cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Wellbore integrity and corrosion of low alloy and stainless steels in high pressure CO2 geologic storage environments: An experimental study

Abstract CO 2 corrosion behavior of three different steels that are commonly used as casing material in CO 2 geologic storage environments (i.e., 1018 carbon steel, 5Cr steel, and 13Cr steel) was studied at 30 and 80 bar CO 2 partial pressures and 60 °C in the presence of a simulated brine for the Weyburn-Midale reservoir system. Electrochemical techniques including linear polarization resistance (LPR), and potentiodynamic polarization measurements, were used to monitor the corrosion rate during experiments and study the corrosion mechanism. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Raman spectroscopy were used for surface analysis. A weight loss technique was also employed to measure the corrosion rate. Carbon steel showed very high corrosion rates of ∼20 mm/y under the test conditions of this research. 5Cr steel can be considered as a replacement for the carbon steel under these conditions by the reduction in the corrosion rate by a factor of 3. However, corrosion rate was still high (∼6 mm/y). 13Cr steel showed the best corrosion resistance under testing conditions employed for this research, and can be considered as the best option for combating high pressure CO 2 corrosion if materials selection is considered as the best option for corrosion mitigation.
Phase of atmospheric secondary organic material affects its reactivity

The interconversion of atmospheric organic particles among solid, semisolid, and liquid phases is of keen current scientific interest, especially for particles of secondary organic material (SOM). Herein, the influence of phase on ammonia uptake and subsequent particle-phase reactions was investigated for aerosol particles of adipic acid and α-pinene ozonolysis SOM. The nitrogen content of the particles was monitored by online mass spectrometry for increasing ammonia exposure. Solid and semisolid adipic acid particles were inert to the ammonia uptake for low RH ( 94%) induced a first-order deliquescence phase transition into aqueous particles. Solid particles exposed to supersaturated (RH > 100%) conditions and cycled back to high RH (> 94%), thereby becoming acidic metastable particles, underwent a gradual second-order transition upon ammonia exposure to form aqueous, partially neutralized particles. For α-pinene SOM, ammonia exposure at low RH increased the particle-phase ammonium content by a small amount. Mass spectrometric observations suggest a mechanism of neutralization and co-condensation of acidic gas-phase species, consistent with a highly viscous semisolid upon which adsorption occurs. At high RH the ammonium content increased greatly, indicative of rapid diffusion and absorption in a liquid environment. The mass spectra indicated the production of organonitrogen compounds, possibly by particle-phase reactive chemistry. The present results demonstrate that phase can be a key regulator of the reactivity of atmospheric SOM particles.
Adiabatic Compressibilities of Some Aqueous Ionic Solutions and Their Variation with Indicated Liquid Structure of the Water

The adiabatic compressibilities of aqueous solutions of twenty-seven strong electrolytes, each at a single concentration, were determined at 25\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C from sound velocity measurements at a supersonic frequency (1015.24 kc/sec.). The change in compressibility per mole fraction of solute shows a satisfactory correlation with x-ray and other indications of water structure change. Adiabatic compressibility values themselves show a remarkable correlation with corresponding values of the partial molal volume of the solvent water. Evidence strongly supports the conclusion that water has a liquid structure which becomes more highly coordinated and compacted with the introduction of ions.
On the Solvability in Hilbert Space of Certain Nonlinear Operator Equations Depending on Parameters

Abstract The equation (∗) Au − λTu + μCu = f is studied in a real separable Hilbert space H. Here, λ, μ > 0 are fixed constants and f ϵ H is fixed. The operators A: D ⊂H → H, C: D ⊂H → H are monotone and compact, respectively, where D denotes a closed ball in H. The operator T: H → H is linear, compact, self-adjoint and positive-definite. Degree-theoretic arguments are used for the existence of solutions of (∗) and extensions of recent results of Kesavan are established. For example, it is shown, under additional assumptions, that there exists a constant μ0 > 0 such that (∗) is solvable for all μ ⩾ μ0 and all λ ϵ R.
Transmitter Identifier Systems for CB Radio

The need for Automatic Transmitter Identifier Systems (ATIS) is justified based on rule compliance and television interference (TVI) problems. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rule making activities relative to ATIS are reviewed. The functional requirements of an ATIS are proposed that will satisfy the rule compliance and TVI needs while at the same time provide selective calling (SELCALL) features. The potential applications and utility of the SELCALL features are further developed. Technical parameters of a general ATIS/SELCALL system are identified along with the tradeoffs against signalling time, channel bandwidth, weak signal performance, and interference with normal voice communications. Using the functional requirements and technical parameters developed, existing ATIS systems are reviewed to determine suitability. A specific ATIS/SELCALL approach is proposed that meets the specified criteria. Existing CB transceiver designs are examined with a view toward incorporating the proposed ATIS into the radio in such a way as to deter tampering. The cost and packaging impact of the proposed ATIS is estimated. Additional logistical obstacles to ATIS implementation are identified and resolved.
Hydrogen-Bonded Dimers in Dipyrrinones and Acyldipyrrinones

A crystal structure determination of the 9-acyl-dipyrrinone 9-butanoyl-2,3,7,8-tetramethyl-(10H)-dipyrrin-1-one indicates the presence of intermolecularly hydrogen-bonded dimers; however, in CHCl3 solution the pigment is monomeric as determined by vapor pressure osmometry measurements. Lacking an alkyl group at C(8), the 9-acyl-dipyrrinone exhibits only a weak tendency to form dimers in CHCl3 (K A ∼ 60 M −1) as determined by analysis of variable temperature 1H NMR data. In contrast, when the 9-acyl group is replaced by formyl or when the acyl group is fixed in a syn orientation to the pyrrole NH, the dipyrrinone is strongly prone to dimerization in CHCl3.
Assessing immunogenicity of biosimilar therapeutic monoclonal antibodies: regulatory and bioanalytical considerations

This article reflects on methodological limitations for interpretation of relative immunogenicity of biosimilar and reference therapeutic monoclonal antibodies, in emphasizing the relevance of correlation of bioanalytical signals with appropriate clinical end points, and the possible need for post-marketing observational studies to indicate the impact of detected differences in anti-drug antibody incidence and magnitude on sustainability of treatment benefit. Given the current uncertainty regarding the longer term clinical impact of undesirable immunogenicity for reference products, there can be no predefined margin for an acceptable difference based on incidence and magnitude of detected anti-drug antibodies. Any detected differences should be assessed in relation to clinical parameters; and the designation of biosimilarity made with reference to the similarity demonstrated in the directly comparative quality, nonclinical and clinical evaluations. Application of this 'totality of evidence' approach is illustrated for infliximab and adalimumab.
Impaired mitochondrial function, oxidative stress and altered antioxidant enzyme activities following traumatic spinal cord injury

Glutamate-induced excitotoxicity involving the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) has been implicated in neuronal dysfunction and cell loss following ischemic and traumatic injury to the central nervous system (CNS). ROS are formed in mitochondria when energy metabolism is compromised, and are inactivated by the ROS scavengers superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, and glutathione (GSH). ROS can impair the function of several cellular components including proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids. In the present study, we measured indicators of mitochondrial metabolic activity, ROS formation, lipid peroxidation, and antioxidant enzyme activities in synaptosomes obtained from rat spinal cord at early times following traumatic injury. Mitochondrial metabolic activity was found to significantly decrease as early as 1 h following injury, and continued to be compromised over the remaining postinjury time points. ROS formation was found to be significantly increased at 4 and 24 h following injury, while lipid peroxidation levels were found to be significantly increased in the injured spinal cord at 1 and 24 h, but not 4 h following injury. SOD enzyme activity was unchanged at all postinjury time points, while catalase activity and GSH levels were significantly increased at 24 h following injury. These findings indicate that impaired mitochondrial function, ROS, and lipid peroxidation occur soon after traumatic spinal cord injury, while the compensatory activation of molecules important for neutralizing ROS occurs at later time points. Therapeutic strategies aimed at facilitating the actions of antioxidant enzymes or inhibiting ROS formation and lipid peroxidation in the CNS may prove beneficial in treating traumatic spinal cord injury, provided such treatments are initiated at early stages following injury.
The temperature dependence of the kinetics of cyanide dissociation from the cyanide complex of myoglobin studied by cyclic voltammetry

Abstract The temperature dependence of the dissociation of cyanide (CN − ) from cyanomyoglobin (Mb(II)CN), the cyanide complex of myoglobin, has been studied by cyclic voltammetry. Direct electrochemical reduction of cyanometmyoglobin initiates the dissociation of the cyanide ligand. The temperature dependence of the heterogeneous electron transfer kinetics, the kinetics of cyanide dissociation, and the formal potential for Mb(III)CN have been determined over the temperature range of 10–50°C. The latter information has been used to determine the reaction center entropy change (Δ S rc ) of this reaction to be −90±5 J mol −1 K −1 . The water complex of myoglobin, aquometmyoglobin (Mb(III)H 2 O), was also studied and the reaction center entropy for this system was determined to be −40±4 J mol −1 K −1 . Differential scanning calorimetry was also used to determine the transition temperature and enthalpy changes for each component of these reactions. The results given here provide an indirect model for the in vivo reaction of the oxymyoglobin complex (Mb(II)O 2 ), that is, the dissociation of dioxygen from the reduced form of myoglobin.
Assessing reliability of protein-protein interactions by integrative analysis of data in model organisms

Protein-protein interactions play vital roles in nearly all cellular processes and are involved in the construction of biological pathways such as metabolic and signal transduction pathways. Although large-scale experiments have enabled the discovery of thousands of previously unknown linkages among proteins in many organisms, the high-throughput interaction data is often associated with high error rates. Since protein interaction networks have been utilized in numerous biological inferences, the inclusive experimental errors inevitably affect the quality of such prediction. Thus, it is essential to assess the quality of the protein interaction data. In this paper, a novel Bayesian network-based integrative framework is proposed to assess the reliability of protein-protein interactions. We develop a cross-species in silico model that assigns likelihood scores to individual protein pairs based on the information entirely extracted from model organisms. Our proposed approach integrates multiple microarray datasets and novel features derived from gene ontology. Furthermore, the confidence scores for cross-species protein mappings are explicitly incorporated into our model. Applying our model to predict protein interactions in the human genome, we are able to achieve 80% in sensitivity and 70% in specificity. Finally, we assess the overall quality of the experimentally determined yeast protein-protein interaction dataset. We observe that the more high-throughput experiments confirming an interaction, the higher the likelihood score, which confirms the effectiveness of our approach. This study demonstrates that model organisms certainly provide important information for protein-protein interaction inference and assessment. The proposed method is able to assess not only the overall quality of an interaction dataset, but also the quality of individual protein-protein interactions. We expect the method to continually improve as more high quality interaction data from more model organisms becomes available and is readily scalable to a genome-wide application.
Widely Conserved Signaling Pathways in the Establishment of Cell Polarity

How are the asymmetric distributions of proteins, lipids, and RNAs established and maintained in various cell types? Studies from diverse organisms show that Par proteins, GTPases, kinases, and phosphoinositides participate in conserved signaling pathways to establish and maintain cell polarity.
Glassy spin dynamics in a stripe-ordered cuprate system

The unusual glassy dynamics exhibited by the spin fluctuations in the stripe-ordered cuprates can be quantitatively measured by La nuclear magnetic resonance. We analyze the spin lattice relaxation data in the low temperature tetragonal structural phase of La{sub 1.8-x}Eu{sub 0.2}Sr{sub x}CuO{sub 4} and find that there is a distribution of local fluctuations times, with a Vogel-Fulcher temperature dependence. Furthermore, the data are consistent with a stretched exponential form for the dynamical spin correlation function, typical of glassy systems. Several doped transition metal oxides exhibit unusual properties associated with heterogeneous charge order. Of particular interest are the cuprates, which become high temperature superconductors within a certain doping range. Charge stripe correlations may play a crucial role in the mechanism for the superconductivity, yet detailed information about the microscopic structure of the charge order as well as the dynamics of this stripes have remained elusive. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) probes the local, low energy spin and charge fluctuations at the nuclear sites, and provides important clues to charge-stripe dynamics.
The adsorption, desorption, and reactions of CO and O2 on Rh☆

Abstract The adsorption and desorption of CO, O 2 , and CO 2 on polycrystalline Rh have been investigated using flash desorption spectroscopy and adsorption transients. Carbon monoxide adsorbs nondissociatively on clean Rh and obeys first-order Langmuir-type adsorption kinetics with an initial sticking probability of 0.5 at 330 K. It desorbs following first-order kinetics ( E des = 134 kJ mole −1 if v = 10 13 sec −1 ) at about 530 K. Oxygen adsorbs with an initial sticking probability of about 0.1. Two forms of surface oxygen are produced: one is atomically chemisorbed and quite reactive with CO; the other is perhaps a subsurface, interstitial species which requires an activation energy for reaction. These desorb as O 2 at around 1000 K. Carbon dioxide will not adsorb on Rh at 330 K. The carbon monoxide oxidation reaction on Rh has been studied using the transient kinetics of the reaction of CO gas with adsorbed oxygen and the steady-state kinetics of CO 2 production from gas phase CO and O 2 . The reaction proceeds via a modified Eley-Rideal path at high temperatures, where chemisorbed CO is negligible. By this path, an impinging CO enters a mobile, transiently adsorbed precursor state with a certain probability which is a function of chemisorbed CO coverage and temperature. Once in this state the CO can visit about 15 sites before reentering the gas phase. If the oxygen coverage exceeds 0.18, CO then has almost unit probability of finding, and reacting with, an oxygen adatom at one of these sites. At lower temperature, the Langmuir-Hinshelwood path becomes important and adsorbed CO strongly inhibits oxygen adsorption.
Thyroid Hormone Regulation of Hepatic Genes in Vivo Detected by Complementary DNA Microarray

The liver is an important target organ of thyroid hormone. However, only a limited number of hepatic target genes have been identified, and little is known about the pattern of their regulation by thyroid hormone. We used a quantitative fluorescent cDNA microarray to identify novel hepatic genes regulated by thyroid hormone. Fluorescent-labeled cDNA prepared from hepatic RNA of T3-treated and hypothyroid mice was hybridized to a cDNA microarray, representing 2225 different mouse genes, followed by computer analysis to compare relative changes in gene expression. Fifty five genes, 45 not previously known to be thyroid hormone-responsive genes, were found to be regulated by thyroid hormone. Among them, 14 were positively regulated by thyroid hormone, and unexpectedly, 41 were negatively regulated. The expression of 8 of these genes was confirmed by Northern blot analyses. Thyroid hormone affected gene expression for a diverse range of cellular pathways and functions, including gluconeogenesis, lipogenesis, insulin signaling, adenylate cyclase signaling, cell proliferation, and apoptosis. This is the first application of the microarray technique to study hormonal regulation of gene expression in vivo and should prove to be a powerful tool for future studies of hormone and drug action. (Molecular Endocrinology 14: 947‐955, 2000)
Confluent Vandermonde matrices and divided differences over quaternions

Abstract We introduce the notion of a confluent Vandermonde matrix over quaternions and present the formula to compute its rank. This extends a result of T.Y. Lam (A general theory of Vandermonde matrices, Expo. Math. 4 (3) (1986) 193–215). Another contribution is the representation formula for divided differences of quaternion polynomials which extends a result of G. Gentili and D.C. Struppa (A new theory of regular functions of a quaternionic variable, Adv. Math. 216 (1) (2007) 279–301).
The oceanic response to cross‐equatorial winds (with application to coastal upwelling in low latitudes)

Sea surface temperature variations observed in the eastern equatorial Atlantic and Pacific Oceans on seasonal, and possibly interannual (El Nino) time scales, may to a large extent be due to the variability of the local meridional winds. In a numerical model of the ocean, southerly winds cause low sea surface temperatures in the southeastern part of the basin because the coastal upwelling zone is extended far westward by (1) advection and (2) Rossby wave propagation which is important on time scales greater than a month. North of the equator sea surface temperatures are high. The thermocline has a trough near 3° N where there is an intense eastward jet. A relaxation of the southerly wind causes a warming in the southeastern part of the basin primarily because of a zonal redistribution of heat by the South Equatorial Current and Countercurrent. DOI: 10.1111/j.2153-3490.1981.tb01744.x
Receptor and transmitter release properties set the time course of retinal inhibition.

Synaptic inhibition is determined by the properties of postsynaptic receptors, neurotransmitter release, and clearance, but little is known about how these factors shape sensation-evoked inhibition. The retina is an ideal system to investigate inhibition because it can be activated physiologically with light, and separate inhibitory pathways can be assayed by recording from rod bipolar cells that possess distinct glycine, GABAA, and GABAC receptors (R). We show that receptor properties differentially shape spontaneous IPSCs, whereas both transmitter release and receptor properties shape light-evoked (L) IPSCs. GABACR-mediated IPSCs decayed the slowest, whereas glycineR- and GABAAR-mediated IPSCs decayed more rapidly. Slow GABACRs determined the L-IPSC decay, whereas GABAARs and glycineRs, which mediated rapid onset responses, determined the start of the L-IPSC. Both fast and slow inhibitory inputs distinctly shaped the output of rod bipolar cells. The slow GABACRs truncated glutamate release, making the A17 amacrine cell L-EPSCs more transient, whereas the fast GABAAR and glycineRs reduced the initial phase of glutamate release, limiting the peak amplitude of the L-EPSC. Estimates of transmitter release time courses suggested that glycine release was more prolonged than GABA release. The time course of GABA release activating GABACRs was slower than that activating GABAARs, consistent with spillover activation of GABACRs. Thus, both postsynaptic receptor and transmitter release properties shape light-evoked inhibition in retina.
Determination of the neutron flux and energy spectrum in the low-temperature fast-neutron facility in CP-5, calculations of primary-recoil and damage-energy distributions, and comparisons with experiment

Abstract We have determined the absolute differential neutron-energy spectrum for the low-temperature fast-neutron irradiation facility in the CP-5 reactor by means of a 20-foil activation technique. This technique employs the most recent version of the SAND-II computer code, which iteratively unfolds the neutron spectrum by fitting the foil activities. A Monte Carlo routine was also employed to calculate standard-deviation errors in each neutron-energy group. Using this differential neutron spectrum we have calculated, for numerous elements, total recoil cross sections, detailed primary-recoil group distributions, total damage-energy cross sections, damage-energy distributions, and an error analysis based on the uncertainties in the neutron spectrum. The significance of this information with respect to the interpretation of various neutron radiation-damage experiments, including sputtering, disordering of ordered alloys, and changes in critical current of A-15 compound superconductors is discussed. A detailed comparison is made among initial resistivity-damage rates for five widely different (well characterized) neutron sources, fission fragments, and heavy ions.
THE RELATION BETWEEN THE LEVELS OF MICROSOMAL CYTOCHROMES AND MEPERIDINE N-DEMETHYLASE ACTIVITY IN RAT LIVER.

Abstract The administration of morphine to rats produces a significant decrease in the amount of CO-binding pigment, paralleling the decrease in the drug metabolizing enzyme activities, in the liver microsomal fraction. However, when the liver microsomal-supernatant fraction was divided by ammonium sulfate fractional precipitations, the microsomal cytochromes and the narcotic drug demethylases were precipitated in the same subfractions, but not in the same relative proportions.
UNEXPECTED AND UNUSUAL FAILURES OF POLYMERIC MATERIALS

Abstract Polymeric products are produced with the expectation that they will process satisfactorily and perform as intended without failure. Yet polymers do fail sometimes. The failures are often completely unexpected or unusual and the causes may not be easy to determine. This paper brings together such failures under five categories: 1. In production or processing of polymers. 2. Assembly of polymers into products. 3. Unauthorized or unexpected change in composition. 4. Service conditions. 5. Synergistic effect of two stresses acting simultaneously. Failures can occur for practically any polymeric material in various ways and at various stages of manufacture, assembly and service. They may be due to synergistic effects like environmental stress cracking and electric power cable water treeing in which failure is due to two service conditions operating simultaneously that are not particularly severe alone. In some cases possibility of failure was not adequately considered, such as replacing copper tubing with polypropylene tubing in hot water heaters. A risk/benefit assessment is desirable, considering even worst case scenarios. Not only is the reputation of certain polymers adversely affected by failures, but plastics in general receive a “black eye”. Polymers are sufficiently different than metal that they require special care in handling, such as in plumbing. Unexpected and unusual failures will continue to surprise and plague us, such as the disintegration of a polyethylene liquid waste container. One person put toluene in and another nitric acid unbeknownst to each other. Over time nitrotoluenes that formed exploded. But we can learn from known failures to be alert to similar situations of composition, service conditions and all factors that together may make for success or failure with plastics and rubbers.
Evidence for biliary excretion of vancomycin into stool during intravenous therapy: potential implications for rectal colonization with vancomycin-resistant enterococci.

Sixty-three stool samples and five bile samples were prospectively collected from 33 patients receiving intravenous vancomycin therapy and were quantitatively analyzed for vancomycin by a competitive immunoassay. Vancomycin was excreted via bile into the stools of almost all patients at concentrations of 3.3 to 94.8 μg/ml after ≥5 days of a therapy of 1 g every 12 h.
A vehicle-based measurement framework for enhancing whitespace spectrum databases

The present TV whitespace networks rely on spectrum occupancy databases to determine their operating channels. In this paper, we show that such databases cause non-negligible wastage of whitespace spectrum. We also report that whitespace channels can have very different quality due to interference from secondary devices and the leakage from TV broadcasts. Such disparity in channel quality is not captured by existing databases. We propose the use of spectrum measurements to overcome the above limitations of databases. In particular, we describe a system called V-Scope that leverages spectrum sensors on public vehicles to collect and report measurements from the road. These measurements are used as "anchor points" to construct various models to better determine whitespace spectrum, estimate its channel quality, and validate locations of primary and secondary devices. We have deployed our system on a single metro bus traveling across a mid-sized US city. Based on measurements collected at above 1 million locations over 120 square-km area, we find that a commercial database causes under-utilization of certain whitespace channels over a large area (up to 71% measured locations). Our system can reclaim this spectrum wastage at up to 59% locations, correctly selecting all the suitable whitespace channels at 72 -- 83% locations, and achieving a localization accuracy between 16 -- 27m.
Risk of silicosis in a Colorado mining community

We investigated exposure-response relations for silicosis among 134 men over age 40 who had been identified in a previous community-based random sample study in a mining town. Thirty-two percent of the 100 dust-exposed subjects had radiologic profusions of small opacities of I/O or greater at a mean time since first silica exposure of 36.1 years. Of miners with cumulative silica exposures of 2 mg/m3-years or less, 20% had silicosis; of miners accumulating > 2 mg/m3 years, 63% had silicosis. Average silica exposure was also strongly associated with silicosis prevalence rates, with 13% silicotics among those with average exposure of 0.025-0.05 mg/m3, 34% among those with exposures of > 0.05-0.1 mg/m3, and 75% among those with average exposures > 0.1 mg/m3. Logistic regression models demonstrated that time since last silica exposure and either cumulative silica exposure or a combination of average silica exposure and duration of exposure predicted silicosis risk. Exposure-response relations were substantially higher using measured silica exposures than using estimated silica exposures based on measured dust exposures assuming a constant silica proportion of dust, consistent with less exposure misclassification. The risk of silicosis found in this study is higher than has been found in workforce studies having no follow-up of those leaving the mining industry and in studies without job title-specific silica measurements, but comparable to several recent studies of dust exposure-response relationships which suggest that a permissible exposure limit of 0.1 mg/m3 for silica does not protect against radiologic silicosis.
Packaging health services when resources are limited: the example of a cervical cancer screening visit

Background Increasing evidence supporting the value of screening women for cervical cancer once in their lifetime, coupled with mounting interest in scaling up successful screening demonstration projects, present challenges to public health decision makers seeking to take full advantage of the single-visit opportunity to provide additional services. We present an analytic framework for packaging multiple interventions during a single point of contact, explicitly taking into account a budget and scarce human resources, constraints acknowledged as significant obstacles for provision of health services in poor countries. Methods and Findings We developed a binary integer programming (IP) model capable of identifying an optimal package of health services to be provided during a single visit for a particular target population. Inputs to the IP model are derived using state-transition models, which compute lifetime costs and health benefits associated with each intervention. In a simplified example of a single lifetime cervical cancer screening visit, we identified packages of interventions among six diseases that maximized disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) averted subject to budget and human resource constraints in four resource-poor regions. Data were obtained from regional reports and surveys from the World Health Organization, international databases, the published literature, and expert opinion. With only a budget constraint, interventions for depression and iron deficiency anemia were packaged with cervical cancer screening, while the more costly breast cancer and cardiovascular disease interventions were not. Including personnel constraints resulted in shifting of interventions included in the package, not only across diseases but also between low- and high-intensity intervention options within diseases. Conclusions The results of our example suggest several key themes: Packaging other interventions during a one-time visit has the potential to increase health gains; the shortage of personnel represents a real-world constraint that can impact the optimal package of services; and the shortage of different types of personnel may influence the contents of the package of services. Our methods provide a general framework to enhance a decision maker's ability to simultaneously consider costs, benefits, and important nonmonetary constraints. We encourage analysts working on real-world problems to shift from considering costs and benefits of interventions for a single disease to exploring what synergies might be achievable by thinking across disease burdens.
Inheritance of chromatin states

The packaging of regulatory DNA within the eukaryotic chromosome has considerable potential not only for modulating the transcriptional activity of genes, but also for propagating states that are permissive or restrictive for transcription. Sequence-specific transcription factors, histones and their modifications, chromodomain proteins and enzymes that modify histones, DNA methylation and proteins that recognize methylated DNA could all play independent or interrelated roles in regulating gene activity. They all also have the potential of propagating their interactions with nascent DNA following replication. However, observations on the phenomenon of X chromosome inactivation suggest that the formation and stability of specific histone-DNA interactions through replication may be central to the inheritance of chromatin states, and that other molecular mechanisms have supporting roles. The future offers the exciting prospect of reconstructing the propagation of stable active or repressed chromatin states in vitro, and consequently understanding the events occurring at the replication fork in molecular detail.
The inhibition of gluconeogenesis following alcohol in humans

Accurate quantification of gluconeogenic flux following alcohol ingestion in overnight-fasted humans has yet to be reported. [2-13C1]glycerol, [U-13C6]glucose, [1-2H1]galactose, and acetaminophen w...
Contrast-Induced Acute Kidney Injury The Continuous Quest for Pharmacological Prevention

The development of acute kidney injury is not an uncommon complication of invasive cardiovascular procedures requiring administration of radiocontrast, and it is associated with high acute and long-term morbidity and mortality.1–3 Recognized mechanism of acute kidney injury include embolization of atheroma (cholesterol embolism), which has been shown to occur in up to 1.4% of cases in clinical studies4 and in as high as 30% of cases in pathological series,5 and a direct toxic effect of contrast media on renal tubular cells (contrast-induced acute kidney injury). In the absence of cutaneous findings associated with cholesterol embolism, and in the absence of other symptoms and signs of distal embolization, it is difficult to determine the relative contribution of cholesterol embolism to the development of acute kidney injury when compared with contrast-induced acute kidney injury. The pathophysiology of contrast-induced acute kidney injury is complex and includes a direct toxic effect on tubular cells as well as the production of reactive oxygen species.6,7 Reactive oxygen species, by acting as scavengers of NO, lead to a reduction in Po2 and to increased vascular reactivity to various vasoconstrictors including angiotensin II, thromboxane, endothelin, adenosine, and norepinephrine. During the past 2 decades, we have made substantial progress in the identification of risk factors for the development of contrast-induced acute kidney injury2,8 and in the identification of interventions that can lead to a reduction of its incidence. As of today, minimization of the total amount of contrast by modification of procedure strategies and appropriate preprocedure hydration are mainstays in the prevention of contrast-induced acute kidney injury.9–11 In addition, the use of low-osmolar and iso-osmolar contrast media has been found to be beneficial when compared with high-osmolar contrast media.12 However, substantial differences …
Predicting Whole-Fish Nitrogen Content from Fish Wet Weight Using Regression Analysis

Abstract Regression analysis was examined as a method of estimating whole-body nitrogen (N) from whole-fish wet weight for a broad range of fish species. Whole-body N and corresponding wet weight data were collected from the literature for 60 fish species and 6 hybrids. Log10-transformed data were used to regress whole-body N on fish wet weight for each species. At least 98% of the variation in whole-body N was explained by wet weight for 60 of the 66 species and hybrids (P 0.05) between whole-fish N values determined chemically and those predicted by linear and broken-line regression equations. A linear regression equation with combined data for all species and hybrids was log10(fish N) = 1.03 × log10(fish wet weight) − 1.65 (n = 2,811; r 2 = 0.996; SE Y · X (the standar...
Vitamin D Intake and Risk of Incident Hypertension Results From Three Large Prospective Cohort Studies

Emerging evidence suggests an inverse relation between vitamin D and blood pressure. We examined the independent association between intake of vitamin D and the risk of incident hypertension among participants of 3 large and independent prospective cohorts: Nurses Health Study I (NHS I; n=77,436), NHS II (n=93,803), and Health Professionals' Follow-up Study (HPFS; n=38,074). Relative risks and 95% confidence intervals for incident hypertension were computed according to quintiles of vitamin D intake using Cox proportional hazards regression and adjusted for relevant covariates. Each cohort was followed for > or =8 years. Vitamin D intake was not associated with the risk of developing hypertension. The multivariable relative risk estimates for the highest compared with lowest quintile of intake were 0.98 (0.93 to 1.04) in NHS I, 1.13 (0.99 to 1.29) in NHS II, and 1.03 (0.93 to 1.15) in HPFS. When we compared participants who consumed > or =1600 to or =1000 to <200 IU per day, no association was found. We conclude that higher intake of vitamin D is not associated with a lower risk of incident hypertension.
Trajectory design for a Solar-Electric- Propulsion Mars high-data rate orbiter

Solar electric propulsion Mars high data rate orbiter trajectory design and analysis, including landing site selection and spacecraft parameters optimization
CEDES - A C++ Engine For Discrete Event Simulation

The classes and methods supported by an objectoriented programming language are naturally appropriate for implementing the message passing of discrete event simulation systems. In this paper an object-oriented simulator, termed A C++ Engine for Discrete Event Simulation (CEDES), will be introduced to support autonomous modeling and simulation. With the built-in color-graphic, icon-driven interface, a complex system can be quickly dejned in a hierarchical modular block diagram. By exploiting the automatic programming facility of CEDES, simulation programs are generated, compiled, and executed automatically without human intervention. CEDES can be applied to any problem domains by furnishing the application model base. In this paper only the hardware simulation modeling is discussed.
Random Forests for Classification in Ecology

Classification procedures are some of the most widely used statistical methods in ecology. Random forests (RF) is a new and powerful statistical classifier that is well established in other disciplines but is relatively unknown in ecology. Advantages of RF compared to other statistical classifiers include (1) very high classification accuracy; (2) a novel method of determining variable importance; (3) ability to model complex interactions among predictor variables; (4) flexibility to perform several types of statistical data analysis, including regression, classification, survival analysis, and unsupervised learning; and (5) an algorithm for imputing missing values. We compared the accuracies of RF and four other commonly used statistical classifiers using data on invasive plant species presence in Lava Beds National Monument, California, USA, rare lichen species presence in the Pacific Northwest, USA, and nest sites for cavity nesting birds in the Uinta Mountains, Utah, USA. We observed high classification accuracy in all applications as measured by cross-validation and, in the case of the lichen data, by independent test data, when comparing RF to other common classification methods. We also observed that the variables that RF identified as most important for classifying invasive plant species coincided with expectations based on the literature.
THE IMPACT OF TAXES ON TRADE COMPETITIVENESS

Few macroeconomic studies exist on the effects of taxes on international trade. Our hypothesis is that higher tax rates raise a country’s production costs, leading to a decrease in exports in the long run. With panel data for 25 OECD countries, we use average effective tax rates on consumption, labor income and capital income to examine their impact on bilateral trade. We find that that labor income and capital income tax increases reduce the flow of international trade.
Attention to Emotional Information in Social Anxiety Disorder With and Without Co-Occurring Depression

Despite the high comorbidity of Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) and Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), we know little about how persons with co-occurring SAD–MDD compare to their counterparts with pure disorders. In the present study we investigated attention to facial emotional stimuli in adult women with SAD only (n = 18), MDD only (n = 24), co-occurring SAD–MDD (n = 24), and healthy controls (CTL; n = 33). Participants were exposed to angry, sad, neutral, and happy faces for 200 and 1,000 ms as cues in a Posner attention task. We examined patterns of attentional engagement, disengagement, and vigilance-avoidance as a function of cue valence. Across the attentional indices, both the SAD and SAD–MDD groups differed most consistently from the MDD and CTL groups: they exhibited differential patterns of attention to angry, sad, and happy faces, including relatively greater vigilance-avoidance for angry faces. There was little evidence for any MDD-associated biases in attention. Findings suggest that the attentional processing of emotional information in SAD generally overrides the potential influence of co-occurring MDD. Implications for the understanding and treatment of co-occurring SAD–MDD are discussed.
Dimeric inhibin: a direct marker of ovarian aging

Abstract Objective: To investigate whether luteal secretion of inhibin-a is altered in the perimenopausal transition and to evaluate whether luteal inhibin secretion is correlated with other markers of ovarian reserve such as FSH and inhibin-b. Design: Prospective study. Setting: Reproductive Endocrinology Laboratories at The Ohio State University. Patient(s): Twenty-five women 39–52 years of age with regular menstrual cycles. Intervention(s): Daily urine samples were monitored (LH predictor kit) to identify the day of ovulation. Blood samples obtained on days 6 and 8 after the LH surge and on day 3 of the subsequent follicular phase were assayed for FSH, E 2 , progesterone, inhibin-a, and inhibin-b. Main Outcome Measure(s): Serum levels of inhibin-a, inhibin-b, FSH, E 2 , and progesterone. Result(s): Luteal phase inhibin-a and follicular phase inhibin-b were correlated inversely with age in perimenopausal women. In addition, luteal phase inhibin-a and follicular phase inhibin-b levels were correlated inversely with follicular phase FSH levels. Conclusion(s): Both luteal phase inhibin-a and follicular phase inhibin-b levels are correlated inversely with age during the fifth decade of life. These findings suggest that corpus luteum function is altered during the perimenopausal transition. Moreover, these direct measures of ovarian function may be more sensitive indicators of "ovarian reserve" than indirect indicators such as pituitary FSH secretion.
From Silence to Siren to Silence: A Personal Tale of Political Consequence

Through interweaving her student’s troubling confessional self-disclosure revealed in a course assignment with a disturbing account taken from her own adolescent experience, the author considers the pedagogical challenges as well as the personal and political consequences of silence and of witnessing and the irrevocability and interpretive indeterminacy of such self-disclosure.
Prelaunch characteristics of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on EOS-AM1

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), with 36 bands and 0.25-, 0.5-, and 1.0-km geometric instantaneous-fields-of-view (GIFOVs) at nadir, has completed system level testing and has been integrated onto the Earth Observing System (EOS)-AM1 spacecraft, which is slated for launch in 1998. Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing (SBRS), Goleta, CA, the MODIS developer, has performed extensive characterization and calibration measurements that have demonstrated a system that meets or exceeds most of NASA's demanding requirements. Based on this demonstrated capability, the MODIS Science Team, an international group of 28 land, ocean, atmosphere, and calibration remote-sensing scientists, has commenced delivery of algorithms that will routinely calculate 42 MODIS standard data products postlaunch. These products range from atmospheric aerosols, snow cover, and land and water surface temperature to leaf area index, ocean chlorophyll concentration, and sea ice extent, to name just a few. A description of the Science Team, including members' research interests and descriptions of their MODIS algorithms, can be found at the MODIS homepage (http://ltpwww.gsfc.nasa.gov/MODIS/MODIS.html). The MODIS system level testing included sufficient measurements in both ambient and thermal-vacuum environments to both demonstrate specification compliance and enable postlaunch implementation of radiometric calibration algorithms. The latter will include calculations to account for changes in response versus scan angle, response versus temperature, and response linearity. The system level tests also included performance verification of the onboard calibration systems, including the solar diffuser stability monitor (SDSM), the blackbody (BB), and the spectral radiometric calibration assembly (SRCA), which will enahle monitoring of MODIS performance postlaunch. Descriptions of these subsystems are also on the MODIS homepage.
Similarities and disparities in maternal risk and birth outcomes of white and Japanese-American mothers.

Summary. This study compares the maternal sociodemographic and prenatal care characteristics and birth outcomes of US resident white and Japanese-American mothers, using data from the state of Hawaii. The specific focus is to determine to what extent these factors can explain variations in newborn maturity and mortality indicators. Single livebirths to resident, non-military dependent white and Japanese-American mothers were selected for analysis from the 1979–1990 linked livebirth-infant death files from Hawaii. Compared with white mothers, Japanese-American mothers were significantly more likely to be married, age 18 years and older, have higher educational attainment, and have adequate prenatal care utilisation. The majority of Japanese-American mothers were born in Hawaii, while the majority of white mothers were born on the US mainland. The mean birthweight of Japanese-American infants was 200 g lighter than that of white infants. Infant mortality rates (IMRs) for both groups were below the US Year 2000 Health Objective. After controlling for maternal sociodemographic and prenatal care factors with logistic regression, Japanese-American infants had significantly higher risks of low birthweight, preterm and very preterm birth and of being small-for-gestational age. These findings indicate that populations with preferential maternal sociodemographic and prenatal care risk indicators may still exhibit higher low birthweight percentages, but achieve comparatively low IMRs.
Grandfather caregivers: race and ethnic differences in poverty.

We use data from the 2006 American Community Survey to examine race and ethnic differences in the effects of marital status and co-residence of the middle generation on the likelihood of poverty among grandfathers who have primary responsibility for co-resident grandchildren (N = 3,379). Logistic regression results indicate that race ⁄ethnicity and household composition are significant predictors of poverty for grandfather caregivers: non-Hispanic white grandfathers, those who are married, and those with a co-resident middle generation are the least likely to be poor. The effects of race ⁄ethnicity, marital status, and the presence of a middle generation are, however, contingent upon one another. Specifically, the negative effect of being married is lower among grandfathers who are Hispanic, African American, non-Hispanic, and nonHispanics of other race ⁄ethnic groups compared to whites. In addition, having a middle generation in the home has a larger negative effect on poverty for race ⁄ethnic minority grandfathers than for non-Hispanic whites. Finally, the combined effects of marriage and a middle generation vary across race ⁄ethnic group and are associated with lower chances of poverty among some groups compared with others. We use the theory of cumulative disadvantage to interpret these findings and suggest that race ⁄ethnicity and household composition are synergistically related to economic resources for grandfather caregivers.