cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Envisioning the political ecology of mitigation in a microelectronic disaster setting

This article draws on ethnographic data to explore lived experiences and narratives of mitigation unfolding in a toxic waste site in Endicott, New York, the birthplace of International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) and the location of a contentious U.S. EPA Superfund Site. It introduces the political ecology of mitigation concept and showcases how this critical approach to toxics repair can inform contemporary environmental social science discussions of environmental contamination and risk society. Envisioning the political ecology of mitigation, it is argued, calls for an ethnographic approach cognizant of politics of knowledge and expertise that invoke competing visions of mitigation in general and the efficacy of mitigation technologies and science in particular. Mitigation decisions are political and not simply scientific decisions. The political ecology of mitigation explored here pays close attention to the practices and processes through which toxics mitigation is wielded and negotiated. It shows how such practices and processes may inform contemporary perspectives on toxic neoliberal environments and ecologies. Key words: political ecology, toxics mitigation, IBM, neoliberalism, ethnography
Demonstration of a Nuclear Flashlamp-Pumped Atomic Iodine Laser

Experimental and theoretical results are presented on the demonstration of a nuclear flashlamp pumped atomic iodine laser.
The Woman Patient

Women have generally received their health care in settings that have been organized in a hierarchical model, with the physician dominating. The expectation that the doctor, who has usually been male, is informed, helping, authoritative, and protective conforms with the conventional social role of women, who have been seen as compliant, accommodating, and less well informed. This emphasizes the “childlike” position of the woman patient with respect to the “parent” physician. Indeed, in many instances, decisions about a patient’s care have been, and still are, based on a paternalistic view, that is, on the doctor’s understanding of the best interests of the patient. This is exemplified in decisions about female sterilization and abortion. Until recently, these decisions were made largely on the basis of the physician’s assessment of their necessity. Another example is that physician’s attitudes about a woman’s childbearing plans and potential have influenced recommendations for hysterectomy. Similarly, the physician with a woman patient who has breast cancer has found it difficult to empathize with her or to understand her views or decisions if they are different than his. Often if radical surgery is his choice, he has not given serious consideration to her wishes to retain her breasts.
On the human consequences of terrorism

Terrorist attacks are regarded as low-probability, highly consequential events. What, exactly, are the significant effects of terrorism? This paper presents a cross-sectional depiction of the death and injury profiles for nine of the most violent terrorism tactics: six types of bombings, mass shootings, combined shootings and explosions, and intentional vehicular assaults. By constructing a composite injury and death profile for each tactic under study, terrorist incidents can be ranked in terms of the number of disability adjusted lives lost and disability adjusted life years lost. In addition, the human consequences of terrorism as a whole (on an annual basis) are placed in context relative to the global burden of disease and counterterror expenditures.
“Mindful of the hour of conquest”: Welsh Patriotism in Southey’s 1798 Morning Post Poems

This essay examines the six poems on Welsh subjects that Southey published in the Morning Post in 1798, specifically in the context of their being written during a time of political oppression. As scholars have pointed out, during this period Southey masked his poetry’s radical messages in historical or abstract terms in order to evade allegations that he was being politically subversive. But, these accounts have overlooked how in these Welsh poems Southey weaves a radical vision of Welsh history that he ultimately brings into modernity, as well as how this link to the present depends upon contemporary Welsh culture (and various English views of it). This essay focuses on how Southey’s repetition and development of key terms across the poems, such as “patriotism,” “gallantness,” and “stranger,” operate in order to unite Welsh and English people against common transhistorical forces such as “Treachery” and “Power.” A focus on such themes elevates their permanence across time and space, and also allows Southey to bring the people of Britain together through shared histories of conquest and subjugation. Finally, by repeatedly emphasizing Wales’s current pacifism despite its charged histories Southey funnels radical potential into a living community without identifying it as a potential target for repressive state measures.
Endoscopic Management: Decompression and Feeding

Refractory gastroparesis is a challenging disorder and is one of the most common indications for post-pyloric feeding. A feeding tube not only helps maintain metabolic needs but also improves symptoms and reduces hospitalization rates in patients who are unable to maintain nutrition via oral intake but have a normal small bowel function. Gastrostomy tubes can also be used for decompression to relieve symptoms and provide better quality of life.
Novel synthesis of alpha-amino acids via catalysis in air and water.

A new method was developed for the synthesis of natural and unnatural amino acid derivatives via carbon−carbon bond formation in air and water and at ambient temperature.
Power analysis of several normality tests: A Monte Carlo simulation study

In statistical inference, oftentimes the data are assumed to be normally distributed. Consequently, testing the validity of the normality assumption is an integral part of such statistical analyses...
Identifying the Unique Needs of the Aging Population

This chapter highlights the unique needs of the older patient and introduces the student to the remainder of this textbook. Fifteen key points about the care of the geriatric patient are presented. In particular, approaches to dealing with the complexity and subtle presentations of illness are discussed. Concepts such as normal aging, homeostenosis, frailty, polypharmacy, and multifactorial solutions to geriatrics syndromes are introduced. The importance of developing competency in transitions of care, sites of care, and end-of-life care to effectively care for the older patient is discussed.
Blockchain Hype: Irrational Exuberance Redux

MIT Sloan Professor Stuart Madnick is not necessarily predicting a repeat of the dot-com bubble. He is concerned, however, that the proliferation of blockchain hype obscures some serious weaknesses in the technology and makes entrepreneurs overeager to adopt it. Madnick is only half joking when he says that the easiest ways to make money with a startup in the current climate is to put “blockchain” in the company name. Bloomberg.com reported on a version of this phenomenon in October 2017, noting that shares of the British investment enterprise On-line Plc surged 394% in direct response to the company’s new name “On-line Blockchain Plc.”
Results from a Survey of Gravitational Microlensing toward M31

We describe the results of a search for microlensing events affecting stars in the outer bulge and inner disk of M31, due both to masses in M31 and the Galaxy. These observations, from 1994 and 1995 on the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope and KPNO 4 m telescope, are sufficient to rule out masses in the range ~0.003-0.08 M☉ as the primary constituents of the mass of M31 toward this field. Furthermore, we find six candidate events consistent with microlensing as a result of masses of about 1 M☉, but we suspect that some of these may be cases in which long-period red supergiant variables may be mistaken for microlensing events. Coverage from anticipated data should be helpful in determining whether these sources maintain a constant baseline, and therefore they are best described by microlensing events.
Constraints on the Global Mass-to-Light Ratios and Extent of Dark Matter Halos in Globular Clusters and Dwarf Spheroidals

The detection of stars in the process of being tidally removed from globular clusters and dwarf spheroidals in the Galaxy's halo provides a strong constraint on their mass to light ratios and on the extent of their possible dark matter halos. If a significant dark matter component existed either within or beyond the observed stellar distribution, then stars would not be removed. We use numerical simulations to study mass loss from two component star clusters orbiting within a deeper potential. We find a global upper limit on the mass to light ratios of globular clusters, M/L \lsim 2.5, and rule out the possibility that they have extended halos of low luminosity material. Similarly, the tidal tails of dwarf spheroidals indicates that their dark matter halos must be truncated at \sim 400 pc therefore they have total mass to light ratios \lsim 100.
The Domination of Mother in August Strindberg's The Father and Arthur kopit's Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma’s Hung You in the Closet and I’m Feelin’ So Sad

تقدم الأعمال الادبية عدة أنواع من الأمهات واحدة منهم هي المهيمنة. يتناول هذا البحث هذا النوع من الأمهات. ويهدف البحث إلى تسليط الضوء على التأثير السيئ لسيطرة الأم على أطفالها وغيرهم. يقسم البحث إلى ثلاثة أقسام وخاتمة. القسم الاول؛ المقدمة التي توضح أنواع الأمهات والمجتمع الأبوي خلال القرنين التاسع عشر والعشرين. يناقش القسم الثاني الأم الوحشية في مسرحية اوكست ستريندبرغ "الآب" وكيف هيمنتها المفرطة تؤدي إلى جنون الأب. يسلط القسم الثالث الضوء على الأم الوحشية في مسرحية آرثر كوبيت "أوه يا ابي، ابي المسكين، ماما علقتك في خزانة وأنا اشعر بالحزن الشديد" (فيما يلي أوه ابي) التي فيها تحول الأم ابنها إلى قاتل بسبب رغبتها في الهيمنة. تلخص الخاتمة إلى أن كلاهما يمكن اعتبارهما قاتلات بسبب تأثيرهما الضار على من حولهما, خصوصا أفراد أسرهن.
Staying at home

In the spring of 2020, the novel Coronavirus upended life in New Jersey, US, precipitating an unprecedented state lockdown of 9 million residents. The essay reflects on the author’s experience of the lockdown and her relationship to a Syrian refugee woman resettled nearby. The author identifies their shared experiences staying at home and prioritizing the collective good in the midst of a pandemic. © 2021 University of Toronto. All rights reserved.
Using Insights About Perception and Judgment from the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Instrument as an Aid to Mediation

This article contains an analysis of how samples of the general public, lawyers, judges, and mediators compare in how they prefer to gain information and make decisions about it, and how mediator understanding of those different cognitive preferences can be an aid to the mediation of disputes. More specifically, this article argues that mediators can be more effective if they understand how people differ in how they perceive information and judge what to do about it. These differences are illuminated by examining the responses of samples of mediators and others involved in dispute resolution to questions posed by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator instrument (MBTI® or “Indicator”), a widely used psychological questionnaire designed to help individuals learn more about their cognitive preferences. Mediators can benefit from typological insights in a variety of ways. First, if they can understand themselves better, they can perhaps understand others better as well. Second, with typological insight they can look for clues as to how and whether differences in cognitive styles are affecting the disputes. If so, the mediator may use such an awareness to improve their exchanges of information in a way that tends to depersonalize disagreements. Perhaps they can even use typological insights to help each disputant see the issue through the eyes of the other, so that parties may shift from seeing each other as wrong or combative to recognizing that each is working out of a valid personal perspective that needs to be heard and respected in the process of resolving conflict. Disputants whose preferences differ from each other can also be a resource for the mediator if the mediator is able to shape the discussion of some issues to appeal to those differing preferences. The essence of Jungian typological awareness, which the MBTI instrument helps illustrate, is that variations in behavior are often influenced by the differences in the ways people prefer to perceive information and make decisions. Human nature is a vast ocean upon which to sail, and the MBTI instrument is but one chart available to help mediators navigate to solve the “people problem” in disputes which can be influenced by many factors. With an awareness of the Indicator’s limitations, even with appropriate skepticism about it, its cognitive insights may still help mediators, who may in turn help disputants and their counsel reach better resolutions than they might otherwise have achieved.
The Class of Canonical Equations K53 for the Solutions of the System of Linear Algebraic Equations with Random Coefficients. Inverse Tangent and Canonical Laws

Due to the well developed theory of stochastic canonical equations it is possible to describe the limit distributions of the solutions of the system of linear algebraic equations with random coefficients (SLAERC) \( {\Xi _{n\;{\rm{x }}m}}{\vec x_m} = {\vec \eta _n}, \) where Ξ m x n and η n are a random matrix and vector. We show here some nonlinear equations for the solutions of SLAERC: Let \( \vec d_m^T\vec x_m^{(\alpha )} \) be the linear form of regularized pseudosolutions $$ \vec x_m^{(\alpha )} = \;{\left[ {{I_{m\;{\rm{x}}\;m}}\alpha + Z_{n\;{\rm{x}}\;m}^{(s)T}Z_{n\;{\rm{x}}\;m}^{(s)}} \right]^{ - 1}}Z_{n\;{\rm{x}}\;m}^{(s)T}{\vec b_n} $$ of the system of linear algebraic equations \( Z_{n\;{\rm{x}}\;m}^{(s)}{\vec x_m} = \;{\vec b_n}, \) where $$ {\vec d_m}\; \in {\rm{ }}{R^m},\;{\rm{0 }} \le \;{c_1}\;{\rm{ < }}\vec d_m^T{\vec d_m}\; \le {\rm{ }}{c_2}\;{\rm{ < }}\infty {\rm{, }}Z_{n\;{\rm{x }}m}^{(s)}\; = \;{s^{ - 1}}\sum\nolimits_{i = 1}^s {X_{n\;{\rm{x }}m}^{(i)},} $$ \( X_{n\;{\rm{x }}m}^{(i)} \) are independent observations of the matrix A n x m + Ξ n x m where \( {\Xi _{n\;{\rm{x }}m}} = \left( {\xi _{ij}^{(n)}} \right)_{i = 1,\; \ldots \;{\rm{, }}n}^{j = 1,\; \ldots \;{\rm{, }}m} \) is a random matrix with independent entries, \( E\xi _{ij}^{(n)} = 0, \) \( Var\;\xi _{ij}^{(n)} = \;\sigma _{ij}^{(n)},\;{A_{n\;{\rm{x }}m}} \) is a matrix of the size \( n\;{\rm{x }}m,\;n\; \ge m,\;{\vec x_m}\;{\rm{and }}{\vec b_n} \) are vectors, α > 0 is the parameter of regularization.
The Legalization and Bureaucratization of the UN Human Rights System: Progress or Peril?

In 2006, the United Nations Human Rights Council created a new, peer-based mechanism for evaluating states’ human rights practices: the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). The UPR was designed to complement the existing UN human rights instruments - the treaty bodies, the special rapporteurs and the Human Rights Council - and provide an open environment in which all states’ human rights practices are evaluated fairly and equitably. The UPR will complete its first round of evaluations of 192 states in 2011, making this year an important time to examine the UPR’s work. While much has been written on the UPR itself, scholars and practitioners of international relations and human rights know very little about how the UPR works in concert with the other UN human rights mechanisms. This is particularly important as a closer examination of the existing UN human rights infrastructure suggests that the UPR, might in fact, add very little to the UN human rights system. The UPR replicates the scope of rights, member states and the implementation mechanisms available in the existing instruments. Thus, this paper asks: first, why have member states facilitated and encouraged the development of yet another UN human rights instrument when they - and the UN administrators that oversee member states’ human rights records - are at their breaking point? And second, what are the practical and theoretical implications of another layer of human rights bureaucracy on the reform of other UN human rights institutions and the protection of human rights? This paper employs two methods to answer these questions: 1) interviews with stakeholders (UN officials, states’ diplomatic representatives in Geneva, and non-governmental organizations) and 2) process-tracing. Using principal-agent and bureaucratic politics theories, this paper argues that the additional layer of human rights infrastructure was driven by three main factors: 1) regional blocks and competing human rights agendas among the main principals; 2) a shared incentive among states, civil servants and civil society to reform the UN Human Rights system; and 3) a culture of reform at the UN more broadly. Once the UN and its member states reformed the Human Rights Commission, however, the motivation for reform faded and the consensus among stakeholders that more reform was needed broke down. By analyzing these changes in the UN human rights infrastructure, this paper aims to contribute not only to our understanding of the UN human rights system but also to the causes and consequences of the bureaucratization and legalization of human rights.
Single mode broad area PT-symmetric microring lasers

Single-transverse mode lasing is demonstrated in a broad-area PT-symmetric semiconductor microring arrangement. The proposed scheme is versatile, robust to fabrication errors, and allows for high brightness operation while maintaining spectral purity.
Platelet receptor occupancy with factor IXa promotes factor X activation.

Abstract To investigate the activated platelet surface as a locus for factor X activation, the functional consequences of factor IXa binding to platelets were studied. The concentration of factor IXa required for half-maximal rates of factor X activation in the presence of factor VIIIa and thrombin-activated platelets was 0.53 nM, which is close to the Kd (0.56 nM) for factor IXa binding to platelets under identical conditions, determined from equilibrium binding studies. In direct comparative experiments, there was a close correspondence between equilibrium binding of factor IXa to thrombin-activated platelets in the presence of factor VIIIa and kinetic determinations of factor X activation rates. Analysis by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed that 125I-labeled factor IXa bound to platelets was structurally intact and did not form covalent complexes with platelet proteins. Factor IXa active site-inhibited by 5-dimethylaminonaphthalene-1-sulfonyl glutamyl-glycylarginyl chloromethyl ketone was shown to be a competitive inhibitor of factor IXa binding in the absence (Ki = 2.3 nM) and presence (Ki = 0.43 nM) of factor VIIIa and factor X and of factor X activation (Ki = 0.4 nM) by factor IXa in the presence of factor VIIIa, indicating that the generation of factor Xa is not required for factor IXa binding and that factor IXa bound to activated platelets in the presence of factor VIIIa is closely coupled with rates of factor X activation. We conclude that factor IXa bound tightly to a platelet receptor in the presence of factor VIIIa is the enzyme active in factor X activation.
Power Loss Analysis and Comparison of Segmented and Unsegmented Energy Coupling Coils for Wireless Energy Transfer

This paper investigated the power losses of unsegmented and segmented energy coupling coils for wireless energy transfer. Four 30-cm energy coupling coils with different winding separations, conductor cross-sectional areas, and number of turns were developed. The four coils were tested in both unsegmented and segmented configurations. The winding conduction and intrawinding dielectric losses of the coils were evaluated individually based on a well-established lumped circuit model. We found that the intrawinding dielectric loss can be as much as seven times higher than the winding conduction loss at 6.78 MHz when the unsegmented coil is tightly wound. The dielectric loss of an unsegmented coil can be reduced by increasing the winding separation or reducing the number of turns, but the power transfer capability is reduced because of the reduced magnetomotive force. Coil segmentation using resonant capacitors has recently been proposed to significantly reduce the operating voltage of a coil to a safe level in wireless energy transfer for medical implants. Here, we found that it can naturally eliminate the dielectric loss. The coil segmentation method and the power loss analysis used in this paper could be applied to the transmitting, receiving, and resonant coils in two- and four-coil energy transfer systems.
Internal multi-channel conflict: An exploratory investigation and conceptual framework

Abstract Multi-channel distribution is an increasingly important phenomenon in marketing, and the internal organizational dynamics associated with its use are strategically critical in nature. In this study, we focus on conflict internal to the supplier firm among the groups and individuals responsible for managing the various channels. We utilize a research approach consisting of four in-depth case studies with business-to-business marketing organizations to develop a holistic conceptual framework of internal multi-channel conflict and fourteen propositions for research. Results indicate that the life cycle stage plays a moderating role in determining the functionality of multi-channel conflict, that the supplier firm's internal market orientation is a determinant of the extent to which it will engage in internal multi-channel integration behaviors (i.e., superordinate goals, internal coordination and internal communication) and that internal and external multi-channel conflict are closely interrelated constructs.
Environmental pH modulation of collagenase in normal human fibroblast cultures.

Abstract Normal human skin fibroblast cultures have been used to assess the effects of relatively minor changes in environmental pH on collagenase, a major extracellular gene product. Collagenase accumulation in the culture medium, measured both as enzyme activity and immunoreactive material, was 2- to 10-fold greater at pH 7.6–8.2 than at pH 6.8–7.2. The pH-associated increase in collagenase was parallel by an increase in general protein synthesis. Nevertheless, prototypic lysosomal and cytoplasmic enzymes changed very little under identical culturing conditions. Although substantial intracellular protein degradation occurred at all pH values, the small differences either in general protein degradation or in specific collagenase degradation in the medium were of insufficient magnitude to account for the increased accumulation of collagenase.
Response of human REV1 to different DNA damage: preferential dCMP insertion opposite the lesion

REV1 functions in the DNA polymerase ζ mutagenesis pathway. To help understand the role of REV1 in lesion bypass, we have examined activities of purified human REV1 opposite various template bases and several different DNA lesions. Lacking a 3′→5′ proofreading exonuclease activity, purified human REV1 exhibited a DNA polymerase activity on a repeating template G sequence, but catalyzed nucleotide insertion with 6-fold lower efficiency opposite a template A and 19–27-fold lower efficiency opposite a template T or C. Furthermore, dCMP insertion was greatly preferred regardless of the specific template base. Human REV1 inserted a dCMP efficiently opposite a template 8-oxoguanine, (+)-trans-anti-benzo[a]pyrene-N 2-dG, (–)-trans-anti-benzo[a]pyrene-N 2-dG and 1,N 6-ethenoadenine adducts, very inefficiently opposite an acetylaminofluorene-adducted guanine, but was unresponsive to a template TT dimer or TT (6–4) photoproduct. Surprisingly, the REV1 specificity of nucleotide insertion was very similar in response to different DNA lesions with greatly preferred C insertion and least frequent A insertion. By combining the dCMP insertion activity of human REV1 with the extension synthesis activity of human polymerase κ, bypass of the trans-anti-benzo[a]pyrene-N 2 -dG adducts and the 1,N 6-ethenoadenine lesion was achieved by the two-polymerase two-step mechanism. These results suggest that human REV1 is a specialized DNA polymerase that may contribute to dCMP insertion opposite many types of DNA damage during lesion bypass.
Higher Ground: Ethics and Leadership in the Modern University

The vantage point from which this book was developed presents everyone, no matter what his or her place is in the organization, with an up close and personal look at ethics and leadership necessary in governing the modern university.
Hydrolysis of Double-Stranded and Single-Stranded RNA in Hairpin Structures by the Copper(II) Macrocycle Cu([9]aneN3)Cl2

A copper(II) macrocycle functions as an artificial ribonuclease. Cu([9]aneN3)Cl2 hydrolyzes both a 20-base RNA hairpin oligonucleotide and a 31-base sequence of TAR, an RNA sequence found in HIV. T...
An artifact modeling approach for developing integrated engineering systems

Abstract Engineering problem solving can be viewed as a transformation process in which the initial description of an engineering system (artifact) transforms to its final description. This paper presents a single yet powerful approach for modeling engineering artifacts. The approach involves using (1) a symbolic language for representing engineering artifacts in terms of objects and relations and (2) a mechanical strategy for manipulating engineering artifacts. The approach provides a common platform for modeling different phases of the engineering problem solving process, thus facilitating system integration.
Effects of the anesthetics heptanol, halothane and isoflurane on gap junction conductance in crayfish septate axons: A calcium- and hydrogen-independent phenomenon potentiated by caffeine and theophylline, and inhibited by 4-aminopyridine

This study has monitored junctional and nonjunctional resistance. [Ca2+] i and [H−] i , and the effects of various drugs in crayfish septate axons exposed to neutral anesthetics. The uncoupling efficiency of heptanol and halothane is significantly potentiated by caffeine and theophylline. The modest uncoupling effects of isoflurane, described here for the first time, are also enhanced by caffeine. Heptanol causes a decrease in [Ca2+] i and [H+] i both in the presence and absence of either caffeine or theophylline. A similar but transient effect on [Ca2+] i is observed with halothane. 4-Aminopyridine strongly inhibits the uncoupling effects of heptanol. The observed decrease in [Ca2−] i with heptanol and halothane and negative results obtained with different [Ca2+] o , Ca2+-channel blockers (nisoldipine and Cd2+) and ryanodine speak against a Ca2+ participation. Negative results obtained with 3-isobutyl-l-methylxanthine, forskolin, CPT-cAMP, 8Br-cGMP, adenosine, phorbol ester and H7, superfused in the presence and absence of caffeine and/or heptanol. indicate that neither the heptanol effects nor their potentiation by caffeine are mediated by cyclic nucleotides, adenosine receptors and kinase C. The data suggest a direct effect of anesthetics. possibly involving both polar and hydrophobic interactions with channel proteins. Xanthines and 4-aminopyridine may participate by influencing polar interactions. The potentiating effect of xanthines on cell-to-cell uncoupling by anesthetics may provide some clues on the nature of cardiac arrhythmias in patients treated with theophylline during halothane anesthesia.
Some Information Needs for Agriculture

With the mission of "Helping People Help the Land," the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) provides products and services that enable people to be good stewards of the Nation's soil, water, and related natural resources on non-federal lands. Aerial and satellite imagery in the form of digital orthoimagery is the geospatial foundation of the NRCS mission. Imagery is essential to delivering conservation technical assistance to landowners, to data gathering for the soil survey program and the National Resources Inventory (NRI), to program management efficiency, and for carrying out disaster response. NRCS uses both aerial (film and digital) and satellite imagery in meeting its mission responsibilities. One-meter resolution, natural color imagery is used for soil survey program field mapping and digitizing soils boundaries and in the customer service toolkit geographic information system (GIS) for conservation planning at all service centers. Very high (3-6 inch) resolution photography is used to collect natural resource data at the NRI's 800,000 sample points and to monitor wetlands reserve program (WRP) easement compliance. One-meter resolution pansharpened satellite imagery is the choice for areas where aerial collection is difficult because of weather, distance from the contiguous U.S., and cost. In the operational use of imagery, NRCS strives to maximize purchases through cost-sharing agreements and new technologies.
Pathway-selective suppression of chemokine receptor signaling in B cells by LPS through downregulation of PLC-β2

Lymphocyte activation leads to changes in chemokine receptor expression. There are limited data, however, on how lymphocyte activators can alter chemokine signaling by affecting downstream pathways. We hypothesized that B cell-activating agents might alter chemokine responses by affecting downstream signal transducers, and that such effects might differ depending on the activator. We found that activating mouse B cells using either anti-IgM or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) increased the surface expression of CCR6 and CCR7 with large increases in chemotaxis to their cognate ligands. By contrast, while anti-IgM also led to enhanced calcium responses, LPS-treated cells showed only small changes in calcium signaling as compared with cells that were freshly isolated. Of particular interest, we found that LPS caused a reduction in the level of B-cell phospholipase C (PLC)-β2 mRNA and protein. Data obtained using PLC-β2−/− mice showed that the β2 isoform mediates close to one-half the chemokine-induced calcium signal in resting and anti-IgM-activated B cells, and we found that calcium signals in the LPS-treated cells were boosted by increasing the level of PLC-β2 using transfection, consistent with a functional effect of downregulating PLC-β2. Together, our results show activator-specific effects on responses through B-cell chemokine receptors that are mediated by quantitative changes in a downstream signal-transducing protein, revealing an activity for LPS as a downregulator of PLC-β2, and a novel mechanism for controlling chemokine-induced signals in lymphocytes.
Grenville-age orogeny in the Llano Uplift of central Texas: Deformation and metamorphism of the Rough Ridge Formation

Field and petrographic study of the Precambrian Rough Ridge Formation of the Packsaddle Group documents a more complex tectonic history for the Llano Uplift than has previously been reported. The Rough Ridge Formation was affected by at least two metamorphic events and five phases of deformation that may be part of a single progressive event. The predominant mineral assemblages in pelitic and mafic rocks are characteristic of the amphibolite facies at relatively low pressure. Ubiquitous granoblastic polygonal textures overprinting multiple foliations indicate that post-tectonic recrystallization followed dynamothermal metamorphism, a probable consequence of regional reheating during later granite intrusion. The most intense deformation produced isoclinal folds and pervasive axial planar foliation (S2), resulting in complete transposition of original bedding. This foliation cuts an earlier, local foliation (S1) and is folded by small F3 folds and a crenulation cleavage, S3. Both S2 and S3 are cut by a differentiated crenulation cleavage, S4. The most prominent folds in the area and the associated pervasive axial planar cleavage, S5, overprint all earlier structures. In one pelitic unit, oriented inclusions show that garnet formed after S3 and cordierite after S5. Growth and recrystallization of micas, quartz, and feldspars span all phases of deformation. The timing of tectonic and metamorphic events is bracketed by the pretectonic intrusion of the 1,167 ± 15-m.y.- old Red Mountain Gneiss and the post-tectonic intrusion of a 1,080 ± 30-m.y. old melarhyolite dike. Structural and petrologic characteristics of the Rough Ridge Formation indicate that the Llano Uplift underwent a complex tectonic and metamorphic development similar to that described for the Grenville orogeny elsewhere in North America.
Modeling the T cell immune response: a fascinating challenge

The immune system is designed to protect the organism from infection and to repair damaged tissue. An effective response requires recognition of the threat, the appropriate effector mechanism to clear the pathogen and a return to homeostasis with minimal damage to self-tissues. T cells play a central role in orchestrating the immune response at all stages of the response and have been the subject of intense study by both experimental immunologists and modelers. This review examines some of the more critical questions in T cell biology and describes the latest attempts to address those questions using approaches that combine mathematical modeling and experiments.
Transforming Growth Factor β Enhances Respiratory Syncytial Virus Replication and Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha Induction in Human Epithelial Cells

Asthma is characterized as a chronic inflammatory disease associated with significant tissue remodeling. Patients with asthma are more susceptible to virus-induced exacerbation, which subsequently can lead to increased rates of hospitalization and mortality. While the most common cause of asthma-related deaths is respiratory viral infections, the underlying factors in the lung environment which render asthmatic subjects more susceptible to viral exacerbation are not yet identified. Since transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) is a critical cytokine for lung tissue remodeling and asthma phenotype, we have focused on the effects of TGF-β on viral replication and virus-induced inflammation. Treatment of human epithelial cells with TGF-β increased respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) replication by approximately fourfold. Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) mRNA and protein expression were also significantly increased above levels with RSV infection alone. The increase in RSV replication and TNF-α expression after TGF-β treatment was concomitant with an increase in virus-induced p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase activation. Our data reveal a novel effect for TGF-β on RSV replication and provide a potential mechanism for the exaggerated inflammatory response observed in asthmatic subjects during respiratory viral infections.
Intensive combination chemotherapy and interferons in the management of chronic myelogenous leukemia

Compared to single-agent therapy with hydroxyurea or myleran (155 patients), intensive chemotherapy with vincristine, cytosine arabinoside, prednisone and cyclophosphamide (60 patients) or anthracyc-l
X-Ray Astronomy in the Einstein Era

I have chosen as the subject of today’s talk the X-ray observation of extragalactic objects. Since several talks will be given at this meeting regarding the study of nearby normal and active galaxies, I Will confine myself to discuss these objects that are particularly interesting from the point of view of evolution of structure in the universe. In particular I will highlight the progress brought about by the Einstein mission in our understanding of clusters, quasars and X-ray background and on future lines of research on these topics.
Interhemispheric alpha asymmetry and imagery mode

Abstract Interhemispheric alpha activity was measured while subjects were engaged in covertly imaging familiar pictorial material using three imagery modes: “shapes and colors,” “words,” or both. The results showed suppression of alpha activity in the hemisphere which is primarily involved in the cognitive mode being used by the subject.
Microanalysis: Small amounts, small volumes, or both

Abstract The word microanalysis originated as a term to describe the analysis of small amounts of materials (small samples) for major components. For example, Benedetti-Pichler developed this form of analysis to a high level of sophistication. Recently, the term microanalysis has been expanded (correctly or incorrectly) to include the measurement of small amounts of material in a large volume (trace analysis) or microamounts of material in small volumes (microprobe analysis). Instrumental capabilities exist (or soon will exist) in which it is possible to measure small volumes for small amounts. The present paper will present a discussion of some of the problems intrinsic in measuring small amounts of materials and some recent examples of how spectroscopic techniques make it possible to perform microanalysis by any definition.
Calculating significance levels when lod scores are maximized over nuisance parameters

In likelihood based tests of genetic linkage, computing significance levels for the lod score is straightforward when there are no parameters other than the recombination fraction in the likelihood: the tail of the distribution of the lod score is asymptotically one half the tail of the distribution of a a . However, when additional parameters appear in the likelihood, the χ 2 approximation can be quite inaccurate. The source of the difficulty is that the likelihood is mathematically independent of the additional parameters under the null hypothesis of no linkage. Here, it is demonstrated that an approximation developed in Davies (1977) for computing significance levels for likelihood ratio statistics may be used effectively in the context of linkage analysis.
Acute toxicity of dechlorinated DDT, chlordane and lindane to bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) and Daphnia magna.

The acute toxicity of DDT and chlordane formulations was considerably reduced by nickel boridecatalyzed dechlorination. However, the reduction in toxicity was not sufficient to warrant the use of this method for the ultimate disposal of these pesticides. The dechlorination of lindane by this method appears to have potential as a chemical disposal procedure.
Comparison of hydrogen cycling kinetics in NaAlH4–carbon aerogel composites synthesized by melt infusion or ball milling

Abstract This work compares the initial desorption and hydrogen cycling kinetics of NaAlH 4 melt infused into carbon aerogel with NaAlH 4 –carbon aerogel composite synthesized by ball milling. Samples having comparable carbon content (47.4 wt%) prepared by either method yield virtually identical desorption and cycling behavior. Furthermore, the ball milled material can be made with lower carbon content and still maintain only slightly reduced kinetic improvements. Surprisingly, there is no evidence for mixed infused-like and bulk-like behavior even for carbon content as low as 9.1 wt%. Unlike melt infused NaAlH 4 , where co-infusion of TiCl 3 catalyst has proven difficult, the ball milled material can easily accommodate co-doping with both carbon and TiCl 3 . The inclusion of carbon with TiCl 3 results in a modest but significant improvement in kinetics compared to NaAlH 4 doped with TiCl 3 alone, especially for rehydrogenation. Ball milling with activated carbon produces an improvement very similar to that of carbon aerogel, whereas graphene and graphite have smaller effects, in that order. During cycling of the second stage NaAlH 4 reaction, i.e., Na 3 AlH 6 ↔ 3NaH + Al + (3/2)H 2 , addition of either activated carbon or carbon aerogel at 23.1 wt%, but without TiCl 3 , results in kinetic performance as good as or better than NaAlH 4 doped with TiCl 3 .
Short-wavelength-sensitive cones do not contribute to mesopic luminosity.

It has been suggested that the short-wavelength-sensitive cones (S cones) play a significant role in the transition from scotopic to photopic vision (the Purkinje shift). We address this issue directly over a 5-log10-unit range of light levels covering scotopic, mesopic, and photopic vision. At each light level we make flicker matches to two reference stimuli by 2-Hz flicker photometry. The two reference lights (441 and 481 nm) differ only in their stimulation of S cones; each light produces identical quantal catches for rods and M and L cones. This novel technique utilizes the different magnitudes of the rod and cone Stiles–Crawford effects. Despite the large difference in S-cone stimulation by the two reference lights (more than 1 log10 unit), the pairs of luminosity functions are indistinguishable at each light level tested. The results indicate that S cones do not contribute to either photopic or mesopic luminosity.
Modeling of elastic wave scattering by a hole in a half-space

In NDT (nondestructive testing) often a side-drilled hole (circular cavity) is used for calibration. In this paper scattering of ultrasonic waves by a circular hole is studied. The ultrasonic wave is generated by a transducer of finite dimension. A newly developed semi-analytical technique called Distributed point source method (DPSM) has been adopted to solve this problem. Even though this is an old problem the complete field of the scattered waves in presence of a hole in a half space near its boundary has not been shown in the literature yet. The scattered ultrasonic field (stress and displacement) is computed using DPSM and presented in the paper. Solution of this problem will also help us to understand the distortion of the ultrasonic field in the half-space due to the presence of a circular anomaly (cavity or inclusion) which plays an important role in structural health monitoring.
Pulmonary gas transport characterization by a dynamic model.

Abstract A mathematical model is developed which describes and predicts pulmonary transport of N2 and CO. The model is structured as a system of five well-mixed compartments, four of which have variable volumes, arranged in parallel and series. For this structure, the unsteady, mass-balance equations are derived and the effect of parameters investigated. The model may be used to simulate experiments of nitrogen washout and carbon monoxide uptake with normal subjects and those with chronic obstructive lung disease (COLD). With each subject, these experiments are conducted at several levels of tidal volume and frequency under controlled conditions. When all experiments of a subject are simulated, a set of parameter values is obtained that characterizes the volume and distensibility distributions in airways and alveoli and the CO mass transport across the pulmonary membrane. The model has been applied to analyze the differences between normal subjects and those with COLD. The parameters yield quantitative information about abnormal transport which is caused by greater volume inhomogeneities, more distensible airways, and apparently less effective surface area of the membrane. Finally, model and experimental studies show how the effective ventilation of a subject with COLD having a large FRC is improved by increasing Vt/Frc.
Shaped scintillation detector systems for measurements of gamma ray flux anisotropy

The detection efficiencies of cylindrical detectors for various gamma ray photon angular distributions were studied in the energy range from .10 Mev to 15 Mev. These studies indicate that simple detector systems on small satellites can be used to measure flux anisotropy of cosmic gamma rays and the angular distribution of albedo gamma rays produced in planetary atmospheres. The results indicate that flat cylindrical detectors are most suitable for measuring flux anisotropy because of their angular response function. A general method for calculating detection efficiencies for such detectors is presented.
Alterations in cerebrospinal fluid sodium and osmolality in rats during one-kidney, one-wrap renal hypertension.

SUMMARY 1. Measurements of plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sodium and osmolality were made throughout the course of one-kidney, one-wrap Grollman renal hypertension. 2. Although the plasma sodium and osmolality did not rise after 28 days, CSF sodium and osmolality was increased significantly at 3 days postwrap. 3. As a result, the CSF to plasma ratio for both sodium and osmolality was significantly elevated during the initial postwrap period. 4. These observations suggest that an increase in CSF sodium may provide an initiating stimulus for an elevated arterial pressure in one-kidney, one-wrap renal hypertension.
Perfluoroctyl bromide as a blood pool contrast agent for computed tomographic angiography.

Rationale and objectives. We determined whether perfluorooctyl bromide (perflubron) could be used as a computed tomography (CT) angiographic agent by studying vessel visibility (celiac artery, superior mesenteric artery [SMA], and renal arteries) with spiral CT and three-dimensional (3D) reconstructions. Methods. Five rhesus monkeys were examined with a perflubron emulsion (90% [w/v] perfluorochemical; administered intravenously at a dose of 1.5 ml/kg and at a rate of 0.5 ml/sec. Spiral CT was performed immediately and at 5 hr after injection. Three dimensional images of the aorta at the level of the celiac artery, SMA, and renal arteries were reconstructed and blindly rated 0–4 (0=not seen; 4=excellent visualization) by two observers. Results. All the vessels had the best ratings immediately after injection: celiac artery, 2.8±0.42; SMA, 2.7±0.48; left renal artery, 2.1±0.99; and right renal artery, 1.2±1.03. The ratings after the 5-hr delay were as follows: celiac artery, 1.3±1.34; SMA, 1.5±1.08; left renal artery, 1.5±0.97; and right renal artery, 1.2±0.79. Conclusions. Spiral CT angiography with a perflubron emulsion successfully demonstrated all vessels immediately and at 5 hr after contrast agent infusion. Further refinements of the dose, rate, and reconstruction technique are expected to increase vessel visibility over this wide imaging window.
The role of cysteine residues in S100B dimerization and regulation of target protein activity

Previous studies have demonstrated that the two cysteine residues in the calcium-binding protein S100B are required for its extracellular functions. In the present study, a recombinant S100B protein and mutant S100Bs containing one or no cysteine residue(s) have been used to determine the contribution of cysteine residues to S100B dimerization and interaction with the intracellular target proteins aldolase, phosphoglucomutase, and the microtubule associated tau protein. Mutation of C68 to a valine or C84 to a serine, C68 to valine and C84 to serine, or C68 to valine and C84 to alanine did not significantly alter S100B activation of aldolase. However, mutation of C84 to serine resulted in calcium-independent S100B activation of phosphoglucomutase and a loss of S100B inhibition of tau phosphorylation by Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II. The altered functionality of the C84S mutant with phosphoglucomutase and tau was not due to altered physical properties or dimerization state. All of the mutants exhibited heat stability and calcium dependent conformational changes which were identical to recombinant S100B. In addition, S100B proteins containing two, one or no cysteine residues behaved as dimers in size exclusion chromatography experiments in the presence or absence of calcium as well as in the presence or absence of reducing agent. Dynamic light scattering and analytical ultracentrifugation experiments confirmed that dimerization was not affected by calcium or reducing agent. Altogether these results demonstrate that S100B dimerization is not calcium- or sulfhydryl-dependent. In summary, cysteine residues are not necessary for the noncovalent dimerization of S100B, but are important in certain S100B target protein-interactions.