cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Tim Jordan, Information Politics: Liberation and Exploitation in the Digital Society

In 2009, Tim Jordan wrote that “the possibilities for power and society in times of digital media and the Internet are still not well understood” (Jordan, 2009, p. 1). In Internet years, that may as well have been a lifetime ago. Six years on, such disparate and bewildering events as WikiLeaks (2010 and onward), the Arab Spring (2011), the Snowden revelations (2013), the hacking of Sony Pictures (2014), and most recently, the theft of unimaginable amounts of information on U.S. federal employees by (allegedly) Chinese hackers (2015) have given us a palpable sense of what is possible in this brave new digital world. Odds are there will be a new case to add to the list before this review is published. Meanwhile, governments, corporations, and civil society continue to spar, both publicly and behind the scenes, over tradeoffs between privacy, free expression, public safety, and national security. Individuals, too, are embroiled in these politics of information, grappling daily with the intrusion of the digital into daily life at home, at work, and at play.
On the positivity of correlations in nonequilibrium spin systems

We consider Ising spin systems, equivalently lattice gases evolving under discrete- or continuous-time Markov processes, i.e., “stochastic cellular automata” or “interacting particle systems.” We show that for certain spin-flip probabilities or rates and suitable initial states the expectation values of products of spin variables taken at equal or different times are nonnegative; they satisfy the same inequalities as the equal-time correlations of ferromagnetic systems in equilibrium (first Griffiths inequality). Extensions of FKG inequalities to time-displaced correlations are also discussed.
Conformational studies of aqueous melittin: collisional quenching of tryptophan-19 fluorescence in melittin

Abstract Conformational changes in melittin during self-association were investigated by monitoring the quenching of fluorescence of the single tryptophan residue. Acrylamide and the monovalent ions, Cs + and I − , quench melittin by a diffusion-controlled, collisional mechanism, as judged by the viscosity dependence of the process. The quenching constants ( K Q ) for monomeric melittin suggest the tryptophan residue is fully solvent exposed. Formation of a soluble melittin tetramer decreases the accessibility of tryptophan to quenching, most dramatically for Cs + . The relationship of K Q and pH indicates that monomeric melittin has ionization constants of 10 −6.8 and 10 −8.7 M which affect quenching. The acidic and basic forms of melittin have conformations which hinder collisional quenching. The melittin tetramer also has a pH-dependent change in Trp-19 quenching, with two protonic ionizations of 10 −7.4 M which lead to a conformation with lower Trp exposure upon deprotonation. The p K values obtained for collisional quenching are in excellent agreement with values obtained by chemical reactivity (Quay, S.C. and Tronson, L.P. (1983) Biochemistry 22, 700), and suggest that Lys-21 and -23 are responsible for the pH-dependent conformational changes which affect Trp-19 accessibility. The presence of phosphate or pyrophosphate ion leads to melittin conformations with lowered solvent exposure of Trp-19. The lowered accessibility of Trp-19 upon tetramerization supports the hypothesis that tetramer formation involves association of the nonpolar face of the amphipathic helix of melittin by hydrophobic interactions.
Improved automated brachytherapy seed localization in trans-urethral ultrasound data

The utility of Trans-urethral ultrasound(TUUS) for permanent prostate brachytherapy is dependent on the quality of the data acquired. Previous work on Trans-urethral ultrasound suggested that TUUS acquires higher quality images than Trans-rectal ultrasound. Manual segmentation of TUUS data limits the utility of TUUS intra-operative, however, automated segmentation methods can be used to reduce the processing time. This research describes a segmentation paradigm which incorporates a priori information about the implanted seeds in order to provide a reasonable segmentation. The segmentation framework incorporates information about the size, shape, and orientation of the seeds. The paradigm integrates this information using fuzzy inference rules. The results show that the automated method is at least 4 times faster than manual segmentation. The sensitivity and specificity of the method were 76% and 93%, respectively. The decrease sensitivity is acceptable because it is the specificity which is more critical in determining if adequate dose has been delivered. Future work with this method will increase accuracy by incorporating additional information about the seeds.
MDMA and Memory: The Acute and Chronic Effects of MDMA in Pigeons Performing under a Delayed-Matching-to-Sample Procedure

The purpose of the present study was to examine the acute and chronic effects of (±)3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) in pigeons responding under a delayed-matching-to-sample procedure with 0-, 3-, and 6-s delays. In the absence of drug, accuracy (percent correct responses) was inversely related to delay length. When administered pre-chronically, MDMA (0.32–5.6 mg/kg) generally decreased accuracy and response rates at doses of 3.2 mg/kg and above. Although humans report a distinct “hangover” when exposure to MDMA ends, performance of pigeons in the present study did not deteriorate when the chronic regimen ended, indicating an absence of behavioral dependence on the drug. Tolerance developed following chronic exposure to 3.2 mg/kg. In general, greater tolerance occurred at the 0-s delay than at longer delays. Although MDMA is reported to have neurotoxic effects, it does not inevitably produce long-lasting or cumulative behavioral impairment.
Utilizing preferential vaporization to enhance the stability of spray combustion for high water content fuels

Abstract In a previous study on the stability of spray combustion for mixtures of alcohols (ethanol or 1-propanol) and water, the feasibility of burning fuels heavily diluted with water was demonstrated. In that study it was found that the preferential vaporization of alcohols in water can significantly enhance flame stability. Due to their high volatility and high activity coefficient in aqueous solution, the alcohols quickly evaporate from the droplets and generate a concentrated fuel vapor at the base of the jet. Therefore, a flame can be ignited and stabilize even though the water content of the fuel is quite high (up to 90 wt%) (Yi and Axelbaum, 2013). In this study, we develop a procedure for selecting chemical fuels showing strong preferential vaporization in water. t-Butanol was identified as an excellent candidate based on its physical and chemical properties, including activity coefficient, vapor pressure, heat of vaporization and heat of combustion. Flame stability was evaluated for aqueous solutions of both ethanol and t-butanol using a spray burner where the extent of swirl was adjustable. Under both high and low swirl intensity, the flame stability of t-butanol aqueous solutions was better than that of ethanol. The characteristic time for fuel release from a droplet was modeled for both ethanol and t-butanol. The time to release 99% of the fuel from the droplet for t-butanol is over 70% shorter compared to that for ethanol, which supports the improved flame stability observed for t-butanol in the experiments.
Linear orderings and powers of characterizable cardinals

Abstract We say that a countable model M completely characterizes an infinite cardinal κ , if the Scott sentence of M has a model in cardinality κ , but no models in cardinality κ + . If a structure M completely characterizes κ , κ is called characterizable. In this paper, we concern ourselves with cardinals that are characterizable by linearly ordered structures (cf. Definition 2.1). Under the assumption of GCH, Malitz completely resolved the problem by showing that κ is characterizable if and only if κ = ℵ α , for some α ω 1 (cf. Malitz (1968) [7] and Baumgartner (1974) [1] ). Our results concern the case where GCH fails. From Hjorth (2002) [3] , we can deduce that if κ is characterizable, then κ + is characterizable by a densely ordered structure (see Theorem 2.4 and Corollary 2.5). We show that if κ is homogeneously characterizable (cf. Definition 2.2), then κ is characterizable by a densely ordered structure, while the converse fails (Theorem 2.3). The main theorems are (1) If κ > 2 λ is a characterizable cardinal, λ is characterizable by a densely ordered structure and λ is the least cardinal such that κ λ > κ , then κ λ is also characterizable (Theorem 5.4) and (2) if ℵ α and κ ℵ α are characterizable cardinals, then the same is true for κ ℵ α + β , for all countable β (Theorem 5.5). Combining these two theorems we get that if κ > 2 ℵ α is a characterizable cardinal, ℵ α is characterizable by a densely ordered structure and ℵ α is the least cardinal such that κ ℵ α > κ , then for all β α + ω 1 , κ ℵ β is characterizable (Theorem 5.7). Also if κ is a characterizable cardinal, then κ ℵ α is characterizable, for all countable α (Corollary 5.6). This answers a question of the author in Souldatos (submitted for publication) [8] .
Fine root dynamics across a chronosequence of upland temperate deciduous forests.

Following a major disturbance event in forests that removes most of the standing vegetation, patterns of fine root growth, mortality, and decomposition may be altered from the pre-disturbance conditions. The objective of this study was to describe the changes in the seasonal and spatial dynamics of fine root growth, mortality, and decomposition that occur following removal of standing forest vegetation. Four upland temperate deciduous forest stands in southern Indiana, USA were chosen for this study. The ages of the stands, as represented as the number of growing seasons since forest overstory removal, were 4, 10, and 29 years at the beginning of the study in 1995. A mature stand, about 80-100 years since last harvest, was chosen to represent the pre-harvest conditions. A combination of soil cores and ingrowth cores were used to assess stand-level rates of fine root growth, mortality, and decomposition. Results show that fine root growth increases significantly after harvesting, but declines as the stand matures. In all stands, fine root mortality and decomposition are nearly equal to or greater than fine root growth. Fine root growth in the A horizon (0-8 cm) is significantly greater than in the B horizon (8-30 cm) in the 4, 29, and 80-100-year-old stands. In the 4- and 10-year-old stands fine root growth in the A horizon peaks earlier in the year than in the B horizon. Fine root biomass recovers rapidly in these upland hardwood stands following forest removal due to high rates of fine root growth; however, the distribution of fine root growth between the A and B soil horizons differs from pre-harvest conditions during the first 10-30 years.
Do wives’ work hours hurt husbands’ health? Reassessing the care work deficit thesis ☆

Abstract Prior research suggests that wives’ full-time employment harms husbands’ health because employed wives have less time to promote their husbands’ salubrious behavior (“care work deficit thesis” (CWDT)). In this manuscript, I analyze couple-level, longitudinal Health and Retirement Study data to assess whether evidence for the CWDT is robust to an array of sensitivity tests and correction of limitations from prior research. Specifically, I account for methodological/measurement limitations (i.e. proxy reporting), causal ordering/selection concerns (i.e. retirement and reverse causation), and conceptual issues (i.e. wives’ income vs. wives’ hours affecting husbands’ health). The results provide strong and repeated evidence that prior support for the CWDT is due to conceptual and model misspecification. In other words, the results indicate that wives’ full-time work hours do not harm husbands’ health. However, further analyses suggest that wives’ and husbands’ income may differently affect husbands’ health, underscoring the need for gendered analyses of income and health within marriage.
Lanthanum carbonate versus standard therapy for the treatment of hyperphosphatemia: safety and efficacy in chronic maintenance hemodialysis patients.

Aims: No conventional phosphate binder is entirely satisfactory for the treatment of hyperphosphatemia in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Consequently, there is a need for new agents. One such agent is lanthanum carbonate (La). This large-scale study compares the safety of La with standard therapy (any approved phosphate binder) in patients who were treated for up to 2 years. Efficacy, having previously been demonstrated, was a secondary endpoint. Materials and methods: After washout, patients were randomized to receive La (n = 682) or their pre-study phosphate binder (n = 677). Over a 6-week period, La was titrated to a maximum daily dose of 3,000 mg elemental lanthanum (serum phosphorus target levels for titration were ≤ 5.9 mg/dl (1.90 mmol/l)). Safety assessments included adverse events (AEs), full laboratory parameters and blood profiles. Efficacy assessments included serum phosphorus, calcium, calcium × phosphorus product and parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels. Results: Average treatment exposure was greater in the standard therapy group (501.4 days) than in the La group (370.3 days) because standard therapy patients who switched or combined treatments were allowed to continue in the study. The most common AEs were gastrointestinal. The incidences of AEs in the La and treatment exposure-corrected standard therapy groups were nausea, 37 versus 29%; vomiting, 27 versus 22% and diarrhea (24% in each group). Hypercalcemia that was reported as an AE (La versus treatment exposure-corrected standard therapy) occurred in 4.3% and 8.4% of patients, respectively. There was no indication of liver toxicity, suppression of erythropoiesis or changes in the mini-mental state examination. Over 2 years, phosphorus control was similar in both groups; in the La group, however, serum calcium was lower and serum PTH levels were maintained in the range recommended by the National Kidney Foundation Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (K/DOQI). Conclusions: The 2-year tolerability and efficacy of La are similar to those seen with standard therapy, although lower serum calcium levels and improved PTH levels were observed in the La group. These results support La as a viable new option for the management of hyperphosphatemia in ESRD.
Cultured and wild American eels, Anguilla rostrata: Fat content and fatty acid composition

Abstract The fat content and the fatty acid composition of the total lipid and the neutral and polar lipid fractions from wild and cultured eels, and of the culture diets, were compared. Differences in fatty acid composition between elvers and adult wild eels were probably influenced by season and natural diet while differences with 4-week old cultured eels denoted growth and specific dietary factors. Eels cultured in earthen ponds for 18 months on fish meal had over 14.7% fat in the muscle tissue; during the same season, wild eels averaged less than 3.5% fat. The fatty acid composition of the neutral lipid fraction from both wild and cultured eels was influenced by diet. The fatty acid composition of the polar lipid fraction from both wild and cultured eels was similar except for variations in polyenoic acid. High fat content in eels is a favorable marketable quality which influences wholesale price and consumer acceptance. Through diet, the fat content and the fatty acid composition of American eels can be manipulated to enhance the economic feasibility of eel aquaculture in North America.
Using 3-D terrain maps to improve fixed-site surveillance

Over the past years, three-dimensional (3-D) terrain mapping technology has improved to the degree that it is now extremely useful for site surveillance applications. Resolution and accuracy in absolute (world) coordinates of 1 m or better are now available. City-size areas can be collected and high-quality maps produced in a few days at reasonable cost. Maps are already available for many sites of interest and availability will increase as costs continue to drop and more applications are developed for them. The 3-D maps are useful in all phases of site security. I show how the maps are useful for planning, where they allow easy delineation of the areas to be monitored and optimum sensor placements. I show how the maps can be used for target detection algorithms, where the portions of each sensor's field of view that fall outside the area to be monitored can be masked out to reduce false alarms. Also, since the range to the map is known for each pixel within the sensor field of view, the scale of any potential target is also known and algorithms do not have to accommodate a wide range of potential target sizes. Finally, I show how electro-optical/infrared imagery can be projected onto the 3-D map to provide context. Previous detections, target tracks, and other information can also be added to the display to enhance its value. I have worked with a map of the Adelphi site of the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, projecting electro-optical and infrared imagery onto it with very encouraging results. I have also calculated sightlines for a radar considered for the roof of our main building. The tools are practical with current hardware at reasonable prices.
Determination of free and protein-bound glutathione in HepG2 cells using capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence detection.

Abstract A rapid method using capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence detection (CE-LIF) was developed to determine free and protein-bound glutathione (GSH) in human HepG2 hepatocarcinoma cells. The samples were derivatized with 5-iodoacetamidofluorescein (5-IAF), and analyzed at 22 kV using sodium phosphate buffer (10 mM, pH 11.4) and an uncoated 58 cm × 75 μm I.D. fused silica capillary. The analysis time was less than 10 min and N -acetylcysteine was used as internal standard. The derivatization conditions, such as reaction time, 5-IAF concentration, running buffer and cartridge temperature were optimized. Argon gas was used in the study to prevent the oxidization of GSH during sample preparation. The optimized method required only 30–40 nl sample per analysis and was fast and sensitive. The method was applied to the analyses of HepG2 cells treated with the small metal chelating agent, pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC). The results demonstrate that the amount of protein-bound GSH, which reflects the amount of protein S -glutathionylation, increased in a time-dependent manner upon cell treatment with PDTC, reaching a maximum of over 50% increase 2 h post-PDTC.
Damping of two-reservoir superfluid4He film oscillations below 1 K

Abstract We report the observation of two distinct rates of decay for superfluid 4 He film oscillations below 1 K. An initial high decay rate may be consistent with that seen by others. A subsequent, previously unobserved, much lower decay rate is closer to that predicted by the Robinson theory.
Totally Laparoscopic Pancreaticoduodenectomy for Pancreatic Head Cancer with Involvement of the Superior Mesenteric Vein-Portal Vein Confluence

Laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy is a technically demanding procedure. In this video, we dem- onstrate the technical aspects of performing the procedure. In a 50-year-old male with ascending cholangitis, endo- scopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography was unsuccessful, and percutaneous transhepatic cholangiog- raphy was carried out for biliary decompression. Endoscopic ultrasound plus fine-needle aspiration showed pancreatic head adenocarcinoma. The procedure was car- ried out using five trocars, and extensive lymphadenectomy was undertaken. The uncinate process was skeletonized off the superior mesenteric artery. The right lateral aspect of the superior mesenteric vein-portal vein confluence was involved with the cancer. The laparoscopic linear stapler was used to transect part of the vein en bloc with the specimen. All margins were negative and all the anasto- moses were done using laparoscopic intracorporeal suturing. Operative time was 8 h 20 min, and hospital stay was 5 days. Final pathology was T3 N1 (one lymph node out of 40 was positive). Conclusion. Laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy can be performed safely in selected cases of pancreatic head cancer with vascular involvement. Skilled laparoscopic skills are necessary to execute such procedures safely.
Predictors of Turnover Intention Among Staff in Juvenile Correctional Facilities The Relevance of Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment

Staff turnover poses challenges for many correctional organizations. Though a growing body of research exists on turnover intention in adult corrections, few studies have examined the topic in juvenile corrections, and none have measured organizational commitment—a variable known to predict turnover intent in adult corrections. Using survey data, this study examines the utility of personal characteristics, work environment variables, and job attitudes in predicting intentions of staff in juvenile correctional facilities to quit their jobs within 12 months following survey administration. Job satisfaction and organizational commitment were the best predictors. In turn, considerable variability in these two job attitudes was explained by work environment variables. Implications are discussed for future research and for improving the work environment to better control turnover.
Olfactory orientation responses by walking femaleIps paraconfusus bark beetles I. Chemotaxis assay.

Gas-liquid chromatography of the air within the arena developed for this assay showed that a concentration gradient was established within 1–2 min of applying the pheromone (ipsenol, ipsdienol,cis-verbenol), and that this gradient was nearly constant for 20–95 min after application. The concentration fell rapidly and approximately exponentially between the source and the center of the arena. Turning rate and the number of beetles that reached the source increased, and heading with respect to the source decreased, in the presence of pheromone. Responses of beetles that did and did not reach the source were significantly different, but within each group there were no significant differences among dosages. Turning rate and heading varied little with distance from the source, while walking rate decreased as distance from the release point of the beetles increased. We hypothesize that dosage exerts its major effect on source location by altering the probability that a beetle will enter into orientation behavior and that beetles orienting to sources have similar behaviors even when orienting to a wide range of dosages.
Correction of dispersion and the betatron functions in the CEBAF accelerator

During the commissioning of the CEBAF accelerator, correction of dispersion and momentum compaction, and, to a lesser extent, transverse transfer matrices were essential for robust operation. With changing machine conditions, repeated correction was found necessary. To speed the diagnostic process the authors developed a method which allows one to rapidly track the machine optics. The method is based on measuring the propagation of 30 Hz modulated betatron oscillations downstream of a point of perturbation. Compared to the usual methods of dispersion or difference orbit measurement, synchronous detection of the beam displacement, as measured by beam position monitors, offers significantly improved speed and accuracy of the measurements. The beam optics of the accelerator was altered to decrease lattice sensitivity at critical points and to simplify control of the betatron function match. The calculation of the Courant-Snyder invariant from signals of each pair of nearby beam position monitors has allowed one to perform on-line measurement and correction of the lattice properties.
Linear Stability Analysis of a Non-premixed Buoyant Jet Flame

Non-premixed combustion systems are susceptible to hydrodynamic and diusivethermal instabilities. These instabilities are of practical interest as they can assist in enhancing scalar mixing and turbulent transition. Linear stability theory has been used in the past to characterize the response of non-premixed ames to per
An alternative management system for Alaska Reindeer Herds

Abstract Extensive reindeer-herd management is generally conducted in conjunction with traditional subsistence activities. Herd ownership is restricted to Alaska's indigenous people and herd output includes meat, primarily for local consumption, and velvet antlers for export. Our approach is to define the extensive management system, then model intensive herd management using a profit-maximising, linear-programming framework. This allows estimation of the economic advantage of moving from extensive to intensive management. We determined that a substantial opportunity cost exists when the major emphasis of the herd owner is placed on subsistence activities. Given a high price for velvet antlers, herd composition under the intensive-management scheme concentrates on older animals because they produce heavier antlers. With intensive management, meat production is reduced compared with extensive management; however, with the present range-carrying, numbers of animals under intensive management could be increased, thereby expanding the output of reindeer meat by 60%.
Aromatase inhibitors: effective endocrine therapy in the early adjuvant setting for postmenopausal women with hormone-responsive breast cancer

Early breast cancer now has a relatively good prognosis, with many affected women surviving for over a decade. In hormone-receptor-positive (HR+) disease, adjuvant tamoxifen therapy has had a particularly strong impact on outcomes over the past 30 years, preventing approximately half of all expected recurrences and a third of all breast cancer deaths. For many years, adjuvant tamoxifen for 5 years was the standard treatment for HR+ disease. However, de novo and acquired resistance is common, and many patients will experience a relapse while on tamoxifen, indicating the need for more effective agents to treat HR+ breast cancer. Furthermore, tamoxifen is associated with potentially life-threatening side effects, including thromboembolic disease and endometrial cancer which, together with decreasing efficacy, limit tamoxifen to 5 years. In recent years, the third-generation aromatase inhibitors (AI) have demonstrated superior efficacy to tamoxifen as adjuvant therapy for HR+ early breast cancer in postmenopausal women. In large, randomized, controlled trials, upfront substitution of tamoxifen with an AI for 5 years or switching to an AI after 2–3 years of tamoxifen have been shown to significantly reduce recurrences compared with 5 years of tamoxifen. The benefits of sequential endocrine therapy with tamoxifen followed by an AI and vice versa are unconfirmed. Adjuvant AI therapy was well tolerated, with side effects being generally predictable and more manageable than those associated with tamoxifen. Whether clinical differences exist between anastrozole, letrozole and exemestane has yet to be confirmed in head-to-head trials, but available data suggest that letrozole may be particularly effective in patients with node-positive disease or those who have received adjuvant chemotherapy, that is, patients at increased risk of an early relapse. Furthermore, upfront letrozole, but not anastrozole, significantly reduced distant metastases, a well-recognized predictor of breast cancer death. The optimal treatment regimen requires clarification, and ongoing studies will provide further information regarding the optimum treatment strategy to gain the greatest clinical impact from the AIs in the adjuvant setting.
Asymptotic behavior of the efficiencies in Mie scattering

Consideration is given to the asymptotic behavior of the Mie scattering and extinction efficiencies for large absorbing spheres as sphere size approaches infinity. It is shown that the method used by Chylek (1975) for evaluating the infinite sums over the Mie partial wave coefficients representing these efficiencies and proving that the extinction efficiency approaches 2 is invalid, despite the correctness of the result, and that the limiting expression for the scattering efficiency obtained by this method is also incorrect. An analytical expression is then derived from geometrical optics considerations for the scattering efficiency limit which is valid when the imaginary component of the refractive index is much less than 1.
Cytotoxic Cardiac Glycosides and Other Compounds from Asclepias syriaca

Phytochemical investigation of the dried biomass of Asclepias syriaca afforded five new compounds (1–5), along with 19 known structures. Overall, the secondary metabolites isolated and identified from this plant showed a wide structural diversity including pentacyclic triterpenes, cardiac glycosides, flavonoid glycosides, lignans, a phenylethanoid, and a glycosylated megastigmane. In addition, the isolates were tested against the cancer breast cell line Hs578T, and those showing IC50 values lower than 50 μM (1 and 6–9) were further investigated in three additional breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7, T47D, and Sk-Br-3) and the normal breast cell line Hs578Bst.
In-Situ strain measurement by photoelastic bar gages, 1. The method

Abstract A technique is described for measuring recoverable strain in situ using bridged photoelastic bar gages and a simple reflecting polariscope. Rosettes of 0.2 × 0.4 × 4-cm bars are bonded to the rock for 0.6 cm at each end. Change in strain is measured following overcoring with a 10-cm bit. Correction for strains in the order of 30 · 10 −6 /°C, due to differential thermal expansion between rock and gage, are made by monitoring dummy gages mounted on free blocks. Bar gages have been satisfactorily tested against foil resistance gages. Rosettes mounted closely adjacent on a free granite block showed a reasonable homogeneity of response.
Neutral Nickel(II)-Based Catalysts for Ethylene Polymerization

Neutral salicylaldiminato Ni(II) complexes have been synthesized, and their structure has been confirmed by an X-ray analysis of complex 4e. These compounds are active catalysts for the polymerization of ethylene under mild conditions in the presence of a phosphine scavenger such as Ni(COD)_2 or B(C_6F_5)_3.
Fetal hemoglobin synthesis in vivo: direct evidence for control at the level of erythroid progenitors

To test directly whether the control of fetal hemoglobin (HbF) in the adult takes place at the level of erythroid progenitors or at the level of erythroblasts, we treated animals with high doses of erythropoietin and examined the effects of this manipulation on the globin gene programs of erythroid progenitors. We found that administration of erythropoietin produced a rapid expansion of all classes of erythroid progenitors. Almost all the expansion of colony-forming units-erythroid and 46-56% of erythroid clusters was due to the increase of HbF-programmed erythroid progenitors. The expansion of HbF-programmed erythroid progenitors was followed, 2-3 days later, by a wave of reticulocytes containing HbF in the peripheral blood. These results provide direct in vivo evidence that fetal-globin expression in the adult is controlled at the level of erythroid progenitors.
Induced transcription of the mouse beta-globin transcription unit in erythroleukemia cells. Time-course of induction and of changes in chromatin structure.

The transcription of the β-globin genes in mouse erythroleukemia cells has beenexamined by hybridizing labeled RNA obtained from isolated nuclei after chain elongation in the presence of [α- 32 P]UTP. There is induction of at least 30-fold of β maj globin transcription after cells are treated with either dimethylsulfoxide or hexamethylene bisacetamide. The induction requires 36 to 48 hours to be maximal, during which time the cells double about three to four times. During this time, a site in the β maj DNA region becomes hypersensitive to DNase. The development of this hypersensitive site is co-ordinate with the transcriptional increase. The induced transcripts in the β-globin region are α-amanitin-sensitive (and therefore are RNA polymerase II products). An examination of weak transcriptional signals to DNA fragments upstream of the β maj globin gene in uninduced mouse erythroleukemia cells and in cells that do not make globin is also reported. The low level of hybridization to the upstream regions in uninduced erythroleukemia cells, in L cells (a fibroblast) and in a strain of erythroleukemia cells that no longer make globin are not equally sensitive to α-amanitin as in the induced signal. These experiments help define the inducible transcription unit for β maj globin mRNA production.
Efficiency Improvements to the Displacement Based Multilevel Structural Optimization Algorithm

Multilevel Structural Optimization (MSO) continues to be an area of research interest in engineering optimization. In the present project, the weight optimization of beams and trusses using Displacement based Multilevel Structural Optimization (DMSO), a member of the MSO set of methodologies, is investigated. In the DMSO approach, the optimization task is subdivided into a single system and multiple subsystems level optimizations. The system level optimization minimizes the load unbalance resulting from the use of displacement functions to approximate the structural displacements. The function coefficients are then the design variables. Alternately, the system level optimization can be solved using the displacements themselves as design variables, as was shown in previous research. Both approaches ensure that the calculated loads match the applied loads. In the subsystems level, the weight of the structure is minimized using the element dimensions as design variables. The approach is expected to be very efficient for large structures, since parallel computing can be utilized in the different levels of the problem. In this paper, the method is applied to a one-dimensional beam and a large three-dimensional truss. The beam was tested to study possible simplifications to the system level optimization. In previous research, polynomials were used to approximate the global nodal displacements. The number of coefficients of the polynomials equally matched the number of degrees of freedom of the problem. Here it was desired to see if it is possible to only match a subset of the degrees of freedom in the system level. This would lead to a simplification of the system level, with a resulting increase in overall efficiency. However, the methods tested for this type of system level simplification did not yield positive results. The large truss was utilized to test further improvements in the efficiency of DMSO. In previous work, parallel processing was applied to the subsystems level, where the derivative verification feature of the optimizer NPSOL had been utilized in the optimizations. This resulted in large runtimes. In this paper, the optimizations were repeated without using the derivative verification, and the results are compared to those from the previous work. Also, the optimizations were run on both, a network of SUN workstations using the MPICH implementation of the Message Passing Interface (MPI) and on the faster Beowulf cluster at ICASE, NASA Langley Research Center, using the LAM implementation of UP]. The results on both systems were consistent and showed that it is not necessary to verify the derivatives and that this gives a large increase in efficiency of the DMSO algorithm.
Human resource development and growth: improving access to and equity in the provision of education and health services in South Africa

This paper demonstrates the importance of improving access to and equity in the provision of essential services such as education and health for enhancing human development. A major constraint to accelerating and sustaining economic growth in South Africa is the shortage of skilled human resources. Human capital formation (through appropriate education, training and health) is vital for growth. However, for sustained growth to reduce poverty and unemployment, human capital of a ‘higher order’ than the system is currently producing, in both quantitative and qualitative terms, must be generated. The paper reviews progress in the education and health sectors and identifies the challenges. It stresses the need for policy makers to recognise the link between education and health outcomes and the provision of clean water, adequate sanitation, cheap and accessible transport and effective nutrition programmes. Addressing only the education and health services is unlikely to lead to optimal outcomes in these sectors.
Comprehensive tracking of host cell proteins during monoclonal antibody purifications using mass spectrometry

An advanced two-dimensional liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry platform was used to quantify individual host cell proteins (HCPs) present at various purification steps for several therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) produced in Chinese hamster ovary cells. The methodology produced reproducible identifications and quantifications among replicate analyses consistent with a previously documented individual limit of quantification of ~13 ppm. We were able to track individual HCPs from cell culture fluid to protein A eluate pool to subsequent viral inactivation pool and, in some cases, further downstream. Approximately 500 HCPs were confidently identified in cell culture fluid and this number declined progressively through the purification scheme until no HCPs could be confidently identified in polishing step cation-exchange eluate pools. The protein A eluate pool of nine different mAbs contained widely differing numbers, and total levels, of HCPs, yet the bulk of the total HCP content in each case consisted of a small subset of normally intracellular HCPs highly abundant in cell culture fluid. These observations hint that minimizing cell lysis during cell culture/harvest may be useful in minimizing downstream HCP content. Clusterin and actin are abundant in the protein A eluate pools of most mAbs studied. HCP profiling by this methodology can provide useful information to process developers and lead to the refinement of existing purification platforms.
SK channel regulation of dendritic excitability and dendrodendritic inhibition in the olfactory bulb.

Small-conductance calcium-activated potassium channels (SK) regulate dendritic excitability in many neurons. In the olfactory bulb, regulation of backpropagating action potentials and dendrodendrit...
Activation of Toll-like receptors by Burkholderia pseudomallei.

Background: Melioidosis, a lethal tropical infection that is endemic in southeast Asia and northern Australia, is caused by the saprophytic Gram-negative bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei. Overall mortality approaches 40% yet little is known about mechanisms of host defense. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are host transmembrane receptors that recognize conserved pathogen molecular patterns and induce an inflammatory response. The lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of Gram-negative bacteria is a potent inducer of the host innate immune system. TLR4, in association with MD-2, is the archetype receptor for LPS although B. pseudomallei LPS has been previously identified as a TLR2 agonist. We examined TLR signaling induced by B. pseudomallei, B. pseudomallei LPS, and B. pseudomallei lipid A using gain-of-function transfection assays of NF-κB activation and studies of TLR-deficient macrophages. Results: In HEK293 cells transfected with murine or human TLRs, CD14, and MD-2, heat-killed B. pseudomallei activated TLR2 (in combination with TLR1 or TLR6) and TLR4. B. pseudomallei LPS and lipid A activated TLR4 and this TLR4-mediated signaling required MD-2. In TLR2 -/- macrophages, stimulation with heat-killed B. pseudomallei augmented TNF-α and MIP-2 production whereas in TLR4-/- cells, TNF-α, MIP-2, and IL-10 production was reduced. Cytokine production by macrophages stimulated with B. pseudomallei LPS or lipid A was entirely dependent on TLR4 but was increased in the absence of TLR2. TLR adaptor molecule MyD88 strongly regulated TNF-α production in response to heat-killed B. pseudomallei. Conclusion: B. pseudomallei activates TLR2 and TLR4. In the presence of MD-2, B. pseudomallei LPS and lipid A are TLR4 ligands. Although the macrophage cytokine response to B. pseudomallei LPS or lipid A is completely dependent on TLR4, in TLR2 -/- macrophages stimulated with B. pseudomallei, B. pseudomallei LPS or lipid A, cytokine production is augmented. Other MyD88dependent signaling pathways may also be important in the host response to B. pseudomallei infection. These findings provide new insights into critical mechanisms of host defense in melioidosis.
Numbers and history: The dilemma of measurement

Having foresworn questions of epistemology, most of us accept the historical record as a concrete, presumably accurate reflection of the past. Historians seldom do more than establish the technical authenticity of their evidence before drawing from it an intelligible account of what has happened. We should not be so easily satisfied. As a matter of fact we are always obliged to make at least one additional judgment-obliged to ask and answer the question, "Just how did our evidence come into being?" This question is not as trivial as it may at first glance appear. For the last two hundred years our understanding of the founding of Massachusetts has derived in large measure from the journal of John Winthrop. How often do we ask, "When did Winthrop write in this journal? daily? weekly? monthly? at random?" And yet obviously without such information we will never get even the narrative aspects of Massachusetts' early history right. For instance, Winthrop's account is the only record we have of his running quarrel with the colony's freemen. Were such accounts written in the heat of anger, or after somber reflection with an eye to setting the record straight? This kind of quandary has an even greater impact whenever we seek to quantify historical evidence. I want to suggest here that much of the confusion currently engulfing attempts to meld history and numbers stems directly from this epistemological question. Because the historian interested in quantification and computers seldom perceives the epistemological dimension of his work, he has become the unwitting victim of what, for lack of a better label, I have called the dilemma of measurement. The dilemma itself is easier illustrated than defined. Several years ago a colleague embarked on a study of sexual deviancy in colonial New England. Eventually his study led him to count the number of prosecutions for fornication before marriage listed in the Essex County court records for the seventeenth century. The results of this tabulation were remarkable. Not only did such cases rapidly increase as the seventeenth century waned, but the rate of increase far outstripped the corresponding growth in population. Obviously, we conclude, sexual morals were in sharp decline as evidenced by the New Englander's penchant for premarital sex. Unfortunately, an alternative explanation is equally plausible. Perhaps it was the court's willingness to tolerate moral laxness which actually declined, while the incidence of premarital intercourse remained constant, or perhaps even diminished. Hence the dilemma we face is one of deciding
Status Epilepticus in a Pediatric Patient With Amantadine Overdose

A 2-year-old boy who ingested 0.8-1.5 g of amantadine developed status epilepticus. One hour later, the child presented with agitation, diaphoresis, and vomiting. He was admitted to the pediatric emergency department 2 hours later. Generalized seizures evolved to status epilepticus, with alternating generalized tonic-clonic and partial seizures, over a period of 7 hours. Other initial clinical signs were sinusal tachycardia and reactive bilateral mydriasis. All symptoms resolved within 20 hours, with a good recovery; the child was released from the hospital on day 3.
An in vitro and in vivo analysis of murine immunocompetence during pregnancy and lactation

Abstract Spleen cells from pregnant and lactating BALB/c mice were depressed in their cytolytic capabilities after in vivo immunization with the allogeneic EL4 lymphoma. However, in vitro spleen cells from both syngeneic (BALB/c×BALB/c) and allogeneic (BALB/c×C57BL/6J) matings responded with proliferative and cytolytic responses which were comparable to virgin controls. Upon secondary in vitro stimulation, in vivo primed maternal cells had responses which were similar to virgin controls. In addition, the in vivo sensitized maternal spleen cells adoptively immunized in irradiated allogeneic recipients responded like the virgin controls. In these studies, suppressor cells could not be detected in either nonimmune or immune maternal spleen cell populations.
Antibodies against heart muscle and nuclear constituents in cardiomyopathy.

Abstract The prevalence of HAB and ANA was determined in eight patients with idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis (IHSS) and 35 patients with cardiomyopathy (CM). HAB was found in 88 per cent of patients with IHSS and in 17 per cent of those with CM. Antinuclear antibody was found in 63 per cent of patients with IHSS and 43 per cent of those with CM. Aging alone was not responsible for the high prevalence of ANA in the former group, but may be partly so in the latter. There was an increased tendency for women in both groups to have ANA. An increased serum concentration of IgM was also observed in women in the IHSS and CM groups. Serum concentrations of IgG and IgA, precipitating antibodies to nuclear constituents, rheumatoid factors, and a positive serologic test for syphilis were not increased in patients with idiopathic cardiomyopathy. Positivity to HAB and ANA did not remain constant and was not present frequently in sera in follow-up studies of these patients. No instance of a negative test becoming positive was recorded for either HAB or ANA. The high prevalence of ANA in patients with IHSS and CM and an increased prevalence of HAB in patients with IHSS may suggest that an autoimmune disturbance is operative in these forms of cardiomyopathy.
Specific rates of some reactions of the solvated electron in liquid ammonia measured by pulse radiolysis at 23°C

Abstract An experimental procedure is described for measurement by nanosecond pulse radiolysis of specific reaction rates of e − am with solutes in liquid ammonia at 23°C. The measured specific rates, in units of dm 3 mol −1 s −1 , follow in parentheses after each solute: anthracene (3·5×10 11 ), nitrobenze (2·8×10[su11]), phenanthrene (2·3×10 11 ), naphthalene (1·5×10 9 ), acetone (1·7×10 8 ) and (1·1 × 10 11 ), dichloromethane (1·2 × 10 11 ), 1,2-dichloroethane (1·5 × 10 9 , acetone (1·7 × 10 8 ) and 1-chloropropane (1·1 × 10 7 ). For 18 other solutes an upper limit for the specific rate is given. The upper limit for reaction of e am - with NH 4 + at zero ionic strength is estimated to be 1·6 × 10 8 dm 3 mol −1 s −1 . Application of the Smoluchowski-Debye equation for diffusion-controlled reactions to reactions of e am - with a univalent positive ion (model ion NH 4 + ), a univalent negative ion (model ion NO 3 - ), and a neutral species (assumed radius 3·5 A) gives 1·4 × 10 12 , 2·9 × 10 9 and 2·9 × 10 11 dm 3 mol −1 s −1 , respectively, for the specific rates at 25°C. The transient absorption spectrum induced in neat (pure) liquid ammonia at 23°C by nanosecond pulse radiolysis is given for the wavelength range 0·25–1·93 microm. A transient absorption with a peak at 0·38 microm grows for 60 ns after the pulse, and is ascribed to a product of a non-homogeneous process. The absorption spectrum for phenanthrene negative ion in liquid ammonia at 23°C, in the wavelength range 0·38–0·55 microm, is given and calculation of the extinction coefficient at 0·447 microm, wavelength of maximum absorption, gives 8·60 × 10 2 m 2 mol −1 .