cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Farmers and Farmworkers: Two Centuries of Strategic Alterity in Kentucky’s Tobacco Fields

■Strategic alterity is defined here as a process of shifting between different assertions of devalued group identity in order to valorize free-trading citizens of the market and to mask the labor of those making that free market participation possible (by moralizing the devalorization). The examples provided here - based on ethnographic, oral history, and archival research in an eastern Kentucky, US community - focus on the ways that different markers of identity have characterized the farmworkers providing the low-wage or non-wage labor in tobacco over the past two centuries that has made it possible for those whose crops they work in to see themselves as independent, family farmers. Tobacco is viewed, here, as having always been a global crop produced by a 'globalized' labor force. The ideological arguments, most recently neoliberal, justifying the differential power (and 'market citizenship') of farmers and farmworkers are examined within a US context, with suggestions for comparative and historical approaches to interpreting current strategies of inclusion and exclusion related to neoliberal capitalist globalization.
European Long-Term Care Models: An Interview with Victor Regnier

My first meeting with Victor Regnier occurred at the Andrus Gerontology Center at the University of Southern California in 1975. I was a Postdoctoral Fellow in Lifespan Human Development, working w...
Dougherty's dilemma and the one-sidedness of human reliability analysis (HRA)

Abstract Broadly speaking I agree with Dougherty's conclusions in his analysis of the current state of HRA, although there are some points which suggest rather different lines of thought. My conclusion is, however, that things are actually worse than he thinks, and can not even in principle be made better except to warn people that our predictions are one sided: any estimate is a number which states that you can expect the probability of error to be at least as great as that number, and usually more so, but never less. Furthermore, you will never know from moment to moment how much worse things are.
Brownian dynamics simulations of bead-rod-chain in simple shear flow and elongational flow

Abstract We have simulated a dilute polymer solution under simple shear and elongational flows using the bead-rod-chain model, by incorporating intra-chain hydrodynamic interaction and excluded volume effects. Configurational properties and rheological quantities were calculated. For the simple shear flow, shear rate dependencies of chain's size, shape, and rotation were monitored. Shear-thinning was observed at all shear rates. In addition, the critical strain rate, ec, at which the polymer undergoes a coil-stretch transition under elongational flow, was investigated. The slope at the inflection point of the log(Rg2) vs log(e) curve increased as the chain length increased, indicating a possible first order transition, in agreement with theories and experiments.
Dynamic Responses of DC Chopper-Controlled Series Motor

This paper uses a computer-based piece-wise linear technique to analyze the dynamic performances of an armature voltage-controlled chopper circuit with a low-pass input filter taking the account of nonlinearities such as the magnetic saturation and the product of variable terms. The performances in the transient conditions which occur in practical situations are predicted by a computer model and are compared with the practical measurements.
Resilient event triggered systems with limited communication

A resilient control system is one that maintains state awareness and an accepted level of operational normalcy in response to unexpected disturbances. There has recently been great interest in event-triggered control for networked systems. It is unclear, however, whether event-triggering is appropriate for resilient control because of the sporadic nature of the feedback. This paper examines the bit-rates needed to realize event-triggered systems that are resilient to transient faults. Using techniques from dynamically quantized control, we derive sufficient resilient bit-rates for nonlinear scalar systems with affine controls and disturbances. For linear systems, these sufficient rates are necessary for stabilizability. The results in this paper suggest that, at least for transient faults, resilient control is indeed achievable using event-triggered feedback.
Distributed estimation for spatial rigid motion based on dual quaternions

This paper proposes a distributed optimization algorithm for estimation of spatial rigid motion using multiple image sensors in a connected network. The objective is to increase the estimation precision of translational and rotational motion based on dual quaternion models and cooperation between connected sensors. The distributed Newton optimization method is applied to decompose the filtering task into a series of suboptimal problems and then solve them individually to achieve the global optimality. Our approach assumes that each sensor can communicate with its neighboring sensors to update the individual estimates. Simulation examples are demonstrated to compare the proposed algorithm with other methods in terms of estimation accuracy and converging rate.
Increasing sink size does not increase photosynthesis during seed filling in soybean

Sink size at phloem-isolated nodes in soybean (Glycine max L. Merrill) was increased to determine if a larger sink would stimulate photosynthesis. A larger sink was created by increasing the number of isolated nodes fed by a single leaf from one to three. Greenhouse grown plants (cultivar Elgin 87) were girdled below node 7 (one-node treatment) or below node 5 (three-node treatment) when the first flowers appeared at node 7. The stem above node 7 was removed at the time of girdling as were the leaves and petioles from nodes 5 and 6 on the three-node treatment. The three-node treatment produced approximately 40% more pods and seeds than the one-node treatment, but this increase in sink size had no effect on carbon exchange rate (CER) or leaf chlorophyll levels (estimated with a SPAD chlorophyll meter) during seed filling. There was no treatment effect on leaf soluble sugars, but starch levels tended to be slightly higher in the three-node treatment. These data provide no evidence that increasing the size of the sink exerts any affect on source activity. Mature weight per seed of the three-node treatment was reduced, but yield was the same as the one-node treatment. Our data are consistent with the concept that the seed sink is soybean is relatively passive and increasing sink size above its normal level does not exert a direct influence on leaf photosynthesis.
Treacher Collins syndrome: unmasking the role of Tcof1/treacle

Treacher Collins syndrome (TCS) is a rare congenital birth disorder characterized by severe craniofacial defects. The syndrome is associated with mutations in the TCOF1 gene which encodes a putative nucleolar phosphoprotein known as treacle. An animal model of the severe form of TCS, generated through mutation of the mouse homologue Tcof1 has recently revealed significant insights into the etiology and pathogenesis of TCS (Dixon and Dixon, 2004; Dixon et al., 2006; Jones et al 2008). During early embryogenesis in a TCS individual, an excessive degree of neuroepithelial apoptosis diminishes the generation of neural crest cells. Neural crest cells are a migratory stem and progenitor cell population that generates most of the tissues of the head including much of the bone, cartilage and connective tissue. It has been hypothesized that mutations in Tcof1 disrupt ribosome biogenesis to a degree that is insufficient to meet the proliferative needs of the neuroepithelium and neural crest cells. This causes nucleolar stress activation of the p53-dependent apoptotic pathway which induces neuroepithelial cell death. Interestingly however, chemical and genetic inhibition of p53 activity can block the wave of apoptosis and prevent craniofacial anomalies in Tcof1 mutant mice [Jones NC, Lynn ML, Gaudenz K, Sakai D, Aoto K, Rey JP, et al. Prevention of the neurocristopathy Treacher Collins syndrome through inhibition of p53 function. Nat Med 2008;14:125-33]. These findings shed new light on potential therapeutic avenues for the prevention of not only TCS but also other congenital craniofacial disorders which share a similar etiology and pathogenesis.
Controlled surface modification with poly(ethylene)glycol enhances diffusion of PLGA nanoparticles in human cervical mucus.

Drug delivery to mucosal epithelia is severely limited by the mucus gel, which is a physical diffusion barrier as well as an enzymatic barrier in some sites. Loading of drug into polymer particles can protect drugs from degradation and enhance their stability. To improve efficacy of nanoparticulate drug carriers, it has been speculated that polymers such as poly(ethylene)glycol (PEG) incorporated on the particle surface will enhance transport in mucus. In the present study, we demonstrate the direct influence of PEG on surface properties of poly(lactic-co-glycolic)acid (PLGA) nanoparticles (d = 170 ± 57 nm). PEG of various molecular weights (MW = 2, 5, 10 kDa) were incorporated at a range of densities from 5 – 100% on the particle surface. Our results indicate PEG addition improves dispersion, neutralize charge, and enhance particle diffusion in cervical mucus in a manner strongly dependent on polymer MW and density. Diffusion of PEGylated particles was 3 – 10× higher than unmodified PLGA particles. These findings improve the understanding of, and confirm a possible direction for, the rational design of effective carriers for mucosal drug/vaccine delivery.
The Inverse of Psychopathology: A Loreta EEG and Cortisol Examination

Low resolution electromagnetic tomography (LORETA) electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded from 63 nonclinical adults (34 female and 29 male) while they completed inventories on self-perception (Self-Perception and Experiential Schemata) and psychological well-being (The Brief Symptom Inventory–18). In addition, salivary samples were collected before and after the self-assessment tasks for cortisol analyses. The statistical analyses revealed a significant decrease in cortisol levels from pretest to posttest self-examination. This decline in salivary cortisol was inversely correlated with greater left-sided than right-sided hemisphere activation. Self-perception and self-in-relation to others predicted resting salivary cortisol levels. These data provide further evidence for the use of LORETA EEG, in particular, as a biological marker for emotional self-regulation.
Comparison of a 32-bit Vedic multiplier with a conventional binary multiplier

Binary multipliers and addresses are used in the design and development of Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU), Digital Signal Processing (DSP) Processors, Multiply and Accumulate (MAC).The objective of this paper is to implement digital multipliers based on the concept of Vedic mathematics. In order to develop a digital multiplier, Urdhva-tiryakbyham sutra of Vedic mathematics is used to implement vertical and cross wise operations. Since these are digital multipliers, they are implemented on FPGA board and are tested through the 8 LED (s) in FPGA (Nexys 3). A 32-bit Vedic multiplier has been simulated in Xilinx ISE 13.4 and has been compared with a 32-bit binary multiplier.
Initial response to salvage therapy determines prognosis in relapsed pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma patients

BACKGROUND: Pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is a highly curable disease; however, prognostic factors for the survival of patients who develop recurrent disease have not been clearly defined. METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of 50 pediatric patients with HL who relapsed or progressed between 1990 and 2006 and who were retrieved with intense cytoreductive treatment regimens followed by autologous stem cell transplantation and radiation therapy. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to determine risk factors for second treatment failure and death. RESULTS: The median patient age was 16.1 years (range, 4.9-22.1 years) at the time of HL diagnosis. Fifteen patients developed progressive disease during therapy, 14 patients relapsed early, and 21 patients relapsed late. Patients who remained alive at the time of this study had been followed for a median of 4.4 years (range, 1.2-16.6 years). The 5-year overall survival rate for patients who had an inadequate response (n = 14) to initial salvage therapy was only 17.9% (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.1%-42.5%) compared with 97.2% (95% CI, 81.9%-99.6%) for patients who responded (n = 36; P < .0001). In a multivariate Cox regression analysis of overall survival, an inadequate response to initial salvage therapy was the only significant variable (hazard ratio, 43.6; 95% CI, 5.4-354; P = .0004). CONCLUSIONS: The current results indicated that pediatric patients with relapsed HL who have an inadequate response after initial primary salvage chemotherapy have a very poor prognosis and should be considered for novel therapies directed at biologic or immunologic targets. Cancer 2010. © 2010 American Cancer Society.
Epidemiological factors related to the malignant neoplasms in ataxia-telangiectasia families

Abstract In response to the demonstration of an increased risk of death from specific neoplasms among the blood relatives of patients homozygous for ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T) a review of the epidemiology of selected neoplasms and its application to the A-T relatives' mortality experience has been presented. Demographic, social and medical factors associated with cancers of the gall bladder and bile ducts, ovary and stomach do not explain either the increased number or the unusually early age of onset of these malignancies observed among the A-T family members. Although this analysis is limited in scope and reflects a univariate approach to the etiology of the various cancers considered, it supports a genetic basis for an increased susceptibility to malignant neoplasms among A-T heterozygotes.
Analysis and interpretation of instantaneous turbulent velocity fields

Methods of analyzing and interpreting velocity-field data (both two- and three-dimensional) to understand the kinematics, dynamics, and scales of turbulence are discussed. Reynolds decomposition and vorticity are traditionally used; however, several other methods, including Galilean (constant convection velocity) and LES decompositions (low-pass filtering), in conjunction with critical-point analysis of the local velocity gradient tensor, reveal more about the structure of turbulence. Once the small-scale structures have been identified, it is necessary to assess their importance to the overall dynamics of the turbulence by visualizing the motions they induce and the stresses they impose both on other small-scale vortices and on the larger-scale field.
Histopathology of red-sore disease (Aeromonas hydrophila) in naturally and experimentally infected largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides (Lacepede)

. The histopathology of red-sore disease, caused by the gram-negative bacterium, Aeromonas hydrophila, is described for largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides. Externally, lesions range from those affecting a few scales (pin-point), to those associated with extensive chronic ulcerations; there is focal haemorrhage, oedema and dermal necrosis which exposes underlying muscles producing infiltration of mononuclear and granulocytic inflammatory cells. Internally, the liver and kidneys are foci for toxic products produced by A. hydrophila with, in the most severe cases, complete destruction of the structural integrity of both organs. Pathological changes were not serious in either the spleen or heart, even in cases with massive damage in the liver and kidney. Internal and external lesions were similar in both natural and experimentally induced infections. The pathobiology of red-sore disease in bass is postulated to be linked to elevated water temperature stimulating increased metabolism, decreased body condition and stress, leading to the increased production of corticosteroids and the concomitant rise in susceptibility to infection.
Intermediate‐scale observations of the Earth's deep interior from the APT89 Transportable Teleseismic Experiment

The Archean-Proterozoic Transition Seismic Experiment of 1989 (APT89) represents one of the first of a new class of teleseismic experiments aimed at examining deep-earth structure using portable instruments. We show in the following three articles that such arrays can be utilized to examine properties of the Earth in great detail, from the surface of the Earth to the core.
Gas dynamic heating of chondrule precursor grains in the solar nebula

In the present investigation of solar nebula gasdynamic processes which may account for the melting of chondrule precursor grains, both drag heating due to grain relative motion and heating due to collisions with gas molecules in thermal motion are considered in conjunction with the effect of thermally emitted radiation on grain heating and cooling. The melting of chondrule-sized grains is most directly associated with those dust-rich and optically thick zones in which thermal radiation from neighboring grains balances grain radiative cooling. Nebular shock fronts may be capable of furnishing the requisite relative velocities and heated gas regions.
Multispectral breast imaging using a ten-wavelength, 64×64 source/detector channels silicon photodiode-based diffuse optical tomography system

We describe a compact diffuse optical tomography system specifically designed for breast imaging. The system consists of 64 silicon photodiode detectors, 64 excitation points, and 10 diode lasers in the near-infrared region, allowing multispectral, three-dimensional optical imaging of breast tissue. We also detail the system performance and optimization through a calibration procedure. The system is evaluated using tissue-like phantom experiments and an in vivo clinic experiment. Quantitative two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) images of absorption and reduced scattering coefficients are obtained from these experiments. The ten-wavelength spectra of the extracted reduced scattering coefficient enable quantitative morphological images to be reconstructed with this system. From the in vivo clinic experiment, functional images including deoxyhemoglobin, oxyhemoglobin, and water concentration are recovered and tumors are detected with correct size and position compared with the mammography.
Voice change in the stimulus suffix effect: are the effects structural or strategic?

The literature on the stimulus suffix effect shows that if the suffix is presented in a voice different from that in which the list items are presented, there is less of a decrement in list recall than if the suffix is presented in the same voice. This experiment attempted to answer the question of whether this variable diminishes the suffix effect because of attentional factors or because of structural properties of echoic memory. Subjects received lists of digits in a male voice and either a tone, same-voice suffix, or different-voice suffix. Subjects received either the same suffix for all lists or two different suffixes. Those subjects given two suffixes and those given two tones were either forced to discriminate between them or had no discrimination requirement. The results demonstrated that voice change has both attentions] and structural consequences on the suffix effect, with the attentional factors being confined to the preterminal positions and the structural factors being confined to the last position or two.
Cumulative Meta-Analysis: A Consideration of Indicators of Sufficiency and Stability

This article considers the application of cumulative meta-analysis, defined as the procedure of performing a (new) meta-analysis at every point during the history of a research domain. Two distinct facets of cumulative knowledge are identified: sufficiency (“Are additional studies needed to establish the existence of the phenomenon?”) and stability (“Will additional studies change the aggregate picture of the phenomenon?”). These two facets of cumulative knowledge define the purpose of the present effort: How can we determine whether a cumulative meta-analytic database has achieved sufficiency and stability? The authors delineate indicators of sufficiency and stability that might be derived from cumulative meta-analyses and explore the use of these indicators in a set of previously published meta-analytic databases. Discussion explores both retrospective and prospective implications of this approach to cumulative knowledge and compares the implications of this approach to cumulative knowledge with alterna...
Impact of a Consumer-Directed Family Support Program on Reduced Out-of-Home Institutional Placement.

Abstract The impact of a consumer-directed family support program on actual out-of-home placement in one American state was evaluated over an 8-year period. Under this program, individuals with intellectual disabilities and their families control their own resources and design and direct supports through the use of cash allowances or individualized budgets. It was observed that individuals with disabilities enrolled in the family support program were significantly less likely than individuals with disabilities on a waiting list to move into an out-of-home placement, particularly to an institution, after controlling for differences in ethnic group and age.
Altering Positive/Negative Interaction Ratios of Mothers and Young Children

The idea of a “magic” interaction ratio (five positives for every negative) has become widespread. No studies have directly examined interaction ratios in the context of relationships of mothers and young children. Data were collected with mothers and their young children in a laboratory setting. Baseline ratio levels for this sample were approximately one positive for every one negative. After baseline brief instruction was provided, in which mothers were asked to maintain a 5:1 ratio. All participants improved their ratios; half the sample achieved the target ratio. Mothers altered their ratios primarily by boosting their use of positives.
Selective inhibition of the insulin-stimulated phosphorylation of the 95,000 dalton subunit of the insulin receptor by TAME or BAEE.

Added Nα-p-tosyl-l-arginine methyl ester or Nα-benzoyl-l-arginine ethyl ester inhibited the stimulation by insulin of phosphorylation of the 95,000 dalton subunit of the insulin receptor both in a partially purified insulin receptor fraction from rat adipocytes and in a highly purified insulin receptor preparation from human placenta. N-α-p-tosyl-l-lysine chloromethyl ketone, Nα-p-tosyl-l-lysine methyl ester, or N-acetyl-l-phenylalanine ethyl ester were much less potent, while N-benzoyl-l-alanine methyl ester was without effect. Inhibition of the phosphorylation by the arginine analogues did not require preincubation of the insulin receptor with inhibitors in the presence of insulin prior to phosphorylation. Inhibition by Nα-p-tosyl-l-arginine methyl ester was decreased by preincubation of the receptor fraction with cold ATP and MnCl2. These results suggest that Nα-p-tosyl-1-arginine methyl ester inhibits an initial ATP and Mn2+ dependent reaction in insulin-stimulated phosphorylation process.
Probing Surface Roughness and Porosity through Adsorption of Wetting Layers

We have employed a quartz microbalance technique to record adsorption isotherms on silver and gold surfaces whose roughness has also been characterized by x-ray reflectivity or scanning tunneling microscopy. We observe strikingly different behavior for two different liquid adsorbates (oxygen and nitrogen), and attribute this to a difference in their surface tension. Our results demonstrate the impact that capillary condensation phenomena can have on the interpretation of adsorption data, particularly with regards to the fractal nature of the substrate. Valuable information on surface morphology can nonetheless be obtained from adsorption isotherms, if combined with alternate experimental techniques.
Plasticization of cellulose esters used in the coating of sustained release solid dosage forms

AbstractPlasticizer/polymer interactions have been studied by measuring intrinsic viscosity of six cellulose esters in a series of dialkyl phthalates and glyceryl triacetate. Mechanical properties (tensile strength and modulus of elasticity) of cast films were also measured. In general, high values for the reciprocal of modulus of elasticity and low tensile strength correlated with high intrinsic viscosity values. Among the plasticizers tested, dimethyl phthalate and glyceryl triacetate were most efficient.
On the Bose-Einstein Condensation of Free Relativistic Bosons with or without Mass

The Bose-Einstein condensation of free relativistic particles [e=(M 2 c 4 +c 2 p 2 ) 1/2 −Mc 2 ] is studied rigorously. For massless bosons (e=cp), the condensation transition of third (second) order occurs in2 (3) dimensions (D). The molar heat capacity follows the T 2 (T 3 ) law below the condensation temperature Tc [k B Tc=(2πħ 2 c 2 n/1.645) 1/2 [(π 2 ħ 3 c 3 n/1.202) 1/3 ], reaches4.38 (10.8) R at T=Tc, and approaches the high-temperature-limit value2 (3) R with no jump (a jump equal to6.75R) in2 (3)D. For finite-mass (M) bosons, the phase transition occurs only in3D with the condensation temperature Tc always smaller than that of the corresponding nonrelativistic bosons [e=(2M) −1 p 2 ]. If the mass M is reduced to zero, the condensation temperature Tc grows monotonically and reaches eventually that of massless relativistic bosons. This mass-dependence of Tc is therefore distinct from the case of nonrelativistic bosons, where Tc grows to infinity as M →0. A brief discussion is given for a possible connection with the normal-to-super transition of the independently moving Cooper pairs (bosons).
PET/CT imaging: effect of respiratory motion on apparent myocardial uptake.

Background Positron emission tomography (PET) attenuation correction (AC) using computed tomography (CT) can be affected by respiratory motion: hi-speed CT captures 1 point of the respiratory cycle while PET emission data averages many cycles. We quantified the changes in apparent myocardial uptake due to this respiratory-induced CT attenuation mismatch. Methods Twenty-two patients undergoing fluorine-18 fluorodexyglucose (FDG) PET/CT received 3 sequential CT scans at normal resting end-inspiration (CTINSPIR), ending expiration (CTEXPIR), and at midvolume between end-expiration and end-inspiration (CTMIDVOL). A pneumotachometer measured absolute changes in lung volume. Seven subjects also underwent a 3-minute transmission scan with a 68Ge rotating rod source (RRS). The PET emission data set was reconstructed up to 4 times using CTEXPIR, CTINSPIR, CTMIDVOL, and RRS AC maps. Relative heart position and cardiac uptake was measured for each CT attenuation correction. Results Respiratory motion produced marked changes in global and regional myocardial uptake. Changes were large in the lateral and anterior regions at the lung-soft tissue interface (up to 30% using CTINSPIR compared to CTEXPIR for AC) and smaller in the septal region (10% or less). Data corrected with CTEXPIR agreed best with the RRS. Conclusion Respiratory effects can introduce large inhomogeneities in apparent myocardial uptake when CT is used for attenuation correction.
Light Regulation of the Abundance of mRNA Encoding a Nucleolin-Like Protein Localized in the Nucleoli of Pea Nuclei

A cDNA encoding a nucleolar protein was selected from a pea (Pisum sativum) plumule library, cloned, and sequenced. The translated sequence of the cDNA has significant percent identity to Xenopus laevis nucleolin (31%), the alfalfa (Medicago sativa) nucleolin homolog (66%), and the yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) nucleolin homolog (NSR1) (28%). It also has sequence patterns in its primary structure that are characteristic of all nucleolins, including an N-terminal acidic motif, RNA recognition motifs, and a C-terminal Gly- and Arg-rich domain. By immunoblot analysis, the polyclonal antibodies used to select the cDNA bind selectively to a 90-kD protein in purified pea nuclei and nucleoli and to an 88-kD protein in extracts of Escherichia coli expressing the cDNA. In immunolocalization assays of pea plumule cells, the antibodies stained primarily a region surrounding the fibrillar center of nucleoli, where animal nucleolins are typically found. Southern analysis indicated that the pea nucleolin-like protein is encoded by a single gene, and northern analysis showed that the labeled cDNA binds to a single band of RNA, approximately the same size and the cDNA. After irradiation of etiolated pea seedlings by red light, the mRNA level in plumules decreased during the 1st hour and then increased to a peak of six times the 0-h level at 12 h. Far-red light reversed this effect of red light, and the mRNA accumulation from red/far-red light irradiation was equal to that found in the dark control. This indicates that phytochrome may regulate the expression of this gene.
An updated weight of evidence approach to the aquatic hazard assessment of Bisphenol A and the derivation a new predicted no effect concentration (Pnec) using a non-parametric methodology

An aquatic hazard assessment establishes a derived predicted no effect concentration (PNEC) below which it is assumed that aquatic organisms will not suffer adverse effects from exposure to a chemical. An aquatic hazard assessment of the endocrine disruptor Bisphenol A [BPA; 2, 2-bis (4-hydroxyphenyl) propane] was conducted using a weight of evidence approach, using the ecotoxicological endpoints of survival, growth and development and reproduction. New evidence has emerged that suggests that the aquatic system may not be sufficiently protected from adverse effects of BPA exposure at the current PNEC value of 100 μg/L. It is with this background that; 1) An aquatic hazard assessment for BPA using a weight of evidence approach, was conducted, 2) A PNEC value was derived using a non parametric hazardous concentration for 5% of the specie (HC(5)) approach and, 3) The derived BPA hazard assessment values were compared to aquatic environmental concentrations for BPA to determine, sufficient protectiveness from BPA exposure for aquatic species. A total of 61 studies yielded 94 no observed effect concentration (NOEC) and a toxicity dataset, which suggests that the aquatic effects of mortality, growth and development and reproduction are most likely to occur between the concentrations of 0.0483 μg/L and 2280 μg/L. This finding is within the range for aquatic adverse estrogenic effects reported in the literature. A PNEC of 0.06 μg/L was calculated. The 95% confidence interval was found to be (0.02, 3.40) μg/L. Thus, using the weight of evidence approach based on repeated measurements of these endpoints, the results indicate that currently observed BPA concentrations in surface waters exceed this newly derived PNEC value of 0.06 μg/L. This indicates that some aquatic receptors may be at risk for adverse effects on survival, growth and development and reproduction from BPA exposure at environmentally relevant concentrations.
Design, fabrication, and testing of helium cooled high heat flux module

Helium cooling is an attractive alternative to water cooling for high heat flux components. Helium offers advantages from safety considerations, such as excellent radiation stability and chemical inertness. General Atomics (GA) has considerable expertise in use of helium cooling due to its high temperature gas cooled reactor experience. In order to prove the feasibility of helium cooling at high heat flux levels of above 5 MW/m2, GA designed, fabricated, and tested a helium cooled module. The module was sized to have a heat flux surface of 25 mm wide and 80 mm long due to test setup limitations on maximum deposited power. WIth a smooth flow channel, a flow rate of 0.23 kg/s, and a pumping power of 2300 W was required to keep the copper module surface temperature below 500 degrees C at a heat flux level of 10 MW/m2. Hence, different techniques were examined to enhance the heat transfer, which in turn reduced the flow and pumping power required. It was concluded that an extended surface was the most practical solution. An optimization study was performed to find the best parameters. The module with an optimized extended surface geometry was estimated to require a flow of about 0.032 kg/s and a pumping power of 50 W to remove 20 kW of power. This is more than an order of magnitude reduction in pumping power required compared to the smooth channel. The module was made from dispersion strengthened copper. The fabricated geometry was slightly different than the optimized design due to constraints of machining. The fabrication was done by electro discharge matching. The testing was carried out at the electron beam test facility of Sandia National Laboratory, Albuquerque. The specifications of the loop and the electron beam testing facility were: 4 MPa pressure, 32 g/s of helium flow, and 30 kW beam power. The testing was carried out during August 1993 and again in December 1994. The testing confirmed the design calculations.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Sartre: On action and value

L'analyse des valeurs chez Sartre a travers l' " Etre et le Neant ", " Reflexions sur la question juive ", " Saint Genet, comedien et martyr ", " Critique de la raison dialectique "
Sequestration of an Early-Release Pool of Growth Hormone and Prolactin in GH3 Rat Pituitary Tumor Cells

The synthesis, storage, and release of GH and PRL by a clonal strain of rat pituitary tumor cells (GH3) were studied in perifusion. GH3 cells produce GH and PRL without storing the hormones in large amounts. GH3 cells exposed to [3H]leucine during perifusion begin to release [3H]GH and [3H] PRL within 15 min, and by 120 min the rate of immunoprecipitable labeled hormone release reaches a plateau. The calculated specific activity of basally released hormone is relatively constant. Exposure to depolarizing amounts of K+ (21 mM KC1) or stimulatory concentrations of (Bu)2cAMP (1 mM) resulted in initial brief increases in the release rates of GH (204% and 243% of base) and PRL (265% and 336% of base) by RIA. With continued exposure, to excess K+, release of radioimmunoassayable hormone returned to prestimulatory rates (GH, 104% and PRL, 111% of base). With continued (Bu)2cAMP, stimulation of release was maintained (GH, 160% and PRL, 234% of base). The specific activity of GH and PRL released during the late po...
Microporous Expanded Polytetrafluoroethylene Arterial Prosthesis for Construction of Aortopulmonary Shunts: Experimental and Clinical Results

A new microporous, expanded polytetrafluoroethylene arterial prosthesis was evaluated in dogs. The material appears to produce an adequate prosthesis for aortopulmonary anastomosis in animals and can conduct a high rate of blood flow. The graft has been used in 3 patients with pulmonary atresia aged 2 days, 2 months, and 6 months. Thus far all patients are well, growing, and have a loud shunt murmur. The desirable features of this type of anastomosis are presented.
Further Randomized Controlled Trials of tPA Within 3 Hours Are Required—NOT!

Intravenous thrombolysis is beneficial for patients with acute ischemic stroke: in 5 separate trials, treated patients improved more than placebo patients. The first 2 trials, the NINDS trials, were published in 1995 and led directly to the licensing of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) for acute ischemic stroke. In these trials, patients were treated within 90 or 180 minutes of stroke onset with 0.9 mg/kg rtPA after a careful selection procedure. Treated patients enjoyed a near-total resolution of deficit more often (30% to 50% relative benefit) compared with placebo. Symptomatic hemorrhage occurred in 6.4% of treated patients. It is not widely appreciated that in addition to the treated patients who totally cleared their symptoms, an additional 20% to 30% enjoyed a partial improvement.1 A similar trial utilized intravenous ancrod, a defibrinogenating agent that causes modest thrombolysis, hypofibrinogenemia, and mild anticoagulation.2 Benefits and risks …
Toward active tremor canceling in handheld microsurgical instruments

This paper describes research in active instruments for enhanced accuracy in microsurgery. The aim is to make accuracy enhancement as transparent to the surgeon as possible. Rather than using a robotic arm, we have taken the novel approach of developing a handheld instrument that senses its own movement, distinguishes between desired and undesired motion, and deflects its tip to perform active compensation of the undesired component. The research has therefore required work in quantification and modeling of instrument motion, filtering algorithms for tremor and other erroneous movements, and development of handheld electromechanical systems to perform active error compensation. The paper introduces the systems developed in this research and presents preliminary results.
Unresectable, locoregionally advanced head and neck cancer.

There has been considerable progress in the treatment of locally advanced, unresectable head and neck cancer in the last 2 decades. Concurrent chemoradiotherapy has been proven superior to radiotherapy alone with 5 year survival rates of greater than 50% in some of the investigational intensified chemoradiotherapy programs. At this time the combination of high dose cisplatin and standard fractionated radiotherapy should be considered the community standard based on the results of the Head and Neck Intergroup Study which proved superior survival when compared to radiation therapy alone or split course multi agent chemoradiotherapy and proved the feasibility of safely administering the regimen in the community setting. However, whenever possible, referral to institutions experienced in the treatment and care of patients receiving intensified chemoradiotherapy and enrollment in appropriate clinical trials should be encouraged.
Certain Factors Influencing Diapause in the Pink Bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella

Larvae of the pink bollworm ( Pectinophora gossypiella (Saund.)) reared on certain artificial diets were exposed to various environmental conditions in order to study the influence of these factors on the incidence of diapause. Regardless of the diet, exposure to temperatures of 70° F. or lower was sufficient to cause diapause in a high percentage of the larvae tested. The longer the exposure period the greater the percentage of diapausing larvae. A high incidence of diapause occurred when larvae reared on cottonseed meal diets were exposed to either short or abnormally long days. Diapause did not occur with exposure to a typical long day of 14 hours of light. Under these photoperiodic conditions, a greater percentage of diapausing larvae was observed among individuals reared on a 5% oil diet than on one containing 1% oil. No response to photoperiod was obtained in larvae reared on a wheat germ medium. These results indicate that a probable relationship exists between photoperiodism and diet as factors inducing diapause in the pink bollworm. Relative humidity was also found to influence the incidence of diapause in larvae produced on the cottonseed meal diets.
PPARγ agonists Induce a White-to-Brown Fat Conversion through Stabilization of PRDM16 Protein

Brown adipose tissue dissipates energy through heat and functions as a defense against cold and obesity. PPARγ ligands have been shown to induce the browning of white adipocytes; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we show that PPARγ ligands require full agonism to induce a brown fat gene program preferentially in subcutaneous white adipose. These effects require expression of PRDM16, a factor that controls the development of classical brown fat. Depletion of PRDM16 blunts the effects of the PPARγ agonist rosiglitazone on the induced brown fat gene program. Conversely, PRDM16 and rosiglitazone synergistically activate the brown fat gene program in vivo. This synergy is tightly associated with an increased accumulation of PRDM16 protein, due in large measure to an increase in the half-life of the protein in agonist treated cells. Identifying compounds that stabilize PRDM16 protein may represent a plausible therapeutic pathway for the treatment of obesity and diabetes.
Therapeutic directions for Parkinson's disease

The focus on disease-modifying treatments and cures for Parkinson's disease (PD) has raised expectations for quantum leaps and overshadowed incremental gains that have been slowly achieved. Large multi-center clinical trials such as DATATOP and PRECEPT keep on generating new knowledge that is relevant to clinical care as well as experimental therapeutics. The largely unforeseen relationship between circulating uric acid and the occurrence and progression of PD was developed and confirmed in these clinical trials. Systematic follow-up of clinical trial cohorts after conclusion of the interventional phase provides added value that continues to inform about natural history, state and trait biomarkers, and genotype-phenotype relationships. These efforts are enhanced by data mining, public reporting, and timely sharing of data and biological samples.
Nonlinear image representation using divisive normalization

In this paper, we describe a nonlinear image representation based on divisive normalization that is designed to match the statistical properties of photographic images, as well as the perceptual sensitivity of biological visual systems. We decompose an image using a multi-scale oriented representation, and use studentpsilas t as a model of the dependencies within local clusters of coefficients. We then show that normalization of each coefficient by the square root of a linear combination of the amplitudes of the coefficients in the cluster reduces statistical dependencies. We further show that the resulting divisive normalization transform is invertible and provide an efficient iterative inversion algorithm. Finally, we probe the statistical and perceptual advantages of this image representation by examining its robustness to added noise, and using it to enhance image contrast.
Multi-view Appearance-based 3D Hand Pose Estimation

We describe a novel approach to appearance-based hand pose estimation which relies on multiple cameras to improve accuracy and resolve ambiguities caused by selfocclusions. Rather than estimating 3D geometry as most previous multi-view imaging systems, our approach uses multiple views to extend current exemplar-based methods that estimate hand pose by matching a probe image with a large discrete set of labeled hand pose images. We formulate the problem in a MAP (maximum a posteriori) framework, where the information from multiple cameras is fused to provide reliable hand pose estimation. Our quantitative experimental results show that correct estimation rate is much higher using our multi-view approach than using a single-view approach.
Investigations of a series of PPDI‐based polyurethane block copolymers. I. General morphology

The morphology of a series of segmented polyurethane block copolymers is characterized by x-ray scattering, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), density measurements, and tensile studies. The materials contain hard segments formed from paraphenylene diisocyanate (PPDI) and flexible segments formed from poly(oxytetramethylene) (POTM) ranging in molecular weight from 650 to 2000. Four different molecular weight compositions were investigated, with the weight fraction of the hard segment (wh) ranging from 0.14 to 0.33. The microphase structure has been examined using small-angle x-ray scattering, and the microphase transition zone thickness is estimated to be on the order of 1 nm. Oriented samples have been characterized with wide-angle x-ray scattering, and the flexible segment is shown to undergo stress-induced crystallization. DSC thermograms show flexible segment melting in the compositions containing the highest two molecular weights of the flexible segments. The hard segment thermal transitions were complex with a broad melting peak that varied with weight fraction and with a high temperature transition attributed to regions with hard segment lengths longer than the bulk of the hard segment component. There is an increase in tensile strength and initial modulus and decrease in elongation with increasing wh. Density data suggest the existence of a multiphase system.
The Personality of Vegetables: Botanical Metaphors for Human Characteristics

ABSTRACT A dictionary search indicated that fruit and vegetable metaphors for human characteristics were relatively infrequent When used, they were more likely to describe physical than personality attributes, often with euphemistic overtones, and fruit metaphors reflected more favorable characteristics than did vegetable metaphors These findings were confirmed in a semantic analysis of fruit, vegetable, and animal terms
Reduction of uncertainties in neural network prediction of oil well logs

The ability to accurately predict the location of remaining oil in the neighborhood of existing production wells is of vital economic importance to the petroleum industry. A methodology to determine the confidence limits of results obtained by neural network models is formulated. This methodology consistently combines experimental data (e.g., sensor measurements) with model-predicted results. Best estimates for the network model parameters are obtained, and uncertainties underlying modeling processes based on learning are reduced. Preliminary results show the promise of this methodology for petroleum reservoir characterization.
The nature of coarse-grained crystalline hematite and its implications for the early environment of Mars

Abstract The Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) on the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft has detected deposits of coarse-grained, gray crystalline hematite in Sinus Meridiani, Aram Chaos, and Vallis Marineris. We argue that the key to the origin of gray hematite is that it requires crystallization at temperatures in excess of about 100 °C. We discuss thermal crystallization (1) as diagenesis at a depth of a few kilometers of sediments originally formed in low-temperature waters, or (2) as precipitation from hydrothermal solution. In Aram Chaos, a combination of TES data, Mars Orbiter Camera images, and Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) topography suggests that high concentrations of hematite were formed in planar strata and have since been exposed by erosion of an overlying light-toned, caprock. Lesser concentrations of hematite are found adjacent to these strata at lower elevations, which we interpret as perhaps due to accumulation from physical weathering. The topography and the collapsed nature of the chaotic terrain favor a hydrothermally charged aquifer as the original setting where the hematite formed. Concentration of iron into such an ore-like body would be chemically favored by saline, Cl-rich hydrothermal fluids. An alternative sedimentary origin requires post-depositional burial to a depth of ∼3–5 km to induce thermally driven recrystallization of fine-grained iron oxides to coarse-grained hematite. This depth of burial and re-exposure is difficult to reconcile with commonly inferred martian geological processes. However, shallow burial accompanied by post-burial hydrothermal activity remains plausible. When the hematite regions originally formed, redox balance requires that much hydrogen must have been evolved to complement the extensive oxidation. Finally, we suggest that the coexistence of several factors required to form the gray hematite deposits would have produced a favorable environment for primitive life on early Mars, if it ever existed. These factors include liquid water, abundant electron donors in the form of H2, and abundant electron acceptors in the form of Fe3+.