cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Experiment of optimization adjustment for ammonia injection of selective catalytic reduction flue gas denitration system in coal-fired boiler

For three typical ammonia injection technologies of selective catalytic reduction(SCR) flue gas denitration system,an optimization adjustment method of ammonia slip control was designed.According to outlet NO distribution of flue gas denitration system,the ammonia injection system was adjusted to make the ammonia distribute uniformly.The results show that the method can effectively reduce the ammonia slip of SCR system.Using different ammonia injection technologies of SCR flue gas denitration,the effect of optimization adjustment was discrepant.The effect of the ammonia injection grid with zone control technology was the most significant;the effect of the ammonia injection grid with linear control technology was the second;and the effect of the eddy hybrid technology was general.
Theoretical Principles to Guide the Teaching of Adjectives to Children Who Struggle With Word Learning: Synthesis of Experimental and Naturalistic Research With Principles of Learning Theory

Purpose The purpose of this tutorial is to provide clinicians with a theoretically motivated and evidence-based approach to teaching adjectives to children who struggle with word learning. Method G...
Religion, state, and terrorism: A global analysis

ABSTRACTThis article investigates two ways in which state involvement in religion—minority and majority restriction—generates terrorism. Using a time-series, cross-national negative binomial analysis of 174 countries from 1991–2009, this study finds that when religiously devout people find themselves marginalized through either form of religious restriction, they are more likely to pursue their aims through violence. The article concludes with recommendations for policymakers.
Toward an understanding of Sn: Normal modes of love waves in an oceanic structure

abstract The transverse component of the seismic phase Sn is considered in terms of normal mode propagation of Love waves. Calculations of dispersion, attenuation and particle amplitude versus depth are presented for a realistic model of oceanic structure which includes the effects of sphericity and the upper mantle zone of low velocity and high attenuation. We find modes with group velocity maxima near the Sn velocity of about 4.7 km/sec, and with attenuation sufficiently low to explain the predominance of short-period (about 1 sec) motions of Sn at epicentral distances up to 35° to 40°. For these modes, the particle displacements are largely restricted to depths above the low-velocity zone of the upper mantle. These modes are found for a structure in which velocities in the uppermost mantle lid are constant as a function of depth; sphericity alone is sufficient to provide a “wave guide” for Sn . The most interesting result of the calculations is that at periods longer than about 1 1 2 sec, modes with group-velocity maxima near 4.7 km/sec have substantial particle displacements in the low-velocity, low-Q zone in the upper mantle and are thus subject to severe attenuation. The results therefore indicate a filtering effect, which could explain the well-observed predominance of short-period motions of Sn . The particle displacement profiles calculated for the oceanic case also help to explain the efficiency with which Sn is excited by intermediate-depth sources, and provide a basis for accounting for the conversion of Sn into Lg across a continental margin.
Aneurysmal bone cysts and pathologic fracture associated with supernumerary ring chromosome 6 in two unrelated patients

Small supernumerary ring chromosome 6 (sSRC[6]) is a rare chromosomal abnormality characterized by a broad clinical phenotype. The spectrum of this disorder can range from phenotypically normal to severe developmental delay and congenital anomalies. We describe two unrelated patients with small SRCs derived from chromosome 6 with a novel bone phenotype. Both patients presented with a complex bone disorder characterized by severe osteopenia, pathologic fractures, and cyst-like lesions within the bone. Imaging revealed decreased bone mineral density, mutiple multiloculated cysts and cortical thinning. Lesion pathology in both patients demonstrated a bland cyst wall with woven dysplastic appearing bone entrapped within it. In patient 1, array comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) detected a tandem duplication of region 6p12.3 to 6q12 per marker chromosome. Cytogenetic analysis further revealed a complex patient of mosaicism with some cell lines displaying either one or two copies of the marker indicative of both tetrasomy and hexasomy of this region. Patient 2 was mosaic for a sSRC that encompassed a 26.8 Mb gain from 6p21.2 to 6q12. We performed an in-depth clinical analysis of a phenotype not previously observed in sSRC(6) patients and discuss the potential influence of genes located within this region on the skeletal presentation observed.
Health-Care Workforce

The health care workforce of the future will need more people to work in disciplines and places that serve the growing number of patients with chronic diseases. Current workforce projections suggest that the future number and distribution of primary care and specialty physicians will not be adequate to meet the growing burden of chronic disease. Care will be delivered by interdisciplinary teams of health-care providers who are working at the highest roles and functions allowed by their professional licenses. More health-care workers will be needed across the spectrum, from relatively low-skilled home aides to highly trained physicians, nurses, and therapists. Since chronic care is rendered in multiple settings, workers will be needed in long-term care, outpatient clinics, community health centers, public health departments, hospice settings, and, increasingly, patients’ homes. As care shifts from acute to outpatient and community-based settings, training will need to put more emphasis on preparing health professionals to work outside of hospitals. Compensation and retention remain ongoing challenges in the quest to establish and maintain the appropriate workforce for the future.
Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone

In recumbent man, the periodicity of adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) and plasma renin activity (PRA) is well established—a daytime downward drift with an early-morning surge. In upright man, however, the patterns differ. Although the circadian rhythm of ACTH and its effect on corticosteroids persists regardless of position, assumption of upright posture in daytime causes an increase in PRA, resulting in a biphasic pattern. The rhythms of ACTH-dependent steroids, cortisol, corticosterone, and deoxycorticosterone remain unchanged regardless of posture. In addition, aldosterone has an ACTH-dependent pattern when PRA is fixed or virtually inoperative during recumbency. However, with assumption of upright posture after overnight recumbency, the increase in PRA produces a peak in plasma aldosterone concentration and this results in a biphasic plasma aldosterone response to upright posture. During recumbency, the early-morning surges of ACTH and PRA seem to be closely related. However, with assumption of upright posture, there is clear separation between the increase in PRA and the diminishing ACTH effect that usually occurs between 8:00 A.M. and 12:00 noon, when most postural studies are undertaken.1
Chapter 2 Responsive Parenting: Closing the Learning Gap for Children with Early Developmental Problems

Abstract Responsive parenting strategies have the potential to provide specific scaffolding for common deficits found in developmentally at‐risk children. This chapter describes findings from our research conducted across the past two decades with three groups of children known to have increased risk for compromised outcomes in a range of developmental domains (e.g., motor, social). These groups include children born at very low birth weight (VLBW) with varying degrees of neonatal complications associated with preterm birth, those born with spina bifida, and those born with Down syndrome. Although these three groups have striking differences in their developmental profiles, they share a common set of developmental difficulties that can be ameliorated through responsive parenting. In this chapter, we describe our research in responsive parenting, including cross‐sectional studies that demonstrate how specific parenting strategies can provide supportive scaffolding to address the common deficits found in these groups of children. Evidence is then provided from a longitudinal study that documents how responsive parenting can close the learning gap for one group of children, those born at VLBW. Finally, results from a random assignment, responsive parenting intervention study that included children born at VLBW are discussed. These findings provide support for a causal role of responsive parenting in promoting more optimal development for children at risk for developmental problems.
Withdrawal: The Roberts Court and the Retreat from Election Law

A distinct approach to election law is emerging in the Roberts Court. It is an approach that seeks to avoid active federal engagement with the state-created rules regulating democratic participation; and it is one that assumes and demands an electorate that is both legally literate and diligent. This approach differs in tenor and substance from the stance the Justices have long taken in electoral disputes. It implicitly rejects the role the Court and Congress have repeatedly played in the electoral arena, and the portrait of the American voter on which federal involvement has previously been premised. As part of this symposium on law and politics, this Article develops and defends these claims. It focuses on four decisions from last Term that upheld diverse efforts by state governments to regulate the electoral process: New York's method for nominating judicial candidates, Washington's modified blanket primary system, Indiana's voter identification requirement, and Alabama's use of gubernatorial appointment to fill county commission vacancies in Mobile. These decisions uphold regimes that make political participation contingent on characteristics many voters lack and reveal a Court that is not eager to help when voters fall short. The expectation, unstated but implicit in these decisions, is that the void will be filled by political parties, other nongovernmental organizations, and private individuals.
Proinsulin from Bacteria

One problem we face in the cloning and expression of a small hormone like insulin, is that the normal hormone is made in the pancreas through a series of precursors. Preproinsulin is a molecule some 100 amino acids long that has on its amino terminal end a hydrophobic presequence of 24 amino acids which is cleaved off as that molecule is passed through the cell membrane (1, 2). The resulting fragment, proinsulin, folds up; disulphide bonds form, and then a portion of the peptide chain, the C peptide, is cleaved out between two pairs of basic amino acid residues to produce the final molecule, insulin itself. When we make insulin in bacteria, we can do the final maturation ourselves with a mixture of trypsin and carboxypeptidase B. However, how can we arrange that the amino terminus will be the correct one for insulin rather than bearing some other amino acid or the presequence?
Testing a Web-Based Interactive Comic Tool to Decrease Obesity Risk Among Minority Preadolescents: Protocol for a Pilot Randomized Control Trial

Background: Childhood obesity is a public health crisis, particularly in low-income, minority populations in the United States. Innovative and technology-enhanced interventions may be an engaging approach to reach at-risk youth and their parents to improve dietary behaviors and feeding practices. However, such tools are limited, especially ones that are theory-based; co-developed with user-centered approaches; tailored to low-income, minority preadolescents; and include parent-focused content. Objective: The objectives of this study include assessing the feasibility and acceptability and exploring the potential impact of the Intervention INC (Interactive Nutrition Comics for urban, minority preadolescents) Web-based tool, which is focused on decreasing childhood obesity risk in black/African American and Latino children aged 9 to 12 years. Methods: Intervention INC is underpinned by the narrative transportation theory, social cognitive theory, and health belief model, and it was co-developed by children and parents from the intended population. The child component consists of a 6-chapter interactive nutrition comic optimized for use on tablet devices, a goal-setting and self-assessment feature, and weekly text/email messages and reminders. The parental component consists of 6 Web-based newsletters, access to the child comic, and weekly text/email messages and reminders. The tool was evaluated using a pilot, single-blind, 2-group randomized controlled study design. Child-parent dyads were randomized to either the experimental or comparison group and assigned to a targeted behavior (increase fruit/vegetable or water intake) based on initial screening questions. Data were collected at 4 time points: baseline (T1), intervention midpoint (T2), intervention endpoint (T3), and 3 months postintervention (T4). Primary measures comprise usage, usability, and feasibility of the Web-based tool. Secondary measures comprise dietary knowledge, preferences, and intake and anthropometric measures (for child) and feeding practices and home food environment (for parent). Results: Study enrollment was completed in November 2017. A total of 89 child-parent dyads were randomized to either the experimental (n=44) or comparison (n=45) group. Data analysis is currently being conducted. Conclusions: This study aims to implement and assess an innovative approach to deliver health messages and resources to at-risk minority preadolescents and their parents. If found to be acceptable, engaging, feasible, and a potential approach to improve dietary behaviors, a full-fledged randomized controlled trial will be conducted to assess its efficacy and potential impact. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03165474; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03165474 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/73122IjgP) International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID): RR1-10.2196/10682
Towards better estimability of electrode-specific state of health: Decoding the cell expansion

Abstract Li-ion batteries are prone to adverse physical and chemical mechanisms that can degrade their performance over time. For this reason, identifying each electrode's capacity and utilization window is important for the safe operation of the battery, unfortunately the standard capacity estimation method cannot provide this. In this work, we introduce electrode-specific State of Health (eSOH) related parameters, including individual electrode capacity and utilization window. We explore the identifiability of the parameters using terminal voltage alone and voltage plus cell expansion measurements. The analysis here is based on the constrained Cramer-Rao Bound (CRB) formulation, which provides the error bounds for the parameters. The model utilizes the voltage/expansion functions of lithium stoichiometry for the individual electrodes based on the underlying physics of phase transitions. It is shown that slope changes in voltage and expansion that correspond to phase transitions in the electrodes enhance the estimation. As a result, with the addition of the expansion, the parameters are estimable without the need to discharge the battery to a high Depth of Discharge ( > 70 % ), which rarely happens in automotive applications. This makes eSOH estimation feasible for a wider range of real-world driving scenarios.
Optical downlink and intersatellite illumination experiments with low-earth orbiting cubesats

Small inexpensive satellite platforms, such as cubesats, offer opportunities for pathfinder experiments, space qualification of components and systems, and enhancements of larger assets. The Aerospace Corporation has been developing cubesats with lasercom transmitters for downlinking payload data to the ground from orbit. Recently we demonstrated a 200 Mbps link with a 1.5 U cubesat, AeroCube-7B, under NASA’s Optical Communications and Sensors Demonstration program [1]. The nearly error free link was accomplished using on-board star trackers for attitude determination and control and without any forward error correction. The capability developed under this effort has been implemented in follow-on missions for two 3U AeroCube- 11 vehicles where camera recorded data has been downlinked to the ground. While very modest data volumes (~1.5 GB) have been transmitted (to date) in a single pass under non-ideal conditions, the utility of this architecture for certain types of missions has been demonstrated. Additional experiments involving the illumination of the ISARA cubesat with the laser from AeroCube-7B demonstrated the ability to locate and illuminate a remote satellite in orbit, a necessary step towards realizing intersatellite links with this class of vehicles.
Vulnerability, due process, and reform in modern Mexico

In this paper, we examine the relationship between socioeconomic vulnerabilities and due process violations in contemporary Mexico, using a novel survey of imprisoned populations. We further investigate whether institutional reforms—in particular, the 2008 reform that constitutionally mandated the provision of trained public defenders for those without private counsel—help offset the impact of preexisting socioeconomic disparities on the likelihood of suffering a due process violation. We find that women, indigenous people, and people with less schooling are more likely to suffer a due process violation. This finding, is, unfortunately, not surprising. The 2008 constitutionally mandated reform to provide quality public defenders has done little to alleviate this situation. Although it has improved the experience of defendants overall—whether represented by private or public counsel—it has failed to create an office of public defenders that successfully functions as an equalizing mechanism that offsets pre-existing socioeconomic inequalities. Instead, our analysis suggests that those most benefited by these reforms are those who did not need them as much to begin with: those who rely on private lawyers for their legal representation. This paper contributes to the literature that critically examines the idea of equality under the law and the mechanisms that seek to guarantee it.
Signet Ring Cell Histology Confers Worse Overall Survival in Treated Esophageal Adenocarcinoma.

Background Signet ring cell (SRC) histology is regarded as a poor prognostic indicator for esophageal cancer. The objectives of this study were to understand the clinical presentation and stage-specific survival outcomes of patients with SRC and nonsignet adenocarcinoma (AC). Methods From 2004 to 2016, 140,324 patients were diagnosed with esophageal and gastroesophageal junction cancers in the National Cancer Database. Demographics, tumor variables, and treatment were studied. Overall survival was shown by the Kaplan-Meier method, and random survival forest identified important predictors. Results SRC patients (N = 3825) comprised roughly 3% of esophageal cancers per year. SRC patients were less likely to present at early stage disease (cStage I: 10.2% vs 17.8% for AC; P Conclusions SRC patients had worse survival than their AC counterparts. Worse biology and higher rates of incomplete resection in SRC should steer patients away from undergoing limited resection, such as endoscopic submucosal dissection, even when identified at very early stages. In future esophageal cancer staging iterations, separating SRC from AC appears to be indicated because of their different clinical behavior and response to therapy.
Non-self recognition-based self-incompatibility can alternatively promote or prevent introgression

Self-incompatibility alleles (S-alleles), which prevent self-fertilisation in plants, have historically been expected to benefit from negative frequency-dependent selection and invade when introduced to a new population through gene flow. However, the most taxonomically widespread form of self-incompatibility, the ribonuclease-based system ancestral to the core eudicots, functions through collaborative non-self recognition, which can affect both short-term patterns of gene flow and the long-term process of S-allele diversification. We analysed a model of S-allele evolution in two populations connected by migration, focussing on comparisons among the fates of S-alleles initially unique to each population and those shared among populations. We found that both shared and unique S-alleles from the population with more unique S-alleles were usually fitter compared with S-alleles from the population with fewer S-alleles. Resident S-alleles often became extinct and were replaced by migrant S-alleles, although this outcome could be averted by pollen limitation or biased migration. Collaborative non-self recognition will usually either result in the whole-sale replacement of S-alleles from one population with those from another or else disfavour introgression of S-alleles altogether.
Deep Mutational Scanning of Viral Glycoproteins and Their Host Receptors

Deep mutational scanning or deep mutagenesis is a powerful tool for understanding the sequence diversity available to viruses for adaptation in a laboratory setting. It generally involves tracking an in vitro selection of protein sequence variants with deep sequencing to map mutational effects based on changes in sequence abundance. Coupled with any of a number of selection strategies, deep mutagenesis can explore the mutational diversity available to viral glycoproteins, which mediate critical roles in cell entry and are exposed to the humoral arm of the host immune response. Mutational landscapes of viral glycoproteins for host cell attachment and membrane fusion reveal extensive epistasis and potential escape mutations to neutralizing antibodies or other therapeutics, as well as aiding in the design of optimized immunogens for eliciting broadly protective immunity. While less explored, deep mutational scans of host receptors further assist in understanding virus-host protein interactions. Critical residues on the host receptors for engaging with viral spikes are readily identified and may help with structural modeling. Furthermore, mutations may be found for engineering soluble decoy receptors as neutralizing agents that specifically bind viral targets with tight affinity and limited potential for viral escape. By untangling the complexities of how sequence contributes to viral glycoprotein and host receptor interactions, deep mutational scanning is impacting ideas and strategies at multiple levels for combatting circulating and emergent virus strains.
Mitotic checkpoint gene expression is tuned by coding sequences

The mitotic checkpoint (also called spindle assembly checkpoint, SAC) is a signaling pathway that safeguards proper chromosome segregation. Proper functioning of the SAC depends on adequate protein concentrations and appropriate stoichiometries between SAC proteins. Yet very little is known about SAC gene expression. Here, we show in fission yeast (S. pombe) that a combination of short mRNA half-lives and long protein half-lives supports stable SAC protein levels. For the SAC genes mad2+ and mad3+, their short mRNA half-lives depend on a high frequency of non-optimal codons and mRNA destabilization mediated through the RNA helicase Ste13 (S.c. Dhh1). In contrast, mad1+ mRNA half-life is short despite a relatively high frequency of optimal codons and despite the lack of known destabilizing motifs in its mRNA. Hence, although they are functionally related, different SAC genes employ different strategies of expression. Taken together, we propose that the codon usage of SAC genes is fine-tuned for proper SAC function. Our work shines light on the gene expression features that promote spindle assembly checkpoint function and suggests that synonymous mutations may weaken the checkpoint.
Epigenetic histone acetylation and Bdnf dysregulation in the hippocampus of rats exposed to repeated, low-dose diisopropylfluorophosphate.

Abstract Aims Deployment-related exposures to organophosphate (OP) compounds are implicated for Gulf War Illness (GWI) development in First GW veterans. However, reasons for the persistence of GWI are not fully understood. Epigenetic modifications to chromatin are regulatory mechanisms that can adaptively or maladaptively respond to external stimuli. These include DNA methylation and histone acetylation. DNA methylation changes have been reported in GWI but the role of histone acetylation in GWI has been less explored, despite its importance as an epigenetic mechanism for neurological disorders. Main methods Male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to OP diisopropyl fluorophosphate (DFP, 0.5 mg/kg s.c., 5-d) and 6-m later brains were dissected for hippocampus. Western blotting, activity assays and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) were utilized for epigenetic analyses. Behavior was assessed using the Forced Swim Test (FST) and the Elevated Plus Maze (EPM). Key findings We observed a significant upregulation in HDAC1 protein along with a significant increase in HDAC enzyme activity in the hippocampus of DFP rats. A locus-specific ChIP study revealed decreases in H3K9ac at the brain derived neurotrophic factor (Bdnf) promoter IV coupled with a significant decrease in BDNF protein in DFP rat hippocampus. Treatment with HDAC inhibitor valproic acid reduced HDAC activity and decreased the FST immobility time in DFP rats. Significance Our research suggests that epigenetic alterations to histone acetylation pathways and decreased BDNF expression could represent novel mechanisms for GWI symptomatology and may provide new targets for developing effective drugs for GWI treatment.
Single-minute communities: assembling collective agency with Paweł Kwiek

This article analyses three multi-author films by Polish artist Pawel Kwiek. To make these films, Kwiek applied the same collaborative formula in different social contexts, producing three sets of ...
The Rotation of Europa

Theoretical predictions of non-synchronous rotation and of polar wander on Europa have been tested by comparing tectonic features observed in Voyager and Galileo spacecraft images with tidal stresses. Evidence for non-synchronous rotation comes from studying changes in global scale lineaments formed over time, from the character of strike-slip faults, and from comparison of distinctively shaped cycloidal cracks with the longitudes at which such shapes should have formed, in theory. The study of cycloids constrains the rotation period (relative to the direction of Jupiter) to less than 250000 years, while direct comparison of the orientation of Europa in Voyager and Galileo images shows the rotation is slow, with a period of > 12 000 years. Comparison of strike-slip faults with their theoretical locations of formation provides evidence for substantial polar wander, supported by the distribution of various thermally produced features.
Description of 1/4 BPS configurations in minimal type IIB supergravity

In this paper we present an effort to extend the LLM construction of $1/2$ BPS states in minimal IIB supergravity to configurations that preserve $1/4$ of the total number of supersymmetries. Following the same techniques we reduce the problem to that of a single scalar which satisfies a nonlinear equation. In particular, the scalar is identified to be the Kahler potential with which a four dimensional base space is equipped.
How Does the Market Value Accrual and Cash Flow Surprises

This paper investigates the return implications of the cash flows and accruals components of unexpected earnings. We find that unexpected cash flows have greater persistence than unexpected accruals, and that this difference is driven primarily by loss firms. We also find that markets appear to react more (less) strongly to the unexpected cash flow (accrual) component of total unexpected earnings, but that only firms that beat both earnings expectations and cash flow expectations are rewarded with higher returns. These results are consistent with at least some fixation on the total earnings number, to the exclusion of more economically important cash flow surprises. Finally, we find that the mispricing of accruals and cash flows is concentrated in loss firms. Since these firms frequently have negative unexpected earnings components, the "overpricing" of these components implies that these firms may be punished too much for disappointing earnings, causing the firms to be underpriced.
Corticosteroids in the Treatment of Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting

Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) is one of the most feared side effects of cancer treatment, despite the advances over the past decades. Corticosteroids have been shown to be effective in the management of CINV. These agents are usually used in combination with serotonin antagonists and neurokinin-1 antagonists for highly or moderately emetogenic chemotherapy or as monotherapy for low-emetogenic chemotherapy. Consensus guidelines provide guidance regarding the scenarios in which corticosteroids are recommended. This article reviews the mechanism of action, role, and safety of corticosteroids in the management of CINV.
Regeneration and revascularization of a nerve-intact skeletal muscle graft in the spontaneously hypertensive rat

Skeletal muscles in hypertensive subjects develop an increased resistance to insulin that reduces their ability to incorporate glucose and synthesize glycogen. Insulin is an anabolic hormone in muscle, and muscle insulin receptors bind the growth factor, insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), an important contributor to muscle development and regeneration. An increase in insulin resistance in hypertensive subjects might produce muscle atrophy and weakness or limit regenerative growth after injury. Regenerative muscle growth was assessed in 24-to 26-wk-old spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats by subjecting extensor digitorum longus (EDL), an ankle flexor, to a nerve-intact graft procedure. The procedure produces extensive muscle fiber and capillary degeneration, but has little effect on the muscle nerve. Muscle morphology and contractile function were examined in intact and regenerating EDL at 21, 42, and 63 days postgraft. Muscle revascularization was assessed histologically at the same time points. Severe established hypertension did not prevent the reestablishment of a structurally normal capillary network in injured muscles. SHR muscle fiber regeneration and maturation, however, were significantly depressed compared with WKY grafts. The reduced regenerative recovery of SHR EDL in adult animals with severe hypertension does not appear to be due to a failure to restore the muscle nerve or capillary network, but may reflect a reduced anabolic response to insulin or IGF-I.
Proteins and peptides bound to long-circulating liposomes

Liposome formulations with prolonged circulation time have recently been developed as a potential sustained-release drug delivery system. Data shown in this report indicate that such formulations can also be used to prolong the circulation time of proteins and peptides by conjugating them to the surface of liposomes. Increase of the circulation halflife ranged from 2- to 150-fold depending on the protein/lipid ratio of the liposomal formulation, liposome size, and the lipid composition of liposomes. Since the proteins/peptides localize on the liposome surface, instead of being entrapped inside the liposomes, they are directly available for binding to its receptor molecules and express the biological activity. This strategy has been successfully applied to two proteins with known fast clearance rate, i.e. asialofetuin and ricin A-chain. The biological activities of both proteins are preserved when they are formulated in liposomes. Incorporation of a peptide, i.e. a-factor of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, into the liposome membrane also significantly enhanced the circulation time of the peptide.
Microstructural path concept applied to normal grain growth

Abstract Normal grain growth in solids is considered in the light of a microstructural path concept. The topological model first presented by Rhines and Craig is corrected and reformulated so as to include the Doherty sweep constant. The reformulated model predicts the experimentally observed linear time dependence for volumetric grain growth only when the average curvature per grain remains constant during growth. A geometrical path function for normal grain growth relating average microstructural properties on a per grain basis is proposed and compared with experimental observations on aluminum and titanium. By combining the geometrical path function with the topological model, further comprehension of normal grain growth kinetics results, specifically the role of the average grain shape.
Propagation and characterization of a rat myeloma cell line producing immunoglobulin E in vitro.

SummaryPropagating stationary suspension cultures of a cell line (Ta-4) derived from the IR162 IgE secreting rat myeloma produced high concentrations of IgE, formed colonies in agarose solidified medium, and when injected into rats induced tumors similar to the original myeloma. The in vitro produced IgE was capable of binding to rat skin mast cells. A system was developed to assay the effects of drugs on IgE synthesis and results with 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine indicate that IgE synthesis can continue at high levels in the absence of cell replication.
Iterative circuit computers

The paper first discusses an example of a computer, intended as a prototype of a practical computer, having an iterative structure and capable of processing arbitrarily many words of stored data at the same time, each by a different sub-program if desired. Next a mathematical characterization is given of a broad class of computers satisfying the conditions just stated. Finally the characterization is related to a program aimed at establishing a theory of adaptive systems via the concept of automaton generators.
Laser induced cell fusion in combination with optical tweezers: The laser cell fusion trap

A single-beam gradient force optical trap was combined with a pulsed UV laser microbeam in order to perform laser induced cell fusion. This combination offers the possibility to selectively fuse two single cells without critical chemical or electrical treatment. The optical trap was created by directing a Nd:YAG laser, at a wavelength of 1.06 μ, into a microscope and focusing the laser beam with a high numerical aperture objective. The UV laser microbeam, produced by a nitrogen-pumped dye laser (366 nm), was collinear with the trapping beam. Once inside the trap, two cells could be fused with several pulses of the UV laser microbeam, attenuated to an energy of ≈ 1 μJ/pulse in the object plane. This method of laser induced cell fusion should provide increased selectivity and efficiency in generating viable hybrid cells.
Screening head ultrasound to detect intraventricular hemorrhage in premature infants

Objective. The objective of this case-control study was to develop a screening protocol using head ultrasound (HUS) to detect high-grade intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) in very-low-birthweight infants with greater specificity than current practice, while maintaining a high degree of sensitivity. Materials and methods. All infants ≤ 32 weeks or ≤ 1500 g admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit between January 1, 1991 and December 31, 1992 were studied. The 1991 cohort was analyzed to identify the factors most sensitive and specific for predicting the occurrence of a high-grade (III or IV) IVH. Results. Eighty-five percent of infants born at 28–32 weeks gestation screened by 2 weeks of age for IVH had normal HUS scans. The factors most predictive of a high-grade IVH were gestational age < 28 weeks, forceps delivery, or any of the following in the first 2 weeks of life: seizures, head circumference increasing by more than 1 cm per week, base deficit ≥ 10, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation in the neonatal intensive care unit. Conclusion. Infants born at 28–32 weeks with a high-grade IVH can be identified with a high degree of sensitivity using refined screening criteria, eliminating 50 % of the HUS scans currently obtained for IVH screening.
Impacts of acid deposition on micronutrient cycling in agro-ecosystems

Abstract Micronutrient additions to soil result mainly from return of crop residues and application of fertilizers, farmyard manures and municipal wastes. Crop removal and erosion of surface soil constitute the main micronutrient losses. Only a small fraction of total micronutrients in surface soils is cycled via cropping. Plant availability of all micronutrients except Mo increases with increasing soil acidity. Toxicities due to Mn and Al in extremely acid soils may result in decreased crop yields. Changes in soil pH due to acid depositions are minimal in most agricultural soils because of relatively high buffering capacities of these soils. Modern farming practices such as liming and return of crop residues also may override depositional effects. Therefore, micronutrient cycling in most agro-ecosystems should not be significantly affected by acid depositions. The long-term effects of acid depositions are not known; research is needed to study effects of acidification on the dissociation characteristics of functional groups in soil organic matter which may affect metal complexation. Micronutrients are those elements which are essential to the completion of the life cycle of biological systems, but which are required in relatively small amounts. Plant micronutrients generally included in this group are B, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, and Zn. Although Cl and Co are also micronutrients, their supply in most agro-ecosystems is usually sufficient, and they will not be discussed further. Micronutrient cycling in agro-ecosystems is a complex series of processes involving micronutrient additions to and removal from soils and changes in the chemical forms, solubilities and consequent availabilities of micronutrients to plants induced by changes in the ecosystem. Micronutrient additions to soils result from alluvial or aerial depositions and applications of fertilizers, farmyard manure, or municipal wastes. Crop removal and erosion of surface soils result in losses of micronutrients from agricultural soils. Return of crop residues to soils mitigates such losses by returning some of the plant-contained micronutrients and by reducing the potential for erosion. Chemical changes occurring in soils also greatly influence the solubility and mobility of micronutrients and hence, the amounts taken up by crops and removed during harvest. One of the soil chemical properties influencing micronutrient cycling is soil acidity or basicity, as reflected by soil pH. Effects of soil pH on nutrient availability and mobility have been studied in considerable depth; however, the effects of acid deposition from atmospheric sources per se on micronutrients have received little attention. For this reason, much of the following discussion will deal with amounts of micronutrients in soils, sources of their additions and losses and general effects of soil pH on micronutrient chemistry and plant uptake. A brief discussion concludes of the probable effects of acid deposition on soil pH and micronutrient cycling in agro-ecosystems.
Gender Differences in Psychosocial Stress and in Its Relationship to Gambling Urges in Individuals with Pathological Gambling

Gender differences in the impact of psychosocial stress and in negative affective states were assessed in a group of pathological gamblers matched by demographic characteristics and by severity of gambling. Women displayed higher impact scores on the Daily Stress Inventory. Other stress measures, obtained with the Profile of Mood States (POMS), were also significantly elevated in the women group. Furthermore, women's gambling urges correlated with both stress and the POMS measure, whereas men's gambling urges correlated with the stress ratings only. These data suggest distinctive determinants of gambling urges in women with pathological gambling vis-a-vis those of men.
Contemporary approaches to concept development

Abstract In the past several years, developmental researchers have begun to transform the vantage points from which we study concepts and their development. This essay begins with a brief and selective critique of two major psychological theories concerning the structure, representation, and development of concepts (the classical view and the prototype view). This is followed by a discussion of fundamental problems inherent in measuring concepts and other intangible products of the mind. Contemporary approaches to conceptual development and organization are then outlined, with a particular focus on two recently published monographs, Categorization and Naming in Children: Problems of Induction (Markman, 1989) and Concepts, Kinds, and Cognitive Development (Keil, 1989).
Subcultures, Pop Music and Politics: Skinheads and “Nazi Rock” in England and Germany

This article takes a comparative and transnational approach to a key phenomenon of the late-20th century: the dovetailing of music-based youth subcultures with radical politics. First prominent in the "Counterculture" of the 1960s and 70s, the phenomenon has become increasingly salient with the rise of right- wing-extremist rock music and racist skinhead violence in Europe since the fall of Communism. Examining the evolution of the "skinhead" from a fusion of West Indian immigrant and white working class youth styles in 1960s England into a vehicle of right-wing extremism in the Germany of the 1980s and 1990s, the article combines history and theory in an exploration of how an originally-English subculture was transformed through its contact with German social, cultural and historical traditions.
New observations on the Regan isoenzyme of alkaline phosphatase in cancer patients

The Regan isoenzyme (RI) of alkaline phosphatase is interesting because it is indistinguishable from the placental isoenzyme with regard to stability to heat, inhibition by L-phenylalanine, optimum pH. and specific reaction with rabbit antisera to placental alkaline phosphatase. The current study of 323 cancer patients was conducted at a general hospital where cancer is more frequently seen at an earlier stage of natural history and therapy than in a chronic disease hospital. A positive identification of RI was made in 39 patients (12%) by biochemical and immunologic techniques, including antibody neutralization and starch gel electrophoresis. A high incidence of carcinoma of the ovary (5 of 23) and seminoma (one of one) patients contrasted to a somewhat lower incidence in bronchogenic carcinoma (7 of 51) and breast cancer (6 of 49). Most interesting was the discovery of high RI levels in familial polyposis of the colon, and ulcerative colitis, diseases with a known cancer diathesis. In general, RI dropped sharply following treatment with effective antimetabolic chemotherapeutic agents. The ectopic production of this protein enzyme, interpreted as a consequence of derepression of the tumor cell genome, is comparable with other polypeptide hormone syndromes, or carcinoembryonic antigens, but evidences a wider variety of sites of tumor origin. Its identification in gonadal tumors and in precancerous states may represent a predeliction of such derepression for tissues concerned with germinal activity or with genetically determined cancer diathesis, respectively.
Three new species of Dichapetalaceae from tropical America

Three new species of Neotropical Dichapetalaceae are described:Dichapetalum bernalii, D. mexicanum, andTapura magnifolia. The two species ofDichapetalum belong to the group with fimbriate stipules, and a key is given to that part of the genus.
Transformative graduate education programs: an analysis of impact on STEM and non-STEM Ph.D. completion

Transformative graduate education programs (TGP) are programs that are national in scope and are intended to impact the reformation of graduate education in the United States. We employ data from national sources and shift the unit of analysis from the individual doctoral student to the doctoral institution as whole in order to begin to assess the impact of TGPs on the number of doctoral degrees awarded, a critical outcome for such programs, and an educational priority in many countries. In addition, we examine the critical issue of whether TGPs enhance Ph.D. degree conferral for women and minorities, and if they do so at STEM-oriented institutions, typically the least hospitable of all environments for these groups.
Sensitization to the cardiovascular but not subject-rated effects of oral cocaine in humans

Abstract Background: Despite a substantial nonhuman literature in the area, few studies have experimentally evaluated the effects of repeated stimulant administration in human participants. This study examined the effects of repeated cocaine in individuals with histories of abuse and dependence. Methods: Twenty-two individuals with recent histories of cocaine abuse received under double-blind conditions, in pseudorandom order, four administrations of oral cocaine (150 mg [ n = 14] or 200 mg [ n = 8]) and two administrations of placebo. All administrations were given on separate days. Cardiovascular measures were collected and included heart rate, systolic pressure, diastolic pressure, mean arterial pressure, and pressure rate product. Subject-rated effects were assessed using the Addiction Research Center Inventory (ARCI) and a 15-item drug-effect questionnaire. Results: There were significant differences between placebo days and cocaine days in both cardiovascular and subject-rated effects. Moreover, three of five cardiovascular measures analyzed revealed a significant main effect for day of cocaine administration. A planned follow-up contrast revealed a significant increasing linear trend for each of these variables across days. No significant effects were found for day of administration for the subject-rated items. Conclusions: These results indicate that, under controlled laboratory conditions, repeated oral cocaine administration may result in sensitization to the cardiovascular effects, but not subject-rated effects.
Effects of varying scoring rules of the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) for the diagnosis of PTSD after acute burn injury.

The Clinician Administered Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Scale (CAPS) enables quantification of the seventy of each of the 17 posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Blanchard and colleagues (1995) have documented variation in rates of PTSD among survivors of motor vehicle accidents depending on the CAPS scoring rule used. This report examines the effects of varying the scoring rules of the CAPS on rates of acute PTSD symptoms in hospitalized burn patients. Changing from the most liberal to the most conservative scoring rule resulted in a change in diagnosis of acute PTSD from 25% to 32% of the sample. The variation documented in this study and others has implications for a range of issues, including rates of PTSD in epidemiological studies, treatment outcome research, and forensic evaluations.