cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Transport of Trace Metals in Marine Food Chains

For most trace metals the first trophic level (seawater — phytoplankton) shows the highest concentration increase. In the next trophic level (zooplankton) only Cd, Cu, and Zn concentrations increase. Plankton feeding fishes have higher Cu and Zn levels than fishes preying on invertebrates and fish. The Cu, Zn, and probably Cd concentrations are higher in shrimps feeding on invertebrates than in fishes feeding on shrimps. For these three trace metals the concentrations at first increase along the food chain reaching a maximum with crustaceans, and then decrease in fishes. The concentration of mercury increases with size (i.e., age) of the organisms. Its increase along the food chain does not become evident in short-lived organisms. This increase with size and the fact that long-lived organisms are at the top of the food chain are responsible for the mercury increase along the food chain. Mercury is also the only trace metal which poses a risk to heavy consumers of seafood, especially in areas with high natural mercury levels such as the Mediterranean. The significance of the elevated mercury level in hair and blood of these persons also needs to be evaluated in light of the antagonistic action of the selenium present in seafood. The reevaluation of the lead levels in marine foods shows that only very little Pb enters man through the marine food chain and that, therefore, Pb is not a marine pollutant of concern. Very high As concentrations have been observed, especially in benthic organisms. Although most of the As is in a very low toxic or nontoxic organic form in organisms with high total levels, still considerable amounts may be present in the toxic inorganic form. At present not enough data are available to assess possible risk.
Modeling of Mesospheric OH Airglow Fluctuations and Waves Using S-Domain Radiance Transferance

The nighttime ir airglow from mesospheric OH is characterized by fluctuations and waves structures. Radiometric measurements of this airglow quantitatively reveal these temporal variations. However, high throughput spectrometric measurements have made it possible also to determine simultaneous time-resolved rotational temperatures as an estimate of the atmospheric temperature at the mesopause. The temporal comparison of the band radiance with the rotational temperature leads to a transfer function. This transferance is expressed in the complex frequency s-domain since the airglow measurements exhibit not only magnitude and phase, but also transient behavior. By including measurements of the spatial dependence simultaneously with the spectrally and temporally resolved observations, it is possible to characterize some of the observed OH airglow features in terms of mesospheric internal buoyancy waves.
Cytochrome P450 Dependent Arachidonic Acid Metabolism in Hemopoietic Cells

This report demonstrates for the first time that human peripheral blood neutrophils and human bone marrow cells metabolize arachidonic acid (AA) by a cytochrome P450 dependent mechanism. The formation of the cytochrome P450 (P450) arachidonate metabolites is dependent on the addition of NADPH, prevented by SKF-525A (lOOμM), which is an inhibitor of cytochrome P450 enzymes, but not affected by the addition of BW-755C, a dual inhibitor of cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase activities. Addition of the Ca++-ionophore A23187 to cell preparataions stimulated the release of both cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase products but did not affect the formation of the P450 metabolites. Incubation of cell preparations with 14C-AA yielded a P450 dependent peak which eluted at 19 min. on reverse phase HPLC and was distinct from 5 and 15-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids (HETE's), prostaglandins and other leukotrienes. Recovery of the P450 dependent metabolite(s) was accomplished and preparations were tested in bone marrow clonal culture in order to determine if the substance(s) has/have any effect on the growth and differentiation of bone marrow cells. Results demonstrated that some of the material possessed powerful erythroid colony (CFU-E) enhancing activity at concentrations between 10-8-10-14M. These results demonstrate that human bone marrow and peripheral blood neutrophils possess a third pathway for AA metabolism which is P450 dependent, and that metabolite(s) of this pathway may have potent stimulatory effects on erythropoiesis.
Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP)

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy is characterized by symmetrical, proximal, and distal weakness, large fiber sensory loss, areflexia, cytoalbuminological disassociation, and demyelination demonstrated on nerve conductions and nerve biopsy. Clinical variants are frequent with only distal weakness or multifocal involvement. It is the most common treatable autoimmune chronic neuropathy. Intravenous immunoglobulin, plasmapheresis, and prednisone have been demonstrated to be effective in placebo-controlled clinical trials.
Basic Mechanisms of Ventricular Defibrillation

Recordings were made simultaneously from many electrodes placed on and in the hearts of animals to study the basic principles of ventricular defibrillation. The findings are listed below. Earliest activations following a shock slightly lower in strength than needed to defibrillate (a subthreshold defibrillation shock) occur in those cardiac regions in which the potential gradients generated by the shock are weakest. Activation fronts after subthreshold shocks do not appear to be continuations of activation fronts present just before the shock. An upper limit exists to the strength of shocks that induce fibrillation when given during the “vulnerable period” of regular rhythm. This upper limit of vulnerability correlates with and is similar in strength to the defibrillation threshold. To defibrillate, a shock must halt the activation fronts of fibrillation without giving rise to new activation fronts that reinduce fibrillation. The response to shocks during regular rhythm just below the upper limit of vulnerability is similar to the response to subthreshold defibrillation shocks. Shocks during regular rhythm initiate rotors of reentrant activation leading to fibrillation when a critical point is formed, at which a certain critical value of shock potential gradient field strength intersects a certain critical degree of myocardial refractoriness. This critical point may explain the existence of the upper limit of vulnerability. The critical point may also partially explain the finding that the relationship between shock strength and the success of the shock in halting fibrillation is better represented by a probability function rather than by a discrete threshold value. Very high potential gradients, approximately an order of magnitude greater than needed for defibrillation, have detrimental effects on the heart, including conduction block, induction of arrhythmias, decreased wall motion, and tissue necrosis.
Advances in the Understanding and Computation of Unsteady Transonic Flow

This paper addresses two topics in unsteady transonic flow. The first is the determination of the aerodynamic response of airfoils to small, unsteady disturbances. The second is the effect of wind tunnel walls on unsteady transonic testing. The results that are presented derive from an investigation of unsteady transonic flow initiated at the University of Arizona in 1977, and that have continued there since then. While these studies were launched under the senior author’s direction, the principal contributions were made by the junior authors. Since 1981 the direction of this research has been the responsibility of Dr. K. Y. Fung. These studies are now coming to a close and it is our good fortune to have the opportunity to summarize the contributions they have made to the computation and understanding of unsteady transonic flows.
SMART goals setting and biometric changes in obese adults with multimorbidity: Secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial.

Objectives:Clinicians recommend diet and exercise for overweight/obese patients. We conducted a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled clinical trial evaluating goal setting and pedometer us...
An exploration of measuring lower-length-scale structures in nuclear materials: Thermal conductivity of U-Mo fuel particle

Abstract The feasibility of utilizing the suspended bridge method, which was originally developed for one-dimensional or nearly-one-dimensional nanomaterials, to measure the thermal conductivity of lower-length-scale structures in nuclear materials is explored in this study. Nanoribbon specimens of stainless steel SS304, representing materials with well-known thermal conductivity, and atomized U-Mo alloy particles used in dispersion fuels for research reactors, representing new nuclear materials with limited thermal conductivity data reported, were made using focused ion beam (FIB). The contact thermal resistance was corrected by measuring a series of specimens with different bridge lengths. The measured thermal conductivity of SS304 was found to be consistent with that reported for bulk samples. The thermal conductivity of U-Mo particles measured using the suspended bridge method was also analyzed and compared with literature data of monolithic U-Mo alloys. Ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) was used to quantitatively demonstrate that the reduced specimen size only has marginal effects on the measured thermal conductivity compared to the bulk specimens. The novel concept of utilizing the suspended bridge method in nuclear material research is proven and future work is discussed.
In-vivo cortical thickness estimation from high-resolution T 1 w MRI scans in healthy and mucopolysaccharidosis affected dogs

Cortical thickness measurement estimated from high-resolution anatomical MRI scans may serve as a marker of cortical atrophy in clinical research applications. Most of the working algorithms and pipelines are optimized for human in-vivo data analyses that offer robust and reproducible measures. As animal-models are widely utilized in many preclinical phases of clinical trials the need for an optimized automated MRI data analysis to yield reliable data is warranted. We present a processing pipeline optimized for cortical thickness estimation of canine brains in native and template spaces. Preliminary results of 5 healthy and 5 mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) dogs demonstrate single-canine mean/median cortical thickness in range of 2.69-3.58mm in native space and 3.26-4.15mm in template space. Our MRI generated values exceed previous histological measurements (observed mean about 2mm) in limited literature reports. Randomly selected manual measures corroborated the ranges defined by estimated cortical thickness probability density functions. Geometric transformations between native and template spaces change absolute mean/median cortical thickness values, but do not change the data nature and properties since the Pearson correlation coefficients between different space estimates were 0.84 for mean values and 0.89 for median values. No significant difference in total cortical thickness between MPS and age-and gender-matched dogs was observed.
Resternotomy and Peripheral Cannulation

Resternotomy and reoperations to treat the sequelae and residua for congenital heart disease in the adult are associated with multiple challenges of intraoperative hemodynamic management, selective peripheral cannulation, safe reentry, and careful cardiac dissection. Resternotomy is a marker of operative mortality that increases with each successive mediastinal entry. Unwanted cavitary entry during sternal reentry can cause significant hemodynamic instability, especially in patients with prior Fontan operations. Any unexpected decrease in right atrial pressure owing to uncontrolled hemorrhage results in hypovolemic consequences that unfavorably impact the driving force (elevated central venous pressure) that controls the pulmonary circulation and cardiac output. These same sets of circumstances also negatively impact patients who are undergoing ventricular-to-pulmonary conduit replacement, reoperations for tetralogy of Fallot, and tricuspid valve repairs, among others. There are numerous methods of resternotomy. In this chapter, we offer some techniques that have been associated with excellent results and a minimal rate of unwanted cavitary reentry in our collective experience.
High-Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE)

Much of the clinical impact of acute altitude illnesses stems from fluid accumulation in interstitial spaces and nowhere is this more apparent than in the lungs as the edema escapes into the alveoli to cause life-threatening hypoxemia. This chapter will update our knowledge of HAPE over the past decade about the vasculature, alveolar epithelium, innervation, immune response, and genetics of the lung in hypoxia, as well as prophylactic and therapeutic strategies to reduce the toll of this most common alpine life-threatening illness.
Returning to their roots: Examining the reintegration experiences of returned Indigenous migrant youth in Guatemala:

This article examines the reintegration experiences of Indigenous migrant youth returned to Guatemala from the United States and Mexico, thereby filling a gap in extant literature. This qualitative...
CD26 Identifies a Subpopulation of Fibroblasts that Produce the Majority of Collagen during Wound Healing in Human Skin

Fibroblasts produce collagens and other proteins that form the bulk of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in connective tissues. Emerging data point to functional heterogeneity of fibroblasts. However, the lack of subtype-specific markers hinders our understanding of the different roles of fibroblasts in ECM biology, wound healing, diseases, and aging. We have investigated the utility of the cell surface protein CD26 to identify functionally distinct fibroblast subpopulations in human skin. Using flow cytometry and immunohistology, we found that CD26, in combination with the cell surface glycoprotein CD90, identifies a distinct subpopulation of cells, which express relatively high levels of COL1A1, a hallmark of fibroblasts. Importantly, the population of CD26+ fibroblasts is selectively increased after wounding of human skin. These cells account for the majority of COL1A1 expression during the ECM remodeling phase of healing. The proportion of CD26+ fibroblasts in the skin of young and aged individuals is similar, indicating that the loss of collagen production during aging does not involve selective reduction of CD26+ fibroblasts. In culture, the majority of freshly isolated CD26− fibroblasts gain expression of CD26+. Taken together, these data provide a foundation for targeting CD26+ fibroblasts to modulate wound healing in human skin.
Substantiated allegations of failure to protect in the child welfare system: Against whom, in what context, and with what justification?

Abstract Failure to protect (FTP), a sub-type of neglect, is used by child welfare systems to categorize and substantiate allegations of child maltreatment. Scholars and advocates have raised concerns that FTP is disproportionately used to substantiate mothers and people of color for harm perpetrated by others, particularly in the contexts of sexual abuse and domestic violence. Limited data exist about how FTP is used in practice or if substantiation of FTP varies by context across gendered or racialized groups. This study extends our understanding of use of FTP by examining who workers substantiate for FTP, in what context, and the justifications they use. Data for this study were drawn from child welfare records in a large, Midwestern county. Mixed methods were used to analyze data from 150 maltreatment referrals which included at least one substantiated allegation of FTP. Findings indicate that the contexts and rate at which caregivers were substantiated for FTP differed significantly across gendered groups. Mothers were most frequently substantiated for FTP in the contexts of sexual abuse, physical abuse, and domestic violence. Fathers were most frequently substantiated in the context of substance use. In addition, rates of FTP substantiation varied across racialized groups. Black caregivers were substantiated disproportionately across all contexts. White caregivers were overrepresented among those substantiated for FTP in the context of substance use. Notably, justification for substantiation decisions was often not documented in data. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.
Why “Doing Well by Doing Good” Went Wrong: Getting Beyond “Good Ethics Pays” Claims in Managerial Thinking

In recent decades, numerous voices in managerial scholarship and business ethics have championed conciliatory business strategies capable of achieving both economic and social ends. While these “go...
Leaching of lanthanide and yttrium from a Central Appalachian coal and the ashes obtained at 550–950 °C

Abstract In this work, we investigated leaching of lanthanide and yttrium (REY) from a Central Appalachian coal and its ashes obtained at 550–950 °C with the main purpose of understanding the impact of ashing temperature on REY leachability in water, ammonium sulfate, and hydrochloric acid. It is found that the coal contains a negligible amount of water-soluble REY, less than 1% ion-exchangeable REY, and about 28% of HCl-soluble REY. Ashing leads to dramatic changes in REY leachability in both ammonium sulfate and hydrochloric acid solutions, which is believed to be related to transformation and redistribution of organically-associated REY in coal during the ashing process. Ashing temperature significantly affects REY leaching from coal ashes; higher ashing temperature results in lower REY leachability in both solutions. Clay minerals may play a significant role in changing the leachability of REY after ashing. In addition, the results also suggest that the organic matter in the coal is relatively enriched in heavy REY.
Coupled physics simulation of fracture in nuclear fuel pellets induced by resistive heating

Abstract While it is well known that ceramic UO 2 fuel cracks early in its life in a nuclear reactor, it is very difficult to collect in-reactor data regarding fuel cracking initiation and propagation to validate fracture models in fuel performance codes. Most fracture data comes from the post-irradiation examination of fuel that has been subjected to long and complex power histories. Replicating the thermal gradients experienced in this fuel to study crack initiation and propagation in a laboratory environment is challenging. This is primarily because the fuel is heated volumetrically by fission, which is difficult to replicate. One way to approximate this volumetric heating out of the reactor is to use electrical resistance (or Joule heating). An electrical conductivity model has been developed and coupled with the existing thermomechanical modeling capability in the BISON nuclear fuel performance code. This will permit simulation of experiments that use resistive heating for the purpose of validating fracture models in BISON. The modeling approach developed here is applied to simulate both historical and current resistive heating experiments on ceramic nuclear fuel.
Disability Incidence Rates for Men and Women in 23 Countries: Evidence on Health Effects of Gender Inequality

Background: Inequality in gender varies across social contexts, which may influence the health of both men and women. Based on theories of gender as a social system, we examine whether systematic gender inequality at the macro level influences health of men and women in 23 countries. Methods: Using harmonized panel data from the Gateway to Global Aging Data in 23 high and middle income countries (N=168,873), we estimate disability incidence over a 16 year time period for men and women (2000–2016). We first investigate gender differences in age gradients of disability onset within each country or geographic region. We then pool data from all countries and test the hypothesis that gender inequality increases the risk of disability incidence for men and women. Results: We found substantial cross-country variation in disability incidence rates, and this variation is greater for women than for men. Among ages 65-69, disability incidence rates ranged from 0.4 to 5.0 for men and from 0.5 to 9.4 for women. Our within-country analysis showed significant gender differences in age gradients of disability incidence in the U.S., Korea, Southern Europe, Mexico, and China, but not in Northern, Central, and Eastern Europe, England and Israel. Testing hypothesized effects of gender inequality, we find that gender inequality is significantly associated with disability incidence for women, but not for men. Conclusions: Macro-level societal gender inequality is significantly associated with risk of disability onset for women. Reducing and eliminating gender inequality is crucial to achieving good health for women.
Eternal Inflation, past and future

Cosmological inflation, if it occurred, radically alters the picture of the `big bang', which would merely point to reheating at the end of inflation. Moreover, this reheating may be only local, so that inflation continues elsewhere and forever, continually spawning big-bang-like regions. This chapter reviews this idea of `eternal inflation', then focuses on what this may mean for the ultimate beginning of the universe. In particular, I will argue that given eternal inflation, the universe may be free of a cosmological initial singularity, might be eternal (and eternally inflating) to the past, and might obey an interesting sort of cosmological time-symmetry.
Vectors and techniques for ectopic gene expression in zebrafish.

Publisher Summary This chapter presents the methods for ectopic gene expression in zebrafish using synthetic mRNA, including microinjection instrumentation, approaches for template design, and examples of some transcription vectors presently in use. Ectopic gene expression in zebrafish can be categorized as either transient or stable, based upon the method used. Transient methods include microinjection of RNA or DNA, and are typically restricted to the studies involving the first day of development due to the limited stability of the exogenously added molecules. DNA that carries a gene of interest under promoter control is injected, and consequently this approach restricts misexpression to times after zygotic transcription has initiated. An alternative strategy for alleviating mosaicism for tissue-specific ectopic gene expression is through stable expression from a transgene, although to date only reporter molecules have been targeted in a tissue-specific manner. The chapter also discusses the design of a dissecting fluorescent microscope system that can be readily adapted at modest cost for the detection in living embryos of the green fluorescent protein (GFP) for the analysis of injection success as well as for cell lineage studies.
Cost-effective analysis of pre-cystectomy radioisotope scans

To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of liver and bone isotope scans results were reviewed in 114 patients with invasive transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder. In 100 patients cystectomy was performed. In no patient has the results of the scans influenced or changed treatment. Routine use of isotope scans is not warranted for the preoperative evaluation of bladder cancer patients.
Deployment Descriptions in a World of COTS and Open Source

Deploying software to a user environment now involves much more than copying a few files. The deployer--software or human--must test for needed COTS components and modify various system files to establish the conditions needed for the new package. With the advent of "open source" distributions, deployment expands to encompass building the system as well as installing it. Describing this process for automated execution entails writing statements in languages for describing the environment, dependencies thereon, and requisite actions. We consider requirements for these three languages in light of our experience with developing an open source distribution at the Software Engineering Institute.
Fluorescence-guided resection of experimental malignant glioma using cetuximab-IRDye 800CW

The standard treatment for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) remains maximal safe surgical resection. Here, we evaluated the ability of a systemically administered antibody-dye probe conjugate (cetuximab-IRDye 800CW) to provide sufficient fluorescent contrast for surgical resection of disease in both subcutaneous and orthotopic animal models of GBM. Multiple luciferase-positive GBM cell lines (D-54MG, U-87MG, and U-251MG; n = 5) were implanted in mouse flank and tumors were fluorescently imaged daily using a closed-field near-infrared (NIR) system after cetuximab-IRDye 800CW systemic administration. Orthotopic models were also generated (n = 5), and tumor resection was performed under white light and fluorescence guidance using an FDA-approved wide-field NIR imaging system. Residual tumor was monitored using luciferase imaging. Immunohistochemistry was performed to characterize tumor fluorescence, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression, and vessel density. Daily imaging of tumors revealed an average tumor-to-background (TBR) of 4.5 for U-87MG, 4.1 for D-54MG, and 3.7 for U-251MG. Fluorescence intensity within the tumors peaked on day-1 after cetuximab-IRDye 800CW administration, however the TBR increased over time in two of the three cell lines. For the orthotopic model, TBR on surgery day ranged from 19 to 23 during wide-field, intraoperative imaging. Surgical resection under white light on day 3 after cetuximab-IRDye 800CW resulted in an average 41% reduction in luciferase signal while fluorescence-guided resection using wide-field NIR imaging resulted in a significantly (P = 0.001) greater reduction in luciferase signal (87%). Reduction of luciferase signal was found to correlate (R (2) = 0.99) with reduction in fluorescence intensity. Fluorescence intensity was found to correlate (P < 0.05) with EGFR expression in D-54MG and U-251MG tumor types but not U-87MG. However, tumor fluorescence was found to correlate with vessel density for the U-87MG tumors. Here we show systemic administration of cetuximab-IRDye 800CW in combination with wide-field NIR imaging provided robust and specific fluorescence contrast for successful localization of disease in subcutaneous and orthotopic animal models of GBM.
Molecular Events in Growth Hormone–Receptor Interaction and Signaling

The sections in this article are: 1 The Growth Hormone Receptor 1.1 Cloning of the Growth Hormone Receptor 1.2 The Cytokine/Hematopoietin Receptor Superfamily 1.3 Growth Hormone Binding and Receptor Dimerization 2 Growth Hormone–Dependent Intracellular Signaling 2.1 Activation of the Tyrosine Kinase Janus Kinase 2 2.2 Tyrosyl Phosphorylation of the Growth Hormone Receptor and Janus Kinase 2 2.3 Activation of the Ras–Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Signaling Pathway 2.4 Utilization of Insulin Receptor Substrates 7 and 2 and Phosphatidylinositol-3′-Kinase 2.5 Regulation of Protein Kinase C 2.6 Regulation of Intracellular Calcium 2.7 Activation of Stat Proteins 3 Growth Hormone-Dependent Signaling to the Nucleus 3.1 Multiple Pathways Mediate Growth Hormone–Regulated Gene Expression 3.2 Sexually Dimorphic Growth Hormone Secretion Patterns Regulate Gene Transcription 4 Conclusions
MATERNAL SMOKING DURING PREGNANCY AND EVIDENCE-BASED INTERVENTION TO PROMOTE CESSATION

Maternal smoking during pregnancy is hazardous to the developing fetus and mother. Smokers should be identified and offered personalized advice and assistance, including self-help materials tailored for pregnancy. Results of a meta-analysis of 16 randomized trials with validated outcomes indicate that such intervention increases cessation by 70% in diverse populations of pregnant women. At this time, intensive counseling on multiple occasions does not appear to increase cessation.
History, Complex Hunter-gatherers, and the Mounds and Monuments of Crystal River, Florida, USA: A Geophysical Perspective

ABSTRACT Crystal River (8CI1) is one of Florida's most famous archaeological sites. Yet, after over a century of investigations, its place in the history of Florida and the southeastern United States is not well understood. Crystal River is an important example, in terms of world archaeology, of a monumental landscape constructed by complex hunter-gatherer-fishers along the coast of the southeastern United States. Here, we present the results of our remote sensing program at the site. This research includes topographic mapping, a resistance survey, and ground-penetrating radar transects over various architectural components at the site. These data lend insight into the scale and rapidity of landscape modification at the site, as well as information on the location of previous archaeological excavations and modern disturbances. Further, the data illustrate the potential of shallow geophysical survey to the investigations of shell architecture.
Efficient Reconstruction Algorithms Using Shifted Lattices

In this paper, we consider sampling theory for irregular sampling sets of minimal density which are structured. An efficient method for the reconstruction of band-limited discrete signals from sampling sets which are unions of shifted lattices is developed. These sets are not necessarily periodic. A signal can be reconstructed from its samples provided the sampling set and the spectrum of the signal satisfy certain compatibility conditions. While explicit reconstruction formulas for unions of sampling lattices are possible, it is more convenient to use a recursive algorithm. A numerical example utilizing nonperiodic sampling sets implemented in MATLAB is given. The theory and the related algorithm has been applied to speech and image processing examples.
Influence of exogenous proteins on the mutagenic

Mutagenic factors of biological origin on the example of carbohydrate-binding proteins are observed. An attempt to summarize the existing data concerning participation of exogenous macromolecules in the mutagenic process is made. Mechanisms of the influence of exogenous macromolecules on mutagenesis, proliferation, and surviving of mammalian cells are discussed.
Ion imaging studies of ClONO2 photodissociation: Primary branching ratios and secondary dissociation

Abstract The photodissociation dynamics of ClONO 2 at 235 nm has been reinvestigated using velocity map ion imaging. We report branching ratios for the Cl + NO 3 and ClO + NO 2 channels to be 0.49:0.51 with anisotropy parameters of β = 0.5 ± 0.1 and β = −0.1 ± 0.3 for the Cl and ClO production channels, respectively. Photodissociation at 248 nm and 262 nm results in similar branching ratios and dynamics as observed at 235 nm. Measured O( 3 P 2 ) images arising from ClONO 2 dissociation at 226 nm suggest that oxygen atoms result from the spontaneous dissociation of metastable NO 3 . The quantum yield of O atoms arising from the spontaneous dissociation of NO 3 varies from 0.09 at 262 to 0.38 at 235 nm based on the derived internal energy distributions of the NO 3 fragments. We also describe a Monte-Carlo forward-convolution fitting of imaging data which permits detailed analysis of both spontaneous secondary dissociation and secondary photodissociation.
Concordant preferences as a precondition for affective but not for symbolic communication (or How to do experimental anthropology)

Abstract An argument is shown that could provide a litmus paper-like test for determining whether or not a species communicates symbolically when appropriately constrained (as opposed to, is capable of acquiring language with human intervention). In affective a speaker. If a speaker, having found food in one case and predators in another, returned in a high positive state in one case and a high negative state in another, listeners could venture forth and stay home respectively, in anticipation of objects that would induce comparable affective states in them. The effect could be comparable to that of the symbolic communication ‘there are apples out there’ and ‘there is a tiger out there’. However, the affective system depends upon a precondition which the symbolic one does not. A listener can predict his own affective state from that of a speaker only if both parties have concordant preferences. Therefore, induce a high need to communicate while at same time destroying the normally concordant preferences of the species; if the species still communicates it is symbol positive. In addition, a model is presented suggesting that basic cause-effect relations, of a kind underlying human technologies, are discovered in nonutilitarian contexts under the aegis of an aesthetic disposition. We explore the experimental application of these ideas to chimpanzees in a simulated field situation.
New targets and new treatments in non-small cell lung cancer

Abstract New agents directed against molecular targets have now been tested in large prospectively randomized clinical trials for patients with untreated advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The trials have included small molecule inhibitors of receptor tyrosine kinases (gefitinib and erlontinib), monoclonal antibodies directed against either the ligands (bevicizumab against vascular endothelial growth factor) or their receptors (trastuzumab against ErbB2) and antisense nucleotides directed against mRNA coding for molecular targets (ISIS 3521 against protein kinase C alpha). The largest mature trials have included agents directed against ErbB1 (epidermal growth factor receptor). Two different small molecule inhibitors of erbB1 (gefitinib and erlontinib) and have been tested in 4 large international randomized trials. Two trials treated patients with advanced NSCLC with either gemcitabine and cisplatin or the same chemotherapy drugs combined with two different doses of gefitinib or one dose of erlontinib (INTACT 1 and TALENT). The other two trials treated patients with advanced NSCLC with either paclitaxel and carboplatin or the same chemotherapy drugs combined with either one of two doses of gefitinib or a single dose of erlontinib (INTACT 2 or TRIBUTE respectively). The results of INTACT 1 and INTACT2 showed no significant difference in survival between those treated with conventional combination chemotherapy and those treated with the same chemotherapy plus gefitinib. The results of the TRIBUTE and TALENT studies showed their primary endpoints of improving overall survival were not met. The monoclonal antibody, bevacizumab, is being tested in an ongoing clinical trial. The trial will compare the outcome of patients with untreated advanced adenocarcinoma of the lung treated with paclitaxel plus carboplatin to those treated with the same chemotherapy drugs plus bevacizumab. The results are scheduled to be available in 2005–2006. Although the initial trials adding newly developed molecular targeted agents have not shown initial success when added to conventional combination chemotherapy, further clinical trials are needed to ultimately define their role in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer.
Methods for assigning students to groups: a study of alternative objective functions

This paper describes the problem of forming work groups. The motivating problem is often described as maximizing the diversity of members within groups, and also as minimizing the differences among groups. We review the formulations of this problem in the literature, paying particular attention to the different criteria that have been suggested. We compare the various criteria by solving a number of test problems using standard techniques and then examining the possibility that using one criterion will produce a result that is desirable on other criteria. Ultimately, we recommend a composite procedure for solving large versions of the group formation problem.
Analysis of laser-induced plasmid DNA photolysis by capillary electrophoresis

Abstract Capillary electrophoresis (CE) was used to monitor the laser-induced conversion of supercoiled pKOL8UV5 plasmid DNA into nicked conformers. The plasmid samples (0.1 mg/ml) were incubated in the absence or presence of 110 μmol/l ethidium bromide (EB) and then exposed to 110 J of argon laser radiation (488 nm). The nicked, open circular conformers were separated from the supercoiled DNA by a 15% increase in retention time. Approximately 90% of the control DNA was in the supercoiled form. Laser radiation in the presence of EB caused complete conversion of the supercoiled plasmid DNA into nicked conformers. Laser-induced fluorescence CE (LIF-CE) was about 100-fold more sensitive than UV-CE in the detection of these conformers. Agarose gel electrophoresis confirmed these findings and showed the presence of the nicked plasmid conformers. Based on these comparisons, CE is an efficient analytical tool for the identification of laser-induced conformational changes in plasmid DNA.
Cartilage repair using bone morphogenetic protein 4 and muscle-derived stem cells

Objective Muscle-derived stem cells (MDSCs) isolated from mouse skeletal muscle exhibit long-time proliferation, high self-renewal, and multipotent differentiation. This study was undertaken to investigate the ability of MDSCs that were retrovirally transduced to express bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP-4) to differentiate into chondrocytes in vitro and in vivo and enhance articular cartilage repair. Methods Using monolayer and micromass pellet culture systems, we evaluated the in vitro chondrogenic differentiation of LacZ- and BMP-4–transduced MDSCs with or without transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ1) stimulation. We used a nude rat model of a full-thickness articular cartilage defect to assess the duration of LacZ transgene expression and evaluate the ability of transplanted cells to acquire a chondrocytic phenotype. We evaluated cartilage repair macroscopically and histologically 4, 8, 12, and 24 weeks after surgery, and performed histologic grading of the repaired tissues. Results BMP-4–expressing MDSCs acquired a chondrocytic phenotype in vitro more effectively than did MDSCs expressing only LacZ; the addition of TGFβ1 did not alter chondrogenic differentiation of the BMP-4–transduced MDSCs. LacZ expression within the repaired tissue continued for up to 12 weeks. Four weeks after surgery, we detected donor cells that coexpressed β-galactosidase and type II collagen. Histologic scoring of the defect sites 24 weeks after transplantation revealed significantly better cartilage repair in animals that received BMP-4–transduced MDSCs than in those that received MDSCs expressing only LacZ. Conclusion Local delivery of BMP-4 by genetically engineered MDSCs enhanced chondrogenesis and significantly improved articular cartilage repair in rats.
Lp(a) and premature mortality during chronic hemodialysis treatment

Abstract Lipoprotein(a) levels are approximately three to four times higher in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) when compared to controls with normal renal function (H.J. Parra, H. Mezdour, C. Cachera et al., Clin. Chem. 33 (1987), 721). Hypertriglyceridemia occurs in approximately 50% of ESRD patients receiving chronic hemodialysis (HD) treatment and has been associated with an increased prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in crosssectional studies of this subset of ESRD patients. We recently reported that HD patients with pre-existing ischemic or atherosclerotic CVD and patients with elevated Lp(a) levels had an increased risk of fatal and non-fatal clinical events attributable to CVD during a 48-month period of maintenance HD treatment. The current report describes a detailed analysis of study participants who did or did not have a history of ischemic CVD or angiographically documented severe atherosclerotic lesions prior to entry into our prospective study. Although baseline total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG) and apoprotein B (apoB) levels were higher in the 36 participants with prevalent CVD than the remaining 93 study participants, total cholesterol levels were somewhat lower, while serum triglyceride levels were no different in patients who survived or experienced fatal CVD events during the period of observation on HD treatment. In contrast, Lp(a) levels were no different in participants with or without evidence of pre-existing CVD. Lp(a) was, however, an independent predictor of fatal events attributable to cardiovascular disease during the period of follow-up.
Communication apprehension as a personality trait: An emotional defense of a concept

The original conceptualization of Communication Apprehension (CA) as a trait has been challenged recently on the grounds that those identified as high CAs do not always feel greater anxiety than low CAs when confronted with oral communication situations. That challenge is based on research that is difficult to interpret; methodological and conceptual problems are associated with the manipulation of the situation variable and the definition and measurement of the dependent variable of anxiety. This study clarifies the trait‐state nature of communication apprehension by applying an emotion‐based theory of human response as a means of resolving these problems. The results support the conceptualization of communication apprehension as a trait‐like personality characteristic which predisposes certain individuals to higher levels of anxiety in oral communication situations.
DNA and RNA analysis by flow cytometry of the leukemia in AKR mice

The development of the leukemia-lymphoma complex was studied in AKR/J (H-2k) mice using flow cytometry and staining with acridine orange. Investigation of cytokinetics and of cellular RNA content showed that during the neonatal period all mice had a significant increase of S phase cells in the thymus, bone marrow, lymph nodes and spleen reflecting extramedullary hematopoiesis. Concomitantly, G0/G1 cells were significantly reduced in the thymus, lymph nodes and spleen when compared to 6-week old mice of the same strain. No changes in the cell cycle or in RNA content were observed until 10 months of age in congeneic AKR (H-2b) mice, which do not develop leukemia during the first year of life. In leukemia-prone AKR/J (H-2k) mice, however, it was shown that the first appearance of a leukemic process may be recognized in the thymus by a significant increase of cells in G1 phase of the cell cycle which have a high RNA content. These changes were first seen at 5 months of age before the increased expression of MuLV antigen signals preleukemic alterations at 6 months of age and long before morphological changes appear (8-10 months). Furthermore, at 6 months these mice showed a significant elevation of cells in S phase which always appeared initially in the thymus. By 10 months of age, when the mice were overtly leukemic, these changes had progressed in all lymphoid organs and in the peripheral blood. At the same time a unique population of cells was observed that was characterized by cells in S and G2M with very low RNA content. The method used is applicable to further analysis of the precise locus of development of leukemia in the thymus of AKR/J (H-2k) mice, analysis of the nature of the earliest malignant cells, and investigation of the influence of viruses in the pathogenesis of AKR leukemia.
Harnessing activity-dependent plasticity to repair the damaged corticospinal tract in an animal model of cerebral palsy

The corticospinal tract (CST) is the principal motor control pathway for skilled movements. It has a protracted postnatal development, creating a protracted period of vulnerability to perinatal brain and spinal cord injury. Research has shown that the motor signs in cerebral palsy (CP) reflect the loss of CST connections as well as development of abnormal motor systems connections, especially between the developing CST and spinal motor circuits. In this paper, we discuss a feline model of CP that we have developed. The animals develop a pattern of abnormal CST connections that is remarkably similar to that seen in hemiplegic CP and visuomotor impairments. Using this model we devised neural activity-based therapeutic approaches to repair the abnormal CST connections and restore normal skilled movement control. Our studies stress that more active CST connections are better able to maintain strong synaptic connections with spinal motor circuits. We propose that perinatal trauma initiates a vicious cycle in which CST axons that are spared after an injury are at a disadvantage for maintaining spinal connections, leading to further reductions in connections and motor signs. If this is so, targeted activation of the spared CST might interrupt this process and lead to functional improvement.
A neutron-spectrum monitor with annular radiator and axial recoil detector

Abstract A fast-neutron spectrum monitor characterized by high detection efficiency, simplicity, and low background has been used for measurements at the LLL electron linac. The detector system consists of an annular CH 2 radiator foil placed symmetrically at the downstream end of a cylindrical Pb shield with a proton-recoil detector a few centimeters further down the neutron flight path, along the axis of the shield. The proton-recoil pulses from the detector are analyzed by time-of-flight techniques such that pulse-height information for each time-of-flight channel is preserved. The monitor is useful in the neutron-energy range from a few hundred keV to tens of MeV.
Some considerations in the development of color rendering and gamut mapping algorithms

Newly developed standard terminology enables improved communication about color processing objectives and research goals. By clarifying specific color processing tasks, one observes that there are de-facto standard practices for many processing steps, that can be used as a baseline recommendation for implementers and future development work. The more explicit descriptions of development goals can also serve to focus research on the desired objectives. This increased clarity leads to work being both more effective at meeting design objectives, and also more apparently relevant to commercial applications. Differences in objectives and requirements for the development of color rendering and gamut mapping algorithms are discussed and contrasted. In some cases, these differences can explain the reasons for different approaches, enabling broader consensus and understanding. Differences between color appearance and reproduction models are also discussed, along with the impact of these differences on their use for imaging applications. The above concepts are related to important color reproduction considerations, such as the preference and media capabilities. If the more explicit terminology is widely adopted, it could accelerate the advance of digital color understanding across both product manufacturers and users, and enable significantly more effective research, development, and use.
Jets at DØ: The inclusive jet cross section and the dijet mass and angular distributions

Recent results on jet physics from the DO experiment at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider are reported. Data taken from 1994 – 1995 in protonantiproton collisions at √s=1.8 GeV have been analysed; preliminary measurements of the central inclusive jet cross section, the dijet mass spectrum, and the dijet angular distribution are compared with next-to-leading order QCD theory.
Prejudice, terrorism, and behavior therapy

Behavior therapy is relevant not just to the needs of victims of terrorism, but also to the understanding and modification of psychological processes that lead to the perpetration of terrorist acts. A key process of this kind is prejudice. In this paper, human prejudice is defined as the objectification and dehumanization of people as a result of their participation in evaluative verbal categories. Prejudice is difficult to deal with because (a) the same verbal processes that give rise to prejudice are massively reinforced in dealing with the external environment; (b) virtually all cultures openly amplify this process with stigmatized groups; (c) humans are historical beings and verbal/cognitive networks once formed tend to maintain themselves; and (d) many of the things humans do to change or eliminate undesirable verbal categorical processes are either inert or prone to making these processes more resistant to change. Mindfulness, cognitive defusion, acceptance, and valued action are suggested as alternative methods of fighting the war behavior therapy needs to help human society win: not just a war on terrorism, but a war on prejudice.