Reduction by monovalent zinc, cadmium, and nickel cations

Understanding of chemical properties of monovalent transition metal cations in aqueous solutions was obtained by a study of kinetics of reduction of different inorganic substrates by zinc, cadmium, and nickel

Gas generation from Hanford grout samples

In an extension of our work on the radiolytic processes that occur in the waste tanks at the Hanford site, we studied the gas generation from grout samples that contained nuclear waste simulants. Grout is one option for the long-term storage of low-level nuclear waste solutions but the radiolytic effects on grout have not been thoroughly defined. In particular, the generation of potentially flammable and hazardous gases required quantification. A research team at Argonne examined this issue and found that the total amount of gases generated radiolytically from the WHC samples was an order of magnitude higher than predicted. This implies that novel pathways fro charge migration from the solid grout to the associated water are responsible for gas evolution. The grout samples produced hydrogen, nitrous oxide, and carbon monoxide as well as nitrogen and oxygen. Yields of each of these substances were determined for doses that are equivalent to about 80 years storage of the grout. Carbon monoxide, which was produced in 2% yield, is of particular importance because even small amounts may adversely affect catalytic conversion instrumentation that has been planned for installation in the storage vaults

Robotic Lunar Landers for Science and Exploration

NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) have been conducting mission studies and performing risk reduction activities for NASA s robotic lunar lander flight projects. This paper describes some of the lunar lander concepts derived from these studies conducted by the MSFC/APL Robotic Lunar Lander Development Project team. In addition, the results to date of the lunar lander development risk reduction efforts including high pressure propulsion system testing, structure and mechanism development and testing, long cycle time battery testing and combined GN&C and avionics testing will be addressed. The most visible elements of the risk reduction program are two autonomous lander flight test vehicles: a compressed air system with limited flight durations and a second version using hydrogen peroxide propellant to achieve significantly longer flight times and the ability to more fully exercise flight sensors and algorithms

NASA's Robotic Lunar Lander Development Program

NASA Marshall Space Flight Center and the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory have developed several mission concepts to place scientific and exploration payloads ranging from 10 kg to more than 200 kg on the surface of the moon. The mission concepts all use a small versatile lander that is capable of precision landing. The results to date of the lunar lander development risk reduction activities including high pressure propulsion system testing, structure and mechanism development and testing, and long cycle time battery testing will be addressed. The most visible elements of the risk reduction program are two fully autonomous lander flight test vehicles. The first utilized a high pressure cold gas system (Cold Gas Test Article) with limited flight durations while the subsequent test vehicle, known as the Warm Gas Test Article, utilizes hydrogen peroxide propellant resulting in significantly longer flight times and the ability to more fully exercise flight sensors and algorithms. The development of the Warm Gas Test Article is a system demonstration and was designed with similarity to an actual lunar lander including energy absorbing landing legs, pulsing thrusters, and flight-like software implementation. A set of outdoor flight tests to demonstrate the initial objectives of the WGTA program was completed in Nov. 2011, and will be discussed

How non-native English-speaking staff are evaluated in linguistically diverse organizations: A sociolinguistic perspective

The aim of this paper is to examine the effects of evaluations of non-native speaking staff?s spoken English in international business settings. We adopt a sociolinguistic perspective on power and inequalities in linguistically diverse organizations in an Anglophone environment. The interpretive qualitative study draws on 54 interviews with non-native English-speaking staff in 19 UK business schools. We analyze, along the dimensions of status, solidarity and dynamism, the ways in which non-native speakers, on the basis of their spoken English, are evaluated by themselves and by listeners. We show how such evaluations refer to issues beyond the speaker?s linguistic fluency, and have consequences for her or his actions. The study contributes to the literature on language and power in international business through offering fine-grained insights into and elucidating how the interconnected evaluative processes impact the formation and perpetuation of organizational power relations and inequalities. It also puts forward implications for managing the officially monolingual, yet linguistically diverse organizations

Assessment of the proliferative, apoptotic and cellular renovation indices of the human mammary epithelium during the follicular and luteal phases of the menstrual cycle

Introduction During the menstrual cycle, the mammary gland goes through sequential waves of proliferation and apoptosis. in mammary epithelial cells, hormonal and non-hormonal factors regulate apoptosis. To determine the cyclical effects of gonadal steroids on breast homeostasis, we evaluated the apoptotic index ( AI) determined by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling ( TUNEL) staining in human mammary epithelial cells during the spontaneous menstrual cycle and correlated it with cellular proliferation as determined by the expression of Ki-67 during the same period.Methods Normal breast tissue samples were obtained from 42 randomly selected patients in the proliferative ( n = 21) and luteal ( n = 21) phases. Menstrual cycle phase characterization was based on the date of the last and subsequent menses, and on progesterone serum levels obtained at the time of biopsy.Results the proliferation index ( PI), defined as the number of Ki-67-positive nuclei per 1,000 epithelial cells, was significantly larger in the luteal phase (30.46) than in the follicular phase (13.45; P = 0.0033). the AI was defined as the number of TUNEL-positive cells per 1,000 epithelial cells. the average AI values in both phases of the menstrual cycle were not statistically significant ( P = 0.21). However, the cell renewal index ( CRI = PI/AI) was significantly higher in the luteal phase ( P = 0.033). A significant cyclical variation of PI, AI and CRI was observed. PI and AI peaks occurred on about the 24th day of the menstrual cycle, whereas the CRI reached higher values on the 28th day.Conclusions We conclude that proliferative activity is dependent mainly on hormonal fluctuations, whereas apoptotic activity is probably regulated by hormonal and non-hormonal factors.Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Gyneol, Mastol Div, São Paulo, BrazilStanford Univ, Sch Med, Dept Neurosurg, Stanford, CA 94305 USAAPC Pathol, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Gyneol, Mastol Div, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Female Audit Partners and Extended Audit Reporting: UK Evidence

This study investigates whether audit partner gender is associated with the extent of auditor disclosure and the communication style regarding risks of material misstatements that are classified as key audit matters (KAMs). Using a sample of UK firms during the 2013–2017 period, our results suggest that female audit partners are more likely than male audit partners to disclose more KAMs with more details after controlling for both client and audit firm attributes. Furthermore, female audit partners are found to use a less optimistic tone and provide less readable audit reports, compared to their male counterparts, suggesting that behavioural variances between female and male audit partners may have significant implications on their writing style. Therefore, this study offers new insights on the role of audit partner gender in extended audit reporting. Our findings have important implications for audit firms, investors, policymakers and governments in relation to the development, implementation and enforcement of gender diversity

Genome-Wide Progesterone Receptor Binding: Cell Type-Specific and Shared Mechanisms in T47D Breast Cancer Cells and Primary Leiomyoma Cells

Progesterone, via its nuclear receptor (PR), exerts an overall tumorigenic effect on both uterine fibroid (leiomyoma) and breast cancer tissues, whereas the antiprogestin RU486 inhibits growth of these tissues through an unknown mechanism. Here, we determined the interaction between common or cell-specific genome-wide binding sites of PR and mRNA expression in RU486-treated uterine leiomyoma and breast cancer cells.ChIP-sequencing revealed 31,457 and 7,034 PR-binding sites in breast cancer and uterine leiomyoma cells, respectively; 1,035 sites overlapped in both cell types. Based on the chromatin-PR interaction in both cell types, we statistically refined the consensus progesterone response element to G•ACA• • •TGT•C. We identified two striking differences between uterine leiomyoma and breast cancer cells. First, the cis-regulatory elements for HSF, TEF-1, and C/EBPα and β were statistically enriched at genomic RU486/PR-targets in uterine leiomyoma, whereas E2F, FOXO1, FOXA1, and FOXF sites were preferentially enriched in breast cancer cells. Second, 51.5% of RU486-regulated genes in breast cancer cells but only 6.6% of RU486-regulated genes in uterine leiomyoma cells contained a PR-binding site within 5 kb from their transcription start sites (TSSs), whereas 75.4% of RU486-regulated genes contained a PR-binding site farther than 50 kb from their TSSs in uterine leiomyoma cells. RU486 regulated only seven mRNAs in both cell types. Among these, adipophilin (PLIN2), a pro-differentiation gene, was induced via RU486 and PR via the same regulatory region in both cell types.Our studies have identified molecular components in a RU486/PR-controlled gene network involved in the regulation of cell growth, cell migration, and extracellular matrix function. Tissue-specific and common patterns of genome-wide PR binding and gene regulation may determine the therapeutic effects of antiprogestins in uterine fibroids and breast cancer

A new method for infrared imaging of air currents in and around critical hazard fume hoods

Active, safe real-time method of measuring and recording the efficacy of vapor containment in and around critical hazard fume hoods has been developed. An infrared camera whose response is restricted to a spectral range that overlaps a strong absorption band in a nontoxic gas is used to render real-time video images of the presence and flow of the gas. The gas, nitrous oxide, is ejected in a continuous stream in and around fume hoods that are to be certified capable of containing hazardous fumes. The principal advantage is that various scenarios of air flow displacement in and outside the hood can be easily investigated; the principal limitation is the necessity of high tracer gas concentration to obtain strong visualizations