cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
When the GDPR Is Not Quite Enough: Employee Privacy Considerations in Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine

Software developers from Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine have become well known outside their countries for delivering high-quality IT products and services. The strong education system, wide pool of tech graduates, and moderate pay rates in these countries produced attractive destinations for the technology industry. Despite the proximity to Western Europe, the business and legal environment in Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine is very different from the one established in the EU and is often perceived by foreign partners as a “Pandora’s box” of diverse rules. Nevertheless, U.S. multinationals open subsidiaries and acquire local engineering teams in the region facing numerous challenges of complying with national laws. Local data protection requirements in relation to employee data are becoming part of their compliance efforts. With privacy developments in other regions, including the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that comes into force in May 2018, corporate legal and HR professionals may find themselves overwhelmed. As a potential solution, U.S. multinational companies are looking to find a unified approach to address employee privacy across all of their locations. In this regard, the GDPR setting a high bar for compliance might be viewed as a standard for corporate privacy programs. To assist companies in developing a global compliance strategy, this article points out a number of unique employee privacy considerations of the region (e.g., Russian data localization rules) and provides a comparison between relevant provisions of the GDPR and employment/data protection laws in Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine.
Ultrafiltration rate and incident atrial fibrillation among older individuals initiating hemodialysis.

Background Higher ultrafiltration (UF) rates are associated with numerous adverse cardiovascular outcomes among individuals receiving maintenance hemodialysis. We undertook this study to investigate the association of UF rate and incident atrial fibrillation in a large, nationally representative US cohort of incident, older hemodialysis patients. Methods We used the US Renal Data System linked to the records of a large dialysis provider to identify individuals ≥67 years of age initiating hemodialysis between January 2006 and December 2011. We applied an extended Cox model as a function of a time-varying exposure to compute adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association of delivered UF rate and incident atrial fibrillation. Results Among the 15 414 individuals included in the study, 3177 developed atrial fibrillation. In fully adjusted models, a UF rate >13 mL/h/kg (versus ≤13 mL/h/kg) was associated with a higher hazard of incident atrial fibrillation [adjusted HR 1.19 (95% CI 1.07-1.30)]. Analyses using lower UF rate thresholds (≤10 versus >10 mL/h/kg and ≤8 versus >8 mL/h/kg, separately) yielded similar results. Analyses specifying the UF rate as a cubic spline (per 1 mL/h/kg) confirmed an approximately linear dose-response relationship between the UF rate and the risk of incident atrial fibrillation: risk began at UF rates of ~6 mL/h/kg and the magnitude of this risk flattened, but remained elevated, at rates ≥9 mL/h/kg. Conclusion In this observational study of older individuals initiating hemodialysis, higher UF rates were associated with higher incidences of atrial fibrillation.
A Superposition Method for Calculating the Aeroelastic Behavior of Swept Wings

This paper presents the development and application of a method for solving aeroelastic problems on sweptback wings, primarily suitable for use by aerodynamicists and structural design engineers. This method, called, the "superposition method," separates the aerodynamic and structural calculations, making it possible to use either theoretical or experimental determinations of spanwise loading and to account for induction effects. The method has been developed principally for use in design calculations where simplicity and rapidity of solution are primary considerations. First, certain selected initial twist distributions are applied to the wing. For these, the spanwise loading is determined and the elastic deflections are computed. Any arbitrary loading may then be calculated by a superposition of these initial effects, plus the requirement of equilibrium between elastic and aerodynamic forces. The superposition method can be used to solve the usual aerodynamic problems arising in longitudinal and lateral stability and control and to provide structural design criteria. Application of the method to these problems is discussed in the second part of this paper. In applying the method, once certain parameters have been calculated, the solution to a large number of specific problems follows at once by application of the superposition principle.
TU‐CD‐303‐02: Beyond Radiation Induced Double Strand Breaks ‐ a New Horizon for Radiation Therapy Research

Recent advances in cancer research have shed new light on the complex processes of how therapeutic radiation initiates changes at cellular, tissue, and system levels that may lead to clinical effects. These new advances may transform the way we use radiation to combat certain types of cancers. For the past two decades many technological advancements in radiation therapy have been largely based on the hypothesis that direct radiation-induced DNA double strand breaks cause cell death and thus tumor control and normal tissue damage. However, new insights have elucidated that in addition to causing cellular DNA damage, localized therapeutic radiation also initiates cascades of complex downstream biological responses in tissue that extend far beyond where therapeutic radiation dose is directly deposited. For instance, studies show that irradiated dying tumor cells release tumor antigens that can lead the immune system to a systemic anti-cancer attack throughout the body of cancer patient; targeted irradiation to solid tumor also increases the migration of tumor cells already in bloodstream, the seeds of potential metastasis. Some of the new insights may explain the long ago discovered but still unexplained non-localized radiation effects (bystander effect and abscopal effect) and the efficacy of spatially fractionated radiation therapy (microbeam radiation therapy and GRID therapy) where many “hot” and “cold” spots are intentionally created throughout the treatment volume. Better understanding of the mechanisms behind the non-localized radiation effects creates tremendous opportunities to develop new and integrated cancer treatment strategies that are based on radiotherapy, immunology, and chemotherapy. However, in the multidisciplinary effort to advance new radiobiology, there are also tremendous challenges including a lack of multidisciplinary researchers and imaging technologies for the microscopic radiation-induced responses. A better grasp of the essence of these advances in cancer biology research will give medical physicists a new perspective in daily clinical physics practice and in future radiation therapy technological development. Furthermore, academic medical physics should continue to be an integral part of the multidisciplinary cancer research community, harnessing our newly acquired understanding of radiation effects, and developing novel cost-effective treatment strategies to better combat cancer. Learning Objectives: 1. Understand that localized radiation can lead to non-localized secondary effects such as radiation-induced immune response, bystander effect, and abscopal effect. 2. Understand that the non-localized radiation effects may be harnessed to improve cancer treatment. 3. Learn examples of physics participation in multidisciplinary research to advance cancer biology. 4. Recognize the challenges and possibilities of physics applications in cancer research. Chang: NIH 5RC2CA148487-02 and 1U54CA151652-01 Graves: IDEA award (19IB-0106) from the California Breast Cancer Research Program (CBCRP), and by NIH P01 CA67166
An adaptive sampling approach to incompressible particle-based fluid

I propose a particle-based technique for simulating incompressible fluid that includes adaptive refinement of particle sampling. Each particle represents a mass of fluid in its local region. Particles are split into several particles for finer sampling in regions of complex flow. In regions of smooth flow, neghboring particles can be merged. Depth below the surface and Reynolds number are exploited as our criteria for determining whether splitting or merging should take place. For the fluid dynamics calculations, I use the hybrid FLIP method, which is computationally simple and efficient. Since the fluid is incompressible, each particle has a volume proportional to its mass. A kernel function, whose effective range is based on this volume, is used for transferring and updating the particle's physical properties such as mass and velocity. In addition, the particle sampling technique is extended to a fully adaptive approach, supporting adaptive splitting and merging of fluid particles and adaptive spatial sampling for the reconstruction of the velocity and pressure fields. Particle splitting allows a detailed sampling of fluid momentum in regions of complex flow. Particle merging, in regions of smooth flow, reduces memory and computational overhead. An octree structure is used to compute inter-particle interactions and to compute the pressure field. The octree supporting field-based calculations is adapted to provide a fine spatial reconstruction where particles are small and a coarse reconstruction where particles are large. This scheme places computational resources where they are most needed, to handle both flow and surface complexity. Thus, incompressibility can be enforced even in very small, but highly turbulent areas. Simultaneously, the level of detail is very high in these areas, allowing the direct support of tiny splashes and small-scale surface tension effects. This produces a finely detailed and realistic representation of surface motion.
DFT performance prediction in FFTW

Fastest Fourier Transform in the West (FFTW) is an adaptive FFT library that generates highly efficient Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) implementations. It is one of the fastest FFT libraries available and it outperforms many adaptive or hand-tuned DFT libraries. Its success largely relies on the huge search space spanned by several FFT algorithms and a set of compiler generated C code (called codelets) for small size DFTs. FFTW empirically finds the best algorithm by measuring the performance of different algorithm combinations. Although the empirical search works very well for FFTW, the search process does not explain why the best plan found performs best, and the search overhead grows polynomially as the DFT size increases. The opposite of empirical search is model-driven optimization. However, it is widely believed that model-driven optimization is inferior to empirical search and is particularly powerless to solve problems as complex as the optimization of DFT. In this paper, we propose a model-driven DFT performance predictor that can replace the empirical search engine in FFTW. Our technique adapts to different architectures and automatically predicts the performance of DFT algorithms and codelets (including SIMD codelets). Our experiments show that this technique renders DFT implementations that achieve more than 95% of the performance with the original FFTW and uses less than 5% of the search overhead on four test platforms. More importantly, our models give insight on why different combinations of DFT algorithms perform differently on a processor given its architectural features.
The Relationship Between Managerial Heuristics and Economics in Pricing Retail Meats

This study develops a theoretical model of the multiproduct firm which allows for imperfect competition in the output market. Hypotheses are tested for retail meat prices concerning the degree and speed of price transmission, the effects of interfirm competition, and the interrelationship between prices within the store. Empirical results indicated that meat prices within a store were highly interrelated. Further, the firm was found to be very responsive to prices of competitors in the short run, but more responsive to wholesale price changes in the long run.
Regulation of Brain-Derived T Cells during Acute Central Nervous System Inflammation

The unique immunologic environment of the central nervous system (CNS) regulates most local inflammatory responses. In some circumstances, however, immune-mediated injury to the brain can occur. To understand how lymphocytes are regulated within the CNS during an inflammatory response that does not produce immunopathology, we have studied T cells isolated from the brains of mice with Sindbis virus (SV) encephalitis. Even though they express activation markers, these T cells are arrested in the cell cycle and do not proliferate in vitro. Altered phosphorylation of the retinoblastoma gene product, a critical cell cycle regulator, appears to mediate this effect. Furthermore, while brain-derived T cells generate IFN-gamma, IL-4, and IL-10, these T cells are deficient in IL-2 production compared with peripheral T cells. This pattern of cytokine production occurs in cells that do not activate NF-kappaB normally. When T cells producing both IL-2 and IFN-gamma are adoptively transferred into SV-infected mice, some of these cells traffic into the brain. Those that enter the brain selectively down-regulate IL-2 production over time. Since normal brain lipids can inhibit IL-2 production and T cell proliferation in vitro, these substances may mediate these same effects in vivo. Collectively, these data show that the local environment of the CNS during SV encephalitis exerts a complex regulatory effect on T cells that are recruited into the brain. We speculate that this effect serves to prevent excessive local T cell reactivity. Whether and how this regulation might fail in the setting of autoimmune neurologic disease remains to be explored.
Developmental plasticity of the rubrospinal tract in the North American opossum.

We have shown previously that rubral axons can grow caudal to a lesion of their pathway at thoracic levels of the spinal cord in the developing opossum, Didelphis virginiana. In the present report we expand on that observation and present evidence which suggests that the critical period for plasticity of the rubrospinal tract ends earlier at cervical than at thoracic levels. In addition, we show that most rubrospinal neurons die as a result of axotomy during early stages of the critical period. The opossum was chosen for study because the development of its rubrospinal tract occurs after birth. In one set of experiments the area containing the rubrospinal tract was lesioned at cervical or thoracic levels and after 30 days or more, retrograde transport techniques were used to determine if rubral axons had grown caudal to the lesion. When the lesions were made at rostral cervical levels between estimated postnatal day 26 and maturity, neurons could not be labeled in the contralateral red nucleus by injections of retrograde markers ipsilateral to the lesion and caudal to it. We were not able to obtain adequate survival after cervical lesions made prior to estimated postnatal day 26. When the lesions were made at mid to caudal thoracic levels between estimated postnatal days 19 and 26, neurons could be labeled in the contralateral red nucleus. When comparable lesions were made at estimated postnatal day 40, there was usually a decrease in the number of labeled neurons, and when they were made at estimated postnatal day 54, none was labeled. In selected cases, operated at estimated postnatal day 19, cell counts provided evidence for loss of neurons in the red nucleus contralateral to the lesion. In orthograde transport experiments performed on animals with thoracic lesions of the rubrospinal tract made between estimated postnatal days 18 and 33, rubral axons could be labeled caudal to the lesion, and they seemed to take the most direct route around it. Although they sometimes assumed abnormal positions caudal to the lesion, rubral axons appeared to reach areas of the gray matter appropriate to them. When lesions were made at estimated postnatal day 54 or in older animals, labeled axons could be traced to the lesion site but not caudal to it. In still other experiments rubrospinal neurons were labeled by caudal thoracic or rostral lumbar injections of Fast Blue at estimated postnatal day 26 and 3–4 days later the injected animals were subjected to a lesion of the rubrospinal tract three segments rostral to the injection and ipsilateral to it. They were killed 30–34 days after the lesion so that the red nucleus contralateral to it could be examined for labeled neurons. The results showed that only a few rubrospinal neurons survived axotomy, suggesting that the growth of new axons around the lesion is a major factor in plasticity.
Shifting Levels of Analysis in the Investigation of Cognitive Aging

Questions can be raised regarding the progress that has been achieved in accounting for the well-documented negative relations between chronological age during adulthood and fluid or process aspects o
Thermodynamic properties of LuCo3 hydrides

Abstract Hydrogen desorption isotherms were measured in the system LuCo 3 H x for [0 ⩽ x ⩽ 3.6 at temperatures of 0, 20, 40, 60 and 80°C. Pressure plateaux on the isotherms indicate the existence of two hydride phases in addition to the hydrogen-saturated metal α phase. The α and β phases exist over very narrow ranges of hydrogen concentration. At 20°C the plateau pressures are 647 Torr and 4202 Torr respectively, and the heats of absorption are −8.80 kcal (mol H 2 ) −1 and −7.555 kcal (mol H 2 ) −1 respectively for the α and β phases. From the temperature dependence of the isotherms, the partial molar heats and entropies of absorption and the heats and entropies of formation have been calculated as a function of x . The 20°C isotherm is compared with those of the other rare earth-Co 3 hydrides.
Carbachol-induced volume adaptation in mouse bladder and length adaptation via rhythmic contraction in rabbit detrusor.

The length–tension (L–T) relationships in rabbit detrusor smooth muscle (DSM) are similar to those in vascular and airway smooth muscles and exhibit short-term length adaptation characterized by L–T curves that shift along the length axis as a function of activation and strain history. In contrast to skeletal muscle, the length–active tension (L–Ta) curve for rabbit DSM strips does not have a unique peak tension value with a single ascending and descending limb. Instead, DSM can exhibit multiple ascending and descending limbs, and repeated KCl-induced contractions at a particular muscle length on an ascending or descending limb display increasingly greater tension. In the present study, mouse bladder strips with and without urothelium exhibited KCl-induced and carbachol-induced length adaptation, and the pressure–volume relationship in mouse whole bladder displayed short-term volume adaptation. Finally, prostaglandin-E2-induced low-level rhythmic contraction produced length adaptation in rabbit DSM strips. A likely role of length adaptation during bladder filling is to prepare DSM cells to contract efficiently over a broad range of volumes. Mammalian bladders exhibit spontaneous rhythmic contraction (SRC) during the filling phase and SRC is elevated in humans with overactive bladder (OAB). The present data identify a potential physiological role for SRC in bladder adaptation and motivate the investigation of a potential link between short-term volume adaptation and OAB with impaired contractility.
Monte Carlo analysis of repeated overshoot structures

Abstract The effectiveness of two recently proposed repeated overshoot structures is investigated using Monte Carlo simulation. Results are presented showing electron velocity, energy and valley occupancy as a function of bias conditions. High local peak velocities sometimes are observed, but for a given mean field across a unit cell the average velocities are always relatively low; less than or at best equal to the steady state velocity in bulk GaAs with the same average fields. The reasons for this are explained in terms of the diffusion process.
Degradation of paramylon by Euglena gracilis

SYNOPSIS. Protozoa of the order Euglenida contain a polysaccharide storage product, paramylon, composed of 1, 3-linked glucose molecules arranged into an extremely resistant granule. An enzyme was purified from the soluble phase of Euglena gracilis which would degrade this polysaccharide to single glucose residues, providing the integrity of the paramylon granule was 1st disrupted by dilute base. This enzyme, a β-1, 3 glucanase, had optimal activity at pH 5.0 and 60 C and bound tightly to base-disrupted paramylon substrate tho not to the intact granules. The specific activity of the enzyme was doubled when cell cultures reached stationary phase, the phase where net carbohydrate utilization began. An ATP-dependent hexokinase reaction was also present in Euglena homogenate. No phosphorylase activity has been found in Euglena. It is suggested, therefore, that Euglena do utilize their paramylon as a carbohydrate reserve and the mechanism of this utilization is by exo-hydrolytic cleavage to free glucose followed by phosphorylation and glycolysis.
Using short-range ensemble forecasts for predicting severe weather events

Abstract An ensemble of mesoscale model simulations of the most severe tornadic outbreak of the modern period, 24–25 June 1967, is examined. Results indicate that the fields of convective available potential energy (CAPE), storm-relative environmental helicity (SREH), and bulk Richardson number shear (BRNSHR), are able to provide useful guidance on the region of tornadic supercell thunderstorms for this outbreak. CAPE is used to define the region in which convection is possible, SREH is used to define the region in which thunderstorms are likely to be supercells, and BRNSHR is used to define the region in which low-level mesocyclogenesis is more likely. These results highlight the potential value of analyzing various severe weather parameters in forecasting tornadic thunderstorms, and the value of mesoscale ensemble forecasts for predicting severe, life threatening weather events in Europe. The ensemble also clearly shows the sensitivity and uncertainty of the model simulations to the physical process schemes used. Variations in all three severe weather parameters are significant near regions of convection, which unfortunately are where forecasters need these parameter values to be most reliable. These sensitivities highlight the value of an ensemble system for short-range weather forecasting, since it is clear that if a single model forecast of convective activity goes awry, then it provides little guidance to forecasters concerned with threats to life and property from severe weather.
Effect of advected pollutants on solar radiation attenuation: Mojave Desert, California

Abstract During the summer, sea breezes advect high concentrations of pollutants from the Los Angeles Basin into the Mojave Desert during the afternoon. Clear-sky pyrheliometer and pyranometer data were obtained to determine the effect of the advected contaminants on the attenuation of solar radiation and its breakdown into direct and diffuse components. Even under the most extreme conditions, the amount of global radiation received is not reduced by more than about 7 per cent. On the other hand, reductions in the direct component can be as great as 140 W m−2, which are nearly compensated for by large increases (up to almost 300 per cent) in diffuse radiation. The spatial and temporal variability in the budgeting of global radiation into the diffuse and direct components calls into question the feasibility of estimating diffuse energy based on the ratio of global to extraterrestrial radiation.
Photopolymerized Epoxide Copolymer Thin Films with Surfaces Highly Enriched with Sulfonyl Fluoride Groups

Photoinitiated polymerization of fluorinated aliphatic epoxides bearing terminal sulfonyl fluoride groups with a commercial cycloaliphatic diepoxide (Cyracure UVR-6110) results in highly cross-linked glassy films. Depth-dependent surface analysis using XPS shows that these films are highly enriched in their outer molecular surface regions with sulfonyl fluoride groups. Films prepared with 17 wt % and higher sulfonyl fluoride epoxide monomers exhibit compositions close to that of a pure 100% photopolymerized sulfonyl fluoride epoxide monomer in the outer 50 A of the film. Even a film prepared with 1 wt % sulfonyl fluoride monomer exhibits a few angstroms thick overlayer of sulfonyl fluoride. FTIR (attenuated total reflectance) spectra exhibit infrared signatures consistent with these data. Secondary ion mass spectra exhibit peaks associated with perfluoro and sulfonyl fluoride moieties, supporting overlayer enrichment of these species within the sampling depth of this method (outer 15 A). Such extreme surf...
Isolation and Characterization of Some UV-Induced Mutants of Chlorella vulgaris Prings

Clones of new UV-induced mutants of Chlorella vulgaris are reported, including two strains darker green than the wild type. The isolated strains were characterized as to relative UV survival and general mutability. Significant stimulation of growth after low doses of UV irradiation was obtained. A taxonomic criterion distinguishing C. vulgaris and C. pyrenoidosa was recognized. Diameter measurements of cells grown under uniform environmental conditions differentiated C. vulgaris from C. pyrenoidosa, and various mutant clones within an initial isolation. Various histochemical and aberrant cytological features of mutant strains were observed. Thin-layer chromatography of extracted pigments demonstrated several that differed from those of the normal cells.
Sedimentologic evidence for repeated pre-Cenozoic vertical movements along the northeast margin of the Nubian Craton

Abstract The northeast margin of the Nubian Craton, comprising the Eastern Desert, the Gulf of Suez and Southwest Sinai, contains sedimentary units ranging in age from early Palaeozoic to Tertiary. Below the extensive Late Cretaceous marine transgressive units, older rocks, especially those of the Palaeozoic and early Mesozoic, have limited spatial distribution. The entire sequence is present, however, with major breaks, along the northeastern flank of the Red Sea basement high, in the subsurface Gulf of Suez and in southwest Sinai. The Eastern Desert Platform, on the other hand, is mantled by Cretaceous and younger sediments suggesting that the area was a topographic high until about the end of Jurassic, or that the area suffered post-Palaeozoic uplifting. The Palaeo-Mesozoic sequences in the Gulf of Suez lowlands and adjoining areas attest at least four episodes of marine incursions during (1) Early Palaeozoic (Cambro-Silurian?), (2) Early Carboniferous, (3) Middle Jurassic and (4) Late Cretaceous. Except for the Jurassic transgression, each episode was interrupted by a brief but rapid fluvial progradation. Such brief and rapid progradational interruptions of the major transgressive episodes were probably caused by vertical block movements. The early Palaeozoic and Late Cretaceous progradations show northerly to northwesterly dispersal suggesting northeast to easterly trending vertical movements, whereas the Early Carboniferous progradation was in a general easterly direction indicating approximately N-S trending block movements. Sporadic occurrence of Middle Jurassic sediments in isolated fault blocks below extensive Cretaceous units in the northern Gulf of Suez outcrops, their abrupt thickness change in the subsurface of north central gulf and the occurrence of fault controlled basic dikes and sills within these rocks point to a Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous extensional episode and resultant block movements in the area. A minor episode of Early Cretaceous local block movement in the Gulf of Suez area is indicated by the occurrence of an unique polymictic conglomerate containing angular pebbles of chert, banded iron formation, jasper and metavolcanic rocks at the base of the lower Cretaceous Malha Formation in the southwest Sinai and northern Gulf of Suez outcrops. Source rocks for this conglomerate occur in the Precambrian basement southwest of Quseir and in western Saudi Arabia. Recurrent pre-Tertiary block movements parallel to the Miocene Suez-Aqaba rifts and associated fault blocks suggest control of the pre-Miocene structural elements in the development of the latest rift system in the area. Careful lineament analyses of the Precambrian basement and fringing sedimentary cover may be helpful in locating and dating some of the pre-Miocene crustal fracture zones in the area.
Quantitative Determination of Cocaine, Cocaethylene (Ethylcocaine), and Metabolites in Plasma and Urine by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

A sensitive HPLC assay was developed to quantitate the relatively nonpolar compounds cocaine, cocaethylene (ethylcocaine), norcocaine, and norcocaethylene, as well as the relatively polar metabolites benzoylecgonine and benzoylnorecgonine, in rat plasma and urine. The assay in plasma employed two successive liquid–liquid extractions and separate injections onto two different columns (C8 and C8) to separate and quantitate the relatively polar and nonpolar compounds. In urine, the procedure employed a liquid–liquid extraction followed by solid-phase extraction (C18 light–load cartridges) and two separate injections as for plasma. The UV absorbance of the effluent was monitored at 235 nm. Linear standard curves were obtained over the concentration ranges of 25 to 1000 ng/mL and 5 to 250 ng/mL in plasma and urine, respectively. The inter- and intraday coefficients of variation for the assay of all compounds in plasma and urine were < 18% at low concentrations (12.5–100 ng/mL) and < 12% at high concentrations (125–250 ng/mL). There was no degradation of these compounds during the extraction procedure or during 2 months of storage at − 20°C. The quantitation limits for the assay of the relatively nonpolar and polar compounds in plasma were 25 (2.5 ng in 0.1 mL) and 50 ng/mL (5 ng in 0.1 mL), respectively. For the assay in urine, the quantitation limits were 5 (2.5 ng in 0.5 mL) and 12.5 ng/mL (6.25 ng in 0.5 mL) for the assay of the relatively nonpolar and polar compounds, respectively. The methods have been applied to quantitate those compounds in rat plasma.
RENEGOTIATING ORTHOPRAXY IN THE PRESENCE OF THE BANI GURU

This article examines the intersection between Sikh scripture as text and as ‘Living Guru’ (Bani Guru) enlivened through the performative practice of Gurbani Kirtan (singing devotional ‘Gurbani’ hymns enshrined in Sikh scripture). It ethnographically explores how practitioners negotiate between the diverse lived practices and orthopraxic conventions surrounding the physical and intangible forms of the Guru as Bani (Gurbani). Today, Gurbani Kirtan is sung and played in diverse musical styles, locations, and contexts and can be accessed through mass media technologies. These innovative practices raise questions about how Sikhs are to maintain the respect and devotional intentionality usually accorded the Gurbani while allowing for the possibility of future practices. This article questions orthopraxic notions by recognizing that Gurbani Kirtan offers an experiential methodology with the goal of embodying the Bani as Guru (Gurbani) within the self, thus transforming Sikh subjectivity altogether.
Oxidation of fuel cladding candidate materials in steam environments at high temperature and pressure

Abstract Under certain severe accident conditions, the fuel rods of nuclear power plants are exposed to high temperature/pressure steam environments in which the Zr alloy cladding is rapidly oxidized. As alternative claddings, the oxidation resistances of SiC-based materials and stainless steels with high Cr and/or Al additions have been examined from 800-1200 °C in high-pressure steam environments. Very low reaction kinetics were observed with alumina-forming FeCrAl alloys at 1200 °C while Fe-Cr alloys with only 15-20% Cr were rapidly attacked.
Mechanism of action of colchicine : IV. The failure of nonleukopenic doses of colchicine to suppress urate crystal-induced canine joint inflammation.

Colchicine suppressed the development of urate crystal-induced canine synovitis only at a dose (0.25 mg/kg) that produced a peripheral leukopenia; half that amount produced neither leukopenia nor inhibition of the inflammatory response. Colchicine in the lower dose range still had no antiinflammatory effect when the time of pretreatment was increased from 15 min to 5 h before the inflammatory challenge, and when an additional dose was given 24 h beforehand. Lower doses of Colchicine were not antiinflammatory when the drug was introduced directly into the joint, either along with the urate crystals or when the inflammatory response was present and increasing. Lumicolchicine (0.25 mg/kg) neither suppressed inflammation nor induced leukopenia. The canine model differs from human gouty inflammation and from urate crystal-induced human inflammation, both of which processes respond to small, nonleukopenic doses of colchicine.
Escalating Health Care Spending: Is It Desirable Or Inevitable?

ABSTRACT: This study analyzes changing trends in U.S. health spending and concludes that although the long-term growth trend has been a good predictor of future spending, periodic differences in th...
Effects of 1,3-Butanediol in Alleviating and Preventing Milk Fat Depression in Cows

Abstract In Trial I of two trials to study long-term effects of adding 1,3-butanediol to diets that cause milk fat depression in cows, 4% 1,3-butanediol was fed to three cows that were compared with four cows fed a fat-depressing diet for 6 mo. Trial II compared six cows fed 6% 1,3-butanediol for 3 mo with six cows fed a fat-depressing diet. The cows fed 1,3-butanediol did not show significant advantages in milk fat production for either trial. Milk protein tended to increase with high grain feeding, either with or without 1,3-butanediol. A third trial involved 12 cows in a 3-mo double reversal experiment to observe whether suddenly adding or deleting 6% 1,3-butanediol would cause rapid changes in milk fat production. Milk production and composition were similar in both dietary groups. Body weight gains were less in all three trials for cows fed 1,3-butanediol.
Post-Taliban Afghanistan: Changed Outlook for Women?

In examining the control women have over family, health and fertility, and cultural expression——three indicators of women9s status——it is clear that since the fall of the Taliban, women in Afghanistan lack support for the fundamental functions of a human life and find their choices and decision-making frustrated.
New Surgical Treatments for Osteochondritis Dissecans and Subchondral Bone Cysts

Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) and subchondral bone cysts (SBCs) occur commonly and at many different locations in equine limbs and can lead to secondary osteoarthritis when left untreated. Depending on the location and extent of the lesion, arthroscopic surgical debridement may be an effective treatment for returning a horse to athletic soundness. In many cases, however, additional techniques to improve the healing response in bone and cartilage are needed so as to preserve articular function. Methods for improving cartilage repair (ie, restoration of damaged cartilage)or regeneration (ie, reformation or recreation of new articular cartilage) in select cases of OCD and SBCs are discussed.
An XPS study of nitrogen-sulfur compounds

Abstract An X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy study has been conducted on a series of nitrogen-sulfur compounds to characterize the charge shifts on the nitrogen and sulfur atoms in the molecules. In all of the compounds, the sulfur was found to have a 1s binding energy equivalent to a formal charge of +6. The nitrogen 1s binding energies varied in a systematic manner that reflected the change in oxidation state. The XPS results have been used to provide insight into the formation of these compounds in two reaction systems.
Resetting the Melatonin Rhythm with Light in Humans

The endogenous circadian rhythm of melatonin in humans provides information regarding the resetting response of the human circadian timing system to changes in the light-dark (LD) cycle. Alterations in the LD cycle have both acute and chronic effects on the observed melatonin rhythm. Investigations to date have firmly established that the melatonin rhythm can be reentrained following an inversion of the LD cycle. Exposure to bright light and darkness given over a series of days can rapidly induce large-magnitude phase shifts of the melatonin rhythm. Even single pulses of bright light can shift the timing of the melatonin rhythm. Recent data have demonstrated that lower light intensities than originally believed are capable of resetting the melatonin rhythm and that stimulation of photopically sensitive photoreceptors (i.e., cones) is sufficient to reset the endogenous circadian melatonin rhythm. In addition to phase resetting, exposure to light of critical timing, strength, and duration can attenuate the amplitude of the endogenous circadian rhythm of melatonin. Measurement of melatonin throughout resetting trials provides a dynamic view of the resetting response of the human circadian pacemaker to light. Future studies of the melatonin rhythm in humans may further characterize the resetting response of the human circadian timing system to light.
Discovery and preliminary evaluation of 5-(4-phenylbenzyl)oxazole-4-carboxamides as prostacyclin receptor antagonists.

Abstract The discovery and evaluation of 5-(4-phenylbenzyl)oxazole-4-carboxamides as prostacyclin (IP) receptor antagonists is described. Analogs disclosed showed high affinity for the IP receptor in human platelet membranes with IC50 values of 0.05–0.50 μM, demonstrated functional antagonism by inhibiting cAMP production in HEL cells with IC50 values of 0.016–0.070 μM, and exhibited significant selectivity versus other prostanoid receptors.
Oscillatory Photoconductivity in InSb

The oscillations in the low-temperature photoconductive spectral response of $p$-type InSb are found to be strongly dependent on electric field strength in both intrinsic and extrinsic photoconductivity. The oscillatory structure gradually disappears at electric fields higher the \ensuremath{\sim}20 V/cm. As a function of increasing temperature, the position of the minima of the oscillations shifts towards lower energies and the size of the oscillations decreases. A qualitative interpretation, consistent with all observations, shows that the primary reasons for oscillatory photoconductivity are: (a) the preferential momentum losses of carriers due to longitudinal optic phonon emission in the direction of the electrical potential gradient; (b) the fact that the steady-state distribution of carriers generated by photon absorption is drastically different from equilibrium.
Comparisons of the foaming and interfacial properties of whey protein isolate and egg white proteins

Abstract Whipped foams (10%, w/v protein, pH 7.0) were prepared from commercially available samples of whey protein isolate (WPI) and egg white protein (EWP), and subsequently compared based on yield stress (τ0), overrun and drainage stability. Adsorption rates and interfacial rheological measurements at a model air/water interface were quantified via pendant drop tensiometry to better understand foaming differences among the ingredients. The highest τ0 and resistance to drainage were observed for standard EWP, followed by EWP with added 0.1% (w/w) sodium lauryl sulfate, and then WPI. Addition of 25% (w/w) sucrose increased τ0 and drainage resistance of the EWP-based ingredients, whereas it decreased τ0 of WPI foams and minimally affected their drainage rates. These differing sugar effects were reflected in the interfacial rheological measurements, as sucrose addition increased the dilatational elasticity for both EWP-based ingredients, while decreasing this parameter for WPI. Previously observed relationships between τ0 and interfacial rheology did not hold across the protein types; however, these measurements did effectively differentiate foaming behaviors within EWP-based ingredients and within WPI. Interfacial data was also collected for purified β-lactoglobulin (β-lg) and ovalbumin, the primary proteins of WPI and EWP, respectively. The addition of 25% (w/w) sucrose increased the dilatational elasticity for adsorbed layers of β-lg, while minimally affecting the interfacial rheology of adsorbed ovalbumin, in contrast to the response of WPI and EWP ingredients. These experiments underscore the importance of utilizing the same materials for interfacial measurements as used for foaming experiments, if one is to properly infer interfacial information/mechanisms and relate this information to bulk foaming measurements. The effects of protein concentration and measurement time on interfacial rheology were also considered as they relate to bulk foam properties. This data should be of practical assistance to those designing aerated food products, as it has not been previously reported that sucrose addition improves the foaming characteristics of EWP-based ingredients while negatively affecting the foaming behavior of WPI, as these types of protein isolates are common to the food industry.
PROCEDURE FOR DEVELOPING TRUCK ACCIDENT AND RELEASE RATES FOR HAZMAT ROUTING

To conduct risk assessments in routing studies for the highway transportation of hazardous materials (hazmat), estimates of accident and release rates are essential. Published literature underscores the importance of these rates in risk assessment, and the significant shortcomings of the available data. Truck accident rates are developed in this paper as a function of roadway type and area type (urban/rural) from state data on highway geometrics, traffic volume, and accidents. Release probabilities in accidents are derived from a combination of federal and state truck accident data bases. The procedure is presented in detail. A discussion of the dangers of combining data from different states is also presented, along with justification for the decision of the writers to do so. A revised model for the accident probability portion of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) hazardous materials routing guidelines is recommended. Statistical tests are presented to determine whether accident rates based on site-specific data or systemwide values, such as those derived in this paper, should be used for any particular route segment. Language: en
The south temperate and Antarctic ascidian Corella eumyota reported in two harbours in north-western France

In July 2002 the southern hemisphere ascidian Corella eumyota was detected in the northern hemisphere for the first time, attached to floating docks in two harbours in north-western France: Perros-Guirec and Camaret-sur-Mer. Most individuals in the large clumps of tightly packed aggregations contained a clutch of brooded embryos in the atrial cavity, resting on the posterolateral epithelium overlying the ovotestis very close to the openings of the sperm duct and oviduct which are immediately adjacent to each other on the surface of the ovotestis, a morphological peculiarity not previously reported. These openings are far from the atrial siphon; it is possible that the species routinely self-fertilizes. The larvae are retained after hatching until they are competent to settle, resulting in a very short free-swimming larval period, limited dispersal, and a tendency for the larvae immediately after release to settle on the parent tunic or adjacent adults. It is hypothesized that individuals attached to some type of hard substrate were transported anthropogenically to France. Because the two harbours in which these nonindigenous ascidians were living are small, they probably represent secondary sites of invasion into France; the primary sites have not yet been identified.
Individual Differences in Executive Functioning and Their Relationship to Emotional Processes and Responses

The executive functions (including response inhibition, memory updating, and task switching) appear to form the core of higher-order cognitive processes in humans. Relatively little research has been devoted to the role of the executive functions in emotional and motivational processes. The current article surveys evidence on the contributions of individual differences in executive functioning to emotion and emotion regulation in adults. The findings reveal that cognitive ability helps to shape human emotional life and raise new questions about how and why this is so.
Sequential One-Electron Reduction of Fe(V) to Fe(III) by Cyanide in Alkaline Medium

The reduction of Fe(V) by cyanide has been studied anaerobically in alkaline media (pH 10.55−12.10) by using a premix pulse radiolysis technique. The results demonstrated for the first time the spectroscopic evidence for sequential one-electron reductions of Fe(V) to Fe(IV) to Fe(III) in aqueous media. Rates for reductions decrease with an increase in pH and appeared to be related to deprotonation of Fe(V) and Fe(IV) species. The reactivity of the three ferrates (Fe(VI), Fe(V), and Fe(IV)) with cyanide showed that Fe(V) and Fe(IV) are approximately four- and two-orders of magnitude more reactive than Fe(VI), respectively. These rates suggest that Fe(VI) oxidations of compounds may be accelerated if reactions are performed in the presence of one-electron or two-electron reducing substrates.
Induction of human B2 bradykinin receptor mRNA and membrane receptors by IFNγ

A potential mechanism for the increased sensitivity of inflamed tissues to bradykinin is the upregulation of bradykinin receptor expression. We report that recombinant human IFNgamma stimulated a concentration-dependent increase in cell surface bradykinin receptor expression in intact T24 human epithelial-like cells, determined by radioligand binding analysis. Analysis of specific [3H]-bradykinin binding revealed that IFNgamma-treated cells had a two- to threefold increase in bradykinin receptor number compared to the controls with no effect on receptor affinity. The ability of IFNgamma to stimulate increased bradykinin receptor expression was abrogated by treatment with either the transcription inhibitor actinomycin D or the protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide. IFNgamma enhanced steady-state human B2 bradykinin receptor mRNA expression in the T24 cells in a dose-dependent manner. B2 bradykinin receptor mRNA expression was increased as early as 1 h following IFNgamma stimulation, and continued to accumulate for 24 h. Bradykinin-stimulated intracellular calcium mobilization was also increased in IFNgamma-treated T24 cells compared to controls. The ability of IFNgamma to upregulate B2 bradykinin receptors in primary epithelial cells was demonstrated using cultured human airway epithelial cells. These observations suggest that increasing IFNgamma levels during inflammation may upregulate the expression of B2 bradykinin receptors, leading to increased sensitivity to bradykinin.
Collisional effects in the multiple infrared photon absorption in SF 6

At fluence levels below that for multiphoton dissociation, it is shown that for SF6 the number of photons absorbed per molecule increases dramatically as the number of collisions with a nonabsorbing partner increases. In particular, at 70 mJ/cm2, the average number of photons absorbed per SF6 molecule in a xenon diluent went from <3 at 1.5 Torr Xe added to more than 12 at 100 Torr (SF6 pressure constant at 0.1 Torr).