cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Assessing views about gun violence reduction policy: A look at type of violence and expected effectiveness

Abstract Objective Public opinion polling about gun policy is routinely conducted and often disregarded. The purpose of this research is to explore ways in which surveys can be made more useful to policy makers, researchers, and the general public. Methods A stratified random sample of 1000 undergraduates at a private, urban university was recruited for an online survey about proposed gun policies. A total of 51.7% answered the questions analyzed herein. Including but going beyond typical assessments of agreement, the survey elicited respondent evaluations of the effectiveness of seven gun policies under two randomly assigned conditions: the type of gun violence (e.g., homicide, suicide, violent crime) and its magnitude. Participants were asked to estimate the effectiveness of each policy, including the possibility of making things worse. Results Participants indicated strong support for all policies and expected each to be effective with one exception — a policy designed to increase the number of guns on the scene, that is, putting armed police in schools. Persons who did not support other policies, on average, did not expect them to make things worse. Telling participants about the scope of the violence did not but the type of gun violence did affect effectiveness ratings. Conclusions Asking about expected effectiveness of (vs. general support for) a policy might identify some optimism: Even people who don't support a policy sometimes think it will be effective. Findings suggest that surveys about the effectiveness of gun violence policies likely assess views that exclude suicide, the most common form of gun-related mortality.
Double Exposure in the Sunbelt: The Sociospatial Distribution of Vulnerability in Phoenix, Arizona

The Phoenix, Arizona, metropolitan area’s relentless pursuit of urban growth for more than a century has produced a durable racialized landscape, with minorities concentrated in an environmentally degraded urban core and a largely white and relatively privileged population in the expanding zone of peripheral ­suburbs. As suburbanization has marched outward, new and different forms of ­environmental insecurity are appearing. While vulnerable people in the central city are exposed to a concentration of industrial hazards and victimized by the construction of ­transportation infrastructure, some peripheral populations face an emergent double exposure to both an imminent water resource shortfall as a result of regional climate change and ­localized effects of the crisis of finance capital and resultant foreclosures and plunging home values. We explore how historic sociospatial and political economic processes produced the current landscape of environmental injustice in the urban core and led to suburban expansion and the foreclosure crisis and how predicted climate change in the West has begun to reconfigure existing patterns of environmental risk and security due to its effects on water resource availability. Through an integration of these domains, we analyze the shifting patterns of sociospatial vulnerability and extend the ­conception of environmental injustice.
The promotive: A verbal operant related to production

The promotive, as a component of the contingency of production, is offered as a conceptual tool for analyzing verbal behavior involved in the production of useful things. The promotive is not simply a verbal operant multiply controlled by both mand and tact relations. The promotive is defined as a verbal operant in relation to its effect on productive behavior, behavior that produces useful products. Concomitantly, useful products are defined by the verbal community of consumers. So, ultimate reinforcement for promotive behavior resides in the consumer community’s demand for the product.
Methods for obtaining revertants of transformed cells.

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the three systems for the isolation of transformed cells based upon the ability of the transformed cells to grow in conditions where the normal cells cannot. These three assays measure (1) the maximum cell density attained by a line in excess serum, (2) the ability of a cell to establish an isolated colony suspended in agar or Methocel, and (3) the ability of a cell line to grow in limiting or depleted sera. In the case of assay (1), most normal cell lines grow in an oriented fashion and exhibit a density-dependent cessation of cell division. In the case of assay (2), a revertant cell line lacks at least one of the properties of a transformed cell line from which it is descended. A revertant may be selected by a modification of the protocol used to isolate the transformed parent. Three different assays for selecting transformants are in current use; therefore, three different selective assays for reversion are described.
The specification of agent behavior by ordinary people: a case study

The development of intelligent agents is a key part of the Semantic Web vision, but how does an ordinary person tell an agent what to do? One approach to this problem is to use RDF templates that are authored once but then instantiated many times by ordinary users. This approach, however, raises a number of challenges. For instance, how can templates concisely represent a broad range of potential uses, yet ensure that each possible instantiation will function properly? And how does the agent explain its actions to the humans involved? This paper addresses these challenges in the context of a case study carried out on our fully-deployed system for semantic email agents. We describe how high-level features of our template language enable the concise specification of flexible goals. In response to the first question, we show that it is possible to verify, in polynomial time, that a given template will always produce a valid instantiation. Second, we show how to automatically generate explanations for the agent's actions, and identify cases where explanations can be computed in polynomial time. These results both improve the usefulness of semantic email and suggest general issues and techniques that may be applicable in other Semantic Web systems.
Basin formation in the High Himalaya by arc‐parallel extension and tectonic damming: Zhada basin, southwestern Tibet

[1] The late Miocene–Pleistocene Zhada basin in southwestern Tibet provides a record of subsidence and basin formation within an active collisional thrust belt. The >800 m thick basin fill is undeformed and was deposited along an angular unconformity on top of Tethyan strata that were previously shortened in the Himalayan fold-thrust belt. Modal sandstone petrographic data, conglomerate clast count data, and detrital zircon U-Pb age spectra indicate a transition from detritus dominated by a distal, northern source to a local, southern source. This transition was accompanied by a change in paleocurrent directions from uniformly northwestward to basin-centric. At the same time the depositional environment in the Zhada basin changed from a large, braided river to a closed-basin lake. Sedimentation in the Zhada basin was synchronous with displacement on the Qusum and Gurla Mandhata detachment faults, which root beneath the basin and exhume midcrustal rocks along the northwestern and southeastern flanks of the basin, respectively. These observations indicate that accommodation for Zhada basin fill was produced by a combination of tectonic subsidence and damming, as midcrustal rocks were evacuated from beneath the Zhada basin in response to arc-parallel slip on crustal-scale detachment faults.
Angular momentum effects in the compound-statistical model for nuclear reactions (II). The importance of the Fermi gas model parameters on calculated excitation functions

Abstract The Monte Carlo technique has been employed in calculations of excitation functions in the framework of the evaporation model with detailed dependence of the emission probability on angular momentum. Comparison of calculated excitation functions in the 107 Ag+ 4 He ion system with experiment is made. The dependence of the calculated excitation functions on the Fermi gas model parameters for the level density expression is discussed. The effect of gamma-ray competition for de-excitation on the calculated excitation functions is examined. Values of the level density parameter a in the range ≈ A /12.5 to 1 15 A and of moments of inertia of the rigid body provide satisfactory agreement with experiment. A significant fraction of de-excitation by gamma-ray emission needs to be assumed in order to obtain better agreement with experiment.
Isolation and partial characterization of perichromatin granules. A unique class of nuclear RNP particles.

Abstract Perichromatin granules (PCG) have been isolated from cycloheximide-treated rat liver nuclei by a procedure that preserved their ultrastructural characteristics. Like the PCG particles in situ, the isolated granules were 300–400 A in diameter; they had an approximate sedimentation coefficient of 40S. The Bernhard bleaching procedure showed that the isolated perichromatin granules are not chromatinous components. A low molecular weight 4.7S RNA approx. 100 nucleotides long was associated with the granules. Analysis of the proteins of the isolated perichromatin granules on SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed one major polypeptide (mol. wt approx. 34 000) along with two other minor polypeptides (mol. wt 31 000 and 38 000). The major polypeptide found in the perichromatin granules had similar migration characteristics on SDS gels to a peptide found in both rat liver and HeLa cell heteronuclear ribonucleoprotein (hnRNP) particles.
Linear Time Recognition of Squarefree Strings

A square is an immediately repeated nonempty string, e.g., aa, abab, abcabc. This paper presents a new O(n log n) algorithm to determine whether a string of length n has a substring which is a square. The algorithm is not as general as some previous algorithms for finding all squares [1,7,8,13], but it does have a simplicity which the others lack. Also, for a fixed alphabet of size k, the algorithm can be improved by a factor of log k (n), yielding an O(n) algorithm for determining whether a string contains a square.
Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy

Failure to thrive Poor oral intake Dysphagia: mechanical or neurogenic Common situations where PEG is required: Neurological: Stroke with neurogenic dysphagia Multiple sclerosis Motor neuron disease Cerebral palsy Myotonic dystrophy Mechanical dysphagia: Esophageal carcinoma Head and neck malignancy Advanced dementia with poor oral intake
Tomographic Image Formation Techniques

Computerized tomography is the process of reconstructing the interiors of objects from collected data based on transmitted or emitted radiation. This article explains the nature of the reconstruction problem and present computer algorithms used for achieving the reconstructions and approaches for evaluating the efficacy of such algorithms are discussed. This article cover some of the basic principles behind tomographic imaging, including such topics as the Radon transform, interpolation for backprojection (both modified cubic spline and sinc), the Ram–Lak filter, missing angle techniques, maximum entropy techniques, resolution, the signal-to-noise ratio, and artifact limitations. Keywords: reconstruction problem; tomography; transform problem; comparison; algorithms; figures of merit
Solar Wind Electron Proton Alpha Monitor (SWEPAM) for the Advanced Composition Explorer

The Solar Wind Electron Proton Alpha Monitor (SWEPAM) experiment provides the bulk solar wind observations for the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE). These observations provide the context for elemental and isotopic composition measurements made on ACE as well as allowing the direct examination of numerous solar wind phenomena such as coronal mass ejections, interplanetary shocks, and solar wind fine structure, with advanced, 3-D plasma instrumentation. They also provide an ideal data set for both heliospheric and magnetospheric multi-spacecraft studies where they can be used in conjunction with other, simultaneous observations from spacecraft such as Ulysses. The SWEPAM observations are made simultaneously with independent electron and ion instruments. In order to save costs for the ACE project, we recycled the flight spares from the joint NASA/ESA Ulysses mission. Both instruments have undergone selective refurbishment as well as modernization and modifications required to meet the ACE mission and spacecraft accommodation requirements. Both incorporate electrostatic analyzers whose fan-shaped fields of view sweep out all pertinent look directions as the spacecraft spins. Enhancements in the SWEPAM instruments from their original forms as Ulysses spare instruments include (1) a factor of 16 increase in the accumulation interval (and hence sensitivity) for high energy, halo electrons; (2) halving of the effective ion-detecting CEM spacing from ∼5° on Ulysses to ∼2.5° for ACE; and (3) the inclusion of a 20° conical swath of enhanced sensitivity coverage in order to measure suprathermal ions outside of the solar wind beam. New control electronics and programming provide for 64-s resolution of the full electron and ion distribution functions and cull out a subset of these observations for continuous real-time telemetry for space weather purposes.
Chemical episodes in streams and lakes

To provide a forum for discussion of recent advances in the studies of chemical episodes in lakes and streams was the purpose of “Episodic Chemical Changes in Streams and Lakes as Related to Acidic Deposition,“ a Hydrology section session at the 1990 AGU Fall Meeting in San Francisco. The session was cochaired by M. Robbins Church and Keith Eshleman. In recent years this topic has been of special concern to federal and state regulatory agencies because of the demonstrated contribution of acidic deposition to chemical episodes (via heavy rainstorms or snow-melts) with consequent adverse effects on aquatic biota. With heightened public and regulatory agency concern has come increased funding for this topic and consequent advances in scientific understanding. We hosted a similar session at the 1989 AGU Fall Meeting, which drew some 36 oral and poster presentations. Work has continued apace in this field and the 1990 session drew 12 oral presentations and 9 posters.
ECG anomaly detection via time series analysis

Recently, wireless sensor networks have been proposed for assisted living and residential monitoring. In such networks, physiological sensors are used to monitor vital signs e.g. heartbeats, pulse rates, oxygen saturation of senior citizens. Sensor data is sent periodically via wireless links to a personal computer that analyzes the data. In this paper, we propose an anomaly detection scheme based on time series analysis that will allow the computer to determine whether a stream of real-time sensor data contains any abnormal heartbeats. If anomaly exists, that time series segment will be transmitted via the network to a physician so that he/she can further diagnose the problem and take appropriate actions. When tested against the heartbeat data readings stored at the MIT database, our ECG anomaly scheme is shown to have better performance than another scheme that has been recently proposed. Our scheme enjoys an accuracy rate that varies from 70-90% while the other scheme has an accuracy that varies from 40-70%.
Mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) Is required for mouse spermatogonial differentiation in vivo

Spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) must balance self-renewal with production of transit-amplifying progenitors that differentiate in response to retinoic acid (RA) before entering meiosis. This self-renewal vs. differentiation spermatogonial fate decision is critical for maintaining tissue homeostasis, as imbalances cause spermatogenesis defects that can lead to human testicular cancer or infertility. A great deal of effort has been exerted to understand how the SSC population is maintained. In contrast, little is known about the essential program of differentiation initiated by retinoic acid (RA) that precedes meiosis, and the pathways and proteins involved are poorly defined. We recently reported a novel role for RA in stimulating the PI3/AKT/mTOR kinase signaling pathway to activate translation of repressed mRNAs such as Kit. Here, we examined the requirement for mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) in mediating the RA signal to direct spermatogonial differentiation in the neonatal testis. We found that in vivo inhibition of mTORC1 by rapamycin blocked spermatogonial differentiation, which led to an accumulation of undifferentiated spermatogonia. In addition, rapamycin also blocked the RA-induced translational activation of mRNAs encoding KIT, SOHLH1, and SOHLH2 without affecting expression of STRA8. These findings highlight dual roles for RA in germ cell development – transcriptional activation of genes, and kinase signaling to stimulate translation of repressed messages required for spermatogonial differentiation.
Wildfires drive interannual variability of organic carbon aerosol in the western U.S. in summer

[1] Forest wildfire area burned in the western U.S. has increased in recent decades resulting in a substantial organic carbon (OC) source with large interannual variability. We derive OC emissions from wildfires using data for area burned for 1980–2004 and ecosystem specific fuel loadings. For the period 1989–2004 we analyze OC observations in the western U.S. from the IMPROVE network and use a global chemical transport model to simulate OC concentrations. Modeled and observed OC concentrations are highly correlated when we use interannually varying fire emissions (R2 = 0.88); the correlation is smaller with climatological emissions (R2 = 0.4). We estimate that the observed increase in wildfire activity after the mid 1980s has caused mean OC concentrations in summer over the western U.S. to increase by 30% relative to 1970–1984. In the coming decades, climate change will likely cause further increases in wildfires resulting in increased OC concentrations with implications for health and visibility.
Nakamura Ryûtarô’s Anime, Serial Experiments, Lain (1998)

This paper introduces Nakamura Ryūtarō’s anime, Serial Experiments, Lain (1998) as a new type of anime, a genre nameable as an “expository anime”, for the reason that it creates a diachronic story out of a synchronic aspect of a certain field of science. The overarching topic of Experiments is electronics, focusing on the comparison between digital and analogue communication systems. Experiments unfolds the rationales, potentials, and effects of the two types of communication systems using the perceptions of the major character, a thirteen-year old girl, Rein, as well as other supporting characters.
BILINGUALISM AND THE MEASUREMENT OF INTELLIGENCE: REVIEW OF A DECADE OF RESEARCH.

(1963). Bilingualism and the Measurement of Intelligence: Review of a Decade of Research. The Journal of Genetic Psychology: Vol. 103, No. 2, pp. 259-282.
Role of cytosolic NAD(P)H-quinone oxidoreductase and alcohol dehydrogenase in the reduction of p-nitrosophenol following chronic ethanol ingestion.

Abstract Rats fed an ethanol-containing diet for 4 weeks showed a 3- to 5-fold increase over isocalorically pair-fed controls with respect to cytosolic NAD(P)H-quinone oxidoreductase (NQOR) (E.C.1.6.99.2) with both menadione and dichlorophenol-indophenol as substrates. Rates of NAD(P)H-dependent p-nitrosophenol (pNSP) reduction catalyzed by rat liver cytosolic fractions were increased 1.5- to 2-fold upon pretreatment of the animal with ethanol. NQOR contributed almost exclusively to the NADPH-dependent C-nitrosoreductase activity in cytosol as judged by the strong inhibition of the reaction by dicoumarol. In contrast, NADH-dependent C-nitrosoreductase activity was inhibited 70–80% by pyrazole and thus may be attributed mainly to alcohol dehydrogenase(s). Highly purified rat liver cytosolic NQOR catalyzed the NADH- and NADPH-dependent reduction of pNSP to p-aminophenol. We therefore suggest that ethanol ingestion enhances the reduction of the C-nitrosoaromatics formed upon cytosolic metabolism of arylamines or nitroarenes by two mechanisms. Increased NADPH-dependent reduction is mediated by the induction of cytosolic NQOR while an NADH-dependent pathway responds to the increased availability of reduced cofactor upon ethanol ingestion and involves mainly the alcohol dehydrogenase-mediated reduction of such compounds.
FITZGERALD FACTOR: A HITHERTO UNRECOGNISED COAGULATION FACTOR

A newly recognised asymptomatic coagulation-factor deficiency is reported in a 71-year-old man. This factor seems to operate at an early stage in the intrinsic coagulation pathway and participates in other Hageman-factor-mediated biological reactions. The patient has an atypical cellular inflammatory response as observed by the skin-window technique.
Regulation of Centromere Localization of the Drosophila Shugoshin MEI-S332 and Sister-Chromatid Cohesion in Meiosis

The Shugoshin (Sgo) protein family helps to ensure proper chromosome segregation by protecting cohesion at the centromere by preventing cleavage of the cohesin complex. Some Sgo proteins also influence other aspects of kinetochore-microtubule attachments. Although many Sgo members require Aurora B kinase to localize to the centromere, factors controlling delocalization are poorly understood and diverse. Moreover, it is not clear how Sgo function is inactivated and whether this is distinct from delocalization. We investigated these questions in Drosophila melanogaster, an organism with superb chromosome cytology to monitor Sgo localization and quantitative assays to test its function in sister-chromatid segregation in meiosis. Previous research showed that in mitosis in cell culture, phosphorylation of the Drosophila Sgo, MEI-S332, by Aurora B promotes centromere localization, whereas Polo phosphorylation promotes delocalization. These studies also suggested that MEI-S332 can be inactivated independently of delocalization, a conclusion supported here by localization and function studies in meiosis. Phosphoresistant and phosphomimetic mutants for the Aurora B and Polo phosphorylation sites were examined for effects on MEI-S332 localization and chromosome segregation in meiosis. Strikingly, MEI-S332 with a phosphomimetic mutation in the Aurora B phosphorylation site prematurely dissociates from the centromeres in meiosis I. Despite the absence of MEI-S332 on meiosis II centromeres in male meiosis, sister chromatids segregate normally, demonstrating that detectable levels of this Sgo are not essential for chromosome congression, kinetochore biorientation, or spindle assembly.
Neuroanatomical correlates of cognitive self-appraisal in neurodegenerative disease

Self-appraisal is a critical cognitive function, which helps us to choose tasks based on an accurate assessment of our abilities. The neural mechanisms of self-appraisal are incompletely understood, although a growing body of literature suggests that several frontal and subcortical regions are important for self-related processing. Anosognosia, or lack of awareness of one's deficits, is common in neurodegenerative dementias, offering an important window onto the brain systems involved in self-appraisal. We examined the neuroanatomical basis of self-appraisal in a mixed group of 39 individuals, including 35 with cognitive impairment due to one of several probable neurodegenerative diseases, using voxel-based morphometry and an objective, neuropsychologically-based measure of self-appraisal accuracy. Self-appraisal accuracy was correlated with tissue content in the right ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC). We hypothesize that emotional/physiological processing carried out by vmPFC is an important factor mediating self-appraisal accuracy in dementia.
Indirect and intragenic suppression of the lexA102 mutation in E. coli B/r

In Escherichia coli B/r the expression of UV inducible (SOS) functions is under the control of the recA and lexA genes. In this study we have characterized mutants which are altered in their ability to express SOS functions. These mutants were isolated as UV resistant UV nonmutable (Rnm) derivatives of the lexA102 uvrA155 mutant strain WP51. The UV resistance of these Rnm strains is a result of the suppression of lexA102 mediated UV sensitivity. Genetic mapping of rnm mutations shows that the two predominant classes, rnmA and rnmB, map in or very near the lexA and recA genes respectively.
Mineralogy and petrology of silicate inclusions in iron meteorites

Silicate inclusions in 17 iron meteorites have been analyzed by the electron microprobe and classified, according to their phase assemblages, compositions, and textures, into three major types: Odessa, Copiapo, and Weekeroo Station, and three miscellaneous types: Enon, Kendall County, and Netschaevo. Phase compositions in both Odessa- and Copiapo-type inclusions are very similar, but the two types are different in texture and constituent phases. Weekeroo Station-type inclusions are very different in every respect from other inclusions. For Odessa- and Copiapo-type inclusions, the distribution coefficients of Fe2+ and Mg in coexisting orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene indicate equilibration temperatures of ∼1,000° C, and the Ca/(Ca+Mg) ratios indicate temperatures of 900° C to 1,000° C. Equilibration temperatures determined for chromite-olivine pairs have a higher range of 1,154° C to 1,335° C. Minor element distributions among coexisting ferromagnesian silicates in these inclusions follow consistent patterns and are constant for any given sample, suggesting equilibrium assemblages. Major and minor element distributions for Weekeroo Station inclusions are anomalous, indicating nonequilibrium. Compositional data, the fragmentary shapes of many inclusions, the highly differentiated characteristic of two types of inclusions, the apparent disequilibrium between kamacite in inclusions and kamacite of the iron host, and the relict chondrules found in Netschaevo suggest that many of the inclusions did not form cogenetically with the iron host, but represent pre-existing stony material that was taken up by an iron melt, probably not in the core of the parent body (or bodies).
Field studies of aphid vectors of sugarcane mosaic.

Field studies were conducted in Louisiana during 1962 and 1963 to determine the seasonal abundance of flying aphid populations in sugarcane fields and to relate this to the seasonal spread of sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV). Winged aphids were caught on sticky traps and also collected from sugarcane plants. The incidence of SCMV symptoms was determined periodically in experimental plots. Of the 9 known vectors of SCMV, only Acyrthosiphon piston (Harris), Hysteroneura selariae (Thomas), Myzus persicae (Sulzer), Rhopalosiphum maidis (Fitch), and Schizaphis grammum (Rondani) occurred during periods of virus spread in sufficient numbers to be considered of probable importance in the spread of SCMV. These five species plus Aphis gossypii Glover, A. maidiradicis Forbes, A. craccivora Koch, Rhopalosiphum paid (L.) complex, R. Pseudobrassicae (Davis). R. rufiabdominalis (Sasaki), Tetrancura hirsula (Baker) and Therioaphis maculata (Buckton) constituted 90% of 5231 aphids representing 69 species which were caught on sticky traps during these studies. Populations of alatae of all species mentioned above, except T. maculata , were found to be significantly correlated with periodic increases of SCMV symptoms. There was also a significant correlation between periodic increases in Disease symptoms and the total numbers of aphids trapped 4 weeks earlier. Except for R. pseudobrassicae , alatae of all aphids mentioned above, plus Sipha flava (Forbes), Dactynotus ambrosiae (Thomas), Chailophorus vimnalis Monel, and Aphis sp., were caught on plants. Only H. setariae and R. maidis were found colonizing on sugarcane. Probably more than three-fourths of the total virus spread during one crop year occurred during late winter and spring. Aphids were trapped in greatest abundance during March, April, and May of 1962 and 1963. Approximately 80% of the total aphids which migrated over sugarcane fields during a month period (while some tying portions of sugarcane plants were exposed above the soil surface) did so between March 1 and May 31, 1963, Flying aphid populations were much lower during (all than in spring, hut higher than in summer. There appeared to be no significant difference in the rate of spread of SCMV among sugarcane plants of different ages.
Evidence for a compositional boundary within the lithospheric mantle beneath the Kalahari craton from S receiver functions

Abstract S and P receiver functions from the Southern African Seismic Experiment are analyzed for lithospheric discontinuities beneath the Kalahari craton. Besides the Moho, the most prominent feature is a discontinuous reduction in seismic velocity of about 4.5% at approximately 150 km depth. The discontinuity appears to have a width of about 10 km. Termed the K-discontinuity, this feature is restricted to the northern half of the array, extending from the Zimbabwe craton south to the TML (Thabazimbi–Murchison lineament), and in the west from Botswana to the edge of the Kalahari craton in the east. It spans several Archean sutures and is thus unlikely related to Archean tectonics. It does, however, appear to be related to subsequent magmatic episodes. The strongest anomaly is coincident with the most intense Karoo volcanism, and it extends to the northern edge of the Bushveld intrusion. From mantle xenoliths and xenocrysts, the entire lithosphere in this region appears to have experienced a long-term infiltration of basaltic melt and metasomatic fluids. We propose that the K-discontinuity reflects the influence of this melt/metasomatic infiltration, which has, over time, intruded and refertilized the lithosphere. Based on kimberlites pipes that show obvious signs of melt metasomatism and likely Karoo influence, the observed reduction in seismic velocity is plausibly consistent with the observed major-element and volatile enrichment at 150 km depth in such kimberlites. If this interpretation is correct, then the high-temperature kimberlite nodules that most clearly reflect this perturbation likely represent the general state of the lower lithosphere, rather than only reflecting local mantle properties in the immediate vicinity of the kimberlite eruption.
Symmetry properties of positive solutions of parabolic equations on ℝN: I. Asymptotic symmetry for the Cauchy problem

We consider quasilinear parabolic equations on ℝ N satisfying certain symmetry conditions. We prove that bounded positive solutions decaying to zero at spatial infinity are asymptotically radially symmetric about a center. The asymptotic center of symmetry is not fixed a priori (and depends on the solution) but it is independent of time. We also prove a similar theorem on reflectional symmetry.
GLOBAL LEFT ATRIAL DEFORMATION IS ASSOCIATED WITH SILENT BRAIN INFARCTS: THE CARDIOVASCULAR ABNORMALITIES AND BRAIN LESIONS (CABL) STUDY

Reduced left atrial (LA) function is associated with cardiovascular events including stroke. Silent brain infarct (SBI) is considered to be a precursor of symptomatic stroke, and has an overall prevalence ranging from 8% to 35% in the general elderly population. It is not known whether LA
Feasibility and outcomes of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy after solid organ transplantation.

Abstract Background Obesity is common after solid organ transplantation and is associated with worse transplantation-related outcomes. Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) may be the preferred bariatric operation in transplantation patients over other techniques, such as gastric bypass, given the concerns about medication absorption. However, little is known about LSG outcomes in post-transplantation patients. Objectives We report the outcomes in 10 consecutive patients who underwent solid organ transplantation followed by LSG. Setting An academic medical center. Methods Primary outcomes studied were weight loss, perioperative complications, resolution or improvement of obesity-related co-morbidities, and markers of graft function following LSG. Results The types of transplantation before LSG were as follows: liver = 5, kidney = 4, and heart = 1. Mean body mass index (BMI) at LSG was 44.7±1.7 kg/m 2 . All patients had hypertension, and 6 had type 2 diabetes. Perioperative complications occurred in 2 patients, and there were no deaths. Excess weight loss at 12 and 24 months after LSG was 45.7% and 42.5%, respectively. At 1 year after LSG, there was a significant reduction in the number of antihypertensive medications (2.4 to 1.5; P = .02). Three patients achieved complete remission of type 2 diabetes, and the other 3 significantly reduced their dosages of insulin. Graft function remained preserved in liver transplantation patients; left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) increased by 10% in the heart transplantation subject, and the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) increased significantly in kidney transplantation patients (53±3 to 82±3 mL/min; P = .03). Conclusions We concluded that LSG, in selected patients with severe obesity after solid organ transplantation, results in significant weight loss, improvement or resolution of obesity-related conditions, and preservation or improvement of graft function. Larger studies are needed to determine tolerability standards.
Constraints, Constitutive Limits, and Instability in Finite Thermoelasticity

This paper examines all the possible types of thermomechanical constraints in finite-deformational elasticity. By a thermomechanical constraint we mean a functional relationship between a mechanical variable, either the deformation gradient or the stress, and a thermal variable, temperature, entropy or one of the energy potentials; internal energy, Helmholtz free energy, Gibbs free energy or enthalpy. It is shown that for the temperature-deformation, entropy-stress, enthalpy-deformation, and Helmholtz free energy-stress constraints equilibrium states are unstable, in the sense that certain perturbations of the equilibrium state grow exponentially. By considering the constrained materials as constitutive limits of unconstrained materials, it is shown that the instability is associated with the violation of the Legendre–Hadamard condition on the internal energy. The entropy-deformation, temperature-stress, internal energy-stress, and Gibbs free energy-deformation constraints do not exhibit this instability. It is proposed that stability of the rest state (or equivalently convexity of internal energy) is a necessary requirement for a model to be physically valid, and hence entropy-deformation, temperature-stress, internal energy-stress, and Gibbs free energy-deformation constraints are physical, whereas temperature-deformation constraints (including the customary notion of thermal expansion that density is a function of temperature only), entropy-stress constraints, enthalpy-deformation constraints, and Helmholtz free energy-stress constraints are not.
Nuclear Membrane Hydrolysis of Adenosine Triphosphate

ADENOSINE triphosphate (ATP) hydrolysis was studied cytochemically in embryonic myocardia of the chick, using a modification of Wachstein and Meisel's method1. Fresh embryonic hearts were pre-fixed in ice cold 2.5 per cent glutaraldehyde for 30 min and stored at 0°–4° C in an isotonic sucrose medium containing 0.1 molar tris maleate sodium hydroxide buffer at pH. 7.2. After 3 days, tissues less than 0.5 mm3 were pre-incubated in a reaction medium without ATP to allow for ionic equilibration. The medium contained a final concentration of 0.03 molar tris maleate–sodium hydroxide buffer at pH. 7.2, 0.10 molar sodium ions, 0.03 molar potassium chloride and 0.005 molar magnesium chloride, hexahydrate. Lead nitrate, 0.005 molar, was added just before 0.0025 molar ATP (sodium salt) was added. The reaction was run for 30 min at 30° C, both with and without substrate.
An effective technique to facilitate radiographic stone visualization with an internal stent during shock wave lithotripsy.

AbstractPurpose: We describe a simple method to assist stone localization during shock wave lithotripsy in the presence of a Double J* stent.Materials and Methods: A 4F whistle tip ureteral catheter is passed alongside a previously inserted 6F Double J stent. The tip of the ureteral stent is positioned in the lower or mid third of the ureter. Contrast material is injected through the ureteral catheter during lithotripsy to assist stone localization.Results: This technique has been successful in localization of poorly opacified renal stones during lithotripsy.Conclusions: Radiolucent and poorly calcified renal stones can be easily localized during shock wave lithotripsy, despite the presence of a Double J stent. No special catheters or stents are required for this technique.
GENE VARIATION IN HUMAN PULMONARY SURFACTANT PROTEIN SP-B: Deletion in an intron between exons 10-11 in an RDS infant. 334

Genomic DNA from Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS) and non RDS subjects was used to amplify the gene for pulmonary surfactant protein SP-B by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The 10 kilobase (kb) SP-B was amplified in 5 segments which were then cloned and sequenced. The sequence of each segment for samples from both groups was compared to the published genomic sequence for SP-B (HUMSPBAA) in the genebank. A number of sequence differences were observed: in the 5′ untranslated region, in exons 3 and 5, and exon 11, the 3′ untranslated portion of mRNA. A number of DNA sequence differences were also observed in introns. A short form of segment 5 (exon 10- exon 11) was amplified from genomic DNA of an RDS sample. The DNA sequence is similar to SP-B but has a 400 basepair (bp) deletion in the intron, and some changes in exon 11. Since the normal allele for segment 5 of human SP-B was also amplified from this sample, the RDS subject is probably a heterozygote, or this fragment is a duplication and rearrangement of the 3′ portion of the SP-B gene. Exon 11 makes up the 3′ untranslated region of the mRNA, and any changes in this region could affect mRNA stability.
Biomolecular plasmonics for quantitative biology and nanomedicine

Free electrons in a noble metal nanoparticle can be resonantly excited, leading to their collective oscillation termed as a surface plasmon. These surface plasmons enable nanoparticles to absorb light, generate heat, transfer energy, and re-radiate incident photons. Creative designs of nanoplasmonic optical antennae (i.e. plasmon resonant nanoparticles) have become a new foundation of quantitative biology and nanomedicine. This review focuses on the recent developments in dual-functional nanoplasmonic optical antennae for label-free biosensors and nanoplasmonic gene switches. Nanoplasmonic optical antennae, functioning as biosensors to significantly enhance biochemical-specific spectral information via plasmon resonance energy transfer (PRET) and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), are discussed. Nanoplasmonic optical antennae, functioning as nanoplasmonic gene switches to enable spatiotemporal regulation of genetic activity, are also reviewed. Nanoplasmonic molecular rulers and integrated photoacoustic-photothermal contrast agents are also described.
A note on the nature of correlations between different characteristics of organisms

Different anatomical and physiological characteristics of organisms affect their interreaction with the inorganic world as well as their mutual interreactions. In this way they all may affect indirectly the total rate of reproduction of a species. It is shown that the requirement of a maximum rate of reproduction defines the distribution functions of the different characteristics and through those distribution functions determines statistical correlations between the characteristics.
The hypoxia-inflammation link and potential drug targets.

Purpose of review—Hypoxia represents one of the strongest transcriptional stimuli known to us. In most cases, hypoxia-induced changes in gene expression are directed towards adapting tissues to conditions of limited oxygen availability. Recent findings—As a well-known example, physical exercise at high-altitude results in the transcriptional induction of erythropoietin that functions to increase oxygen carrying capacity and red cell volume. Studies of the transcriptional pathway responsible for the induction of erythropoietin during conditions of hypoxia led to the discovery of the transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) that is known today as the key transcription factor for hypoxia adaptation. Surgical patients are frequently at risk for experiencing detrimental effects of hypoxia or ischemia, for example in the context of acute kidney injury, myocardial, intestinal or hepatic ischemia, acute lung injury or during organ transplantation. Summary—In the present review we discuss mechanisms of transcriptional adaptation to hypoxia and provide evidence supporting the hypothesis that targeting hypoxia-induced inflammation can represent novel pharmacologic strategies to improve perioperative outcomes. Currently, such strategies are being explored at an experimental level, but we hope that some of these targets can be translated into perioperative patient care within the next decade.
Interactive image processing in research

Abstract The objective of the work described here was to build an interactive and multi-purpose image processing system and to use that system to solve practical problems. The system was built and it was demonstrated that it could be used to measure the size of gas bubbles in a gasliquid reaction system. Photographs of gas bubbles were available from high-speed schlieren motion picture studies and image processing is a feasible way to make large numbers of measurements of bubble size quickly and accurately.
Effects of Some Aspects of Rhythm on Tempo Perception

This study investigated the effects of rhythm pattern, texture, beat location of tempo change, and direction of tempo change on the amount of time needed to perceive the change. Eighty-eight subjects listened to 32 versions of Dvořak's “Humoreske” and were asked to identify the onset of tempo change. Results indicated that significantly more time was needed to perceive tempo increase than tempo decrease, uneven rhythm than even rhythm, and melody alone than melody with accompaniment. Furthermore, significant interaction effects involving beat locations of tempo change suggest that differential rhythmic groupings may be a factor in tempo discrimination.
Prenatal Events and the Risk of Cerebral Palsy in Very Low Birth Weight Infants

The purpose of this study was to analyze associations between prenatal factors and cerebral palsy in a geographically based cohort of very low birth weight infants. Cases (n = 80) and controls had birth weights of 500-1,500 g and were born in 1978-1989, to a resident of one of 17 counties in northwest North Carolina. Medical records were reviewed for data about prenatal and neonatal factors. Associations were analyzed separately for three clinical forms of spastic cerebral palsy (hemiplegia, diplegia, and quadriplegia) and for cerebral palsy with and without antecedent major cranial ultrasound abnormalities. The following factors were associated most strongly with an increased risk of cerebral palsy: multiple gestation, chorioamnionitis, maternal antibiotics, antepartum vaginal bleeding, and labor lasting less than 4 hours. Preeclampsia and delivery without labor were associated with a decreased risk. Evidence of confounding was found for each of these associations, except for those with chorioamnionitis and labor lasting less than 4 hours. The association with chorioamnionitis was stronger for diplegia (compared with hemiplegia and quadriplegia) and for cerebral palsy without major cranial ultrasound abnormalities. Associations with antepartum vaginal bleeding (increased risk) and preeclampsia (decreased risk) were stronger for cerebral palsy occurring with major cranial ultrasound abnormality.
Hydrogen mass transfer in liquid hydrocarbons at elevated temperatures and pressures

The mass transfer rate of hydrogen in tetralin and hydrogenated SRC II liquid was studied in a stirred vessel at 606–684 K and 7.0–13.5 MPa. Experiments were carried out using a newly developed in-situ hydrogen probe made of semi-permeable nickel membrane. The effects of stirrer speed, liquid height to vessel diameter ratio, temperature and pressure on mass transfer rate coefficients were investigated. The experimentally determined Kla values were correlated in terms of power input per unit volume of liquid and liquid height to vessel diameter ratio as follows: kLa = 3.43 × 10−4 (PV)0.8 (HDT)−1.9 Furthermore, the liquid-phase mass transfer coefficient, kl, was found to be of the order of 10−5 m s−1 for low agitator speeds.
Feasibility of endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms with local anesthesia with intravenous sedation

Abstract Purpose: Local anesthesia has been shown to reduce cardiopulmonary mortality and morbidity rates in patients who undergo selected peripheral vascular procedures. The efforts to treat abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) with endovascular techniques have largely been driven by the desire to reduce the mortality and morbidity rates as compared with those associated with open aneurysm repair. Early results have indicated a modest degree of success in this goal. The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of endovascular repair of AAAs with local anesthesia. Methods: During a 14-month period, 47 patients underwent endovascular repair of infrarenal AAAs with local anesthesia that was supplemented with intravenous sedation. Anesthetic monitoring was selective on the basis of comorbidities. The patient ages ranged from 48 to 93 years (average age, 74.4 ± 9.8 years). Of the 47 patients, 55% had significant coronary artery disease, 30% had significant chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and 13% had diabetes. The average anesthesia grade was 3.1, with 30% of the patients having an average anesthesia grade of 4. The mean aortic aneurysm diameter was 5.77 cm (range, 4.5 to 12.0 cm). All the implanted grafts were bifurcated in design. Results: Endovascular repair of the infrarenal AAA was successful for all 47 patients. One patient required the conversion to general anesthesia to facilitate the repair of an injured external iliac artery via a retroperitoneal approach. The operative mortality rate was 0. No patient had a myocardial infarction or had other cardiopulmonary complications develop in the perioperative period. The average operative time was 170 minutes, and the average blood loss was 623 mL (range, 100 to 2500 mL). The fluid requirements averaged 2491 mL. Of the 47 patients, 46 (98%) tolerated oral intake and were ambulatory within 24 hours of graft implantation. The patients were discharged from the hospital an average of 2.13 days after the procedure, with 87% of the patients discharged less than 48 hours after the graft implantation. Furthermore, at least 30% of the patients could have been discharged on the first postoperative day except for study protocol requirements for computed tomographic scanning at 48 hours. Conclusion: This is the first reported series that describes the use of local anesthesia for the endovascular repair of infrarenal AAAs. Our preliminary results indicate that the endovascular treatment of AAAs with local anesthesia is feasible and can be performed safely in a patient population with significant comorbidities. The significant potential advantages include decreased cardiopulmonary morbidity rates, shorter hospital stays, and lower hospital costs. A definitive evaluation of the benefits of local anesthesia will necessitate a direct comparison with other anesthetic techniques. (J Vasc Surg 1999;29:793-8.)
A model for rate-dependent plasticity

The purpose of this note is to propose an improvement to the widely-used Steinberg-Lund model for rate-dependent plasticity. The improved model is rate-dependent above, as well as below, the Peierls stress. As a result of this change, one material constant in the Steinberg-Lund model acquires a new value, and we thereby obtain a revised estimate for the dislocation density in tantalum.