cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Temperature of the Lower Atmosphere of the Earth

From the known amounts of the various gases of the atmosphere from sea level to about 20 km, from the observed light absorption coefficients of the gases and from the albedo of the earth's surface the temperature of the atmosphere in radiative equilibrium is calculated on the assumption that the sunlight is the only source of energy. The calculation is perhaps more rigorous than has hitherto been attempted, although it contains a number of approximations. The sea level temperature comes out to be about 19\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} above the observed world-wide average value 287\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K, and the temperature above about 3 km falls many degrees below the observed temperatures. The temperature gradient in levels from 3 to 6 km is greater than that of convective equilibrium and hence the atmosphere would not be dynamically stable if radiation equilibrium prevailed. Therefore air currents take place to bring about convective equilibrium. Continuing the calculation it is found that only when the convective region extends to about 12 km (as is observed), with radiative equilibrium above 12 km (as is observed), does the atmosphere satisfy the conditions of dynamic stability and thermal equilibrium with the received solar energy. For this case the calculated sea level temperature is 290\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K in good agreement with the observed value 287\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K. Calculation shows that doubling or tripling the amount of the carbon dioxide of the atmosphere increases the average sea level temperature by about 4\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} and 7\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K, respectively; halving or reducing to zero the carbon dioxide decreases the temperature by similar amounts. Such changes in temperature are about the same as those which occur when the earth passes from an ice age to a warm age, or vice versa. Thus the calculation indicates that the carbon dioxide theory of the ice ages, originally proposed by Tyndall, is a possible theory.
Steady state solutions of diffusion-reaction systems with electrostatic convection

Here, u = (u,, . . . ,u,) typically represents the concentrations of K ‘species’, D = (D,, . . . , DK) is the corresponding set of diffusion coefficients and f represents both external sources and interaction terms (reaction rates). See e.g. [3] f or extensive discussion and bibliography. We do not consider the fascinating problems arsing in flow through porous media (in which D, may vanish when uk = 0) but assume D, > 0 throughout. If transport includes convection as well as diffusion, then the term DVu in (1.1) or (1.2) is to be replaced by [DVu + Vu] whereV defines the convective flow. We consider here the (steady state) problem in which the species are charged (charge q,-positive, negative or zero-for the kth species) so that the electrostatic$eld E induces convection:
Three-Dimensional Super-Resolution Imaging of the Midplane Protein FtsZ in Live Caulobacter crescentus Cells Using Astigmatism

Single-molecule super-resolution imaging provides a non-invasive method for nanometer-scale imaging and is ideally suited to investigations of quasi-static structures within live cells. Here, we extend the ability to image subcellular features within bacteria cells to three dimensions based on the introduction of a cylindrical lens in the imaging pathway. We investigate the midplane protein FtsZ in Caulobacter crescentus with super-resolution imaging based on fluorescent-protein photo-switching and the natural polymerization/depolymerization dynamics of FtsZ associated with the Z-ring. We quantify these dynamics and determine the FtsZ depolymerization time to be <100 ms. We image the Z-ring in live and fixed C. crescentus cells at different stages of the cell cycle and find that the FtsZ superstructure is dynamic with the cell cycle, forming an open shape during the stalked stage and a dense focus during the pre-divisional stage.
The pharmacokinetic imperative in late-life depression

Older patients frequently have a high burden of medical illness, are subject to extensive medication regimens, and often experience adverse drug events. In general, pharmacokinetic changes associated with aging result in higher and more variable drug concentrations in older patients. Nonetheless, available information on pharmacokinetics of antidepressants is inadequate particularly with regard to medical subgroups and potential drug interactions. Although age-associated pharmacodynamic changes appear to make older patients more sensitive to side effects of antidepressants, differences in pharmacodynamics are not interpretable in the absence of drug concentration data. Population pharmacokinetics provides a means for assessing antidepressant drug exposure with relative ease and precision in clinical trials.
Future Anxiety: concept, measurement, and preliminary research

Abstract The author introduces the concept of Future Anxiety (FA) as a personality characteristic. Within the cognitive approach, the subjective future time perspective is described as the basis of FA. In reference to other propositions and anxiety concepts the common features with other types of anxiety and its specificity are discussed. The 29-item measurement scale (FAS) is presented with reliability indices for the English and Polish versions. Also some preliminary results are reported. High FA appeared to be more related to manipulative treatment of others in order to assure one's own future. More specifically, high FA scorers tend to use harder power strategies to influence others in the superior-subordinate situation. Also, high FA scorers express greater pessimism in predicting future solution to global problems faced by humanity. Other FA relationships are under investigation.
Retaining clients in an outcome monitoring evaluation study: HIV prevention efforts in community settings.

Abstract The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention (DHAP) conducted outcome monitoring studies on evidence-based interventions (EBIs) provided by CDC-funded community-based organizations (CBOs). Critical to the success of outcome monitoring was the ability of CBOs to recruit and retain clients in evaluation studies. Two EBIs, Video Opportunities for Innovative Condom Education and Safer Sex (VOICES/VOCES) and Healthy Relationships, were evaluated using repeated measure studies, which require robust follow-up retention rates to increase the validity and usefulness of the findings. The retention rates were high for both VOICES/VOCES CBOs (95.8% at 30 days and 91.1% at 120 days), and Healthy Relationships CBOs (89.5% at 90 days and 83.5% at 180 days). This paper presents an overview of the retention of clients, challenges to follow-up, and strategies developed by CBOs to achieve high retention rates. These strategies and rates are discussed within the context of the CBOs’ target populations and communities.
Emotional distress and activities of daily living functioning in persons with multiple sclerosis.

Background Emotional distress is higher in persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) than in other chronic illnesses. Not known is whether personal attributes of the person with MS and/or the presence of social support will function as mediating and/or moderating variables between emotional distress and adaptation to the illness. Objectives Determine if personal attributes and social support function as mediating and/or moderating variables between emotional distress and ADL functioning in persons with MS. Methods Secondary analyses of data obtained from 686 persons with MS through self-report measures of emotional distress, personal attributes, social support, and ADL functioning was conducted. Separate mediation and moderation models were tested using stepwise and hierarchical multiple regression. Demographic variables of education, age, and length of MS illness, were controlled in all analyses. Results Personal attributes and social support functioned as mediator variables between emotional distress and ADL functioning. Additionally, personal attributes and not social support functioned as a moderator. Significant main effects were shown for social support and emotional distress in the moderator model. Conclusion Personal attributes and social support mediated the effects of emotional distress by decreasing its impact on ADL functioning. Personal attributes, as a moderator variable, demonstrated that higher levels were associated with low levels of emotional stress and moderate or lower levels of personal attributes were associated with increased emotional distress suggesting that personal attributes may intervene between emotional distress and ADL functioning by attenuating or preventing a stress appraisal response.
Cerebrospinal Fluid Flow Impedance is Elevated in Type I Chiari Malformation

Type I Chiari malformation (CMI) is a complex disorder of the craniospinal system that has historically been radiologically defined by cerebellar tonsillar herniation (CTH) greater than 3–5 mm below the foramen magnum (FM) into the spinal subarachnoid space (SSS) (Fig. ​(Fig.11 ) [1–3]. Patients with CMI can have a variety of neurological symptoms and pain ranging from mild to severe [1]. It is thought that these symptoms result from abnormal pressure acting on the spinal cord, brain stem, and/or cerebellum due to crowding of the tissue in the posterior cranial fossa and craniovertebral junction (CVJ) [4–6]. However, large retrospective clinical studies have shown that CMI symptom severity does not always correlate with CTH depth [7]. Patients with large CTH may present with mild neurological symptoms and vice versa [6]. Fig. 1 (a) Midsagittal MRI image of the cervical spine of a CMI patient showing the McRae line, CTH measurement (approximately 7.4 mm for this case), and planes where pressure drop was calculated; (b) transverse MRI image from the plane used to demarcate ... As such, clinicians have sought additional objective measurements to assist in the diagnostic process. In clinical practice, the diagnostic process can vary widely; clinicians have differing views on the importance of CTH alongside many factors such as symptom history, neurologic deficit, degree of craniocervical “crowding” bony landmark positions, and cisterna magna volume. CTH greater than 3–5 mm as a marker for CMI has been established as a ‘rule of thumb’ over time. This is problematic, as incidental observation of CTH has become more common with increases in the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for head and neck injury examinations. Recent research has shown that as much as 3% of the pediatric population, 2% of the adult female population, and 1% of the adult male population have greater than 5 mm CTH [8,9] and CTH varies throughout life (Fig. ​(Fig.22). Fig. 2 CTH as a function of age (in decade range, e.g., first decade 0–10 y) and sex for healthy subjects showing a parabolic trend with females having greater CTH values throughout life. Positive CTH values are in the caudal direction to the ...
Identification of preferential sites of parasympathetic input to the atrioventricular node in man

Abstract Objectives The effects of subthreshold stimulation performed at various sites in the perinodal and posteroseptal space on atrioventricular (AV) nodal conduction were investigated. Background The identification of specific or preferential sites of parasympathetic innervation to the AV node is suggested by observations made in both the animal and clinical laboratories. Pathologic studies of the parasympathetic innervation to the AV node show it is made up of serpiginous fibers traveling at highly specific sites within the myocardium endocardially towards the compact AV node. Methods We utilized endocardial subthreshold stimulation to selectively identify and characterize AV nodal inputs. Fourteen patients (age: 56 ± 4 years) undergoing electrophysiologic testing with or without radiofrequency ablation for supraventricular tachycardia were studied. A steerable quadripolar catheter was positioned in 3 to 9 locations in the region between the site recording the His bundle electrogram and the coronary sinus (CS) os under flouroscopic and electroanatomic guidance. We mapped anterosuperior sites at or near sites with His potential recordings, and up to 2 mm inferior to the His bundle recording, posteroseptal sites included the CS os and sites along the posterior, superior, and inferior border of the CS. Atrial pacing was performed at a cycle length 50 ms longer than Wenckebach cycle length. Subthreshold stimulation was applied at a frequency of 10 Hz and 20 Hz delivered to the distal electrode pair. AH and HV intervals were recorded before and during subthreshold stimulation. AH prolongation was defined as a reproducible increase in AH interval by >10 ms from a stable baseline AH interval. Results Eight of 14 patients demonstrated prolongation of AV conduction at a mean of 1.75 ± 0.2 sites. Mean AH prolongation was 56.4 ± 13.0 ms (p = 0.02) from baseline. AH prolongation was achieved 15.4 ± 1.8 mm below the His bundle recording in 7 patients, at the site of the His bundle recording in 3 patients, and along the posterior CS os border in 3 patients. Conclusion Subthreshold stimulation prolongs AV nodal conduction only at specific sites within the triangle of Koch, suggesting discrete parasympathetic endocardial inputs into the AV nodal region.
In vivo models of cerebral ischemia: effects of parenterally administered NMDA receptor glycine site antagonists.

Both in vitro and in vivo experiments have implicated extracellular glycine in the pathogenesis of ischemic brain damage. Recently, halogenated derivatives of quinoxaline-2,3-dione have been synthe...
Interactions of the evoked responses to visual, somatic, and auditory stimuli in polysensory areas of the cat cortex

Abstract Recordings of evoked potentials in the middle suprasylvian gyrus were obtained to pairings tf visual, anditory, and somatic stimuli, and two response measures were compared. Amplitude recovery of the response to the second stimulus was delayed for pairings of like stimuli as compared to unlike pairings, an effect not altered by varying the intensity of the first stimulus.
Quantification of integrin subunits on human prostatic cell lines : Comparison of nontumorigenic and tumorigenic lines

BACKGROUND We set out to quantify integrin subunits on the surface of several prostate cell lines, including two nontumorigenic lines, in order to assess their role in tumorigenicity and metastasis. METHODS Flow cytometry was used to estimate the amounts of each subunit by changes in mean fluorescence intensity from control antibody. An in vitro Matrigel (Collaborative Biomedical Products, Bedford, MA) assay was used to determine invasiveness. RESULTS Profiles of each cell line were developed using the change in subunit mean fluorescence intensity normalized to the β1-subunit. The α4-subunit is only expressed on nontumorigenic cells. These same cells were unable to invade Matrigel. CONCLUSIONS Comparison of nontumorigenic and cancerous lines suggests that a loss of the α4-subunit correlates with the acquisition of tumorigenicity and perhaps metastatic potential. The ability to quantify expression of integrin subunits on prostate cell lines allows the determination of regulation by factors responsible for growth, tumorigenicity, and/or metastasis. Prostate 31:1–8, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.1
A roadmap to a cure

Highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) effects sustained suppression of viral replication in infected individuals. Despite this, viral replication rapidly resumes if therapy is interrupted. The prevailing view is that viral persistence during HAART is sustained by a reservoir of latently infected, quiescent CD4+ T-lymphocytes, a view that is supported by the apparent lack of viral evolution in the resting CD4+ T cell reservoir and the apparent lack of change in low level plasma viremia when therapy is intensified. A less popular view is that viral persistence in HAART may be sustained by a low level of ongoing or “cryptic” replication, a view that is supported in part by our recent work measuring unintegrated cDNA and specifically episomal cDNA in HAART- treated patients. In order to characterize the reservoirs that persist in the face of HAART, we have been examining the dynamics of HIV-1 in tissue viral reservoirs and the virologic response to therapy in lymphoid tissue. Lymphoid tissue was obtained from patients at various intervals after HAART initiation and the virologic response as well as intracellular drug levels in cells from lymphoid tissue was examined. Our analysis indicates that suppressive therapy is limited in its ability to curtail HIV-1 replication in lymphoid tissue and that this may be a consequence of poor intracellular sequestration of some antiretrovirals in cells of lymphoid tissue. These results have implications for strategies aimed at limiting viral persistence in the face of HAART.
Modifications to the VAX-11/780 microarchitecture to support IEEE floating point arithmetic

The VAX-11/780 was designed specifically to implement the VAX architecture. As such, it does not support the IEEE standard for floating point arithmetic. A project was undertaken to provide this support by modifying the 11/780 microarchitecture. Our objective was to produce a microengine that would efficiently execute a modified VAX instruction set, in particular, one that executes VAX floating point instructions consistent with the IEEE standard. We made minimal changes to the 11/780 hardware, relying primarily on changes to the microcode. This paper describes the work of this project.
Seasonal fluctuations in brachyuran nutrient storage: Glycogen in Callinectes midgut glands

Abstract 1. 1. An annual cycle in blue crab midgut gland glycogen content is presented. 2. 2. Peak values are maintained throughout the winter, with glycogen concentrations reaching low levels during the summer. 3. 3. It is suggested that regulation of seasonal nutrient storage may be a complicated interaction with environmental cues and distinct from the mechanism regulating nutrient cycling during the molt cycle.
Behavioral resolution of quality of odorant mixtures by spiny lobsters: differential aversive conditioning of olfactory responses

A differential aversive associative conditioning paradigm was used to demonstrate the ability of spiny lobsters to discriminate behaviorally between four 41-component chemical mixtures. These mixtures were based on natural extracts of crab, mullet, oyster and shrimp. Previously, we demonstrated, using the same paradigm, that lobsters conditioned to avoid the shrimp mixture could discriminate, to varying degrees, between the shrimp mixture and the other three mixtures. The present study was performed to compare the perceived quality of all four mixtures
Zebra GC: A mini gas chromatography system for trace-level determination of hazardous air pollutants

Abstract A ready-to-deploy implementation of a microfabricated gas chromatography (μGC) system characterized for detecting hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) at parts-per-billion (ppb) concentrations in complex mixtures has been described. A microfabricated preconcentrator (μPC), MEMS separation column with on-chip thermal conductivity detector (μSC-TCD), flow controller unit, and all necessary flow and thermal management as well as user interface circuitry are integrated to realize a fully functional μGC system. The work reports extensive characterization of μPC and μSC-TCD for target analytes: benzene, toluene, tetrachloroethylene, chlorobenzene, ethylbenzene, and p-xylene. A Limit of Detection (LOD) of ∼1 ng was achieved, which corresponds to a sampling time of 10 min at a flow rate of 1 mL/min for an analyte present at ∼25 ppbv. An innovative method using flow-manipulation generated sharp injection plugs from the μPC even in the presence of a flow-sensitive detector like a μTCD. The μGC system is compared against conventional automated thermal desorption–gas chromatography–flame ionization detector (ATD–GC–FID) system for real gasoline samples in simulated car refueling scenario. The μGC system detected five peaks, including three of the target analytes and required ∼3 orders of magnitude lower sample volume as compared to the conventional system.
Loss of S-phase-dependent radioresistance in irs-1 cells exposed to X-rays.

Abstract We measured radiosensitivity throughout the cell cycle in parental V79 cells and a radiatin-sensitive mutant isolated from them, irs -1 (Jones et al. (1987) Mutation Res., 183, 279-2-286). We observed, as expected, large fluctuations in radiosensitivity throughout the cell cycle in parental V79 cells exposed to 5 or Gy X-rays; cells irradiated at the G 1 /S border were generally radiosensitive whereas cells irradiated in mid- or late-S phase were radioresistant. In sharp contrast to this result, irs -1 cells showed a relatively flat response of radiosensitivity throughout the cell cycle mainly due to to a lack of radioresistance during S. In general, irs -1 cells were maximally radiosensitive in phases of the cell cycle were V79 cells were radioresistant, and equally radiosensitive to V70 cells when compared at mitosis, the most radiosensitive phase of the V79 cell cycle. The results suggest that the subset of radiation-induced lesions whose repair is compromised by the irs -1 mutation is similar to the subset of lesions whose repair or expression causes the fluctuations in radiosensitivity throughout the cell cylce in repair-proficient cells. These observations add another unique phenotypic characteristic to the irs -1 mutation.
Re-examining the impact of foreign bank participation on interest margins in emerging markets ☆

Abstract Over the past two decades, emerging markets have witnessed a considerable increase in foreign bank participation, with the anticipation that foreign entry would lower financial intermediation costs. We re-examine the impact of foreign participation on bank interest margins using data on 11 Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs), where the increase in foreign bank participation was the strongest. Using the modified dealership model of Maudos and Fernandez de Guevara (2004) as a baseline specification, we show that augmenting the model by proxies for direct and indirect impact of foreign bank participation does not produce a significant outcome. We explain our results by the fact that the dealership model fully accounts for the mechanisms through which foreign bank presence is hypothesized to affect interest margins in theoretical models on international banking. We call for re-examination of some of the previous findings showing a significant own effect of foreign bank participation on interest margins in emerging markets within the framework of the dealership model.
Direct foreign investment in mining and manufacturing in underdeveloped states

Abstract Does direct foreign investment in underdeveloped countries help or hinder economic growth? Is the effect the same for investment in mining as it is in manufacturing? Does it affect agriculture, transportation, manufacturing, and communications sectors the same? Analysis of 84 countries in Africa and Latin America shows that foreign investment generally promotes growth, especially in the manufacturing, transportation, and communications sectors. Mining investment has little effect. Lags of three, six, and nine years often change the impact.
Application of a non-indexed dual sprayer pneumatically assisted electrospray source to the high throughput quantitation of target compounds in biological fluids.

The need for increased throughput in the quantitation of target compounds in biological fluids by high performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry continues to drive research in this area. This report describes the application of a prototype dual sprayer electrospray source for the quantitative analysis of biological samples. Quantitative performance for 180 compounds in a microsomal stability assay was found to be adequate when compared with a conventional single sprayer measurement. Issues with use of dual sprayers in a routine production environment are discussed. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
REVERSAL OF ULTRAVIOLET EFFECTS ON THE ABSORPTION OF RUBIDIUM BY EXCISED MUNG BEAN ROOTS

THE REVERSAL of ultraviolet effects in living organisms has been demonstrated by several workers using various treatments after irradiation. Zelle and Hollaender (1955) have reviewed some of the treatments used which include visible light, heat, catalase, and certain chemicals. Other effective postirradiation treatments have utilized peroxidase (Latarjet, 1952), metabolites (Heinmets et al., 1954), and iodoacetate (Wainwright and Nevill, 1955). In a recent study on the effects of ultraviolet radiation of wave length 2537 A, Tanada (1955) has shown that there was a marked ultraviolet effect on the absorption of Rb by excised mung bean roots (Phaseolus aureus). Ultraviolet irradiation increased Rb uptake by mung bean roots in the absence of Ca or Mg, but it decreased Rb uptake in the presence of these divalent cations. Further investigation by Tanada (1956) has indicated that low concentrations of certain strong sulfhydryl -(-SH) poisons had similar effects on Rb absorption by mung bean roots as ultraviolet irradiation; and here, too, the direction of the results of -SH poisoning on Rb absorption was determined by the presence of Ca in the absorption medium. From these results it was suggested that ultraviolet irradiation oxidizes certain critical -SH groups needed for the stabilization of an ion-binding complex involved in salt absorption, and that the destruction of these -SH groups labilizes the complex so that it can be inactivated by Ca. This interpretation suggests that by using a strong Ca-binding agent and a reducing substance, it might be possible to reverse the effects of ultraviolet irradiation on Rb absorption by excised mung bean roots. This paper reports the results of such a study. METHODS.-Mung beans were germinated and grown on a stainless steel wire screen at 25?C. in contact with an aerated 10-4 M CaCl2 solution which was changed daily. Root tips 1 cm. in length were excised from three-day-old seedlings. Fifty root tips were placed in a beaker, washed twice with deionized water and irradiated in water. After ultraviolet irradiation, the roots were posttreated by placing them for 15 min. in a solution of disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA, 10-2 M) , washed, then in a solution of f-mercaptoethylamine (MEA, 10-3 M) and adenosinetriphosphate (ATP, 10-4 M) for another 15 min. The roots were then washed several times with water and placed for 30 min. in 50 ml. of RbCl (10-4 M) solution containing tracer amounts of Rb86 and Ca(NO3)2(10-3 M). The solution was vigorously aerated during the absorption period. All experiments were carried out
Current management of posterior uveal melanoma.

The management of malignant melanoma of the ciliary body and choroid (posterior uvea) is controversial. Authorities have disagreed about whether enucleation or conservative treatment offers the best prognosis. Although retrospective studies have suggested that the method of treatment makes no difference in the systemic prognosis, new studies in which the various therapeutic modalities are being compared are currently under way. The Collaborative Ocular Melanoma Study is attempting to address some of these issues in a randomized clinical trial. In this report, the currently available methods for managing posterior uveal melanoma are reviewed. Small asymptomatic choroidal melanomas can probably be observed periodically until evidence of growth is documented. Some small choroidal melanomas can be treated with laser photocoagulation. Alternatively, radiotherapy (either episcleral application of a radioactive plaque or charged particle irradiation) can be used. Although the two methods of radiotherapy seem equal relative to the development of systemic metastatic lesions, plaque radiotherapy is associated with fewer and less severe local complications. Selected melanomas of the ciliary body and peripheral choroid can be treated by local resection (partial lamellar sclerouvectomy). Local resection has theoretical advantages, but the surgical procedure is associated with potentially greater immediate complications. Enucleation is generally indicated for advanced melanomas that occupy most of the intraocular structures or have caused severe glaucoma. In addition, it is usually recommended for tumors that have invaded the optic nerve. The value of preenucleation radiotherapy in improving patient survival is unproved, although this technique seems reasonable in selected advanced tumors in which enucleation seems inevitable. Orbital exenteration is justified for advanced uveal melanomas with massive extraocular extension. Although chemotherapy and immunotherapy have not been shown to provide a therapeutic cure for uveal melanomas, further studies must be conducted to determine their true effectiveness.
Macrophage-targeted photodynamic detection of vulnerable atherosclerotic plaque

Rupture of a vulnerable atherosclerotic plaque (VP) leading to coronary thrombosis is the chief cause of sudden cardiac death. VPs are angiographically insignificant lesions, which are excessively inflamed and characterized by dense macrophage infiltration, large necrotic lipid cores, thin fibrous caps, and paucity of smooth muscle cells. We have recently shown that chlorin(e6) conjugated with maleylated albumin can target macrophages with high selectivity via the scavenger receptor. We report the potential of this macrophage-targeted fluorescent probe to localize in VPs in a rabbit model of atherosclerosis, and allow detection and/or diagnosis by fluorescence spectroscopy or imaging. Atherosclerotic lesions were induced in New Zealand White rabbit aortas by balloon injury followed by administration of a high-fat diet. 24-hours after IV injection of the conjugate into atherosclerotic or normal rabbits, the animals were sacrificed, and aortas were removed, dissected and examined for fluorescence localization in plaques by fiber-based spectrofluorimetry and confocal microscopy. Dye uptake within the aortas was also quantified by fluorescence extraction of samples from aorta segments. Biodistribution of the dye was studied in many organs of the rabbits. Surface spectrofluorimetry after conjugate injection was able to distinguish between plaque and adjacent aorta, between atherosclerotic and normal aorta, and balloon-injured and normal iliac arteries with high significance. Discrete areas of high fluorescence (up to 20 times control were detected in the balloon-injured segments, presumably corresponding to macrophage-rich plaques. Confocal microscopy showed red ce6 fluorescence localized in plaques that showed abundant foam cells and macrophages by histology. Extraction data on aortic tissue corroborated the selectivity of the conjugate for plaques. These data support the strategy of employing macrophage-targeted fluorescent dyes to detect VP by intravascular spectrofluorimetry. It may also be possible to use macrophage-targeted PDT to therapeutically modify inflammatory cell-laden VPs leading to plaque stabilization and reduction of sudden cardiovascular death.
The Effects of Age, Gender, Hopelessness, and Exposure to Violence on Sleep Disorder Symptoms and Daytime Sleepiness Among Adolescents in Impoverished Neighborhoods

Although sleep problems are associated with negative outcomes among adolescents, studies have not focused on sleep disorder symptoms among adolescents living in impoverished neighborhoods and how sleep problems may be related to two factors common in those environments: hopelessness and exposure to violence. This study used data from the longitudinal Mobile Youth Survey (MYS; N = 11,838, 49% female, 93% African-American) to examine trajectories of sleep problems by age (10-18 years) among impoverished adolescents as a function of gender, feelings of hopelessness, and exposure to violence. The results indicate that sleep problems associated with traumatic stress decline with age, with four notable distinctions. First, the steepest decline occurs during the early adolescent years. Second, the rate of decline is steeper for males than for females. Third, exposure to violence impedes the rate of decline for all adolescents, but more dramatically for females than for males. Fourth, the rate of decline is smallest for adolescents with feelings of hopelessness who also had been exposed to violence. To explore the generalizability of these results to other types of sleep disorders, we analyzed cross-sectional data collected from a subsample of 14- and 15-year-old MYS participants (N = 263, 49% female, 100% African-American) who completed a sleep symptoms questionnaire. Four results from the cross-sectional analysis extend the findings of the longitudinal analysis. First, the cross-sectional results showed that symptoms of apnea, insomnia, nightmares, and restless legs syndrome or periodic limb movement disorder (RLS/PLMD), as well as daytime sleepiness, increase as a function of hopelessness. Second, symptoms of insomnia, RLS, and nightmares, as well as daytime sleepiness, increase as function of exposure to violence. Third, symptoms of insomnia and RLS/PLMD are greater under conditions of combined hopelessness and exposure to violence than for either condition alone. Fourth, symptoms of RLS/PLMD are worst for females who have been exposed to violence and experience hopelessness. Overall, the findings suggest that hopelessness and exposure to violence have negative independent and multiplicative effects on adolescent sleep, particularly for females. Understanding the causal factors associated with inadequate sleep in impoverished adolescents is important for three reasons. First, sleep is an important aspect of adolescent development. Second, inadequate sleep has severe consequences for adolescent morbidity, mortality, and overall quality of life. Third, impoverished adolescents are at the most severe risk for poor outcomes, and improvement in their sleep may produce large gains.
Fluency Flyers Club: An Oral Reading Fluency Intervention Program

The ability to read fluently is a skill that is critical to reading and that is receiving increased attention in the special-education and literacy literature. The authors describe how one elementary school initiated an effective low-cost reading fluency intervention program with parent volunteers who served as reading tutors. Parent, teacher, and student satisfaction and student gains validated the program's success.
Feedback effects in a coastal canopy‐forming submersed plant bed

Although physical and biogeochemical properties of an environment determine distribution and health of biota, some organisms modify habitat conditions through complex interactions with their surroundings. We quantified effects of the canopy-forming submersed plant species Stuckenia pectinata on local hydrodynamics and explored resulting positive and negative feedbacks on plant growth. Measurements of waves and tidal currents were made outside, at the edge of, and within a plant bed located in the mesohaline region of Chesapeake Bay. Clear feedback effects on light, nutrients, and sediments were observed, and were found to vary seasonally with plant growth cycle. During the June period of peak plant biomass, significant wave heights were attenuated by ~ 37% within the plant stand; this resulted in an ~ 60% reduction of total suspended solids, which was stable and relatively unaffected by periods of high wind speed or water depth. Deployments of artificial substrates showed that epiphytic accumulation was greatly reduced within the plant bed, further increasing available light for plants to 25% of incoming irradiance (as compared to 0.2% outside the plant bed). In addition, higher particle trapping rates and sediment organic content augmented bed pore-water nutrient pools (CO2, NH4+, PO43− sufficiently to satisfy plant demands. These processes generated negative feedback effects on plant growth, including elevated pore-water sulfide (> 700 µmol L−1) and depressed water-column O2 concentrations (< 2 mg L−1), but levels were ephemeral and generally outside reported stress thresholds. Dominant positive feedbacks provide an explanation for bed survival in this environment despite degraded water quality during summer months.
Monotonicity Preserving Weighted Essentially Non-oscillatory Schemes with Increasingly High Order of Accuracy

In this paper we design a class of numerical schemes that are higher-order extensions of the weighted essentially non-oscillatory (WENO) schemes of G.-S. Jiang and C.-W. Shu (1996) and X.-D. Liu, S. Osher, and T. Chan (1994). Used by themselves, the schemes may not always be monotonicity preserving but coupled with the monotonicity preserving bounds of A. Suresh and H. T. Huynh (1997) they perform very well. The resulting monotonicity preserving weighted essentially non-oscillatory (MPWENO) schemes have high phase accuracy and high order of accuracy. The higher-order members of this family are almost spectrally accurate for smooth problems. Nevertheless, they, have robust shock capturing ability. The schemes are stable under normal CFL numbers. They are also efficient and do not have a computational complexity that is substantially greater than that of the lower-order members of this same family of schemes. The higher accuracy that these schemes offer coupled with their relatively low computational complexity makes them viable competitors to lower-order schemes, such as the older total variation diminishing schemes, for problems containing both discontinuities and rich smooth region structure. We describe the MPWENO schemes here as well as show their ability to reach their designed accuracies for smooth flow. We also examine the role of steepening algorithms such as the artificial compression method in the design of very high order schemes. Several test problems in one and two dimensions are presented. For multidimensional problems where the flow is not aligned with any of the grid directions it is shown that the present schemes have a substantial advantage over lower-order schemes. It is argued that the methods designed here have great utility for direct numerical simulations and large eddy simulations of compressible turbulence. The methodology developed here is applicable to other hyperbolic systems, which is demonstrated by showing that the MPWENO schemes also work very well on magnetohydrodynamical test problems.
Ten years outcome of Chitra heart valves

The TTK Chitra prosthetic Heart Valve (CHV) is the first heart valve manufactured in India and has been in use since 1992. This study was aimed to document the ten year outcome of patients who underwent valve replacement with CHV. All patients who underwent valve replacement with the CHV (n = 65) between January 1992 and December 1995 in our institution were included. Postal communication was sent to review them. Forty three patients responded. Follow up included clinical evaluation, PT/INR estimation and echocardiography evaluation. The age ranged from 8 to 62 yrs. The male to female ratio was 1.6:1. Of 65 patients, 58.5% (38 patients) underwent mitral valve replacement, 29.3% (19 patients) underwent aortic valve replacement and 12.3% (8 patients) underwent double valve replacement. There was no hospital mortality. The long-term mortality rate was 20.9% (9 patients). Two patients (4.6%) had valve thrombosis, 2 patients (4.6%) had prosthetic valve endocarditis, 1 patient (2.3%) had myocardial infarction and 1 patient (2.3%) had low cardiac output secondary to severe left ventricular dysfunction. The cause of death in the remaining 3 patients (6.9%) could not be ascertained. No structural complications were noted in this group of patients. CHV has good haemodynamics with no structural failure and acceptable thromboembolic levels. The valve is cost effective, easily available and user friendly. The valve consequently is the valve of choice in a large number of centres dealing with rheumatic heart disease in the lower socio-economic strata of society.
Female subjugation and political resistance: from literati to entrepreneurial masculinity in the globalizing era of postsocialist China

Drawing on 24 months of ethnographic research on karaoke bar hostesses and male clients, in this article I seek to illustrate the ways in which entrepreneurial masculinity is constructed, enacted and performed in the space of bars, in the location of Dalian, during the globalizing era of China. This article not only examines the historical processes that have helped produce the entrepreneurial masculinities in postsocialist China, but also the nuanced ways in which the place of Dalian, the Chinese state, and the space of bars have facilitated the production of entrepreneurial masculinities articulated in everyday activities. Such an exploration contributes to the literature on the spatial politics of geographic knowledge production and the geographical understandings of the salience of masculinities and femininities, the potency of place and the impact of the politics and the economy on social relationships.
On Her Own Again: The Use of Narrative Therapy in Career Counseling With Displaced New Traditionalists:

Although there have been significant increases in the number of women participating in the workforce in recent years, many females continue to choose the role of full-time wife and mother as their ...
Implementing a Primary Prevention Social Skills Intervention in Urban Preschools: Factors Associated with Quality and Fidelity.

Research Findings: Preschool behavior problems are of increasing concern to early childhood educators. Preventive interventions are being developed, but implementation in underresourced child care programs is challenging. This study describes the implementation of an adapted Second Step curriculum to increase children's social skills and decrease behavior problems in preschool classrooms. Teacher training/coaching, organizational supports, and procedures for sustainability are described. Measures included baseline classroom characteristics, lesson completion and fidelity, and teacher satisfaction. Teachers completed 88% of the lessons across 2 years. Follow-up monitoring in Year 3, once all training was terminated, found that 95% of lessons were delivered with higher fidelity than in the first 2 years. Teachers were satisfied with the training, felt that the curriculum improved children's social skills, and stated that they would continue to use the curriculum. Lesson completion and fidelity were associat...
A Naturalistic Study of Collaborative Play Transformations of Preschoolers with Hearing Impairments

Through collaborative play activities, preschoolers create fantasy-type enactments by using abstract transformations and verbal metacommunications. This naturalistic study examines the classroom collaborative play activities of nine preschoolers who are hearing-impaired, are language-delayed, and do not use sign language. Results demonstrate that these children construct collaborative play episodes which incorporate role, action, and object transformations, and use a nonverbal metacommunication system to convey information about these transformations to their play partners. The findings suggest that the preschoolers in this study might also be dependent on the play environment and the objects available in that environment to plan and coordinate their pretend play enactments.
Negative and positive mass spectra of some substituted trinitromethanes

The negative and positive ion mass spectra of a series of substituted trinitroalkanes (nitroform, tetranitro methane, methyl, fluoro, chloro, bromo and iodo-trinitro methane) have been measured with an Aatlas CH-4 Mass Spectrometer, under varying electron energies from 70 over the total range at which ions are produced. The modes of decomposition of the compounds are presented. A few metastable transitions are observable in the negative ion spectra, but only at high electron energies (ion pair region) and are very low in intensity. the negative and positive ion clastograms of these polynitro compounds showed little parent-daughter ion correlation. Finally, the negative ions formed appear to contain excess amounts of kinetic energy even at low electron energies; as a retult there is a great deal of overlap in the various mechanisms for the formation of negative ions.
Thiamin and Alzheimer's Disease

Because of clinical and neuropathological overlap between the characteristics of dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT) and of a human thiamin deficiency syndrome (Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome), thiamin pyrophosphate (TPP) dependent processes have been studied in DAT brain and other tissues. The activities of 3 TPP-dependent enzymes are reduced in DAT brain: transketolase (TK), the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDHC), and the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex (KGDHC). Quantitatively, the most marked reductions are in KGDHC (to less than 20% of normal). In cultured skin fibroblasts, KGDHC activity is reduced to 50-60% of normal, TK activity to 80-90% of normal, and PDHC is normal. Structural and molecular studies of the DAT and non-DAT enzymes are in process. A lesion of KGDHC may be related to the pathogenesis of DAT. Treatment with large doses of thiamin has not been beneficial, but the data are not totally negative. Further studies of thiamin-dependent mechanisms in DAT seem justified.
Evaluation of Photodynamic Therapy Agents through Transient Grating Measurements

The diffracted-light signals produced in transient grating experiments by phthalocyanine dyes, candidates for photodynamic therapy agents, are shown to be strongly dependent on the presence of oxygen in solution. Data indicate a facile transfer of energy from the excited dye to oxygen in solution to form excited 1 Δ g oxygen. The efficiency of excited-oxygen production can be determined by recording the thermal mode of wave motion in a transient grating experiment. The triplet-state lifetimes and quantum efficiencies for the formation of 1 Δ g oxygen determined from the experiments are found to depend on structural details of the dyes, which can be rationalized by considering π-orbital interactions. The salient features of the transient grating method for evaluating type II photodynamic therapy agents are that the method requires no chemical species to be added to the dye solution that complicate the photochemistry and that the method is sensitive enough that experiments can be carried out at micromolar concentrations.
Performance characteristics of a vapor feed passive miniature direct methanol fuel cell

Abstract In this paper, a new vapor feed fuel delivery system for a passive direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) is developed and tested. Anode hydrophilic layers, electrical heating power and carbon dioxide release are examined to find their effects on the power density, efficiency and average temperatures of the cell. The hydrophilic layers act as a buffer layer between the vapor chamber and the anode gas diffusion layer (GDL). This layer allows water and methanol to mix, as well as distribute uniformly across the anode surface. Measurement of several parameters such as current, voltage, power, internal resistance, vapor chamber pressure, relative humidity and carbon dioxide concentration are taken. A maximum power density of 33 mW cm−2 is achieved as well as 120 h of continuous operation at a constant current of 50 mA cm−2 using the vapor feed system. The fuel utilization efficiency during the 120 h test is 34.8% and the energy efficiency is 8.2%.
Spectrophotometric titration of cryptands and compleximetric titration of barium with cryptand (2.2.2)

Abstract A spectrophotometric titration of cryptands (2.2.1), (2.2.2), (2B.2.2) and (2B.2B.2) in aqueous medium is described. Titration of the cryptands with standard lead(II) perchlorate allows these cryptands to be quantified down to 1.0 × 10−5 M. The compleximetric titration of barium(II) with cryptand (2.2.2) using metalphthalein indicator is described and compared with a similar method with EDTA as titrant.