cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fe(II) and Co(II) N-methylated CYCLEN complexes as paraSHIFT agents with large temperature dependent shifts

Several complexes of Co(II) or Fe(II) with 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane (CYCLEN) appended with 1,7-(6-methyl)2-picolyl groups are studied as 1H NMR paraSHIFT agents (paramagnetic shift agents) for the registration of temperature. Two of the complexes, [Co(BMPC)]2+ and [Fe(BMPC)]2+, contain methyl groups only on the methyl picolyl pendents. Two other complexes, [Co(2MPC)]2+ and [Fe(2MPC)]2+, contain picolyl groups and also methyl groups on the macrocyclic amines. All macrocyclic complexes are in high spin form as shown by solution magnetic moments in the range of 5.0–5.9μBM and 5.3–5.8μBM for Co(II) and Fe(II) complexes, respectively. The 1H NMR spectra of both of the Fe(II) complexes and one of the Co(II) complexes are consistent with a predominant diastereomeric form in deuterium oxide solutions. The highly shifted methyl proton resonances for [Co(2MPC)]2+ appear at 164 and −113 ppm for macrocycle and pendent picolyl methyls and show temperature coefficients of −0.58 ppm °C−1 and 0.49 ppm °C−1, respectively. Fe(II) complexes have less shifted methyl proton resonances and smaller temperature coefficients. The 1H resonances of [Fe(2MPC)]2+ appear at 105 ppm and −46 ppm with corresponding temperature coefficients (CT) of −0.29 ppm °C−1 and 0.22 ppm °C−1, respectively. The relatively narrow linewidths of [Fe(2MPC)]2+, however, produce superior CT/FWHM values of 0.44 and 0.31 °C−1 for the N-methyl and picolyl proton resonances where FWHM is the full width at half maximum of the 1H resonance. The crystal structure of [Co(BMPC)]Cl2 shows a six-coordinate Co(II) bound to the macrocyclic amines and two pendent picolyl groups. The distorted trigonal prismatic geometry of the complex resembles that of an analogous complex containing four 6-methyl-2-picolyl groups, in which only two picolyl pendents are coordinated.
Breaking the Nation-State’s Spell

Once the bias of methodological nationalism is recognized, the next step is to describe the world in ways that do not unduly privilege the nation-state. This chapter offers resources from the social sciences that help us to break the spell of methodological nationalism. It surveys scholarship in transnational history, transnationalism, mobility, and border studies that provides categories other than the nation-state that play a decisive role in understanding migration. This literature provides a richer and more diverse account of borders that has normative implications which have not received sufficient attention among normative theorists.
Epidemiology of general anesthesia prior to age 3 in a population-based birth cohort.

Background Utilization of general anesthesia in children has important policy, economic, and healthcare delivery implications, yet there is little information regarding the epidemiology of these procedures in the United States.
Perceived Discrimination and Adolescent Sleep in a Community Sample

Sleep is a key restorative process, and poor sleep is linked to disease and mortality risk. The adolescent population requires more sleep on average than adults but are most likely to be sleep deprived. Adolescence is a time of rapid social upheaval and sensitivity to social stressors including discrimination. This study uses two weeks of daily e-diary measures documenting discrimination exposure and concurrent objective sleep indicators measured using actigraphy. We assess associations between daily discrimination and contemporaneous sleep with a diverse sample of adolescents. This novel study shows youth with higher average discrimination reports have worse average sleep relative to their counterparts. Interestingly, youth reporting daily discrimination have better sleep the day of the report than youth who do not.
Diverse Cavity Types and Evidence that Mechanical Action on the Necrotic Granuloma Drives Tuberculous Cavitation

Effacement of normal lung parenchyma by cavities is an important sequela of pulmonary tuberculosis. Despite its clinical significance, the pathogenesis of tuberculous cavitation is poorly understood, with controversy as to whether the fundamental mechanism involves matrix depletion, lipid pneumonia, or mechanical factors. In this study, a repetitive aerosol infection model using Mycobacterium tuberculosis was used to generate cavities in 20 New Zealand white rabbits. Serial computed tomography was performed to monitor cavity progression over 14 weeks. Three-dimensional reconstructions were compiled for each time point, allowing comprehensive four-dimensional cavity mapping. Terminally, cavities were processed for histopathology. Cavities progressed rapidly from areas of consolidation, and often showed a pattern of explosive growth followed by gradual contraction. Cavities formed preferentially in the caudodorsal lung fields, and frequently were subpleural. Cavitation was associated invariably with necrosis. Histomorphology showed four distinct cavity types that provide mechanistic clues and insight on early cavity development. Our study shows that cavitation is a highly dynamic process with preferential formation at sites of high mechanical stress. These findings suggest a model for the pathogenesis of tuberculous cavitation in which mechanical stress acts on the necrotic granuloma to produce acute tears in structurally weakened tissue, with subsequent air trapping and cavity expansion.
Second-Derivative Line-Sharpening Device for Electron Paramagnetic Resonance

A second-derivative line-sharpening device is described which is capable of reducing the apparent linewidth of an EPR signal by half. The principle of operation is field modulation at odd subharmonics of the second field modulation frequency. Accumulation of the sharpening terms in a CAT is found to greatly improve the signal-to-noise ratio of the sharpened spectra and to reduce the set-up time required.
Lysine biosynthesis in Saccharomyces. Conversion of α-aminoadipate into α-aminoadipic δ-semialdehyde

Abstract The reduction of α-aminoadipate to α-aminoadipic δ-semialdehyde by a cell-free extract of Saccharomyces is shown to be a three-step process. First the amino acid reacts with ATP to form an adenylyl derivative. Then the adenylyl derivative of α-aminoadipate is reduced in the presence of NADPH. In the third step the reduced adenylyl derivative of the amino acid is cleaved to form α-aminoadipic δ-semialdehyde. The presence of Mg2+ is necessary for the first and second steps. The third step does not need any cofactors. The product of the first step was isolated by chromatography after incubating the cell-free extract of Saccharomyces with α-aminoadipate, ATP and Mg2+. The isolated product was identified as an adenylyl derivative of α-aminoadipate and could be converted into α-aminoadipic δ-semialdehyde under the stated experimental conditions. The product of the second step was too unstable to be identified.
Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer Reactions of Q B in Reaction Centers from Photosynthetic Bacteria

The reaction center from purple bacteria mediates the initial steps of a light driven proton pump, coupling light induced electron transfer to proton uptake. The key steps in this reaction involve the two electron reduction of the secondary quinone QB with the concomitant uptake of 2 protons: $$ 2H^ + + 2e^ - + Q_B \to Q_B H_2$$
Diffusivity of Mono- and Divalent Salts and Water in Polyelectrolyte Desalination Membranes

The dynamics of ions and solvent molecules in polyelectrolyte desalination membranes is key to water purification technologies in which selective transport of the different components is desired. Recent experimental and our computational results have shown that nontrivial mechanisms underlie the transport properties of salt ions and water in charged polymer membranes. Explicitly, in polymer electrolytes, we found a reversal in the salt concentration dependence of the mobilities of Na+, Cl– salt ions and water molecules when compared with aqueous solutions. Motivated by such results, in this study, we have used atomistic molecular dynamics simulations to probe whether the mechanisms deduced in our earlier work apply to other salt systems and to mixtures of salts. Specifically, we report results for the ion diffusivities in aqueous KCl, MgCl2, and a 1:1 mixture of NaCl and MgCl2 salt solutions at different concentrations (ranging from 0.06 to 1 M) and investigate, at the molecular level, the mechanisms unde...
Exposure to bacterial Curli triggers antibody production and type I interferon activation in lupus patients

Infections are a major contributor to lupus disease. We have previously demonstrated that bacterial amyloid curli, produced by E.coli, can accelerate disease in mouse models of lupus. Interestingly curli incorporates extracellular DNA, which in turn can be both adjuvant and a self-antigen in lupus. Finally, uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) is responsible for the majority of urinary tract infections in SLE. Based on our previous results, we hypothesize that exposure to UPEC triggers anti-curli antibodies, and that curli can also trigger the innate immune system. We investigated 34 lupus patients who met at least 4 SLICC criteria. Results were compared to 17 age, sex and race matched healthy controls. We tested the production of anti-curli/DNA complex for both IgG and IgA subclasses. We than correlated the levels of anti-curli/DNA antibodies with clinical parameters, including anti-dsDNA antibodies and bacteriuria. Finally, we used curli/DNA complexes to stimulate PBMCs from lupus patients and controls and determined the levels by rt-PCR of IL-6 (bacterial response) and MX-1 (type I interferon (IFN I) activation). We found that lupus patients and healthy controls generated anti-curli antibodies of IgG and IgA subclasses. The levels of anti-curli antibodies significantly correlated with the levels of anti-dsDNA antibodies (p=0.029) and persistent bacteriuria (p=0.035) in lupus patients. Finally we found that curli/DNA complexes triggered production of IL-6 and MX-1 in both healthy and lupus PBMCs. Nevertheless, the expression of MX-1 was significantly higher in PBMCs from lupus patients (p=0.012). Our results show that bacterial curli/DNA is a trigger of systemic autoimmunity via activation of IFN I and production of autoantibodies.
Synthesis of sheet-coil-helix and coil-sheet-helix triblock copolymers by combining ROMP with palladium-mediated isocyanide polymerization

We report a synthetic route to construct architecturally well-defined triblock copolymers, in particular copolymers featuring secondary structures that form sheet-coil-helix and coil-sheet-helix motifs, through a macroinitiation strategy that combines sequential ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) with palladium-mediated isocyanide polymerization. Throughout the triblock copolymer fabrication, the individual blocks retained their secondary structures as evidenced by circular dicroism (CD) and fluorescence spectroscopies. Our strategy introduces a facile way to create complex ABC triblock copolymers that contain architecturally-diverse backbones, whilst retaining the ability to control sequence: sheet-coil-helix or coil-sheet-helix.
Payment for Ecosystem Services in Cambodia: Challenges and Potential

Payment for ecosystem services PES has been identified as a sustainable financing strategy for conservation and local livelihood improvement in Cambodia. It is based on a market approach in which ecosystem beneficiaries or users pay money or other nonmonetary incentives to ecosystem service providers or park managers to protect their natural resources. The PES schemes in Cambodia are currently being implemented by conservation organizations and are small scale, operating with a very limited legal basis and unclear property rights. Despite these challenges, they have shown significant impacts on both conservation and local livelihoods. If well designed with legal and political supports, PES could potentially fund the conservation of shrinking natural resources, for which the Cambodian government usually lacks a budget, and improve the well-being of both local communities and business owners.
Supernatural Longing in Yamakawa Tomiko’s Tanka

Yamakawa Tomiko (1879–1909) was one of the ‘leading ladies’ of the Myōjō (Venus) circle of poets. In her decade of poetic productivity before her premature death from tuberculosis at age 29, Tomiko...
Heart Rate Variability as a Biomarker of Neurocardiogenic Injury After Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

The objective of this study was to examine whether heart rate variability (HRV) measures can be used to detect neurocardiogenic injury (NCI). Three hundred and twenty-six consecutive admissions with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) met criteria for the study. Of 326 subjects, 56 (17.2%) developed NCI which we defined by wall motion abnormality with ventricular dysfunction on transthoracic echocardiogram or cardiac troponin-I > 0.3 ng/mL without electrocardiogram evidence of coronary artery insufficiency. HRV measures (in time and frequency domains, as well as nonlinear technique of detrended fluctuation analysis) were calculated over the first 48 h. We applied longitudinal multilevel linear regression to characterize the relationship of HRV measures with NCI and examine between-group differences at baseline and over time. There was decreased vagal activity in NCI subjects with a between-group difference in low/high frequency ratio (β 3.42, SE 0.92, p = 0.0002), with sympathovagal balance in favor of sympathetic nervous activity. All time-domain measures were decreased in SAH subjects with NCI. An ensemble machine learning approach translated these measures into a classification tool that demonstrated good discrimination using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC 0.82), the area under precision recall curve (AUPRC 0.75), and a correct classification rate of 0.81. HRV measures are significantly associated with our label of NCI and a machine learning approach using features derived from HRV measures can classify SAH patients that develop NCI.
Correction to: Teleological epistemology

In Section 3 of the original version, the Weak Evidentialist Norm is given as follows: ‘For every S, p and t, S’s coming to know p at t is permissible’.
Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Individuals and the Negotiation of Identity Development Through Embodied Practices While Traveling: Panopticism and Gendered Surveillance

Using a qualitative approach, with consideration of Foucault’s (1977) concept of panopticism and theories of power in addition to Entwistle’s (2000) notion of the situated bodily practice, we explored the relationships between power, the perceived viewer, and trans people’s appearance-related practices and identity negotiations while traveling to different geographic locations. Across the interviews, four larger themes were identified: emotional labor and dress; travel as a vehicle for identity negotiation; fear of the unknown; and no change in dress while traveling. We theorize that trans people engage in social and cultural constructions of place, and it is through these varied interactions that trans identities, which are marginalized identities, resist and conform to cultural gender norms marking each place a site of trans temporality in identity meaning-making. The unique contribution of our work is how we revealed the varied ways travel connects with conscious development of the authentic self for trans people.
Blanket Exclusions, Animus, and the False Policies They Promote

Saying something is true does not make it so. And saying it louder does not make it truer. But such is the legislative posture behind modern day sex offense registration laws that punish those who commit sex crimes because of entrenched myths that overstate the laws’ positive impact on public safety and exaggerate recidivism rates of offenders. And it is not only registration schemes themselves that have been scaffold-ed by these myths, but numerous ancillary laws that exclude benefits to offenders strictly because they have committed sex offenses. Sadly, this sticky, but false, narrative has provided the animus that galvanized implementation of registration and notification regimes. And in its most recent chapter, the narrative has been formalized into blanket exclusions – or what this article calls “all except for” provisions – that have inserted into a myriad of criminal justice reform efforts without much notoriety. The effect? Registrants and their families have been prohibited from broad-based and important ameliorative changes to the carceral state, many to which they should be entitled, and to which they are denied only because of their status as registrants. Indeed, within comprehensive legislation covering numerous crime and sentencing reforms, these ubiquitous blanket exclusions have the markings of boilerplate language that have been introduced even where the new legislation has no rational relationship to the protection of the public’s safety or the prior sex offense conviction. This article examines the moral panic and false data used to buttress blanket exclusion provisions – their inflated importance obvious. It concludes that these measures, which are un-tethered to public safety concerns, and only supported by governmental and community animus, violate fourteenth amendment protections.
Treatment Patterns and Healthcare Resource Utilization in Patients with FLT3-Mut and FLT3-Wt Acute Myeloid Leukemia: A Multi-Country Medical Chart Study

Introduction: FLT3 is a frequently mutated gene in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with two main types of mutations: internal tandem duplication (ITD) and point mutations in the tyrosine kinase domain (TKD). FLT-mut AML is associated with poor prognosis. With the development of new therapies in AML, especially those targeting FLT3-mut, there is a need to understand the current treatment (tx) patterns and healthcare resource utilization (HRU) among AML patients. The current study used real-world data from medical records to evaluate tx patterns and HRU among adult AML patients. Methods: Hematologists and oncologists were recruited from 10 countries (US, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Japan, and South Korea) from an established physician panel. Eligible patients were randomly selected by physicians and were categorized into 6 cohorts: 1) newly diagnosed (ND) FLT3-mut patients Results: The study included 1,027 AML patients-183 FLT3-mut and 186 FLT3-wt ND patients Conclusions: Using real-world data of AML patients in multiple countries, this study reveals a considerable amount of heterogeneity of tx pattern, including many tx not consistent with tx guidelines. FLT3-mut patients tended to receive more aggressive tx, consistent with fact that the mutation confers a poor prognosis. It also demonstrates extensive HRU among these patients, particularly among R/R cohorts. The study provides timely evidence to understand the current tx landscape and to highlight the substantial unmet needs among AML patients. Disclosures Griffin: Novartis: Consultancy, Research Funding; Astellas Pharma Global Development: Consultancy. Yang: Analysis Group Inc.: Employment; Novartis Pharmaceutical Corporation: Other: Author is an employee of Analysis Group, which received consulting fees from Novartis for this study. Song: Analysis Group: Employment. Kinrich: Analysis Group: Employment. Bui: Astellas Pharma Global Development: Employment.
Effect of Anti-diabetic Drugs on Cardiovascular Mortality And Heart Failure Hospitalizations: A Meta-analysis Study

Introduction Diabetes mellitus is associated with worse cardiovascular outcomes. Unlike previous anti-diabetic medications, recent clinical trials of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists(GLP-1 RAs) and sodium glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors were shown to reduce cardiovascular events. However, it is not known if all new anti-diabetic medications have cardiovascular benefit. We therefore conducted a meta-analysis to determine the effect of GLP-1 RAs, SGLT-2, dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors which are major recent new anti-diabetics on cardiovascular outcomes. Methods MEDLINE/PubMed, EMBASE, SCOPUS and Cochrane database were searched for pertinent studies. We included cardiovascular outcome trials reporting cardiovascular outcomes in GLP1 RAs, SGLT2 and DPP4 inhibitors. We looked at the outcomes of cardiovascular mortality and Heart failure (HF) hospitalization. Random effects model was used to perform the meta-analysis. Results A total of 18 trials with 157,730 patients were included. SGLT-2 inhibitors showed reduced cardiovascular mortality and HF hospitalizations compared to placebo (HR 0.83 95% CI 0.76 - 0.90 and HR 0.68 95% CI 0.62 - 0.75). GLP1 RAs reduced cardiovascular mortality and HF hospitalizations compared to placebo. (HR 0.88 95% CI 0.81 - 0.95 and HR 0.91 95% CI 0.84 - 0.99). DPP-4 inhibitors were associated with higher risks of cardiovascular mortality (HR 0.99 95% CI (0.91 - 1.08) and HF hospitalizations (HR 1.08 95% CI 0.98 - 1.18) compared to placebo. Rank graph meta-analysis showed SGLT-2 inhibitors showed more reduction in cardiovascular mortality and HF hospitalizations than GLP-1 RAs Conclusion SGLT-2 inhibitors are superior in reducing cardiovascular mortality and HF hospitalizations among new antidiabetic drug class whereas DPP-4 inhibitors are associated with worse cardiovascular outcomes.
Where and how to learn: The interactive benefits of contextual variation, restudying, and retrieval practice for learning:

Students are often advised to do all of their studying in one good place, but restudying to-be-learned material in a new context can enhance subsequent recall. We examined whether there are similar...
Optical constants and diffuse reflectance of opaque minerals: A modeling study using magnetite

Abstract We use radiative transfer (RT) models, based upon the Hapke (1993) model, to estimate the imaginary refractive index of magnetite from laboratory reflectance measurements. We used a RT program coupled with a least-squares algorithm to fit measured reflectance data using complex refractive indices of magnetite estimated here and literature values. We included differing representations of the grain size distribution for modeling the measured reflectance of the magnetite samples. Best-fitting models were obtained when using the complex indices of refraction estimated from a specific grain size fraction to fit the same grain size of reflectance data. Magnetite complex refractive indices taken from reported literature studies resulted in the poorest fits to the measured reflectance data. We investigated the multiple-scattering behavior of magnetite using Fresnel's equation and complex refractive indices from literature values and our own estimates. For both we found the reflection coefficient is We compared the calculated Fresnel reflectance using one literature value to the measured reflectances and found that the overall spectral shape was similar to the magnetite diffuse reflectance measurements. However, the magnetite diffuse reflectance is only 30–40% of the calculated Fresnel reflectance. We speculate this may be due to the granular surfaces scattering light into a non-specular angle. Hapke-like models have been successfully applied for estimating optical constants of transparent materials. However, the present study finds that such models may not be appropriate for determining the optical constants of low-reflectance, opaque materials, as the results are not comparable to values of optical constants reported in the literature.
SP safety, autonomy and healthcare simulation practice in the COVID-19 era

This letter expands upon the three tenets of the Healthcare Simulation Manifesto—comprehensive safety, collaborative advocacy, and ethical leadership. To do this, we will discuss two key terms: ‘essential’ and ‘autonomy’ in relation to safety for standardized/simulated patients (SPs). In this time of crisis, simulationists must move the boundary of skills training previously accepted as safe for human beings, and leverage technology to ensure the highest level of safety achievable for our SPs.
Chest X-ray Utilization in Febrile Infants 60 Days or Less in the Emergency Department

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE Of febrile infants aged 60 days or less who present to the Emergency Department (ED), it is reported that 1-10% have a serious bacterial infection. Prior studies have determined that a chest x-ray (CXR) is not indicated for febrile infants in this age range who do not have respiratory symptoms. This is a quantitative study to evaluate if a clinical pathway would decrease the CXR utilization rate at our institution. METHODS This study is a retrospective chart review study that included all patients between the age of 0 to …
Altered toll-like receptors 1/2 frequency and signaling in type 1 bipolar disorder

Bipolar disorder (BD) has been associated with T-cell activation, reduced T regulatory cells (Treg) and low-grade inflammation. Toll-like receptors (TLR) are widely expressed by immune cells (incl. Tregs) and specific binding to pathogen- or danger-associated signals leads to inflammatory responses. Here, we analyzed the frequency of TLR-1, TLR-2, TLR-4, TLR-5 and TLR-6 in monocytes, Tregs and activated T cells from 13 BD euthymic patients and 15 healthy controls (HC). Monocytes were stimulated in vitro with specific TLR agonists (Flagelin, LPS, LTA, BLP and PGN) followed by assessment of inflammatory cytokines (IL-8, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α and IL-12p70). Increased percentages of TLR-1 and TLR-2 monocytes and reduced expression of TLR-5 were observed in BD. Following stimulation, cells of BD subjects presented increased percentages of TLR-1, TLR-2, and TLR-6 monocytes than HC. Increased levels of IL-8, IL12p70 and TNF were observed following stimulation with specific TLR1, TLR-2 and TLR-6 ligands, suggesting increased signaling via those receptors in BD. In contrast to HC, no changes for TLR-5 expression were noted in BD following stimulation. BD also presented increased percentages of Treg expressing TLR-2 as well as activated T cells expressing both TLR-2 and TLR-5. Given the importance of TLR in triggering immune responses, our data suggests an important role of innate immunity for the immune imbalance related to BD, especially to the low-grade inflammatory profile.
The Scintillating Optical Fiber Isotope Experiment

This paper describes the Scintillating Optical Fiber Isotope Experiment (SOFIE) which is being developed by Washington University and the University of New Hampshire to study the abundances of cosmic ray isotopes in the iron charge region. This detector system is a Cherenkov-Range-dE/dx experiment and utilizes range and trajectory detectors made of scintillating optical fibers, a fused silica Cherenkov counter, and plastic scintillator dE/dx counters to determine the charge and mass of cosmic ray nuclei. A brief description of the balloon flight instrument presently being developed will be given followed by initial results of an engineering model calibration at the LBL Bevalac heavy ion accelerator. In addition a brief discussion of the potential of scintillating fiber trajectory detectors for use in experiments requiring precise trajectory determination such as those being planned for the NASA Particle Astrophysics Magnet Facility (Astromag) program is presented.
Galaxy Formation Revisited

The statistical properties of galaxies are used to infer the distribution of specific binding energy with surface density for a range of Hubble types. It is argued that the inferred locus characterizes physical conditions at the end of the dissipative phase of protogalactic evolution. Cosmological fluctuations in density provide the initial conditions at the onset of galaxy formation, and the critical surface density for radiative cooling to have occurred in protogalactic gas clouds provides a necessary lower bound for star formation. If gas is supported in, and eventually driven from, galactic potential wells by energy input from forming and dying stars, many of the statistical correlations found for galaxies can be understood, including those involving luminosity, effective radius, velocity dispersion or maximum rotation velocity, and metallicity.
High Order Accurate Modern Numerical Methods Applicable to Stellar Pulsations

Professor Roe’s beautiful expository article in this volume can be easily read and used by a novice to the field of shock capturing. Our purpose here is to demonstrate that we can go beyond the second order accurate TVD barrier [7] and still suppress spurious numerical oscillations near discontinuities and other steep gradients.
Determination of copper in plasma and serum by use of a microsampling cup in atomic absorption spectrometry.

A microsampling cup procedure is described for rapid, precise determination of copper in plasma. Conventional Delves-cup atomic absorption spectrometry does not yield usable copper signals with blood plasma samples. Analytical sensitivity was improved 11-fold by use of cups fitted with an axial hole, a triangular cup-holding loop, and a smaller-bore absorption tube. The modified procedure yields relative standard deviations of 4-6% at the level of 95 µg of copper per deciliter. Analysis of 100 samples of blood plasma by both the microsampling cup procedure and a solvent-extraction atomic absorption procedure showed no significant difference between the two sets of data ( P <.02).
Optimal Process Planning for Robotic Assembly Operations

A systematic approach for generating optimal process plans for robotic assembly is presented. A CAPP system is proposed which uses a feature database and a connectivity database to generate connectivity graphs and calculate the final position for every part forming a product. It also identifies sub-assemblies, generates feasible assembly sequences and finally performs trajectory planning for the robot arm to carry out the assembly.
Social Influence in Eyewitness Recall: A Meta-Analytic Review of Lineup Instruction Effects

Past research has considered the impact of biased police lineup instructions upon eyewitness lineup performance. Biased instructions either suggest to the eyewitness that the perpetrator is in the lineup or otherwise discourage a “no choice” response. A meta-analysis of 18 studies was employed to review the hypothesis that biased instructions lead to greater willingness to choose and less accurate lineup identifications than do unbiased instructions. The role of moderating variables in the instruction procedure was also considered. In support of the hypothesis, a significantly higher level of choosing followed biased instructions. Lineup type moderated performance accuracy, however. For target-absent lineups the increased level of choosing following biased instructions resulted in reduced identification accuracy. Biased instructions within a target-present lineup generated a higher level of confidence, but had minimal impact on accuracy. Implications for police practice are discussed.
Relaxation rates of electrons in a quantum well embedded in a finite-size semiconductor slab

We calculated the momentum and energy relaxation rates of 2D electrons interacting with acoustic phonons in a quantum well situated close to the surface of a semiconductor slab in which the quantum well is embedded. These rates depend on the mechanical conditions at the surface of the slab and deviate substantially from the values corresponding to a quantum well situated in the bulk of an infinite crystal. At low enough temperatures the quantization of the acoustic modes becomes important and has an effect on the relaxation rates.
Structural Integrity in Merchant Ships

Since World War II, periodic changes in the fabrication, design, and material specifications for ship steels have been made to preclude brittle fractures. These various changes are described briefly, along with a history of fracture control for ships to serve as background information for a discussion of the present-day structural integrity program for ships in the marine industry. As additional information related to the structural integrity of ship structures, a review of two recent ship failures (e.g., the Ingram Barge in 1972 and the Chester A. Poling in 1977) is presented to demonstrate some of the factors involved in brittle fractures of ships. In both of these failures there were other factors contributing to the final brittle fractures that were more important than the notch toughness levels. These factors are reviewed as the basis for an observation regarding the overall structural integrity of merchant ships.
Cytokines and growth factors in airway remodeling in asthma

Airway remodeling in asthma is defined by several structural changes including epithelial cell mucus metaplasia, an increase in peribronchial smooth muscle mass, subepithelial fibrosis, and angiogenesis. Cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors released from inflammatory and structural cells in the airway are considered to play a pivotal role in the development of remodeling. Studies of allergen induced airway remodeling in transgenic mice suggest an important role for TGF-beta, VEGF, Th2 cytokines (IL-5, IL-9, IL-13), and epithelial derived NF-kappaB regulated chemokines in airway remodeling. Although studies of bronchial biopsies from human asthmatics also demonstrate expression of TGF-beta, VEGF, IL-5, IL-9, IL-13, and NF-kappaB regulated chemokines, further human intervention studies are required in which individual cytokines or chemokines are neutralized to define their role in airway remodeling.
Supersonic/Hypersonic Correlations for In-Cavity Transition and Heating Augmentation

Laminar-entry cavity heating data with a non-laminar boundary layer exit flow have been retrieved from the database developed at Mach 6 and 10 in air on large flat plate models for the Space Shuttle Return-To-Flight Program. Building on previously published fully laminar and fully turbulent analysis methods, new descriptive correlations of the in-cavity floor-averaged heating and endwall maximum heating have been developed for transitional-to-turbulent exit flow. These new local-cavity correlations provide the expected flow and geometry conditions for transition onset; they provide the incremental heating augmentation induced by transitional flow; and, they provide the transitional-to-turbulent exit cavity length. Furthermore, they provide an upper application limit for the previously developed fully-laminar heating correlations. An example is provided that demonstrates simplicity of application. Heating augmentation factors of 12 and 3 above the fully laminar values are shown to exist on the cavity floor and endwall, respectively, if the flow exits in fully tripped-to-turbulent boundary layer state. Cavity floor heating data in geometries installed on the windward surface of 0.075-scale Shuttle wind tunnel models have also been retrieved from the boundary layer transition database developed for the Return-To-Flight Program. These data were independently acquired at Mach 6 and Mach 10 in air, and at Mach 6 in CF4. The correlation parameters for the floor-averaged heating have been developed and they offer an exceptionally positive comparison to previously developed laminar-cavity heating correlations. Non-laminar increments have been extracted from the Shuttle data and they fall on the newly developed transitional in-cavity correlations, and they are bounded by the 95% correlation prediction limits. Because the ratio of specific heats changes along the re-entry trajectory, turning angle into a cavity and boundary layer flow properties may be affected, raising concerns regarding the application validity of the heating augmentation predictions.
Computational Study of Methane C-H Activation by First-Row Late Transition Metal LnM=E (M: Fe, Co, Ni) Complexes

Methane functionalization via LnM═E active species (Ln = β-diketiminate, dihydrophosphinoethane; M = Fe−Ni, E = NCF3, NCH3, O) through a hydrogen atom abstraction (HAA)/radical rebound (RR) mechanism is calculated to be thermodynamically and kinetically feasible. The enthalpies of each reaction decrease in the order Fe > Co > Ni and with the proximity of CF3 supporting ligand substituents (“fluorination”) to the metal center. For HAA, lower abstraction enthalpies were calculated for Ln = β-diketiminate and E = NCF3 rather than dhpe and NCH3, respectively, whereas the opposite trend was found for RR enthalpies. The overall functionalization thermodynamics were optimal for Ln = β-diketiminate and E = NCH3, with similar enthalpies for E = O when M = Ni. The HAA kinetics further implicate fluorinated (β-diket)Ni═O as the most promising methane functionalization complexes, with calculated activation barriers as low as 8.1 kcal mol−1.
Theory and Simulation of Solid‐Electrolyte Wide‐Range Sensors for Combustion‐Gas Streams

Clarification of the complex chemical processes governing polarized wide-range air-to-fuel-ratio sensors should enable one to determine characteristics of the system geometry and physical properties necessary for successful sensor operation. To develop a mathematical description of these sensors, the authors have combined well-established theories for electron, electron-hole, and oxygen-vacancy transport within yttria-stabilized zirconia with transport equations that apply to gaseous diffusion within the dense, porous layer that covers the solid electrolyte. Along the interface between the solid electrolyte and the porous layer, a thin platinum electrode catalyzes various chemical reactions and an electrochemical charge-transfer reaction. The model equations have been simplified using an asymptotic analysis which is valid over a broad range of conditions of practical interest; in particular, it is valid for all simulations presented in this work. Model calculations are shown to compare well with experimental data, and acceptable ranges for the four dimensionless groups that dictate sensor performance are considered.
Inheritance of tissue-specific expression of barley hordein promoter-uidA fusions in transgenic barley plants

Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) hordeins are alcohol-soluble redundant storage proteins that accumulate in protein bodies of the starchy endosperm during seed development. Strong endosperm-specific β-glucuronidase gene-(uidA; gus) expression driven by B1- and D-hordein promoters was observed in stably transformed barley plants co-transformed with the selectable herbicide resistance gene, bar. PCR analysis using DNA from calli of 22 different lines transformed with B1- or D-hordein promoter-uidA fusions showed the expected 1.8-kb uidA fragment after PCR amplification. DNA-blot analysis of genomic DNA from T0 leaf tissue of 13 lines showed that 12 (11 independent) lines produced uidA fragments and that one line was uidA-negative. T1 progeny from 6 out of 12 independent regenerable transgenic lines tested for uidA expression showed a 3 : 1 segregation pattern. Of the remaining six transgenic lines, one showed a segregation ratio of 15 : 1 for GUS, one expressed bar alone, one lacked transmission of either gene to T1 progeny, and three were sterile. Stable GUS expression driven by the hordein promoters was observed in T5 progeny in one line, T4 progeny in one line, T3 progeny in three lines and T2 or T1 progeny in the remaining two fertile lines tested; homozygous transgenic plants were obtained from three lines. In the homozygous lines the expression of the GUS protein, driven by either the B1- or D-hordein promoters, was highly expressed in endosperm at early to mid-maturation stages. Expression of bar driven by the maize ubiquitin promoter was also stably transmitted to T1 progeny in seven out of eight lines tested. However, in most lines PAT expression driven by the maize ubiquitin promoter was gradually lost in T2 or later generations; one homozygous line was obtained. In contrast, six out of seven lines stably expressed GUS driven by the hordein promoters in T2 or later generations. We conclude that the B1- and D-hordein promoters can be used to engineer, and subsequently study, stable endosperm-specific gene expression in barley and potentially to modify barley seeds through genetic engineering.
An immunofluorescence method for monitoring DNA synthesis by flow cytometry.

An immunofluorescence method for monitoring DNA synthesis in single cells has been developed for flow cytometry. With antiserum which is specific for 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdUrd) and a second fluorescent label, BrdUrd-incorporation pulses of 30 min are detectable. The fluorescence intensity of the incorporated BrdUrd, as determined by immunofluorescence, is related to the amount of BrdUrd incorporated, as shown by isotopic methods and cell sorting. Thus, the technique may be applicable to determining rates of replication per cell. Multiple samples of as few as 1 × 105 cells can be fixed, hydrolyzed and treated with the anti-BrdUrd antiserum. Nuclear-bound IgG is localized by fluorescein-labeled avidin-D. Since the technique uses whole cells, other parameters such as light scatter and DNA content can be simultaneously monitored so that cohorts of “labeled” cells can be followed through the cell cycle.
Transumbilical catheterization of cerebral arteries.

OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE: For neonates requiring cerebral endovascular procedures, an alternative route of arterial access, the umbilical artery, is described. Transfemoral catheterization, with its attendant risks, can thus be avoided. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: Six neonates with severe cardiac failure secondary to aneurysmal malformations of the vein of Galen underwent transarterial embolization in an effort to reduce flow through the intracranial arteriovenous malformations and therefore improve control of the high output cardiac failure. TECHNIQUE: The transumbilical route was used in each case, with successful devascularization of some of the malformations in all patients. The femoral arteries were preserved for future staged embolizations. No complications related to the umbilical artery catheterization were encountered. CONCLUSION: Femoral artery cannulation in neonates is technically challenging and may result in stenosis or thrombosis of the vessel. The umbilical artery provides an alternative route of vascular access for cerebral artery catheterization and embolization in these patients, preserving the femoral arteries for future interventions.
An inexpensive bottom water sampler

Abstract An inexpensive PVC bottom water sampler for collecting near-bottom water samples at a precise height (0.5 to 2.0 m) above the water/sediment interface is described. The RCD (Reed, Carmichael, de Angelis) bottom water sampler can be used with a standard oceanographic hydrowinch, can be made of readily available material (PVC pipe), costs under $300.00 to build, can be built in under 24 hours, is completely mechanical, and can be modified to fit specific needs. The RCD bottom water sampler was successfully tested in northern California coastal waters at depths up to 1071 m.
Massively parallel implementation of character recognition systems

A massively parallel character recognition system has been implemented. The system is designed to study the feasibility of the recognition of handprinted text in a loosely constrained environment. The NIST handprint database, NIST Special Database 1, is used to provide test data for the recognition system. The system consists of eight functional components. The loading of the image into the system and storing the recognition results from the system are I/O components. In between are components responsible for image processing and recognition. The first image processing component is responsible for image correction for scale and rotation, data field isolation, and character data location within each field; the second performs character segmentation; and the third does character normalization. Three recognition components are responsible for feature extraction and character reconstruction, neural network-based character recognition, and low-confidence classification rejection. The image processing to load and isolate 34 fields on a scientific workstation takes 900 seconds. The same processing takes only 11 seconds using a massively parallel array processor. The image processing components, including the time to load the image data, use 94 of the system time. The segmentation time is 15 ms/character and segmentation accuracy is 89 for handprinted digits and alphas. Character recognition accuracy for medium quality machine print is 99.8. On handprinted digits, the recognition accuracy is 96 and recognition speeds of 10,100 characters/second can be realized. The limiting factor in the recognition portion of the system is feature extraction, which occurs at 806 characters/second. Through the use of a massively parallel machine and neural recognition algorithms, significant improvements in both accuracy and speed have been achieved, making this technology effective as a replacement for key data entry in existing data capture systems.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Venus transit provides viewing and educational opportunities

The transit of Venus across the face of the Sun for about 7 hours on 5–6 June is an astronomical spectacle that will not occur again until 2117. To take advantage of the transit, NASA is planning a number of events, including training various instruments on Venus and having several web-streams about the transit. In addition, NASA has prepared educational materials, is planning events at every NASA field center, and is coordinating and promoting hundreds of other events and activities in more than 140 countries. All told, these outreach activities could reach more than 100 million people, according to NASA.
Low energy sputtering of neutral Cu2 molecules

Abstract The ratios of relative yields of neutral sputtered Cu 2 molecules to neutral sputtered Cu atoms were found to be linearly proportional to the sputtering yield of Cu, from a Cu target under bombardment by Ar + ions (energy 50–90 eV), as determined by secondary neutral mass spectrometry.
Cultural Dimensions, Risk Aversion and Corporate Dividend Policy

ABSTRACT How does risk aversion affect corporate dividend payout? Finance theories have long suggested a relationship between risk aversion and dividends but there is little empirical evidence on the extent of this relationship. In this paper we construct measures of risk based on two cultural dimensions developed by Hofstede (1983, 1991). Using over ten years of data for firms in 14 countries, this study is the first to provide evidence that firms in countries with higher risk aversion exhibit both lower dividend ratios and lower propensity to pay dividends.
CD‐ROM Implementation: A Reference Staff Takes Charge

A mouse hiding in the reference desk at Penn State's library nearly four years ago would have had an earful: “I can't STAND having those patrons crowded all over the reference desk!” “What do you mean, ‘re‐boot’? What the heck is that?” “I don't know how to change paper and ink jets—that's not our job!” While these quotes are approximations, the irritation library staff felt with what they saw as the invasion of unfamiliar technology was very real—and is still remembered.