cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
GRÖMeR: A Pipeline for Geodesic Refinement of Mesh Registration.

The electrical signals produced by the heart can be used to assess cardiac health and diagnose adverse pathologies. Experiments on large mammals provide essential sources of these signals through measurements of up to 1000 simultaneous, distributed locations throughout the heart and torso. To perform accurate spatial analysis of the resulting electrical recordings, researchers must register the locations of each electrode, typically by defining correspondence points from post-experiment, three-dimensional imaging, and directly measured surface electrodes. Often, due to the practical limitations of the experimental situation, only a subset of the electrode locations can be measured, from which the rest must be estimated. We have developed a pipeline, GROMeR, that can perform registration of cardiac surface electrode arrays given a limited correspondence point set. This pipeline accounts for global deformations and uses a modified iterative closest points algorithm followed by a geodesically constrained radial basis deformation to calculate a smooth, correspondence-driven registration. To assess the performance of this pipeline, we generated a series of target geometries and limited correspondence patterns based on experimental scenarios. We found that the best performing correspondence pattern required only 20, approximately uniformly distributed points over the epicardial surface of the heart. This study demonstrated the GROMeR pipeline to be an accurate and effective way to register cardiac sock electrode arrays from limited correspondence points.
Commutative deductive systems in probability theory on generalizations of fuzzy structures

Abstract The aim of this paper is to introduce the notion of commutative deductive systems on generalizations of fuzzy structures, and to emphasize their role in the probability theory on these algebras. We give a characterization of commutative pseudo-BE algebras and we generalize an axiom system consisting of four identities to the case of commutative pseudo-BE algebras. We define the commutative deductive systems of pseudo-BE algebras and we investigate their properties. It is proved that, if a pseudo-BE(A) algebra A is commutative, then all deductive systems of A are commutative. Moreover, we generalize the notions of measures, state-measures and measure-morphisms to the case of pseudo-BE algebras and we also prove that there is a one-to-one correspondence between the set of all Bosbach states on a bounded pseudo-BE algebra and the set of its state-measures. The notions of internal states and state-morphism operators on pseudo-BCK algebras are extended to the case of pseudo-BE algebras and we also prove that any type II state operator on a pseudo-BE algebra is a state-morphism operator on it. The notions of pseudo-valuation and commutative pseudo-valuation on pseudo-BE algebras are defined and investigated. For the case of commutative pseudo-BE algebras we prove that the two kind of pseudo-valuations coincide. Characterizations of pseudo-valuations and commutative pseudo-valuations are given. We show that the kernel of a Bosbach state (state-morphism, measure, type II state operator, pseudo-valuation) is a commutative deductive system.
Apolipoprotein E and Alzheimer disease: pathobiology and targeting strategies

Polymorphism in the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene is a major genetic risk determinant of late-onset Alzheimer disease (AD), with the APOE*e4 allele conferring an increased risk and the APOE*e2 allele conferring a decreased risk relative to the common APOE*e3 allele. Strong evidence from clinical and basic research suggests that a major pathway by which APOE4 increases the risk of AD is by driving earlier and more abundant amyloid pathology in the brains of APOE*e4 carriers. The number of amyloid-β (Aβ)-dependent and Aβ-independent pathways that are known to be differentially modulated by APOE isoforms is increasing. For example, evidence is accumulating that APOE influences tau pathology, tau-mediated neurodegeneration and microglial responses to AD-related pathologies. In addition, APOE4 is either pathogenic or shows reduced efficiency in multiple brain homeostatic pathways, including lipid transport, synaptic integrity and plasticity, glucose metabolism and cerebrovascular function. Here, we review the recent progress in clinical and basic research into the role of APOE in AD pathogenesis. We also discuss how APOE can be targeted for AD therapy using a precision medicine approach.
A 15-Year Profile of U.S. Radiation Oncology Residency Growth by Geographic Region, Metropolitan Size, and Program Size.

Abstract Purpose The size and growth of U.S. radiation oncology (RO) residency positions have important implications for the RO workforce. There are no data on residency growth by geographic region, major urban centers, and program size. We aim to fill this gap. Methods and Materials A database of all RO programs and positions from 2003 to 2018 was created using National Resident Matching Program data. Programs were categorized by U.S. Census Bureau geographic region, major metropolitan location (top 10 combined statistical area vs all other), and program size (small [≤6 trainees], medium [7-12], and large [>12 trainees]). Linear regression with interaction terms was used to determine the effect of region, major metropolitan location, and program size on RO program and position growth over time. Results There has been a 69% (54-91) and 82% (106-193) increase in the number of RO programs and annual positions from 2003 to 2018. Differences in program and position growth, respectively, were seen in each category. Growth in the Northeast (92% and 83%), South (81% and 113%), and West (125% and 130%) has outpaced the Midwest (17% and 33%). Growth in top 10 metropolitan areas (77% and 92%) is higher than in all other areas (63% and 73%). Growth in medium (68% and 80%) and large (175% and 153%) programs is greater than in smaller (36% and 33%) programs. Conclusions There has been a major increase in the number of RO residency programs and positions over the past 15 years. Growth is occurring in every major category but there are differences in magnitude within each category. This information can inform future decisions about RO training programs in the United States.
Urinary Bladder: Normal Anatomy

This chapter focuses on basic normal anatomy of the urinary bladder and associated structures. Basic spatial positioning and normal measurements of the bladder and bladder wall are introduced. Common fluoroscopic studies used to evaluate bladder and urethral anatomy are also briefly discussed.
Omics to address the opportunities and challenges of nanotechnology in agriculture

Increasing global food demand, and risks associated with climate change and agrochemicals demand novel and sustainable agricultural practices to improve crop yield and quality. Various strategies u...
Multi-threading Semantics for Highly Heterogeneous Systems Using Mobile Threads

Heterogeneous architectures are becoming the norm. The results are nodes that are not only multi-threaded, but simultaneously multi-threaded across several different instruction sets and core designs. Unfortunately, programming models for such systems are still evolving, and are nowhere near adequate as we move into an era of extreme heterogeneity with many new accelerator designs. This paper discusses the current range of multi-threading models and what features are liable to be needed for such future architectures. In addition, we suggest the potential value of using a new threading model, termed migrating threads, that may be an excellent match for a common “glue” to efficiently combine all the emerging heterogeneity.
Hydroxyl ion stabilization of bulk nanobubbles resulting from microbubble shrinkage.

Abstract Hypothesis The shrinkage of microbubbles that are less than about 50 µm in diameter is a well-known phenomenon that results from the surface tension. It has also been shown recently that hydroxyl ions have an extremely strong affinity for gas–water interfaces including bubble surfaces. A theoretical model is proposed that predicts bulk nanobubble stability in water, based on a force balance that results from the shrinkage of microbubbles. This model was designed to test the hypothesis that the surface tension of a shrinking microbubble can ultimately be balanced by the repulsion of the hydroxyl ions that initially adsorb onto the microbubble surface prior to shrinking. Theory The present model considers the forces due to ionic repulsion as microbubbles shrink under the surface tension. No special assumptions are required in the present model other than the recently reported strong affinity hydroxyl ions have to gas/water interfaces. The Debye-Huckel theory was used to determine the number of ions on the microbubble surface. Findings The results of this model predict a stable balance between the surface tension and the electrostatic repulsion of hydroxyl ions for nanobubble diameters less than 1100 nm. This predicted maximum in nanobubble size is shown to be consistent with experimental findings.
Cardiac Macrophages - Keeping the Engine Running Clean.

The Cardiomyocyte and the Mighty Mitochondrion Cardiomyocyte function depends on ATP, the generation of which takes place in the mitochondrion; strong performance of mitochondria is probably critic...
Formulation Matters: Reciprocating Integer Programming for Birchbox Product Assortment

Birchbox created a mixed-integer programming formulation to determine the products that it will send to its subscribers in individual boxes on a monthly basis. The goal of this formulation is to pr...
Mouse liver nucleic acids. I. Isolation and chemical characterization.

Abstract 1. 1. Methods for the isolation of pentose and desoxypentose nucleic acids from mouse liver tissue, applying gentle extraction and purification procedures were presented. Differential centrifugation techniques were incorporated to effect a preliminary separation of the tissue into nuclear and cytoplasmic fractions. 2. 2. Chemical analyses indicated that neither nucleic acid conformed to a statistical tetranucleotide in composition. However, near equal molar proportions of purine nucleotides to pyrimidine nucleotides appeared to be present. Purine analyses disclosed a considerable excess of guanine in relation to adenine for the pentose nucleic acid, and an excess of adenine over guanine in the desoxypentose nucleic acid. A spectrophotometric procedure was described for purine analyses which served to check the chemical methods. 3. 3. Mouse liver pentose nucleic acid was found to be similar to yeast and sheep liver ribose nucleic acids with respect to containing equivalent quantities of dilute acid labile phosphate. 4. 4. Crystalline ribonucleinase was found to hydrolyze the liver pentose nucleic acid incompletely. A preferential hydrolysis of pyrimidine over purine nucleotides by the enzyme was found for the liver nucleic acid as well as for yeast ribose nucleic acid.
Essential role of stem cell factor-c-Kit signalling pathway in bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis

Stem cell factor (SCF) and its receptor c-Kit have been implicated in tissue remodelling and fibrosis. Alveolar fibroblasts from patients with diffuse interstitial fibrosis secrete more SCF. However, its precise role remains unclear. In this study the potential role of the SCF-c-Kit axis in pulmonary fibrosis was examined. Fibrosis was induced by intratracheal instillation of bleomycin (BLM), which caused increased SCF levels in plasma, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and lung tissue, as well as increased expression by lung fibroblasts. These changes were accompanied by increased numbers of bone marrow-derived c-Kit(+) cells in the lung, with corresponding depletion in bone marrow. Both recombinant SCF and lung extracts from BLM-treated animals induced bone-marrow cell migration, which was blocked by c-Kit inhibitor. The migrated cells promoted myofibroblast differentiation when co-cultured with fibroblasts, suggesting a paracrine pathogenic role. Interestingly, lung fibroblast cultures contained a subpopulation of cells that expressed functionally active c-Kit, which were significantly greater and more responsive to SCF induction when isolated from fibrotic lungs, including those from patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). This c-Kit(+) subpopulation was αSMA-negative and expressed lower levels of collagen I but significantly higher levels of TGFβ than c-Kit-negative cells. SCF deficiency achieved by intratracheal treatment with neutralizing anti-SCF antibody or by use of Kitl(Sl)/Kitl(Sl-d) mutant mice in vivo resulted in significant reduction in pulmonary fibrosis. Taken together, the SCF-c-Kit pathway was activated in BLM-injured lung and might play a direct role in pulmonary fibrosis by the recruitment of bone marrow progenitor cells capable of promoting lung myofibroblast differentiation.
AID-initiated DNA lesions are differentially processed in distinct B cell populations (IRM8P.701)

Activation-induced deaminase (AID) initiates U:G mismatches, causing point mutations or DNA double-stranded breaks at immunoglobulin (Ig) loci. How AID-initiated lesions are prevented from inducing genome-wide damage is not completely understood. Prior studies proposed a differential DNA repair mechanism that protects certain non-Ig loci such as c-myc from AID attack. However, determinants that regulate such protective mechanisms remain largely unknown. To test whether target DNA sequences might modulate protective mechanisms via modifying the processing manner of AID-initiated lesions, we established a knock-in model by inserting an Sγ2b region, a bona fide AID target, into the first intron of c-myc. Unexpectedly, we found that the inserted S region did not mutate or enhance genomic instability of c-myc, due to error-free repair of AID-initiated lesions, in antigen-stimulated germinal center B cells. In contrast, cytokine-activated B cells display a much higher level of c-myc genomic instability in an AID- and S region-dependent manner. Our findings reveal a complex interplay between target sequence, DNA repair mechanism, and cellular context associated with differential transcription, which coordinately regulate genome stability. Our studies could provide mechanistic insight into differential routes to AID-mediated genetic alterations in distinct subtypes of common B cell lymphomas.
Mechanisms of the Sympathoadrenal Response to Hypoglycemia

Publisher Summary The sympathoadrenal response to hypoglycemia plays a key role in glucose counterregulation. In insulin-dependent diabetes, its role becomes even more critical because the glucagon response to hypoglycemia is lost after a short duration of diabetes. Moreover, the sympathoadrenal responses may also become blunted in some patients, rendering them without appropriate subjective warning symptoms, without effective glucose counterregulation, and at potential risk of a greater insult to the central nervous system. The neural origin of the sympathoadrenal response to hypoglycemia has been an area of some interest because it is undoubtedly the critical site where glucose sensing occurs. A role for both cerebral and extracerebral glucose sensors has been studied, and although there is some evidence that the liver may play some role in activating sympathoadrenal activity during hypoglycemia, most data point to the central nervous system as the key center for sensing hypoglycemia. This view is supported by studies showing that infusion of glucose into carotid and vertebral arteries (maintaining brain glucose levels during systemic hypoglycemia) abolishes the neurohormonal response to hypoglycemia. These studies, however, do not define the precise region in the brain involved in glucose sensing.
Methods for the isolation and characterization of constituents of natural products: V. Separation of 2,6-dinitrophenylhydrazone pyruvamides into classes and resolution of the individual members

Abstract Class separation of the 2,6-dinitrophenylhydrazone derivatives of n-aliphatic primary and symmetrical secondary aliphatic amines is described. Both quantitative column adsorption and qualitative thin-layer adsorption Chromatographic procedures are presented. In both procedures the classes are cleanly separated and they can also be distinguished readily by color; the secondary amine derivatives are green and the primary amine derivatives are violet during chromatography. Approximately 0.2 μmole of a derivative is easily seen in the column procedure whereas 1.8 × 10−4 μmole of a primary derivative and 5.4 × 10−4 μmole of a secondary amine derivative can be followed in the thin-layer procedure. Methods for the separation of a homologous series of the primary amine derivatives and a partial series of secondary amine derivatives by thin-layer partition chromatography is also described. Approximately 1.5 × 10−4 μmoles of derivative can be utilized in this procedure. Reversed-phase separation of the higher primary amine derivatives by thin-layer chromatography is also presented.
Time-Resolved Photoacoustic Calorimetry of Carbenes and Biradicals

To develop an understanding of the reactivity of biradicals and carbenes, it is essential that the energetics of the reactants, intermediates, and products be established. The most successful approach to date for determining the energetics of intermediates, such as radicals, biradicals, and carbenes, has been to estimate their energies through a combination of Benson group additivities(1) and bond enthalpy data.(2) Regrettably, this data base is not sufficiently extensive to allow for the calculation of the energetics for most intermediates of interest. For example, little is known regarding the enthalpic contributions of substituents at a radical center. Also, there is no satisfactory method for estimating the energetics of carbenes and biradicals. Finally, it is not clear how reliable even the best calculation may be for reactive intermediates in the condensed phase as solvent interactions may make significant contributions to the overall energetics. Clearly, it would be advantageous to have experimental methods that could directly probe the energies of transient species.
IL-2Rα mediates temporal regulation of IL-2 signaling and enhances immunotherapy

Interleukin-2 (IL-2) is a lymphocyte growth factor that is an important component of many immune-based cancer therapies. The efficacy of IL-2 is thought to be limited by the expansion of T regulatory cells, which express the high-affinity IL-2 receptor subunit IL-2Rα. IL-15 is under investigation as an alternative to IL-2. Although both cytokines signal through IL-2Rβγ, IL-15 does not bind IL-2Rα and therefore induces less T regulatory cell expansion. However, we found that transferred effector CD8(+) T cells induced curative responses in lymphoreplete mice only with IL-2-based therapy. Although conventional in vitro assays showed similar effector T cell responsiveness to IL-2 and IL-15, upon removal of free cytokine, IL-2 mediated sustained signaling dependent on IL-2Rα. Mechanistically, IL-2Rα sustained signaling by promoting a cell surface IL-2 reservoir and recycling of IL-2 back to the cell surface. Our results demonstrate that IL-2Rα endows T cells with the ability to compete temporally for limited IL-2 via mechanisms beyond ligand affinity. These results suggest that strategies to enhance IL-2Rα expression on tumor-reactive lymphocytes may facilitate the development of more effective IL-2-based therapies.
Evaluation Models of Zircaloy Oxidation in Light of Recent Experiments

Measurements of Zircaloy-steam oxidation kinetics on as-received and preoxidized cladding are reported, as are measurements of the inside to outside diameter oxygen ratio following rupture of simulated fuel rods. The kinetics data confirm the conservative nature of the Baker-Just equation and suggest that preoxidation effects would provide an additional element of conservatism in regard to the amount of oxidation that would be expected if a fuel rod were subjected to a pressurized water reactor (PWR)-type temperature transient. Although a great deal of scatter was found in the measured inside-outside diameter oxygen ratios, the average value even at the rupture position was less than unity. The strongest trends showed a decreasing inside-outside diameter oxygen ratio with decreasing test time and increasing distance from the rupture site. It was found that differences in values of published oxidation kinetics parameters can be reconciled if the procedure used to heat the test specimens is taken into account. A regression analysis of data reported from seven recent investigations showed that the activation energy for the oxidation process was about 7.6 kcal/mole less in experiments using internally heated specimens than in experiments using externally heated specimens. Similar effects are also seen in inside-outside diameter oxygen ratio data; values from externally heated specimens are larger than those from internally heated specimens.
SARA Reading Components Tests, RISE Forms: Technical Adequacy and Test Design, 3rd Edition

This technical report describes the conceptual foundation and measurement properties of the Reading Inventory and Scholastic Evaluation (RISE). The RISE is a 6-subtest, Web-administered reading skills components battery. The theoretical and empirical foundations of each subtest in the battery are reviewed, as well as item designs. The results included in this report feature a vertical extension of the RISE to span Grades 5–10, psychometric analysis of parallel forms of each subtest, results of item response theory (IRT) scaling studies for each of the subtests across the entire grade span, and evaluation of differential item functioning (DIF) for gender and race/ethnicity.
Cu Pillar flip chip assembly: Chip attach process failure mode study

An experiment is conducted to study failure mechanism during flip chip attach process for Cu Pillar bumped Si device that uses mass reflow assembly technology. A three-leg design of experiment (DOE) is conducted, which includes two UBM sizes, two different Cu pillar height, and with / without polyimide option to collect basic failure information. Finite element software is used to correlate the failure mode and identify the Si - Cu pillar bump - substrate interactions. Based on the experiment and finite element analysis results, a simple shallow beam mechanical model was recommended to be a basic start point of Cu Pillar flip chip assembly technology application. Results are discussed in details.
Historic volcanism, European dry fogs, and greenland Acid precipitation, 1500 B.C. To a.d. 1500.

Historic dry fogs in Europe, acid precipitation in Greenland, and major explosive volcanic eruptions correlate well with each other between 1500 B.C. and A.D. 1500. European (Mediterranean and Icelandic) volcanic eruptions appear to be the source of at least five of the nine largest acidity signals found in Greenland ice for this period. Between 152 B.C. and A.D. 43, eruptions of sulfur-rich Mount Etna probably supplied about 15 percent of the smaller acidity signals.
Picturing Sexual Spaces in Everyday Life: Exploring the Construction of Sexuality and Sexual Behavior among Early Adult Women

Despite an increased public and behavioral health emphasis on research which explores the link between individual sexual context and sexual decision making, most studies have yet to adequately explore the needs and purposes that sex fulfills among women. The current project employed photo-elicitation interviewing (PEI) as a means of generating a visual and narrative person-centered understanding of the ways in which women orchestrate spaces for sexuality within their day-to-day lives. Sexual spaces were created by rescripting the ordinary meaning associated with everyday locations, objects, and language to contain sexual meaning; these spaces serve as vehicles to integrate sexuality and sexual behavior within everyday experiences. Spaces also conferred sexual privacy and comfort for women, driving sexual desire and encouraging, as well as discouraging, contraception and condom use in individual and complex ways. PEI provided an effective tool for magnifying this complexity through the women’s eyes and voices, suggesting important information for the correct design of future research, intervention, and education programs.
Effects of Telluric Water Vapor on Airborne Infrared Observations

Atmospheric effects on astronomical observations from aircraft are described. The most extensive effects and those most influenced by flight parameters are due to atmospheric water vapor at far-infrared wavelengths. This paper evaluates these effects in terms of observing efficiency for different observing modes. For the anticipated Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) program, roughly a 10% reduction in observing time will result from a 1 μm reduction of the average water vapor overburden. Strategies for maximizing observing efficiency are discussed in the context of SOFIA operations.
Tuberculosis Control in Industry

Tuberculosis is not considered an industrial disease, although in certain dusty trades involving the inhalation of particles of silica there may be a relationship between pulmonary tuberculosis and occupation. Despite the non-occupational character of pulmonary tuberculosis in general, the peculiar conditions of modern industry have tended to expose workers to more massive and repetitive concentrations of tubercle bacilli than other segments of the population. Unfavorable social and economic factors such as crowding, at home and in the workshops, and low income are clearly reflected in the tuberculosis mortality data. Every study of urban housing has shown that tuberculosis death rates in the crowded areas of cities are many times greater than the rates in the less crowded areas; and that industrial workers and their families are concentrated in these areas. The death rate of tuberculosis (all forms) for males is higher among residents of large cities than among residents of cities of intermediate size. The rate in smaller cities in turn is much higher than that in rural areas. Dublin, in an analysis of Metropolitan Life Insurance records, finds that between the ages of 35 and 44, death rates from pulmonary tuberculosis in industrial male policyholders is about 2% times that of non-industrial policyholders. Propagation of the tubercle bacillus finds a fertile soil in cities, where many people live and work in close quarters and even breathe each day a certain number of cubic feet of air shared with other persons. It may well be that the dosage of bacilli plays an important role in the production of clinical tuberculosis; on this basis alone one may expect to find greater opportunities of infection among the people in densely populated areas. Industrial buildings such as the Ford Bomber Plant at Willow Run and office buildings such as the Pentagon in Washington, are good examples of modern industry's tendency to concentrate ever larger groups of human beings in limited spaces in the pursuit of wage earning. It should also be remembered that approximately one-third of the average adult's life is spent in the task of earning a living. A lower standard of living appears to be intimately associated with lowered resistance—the second factor in the production of tuberculosis. In a study of tuberculosis mortality among industrial workers by Rollo H. Britten, it was found that the rate among unskilled workers, ages 25 to 44, was four times as high as among professional, business, and clerical workers of the same age group. High concentrations of tubercle bacilli in the environment and low-
Exposure to Environmental Tobacco Smoke in Restaurants without Separate Ventilation Systems for Smoking and Nonsmoking Dining Areas

In this study, the author examined (a) levels of airborne pollutants from environmental tobacco smoke in 8 restaurants, and (b) changes in urinary cotinine and nicotine levels among 97 nonsmoking subjects (i.e., 40 restaurant employees, 37 patrons, and 20 referents). Airborne pollutant levels were significantly lower in the control environments than in the nonsmoking dining rooms in which smoking was not permitted, and the levels were significantly lower in the dining rooms in which smoking was not permitted than in the dining rooms in which smoking was permitted. Levels of urinary cotinine and nicotine increased among subjects in the dining rooms in which smoking was permitted, and the increase was significantly greater in employees than patrons. There was a significant positive correlation between levels of urinary nicotine increase and the levels of airborne nicotine and solanesol. The results of this study support the restriction of smoking to designated areas that have separate ventilation systems, or the prohibition of smoking in restaurants.
Low-temperature-induced changes in intracellular fatty acid fluxes in Dunaliella salina.

Abstract Two-minute exposures to exogenous [ 14 C]palmitic, [ 14 C]oleic, or [ 14 C]lauric acid differentially labeled the lipids of Dunaliella salina microsomes and chloroplasts. Changes in fatty acid desaturation and intracellular movement during a subsequent 16-h incubation in nonradioactive medium indicated a slow transfer of lipids into the chloroplast from other organelles. Since Dunaliella lacks the massive traffic of microsomally produced glycerolipids into chloroplast galactolipids that dominates chloroplast-microsome lipid relations in most plant cells, it affords a sensitive system for studying more subtle intracellular lipid fluxes. Lowering the culture temperature from 30 to 12 °C was more inhibitory toward glycerolipid biosynthesis in chloroplasts than in microsomes. The ability of Dunaliella chloroplasts to utilize microsomal lipids may be essential for their systematic acclimation to low temperature.
The colloidal metallic silver tampon for treatment of rhinitis, sinusitis, etc.

Abstract An effective convenient tampon, prepared with a nonirritating isotonic colloid of metallic silver for the treatment of certain nasal infections has been developed by the author and results of its use in 140 cases of acute and chronic, congestive rhinitis and sinusitis are reviewed.
The geochemical cycle of rhenium: a reconnaissance

Rhenium (Re) is one of a suite of elements (including uranium and molybdenum) that display conservative behavior in seawater and are enriched in anoxic sediments. The decay of187Re to187Os provides a geochronometer in ancient sedimentary rocks and gives rise to Os-isotopic variations in nature. In order to better characterize its sources to seawater, Re was measured in three major rivers (Amazon, Orinoco, Ganges-Brahmaputra) and some of their tributaries. Re concentrations span four orders of magnitude (from < 0.02 to 400 pmol/kg), with the highest concentrations found in rivers draining black shales in the Venezuelan Andes. Mainstream Re levels in the three rivers are between 1 and 10 pmol/kg, with a flux weighted average of 2.3 pmol/kg. The residence time for Re in the oceans is estimated to be 750,000 yr with respect to river inputs. Re profiles from the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans confirm that Re behaves conservatively in seawater, with no significant uptake onto particles and/or recycling within the water column. This is also true in the anoxic water column of the Black Sea. Re removal into anoxic sediments occurs at or below the sediment water interface, as demonstrated in sediment pore waters from Chesapeake Bay. In oxic sediments, Re is not cycled with manganese oxides, and it is not enriched in very slowly accumulating pelagic sediments with a large hydrogenous iron and manganese component, or in manganese nodules. Burial of Re in anoxic sediments, which accumulate on 0.3% of the ocean floor, removes approximately 50% of the riverine Re flux to the oceans. Hence, oceanic Re concentrations may be very sensitive to changes in the area of anoxic sedimentation.
Local failure in childhood rhabdomyosarcoma and undifferentiated sarcoma: prognostic factors and implications for curative therapy.

In this retrospective review, the risk factors for local failure in childhood rhabdomy-osarcoma and undifferentiated sarcoma were assessed in 49 patients managed by a multi-disciplinary team at the Prince of Wales Children′s Hospital, Sydney, between 1970 and 1988. Average follow-up time was 6.1 years. Sixteen of 49 patients experienced local failure defined as local recurrence after complete excision (5/20) or progressive local disease following incomplete resection (11/29). Fourteen of 16 patients who experienced local failure have died. Using logrank analysis of time to local failure, we found significantly increased risk with “non-embryonal” histology (P = 0.032), residual tumour (P = 0.052, higher IRS group (P = 0.088), “inadequate radiotherapy” for residual tumour (P = 0.001), delay in definitive local treatment (P = 0.038) and Adriamycin-containing chemotherapy (P = 0.017). When these factors were examined by multivariate analysis (Cox regression), only the presence of residual tumour after resection, “inadequate radiotherapy” for residual tumour (P < 0.001), and delay in definitive local therapy (P = 0.037) were shown to have independent significant association with local failure. We conclude that local failure may be avoided by prompt local treatment by either complete surgical resection or adequate radiotherapy. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Neural mechanism underlying behavior in the locust Schistocerca gregaria. 3. Topography of limb motorneurons in the metathoracic ganglion.

Somata of 26 of the motorneurons situated on the right side of the metathoracis ganglion of the locust S. gregaria were identified by correlating their electrical activity with extracellularly or intracellularly recorded muscle potentials evoked either reflexly or by direct elctrical stimulation of the somata through the recording microelectrode. The neurons identified included most of those innervating the major leg muscles. Each neuron occupies a relatively fixed site on the ventral surface of the ganglion. The identified neurons were filled with procion yellow, the ganglia fixed and photographed as whole mounts, and then serially sectioned to determine the three dimensional topography of the major dendrites and the pathway of the axons through the neuropil. The topographical features of individual motorneurons were sufficiently characteristic to permit identification, Nevertheless, it was not found possible to classify the neurons on the basis of branching pattern. There is no relation between location in the ganglion and the muscle innervated, but locomotor motorneurons are clustered togethers in anterior, ventral, and lateral pockets.
Heat transfer to a falling power-law fluid film

Abstract Steady heat transfer to water and purely viscous non-Newtonian fluid films falling down a vertical tube, for the case of uniform wall heat flux thermal boundary condition, was measured experimentally. The power-law fluids studied were aqueous solutions of Carbopol at 250 and 500 ppm (by weight) concentration. The heat transfer to power-law fluid film was lower than the Newtonian prediction, at comparable Pr a . A new correlation is proposed for dimensionless heat transfer coefficient over a range of 500⩽ Re a ⩽5400, 6⩽ Pr a ⩽20 , and 0.7⩽ n ⩽1.
Periodic states of adsorption cycles. IV. Direct optimization

Abstract The traditional method for determining a periodic state (cyclic steady state) of a mathematical model of an adsorption cycle involves simulating a process through successive cycles until the solution is not changing significantly from cycle to cycle. Optimization is then carried out by exploring the solution space by varying parameters and determining several periodic states until an optimum or near-optimum solution is found. This paper introduces an alternative method for determining the optimum periodic state of an adsorption cycle. The approach is based on our method for determining a periodic state directly rather than by simulating successive cycles (Chem. Eng. Sci. 49 (1994a) 1821). For optimization, we introduce an objective function into the equation set. The error in minimizing this objective function is driven to zero at the same time that errors in meeting the periodicity requirement and constraints are driven to zero. Thus, the first periodic state found is an optimum one. Examples are given of optimization of a temperature swing adsorption cycle and a pressure swing adsorption cycle. Simulation results show that the new approach is an efficient method for periodic state optimization. An optimum feed temperature is found for the temperature swing adsorption cycle.
Verification of Speech Spectrum Audibility for Pediatric Baha Softband Users with Craniofacial Anomalies

Objective: The purpose of this study was (1) to determine benefit of the Baha Softband coupled to the Softband for infants and children with bilateral conductive hearing loss; and (2) to verify audibility of the speech spectrum for octave frequencies 500 through 4000 Hz. Design: The research design for this retrospective chart study is pretest-posttest repeated measures. Setting: The study was conducted in the Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology, Arkansas Children's Hospital. Participants: Twenty-five children aged 6 months to 18 years with craniofacial disorders and bilateral conductive hearing loss participated in the study. Participants were consistent, full-time unilateral Baha users with the Baha Compact bone-conduction amplifier coupled to the head via the Softband. Interventions: The intervention was the Baha device coupled to the head via the Softband as a prerequisite to surgical implantation. Main Outcome Measure(s): The primary study outcome measures used aided and unaided soundfield a...
The Determination of Nitroaromatics and Nitramines in Ground and Drinking Water by Wide-Bore Capillary Gas Chromatography

A method has been developed to determine the concentration of nitroaromatics and nitramines in drinking water at levels below those previously achieved by gas chromatography. The nitroaromatics and nitramines are extracted from water using toluene and isoamyl acetate, respectively. The extracts are analyzed via a gas chromatograph equipped with a DB-1301 widebore fused-silica capillary column and an electron capture detector. Method detection limits of 0.003 micrograms/L for 2,6-dinitrotoluene (2,6-DNT), 0.04 micrograms/L for 2,4-dinitrotoluene (2,4-DNT), 0.06 micrograms/L for 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), 0.3 micrograms/L for cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine (RDX), and 6.0 micrograms/L for cyclotetramethylenetetranitramine (HMX) have been obtained using this method.
Effects of metformin on tyrosine kinase activity, glucose transport, and intracellular calcium in rat vascular smooth muscle

Metformin enhances peripheral insulin action and reduces blood pressure in hypertensive rats. Our group has previously reported that insulin and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-1) attenuate both agonist-induced vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) contraction and associated increases in cytosolic free calcium ([Ca]i). Thus, changes in insulin actions may explain in part metformin's vascular effects. However, metformin's mechanism of action at the vasculature had not been elucidated. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine whether metformin evokes alterations in VSMC insulin and IGF-I receptors, glucose transport, and/or [Ca]i. We quantitated hormone binding and tyrosine kinase (TK) activity in partially purified insulin and IGF-I receptors prepared from metformin-treated (100 microM) and control rat aortic VSMC in culture. Glucose transport was assessed by 2-deoxyglucose uptake. Metformin exposure for 24 h 1) increased basal TK activity (metformin, 3.49 +/- 0.39; control, 1.77 +/- 0.39 pmol 32P incorporated/mg protein; P < 0.01) without changes in insulin-or IGF-I stimulated TK activity, 2) increased 2-deoxyglucose transport in a dose-dependent manner, 3) decreased thrombin-induced elevation in [Ca]i (metformin, 10.3%; control, 35.3% over basal; P < 0.05), These insulin/IGF-I-like effects of metformin may help explain some of its vascular actions.
Damage quantification and experimental simulation of momentum trapped flyer plate and tensile split Hopkinson bar incipient failure experiments

Dynamic and quasi-static failure and dynamic incipient failure experiments were performed on a half-hard 10100 Cu material using several different specimen geometries, including uniaxial stress and several notches. An additional series of uniaxial strain incipient failure experiments were performed using the annealed material. Damage quantification of the incipient failure specimens was performed and statistically reduced for comparison with continuum damage model predictions from explicit simulations of the experiments. Experimentally the test to test variability of the dynamic strain and flow stress measurements greatly exceeded that of the quasi-static measurements. Only the experiments with dynamic strain measurements close to post-test sample measurements were simulated. The ability of the simulations and the dynamic stress-strain measurements to detect the damage induced softening is low, at least until the damage coalesces into a crack. The damage model predictions of porosity evolution are within a factor of two for two experiments that differ in strain rate and stress triaxiality by over an order of magnitude.
Identification of a mobile endogenous transposon in Arabidopsis thaliana

A mobile endogenous transposable element, Tag1, has been identified in the plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Tag1 was found in the nitrate transporter gene, CHL1, of a chlorate-resistant mutant present in a population of plants containing an active maize Ac transposon. Tag1 excises from the chl1 gene producing chlorate-sensitive revertants with Tag1 or Tag1-related elements at different loci. Tag1 and related elements are present in the Landsberg but not Columbia or Wassilewskija ecotypes of Arabidopsis. Thus, Tag1 provides a tool for the insertional mutagenesis of plant genes essential for biological processes of agronomic importance.
A multi-biome gap in understanding of crop and ecosystem responses to elevated CO2.

A key finding from elevated [CO2] field experiments is that the impact of elevated [CO2] on plant and ecosystem function is highly dependent upon other environmental conditions, namely temperature and the availability of nutrients and soil moisture. In addition, there is significant variation in the response to elevated [CO2] among plant functional types, species and crop varieties. However, experimental data on plant and ecosystem responses to elevated [CO2] are strongly biased to economically and ecologically important systems in the temperate zone. There is a multi-biome gap in experimental data that is most severe in the tropics and subtropics, but also includes high latitudes. Physiological understanding of the environmental conditions and species found at high and low latitudes suggest they may respond differently to elevated [CO2] than well-studied temperate systems. Addressing this knowledge gap should be a high priority as it is vital to understanding 21st century food supply and ecosystem feedbacks on climate change.
Rheotaxis Guides Mammalian Sperm

Summary Background In sea urchins, spermatozoan motility is altered by chemotactic peptides, giving rise to the assumption that mammalian eggs also emit chemotactic agents that guide spermatozoa through the female reproductive tract to the mature oocyte. Mammalian spermatozoa indeed undergo complex adaptations within the female (the process of capacitation) that are initiated by agents ranging from pH to progesterone, but these factors are not necessarily taxic. Currently, chemotaxis, thermotaxis, and rheotaxis have not been definitively established in mammals. Results Here, we show that positive rheotaxis, the ability of organisms to orient and swim against the flow of surrounding fluid, is a major taxic factor for mouse and human sperm. This flow is generated within 4 hr of sexual stimulation and coitus in female mice; prolactin-triggered oviductal fluid secretion clears the oviduct of debris, lowers viscosity, and generates the stream that guides sperm migration in the oviduct. Rheotaxic movement is demonstrated in capacitated and uncapacitated spermatozoa in low- and high-viscosity media. Finally, we show that a unique sperm motion, which we quantify using the sperm head's rolling rate, reflects sperm rotation that generates essential force for positioning the sperm in the stream. Rotation requires CatSper channels, presumably by enabling Ca 2+ influx. Conclusions We propose that rheotaxis is a major determinant of sperm guidance over long distances in the mammalian female reproductive tract. Coitus induces fluid flow to guide sperm in the oviduct. Sperm rheotaxis requires rotational motion during CatSper channel-dependent hyperactivated motility.
A prospective study of the value of monitoring heparin treatment with the activated partial thromboplastin time.

Abstract Two hundred and thirty-four patients treated with continuous intravenous infusions of heparin were studied prospectively to seek a relation between the activated partial thromboplastin tim...
Theoretical Study of Spin Polarization of Photoelectrons from Noble Gases

Recent measurements by Heinzmann et al. of the spin polarization of photoelectrons ejected from xenon by unpolarized light are in serious disagreement with various theoretical calculations. This Letter reports an abinitio study of spin polarization with use of relativistic random-phase approximation. Excellent agreement is obtained between the present calculations and the experimental measurements by Heinzmann et al. for xenon, krypton, and argon.
Sustained inhibition of PKCα reduces intravasation and lung seeding during mammary tumor metastasis in an in vivo mouse model.

Metastasis is the major reason for breast cancer-related deaths. Although there is a host of indirect evidence for a role of protein kinase C (PKC) α in primary breast cancer growth, its role in the molecular pathways leading to metastasis has not been studied comprehensively. By treating mice with αV5-3, a novel peptide inhibitor selective for PKCα, we were able to determine how PKCα regulates metastasis of mammary cancer cells using a syngeneic and orthotopic model. The primary tumor growth was not affected by αV5-3 treatment. However, the mortality rate was reduced and metastasis in the lung decreased by more than 90% in the αV5-3-treated mice relative to the control-treated mice. αV5-3 treatment reduced intravasation by reducing matrix metalloproteinase-9 activities. αV5-3 treatment also reduced lung seeding of tumor cells and decreased cell migration, effects that were accompanied by a reduction in nuclear factor kappa B activity and cell surface levels of the CXCL12 receptor, CXCR4. αV5-3 treatment caused no apparent toxicity in non-tumor-bearing naive mice. Rather, inhibiting PKCα protected against liver damage and increased the number of immune cells in tumor-bearing mice. Importantly, αV5-3 showed superior efficacy relative to anti-CXCR4 antibody in reducing metastasis in vivo. Together, these data show that pharmacological inhibition of PKCα effectively reduces mammary cancer metastasis by targeting intravasation and lung seeding steps in the metastatic process and suggest that PKCα-specific inhibitors, such as αV5-3, can be used to study the mechanistic roles of PKCα specifically and may provide a safe and effective treatment for the prevention of lung metastasis of breast cancer patients.