cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A rapid UPLC-MS/MS assay for eicosanoids in human plasma: Application to evaluate niacin responsivity

A rapid and sensitive method using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) was developed to simultaneously quantify hydroxyeicosatetraenoic (HETE), dihydroxyeicosatrienoic (DiHETrE), epoxyeicosatrienoic acid (EET), and prostaglandin metabolites of arachidonic acid in human plasma. Sample preparation consisted of solid phase extraction with Oasis HLB (30mg) cartridges for all metabolites. Separation of HETEs, EETs, and DiHETrEs was achieved on an Acquity UPLC BEH C18, 1.7µm (100×2.1mm) reversed-phase column (Waters Corp, Millford, MA) with negative electrospray ionization mass spectrometric detection. A second injection of the same extracted sample allowed for separation and assessment of prostaglandin metabolites under optimized UPLC-MS/MS conditions. Additionally, the endogenous levels of these metabolites in five different matrices were determined in order to select the optimal matrix for assay development. Human serum albumin was shown to have the least amount of endogenous metabolites, a recovery efficiency of 79-100% and a matrix effect of 71 - 100%. Linear calibration curves ranging from 0.416 to 66.67ng/ml were validated. Inter-assay and intra-assay variance was less than 15% at most concentrations. This method was successfully applied to quantify metabolite levels in plasma samples of healthy control subjects receiving niacin administration to evaluate the association between niacin administration and eicosanoid plasma level response.
Relation of plant regulators to bud rest in Vitis vinifera grapes

A large varietal difference was noted in time required for grape buds to terminate rest. 'Pearl of Csaba' and seedless varieties terminated rest most rapidly. Exogenous applications of benzyladenine (BA) at 1000 ppm or of N-dimethylamino succinamic acid (B-9) at 2000 ppm hastened termination of rest. Benzothiazole-2(-oxyacetic acid (BOA) at 1000 ppm and 2-chloroethyltrimethylammonium chloride CCC) at 200 or 2000 ppm markedly delayed it. In cuttings of 'St. Emilion' treated with exogenous BA, much inhibitor disappeared from the treated buds within 10 days after treatment. We suggest that the effect of BA in terminating rest may be due to its destructive effect on inhibitor concentration in the bud. Inhibitory substances were present in buds from 'St. Emilion' from December 5 through the dormant season. The compounds disappeared and stimulatory activity increased at the start of shoot growth.
Job Requirements for Marketing Graduates: Are There Differences in the Knowledge, Skills, and Personal Attributes Needed for Different Salary Levels?:

Several studies in the business press and in the marketing literature point to a “transformation” of marketing caused by the availability of large amounts of data for marketing analysis and plannin...
Expression and function of bovine CCL28 (98.28)

Bovine mastitis represents the most costly disease of the dairy industry. In an effort to better understand natural host defense mechanisms against mastitis causing pathogens we have begun to characterize the bovine chemokine CCL28 (bCCL28). CCL28 is a dual function chemokine which has been shown to mediate migration of antibody secreting cells to mucosal tissues; this chemokine has also been shown to function as an antimicrobial protein. We have found that expression of bCCL28 mRNA in bovine mucosal tissues is highly variable with highest expression in exocrine glands, including mammary gland and milk. Additionally, we demonstrate that recombinant bCCL28 has antimicrobial activity against mastitis causing microorganisms, including Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus uberis, and Streptococcus agalactiae. These results demonstrate that bCCL28 is expressed in mucosal tissues and exhibits potent antimicrobial activity in vitro, suggesting that this dual function chemokine may serve an important role in bovine immunity.
MODTRAN4: radiative transfer modeling for remote sensing

MODTRAN4, the newly released version of the U.S. Air Force atmospheric transmission, radiance and flux model is being developed jointly by the Air Force Research Laboratory / Space Vehicles Directorate (AFRL / VS) and Spectral Sciences, Inc. It is expected to provide the accuracy required for analyzing spectral data for both atmospheric and surface characterization. These two quantities are the subject of satellite and aircraft campaigns currently being developed and pursued by, for instance: NASA (Earth Observing System), NPOESS (National Polar Orbiting Environmental Satellite System), and the European Space Agency (GOME - Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment). Accuracy improvements in MODTRAN relate primarily to two major developments: (1) the multiple scattering algorithms have been made compatible with the spectroscopy by adopting a correlated-^ approach to describe the statistically expected transmittance properties for each spectral bin and atmospheric layer, and (2) radiative transfer calculations can be conducted with a Beer-Lambert formulation that improves the treatment of path inhomogeneities. Other code enhancements include the incorporation of solar azimuth dependence in the DISORT-based multiple scattering model, the introduction of surface BRDF (Bi-directional Radiance Distribution Functions) models and a 15 cm-1 band model for improved computational speed. Finally, recent changes to the HITRAN data base, relevant to the 0.94 and 1.13 um bands of water vapor, have been incorporated into the MODTRAN4 databases.
Neoadjuvant Strategies: Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer is one of the major leading causes of death in both men and women. The successful management of colon or rectal cancer demands a multidisciplinary approach. In the last few years, significant improvement has been noticed in the management of localized rectal cancer to reduce local recurrence and obtain complete pathological response following appropriate surgical steps, if necessary. Implementation of neoadjuvant therapy not only enhances disease control, it may also ensure sphincter preserving procedures or organ-preserving options. This article principally concentrates on the current neoadjuvant treatment for locally advanced rectal cancer and the prognostic outcomes of such therapy, including a discussion on the historical perspective.
Polymer Chemistry and Spectroscopy at High Pressures

High pressure has been valued for many years in the study of fundamental properties of matter. Until recently, however, chemists were reluctant to use high pressure because of the costly equipment, the relatively few materials applications involving high pressure, and the lack of a technology that would permit commercial utilization of pressure.
Developmental Status of Intrinsic Connections in Visual Cortex of Newborn Humans

Although experimental psychological tests of vision in human infants have shown that the visual system is immature at birth (Atkinson, 1984), until recently, neuroanatomical support for these findings was unspecific (Conel, 1939; 1941). This situation has changed with the study of synaptogenesis in the primary visual cortex of humans by Huttenlocher and de Courten (1987), which showed a dramatic increase in synaptic density in the first 10 months after birth. This observation strongly suggests that a large number of neuronal connections are formed postnatally, and that these connections are assembled into functional circuits that may account for much of the sensory maturation seen in psychophysical tests of young infants.
Emergency Department Visits After Elective Spine Surgery

Background Emergency department (ED) overuse is a costly and often neglected source of postdischarge resource utilization after spine surgery. Failing to investigate drivers of ED visits represents a missed opportunity to improve the value of care in spine patients. Objective To identify the prevalence, drivers, and timing of ED visits following elective spine surgery. Methods Patients undergoing elective spine surgery for degenerative disease at a major medical center were enrolled in a prospective longitudinal registry. Patient and surgery characteristics, and patient-reported outcomes were recorded at baseline and 3 mo after surgery, along with self-reported 90-d ED visits. A multivariable regression model was used to identify independent factors associated with 90-d ED visits. For a sample of patients presenting to our institution's ED, charts were reviewed to identify the reason and time to ED postdischarge. Results Of 2762 patients, we found a 90-d ED visit rate of 9.4%. One-third of patients presented to our institution's ED and of these, 70% presented due to pain or medical concerns at 9 and 7 d postdischarge, respectively, with 60% presenting outside normal clinic hours. Independent risk factors for 90-d ED visits included younger age, preoperative opioid use, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, and more vertebral levels involved. Conclusion Nearly 10% of elective spine patients had 90-d ED visits not requiring readmission. Pain and medical concerns accounted for 70% of visits at our center, occurring within 10 d of discharge. This study provides the clinical details and a timeline necessary to guide individualized interventions to prevent unnecessary, costly ED visits after spine surgery.
Pages from the Past: History and Memory in American Magazines by Carolyn Kitch Chapel Hill: The Univ. of North Carolina Press, 2005. 272 pp

(2005). Pages from the Past: History and Memory in American Magazines by Carolyn Kitch Chapel Hill: The Univ. of North Carolina Press, 2005. 272 pp. American Journalism: Vol. 22, No. 4, pp. 105-106.
Mexican-Origin Youths' Trajectories of Internalizing Symptoms from Childhood into Adolescence and Associations with Acculturation Processes.

We examined depression and anxiety symptom trajectories in Mexican-origin youth (N = 674) and tested longitudinal associations with acculturation dimensions. We used eight waves of data from the Ca...
Parallel performance assessment of a pseudo-spectral solver for transition and turbulent boundary layer flows

The computational performance and accuracy of a parallel pseudo-spectral solver is assessed, and the solver is validated for direct numerical simulations (DNS) of bypass transition and turbulent bo...
Kafka’s Meat: Beautiful Processes and Perfect Victims

This chapter decisively connects the fascination with meat and meat-like character fates across Kafka’s oeuvre with a sense of politics that, ultimately, doubts the potential for politics or life at all under such conditions. Specifically, this is a political form reiterated by the inscrutable social structures and interminable human subjection typical in Kafka’s works. The totality of this fate in Kafka parallels the overwhelming scale of meat machinery witnessed in, for example, in Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle and broader facets of the contemporary meat production systems perhaps most closely associated with the weaponized empathy of Temple Grandin. Kafka’s own interest in machinery is examined as well. The resulting life and death in the meatworks, which approximate the biopolitical and the administered life articulated in the critical theory of Theodor Adorno, are thus an inescapable, practically sublime wonderment unto death—the meat in Kafka impotently idolizes its captors and slaughterers, stunned until the final moment of dispatch.
From Image to Video Face Inpainting: Spatial-Temporal Nested GAN (STN-GAN) for Usability Recovery

In this paper, we propose to use constrained inpainting methods to recover usability of corrupted images. Here we focus on the example of face images that are masked for privacy protection but complete images are required for further algorithm development. The task is tackled in a progressive manner: 1) the generated images should look realistic; 2) the generated images must satisfy spatial constraints, if available; 3) when applied to video data, temporal consistency should be retained. We first present a spatial inpainting framework to synthesize face images which can incorporate spatial constraints, provided as positions offa- cial markers and show that it outperforms state-of-the-art methods. Next, we propose Spatial-Temporal Nested GAN (STN-GAN) to adapt image inpainting framework, trained on ~200k images, to video data by incorporating temporal information using residual blocks. Experiments on multiple public datasets show STN-GAN attains spatio-temporal consistency effectively and efficiently. Furthermore, we show that the spatial constraints can be perturbed to obtain different inpainted results from a single source. 1
Understanding the influence of trenbolone acetate and polyamines on proliferation of bovine satellite cells.

Approximately 90% of beef cattle on feed in the United States receive at least one anabolic implant, which results in increased growth, efficiency, and economic return to producers. However, the complete molecular mechanism through which anabolic implants function to improve skeletal muscle growth remains unknown. This study had 2 objectives: (1) determine the effect of polyamines and their precursors on proliferation rate in bovine satellite cells (BSC); and (2) understand whether trenbolone acetate (TBA), a testosterone analog, has an impact on the polyamine biosynthetic pathway. To address these, BSC were isolated from 3 finished steers and cultured. Once cultures reached 75% confluency, they were treated in 1% fetal bovine serum (FBS) and/or 10 nM TBA, 10 mM methionine (Met), 8 mM ornithine (Orn), 2 mM putrescine (Put), 1.5 mM spermidine (Spd), or 0.5 mM spermine (Spe). Initially, a range of physiologically relevant concentrations of Met, Orn, Put, Spd, and Spe were tested to determine experimental doses to implement the aforementioned experiments. One, 12, or 24 h after treatment, mRNA was isolated from cultures and abundance of paired box transcription factor 7 (Pax7), Sprouty 1 (Spry), mitogen-activated protein kinase-1 (Mapk), ornithine decarboxylase (Odc), and S adenosylmethionine (Amd1) were determined, and normalized to 18S. No treatment × time interactions were observed (P ≥ 0.05). Treatment with TBA, Met, Orn, Put, Spd, or Spe increased (P ≤ 0.05) BSC proliferation when compared with control cultures. Treatment of cultures with Orn or Met increased (P ≤ 0.01) expression of Odc 1 h after treatment when compared with control cultures. Abundance of Amd1 was increased (P < 0.01) 1 h after treatment in cultures treated with Spd or Spe when compared with 1% FBS controls. Cultures treated with TBA had increased (P < 0.01) abundance of Spry mRNA 12 h after treatment, as well as increased mRNA abundance of Mapk (P < 0.01) 12 h and 24 h after treatment when compared with 1% FBS control cultures. Treatment with Met increased (P < 0.01) mRNA abundance of Pax7 1 h after treatment as compared with 1% FBS controls. These results indicate that treatments of BSC cultures with polyamines and their precursors increase BSC proliferation rate, as well as abundance of mRNA involved in cell proliferation. In addition, treatment of BSC cultures with TBA, polyamines, or polyamine precursors impacts expression of genes related to the polyamine biosynthetic pathway and proliferation.
Are probiotics an appropriate treatment option for all women

The recently published article by P. Tsimaris et al. (2019) gave great prospective insight into non-traditional clinical applications of probiotic use as alternative and/or complementary therapeuti...
Interactions between Control and Process Design under Economic Model Predictive Control

Abstract Economic model predictive control (EMPC) is a model-based control scheme that integrates process control and economic optimization, which can potentially allow for time-varying operating policies to maximize economic performance. The manner in which an EMPC operates a process to optimize economics depends on the process dynamics, which are fixed by the process design. This raises the question of how process and EMPC designs interact. Works which have addressed process and control design interactions for steady-state operation have sought to simultaneously develop process designs and control law parameters to find the most profitable way to operate a process that is able to prevent process constraints from being violated and to optimize capital costs in the presence of disturbances. Because EMPC has the potential to operate a process in a transient fashion, this work first focuses on how EMPC and process design interact in the absence of disturbances. Using small-scale process examples, we seek to understand the fundamental nature of the interactions between EMPC and process design, including how these interactions can impact computational complexity of the controller and the design procedure. We subsequently utilize the insights gained to suggest controller design variables which might be considered as decision variables for a simultaneous process and control design problem when disturbances are considered.
The Muller-Neel dispute and the fate of cancer risk assessment

Abstract The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission (ABCC) human genetic study (i.e., The Neel and Schull, 1956a report) showed an absence of genetic damage in offspring of atomic bomb survivors in support of a threshold model, but was not considered for evaluation by the NAS Biological Effects of Atomic Radiation (BEAR) I Genetics Panel. The study therefore could not impact the Panel's decision to recommend the linear non-threshold (LNT) dose-response model for risk assessment. Summaries and transcripts of the Panel meetings failed to reveal an evaluation of this study, despite its human relevance and ready availability, relying instead on data from Drosophila and mice. This paper explores correspondence among and between BEAR Genetics Panel members, including James Neel, the study director, and other contemporaries to assess why the Panel failed to use these data and how the decision to recommend the LNT model affected future cancer risk assessment policies and practices. This failure of the Genetics Panel was due to: (1) a strongly unified belief in the LNT model among panel members and their refusal to acknowledge that a low dose of radiation could exhibit a threshold, a conclusion that the Neel/Schull atomicbomb study could support, and (2) an excessive degree of self-interest among panel members who experimented with animal models, such as Hermann J. Muller, and feared that human genetic studies would expose the limitations of extrapolating from animal (especially Drosophila) to human responses and would strongly shift research investments/academic grants from animal to human studies. Thus, the failure to consider the Neel/Schull atomic bomb study served both the purposes of preserving the LNT policy goal and ensuring the continued dominance of Muller and his similarly research-oriented colleagues.
Water mites of the world with keys to the families, subfamilies, genera and subgenera

Despite publication more than 40 years ago, Dave Cook’s 1974 “Water mite genera and subgenera” has remained the go-to source for water mite researchers worldwide. Cook’s book covered 301 genera and...
Neonatal Hyperbilirubinemia and Cholestasis

A male infant is born via vaginal delivery at 29 weeks’ estimated gestation with a birthweight of 1,490 g to a 22-year-old gravida 1, para 1 woman who presented with preterm labor. No maternal risk factors are identified; all maternal prenatal laboratory findings are negative. Group B Streptococcus carrier status is unknown and no intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis or betamethasone had been administered because it was a precipitous delivery. The infant’s Apgar scores are 8 and 9 at 1 and 5 minutes, respectively. Physical examination findings are normal, with mild retractions. The infant initially undergoes intubation for surfactant therapy and is started on broad-spectrum antibiotics to rule out sepsis and total parental nutrition (TPN). One day after birth, he is weaned to continuous positive airway pressure and gradually to room air. Routine echocardiography shows a large patent ductus arteriosus which is treated with acetaminophen with subsequent closure and trivial aortic insufficiency on repeat follow-up echocardiography. The infant continues to receive TPN and partial oral feedings until 18 days after birth, when he starts having bloody regurgitation. Because of a concern for necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), broad-spectrum antibiotics are initiated and oral feeds are suspended. Feedings are then restarted, with resolution of NEC. Shortly after, at about 1 month of age, he develops generalized edema with hypoalbuminemia of 3.1 g/dL (31 g/L), which improves with a high protein diet and furosemide. He receives 3 packed red blood cell infusions for anemia, with a hematocrit below 28%, after which he develops cellulitis from an intravenous infiltrate that resolves with a course of vancomycin. Concurrently, the total and direct bilirubin levels are increased at 5.41 mg/dL (92.5 μmol/L) and 0.4 mg/dL (6.8 μmol/L), respectively. Bilirubin level trends are observed and are shown in Table 1. No jaundice or acholic stools are seen nor is …
Case 52: Intraoperative “Oozing”

You have been attached for 4 months to the Department of Anesthesiology at a university hospital in Guinea-Bissau. The main language is Portuguese. Your mother tongue is English. You are learning Portuguese and are reasonably proficient in medical Portuguese. The hospital trains medical doctors and nurses. The anesthesiology department also trains nurses to become nurse anesthesiologists. The nurse you have with you today is in her third month of training. You have two medical students also in attendance.
Air-water interfacial areas relevant for transport of per and poly-fluoroalkyl substances.

Abstract Per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) present in the soil pose a long-term threat to groundwater. Robust characterization and modeling of PFAS retention and transport in unsaturated systems requires an accurate determination of the magnitude of air-water interfacial area (AWIA). Multiple methods are available for measuring or estimating air-water interfacial area, including x-ray microtomography (XMT), various aqueous and gas-phase interfacial tracer-test (ITT) methods, and thermodynamic-based estimation methods. AWIAs determined with the different methods can vary significantly. Therefore, it is critical to determine which measurement methods are relevant for application to PFAS retention and transport. This is achieved by employing AWIAs determined with different methods to simulate the results of miscible-displacement experiments reported in the literature for the transport of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in an unsaturated quartz sand. Measured PFOA breakthrough curves were successfully predicted using AWIA values measured by aqueous ITT methods. Conversely, AWIAs measured with the XMT method and estimated with the thermodynamic method under-predicted the magnitude of retardation and could not successfully simulate the measured transport data. These results indicate that the ITT method appears to provide the most appropriate AWIA values for robust characterization and modeling of PFAS transport in unsaturated systems. The long-term impact of employing different AWIA values on PFOA leaching in the vadose zone was simulated for a representative AFFF application scenario. The predicted timeframes for PFOA migration to groundwater varied from 3 to 6 to 20 years depending on which AWIA was used in the simulation. These relatively large differences would result in significantly different risk-assessment outcomes. These results illustrate that it is critical to employ the AWIA that is most representative of PFAS retention for accurate predictions of PFAS leaching in the vadose zone.
Comparison of the Mitochondrial Genomes and Steady State Transcriptomes of Two Strains of the Trypanosomatid Parasite, Leishmania tarentolae

U-insertion/deletion RNA editing is a post-transcriptional mitochondrial RNA modification phenomenon required for viability of trypanosomatid parasites. Small guide RNAs encoded mainly by the thousands of catenated minicircles contain the information for this editing. We analyzed by NGS technology the mitochondrial genomes and transcriptomes of two strains, the old lab UC strain and the recently isolated LEM125 strain. PacBio sequencing provided complete minicircle sequences which avoided the assembly problem of short reads caused by the conserved regions. Minicircles were identified by a characteristic size, the presence of three short conserved sequences, a region of inherently bent DNA and the presence of single gRNA genes at a fairly defined location. The LEM125 strain contained over 114 minicircles encoding different gRNAs and the UC strain only ~24 minicircles. Some LEM125 minicircles contained no identifiable gRNAs. Approximate copy numbers of the different minicircle classes in the network were determined by the number of PacBio CCS reads that assembled to each class. Mitochondrial RNA libraries from both strains were mapped against the minicircle and maxicircle sequences. Small RNA reads mapped to the putative gRNA genes but also to multiple regions outside the genes on both strands and large RNA reads mapped in many cases over almost the entire minicircle on both strands. These data suggest that minicircle transcription is complete and bidirectional, with 3' processing yielding the mature gRNAs. Steady state RNAs in varying abundances are derived from all maxicircle genes, including portions of the repetitive divergent region. The relative extents of editing in both strains correlated with the presence of a cascade of cognate gRNAs. These data should provide the foundation for a deeper understanding of this dynamic genetic system as well as the evolutionary variation of editing in different strains.
Recognition and treatment of response fluctuations in Parkinson's disease: review article

Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) by definition benefit from treatment with the dopamine precursor levodopa. However, after 5 years of therapy 50% of patients experience motor response complications (MRC's): the benefit from each dose becomes shorter (wearing-off fluctuations), more unpredictable (on-off fluctuations) and associated with involuntary movements (dyskinesias). In addition these patients suffer from fluctuations in motor function that are inherent to the disease itself. Recent findings have lead to the suggestion that hyperfunction of NMDA receptors on striatal efferent neurons, as a consequence of chronic non-physiologic dopaminergic stimulation, contributes to the pathogenesis of MRC's. In PD patients blockade of striatal glutamate receptors with several NMDA-antagonists improve MRC's. With progression of PD the severity and complexity of MRC's magnify, obfuscating their pattern and their relation to the medication cycle. Only through detailed history taking and patient education will the physician be able to clarify the situation and establish a rational, targeted approach to the treatment of patients with advanced PD complicated by motor fluctuations and dyskinesias.
Autonomic web processes

We seek to elevate autonomic computing from infrastructure to process level. Different aspects of autonomic computing – self configuring, self healing, self optimizing and self aware are studied for Autonomic Web Processes (AWPs) with the help of a supply chain process scenario. Existing technologies and steps needed to shorten the gap from current process management systems to AWPs are studied in this paper. The behavior of AWPs is controlled by policies defined by users. Sympathetic and parasympathetic policies are introduced to model short and long term policies. A key advantage for elevating autonomic computing to a process level is that the trade-offs can be more evident because the process components map more readily to business functions.
Chlorine isotope chemistry of serpentinites from Elba, Italy, as an indicator of fluid source and subsequent tectonic history

Chlorine concentrations and δ37Cl and δD values are reported for serpentinites in different tectonic positions on Elba, Italy. Serpentinites from high in the nappe sequence contain 0.01–0.1wt% Cl with δ37Cl values from −0.9 to +1.4‰. Samples with positive δ37Cl values occur beneath gabbro and basalt and are interpreted as having been serpentinized by interaction with seawater. Samples with negative δ37Cl values are in direct contact with sedimentary rocks. These samples were juxtaposed against and/or buried by sediments in response to low-angle normal faulting on the seafloor, and serpentinization probably occurred by subsequent interaction with sedimentary pore fluids. Most samples from a structurally lower nappe and from areas affected by contact metamorphism lost their original Cl during heating. Low δD values for all samples suggest postserpentinization interaction with meteoric water, but neither Cl nor O isotope ratios were affected by this interaction. Our results demonstrate that chlorine can be retained in obducted serpentinites up to low greenschist conditions and that the Cl isotope composition of such serpentinites preserves a record of seafloor tectonic processes.
A Drug Delivery System for Treating Erectile Impotence: A Preliminary Communication

This report describes the use of a novel, implanted, intracavernosal drug delivery system for use in men with erectile failure. The first totally implanted, small volume, subcutaneous injection devices were reported in 1982 (Gyves et al, 1982; Niederhuber et al, 1982) and were used for intravascular administration of chemotherapeutic agents in malignant disease. This principle was then applied to the injection of intracorporeal, vasoactive agents by Desai et al (1987) who described three patients in whom a subcutaneous drug delivery system had been implanted. Later, Helmy (1991) described 37 patients successfully treated with a similar device where the injection portal was placed over the gluteal region. The unit consists of a ceramic frame covered with silicone rubber containing a central reservoir (that has an access port for filling at the base). The frame reservoir has a tubing connector for intracorporeal implantation. Under general anesthetic, an oblique penoscrotal incision is made and the tunica albuginea of the corpus cavernosum on the selected side is exposed. Through a small stab corporotomy, the cannula is inserted over a metal introducing rod and embedded into the erectile tissue to a depth of 2.8 mm. A pouch is then created between the testes using blunt dissection and the reservoir inserted into this, the pump being placed anteriorly. At this stage, the reservoir is filled with normal saline only, with a view to replacing this with vasoactive agent after 6 weeks. After 6 weeks, the reservoir is filled (by introducing a fine needle through the scrotal skin into the self-sealing port) and the system activated by depressing the pump between the patient's thumb and forefinger. Most patients require between two and four pumps to obtain an erection adequate for penetrative intercourse. Using a vasoactive mixture containing 3.3 mg phentolamine and 1.7 mg verapamil per ml, four activations would deliver approximately 2.2 mg phentolamine and 1. 12 mg verapamil. The reservoir has an average capacity for approximately 18 erections before needing to be refilled. Eight patients with an average age of 38 (28-64) years have received implants (between January 1990 and December 1992). Four patients have neurogenic impotence and four have no known organic cause for their impotence. The follow-up period is between 3 and 37 months (average 13.3 months); all implants were confirmed to be working at the last visit. The average frequency of use was every 4 days (1 -3 times per week), with between two and four pumps required for erection. Time to erection was between 2 and 10 minutes in the second and third months after implantation. Thereafter, it became longer (5-20 minutes), with an average duration of erection of 2.5 hours (1-5 hours). No patients reported problems with priapism or pain with activation or with erection. All said the erections were sufficient for penetrative intercourse, though one felt they were not as good as when directly iniecting papaverine
Dynamics of Multiple Planet Systems

This chapter discusses the dynamical properties of multiple planet systems. The orbits of these planets evolve due to tidal, resonant, and/or secular (long-term) effects. Basic analytical and numerical techniques can describe these interactions. Multiple planet systems may also evolve chaotically, and some principles of chaos theory are described. Finally, this chapter discusses the current distributions of dynamical properties of exoplanetary systems, possible origins of these distributions, and compares exoplanetary systems to the Solar System.
Approximate Bayesian shrinkage estimation

A Bayesian shrinkage estimate for the mean in the generalized linear empirical Bayes model is proposed. The posterior mean under the empirical Bayes model has a shrinkage pattern. The shrinkage factor is estimated by using a Bayesian method with the regression coefficients to be fixed at the maximum extended quasi-likelihood estimates. This approach develops a Bayesian shrinkage estimate of the mean which is numerically quite tractable. The method is illustrated with a data set, and the estimate is compared with an earlier one based on an empirical Bayes method. In a special case of the homogeneous model with exchangeable priors, the performance of the Bayesian estimate is illustrated by computer simulations. The simulation result shows as improvement of the Bayesian estimate over the empirical Bayes estimate in some situations.
STANDING AGAINST FUTURE CONTINGENCY: ACTIVIST MENTORING IN COMPOSITION STUDIES

This study presents data from interviews with six doctoral students in English who have chosen to stay in their courses of study. They each identified labor histories, specifically legacies of blue-collar work, as grounding their decisions to continue. These doctoral students had in common resistant professional identities and teaching methods as they described similar recognitions of the relative lack of on-the-job injuries and feelings of obligations in giving back to their communities. The participants’ narratives suggest that the decision to stay in graduate school may be influenced by a number of historically situated factors, such as labor ideologies and political, personal, and professional commitments.
Nutraceutical nanoemulsions: influence of carrier oil composition (digestible versus indigestible oil) on β-carotene bioavailability.

BACKGROUND Carotenoids, such as β-carotene, are widely used in foods and beverages as natural colorants and nutraceuticals. We investigated the influence of carrier oil composition (ratio of digestible to indigestible oil) on the physical stability, microstructure and bioaccessibility of β-carotene nanoemulsions using a simulated gastrointestinal tract model. RESULTS β-Carotene nanoemulsions (d < 150 nm) were formed by high-pressure homogenization using sucrose monoester and lysolecithin as emulsifiers, and mixtures of corn oil (digestible) and lemon oil (indigestible) as the lipid phase. All of the nanoemulsions underwent extensive droplet aggregation under mouth, stomach and small intestine conditions. The extent of free fatty acid production in the small intestine increased as the amount of digestible oil in the droplets increased. The bioaccessibility of β-carotene also increased with increasing digestible oil content, ranging from ∼5% for the pure lemon oil system to ∼76% for the pure corn oil system. This effect was attributed to the ability of mixed micelles formed from triglyceride digestion products (free fatty acids and monoglycerides) to solubilize β-carotene. CONCLUSIONS This study provides important information for developing effective delivery systems for lipophilic bioactive components in food and beverage applications. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry
FUSION CURVE AND POLYMORPHIC TRANSITIONS OF CESIUM AT HIGH PRESSURES

The fusion curve of cesium metal has been studied up to 50 000 atmospheres. The curve is unique among elements studied, in that it shows two maxima, one at approximately 22.5 kbar and 197\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C, and a second at approximately 30 kbar and 198\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C. Two triple points have been located. At 195\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C, cesium has four different melting-freezing points and possibly another one at still higher pressures.
Boltzmann equation for a dissociating gas

The incorporation of three-body collisions for dissociation/recombination into the Boltzmann equation is discussed. Conditions are assumed such that collisions are completed in the sense of scattering theory, so the collision operator is determined by scattering and reaction cross sections. The resulting equation has anH-theorem, and the equilibrium solution requires the law of mass action in addition to the Maxwellian dependence on momentum. A brief discussion is given of the normal solution and the transport coefficients.
Ligand-Based Structural Hypotheses for Virtual Screening

The majority of drug targets for small molecule therapeutics are proteins whose three-dimensional structure is not known to sufficient resolution to permit structure-based design. All three-dimensional QSAR approaches have a requirement for some hypothesis of ligand conformation and alignment, and predictions of molecular activity critically depend on this ligand-based binding site hypothesis. The molecular similarity function used in the Surflex docking system, coupled with quantitative pressure to minimize overall molecular volume, forms an effective objective function for generating hypotheses of bioactive conformations of sets of small molecules binding to their cognate proteins. Results are presented, assessing utility of the method for ligands of the serotonin, histamine, muscarinic, and GABA(A) receptors. The Surflex similarity module (Surflex-Sim) was able, in each case, to distinguish true ligands from random compounds using models constructed from just two or three known ligands. True positive rates of 60% were achieved with false positive rates of 0-3%; the theoretical enrichment rates were over 150-fold compared with random screening. The methods are practically applicable for rational design of ligands and for high-throughput virtual screening and offer competitive performance to many structure-based docking algorithms.
Electrically free-standing IrOitx thin film electrodes for high temprature, corrosive environment pH sensing

Abstract In this paper we show that electrodes prepared by d.c. reactive sputtering of iridum oxide on to alumina substrates have utility for pH sensing in high temperature/corrosive aqueous environments. The electrode potential pH response, resulting from a potential-determining reaction between protons from solution and the film, is also transmitted along the film, the alumina rod being an inactive support. With this structure interferences resulting from electrochemical reaction between ions from solution and a substrate metal are precluded, and film peeling due to corrosive attack of such a support-metal is also reduced. We report results of measurements in concentrated acids at temperatures T‘ 100°C and atmospheric pressure, and in dilute aqueous systems at 100°‘ T ‘ 200°C and high pressure in an autoclave.
A distributed data-acquisition system for gamma spectral analysis

Abstract The neutron-activation analysis staff at Los Alamos National Laboratory's Omega West Reactor has designed and constructed a distributed data-acquisition system for handling a large volume of gamma-ray spectra. Currently the system consists of five independent data-acquisition stations connected to a number of workstations via an Ethernet network. Each data-acquisition station supports up to eight detectors operating simultaneously and is capable of initiating automatic sample manipulation including, but not limited to, sample loading, irradiation, spectrum recording and spectrum storage. Control of the data-acquisition station can be accomplished locally with a computer terminal directly connected to the data-acquisition station or via a workstation connected to the network.
BINUCLEATING COORDINATION OF N, N'-ETHYLENEBIS(SALICYLIDENEAMINE) (H2SALEN) TO LOW-VALENT GROUP 6 CARBONYL COMPLEXES

The synthesis and spectroscopic (13C NMR, IR) characterization of two zerovalent metal carbonyl complexes incorporating the tetradentate ligand salen have been accomplished. IR and 13C NMR studies ...
Transition amplitude in the quantum theory of the relativistic membrane

Abstract The transition amplitude between two configurations of the n-dimensional relativistic membrane is written explicitly. Its expression contains coupling terms of order 2n in the ghost fields, despite the fact that the algebra of the gauge transformations is closed in the covariant formalism. The inclusion of these additional coupling terms ensures the BRS invariance of the effective action.
A Method for Producing and Evaluating Probabilistic Forecasts from Ensemble Model Integrations

Abstract The binned probability ensemble (BPE) technique is presented as a method for producing forecasts of the probability distribution of a variable using an ensemble of numerical model integrations. The ensemble forecasts are used to partition the real line into a number of bins, each of which has an equal probability of containing the “true” forecast. The method is tested for both a simple low-order dynamical system and a general circulation model (GCM) forced with observed sea surface temperatures (an ensemble of Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project integrations). The BPE method can also be used to calculate the probability that probabilistic ensemble forecasts are consistent with the verifying observations. The method is not sensitive to the fact that the characteristics of the forecast probability distribution may change drastically for different initial condition (or boundary condition) probability distributions. For example, the method is capable of evaluating whether the variance of a set ...
Regulation of integrin‐mediated adhesion at focal contacts by cyclic AMP

Cyclic AMP (cAMP) elevation causes diverse types of cultured cells to round partially and develop arborized cell processes. Renal glomerular mesangial cells are smooth, muscle-like cells and in culture contain abundant actin microfilament cables that insert into substratum focal contacts. cAMP elevation causes adhesion loss, microfilament cable fragmentation, and shape change in cultured mesangial cells. We investigated the roles of the classical vitronectin (αVβ3 integrin) and fibronectin (α5β1 integrin) receptors in these changes. Mesangial cells on vitronectin-rich substrata contained microfilament cables that terminated in focal contacts that stained with antibodies to vitronectin receptor. cAMP elevation caused loss of focal contact and associated vitronectin receptor. Both fibronectin and its receptor stained in a fibrillary pattern at the cell surface under control conditions but appeared aggregated along the cell processes after cAMP elevation. This suggested that cAMP elevation caused loss of adhesion mediated by vitronectin receptor but not by fibronectin receptor. We plated cells onto fibronectin-coated slides to test the effect of ligand immobilization on the cellular response to cAMP. On fibronectin-coated slides fibronectin receptor was observed in peripheral focal contacts where actin filaments terminated, as seen with vitronectin receptor on vitronectin-coated substrata, and in abundant linear arrays distributed along microfilaments as well. Substratum contacts mediated by fibronectin receptor along the length of actin filaments have been termed fibronexus contacts. After cAMP elevation, microfilaments fragmented and fibronectin receptor disappeared from peripheral focal contacts, but the more central contacts along residual microfilament fragments appeared intact. Also, substratum adhesion was maintained after cAMP elevation on fibronectin—but not on vitronectincoated surfaces. Although other types of extracellular matrix receptors may also be involved, our observations suggest that cAMP regulates adhesion at focal contacts but not at fibronexus-type extracellular matrix contacts. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Spaceborne earth applications ranging system /SPEAR/

A technique is discussed for the accurate (i.e., to within fractions of centimeters per year) detection of earth surface motions utilizing the latest space technology. It is shown that, over a six-day period and assuming a 50% cloud cover (i.e., as experienced over the past few years of laser operation), by using spaceborne precision ranging systems, intersite distances on the order of 5 to 15 km (dependent mostly on the beam width of the laser) can be determined in the vertical and horizontal components, with errors in the 0.5- to 1.5-cm range. These errors are almost independent of ground survey errors up to 0.25 m and orbit errors up to 200 m. A spaceborne laser ranging system is assumed to range to two or more ground-emplaced retroreflectors. This can be done either in a simultaneous or nonsimultaneous mode. Hardware is under development for the latter technique.
Improved Synthesis of the Two-Photon Caging Group 3-Nitro-2-Ethyldibenzofuran and Its Application to a Caged Thymidine Phosphoramidite

A new and efficient route to the recently reported 3-nitro-2-ethyldibenzofuran caging group was developed. Furthermore, its installation on a thymidine phosphoramidite is described. This caging group is efficiently removed through light-irradiation at 365 nm.
Communication tasks in the study of religion and mental health

Some of the tasks of communication involved in the study of religion and mental health have been discussed here. Such tasks are in some ways similar to the tasks of interpersonal communication, requiring those who would establish effective communication to take the time and effort to understand religious and secular disciplines both from the “inside” and the “outside.” Empathie participation in the efforts of those involved in relevant disciplines is needed but also detachment from such efforts in order to see clearly the nature and functions of these disciplines. Various differences between religious and secular disciplines which make for differences in the language used by the disciplines need to be recognized and understood. “Correlation” as a method of relating the contributions of different disciplines to each other and to common problems makes use of the kinds of understanding which have been stressed here. Such a method makes possible “dialogue” between different disciplines without losing the unique contributions and the unique identity of each discipline involved in the “dialogue.”
Effect of nitrogen fertilization on atmospheric methane oxidation in boreal forest soils

Field plots of aspen and black spruce in the Alaskan boreal forest were fertilized repeatedly with nitrogen during the 1993 summer growing season, and weekly determinations of the influence of fertilization on atmospheric CH4 oxidation were made with static chambers. Repeated fertilization with (NH4)2SO4 solution or nutrient media used to culture methanotrophic or nitrifying bacteria gave a total addition of 140 or 580 kg N ha-1. Time-integrated CH4 oxidation was not significantly different in fertilized soils versus watered controls because CH4 oxidation was localized in a subsurface soil zone that was probably not penetrated by surface-applied aqueous phase fertilizer. Insensitivity of CH4 oxidation by these soils to a high rate of N fertilization and the low current rate of atmospheric N deposition suggest that future increases in atmospheric N deposition will not alter the sink strength of high latitude boreal forest soils in the atmospheric CH4 budget. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd.