cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Preliminary study of coupled oxidation-reduction reactions of included ions in growing ice crystals

Abstract Cloud chamber studies have demonstrated coupled oxidation-reduction reactions of included ions in free-falling ice crystals growing in a supercooled liquid water cloud. These reactions are hypothesized to occur as a consequence of preferential ion separations which take place at the interface between growing ice and the liquid layer at the growing crystal surfaces, followed by electron transfers to establish system neutrality. Oxidations of sulfide ion to sulfate ion and of halide ions to higher valence species have been documented. Reductions of silver ion to metallic silver and of sulfate ion to lower valence species have also been documented in systems of appropriate ion compositions. Similar reactions have been reported to occur during the freezing of bulk dilute solutions of ammonium and/or halide salts.
The cross-linking of DNA by ultraviolet radiation.

Abstract The action spectrum of the cross-linkage reaction induced in DNA by ultraviolet light is essentially the same as the absorption spectrum of thymine. The fraction of DNA cross-linked by a given dose was followed as a function of the temperature of irradiation. It was found that the amount rises in the denaturation region and then falls to zero at higher temperatures where strand separation has occurred. The increased efficiency of cross-linkage in the denaturation region is presumably due to increased mutual accessibility of thymine residues in melted out regions of the molecules. At low ionic strength the cross-linkage is found to disappear because of the decreased electrostatic shielding prevents contact between the strands in denatured regions. Spectrophotometric studies show that wavelengths near 280 mμ are preferred for following acid denaturation. Parallel studies of transforming activity shows that this resides in the cross-linked fraction where it exhibits 80 % of the activity of the unirradiated control.
Method of fission product beta spectra measurements for predicting reactor anti-neutrino emission

The nuclear fission process that occurs in the core of nuclear reactors results in unstable, neutron-rich fission products that subsequently beta decay and emit electron antineutrinos. These reactor neutrinos have served neutrino physics research from the initial discovery of the neutrino to today's precision measurements of neutrino mixing angles. The prediction of the absolute flux and energy spectrum of the emitted reactor neutrinos hinges upon a series of seminal papers based on measurements performed in the 1970s and 1980s. The steadily improving reactor neutrino measurement techniques and recent reconsiderations of the agreement between the predicted and observed reactor neutrino flux motivates revisiting the underlying beta spectra measurements. A method is proposed to use an accelerator proton beam delivered to an engineered target to yield a neutron field tailored to reproduce the neutron energy spectrum present in the core of an operating nuclear reactor. Foils of the primary reactor fissionable isotopes placed in this tailored neutron flux will ultimately emit beta particles from the resultant fission products. Measurement of these beta particles in a time projection chamber with a perpendicular magnetic field provides a distinctive set of systematic considerations for comparison to the original seminal beta spectra measurements. Ancillary measurements suchmore » as gamma-ray emission and post-irradiation radiochemical analysis will further constrain the absolute normalization of beta emissions per fission. The requirements for unfolding the beta spectra measured with this method into a predicted reactor neutrino spectrum are explored.« less
Cross-modal retrieval of scripted speech audio

This paper describes an approach to the problem of searching speech-based digital audio using cross-modal information retrieval. Audio containing speech (speech-based audio) is difficult to search. Open vocabulary speech recognition is advancing rapidly, but cannot yield high accuracy in either search or transcription modalities. However, text can be searched quickly and efficiently with high accuracy. Script- light digital audio is audio that has an available transcription. This is a surprisingly large class of content including legal testimony, broadcasting, dramatic productions and political meetings and speeches. An automatic mechanism for deriving the synchronization between the transcription and the audio allows for very accurate retrieval of segments of that audio. The mechanism described in this paper is based on building a transcription graph from the text and computing biphone probabilities for the audio. A modified beam search algorithm is presented to compute the alignment.© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Conservative laparoscopic treatment of ectopic pregnancies using the CO2-laser.

Objective— To assess the feasibility of CO2-laser-endoscopic surgical treatment for large and/or ruptured ectopic pregnancies, and to compare the results with those of microsurgical salpingotomy. Design— A retrospective review of all women treated for an ectopic pregnancy during a 6-year period, 1984–1989. During 1988 and 1989 treatment was randomized by the day of admission, depending only upon the surgeon in charge, some performing a linear salpingotomy (n=42) and some a CO2 laser laparooscopy (n=34) in all women haemodynamically stable. Setting— Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Hospital Gasthuisberg, Leuven. Subjects— 135 women with ectopic pregnancies of whom 76 were included in the randomized series between 1988 and 1989. Overall 11 were treated by pelvic lavage, 78 by laparotomy and 46 by laparoscopic procedures. Main outcome measures— Postoperative complications, duration of hospital stay. Cumulative pregnancy rates after the procedures. Results— The two groups of women analysed in the randomized series were comparable for duration of amenorrhoea, diameter of the ectopic pregnancy and prevalence of ‘ruptured’ ectopics, but the duration of stay in hospital was much shorter (mean 2–9, SD 1.8 days) for the 34 women treated by laparoscopy than for the 42 women treated by laparotomy (mean 6.8, SD 1.6 days). The postoperative cumulative pregnancy rate was higher in nulliparous women with a history of infertility or pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), when treated with CO2-laser-laparoscopy (P=0.009). The recurrency rate was low (<5% in both groups). Overall in the women treated by laparotomy, postoperative cumulative pregnancy rates were lower following excision or adnexectomy than after a microsurgical linear salpingotomy (P=0.01). Four women treated by laparoscopy required a second procedure. Conclusion— Endoscopic treatment of large and/or ruptured ectopic pregnancies is feasible and resulted in a shorter hospital stay and, in nulliparous women with a history of PID or infertility, in higher cumulative pregnancy rates, than after microsurgical salpingotomies.
Testosterone Production in the Aging Male: Where Does the Slowdown Occur?

It has been established that circulating levels of testosterone (T) decrease with age in both male rodents and men. Demonstration that declines in androgen levels result from specific age-related changes in the male reproductive system, and not secondarily from increased disease frequency associated with the aging process, was achieved by analyzing cohorts of healthy older men (1). Among rodents, the Brown Norway (BN) rat has proved to be an advantageous model for male reproductive aging because, compared with other strains, they are largely free of age-related ailments that adversely affect reproduction, such as pituitary adenomas and the excessive accumulation of body fat. As is the case with humans, BN males display a pronounced decline in Leydig cell steroidogenesis and reproductive function with increasing age. LH is the main tropic stimulus of T secretion in Leydig cells, and considerable attention has been given to determining whether diminished LH signaling is the proximate cause of the age-related decline in T production. Serum levels of LH do not decline significantly in older males, nor would this be expected, given that the negative feedback of androgen on the hypothalamus and pituitary is diminished
Stability of several substituted ferrites in a reducing atmosphere

The stability of α-Fe2O3 and a number of ferrites were studied in a reducing atmosphere of 85%Ar15%H2. The reduction processes were followed by both thermogravimetric and X-ray analyses. These results allowed for the unambiguous characterization of the reduction processes. A relationship between the nature of the products and the reduction process is proposed.
Midline Approach to Pediatric Nasofrontal Dermoid Cysts

Importance To highlight the advantages of the vertical midline incision in providing satisfactory cosmesis with complete excision of pediatric nasofrontal dermoid cysts. Observations Retrospective case series of nasofrontal dermoid cysts in 4 patients treated at a single tertiary medical center from June 1, 2010, through July 31, 2012. The mean age at surgery was 2.5 years. The anatomical location of the nasofrontal dermoid cysts differed: (1) supratip extending through the upper lateral cartilages to the cartilaginous septum, (2) upper dorsum and subcutaneous tissue, (3) tip and supratip extending deep to the nasal bones with involvement of the anterior cranial fossae and dura, and (4) nasal tip extending deep to the level of the rhinion and involving the upper lateral cartilages and below the left medial canthus. Preoperative imaging was performed on all patients. There was one case of intracranial extension. All patients underwent surgical excision with the vertical midline incision. Nasal reconstruction was performed with local soft-tissue flaps (1 patient), regenerative tissue matrix (2 patients), and bone dust pate (1 patient). The patient with intracranial involvement also underwent a frontal craniotomy. All lesions were histologically confirmed as dermoid cysts. Mean follow-up was 1.5 years. There were no complications or recurrences. All patients had cosmetically acceptable scars. Conclusions and Relevance A vertical midline incision with modifications to excise involved skin provides a satisfactory and cosmetically sound approach to congenital lesions of the nasofrontal region. It affords adequate exposure for complete excision and reconstruction. A multidisciplinary team consisting of a neurosurgeon, facial plastic surgeon, and pediatric otolaryngologist is needed to optimize outcomes.
A novel replication-defective HSV-1 vector for regulatable gene delivery to wounds

Abstract Introduction: Gene delivery of growth factors to wounds can accelerate healing but has so far not been achieved with any control over the level of transgene expression. Herpes viral vectors are efficient vehicles for in vivo gene delivery and have the advantage of being able to establish long-term gene expression in sensory neurons that are known to interact with the healing wound. To increase safety and control of in vivo gene-transfer we constructed a novel replication-deficient viral vector that for the first time allows efficient regulation of transgene expression in a dose-dependent manner by a HSV-1 recombinant system. Methods: QR9TOhEGF is a novel replication-defective virus that encodes hEGF under control of the tetO-containing CMV promoter (T-REx, Invitrogen) and the tetracycline repressor protein tetR. Without tetracycline, tetR binds to tetO, leading to effective repression of hEGF expression, while in the presence of tetracycline this repression is released. Vero cells were infected with QR9TOhEGF in the presence and absence of tetracycline. Porcine full-thickness wounds sealed with a polyvinyl chamber were infected with QR9TOhEGF in the presence and absence of tetracycline. Wound fluid was assayed at 24 and 48h using hEGF-ELISA. Results: hEGF concentration (pg/ml) at 24 and 48hrs following infection shows up to at least 400-fold regulation. Sensitivity limit: 3pg/ml Vero cellsT−T+Fold regulationp Value (unpaired t-test)24 h613602260.009648 h3.514004000.0003In vivo2.06 × 10 7 PFU/wound24 h841120.028148 h6365.80.0241EGF-ELISA of conditioned medium (Vero cells) and wound fluid (In vivo) at 24 and 48 hours, in the presence and absence of tetracycline. Lower limit of sensitivity: 3pg/ml. Conclusions: We have constructed an HSV-1 vector that allows the highest degree of regulation of gene expression in a single vector system. The feasibility of regulatable gene transfer to wounds has been demonstrated. Our method of in vivo delivery is currently being optimized to achieve higher expression.
American fast food isn't all corn-based

Understanding the significance of corn (C4) versus C3 feedstocks in today's cattle industry is particularly relevant because corn contributes widely to our economy, from food to fuel. Recently Jahren and Kraft (1) made statements on the use of corn within American fast food manufacture that we believe grossly overestimated corn's importance. The authors misinterpreted literature, incorrectly assigning isotope-ratio end-members to define animals eating C3 versus C4 diets.
Representing the geometry of domains by wavelets with applications to partial differential equations

The recently introduced compactly supported wavelets of Daubechies have proven to be very useful in various aspects of signal processing, notably in image compression. The fundamental idea in the application to image compression was to take a digitized image and to use wavelets to provide a multiscale representation of it, and to then discard some information at some scales, and leave information more intact at other scales. The Daubechies wavelets have differentiability properties in addition to their compact support and orthogonality properties. A number of authors have used wavelet system for solving various problems in differential and integral equations. An additional point of view for approaching boundary value problems in partial differential equations were introduced, in which the boundary, the boundary data, and the unknown solution (of a boundary value problem) on the interior of a domain are all uniformly represented in terms of compactly supported wavelet functions in an extrinsic ambient Euclidean space. In this paper we describe multiscale representations of domains and their boundaries and obtain multiscale representations of some of the basic elements of geometric calculus (line integrals, surface measures, etc.) which are then in turn useful for specific numerical calculations in problems in approximate solutions of differential equations. This is similar to the spectral method in solving differential equations (essentially using an orthonormal expansion), but here we use the localization property of wavelets to extend this orthonormal representation to boundary data and geometric boundaries. In this paper we want to indicate how to carry this out.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Use of Trypanosoma equiperdum infected rabbits as a source of splenic mRNA; construction of cDNA clones and identification of a rabbit μ heavy chain clone

Abstract Rabbits were infected by Trypanosoma equiperdum and the splenic mRNA was isolated. In vitro translation of this RNA and immunoprecipitation with anti-light chain, anti-heavy chain, anti-μ and anti-VH antibodies demonstrated that T. equiperdum infection elicits large quantities of splenic mRNA encoding μ and κ chains. The μ and γ heavy chains and the kappa light chains synthesized in the cell-free translation system were specifically immunoprecipitated by antisera to heavy chain VHa and light chain kappa b allotypes. In vitro labeling of spleen cells from trypanosome-infected animals demonstrated that the biosynthetically labeled IgM has a μ chain of higher molecular weight than the μ chain synthesized by in vitro translation, a difference that is largely abolished when cellular glycosylation is blocked with the antibiotic tunicamycin. Enrichment for heavy chain or light chain mRNA was achieved by fractionating mRNA from trypanosome-infected animals on a sucrose gradient. cDNA clones carrying μ heavy chain sequences were produced using a ‘one tube’ protocol and identified by cross species hybridization and hybridization selection. Infection of rabbits with T. equiperdum followed by sucrose gradient enrichment of splenic mRNA has provided sufficient quantities of mRNA encoding μ heavy chain suitable for cDNA cloning.
Tuning the electronic properties of phenanthroline ligands: 3,8-bis(arylethynyl)-1,10-phenanthrolines and their Ru(II) complexes

Abstract Palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions between 3,8-dibromo-1,10-phenanthroline and substituted phenylacetylenes provide a novel family of highly conjugated metal chelators. The electronic transitions of the ligands and their Ru(II) complexes are affected by the nature of the substituents on the conjugated phenyl rings.
An Examination of Managers' Beliefs about their Roles as Facilitators of Learning

This article presents the findings associated with managerial beliefs from a recent exploratory qualitative study that was designed to examine the multiple ways in which managers perceive themselves to facilitate the learning of their employees in learning oriented organizations. The Critical Incident Technique was adapted for use in this study to capture the beliefs or mental models of managers as they facilitated learning episodes. The results indicate that managers in this study perceive the roles of manager and of facilitator of learning to be distinct from each other. This finding contradicts much of the management literature that has historically categorized coaching as a subset of management. Additionally, managers revealed their beliefs about learners and the learning process. Examining these beliefs in the context of managerial behavior advances our understanding of the challenges and opportunities that managers confront when they are attempting to adopt roles consistent with the concept of learn...
ASIMM: a framework for automatic synthesis of query interfaces for multimedia databases

With the advent of access to digital libraries via the Internet and the addition of non-traditional data, such as imagery, the need for flexible, natural language query environments has become more urgent. This paper describes a new query interface based on the combination of natural language and visual programming techniques. The interface, entitled Drag and Drop English, or DanDE, has two components. The first component is an easy-to-use flexible interface that has the feel of a natural language interface, but has more structure and gives a user more guidance in constructing a query without sacrificing flexibility. The second component is a definition facility that allows the interface designer to specify the structure of a query language. The definition facility allows the designer to specify the syntactic structure of the language in a variation of Backus-Naur Form. The definition facility also provides the ability to specify some of the semantics of the query domain. Lastly, the definition facility allows the designer to specify the interactions between the interface and the query system.© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Spectroscopic observation of neutral carbon during photodissociation of explosive-related compounds in the vapor phase.

We perform time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence measurements of mononitrotoluenes (MNTs) and dinitrotoluenes (DNTs) in nitrogen and air. We observe the multipeak emission spectrum of NO and find that the emission peak intensity in the 247–248 nm range is stronger than expected compared to the other NO emission peak intensities. This increased emission intensity is believed to be due to neutral carbon [C(I)], which has a strong emission peak at 247.85 nm. By comparing the ratios of integrated emission peak intensities with those expected from the Franck–Condon factors for NO, we are able to identify samples that exhibit C(I) emission. We show that the DNTs exhibit C(I) emission for gate delays of 1500 ns and beyond, while the MNTs exhibit C(I) emission for gate delays of only up to about 500 ns. Carbon deposits in the analysis chamber confirm the presence of C. Ambient NO in air enhances the observed NO+C(I) signal from MNTs and DNTs.
Effect of carbon monoxide packaging and lactate enhancement on the color stability of beef steaks stored at 1°C for 9 days.

Abstract Our objective was to assess the effects of lactate enhancement in combination with different packaging systems on beef longissimus lumborum and psoas major steak color. Strip loins and tenderloins ( n = 16) were assigned to one of four injection treatments (non-injected control, water-injected control, 1.25%, and 2.5% lactate in the finished product). Steaks were individually packaged in either vacuum, high-oxygen (80% O 2 /20% CO 2 ), or 0.4% CO (30% CO 2 /69.6% N 2 ) and stored for either 0, 5, or 9 days at 1 °C. The L ∗ and a ∗ values of both the longissimus and psoas responded similarly to lactate, which at 2.5% darkened steaks ( P P P
In vivo effects of adriamycin or N-trifluoroacetyladriamycin-14-valerate on a mouse lymphoma.

Abstract The antitumor activity of adriamycin (ADR) and its analog N -trifluoroacetyladriamycin-14-valerate (AD32) was studied in vivo in a solid form of the transplantable mouse B cell lymphoma DBA3. At the selected single dose of 15 mg/kg of ADR, and 80 mg/kg of AD32, both drugs had comparable effects in overall tumor control. These two dosages were used throughout the experiments, which were designed to elucidate some of the antitumor mechanisms of action of the tested compounds. The recovery kinetics of clonogens were studied using the agar diffusion chamber technique. In ADR-treated tumors, maximal reduction of the survival fraction of colony-forming cells (DC-cfu) was observed at 18 hr post-injection. Over the next 6 hr the number of DC-cfu increased 3.9-fold and returned to pre-treatment levels. Since cell division or cell loss, measured with flow cytometry or with the [ 125 I ]-iododeoxyuridine assay respectively, cannot explain rebound of clonogens in treated tumors, the changes of DC-cfu strongly suggests the presence of a repair of ADR-induced damage in cells left in situ over a 24-hr period. This event was shown at time-intervals when significant levels of ADR were still detectable by HPLC in tumor tissues. The appearance and disappearance of ADR-induced DNA-protein crosslinks and protein-associated DNA single-strand breaks, established by the DNA alkaline elution technique, coincided temporally with the rebound of DC-cfu, suggesting repair of ADR damage at the molecular level. In AD32-treated tumors, maximal decrease of the survival fraction of DC-cfu was present at 12 hr post-treatment. There was only a gradual return to pre-treatment levels over the next 1.5 days . While the rebound of DC-cfu cannot be explained by selective cell loss, flow-cytometric data showed a synchronous cell cohort passing through the cell-cycle phases at 12–48 hr post-treatment, contributing to cell replication. DNA alterations induced by AD32 were identical with those caused by ADR. In partial contrast to the findings with ADR, their removal could indicate replacement of damaged cells by newly generated undamaged cells and/or ‘repair’ of DNA. In conclusion, the results suggest that AD32 has several potential therapeutic advantages over its parent compound: (1) AD32 did not induce an efficient and clearly discernible repair of tumor cells, whereas a repair mechanism, responding to a high toxic dose of ADR, could be present in ADR-treated tumors; (2) the decrease in the number of DC-cfu in tumors treated with AD32 lasted over 2 days , as compared to only 12 hr in ADR-treated tumors; (3) synchronization of a cell cohort, which might be utilized in drug combination treatments, was induced by AD32.
Status of Childhood Asthma in the United States, 1980–2007

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data were used to describe 1980-2007 trends among children 0 to 17 years of age and recent patterns according to gender, race, and age. Asthma period prevalence increased by 4.6% per year from 1980 to 1996. New measures introduced in 1997 show a plateau at historically high levels; 9.1% of US children (6.7 million) currently had asthma in 2007. Ambulatory care visit rates fluctuated during the 1990 s, whereas emergency department visits and hospitalization rates decreased slightly. Asthma-related death rates increased through the middle 1990 s but decreased after 1999. Recent data showed higher prevalence among older children (11-17 years), but the highest rates of asthma-related health care use were among the youngest children (0-4 years). After controlling for racial differences in prevalence, disparities in adverse outcomes remained; among children with asthma, non-Hispanic black children had greater risks for emergency department visits and death, compared with non-Hispanic white children. For hospitalizations, for which Hispanic ethnicity data were not available, black children had greater risk than white children. However, nonemergency ambulatory care use was lower for non-Hispanic black children. Although the large increases in childhood asthma prevalence have abated, the burden remains large. Potentially avoidable adverse outcomes and racial disparities continue to present challenges. These findings suggest the need for sustained asthma prevention and control efforts for children.
Petroleum hydrocarbon toxicity studies: XVI. Animal response to vapors of “naphthenic aromatic solvent”

Abstract An LC50 could not be established for rats because no deaths occurred at the highest attainable vapor concentration. A metered concentration of 10.0 mg/liter, the highest concentration level used in the acute and subacute studies, yielded measured concentrations ranging from 3.7 to 5.8 mg/liter. Naphthenic Aromatic Solvent (NAS), apparently, was present in the test atmosphere in both aerosol and vapor form. Undoubtedly, in this critical area, where vapor or vapor plus aerosol is being delivered, the analysis by gas chromatography is subject to variability because of inconsistencies in the sampling of the vapor/aerosol atmosphere. The typical response pattern of rats subjected to such an atmosphere included salivation, progressive loss of coordination, and mild tremors. Rats subjected to a metered vapor/aerosol concentration of 10 mg/liter (mean measured concentration of 4.5 mg/liter) for 6 hr daily, 5 days/week for a total of 62 days gained significantly less weight than controls. No treatment-related effects were observed among rats concurrently subjected to 2.2 or 1.1 mg/liter (380 or 190 ppm, respectively) of NAS vapor. Micropathological evaluation of tissues taken at 3, 8, and 13 weeks revealed only common, sporadic lesions in both control and treated animals. Based upon the response of rats, a concentration of 2.2 mg/liter (380 ppm) should not be exceeded in the workroom atmosphere. In any event, human response must be established by periodic physical examinations of workmen.
A Good Time: A Conversation with C. Michael Nelson.

C. Michael Nelson began his special education career as a teacher of adolescents with learning and behavior disorders. He has worked as a child psychologist and as a professor with the Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling at the University of Kentucky. He coordinated the graduate Personnel Preparation Program for Teachers of Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disabilities. Dr. Nelson has authored or edited over 100 professional publications. He has prepared teachers of children and youth with behavior disorders at the pre- and in-service levels and has served as principal investigator on a number of research and personnel preparation grants. He has served as president of the Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders. Dr. Nelson shared with reflections and thoughts with members of the Janus Project on what he describes as a career that came at a good time.
Boundary issues and organizational dynamics: A case study

Concepts of authority relations and boundary maintenance and crossing, developed at the Tavistock Institute, which have been found useful for understanding group and organizational dynamics, are presented. This conceptual viewpoint is then utilized in a case study of a group relations seminar comprised of high school students in a compensatory education program. Since this seminar had an unanticipated impact on the larger organization, of which it was a part, this perspective is also invoked to analyze this phenomena. Specifically, an attempt is made to inter-relate a group member's dream, the leaders' roles, an episode involving the total institution, and various staff reactions. Finally, some organizational aspects of resistance to change are highlighted.
Statistical data processing in developing countries: Infrastructure considerations

Abstract National statistics are essential for developing countries to formulate and evaluate programs of social and economic investment. These countries face unique difficulties in establishing a statistical infrastructure. The importance of computing equipment in collecting, making available and analyzing statistics both poses additional problems and offers substantial opportunities. Statistical agencies in developing countries need to put in place mechanisms that will allow them and their statistical programs to benefit from advances in information technology and establish a viable basis for using it locally.
Molybdenum and copper catalysis of reductions by titanium(II) and titanium(III)

Reductions of vanadium(IV), benzoquinone, and tri-iodide, both by titanium(III) and by titanium(II), are catalyzed by molybdenum(VI). The VO2+–Ti(II) reaction is catalyzed by copper(II) as well. Reactions of Ti(II) with the oxidant in excess yield Ti(IV), as do reductions by Ti(III). Reactions proceed via competing uncatalyzed and catalyzed paths, with the latter components first order in catalyst. Kinetic patterns indicate that monomeric Mo(V) is the active species, but the dimeric Mo(V) species, [Mo2O4]2+, is without catalytic action. Catalytic constants pertaining to Ti(III) are remarkably similar to those for Ti(II), despite the 0.47 V difference in the standard potentials of the two reductants.
Nonrelativistic quark models

In this paper we report attempts to create simple nonrelativistic potential models of hadrons which have the following properties: hadrons are made of quarks; free quarks do not exist; free hadrons do exist. Models with these properties can be formulated, but none of those so far considered is free from the problem of long-range residual interactions between hadrons. Some remarks on the relation of the models presented to nonlinear theories are made.
Forward-masked intensity discrimination: Duration effects and spectral effects

Three experiments were completed to examine the effect of masker duration and spectrum on forward-masked intensity discrimination. Four listeners participated in each experiment. Intensity discrimination was measured in quiet and in the presence of forward maskers using adaptive forced-choice procedures. The standard duration was either short (10 ms) or long (250 ms) in experiment 1 and short (10 ms) in experiment 2. The standard always occurred 100 ms after the offset of the masker. In the first experiment employing 1.0-kHz maskers and standards, a short duration masker (10 ms) produced more masking than a long duration masker (250 ms). A mid-level elevation of the Weber fraction was observed for all conditions. To ensure that the results of experiment 1 were not influenced by off-frequency listening, the second experiment employed a broadband noise masker. As before, a short duration (10 ms) masker produced more masking than a long duration masker (100 ms) and a mid-level elevation of Weber fractions was observed. This outcome is inconsistent with a peripheral sensory effect for which an increase in masker duration should result in a greater amount of adaptation, and, as a consequence, more masking. A third experiment employing a broadband noise masker and standard showed the greatest amount of masking for low-level standards, but only when the duration of the masker and standard was short. This result is similar to one seen for a single listener in the first experiment for short duration tonal maskers and standards. For this listener, a second tone presented at 4.133 kHz presented simultaneously with the 1.0-kHz masker reduced significantly the amount of masking for low-level standards, but the mid-level elevation of the Weber fraction remained. Taken together, these results suggest that perceptual similarity plays a role in forward-masked intensity discrimination but does not account entirely for the mid-level elevation of the Weber fraction.
Determinants of fluoroscopy time for invasive coronary angiography and percutaneous coronary intervention: Insights from the NCDR®

Objectives Identifying the distributions and determinants of fluoroscopy time for invasive coronary angiography (ICA) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Background ICA and PCI are significant contributors to radiation exposure from medical imaging in the US. Fluoroscopy time is a potentially modifiable determinant of radiation exposure for these procedures, but has not been well characterized in contemporary practice. Methods We evaluated the distribution of fluoroscopy time in patients undergoing ICA and/or PCI in the CathPCI Registry®, stratifying patients by numerous clinical scenarios. Hierarchical models were used to determine patient, procedure, operator and hospital-level factors associated with fluoroscopy time for these procedures. Results Our study included a total of 3,295,348 ICA and PCI procedures performed by 9,600 operators from January 2005 through June 2009. There was wide variation in fluoroscopy times for these procedures with median [IQR] fluoroscopy times of 2.6 [1.7–4.5] minutes for ICA, 6.7 [4.2–10.8] minutes for ICA in patients with prior coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), 10.1 [6.0–17.4] minutes for PCI, 10.7 [7.0–16.9] minutes for PCI with ICA, and 16.0 [10.6–24.0] minutes for PCI and ICA in patients with prior CABG. Prolonged fluoroscopy times (>30 minutes) were rare for ICA, but occurred in 6.7% of PCIs and 14.7% of PCIs in patients with prior CABG. After accounting for patient characteristics and procedure complexity, operator and hospital-level factors explained nearly 20% of the variation in fluoroscopy time. Conclusions Fluoroscopy times vary widely during ICA and PCI with operator and hospital-level factors contributing substantially to these differences. A better understanding of potentially modifiable sources of this variation will elucidate opportunities for enhancing the radiation safety of these procedures. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
RELEASE OF AN ENDOGENOUS PYROGEN IN VITRO FROM RABBIT MONONUCLEAR CELLS

The capacity of rabbit mononuclear cells to release an endogenous pyrogen (EP) in vitro has been studied. After incubation with tuberculin, preparations of predominantly monocytic cells, derived from the respiratory passages of the lungs of rabbits sensitized with BCG, were activated to release EP. Pyrogen production occurred more slowly with lung monocytes than with blood leukocytes of similarly sensitized rabbits and 9 to 10 hr incubation in a fully supportive medium was required to produce clear-cut results. As previously reported with blood leukocytes, mononuclear cells from the lungs of normal animals were also activated by tuberculin but to a lesser degree than were those from specifically sensitized rabbits. Under a variety of conditions, mononuclear cells from either spleen or lymph nodes of the same sensitized rabbits failed to release detectable amounts of pyrogen when incubated with tuberculin in vitro but were activated in a majority of instances when phagocytosis of heat-killed staphylococci was used as the stimulus. Release of pyrogen from lung monocytes appears to be an active process that is both temperature-dependent and requires protein synthesis. Neither serum antibody nor complement appears to play a role in this process. Evidence is presented that the granulocyte is the main source of pyrogen evolved by blood leukocytes incubated in vitro with OT or heat-killed staphylococci, whereas the lung macrophage and/or monocyte is responsible for most of the pyrogen released from the lung cell preparations. From these studies, it is concluded that mononuclear cells can be activated in vitro by several microbial stimuli and must be considered an additional cellular source of EP. The clinical implications of these findings for the pathogenesis of fever in granulomatous diseases where the monocyte is the predominant cell are discussed.
Short-Term Aseptic Loosening of the Femoral Component in Canine Total Hip Replacement: Effects of Cementing Technique on Cement Mantle Grade

Objectives— To evaluate the effects of different cementing techniques on radiographic cement mantle grade and short-term aseptic loosening of the femoral component in canine total hip replacement (THR). Study Design— Retrospective study. Sample Population— Radiographs of 284 dogs that had THR. Methods— Immediate postoperative radiographs of 284 dogs that had cemented THR were reviewed by 4 surgeons and 1 radiologist and assigned a cement mantle grade using a 4-grade classification system. Dog age and weight at surgery, cementing technique (1st, 2nd, 3rd generation), complications (type and timing), and follow-up time were retrieved and analyzed. Results— Mean cement mantle score for 2nd generation technique was significantly higher than 3rd generation technique and both were significantly higher than 1st generation technique (P<.001). Aseptic loosening was the 2nd most common complication observed with an incidence of 2.1%. Mean time from surgery to last follow-up examination was 122 days. No statistically significant difference in incidence of aseptic loosening was identified among different cement mantle grades or cementing techniques. Conclusions— Advanced cementing techniques resulted in better cement mantles based on grading of immediate postoperative radiographs, however grading did not predict short-term aseptic loosening. Cementing technique seemingly did not affect the incidence of short-term aseptic loosening of the femoral component for dogs in this study. Clinical Relevance— Our study suggests that advances in cementing technique may result in improvements in the radiographic grade of cement mantles. With respect to aseptic loosening of the femoral component, our data only suggest that short-term (3 months–3 years) loosening cannot be predicted by immediate postoperative radiographic evaluation of cement mantle.
Parental and Familial Factors Among Latino/a Youths’ Successful Matriculation into Postsecondary Education

Extant research focuses on the “educational attainment gap,” documenting the lack of parity among Latino youth and other high school graduates in college matriculation. This study reversed that question, and asked instead, what factors, and specifically what parental or family-related factors, contribute to Latino/a youth enrolling in four-year post-secondary institutions where future earnings tend to be higher than two-year colleges. Data from the Texas Higher Education Opportunity Project (THEOP, 2004) were analyzed to identify parental contributors to successful matriculation into post-secondary education. Findings indicate that parents attending college was one of the most important indicators of Latino/a enrollment in either a two- or four-year college or university. Also significant, and potentially critical in social welfare policy, was rewarding students for grades. Parents helping with and checking homework were not helpful in youths’ progression to postsecondary education.
Patterns of Molecular Diversity in Naturally Occurring and Refugial Populations of the Least Chub

Abstract The least chub Iotichthys phlegethontis is a small, rare cyprinid fish endemic to the Bonneville basin, Utah. Although it was once widely distributed within the basin, naturally occurring populations are now known to exist only in four isolated geographical regions. We used nuclear (amplified fragment length polymorphism) and mitochondrial genetic markers to describe the patterns of genetic divergence and diversity within and among populations from these regions and to assess genetic diversity in two refugial populations. We found that a large proportion of the diversity in this species was attributable to population structuring (F ST = 0.52). Given that a high proportion of the genetic variation is accounted for by population differentiation and that three of the existing populations have been discovered in the last 10 years, we suggest that surveys to discover additional populations be a high management priority. We also recommend that existing populations be studied for evidence of adaptive di...
Heritability and Molecular Genetic Studies of Endometriosis

: Endometriosis is well established as a condition showing heritable tendencies. Polygenic/multifactorial etiology appears far more likely to be the etiology than Mendelian inheritance. The current task is to determine the number and location of genes responsible for endometriosis. This paper shall review the basis for concluding that endometriosis is a genetic disorder of polygenic/multifactorial inheritance and outline selected strategies for identifying the number and location of causative genes. It shall also illustrate our approach to testing the hypothesis that endometriosis bears similarity to neoplasia and, hence, is a multistep phenomenon of clonal origin.
Video-rate functional photoacoustic microscopy at depths

We report the development of functional photoacoustic microscopy capable of video-rate high-resolution in vivo imaging in deep tissue. A lightweight photoacoustic probe is made of a single-element broadband ultrasound transducer, a compact photoacoustic beam combiner, and a bright-field light delivery system. Focused broadband ultrasound detection provides a 44-μm lateral resolution and a 28-μm axial resolution based on the envelope (a 15-μm axial resolution based on the raw RF signal). Due to the efficient bright-field light delivery, the system can image as deep as 4.8 mm in vivo using low excitation pulse energy (28 μJ per pulse, 0.35 mJ/cm^2 on the skin surface). The photoacoustic probe is mounted on a fast-scanning voice-coil scanner to acquire 40 two-dimensional (2-D) B-scan images per second over a 9-mm range. High-resolution anatomical imaging is demonstrated in the mouse ear and brain. Via fast dual-wavelength switching, oxygen dynamics of mouse cardio-vasculature is imaged in realtime as well.
Cleavage of oligoribonucleotides by the 2',5'-oligoadenylate- dependent ribonuclease L.

RNase L, the 2′,5′ oligoadenylate-dependent ribonuclease, is one of the enzyme systems important in the cellular response to interferon. When activated in the presence of 2′,5′-linked oligoadenylates, RNase L can catalyze the cleavage of synthetic oligoribonucleotides that contain dyad sequences of the forms UU, UA, AU, AA, and UG, but it cannot catalyze the cleavage of an oligoribonucleotide containing only cytosines. The primary site of the cleavage reaction with the substrate C11UUC7 has been defined to be 3′ of the UU dyad by labeling either the 5′ or the 3′ end of the oligoribonucleotide and by examining the reaction products on polyacrylamide sequencing gels. Reaction time courses have been used to determine the kinetic parameters of the cleavage reactions. The effect of the overall length of the oligomeric substrate as well as the sequence of the bases around the position of the cleavage site on the kinetics of the cleavage reaction has been examined. The efficiency with which activated RNase L catalyzes the cleavage of the substrate C11UUC7 is 1.9 × 107M-1 s-1. Because the cleavage of the synthetic oligoribonucleotide can be used to monitor the steady-state kinetics of catalysis by activated RNase L, this method offers an advantage over previous methods of assay for RNase L activity.
The Decreased Replicative Capacity of Simian Immunodeficiency Virus SIVmac239Δnef Is Manifest in Cultures of Immature Dendritic Cells and T Cells

Transmission of simian immunodeficiency virus SIVmac239Δnef (Δnef) to macaques results in attenuated replication of the virus in most animals and ultimately induces protection against challenge with some pathogenic, wild-type SIV strains. It has been difficult, however, to identify a culture system in which the replication of Δnef is severely reduced relative to that of the wild type. We have utilized a primary culture system consisting of blood-derived dendritic cells (DCs) and autologous T cells. When the DCs were fully differentiated or mature, the DC–CD4+ T-cell mixtures supported replication of both the parental SIV strain, 239 (the wild type), and its mutant with nef deleted (Δnef), irrespective of virus dose and the cell type introducing the virus to the coculture. In contrast, when immature DCs were exposed to Δnef and cocultured with T cells, virus replication was significantly lower than that of the wild type. Activation of the cultures with a superantigen allowed both Δnef and the wild type to replicate comparably in immature DC–T-cell cultures. Immature DCs, which, it has been hypothesized, capture and transmit SIV in vivo, are deficient in supporting replication of Δnef in vitro and may contribute to the reduced pathogenicity of Δnef in vivo.
Inverse estimation of surface heat flux distributions during high speed rolling using remote thermal measurements

An inverse method suitable for use with remote temperature measurements, is used to estimate time-dependent, axially-varying surface heat flux distributions during rolling. It is found that the diffusive time scale between the roll surface and the embedded measurement array determines the data sample rate and the solution's temporal resolution. The inverse method is first validated using simulated data from two representative measurement configurations. Following validation, the method is applied to experimental measurements from an instrumented work roll; flux distributions in this case are reconstructed over a period of approximately 3 h. Finally, a simple technique for regularizing temporally discontinuous flux distributions is introduced and demonstrated.
Long-Term Incentive Plan Combinations

When using one long-term incentive plan (e.g., stock options), one is able to neutralize the disadvantages of that plan by combining it with another long-term plan (e.g., stock awards). They are ei...
Higher connectedness of asymptotic cones

Abstract We give coarse geometric conditions for a metric space X to have N-connected asymptotic cones. These conditions are expressed in terms of certain filling functions concerning filling N-spheres in an appropriate coarse sense. We interpret the criteria in the case where X is a finitely generated group Γ with a word metric. This leads to upper bounds on filling functions for groups with simply connected cones—in particular they have linearly bounded filling length functions. We prove that if all the asymptotic cones of Γ are N-connected then Γ is of type F N+1 and we provide Nth order isoperimetric and isodiametric functions. Also we show that the asymptotic cones of a virtually polycyclic group Γ are all contractible if and only if Γ is virtually nilpotent.