dramatic changes in the lower food webs of lakes Michigan and Huron. Information on lipid and fatty acid content can reveal patterns of health and physiological condition of mysids, including inferences on availability and quality of food. We sampled Mysis populations in the two lakes in spring and late summer/early fall 2008 and analyzed total lipid content and fatty acid profiles to describe Mysis nutritional condition. On average, adult Mysis in Lake Huron had lower total lipids and elevated concentrations of the fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid compared with Lake Michigan, although differences were not always significant. Results suggest that Lake Huron Mysis could have been starving during spring 2008.
Isoflavones in urine, saliva and blood of infants – data from a pilot study on the estrogenic activity of soy formula

Isoflavones in urine, saliva, and blood of infants: data from a pilot study on the estrogenic activity of soy formula
Epistemic Modals and Common Ground

This paper considers some questions related to the determination of epistemic modal domains. Specifically, given situations in which groups of agents have epistemic states that bear on a modal domain, how is the domain best restricted? This is a metasemantic project, in which I combine a standard semantics for epistemic modals, as developed by Kratzer, with a standard story about conversational dynamics, as developed by Stalnaker. I show how a standard framework for epistemic logic can model their interaction. I contend that if groups have epistemic states that bear on the modal domain, as the data suggests, then careful attention must be paid to the method of combination selected for the epistemic states of the individuals within the group. Specifically, there should be some explanation of the flow of information in a group-deliberative setting. Through this study we find a novel explanation of modal disagreement and uptake.
Nondestructive identification of three-dimensional embedded cracks in finite bodies by inversion of surface displacements

Abstract A combined experimental and numerical investigation demonstrates the effectiveness of a nondestructive method for crack identification based on inversion of surface displacements. Holographic interferometry was used to measure displacements of transparent acrylic cubes containing pressurized cracks. Results compared favorably with those of a three-dimensional hybrid numerical model. A nonlinear inversion code, using Levenberg–Marquardt iterations, was developed in order to search for the fracture geometries which minimized the difference between the theoretical and experimental predictions of surface displacement. The resulting algorithm was able to distinguish clearly the specimen geometries. The requisite level of robustness was achieved by gradually relaxing the constraints on the fracture geometry.
Determination of the cubic to hexagonal fraction in GaN nucleation layers using grazing incidence x-ray scattering

Recent electron diffraction and microscopy studies of GaN nucleation layers have shown that faults in the stacking of the close-packed planes result in the coexistence of cubic and hexagonal phases within the layers. Using grazing incidence x-ray scattering, we have quantified the proportion of the cubic and hexagonal phases throughout the nucleation layer. We compare the structure of a 20 nm nucleation layer grown on sapphire by atmospheric pressure metal-organic chemical vapor deposition at 525 °C to that of an identical layer heated to 1060 °C. The fractions of cubic and hexagonal phases in the layers are determined by a comparison of the scattering data with a Hendricks–Teller model. High temperature exposure results in a decrease of the cubic fraction from 0.56 to 0.17. The good agreement with the Hendricks–Teller model indicates that the positions of the stacking faults are uncorrelated.
Automatic boundary modification of warped basal ganglia template

Accurate segmentation of magnetic resonance images of the brain is of increasing interest in the study of many brain disorders. This paper reports our approach to obtain the segmentation by warping our segmented template to a target and then automatically modifying the boundary of each structure. Test results show that our approach can increase the overlap between the warped template of the lenticular nucleus and the manually delineated lenticular nucleus by 10% compared the approach with only warping. 17© (2001) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Adrian van Kaam, (1920–2007)

The Psychology Department of Duquesne University, together with those who were his friends, colleagues, and students, greeted the recent death of Father Adrian van Kaam with considerable sadness. B...
The effect of radiation on oxygen concentration in metastatic cancer

Using a frequency domain NIRS, a metastatic cancer with 20-30% HB02, showed an increase to 50-60% HB02 in a week during the radiation therapy. Acute radiation therapy effects were increased %HB02 as seen both cancer and normal tissues.
Comments on “Average Life Prediction Based on Incomplete Data”

We comment on the correctness of the article “Average life prediction based on incomplete data” by [1] (Applied Mathematics, Vol. 2, pp. 93-105).
Characterizing the sources of particulate lead in house dust by automated scanning electron microscopy

Automated scanning electron microscopy procedures have been devised for apportioning the sources of lead in household dust. Source particles were sampled from auto exhausts, road dusts, garden soils, mineralized soils, paints, lead smelters, a waste incinerator, electrical materials, and lead oxide reference materials. A source signature library containing size and elemental data on more than 8300 individual lead-containing source particles was created. A divisive hierarchical cluster analysis was used to identify 101 groups of compositionally similar source «type» particles in the source library data.
Inter-laboratory variability in Ames assay results.

Abstract The Ames test is widely used in the screening of chemicals and compounds for potential carcinogenic effect. There is, however, considerable inter-laboratory variability in results from this assay. Using data from the RTI Collaborative Study of the EPA Ames Test Protocol, we show that their reported standard errors of estimates of mutagenicity fall far short of capturing day-to-day or laboratory-to-laboratory variation. We estimate the factors by which the standard errors must by inflated to account for these sources of variation. The laboratory protocol and previous studies suggest that much of this variation may be caused by factors that are relatively constant within days (e.g. technician, incubation temperature, S9 liver homogenate preparation) but vary over days and across laboratories. Therefore, such variation might be reduced through use of a reference compound tested on the same day and under the same conditions as the test chemical. This conjecture was, however, not supported by analyses that considered the positive control compound and a pure chemical as possible reference assays.
Spin-to-orbital angular momentum exchange via reflection from a cone

In a recent paper we explored the novel reflection properties of several conical optical elements using numerical simulations based on Maxwell's equations. For example, in the case of a hollow metallic cone having an apex angle of 90°, a circularly-polarized incident beam acquires, upon reflection, the opposite spin angular momentum in addition to an orbital angular momentum twice as large as the spin, whereas a 90° cone made of a transparent material in which the incident light suffers two total internal reflections before returning, may be designed to endow the retro-reflected beam with different mixtures of orbital and spin angular momenta. In the present paper we introduce an approximate analysis based on the Jones calculus to elucidate the physics underlying the reflection properties, and we point to the strengths and weaknesses of the approach.
Effect of exercise and cavity size on right ventricular function in morbid obesity

To assess the effect of exercise and to determine the influence of the right ventricular (RV) internal dimension on RV systolic function in morbid obesity, M-mode and 2-dimensional echocardiography and radionuclide ventriculography were performed on 22 patients whose body weight was at least twice the ideal body weight and who had no clinical or laboratory evidence of underlying organic heart disease or pulmonary disease. RV ejection fraction was measured at rest and during peak supine bicycle exercise. RV exercise response was defined as the change in RV ejection fraction during peak exercise. There was a significant negative correlation between percent over ideal body weight and RV exercise response (r = 0.86, p less than 0.00005) and between RV internal dimension and RV exercise response (r = 0.60, p less than 0.005). There were significant positive correlations between resting RV and left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (r = 0.56, p less than 0.01) and between RV and LV exercise response (r = 0.70, p less than 0.0005). The subgroup with a high-normal or enlarged RV internal dimension (greater than or equal to 2.0 cm, n = 10) experienced no significant change in RV ejection fraction with exercise, whereas the subgroup whose RV internal dimension was less than 2.0 (n = 12) experienced a significant increase in RV ejection fraction from 44 +/- 10% at rest to 58 +/- 11% at peak exercise (p less than 0.03). The results suggest that in morbidly obese individuals without underlying cardiopulmonary disease RV dilatation may predispose to RV systolic dysfunction and assessment of RV systolic function should optimally include evaluation of RV exercise response.
COLLEGE STUDENTS' PERCEPTIONS OF PARENTAL RESTRICTIVENESS/PERMISSIVENESS AND STUDENTS' SCORES ON A BRIEF MEASURE OF CREATIVITY

In this study 76 college students who perceived their mothers as having been permissive in their childrearing techniques tended to offer more responses to a divergent thinking task than did 152 college students who had perceived their mothers as having been restrictive with them. Generally speaking, the dimensions of perceived parental warmth versus perceived parental hostility as well as sex of students did not contribute to the results.
Stability of critical points under small perturbations part II: Analytic theory

We prove a global version of the implicit function theorem in the sense that instead of having a parameter dependent point as solution we have a parameter dependent manifold. With the help of this we continue the study of bifurcation for gradient systems which we began in part I with topological methods.
Adaptive cancellation of impulsive interference in phased array radar

Performance of a pulse-Doppler radar may be severely degraded by high-power pulses emitted by other nearby radars operating in the same frequency band. Typical approaches to mitigating the resulting impulses in the received radar data may impose stressing requirements in the areas of probability of impulse detection, throughput, and estimation error. This paper proposes an adaptive nulling approach to mitigation of impulsive interference. This approach ameliorates the disadvantages associated with conventional impulse mitigation. By exploiting prior knowledge about this type of interference, the effort may be decomposed into two separate nulling stages. This provides a novel application for the Two-Step Nulling (TSN) algorithm, which has previously been used in Space-Time Adaptive Processing (STAP) applications.
Electronic Medical Records: TAM, UTAUT, and Culture

Many policymakers, industry experts, and medical practitioners contend that the U.S. health care systemâ€”in both the public and private sectorsâ€”is in crisis. Among the numerous policy issues associated with the provision of US healthcare is the call for increased adoption and use of health care information technology (HIT) to address structural inefficiencies and care quality issues [11, p. 33]. This paper reports the first steps in a multi-phased research effort into Electronic Medical Records system adoption. The first two phases of our research applies the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology as a lens to interpret the responses of physicians completing their Residency in Family Medicine and the third phase examines the role of organizational culture as a critical variable for effective strategy implementation in the same setting.
Dual site model for the organogenic activity of angiogenin.

The residues that are indispensable for the ribonucleolytic activity of angiogenin are also known to be essential for its angiogenic activity. We now demonstrate that residues in another region of the protein, devoid of catalytic residues, are additionally required for angiogenesis. Endoproteinase Lys-C or a baby hamster kidney cell protease cleaves angiogenin at the peptide bond either between Lys-60 and Asn-61 or between Glu-67 and Asn-68, respectively. The two polypeptide fragments resulting from either cleavage remain linked by disulfide bonds. These two derivatives and des-(Asn61-Glu67)-angiogenin--in which both bonds are cleaved--retain their ribonucleolytic activities toward tRNA, 18S and 28S rRNA, and dinucleoside phosphates but are no longer angiogenic on the chicken embryo chorioallantoic membrane. Further, their capacity to elicit a second messenger response in endothelial cells is greatly decreased. Moreover, none of these three derivatives inhibit angiogenin-induced angiogenesis. This contrasts with two active site mutants of angiogenin. These results identify the residues from 60 to 68 as a region of angiogenin that is part of a cell-surface receptor binding site [see accompanying manuscript: Hu, G.-F., Chang, S.-I., Riordan, J.F. & Vallee, B.L. (1991) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 88, 2227-2231] and serve as the basis for a dual site model of the organogenic activity of angiogenin.
Communicating Library Value — The Missing Piece of the Assessment Puzzle

Services, resources, and expertise are analyzed, data are gathered, and assessments are complete — now what? It is time to communicate assessment data to demonstrate the library's value to library and institutional stakeholders. Communicating library value is often the missing piece when it comes to assessment. It is not enough to collect and analyze the data, a library must also communicate its findings – the good and the bad – with its institution in order to influence stakeholders and decision makers, and improve services and resources. According to Ballard (2008) libraries tend to limit reporting of assessment data to their annual reports, when accreditation rolls around, or when an issue such as a budget crisis arises. Oakleaf and Hinchliffe (2008) report that librarians face many barriers to using assessment results, and that while librarians may use results to improve instruction and increase student learning, they are not using results for purposes such as education, prioritization, and collaboration. The Value of Academic Libraries Report (Oakleaf, 2010) lays out proactive strategies that libraries can use to engage in honest assessment and increase the visibility of libraries by using data as evidence of library influence. The last piece of the assessment puzzle involves communicating and engaging with stakeholders, on their level, about library assessment findings. It is now more essential than ever, that librarians increase the visibility of the library and its services, use data to make evidence based decisions, and communicate the value of their services to their stakeholders' success.
Life Cycle of a Linear Coastal-Trapped Disturbance

Abstract A recent climatology of observed coastal-trapped disturbances in the marine atmospheric boundary layer along the United States west coast motivates the detailed examination, for a specific form of imposed forcing, of a linear shallow-water boundary layer model. The model is forced by a time-dependent pressure field, imposed at a fixed level above the boundary layer, that is an idealized representation of the climatological synoptic evolution: a low pressure center translates westward across the coastal boundary, corresponding to the observed offshore extension of a continental thermal trough. The alongshore structure of the model disturbance is characterized by enhanced northerly flow, a depressed marine layer, and low surface pressure to the north; and southerly flow, a raised marine layer, and high surface pressure to the south. Initially, the marine-layer thickness along the coast responds predominantly to convergence of the ageostrophic cross-shore flow driven by the imposed cross-shore press...
Using Advanced Land Imager (ALI) and Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) for the Detection of the Invasive Shrub Lonicera maackii in Southwestern Ohio Forests

We tested how accurately image data from the Advanced Land Imager (ALI) sensor vs. the Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) predict the land cover of Lonicera maackii in the forest understory, taking advantage of this invasive shrub's extended leaf retention in the fall when the canopy is leafless. Percent cover of L. maackii in 20 woodlots in southwestern Ohio was regressed on values for spectral vegetation indices (SVIs) derived for each image. The land cover of L. maackii was best explained by the Simple Ratio (SR) using TM data (R 2 = 0.537). The regression results for SVIs from TM vs. ALI suggest that the ALI image was acquired too late in the fall to accurately detect this invasive shrub.
The 48Ca(α, p) 51Sc reaction; experimental results and shell model calculations

Abstract The 48 Ca(α, p) 51 Sc reaction at 31 MeV has been used to make spin and parity assignments to several levels in 51 Sc. A shell model calculation is in good agreement with the observed spectrum.
The Theory of Domestic Content Protection and Content Preference

This paper investigates the resource reallocation effected by content protection and content preference schemes under alternative assumptions regarding the definition of domestic content, the number of intermediate goods, and the market structure of the domestic intermediate good industry. Content protection is shown to be equivalent to a combination of more familiar commercial policies. However, the extent of application of these policies is determined endogenously by parameters of the production functions for intermediate and final goods. A number of anomalous and undesirable outcomes that may result from content protection and content preference are discussed.
Plasmon-enhanced conjugated polymer luminescence using silver nanoparticles and sequentially adsorbed polyelectrolyte spacers

Up to fifty fold increases in water soluble conjugated phenylenevinylene polymer fluorescence are observed when these polymers are adsorbed onto silver nanoparticle treated surfaces with layer-by-layer deposited polyelectrolyte spacers. The silver particle density and spacer thickness dependence of the enhancement are investigated. Using absorption, fluorescence, fluorescence excitation and transient photoluminescence measurments, we infer the relative importance of absorption and emissive rate increases in explaining the observed enhancement. Large blue shifts due to interactions of the molecular excited states with the silver particle plasmons are observed.
Analysis of random time-based switching for file sharing in peer-to-peer networks

The expected file download time of the randomized time-based switching algorithm for peer selection and file downloading in a peer-to-peer (P2P) network is still unknown. The main contribution of this paper is to analyze the expected file download time of the time-based switching algorithm for file sharing in P2P networks when the service capacity of a source peer is totally correlated over time, namely, the service capacities of a source peer in different time slots are a fixed value. A recurrence relation is developed to characterize the expected file download time of the time-based switching algorithm. Is is proved that for two or more heterogeneous source peers and sufficiently large file size, the expected file download time of the time-based switching algorithm is less than and can be arbitrarily less than the expected download time of the chunk-based switching algorithm and the expected download time of the permanent connection algorithm. It is shown that the expected file download time of the time-based switching algorithm is in the range of the file size divided by the harmonic mean of service capacities and the file size divided by the arithmetic mean of service capacities. Numerical examples and data are presented to demonstrate our analytical results.
The person in secular and in orthodox-catholic bioethics

The following demarcates the sense of the human person in Orthodox-Catholic bioethics from the family of senses proper to secular bioethics and philosophy. The radically different sources of knowledge about the senses proper to each discipline suggests that the importation of philosophical and secularly psychological distinctions and analyses into true Christianity's concern with the human person, is fundamentally misguided.
Comparative metabolism and taurine-depleting effects of guanidinoethanesulfonate in cats, mice, and guinea pigs.

Abstract Guanidinoethanesulfonate (GES) is a competitive inhibitor of taurine transport. The ability of GES to deplete taurine content has been compared in three species representing omnivores, carnivores, and herbivores. Rats and mice given drinking water containing 1% GES showed large decreases in taurine concentration in all examined organs within a few days. These species do not metabolize GES. The substance was without effect on guinea pigs, a species that does not depend on diet for taurine, even after 20 days of treatment. However, guinea pigs metabolize a fraction of the GES administered to taurine. Cats responded to GES by increasing their urinary excretion of taurine 10-fold, while simultaneously maintaining normal concentrations in body organs. [1,2-3H]GES given orally to cats was extensively metabolized to radioactive taurine. It therefore appears that the cat and to a lesser extent, the guinea pig, have transamidinase or amidinohydrolase activity for which GES is a substrate. However, this substance rapidly depletes taurine levels in the omnivores studied, and promises to be useful in further investigations on taurine in these species.
On the relationship between speech- and nonspeech-evoked auditory brainstem responses

Auditory brainstem response (ABR) reflects activation of the neural generators along the ascending auditory pathway when a sound is heard. In this study, we explored the relationship between brainstem encoding of click and speech signals in normal-learning children and in those with language-based learning problems. To that end, ABR was recorded from both types of stimuli. We found that the normal pattern of correlation between click- and speech-evoked ABRs was disrupted when speech-evoked ABRs were delayed. Thus, delayed responses to speech were not indicative of clinically abnormal responses to clicks. We conclude that these two responses reflect largely separate neural processes and that only processes involved in encoding complex signals such as speech are impaired in children with learning problems.
The cytological effect of ecdysterone on the midgut cells of the flesh-fly Sarcophaga bullata.

Larvae of the flesh-fly, Sarcophaga bullata , were injected with the synthetic moulting hormone ecdysterone or saline at the beginning of the third and final larval instar. One group was left untreated. The ecdysterone-injected larvae showed an increase in number of secondary lysosomes in the midgut epithelial cells similar to that observed at the onset of metamorphosis, an event which would normally occur about 48 hr later in these larvae.
Comparison of in vivo and in vitro binding of polycyclic hydrocarbons to DNA

Abstract The in vivo binding of [ 3 H]benzo( a )pyrene (BP) and 3-[ 3 H]methylcholanthrene (3MC) to liver and lung DNA was studied in A/J mice. Only in liver was there any reduction in total DNA-bound radioactivity between 4 h and 24 h after administration of the hydrocarbon. DNA was fractionated on Sephadex LH-20 after enzymatic digestion. A single deoxyribonucleoside-BP adduct was detected whereas two major 3MC-adducts were observed. With both BP and 3MC, three additional peaks of radioactivity eluted rapidly in the lung DNA experiments while a fourth was noted with liver DNA. The nucleoside-bound adducts from lung represented a much larger proportion of the total radioactivity than with liver. In vitro analysis of 3MC binding to DNA showed the nucleoside-bound adducts to be predominantly deoxyguanosine-dependent but that the early peaks were independent of base suggesting binding to another part of the DNA molecule, perhaps phosphate, i.e., phosphotriesters.
An attribute-based approach to contingent valuation of forest protection programs

Abstract The hemlock woolly adelgid is an invasive insect that is damaging hemlock forests in the eastern United States. Several control methods are available but forest managers are constrained by cost, availability, and environmental concerns. As a result forest managers must decide how to allocate limited conservation resources over heterogeneous landscapes. We develop an attribute-based contingent valuation approach that allows us to perform cost-benefit analysis on control programs and inform the distribution of mitigation effort over land units that provide different types of environmental services. We use this approach to examine conservation efforts on three land management units in the southern Appalachian Mountains: Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests. Managers of these forests are focusing their efforts on specific conservation areas chosen for their importance to human-use or ecological services. The result is a network of sites that implicitly defines a tradeoff between ecological and human-use services. Our survey is designed to examine the public's perception of this tradeoff and estimate WTP for hemlock conservation programs. The estimated benefits of conserving hemlocks in the study area outweigh the cost of the mitigation programs by two orders of magnitude. We find that there is substantial support for protection of hemlock stands providing ecological services with very little human-use value. Further, we show that benefits from the current mitigation strategy could be increased by shifting effort to protect more ecological services at the expense of sites that generate primarily human-use value.
Executive control of attention in individuals with contamination-related obsessive-compulsive symptoms.

Background: In this study, we examined executive control of attention in individuals with contamination-related obsessive–compulsive (OC) symptoms using a modified version of the Eriksen flanker task. The task indexes one’s ability to resolve attentional conflict between different responses and to ignore task distracters. Methods: For this study, we modified the original flanker task using affective words to examine the effect of threat-relevant stimuli on executive control of attention. Consistent with research on information processing biases in individuals with OC symptoms, we hypothesized that the flanker interference effect (i.e., difference in response latencies between incongruent and congruent flanker trials) will be greater for threat-related flankers in individuals with OC symptoms (n 532), relative to a control group (n 536). Results: Results of our study were consistent with our hypothesis: The interference effect for threat flankers was greater in individuals with OC symptoms than in those low in symptoms. Moreover, there was no differential interference effect in the low and high symptom groups for neutral flankers. Conclusions: These findings suggest that the presence of threat-relevant distracters disrupts executive control of attention in individuals with contamination-related OC symptoms. These results are consistent with extant research on attentional biases in individuals with clinical and subclinical symptoms of OCD. Depression and Anxiety 27:807–812, 2010. r 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Review: Applications of single-shot laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

As applications for laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) become more varied with a greater number of field and industrial LIBS systems developed and as the technique evolves to be more quantitative that qualitative, there is a more significant need for LIBS systems capable of analysis with the use of a single laser shot. In single-shot LIBS, a single laser pulse is used to form a single plasma for spectral analysis. In typical LIBS measurements, multiple laser pulses are formed and collected and an ensemble-averaged method is applied to the spectra. For some applications there is a need for rapid chemical analysis and/or non-destructive measurements; therefore, LIBS is performed using a single laser shot. This article reviews in brief several applications that demonstrate the applicability and need for single-shot LIBS.
Effects of moisture ingression on polymeric laminate composites and its prevention via highly robust barrier films

Three different fiber-reinforced composite test laminates were laid up using carbon-, glass-, and Kevlar-reinforced epoxy prepregs, and then four different hydrophobic barrier films were placed as the out-of-most ply (last ply) on top of the test laminates. The prepared samples were co-cured through an autoclave per recommended cure cycles. These hydrophobic barrier films included polyether ether ketone or PEEK (12.7- and 25.4-μm thicknesses), polytetrafluoroethylene or Teflon (25.4 μm), and polyvinyl fluoride (PVF) or Tedlar (25.4 μm). Tedlar films have been the only source used for moisture prevention in Aerospace composites, so the purpose of the present study was to determine other alternatives and their moisture ingression prevention characteristics. The tape adhesion tests conducted on the barrier films of the composite panels indicated that PEEK and Tedlar films were well bonded on the composite surfaces, while Teflon films failed the tape adhesion tests. The laminate composites that were co-bonded with barrier films were immersed in water up to 29 days, and then 3-point bend tests were conducted on each sample before and after immersion. Test results show that 25.4-μm thick PEEK and Tedlar films on the carbon, glass, and Kevlar laminate composites provided similar mechanical properties. Also, the laminates incorporated with barrier films exhibited significantly higher mechanical properties when compared to the same laminates without any barrier films. This study indicated that these barrier films considerably reduced moisture ingression into the laminate composite structures, which may be useful for applications in composite aircraft and wind turbines.
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma in the young: a combined M.D. Anderson and Stanford experience.

From 1956 to 1988, 57 children and young adults (age 4-21 years) with a diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma were treated at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (42 patients) and Stanford University Medical Center (15 patients). The male to female ratio was 2:1. Forty-three patients had lymphoepithelioma, seven had undifferentiated neoplasms, and seven had squamous cell carcinoma. Two patients had Stage III disease and the remainder had Stage IV disease at the time of presentation. All patients were treated with primary radiotherapy, and 14 patients also had chemotherapy with combinations of the following drugs: dactinomycin, doxorubicin, bleomycin, cisplatin, cyclophosphamide, fluorouracil, methotrexate, and vincristine. Twenty-six patients are alive 6 to 178 months from the first day of treatment (median 93 months). The 5- and 10-year actuarial survival rates are 51% and 36%, respectively, and the corresponding disease specific survival rates were 51% and 51%. There were no recurrences after 42 months. The patterns of failure were as follows: distant metastasis only, 21 patients; locoregional metastasis only, 1; both, 5. Distant metastases most commonly occurred in bones, lungs, liver, and mediastinal lymph nodes. Chronic treatment-related morbidity was encountered in a significant number of long term survivors. Trends in the data not reaching statistical significance suggest a more favorable prognosis for a) females, b) patients less than or equal to 15 years of age, c) lymphoepithelioma or undifferentiated histologies, d) stages T3-4 NO-1 vs T1-2 N2-3 vs T3-4 N2-3, e) primary tumor dose greater than or equal to 65 Gy and f) patients who received chemotherapy.
Compact 9-to-1 optoelectronic receiver/switch module

A 9-to-1 optoelectronic receiver/switch module containing switched photodetectors, monolithic microwave integrated circuit amplifiers and impedance transformers has been constructed from chip-level and surface-mount components. This module is designed for 10.5 to 16.0 GHz local-oscillator inputs that are modulated onto lightwave carriers. Bias-switching of the photodetectors produces an on/off ratio of > 70 to 75 dB at the combined microwave output.
Visual form perception: Congruence among spatial configurations

Multidimensional scaling (MDS) techniques were used to obtain spatial solutions for judgments of similarity and discrimination difficulty between pairs of random polygons. For both tasks, it was possible to psychophysically predict the three dimensions of the final solutions using physical measures of the forms. These solutions were compared to each other and to a spatial analysis of discrimination difficulty measured in visual noise (Aiken & Brown, 1968) using canonical correlation techniques. Although the two judgment tasks were highly similor, it was concluded that neither was similar to the discrimination-in-noise solution.
In-gel stable isotope labeling for relative quantification using mass spectrometry

Although differences in protein staining intensity can often be visualized by difference gel electrophoresis, abundant proteins can obscure less abundant proteins, and quantification of post-translational modifications is difficult. We present a protocol for quantifying changes in the abundance of a specific protein or changes in specific modifications of a protein using in-gel stable isotope labeling. In this protocol protein extracts from any source treated under two experimental conditions are resolved in two separate lanes by gel electrophoresis. Parallel gel regions of interest are reacted separately with either light or heavy isotope-labeled reagents, and the gel slices are then combined and digested with proteases. The resulting peptides are then analyzed by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) to determine relative abundance of light- and heavy-isotope lysine-containing peptide pairs and analyzed by LC/MS/MS for identification of sequence and modifications. This protocol should take approximately 24-26 h to complete, including the incubation time for proteolytic digestion. Additional time will be needed for data analysis and interpretation.
Experimental psychopathology, clinical science, and practice: An irrelevant or indispensable alliance?

Abstract Psychopathology research is the scientific foundation for legitimate and credible forms of clinical practice and the ethical delivery of mental health services. Experimental psychopathology is a subfield of psychopathology research; its aims are to elucidate variables and processes that contribute, either in whole or in part, to the etiology, exacerbation, or maintenance of abnormal behavior. To date, experimental psychopathology has been poorly understood with regard to its identity, aims, history, and relevance for clinical practice. In this article, we critically review and address the role of experimental psychopathology in the contemporary field of clinical science and practice. Overall, we suggest that experimental psychopathology can maintain its important contributions to the field, and perhaps more important, adapt to the current health care context to have an even larger impact on directing conceptual and empirical analyses of core psychopathology processes.
Class II MHC antigen expression by cultured human cerebral vascular endothelial cells

Abstract Cerebral vascular endothelial cells (EC) isolated from human brain do not constitutively express class II MHC antigens. However, incubation in the presence of human interferon-gamma (IFNγ) resulted in the expression of both HLA-DR and -DP antigens. FACS analysis revealed that approximately 40% of the EC population expressed HLA-DR antigen. Quantitation by ELISA demonstrated that maximum expression was observed with 100 U/ml IFNγ for 4 days. Treatment with IFNγ also increased class II mRNA levels in all EC cultures tested.
Improving Door-to-Physician Times in 2 Community Hospital Emergency Departments:

Door-to-physician time in the emergency department (ED) correlates with patient satisfaction and clinical quality and outcomes. Delays in seeing a provider result in a 3% nationwide rate of patient...
Non-linear spatio-temporal filtering of X-ray fluoroscopy images

Digital temporal and spatial filtering of fluoroscopic image sequences can be used to restore the quality of images acquired at decreased exposure. Linear filters reduce noise and blur edges. In this study, we examine a non-linear edge preserving, spatio-temporal filter that reduces noise variance with minimal edge blurring. Signal detection and discrimination tasks were performed on static targets using a four alternative forced choice paradigm. For both tasks, an index of detectability, d', was measured for filtered and unfiltered image sequences. Average d' of filtered image sequences was significantly (p<0.05) higher than unfiltered d' for both detection and discrimination tasks. Model fits showed d' improvements of 14% (detection) and 22% (discrimination).
Urban evolution in the USA

On a sustained basis, cities are of non-uniform relative sizes. This paper addresses three basic issues which arise from this simple observation by examining the size distribution of US cities over the period 1900‐1990. First, we explore the reasons why there is a wide distribution of city sizes. Second, we characterize the evolution of the size distribution of cities, documenting growth in sizes and numbers of cities. We ask whether the relative size distribution of cities has remained stable over time, or if it has displayed, instead, a tendency to collapse, flatten, or otherwise change its shape. We also examine evidence on whether the size distribution obeys Zipf’s Law. Third, we examine the degree and determinants of mobility of individual cities within this distribution, asking to what extent cities are moving up and down in the distribution and how this movement is influenced by cities’ geographic characteristics. We use a newly constructed data with consistent metropolitan area definitions over this century, discussing the issues and linking our results to the relevant literature.
Mechanisms of osteolytic bone metastases in breast carcinoma.

Osteolytic and osteoblastic metastases are often the cause of considerable morbidity in patients with advanced prostate and breast carcinoma. Breast carcinoma metastasis to bone occurs because bone provides a favorable site for aggressive behavior of metastatic cancer cells. A vicious cycle arises between cancer cells and the bone microenvironment, which is mediated by the production of growth factors such as transforming growth factor beta and insulin growth factor from bone and parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) produced by tumor cells. Osteolysis and tumor cell accumulation can be interrupted by inhibiting any of these limbs of the vicious cycle. For example, bisphosphonates (e.g., pamidronate, ibandronate, risedronate, clodronate, and zoledronate) inhibit both bone lesions and tumor cell burden in bone in experimental models of breast carcinomametastasis. Neutralizing antibodies to PTHrP, which inhibit PTHrP effects on osteoclastic bone resorption, also reduce osteolytic bone lesions and tumor burden in bone. Other pharmacologic approaches to inhibit PTHrP produced by breast carcinoma cells in the bone microenvironment also produce similar beneficial effects. Identification of the molecular mechanisms responsible for osteolytic metastases is crucial in designing effective therapy for this devastating complication.