cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Does Power Distance Influence Perceptions of Sexual Harassment at Work? An Experimental Investigation

The influence of cultural values on perceptions of sexual harassment has often been examined by making comparisons across cultures. As the workplace becomes increasingly diverse, it becomes more important to investigate the effects of individual-level cultural values on workplace behaviors. In the present study, we investigated the influence of differences in power distance value orientation on perceptions of sexual harassment. Participants were primed with a high versus low power distance mindset using priming procedures (Brockner et al. in J Exp Soc Psychol 37:300–315, 2001) and then presented with sexual harassment scenarios (representing either hostile work environment or quid pro quo situations). Participant ratings of perceived severity of sexual harassment within the scenarios were obtained. Findings suggest that individuals primed with high power distance were more tolerant of sexual harassment and perceived these behaviors as less severe, as compared to those who were primed with low power distance. Implications for research and development of future sexual harassment training programs are discussed.
Interobserver agreement of an electronic von Frey device for measuring mechanical sensory thresholds in normal dogs

Abstract Electronic von Frey Aesthesiometry (VFA) has been previously reported as a useful method of mechanical quantitative sensory testing (QST) for evaluating neuropathic pain in dogs. Intraobserver agreement has been shown to be good to excellent; however, interobserver agreement has not been evaluated and is vital to the use of this technique in multicenter veterinary clinical trials in neuropathic pain. The goal of this study was to evaluate the interobserver agreement of sensory thresholds obtained using electronic VFA in a group of normal small breed dogs. Twenty healthy dogs ( ICC across all three evaluators was 0.48, indicating moderate agreement. Moderate interobserver agreement is not sufficient to support the use of this technique in multi-center clinical trials, and our results underscore the importance of using a single evaluator for this QST technique until better agreement can be demonstrated.
Safe Adaptive Cruise Control with Road Grade Preview and $\mathbf{V}2\mathbf{V}$ Communication

We present the design of a safe Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) which uses road grade and lead vehicle motion preview. The ACC controller is designed by using a Model Predictive Control (MPC) framework to optimize comfort, safety, energy-efficiency and speed tracking accuracy. Safety is achieved by online computation of a robust invariant terminal set. The paper presents a novel approach to compute such set which is less conservative than existing methods. The proposed controller ensures safe inter-vehicle spacing at all times despite changes in the road grade and uncertainty in the predicted motion of the lead vehicle. Simulation results compare the proposed controller with a controller that does not incorporate prior grade knowledge on two scenarios including car-following and autonomous intersection crossing. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control algorithm.
Saxitoxin time–resolved absorption and resonance FT–IR and Raman biospectroscopy and density functional theory investigation of vibronic–mode coupling structure in vibrational spectra analysis

Saxitoxin (STX) is a potent neurotoxin and the best–known paralytic shellfish toxin (PST). Ingestion of Saxitoxin by humans, usually by consumption of shellfish contaminated by toxic algal blooms, is responsible for the illness known as paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP). Parameters such as FT­–IR and Raman vibrational wavelengths and intensities for single crystal Saxitoxin (STX) are calculated using density functional theory and were compared with empirical results. The investigation about vibrational spectrum of cycle dimers in crystal with carboxyl groups from each molecule of acid was shown that it leads to create Hydrogen bonds for adjacent molecules. The current study aimed to investigate the possibility of simulating the empirical values. Analysis of vibrational spectrum of Saxitoxin (STX) is performed based on theoretical simulation and FT–IR empirical spectrum and Raman empirical spectrum using density functional theory in levels of HF/6–31G*, HF/6–31++G**, MP2/6–31G, MP2/6–31++G**, BLYP/6–31G, BLYP/6–31++G**, B3LYP/6–31G and B3LYP6–31–HEG**. Vibration modes of methylene, carboxyl acid and phenyl cycle are separately investigated. The obtained values confirm high accuracy and validity of results obtained from calculations.
The Long Noncoding RNA RPS10P2-AS1 Is Implicated in Autism Spectrum Disorder Risk and Modulates Gene Expression in Human Neuronal Progenitor Cells

Most of the genetic risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is inherited as common genetic variants, although some rare mutations have been identified in individuals with ASD. Common genetic variants are most parsimoniously identified by genome wide association studies. Genome wide association studies have identified several genetic loci with genome wide association with ASD. However, genome wide association studies only identify regions of the genome associated with phenotypic traits. Identification of the functional elements requires additional experimental evidence. Here, we demonstrate that a genome wide association study locus for ASD on chromosome 20p12.1, rs4141463, implicates a noncoding RNA as a functional element. Although rs4141463 lies within an intron of the protein-coding MACROD2 (MACRO domain containing 2) gene, expression of MACROD2 is neither altered in postmortem temporal cortex of individuals with ASD nor correlated with rs4141463 genotype. Our bioinformatics approaches revealed a noncoding RNA transcript near the autism susceptibility signal, RPS10P2-AS1 (ribosomal protein S10 pseudogene 2 anti-sense 1). In a panel of 15 human tissues, RPS10P2-AS1 was expressed at higher levels than the protein-coding MACROD2 in both fetal temporal cortex and adult peripheral blood. In postmortem temporal cortex, expression of RPS10P2-AS1 was increased 7-fold in individuals with ASD (P = 0.02) and increased 8-fold in individuals with the ASD-associated rs4141463 genotype (P = 0.01). Further, RPS10P2-AS1 expression was increased in human neural progenitor cells exposed to model air pollutants, indicating that both genetic and environmental factors that contribute to ASD increased RPS10P2-AS1 expression. Overexpression of RPS10P2-AS1 in human neural progenitor cells indicated substantial changes in neuronal gene expression. These data indicate that genome-wide significant associations with ASD implicate long noncoding RNAs. Because long noncoding RNAs are more abundant in human brain than protein-coding RNAs, this class of molecules is likely to contribute to ASD risk.
Cardiac cachexia in cats with congestive heart failure: Prevalence and clinical, laboratory, and survival findings.

BACKGROUND Cardiac cachexia is common in people and dogs with congestive heart failure (CHF). However, the prevalence and effects of cardiac cachexia in cats are unknown. OBJECTIVES To determine the prevalence of cachexia and its associations with clinical laboratory and survival data in cats with CHF. ANIMALS One hundred twenty-five cats with CHF. METHODS Medical records of cats evaluated during a 40-month period were retrospectively reviewed to identify cats with cardiac cachexia using 7 different definitions. Clinical, laboratory, and survival data were compared between cats with and without cachexia. RESULTS Prevalence of cachexia ranged from 0 to 66.7% for the 7 definitions, with a prevalence of 41.6% using muscle condition score (MCS). Cats with cachexia (determined by MCS) were older (P < .001), more likely to have pleural effusion (P = .003), had significantly higher blood urea nitrogen (P < .001) and neutrophil concentrations (P = .01), and significantly lower body condition score (P < .001), body weights (P < .001), hematocrit (P = .007), and hemoglobin concentrations (P = .009). Survival time for cats with cachexia (determined by MCS) was significantly shorter than for cats without cachexia (P = .03). Cats that were underweight (P = .002) and cats with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) also had shorter survival times (P = .04). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE The association between cachexia and reduced survival time emphasizes the importance of identifying and addressing this common problem in cats with CHF.
Use of study design principles would increase the reproducibility of reviews in conservation biology

Abstract Despite the importance of reviews and syntheses in advancing our understanding of the natural world and informing conservation policy, they frequently are not conducted with the same careful methods as primary studies. This discrepancy can lead to controversy over review conclusions because the methods employed to gather evidence supporting the conclusions are not reproducible. To illustrate this problem, we assessed whether the methods of reviews involved in two recent controversies met the common scientific standard of being reported in sufficient detail to be repeated by an independent researcher. We found that none of the reviews were repeatable by this standard. Later stages of the review process, such as quantitative analyses, were generally described well, but the more fundamental, data-gathering stage was not fully described in any of the reviews. To address the irreproducibility of review conclusions, we believe that ecologists and conservation biologists should recognize that literature searches for reviews are a data gathering exercise and apply the same rigorous study design principles and reporting standards that they would use for primary studies.
Real-time collaborative tracking for underwater networked systems

Localization is a crucial requirement for mobile underwater systems. Real-time position information is needed for control and navigation of underwater vehicles, in early warning systems and for certain routing protocols. Past research has shown that the localization accuracy of networked underwater systems can be significantly improved using inter-vehicle collaboration. More specifically the Maximum Likelihood (ML) position estimates of a mobile collective can be computed from measurements of relative positions and motion, albeit in a non-real-time fashion. In this work we extend this solution to compute the position estimates of a network in real-time and in a distributed fashion. We first describe a centralized approach to identify key factors that fundamentally limit the performance of a real-time solution. Using the centralized approach as a benchmark, we arrive at a real-time distributed solution that additionally computes the location of vehicles using information obtained locally by them. We address practical considerations in the implementation of our algorithm and propose solutions to mitigate computational errors. With this proposed implementation, we provide insight on how to appropriately plan a deployment of nodes when collaborative tracking is to be utilized. Lastly, we shed light on situations where implementing collaborative tracking can hinder the localization performance of the network so that these can be avoided.
Multidisciplinary surgical treatment approach for dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans: an update

Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) is a cutaneous sarcoma that has remained a challenge for oncologic and reconstructive surgeons due to a high rate of local recurrence. The objective of this study is to investigate the oncologic and reconstructive benefits of employing a multidisciplinary two-step approach to the treatment of DFSP. A retrospective review was conducted using a prospectively collected database of all patients who underwent resection and reconstruction of large DFSPs by a multidisciplinary team, including a Mohs micrographic surgeon, surgical oncologist, dermatopathologist, and plastic and reconstructive surgeon, at one academic institution from 1998–2018. Each patient underwent Mohs micrographic surgery for peripheral margin clearance (Step 1) followed by wide local excision (WLE) of the deep margin by surgical oncology and immediate reconstruction by plastic surgery (Step 2). 57 patients met inclusion criteria. Average defect size after WLE (Step 2): 87.3 cm2 (range 8.5–1073.5 cm2). Mean follow-up time was 37 months (range 0–138 months). There were no cases of recurrence. A two-step multidisciplinary surgical treatment approach for DFSP minimizes risk of recurrence, decreases patient discomfort, and allows immediate reconstruction after deep margin clearance.
Variation in δ15N from shell-associated organic matter in bivalves: Implications for studies of modern and fossil ecosystems

Abstract Nitrogen stable isotopes (δ15N) of organic matter can aid in the reconstruction of food webs and, when applied to fossil systems, may help resolve uncertainty about trophic position and provide tests for hypotheses developed using traditional paleoecological techniques. However, in order to use those values to reconstruct trophic relationships in ecosystems and assess changes in their dynamics, an understanding of the variability of isotopic signatures within individuals and across populations is critical. The purpose of this study is to develop a methodology by which to characterize the variability in nitrogen isotope values within bivalve shells and to propose an approach for effective paleoecological and paleoceanographic studies using such data. Here we present high-resolution sclerochronological and whole-shell δ15N values of shell-associated organic matter derived from modern Spisula solidissima bivalves from three different localities. High-resolution δ15N values vary by about 4‰ over the sampled life history, which reflects the interplay of factors such as diet, physiological change over ontogeny, and background nitrogen isotopic signatures of dissolved nutrient nitrogen. A significant correlation of temporally aligned δ15N with δ18O at different lags suggests that the δ15N has a seasonal control. Furthermore, an enrichment in δ15N following peak primary productivity in the region suggests that seasonal turnover of nutrients is the primary driver of δ15N variability. Unfortunately, the fossil record does not always yield well-preserved whole shells, and working with limited shell fragments is unlikely to capture the full range of variation exhibited within a shell. To this end, we also analyzed a field-collected sub-fossil set of Spisula for whole-shell δ15N. The sample set demonstrates 5‰ of variation in δ15N among individual shells, similar to the range observed within serially-sampled shells. This likely reflects a variation that we might expect to see in a population collected from a single horizon in the fossil record. Studies involving shell-associated nitrogen isotopes in a paleo setting should analyze numerous specimens in a stratigraphic unit to capture the whole range of δ15N values within a population. Moreover, for understanding trophic relationships it is important to analyze and compare the δ15N values of multiple coeval taxa each taxa.
Geometric Shrinkage Priors for Kählerian Signal Filters

We construct geometric shrinkage priors for Kahlerian signal filters. Based on the characteristics of Kahler manifolds, an efficient and robust algorithm for finding superharmonic priors which outperform the Jeffreys prior is introduced. Several ansatze for the Bayesian predictive priors are also suggested. In particular, the ansatze related to Kahler potential are geometrically intrinsic priors to the information manifold of which the geometry is derived from the potential. The implication of the algorithm to time series models is also provided.
Geostatistical modeling of positive-definite matrices: An application to diffusion tensor imaging.

Geostatistical modeling for continuous point-referenced data has extensively been applied to neuroimaging because it produces efficient and valid statistical inference. However, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), a neuroimaging technique characterizing the brain's anatomical structure, produces a positive-definite (p.d.) matrix for each voxel. Currently, only a few geostatistical models for p.d. matrices have been proposed because introducing spatial dependence among p.d. matrices properly is challenging. In this paper, we use the spatial Wishart process, a spatial stochastic process (random field), where each p.d. matrix-variate random variable marginally follows a Wishart distribution, and spatial dependence between random matrices is induced by latent Gaussian processes. This process is valid on an uncountable collection of spatial locations and is almost-surely continuous, leading to a reasonable way of modeling spatial dependence. Motivated by a DTI data set of cocaine users, we propose a spatial matrix-variate regression model based on the spatial Wishart process. A problematic issue is that the spatial Wishart process has no closed-form density function. Hence, we propose an approximation method to obtain a feasible Cholesky decomposition model, which we show to be asymptotically equivalent to the spatial Wishart process model. A local likelihood approximation method is also applied to achieve fast computation. The simulation studies and real data application demonstrate that the Cholesky decomposition process model produces reliable inference and improved performance, compared to other methods.
The US failure to adopt the metric system: the high cost of teaching the English system

Over twenty years ago, an article by Richard Phelps addressed the benefits of the United States (US) educational system carrying out a complete adoption of the metric system of measurement. Today w...
Nonpharmaceutical Interventions Remain Essential to Reducing COVID-19 Burden Even in a Well-Vaccinated Society: A Modeling Study

Vaccination and non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) reduce transmission of SARS-CoV-2 infection, but their effectiveness depends on coverage and adherence levels. We used scenario modeling to evaluate their effects on cases and deaths averted and herd immunity. NPIs and vaccines worked synergistically in different parts of the pandemic to reduce disease burden.
In a Very Short Story Called 'Equivalent,' Amy Hempel Explores Connection and Interaction

Review of one of the stories from Amy Hempel's new book, Sing to It (2019), with an emphasis on how the story illuminates patterns of practice and interaction in dispute resolution.
Mammalian sperm interactions with the female reproductive tract

The mammalian female reproductive tract interacts with sperm in various ways in order to facilitate sperm migration to the egg while impeding migrations of pathogens into the tract, to keep sperm alive during the time between mating and ovulation, and to select the fittest sperm for fertilization. The two main types of interactions are physical and molecular. Physical interactions include the swimming responses of sperm to the microarchitecture of walls, to fluid flows, and to fluid viscoelasticity. When sperm encounter walls, they have a strong tendency to remain swimming along them. Sperm will also orient their swimming into gentle fluid flows. The female tract seems to use these tendencies of sperm to guide them to the site of fertilization. When sperm hyperactivate, they are better able to penetrate highly viscoelastic media, such as the cumulus matrix surrounding eggs. Molecular interactions include communications of sperm surface molecules with receptors on the epithelial lining of the tract. There is evidence that specific sperm surface molecules are required to enable sperm to pass through the uterotubal junction into the oviduct. When sperm reach the oviduct, most bind to the oviductal epithelium. This interaction holds sperm in a storage reservoir until ovulation and serves to maintain the fertilization competence of stored sperm. When sperm are released from the reservoir, they detach from and re-attach to the epithelium repeatedly while ascending to the site of fertilization. We are only beginning to understand the communications that may pass between sperm and epithelium during these interactions.
Physical and hydraulic properties of volcanic rocks from Yucca Mountain, Nevada

[1] A database of physical and hydraulic properties was developed for rocks in the unsaturated zone at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, a site under consideration as a geologic repository for high-level radioactive waste. The 5320 core samples were collected from 23 shallow (<100 m) and 10 deep (500–1000 m) vertical boreholes. Hydrogeologic units have been characterized in the unsaturated zone [Flint, 1998] that represent rocks with ranges of welding, lithophysae, and high and low temperature alteration (as a result of the depositional, cooling, and alterational history of the lithostratigraphic layers). Lithostratigraphy, the hydrogeologic unit, and the corresponding properties are described. In addition, the physical properties of bulk density, porosity, and particle density; the hydraulic properties of saturated hydraulic conductivity and moisture retention characteristics; and the field water content were measured and compiled for each core sample.
Use of retinol-binding protein and prealbumin as indicators of the response to nutrition therapy.

There is no single available measurement for evaluating the short-term response to nutrition therapy. The ideal parameter should have high sensitivity and specificity and should be unaffected by non-nutritional factors. A literature review suggested that plasma retinol-binding protein and prealbumin concentrations change earlier than albumin and transferrin levels and appear to correlate better with nitrogen balance during nutrition therapy. That conclusion was supported by our own findings in patients receiving total parenteral nutrition and following the transition to oral or enteral feedings. Although concentrations of these plasma proteins have been shown to be affected by stress and renal and hepatic disease, they appear to be more sensitive indicators of the adequacy of nutrition support than other more commonly used assessment parameters. J Am Diet Assoc 89:684-687, 1989.
Unified Frequency Domain Analysis of Lightfield Cameras

This paper presents a theory that encompasses both "plenoptic" (microlens based) and "heterodyning" (mask based) cameras in a single frequency-domain mathematical formalism. Light-field capture has traditionally been analyzed using spatio-angular representation, with the exception of the frequency-domain "heterodyning" work. In this paper we interpret "heterodyning" as a general theory of multiplexing the radiance in the frequency domain. Using this interpretation, we derive a mathematical theory of recovering the 4D spatial and angular information from the multiplexed 2D frequency representation. The resulting method is applicable to all lightfield cameras, lens-based and mask-based. The generality of our approach suggests new designs for lightfield cameras. We present one such novel lightfield camera, based on a mask outside a conventional camera. Experimental results are presented for all cameras described.
C^1 actions of the mapping class group on the circle

Let S be a connected orientable surface with finitely many punctures, finitely many boundary components, and genus at least 6. Then any C 1 action of the mapping class group of S on the circle is trivial. The techniques used in the proof of this result permit us to show that products of Kazhdan groups and certain lattices cannot have C 1 faithful actions on the circle. We also prove that for n ≥ 6, any C 1 action of Aut(Fn) or Out(Fn) on the circle factors through an action of Z/2Z.
The Drosophila Transcription Factors Tinman and Pannier Activate and Collaborate with Myocyte Enhancer Factor-2 to Promote Heart Cell Fate

Expression of the MADS domain transcription factor Myocyte Enhancer Factor 2 (MEF2) is regulated by numerous and overlapping enhancers which tightly control its transcription in the mesoderm. To understand how Mef2 expression is controlled in the heart, we identified a late stage Mef2 cardiac enhancer that is active in all heart cells beginning at stage 14 of embryonic development. This enhancer is regulated by the NK-homeodomain transcription factor Tinman, and the GATA transcription factor Pannier through both direct and indirect interactions with the enhancer. Since Tinman, Pannier and MEF2 are evolutionarily conserved from Drosophila to vertebrates, and since their vertebrate homologs can convert mouse fibroblast cells to cardiomyocytes in different activator cocktails, we tested whether over-expression of these three factors in vivo could ectopically activate known cardiac marker genes. We found that mesodermal over-expression of Tinman and Pannier resulted in approximately 20% of embryos with ectopic Hand and Sulphonylurea receptor (Sur) expression. By adding MEF2 alongside Tinman and Pannier, a dramatic expansion in the expression of Hand and Sur was observed in almost all embryos analyzed. Two additional cardiac markers were also expanded in their expression. Our results demonstrate the ability to initiate ectopic cardiac fate in vivo by the combination of only three members of the conserved Drosophila cardiac transcription network, and provide an opportunity for this genetic model system to be used to dissect the mechanisms of cardiac specification.
CHAPTER 24 – Digital Microprocessor ICs

his chapter discusses digital microprocessor integrated circuits (ICs). Analog electrical signals are still used for many purposes—such as local telephone calls, and for some types of fairly simple computers in automation, etc. However, relatively small but very powerful computers, and also some large supercomputers, now use digital microprocessors for their internal operations. The binary digital programs for these microprocessors consist of extremely long lists of binary (zero or one) numbers. This is called machine language. Groups of these numbers, somewhat summarized into a symbolic format, are called object code, and this is considered to be a sort of language, at a slightly higher level than the raw zeros and ones. The chapter also elaborates on different computer languages.
Robust Observability, Control, & Economics of Complex Cyber-Physical Networks

Robust Observability, Controllability and Economics of Complex Cyber-Physical Networks by Shaurya Agarwal 〈Dr. Pushkin Kachroo〉, Examination Committee Chair Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Department University of Nevada, Las Vegas This dissertation deals with various aspects of cyber-physical system. As an example of cyber physical systems, we take transportation networks and solve various problems, namely: 1) Network Observability Problem, 2) Network Control Problem, and 3) Network Economics Problem. We have divided the dissertation into three parts which solve these three problems separately. First part of the dissertation presents a novel approach for studying the observability problem on a general network topology of a traffic network. We develop a new framework which investigates observability in terms of flow information on arcs and the routing information. Second part of the dissertation presents a feedback control design for a coordinated ramp metering problem for two consecutive on-ramps. We design a traffic allocation scheme for ramps based on Godunov’s numerical method and using distributed model. Third part of the dissertation presents a novel approach to model Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) iii dynamics and establish a methodology for designing an optimal VMT tax rate. An Optimal control problem is formulated by designing a cost function which aims to maximize the generated revenue while keeping the tax rate as low as possible. Using optimal control theory, a solution is provided to this problem. To the best knowledge of authors all the three problems have not been solved using the methods proposed in this dissertation, and hence they are a novel contribution to the field.
Prehospital Intravenous Line Placement: A Prospective Study

We prospectively measured the on-scene time, transport time, and IV line starting time for 97 patients receiving paramedic care in an urban region during an 18-month period. The overall success rate for IV line placement was 91%, and the average successful IV line starting time was 2.5 minutes. En route IV line attempts had similar success rates and starting times. The on-scene IV line starting times were shorter than the transport times in 86% of patients. We conclude that definitive IV line medical therapy, when available, can be delivered effectively by paramedics at the scene. We also conclude that en route IV line placement is feasible in trauma victims.
Performing absence: The staged personal narrative as testimony

This study centers on autobiographical staged personal narrative, applying insights from studies in conversational personal narrative, the staging of collected stories, and. therapeutic testimony. The author pays specific attention to Holocaust narrative, Linda Alcoffs “The Problem of Speaking for Others, “ and contemporary essays about performed autobiographical narrative.
‘Affrighted at the eager enjoyment’: Hawthorne, nymphomania, and medical manhood

By examining together nineteenth-century medical descriptions of alcoholism and nymphomania, this essay argues that alcohol addiction in the nineteenth century was often portrayed as a form of diseased manhood that rendered men unfit for their roles as civic participants and economic providers. The essay also argues that Nathaniel Hawthorne's ‘Rappaccini's Daughter’ can be read as powerful meditation on how the nineteenth-century scientific community's portrayal of addiction helped to concretize the hegemony of patriarchy and institutionalized medicine.
Method for measuring tetraethyl lead and total lead in organic solvents

Lead (Pb) contamination is a nationwide public health problem which is prevalent among children in urban metropolitan areas. The source of Pb contamination is due mostly to emissions from vehicular traffic using leaded gasoline. Pb alkyl species used by automobile-related industries include tetraethyl Pb (TEL), tetramethyl Pb, triethylmethyl Pb, dimethyldiethyl Pb, and trimethylethyl Pb compounds. All of these compounds have been used as antiknock agents and have provided a convenient and inexpensive means to enhance octane rating for gasoline. Use of leaded gasoline was almost global for more than 50 years during 1925 to 1975. The amount of Pb released in automobile exhaust during that time accounted for more than a half of the total yearly Pb pollution of the entire earth. Although only Pb-free gasoline may now be used as an automobile fuel in the US, leaded gasoline is still used as both an aviation and automobile fuel in many other countries. Extensive use of Pb antiknock additives has made Pb perhaps the most widely distributed toxic heavy metal in the urban environment. The public health concern about Pb content in the subsurface environment requires a method to determine Pb contents that is both accurate and not demanding ofmore » time, technique, or special equipments. The currently used American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) Standard Method D3237 is time consuming, expensive, and tedious as compared to the method presented in this article. The objective of this study was to develop a simple method to measure TEL as well as total Pb contents in organic solvents using a ICI digestion method. Two types of samples were used: (1) TEL in gasoline, and (2) TEL in hexane. In additional, an experiment was also conducted to verify that conversion of TEL by ICI with the above procedures is actually to inorganic Pb[sup +2] and not to a mixture of the intermediate TREL and DEL species which are highly water soluble.« less
Identification of extrachromosomal DNA in hematolymphoid cells of chickens and mice.

Abstract Extrachromosomal DNA of heterogeneous size has been isolated from bursal lymphocytes and splenocytes of five week old chickens, and from splenocytes of mice. This DNA contains covalently closed circles, open circles, and open circles with tails. Open circular molecules with and without tails are more frequent than covalently closed species, and the total number of small circular DNA molecules per cell is in the range of 100–200 copies.
The child is father of the man: Personality and politics in revolutionary Mexico

Abstract On 21 August 1926, Mexico's President Calles received two bishops—Leopoldo Ruiz of Michoacan and Pascual Diaz of Tabasco—for a discussion of the Ley Calles, which had gone into effect on 2 July. Whereas implementation of the anti-clerical provisions of articles 3, 5, 27 and 130 of the 1917 Constitution had formerly been left to local authorities and governors, the Calles administration had imposed a national code. Under the Ley Calles, the number of priests per capita was to be regulated in such a way as to reduce their numbers substantially, foreigners could no longer be priests and foreign priests were to be expelled from the country. Religious instruction could not be included in any schooling, public or private. All monasteries and convents were to be banned. The government was to become the owner of all Church properties. Convents and schools would be turned into public offices or given to labour unions and peasant leagues, and the church was to be banned from all political organising or com...
Nature of ice-forming nuclei in marine air masses

Abstract Aerosol particles collected over the Pacific Ocean between 7°N and 5°S latitude and 110° to 142°W longitude during the period from 23 May to 19 June 1985 were examined for their ability to nucleate ice by sorption, freezing, and condensation-followed-by-freezing. Ice-forming nuclei (IFN) active by sorption in the temperature range between − 4° and − 17°C were not found in the air masses of pure marine origin. The highest temperatures of freezing of water drops placed on aerosol particles larger than 0.3 μm and below 0.3 μm in diameter were − 12° and − 4°C, respectively. Maximum concentrations of IFN active by condensation-followed-by-freezing at initial ice nucleation temperatures of − 4°, − 6°, and − 7°C were found over some areas to be 40 ± 5, 10, and 401 −1 , respectively; these concentrations were of a patchy character over the Pacific Ocean where upwelling regions were present, and they were found to be independent of temperature for the temperature range from the initial ice nucleation temperatures down to − 17°C. Aerosol particles active as IFN were in the 0.1–0.3 μm diameter size range; they were hydrophobic particles and consisted of a chemical compound or compounds that completely vaporized in 10 −6 mm Hg vacuum, indicating that they were neither bacteria nor proteins. It was found that the IFN always existed in the presence of sulfate-bearing aerosol particles smaller than 0.3 μm in diameter and that the sulfate ion is an integral part of the ice nucleating particle. A relation was also found between SO 4 2− ion concentration, the temperature of ice nucleation (the temperature-concentration curve has a maximum), and the nature of the hydrophobic surface. The result of this relationship is that some of the cloud droplets growing in an updraft can be immune to freezing when the concentration of the SO 4 2− ion in solution is too low. Upon evaporation of droplets, the increasing concentration of SO 4 2− ions reaches the critical concentration at the ice nucleation (freezing) curve and causes evaporating droplets to freeze; this supports the Hobbs-Rangno observations. The freezing of condensing and evaporating droplets is time-dependent and therefore depends on the dynamics of clouds.
Vacuum ultraviolet circular dichroism of gellan-family polymer films from water and dimethyl sulfoxide

Abstract The denaturing effect of dimethyl sulfoxide (Me2SO) on the conformation of the gellan-welan-rhamsan family of microbial polysaccharides is directly demonstrated by circular dichroism (CD). The three polysaccharides display strikingly similar CD spectra (140–210 nm) for films cast from Me2SO. The disrupting effect of Me2SO on gellan and welan conformations has previously been reported by others on the basis of light-scattering and viscosity studies. Films cast from aqueous solutions at room temperature show more-intense CD bands, both at 182 nm, as is also observed for aqueous solutions, and in the 150–175 nm region. These features correspond to the ordered helical chains found by X-ray diffraction studies of similarly prepared films.
In vivo ultrasound and photoacoustic monitoring of mesenchymal stem cells labeled with gold nanotracers.

Longitudinal monitoring of cells is required in order to understand the role of delivered stem cells in therapeutic neovascularization. However, there is not an imaging technique that is capable of quantitative, longitudinal assessment of stem cell behaviors with high spatial resolution and sufficient penetration depth. In this study, in vivo and in vitro experiments were performed to demonstrate the efficacy of ultrasound-guided photoacoustic (US/PA) imaging to monitor mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) labeled with gold nanotracers (Au NTs). The Au NT labeled MSCs, injected intramuscularly in the lower limb of the Lewis rat, were detected and spatially resolved. Furthermore, our quantitative in vitro cell studies indicate that US/PA imaging is capable of high detection sensitivity (1×104 cells/mL) of the Au NT labeled MSCs. Finally, Au NT labeled MSCs captured in the PEGylated fibrin gel system were imaged in vivo, as well as in vitro, over a one week time period, suggesting that longitudinal cell tracking using US/PA imaging is possible. Overall, Au NT labeling of MSCs and US/PA imaging can be an alternative approach in stem cell imaging capable of noninvasive, sensitive, quantitative, longitudinal assessment of stem cell behaviors with high spatial and temporal resolutions at sufficient depths.
Serial MRI findings in a case of primary lateral sclerosis

A patient with primary lateral sclerosis (PLS) underwent MRI 3 times over 8.5 years. These images demonstrate progressive atrophy of the premotor, parietal, and primary sensorimotor cortex, with sparing of the temporal lobe, occipital lobe, and cerebellum. The pattern of cerebral atrophy was clearly restricted but was more extensive than expected from sensorimotor cortex pyramidal cell loss described in literature autopsy reports of PLS. Cortical motor system degeneration in PLS, whether primary or secondary, may be more extensive than previously believed.
Large Hydrostatic Piezoelectric Coefficient in Lead Magnesium Niobate - Lead Titanate Ceramics

Keywords: relaxor ferroelectric ceramics ; laser interferometer Note: Taylor, Dj Penn State Univ,Mat Res Lab,University Pk,Pa 16802Fq936Times Cited:0Cited References Count:12 Reference LC-ARTICLE-1991-009doi:10.1007/BF00723374 Record created on 2006-08-21, modified on 2017-05-10
A half‐yearly variation of the circumpolar surface drift in the Southern Hemisphere

The annual march of the zonal geostrophic wind at sea level in middle and high southern latitudes includes a marked half-yearly wave whose phase reverses near 50 S. South of this latitude the maxima are in the transitional seasons and north of it in the extreme seasons. Surface-current velocitites at middle latitudes in the western Indian Ocean suggest that the circumpolar current may vary semiannually in the same sense as the wind. DOI: 10.1111/j.2153-3490.1971.tb00599.x
PARALLEL COMPUTATION OF FORCED CONVECTION USING DOMAIN DECOMPOSITION

Boundary-fitted coordinate transformation broadens the applicability of finite difference methods. However, for a large class of geometries, coordinate transformation introduces singularities and increases grid skewness, which results in large numerical error and slow convergence rate. In this paper, we present the results of combining a finite difference scheme with domain decomposition to obtain a parallel scheme. This scheme is used to simulate steady-state forced convection in irregular axisymmetric and two-dimensional domains. The irregular domain is first dissected into subdomains that have smooth curves as their boundaries. Curvilinear coordinate systems are then generated for each subdomain. Each subdomain is mapped onto a processor in the BBN Butterfly computer. After the tasks of inner domain computation are completed in parallel, the inner boundary values are updated (also in parallel). This sets up an iterative (block Gauss-Seidel) procedure that terminates when convergence is achieved. The st...
Sodium Lactate/Sodium Chloride Effects on Sensory Characteristics and Shelf-Life of Fresh Ground Pork

Fresh ground pork was formulated with sodium lactate (SL) (0, 1.5 or 3%) and sodium chloride (0, 0.5, 1, l.5, 2, 2.5 or 3%) to evaluate effects on sensory characteristics. Aerobic plate count (APC) over retail storage (25 days) was evaluated on samples rated in the mid-range (±0.5 S.D. of mean) of salty flavor intensity (SI) by a trained sensory panel. SL increased (P<0.05) SI and juiciness, and enhanced ground pork flavor. Sodium added as SL was less perceptible as “salty” than that added as NaCl. SL significantly reduced (P<0.05) APC; based on spoilage level of 106 CFU/g SL extended shelf-life (3% SL) by about 12 days compared to controls.
Effect of pup undernutrition on the retrieval behavior of the rat dam

The effect of nutritional status of offspring on retrieval behavior of primiparous and multiparous Wistar rat mothers was examined using a deprivation technique that minimized the effects of other determinants of maternal behavior. Half of the offspring of well-nourished mothers were prevented from suckling by placing sheer, water-resistant tape over the pups' mouths. Test results indicated that, in the majority of the cases, well-fed offspring were contacted and returned to the nest before undernourished offspring suggesting that the nutritional state of pup plays a significant role in the retrieval behavior of rat dams.
Acid phoshatase. VI. Kinetic properties of purified yeast and erythrocyte phosphomonoesterase

Abstract Purified preparations of erythrocyte and yeast acid phosphomonoesterases were compared with respect to various kinetic properties including action on a variety of substrates, effect of activators and inhibitors, temperature effects, etc. Certain studies with purified prostatic acid phosphomonoesterase were also included for purposes of comparison. The erythrocyte and yeast enzymes were found to be extremely dissimilar in their properties. No greater similarity was in fact apparent between these as compared with the prostatic enzyme. It was concluded from these studies that in spite of previous classification of these two enzymes as similar types, (i.e., phosphomonoesterase, type IV) little if any basis could be found in support of such a scheme.
Isolation and characterization of a γ1‐melanotropin‐like peptide from bovine neurointermediate pituitary

A part of the N-terminal cryptic region of proopiomelanocortin (POMC) from bovine intermediate lobe pituitary shares the common sequence, Hi-PheArg-Trp, with (Yand @-melanotropin (MSH) and was therefore named T-MSH [I]. Since this fragment is located between pairs of basic amino acids at Argws7Lysws6 and Arg43-Arg42 or Lys-28-Arg-27, it has been suggested [l] that POMC may be enzymatically processed in vivo at these basic amino acid pairs to yield y-MSH-like peptides in analogy with the biosyntheses of several peptide hormones [2-41. To detect y-MSH-like peptides, radioimmunoassays (RIA) for the possible fragments, yr-MSH (Tyr-“-Val-MetGly-His-Phe-Arg-Trp-Asp-Arg-Phe4’-NH,) [5], y2-MSH (Tyr-55-Val-Met-Gly-His-Phe-ArgTrp-Asp-Phe-Gly-) [5] and y3-MSH (Tyr-“Val-Met-Gly-His-Phe-Arg-Trp-Asp-Arg-PheGly-Arg-Arg-Asn-Gly-Ser-Ser-Ser-Ser-GlyVal-Gly-Gly-Ala-Ala-Gln-2g) [6,7] were developed. The presence of y-MSH-like peptides in extracts from a human pituitary adenoma [S] and from anterior and intermediate lobes of bovine pituitary [5,9] has been reported. We have now completed the isolation and structural characterization of a native bovine yrMSH-like peptide. The primary structure of the isolated yr-MSH was established as H-Lys-Tyr-ValMet-Gly-His-Phe-Arg-Trp-Asp-Arg-Phe-NH,. The amino acid sequence of this peptide corresponds to that of the fragment from LYS-~~ to Phe4’ of POMC from bovine pituitary; this -/r-MSH is probably another naturally occuring peptide arising from specific enzymatic processing of POMC in the intermediate lobe of the bovine pituitary.
DSP-based multimode signaling for FEXT reduction in multi-Gbps links

In order to alleviate the problem of far-end crosstalk induced jitter, signaling techniques based on exploiting the orthogonal property of fundamental transmission modes of multiline system have been proposed, but so far there have been no reports on practical transceiver realization for systems other than for the ones with completely degenerate channels. In this paper, a DSP-based implementation of a multimode transceiver for a bundle of chip-to-chip microstrip lines is investigated in terms of its jitter suppression performance versus design complexity and power.
Financial Crisis in Agriculture: Discussion

These two papers present useful views of financial stress and implications. Missing, however, was a definition of financial stress. Financial stress results from a perceived inability to meet planned cash flow commitments. Such commitments stem from family living needs, cash farm expenses, debt service, etc. Financial stress is a cash flow concept and does not directly coincide with net income or profitability, though obviously they are related. For example, an investment in durables or real property may be profitable based on rate of return. Yet, the investment may still create cash flow problems and financial stress. Inability to meet financial commitments reflects unfavorably on the business and the manager or operator. It indicates a need for decision on someone's part: the operator, to make adjustments and/or revisions in commitments so they can be met; or the lender, to salvage his investment before further losses occur. When a business cannot meet commit-
Investigation of two-dimensional chemically reacting and radiating supersonic channel flows

The two-dimensional time-dependent Navier-Stokes equations are solved in order to study supersonic flows with finite rate chemistry and radiation for hydrogen-air systems. The problem of the flow in a channel with a ten-degree compression-expansion ramp is solved using the finite volume technique of Jameson et al. (1981) and the unsplit finite difference scheme of MacCormack (1969). The problem of chemically reacting and radiating flows is considered for the flow of premixed hydrogen-air through a channel with parallel boundaries and a channel with a compression corner. Results suggest that radiative interaction can have a significant effect on the entire flowfield.