cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mercury Magnification In Riverine Food Webs In The Northern Rocky Mountains: Clark Fork River Basin, Montana, U.S.A.

At a local scale, such as the Clark Fork River Basin (CFRB), historic gold mining contributes the majority of mercury (Hg) found in the environment. Mercury enters aquatic systems in inorganic forms and is transformed to methylmercury (MeHg) by bacteria. MeHg has the ability to bioaccumulate within higher trophic levels, causing severe neurotoxic diseases and mortality. Hg concentrations observed within an aquatic food web are controlled by two factors, a source of inorganic mercury and the potential for that Hg to become methylated (methylation controlled by environmental conditions i.e.: water velocity, organic matter, etc.). A sufficient source of inorganic mercury and environmental conditions which promote Hg methylation can lead to maximum MeHg biomagnification. This study presents a comprehensive look at food web Hg biomagnification within the CFRB. Hg concentrations are characterized through blood or tissue samples from osprey, fish, and aquatic macroinvertebrates. Additionally we look at controlling Hg biomagnification factors, Hg of fine-grained sediment, percentage of wetlands and riparian land cover, and mean monthly discharge, to access the biomagnification process within the watershed and thus the Hg levels observed throughout these three trophic levels. Preliminary results show Hg levels of aquatic invertebrates have been found to be heavily influenced by the source of Hg (fine-grained sediment), while upper trophic level species exhibit a strong correlation to environmental characteristics of the sample reach.
Role of Glutamic Acid 109 in the Active Site of the β Subunit of Tryptophan Synthase from Salmonella Typhimurium in Controlling the Reaction Specificity and Substrate Specificity of the α2β2 Complex

ABSTRACT We are using site-directed mutagenesis to clarify the functional roles of amino acid residues near pyridoxal phosphate in the active site of the β subunit in the tryptophan synthase α2β2 complex from Salmonella typhimurium. We find that changing the β subunit glutamic acid 109 to aspartic acid or to alanine has striking effects on the kinetic and spectroscopic properties of the mutant forms of the α2β2 complex. We conclude that glutamic acid 109 is not an essential catalytic residue. Mutation may alter the conformation of the active site, resulting in different reaction specificity, substrate specificity, and kinetic properties.
Reply To The Comment By Bink And Meesters

must be satisfied, whereRab is the correlation coefficient between any two turbulent flow variables, andw, T , and q are the vertical velocity, air temperature, and specific humidity turbulent perturbations respectively. In (2) (Equation (17) in BM97), any combination of w, T , and q can replace x, y and z. BM97 used Equation (2) to investigate under what conditions Equation (1) is valid and whether RTq can be used as a surrogate for the relative efficiency ratio RwT /Rwq. They argued that if the right-hand-side of (2) is small, then (2) reduces to
Ocular Epithelial Models

Next to the brain, the eye is probably the most guarded organ against the entry of all but the essential nutrients. This is credited to the simple yet highly efficient protective machinery comprised of rapid removal of the applied dose through drainage (Chrai et al., 1973, 1974) or tear turnover (Mishima et al., 1966); diversion of drugs into the systemic circulation via blood vessels in the conjunctival and the nasal mucosae (Chang and Lee, 1987); a practically impermeable corneal barrier (Sieg and Robinson, 1976); and, to a lesser extent, metabolism of drugs, notably those containing ester (Lee, 1983; Lee et al., 1983a, b), peptide (Stratford and Lee, 1985), and ketone linkages (Ashton et al., 1991b), during and following transport. The net result is that typically less than 1% of the applied dose reaches the anterior segment of the eye (Lee and Robinson, 1986) and that virtually none is available to act on the posterior segment tissues except when under iontophoresis (Lam et al., 1994). It is therefore not surprising that a major activity in ocular drug development has been focused on identifying means to improve ocular drug bioavailability (Lee et al., 1994; Lehr et al., 1994; Naveh et al., 1994; Pleyer et al., 1993; Zimmer et al., 1994). The realization that topically applied drugs can be absorbed systemically (Lee et al., 1993; Liu and Chiou, 1994; Podder et al., 1992) to elicit serious side effects in some instances has provided yet another compelling incentive toward meeting this goal. Through dose reduction in proportion to the gain in ocular absorption, the systemic drug load can be minimized (Potter et al., 1988).
Psychotherapy-Driven Supervision: Integrating Counseling Theories into Role-Based Supervision

Mental health counselors often play an integral part in the training and supervision of students and new practitioners. Whether they are teaching clinical skills in academic settings, providing on-site supervision for practicum and internship students, or serving as clinical supervisors for unlicensed or less experienced counselors, supervision is a relevant component of mental health practice. Designed as a practical approach that builds on the clinical strengths of mental health counselors, psychotherapy-driven supervision advocates blending psychotherapy-based approaches to supervision with role-based models of supervision. Strengths and weaknesses of psychotherapy-based approaches are discussed. Detailed descriptions of the teacher, counselor, and consultant roles of supervisors are presented. Psychotherapy-driven supervision is illustrated for three theoretical approaches: humanistic-relationship oriented, cognitive-behavioral, and solution-focused.
(Re)conceptualizing Protests: Activism, Resistance, and AANAPISIs

Though protests on college campuses have captured public attention, far less consideration has been paid to Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs). The Asian and Pacific Islander American (APIA) population has historically served on the front lines of the Asian American Movement during the Civil Rights Movement influencing the educational experiences of APIA students. While literature documents student activism from APIA students, they are portrayed as an apolitical group. The purpose of this article is to (re)conceptualize the term protest to capture the historical and contemporary forms of activism by researchers, policy makers, community organizers, and students throughout a decade that pushed a legislation forward to create the federal designation for AANAPISIs. We argue that the term protest is limiting in research. Instead, the term activism, should be used in order to encapsulate the ways APIAs have been engaged socially and politically. Additionally, there exists a gap in educational literature discussing how the spatial politics of domination and resistance manifests in representational spaces—in this case institutional structures like AANAPISIs. Influenced by spatial politics and spatial theory we put forth a conceptual argument that the representational existence of AANAPISIs is a site of resistance that needs to be better understood, especially in the era of Trump where anti-immigration and racist rhetoric is ever-present, because of the ways APIAs continue to be racialized and (re)positioned in United States racial discourse and research.
Epicurean Myth Rationalization in Plutarch’s De Latenter Vivendo and Lucretius’ Catalogue of Underworld Torments

In urging that the fate of the impious Epicurean is not torture but obscurity such as an Epicurean suffers in life, Plutarch uses but reverses an argument found in Lucretius.
Designed for inclusion: André Delbecq’s approach in multi-faith environments

In this article and the accompanying video of Andre Delbecq, readers gain a glimpse of his respectful, hospitable posture towards others in the multi-faith classroom and workplace. The video provid...
Molecular determinants for the polarization of macrophage and osteoclast

Emerging evidence suggest that macrophage and osteoclast are two competing differentiation outcomes from myeloid progenitors. In this review, we summarize recent advances in the understanding of the molecular mechanisms controlling the polarization of macrophage and osteoclast. These include nuclear receptors/transcription factors such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) and estrogen-related receptor α (ERRα), their transcription cofactor PPARγ coactivator 1-β (PGC-1β), metabolic factors such as mitochondrial complex I (CI) component NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase iron-sulfur protein 4 (Ndufs4), as well as transmembrane receptors such as very-low-density-lipoprotein receptor (VLDLR). These molecular rheostats promote osteoclast differentiation but suppress proinflammatory macrophage activation and inflammation, by acting lineage-intrinsically, systemically or cross generation. These findings provide new insights to the understanding of the interactions between innate immunity and bone remodeling, advancing the field of osteoimmunology.
Understanding the influence of solvents on the intrinsic properties and performance of polyamide thin film composite membranes

Abstract The polyamide thin film composite (TFC) has been the standard platform for reverse osmosis and nanofiltration membranes for aqueous separations for decades. It combines the properties of high permeance and unmatched selectivity for desalination applications. The highly cross-linked structure of polyamides may enable its use in organic solvent separations with several studies showing promising results. The field lacks, however, a complete understanding of how polyamides may be impacted by solvent exposure. To investigate the impacts of solvent on polyamide, we formed polyamide selective layers through interfacial polymerization onto ceramic UF supports. We quantified the permeability and selectivity changes after polyamides were exposed to an alcohol (methanol), and a ketone (acetone), and a polar aprotic solvent (DMF). We used aqueous testing before and after exposure to quantify permanent changes in membrane performance. Our results show that not only are the polyamide properties altered by the exposure to solvents, but they also show that different solvents have very different impacts on polyamide performance. The results indicate that polyamides may not be robust enough to perform nanofiltration separations in solvent environments with predictable permeability and selectivity.
Resilience and equity: Quantifying the distributional effects of resilience-enhancing strategies in a smallholder agricultural system

Abstract Strategies aiming to increase the climate resilience of smallholder agricultural systems may not equally benefit all groups of the smallholder population. To reduce the potential for aggravating existing vulnerabilities, quantitative resilience analyses therefore need to acknowledge the possibility for inequities in the effects of proposed resilience-enhancing strategies (RESs). In this study, we develop, validate, and apply a household-level agent-based model to explore the equity of climate RESs in an Ethiopian smallholder farming system. Specifically, we study the potential effects of two RESs, involving access to seasonal climate forecasts and increases in non-farm job availability, on household food security under climate variability. We measure these effects in two distinct ways: “poverty-reduction,” which describes food security improvements relative to existing conditions; and “shock-absorption,” which isolates the strategies' effects on food security during and following a drought. Our results reveal that the different measures of resilience lead to divergent assessments of equity in policy effects. Relative to baseline levels of food security (poverty-reduction), both strategies disproportionately favor the most vulnerable households—i.e., they are equity-enhancing. Under this assessment, increases in job availability provide slightly stronger benefits to the most vulnerable households than climate forecasts. However, when isolating the effect of a drought (shock-absorption), both RESs benefit the moderately vulnerable households at the expense of the more vulnerable households—i.e., they are inequitable. These results demonstrate that a pure focus on poverty reduction may be insufficient to promote equitable development. Given the prevalence of climate shocks in smallholder systems, future studies of resilience should therefore jointly consider both poverty reduction and shock recovery, as well as the potential for inequity in the effects of RESs.
Role of Olfaction in Human Health: A Focus on Coronaviruses

Author(s): Jaime-Lara, Rosario B; Parma, Valentina; Yan, Carol H; Faraji, Farhoud; Joseph, Paule V
General surgery involvement with ventriculoperitoneal shunt insertions reduces revision rates.

Abstract Background Ventriculoperitoneal shunts (VPS) are placed for a variety of etiologies. It is common for general surgery to assist with insertion of the distal portion in the peritoneum. Objective To determine if there is a difference in revision rates in patients undergoing VPS placement with general surgery as well as those undergoing laparoscopic insertion. Methods A retrospective review of all consecutive patients undergoing VPS placements was performed in a three-year period (2017−2019). Those that underwent placement with general surgery were compared to those without general surgery. Additionally, patients undergoing distal placement via mini-laparotomy versus laparoscopy were compared. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine risk factors for distal VPS failure. Results 331 patients were included. 202 (61.0 %) underwent VPS placement with general surgery. 121 (36.6 %) patients underwent insertion via laparoscopic technique. General surgery involvement reduced operative times, decreased length of stay, and lowered overall revision rates with distal revision rates being most significant (1.5 % vs 8.5 %; p = 0.0034). Patients undergoing VPS placement via laparoscopic technique had decreased operative time, length of stay, in-hospital complications and revision rates, with significant decrease in shunt infection (1.7 % vs 7.1 %; p = 0.0366). A history of prior shunt or abdominal surgery (OR 3.826; p = 0.0282) and lack of general surgery involvement (OR 20.98; p = 0.0314) are independent risk factors for distal shunt revision in our cohort. Conclusion The use of general surgeons in VPS insertion can be of benefit by decreasing operative time, length of stay, total revisions, and distal revision rates. Further prospective studies are warranted to determine true benefit.
Clinical outcomes of Modified Collaborative Ocular Melanoma Study IRIS plaques for treatment of iris, iridociliary, and ciliary body melanoma.

Background/objectives To report clinical outcomes of modified Collaborative Ocular Melanoma Study IRIS (COMS IRIS) plaques for treatment of iris, iridociliary, and ciliary body melanoma. Subjects/methods Retrospective, single-centre cohort study of iris melanoma treated with COMS IRIS plaque radiotherapy from July 26, 2010 to October 15, 2018. Medical records were reviewed for demographics, tumour features, treatment parameters, and clinical outcomes. Results There were 22 cases, diagnosed at mean age of 59 years (median 65, range 21-85 years) with female sex in 14 (64%). Presenting tumour features included Snellen visual acuity (VA) ≥ 20/40 in 18 (82%) cases, mean largest tumour basal diameter 4.7 mm (median 3.9, range 2.3-13.8 mm) and thickness 1.7 mm (median 1.6 mm, range 0.8-3.9 mm), iris stromal seeding in 3 (14%) cases, angle seeding in 16 (73%), and ciliary body involvement in 13 (59%). After mean follow-up of 51 months (median 44, range 4-113 months), Snellen VA was ≥20/40 in 14 (64%) cases, with local tumour recurrence in 2 (9%), and enucleation in 2 (9%). The 3-year Kaplan-Meier estimated risk of local tumour recurrence was 7%. The most common radiation side effects were cataract in 17 (77%) patients and dry eye in 5 (23%). Systemic metastasis occurred in no cases, and 1 (5%) non-melanoma-related death due to natural causes was observed at last follow-up. Conclusions COMS IRIS plaques are effective for treatment of iris, iridociliary, and ciliary body melanoma with modest VA outcomes and low frequency of local tumour recurrence, enucleation, radiation side effects, and systemic metastasis.
Bipolar androgen therapy sensitizes castration-resistant prostate cancer to subsequent androgen receptor ablative therapy.

Abstract Background Cyclical, high-dose testosterone administration, termed bipolar androgen therapy (BAT), can induce clinical responses and restore sensitivity to androgen signalling inhibition in patients with previously treated castration-resistant prostate cancer (PCa) (CRPC). This trial evaluated whether BAT is a safe and effective first-line hormonal therapy for patients with CRPC. Patients and Methods In cohort C of this single-centre, open-label, phase II, multi-cohort trial (RE-sensitizing with Supraphysiologic Testosterone to Overcome REsistance study), 29 patients with CRPC received first-line hormonal therapy with 400 mg of testosterone cypionate intramuscularly every 28 days concurrent with a luteinising hormone-releasing hormone agonist/antagonist. The primary end-point of the study was the PSA50 response rate to BAT treatment. Results After treatment with BAT, four of 29 patients (14%; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 4–32%) experienced a PSA50 response. The median radiographic progression-free survival to BAT was 8.5 months (95% CI: 6.9–15.1) for patients with metastatic CRPC. After progression on BAT, 17 of 18 patients (94%; 95% CI: 73–100%) achieved a PSA50 response and 15 of 18 patients (83%; 95% CI: 59–96) achieved a PSA90 response on abiraterone or enzalutamide. Twelve of 15 patients (80%; 95% CI: 52–96) with metastatic CRPC remain on abiraterone or enzalutamide with a median duration of follow-up of 11.2 months. Conclusion As first-line hormonal treatment for CRPC, BAT was well tolerated and resulted in prolonged disease stabilisation. After progression on BAT, patients had favourable responses to second-generation androgen receptor–targeted therapy. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02090114
Simulations of Magnetized Disks Around Black Holes: Effects of Black Hole Spin, Disk Thickness, and Magnetic Field Geometry

The standard general relativistic model of a razor-thin accretion disk around a black hole, developed by Novikov & Thorne (NT) in 1973, assumes the shear stress vanishes at the radius of the innermost stable circular orbit (ISCO) and that, outside the ISCO, the shear stress is produced by an effective turbulent viscosity. However, astrophysical accretion disks are not razor-thin, it is uncertain whether the shear stress necessarily vanishes at the ISCO, and the magnetic field, which is thought to drive turbulence in disks, may contain large-scale structures that do not behave like a simple local scalar viscosity. We describe three-dimensional general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations of accretion disks around black holes with a range of spin parameters, and we use the simulations to assess the validity of the NT model. Our fiducial initial magnetic field consists of multiple (alternating polarity) poloidal field loops whose shape is roughly isotropic in the disk in order to match the isotropic turbulence expected in the poloidal plane. For a thin disk with an aspect ratio |h/r| ~ 0.07 around a non-spinning black hole, we find a decrease in the accreted specific angular momentum of 2.9% relative to the NT model and an excess luminosity from inside the ISCO of 3.5%. The deviations in the case of spinning black holes are of the same order. In addition, the deviations decrease with decreasing |h/r|. We therefore conclude that magnetized thin accretion disks in x-ray binaries in the thermal/high-soft spectral state ought to be well-described by the NT model, especially at luminosities below 30% of Eddington where we expect a very small disk thickness |h/r| <~ 0.05. We also discuss how the stress and the luminosity inside the ISCO depend on the assumed initial magnetic field geometry. (abridged)
Environmental Justice and Indian Tribes: The Double-Edged Tomahawk of Applying Civil Rights Laws in Indian Country

Recent developments applying civil rights laws in the environmental law arena have raised perhaps the most peculiar set of issues facing Indian Tribes today. Some Tribes may find that dealing with gaming issues, which create stakes worth millions of dollars, is a more efficient use of their time and energy. On the other hand, upholding age-old rights reserved in solemnly agreed-to treaties will continue to be more compelling. The specter of analyzing federal civil rights and environmental laws in an Indian law context, however, will test America’s legal relationship with Tribes unlike any other issue in the foreseeable future and it will evoke a level of complexity matching that of any other field of law. The most fundamental aspect of a Tribe’s sovereignty, and its basic attributes of sovereign immunity and identity will likely be challenged. American and indigenous notions of due process will fiercely compete. Cultural values will clash. Unfortunately, someone will lose.
Kidney Transplant Outcomes in Indigenous People of the Northern Great Plains of the United States

ABSTRACT Background Indigenous people experience higher rates of end-stage renal disease as well as negative predictive factors that undermine kidney transplantation (KT) success. Despite these inequalities, data suggest that short-term outcomes are comparable to those of other groups, but few studies have examined this effect in the Northern Great Plains (NGP) region. Methods We performed a retrospective database review to determine outcomes of KT in Indigenous people of the NGP. White and Indigenous people receiving a KT between 2000 and 2018 at a single center were examined. Results A total of 622 KT recipients were included (117 Indigenous and 505 White). Indigenous patients were more likely to smoke, have diabetes, have higher immunologic risk, receive fewer living donor kidneys, and have longer waitlist times. In the 5 years after KT there were no significant differences in renal function, rejection events, cancer, graft failure, or patient survival. At 10 years posttransplant, Indigenous patients had twice the all-cause graft failure (odds ratio = 2.06; 95% confidence interval, 1.25–3.39) and half the survival rate (odds ratio = 0.47; 95% confidence interval, 0.29–0.76); however, this effect was not maintained once the effects of race, sex, smoking status, diabetes, preemptive transplant, high panel reactive antibody status, and transplant type were adjusted for. Conclusions KT outcomes in Indigenous patients in the NGP region are similar to those of White patients 5 years posttransplant, with differences emerging at 10 years that could be diminished with greater emphasis on correcting modifiable risk factors.
High School Years

Arthur Haas’ high school education in Brno occurred in an enlightened environment which stimulated a broad range of intellectual interests from antiquity to physics, and also awakened his sensibilities and competitive spirit. The latter relied on positive feedback from friends and teachers. This chapter also provides insight into pedagogical developments during the late Habsburg empire.
The Failings of Conventional Mediation Analysis and a Design-Based Alternative:

Scholars routinely test mediation claims by using some form of measurement-of-mediation analysis whereby outcomes are regressed on treatments and mediators to assess direct and indirect effects. In...
Crops and Carbon: Paying Farmers to Combat Climate Change

Introduction 1. Climate Change: Implications for Agriculture 2. Agriculture: Changing the Climate? 3. Three Questions on Carbon Economics 4. Flexible Instruments, Fungible Carbon 5. Carbon, Money and Agriculture 6. From Theory to Practice: The Atlantic Forest Biome 7. The Septical Farmer 8. The Farmer's View 9. The Heretic's View 10. The Keys to Soil Carbon. Index
Design of pile groups

Piles are installed in a group and provided with a pile cap. The column is placed on the pile cap so that the column load is equally distributed among the individual piles in the group. The capacity of a pile group is obtained by using an efficiency factor. If the pile group contains 16 piles and capacity of a single pile is 30 tons and the group efficiency is found to be 0.9, the group capacity is 432 tons. High pile group efficiency is desirable; the question is how to improve the group efficiency. Pile group efficiency is dependent on the spacing between piles. When the piles in the group are closer together, the pile group efficiency decreases. When the piles are placed far apart, efficiency increases, but because the size of the pile cap has to be larger, the cost of the pile cap increases. Soil disturbance caused by one pile impacts the capacity of adjacent piles. The group efficiency can be improved by placing the piles at a larger spacing. In clay soils, shear strength is reduced owing to disturbance.
A Fast Algorithm for Massively Parallel, Long-Term, Simulation of Complex Molecular Dynamics Systems

The advances in theory and computing technology over the last decade have led to enormous progress in applying atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) methods to the characterization, prediction, and design of chemical, biological, and material systems,.
Privacy Law Fundamentals

"Privacy Law Fundamentals" is a distilled guide to the essential elements of U.S. data privacy law. In an easily-digestible format, the book covers core concepts, key laws, and leading cases. Included here for download are The Table of Contents and Chapter 1.The book explains the major provisions of all of the major privacy statutes, regulations, cases, including state privacy laws and FTC enforcement actions. It provides numerous charts and tables summarizing the privacy statutes (i.e. statutes with private rights of action, preemption, and liquidated damages, among other things). Topics covered include: the media, domestic law enforcement, national security, government records, health and genetic data, financial information, consumer data and business records, government access to private sector records, data security law, school privacy, employment privacy, and international privacy law. This book provides an concise yet comprehensive overview of the field of privacy law for those who do not want to labor through lengthy treatises. "Privacy Law Fundamentals" is written for those who want a handy reference, a bird's eye view of the field, or a primer for courses in privacy law.
Economic Sector Choices of Mexican Migrants to the U.S.

This paper uses a random utility model to investigate the economic sector choices of Mexican labor migrants who intended to cross the U.S. border in 2011. We use individual-level data from the 2011 EMIF Norte Border Survey to identify migrants according to prior work experience and intended sector of work in an effort to determine what demographic and socioeconomic characteristics explain economic sector mobility. Our empirical analysis focuses on two separate but related questions. First, we estimate a probit model with sample selection to identify migrant characteristics that explain differences between industry of employment at place of origin and the intended sector of work at their destination. Second, we estimate a multinomial probit of the choice of sector to further explore migrant characteristics that explain occupational selection. Our results show that sector mobility is significantly more likely for migrants who are documented and those with higher educational attainment, specifically, spoken English skills. At the same time, the probability that sector of work coincides with intended sector of work in the US is significantly higher for migrants who are male, married, traveling in larger groups, have family in the US and earned a higher wage prior to migration. The results from our multinomial analysis further clarify these patterns. We find that work sector prior to migration is more likely to match intended sector in the agriculture, construction, transportation and trade industries and significantly less likely to match in the services sector relative to other occupational categories.
Ultrastructural studies of early nidation in pregnancy and pseudopregnancy

Abstract The ultrastructural development of the blastocyst and endometrium of equivalent ages are compared during the period of early implantation in pregnant and pseudopregnant hamsters. Initially, endometrial changes resulting from the presence of the blastocyst are ultrastructurally similar to those occurring in response to the unfertilized ovum in matings with vasectomized males. The blastocyst soon dominates the ultrastructural changes in the endometrial epithelium in early pregnancy, as evidenced by various stages of cellular degeneration, whereas the epithelium in pseudopregnancy remains intact. Stromal alterations suggestive of decidualization and formation of a deciduoma occur in pregnancy and pseudopregnancy, respectively, although the deciduoma is transient. The maternal-embryonic interface becomes progressively more complex, but similar changes at the maternal-ovular interface fail to develop. Induction of the endometrial reaction by the blastocyst cannot be proved by these experiments, although it is strongly suggested ultrastructurally, despite a common pathway of initiating mechanisms.
Detection of the Soluble Heat Shock Protein 27 (hsp27) in Human Serum by an ELISA

Abstract Increased levels of autoantibodies against heat shock protein 27 (hsp27) in patients with breast, ovarian, or endometrial cancer strongly suggest the presence and increased levels of hsp27 in their circulation. Therefore, we have developed a sensitive and reproducible ELISA for quantification of soluble hsp27 levels in biological fluid such as serum. The assay is highly specific for hsp27. The limit of detection of the ELISA is about 0.5 ng/mL. The mean intra‐ and inter‐coefficients of variation were 7.45 and 8.18, respectively. The recovery of the recombinant protein was nearly 100%. The assay could detect soluble hsp27 levels in normal human serum when the level was >0.5 ng/mL. Out of 28 serum samples we tested, 10 samples were not detected for any hsp27 level in our ELISA. However, hsp27 levels could be detected in the other 18 samples. The median serum hsp27 level was 3.27 ng/mL when all the 28 normal control samples were included. Low levels of hsp27 in normal human serum may be useful to di...
Uric acid transport in rat renal basolateral membrane vesicles.

Abstract Pathways for urate transport across the basolateral membrane of rat proximal tubule cells were investigated using membrane vesicles isolated from rat renal cortex. The presence of an anion exchange mechanism(s) operative in the mode of α-ketoglutarate/urate; Cl−/urate and OH−(HCO3−)/urate as well as a mediated conductive mechanism was assessed from tracer flux measurements. In the presence of an inwardly directed Na+ gradient an α-ketoglutarate dependent concentrative accumulation of PAH but not urate was observed suggesting an absence of the mediated exchange of α-ketoglutarate for urate. The imposition of an outwardly directed Cl− gradient stimulated urate uptake in the absence but not the presence of conditions designed to minimize membrane potential development suggesting an indirect electrostatic coupling of urate uptake to a Cl− gradient-induced diffusion potential. Conditions favoring the development of an inside-positive K+ diffusion potential was observed to induce an inhibitor-sensitive, concentrative accumulation of urate in the absence of Cl−. The stimulation of urate uptake measured in the presence of an inside-alkaline pH gradient was not sufficient magnitude to suggest the apparent conductive urate uptake was secondary to a membrane voltage induced, inside alkaline pH gradient and the operation of an OH−(HCO3−)/urate exchanger. The evidence obtained from the present investigation suggests rat basolateral membrane urate transport occurs by a mediated, conductive mechanism and is not coupled to Cl−, α-ketoglutarate or HCO3−. This finding, when considered together with existing evidence supporting the presence of transport pathways mediating the active uptake of urate across the brush-border membrane, suggests the transtubular reabsorptive flux of urate in rat proximal tubules occurs by active uptake at the apical membrane and passive efflux at the basolateral membrane.
Bit-sliced index arithmetic

The bit-sliced index (BSI) was originally defined in [ONQ97]. The current paper introduces the concept of BSI arithmetic. For any two BSI's X and Y on a table T, we show how to efficiently generate new BSI's Z, V, and W, such that Z = X + Y, V = X - Y, and W = MIN(X, Y); this means that if a row r in T has a value x represented in BSI X and a value y in BSI Y, the value for r in BSI Z will be x + y, the value in V will be x - y and the value in W will be MIN(x, y). Since a bitmap representing a set of rows is the simplest bit-sliced index, BSI arithmetic is the most straightforward way to determine multisets of rows (with duplicates) resulting from the SQL clauses UNION ALL (addition), EXCEPT ALL (subtraction), and INTERSECT ALL (min) (see [OO00, DB2SQL] for definitions of these clauses). Another contribution of the current paper is to generalize BSI range restrictions from [ONQ97] to a new non-Boolean form: to determine the top k BSI-valued rows, for ally meaningful value k between one and the total number of rows in T. Together with bit-sliced addition, this permits us to solve a common basic problem of text retrieval: given an object-relational table T of rows representing documents, with a collection type column K representing keyword terms, we demonstrate an efficient algorithm to find k documents that share the largest number of terms with some query list Q of terms. A great deal of published work on such problems exists in the Information Retrieval (IR) field. The algorithm we introduce, which we call Bit-Sliced Term-Matching, or BSTM, uses an approach comparable in performance to the most efficient known IR algorithm, a major improvement on current DBMS text searching algorithms, with the advantage that it uses only indexing we propose for native database operations.
Determination of chemical-structural changes in vitrinite accompanying luminescence alteration using C-NEXAFS analysis

Abstract The phenomenon of luminescence alteration has been shown to correlate with the thermal maturity of Type III kerogens (vitrinites). In order to establish a chemical structural basis for this correlation, carbon near edge X-ray absorption fine structure (C-NEXAFS) spectroscopy is used to monitor the gain and loss of organic functionality in ultra-thin sections of vitrinite following time incremental exposure to blue light (390–490 nm) irradiation in air. These data are compared with luminescence alteration behavior measured at 600 nm. Three samples are studied; low maturity (% R 0 =0.29), medium maturity (% R 0 =0.73), and high maturity (% R 0 =1.35) vitrinite. These exhibit “positive”, “dual”, and “negative” luminescence alteration, respectively. It has been previously established that the luminescence alteration of vitrinites is the result of photo–oxidation. C-NEXAFS data are used to identify the types of reactions and correlate the chemical structural changes with luminescence alteration behavior. The unaltered C-NEXAFS spectrum of each vitrinite is significantly different, reflecting the broad range in vitrinite maturity. The dominant reaction is the formation of COOH groups, through the attack of singlet oxygen on, predominantly, benzylic carbon. Carbonyl substituted aromatics are the dominant photo–oxidation product of the most mature vitrinite. The photo–chemical oxidation pathways and kinetics vary significantly between the three samples. Virtually all of the major spectral trends (excluding the formation of COOH groups) reverse, moving from low to high maturity, i.e. gains in absorption at a given energy at one maturity level are observed to be losses at a different maturity level. The spectral changes reveal that in the lower maturity samples aromatic acids, aliphatic ketones, and hydroxylated aromatic compounds are formed; aliphatic and aldehydic carbon are lost. In the more mature vitrinite, aryl–ketones and aromatic acids are formed, whereas polycyclic aromatic compounds are lost. Strong correlations exist between the development of “positive” alteration and the formation of COOH functionality. No obvious correlation could be made between the C-NEXAFS data and the “negative” luminescence alteration, suggesting that the lumophor participating in this reaction is below the detection limit of C-NEXAFS spectroscopy. The maturity of a given vitrinite sample, hence its molecular structure, strongly controls the specific reaction pathways as well as the total extent of reaction.
El uso del pronombre le por les en el español formal escrito según revelan los periódicos de once ciudades

It is relatively common in Spanish to find the singular indirect object pronoun le even when the corresponding noun phrase is plural and one would therefore expect the use of les. While it is true that various grammarians have described this phenomenon, the attention paid to matter by linguists in quantitative research has been sparse, particularly regarding the written word. The current study investigates and documents the use of le for les in written Spanish through a systematic analysis of newspaper articles in 11 cities of the Spanish-speaking world. The newspaper pieces analysed have not only made it posible to determine which cities display the highest frequency of this use of le, and if it is thus possible to assign it regional dialectal patterns, but they have also aided in resolving conflicting viewpoints in the literature about the use of this singular pronoun. These includes, for example, whether le for les is mainly a spoken feature that is not normally seen in writing; whether it is something...
The specificity and clinical usefulness of the lupus band test

Granular deposition of immunoglobulin at the dermoepidermal junction is characteristic, but not pathognomonic, of lupus erythematosus. When rigid criteria for the lumpus band test are used, a positive result is highly specific. A positive band test is found in clinically normal skin and lesional skin of systemic lupus patients, and in lesional skin of discoid lupus patients. A positive band test is found infrequently in clinically normal skin of patients with other connective tissue disorders. Cutaneous lupus may be difficult to separate from other morphologically similar disorders. The lupus band test is useful in differential diagnosis because other disorders have either a specific pattern of immunoglobulin deposition or no immunoglobulin deposition. The mechanisms of immunoglobulin deposition at the epidermal basement membrane zone are discussed as well as pertinent clinical correlations of the positive band test.
THE COMBINED-ACTION OF ICI-D1694, 5-FLUORO-2'-DEOXYURIDINE AND 5-FLUOROURACIL IN INHIBITING THE GROWTH OF A HUMAN RENAL-CELL CARCINOMA CELL-LINE (RPMI-SE) IN-VITRO

In order to investigate possible interactions among ICI-D1694 (a new folate-analog thymidylate synthase inhibitor), 5-fluoro-2'-deoxyuridine (FdUrd) and 5-fluorouracil (FUra), the effect of these agents alone and in 2-drug combinations against a human renal cell carcinoma cell line (RPMI-SE) in vitro was investigated. The median IC50's for cell growth inhibition for ICI-D1694, FdUrd and FUra were 4.00, 7.23 and 1,340 nM, respectively. To quantitatively assess the degree of agent-combined action for 2-agent combinations of the 3 drugs, data from combination experiments were fitted with a response surface mathematical model (Greco et al, Cancer Res 50: 5318-5327, 1990). In 3 experiments for each combination, moderate Loewe synergism was consistently shown for ICI-D1694/FdUrd, less prominent Loewe synergism was indicated for FdUrd/FUra; and Loewe additivity was shown for ICI-D1694/FUra. Studies in vitro to elucidate the mechanism of the interaction of ICI-D1694 + FdURD, and in vivo to establish possible therapeutic advantages are warranted.
A randomized, controlled trial evaluating 2 techniques of postoperative bladder testing after transvaginal surgery.

Objective The purpose of this pilot study was to compare the efficacy of 2 techniques for evaluating bladder function after transvaginal surgery. Study Design Subjects scheduled for transvaginal, outpatient surgery were consecutively enrolled and randomized to backfill-assisted voiding trial or a trial of spontaneous voiding after surgery. Results Sixty subjects were enrolled. The mean time in the perioperative anesthesia care unit for the backfill group was 199.5 minutes vs 226.6 minutes in the spontaneous voiding group ( P = .08). Subjects randomized to backfill were more likely to adequately empty their bladders and be discharged home without catheter drainage than subjects in the spontaneous voiding group (61.5% vs 32.1%, respectively, P = .02). Multiple logistic regression further demonstrated that the backfill-assisted technique predicted successful bladder emptying after vaginal surgery ( P = .02). Conclusion Women undergoing transvaginal outpatient surgery are more likely to empty their bladder effectively before discharge if they are evaluated with a backfill-assisted voiding trial.
Orienting graphs to optimize reachability

It is well known that every 2-edge-connected graph can be oriented so that the resulting digraph is strongly connected. Here we study the problem of orienting a connected graph with cut edges in order to maximize the number of ordered vertex pairs (x, y) such that there is a directed path from x to y. After transforming this problem, we prove a key theorem about the transformed problem that allows us to obtain a quadratic algorithm for the original orientation problem. We also consider how to orient graphs to minimize the number of ordered vertex pairs joined by a directed path. After showing this problem is equivalent to the comparability graph completion problem, we show both problems are NP-hard, and even NP-hard to approximate to within a factor of 1 + e, for some e > 0.
Electric field and radio frequency measurements for rocket engine health monitoring applications

Electric-field (EF) and radio-frequency (RF) emissions generated in the exhaust plumes of the diagnostic testbed facility thruster (DTFT) and the SSME are examined briefly for potential applications to plume diagnostics and engine health monitoring. Hypothetically, anomalous engine conditions could produce measurable changes in any characteristic EF and RF spectral signatures identifiable with a 'healthly' plumes. Tests to determine the presence of EF and RF emissions in the DTFT and SSME exhaust plumes were conducted. EF and RF emissions were detected using state-of-the-art sensors. Analysis of limited data sets show some apparent consistencies in spectral signatures. Significant emissions increases were detected during controlled tests using dopants injected into the DTFT.
Comparative Assays for Doxepin and Desmethyldoxepin Using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography and High-Performance Thin-Layer Chromatography

Two chromatographic methods, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) were compared for sensitivity and reproducibility in the analysis of the tricyclic antidepressant doxepin and its metabolite, desmethyldoxepin, in plasma. The HPLC procedure yielded a better reproducibility, as reflected by the coefficient of variation, and a higher sensitivity, as reflected by the minimum detectable quantity. The application of these methods for therapeutic and subtherapeutic monitoring of plasma levels of the drug is described.
Diffusion flame analyses

Nine classic diffusion flames, i.e., combustion systems with initially separate fuel and oxidizer, are synthesized in a search for common dimensionless parameters which may serve as indice of fire hazard. The problems examined are: planar and cylindrical Burke-Schumann; droplet burning; planar and cylindrical stagnant film; and forced, free, mixed, and stagnation point combusting boundary layers. Similarity solutions in pyrolysis regions permit identification of flame locations and quantification of excess pyrolyzate, i.e., fuel which is not consumed locally. Numerical solutions in downstream regions give explicit expressions for flame extensions in terms of the number and the B number, with the former dominating. This key parameter, the physically available oxygen-to-fuel ratio divided by the chemically required oxygen-to-fuel ratio or inverse equivalence r ratio, emerges as indicative of the fire hazard associated with flame extension. Full scale tests have shown that flame extension is related to fire spread beyond the compartment of origin. Small r means large flame. Polystyrene with r = 0.12, for example, has an order of magnitude longer flame than wood with r = 0.6. Other polymers fall between these extremes. Much progress remains to be made in the areas of flame soot, radiation, turbulence, and compartment interactions.
Prediction of ozone concentrations using atmospheric variables

This paper presents techniques for the prediction of ozone concentrations in Albany, New York. A methodology is described for the decomposition of the time series of ozone and other atmospheric variables into long-term, seasonal, and short-term variations. Solar radiation appears to be the main atmospheric factor for the explanation of the long-term component of ozone time series. The vector autoregressive model and the Kalman filter are used for the prediction of the short-term ozone component. The coefficient of determination, R2, for the prediction of the short-term component of ozone was found to be the highest when we consider the short-term component of the time series for solar radiation and temperature.
Control of the optical band gap of hydrogenated amorphous boron: The use of the B2H6–BF3 gas mixtures☆

Abstract Amorphous boron thin films have been produced by the glow discharge decomposition of diborane, boron trifluoride, and hydrogen gas mixtures. The optical band gap of these films was controlled by changing the relative proportions of diborane and boron trifluoride. Films with band gaps of approximately 1.45 eV can be obtained by using a B2H6 : BF3 gas volume ratio of 8 : 1 and a substrate temperature of 225°C. The electron paramagnetic resonance spectrum shows a pronounced shift in the g factor, giving evidence of fluorine incorporated into the amorphous matrix.
The impact of four missing data techniques on validity estimates in human resource management

While missing data are a commo problem in field settings, there is relatively little information in human Resource Management to guide researchers when they conduct analyses with incomplete data. This article discusses four techniques to deal wih missing data. The implications of using listwise deletion, pariwise deletion, mean substitution, and regression estimation are demonstrated in an applied selection situation. The importance of the manner in which data were missing is analyzed and discussed.
Density functional-based prediction of the electronic, structural, and vibrational properties of the energetic molecule: octanitrocubane

Abstract We have performed density functional calculations on the recently discovered energetic molecule, octanitrocubane C 8 (NO 2 ) 8 . We predict a strongly exothermic dissociation energy and calculate the ionization potentials, electron affinities and vibrational spectra. We predict that the isolated molecule exhibits a symmetry which is higher than that found in the solid. The vibrational density of states shows strong Raman activity at low frequencies and strong IR intensities at high frequencies. We identify a low-energy anharmonic mode which is consistent with the experimentally assumed free torsional rotations of the NO 2 groups about their respective C–N axes.