cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Neoadjuvant bevacizumab: surgical complications of mastectomy with and without reconstruction

Neoadjuvant therapy (NAC) is commonly used in operable breast cancer. Previous studies have suggested a high rate of postoperative complications after NAC. We prospectively evaluated the surgical complications in a cohort of patients who underwent mastectomy following neoadjuvant adriamycin/cytoxan/taxol (AC/T) plus bevacizumab (bev) and compared the rate of complications to a matched cohort of neoadjuvant AC/T without bev. One hundred patients with HER2-negative breast cancer enrolled in a single-arm trial of neoadjuvant AC/T plus bev (cohort 1), 60 of these patients underwent mastectomy and were matched with 59 patients who received standard neoadjuvant AC/T (cohort 2) over a similar time period in the same healthcare system. All patients underwent mastectomy with or without reconstruction. Fisher’s exact tests were used to compare complication rates, with p < 0.05 considered significant. Patients were matched well in terms of demographics. The overall complication rate was 32 % in cohort 1 and 31 % in cohort 2 (p value = 1, Table 1). In cohort 1, 7 of 23 (30 %) patients who underwent immediate expander/implant reconstruction had complications, including 2 patients who had explantation of their reconstructions. In cohort 2, 0 of 8 (0 %) had complications (p value = 0.15). Nearly a third of patients undergoing NAC with AC/T with or without bev developed a postoperative complication after mastectomy. The use of bev was not associated with a significant increase in surgical complications, although this is a nonrandomized data set with a small sample size. As larger data sets become available with the use of neoadjuvant bevacizumab with mastectomy, further refinement may be necessary.
Bacterial Decomposition of the Rubber in Hevea Latex

Abstract A RECENT communication (6) has shown by several different means that rubber present in the living plant actually disappears under seasonal and other conditions in the life of the plant, and that it can, therefore, no longer be regarded as an excretory product of metabolism of no physiological value to the plant. The results recorded were obtained in a study of the rubber content of Parthenium argentatum, but they will undoubtedly be found to hold for Hevea brasiliensis when suitable methods of investigation are developed for the latter. The importance of these findings in relation to the economic development of rubber is obvious and far-reaching. They have already been applied in the cultural development and exploitation of Parthenium argentatum. On the scientific side they suggest a more intimate study of the behavior of the rubber hydrocarbon towards oxidation-reduction processes occurring within the living plant and to the effect of such agencies on the rubber itself in vitro. That rubber is r...
Probing Protein-Water Dynamics using Neutron Scattering on a Fully Deuterated Green Fluorescent Protein

The role of hydration shell in dynamics and function of proteins remains a topic of active research. We employ neutron scattering spectroscopy to compare directly the dynamics of Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) to the dynamics of its hydration water by measuring regular (hydrogenated) GFP in D2O and deuterated GFP in H2O. Analysis of the neutron scattering spectra demonstrates diffusive-like motion of water, while protein atomic motions at the same time scale appear to be localized. Another difference appears at lower temperatures: GFP dynamics exhibits first onset at T∼100-120K due to methyl group rotation, while hydration water shows dynamic onset at T∼170-190K associated with the glass transition temperature. Detailed analysis also reveals that hydration water suppresses GFP dynamics at lower temperatures. The obtained results present a novel view on coupling of protein and solvent dynamics.
Customization of Arbitration Policies and Buffer Space Distribution Using Continuous-Time Markov Decision Processes

This paper presents a stochastic approach for bus arbiter design. Arbiter design includes policy design, buffer insertion, and optimal buffer sizing. The methodology uses continuous-time Markov decision processes (CTMDPs) to get optimal arbitration policies and buffer space distribution. The mathematical formulation of this problem in terms of a CTMDP framework leads to a linear programming problem for bus architectures without bridges, and to a nonlinear formulation for bus architectures with bridges. In the second case, the methodology splits the nonlinear problem into several smaller, linear subsystems by introducing buffers at the bridges, and then solves the linear subsystems. In our experiments, we found that stochastic policies provide efficient arbitration for bus architectures with redundant buses for communication between processors. The size of buffers in some cases was reduced by 90%, and by 50% in the average sense. Data loss was reduced by 20% to 50% with redistribution of the buffer space
A Comprehensive Study of the RL Series Resonant Shunted Piezoelectric: A Feedback Controls Perspective

The resonant shunted piezoelectric has been shown a viable solution for stable vibration control. Two main implementations of the single mode shunt circuit have been developed; the original with a series connection of the resistive and inductive element forming the shunt, and the second, a parallel interconnection, which claimed marginal tuning improvements. More recently, multimodal shunting circuits have been developed where a gain in achievable bandwidth may be viewed as offset by the difficulty in properly tuning. In this paper, the original series shunt formulation is presented in unique detail. Here, the electromechanical analogy is developed, along with a unique technique for accurately tuning the shunt circuit. Experimental results are presented to the theoretical foundations.
Search for ultra-short light pulses from pulsars.

Night sky Cerenkov light detectors observations of pulsars CP 1133, NP 0532 and NP 0527, noting instrumental limitation in detecting ultrashort light pulses
Effects of cuing on short-term retention of order information.

In two experiments, subjects recalled one of two letter sequences following a digit-filled retention interval. Recall performance was increased by precues informing subjects which letter sequence would be tested, and the cuing advantage remained throughout 60-digit retention intervals. No improvement was found, however, for cues occurring after the letters but before the digits. The cuing effects were attributed to encoding, not rehearsal, processes and were explained by a version of the Estes perturbation model, which included a long-term storage component and a fixed perturbation probability. Language: en
After the ice: life, death, and geopolitics in the New Arctic

After the ice: life, death, and geopolitics in the New Arctic, by Alun Anderson, New York, Smithsonian Books, 2009, 304 pp., $26.99 (hardcover), ISBN 978-0061579073 At some point during the Interna...
Recognition memory: One-component strength functions In the “short-term to long-term transition region”

Experimental manipulationofthe upper bound on the retention interval (30 sec, with average duration of 11 sec, vs. 2 min, with average duration of 18 sec) failed to produce evidence for independent adjustment of initial long-term and short-term storage strengths. Very accurate strength functions of retention time were obtained; these were fitted equally well by a two-component equation and a one-componentequation derived from a theory postulating sequential employment of an active attentional buffer and a one-trace passive storage system. The latter theory appears to be capable of accounting for both post-attentional and two-phase experimental strength data, using fewer free parameters than strength theories which postulate the simultaneous existence of short-term and long-term traces. Other arguments for two traces are also discussed In relation to the postulate of a single post-attentional trace.
HOW DOES POVERTY WORK? REPRESENTATIONS AND CAUSAL ATTRIBUTIONS FOR POVERTY AND WEALTH

This study analyses the attributions of causality and the representations about poverty and wealth in order to better understand people's perception and to suggest adequate and shared interventions. The data we analyzed refer to a research which has been carried out on 2000 participants in Italy. A Principal Component Analysis has allowed the identification of three components relating to internal, external and metaphysical attributions for the phenomena of poverty and wealth. Following analysis have showed significant relations between attributions and factors like income, age, education level and working condition. We have also compared respondent’s perception of the phenomenon (his representation of impoverishing factors, related to himself or to others) and his attributional style, focusing on possible relations between the outcomes of this comparison and other socio-economic categories
Effect of Phenformin in nondiabetic humans. Estimation of glucose turnover rate and Cori Cycle activity

Abstract Glucose turnover and the rate of recycling of glucose carbon into glucose, before and after a two day course of Phenformin 100 mg./day, has been evaluated with the aide of C-6 labeled 14 C glucose in the nondiabetic human subject. These studies providing a measure of true glucose turnover and utilizing each subject as his own control support earlier data on this aspect of the action of Phenformin that had been obtained with uniformly labeled glucose in two groups of nondiabetic subjects. Direct evidence of increased Cori Cycle activity as measured by the appearance of 14 C label in the C-(1–5) moiety of glucose and the evidence that glucose turnover increased by a factor of 2x the increase in the rate of glucose recycling suggest that gluconeogenesis is stimulated when this drug is given to humans. Ancillary measurement of the rate of glucose oxidation before and after Phenformin shows a slight stimulation of this aspect of glucose metabolism in the nondiabetic human following the drug, a finding that is concert with an earlier demonstration of significant increases in glucose oxidation in diabetic subjects treated with Phenformin.
DIRECT AND INDIRECT MECHANISMS FOR REGULATION OF HUMAN HEPATIC ACUTE PHASE GENE EXPRESSION

Several distinct and well-characterized cytokines can mediate fever and changes in metabolism characteristic of the host response to inflammation/injury. In this study, the cytokines interleukin-1 (IL-1), cachectin/tumor necrosis factor (TUP) and interferon-γ (TFNγ), acting on human hepatoma cells (HepG2, Hep3B), directly mediated changes in expression of several plasma proteins, characteristic of the acute phase response. Recombinant human IL-1β or TNFα increased steady state levels of mRNA for and rate of synthesis of complement proteins C3, factor B, α-1-antichymotrypsin and decreased steady state levels of mRNA for and rate of synthesis of albumin and transferrin in HepG2 and Hep3B cells. Recombinant human IFNγ increased steady state levels of mRNA for and rate of synthesis of IL-l- and TNF-unresponsive complement protein Ch. Recombinant human IL-2 also elicited hepatic acute phase gene expression but through an indirect pathway involving the induction of monocyte IL-l release. The effect of these cytokines on hepatic acute phase genes (factor B, C4) was also evident in mouse fibroblasts transfected with the cloned human factor B or C4 genes suggesting the presence of regulatory elements within the gene or its flanking regions. These results indicate that the human hepatic acute phase response can be studied in a human hepatoma cell with the use of well-characterized and highly purified cytokines. In vivo, hepatic acute phase gene expression is likely to involve several different mediators acting through several pathways.
The effect of naltrindole on spinal and supraspinal delta opioid receptors and analgesia.

Abstract The relationship between changes in binding for δ 1 (DPDPE) and δ 2 (DSLET) selective ligands were compared to potency changes for these ligands following naltrindole (NTI) in mice. Mice were injected s.c. with NTI (1 or 20mg/kg) or saline and 1 hr later sacrificed for binding studies ([ 3 H]DSLET, [ 3 H]DPDPE) using whole brain or spinal cord. Other mice were injected s.c. with NTI (1 or 20mg/kg) or saline and then injected IT or ICV with DSLET or DPDPE and were tested for analgesia using the tailflick test. In saturation binding studies, NTI decreased specific binding of [ 3 H]DPDPE and [ 3 H]DSLET in brain and spinal cord, but had no selective effect on either ligand. In contrast, in functional studies, NTI decreased analgesic potency of spinally and supraspinally administered DSLET more than DPDPE. Thus in functional studies NTI produced a selective effect on the δ 2 DSLET; but in binding studies, NTI had no selective effect on the binding of [ 3 H]DSLET and [ 3 H]DPDPE.
Monitoring glycosylation pattern changes of glycoproteins using multi-lectin affinity chromatography

Previously, we reported that the distribution of glycoproteins into the lectin displacement fractions of a multi-lectin affinity column was determined by the glycosylation patterns of the proteins. This distribution was observed by the sequential use of displacers specific to the lectins in the column. In this study we have evaluated the multi-lectin column (containing Concanavalin A, Wheat germ agglutinin and Jacalin lectin) to screen glycoproteins with known glycosylation pattern changes. The presence of a glycoprotein in a given displacer fraction was determined by LC-MS/MS analysis of a tryptic digest. We have used the enzyme neuraminidase to modify the oligosaccharide chains present in human transferrin, and used the enzymes, neuraminidase and fucosidase, to modify glycoproteins present in human serum. Then, by comparison with the untreated samples, we demonstrated a distribution shift of the enzyme-treated serum glycoproteins in the displacement fractions isolated from the multi-lectin column. The fractions were analyzed by a protein assay, Sequest rank comparison and peak area measurement from the extracted ion chromatogram. The results indicated that the multi-lectin affinity column (M-LAC) is sensitive to changes in the content of sialic acid and fucosyl residues present in serum glycoproteins, and has the potential to be used to screen serum proteins for glycosylation changes due to disease. In addition, the use of a glycosidase to induce specific structural changes in glycoproteins can support the development of multi-lectin column formats specific for detecting changes in the glycoproteome of certain diagnostic fluids and types of disease.
Peripheral opioid analgesia: Basic and clinical aspects*

T RADITIONALLY, analgesics have been divided into two groups: centrallyand peripherally-acting compounds. Typical representatives of centrally-acting compounds are opioids (eg, morphine), which are known to act on opioid receptors in the brain and spinal cord. Typical examples of peripherally-acting compounds are nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs; eg, aspirin), which are thought to act by inhibition of cyclooxygenase in peripheral tissues. This strict distinction has been challenged by recent advances in pharmacological research. Not only have opioids been found to elicit local analgesic effects in peripheral tissue, but conversely, NSAIDs have been shown to act within the central nervous system. Anecdotal reports of local opioid effects appeared a century ago. 1 Nonetheless, until very recently, the majority of these reports have been discounted, largely because of a lack of scientific scrutiny. Renewed interest in these former ideas has been spurred by the untoward side effects of all these agents. Well-known examples are respiratory depression, dependence, sedation, itch, nausea, and dysphoria in the case of opioids and coagulation defects, gastrointestinal bleeding, and liver and kidney toxicity in the case of NSAIDs. Opioids are generally accepted as the more potent class of analgesics and are accordingly used in more severely painful conditions (eg, trauma, myocardial infarction, and intraoperative, postoperative, and malignancy-related pain). The ideal drug of the future would, of course, combine the advantages of both classes while avoiding their disadvantages. For example,
Mechanical Properties Along the Branching Site of the Abdominal Aorta and Iliac Arteries

There is a great interest in studying arteries due to the prevalence of arterial diseases such as atherosclerosis and aneurysms, but much of the focus has been on straight arteries [1,2]. As arteries branch off, the fiber alignment and thickness of the arterial wall change. Smooth muscle cells orient helically in straight segments while multiple orientations have been seen at the branching region. As a result, straight segments of arteries vary mechanically from branched segments [2]. This study focused on the structural and mechanical properties of arteries at branching sites to observe the effect of the structural changes at bifurcations on mechanical behavior.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
A simple and effective movement-restricting collar.

IT is frequently vital in research to restrict the experimental animal's movements and to keep him from damaging the experimental site, such as an externalized organ, tube or catheter. Much valuable work and time is often nullified in a short time by the animal pulling at the operative site which he will invariably do if he has access to the area.
Mitochondrial Homeostasis in Acute Organ Failure

The kidneys compose approximately 0.5% of the body mass but consume about 10% of the oxygen in cellular respiration. This discordance is due to the high energy demands on the kidney for reabsorption of filtered blood components and makes the kidney sensitive to mitochondrial stress, the primary source of cellular ATP. Regardless of the etiology, acute kidney injury (AKI) almost always involves aspects of mitochondrial dysfunction. Recent evidence from experimental models suggests that preserving mitochondrial function or promoting mitochondrial repair rescues renal function during AKI. In this review we discuss the effect of AKI on disruption of mitochondrial homeostasis, and how the dynamic processes of mitochondrial biogenesis, fission/fusion, and mitophagy influence renal injury and recovery.
Analysis of diffraction contrast as a function of energy loss in energy-filtered transmission electron microscope imaging

The relationship between diffraction contrast and electron energy loss was investigated by obtaining energy-filtering transmission electron microscope images of a bend contour in aluminum in 100 eV increments from 0 to 1000 eV. Results show that: (i) the relationship is an exponentially decaying function which becomes approximately zero at 1000 eV under the experimental conditions employed, (ii) there is a large influence of diffraction contrast on energy-filtered images (EFI), and particularly jump-ratio images, out to several hundred eV energy loss, (iii) while blurring of diffraction contrast in EFI is due to the increase in the characteristic scattering angle of inelastic electrons associated with an increase in energy loss, the intensity of diffraction contrast in EFI is proportional to the total image intensity, and (iv) diffraction contrast does not become negligible in EFI acquired at increasing energy loss until the image is noisy and contains little usable signal, indicating that diffraction contrast is always present to some degree in EFI. This can be attributed to plural scattering since high-angle Bragg (elastic) events redistribute inelastic signal in the diffraction plane outside of the collection aperture. Finally, a dynamical two-beam calculation is presented that describes diffraction contrast in EFI as a function of both tilt parameter and energy loss for comparison with the experimental results.
A COMPARISON OF THE EFFECTS OF X-RAY AND DRY HEAT ON ANTIBODY FORMATION

Rabbits x-rayed in doses sufficient to reduce the amount of their lymphoid tissue without damage to the bone marrow showed a definite deficiency in the production of precipitins, bacterial agglutinins, and protective antibodies. On the other hand, rabbits subjected to exposures of dry heat sufficient to increase the activity of the lymphoid organs, on immunization develop antibodies in larger quantity than do untreated animals immunized by the same process.
alkoxyphenol leukotriene B4 receptor antagonists

Abstract A series of ortho -alkoxyphenols containing a tetrazole acid sidechain have been prepared as antagonists of leukotriene B4 receptors. These compounds were tested as receptor antagonists of human neutrophil and guinea pig lung membrane leukotriene B4 receptors. Compounds in this series were found to be up to 18-fold more potent than LY255283. These results indicate that the acyl group of the 1,2,4,5 substituted hydroxyacetophenone class of LTB4 antagonists is not critical to antagonist potency.
Tornado damage and initial recovery in three adjacent, lowland temperate forests in Missouri

. We surveyed tornado damage 14 months after disturbance in three adjacent forest sites in southeastern Missouri, USA: upland, an occasionally-flooded lowland and a frequently flooded swamp. We analysed three 0.09-ha plots in the swamp, and three 0.04-ha plots in the other sites and recorded the herbaceous-layer in five 1-m2 quadrats per plot. Overall, 30 % of the individuals and 64 % of the basal area of these sites was blown down. However, mortality was less than structural damage: 20 % of the trees were dead 14 months post-disturbance, an intermediate level of mortality relative to other wind disturbances. Damage varied widely among species, sites and tree sizes, but large trees of all species were most likely to be damaged and least likely to resprout. While damage was greatest in the wettest site, we attribute the increase to larger tree sizes and lower density there, rather than to inherent rooting instability. This study suggests that different forest composition and structure may be sufficient to cause differential damage, without topographic effects. Herbaceous-layer response was more rapid than in a previously reported tornado windthrow in Pennsylvania, and was dominated by fast-growing, shade-intolerant forbs.
Optimizations to achieve high-level expression of cytochrome P450 proteins using Escherichia coli expression systems

Recombinant expression of membrane-bound cytochrome P450s in bacterial expression systems provide a well-established system capable of producing large yields of catalytically active protein. As the biochemical knowledge regarding cytochrome P450s increases, so does the efficiency of protein expression through various modifications that do not disrupt the functional properties of the protein of interest. Changes such as N-terminal modifications, reduction of secondary mRNA structure, bacterial codon usage, selection of vector and host strain, as well as varying external growth conditions all appear to influence protein expression. Several optimizations are often required for sufficient expression of cytochrome P450s at the desired cellular localization. This review aims to comprehensively summarize and update the significant advances made in membrane protein P450 expression in bacterial expression systems.
Electron broadening of isolated lines with stationary non-equilibrium level populations

It is shown that a quantum kinetic theory approach to line broadening, extended to stationary non-equilibrium states, yields corrections to the standard electron impact widths of isolated lines that depend on the population of the radiator internal levels. A consistent classical limit from a general quantum treatment of the perturbing electrons also introduces corrections to the isolated line widths. Both effects are essential in preserving detailed-balance relations. Preliminary analysis indicates that these corrections may resolve existing discrepancies between theoretical and experimental widths of isolated lines. An experimental test of the results is proposed.
A note on hyperesthesia in children with early brain damage

Abstract Among forty-one children with congenital encephalopathy manifested by minimal motor symptoms, eight showed definite hyperesthesia on tests of light touchon thumbs and palms, and on tests of two-point resolution on their palms. In this sense, their tactile sensitivity and acuity were paradoxically better than in one hundred and four children without brain damage who served as controls. Such genuine hyperesthesia has not been found in comparable quantitative studies of tactile function in brain-damaged adults.
Distributed Protocols for Scheduling and Rate Control to Achieve Max-Min Fairness in Wireless Mesh Networks

The goal in this paper is to develop comprehensive protocol support in all layers to provide max-min fairness for multihop flows in a wireless mesh network. Our approach has three parts. First, we estimate the max-min fair rate of all multihop flows in the network using a distributed protocol. This estimation uses the knowledge of the flow contention graph that the network nodes learn by exchanging local information. Second, the nodes enforce this rate by controlling the rate at which a flow is scheduled to the link layer. Third, a back pressure flow control is used to reduce the transmission rate of a flow if it has been exceeding its fair rate. Finally, we argue that the fair rate estimation can at best be approximated in an 802.11 based MAC protocol. Thus, to complement our fair rate estimation and scheduling procedures, we develop a virtual time based MAC protocol. We demonstrate via extensive simulations the benefit of all these approaches for ensuring fairness relative to the base case that uses 802.11 MAC and FIFO scheduling.
Construct Validation of an Approach to Modeling Cognitive Structure of U.S. History Knowledge

Abstract This research applied evolving conceptions of learning to tackle the difficult problems of how students' and experts' cognitive structures might be represented and evaluated. A diverse sample of high school students was selected to complete several tasks purporting to measure domain-specific knowledge of the Great Depression period of U.S. history, including prior knowledge, written explanation, similarity ratings, and concept mapping tasks. In this study, the technical characteristics of a method for scoring student concept maps were explored by comparing directly the quality of student maps with expert maps. Results showed that experts' concept maps could be used to score students' concept maps reliably. Further analyses showed that students who judged similarities of pairs of concepts, facts, and events from the Great Depression era in an expert-like manner constructed more correct links for those same pairs in their concept maps. MIMIC (multiple indicators, multiple causes) structural modelin...
Colors of snow, frozen waterfalls, and icebergs

Snow presents more than just a uniformly white face. Beneath its surface a vivid blueness, the purity of which exceeds that of the bluest sky, may be seen. This subnivean blue light results from preferential absorption of red light by ice; multiple scattering by ice grains, which is not spectrally selective, merely serves to increase the path length that photons travel before reaching a given depth. Although snow is usually white on reflection, bubbly ice, which can be found in frozen waterfalls and icebergs, may not be. To a first approximation, bubbly ice is equivalent to snow with an effective grain size that increases with decreasing bubble volume fraction. Ice grains in snow are too small to give it a spectrally selective albedo, but the much larger effective grain sizes of bubbly ice can give it bluish-green hues of low purity on reflection.
The role of nucleus accumbens dopamine in responding on a continuous reinforcement operant schedule: A neurochemical and behavioral study

Two experiments were undertaken to investigate the role of nucleus accumbens dopamine (DA) in intrumental lever pressing on a continuous reinforcement (CRF) schedule. Rats trained to press a lever for food reinforcement on a CRF schedule, and food-deprived control rats, were implanted with dialysis probes in the nucleus accumbens. The day after implantation, rats were tested and dialysis samples were assayed for DA and the DA metabolite 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC). Performance of the lever-pressing task resulted in significant increases in extracellular levels of DA and DOPAC relative to control rats. The increases in extracellular DA were significantly correlated (r = 0.92) with the number of lever press responses committed. In the second experiment, the neurotoxic agent 6-hydroxydopamine was infused directly into the nucleus accumbens to investigate the effects of DA depletion on lever-pressing performance. DA depletion had only a modest effect on the total number of lever presses, and there was a significant effect on total lever presses only on the first test day (third day postsurgery). Analyses also were performed on responding across the 45-min session by breaking down the session into three 15-min periods. There was a significant group × time interaction, with DA-depleted rats showing a significant reduction in the numbers of responses in the first 15-min period, but no significant effects over the second or third 15 min in the session. This initial slowing of response rate was present across all 5 test days. These results indicate that DA release and metabolism increases in rats performing on a CRF schedule, and that DA depletion produces a slowing of initial response rate.
The effects of copper on blood and biochemical parameters of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss).

Metals are released into aquatic systems from many sources, often at sublethal concentrations. The effects of sublethal concentrations of metals on fish are not entirely understood. The objective of this study was to determine the hematological and biochemical effects of a range of copper concentrations (6.4, 16.0, 26.9 μg Cu/L) on rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) over a prolonged period of time. Trout were exposed to copper, and, at intervals of 3, 7, 14, and 21 days, selected parameters were evaluated. Hemoglobin, hematocrit, plasma glucose, and plasma cortisol levels were elevated in trout exposed to 26.9 μg Cu/L at day 3 and then returned to levels comparable to control fish. Plasma protein and lactate levels were not significantly altered in trout from any copper treatment. Hepatic copper concentration and hepatic metallothionein mRNA expression were consistently elevated in trout exposed to 26.9 μg Cu/L. Both of these parameters stabilized by day 3, with only hepatic copper concentration showing a further increase at day 21. Hepatic copper concentration and hepatic metallothionein mRNA expression appear to be robust indicators of copper exposure. Most blood-based parameters evaluated appear to be associated with a transitory, nonspecific stress response. The return of elevated hematological and biochemical parameters to control levels after 3 days and the stabilization of hepatic metallothionein mRNA expression and copper concentration over a similar time period suggested acclimation to dissolved copper at 26.9 μg/L. Further analysis of the data on blood-based parameters indicated that certain parameters (hemoglobin, hematocrit, plasma glucose, plasma cortisol) may be useful in field monitoring.
Situating teacher inquiry: a micropolitical perspective

Professional learning communities (PLCs) have become a popular strategy in various forms (e.g., data teams, grade-level teams) and with various champions (e.g., district leaders, university researchers, teacher advocates). Although well-implemented PLCs have been shown to distribute leadership, the tension between democratic inquiry processes and the demands of accountability remain understudied. This study asks how teacher inquiry is situated within conflicting school priorities and the impact of competing power structures on PLCs through a case study of a teacher inquiry initiative at 6 urban elementary and middle schools in the US. Data were collected over 3 years of PLC implementation. District officials, principals, reform coaches, and teachers at each setting participated in more than 300 interviews, regular site visits, and annual teacher surveys. The influences of power structures – such as district mandates, accountability pressures, and principal leadership – emerged as strong themes in teacher ...
A retrograde p-well for higher density CMOS

A new technique for CMOS p-well (or n-well) formation is described, making use of a deep implant followed by a brief anneal. This results in a retrograde profile, permitting a much shallower well, a large reduction in p-n channel device spacing (5-6 µm versus 10-15 µm), and an opportunity to reduce the risk of latch-up. This technique is more conducive to scaling-with the promise of significantly better performance-than conventional well formation methods. The retrograde p-well has been successfully applied to a linearly shrunk bulk CMOS 4K static RAM, demonstrating its feasibility.
Treatment of various forms of surgical shock

Abstract Shock results from the disruption of the normal interplay among the energy source (the heart), the responsiveness of the arterial system (arterial resistance), the capacity of the venous bed (venous tone), the volume and characteristics of the flowing fluid (blood) and the effectiveness of ventilation (oxygenation). The clinical states resulting from failure of these individual systems may be categorized according to the predominant factors active in the intitiation of the pathologic process, and include cardiogenic shock, hypoxic shock, hypovolemic shock, bacteremic shock and neurogenic shock. These various forms of shock may have many similar pathophysiologic consequences. The treatment of these forms of shock are discussed in detail.
Excited-state absorption cross-section of C60

We use a pump-probe technique to measure the change in optical transmission through a 1 cm C 60 /benzene (0.58 g/l) solution caused by a 532 nm 25 ps `pump' pulse having fluence up to approximately 10 mJ/cm 2 . Temporal dependence indicates that transmission drops within the pump pulse width and stays at the reduced level up to our maximum delay time (approximately 10 ns). If we use the standard three-level model for the C 60 molecule we deduce that either the excited-singlet-to-triplet crossing happens faster than our pulse width or the two states have indistinguishable absorption cross-sections ((sigma) S approximately equals (sigma) T ) at our laser wavelength. We believe that the latter assumption is more probable, and interpret our data by a simple two-cross-section ((sigma) O , (sigma) T ) model. We find that the difference (sigma) T - (sigma) O is (3.5 +/- 0.2) X 10 -17 cm 2 . We measure the ground state absorption cross-section (sigma) O to be (3.5 +/- 0.3) X 10 -18 cm 2 in an independent experiment.
Advancing software architecture modeling for large scale heterogeneous systems

In this paper we describe how incorporating technology-specific modeling at the architecture level can help reduce risks and produce better designs for large, heterogeneous software applications. We draw an analogy with established modeling approaches in scientific domains, using groundwater modeling as an example, to help illustrate gaps in current software architecture modeling approaches. We then describe the advances in modeling, analysis and tooling that are required to bring sophisticated modeling and development methods within reach of software architects.
A longitudinal study of the role of the purchasing function: toward team participation

Abstract A follow-up survey was conducted of members of the National Association of Purchasing Management to investigate the current level of responsibility, and level of responsibility expected in 2000 on 18 key decision issues in which the purchasing function participates. The results confirm and extend the previous study which indicated a transition from individual purchasing responsibility to a team approach all key decision issues.
Psychological Predictors of Media Involvement

Does intense engagement with entertainment media programs and characters reflect a psychological need for companionship? The research findings to date have been equivocal. The present study investigates how parasocial interaction (PSI) with media characters and transportation into media programs are related to specific kinds of solitude experiences, as well as to the need to belong (NTB). Results of a questionnaire study (N = 301) show that solitude experienced as self-expansion (e.g., self-discovery), diversion (e.g., engaging in distracting activities), and Other orientation (e.g., loneliness) each contribute to increased PSI with favorite TV characters. Self-expansion and Other-oriented solitude each also predicts increased tendency to transport into media programs and identify with characters. Furthermore, Other-oriented solitude appears to account for the significant association between NTB and PSI. Results provide new evidence for both compensatory and complementary uses and gratifications of entert...
Block, Tract, and Levels of Aggregation: Neighborhood Structure and Crime and Disorder as a Case in Point

This article highlights the importance of considering the proper level of aggregation when estimating neighborhood effects. Using a unique nonrural subsample from a large national survey (the American Housing Survey) at three time points that allows placing respondents in blocks and census tracts, this study tests the appropriate level of aggregation of the structural characteristics hypothesized to affect block-level perceptions of crime and disorder. I find that structural characteristics differ in their effects based on the level of aggregation employed. While the effects of racial/ethnic heterogeneity are fairly robust to the geographical level of aggregation, the stronger effects, when measured at the level of the surrounding census tract, suggest more dispersed networks are important for perceived crime and disorder. In contrast, economic resources only show a localized effect when aggregating to the block-level and differ based on the outcome; higher average income reduces disorder but increases crime, most likely by increasing the number of attractive targets. Additionally, the presence of broken households has a localized effect for social disorder but a more diffuse effect for perceived crime. These findings suggest the need for neighborhood studies of crime rates, as well as the broader neighborhood effects literature, to consider the mechanisms involved when aggregating various structural characteristics.
What will be the role of first‐trimester ultrasound if cell‐free DNA screening for aneuploidy becomes routine?

Until recently, most developed countries either hadadopted the ﬁrst-trimester combined test as the standardapproach to antenatal screening for Down syndromeor were in the process of doing so. Some had evenintroduced sequential protocols such as the contingenttest, which builds on the combined-test markers andoffers second-trimester serum markers and/or furtherultrasound examination to a large subgroup of women,selected according to their estimated risk. Others haveextended the combined test by incorporating routinelysimultaneous determination of additional ultrasoundmarkers. However, the situation has changed radicallywith the introduction of non-invasive prenatal testingusing maternal plasma cell-free (cf) DNA.Inresponsetotheencouragingpublishedresultsofearlystudies, professional bodies cautiously recommended theuse of cfDNA only as a secondary test in those patientsalready regarded as being at high risk. This approachrestricted testing to women with positive conventionalscreening tests and, in some localities, to women withadvanced maternal age, a family history of aneuploidyor ultrasound markers of aneuploidy. Since then, furtherconﬁrmatory studies have been published, particularlyin unselected populations, and now there can be nodoubt that primary cfDNA screening could achieve vastlysuperiorperformanceforthedetectionofDownsyndromecompared with any of the conventional protocols orsecondary cfDNA screening. However, this approachis currently impractical in most public-health settingsbecause of the high cost of cfDNA testing and the factthat, in many localities, the tests are available only byshipping samples to commercial laboratories in the USAand China.To overcome the problem of cost, a compromisehas been suggested: the contingent cfDNA test
Estimating a function from ergodic samples with additive noise

We study the problem of estimating an unknown function from ergodic samples corrupted by additive noise. It is shown that one can consistently recover an unknown measurable function in this setting, if the one-dimensional (1-D) distribution of the samples is comparable to a known reference distribution, and the noise is independent of the samples and has known mixing rates. The estimates are applied to deterministic sampling schemes, in which successive samples are obtained by repeatedly applying a fixed map to a given initial vector, and it is then shown how the estimates can be used to reconstruct an ergodic transformation from one of its trajectories.
Connexin hemichannels in the lens.

The normal function and survival of cells in the avascular lens is facilitated by intercellular communication through an extensive network of gap junctions formed predominantly by three connexins (Cx43, Cx46, and Cx50). In expression systems, these connexins can all induce hemi-channel currents, but other lens proteins (e.g., pannexin1) can also induce similar currents. Hemichannel currents have been detected in isolated lens fiber cells. These hemichannels may make significant contributions to normal lens physiology and pathophysiology. Studies of some connexin mutants linked to congenital cataracts have implicated hemichannels with aberrant voltage-dependent gating or modulation by divalent cations in disease pathogenesis. Hemichannels may also contribute to age- and disease-related cataracts.
Interferon Induction by Viruses

Interferons are proteins of cellular origin capable of conferring virus resistance to vertebrate cells. Most cells do not produce interferons except in response to proper stimulation. Clearly, the stimulation of interferon production encompasses two phenomena. When stimulated, some cell systems produce their interferons by synthesizing new proteins. Other cell systems do not require the synthesis of new proteins to produce interferons, and still other cell systems may produce interferons by both means. Before much can be learned from the detailed study of the nature of the molecules which stimulate interferons, the type of phenomenon which the stimulus induces must be identified. Chick embryo tissues apparently make interferons by synthesizing new proteins. Many viruses stimulate interferon production in chick embryo tissues. Data available suggest that neither the protein nor nucleic acid moieties of the added virions act as inducing molecules. Also, double-stranded replicative form is probably not responsible. It is suggested that the inducer molecule may be cellular in nature and may be produced in response to a wide variety of insults among which are viral infections.
Encouraging Multi-disciplinary Education and Inter-disciplinary Research

Multi-disciplinar 3' education and inter-disciplinary research are often sought, but significant barriers exist. Impediments to such activities include unfamiliar jargon, dissemination of results to different audiences, increases in teaching loads, loss of overhead and research volumes, curricular restrictions, prejudice and time constraints. I suggest approaches to overcome these impediments. Indicators of inter-disciplinary activity include the variety of publication outlets, co-authors and enrolled students.
Ion mobility mass spectrometry analysis of isomeric disaccharide precursor, product and cluster ions

Rationale Carbohydrates are highly variable in structure owing to differences in their anomeric configurations, monomer stereochemistry, inter-residue linkage positions and general branching features. The separation of carbohydrate isomers poses a great challenge for current analytical techniques. Methods The isomeric heterogeneity of disaccharide ions and monosaccharide-glycolaldehyde product ions was evaluated using electrospray traveling wave ion mobility mass spectrometry (Synapt G2 high-definition mass spectrometer) in both positive and negative ion modes. Results The separation of isomeric disaccharide ions was observed but not fully achieved based on their mobility profiles. The mobilities of isomeric product ions, the monosaccharide-glycolaldehydes, derived from different disaccharide isomers were measured. Multiple mobility peaks were observed for both monosaccharide-glycolaldehyde cations and anions, indicating that there was more than one structural configuration in the gas phase as verified by NMR in solution. More importantly, the mobility patterns for isomeric monosaccharide-glycolaldehyde product ions were different, which enabled partial characterization of their respective disaccharide ions. Abundant disaccharide cluster ions were also observed. The results showed that a majority of isomeric cluster ions had different drift times and, moreover, more than one mobility peak was detected for a number of specific cluster ions. Conclusions It is demonstrated that ion mobility mass spectrometry is an advantageous method to assess the isomeric heterogeneity of carbohydrate compounds. It is capable of differentiating different types of carbohydrate ions having identical m/z values as well as multiple structural configurations of single compounds.
College Students’ Views of Work–Life Balance in STEM Research Careers: Addressing Negative Preconceptions

In career discussions, female undergraduates said that if they were to attend graduate school in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and were to follow a career based on their research training, they would have to give up having a family. A subsequent survey showed that many students, both men and women, thought work-life balance would be more difficult to achieve in a STEM research path than in other professions they were considering. Their views of STEM research being less family-friendly were more pronounced on issues of parental leaves and caring for children than finding a spouse/partner and landing two jobs in the same locality. To provide role models of work-life balance in STEM professions, we convened panels of dual-career couples who described how they worked together to raise their children while advancing their scientific careers. Our selection of panelists and topics of discussion were based on findings of social science research on work-life balance. On a survey with the same questions administered afterward, the changes in paired responses of male and female students with respect to all four issues showed a significant shift toward thinking that a research-based STEM career would be no more difficult than other careers they were considering.
Testing for the Strong Form of Rational Expectations with Heterogeneously Informed Agents

In recent years, political scientists have tested for the existence of rational expectations (RE) using survey-based aggregate data on subjective economic perceptions. These tests suffer from several conceptual shortcomings of a nontrivial nature. In this study, the meaning of RE is clarified, and also a test for strong rational expectations (SRE) where citizens possess heterogeneous information levels is set forth. These empirical tests provide insights into what kinds of information citizens use in forming expectations from that which they do not utilize but could employ to arrive at more accurate forecasts. Using inflation expectations data for the period January 1978—December 1993, the empirical findings indicate that citizens can benefit from greater reliance on objective economic and political conditions when formulating their inflation expectations. The broader implications of this work pertain not only to the execution of RE tests in political science, but also to distinguishing which types of information people do and do not (but could) incorporate in their decision-making calculus.