cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Re-Envisioning the Reach of Persecution: Recognizing Refugee Status for the Family Bystander Witness

Asylum jurisprudence has been reluctant to recognize the depth of the trauma an adult experiences when a loved one is persecuted by the state, or by those the state cannot or will not control. The family member who witnesses such persecution, or has a well-founded fear of witnessing such persecution, may experience suffering so severe that she herself is persecuted by the state's conduct. This article proposes that asylum should be granted to "bystander witnesses," those whose fear of persecution rests upon witnessing an immediate family member's direct persecution, and those who reasonably apprehend that their child, parent, or spouse will be persecuted if the family is compelled to return to the persecuting country.Domestic asylum jurisprudence generally limits the bystander witness's eligibility for relief by requiring that the witness be a child during the relevant events, or experience direct threats or physical injury, unless the harm inflicted upon the family member is so egregious as to harm the family unit. The courts' analysis of whether the harm, or potential harm, to one family member is so egregious as to persecute other close family members has yielded the most troubling and inconsistent results, which conflict with other asylum law principles, domestic and international refugee policy, legal interpretations of analogous events under tort law, and established psychological tenets.This article first explores the law of political asylum and its inconsistent treatment of claims concerning witnesses to the persecution of an immediate family member, and explains how the rejection of the family bystander witness claim contradicts prior precedent and policy. Second, the article examines tort law's recognition of the extreme suffering experienced by witnessing injury to an immediate family member, and why such reasoning should apply equally to claims of persecution. Third, the article demonstrates that rejecting the family witness's suffering as not severe enough to constitute persecution disregards established psychology addressing this aspect of the refugee experience. In conclusion, the article urges that asylum decision-makers recognize the legal and psychological effects on such witnesses to produce better reasoned and more just adjudications in this area, consistent with the purposes of political asylum.
CLUES TO THE EVOLUTION OF MASSIVE STARS FROM THEIR FAR-INFRARED ENVIRONMENTS

The environments of evolved massive stars are being investigated in a major multi-wavelength program of optical, infrared and sub-millimeter observations. The overall intent of this program is to use the circumstellar environments of evolved massive stars to determine the properties of the most massive (>25M⊙) throughout their evolution. Here we present the results of an IRAS Sky Survey Atlas (ISSA) and IRAS high resolution (HIRES; Aumann et al., 1990) imaging survey at far-infrared wavelengths of the environments of 157 galactic Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars.
MARS: A Metascheduler for Distributed Resources in Campus Grids

Computational grids are increasingly being deployed in campus environments to provide unified access to distributed and heterogeneous resources such as clusters, storage arrays, networks, and scientific instruments. While the existing grid computing frameworks and protocols provide a robust set of mechanisms for user authentication, security, workflow and resource management; efficient scheduling of tasks on distributed and heterogeneous resources, termed as metascheduling, is an active area of research. In this paper, we describe MARS, an open-source metascheduling framework that can be integrated into existing campus infrastructure to provide robust task scheduling and resource management capabilities. MARS uses a forecasting algorithm to predict resource-level scheduling parameters such as queue lengths, turn-around times, and resource utilization. These predicted values are then used to schedule tasks based on their priority levels. It allows preemption of lower-priority running tasks in favor of on-demand tasks. We have implemented heuristic and evolutionary scheduling algorithms in the present framework and evaluated it in a production environment consisting of several large Linux clusters. Our simulation results using actual workload traces from these clusters demonstrate the effectiveness of the current metascheduling framework.
Measurement and modeling of size and proximity effects in conductor linewidths

The widths of refractory metal, gold, and Permalloy lines were measured as a function of design width W/sub i/ and design spacing S/sub j/ using an electrical test structure, the cross-quad-bridge resistor. The data were characterised by the following: a constant linewidth aberration /spl Delta/W; a characteristic size effect width W/sub c/; and a characteristic proximity effect spacing S/sub c/. With both characteristic dimensions around |/sub c/|/spl ap/|S/sub c/|/spl ap/0.4 /spl mu/m, the effects on a design with W/sub 1spl ap/S/sub 1spl ap/1.2 /spl mu/m are about (W/sub cW/sub 1/)/sup 2spl ap/10% each. >
Energy Source for Active Transport of α-Aminoisobutyric Acid in KB Cells

Abstract The energy source for concentrative transport of α-amino-isobutyric acid (AIB) in KB cells is ATP generated during either anaerobic glycolysis or oxidative phosphorylation. The dependence of AIB accumulation on the concentration of ATP is described by a rectangular hyperbola from which the ATP concentration supporting half-maximal accumulation of AIB was estimated to be 0.8 mm. With the aid of inhibitors and uncouplers of oxidative phosphorylation it was shown that energization of AIB transport by ATP does not involve the participation of high energy intermediates which may be generated within the mitochondria during oxidative phosphorylation or from ATP. Evidence was obtained against the function of phosphoenolpyruvate as the immediate energy donor to the transport system. A kinetic analysis of AIB influx and efflux revealed that ATP and intracellular K+ act on the step involved in AIB uptake by decreasing the Km for AIB influx, whereas oligomycin increases this Km. A comparison of the effectiveness of oligomycin, peliomycin, and ossamycin in inhibiting three distinct biochemical systems, namely, oxidative phosphorylation, AIB transport, and the (Na+ + K+)-ATPase, showed that all three inhibitors are equally effective in inhibiting oxidative phosphorylation, but peliomycin is the most effective in inhibiting the (Na+ + K+)-ATPase. Ossamycin is the least effective in inhibiting the latter and AIB transport.
Deterministic /spl lambda/-free Petri net languages and their application to the supervisory control of discrete event dynamic systems

In this paper we introduce a family of languages called deterministic /spl lambda/-free Petri net languages (DPNLs). We show that the controllability of a DPNL K/spl subespl Sigma/* with respect to a DPNL L/spl subespl Sigma/* is decidable. That is, it is possible to decide if (i) K/spl sube/L, and (ii) K/spl Sigmasub uspl cap/L/spl sube/K, where /spl Sigma/=/spl Sigmasub uspl cupspl Sigmasub c/ and /spl Sigmasub uspl capspl Sigmasub c/=/spl phi/. We also show that this family of languages strictly includes the family of Free-labeled Petri net languages (FLPNLs), another family of languages where the controllability of one language with respect to another is decidable. >
Role of Energy Metabolism in the Brown Fat Gene Program

In murine and human brown adipose tissue (BAT), mitochondria are powerful generators of heat that safely metabolize fat, a feature that has great promise in the fight against obesity and diabetes. Recent studies suggest that the actions of mitochondria extend beyond their conventional role as generators of heat. There is mounting evidence that impaired mitochondrial respiratory capacity is accompanied by attenuated expression of Ucp1 and other BAT-selective genes, implying that mitochondria exert transcriptional control over the brown fat gene program. In this review, we discuss the current understanding of brown fat mitochondria, their potential role in transcriptional control of the brown fat gene program, and potential strategies to treat obesity in humans by leveraging thermogenesis in brown adipocytes.
Micronuclei induced by X-rays and chemical mutagens in meiotic pollen mother cells of tradescantia: A promising mutagen test system☆

Abstract In Tradescantia, pollen mother cells of each of the buds of an inflorescence are synchronized at different meiotic stages, thus facilitating the treatment of the appropriate buds containing only, the mutagen-sensitive, prophase stage. Damage to chromosomes at early prophase can be determined by scoring the frequency of micronuclei (MCN) in tetrads 24–30 after treatment. This study demonstrated the high efficiency and versatility of this “MCN-in-Tetrad” test system for radiation and chemical mutagens. When inflorescences of the plant cuttings were exposed to 20 and 40 R of X-rays, an average of 22.8 and 66.6 MCN/100 tetrads were observed respectively. Liquid ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS), at 50 and 100 mM, absorbed through the stem, induced 13.2 and 15.2 MCN/100 tetrads respectively, while gaseous EMS (1000 ppm) induced 17.4 MCN/100 tetrads. Liquid sodium azide (NaN3), at 0.2 mM induced 10.1 MCN/100 tetrads, while 136 ppm of gaseous hydrazoic acid (HN3), which is the fume released from NaN3 reacted with acid, induced 21.2 MCN/100 tetrads. The control of each of the experimental groups yielded around 5 MCN/100 tetrads.
Mechanism of ethanol-enhanced estradiol permeation across human skin in vivo.

The influence of ethanol on the permeation of 17β-estradiol (estradiol) across viable human skin in vivo was investigated with the human skin sandwich flap model. Maintaining continuous delivery of a constant concentration of the solute in phosphate-buffered saline, pH 7.4 (PBS), or mixtures of ethanol in PBS to the skin surface revealed that steady-state flux of estradiol was achieved within 30–60 min and maintained throughout 4 hr. The 10-fold decrease in in vivo flux and permeability coefficient (Kp) of tracer estradiol solutions in ethanol or ethanol solutions compared with PBS vehicle reflected the 10-fold difference in the apparent partition coefficients (Km) of estradiol from the respective vehicles into isolated human stratum corneum. Neither the stratum corneum thickness nor the diffusion coefficient of estradiol was significantly different among the vehicles tested. In vivo flux of estradiol in ethanol or ethanol solutions across viable human skin was increased with saturated solutions of estradiol. Further, in vivo flux of estradiol from vehicles such as PBS, ethanol, and ethanol mixtures, which minimally alter the rate-limiting barrier, can be successfully predicted with knowledge of only two physicochemical parameters, the estradiol concentration in the vehicle and the Km of estradiol from the vehicle into isolated human stratum corneum.
Virulence factors in Escherichia coli from children with pyelonephritis.

The occurrence of bacterial infections of the urinary tract in children is exceeded in frequency only by bacterial infections of the respiratory tract. Acute pyelonephritis represents the most severe type of urinary tract infection in children. It not only results in greater morbidity but also has great potential for causing irreversible damage, including renal scarring, hypertension before the age of 30 years and pregnancy complications [1‐3]. Escherichia coli causes most pyelonephritis (PN)—approximately 80‐90% of first infections in children. The pathogenesis of E. coli pyelonephritis is complex, involving the interaction of several factors present in the host and in the invading organism. Host factors predisposing to PN can be anatomic, increased uroepithelial cell adherence, and nonsecretion of P blood group or of the Lewis blood group antigens [4]. Previous investigations have indicated that various virulence factors, such as pili associated with pyelonephritis (pap), afimbrial adhesin I, haemolysin (hly) and cytotoxic necrotizing factor 1 (cnf 1) are useful markers for the detection of uropathogenic E. coli and could therefore be used in the diagnosis of PN [5‐7]. The aim of this study was to determine the role of virulence factors in E. coli urinary isolates from children with pyelonephritis in University Children’s Hospital, Sofia. One hundred and eighty E. coli strains were isolated from the urine of hospitalized children, ages between 5 months and 16 years of age, in the University Children’s Hospital, Sofia. Midstream urine samples were collected after washing the external genitalia with sterile water. One hundred children had clinical acute pyelonephritis, with symptoms: fever, temperature 38.5 °C, flank pain, frequent chills, dysuria, frequency of urination, positive urine culture (10 5 bacteria/mL urine), pyuria (10 white blood cells/high power field), elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (20 mm/h), an increased concentration of C-reactive protein (20 mg/L) and reduced concentrating capacity. The clinical diagnosis of cystitis and urethritis was based on a history of frequency and urgency of urination, dysuria, suprapubic pain, and significant bacteriuria with the absence of fever, chills, and flank pain, and normal renal function. The control group comprised of 80 sex- and age-matched healthy children who had sterile urine cultures. Their E. coli strains were isolated from normal intestinal flora. Identification of E. coli was by standard bacteriological
Is energetic decadal variability a stable feature of the central Pacific Coast's winter climate?

[1] The central Pacific Coast of the United States is one of the few regions in North America where precipitation exhibited a high proportion of variance at decadal time scales (10 to 20 years) during the last century. We use a network of tree ring-width records to estimate the behavior of the observed decadal pattern in regional winter precipitation during the last three and a half centuries. The pattern was most vigorous during the mid and late 20th century. Between A.D. 1650 and 1930, proxy estimates show a limited number of events separated by longer intervals of relatively low variance. The multicentennial perspective offered by tree rings indicates the energetic decadal pattern in winter precipitation is a relatively recent feature. Until a physical mechanism can be identified that explains the presence of this decadal rhythm, as well as its inconsistency during the period of record, we cannot rule out the possibility that this behavior may cease as abruptly as it began.
Singular behaviour of the electrodynamic fields of an oscillating dipole

The singularity of the exact electromagnetic fields is derived to include the 'source terms' for harmonically oscillating electric (and magnetic) dipoles, so that the fields will be consistent with the full Maxwell equations with a source. It is shown explicitly, as somewhat expected, that the same δ-function terms for the case of static dipole fields will have to be included in the dynamic case for this purpose, while the associated magnetic (electric) field will remain unaffected by these singular source terms.
On classes of tractable unrestricted regular expressions

Abstract It is known that the equivalence problem for the class URE of unrestricted regular expressions is not elementary recursive. This implies that constructing the corresponding reduced automaton is not tractable for some expressions in URE; we say these expressions are of intractable complexity. However, the closure of boolean automata under efficient complementation suggests that there are large nontrivial sub classes of URE with arbitrary level of complementation and tractable complexity. In this paper we introduce the class C L corresponding in a natural way to boolean automata; we also consider other related subclasses of URE. All these classes have tractable complexity. These results suggest a revised explanation why certain unrestricted regular expressions are so ‘hard’.
The determination of chlorinated hydrocarbons using the negative alkali flame detector response.

Abstract Under specific instrumental conditions, the alkali flame detector will give negative peaks for chlorine-containing compounds, and positive peaks for Br-, I-, N-, or P-containing compounds. In such a mode, the detector can be used for qualitative and quantitative determination of chlorides. It discriminates against carbon compounds by approximately three orders of magnitude, detecting a minimum amount of 1 ng of chlorobenzene. The negative response can be used to detect chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticide residues in soil at levels between 0.01 and 10 p.p.m. without purification of an exhaustive hexane extract.
Pancreatic anatomy in children: Emphasis on its importance to pancreatectomy

The literature is riddled with misconceptions concerning the landmarks and the actual amount of pancreatic tissue resected in "subtotal" 60% to 90% pancreatectomies. In order to clarify the surgical anatomy of the pancreas, 13 autopsy specimens from children aged 2 days to 15 years were carefully examined. Pancreata were serially removed from the in situ position in four sections and weighed. Section 1 included pancreatic tissue from the tail to the left of the superior mesenteric vessels (SMV); section 2 included all tissue from the tail to the right of the SMV; section 3 contained tissue up to the left of the pancreaticoduodenal vessels in the head of the pancreas; and section 4 included the remainder of the pancreatic head within the duodenal sweep and the uncinate process. Results showed that section 1 weighed 47.5% +/- 9.7% (mean +/- SD) of the total pancreatic weight with a wide range of 32.3% to 67.3%; section 2 weighed 53.5% +/- 9.0% (range, 38.7% to 72.2%); section 3 weighed 69.1% +/- 15.6% (range, 43.5% to 95.8%); and section 4 weighed 31.6% +/- 14.6% (range, 4.2% to 56.5%). As noted, pancreatic anatomy was extremely variable in relation to the percent of tissue to either side of the SMV and the proportion of tissue contained within the uncinate process. Resections historically reported to result in a "75%" pancreatectomy (section 2) were demonstrated to contain a mean of only 53.5% +/- 9.0% of the pancreas. Less tissue than expected would be resected by using the SMV as landmarks for a 75% resection. The wide variation in anatomy also has important clinical implications in performing "subtotal" pancreatectomies in infants with nesidioblastosis in whom the amount of tissue resected is critical to the patient's postoperative clinical course. This study demonstrates that a subtotal pancreatectomy should not be based upon the presumed relation of the pancreatic substance to the SMV. The entire gland including the uncinate process should be visualized at operation in order that a proper pancreatectomy is performed.
Summation of binomial coefficients using hypergeometric functions

An algorithm which finds the definite sum of many series involving binomial coefficients is presented. The method examines the ratio of two consecutive terms of the series in an attempt to express the sum as an ordinary hypergeometric function. A closed form for the infinite sum may be found by comparing the resulting function with known summation theorems. It may also be possible to identify ranges of the summation index for which summing to a finite upper limit is the same as summing to infinity.
CW Injection Locking for Long-Term Stability of Frequency Combs

Harmonically mode-locked semiconductor lasers with external ring cavities offer high repetition rate pulse trains while maintaining low optical linewidth via long cavity storage times. Continuous wave (CW) injection locking further reduces linewidth and stabilizes the optical frequencies. The output can be stabilized long-term with the help of a modified Pound-Drever-Hall feedback loop. Optical sidemode suppression of 36 dB has been shown, as well as RF supermode noise suppression of 14 dB for longer than 1 hour. In addition to the injection locking of harmonically mode-locked lasers requiring an external frequency source, recent work shows the viability of the injection locking technique for regeneratively mode-locked lasers, or Coupled Opto-Electronic Oscillators (COEO).
Synaptobrevin Trans-Membrane Domain forms a Complex that Enhances the Rate of “Stalk” and Pore Formation in PEG-Mediated Vesicle Fusion

Synaptobrevin (SB), a membrane anchored protein in the neuronal cell membrane, complexes with syntaxin (SX) and SNAP-25 to facilitate membrane fusion in neurotransmitter release. SB and SX promote Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-mediated fusion whether or not they are assembled into a SNARE complex (Dennison et al., BJ, 2006, 1661). Viral fusion protein trans-membrane domains (TMDs) enhance the fusion. Thus, we hypothesized that the SB-TMD may also affect fusion kinetics. The kinetics of PEG-mediated fusion of DOPC/DOPE/sphingomyelin/cholesterol/DOPS (32/25/15/20/8) 25 nm vesicles (SUVs) was examined in the presence and absence of SB TMD. Lipid mixing (LM), contents mixing (CM) and leakage (L) time courses were fitted globally to a 3-state sequential model (Weinreb & Lentz, BJ, 2007, 4012), from which we obtained estimates of rate constants for conversion between states as well as probabilities of LM, CM and L for each state. SB TMD enhanced the rates of “stalk” and fusion pore (FP) formation in a cooperative fashion (maximum effect at 3 peptide/vesicle). TMD ordered the bilayer interior in a similarly cooperative fashion. The effects of hexadecane and TMD on fusion kinetics were quite distinct and not mutual. SB TMD increased the probability of both LM and CM in the initial intermediate, suggesting that it promoted formation of transient pores before the final pore state. Transition state thermodynamic changes indicate that the effects on “stalk” and FP formation involved different mechanism, although both showed that in presence of TMD the change in entropy is always greater than enthalpy. Supported by NIH grant GM32707 to BRL.
Maximal semigroup orbits

In this paper we show that certain actions are the a-homomorphic images of actions with disjoint maximal orbits. We also show that if T is a compact semigroup acting on a compact space X, then there is a compact right trivial semigroup Y and a congruenceN of T×Y such that (T×Y)/N homeomorphic to X and the action T×X→X is isomorphic the action of T on (T×Y)/N.
Assessing Land-Use Impacts on Natural Resources

Much information is available on changes that occur in natural resources from both spatially-explicit data on environmental conditions and models of the interactions of these conditions and resources with human activities. The strategy for assessing land-use impacts on natural resources developed in this paper provides a framework for using relevant data and models to address questions of how management practices can promote both use and protection of resources. This assessment strategy integrates spatially explicit environmental data using geographic information systems (GIS) with computer models that simulate changes in land cover in response to land-use impacts. The computer models also simulate susceptibility of species to changes in habitat suitability and landscape patterns. The approach is applied to management of limestone barrens on the Oak Ridge Reservation in East Tennessee. Potential lime-stone barrens habitats are identified by overlaying appropriate sails, geology, slope, and land-use/land-cover conditions. Their validity is tested against known sites containing rare species that occur in these habitats. The location of habitats at risk in the aftermath of human activities is determined by using an available area model that identifies the size and proximity of sites that particular types of species can no longer use as habitat. The resulting riskmore » map can be used in land management planning. The approach uses readily available in situ and remotely sensed data and is applicable to a wide range of locations and land-use scenarios. This approach can be refined based on needs identified by land managers and on the sensitivity of the results to the resolution of available resource information.« less
Humanizing the Racialized Self

The aim of this article is to address axioms of humanistic psychology, such as individual meaning-making and authentic personal power, as they are relatable to the experiences of Blacks and other P...
Hypersensitivity reaction to nonanimal stabilized hyaluronic acid

Soft tissue augmentation has become a cornerstone of facial rejuvenation. The bovine collagens were historically considered the "gold standard" as they had an extensive safety history and were effective. However, because of their brief duration and the approximate 1.0% to 3.0% incidence of hypersensitivity, alternatives were sought. A new class of agents, the hyaluronans, was recently granted approval by the Food and Drug Administration. The hyaluronans are indicated for injection into the mid to deep dermis for correction of moderate to severe facial wrinkles and folds (eg, the nasolabial folds). The hyaluronans have two derivations: nonanimal stabilized hyaluronic acid (NASHA) and an additional formulation of avian origin. Both are considered major advancements as they are not species specific and therefore theoretically do not elicit humoral or cell-mediated immune reactions. To date there have been a few reports of allergic reactions to the NASHA hyaluronans, primarily to Restylane. We report what to our knowledge is the first hypersensitivity reaction to the second brand of NASHA, Captique.
Dispersion of χ(3) in polydiacetylene films from electroabsorption spectroscopy

Abstract Electroabsorption spectroscopy was carried out on a polydiacetylene, poly{[[8-butoxy carbonyl] methyl urethanyl]} 1-(5-pyrimidyl)-octa-1, 3-diyne (poly(BPOD)) film from 470 nm to 730 nm, and on a polydiacetylene poly-(butoxy-carbonylmethyleneurethane) (poly(4-BCMU)) film from 400 nm to 700 nm. The dispersion of the imaginary part of the complex χ eff (3) ′, which is a combination of χ 1133 (3) (ω;ω,0,0) and χ 3333 (3) (ω,ω,0,0), was directly determined from experiment. The real part of χ eff (3) ′ was calculated from its imaginary part by the Kramers-Kronig relation. The complex susceptibilities χ 1133 (3) (ω;ω,0,0) and χ 3333 (3) (ω;ω,0,0) were thus obtained from χ eff (3) ′ determined at normal and tilted incidence. The results for both polydiacetylene spin coated films satisfy χ 3333 (3) ≈ 1.5χ 1133 (3) , and are significantly different from the relation χ 3333 (3) = 3χ 1133 (3) , expected for an isotropic film. It indicates that the polymer chain segments in both polydiacetylene films lie mainly on the film plane instead of an isotropic distribution. The χ (3) values for both materials are of the order of 10 −11 esu. Some enhancement of nonlinearity of poly(BPOD) over poly(4-BCMU) is observed.
IMPINGEMENT CASTING PROCESS: TURBULENT MIXING IN AN IMPINGEMENT MIXER

ABSTRACT Theoretical analysis for turbulent mixing in an isotropic turbulent field was carried out. Depending on the material properties and flow field, either viscous shear force or dynamic pressure force breaks-up the globules. From an order of magnitude analysis, generalized equations for predicting globule sizes were derived. Experimental work on turbulent impingement mixing of kerosene and water revealed that macromixing and micromixing vary dramatically depending on the mixing chamber geometry. Best mixing (fast macromixing and small globule sizes) was obtained in an arrow shaped mixing chamber where the incoming jets were opposite to each other and slanted upward toward the mixing head. The coefficients of the equation for predicting the maximum globule size of immiscible liquids were obtained from the experimental results of arrow-shaped impingement mixers.
A Method of Differential Field Photometry by Video-Photographic Image Subtraction

A method is presented for subtracting two sequential images by a video technique. This procedure is applied to detect both rotational line-of-sight effects, and velocity fields around an active region (McMath plage No. 10181). The standard deviation of a velocity measurement was found to be ± 0.4 km/sec. This method appears to offer some advantages compared with the photographic subtraction process.
An application of game theory to special weapons evaluation

A metbed was introduced for combining the techniues of classical Lanchester theory of combat with those of game theory toward the end of selecting optimal strategies in combat with special weapons. In the application of this method to the example in which only the defender had atomic weapons,. it was showm that the attacker always chose either to disperse his troops the maximum amount or not to disperse his troops at all. The defender always chose to employ a mixed strategy consisting of the weapon systems of either two intermediate weapons or four small weapons. If both the defender amd attacker hnd access to atomic weapons, then the opticmal strategy for the attacker was to employ the weapon system consisting of four small weapons and to use a mixed stratregy for the dispersion of his troops. On the other hand, the defender never dispersed his troops amd always used a mixed strategy for tee - weapon systems. In the example where the defender has a fixed weapon system and chooses to optimize his aiming procedure, it was shown that the optimal aiming procedure does not involve only the aimimg procedures which are optimal against each of the fixed dispersion patternsmore » for the attacker. The model discussed in this paper is far from realistic, but the authors feel that certain interesting trends may be obtained by such elementary discussions. Two ways in which to approach more reslism are to introduce into the combat the time at which the different groups become engaged amd to obtain a more realistic model for the basic group. (auth)« less
Novel technetium ligands with affinity for the muscarinic cholinergic receptor

Abstract The synthesis and preliminary biological characterization of two isomeric technetium labeled complexes (2,5,5,9-tetramethyl-4,7-diaza-7-(3′ ( R )-quinuclidinylcarboxymethyl)-2,9-decanedithiolato oxo 9999m technetium(V), [ 9999m Tc]- 1 and [ 9999m Tc]- 2 ) designed to exhibit affinity to muscarinic cholinergic receptors are described. In vitro binding assays were conducted in mouse brain homogenates (whole brain-cerebellum) at 37 °C by the centrifugation method, where non-specific binding was defined by atropine (1 μM). The measured affinity ( K D ) of [ 99 Tc]- 1 for mAChR was 1.9 ± 0.5 μM (mean ± SEM; n = 3) and 99 Tc]- 2 was 4.5 + 0.5 μM (mean ± SEM; n = 3). Scatchard analysis indicated that B max values were 10.6 ± 0.5 and 16.9 ± 0.5 pmol/mg tissue, respectively. In competition assays, [ 99 Tc]- 1 exhibited an apparent affinity ( K 1 ) of 16.5 μM ( n = 2) against [ 125 I]iododexetimide, whereas [ 99 Tc]- 2 exhibited an affinity ( K 1 ) of 105 μM. In vivo , 0.3% of the injected dose of [ 99m Tc]- 1 and [ 99m Tc]- 2 accumulated in the brain at 5 min after injection. These values indicate technetium analogues of neuroreceptor binding ligands can be synthesized and retain some affinity for the receptor.
Methane Carbon Nanodots: Synthesis, Characterization, and Singlet Oxygen Production

Carbon nanodots are becoming a useful fluorescence label, due to their photophysics, small diameters, assorted synthetic pathways and relative non-toxic nature. These particles have shown to be a versatile fluorescent probe that can be used in various fields. By introducing plasmon supporting silver nanoparticles in close proximity to the carbon nanodots, the fluorescence and photophysics of these particles can be enhanced by Metal-Enhanced Fluorescence (MEF) [1].View Large Image | View Hi-Res Image | Download PowerPoint SlideIn the last few years our group has focused on understanding the photophysics of carbon nanodots and the use of Metal-Enhanced Fluorescence (MEF) to improve their optical properties. We've also studied singlet oxygen generation by carbon nanodots when optically pumped. The addition of “heavy atoms” increases the triplet yield of the nanodots, thus increases singlet oxygen production [2]. In this poster, we present our findings on methane produced carbon nanodots and their production of singlet oxygen with and without “heavy atoms” present.[1] Zhang, Y., Goncalves, H, Esteves, JCG and Geddes, CD (2011). Metal-Enhanced Photoluminescence from Carbon Dots. Chem. Commun., 47, 5313-5315.[2] Geddes, CD (2001). Optical halide sensing using fluorescence quenching: theory, simulations and applications_a review. Institute of Physics. Meas. Sci. Technol., 12(9), R53-R88.
Children as Global Citizens: A Socratic Approach to Teaching Character

Educators around the world are being challenged to promote positive global citizenship skills in the face of daily news concerning widespread discord, dissonance, injustice, and corruption. This article describes a Socratic approach to developing global citizenship. Recognizing the central role of teachers in educating future generations of a society, the authors highlight ways in which teachers can scaffold critical thinking skills among students. These skills could potentially help youth access global perspectives, challenge long-standing beliefs and norms, and build a common ground with people across the world. The Socratic seminars are designed to increase students' understanding and appreciation of social, cultural, and religious differences through critical thinking, careful listening, and thoughtful communication. Educators can universally employ such tools for positive character development among students as they help prepare responsible leaders of a global society.
Lipoprotein profiles and glucose tolerance in lean and obese chimpanzees

: We compared serum lipid profiles and glucose tolerance of obese and lean chimpanzees maintained on a 10.9% fat diet. Seven of 14 obese and 6 of 17 lean chimpanzees were hypercholesterolemic (low density lipoprotein cholesterol > 160 mg/dl), three obese and three lean animals had total cholesterol/high density lipoprotein cholesterol ratios of 5.9–10.7, and two obese and one lean chimpanzee had abnormal glucose tolerance. Useful numbers of captive chimpanzees thus exhibit metabolic abnormalities without recourse to high fat diets and could serve as surrogates in studies of human metabolic diseases.
Plasma and tissue electrolytes of rats given excess sodium chloride in food.

SummaryRats were fed diets containing excess sodium chloride and examined for changes in water and electrolyte contents. Blood pressure elevation did not occur even after 56 weeks, but body weight varied inversely with the quantity of sodium chloride in the diet. Significant water and electrolyte changes were an increase in sodium, potassium and chloride and a decrease in water content of aorta.
Approximate variance formulas for standardized rate ratios

Some of the techniques which are used to estimate the variance of and confidence intervals for standardized rate ratios either ignore variability of comparison rates or tend to yield confidence intervals which are too narrow when the point estimate is substantially different from one. This paper presents non-iterative, asymptotic formulas for the variance of standardized rate ratios which are applicable when the comparison rates should not be treated as constants, or when the point estimate differs substantially from the null value.
Endoscopic mucosal resection as a staging technique to determine the depth of invasion of esophageal adenocarcinoma.

Abstract Background Endoscopic ablation and vagal-sparing esophagectomy offer the potential for reduced morbidity in patients with high-grade dysplasia or early esophageal adenocarcinoma, but neither includes a lymphadenectomy. Although adequate for intramucosal tumors, both are potentially inadequate for patients with submucosal tumor invasion given the high prevalence of nodal metastases with these lesions. Currently there is no test including endoscopic ultrasound that can accurately determine whether a small tumor is confined to the mucosa or has penetrated into the submucosa. The aim of this study was to compare the pathologic depth of invasion by endoscopic mucosal resection with findings and outcome after surgical resection to assess the accuracy and reliability of endoscopic mucosal resection for staging early esophageal adenocarcinoma. Methods From 2001 to 2003, 7 patients presented with small, endoscopically visible adenocarcinomas. All underwent endoscopic mucosal resection followed by surgical resection. Results Analysis of the resected specimens confirmed that the endoscopic mucosal resection had accurately determined the depth of tumor invasion in all patients, and had completely excised the lesion in all but 1 patient (86%). Lymph node dissection was included as part of the resection in 2 patients with submucosal invasion by endoscopic mucosal resection, and a vagal-sparing esophagectomy was used in the 5 patients with only intramucosal tumors. All patients are alive and disease-free at a median follow-up of 7 months. Conclusions Endoscopic mucosal resection accurately determines the depth of tumor invasion, and should be used as a staging procedure in patients with early esophageal cancer when therapies that do not include a lymphadenectomy are considered.
Ethanol modulates mammalian circadian clock phase resetting through extrasynaptic GABA receptor activation.

Abstract Ethanol modulates the actions of multiple neurotransmitter systems, including GABA. However, its enhancing effects on GABA signaling typically are seen only at high concentrations. In contrast, although GABA is a prominent neurotransmitter in the circadian clock of the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), we see ethanol modulation of clock phase resetting at low concentrations ( A receptors that contain the δ subunit (GABA Aδ receptors), which are sensitive to low ethanol concentrations. Therefore, we investigated whether ethanol acts on GABA Aδ receptors in the SCN. Here we show that acute application of the GABA Aδ receptor antagonist, RO15-4513, to mouse hypothalamic slices containing the SCN prevents ethanol inhibition of nighttime glutamate-induced (photic-like) phase delays of the circadian clock. Diazepam, which enhances activity of GABA A receptors containing the γ subunit (GABA Aγ receptors), does not modulate these phase shifts. Moreover, we find that RO15-4513 prevents ethanol enhancement of daytime serotonergic (non-photic) phase advances of the circadian clock. Furthermore, diazepam phase-advances the SCN circadian clock when applied alone in the daytime, while ethanol has no effect by itself at that time. These data support the hypothesis that ethanol acts on GABA Aδ receptors in the SCN to modulate photic and non-photic circadian clock phase resetting. They also reveal distinct modulatory roles of different GABA A receptor subtypes in circadian clock phase regulation.
The Grooming Invitation Dance of the Honey Bee

The grooming invitation dance is a striking behavior in honey bee colonies that has not been extensively studied. The objectives of this study were (1) to describe the dance through video analysis, (2) to test the functional hypothesis that it is a grooming solicitation signal, and (3) to analyze the stimuli that cause its production. A worker bee producing the grooming invitation dance stands stationary and vibrates her whole body from side-to-side at a frequency of 4.2 ± 0.2 Hz for 9.3 ± 1.0 s. Sometimes the bee mixes bouts of body vibration with brief bouts of self-grooming (average duration = 1.4 s). Bees that perform the grooming invitation dance have a far higher probability of being quickly groomed by a nest mate than do bees that do not perform the dance. Bees that had chalk dust puffed onto the bases of their wings produced significantly more grooming invitation dances than did control bees that received only puffs of air. This shows that it may be the accumulation of small particles at the bases of the wings that normally triggers the dance. We suggest that the evolutionary origin of this signal is self-grooming behavior.
37 A comparison of the plume model with currently used models for atmospheric fluidized bed combustion

Abstract Models in the literature for fluidized bed coal combustors are tabulated and examined with regard to their critical assumptions. These models are shown to not represent, even qualitatively, the expected behavior of the large scale atmospheric fluidized bed combustor (AFBC) with its large-particle tube-filled beds operated at high gas velocity. This paper focuses on the plume model which has been specifically developed to represent the AFBC. The assumptions, main features and simplification of this model are presented, as well as its predictions for carbon efficiency and temperature jump in the freeboard.
Conflicts between commercial and scientific interests in pharmaceutical advertising for medical journals.

In 1992, researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles, published a study on the scientific merit and validity of pharmaceutical advertisements in medical journals. Their results led them to conclude, provocatively, that many pharmaceutical advertisements contained deficiencies in areas in which the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had established explicit standards of quality. This article provides a detailed account of third-party reactions to the study following its publication in the Annals of Internal Medicine, as well as the implications for those involved, including the authors, editors, and publisher. The increasingly diverging interests between medical journal editors and publishers are also discussed and highlighted by two recent cases of editors' departures from prominent general-interest medical journals.
Polarization gradient in elastic dielectrics

Abstract By inclusion of the polarization gradient in the stored energy function of elastic dielectrics, the classical theory of piezoelectricity is extended to accommodate an electro-mechanical interaction in centrosymmetric (including isotropic) materials and a surface energy of deformation and polarization.
Thymic Carcinoma Presenting as Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation

Thymomas and thymic carcinomas are rare tumors, which originate from the epithelial cells of the thymus. We present a case of thymic carcinoma, which presented with DIC as an initial manifestation. DIC improved with corticosteroid treatment and thymic carcinoma was amendable to chemoradiation.
Determination of the profile of a growing droplet

The profile of a growing droplet was determined with a pressure balance which was similar to that derived by Laplace for the static droplet. An additional term was added to the balance to account for the pressure on the interface due to the motion of the fluid within the droplet. The entire pressure balance was then combined with differential equations describing the geometry of the droplet. Computed profiles compared favorably with those obtained experimentally. An additional result was the definition of a parameter, f, indicating the importance of internal fluid motion on the shape of the profile. A method of estimating this parameter without solving the equations was developed.
Evaluation of the RIPP-6 Violence Prevention Program at a Rural Middle School

Abstract The effectiveness of the sixth grade component of Responding In Peaceful and Positive Ways (RIPP-6), a universal violence prevention program originally developed for urban middle schools that serve a predominantly African American student population, was evaluated at a school serving an ethnically diverse population in rural Florida. RIPP-6 was implemented with students assigned to one pod within the school; students within the other pod provided a comparison group. Both pods received the seventh grade RIPP curriculum the following year. Outcomes were assessed using a battery of measures completed by students at pretest, posttest, and 1-year follow-up. Compared with students in the comparison group, students who participated in RIPP-6 reported significantly lower approval of violent behavior, more peer support for nonviolent behaviors, less peer pressure to use drugs, and greater knowledge of the intervention at posttest. They also reported significantly lower posttest frequencies of physical agg...
Occurrence of tetracycline resistance genes in aquaculture facilities with varying use of oxytetracycline

The contribution of human activities to environmental reservoirs of antibiotic resistance is poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to determine if oxytetracycline (OTC) use in aquaculture facilities increased the detection frequency (i.e., prevalence) of tetracycline resistance (tetR) genes relative to facilities with no recent OTC treatment. We used polymerase chain reaction to screen water and sediment from four noncommercial fish farms in northwestern Wisconsin for the presence of ten tetR determinants: tet(A), tet(B), tet(D), tet(E), tet(G), tet(M), tet(O), tet(Q), tet(S), and tet(W). Water from farms with recent OTC use had significantly higher tetR detection frequencies than did water from farms without recent OTC use, with prevalence in raceways and rearing ponds of farms with recent OTC use exceeding by more than twofold that of farms not using OTC. Effluent from all farms, regardless of treatment regime, had higher tetR detection frequencies than their corresponding influent for all genes, but the specific combinations of tetR genes detected in a sample were not different from their corresponding influent. Although OTC use was associated with the increased occurrence and diversity of tetR genes in water samples, it was not found to relate to tetR gene occurrence in sediment samples. Sediment samples from facilities with no recent OTC use had significantly higher frequencies of tetR gene detection than did samples from facilities with recent OTC use. All of the tetR genes were detected in both the medicated and nonmedicated feed samples analyzed in this study. These findings suggest that both OTC treatment in aquaculture facilities and the farms themselves may be sources of tetR gene introduction to the environment. To our knowledge, this is the first study to use genotypic and cultivation-independent methods to examine tetR gene occurrence associated with OTC use in aquaculture.
A short proof of the existence of k-saturated partitions of partially ordered sets

Abstract The theorem of Greene and Kleitman concerning the existence of k -saturated partitions for any partially ordered set P is proved by applying Dilworth's theorem to the product partial order of P with a chain of length k .
Creep and dimensional stability of high purity niobium electron-beam welds

Abstract A study was conducted to characterize the microstructure of electron beam welds in high purity niobium and its effect on creep behaviour at room temperature. The parent material was 2 mm sheet with a 50 μm grain size. The weld fusion zone had ∼1 mm grains, implying that these grains all intersected the free surface. The parent material showed no room temperature creep deformation below the yield stress, but room temperature creep of weld specimens caused up to 10% strain in the weld region at ∼75% of the yield strength, over 1–2 months. Creep deformation was not smooth or continuous; the strain saturated at some value, and then after an incubation time, the strain increased and saturated again several times over 1–2 months. The magnitude of the strain for several specimens was similar but the creep deformation behavior was highly dependent on the actual microstructure and loading history. An initial prestrain with unloading shut down the creep deformation mechanism at the prior stress due to a dislocation-locking effect. The local stresses in the weld fusion zone arose from anisotropic elastic interactions due to different crystal orientations that caused local regions to exceed the yield strength.