cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Noril'sk only a minor contributor to Arctic haze

The Arctic atmosphere contains considerable pollution aerosol during winter1–4. Although the main source areas of this material, known commonly as ‘Arctic haze’, are not yet known with certainty, chemical and meteorological evidence points increasingly to Eurasia5,6. Aerosol of the North American Arctic seems to come mostly from the central Soviet Union, while aerosol of the Norwegian Arctic comes primarily from Europe and the western Soviet Union2,5–8. Interestingly, pollution sources within the Arctic seem to be generally unimportant regionally. One possible exception is the copper/nickel-smelting complex at Noril'sk, in the Soviet Union (69.4° N, 88.5° E), which is a strong, isolated source near one of the major atmospheric pathways to the Arctic8. The nearest strong sources upwind along this pathway lie at roughly 55° N and 70° E, or 1,500 km south and west. On the basis of its sulphur dioxide emissions, Noril'sk has been suggested to be a major source of Arctic sulphate aerosol9. Using trace elements, we have recently detected the Noril'sk plume at Barrow, Alaska, and now use the resulting data to show that Noril'sk is not a major contributor to Arctic sulphate.
Methods for estimating infant thresholds

Detection thresholds for 1000-Hz, 16-ms tone bursts were estimated for 3- and 6-month-old infants and for young adults. The test procedure used was the observer-based psychoacoustic procedure. Thresholds were estimated using two different adaptive procedures and the method of constant stimuli. There was little difference among the average thresholds determined by any of these techniques. The least variable thresholds were obtained in the method of constant stimuli. In addition, 10 infants at each age completed two 30-trial blocks of trials in the method of constant stimuli; 22 adults completed 8 blocks of 30 trials. For 3- and 6-month-olds and for adults, there was no significant change in average threshold between blocks. Individual 6-month-olds' thresholds rarely changed by more than 5 dB between blocks, and the correlation between the thresholds obtained in the two blocks was significant. Individual 3-month-olds' thresholds, however, sometimes changed by as much as 10 dB between blocks, and the correlation between first and second block threshold was not significant. The effects of response bias on threshold were assessed by examining receiver operating characteristic plots of hit and false alarm rates at threshold and the correlation between false alarm rate and threshold. Although there was some variability in response bias, infant/observer teams tended to respond in an unbiased fashion. In one of the adaptive procedures only, false alarm rate was significantly correlated with threshold. In all procedures, the exclusion of infants with high false alarm rates changed the average thresholds obtained by less than 5 dB.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Impacts of biogenic emissions on photochemical ozone production in Houston, Texas

[1] A regional chemical transport model (CTM) has been employed to assess the influence of biogenic emissions on ozone (O3) formation in Houston, Texas during an eight-day episode of 24–31 August 2000 in association with the Texas Air Quality Study (TexAQS) 2000. The effects of isoprene and monoterpene emissions on O3 photochemistry in this region were investigated. Isoprene emissions played an important role in O3 formation when the O3 plume occurred in the afternoon over the urban Houston area. When the isoprene emissions were decreased or increased by 50%, the O3 concentration was decreased or increased by 5–25 ppb over the urban Houston area, respectively, but the change in the O3 concentration was less than 5–10 ppb over the industrial Ship Channel. Additional sensitivity studies showed that the surface O3 change resulted primarily from local isoprene emissions, although transport of isoprene from the north of the urban Houston area was found to be nonnegligible in the isoprene budget on several days. The contribution of monoterpene emissions to O3 formation was insignificant due to low emission rate and relatively slow reaction rate.
Doing philosophy with words

This paper discusses the coverage of ordinary language philosophy in Scott Soames' Philosophical Analysis in the Twentieth Century. After praising the book's virtues, I raise three points where I dissent from Soames' take on the history. First, I suggest that there is more to ordinary language philosophy than the rather implausible version of it that Soames sees to have been destroyed by Grice. Second, I argue that confusions between analyticity, necessity and priority are less important to the ordinary language period than Soames takes them to be. Finally, I claim that Soames' criticisms of Ryle turn in part on attributing reductionist positions to Ryle that Ryle did not hold.
Control of cortical rigidity by the cytoskeleton: emerging roles for septins.

The cortex is the outermost region of the cell, comprising all of the elements from the plasma membrane to the cortical actin cytoskeleton that cooperate to maintain the cell's shape and topology. In eukaryotes without cell walls, this cortex governs the contact between their plasma membranes and the environment and thereby influences cell shape, motility, and signaling. It is therefore of considerable interest to understand how cells control their cortices, both globally and with respect to small subdomains. Here we review the current understanding of this control, including the regulation of cell shape by balances of outward hydrostatic pressure and cortical tension. The actomyosin cytoskeleton is the canonical regulator of cortical rigidity and indeed many would consider the cortex to comprise the actin cortex nearly exclusively. However, this actomyosin array is intimately linked to the membrane, for example via ERM and PIP2 proteins. Additionally, the lipid membrane likely undergoes rigidification by other players, such as Bin-Amphiphysin-Rvs proteins. Recent data also indicates that the septin cytoskeleton may play a formidable and more direct role in stabilization of membranes, particularly in contexts where cells receive limited external stabilization from their environments. Here, we review how septins may play this role, drawing on their physical form, their ability to directly bind and modify membranes and actomyosin, and their interactions with vesicular machinery. Deficiencies and alterations in the nature of the septin cytoskeleton may thus be relevant in multiple disease settings. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Paramagnetic phase in single-crystal LaMnO 3

We report the observation of a peculiar conductive phase with ferromagnetic interactions and a Curie-Weiss paramagnetism above the cooperative Jahn-Teller orbital-ordering temperature ${T}_{\mathrm{JT}}$ in a single crystal of the single-valent compound ${\mathrm{LaMnO}}_{3}.$ A positive Weiss constant increases discontinuously on raising the temperature through ${T}_{\mathrm{JT}},$ but the Curie constant remains unchanged. Above ${T}_{\mathrm{JT}},$ a nearly temperature-independent resistivity $\ensuremath{\rho}(T)$ and thermoelectric power $\ensuremath{\alpha}(T)$ that, unlike below ${T}_{\mathrm{JT}},$ are insensitive to the oxidation state of the ${\mathrm{MnO}}_{3}$ array are suggestive of charge transport by vibronic charge carriers.
Atmospheric lifetimes and fates of selected fragrance materials and volatile model compounds.

Fragrance materials are semivolatile organic compounds widely used in consumer products. Despite their generally low volatility, it is expected that a fraction of these compounds will volatilize into the atmosphere, where they can photolyze, react with OH radicals, NO3 radicals and O3, and/or undergo wet and dry deposition. Using relative rate methods, rate constants have been measured at 296 ± 2 K for the gas-phase reactions of OH radicals, NO3 radicals, and O3 with the fragrance materials 1-(1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8-octahydro-2,3,8,8-tetramethyl-2-naphthalenyl)ethanone (OTNE), acetyl cedrene [(3R-(3a,3ab,7b,8aa))-1-(2,3,4,7,8,8a-hexahydro-3,6,8,8-tetramethyl-1H-3a,7-methanoazulen-5-yl)ethan-1-one], and HHCB (1,3,4,6,7,8-hexahydro-4,6,6,7,8,8-hexamethycyclopenta-[γ]-2-benzopyran) as well as with isochroman which is structurally related to HHCB. Measured rate constants (in cm3 molecule-1 s-1 units) are OH radical reactions [OTNE, (9.85 ± 0.88) × 10-11; acetyl cedrene, (7.7 ± 1.6) × 10-11; HHCB, (2.6 ± 0.6) × 10-11...
Immunochemical comparison of estradiol-binding molecules in perinatal rat brain cytosol and serum

Abstract Estradiol-binding macromolecules in fetoneonatal rat brain cytosol and serum were compared by immunochemical techniques. When tested by a double diffusion procedure, both cytosol and serum formed precipitin lines with rabbit antiserum specific for perinatal rat serum proteins. These lines fused completely, indicating, within the limits of detection of this particular antiserum, the presence of identical antigenic determinants in the brain and serum. Prior removal of immunoprecipitable material from cytosol or serum, after incubation with the specific antiserum, prevented formation of such precipitin lines. This procedure similarly prevented specific estradiol-binding to macro-molecules. It was therefore concluded that the specifically perinatal, antigenically similar, components in rat brain cytosol and serum (possibly representing alphafetoprotein) are responsible for the estra-diol-binding activity in these two tissue compartments. Measurements of heme concentrations indicated that the alphafetoprotein-like material in the cytosol does not reflect blood contamination, but rather a separate population of similar or identical molecules.
Transseptal left heart catheterization in the pediatric age group.

Transseptal left heart catheterization has been carried out in 20 patients ranging in age from 18 months to 16 years. The left atrium was entered in 85 per cent and the left ventricle in 70 per cent of these patients. No complications occurred, and adequate hemodynamic measurements were obtained in the basal state. This technique appears to be superior to that of left ventricular apical puncture.
A simple model of two-dimensional solid flame microstructure

In Beck and Volpert (2003 Physica D 182 86), we presented a model of condensed phase combustion that attempts to elucidate the effects of spatially localized reaction sites on the propagation of a combustion wave. Heat transfer was assumed to be uniform but the exothermic reactions are allowed to occur only at evenly distributed locations. Under certain simplifying assumptions we showed that the propagation of a one-dimensional combustion wave through such a medium may be described by a history dependent iterative map that relates the times of all previous particle ignitions to the time of the next ignition. In this paper, we consider the propagation of a two-dimensional wave through a channel. For a propagating wave which is semi-planar, we show that the dynamics of the continuous system may be represented by a history dependent map similar to . Iteration of this map demonstrates the existence of a wide variety of travelling waves. Furthermore, a linear stability analysis similar to that of Beck and Volp...
A COMPARISON OF RATIO AND INTERVAL REINFORCEMENT SCHEDULES WITH COMPARABLE INTERREINFORCEMENT TIMES

Pigeons were trained to peck keys on fixed-ratio and fixed-interval schedules of food reinforcement. Both schedules produced a pattern of behavior characterized as pause and run, but the relation of pausing to time between reinforcers differed for the two schedules even when mean time between reinforcers was the same. Pausing in the fixed ratio occupied less of the time between reinforcers for shorter interreinforcer times. For two of three birds, the relation was reversed at longer interreinforcer times. As an interreinforcer time elapsed, there was an increasing tendency to return to responding for the fixed interval, but a roughly constant tendency to return to responding for the fixed-ratio schedule. In Experiment 1 these observations were made for both single-reinforcement schedules and multiple schedules of fixed-ratio and fixed-interval reinforcement. In Experiment 2 the observations were extended to a comparison of fixed-ratio versus variable-interval reinforcement schedules, where the distribution of interreinforcement times in the variable interval approximated that for the fixed ratio.
Molecular-dynamics simulations of collisions of Ne with La @ C 82

Collisions of Ne with endohedral $\mathrm{La}@{\mathrm{C}}_{82}$ at a center-of-mass energy of 1.44 keV have been investigated using molecular dynamics. The interactions among the C atoms are modeled using the empirical potential of Takai et al., which includes two- and three-body terms. All other interactions are treated using two-body potentials. A total of about 7200 trajectories are calculated, using randomly selected initial orientations of the fullerene and impact parameters in the range 0.5 \AA{} to 6.0 \AA{}. The trajectories are analyzed to determine the energy transferred to the fullerene target and the pattern of fragmentation of the target following the impact. The average energy transferred at a given impact parameter is well correlated with the density of C atoms in the path of the incident projectile. The fragmentation data can be compared with recent experiments of Lorents et al. on the similar system $\mathrm{Ne}\ensuremath{-}(\mathrm{La}@{\mathrm{C}}_{82}{)}^{+}$. We find a narrower distribution of fragment sizes than these experiments. We also see no preference for the production of fullerene fragments with even numbers of C atoms. However, we analyze the fragments only about 80 fs after impact, and at that time they have sufficient internal energy to split even further. Since the experimental mass analysis takes place about a microsecond after the collision, our results suggest that further fragmentation and equilibration into the more stable fragments with an even number of C atoms takes place well after the collision.
An instrument for sorting of magnetic microparticles in a magnetic field gradient.

Background: The goal of our bioassay technique is to demonstrate high throughput, highly parallel, and high sensitivity quantitative molecular analysis that will expand current biomedical research capabilities. To this end, we have built and characterized a magnetophoresis instrument using a flow chamber in a magnetic field gradient to sort magnetic microparticles by their magnetic moment for eventual use as biological labels. Methods: The flow chamber consists of a sample inlet, differential sheath streams, and eight outlets for collecting the microparticles after they have traversed the chamber. Magnetic microparticles are injected into the flow chamber that is positioned in a linear magnetic field gradient. The trajectory for each microparticle is determined by its total magnetic moment and size. The resulting populations of monodispersed magnetic microparticles in the different outlet bins are sorted by their magnetic moment; with the highest magnetic moments being deflected the furthest. Results: We have characterized the system for sorting both superparamagnetic and ferromagnetic microparticles with approximate diameters of 8 μm and 4.0–4.9 μm, respectively. To characterize the instrument, we used microparticles with a known size distribution and varied the transit time through the chamber. This is equivalent to varying the magnetic moment, while allowing us to hold the particle properties constant from run-to-run. We demonstrated the ability to reproducibly change the distribution of the particles in the collection bins by varying transit time in good agreement with theory. We identified hydrodynamic instabilities responsible for causing dispersion in the flow. Improvements to the flow chamber hydrodynamics such as reducing the aspect ratio between the sample inlet and the chamber depth and stabilizing the sheath flow resulted in narrow sorting distributions. We measured a sorting reproducibility (percentage of particles returning to their original bin upon resorting individual populations) of 84–89%. Conclusions: We have developed a simple magnetophoresis system for reproducibly sorting magnetic microparticles. This technique will permit the use of microparticles with a wide range of magnetic moments to create a wide range of magnetic labels. Careful consideration of system design and operational parameters enables reliable and reproducible sorting of microparticles with varying size and magnetic content. © 2006 International Society for Analytical Cytology
Effect of oxidized nucleotide coenzymes and mercaptoethanol on stabilization of plant dehydrogenase activity in crude extracts

Activity loss of 6-phosphogluconate, glucose-6-phosphate, and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenases occurs in crude plant extracts prepared with insoluble polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and a reducing agent, such as mercaptoethanol. Oxidized nucleotide coenzymes (1 mM), in addition to mercaptoethanol (100 mM), in the extraction buffer stabilizes activity of these dehydrogenases in extracts from both woody and herbaceous plants. PVP and mercaptoethanol alone equally stabilize malate dehydrogenase from most species tested. The mercaptoethanol and coenzyme treatment has proven useful in quantification, purification, and characterization of dehydrogenases in physiological investigations.
Mesoscale air quality under stagnant synoptic cold season conditions in the Lake Powell area

Abstract Mesoscale air quality under stagnant synoptic cold season conditions in the Lake Powell area is characterized through climatological, topographical and numerical studies. Using a synoptic climatological classification scheme, it is found that during the winter this region is dominated by stagnant conditions associated with slow-moving high pressure systems. Using topographic analyses, the Lake Powell area across S Utah and N Arizona can be regarded as a trapping basin which enhances pollution accumulation significantly under stagnant conditions. By applying a mesoscale meteorological model and a Lagrangian particle dispersion model, the dispersion characteristics of pollution from local sources are simulated for this situation. The results demonstrate the trapping and recirculation characteristics of the Lake Powell area for the commonly observed southwesterly synoptic flow just to the west of a surface polar high pressure system. Under such conditions during the winter, accumulation of pollution from local sources is expected to degrade the air quality in this region.
A technique for locating virtual trajectories during dynamic tasks

The concept of impedance control has been extraordinarily helpful in organizing our understanding of posture and reaching movements, and may also be the key to developing a comprehensive theory of human motor control in which posture and movement are seen as special cases of general interactive behaviour. Experimental verification of this theory requires the ability to measure the virtual trajectory of the subject's limb. In this paper, we describe an approach to this problem and present some simulation results.
Chronic administration of the luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) antagonist Cetrorelix decreases gonadotrope responsiveness and pituitary LHRH receptor messenger ribonucleic acid levels in rats

Continuous exposure to LHRH or its agonistic analogs results in a reduction of LHRH receptor sites and messenger RNA (mRNA) transcripts as well as in desensitization of the pituitary gonadotropes. To determine, whether LHRH antagonists might be similar in this respect to the agonists, we treated male rats for 4 weeks with daily sc injections of LHRH antagonist [Ac-D-Nal2,Phe(4Cl)2,D-Pal(3)3, D-Cit6,D-Ala10]LHRH (Cetrorelix acetate) or LHRH agonist, [D-Trp6]LHRH, in doses of 100 micrograms/animal-day. Another group of rats received a single im injection of 4.5 mg Cetrorelix pamoate depot, a sustained delivery formulation of the LHRH antagonist. An iv stimulation test with LHRH (200 ng/rat) was performed after 4 weeks of treatment. The rats were killed, and pituitary LHRH receptor characteristics were measured by RRA. To examine the effect of LHRH antagonist treatment on the expression of the pituitary LHRH receptor gene, some of the rats injected with Cetrorelix pamoate depot were killed after 2 weeks, and levels of LHRH receptor mRNA were determined by Northern blot and dot blot hybridization to a 32P-labeled rat complementary DNA probe. Our data show that LHRH-stimulated LH secretion at 30 min was suppressed by approximately 33% (P < 0.01) in rats pretreated with [D-Trp6]LHRH compared to that in animals injected with LHRH alone. Pretreatment of the rats with the LHRH antagonist suppressed the LH response to LHRH more markedly, the LH levels at 30 min were decreased by 89.8% and 96% in groups treated with Cetrorelix acetate and Cetrorelix pamoate depot, respectively. The testosterone response was virtually abolished in groups receiving Cetrorelix. The concentration of pituitary receptors for LHRH fell by 69% in the [D-Trp6]LHRH group, whereas the reductions in the Cetrorelix acetate group and in the group that received Cetrorelix pamoate depot were 77% and 82%, respectively. Treatment with Cetrorelix pamoate depot led to a 75-80% decrease in the levels of 5.0- and 4.5-kilobase forms of LHRH receptor mRNA compared to those in the control group. Dot blot analysis also showed 83% reduction in the mRNA for LHRH receptor. In conclusion, these data demonstrate that prolonged administration of LHRH antagonists such as Cetrorelix causes an impairment of gonadotropin secretion and a marked decrease in the levels of LHRH receptors as well as in the expression of the LHRH receptor gene. Thus, the down-regulation of pituitary LHRH receptors produced by LHRH antagonists appears to be similar to that resulting from the agonists.
Particle-in-Cell Simulations of the Magnetically Insulated Transmission Lines and Post-Hole Convolute of ZR

Summary form given only. The refurbishment of the Z accelerator at Sandia National Laboratories, the "ZR project" , is scheduled for completion in June 2007. The vacuum section will be topologically similar to Z, but with new hardware for the four magnetically insulated transmission lines (MITLs), and the double post-hole convolute. It must operate reliably at ~40% higher voltage and ~30% higher current than on Z. On Z, there are late-time current losses (5 -10%) in the post-hole convolute. Earlier 3-D particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations of the Z convolute show that electrons flowing into the convolute from the MITLs are lost to a very small area of the anode at magnetic null regions. We believe that gap closure effects of dense plasmas formed in these regions are responsible for the observed current loss. The ZR vacuum section is designed to limit the electron flow into the convolute from the MITLs, and the resulting anode heating, to be no worse than on Z today. It is currently not possible to simulate the entire vacuum section of Z with a single 3-D PIC simulation. Instead, we iterate between two related setups. First, we model the four MITLs with very high resolution 2-D simulations from the convolute radius out to large radius (r = 60 cm). In this system, the 2-D MITLs are coupled at their inner radius with a transmission line model of the convolute. Second, we model the convolute in 3-D. In this system, the MITLs are necessarily zoned much more coarsely than the 2-D simulations, and only extend out to a more limited radius. The 2-D MITL simulations provide reliable values for the electron flow current into the convolute. The new simulations presented here improve on earlier results^ by modeling all four levels with 2-D PIC simulations simultaneously. The new 3-D simulations are a significant advance beyond previous work". We will present the first comparison of the anode heating in the convolute between Z and ZR.
Movements of Walleyes in Claytor Lake and the Upper New River, Virginia, Indicate Distinct Lake and River Populations

Abstract Inference that more than one genetic stock of walleyes Sander vitreus was present in Claytor Lake, Virginia, and its main influent, the New River, raised questions concerning the spawning movements, locations of spawning grounds, and home range of resident stocks. We conducted a radiotelemetry study of 52 walleyes in Claytor Lake and the upper New River over a period of 2 years. Our findings support the hypothesis that two populations coexist within the system, exhibiting different home ranges, spawning movements, and spawning grounds, even though there is no physical barrier to movement between the spatially disjunct populations. Walleyes living within Claytor Lake mostly spawn at the first riffle area above the reservoir, whereas those living in the New River mostly spawn at two riffle areas well upstream. Coexistence of distinct populations in the system justifies different management strategies. Management of the walleye population in Claytor Lake should focus on increasing the exploitation o...
Predominant expression of the Th2 response in chronic cardiac allograft rejection

Chronic rejection is the main cause of late allograft failure in patients. CD4+ T cells activated by indirect recognition of alloantigens are implicated in this rejection reaction. However, the type of T cell response (Th1 vs Th2) that contributes to chronic rejection has not been fully investigated. The purpose of this study is to examine whether chronic rejection is associated with a polarized T-cell response in a rat cardiac allograft model, where long-term graft survival is achieved by intrathymic immunomodulation with donor class I, RT1.Aa, allopeptides. All long-surviving allografts showed histological evidence of chronic rejection. Chronic rejection was associated with high levels of intragraft Th2 cytokines and the Th2-regulated alloantibodies. The Th2 response was systemic, since long-surviving allografts with chronic rejection had high levels of serum IL-10. The predominance of the Th2 cytokines demonstrates that the Th2 response was not sufficient for the prevention of chronic rejection in this model. The predominant expression of Th2 cytokines, together with the presence of Th2-regulated alloantibodies, suggests that the Th2 response may play a role in the development of chronic rejection.
Femtoscopy in heavy ion collisions

Non-trivial space-time geometrical effects are at the core of bulk-sector heavy ion physics, and two-particle correlations at low relative velocity are the most direct probe of this geometry at the femtometer scale. I present a brief overview of the wealth of femtoscopic measurements from the past two decades of heavy ion experiments. Essentially every conceivable “knob” at our disposal has been turned; the response of two-particle correlations to these variations has revealed much about the space-momentum substructure of the hot source created in the collisions. I discuss the present status of the femtoscopic program and questions which remain, and point to new efforts which aim to resolve them.
The pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease of horses

Present evidence suggests that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) of horses is a delayed hypersensitivity response to inhaled antigens, particularly the thermophilic moulds and actinomycetes that grow in damp hay. Within several hours of exposing COPD-susceptible horses to such hay, neutrophils invade the lung and accumulate in the lumens of airways, particularly bronchioles. The inflammatory response is accompanied by increased levels of histamine in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, increased plasma levels of the inflammatory mediators thromboxane and 15-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (15-HETE), and a decrease in the production of prostaglandin (PG) E2 by the airway mucosa. During acute exacerbations of COPD, airways exhibit nonspecific hyperresponsiveness and become obstructed as a result of bronchospasm and the accumulation of mucus and exudates. Bronchospasm is due largely to activation of smooth muscle muscarinic receptors by acetylcholine (ACh). Because the in vitro response of smooth muscle to ACh is unaltered, the increase in airway smooth muscle tone is probably a result of activation of airway reflexes by inflammatory mediators and decreases in inhibitory mechanisms such as the intrapulmonary nonadrenergic noncholinergic nervous system and the production of PGE2 in affected horses. The diffuse airway obstruction leads to uneven distribution of ventilation, ventilation/perfusion mismatching, and hypoxaemia. As a result of the increased respiratory drive caused by hypoxaemia and the presence of airway obstruction, horses adopt a characteristic breathing strategy in which very high peak flows at the start of exhalation rapidly diminish as exhalation proceeds.
Arsenic in groundwaters in the Northern Appalachian Mountain belt: A review of patterns and processes

Naturally occurring arsenic in the bedrock of the Northern Appalachian Mountain belt was first recognized in the late 19th century. The knowledge of the behavior of arsenic in groundwater in this region has lagged behind nearly a century, with the popular press reporting on local studies in the early 1980s, and most peer-reviewed research articles on regional patterns conducted and written in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Research reports have shown that within this high arsenic region, between 6% and 22% of households using private drinking water wells contain arsenic in excess of 10 microg/L, the United States Environmental Protection Agency's maximum contaminant level. In nearly all reports, arsenic in drinking water was derived from naturally occurring geologic sources, typically arsenopyrite, substituted sulfides such as arsenian pyrite, and nanoscale minerals such as westerveldite. In most studies, arsenic concentrations in groundwater were controlled by pH dependent adsorption to mineral surfaces, most commonly iron oxide minerals. In some cases, reductive dissolution of iron minerals has been shown to increase arsenic concentrations in groundwater, more commonly associated with anthropogenic activities such as landfills. Evidence of nitrate reduction promoting the presence of arsenic(V) and iron(III) minerals in anoxic environments has been shown to occur in surface waters, and in this manuscript we show this process perhaps applies to groundwater. The geologic explanation for the high arsenic region in the Northern Appalachian Mountain belt is most likely the crustal recycling of arsenic as an incompatible element during tectonic activity. Accretion of multiple terranes, in particular Avalonia and the Central Maine Terrane of New England appear to be connected to the presence of high concentrations of arsenic. Continued tectonic activity and recycling of these older terranes may also be responsible for the high arsenic observed in the Triassic rift basins, e.g. the Newark Basin. There are only two well-known cases of anthropogenic contamination of the environment in the northern Appalachian Mountain belt, both of which are industrial sites with surface contamination at that infiltrated the local groundwater.
Modeling the Generation and Organization of Household Activity Stops

A model is proposed for household-stop generation and organization and is applied to examine household-shopping stop-making behavior using a Boston-area household travel survey. The model accommodates the ordinal, discrete nature of stop-making and incorporates a comprehensive, policy-sensitive measure of accessibility. Empirical results provide useful insights into the effect of household characteristics and accessibility to shopping opportunities on shopping-stop behavior. The application of the model is demonstrated by examining the effect of an increase in highway costs and changes in land use patterns on shopping-stop generation and organization.
Information management in hospitals: an integrating approach

The need for integrating existing heterogeneous databases in a hospital to achieve operational efficiency, effectiveness in diagnostic decision making, cost economy, better risk management, and strategic planning in a competitive health care environment is addressed. Considering all aspects of a hospital's information requirements, a virtual database integration approach is proposed for the database integration needed in a hospital. This approach will bring multiple databases into a logically integrated whole without causing much disruption to current hospital operations. This approach will also provide a high level of flexibility allowing for future system growth. Many technical, as well as behavioral, integration design issues particular to a hospital environment, such as those concerning integration planning, schema integration, mapping definition, and query processing schemes, are discussed. >
Photometrische Wasserbestimmung in Ketonen, Estern und Äthern

Die Extinktion des Lithiumtrichlorocuprats in Ketonen, Estern und Athern ist vom Wassergehalt der Losungsmittel abhangig. Diese Beobachtung last sich fur eine einfache und schnelle photometrische Titration oder photometrische Bestimmung des Wassers in diesen Losungsmitteln ausnutzen. Die verwendeten Reagenslosungen — Lithiumchlorid und Kupferperchlorat in Aceton — sind unbegrenzt haltbar. Die relative Standardabweichung (Varianz) betragt 1,6%, die untere Nachweisgrenze 0,1%. Niedrige Alkohole storen und ergeben zu hohe Werte. Die Bestimmung ist in wenigen Minuten durchzufuhren.
Serum autoantibodies do not differentiate PANDAS and Tourette syndrome from controls

We read the article by Singer et al. with interest and would like to raise a number of methodologic issues and concerns.1 The authors found no autoantibody binding against brain homogenates and candidate neuronal autoantigens in PANDAS and Tourette syndrome sera. Our group has demonstrated that autoantibodies in PANDAS and Tourette syndrome sera bind to autoantigens of molecular weight 40, 45 (doublet) and 60 kDa.2,3 We have identified these autoantigens as neuronal isoforms of the glycolytic enzymes aldolase C, neuron-specific enolase and pyruvate kinase M1, and the ubiquitous glycolytic enzyme non-neuronal enolase. We found autoantibodies against these neuronal glycolytic enzymes (NGE) more commonly in patients compared to controls.4 We would like to point out the following methodologic issues. Singer et al. claim to use the human brain autoantigens pyruvate kinase M1 and aldolase C from Santa Cruz Biotechnology Inc.1 The antigens produced by this company are rabbit muscle pyruvate kinase (not the human brain M1 isoform), and …
A Postmodern Feminist Approach To Teaching Human Sexuality.

Postmodern feminist theory provides a valuable perspective for designing and teaching human sexuality courses. The utility of this approach is explained and strategies for helping students understand a constructivist framework presented. The theory is put into action, and the following course goals are addressed: (a) shift from a problem-oriented to a strengths approach, (b) provide information and skills that are relevant and useful, (c) expand students' thinking about diversity, and (d) help students maximize their own sexual health and minimize exploitation of themselves and others. The article concludes with a discussion of pedagogical and ethical challenges of teaching from a postmodern feminist perspective.
Evaluation of image features using a photorealistic virtual world

Image features are widely used in computer vision applications. They need to be robust to scene changes and image transformations. Designing and comparing feature descriptors requires the ability to evaluate their performance with respect to those transformations. We want to know how robust the descriptors are to changes in the lighting, scene, or viewing conditions. For this, we need ground truth data of different scenes viewed under different camera or lighting conditions in a controlled way. Such data is very difficult to gather in a real-world setting. We propose using a photorealistic virtual world to gain complete and repeatable control of the environment in order to evaluate image features. We calibrate our virtual world evaluations by comparing against feature rankings made from photographic data of the same subject matter (the Statue of Liberty). We find very similar feature rankings between the two datasets. We then use our virtual world to study the effects on descriptor performance of controlled changes in viewpoint and illumination. We also study the effect of augmenting the descriptors with depth information to improve performance.
Fatty Acid-Induced Insulin Resistance: Decreased Muscle PI3K Activation But Unchanged Akt Phosphorylation

The mechanisms by which elevated plasma nonesterified fatty acid (NEFA) levels induce skeletal muscle insulin resistance remain unclear. A NEFA-induced defect in the activation of PI3K, which plays a key role in insulin’s stimulation of glucose transport, has been invoked. We sought to examine the effects of elevated plasma NEFA (∼1 mmol/liter) on muscle PI3K activity, insulin receptor substrate (IRS)-1 (important for activation of PI3K), and Akt, which is downstream of PI3K and activated by phosphorylation on serine and threonine in a PI3K-dependent manner. Ten normal men [age, 37 ± 9 yr (mean ± sd); body mass index, 25.2 ± 3.8 kg/m2] underwent two 5-h hyperinsulinemic (80 mU/m2·min) euglycemic clamps with basal and end of clamp biopsies of the vastus lateralis muscle. Plasma NEFAs were increased in one study by infusion of 20% Intralipid (1 ml/min) and heparin (900 U/h) throughout and for 2.5 h beforehand. Skeletal muscle protein levels were quantified by Western blotting. Elevated plasma NEFA reduced w...
Microstructure and corrosion of nitrogen implanted AISI 304 stainless steel

Abstract Selected implantation conditions were used to produce three very different nitrogen-containing near-surface phases in AISI 304 stainless steel (SS), each with unique pin-on-disk wear resistance characteristics. Such phases in order of increasing wear resistance are hexagonal (e) (Fe,Cr,Ni)2+xN, a high-nitrogen f.c.c. (γN) solid solution and a two-phase f.c.c. (γ)-CrN + b.c.c. (α)-FeNi mixture. Corrosion properties of such surfaces in an H2O-1%NaCl solution at 37 °C were investigated by methods of simple immersion and standard potentiodynamic polarization. Near-surface microstructures before and after corrosion tests were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Mossbauer spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. Changes in microstructure and evidence of pitting and general corrosion were not detected in immersion tests for the unimplanted and implanted samples containing the e-nitride and γN phases, whereas the implanted sample containing γ-CrN + α-FeNi exhibited extensive pitting and general corrosion with the formation of iron oxides. The removal of α-FeNi by corrosion permitted the observation of a relatively thick nitrogen solid-solution subsurface layer. Samples containing near-surface e-nitride and γN exhibited pitting potentials and corrosion currents similar to those of unimplanted 304 SS while the pitting potential of the γ-CrN + α-FeNi sample was considerably lower than that of unimplanted 304 SS. It is concluded that nitrogen implantation conditions that produce the γN near-surface microstructure yield both optimal corrosion and wear resistance.
NICHE 16th Annual Conference—Forging New Paths and Partnerships

“Forging New Paths and Partnerships” was the theme of the 16th Annual Conference convened by NICHE in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania recently. The conference attracted over 750 nurses and other health care professionals from more than 250 NICHE member and non-member US and Canadian hospitals. The attendance was the largest in the history of the conference. Conference topics included medication management, dementia, palliative care, patient transitions and multi-disciplinary approaches to improving the senior service line. Four keynotes, 26 panels and over 90 poster presentations described ways to identify, prevent, reduce and manage common geriatric syndromes, as well as systems level approaches to implementing innovations. NICHE recently opened a post-conference website that features highlights from the 3-day event. The site can be found at http:// conference2013.nicheprogram.org/.
Stability conditions for linear periodic Hamiltonian systems

In this paper we give sufficient conditions for stability of a linear system described by a set of differential equations of the form Xi = ?j=1 2k hk+i,j(t)Xj, i = 1,...., k (1) Xk+i = - ?j=1 2k hi,j(t)Xj, i = 1,..., k where each coefficient hij(t) is periodic of period T > 0 and Lebesque integrable on [0, T]. We also assume that hij(t) = hji(t), i, j = 1..., 2k.
A visually induced illusion of body tilt in a horizontal plane

Unexpected spontaneous reports of an illusion of body orientation have been observed in previous studies on the effects of a tilted overhead frame on supine observers. The present studies were designed in an attempt to describe and measure this illusion. The findings suggest that when objectively aligned with invisible side walls of the room, some subjects may experience an illusion that they are tilted in a horizontal plane with respect to the room walls in the direction opposite to frame tilt from the longitudinal body axes. The results are discussed in terms of a model of visual-vestibular interactions.
Use of anatomical dolls among professionals in sexual abuse evaluations

A total of 295 child protection workers, law enforcement officers, mental health practitioners, and physicians were surveyed to ascertain their uses of the anatomical dolls in child sexual abuse evaluations and their interpretations of young children's interactions with the dolls. The dolls enjoy fairly wide use among all four professional groups although most professionals employing the dolls have had little specific training in their use. Law enforcement officers were significantly less likely than the other professionals to view children's demonstrations of sexual acts with the dolls as convincing evidence of sexual abuse. There was no behavior (e.g., undressing the dolls, touching the dolls' genitals) which all professional groups unanimously agreed would be normal play behavior by young children ages 2-5, who had not been sexually abused. Results highlight the need for training resources and normative research.
Damage Detection Using Piezoelectric Admittance Approach with Inductive Circuitry

The impedance/admittance-based damage detection has been recognized to be sensitive to small-sized damage due to its high frequency measurement capability. Low-cost measurement circuit has previously been explored to extract the piezoelectric impedance/ admittance curves by using a resistor that is serially connected with the piezoelectric transducer, which enables a self-contained sensor unit. In this research, an innovative admittance-based damage detection scheme is proposed, which combines the key features of the low-cost impedance/admittance measurement circuit with those of the piezoelectric circuitry dynamics. In the new scheme, the piezoelectric transducer is integrated with an inductive circuit. The resonant effect of the inductive circuitry can greatly increase the measurement amplitude. Moreover, when the inductance is properly tuned, very significant dynamic interaction between the mechanical structure being monitored and the electrical circuitry will occur. This results in an order-of-magnitu...
United Nations at 50 retrospect and prospect

As the dust settles down on the 50th anniversary celebrations of the United Nations, this paper provides a wide‐ranging insight into the work of the world body, its problems, potential and prospects. How to alter fundamentally the United Nations structures, culture, conduct and decision making without eroding its fundamental intergovernmental character is a challenge no less daunting than the one the founders confronted in 1945 in framing the architecture of the organization. The author examines the work of the United Nations in the political and security fields, peace‐related operations, reform of the Security Council, relationship with the Bretton Woods institutions, invigorating the General Assembly, humanitarian relief, the role of the Secretary‐General, rejuvenation of the Secretariat and, most important, the way nation‐states conduct business in the United Nations. The paper also offers some ideas and options as inputs into a global dialogue.
Electron microscopic study of epidermal basal cells and epidermal dermal junction

Those who have examined histologie specimens with the electron microscope can testify as to the difficulties of orientation and interpretation that confront the investigator. The high magnifications, the use of unstained tissues and the undoubted artefacts produced by the new technics of imbedding and cutting contribute to these difficulties.
Activator Protein-1 Contributes to High NaCl-induced Increase in Tonicity-responsive Enhancer/Osmotic Response Element-binding Protein Transactivating Activity

Tonicity-responsive enhancer/osmotic response element-binding protein (TonEBP/OREBP) is a Rel protein that activates transcription of osmoprotective genes at high extracellular NaCl. Other Rel proteins NFAT1-4 and NF-kappaB complex with activator protein-1 (AP-1) to transactivate target genes through interaction at composite NFAT/NF-kappaB.AP-1 sites. TonEBP/OREBP target genes commonly have one or more conserved AP-1 binding sites near TonEBP/OREBP cognate elements (OREs). Also, TonEBP/OREBP and the AP-1 proteins c-Fos and c-Jun are all activated by high NaCl. We now find, using an ORE.AP-1 reporter from the target aldose reductase gene or the same reporter with a mutated AP-1 site, that upon stimulation by high extracellular NaCl, 1) the presence of a wild type, but not a mutated, AP-1 site contributes to TonEBP/OREBP-dependent transcription and 2) AP-1 dominant negative constructs inhibit TonEBP/OREBP-dependent transcription provided the AP-1 site is not mutated. Using supershifts and an ORE.AP-1 probe, we find c-Fos and c-Jun present in combination with TonEBP/OREBP. Also, c-Fos and c-Jun coimmunoprecipitate with TonEBP/OREBP, indicating physical association. Small interfering RNA knockdown of either c-Fos or c-Jun inhibits high NaCl-induced increase of mRNA abundance of the TonEBP/OREBP target genes AR and BGT1. Furthermore, a dominant negative AP-1 also reduces high NaCl-induced increase of TonEBP/OREBP transactivating activity. Inhibition of p38, which is known to stimulate TonEBP/OREBP transcriptional activity, reduces high NaCl-dependent transcription of an ORE.AP-1 reporter only if the AP-1 site is intact. Thus, AP-1 is part of the TonEBP/OREBP enhanceosome, and its role in high NaCl-induced activation of TonEBP/OREBP may require p38 activity.