cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Thermodynamic Performance Analysis and Environmental Impact Assessment of an Integrated System for Hydrogen Generation and Steelmaking

Hydrogen metallurgy is considered to be an effective way to achieve decarbonization for the iron and steel industry. In this work, the thermodynamic and environmental performance of a novel steelmaking process that consists of hydrogen generation, shaft furnace direct reduction, and electric furnace steelmaking (HSE process) is evaluated through energy analysis, exergy analysis, and life cycle assessments (LCA). The results show that the energy and exergy efficiency is 50.54% and 48.44% respectively. The hydrogen production system yields the largest energy and exergy loss. The water-gas shift reaction and the large demand volume of H2 in SF are the main reasons that cause low efficiency of H2 generation system. The LCA is conducted following the ISO 14040 International Standards, and the total environmental impact of the HSE process is 2.56·E-11, which is much smaller than 9.31·E-11 of the BF-BOF process. The energy consumption and CO2 emission of the HSE process are 9.08 GJ/t and 1079.56 kg/t, achieving a 53.75% of energy saving and a 47.45% of CO2 emission reduction when compared with the BF-BOF process. The HSE process proposed in this work is hoped to be helpful in the realization of low-carbon development of the iron and steel industry.
Intracameral sustained release bimatoprost implants (Durysta).

Background: Sustained release drug delivery has the potential to change glaucoma care by decreasing the challenge of medication adherence. Many approaches are in development, but this review focuses on Durysta (Allergan plc, Dublin, Ireland), the only FDA-approved sustained release intracameral treatment available at this time. Key Findings: Durysta is a bimatoprost sustained release (BimSR) intracameral implant. Clinical trials have demonstrated that BimSR implants can provide comparable levels of intraocular pressure (IOP) control as topical eyedrops. BimSR has advantages such as decreasing concerns regarding drop adherence, reducing ocular surface and periocular side effects from topical drops, and decreased daily treatment burden for patients. In addition, studies have shown continued IOP lowering in some eyes during extended follow-up periods when all of the BimSR medication has already been delivered. Hypothesized mechanisms to explain this finding include increased matrix metalloproteinase expression that causes extracellular matrix reorganization to permit greater aqueous outflow, as well as decreased episcleral venous pressure. The major safety concern at this time for Durysta and future intracameral implants is corneal endothelial cell loss, which was worse with repeat BimSR administration compared to single dosing. Several studies are underway to investigate mechanisms of action and to better understand safe and effective dosing of medications in this class.
Plasma Metabolomic Profiles in Healthy Adults following Consumption of Broccoli Sprouts

Sulforaphane (SFN), an isothiocyanate derived from cruciferous vegetables, has many potential health benefits including cancer prevention. There has been intense study of the molecular and genetic ...
Donor Assistance and Political Reform in Tanzania

Tanzania has been a relative success story in Africa in terms of political reform. While foreign aid has helped strengthen institutions that advance accountability, it simultaneously supports a status quo that undermines accountability and democratization. This study first explores the ways in which foreign donors directly strengthen civil society, parties, the media, as well as legislatures and the judiciary. It then looks at the ways in which donor support has unintended consequences in undermining accountability through the provision of general budget support and through support of policies that undercut vertical accountability in decentralization and in public goods provision.
Telephone Calls to an Infectious Diseases Fellow

Objective There is no information on the impact and nature of telephone calls directed to subspecialists. The main objective was to document prospectively all calls directed to a first-year infectious diseases fellow, to determine their content, origin, educational value, and time allocation. Results Three hundred fifty-nine calls were received over a 71-day period from March 24 through May 20, 1992. The mean number of daily calls was 5.1 +/- 3.3. Mean time per call was 7 +/- 5.4 minutes. Cumulatively, 41.7 hours were spent responding to telephone calls. The subgroup with the most calls (44.3%) was from pediatricians in practice. Seventy percent of calls were for advice about case management. Forty percent of calls were considered educational to the fellow. Conclusions This study confirms the importance of the infectious disease subspecialist as a resource for primary care physicians.
Inhomogeneous interfacial regions of biological systems

On the premise that the contributions from ion-ion interaction energy terms to chemical potential of an ion in inhomogeneous regions cannot be neglected, the classical expression for electrochemical potential is modified. Resulting basic differential equations and their implications regarding ion distributions in inhomogeneous regions are presented. It is shown that a necessary consequence is the existence of a dielectric profile in inhomogeneous regions due to nonvanishing interaction energy terms of the chemical potential.
Large intramural cysts of the uterus with report of a case

Abstract We report a large intramural cyst of the uterus occurring in a negress, aged thirty-six, who was about two and one-half to three months pregnant at the time of operation. Five previous pregnancies, parturitions and puerperiums were uncomplicated. The literature of previous cases has been reviewed and the theories of etiology and pathology are discussed. The reported case is thought to be of congenital origin, probably arising from rests of the mullerian ducts.
Structural Factors Associated with Higher Education Access for First-Generation Refugees in Canada: An Agenda for Research

Refugees are the least educated migrants upon arrival to Canada. Yet, they invest in Canadian higher education at lower rates than other newcomers. Why might this be? This paper enters this emergent conversation through a review of the Canadian-based empirical literature on the structural factors associated with refugees’ tertiary education access. Research indicates that as part of the low-income population, refugees are likely to misperceive the cost and benefits of higher education and be deterred by high tuition costs. Academic preparedness and tracking in high schools also pose additional constraints. The gap in the literature exposes a need for inquiry into the ways in which pre-arrival experiences influence refugees’ participation in Canada’s post-secondary institutions. The paper concludes by underscoring the need for qualitative research that discerns the lived experiences of refugees outside of the aggregate immigrant grouping typical in education research.
Intellectual function in childhood progressive muscular dystrophy.

A study of 38 boys with progressive muscular dystrophy indicated that they were functioning at lower intellectual levels than were a variety of control groups. Their academic achievement, however, was well correlated with their mental ages. No progressive mental deterioration was found. There was no relationship between tested intelligence and severity of illness, length of illness, or age of onset of illness. The only factor associated with lowered intellectual abilities was the presence of childhood progressive muscular dystrophy. A hypothesis was advanced concerning the possible nature of muscular dystrophy and its relation to intellectual retardation. Much very basic research is needed before such a hypothesis can be accepted.
Recognition of diverse proteins by members of the immunoglobulin superfamily: delineation of the receptor binding site in the human CD6 ligand ALCAM.

The CD6−ALCAM (activated leukocyte cell adhesion molecule) interaction, which mediates thymocyte−thymic epithelial cell adhesion, is a previously unobserved type of protein−protein interaction that involves members of the scavenger receptor cysteine rich protein superfamily (SRCRSF) and the immunoglobulin superfamily (IgSF). Targeted mutagenesis of ALCAM reveals that residues which constitute the CD6 binding site cluster on the predicted A‘GFCC‘C‘ ‘ face of its N-terminal Ig domain. These results, in conjunction with recent analyses of interactions involving other IgSF members, suggest that this region in IgSF cell surface proteins is most suitable to mediate interactions with different ligands irrespective of their structure. The CD6 binding site in ALCAM is conserved across species, and nonconserved residues in ALCAM and its murine homolog map to the β-sheet face opposite to the CD6 binding site. This provides a molecular rationale for the inability to obtain murine monoclonal antibodies against the rec...
Gamete derivation from embryonic stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells or somatic cell nuclear transfer-derived embryonic stem cells: state of the art.

Generating gametes from pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) has many scientific justifications and several biomedical rationales. Here, we consider several strategies for deriving gametes from PSCs from mice and primates (human and non-human) and their anticipated strengths, challenges and limitations. Although the ‘Weismann barrier’, which separates the mortal somatic cell lineages from the potentially immortal germline, has long existed, breakthroughs first in mice and now in humans are artificially creating germ cells from somatic cells. Spermatozoa with full reproductive viability establishing multiple generations of seemingly normal offspring have been reported in mice and, in humans, haploid spermatids with correct parent-of-origin imprints have been obtained. Similar progress with making oocytes has been published using mouse PSCs differentiated in vitro into primordial germ cells, which are then cultured after xenografting reconstructed artificial ovaries. Progress in making human oocytes artificially is proving challenging. The usefulness of these artificial gametes, from assessing environmental exposure toxicity to optimising medical treatments to prevent negative off-target effects on fertility, may prove invaluable, as may basic discoveries on the fundamental mechanisms of gametogenesis.
Picosecond time-resolved spectroscopic study of vibrational relaxation processes in alkali halides

Abstract The luminescence properties of various kinds of impurities in alkali halides are studied with 1 ps timing accuracy. The relation between measured vibrational relaxation times, vibronic spectral structure and impurity-lattice coupling strength is investigated.
Spin Precession During Interferometry of Fermions and the Phase Factor Associated with Rotations Through 2 π Radians

A proposed experiment which combines spin precession and two-slit interferometry of unpolarized neutrons is analyzed. The analysis elucidates the connection with a possible observation of the phase factor (-1) associated with the rotation of a half-integral spin particle through $2\ensuremath{\pi}$ radians.
The influence of bacteria and irritation in the initiation of periodontal disease in germfree and conventional rats

Within the conditions of the experimental design, this study has provided laboratory evidence that microorganisms were necessary for the occurrence of inflammatory periodontal disease. Furthermore, this investigation has shown that the presence of both local irritation and microorganisms was necessary to produce periodontal inflammation. However, neither factor alone was capable of producing the inflammation. The results of this study have shown that a type of dental calculus may be formed in the absence of microorganisms. However, the same results have demonstrated that the presence of microorganisms greatly facilitates the formation of calculus. The presence of polymorphonuclear leukocytes in the gingival crevices and tissues could not be explained on the basis of bacteria and/or irritation. It was postulated that these cells are a normal component of the gingival tissues of these animals and that their presence does not constitute a pathologic process. The findings of the present study were considered with those of other studies. From this comparison it was suggested that differences in animal species and strains should be considered when evaluations and extrapolations of experimental results are made.
Coping effectiveness and dreams as a function of personality and dream recall

Investigated the proposition that effectiveness of coping with daytime and dream stress would be influenced by personality style, as defined by the Repression-Sensitization scale (R-S), and by dreaming style, as defined by frequent (F) or infrequent (I) questionnaire dream recall. The relationship between R-S and F-I dream recall also was explored. Ss kept dream diaries for 30 consecutive days. Sensitizers, who were I recallers, had very low daytime self-confidence scores. Repressors had more positive Dream Coping Scores than Sensitizers, and F recallers had more positive Dream Coping Scores than I recallers. Repressors had a positive morning mood, regardless of whether the ending of their dream was positive or negative. The morning mood of Sensitizers, particularly the I recallers, was dependent on the pleasantness-unpleasantness of the dream ending. R-S and F-I questionnaire dream recall had a low positive correlation; no relationship was found between R-S and F-I dream diary recall.
Selective Conversion of Biomass Hemicellulose to Furfural Using Maleic Acid with Microwave Heating

Maleic acid has interesting properties versus other organic and mineral acids in furfural formation. The use of maleic acid as a catalyst in biomass conversion has the benefit in comparison to the use of other acids (mineral/organic) due to the efficient conversion of solid xylans to xylose at high yields in aqueous solution at the reasonably mild temperature of 160 °C. This manuscript reports the kinetics of xylose dehydration to furfural using maleic acid over the temperature range 180–210 °C. These kinetics were used to determine the optimal temperatures and times for a two-step process to first hydrolyze plant hemicellulose to furfural and then to subsequently dehydrate the resulting xylose to furfural. High selectivity in furfural formation was observed when maleic acid was in equimolar or higher concentrations compared to the initial xylose concentration. High selectivity for furfural, 67%, was observed for xylose derived from corn stover, switch grass, and poplar, in comparison to modest selectivit...
Patient characteristics of neonatal eosinophilic pustulosis.

A 10-week old preterm infant boy presented with a pustular eruption of the face and blood eosinophilia. Histology demonstrated eosinophils without predominant follicular involvement. The lesions healed without intervention within 2 months. The presentation was consistent with neonatal eosinophilic pustulosis. We discuss the similarities between cases described in the literature and suggest that this entity affects a unique patient population of preterm infants.
OP0150 Formal Education Level is More Explanatory of Variation in Patient Global Estimate than Age, Duration of Disease or Gender in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis, Osteoarthritis, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Gout

Background Age, duration of disease, and gender are included in all clinical research reports as potential modifiers of patient status and treatment responses. Formal education level (EDUC), which has been interpreted as a surrogate for self-management and other patient actions and attitudes affecting health associated with socioeconomic status, is included in some, but not most reports. However, many reports indicate that a marker of socioeconomic status is more significant than age, disease duration, gender, or any known biomarkers to explain variation in patient status and outcomes, including mortality. Objectives To analyze age, duration of disease, gender and EDUC to explain variation in patient global estimate of status (PATGL) in 1939 patients with all rheumatic diseases seen in usual care, and subgroups with RA, osteoarthritis (OA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), gout and other diagnoses. Methods All patients seen at one rheumatology site complete a multidimensional heath assessment questionnaire (MDHAQ) at all visits, which includes physical function in 10 activities; visual analog scales (VAS) for pain, PATGL and fatigue; and demographic data for age, formal education level and gender. Duration of disease is entered by the rheumatologist. Data are recorded in a longitudinal database and analyzed using STATA v11. The last available visit of each patient with complete data for all variables was studied in 6 multivariate regressions to analyze age, disease duration, gender and formal education level as independent variables to explain variation in PATGL, as the dependent variable, in all patients, and subgroups with RA, OA, SLE, gout and other diagnoses. Results Among 1939 patients with complete data, 305 had RA, 250 OA, 220 SLE, 78 gout and 1086 other diagnoses. All 4 variables – age, gender, disease duration and EDUC – were limited to explain variation in PATGL, in contrast to robust explanation by pain and fatigue. Nonetheless, highest levels of significance in all analyses were seen for EDUC vs age, disease duration or gender. EDUC was the only significant variable in subgroups of patients with RA, OA, SLE and gout (Table). Conclusions Formal education level is more explanatory of variation in PATGL than age, disease duration or gender. Reports of all clinical research studies should include a measure of socioeconomic status. Disclosure of Interest None Declared
Thinking Outside the Synapse: Glycine at Extrasynaptic NMDA Receptors

In this issue, Papouin et al. show that glycine is the endogenous coagonist for extrasynaptic NMDA receptors (NMDARs), unlike at synapses where the coagonist is d-serine. By enzymatically degrading endogenous glycine, they begin to address the enigmatic physiological and pathological roles for extrasynaptic NMDARs.
Federal Law and Drug Addiction

The popular sovereign remedy for all crime problems is increased penalties. In recent years this is nowhere better illustrated than in the case of narcotic laws in the United States. Although Federal anti-drug laws are said to be revenue measures, the penalties for violations at present include the possiblity of a death sentence. The average sentence of the Federal offender against these statutes has increased by more than 300 per cent within the last decade, and with the denial of probation and parole many narcotic violators are now being punished more severely than the average murderer. While students of crime
Persuasion and social perception of human vs. synthetic voice across person as source and computer as source conditions

There is evidence that people react more positively when they are presented with faces that are consistent with their voices. Nass and Brave [2005]. Wired for speech: How voice Activates and Advances the Human-computer Relationship. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA] found that computerized and human faces were perceived more positively when paired, respectively, with synthesized versus human voices than when paired with inconsistent voices. The present study sought to examine whether this type of inconsistency would effect perceptions of persuasive messages delivered by humans versus computers. We created a situation in which reactions to computer synthesized speech were compared to human speech when the speech was either from a person or a computer. This paper presents two studies, one using audio taped stimuli and one using videotaped stimuli, with type of speech (human versus computer synthesized) manipulated factorially with source (person versus computer). As hypothesized, both studies suggest that in the human as source condition, human voice is perceived more favorably than synthetic voice. However, in the computer as source condition, both human and computer voice were rated similarly. We discuss these findings in terms of consistency as well as group processes effects that may be occurring.
How do professionals who create computing technologies consider accessibility

In this paper, we present survey findings about how user experience (UX) and human-computer interaction (HCI) professionals, who create information and communication technologies (ICTs), reported considering accessibility in their work. Participants (N = 199) represented a wide range of job titles and nationalities. We found that most respondents (87%, N = 173) reported that accessibility was important or very important in their work; however, when considerations for accessibility were discussed in an open-ended question (N =185) the scope was limited. Additionally, we found that aspects of empathy and professional experience were associated with how accessibility considerations were reported. We also found that many respondents indicated that decisions about accessibility were not in their control. We argue that a better understanding about how accessibility is considered by professionals has implications for academic programs in HCI and UX as to how well programs are preparing students to consider and advocate for inclusive design.
Conflicting energy and environmental policies: The portsmouth oil refinery

This case study presents the series of decision-making processes surrounding a current environmental issue—the Portsmouth oil refinery in Virginia. Crude oil must be refined before it can be used as fuel. Additionally, some oil must be desulfurized for use other than as gasoline. In 1977, the nation imported about one million barrels of oil a day. Although the US Department of Energy has emphasized the critical need for greater east coast refinery capability, the east coast is to supply only 25% of its refined oil needs. In the same year, the east coast met its demands for petroleum products from three sources: (a) refinery production, 22.7%, (b) product imports, 28.0%, and (c) products from the Gulf Coast, 49.3%.1 The energy program after the Arab oil embargo has an objective of encouraging the construction of oil refineries and petrochemical plants in the United States rather than abroad. The tariff is higher on imports of refined oil products than of crude oil, and new refineries are allowed to import a large proportion of their requirements tarifffree. The US federal government does not directly regulate the locations for oil refineries or methods of desulfurization. The oil import program, however, does influence decisions concerning location of desulfurization facilities and refineries, and air and water pollution standards affect methods of refining, besides making desulfurization necessary.
Sporogenic germination of sclerotia in Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus

Sclerotial germination in A. flavus and A. parasiticus is sporogenic, with conidial apparati produced directly from exposed sclerotium surfaces. Five of seven A. flavus strains formed conidial heads on individual surface-sterilized sclerotia within 48–72 h incubation on moist sand. Sclerotia incubated on nonsterile field soil also germinated to produce conidia and sclerotia buried for 10 days in nonsterile soil produced conidia within 72 h after being washed to the soil surface. Sporogenic germination may be important in enabling A. flavus and A. parasiticus to disseminate conidial inoculum. Eventual control of preharvest A. flavus infection in crops where aflatoxin is a problem may require agronomic practices designed to reduce the importance of sclerotia as a source of primary inoculum.
Dynamics in supercooled ionic organic liquids and mode coupling theory analysis.

Optically heterodyne-detected optical Kerr effect experiments are applied to study the orientational dynamics of the supercooled ionic organic liquids N-propyl-3-methylpyridinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (PMPIm) and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tosylate (EMImTOS). The orientational dynamics are complex with relaxation involving several power law decays followed by a final exponential decay. A mode coupling theory (MCT) schematic model, the Sjogren model, was able to reproduce the PMPIm data very successfully over a wide range of times from 1 ps to hundreds of ns for all temperatures studied. Over the temperature range from room temperature down to the critical temperature Tc of 231 K, the OHD-OKE signal of PMPIm is characterized by the intermediate power law t(-1.00+/-0.04) at short times, a von Schweidler power law t(-0.51+/-0.03) at intermediate times, and a highly temperature-dependent exponential (alpha relaxation) at long times. This form of the decay is identical to the form observed previously for a large number of organic van der Waals liquids. MCT analysis indicates that the theory can explain the experimental data very well for a range of temperatures above Tc, but as might be expected, there are some deviations from the theoretical modeling at temperatures close to Tc. For EMImTOS, the orientational dynamics were studied on the ps time scale in the deeply supercooled region near its glass transition temperature. The orientational relaxation of EMImTOS clearly displays the feature associated with the boson peak at approximately 2 ps, which is the first time domain evidence of the boson peak in ionic organic liquids. Overall, all the dynamical features observed earlier for organic van der Waals liquids using the same experimental technique are also observed for organic ionic liquids.
Response of natural killer cells from dietary tyrosine- and phenylalanine-restricted mice to biological response modifiers.

The effect of dietary tyrosine and phenylalanine restriction on splenic natural killer (NK) cell activity was studied in tumor-free B6D2F1 and NIH nude mice and in B16 bladder-6 (BL6) melanoma-bearing B6D2F1 mice. This dietary restriction was found to suppress the naturally elevated NK-cell activity of nude mice and to induce a specific lymphocytopenia in B6D2F1 mice fed the restricted diet for a prolonged period. Baseline NK-cell activity was significantly lower in tumor-free B6D2F1 mice fed a diet restricted in tyrosine and phenylalanine (restricted diet) than in tumor-free mice fed a basal diet. Similar kinetics of activation after a single i.p. injection of 100 μg of polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (poly I:C) were observed in mice fed both diets. NK-cell activity was not significantly augmented after i.v. inoculation of BL6 melanoma, irrespective of the diet fed; however, it was enhanced in tumor-bearing mice after poly I:C injection. This augmentation was similar to that observed in tumor-free mice. Spleen cells from mice fed either diet were responsive to stimulation of NK-cell activity after in vitro incubation with interleukin-2. These results indicate that dietary restriction of tyrosine and phenylalanine, a potentially useful therapeutic adjunct known to lower NK-cell activity, does not significantly interfere with poly I:C or interleukin-2 induction of NK cells. Our results also demonstrate that, while this dietary restriction causes lymphocytopenia, no effect of the diet could be found on total serum IgG or circulating immune complex levels.
Computer-aided diagnosis of pulmonary nodules on CT scans: segmentation and classification using 3D active contours.

We are developing a computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) system to classify malignant and benign lung nodules found on CT scans. A fully automated system was designed to segment the nodule from its surrounding structured background in a local volume of interest (VOI) and to extract image features for classification. Image segmentation was performed with a three-dimensional (3D) active contour (AC) method. A data set of 96 lung nodules (44 malignant, 52 benign) from 58 patients was used in this study. The 3D AC model is based on two-dimensional AC with the addition of three new energy components to take advantage of 3D information: (1) 3D gradient, which guides the active contour to seek the object surface, (2) 3D curvature, which imposes a smoothness constraint in the z direction, and (3) mask energy, which penalizes contours that grow beyond the pleura or thoracic wall. The search for the best energy weights in the 3D AC model was guided by a simplex optimization method. Morphological and gray-level features were extracted from the segmented nodule. The rubber band straightening transform (RBST) was applied to the shell of voxels surrounding the nodule. Texture features based on run-length statistics were extracted from the RBST image. A linear discriminant analysis classifier with stepwise feature selection was designed using a second simplex optimization to select the most effective features. Leave-one-case-out resampling was used to train and test the CAD system. The system achieved a test area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (Az) of 0.83±0.04. Our preliminary results indicate that use of the 3D AC model and the 3D texture features surrounding the nodule is a promising approach to the segmentation and classification of lung nodules with CAD. The segmentation performance of the 3D AC model trained with our data set was evaluated with 23 nodules available in the Lung Image Database Consortium (LIDC). The lung nodule volumes segmented by the 3D AC model for best classification were generally larger than those outlined by the LIDC radiologists using visual judgment of nodule boundaries.
Effect of transducer diaphragm movement on pressure probe measurements

Pressure probes or differential pressure probes are often used in conjunction with pressure transducers to measure transient effects in multiphase systems. It is essential that the response of the probe and transducer combination is known to ensure that the measured pressure is a true reflection of the time-varying system pressure. In gas-filled systems, the transducer diaphragm movement can prove to be a significant contributor to the system response and its effect is more pronounced when measuring small fluctuations in high-pressure systems. In liquid-filled systems, where the fluid is incompressible, diaphragm movement will cause amplitude attenuation similar to that experienced in gas-filled systems.
Entomopathogenic Nematodes to Control Black Vine Weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) on Strawberry

J. Econ. Entomol. 92 (3): 651-657 (1999) We investigated the potential of heterorhabditid nematodes to control larvae of the black vine weevil, Otiorhynchus sulcatus (F.), in 2 field experiments in commercial strawberry plantings. In both experiments, nematodes were applied directly onto the straw mulch, or onto the soil after temporary removal of the mulch. Heterorhabditis marelatus Lui & Berry (Rhabditida: Heterorhabditidae) reduced numbers of weevil larvae and the percentage of plants infested in both experiments, irrespective of straw removal. In the 1st field experiment, a sponge-packed H. marelatus formulation produced lower numbers of O. sulcatus larvae per strawberry plant (mean O. sulcatus larvae per plant = 0.7) and proportion of infested plants (42%) compared with a vermiculite formulation (mean O. sulcatus larvae per plant = 1.8, proportion infested plants 67%) and an untreated control (mean O. sulcatus larvae per plant = 1.9, proportion infested plants 75%). In the first 2 wk after application, more H. marelatus were found in soil samples collected from plots treated with sponge-packed nematodes, than from plots treated with vermiculite-formulated nematodes. In the 2nd field experiment, sponge-packed formulations of H. bacteriophora Poinar (Rhabditida: Heterorhabditidae) and H. marelatus were tested. H. marelatus caused a reduction in both numbers of weevil larvae (mean O. sulcatus larvae per plant = 0.1) and proportion of infested plants (9%) but H. bacteriophora did not (mean O sulcatus larvae per plant = 0.45, proportion infested plants 34%). More H. bacteriophora were recovered from soil samples than H. marelatus during the first 7 d of this experiment. However, laboratory studies revealed no difference in the persistence of these 2 nematodes in sand.
Numerical simulation of a saturable absorbing material in the femtosecond regime

The numerical simulation of the short time response, femtoseocond to picosecond regime, of a saturable absorbing material is described. Transient relationships for the intensity and temperature dependent absorption coefficient and index of refraction are included. The thermal response includes a hyperbolic microscale heat transfer mechanism. Initial results are reported for the calculated transmitted intensity, excited state population and temperature field of a slugglish saturable Kerr medium. This short time model can be used to investigate the onset of thermally stimulated nonlinear optical behavior, the "switch on" time, and other short time effects.© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Effect of retinoic acid on cornified envelope formation: Difference between spontaneous envelope formation in vivo or in vitro and expression of envelope competence

A large number of cross-linked envelopes form spontaneously when cell lines derived from chemically induced mouse skin papillomas are cultured in medium containing 1.2 mM calcium. This phenomenon is associated with high activity of the cross-linking enzyme, epidermal transglutaminase (TGase). The influence of retinoic acid (RA) on envelope formation was studied in detail in a papilloma cell line, PE. Retinoic acid (3 microM) completely blocked cornified envelope (CE) production but reduced TGase activity only 50%. A rabbit antiserum was produced against sonicated CEs isolated from newborn mouse skin. On Western blots of epidermal extracts, diffuse staining was observed for particulate proteins of suprabasal, but not basal, cells and similar immunoreactive material was absent from the cytosolic fraction of both cell layers. The antibody also recognized particulate proteins from PE cells induced to differentiate by calcium, but not from cells grown in the presence of high calcium and RA. The antiserum appears to recognize partially cross-linked CE precursor proteins judging by the diffuse staining, the molecular weight range of the proteins stained, and their origin in the particulate cellular fraction. Cross-linked envelopes could be induced in RA-treated PE cells by permeabilization with 0.75 M NaCl or 50 micrograms/ml A23187. However, this treatment failed to cause the appearance of proteins recognized by the antiserum. Preincubation of the antiserum with purified fragments of CEs from newborn mouse epidermis, but not with cross-linked envelopes from permeabilized, RA-treated PE cells, removed immunoreactivity. These results indicate that the cross-linked envelopes formed in RA-treated cells after permeabilization lack a set of proteins contained in CEs from stratum corneum and may even be composed of different proteins. Retinoic acid appears to prevent CE formation in part by inhibiting activation of epidermal TGase but in addition by influencing the synthesis of precursor proteins.
Anionic metal carbonyl complexes of the tetraphenyl-borate, cyanotrihydroborate, and cyanotriphenylborate ligands

Abstract Reactions of sodium cyanotrihydroborate with the metal hexacarbonyls M(CO) 6 (M = Cr, Mo, and W) in boiling glyme give the yellow anions [H 3 BCNM(CO) 5 ] − in which the cyano group acts as an electron donor. Reactions of sodium tetraphenylborate with the metal hexacarbonyls M(CO) 6 (M = Cr and W) in boiling diglyme give the yellow anions [(C 6 H 5 ) 2 -B{C 6 H 5 M(CO) 3 } 2 ] − (M = Cr and W) in which two of the four phenyl rings are π-complexed to metal tricarbonyl moieties. Reactions of sodium cyanotriphenylborate with the metal hexacarbonyls M(CO) 6 (M = Mo and W) in boiling glyme result in complexation of the cyano group rather than the phenyl rings to give the yellow anions [(C 6 H 5 ) 3 BCNM(CO) 5 ] − (M = Mo and W). All of these new anionic metal carbonyl derivatives are isolated as their tetramethylammonium salts.
Molecular product formation from the charge-transfer state of C6H6I2

Abstract The C6H6 and I2 molecular product fragments of the C6H6I2 charge-transfer state have been investigated. Wavelength resolved studies show considerable rotational excitation of the benzene fragment and corresponding velocity spectra indicate a degree of translational excitation as well, consistent with rapid I2 bond dissociation in a bent complex. Another product channel active in the gas phase complex that forms molecular iodine was identified from measurements of kinetic energy release in the I2 fragment. The reaction mechanism is pictured as a charge-recombination step in the initially excited charge-transfer state, yielding I 2 ( X 1 Σ g + ) and C6H6(a 3B1u). Comparisons are made to corresponding observations for arene-I2 species in the condensed phase.
A mosaic of change : the Middle-Upper Paleolithic transition as viewed from New Mexico and Iberia

Abstract From the cultural (archeological) perspective, there is growing evidence that there was not only considerable variability, but also significant change within the block of time that prehistorians call the Middle Paleolithic (MP). This was not a period of stasis, and thus the actors—Homo sapiens neanderthalensis in Europe—were quite capable of adapting to new environmental circumstances in sensu lato. Likewise, the so-called Upper Paleolithic (UP) was a cultural monolith neither in time nor in space. In particular, humans had to react in significant ways to the environmental crisis of the Last Glacial Maximum that began some 20 14C kyr after “the transition” to “modernity”. Adaptation is a continuously ongoing process, sometimes slow, but at other times fast. The complementary opposition that has been set up by archeologists between the MP and the UP obscures the considerable amount of variation and change that existed both before and after the mythic date of 40 14C kyr. This paper reviews and compares relevant aspects of the records from Europe and Africa, and then focuses on the Iberian Peninsula, to highlight the arbitrary nature of our concept of an MP–UP transition. Changes took many forms, not all of them novel or abrupt, with many examples of UP-type precursor behaviors and products in the MP, many clear cases of continuity across “the transition”, and abundant evidence that the entire phenomenon was a cultural (and biological) mosaic, rather than starkly “black-and-white” replacement of one adaptive system by another. The Iberian evidence is a microcosm of the complexity of the situation, which cannot be glossed over for the sake of mere simplification or to continue to prop up 19th century culture–historical notions and analytical units.
Characterizing isolated attosecond pulses from a hollow-core waveguide using multi-cycle driving pulses

We temporally characterize 200 attosecond FWHM pulses created by high harmonic generation of 15 femtosecond pulses. Simulations of the interferometric two-color crosscorrelation data and an iterative algorithm were used to extract the pulse duration.
On sampling the upper crustal reservoir of the NE Pacific Ocean

The oceanic upper crustal reservoir is a 600-m thick layer of porous and permeable basaltic rock that forms the uppermost igneous basement underlying the global ocean. Pore spaces within this fluid aquifer contain a significant fraction of the global seawater, and active circulation through this reservoir has profound influence on the chemical composition of the ocean, strongly impacting the biological environment near the sea surface. Because of the relative inaccessibility of the deep seafloor, where hydrothermal fluid discharges and seawater re-charges the oceanic crustal aquifer, our understanding of the dynamic physical, chemical and biological processes is strongly dependent on our ability to obtain uncontaminated samples from this challenging environment. Recent technological advances have addressed some, but certainly not all of these sampling problems, providing new data and samples that test our current hypotheses about the crustal fluid reservoir. Current scientific interest in the sub-seafloor biosphere has focused on the uppermost igneous oceanic crust as likely to be one of the most habitable environments, because of its porosity and locus of hydrothermal circulation of chemical nutrients. Recent observations indicate that sub-seafloor crustal environments harbor novel CO2-utilizing bacteria (primary producers) that could be a significant source of carbon-fixation in the ocean, thus broadening possible habitable zones both on Earth and elsewhere where microbial life could exist independent of nutrient input from photosynthesis.
Agents for electronic document supply: who are the likely players?

The authors consider a group of commercial vendors who may be potential agents or players in electronic document supply. The group examines five potential providers of products/services: Dow Jones, Geac, OCLC, Faxon, RLG using Malone's 1989 comments on electronic markets as a framework, and using Porter's analytics to describe competition, and the role of technology in conferring advantage. The authors suggest that electronic document supply has produced an observable shift in exchange relationships between suppliers and buyers: the former are regrouping into partnerships which offer a confusing range of options to clients.
Comparison of Discharge Functional Status After Rehabilitation in Skilled Nursing, Home Health, and Medical Rehabilitation Settings for Patients After Hip Fracture Repair

Abstract Objective To examine differences in rehabilitation outcomes across 3 post-acute care (PAC) rehabilitation settings for patients after hip fracture repair. Design Prospective, observational cohort study. Setting Six skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), 4 inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs), and 8 home health agencies (HHAs) in 10 states. Participants Patients (N=181) receiving PAC rehabilitation following hip fracture with internal fixation (n=116) or total hip replacement (n=64), or no surgical intervention (n=1). Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measure Self-care and mobility status at PAC discharge measured by the Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Patient Assessment Instrument. Results IRF and HHA patients had lower self-care function at discharge relative to SNF patients controlling for patient characteristics, severity, comorbidities, and services. Adding length of stay (LOS) resulted in nonsignificant differences between IRFs and SNFs. In contrast, there was no setting-specific advantage in discharge mobility for patients with or without the addition of LOS. The average LOS of HHA patients was 2 weeks longer than that of SNF patients, whose average LOS was 9 days longer than that of IRF patients (average, 15d). IRF and SNF patients received about the same total minutes of therapy over their PAC stays (∼2100min on average), whereas HHA patients received only approximately 25% as many minutes. Conclusions Setting-specific effects varied depending on whether self-care or mobility was the outcome of focus. It remains unclear to what extent rehabilitation intensity or natural recovery effects changes in functional status for patients with hip fracture. This study points to important directions for PAC setting comparative effectiveness studies in the future, including uniform measurement, limited consensus on factors affecting recovery, accounting for selection bias, and using end-point data collection that is at the same follow-up time periods for all settings.
Prince Adam Czartoryski as a liminal figure in the development of modern nationalism in Eastern Europe at the turn of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries

In Polish history, Prince Adam Czartoryski is almost universally regarded as one of the most important Polish statesmen and patriots of the first half of the nineteenth century. In Russian history, on the other hand, he is remembered chiefly as the Foreign Minister of the Russian Empire, and a close personal friend of Tsar Alexander I. How did Czartoryski reconcile his commitment to the Polish nation with his service to the Russian Empire (a state which occupied most of Poland)? This paper will attempt to place Prince Adam's friendship with Alexander, and his service to Imperial Russia, in the broader context of national identity formation in early nineteenth-century eastern Europe. It will be argued that the idea of finding a workable relationship between Poland and Russia, even within the framework of a single state for a “Slavic nation,” was an important and forgotten feature of Polish political thought at the turn of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. By answering the question of precisely how C...
You Found Us Doing This, This Is Our Way: Criminalizing Second Lines, Super Sunday, and Habitus in Post-Katrina New Orleans

This article analyzes the changing ways law enforcement agencies, city government officials, and gentrifying resident constituencies have attempted to criminalize and surveil disposition-forming rituals and daily social practices of African American working class New Orleanians before and after Hurricane Katrina. The rituals and practices discussed include pedestrian parades known as Second Lines and Super Sunday. The article demonstrates that the criminalization and surveillance of these practices must be understood in light of the role played by socially structured space in the production of racialized class differences among New Orleanians. In the post-Katrina context, the city's mandatory evacuation enabled gentrifying resident constituencies and expert urban planners to imagine the city's reconstruction as something to be achieved through the creation of architectonic relationships conducive to cycles of capital investment. These visions of urban recovery have ignored the importance residents of affe...
The Use of a Workshop on Group Work for Field Instructors to Enhance Students' Experience with Group Work in the Field Practicum

To enhance student's learning about group work in the field practicum, one undergraduate program provided a continuing education workshop to field instructors in which core group work content was identified as were suggestions for how they could provide appropriate learning opportunities for their students. Results suggest that such training may positively affect students' opportunities to practice group work. The findings also are consistent with previous research that has demonstrated that social work students often have only limited opportunities to practice group work in the field.
Paradoxical ozone associations could be due to methyl nitrite from combustion of methyl ethers or esters in engine fuels.

Abstract We review studies of the effects of low ambient ozone concentrations on morbidity that found a negative coefficient for ozone concentration. We call this a Paradoxical Ozone Association (POA). All studies were in regions with methyl ether in gasoline. All but one study carefully controlled for the effects of other criterion pollutants, so the phenomenon cannot be attributed to them. One was in southern California in mid-summer when ozone levels are highest. Because ozone is created by sunlight, the most plausible explanation for a POA would be an ambient pollutant that is rapidly destroyed by sunlight, such as methyl nitrite (MN). A previously published model of engine exhaust chemistry suggested methyl ether in the fuel will create MN in the exhaust. MN is known to be highly toxic, and closely related alkyl nitrites are known to induce respiratory sensitivity in humans. Support for the interpretation comes from many studies, including three linking asthma symptoms to methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) and the observation that a POA has not been seen in regions without ether in gasoline. We also note that studies in southern California show a historical trend from more significant to less significant ozone-health associations. The timing of those changes is consistent with the known timing of the introduction of gasoline oxygenated with MTBE in that region.