cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Electron beam weldability of a group IAB iron meteorite

AbstractElectron beam welding, first demonstrated in space on Soyuz 6, and later on the Skylab mission, appears to be the leading candidate for welding structures in space since it is ideally suited for the vacuum of space. These pioneering welding experiments were performed on terrestrial materials such as aluminium, titanium and stainless steel, and the results showed no significant differences from welds made on Earth. Future applications for welding in space include repair of existing structures, research and development activities, and construction of new structures. However, large scale space construction will need to exploit natural space resources for raw materials, and iron is expected to be a key element due to its availability in near-Earth objects. Here, we investigate the weldability of an extraterrestrial group IAB iron meteorite in its native state, and show that further welding innovation is required to directly join meteoritic material due to inherent non-metallic impurities that lead to ...
The Immunology of Autoimmune Thyroid Disease in Pregnancy

In pregnancy, complex physiologic changes in the immune system alters the environment for the “non-self” fetus allowing it to be tolerated in the maternal womb, while the immune system is still able to counteract external pathogens. The interplay of the immune system and the physiologic changes induced by pregnancy on the thyroid induce changes in the natural history of the autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD). This review discusses the various players in creating this milieu, including the MHC, the T- and B-cells, sex steroids and the possible role of microchimerism. The participants provide a variety of mechanisms that create the clinical scenarios that we see in patients with AITD – most commonly the improvement in Grave’s Disease during pregnancy and the rebound in thyroid autoantibodies and recurrence, or new onset, of Graves’ and Hashimoto’s diseases in the post-partum.
DNA sequences for the Zea mays tRNA genes tV-UAC and tS-UGA: tV-UAC contains a large intron

The chloroplast genome contains genes for a large and probably complete set of tRNAs. These genes are unique in sharing attributes of both nuclear and bacterial tRNA genes. Two chloroplast tRNA genes from Zea mays are described here. tV-UAC, encoding a valine tRNA with the anticodon UAC, contains a 603 bp intron and is highly homologous, both in coding regions and in the intron, to the analogous gene from tobacco described by Deno et al. (Nucleic Acids Res 10:7511–7520, 1982). It is located near the gene for the beta and epsilon subunits of the CF1 complex. (Krebbers et al.: Nucleic Acids Res 10:4985–5002, 1982). The gene tS-UGA, encoding a serine tRNA with the anticodon UGA, is located 41 kbp 3′ to tV-UAC. Both genes contain promoter-like sequences in their 5′ flanking regions.
Bupivacaine Inhibits Acylcarnitine Exchange in Cardiac Mitochondria

Background: The authors previously reported that secondary carnitine deficiency may sensitize the heart to bupivacaine-induced arrhythmias. In this study, the authors tested whether bupivacaine inhibits carnitine metabolism in cardiac mitochondria. Methods: Rat cardiac interfibrillar mitochondria were prepared using a differential centrifugation technique. Rates of adenosine diphosphate-stimulated (state III) and adenosine diphosphate-limited (state IV) oxygen consumption were measured using a Clark electrode, using lipid or nonlipid substrates with varying concentrations of a local anesthetic. Results: State III respiration supported by the nonlipid substrate pyruvate (plus malate) is minimally affected by bupivacaine concentrations up to 2 mM. Lower concentrations of bupivacaine inhibited respiration when the available substrates were palmitoylcarnitine or acetylcarnitine; bupivacaine concentration causing 50% reduction in respiration (IC 50 ± SD) was 0.78 ± 0.17 mM and 0.37 ± 0.03 mM for palmitoylcarnitine and acetylcarnitine, respectively. Respiration was equally inhibited by bupivacaine when the substrates were palmitoylcarnitine alone, or palmitoyl-CoA plus carnitine. Bupivacaine (IC 50 = 0.26 ± 0.06 mM) and etidocaine (IC 50 = 0.30 ± 0.12 mM) inhibit carnitine-stimulated pyruvate oxidation similarly, whereas the lidocaine IC 50 is greater by a factor of roughly 5, (IC 50 = 1.4 ± 0.26 mM), and ropivacaine is intermediate, IC 50 = 0.5 ± 0.28 mM. Conclusions : Bupivacaine inhibits mitochondrial state III respiration when acylcarnitines are the available substrate. The substrate specificity of this effect rules out bupivacaine inhibition of carnitine palmitoyl transferases I and II, carnitine acetyltransferase, and fatty acid β-oxidation. The authors hypothesize that differential inhibition of carnitine-stimulated pyruvate oxidation by various local anesthetics supports the clinical relevance of inhibition of carnitine-acylcarnitine translocase by local anesthetics with a cardiotoxic profile.
Understanding Indoor Play in Deaf Children: An Analysis of Play Behaviors

Play is an important element of cognitive, social and language development. Most preschool classrooms provide opportunity for indoor play and studies are needed to improve indoor play contexts for all children, including deaf children. The present study documented and described the play behaviors of Ann, a four-year-old native American Sign Language (ASL) deaf child in an ASL/ English bilingual classroom. Ann engaged in various play behaviors, in different play centers, and with different play partners. The sample consisted of 22 play episodes collected over a period of one year. A combination of social and cognitive play behavior categories based on Rubin’s (2001) Play Observation Scale were used for documenting and the coding of the play behaviors observed. The results revealed that Ann was capable of engaging in developmentally appropriate play behaviors that were similar to those reported for hearing children her age. In addition, her play behaviors varied in relation to the play context and play partners. Teacher’s decisions and control of play in the classroom appeared to have an impact on the play behaviors Ann demonstrated.
On sound transmission into an orthotropic shell

A mathematical model is presented for the transmission of airborne noise through the walls of an orthotropic cylindrical shell. Parameters were varied to see how orthotropicity affected noise transmission. When compared to that for an isotropic shell, the cylinder transmission loss was found to be quite sensitive to the ratio of circumferential to axial modulus of elasticity. A modulus ratio greater than unity appears to enhance transmission loss in the mass-controlled region, while a ratio less than unity degrades it. Below the ring frequency, the trends appear to be reversed. The cylinder transmission loss appears to be relatively insensitive to changes in the shear modulus
Sixty Years of Lake Washington: a Curriculum Vitae

ABSTRACT The purpose of this paper is to list known disturbances of Lake Washington, to describe the effect on the lake of several of them, and to discuss results in terms of whole-lake quasi-experiments. Eutrophication with treated sewage effluent and the diversion of effluent are treated as experiments, with nutrient manipulation, which change the phytoplankton community structure. A later unexpected increase in transparency is traced through a chain of predators to flood control measures in the largest inlet. An increase in alkalinity, accompanied by changes in phytoplankton, is attributed to real estate land development. The role of paleolimnological information is illustrated.
Ventral nucleus of the lateral lemniscus in guinea pigs: Cytoarchitecture and inputs from the cochlear nucleus

Cytoarchitectonic criteria were used to distinguish three subdivisions of the ventral nucleus of the lateral lemniscus in guinea pigs. Axonal tracing techniques were used to examine the projections from the cochlear nucleus to each subdivision. Based on the cell types they contain and their patterns of input, we distinguished ventral, dorsal, and anterior subdivisions of the ventral nucleus of the lateral lemniscus. All three subdivisions receive bilateral inputs from the cochlear nucleus, with contralateral inputs greatly outnumbering ipsilateral inputs. However, the relative density of the inputs varies: the ventral subdivision receives the densest projection, whereas the anterior subdivision receives the sparsest projection. Further differences are apparent in the morphology of the afferent axons. Following an injection of Phaseolus vulgaris-leucoagglutinin into the ventral cochlear nucleus, most of the axons on the contralateral side and all of the axons on the ipsilateral side are thin. Thick axons are present only in the ventral subdivision contralateral to the injection site. The evidence from both anterograde and retrograde tracing studies suggests that the thick axons originate from octopus cells, whereas the thin axons arise from multipolar cells and spherical bushy cells. The differences in constituent cell types and in patterns of inputs suggest that each of the three subdivisions of the ventral nucleus of the lateral lemniscus makes a distinct contribution to the analysis of acoustic signals. J. Comp. Neurol. 379:363–385, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Changes in water permeability of an insect egg in response to level of water in the environment

The water permeability of eggs of the southern corn rootworm, Diabrotica undecimpunctata howardi Barber, varied depending on the previous experience of the eggs. Eggs acclimated in a ‘water vapor’ system were seen to be less permeable than eggs acclimated in contact with moist paper, as measured by the rate of loss of water from the eggs and the susceptibility of the eggs to death from desiccation. This is the first known report of the ability of an insect egg to adapt to the level of water available in the environment.
Genetic variation and virulence of nucleopolyhedroviruses isolated worldwide from the heliothine pests Helicoverpa armigera, Helicoverpa zea, and Heliothis virescens.

Abstract To assess the diversity and relationships of baculoviruses found in insects of the heliothine pest complex, a PCR-based method was used to classify 90 samples of nucleopolyhedrovirus (NPV; Baculoviridae: Alphabaculovirus ) obtained worldwide from larvae of Heliothis virescens , Helicoverpa zea , and Helicoverpa armigera . Partial nucleotide sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of three highly conserved genes ( lef-8 , lef-9 , and polh ) indicated that 67 of these samples contained isolates of the H. zea – H. armigera single nucleopolyhedrovirus (Hz/HaSNPV) species group. Eighteen of the samples contained isolates of a multiple NPV from H. armigera , HearMNPV, and five of the samples contained isolates of Autographa californica MNPV (AcMNPV). Sequencing and analysis of an additional seven loci ( orf5/orf5b , hr3-orf62 , orf26 , orf79 , orf124/orf117a , orf42 , and a part of the region between hr2 and hr3 ) in the Hz/HearSNPV isolates further classified these viruses into two groups of HearSNPV variants mostly from India and China and a third group of HzSNPV variants. Some of the samples contained isolates of more than one virus. In bioassays of a selection of isolates against H. zea , the commercially available Gemstar® isolate of HzSNPV killed larvae faster than most other Hz/HaSNPV and HearMNPV isolates. Gemstar® and two HearMNPV isolates exhibited significantly higher LC 50 s than the Hz/HearSNPV isolates tested. This study expands significantly on what we know about the variation of heliothine NPV populations, provides novel information on the distinct groups in which these NPVs occur, and contributes to the knowledge required for improvement of heliothine baculoviruses as biological control agents.
What are the economic consequences of divorce

Our analysis suggests that Weitzman’s finding concerning the precipitous decline in the economic status of women following divorce is likely to be incorrect. Her findings not only imply improbably large changes in income but are also inconsistent with the information she reports on changes in income and in income per capita. Corrected estimates suggest a decline in economic status of about one-third, rather than the widely cited 73 percent figure.
Heavy fermion behavior in the magnetic to nonmagnetic transition of U(In,Sn)3

Abstract The UX 3 systems with X = Ga, In, Tl, Si, Ge, Sn and Pb are a particularly interesting class of uranium compounds because both their magnetic and electronic properties are drastically influenced by f-spd hybridization. We report resistivity, low temperature specific heat, magnetic susceptibility and high field magnetization results for the U(In 1− x Sn x ) 3 is an enhanced paramagnetic system and UIn 3 orders antiferromagnetically with a Neel temperature, T n , equal to 108 K. Upon dilution of USn 3 by UIn 3 , the electronic coefficient of the specific heat, γ, as well as the zero temperature limit of the magnetic susceptibility, χ(0), increase dramatically with γ at T = 1.3 K reaching a value of 520 mJ/mol K 2 for x = 0.6. For x = 0.6, both γ and χ(0) decrease and for x = 0.45 the system magnetically orders. The study of a U system represents the first systematic study of the transition from a paramagnetic state to a heavy fermion state followed by a transition to a long ranged magnetically ordered state. The results for U(In,Sn) 3 will be presented and discussed in terms of relevant theories.
Description of a Nonselective Cation Current in Human Atrium

Abstract Ion currents were examined in isolated human atrial myocytes by using the whole-cell patch-clamp technique. When currents were recorded with a K+-containing pipette solution, depolarizing voltage pulses elicited a rapidly activating outward current that decayed to an apparent steady state. Exposure of cells to 10 mmol/L 4-aminopyridine markedly reduced current amplitude; however, a rapidly activating current that was ≈30% of the steady state current amplitude remained. When pipette K+ was replaced with Cs+, a similar rapidly activating current that reversed polarity at ≈0 mV was recorded. This current was seen in 100% of the cells tested from 17 different hearts (n=142), and its amplitude was ≈40% of the amplitude of the steady state current recorded in the presence of pipette K+. The current amplitude was not significantly different in cells isolated from adult (6.31±1.35 pA/pF, n=8) and pediatric (5.54±1.04 pA/pF, n=9) hearts. Studies designed to determine the charge-carrying species indicated ...
Effect of complex formation on drug absorption. V. Studies on the mechanism of the secobarbital absorption-enhancing effect of polysorbate 80 in goldfish.

Polysorbate 80 in concentrations of 0.0005 to 0.01 percent increased significantly the absorption rate of secobarbital by goldfish. This absorption-enhancing effect was obtained also if the fish were immersed in polysorbate 80 solution, washed, and then placed in a solution of secobarbital without the surfactant. The ratio of rate constants for absorption of nonionized and ionized secobarbital, respectively, was not affected by polysorbate 80. The results of this study indicate that polysorbate 80 enhances the absorption of secobarbital by increasing the permeability of the biologic membrane to the drug, rather than by forming a more rapidly absorbed nonmicellar polysorbate-secobarbital complex in the bulk phase of the drug solution.
Aspects of the biochemistry and ultrastructure of a cytoplasmically inherited plastid defect (Dp1) of tobacco

Dpl, a cytoplasmically inherited plastid defect of Nicotiana tabacum L., has been further characterized by pigment and ribulose diphosphate carboxylase (RuDPCase) assays and electron microscopy. RuDPCase activity was reduced in defective plastids to 20–67% of that in normal chloroplasts. The chlorophyll content was reduced to 5% or less of that in normal chloroplasts. Leaf areas with only defective plastids were very light green for several days after the leaf began to expand but eventually turned white. This loss of chlorophyll was correlated with a reduction in internal plastid lamellae, but there was much less reduction in RuDPCase activity. The presence of cells with both mutant and normal plastids indicate that the plastid and not some other cytoplasmic factor was the site of the controlling unit.
Thermographic investigation of a circa 1920s building with water intrusion problems

Water Intrusion with resulting damage is too common in many of today's newly constructed buildings. On the positive side of this problem, the original drawings and contractors are generally available to resolve the issues. At the very least, comparable materials are available so that the building can be repaired. With older buildings however this process is not so easy. Depending on how old the building actually is, the original builders usually are retired or deceased and the drawings of the building no longer exist. Needless-to-say, when a vintage building has water intrusion problems, investigation of the causes can be very challenging requiring different test methods to find a solution. This is the case with the study presented in this paper. The project undertaken was a circa 1920s building. Over 70-some years, this building had gone through multiple facade modifications and structural additions. So, not surprising, there was a history of water intrusion problems with deterioration of the interior walls and connected flooring. During the Florida rainy season, the most recent severe water intrusion leant to further damage of the same areas. This damage prompted an overall assessment of the building for the extent of structural deterioration. This was requested by its owner for safety compliance. This paper presents the results of the infrared study performed as well as a borescopic/visual examination on the 1920s brick over terra cotta block structure.
Contrast-induced nephropathy.

How contrast medium-induced nephropathy (CIN) comes about is not fully understood, although CIN constitutes a leading cause of renal failure. Here, a short review of clinical trials and a more thorough outline of mechanisms thought to cause CIN are outlined. Osmolality is only one of several physicochemical properties of contrast media (CM). Iso-osmolar CM are dimers, not monomers. Thus, they have physicochemical features different from other CM, e. g., in terms of viscosity (which is over fivefold greater than plasma viscosity). This may be of considerable pathophysiologic and clinical importance. There are studies providing evidence for a greater perturbation in renal functions by iso-osmolar CM in comparison to nonionic low-osmolar CM. Conversely, some previous clinical trials indicate an advantage of the iso-osmolar CM. This review highlights altered rheological properties, perturbation of renal hemodynamics, regional hypoxia, autoand paracrine factors (adenosine, endothelin, reactive oxygen species) and direct cytotoxic effects, which are all thought to participate in causing CIN. It is concluded that the use of CM in general, and high viscous iso-osmolar CM in particular, can be deleterious to the kidney due to augmented resistance in the renal tubules.
Adult Human Mesenchymal Stem Cell Differentiation to the Osteogenic or Adipogenic Lineage Is Regulated by Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase

Adult human mesenchymal stem cells are primary, multipotent cells capable of differentiating to osteocytic, chondrocytic, and adipocytic lineages when stimulated under appropriate conditions. To characterize the molecular mechanisms that regulate osteogenic differentiation, we examined the contribution of mitogen-activated protein kinase family members, ERK, JNK, and p38. Treatment of these stem cells with osteogenic supplements resulted in a sustained phase of ERK activation from day 7 to day 11 that coincided with differentiation, before decreasing to basal levels. Activation of JNK occurred much later (day 13 to day 17) in the osteogenic differentiation process. This JNK activation was associated with extracellular matrix synthesis and increased calcium deposition, the two hallmarks of bone formation. Inhibition of ERK activation by PD98059, a specific inhibitor of the ERK signaling pathway, blocked the osteogenic differentiation in a dose-dependent manner, as did transfection with a dominant negative form of MAP kinase kinase (MEK-1). Significantly, the blockage of osteogenic differentiation resulted in the adipogenic differentiation of the stem cells and the expression of adipose-specific mRNAs peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ2, aP2, and lipoprotein lipase. These observations provide a potential mechanism involving MAP kinase activation in osteogenic differentiation of adult stem cells and suggest that commitment of hMSCs into osteogenic or adipogenic lineages is governed by activation or inhibition of ERK, respectively.
Scientific Forestry and the Roots of the Modern American State: Gifford Pinchot's Path to Progressive Reform

Gifford Pinchot was the Progressive Era's Forrest Gump. When it came to the politics of conservation, he was everywhere. Pinchot was the youngest member of the National Forest Commission in 1896. He directed the Division of Forestry (later the Forest Service) from 1898 through 1910. Pinchot engineered the transfer of the national forests from the Department of Interior to the Department of Agriculture, where his Forest Service was based. He actively managed those forests, even when this entailed fierce battles with western interests. Pinchot battled Secretary of the Interior Richard A. Ballinger over the future of conservation in the Taft administration. He insisted that the nation's natural resources be used productively, even at the expense of damming the Hetch Hetchy Valley to provide water to the city of San Francisco. No wonder that Pinchot is a central figure for environmental and political historians alike. Illuminating a powerful new current in environmental history that treats humans as essential parts of nature, Char Miller's recently published Gifford Pinchot and the Making of Modern Environmentalism portrays Pinchot at ease in both the "utilitarian" world as well as the world of trees, streams, and wildlife. Miller's work offers a promising route out of the conservation versus preservation dichotomy that once structured the work of environmental historians examining the Progressive Era.' Complementing Miller's contributions to environmental history, this article reconsiders the political ground that Pinchot stood on when he launched his career in the late nineteenth century. William Cronon has summed up Pinchot's current political profile best in a synthetic essay written for The Oxford History of the American West Pinchot spearheaded a drive to convert public land policy from one that sought first and foremost to disperse public holdings to private interests to a policy that sought to retain, conserve, and manage the public land. To achieve this, Cronon writes, Pinchot turned to a new body of knowledge-scientific for-
IsiA Is Required for the Formation of Photosystem I Supercomplexes and for Efficient State Transition in Synechocystis PCC 6803

Iron deficiency and other stress conditions strongly impact photosynthetic apparatus in photosynthetic organisms. Two novel chlorophyll (Chl)-containing supercomplexes (F4 and F5) in addition to the photosystem (PS) I trimers (F3) were observed by sucrose gradient ultracentrifugation in Synechocystis PCC 6803 under extensive iron starvation. 77K fluorescence and Western blot analyses of these supercomplexes revealed that they all contained IsiA. The F4 was identified as an IsiA-PSI-PSII supercomplex, while the F5 was assigned as an IsiA-PSI supercomplex. Deletion of isiA resulted in diminishing the PSI trimers (including the PSI trimers in iron-replete cells) and the two novel PSI supercomplexes (F4 and F5), and a significant reduction in the saturated whole-chain electron transport rate. However, the maximum PSII activities remained at levels similar to those of the wild type under various light conditions. The isiA- mutant was defective in state transition and sensitive to high light. The sensitivity of the isiA- mutant to high light was correlated with a higher level of membrane peroxidation. These results demonstrated that IsiA is required for the formation of PSI trimers and other higher complexes, and that IsiA is critical for efficient state transition.
Threat Assessment Teams: A Model for Coordinating the Institutional Response and Reducing Legal Liability When College Students Threaten Suicide

AbstractIncreasing numbers of college students with mental health issues are enrolling in college. If these students threaten suicide they present serious legal issues for college officials. Lack of communication and coordination of a response to these students exacerbates the issue. Threat assessment teams can serve as mechanisms to coordinate the response to students who threaten suicide. A review of case law and recommendations to mitigate liability when students threaten suicide are provided.
Aβ(1–42)-induced JNK and ERK activation in rabbit hippocampus is differentially regulated by lithium but is not involved in the phosphorylation of tau

Administration of Abeta(1-42) into the rabbit brain induces apoptosis and phosphorylation of tau. These Abeta effects correlate with the activation of JNK and ERK, but not of p38. Treatment with 7 mM lithium inhibits apoptosis, modulates JNK and ERK and does not affect the phosphorylation of tau. Our results demonstrate that lithium, at this dose, effectively inhibits the Abeta-induced apoptosis but has no effect on tau phosphorylation, and that MAP kinases are not involved in the phosphorylation of tau.
DEMONSTRATIONS OF GENUINE PLACEBO CHANGE

Earlier, historical notes were presented on the development of placebo therapy ( 2 ) . While there were many subsequent comments on development of techniques and utility of procedures, actual systematic research in the utilization of placebo intervention techniques has not been published. This is not a radical statement, even in the light of the number of groups and persons who have been concerned with placebos as therapy. Almost invariably the subsequent pzrB!ications demonstrate or assert that the placebo w a in fact a mistaken identification of some other form of therapy or intervention. The research reported here takes into account the above major criticism. If a genuine placebo is used, then it must be irrelevant as an agent of change. It follows directly that genuine placebos are complete:y interchangeable, a choice being subject only to terms of suitability of the circumstances of application. In our analysis we shall concentrate on amelioration of negative or "bad" conditions. The measures used are those named the Esterjak phenomena. Formal properties of all Esterjak phenomena have not yet been described in the literature, although some early work was made available for a recent report on specification of scientific work ( 1 ) . These measures of Esterjak are measares of conditions judged to be of clinical interest or to be pathological when they occur in the extreme. It is worth emphasizing the qualities of the Esterjak measures that make them especially useful. First, an underlying assumption of normality of distribution for each Esterjak measure can be effectively demonstrated. Second, the reliability of each measure in the population is known.
Malignant granular cell tumor of the posterior orbit

Malignant granular cell tumors are rare; to the authors' knowledge, fewer than 30 cases have been reported. The histological origin of these tumors is presumed to be the Schwann cell, based on cytological and immunohistochemical similarities. The authors report a case of malignant granular cell tumor arising near the orbital apex. Clinically, the tumor originated within the confines of the third nerve, providing strong evidence for Schwann cell origin. Immunohistochemistry corroborates a Schwann cell origin. The patient had regression of this tumor after radiation therapy, emphasizing the potential usefulness of this treatment for these rare tumors.
Solving Problems of Optimization Under Uncertainty as Statistical Decision Problems

Current state-of-art practice for airfoil optimization has revealed an unexpected difficulty: experience has indicated that a deterministic optimization for discrete operating conditions may result in dramatically inferior performance when the actual conditions are different from these, somewhat arbitrarily chosen, design values. Extensions to multipoint optimization have proven unable to adequately remedy the problem of "localized optimization". This paper presents an intrinsically statistical approach and demonstrates how the shortcomings of multi-point optimization with respect to "localized optimization" can be overcome. The practical examples also reveal how the relative likelihood of each of the operating conditions is automatically taken into consideration during the optimization process. This is a key advantage over the use of multipoint methods.
Robotically assisted esophago-esophagostomy in newborn pigs.

Abstract Purpose Repair of esophageal atresia and tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF) in the newborn is challenging when done as an open procedure but only a few surgeons have attempted this with minimally invasive surgery (MIS). Surgical robots that hold MIS instruments have wrists and provide tremor filtration and motion scaling, which might be expected to facilitate complex procedures in small spaces such as an esophageal anastomosis in a newborn. Methods Seven newborn pigs weighing 2 to 3 kg were used as a model. The authors performed an esophageal resection and end-to-end anastomosis using the Zeus Microwrist Robotic Surgical System. The authors monitored the following data-Zeus robotic set-up time, operating time, esophageal dissection time, and anastomosis time. After 1 month, the animals were anesthetized to perform esophagram and than were killed. Results In these very small animals the space available for performing an anastomosis is very limited, approximately 2 cm 3 . Two pigs each died 18 days postoperatively. One animal could not eat and died during esophageal dilation. The second pig died of unrelated enteritis. Neither had evidence of anastomotic leak at autopsy. The esophagram of the 5 pigs that survived for 30 days showed no narrowing or proximal dilation in 2. In 3 there was some stenosis requiring dilation. Histopathology was done on each operated animal. Two of the anastomoses were well healed, and 5 showed only focal small ulceration. Conclusions Robotic assistance facilitates an MIS approach to the upper esophagus even in the limited space of the infant chest.
Sixteen-year air quality data analysis of a high environmental risk area in Southern Italy

The Brindisi area is characterized by the presence of industries with high environmental impact, located along its eastern border. Epidemiological studies have revealed several critical situations: two short-term (2003–2005) epidemiological studies have shown that PM10 and NO2 are adversely associated with daily hospital admissions: one of the two pointed to the associations with wind blowing from the southern, eastern and western sectors. This study aims to expand the time span of available air quality data in order to provide a more complete and extensive epidemiological study. Multi-year series (from 1992 to 2007) of SO2, NO2, and TSP concentration data are presented and analyzed. Data show a significant downward trend of SO2 from 1992 to 2007, while for the TSP series, the downward trend is limited to the period 1992–1994. Marked seasonal trends are evident for all three pollutants, especially for NO2 and TSP. The NO2 series shows higher levels in winter. Inversely, the TSP series shows its maximum values during the summer months, associated with a moderate correlation with temperature and a poor correlation with other pollutants. Analysis of the series for wind sectors revealed the influence of the industrial site and of the harbor. The concentration series exhibit high concentration values and stronger correlations between them and with meteorology for wind blowing from the eastern sectors. Overall analysis supports the hypothesis of a different origin for TSP during the year and for different wind regimes and therefore possible size and chemical differences in TSP, which should be further investigated due to their health implications.
Resistance of the opossum (Didelphis virginiana) to envenomation by snakes of the family Crotalidae.

Abstract R. M. Werner and J. A. Vick . Resistance of the opossum (Didelphis virginiana) to envenomation by snakes of the family Crotalidae. Toxicon15, 29–33, 1977.—Whether the North American opossum, Didelphis virginiana, has a natural resistance to envenomation by 12 species of snakes from the families Crotalidae, Viperidae, Elapidae, and Hydrophidae was studied. Challenge of the anesthetized opossum was by actual snakebite, and by i.m. or i.v. injection of 4–60 times the dose known to be lethal to susceptible mammals. Some animals that survived the snakebite were also given venom intravenously 40–90 min after bite challenge. Heart and respiratory rate, EKG, and blood pressure were monitored for 2 hr after envenomation, and surviving animals were observed for signs of poisoning for 30 days. The opossum survived the venom of the following snakes of the Family Crotalidae: eastern diamondback rattlesnake, western diamondback rattlesnake, copperhead, cottonmouth moccasin, Korean mamushi, and Central American moccasin. It died when challenged with the venom of the Indian cobra, Chinese cobra, coral snake, cape cobra, puff adder, and sea snake. These findings show promise of the opossum being an excellent experimental animal for venom research, particularly by identifying its protective mechanisms.
Trabecular Architecture and Vertebral Fragility in Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis heightens vertebral fragility owing to the biomechanical effects of diminished bone structure and composition. These biomechanical effects are only partially explained by loss in bone mass, so additional factors that are independent of bone mass are also thought to play an important role in vertebral fragility. Recent advances in imaging equipment, imaging-processing methods, and computational capacity allow researchers to quantify trabecular architecture in the vertebra at the level of the individual trabecular elements and to derive biomechanics-based measures of architecture that are independent of bone mass and density. These advances have shed light on the role of architecture in vertebral fragility. In addition to the adverse biomechanical consequences associated with trabecular thinning and loss of connectivity, a reduction in the number of vertical trabecular plates appears to be particularly harmful to vertebral strength. In the clinic, detailed architecture analysis is primarily applied to peripheral sites such as the distal radius and tibia. Analysis of trabecular architecture at these peripheral sites has shown mixed results for discriminating between patients with and without a vertebral fracture independent of bone mass, but has the potential to provide unique insight into the effects of therapeutic treatments. Overall, it does appear that trabecular architecture has an independent role on vertebral strength. Additional research is required to determine how and where architecture should be measured in vivo and whether assessment of trabecular architecture in a clinical setting improves prospective fracture risk assessment for the vertebra.
A social-ecological systems framework for food systems research: accommodating transformation systems and their products

The social-ecological systems (SES) framework was developed to support communication across the multiple disciplines concerned with sustainable provision and/or appropriation of common-pool resources (CPRs). Transformation activities (e.g. processing, distribution, retailing) in which value is added to resource units appropriated from CPRs were assumed in developing the framework to be exogenous to the SES of focal concern. However, provision and appropriation of CPRs are nowadays often closely integrated with the market economy, so significant interdependence exists between many CPR provision/appropriation activities and the activities in which appropriated resource units are transformed into the products ultimately marketed. This paper presents a modified version of the SES framework designed to better account for transformation activities in order to be more suitable for diagnosing those sustainability problems where it is inappropriate to define all such activities as exogenous to the SES of focal concern. The need for such modification was identified in a research project examining the challenges faced by Cambodian cattle-owning smallholders in accessing value chains for premium-priced beef. Hence the immediate focus was on strengthening the SES framework’s value for facilitating a multi-disciplinary diagnostic approach to food system research projects of this kind. The modified SES framework’s potential in this respect was illustrated by a preliminary application that drew on literature reviewed for the Cambodian project. Significant further potential exists in using the modified framework as a foundation from which to develop a version that is suitable for application to SESs in which transformation systems are appropriately represented as endogenous. Maintaining consistency with the standard SES framework will enable communication to occur more effectively between food system researchers and CPR scholars more generally.
A dynamic study of CO oxidation on supported platinum

Catalytic oxidation of CO on alumina-supported platinum was studied in a tubular isothermal reactor with applied concentration transients. A completely automated reactor system capable of switching frequencies as high as 0.2 Hz was constructed. Concentration cycling resulted in reaction rates that were much higher than the maximum rate achievable at steady-state operation. Mapping of the time-averaged carbon dioxide production rate in the time-period duty-fraction plane, resulted in a unique global maximum. We find that the maximum in rate occurs when the switching times are comparable to the characteristic time of the surface reaction. Results of our experiments also rule out significant contribution from the Eley-Rideal mechanism at the temperature range of this work (below 120°C).
Review of linear colliders in the framework of future world accelerators

The HEP communities in three major regions, Asia, Europe and North America, have recently agreed that experimental particle physics in the next twenty years will be greatly enriched if an e{sup +}e{sup -} linear collider were to be available in the TeV c.m. energy range to supplement the opportunities offered by the LHC. This abridged paper of a longer oral presentation at ICHEP 2002 outlines several current design options for such an e{sup +}e{sup -} linear collider, which are presently under intense study by the International Linear Collider Technical Review Committee (ILC-TRC).
Childhood multiple sclerosis : A review

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune demyelinating disorder of the central nervous system (CNS) that is increasingly recognized as a disease that affects children. Similar to adult-onset MS, children present with visual and sensory complaints, as well as weakness, spasticity, and ataxia. A lumbar puncture can be helpful in diagnosing MS when CSF immunoglobulins and oligoclonal bands are present. White matter demyelinating lesions on MRI are required for the diagnosis; however, children typically have fewer lesions than adults. Many criteria have been proposed to diagnose MS that have been applied to children, mostly above 10 years of age. The recent revisions to the McDonald criteria allow for earlier diagnosis, such as after a clinically isolated event. However, children are more likely than adults to have monosymptomatic illnesses. None of the approved disease-modifying therapies used in adult-onset MS have been approved for pediatrics; however, a few studies have verified their safety and tolerability in children. Although children and adults with MS have similar neurological symptoms, laboratory (cerebrospinal fluid) data, and neuroimaging findings, the clinical course, pathogenesis, and treatment of childhood onset MS require further investigation.
Inverse-transition radiation laser acceleration experiments at slac

We present a series of laser-driven particle acceleration experiments that are aimed at studying laser-particle acceleration as an inverse-radiation process. To this end we employ a semi-open vacuum setup with a thin planar boundary that interacts with the laser and the electromagnetic field of the electron beam. Particle acceleration from different types of boundaries will be studied and compared to the theoretical expectations from the Inverse-radiation picture and the field path integral method. We plan to measure the particle acceleration effect from transparent, reflective, black, and rough surface boundaries. While the agreement between the two acceleration pictures is straightforward to prove analytically for the transparent and reflective boundaries the equivalence is not clear-cut for the absorbing and rough-surface boundaries. Experimental observation may provide the evidence to distinguish between the models.
Dehydration of hydrazine by azeotropic distillation

A process was developed for dehydrating aqueous solutions of hydrazine by azeotropic distillation with aniline as an entrainer. The ternary system hydrazine-water-aniline, which contains the minimum-boiling aniline-water azeotrope and the maximum-boiling hydrazine-water azeotrope, was studied by fractionation analysis to determine the position of the ridge or distillation barrier in the vapor and liquid surface. The studies showed that the position and curvature of this ridge were favorable for the production, by rectification, of a solution richer in hydrazine than the azeotropic proportions. The process comprised three operations. Approximately 70% of the hydrazine charged to the system was dehydrated. Entrainers that form binary minimum-boiling azeotropes with both hydrazine and water are discussed. Ternary systems with these entrainers have saddlepoint azeotropes that boil intermediate with respect to the other invariant components in the system.
Uses of pressure and temperature data in exploration and new developments in overpressure detection

Pressure and temperature data from wireline logs and seismic-velocity analysis can be used in deep overpressures to aid in prospect evaluation. Properly interpreted seismic-velocity analysis in deep water can yield maturation and migration information. Use of a modified approach to the d exponent and use of measurement-while-drilling (MWD) data have proved successful in deepwater pressure detection.
SSpro/ACCpro 5: almost perfect prediction of protein secondary structure and relative solvent accessibility using profiles, machine learning and structural similarity

Motivation: Accurately predicting protein secondary structure and relative solvent accessibility is important for the study of protein evolution, structure and function and as a component of protein 3D structure prediction pipelines. Most predictors use a combination of machine learning and profiles, and thus must be retrained and assessed periodically as the number of available protein sequences and structures continues to grow. Results: We present newly trained modular versions of the SSpro and ACCpro predictors of secondary structure and relative solvent accessibility together with their multi-class variants SSpro8 and ACCpro20. We introduce a sharp distinction between the use of sequence similarity alone, typically in the form of sequence profiles at the input level, and the additional use of sequence-based structural similarity, which uses similarity to sequences in the Protein Data Bank to infer annotations at the output level, and study their relative contributions to modern predictors. Using sequence similarity alone, SSpro’s accuracy is between 79 and 80% (79% for ACCpro) and no other predictor seems to exceed 82%. However, when sequence-based structural similarity is added, the accuracy of SSpro rises to 92.9% (90% for ACCpro). Thus, by combining both approaches, these problems appear now to be essentially solved, as an accuracy of 100% cannot be expected for several well-known reasons. These results point also to several open technical challenges, including (i) achieving on the order of 80% accuracy, without using any similarity with known proteins and (ii) achieving on the order of 85% accuracy, using sequence similarity alone. Availability and implementation: SSpro, SSpro8, ACCpro and ACCpro20 programs, data and web servers are available through the SCRATCH suite of protein structure predictors at http://scratch.
The plastid genome of the mycoheterotrophic Corallorhiza striata (Orchidaceae) is in the relatively early stages of degradation

 Premise of the study: Plastid genomes of nonphotosynthetic, mycoheterotrophic plants represent apt systems in which to study effects of relaxed evolutionary constraints. The few mycoheterotrophic angiosperm plastomes sequenced to date display drastic patterns of degradation/reduction relative to those of photosynthetic relatives. The goal of this study was to focus on a mycoheterotrophic orchid hypothesized to be in the “early” stages of plastome degradation, to provide perspective on this process.  Methods: Short-read sequencing was used to generate a complete plastome sequence for Corallorhiza striata var. vreelandii , a mycoheterotrophic orchid, to investigate the extent of plastome degradation. Patterns of nonsynonymous/synonymous mutations were also assessed, and comparisons were made between Corallorhiza and other heterotrophic plant lineages.  Key results: Corallorhiza yielded a plastome of 137 505 bp, with several photosynthesis-related genes either lost or pseudogenized. Members of all major photosynthesis complexes, except ATP-synthase genes, were affected. “Housekeeping” genes were intact, despite the loss of a single tRNA. Intact photosynthesis genes (excluding atp genes) together displayed elevated nonsynonymous changes, while housekeeping genes did not.  Conclusions: The Corallorhiza plastome is not drastically reduced in overall size ( ~ 6% reduction relative to that of photosynthetic Oncidium ), but displays a pattern congruent with a loss of photosynthetic function. Comparing Corallorhiza with other heterotrophs allows some emergent evolutionary patterns to be inferred, but these remain as hypotheses to be tested, especially at lower taxonomic levels, and in lineages illustrating transitions from autotrophy to heterotrophy. The independent, unique processes of plastome modifi cation among mycoheterotrophic lineages illustrate the urgency of their conservation.