cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Use of cytology centrifuged supernatants improves cost and turnaround time for targeted next generation sequencing

Background Molecular testing is an essential step in providing patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the most appropriate front-line targeted therapies. We recently implemented targeted NGS on previously discarded cytology centrifuged supernatant (CCS). Methods In this study, we reviewed our implementation process to evaluate its performance. Performance and turnaround time (TAT) of molecular testing on all cytology NSCLC cases submitted for targeted NGS from June 2018 to September 2019 were evaluated, which included 46 and 62 cytology cases before and after implementation of CCS, respectively. Associated cost savings using CCS was also analyzed. Results The mean TAT defined as the time of collection to time of reporting was 8.5 ± 1.8 days in CCS cohort (range 5-13) as compared with 12.2 ± 5.3 days in the (FFPE) cell block (CB) cohort (range: 6-27). The success rate of sequencing was similar for both cohorts (100% in CCS and 96% in FFPE CB). Conclusion Our results demonstrate that NGS using CCS improves TAT, preserves FFPE CB for other testing, and results in cost savings of $50 per case.
Eyelid Crease Asymmetry

In the past, treatment of crease asymmetry was limited to raising the lower crease. This often left patients with a surgical “look”. Thanks to innovative work in Asia, a reliable means of crease lowering has been developed. This work is applicable to both Western and Asian eyelids. The key is understanding that the insertion of the levator into the skin defines the upper eyelid crease. By moving the levator insertion to a pretarsal position, the crease can be effectively lowered. Mobilizing anterior orbital fat matted in scar from prior surgery provides the volume needed to reestablish the upper eyelid fold.
Insect left-over substrate as plant fertiliser

The production of insect protein as human food and livestock feed (entomophagy) may provide a more environmentally beneficial alternative to traditional animal agriculture. However, the resulting w...
Student Performance on End of Year State Assessments and Correlation to Teacher’s Worth

This study explored how accountability over the years has shifted with attention mainly focusing how well students are performing on their end of the year assessments and how that determines a teacher’s worth. Through these assessments, the teachers are being told of their worth if a student meets their goal or being told of their ineffectiveness when the teachers and students fail to measure up. Teachers were considered to have value-added as an educator when their students attained their goals. Other educators faced dismissal or reassignment when their students did not meet their goals. The focus is placed upon the educator and the educator’s career is heavily impacted by low test scores and even the high test scores. With teacher value being associated with test scores, other problems came to the surface of the research. High teacher turnover rates, discourse amongst peers when scores were being compared or incentive pay being offered, and educators becoming teachers that teach to the test. The goal was determine how educators and those studying this new shift felt and reacted.
Impact of Highway Nonuser Revenue on Equity Ratio: Exploratory Analysis

AbstractIn the United States, due to the continued decline of highway user revenues from traditional sources, many states have adopted the approach of using highway nonuser revenue sources to suppo...
Burials from the Santa Barbara Presidio chapel

Nearly twenty years ago, three burials were excavated from the floor of the chapel at the site of El Real Presidio de Santa Barbara, California. Two of the graves contained only sparse remains while Burial #3 consisted of the nearly complete skeleton of a young woman and included fragments of material and ornaments from her clothing. Osteological analysis, study of associated artifacts, and documentary research have resulted in tentative identification of two of the individuals and have provided information on the genetic affinities, health, burial practices, and clothing styles of this early 19th century Hispanic community.
Forecasting the Caspian Sea Level

Forecasting is a trustworthy judgement of the state of an object (process or phenomenon) in the future based on an analysis of a logical sequence of events (Bestuzhev-Lada, 1982). In this chapter, we will consider how the available empirical data may be organized into such a “logical sequence” which is appropriate for CSL predictions. Section 4.1 describes major hypotheses that explain fluctuations in the CSL. A review of currently existing climatological methods for forecasting the CSL and their comparative analysis are given in section 4.2. Section 4.3 discusses why the forecasting regression models linking the CSL and such traditionally used predictors as sunspot numbers, air temperature in Moscow and Belinsky’s index of atmospheric circulation after some period of successful application eventually fail. A simple but effective statistical technique is used to detect the moments when the correlation links are broken. A new method for forecasting the CSL changes, which is based on probabilistic logic and takes into account a complex of climatic factors, is presented in section 4.3. The practical application of the method is discussed in section 4.4.
A monolithic high-g SOI-MEMS accelerometer for measuring projectile launch and flight accelerations

Analog Devices (ADI) has designed and fabricated a monolithic high-g acceleration sensor (ADXSTC3-HG) fabricated with the ADI silicon-on-insulator micro-electromechanical system (SOI-MEMS) process. The SOI-MEMS sensor structure has a thickness of 10 /spl mu/m, allowing for the design of inertial sensors with excellent cross-axis rejection. The high-g accelerometer discussed in this paper was designed to measure in-plane acceleration to 10,000 g while subjected to 100,000 g in the orthogonal axes. These requirements were intended to meet Army munition applications. The monolithic sensor was packaged in an 8-pin leadless chip carrier (LCC-8) and was successfully demonstrated by the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) as part of an inertial measurement unit during an instrumented-flight experiment of artillery projectiles launched at 15,000 g.
Social work in health care: do practitioners' writings suggest an applied social science?

Abstract There are two sources of literature in social work-one from academics and the other from practitioners. Each group is driven by different motivations to write. Academics seek a ‘scientific rationality’ for the field, while practitioners assume practical and intuitive reasoning, experience aligned with theory, and the ‘art of practice’ to guide them. It has been said that practitioners do not write and that ‘faculty’ are the trustees of the knowledge base of the profession, and are responsible for its promulgation via publication. Practitioners, however, do write about their practice and their programs, and analyze both, but publish much of their work in non-social work media. Their work tends not to be referenced by academic writers. One department's social workers' publications are described. We learn, from their practice writings, what concerns clinicians. Theirs is case-based learning, theoretically supported, in which the organization of services calls for their participation in multi-profess...
Modelling and Conventional/Adaptive PI Control of a Lathe Cutting Process

A mathematical model for predicting dynamics between the feedrate and cutting force in the lathe cutting process is derived by combinations of a parameter identification technique and geometrical consideration for chip thickness time variation. The model prediction of transient responses is in good agreement with the experimental results. The model is used for tuning a PI controller for regulating the cutting force as well as to show performance limitations of the conventional PI controller. A simple adaptive control scheme which makes use of the model structure is proposed. Experimental results from laboratory evaluation of the proposed controllers are presented.
A new category of high-voltage pulser based on dynamic plasma techniques

High-speed plasmas generated by low-impedance, pulsed electrical sources are used to displace and compress magnetic flux in a variety of arrangements involving multi-turn coils. The output impedance of power from these coils is much higher than the original source impedance, and the output pulse time is much shorter than the input pulse. Dynamic plasma techniques thus provide a new category of high-voltage pulser, capable of simultaneously achieving voltage multiplication and pulsetime compression. Arrangements based on implosion, inverse-pinch and coaxial plasma-gun flows are discussed.
State-Dependent Volatility and the Market Risk Premium

The market risk premium is estimated based on the equilibrium relationship between risk and expected returns in an intertemporal setting characterized by periods of distinctly different levels of risk. In this environment of discrete volatility states, expected returns compensate investors for current volatility risk as well as the risk associated with a change in the level of market volatility. More importantly, expected returns include the expected change in market value associated with a change in the level of market risk. For this reason, average realized returns within each volatility state do not reflect the risk premium required by investors for state specific risk. By explicitly modelling the process governing the evolution of volatility states, I recover the required risk premium for each volatility state. The dynamic nature of the volatility process implies a term structure of expected forward risk premia that is dependent upon the current level of market volatility. During the period from 1926 to 1997, my estimates indicate that the economy is likely to have been in the high-volatility state approximately 13 percent of the time and that there is a strong statistical relationship between these high-volatility episodes and business cycle contraction periods. In addition, I find evidence of a structural shift in the volatilty process corresponding to the end of the Great Depression Era. As a result of this structural change, the likelihood of being in the high-volatility state decreases dramatically after 1940, implying a significant decrease in the level of market risk. Consistent with this reduction in risk, I find evidence of an abnormal increase in market values during the period from 1940 to 1960. After controlling for this windfall capital gain, my analysis suggests that the long-run market risk premium for the period after 1940 is substantially less than that implied by the simple historical average of excess market returns.
Abstract T P231: B- Cell Depletion Decreases Lesion Burden in a Murine Model of Cerebral Cavernous Malformation Disease

Introduction: The cerebral cavernous malformation (CCM), a common cerebrovascular anomaly, predisposes patients to a lifetime risk of seizures, hemorrhagic stroke, and other neurological sequelae. Previous studies revealed robust inflammatory cell infiltration and selective synthesis of IgG within the lesions. Recently, in situ antigen-driven B- cell clonal expansion and immune complex deposits were demonstrated in CCM lesions. However, we do not know whether B cells indeed could play a role in CCM genesis and maturation. Therefore we hypothesize B-cell depletion could inhibit CCM development in a murine model of CCMs. Methods: Based on the two-hit hypothesis, we crossed Ccm3 heterozygotes into a Trp53 background, a mouse model that demonstrated 100% penetrance with severe lesion burden. Three weeks after birth, 5 CCM3+/-Trp53-/- mice were assigned into treatment group, receiving anti-mouse BR3 (Genentech) to deplete B cells with IP injection once a week (5mg/kg/week) for a total of 12-15 weeks. At 4 mont...
Innovation in Our Nation's Public Hospitals: Three-Year Follow-Up Interview with Five CEOs and Medical Directors-Part 1.

In the Winter 2008 issue of The Permanente Journal, we published an interview with five CEOs and Medical Directors (Table 1) from four public hospitals and systems, which was conducted at the Spring 2007 annual meeting of the National Association of Public Hospitals (NAPH) in Boston, MA. This year, at the 2010 annual meeting of the NAPH, we revisited leaders from the same four hospitals and systems, including three new participants and two returning from the 2007 interview (Table 2). Part 2 of this interview appears in the Spring 2011 issue and includes comments on: innovations in quality improvement, improving patients' experience, and approaches to health care reform.
Quantum extension of conditional probability

We analyze properties of the quantum conditional amplitude operator [Phys. Rev. Lett. 79, 5194 (1997)], which plays a role similar to that of the conditional probability in classical information theory. The spectrum of the conditional operator that characterizes a quantum bipartite system is shown to be invariant under local unitary transformations and reflects its inseparability. More specifically, it is proven that the conditional amplitude operator of a separable state cannot have an eigenvalue exceeding 1, which results in a necessary condition for separability. A related separability criterion based on the non-negativity of the von Neumann conditional entropy is also exhibited.
The relationship between pH and community structure of invertebrates in streams of the Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, U.S.A.

SUMMARY 1. A replicated natural experiment was used to assess the influence of pH and low alkalinity on abundance and richness of invertebrate families in streams draining catchments that receive acid deposition. Individual streams were used as the unit of replication, allowing conclusions to refer to a class of streams rather than to particular streams. 2. We also controlled for several factors other than pH and alkalinity, including flow and temperature, that are recognized as determinants of invertebrate distribution. Samples were from indigenous rocks, standardized for size, surface area, and geology. 3. Repeated measures analyses of variance (ANOVA) revealed that invertebrate abundance and richness were significantly lower at pH 5.8 than at pH 7.1 for the total community. Thirty per cent of the forty-seven families exhibited significantly lower abundance at pH 5.8; thirteen families were absent at pH 5.8. Differences were greatest for Ephemeroptera: species richness was significantly lower at pH 5.8, and 71% of the twenty-four species were either absent (seven) or found in reduced abundance (ten) in the acidic streams. 4. Stream alkalinity is projected to continue to decrease with continued acid deposition in the Shenandoah National Park. Concurrent decreases in pH may lead to the absence or continued numerical decline of certain Ephemeroptera species in streams that acidify to less than pH 6.0 and/or 50μEql−1 alkalinity.
Utility of Antibody in Identifying Individuals Who Have or Will Develop Anhydride-induced Respiratory Disease

Objective To define the utility of serum antibody against trimellitic anhydride (TMA) in predicting which individuals employed, at Amoco Corporation, in the manufacture of TMA have or will develop immunologically mediated respiratory disease, such as asthma, due to exposure to TMA. Methods In 1990 we initiated a clinical and immunologic cross-sectional study of 181 subjects exposed to TMA for at least 1 year who had not been diagnosed with an immunologic respiratory disease. We then clinically and immunologically followed 119 of these subjects for the next 5 years to determine whether they would develop an immunologic respiratory disease due to TMA exposure. Results Of the 16 individuals with IgE against TMA conjugated to human serum albumin (TM-HSA) in 1990, 3 had immediate asthma and another 6 developed asthma during the 5-year follow-up. Of the 165 individuals without IgE against TM-HSA, none had immediate asthma in 1990 and only 1 of 102 individuals followed for 5 years developed asthma. Of the 44 subjects with IgG against TM-HSA, 6 had an immunologic respiratory disease in 1990 and 2 more developed it in the ensuing 5 years. Of the 137 subjects without IgG against TM-HSA, none had an immunologic respiratory disease in 1990 and none of the 80 subjects followed for 5 years developed it. Conclusions Development of antibody against TM-HSA, both IgE and IgG, is predictive of subjects who have or will develop immunologically mediated respiratory disease due to TMA exposure. The absence of antibody is a potent negative predictor.
Lymphoma and lung cancer in offspring born to pregnant mice dosed with dibenzo[a,l]pyrene: the importance of in utero vs. lactational exposure.

The fetus and neonate cannot be viewed as 'little adults'; they are highly sensitive to toxicity from environmental chemicals. This phenomenon contributes to the fetal basis of adult disease. One example is transplacental carcinogenesis. Animal models demonstrate that environmental chemicals, to which pregnant women are daily exposed, can increase susceptibility of the offspring to cancer. It is uncertain to what degree in utero vs. lactational exposure contributes to cancer, especially for hydrophobic chemicals such as polyhalogenated biphenyls, ethers, dioxins, furans, etc., which can partition into breast milk. We developed a pregnant mouse model in which exposure to the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), dibenzo[a,l]pyrene (DBP), during late gestation, produces an aggressive T-cell lymphoma in offspring between 3 and 6 months of age. Survivors exhibit multiple lung and liver (males) tumors. Here, we adopt a cross-foster design with litters born to dams treated with DBP exchanged with those born to dams treated with vehicle. Exposure to DBP in utero (about 2 days) produced significantly greater mortality than residual DBP exposure only through breast milk (3 weeks of lactation). As previously observed pups in all groups with an ahr{sup b-1/d} ('responsive') genotype were more susceptible to lymphoma mortality than ahr{sup d/d} ('non-responsive') siblings.more » At termination of the study at 10 months, mice exposed in utero also had greater lung tumor multiplicity than mice exposed only during lactation. Our results demonstrate that short exposure to DBP during late gestation presents a greater risk to offspring than exposure to this very hydrophobic PAH following 3 weeks of nursing.« less
A transgressive segregation factor ( RKN2 ) in Gossypium barbadense for nematode resistance clusters with gene rkn1 in G. hirsutum

Host plant resistance is an important strategy for managing root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita) in cotton (Gossypium L.). Here we report evidence for enhanced resistance in interspecific crosses resulting from transgressive segregation of clustered gene loci. Recently, a major gene, rkn1, on chromosome 11 for resistance to M. incognita in cv. Acala NemX was identified using an intraspecific G. hirsutum cross with susceptible cv. Acala SJ-2. Using interspecific crosses of Acala NemX × susceptible G. barbadense cv. Pima S-7, F1, F2, F2:3, backcross, and testcross Acala NemX × F1 (Pima S-7 × SJ-2), parental entries and populations were inoculated in greenhouse tests with M. incognita. Genetic analyses based on nematode-induced root galling and nematode egg production on roots, and molecular marker analysis of the segregating interspecific populations revealed that gene rkn1 interacted with a gene (designated as RKN2) in susceptible Pima S-7 to produce a highly resistant phenotype. RKN2 did not confer resistance in Pima S-7, but when combined with rkn1 (genotype Aa or aa), high levels of resistance were produced in the F1 and segregating F2, F3, and BC1F1 populations. One SSR marker MUCS088 was identified tightly linked to RKN2 within 4.4 cM in a NemX × F1 (Pima S-7 × SJ-2) testcross population. Using mapped SSR markers and interspecific segregating populations, MUCS088 linked to the transgressive gene from the susceptible parent and was located in the vicinity of rkn1 on chromosome 11. Diverse genome analyses among A and D genome diploid and tetraploid cottons revealed that marker MUCS088 (165 and 167 bp) is derived from G. arboreum, A2 diploid genome. These results demonstrated that a highly susceptible parent contributed to nematode resistance via transgressive segregation. Derived highly resistant lines can be used as improved resistance sources in cotton breeding, and MUCS088 can be used to monitor RKN2 introgression in diverse populations. The close genomic location of the transgressive resistance determinants provides an important model system for studying transgressive segregation and epistasis in plants.
Kinetics of substitution reactions of diacidodicyclopentadienyltitanium(IV) compounds in acetone

The kinetics of substitution of acido ligands in diacidodicyclopentadienyltitanium(IV) compounds have been investigated in acetone solutions. The observed pseudo first-order rate constants conform to the expression kobserved = k1 ÷ k2[X] where [X] is the concentration of the entering ligand. k2 varies significantly from one anion to another suggesting a rate process involving a nucleophilic attack. k1 is a sensitive function of the water content of the medium, apparently approaching zero at zero water content.
Considerations for characterizing domain problems

The nested blocks and guidelines model is a useful template for creating design and evaluation criteria, because it aligns design to need [17]. Characterizing the outermost block of the nested model---the domain problem---is challenging, mainly due to the nature of contemporary inquiries in various domains, which are dynamic and, by definition, difficult to problematize. We offer here our emerging conceptual framework, based on the central question in our research study---what visualization works for whom and in which situation, to consider when characterizing the outermost block, the domain problem, of the nested model [18].
Comparison of flat film to total package water vapour transmission rates for several commercial food wraps

The barrier properties of a package are the sum of material and seal permeations. Although addressed for hermetically sealed and modified atmosphere packages, little consideration of total package permeation has been given to commercial food wraps. Standard protocols were used to compare the water vapour transmission rates (WVTRs) of materials and packages for seven commercial food wraps: aluminum foil; poly(vinylidene chloride) (PVdC) film; three poly(ethylene) (PE) films; an adhesive-modified PE film; and plasticized poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) film. Water ingress for a complete package was compared to calculated material permeation based on film WVTRs. Film-to-glass adhesion strength was also measured. Model systems (desiccant) were compared to foods at ambient and refrigeration temperatures. Aluminum foil had the lowest material WVTR (0.10 g/h/m2), closely followed by PVdC (0.13 g/h/m2). These WVTRs were approximately five-fold lower than the PEs (∼0.65 g/h/m2), which were nearly 10-fold lower than PVC (4.9 g/h/m2). The adhesive-modified PE film had the lowest difference between material and package transmission rates (0.7 E-03 g/h), approximately half that of the PVdC film (1.1 E-03 g/h), which was significantly lower than the remaining films (2.3 E-03 –3.9 E-03 g/h). The adhesive PE film had the strongest film–glass adhesion. Ambient food product test results were similar to model system (desiccant) results, but refrigerated trials showed significantly different relative package transmission rates. This was attributed to the reduced adhesion of most wraps at refrigeration temperatures. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
High-Accuracy Quantum Mechanical Studies of π−π Interactions in Benzene Dimers

Although supramolecular chemistry and noncovalent interactions are playing an increasingly important role in modern chemical research, a detailed understanding of prototype noncovalent interactions remains lacking. In particular, π−π interactions, which are ubiquitous in biological systems, are not fully understood in terms of their strength, geometrical dependence, substituent effects, or fundamental physical nature. However, state-of-the-art quantum chemical methods are beginning to provide answers to these questions. Coupled-cluster theory through perturbative triple excitations in conjunction with large basis sets and extrapolations to the complete basis set limit have provided definitive results for the binding energy of several configurations of the benzene dimer, and benchmark-quality ab initio potential curves are being used to calibrate new density functional and force-field models for π−π interactions. Studies of substituted benzene dimers indicate flaws in the conventional wisdom about substitu...
A modified impulse approximation calculation of the n-n quasi-free scattering and the chew-low extrapolation in the D(p, NN)N reaction

Abstract The results of a calculation from a simple impulse approximation modified by the introduction of a cut-off radius in the deuteron ground state wavefunction are compared with recent measurements of the D(p, 2p)n and D(p, pn)p reactions.
Near-resonant and off-resonant charge exchange in ion-surface collisions

Abstract Recent investigations have established that energy nonconserving events play a significant role in ion neutralization at solid surfaces. Such processes arise because the ionic states acquire a lifetime from the motion of the ion and its interaction with the band of the solid. Existing studies of lifetime effects have been limited to neutralization by continuum processes (resonant tunneling, Auger neutralization); here, we present a theory to include these lifetime effects on the core processes responsible for quasi-resonant electron transfer. We explore some implications of the formalism which relate to problems of current interest in ion-scattering spectroscopy.
Isotherm of alcohol-cooled cryoprobe

Abstract QUINN, K. J. AND J. H. O'BRIEN. Isotherm of alcohol-cooled cryoprobe . BRAIN RES. BULL. 4 (1) 119–121, 1979.—The spread of cooling from the tip of a cryoprobe placed in the ventral posterior lateral nucleus of the thalamus in 10 cats was determined. A 20°C isotherm was described as having a diameter of 4 mm and extending 2 mm below the tip of the cryoprobe and tapering up along the shaft of the cryoprobe for a distance of 2 mm, when the cryoprobe tip temperature was maintained at 3°C.
Antinuclear antibodies in Coombs-positive acquired hemolytic anemia.

Summary. The incidence of antinuclear antibodies was determined to be 39% in a group of 26 patients with Coombs positive acquired hemolytic anemia who lacked evidence of collagen disease or primary disturbances of the lymphoreticular system. There was no correlation between antinuclear antibodies and such factors as anemia, reticulocytosis, hypergammaglobulinemia and whether the Coombs reaction was related to pure IgG or to serum complement on the red cells. The significance of the antinuclear antibodies and their relationship to the acquired hemolytic process remain to be elucidated.
Pair potentials and polarizabilities for LiF and KF

Abstract Ab initio SCF MO calculations have been performed on LiF over the range 2 to 20 bohr and on KF in the range 2.5 to 20 bohr. The results are close to the Hartree—Fock limit of accuracy. Values of the energy, dipole moment, and polarizability components are reported. The ionic dissociation energies agree well with experiment. dμ/d R values at the potential minima are consistent with other estimates. The polarizability curves are compared with those of LiCl and KCl.
A real-time computer vision system for vehicle tracking and traffic surveillance

Abstract Increasing congestion on freeways and problems associated with existing detectors have spawned an interest in new vehicle detection technologies such as video image processing. Existing commercial image processing systems work well in free-flowing traffic, but the systems have difficulties with congestion, shadows and lighting transitions. These problems stem from vehicles partially occluding one another and the fact that vehicles appear differently under various lighting conditions. We are developing a feature-based tracking system for detecting vehicles under these challenging conditions. Instead of tracking entire vehicles, vehicle features are tracked to make the system robust to partial occlusion. The system is fully functional under changing lighting conditions because the most salient features at the given moment are tracked. After the features exit the tracking region, they are grouped into discrete vehicles using a common motion constraint. The groups represent individual vehicle trajectories which can be used to measure traditional traffic parameters as well as new metrics suitable for improved automated surveillance. This paper describes the issues associated with feature based tracking, presents the real-time implementation of a prototype system, and the performance of the system on a large data set. ©
Decrease in the airways' nonadrenergic noncholinergic inhibitory system in allergen sensitized rabbits

A decrease in the airways' nonadrenergic noncholinergic inhibitory (NANC-i) system is one of the mechanisms that may contribute to allergen-induced changes in neural control within airways. We measured the airways' neurally mediated contractile and relaxant (NANC-i) responses in tracheal segments and left mainstem bronchus (LMB) from normal (control), immune (ragweed sensitized), and immune challenged rabbits. Immune rabbits were sensitized to mixed ragweed extract through parenteral injections from birth, while the immune challenged group had an additional airway exposure to aerosolized ragweed 48 hours prior to the in vitro studies. Neurally mediated contractile responses to electrical field stimulation (EFS) were increased in the immune challenged group, with the increase most significant in tracheal smooth muscle at a stimulation frequency of 20 Hz. To assess NANC-i responses, airway smooth muscle (ASM) segments from these groups were placed in tissue baths containing atropine (10−6 M) and propranolol (5 × 10−6 M). After contraction of the tissue with neurokinin A (NKA, 10−5 M), the NANC-i response to EFS at 20 Hz was measured and reported as the mean (± SEM) percent relaxation. No significant differences were seen in the contractile responses of ASM segments to NKA among the three groups. The tracheal segments showed a significantly different NANC-i relaxation response among all groups: in the control group, 29.1 ± 3.7; in the immune group 15.8 ± 2.3%; and in the immune challenged group, 2.1 ± 4.2%. The LMB segments showed significantly different NANC-i responses between the immune challenged group (M−3.4 ± 2.5%) and both the control (13.4 ± 5.7%) and immune group (9.5 ± 2.9%). This NANC-i response was not diminished by the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (10−4 M). We conclude the exposure to ragweed through the airways in rabbits with IgE to this allergen leads to an enhanced contractile response to EFS and a significant decrease in the airways' NANC-i response when compared with normal or immune rabbit airways. In addition, a significant decrease in NANC-i response occurs in tracheal segments from rabbits after parenteral ragweed immunization alone. This decrease in NANC-i may be one mechanism contributing to the altered airway responsiveness associated with IgE immune states. Pediatr Pulmonol. 1994; 17:296–303. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Photoassociation spectroscopy of a spin-1 Bose-Einstein condensate

We report on the high resolution photoassociation spectroscopy of a $^{87}\mathrm{Rb}$ spin-1 Bose-Einstein condensate to the ${1}_{g}({P}_{3∕2})$ $v=152$ excited molecular states. We demonstrate the use of spin dependent photoassociation to experimentally identify the molecular states and their corresponding initial scattering channel. These identifications are in excellent agreement with the eigenvalues of a hyperfine-rotational Hamiltonian. Using the observed spectra we estimate the change in scattering length and identify photoassociation laser light frequency ranges that maximize the change in the spin-dependent mean-field interaction energy.
Stable Carbon Isotope Ratios of Rock Varnish Organic Matter: A New Paleoenvironmental Indicator

Stable carbon isotope ratios of organic matter in rock varnishes of Holocene age from western North America and the Middle East show a strong association with the environment. This isotopic variability reflects the abundance of plants with different photosynthetic pathways in adjacent vegetation. Analyses of different layers of varnish on late Pleistocene desert landforms indicate that the carbon isotopic composition of varnish organic matter is a paleoenvironmental indicator.
Diet selection and metabolic fuels in three models of diabetes mellitus

Dietary self-selection and circulating metabolic fuels (glucose, free fatty acids, ketones) were examined in three forms of experimental diabetes mellitus in rats: pancreatectomy and streptozotocin treatment in adult and neonatal rats. Changes in diet selection resulting from insulin replacement also were examined. Differences were found in diet selection and circulating metabolic fuels between these types of diabetes. Mildly diabetic rats selected large amounts of fat while more severely diabetic rats primarily selected protein. Insulin treatment enhanced carbohydrate intake of diabetic rats and nearly normalized diet selection and circulating metabolic fuels. All diabetic groups exhibited severe glucose intolerance. These results support the observations of the beneficial effects of low-carbohydrate diets, question the generality of the use of high-fat diets, and suggest a more important role for high-protein diets in energy regulation in severely diabetic rats.
Ad astra per acceleratores

Abstract Accelerators produce nuclear data. Nuclear data reveal rates of energy production and nucleosynthesis in stars. This talk will be based on these concepts as elucidated in my Nobel Lecture for Physics in 1983.
Long-term relationships between mercury wet deposition and meteorology

Daily-event precipitation samples collected in Underhill, VT from 1995 to 2006 were analyzed for total mercury and results suggest that there were no statistically significant changes in annual mercury wet deposition over time, despite significant emissions reductions in the Northeast United States. Meteorological analysis indicates that mercury deposition has not decreased as transport of emissions from major source regions in the Midwest and East Coast have consistently contributed to the largest observed mercury wet deposition amounts over the period. In contrast, annual volume-weighted mean (VWM) mercury concentration declined slightly over the 12-years, and a significant decrease was observed from CY 2001 to 2006. An increase in the total annual precipitation amount corresponded with the decline in annual VWM mercury concentration. Analysis suggests that the increase in precipitation observed was strongly related to changes in the amount and type of precipitation that fell seasonally, and this departure was attributed to a response in meteorological conditions to climate variability and the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle. Increased amounts of rainfall and mixed precipitation (mixture of rainfall and snowfall), particularly in the spring and fall seasons, enhanced annual precipitation amounts and resulted in declining VWM mercury concentrations during these periods. Thus, declines in concentration at the more remote Underhill site appear to be more directly linked to local scale meteorological and climatological variability than to a reduction in emissions of mercury to the atmosphere.
Behavioral effects of several new anxiolytics and putative anxiolytics.

Abstract The behavioral effects of several new anxiolytics and putative anxiolytics were evaluated in two tests sensitive for anxiolytic activity. In the first test, rats were trained to lever-respond for sweetened milk under a multiple variable-interval fixed-ratio (VI-FR) schedule of reinforcement. In the FR component a brief electric shock coincided with the presentation of reward (i.e. conflict procedure). Treatment of these rats with diazepam, tracazolate, CGS-9896, and the pyrimidinylpiperazine derivatives buspirone, gepirone and ipsapirone (TVX Q 7821) significantly increased responding that was suppressed by foot-shock. A common metabolite of the pyrimidinylpiperazines, 1-PP, had no effect on punished responding. A second group of rats was trained to discriminate diazepam from saline using a two-lever operant choice procedure. Diazepam-stimulus generalization occurred to CGS-9896, CL 218,872, zopiclone and tracazolate, but not to buspirone, gepirone, ipsapirone or 1-PP. It was concluded that while all of the new compounds examined appear to share an anxiolytic effect as demonstrated by their activity in the conflict procedure, the pyrimidinylpiperazine agents do not share discriminative stimulus properties which are common drugs which act via the benzodiazepine receptor.
Collective Excitations and Magnetic Ordering in Materials with Singlet Crystal-Field Ground State

The low-lying magnetic excited states ("Frenkel spin excitons") in rare-earth compounds with a singlet crystal-field ground state are studied. We consider the effect of exchange interaction between the ionic moments as it increases from zero towards the critical value necessary for magnetic ordering at zero temperature. For simplicity, we consider the two-level system where the first-excited crystal-field state is also a singlet. By employing a pseudospin formalism, we avoid many of the fundamental difficulties encountered in previous treatments which introduce fermion operators for each of the crystal-field states. Applying techniques similar to those used in treating standard spin problems such as the Heinsenberg ferromagnet, we obtain an improved collective-excitation spectrum with a gap which decreases as the exchange increases. The critical value of exchange for magnetic ordering found is substantially greater than that obtained from molecular-field theory, and also is somewhat greater than that found with the constant-coupling approximation.
Anesthetic implications of the grey platelet syndrome.

Purpose: To describe the obstetrical anesthetic care provided to two sisters with a rare qualitative platelet disorder, the grey platelet syndrome (GPS). Clinical features: Both patients manifested thrombocytopenia prior to delivery without previous history of a bleeding diathesis or other abnormal laboratory tests of coagulation function. The first required emergency Cesarean section due to fetal bradycardia. Due to the thrombocytopenia and the emergency nature of the procedure, general anesthesia was used. During the C-section, 1.5–2 litres of old blood was noted in the abdominal cavity which was attributed to an old splenic capsular tear of unknown etiology. Work-up for the thrombocytopenia revealed large platelets on the peripheral smear with abnormal aggregation on platelet function studies. Electron microscopy of the platelets revealed absent alpha granules, diagnostic of GPS. The second patient, the sister of patient #1, presented in a similar fashion. However, at presentation, the platelet count was 112,000·m−3 and spinal anesthesia was provided without complication for Cesarean delivery. The same patient presented for a second delivery during which fetal bradycardia necessitated emergency C-section under general anesthesia. Despite administration of six units of platelets, blood loss was 5,200 mL. Her postpartum course was uncomplicated and she and the infant were discharged home on postoperative day #4. Conclusion: The primary concerns for the anesthesiologist looking after patients with qualitative platelet defects are related to defective coagulation which influences the need for perioperative replacement of blood products and limits the use of regional anesthesia.
Mitochondrial Dysfunction: A New Frontier in the Search for Elusive Arrhythmia Mechanisms

Mitochondria have long been recognized for their importance in energy production and apoptosis. More recently, seminal work in various laboratories has extended the role of cardiac mitochondria from relatively static arbitrators of cell death and survival pathways to highly dynamic organelles that formed interactive networks across cardiomyocytes. These coupled networks were shown to strongly affect cardiomyocyte responses to oxidative stress by modulating key cell signaling pathways that strongly impacted physiological properties (Dedkova and Blatter, 2008; Aon, 2010; O'Rourke, 2010). Of particular importance is the role of mitochondria in storing and releasing intracellular calcium, which in turn, modulates excitation–contraction coupling and electrophysiological properties either directly or indirectly by affecting cell signaling cascades and ATP levels (Dedkova and Blatter, 2008). This important recognition has ushered a renewed interest in understanding, at a more fundamental level, the exact role that cardiac metabolism, in general and mitochondria, in particular, play in both health and disease. As a result, the journal “Frontiers in Mitochondrial Physiology” was born (Aon, 2010; O'Rourke, 2010). O'Rourke and colleagues demonstrated that mitochondria formed networks of weakly coupled oscillators that spanned the entire cardiomyocyte (Aon et al., 2003). Upon reaching a critical level of oxidative stress, these networks exhibited emergent behavior that rapidly led to synchronized cell wide oscillations of the mitochondrial membrane potential, a key metric of mitochondrial function, and ATP production (Aon et al., 2003). This, in turn, resulted in cyclical oscillations of the cellular action potential via activation of the surface K-ATP current. Furthermore, spatially heterogeneous areas in tissue excitability during conditions that promoted mitochondrial membrane potential collapse led to the formation of conduction block via a mechanism which was termed metabolic sink (Akar et al., 2005; Aon, 2010). This form of conduction failure caused the genesis of sustained arrhythmias upon reperfusion (Akar et al., 2005; Aon, 2010). In this issue of the Journal, Florea and Blatter demonstrate yet another mechanism by which mitochondrial membrane potential depolarization may lead to the genesis of arrhythmias, this time through a completely distinct mechanism that involves the formation of a beat-to-beat oscillatory behavior of the intracellular calcium transient. Using a highly systematic approach, these authors nicely demonstrated how disruption of mitochondrial energetics at various levels within the electron transport chain always led to a predictable increase in calcium transient alternans during steady state pacing of atrial myocytes. As such, these findings assigned another important role for cardiac mitochondria as mediators of a pathophysiological parameter (alternans) known to foreshadow the genesis of sudden death.
The dynamics and impact of affirmative action processes on higher education, the curriculum, and black women

Affirmative action is perceived as a tool that can bring about significant social change. In higher education, it has yet to produce the desired results for which its policies were designed. In whatever stage of the affirmative action process colleges and universities find themselves, it can be observed that there are complex dynamics of formulating, implementing, and enforcing affirmative action goals that affect all participants in the process. The complex dynamics of achieving affirmative action goals within higher education deserve attention because they forecast the interactions between black women and higher education that we may expect to see in the future.
Impact of parenteral nutrition-associated liver disease on intestinal transplant waitlist dynamics.

Background United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) reports indicate that waiting list mortality for intestinal transplant candidates greatly exceeds that for all other organ transplant candidates. But United Network for Organ Sharing outcomes reports have not routinely distinguished between the intestine candidate subgroups that are listed only for an intestine and those that are also listed for a liver. Study Design Data were obtained by request from the collaborative Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (United Network for Organ Sharing)/Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (University Research and Education Association) database. Waiting list data for intestinal transplant recipients from 1995 to 2004 were divided into those candidates listed for only an intestine and those listed for both an intestine and a liver. Additional data concerning overall waiting list outcomes and posttransplant survival rates stratified into pediatric and adult subsets were also obtained and analyzed. Results The overall number of candidates on the intestinal transplant waiting list has increased steadily since 1995 and, consistently, the majority of candidates have also been listed for a liver. This subset was found to have both a higher relative risk of dying while awaiting transplantation and lower relative odds of receiving transplants. In addition, parenteral nutrition-associated liver disease is a major problem across all age groups, as evidenced by the combined liver and intestine listings that compose the majority of both adult and pediatric waiting list populations. Posttransplant survival data were found to be superior for isolated intestine recipients compared with liver-intestine recipients. Conclusions The preponderance of dual listings and their associated inferior outcomes, before and after transplantation, has skewed overall intestinal transplant outcomes. Because progression of parenteral nutrition-associated liver disease can be insidious, and recognition of irreversibility is often difficult, intestine-only transplants should be considered early for high-risk patients before parenteral nutrition-associated liver disease progression mandates inclusion of a liver graft also.
Forward Deployed Robotic Unit

Forward Deployed Robotic Unit (FDRU) is a core science and technology objective of the US Army, which will demonstrate the impact of autonomous systems on all phases of future land warfare. It will develop, integrate and demonstrate technology required to achieve robotic and fire control capabilities for future land combat vehicles, e.g., Future Combat Systems, using a system of systems approach that culminates in a field demonstration in 2005. It will also provide the required unmanned assets and conduct the demonstration. Battle Lab Warfighting Experiments and data analysis required to understand the effects of unmanned assets on combat operations. The US Army Tank- Automotive & Armaments Command and the US Army Research Laboratory are teaming in an effort to leverage prior technology achievements in the areas of autonomous mobility, architecture, sensor and robotics system integration; advance the state-of-the-art in these areas; and to provide field demonstration/application of the technologies.
Resonance Hyper-Raman Spectra of Zinc Phthalocyanine

Hyper-Raman spectra were obtained for zinc phthalocyanine in a dilute pyridine solution at excitation wavelengths that are two-photon resonant with the one-photon-allowed B band (360−380 nm) as well as with the two-photon absorption near 440 nm reported by Drobizhev et al. (J. Chem. Phys. 2006, 124, 224701). In both regions, the hyper-Raman spectra were very different from the linear resonance Raman spectra at the corresponding excitation frequencies. While the resonance Raman spectra show only g symmetry modes, almost all of the hyper-Raman frequencies can be assigned as fundamentals of Eu symmetry that also are observed in the infrared absorption spectrum or Eu symmetry combination bands. These results contrast sharply with previous observations of highly noncentrosymmetric push−pull conjugated molecules and are consistent with a structure for phthalocyanine in solution that is centrosymmetric or nearly so. The hyper-Raman spectra show different intensity patterns in the two excitation regions, consiste...