cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Coastal emissions of methyl bromide and methyl chloride along the eastern Gulf of Mexico and the east coast of the United States

[1] Measurements of methyl bromide (CH3Br) and methyl chloride (CH3Cl) were made during the Gulf of Mexico and the East Coast Carbon (GOMECC) cruise in the summer of 2007. This was the first large-scale study of CH3Br and CH3Cl in the coastal ocean. The mean atmospheric mixing ratios were 10.1 ppt for CH3Br and 517 ppt for CH3Cl. Surface seawater concentrations ranged from 0.8 pM to 5.0 pM for CH3Br and from 61.5 pM to 179 pM for CH3Cl. Biological processes contribute to the elevated seawater concentrations of CH3Br, while a combination of biological processes and terrestrial sources may contribute to elevated seawater concentrations of CH3Cl. Vertical distributions show highest concentrations of CH3Br and CH3Cl in the subsurface seawater below the mixed layer due to high degradation rates near the surface. Good correlation of the production rates between CH3Br and CH3Cl suggests they have some common sources in the coastal ocean. After excluding the open ocean points, annual coastal emissions in the studied region were 0.01–0.06 Gg yr−1 for CH3Br and 0.3–1.6 Gg yr−1 for CH3Cl. By simple extrapolation, the global coastal emissions were estimated at 0.5–3.6 Gg yr−1 for CH3Br and 19–98 Gg yr−1 for CH3Cl. Including the coastal ocean emissions of CH3Br and CH3Cl will increase the estimate of global oceanic emissions by 1%–9% and 1%–8%, respectively.
Cyclic succinic dehydrogenase activity in rat liver mitochondria.

Abstract Succinic dehydrogenase activity was assayed in isolated rat liver mitochondria. Rats had been exposed for at least two weeks to a 24 hour feeding-fasting schedule, 5 hours feeding, 19 hours fasting. Enzyme activity was determined at nine specific hours over a 24 hour period. Lowest enzyme activity occured six hours after the feeding cages had been closed. The highest activity, which was 158 percent greater than the lowest activity, occurred during the next feeding period. It is concluded that time of sacrifice is an important consideration when determining succinic dehydrogenase activity.
Paleomagnetic data from Umbria (Italy) : implications for the rotation of Adria and Mesozoic apparent polar wander paths

Abstract Sixteen new Jurassic and Cretaceous paleomagnetic sampling sites are located in northern Umbria along three river valleys (Bosso, Burano, Sentino). The Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous data are consistent in declination, but not inclination, with previously published data from these valleys. Early Jurassic data from eight sites give site mean declinations which are significantly different from the two site mean declinations of this age which were previously available. Comparison of the data with Cretaceous and Jurassic mean directions from the Southern Alps indicate 20° anticlockwise rotation, relative to the Southern Alps, of this part of northern Umbria during Neogene deformation of the Umbrian fold and thrust belt. If the Umbrian mean directions are rotated to compensate for the tectonic rotation, the Early Jurassic and Cretaceous Umbrian and Southern Alpine pole positions coincide closely with a recently derived African apparent polar path (APWP), implying that Adria moved with Africa since at least Early Jurassic times. The Late Jurassic Umbrian and Southern Alpine poles, however, are not consistent with current APWPs and imply rapid apparent polar wander (in both African and North American coordinates) from high latitude to lower latitude between Bathonian and Oxfordian times.
A signal encoded in vertebrate DNA that influences nucleosome positioning and alignment

Evidence is provided that the nucleotide triplet con-sensus non-T(A/T)G (abbreviated to VWG) influences nucleosome positioning and nucleosome alignment into regular arrays. This triplet consensus has been recently found to exhibit a fairly strong 10 bp periodicity in human DNA, implicating it in anisotropic DNA bendability. It is demonstrated that the experimentally determined preferences for nucleosome positioning in native SV40 chromatin can, to a large extent, be pre-dicted simply by counting the occurrences of the period-10 VWG consensus. Nucleosomes tend to form in regions of the SV40 genome that contain high counts of period-10 VWG and/or avoid regions with low counts. In contrast, periodic occurrences of the dinucleotides AA/TT, implicated in the rotational positioning of DNA in nucleosomes, did not correlate with the preferred nucleosome locations in SV40 chromatin. Periodic occurrences of AA did correlate with preferred nucleosome locations in a region of SV40 DNA where VWG occurrences are low. Regular oscillations in period-10 VWG counts with a dinucleosome period were found in vertebrate DNA regions that aligned nucleosomes into regular arrays in vitro in the presence of linker histone. Escherichia coli and plasmid DNA, which fail to align nucleosomes in vitro, lacked these regular VWG oscillations.
Critical Asthma Syndrome in the ICU

Critical asthma syndrome represents the most severe subset of asthma exacerbations, and the critical asthma syndrome is an umbrella term for life-threatening asthma, status asthmaticus, and near-fatal asthma. According to the 2007 National Asthma Education and Prevention Program guidelines, a life-threatening asthma exacerbation is marked by an inability to speak, a reduced peak expiratory flow rate of <25 % of a patient’s personal best, and a failed response to frequent bronchodilator administration and intravenous steroids. Almost all critical asthma syndrome cases require emergency care, and most cases require hospitalization, often in an intensive care unit. Among asthmatics, those with the critical asthma syndrome are difficult to manage and there is little room for error. Patients with the critical asthma syndrome are prone to complications, they utilize immense resources, and they incite anxiety in many care providers. Managing this syndrome is anything but routine, and it requires attention, alacrity, and accuracy. The specific management strategies of adults with the critical asthma syndrome in the hospital with a focus on intensive care are discussed. Topics include the initial assessment for critical illness, initial ventilation management, hemodynamic issues, novel diagnostic tools and interventions, and common pitfalls. We highlight the use of critical care ultrasound, and we provide practical guidelines on how to manage deteriorating patients such as those with pneumothoraces. When standard asthma management fails, we provide experience-driven recommendations coupled with available evidence to guide the care team through advanced treatment. Though we do not discuss medications in detail, we highlight recent advances.
Cold fusion before Congress

Stanley Pons and Martin Fleischmann took their cold fusion show to Capitol Hill last week, saying they were “as sure as sure can be” that the heat produced in their experiments at the University of Utah is the result of some form of nuclear fusion and vigorously defending themselves against charges that they have set the scientific world on its ear by creating a good battery. The two chemists asked for “tens of millions of dollars” in federal funds to move directly into commercial development of energy devices based on the new discovery, but provided no more than tantalizing hints at what is going on in their experiments.
Heat Conduction in a Functionally Graded Plate Subjected to Finite Cooling/Heating Rates: An Asymptotic Solution

This work investigates transient heat conduction in a functionally graded plate (FGM plate) subjected to gradual cooling/heating at its boundaries. The thermal properties of the FGM are assumed to be continuous and piecewise differentiable functions of the coordinate in the plate thickness direction. A linear ramp function describes the cooling/heating rates at the plate boundaries. A multi-layered material model and Laplace transform are employed to obtain the transformed temperatures at the interfaces between the layers. An asymptotic analysis and an integration technique are then used to obtain a closed form asymptotic solution of the temperature field in the FGM plate for short times. The thermal stress intensity factor (TSIF) for an edge crack in the FGM plate calculated based on the asymptotic temperature solution shows that the asymptotic solution can capture the peak TSIFs under the finite cooling rate conditions.
Internalizing and externalizing behaviors and their association with the treatment of adolescents with substance use disorder

Whereas the treatment outcome research literature for adolescent alcohol and other drug abuse has shown recent advances (R. J. Williams, S. Y. Chang, & Addiction Centre Adolescent Research Group, 2000), significant knowledge gaps remain. A. E. Kazdin (2001) recently observed that one of the key questions for the field is to identify if client characteristics meaningfully mediate or moderate treatment outcome. There is support from the adolescent clinical literature that internalizing and externalizing personality subtypes are related to the onset and course of youth substance use disorders (D. B. Clark & O. G. Bukstein, 1998). The study extends this literature by examining the association of drug use behaviors outcome and subtyped adolescents (internalizers and externalizers; n = 141) who sought treatment at a 12-Step program. The analysis also includes a community-based control group (n = 94). Specifically, we examined the association of subtype and treatment retention and short-term (Year 1) and long-term (Year 4 and Year 5.5) drug involvement outcomes. Externalizers consistently showed poorer outcomes, including poorer treatment retention and greater drug use and drug disorder symptoms at each follow-up point. The treatment implications of the study are discussed.
Mismatch negativity in school-age children to speech stimuli that are just perceptibly different ☆

The mismatch negativity event-related potential (MMN) was elicited in normal school-age children in response to just perceptibly different variants of the speech phoneme /da/. A significant MMN was measured in each subject tested. Child and adult MMNs were similar with respect to peak latency and duration. Measures of MMN magnitude (peak-to-peak amplitude and area) were significantly larger in children than in adults. The results of the present study indicate that the MMN can be elicited in response to minimal acoustic stimulus differences in complex speech signals in school-age children. The results support the feasibility of using the MMN as a tool in the study of deficient auditory perception in children.
Attenuation of radiated ground motion and stresses from three‐dimensional supershear ruptures

[1] Radiating shear and Rayleigh waves from supershear ruptures form Mach waves that transmit large-amplitude ground motion and stresses to locations far from the fault. We simulate bilateral ruptures on a finite-width vertical strike-slip fault (of width W and half-length L with L ≫ W) breaking the surface of an elastic half-space, and focus on the wavefield out to distances comparable to L. At distances much smaller than W, two-dimensional plane-strain slip-pulse models (i.e., models in which the lateral extent of the slip zone is unbounded) accurately predict the subsurface wavefield. Amplitudes in the shear Mach wedge of those models are undiminished with distance from the fault. When viewed from distances far greater than W, rupture is accurately modeled as a moving point source that produces a shear Mach cone and, on the free surface, Rayleigh-wave Mach fronts. Geometrical spreading of the shear Mach cone occurs radially and amplitudes there decrease with the inverse square-root of distance. The transition between these two asymptotic limits occurs at distances comparable to W. Similar considerations suggest that Rayleigh Mach waves suffer no attenuation in the ideally elastic medium studied here. The rate at which fault strength weakens at the rupture front exerts a strong influence on the off-fault fields only in the immediate vicinity of the fault (for both sub-Rayleigh and supershear ruptures) and at the Mach fronts of supershear ruptures. More rapid weakening generates larger amplitudes at the Mach fronts.
Group additivity equations of state for calculating the standard molal thermodynamic properties of aqueous organic species at elevated temperatures and pressures.

Abstract Group additivity equations of state for aqueous organic molecules have been generated by combining the revised Helgeson-Kirkham-Flowers (HKF) equations of state ( Shock and Helgeson, 1988, 1990 ; Tanger and Helgeson, 1988 ; Shock et al., 1989, 1992 ) with experimental values of the standard molal properties of aqueous alkanes, alkanols, alkylbenzenes, car☐ylic acids, amides, and amines. Equations of state parameters for the groups represented by -CH 2 −, -CH 3 , -CHCH 3 −, -C 6 H 5 , -CH 2 OH, -COOH, -CONH 2 , and -CH 2 NH 2 were determined by regression of the experimental data. This procedure permits calculation of the standard molal thermodynamic properties of these groups at elevated temperatures and pressures. Although curves representing the apparent standard molal Gibbs free energies (Δ G °) and enthalpies (Δ H °) of formation, and the standard molal entropies ( S °) of the groups as a function of temperature and pressure are respectively similar for each of them, the temperature dependence of the standard molal heat capacities ( C p °) and volumes ( V °) of a number of the groups are quite different from one another. For example, the standard molal heat capacities of the hydrocarbon groups minimize with increasing temperature, but those of -CH 2 OH and -CH 2 NH 2 maximize. Computed values of Δ G °, Δ H °, S °, C p °, V °, and the equations of state parameters for the various groups were used together with group additivity relations to generate corresponding values of these properties for aqueous n -alkanes, 2-methylalkanes, n -alkylbenzenes, n -alkanols, n -car☐ylic acids, n -amides, and n -amines at temperatures ≤ 250°C and pressures ≤ 1 kbar. The validity and generality of the equations of state are supported by the fact that predicted equilibrium constants for liquid n -alkane solubility reactions in water compare favorably with experimental values reported in the literature for temperatures as high as 200°C. Furthermore, equilibrium constants for aqueous ethane coexisting with ethene at 325 and 350°C at 350 bars predicted from the equations of state are in close agreement with independently determined experimental values reported by Seewald (1994) . The standard molal thermodynamic properties and equations of state parameters reported below provide the means to characterize the thermodynamic behavior of a wide variety of aqueous organic species involved in hydrothermal reactions at elevated temperatures and pressures.
Predicting the Adoption of Web Media Objects for University Course Instruction

This research addresses university faculty's use of web media objects: text, images/graphics, animation, audio and video for course instruction. The purpose of this research was to determine, through multiple regression models, the most influential factors associated with faculty adoption of web media objects. Faculty adoption and implementation of web media objects for course instruction involves three stages: technology, pedagogy, and presentation style. Regression models were developed for each stage. The resulting multiple regression revealed that innovation characteristics: compatibility, trialability, and relative advantage are most important to consider for faculty adoption of web media objects in their course instruction. Guidelines are presented for advanced multimedia training developers and training support systems, and recommendations are made for improving the adoption of web media objects for university course instruction.
Accuracy limits in the determination of absolute optical properties using time-resolved NIR spectroscopy.

We assess typical systematic experimental errors involved in a time-resolvedmeasurement as applied to NIR diffuse optical spectroscopy and investigate their effect on the quantification accuracy of the absorption and the reduced scattering coefficient. We demonstrate that common systematic experimental uncertainties may lead to quantification errors of 10% or more, even when excellent signal to noise ratio conditions exist and accurate photon propagation models are employed. We further demonstrate that the accuracy of the calculation depends nonlinearly on the optical properties of the medium measured. High scattering and low absorbing media can be quantified more accurately than media with low scattering or high absorption using measurements of the same signal to noise ratio. We further discuss curve-shape fitting schemes that aid in improving the quantification accuracy in the presence of experimental errors. Finally, we identify uncertainties that set quantification accuracy limits and we find temporal resolution as the ultimate limiting factor in the quantification accuracy achieved. Our findings suggest that temporal resolution of the order of 10 ps is necessary for quantifying the absorption and reduced scattering coefficient of diffuse media with accuracy better than 5% using curve fitting methods. In that sense this analysis can be used in time-resolved system design and in predicting the expected errors given the technology selected for time-resolvedmeasurements.
Synthesis of Six-Membered Nucleoside Analogs. Part 1: Pyrimidine Nucleosides Based on the 1,3-Dioxane Ring System

Abstract The synthesis of pyrimidine nucleosides, cis-N-1-[(2-hydroxymethyl)-1,3-dioxan-5-yl]uracil (4) cis-N-1-[(2-hydroxymethyl)-1,3-dioxan-5-yl]thymine (5) and cis-N-1-[(2-hydroxymethyl)-1,3-dioxan-5-yl]cytosine (6) and their corresponding trans isomers is described. Compound 4 showed modest, selective activity against human immunodeficiency virus in acutely infected primary human lymphocytes.
Nrf2 activation prevents cadmium-induced acute liver injury

Oxidative stress plays an important role in cadmium-induced liver injury. Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is a transcription factor that up-regulates cytoprotective genes in response to oxidative stress. To investigate the role of Nrf2 in cadmium-induced hepatotoxicity, Nrf2-null mice, wild-type mice, kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1-knockdown (Keap1-KD) mice with enhanced Nrf2, and Keap1-hepatocyte knockout (Keap1-HKO) mice with maximum Nrf2 activation were treated with cadmium chloride (3.5mg Cd/kg, i.p.). Blood and liver samples were collected 8h thereafter. Cadmium increased serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activities, and caused extensive hepatic hemorrhage and necrosis in the Nrf2-null mice. In contrast, Nrf2-enhanced mice had lower serum ALT and LDH activities and less morphological alternations in the livers than wild-type mice. H(2)DCFDA (2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluoresein diacetate) staining of primary hepatocytes isolated from the four genotypes of mice indicated that oxidative stress was higher in Nrf2-null cells, and lower in Nrf2-enhanced cells than in wild-type cells. To further investigate the mechanism of the protective effect of Nrf2, mRNA of metallothionein (MT) and other cytoprotective genes were determined. Cadmium markedly induced MT-1 and MT-2 in livers of all four genotypes of mice. In contrast, genes involved in glutathione synthesis and reducing reactive oxygen species, including glutamate-cysteine ligase (Gclc), glutathione peroxidase-2 (Gpx2), and sulfiredoxin-1 (Srxn-1) were only induced in Nrf2-enhanced mice, but not in Nrf2-null mice. In conclusion, the present study shows that Nrf2 activation prevents cadmium-induced oxidative stress and liver injury through induction of genes involved in antioxidant defense rather than genes that scavenge Cd.
Voluntary exercise and clomipramine treatment elevate prepro-galanin mRNA levels in the locus coeruleus in rats

Abstract Exercise exerts antidepressant effects in humans and rodent models of affective disorders. These effects may be mediated by the upregulation of endogenous factors that exert antidepressant actions. The physiological functions and behavioral actions of the neuropeptide galanin (GAL) suggest antidepressant activity. Previous studies have shown that various modes of exercise elevate GAL gene expression in the locus coeruleus (LC) in rats. The present experiments examined the interaction between voluntary exercise and antidepressant pharmacotherapy. Male Sprague–Dawley rats were provided access to activity wheels (exercise condition) or inoperative wheels (sedentary condition) for 28 days. Rats in each group were injected with clomipramine (10 mg/kg/day) or vehicle throughout this period (for 3 weeks). Prepro-GAL mRNA in the LC was measured by in situ hybridization histochemistry. Exercise and clomipramine treatment significantly elevated GAL gene expression, though prepro-GAL mRNA levels in rats receiving both interventions did not differ from sedentary controls that received vehicle. Prepro-GAL mRNA levels were significantly correlated with running distance. The results further implicate a role for GAL in the antidepressant effects of exercise and pharmacotherapy, though the mechanisms through which these treatments influence GAL gene expression appear to differ significantly.
Rethinking the Keynesian Revolution: Keynes, Hayek, and the Wicksell Connection

As John Hicks famously noted, the macroeconomic theories of Friedrich A. Hayek were once considered the principal rival to those of Keynes. Hayek went ‘into the wilderness’ for many decades thereaf...
Theoretical and analytical embryology of conjoined twins: part I: embryogenesis.

A review of over 1,800 publications concerning the embryology and pathologic anatomy of conjoined twins provides convincing evidence that they all result from the secondary union of two originally separate monovular embryonic discs. This "fusion" theory seems to be confirmed by the adjustments to union and the pattern and incidence of specific anomalies at the proposed sites of conjunction in more than 1,200 cases, all of which can be arranged in two uninterrupted series of cases, the one united dorsally (in the neural tube) and the other, ventrally (over a shared a yolk sac). No theoretical "fission" of the vertebrate embryo at any stage of development, in any plane, in any direction can explain (1) the selection of the observed sites of fusion, (2) the details of the union, or (3) the limitation to the specific areas in which the twins are found to be joined. Part I of this disquisition deals with the pertinent normal and theoretical embryology, the adjustments to union, and the parasitic cases, as well as conjoined triplets and quadruplets, and a comparison of oviparous and viviparous embryos. Part II (in a subsequent issue of this journal) will compare and correlate the abnormalities of the various organ systems involved in 1,200 cases.
Readership of Free Community Papers as a Source of Advertising Information: A Uses and Gratifications Perspective

The free paper is a convenient and relevant advertising information source, performing the functions of providing surveillance information and product values to consumers. Several market segments w...
Supersonic laminar boundary layer separation in a concave corner

Abstract Separation and reattachment of a supersonic laminar boundary layer in a concave corner, due to a free interaction process, are investigated by the Method of Integral Relations. Effects of wall cooling and suction are included. A criterion is established to fix the position of the initial point of interaction between the boundary layer and outer inviscid flow. This is determined by the condition that the integral curve for the pressure passes smoothly through a saddle point just downstream of reattachment. Velocity profiles, pressure, temperature, and skin friction distributions are calculated for typical values of free stream Mach number, Reynolds number, Prandtl number, wall temperature, and wall suction. In one case comparison is made with experiment and good agreement can be obtained in pressure distributions if the usual interaction equation is modified.
The concept of translocational regulation

Biological processes are regulated to provide cells with exquisite adaptability to changing environmental conditions and cellular demands. The mechanisms regulating secretory and membrane protein translocation into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) are unknown. A conceptual framework for translocational regulation is proposed based on our current mechanistic understanding of ER protein translocation and general principles of regulatory control.
Characterization and error analyses of SAGE III water vapor retrieval

This paper presents an overview of the SAGE III water vapor retrieval algorithm. Results of simulated retrieval are shown to demonstrate the advantages of the non-linear optimization algorithm in reducing the influence of the contributions due to interfering species. Diagnostic analyses of the retrieval are conducted to examine the characteristics of the matrices of contribution functions and the averaging kernels. The results indicate that high vertical resolution profiles of water vapor can be retrieved form the SAGE III measurements and the total random errors are less than 10% for altitudes below 42 km.© (2002) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Probabilistic Darwinism: Louis Agassiz vs. Asa Gray on Science, Religion, and Certainty

Despite the professed harmony of science and religion in early to middle nineteenth-century culture, scientific practice gradually veered away from confirmation of religious assumptions. This trend culminated in the shock of Charles Darwin's theory of species development, which troubled many scientists and religious believers both for its explicit naturalism and for the unprovable probabilism at the heart of its method. Two key players — and antagonists — in the reception of Darwinism in America, Louis Agassiz and Asa Gray, actually agreed in their assessment of the probabilistic quality of Darwinism, but they split over how much uncertainty to wel-come into their science and their religion. Agassiz became intellectually marginalized because he continued to demand certainty, while Gray’s acceptance of uncertainty represented a growing trend among intellectuals of science and religion.
Axial length effects on lean NOx trap performance

The effect of axial length on the NO{sub x} reduction performance of two different commercial Lean NO{sub x} Trap (LNT) monolithic catalysts was experimentally investigated in a bench flow reactor. The washcoat composition of one of the catalysts consisted of Pt and K on {gamma}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}; whereas the other catalyst contained a complex mixture of Pt, Pd, Rh, Ba, Ce, Zr, Mg, Al and others. The NO{sub x} removal characteristics of cylindrical monolith segments of constant diameter (2.22 cm) and axial lengths of 2.54, 5.08 and 7.62 cm were evaluated using a simulated lean engine exhaust containing water and carbon dioxide at a constant space velocity of 30,000 h{sup -1}. No significant effects of length were observed when the catalysts were fully reduced with hydrogen between NO{sub x} capture phases. However when the catalysts were only partially regenerated NO{sub x} reduction efficiency increased with monolith length. Intra-catalyst H{sub 2} measurements at different axial locations indicated that at least some of the efficiency loss during partial regeneration occurred when back-mixed H{sub 2} was directly oxidized and became unavailable for nitrate reduction.
Trust in public institutions in Russia: The lowest in the world

Abstract The article's topic is the attitudes of the Russians toward their social institutions. As it will be shown, Russia is a country, much more than any other, that mistrusts its social institutions, political institutions in particular. There is no one institution that can garner more than 40 to 50 percent of the nation's trust. Indeed, in terms of their lack of confidence in social institutions, the Russians are behind not only the most advanced countries in the world, but even countries known for their unstable political systems, such as Colombia or Nigeria.
THE MEDICAL MODEL IN CORRECTIONS Requiescat in Pace Requiescat in Pace

The medical model for corrections, confidently espoused by several generations of behavioral scientists although never empirically validated, is now reeling under attacks from an interdisciplinary (though unorganized) army of critics. Attacking its basic premise (that the offender is “sick” and con be “cured”). the new penologists advocate a justice model based on individual responsibility with uniform penalties consistently imposed for like crimes. Out would go the indeterminate sentence, virtually unlimited judicial discretion, parole, and coerced participation in rehabilitation programs. Deterrence, retribution, and incapacitation would be restored as respectable rationalizations for imprisonment; but in general long prison terms would be reserved only for the habitually violent.
Determination of Total Bromine in Brines by X-Ray Fluorescence

Total bromine in brines may be determined directly by x-ray fluorescence by measuring the peak-to-background intensity ratio of the bromine K-alpha radiation. The accuracy of the determination is unaffected by wide differences in the specific gravity of the brines. Bromine concentrations of 1 to 1000 ppm may be determined in about one minute with an accuracy comparable to that of usual chemical methods.
Strategic debt and patent races

Abstract Most traditional studies of RD under a flow-cost model, debt induces lower RD that is, in a more general model where debt has other uses, the total debt level is reduced when the strategic effect is included. Our empirical study gives support to the fixed, up-front R&D result that higher debt levels are associated with lower overall R&D expenditures.
Understanding Employers’ Use of Labor Market Intermediaries in Filling Low-Level Jobs: Attracting Retainable Employees or Replenishing High-Turnover Jobs?

Labor market intermediaries (LMIs) play a key role in helping disadvantaged job seekers secure jobs and potentially escape poverty. This research examines LMI use from the vantage point of frontline human resource (HR) managers in Chicago hotels. Findings suggest that, overall, HR managers are more likely to use LMIs to fill lower- as opposed to higher-quality jobs. When filling lower-quality jobs, managers turn indiscriminately to several LMIs to fill job openings quickly. When filling higher-quality jobs, managers, especially those with autonomy, adopt a targeted approach, engaging LMIs they believe refer retainable workers. Directions for improving workforce development efforts are discussed.
Cytogenetic studies of individuals from four kindreds with multiple endocrine neoplasia type II syndrome.

Abstract Multiple endocrine neoplasia type II (MEN-II) syndrome is an autosomal dominant condition characterized by medullary carcinoma of the thyroid, pheochromocytoma, and parathyroid adenoma. A cytogenetic investigation was conducted on 13 MEN-II syndrome patients from four unrelated kindreds and 13 age-matched control subjects for chromosome instability and the chromosome 20 deletion reported in MEN-II syndrome. A significant increase ( p A blind analysis of high-resolution G-banded chromosomes was performed on blood specimens from 13 MEN-II and seven control individuals. Twelve of 13 MEN-II patients and one of seven control subjects were scored as having a 20p12.2 deletion ( χ 2 = 12.6; p
INNOVATIVE NONDESTRUCTIVE METHOD DETERMINES FRACTURE TOUGHNESS OF IN-SERVICE PIPELINES

Applications of the innovative, patented Stress-Strain Microprobe (SSM) system, that utilizes an in-situ nondestructive Automated Ball Indentation (ABI) test technique to determine fracture toughness of in-service steel pipelines, are described in this paper. The ABI test provides the actual/current values of fracture toughness properties for base metal, welds, and heat-affected-zones. The ABI-measured key mechanical properties are used with other nondestructive measurements, such as crack/defect sizes (determined from in-line smart pigs or from on-line ultrasound instruments), to determine the safe operating pressure of the pipeline or to necessitate certain rehabilitation actions. The ABI test is based on progressive indentation with intermediate partial unloadings until the desired/required maximum depth (maximum strain) is reached, and then the indenter is fully unloaded. The ABI test is fully automated (using a notebook computer, data acquisition system, and a servo motor), and a single test is completed in less than two minutes. This paper describes two recent field investigations. The first investigation assessed a catastrophic failure that occurred in a natural gas plant on a cold winter night shortly following the leak of liquid natural gas into a natural gas pipeline. The combination of cold temperature and high strain rate near a crack resulted in the destruction of approximately a 12-meter section of a 508-mm (20-inch) diameter pipeline into several hundred small pieces. Since the remaining pieces from the exploded pipeline section were not sufficient to machine destructive tensile and fracture toughness specimens, the SSM system was used to measure the tensile and fracture toughness properties from multiple ABI tests on several pipeline pieces. The ABI-measured tensile and fracture toughness results provided the basis for the fitness-for-service assessment of the remaining pipeline sections of the natural gas plant. The second application involved a fire that occurred due to a leak from a 356-mm (14-inch) diameter Kerosene pipeline. The fire-damaged section of the pipeline was cut out and replaced. As part of the effort to prevent future accidents, the entire 7-km pipeline needed a structural integrity assessment. In-Situ ABI tests were conducted to measure the tensile and fracture toughness properies, from each ABI test, for the fitness-for-service assessment since the carbon steel pipeline had undocumented grade.© 2004 ASME
Retinal GABA neurons: Localization in vertebrate species using an antiserum to rabbit brain glutamate decar☐ylase

Abstract Retinal γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurons have been localized immunocytochemically using a new antiserum against rabbit brain glutamate decar☐ylase (GAD). The animals examined were: dogfish, ratfish, goldfish, catfish, turtle, chick, mouse, rat, pig, rabbit, cat and New World monkey. GAD-containing processes, observed as punctate deposits of immunochemical reaction product, formed discrete bands within the inner plexiform layers of all retinas examined. Immunoreactive, and therefore presumably GABAergic, amacrine cells were observed in all species. Displaced GABAergic amacrine cells were observed in the retinas of goldfish, catfish, turtle and chick, and sparsely in the rabbit as well. GABAergic horizontal cells were detected in catfish, goldfish, chick and turtle. Interplexiform cells in the cat and the rat were clearly immunoreactive for glutamate decar☐ylase; this is the first report of GABAergic interplexiform cells in the rat.
FDB2 encodes a member of the arylamine N-acetyltransferase family and is necessary for biotransformation of benzoxazolinones by Fusarium verticillioides.

Aims: To clone and characterize genes from the mycotoxigenic fungus, Fusarium verticillioides, which are associated with its ability to biotransform allelopathic benzoxazolinones produced by maize, wheat, and rye. Methods and Results: Suppression subtractive hybridization identified F. verticillioides genes up-regulated in response to 2-benzoxazolinone (BOA), including a cluster of genes along chromosome 3. One of these genes, putatively encoding an arylamine N-acetyltransferase (NAT), was highly represented in the subtracted library and was of particular interest since previous analyses identified the FDB2 locus as possibly encoding transferase activity. The gene was subcloned and complemented a natural fdb2 mutant. Conversely, disruption of the gene eliminated the ability of F. verticillioides to metabolize BOA. Other genes in the cluster also were assessed using a complementation assay. Metabolic profiles of fdb2 mutants suggest that minor acylation activity occurred independently of the NAT activity encoded by FDB2. Conclusions: The previously defined FDB2 locus was functionally associated with the gene encoding putative NAT activity, and the FDB2 gene was essential for biotransformation of BOA. The flanking gene FDB3 encodes a putative Zn(II)2Cys6 transcription factor and contributes to efficient BOA biotransformation but was not essential. Significance and Impact of the Study: Biotransformation of benzoxazolinones by F. verticillioides may enhance its ecological fitness in maize field environments and our results provide greater understanding of the genes that modulate the biotransformation process. Additionally, this is the first homologue of the NAT gene family to be characterized in a filamentous fungus.
Regional differences in rat brain lipids during global ischemia.

Membrane lipid degradation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of ischemic brain damage, but there is little information on changes in cerebrosides, sulfatides, and sphingomyelin. We studied regional changes in the quantities of these lipids during complete global brain ischemia in rats.Nitrous oxide-anesthetized rats were subjected to ischemia by a high-pressure neck cuff and arterial hypotension for 0 (control), 3, 10, or 30 minutes (n = 5 at each time). Brain temperature was allowed to fall spontaneously during ischemia, and the brain was frozen in situ with liquid N2 without recirculation. The frontal cortex, hippocampus, and basal ganglia were dissected at -15 degrees C. The lipids were separated by column and high-performance thin-layer chromatography and quantified by charring and densitometry.Total lipid content was higher (p less than 0.01) in the hippocampus (72.6 +/- 2.8 mg/g wet wt, mean +/- SD) than in the frontal cortex and basal ganglia (57.7 +/- 2.1 and 62.6 +/- 1.5 mg/g wet wt, re...
Cyclic GMP Balance Is Critical for Malaria Parasite Transmission from the Mosquito to the Mammalian Host

ABSTRACT Transmission of malaria occurs during Anopheles mosquito vector blood meals, when Plasmodium sporozoites that have invaded the mosquito salivary glands are delivered to the mammalian host. Sporozoites display a unique form of motility that is essential for their movement across cellular host barriers and invasion of hepatocytes. While the molecular machinery powering motility and invasion is increasingly well defined, the signaling events that control these essential parasite activities have not been clearly delineated. Here, we identify a phosphodiesterase ( PDE γ) in Plasmodium, a regulator of signaling through cyclic nucleotide second messengers. Reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) analysis and epitope tagging of endogenous PDEγ detected its expression in blood stages and sporozoites of Plasmodium yoelii. Deletion of PDE γ ( pde γ − ) rendered sporozoites nonmotile, and they failed to invade the mosquito salivary glands. Consequently, PDEγ deletion completely blocked parasite transmission by mosquito bite. Strikingly, pde γ − sporozoites showed dramatically elevated levels of cyclic GMP (cGMP), indicating that a perturbation in cyclic nucleotide balance is involved in the observed phenotypic defects. Transcriptome sequencing (RNA-Seq) analysis of pde γ − sporozoites revealed reduced transcript abundance of genes that encode key components of the motility and invasion apparatus. Our data reveal a crucial role for PDE γ in maintaining the cyclic nucleotide balance in the malaria parasite sporozoite stage, which in turn is essential for parasite transmission from mosquito to mammal. IMPORTANCE Malaria is a formidable threat to human health worldwide, and there is an urgent need to identify novel drug targets for this parasitic disease. The parasite is transmitted by mosquito bite, inoculating the host with infectious sporozoite stages. We show that cellular signaling by cyclic nucleotides is critical for transmission of the parasite from the mosquito vector to the mammalian host. Parasite phosphodiesterase γ is essential for maintaining cyclic nucleotide balance, and its deletion blocks transmission of sporozoites. A deeper understanding of the signaling mechanisms involved in transmission might inform the discovery of novel drugs that interrupt this essential step in the parasite life cycle.
Complementary and alternative medicine use among adults and children: United States, 2007.

Objective—This report presents selected estimates of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use among U.S. adults and children, using data from the 2007 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). Trends in adult use were assessed by comparing data from the 2007 and 2002 NHIS. Methods—Estimates were derived from the Complementary and Alternative Medicine supplements and Core components of the 2007 and 2002 NHIS. Estimates were generated and comparisons conducted using the SUDAAN statistical package to account for the complex sample design. Results—In 2007, almost 4 out of 10 adults had used CAM therapy in the past 12 months, with the most commonly used therapies being nonvitamin, nonmineral, natural products (17.7%) and deep breathing exercises (12.7%). American Indian or Alaska Native adults (50.3%) and white adults (43.1%) were more likely to use CAM than Asian adults (39.9%) or black adults (25.5%). Results from the 2007 NHIS found that approximately one in nine children (11.8%) used CAM therapy in the past 12 months, with the most commonly used therapies being nonvitamin, nonmineral, natural products (3.9%) and chiropractic or osteopathic manipulation (2.8%). Children whose parent used CAM were almost five times as likely (23.9%) to use CAM as children whose parent did not use CAM (5.1%). For both adults and children in 2007, when worry about cost delayed receipt of conventional care, individuals were more likely to use CAM than when the cost of conventional care was not a worry. Between 2002 and 2007 increased use was seen among adults for acupuncture, deep breathing exercises, massage therapy, meditation, naturopathy, and yoga. CAM use for head or chest colds showed a marked decrease from 2002 to 2007 (9.5% to 2.0%).
Traffic State Estimation from Aggregated Measurements with Signal Reconstruction Techniques

The estimation of the state of traffic provides a detailed picture of the conditions of a traffic network based on limited traffic measurements and, as such, plays a key role in intelligent transportation systems. Most of the existing state estimation algorithms are based on Kalman filtering and its variants, which, starting from the current estimate, predict the future state and then correct it on the basis of new measurements. Most often, traffic measurements are aggregated over multiple time steps, and this procedure raises the question of how to best use this information for state estimation. A standard approach that performs the correction only at the time step when the aggregated measurement is received is suboptimal. Reconstructing the high-resolution measurements from the aggregated ones and using them to correct the state estimates at every time step are proposed. Several reconstruction techniques from signal processing, including kernel regression and a reconstruction approach based on convex op...
Glucocorticoids and inhibition of bone formation induced by skeletal unloading

Skeletal unloading or loss of normal weight bearing in the growing animal inhibits bone formation and reduces bone calcium. To determine whether the inhibition of bone formation induced by skeletal unloading is a consequence of an increase in plasma glucocorticoids and/or an increase in bone sensitivity to glucocorticoids, we measured plasma corticosterone throughout the day in unloaded and normally loaded rats (hindlimb elevation model) and examined the effect of adrenalectomy on the response of bone to skeletal unloading. Plasma corticosterone levels were similar in normally loaded and unloaded rats at all times. Skeletal unloading in sham-adrenalectomized animals reduced tibial and vertebral calcium by 11.5 and 11.1%, respectively, and in adrenalectomized animals by 15.3 and 20.3%, respectively. Uptake of 45Ca and [3H]proline in the tibia was reduced by 8 and 14%, respectively, in the sham-adrenalectomized animals and by 13 and 19% in the adrenalectomized animals. Bone formation and apposition rates were reduced to the same level in sham- and adrenalectomized animals. These results suggest that the inhibition of bone formation induced by skeletal unloading is not a consequence of increased plasma glucocorticoids or an increase in bone sensitivity to the glucocorticoids but, rather, point to a local mediator in bone that senses mechanical load and transmits that information to the bone-forming cells directly.
Type E botulism

There are seven known serotypes of botulism, designated A through G; almost all human cases of botulism are caused by types A, B, and E. Botulism type E is the predominant serotype causing disease associated with native Arctic foods. In the circumpolar regions of the world, the coastal soils are rich in botulism type E, and consumption of fish and marine animals in these areas are the sources of clusters of botulism. Unlike spores of type A and B, botulism type E can withstand freezing down to 3.5°C. Alaskan native fermentation of fish heads, fish eggs, and beaver tail allow proper anaerobic conditions for botulinum toxin to be elaborated from Clostridium botulinum. The consumption of whale meat, "muktuk" has also been associated with outbreaks of botulism in Alaska and the Canadian Arctic. Elsewhere in the Arctic regions, type E botulism has been associated with Norwegian "rakfisk" prepared by a process similar to fermented Alaskan foods. Outbreaks in Egypt with the salted gray mullet "faseikh", in Israel and New York linked to salted uneviscerated whitefish "kapchunka", in Iran from eating "ashbal" an uncooked salmon, and in Japan with "izushi" a traditional fermented fish preserved in rice have occurred. Importation of vacuum-packed whitefish from Alaska and Canada has also been associated with sporadic cases of botulism type E in Europe. In March 2010, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention released the heptavalent antitoxin (H-BAT) for use in the USA, under an Investigational New Drug program, as the preferred treatment for food-borne botulism, including type E, which had not been covered by the bivalent antitoxin, the prior approved antitoxin product in the USA.
Periodicity, persistence, and collapse in host-parasitoid systems with egg limitation.

There is an emerging consensus that parasitoids are limited by the number of eggs which they can lay as well as the amount of time they can search for their hosts. Since egg limitation tends to destabilize host–parasitoid dynamics, successful control of insect pests by parasitoids requires additional stabilizing mechanisms such as heterogeneity in the distribution of parasitoid attacks and host density-dependence. To better understand how egg limitation, search limitation, heterogeneity in parasitoid attacks, and host density-dependence influence host–parasitoid dynamics, discrete time models accounting for these factors are analyzed. When parasitoids are purely egg-limited, a complete anaylsis of the host–parasitoid dynamics are possible. The analysis implies that the parasitoid can invade the host system only if the parasitoid’s intrinsic fitness exceeds the host’s intrinsic fitness. When the parasitoid can invade, there is a critical threshold, CV *>1, of the coefficient of variation (CV) of the distri...