Historical trends of airborne trace metals in Detroit from 1971 to 1992

Ambient concentrations of particulate Fe, Zn, Ph, Ni, Cr, Cd and Hg were measured at nine sites located in the metropolitan area of Detroit from 1971 to 1992. The ambient concentrations of all the trace metals were found to be generally higher at industrial and commercial sites. The concentrations show significant variations between residential and commercial areas and between residential and industrial areas; however, no significant variation was found between the industrial and commercial settings. The spatial variation of trace metal levels within the urban area was influenced by the frequency distribution of the wind direction as well as type and location of emission sources. The ambient concentrations of the trace metals during the decade of 1971–1981 declined by 37–88%. In the 1980s many of the trace metals reversed this trend with the exception of Fe and Pb which continued to decline at annual rates of 2% and 9.8%, respectively. The sharp decrease in Pb concentrations during the 1980s, reflected the significant reduction of Pb content in gasoline from 0.28 g/liter in the 1982 to 0.026 g/liter in the 1989. The ambient concentrations of Zn, Ni, Cr, Cd and Hg showed an upward trend during the 1980s with an annual rate in the range of 0.6% to 10.6%. The long-term trends of selected U.S. market parameters, analyzed as potential long-term indicators of emission sources activityies, were consistent with the changes of ambient concentrations, the correlation coefficient being in the range of 0.58 to 0.84 for most of the trace metals.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/43917/1/11270_2004_Article_BF00157419.pd

Neutrophil Chemotactic Activity and C5a Following Systemic Activation of Complement in Rats

Using ELISA analysis, rat C5a was stimulated in serum from rats undergoing systemic activation of complement after intravenous infusion of purified cobra venom factor (CVF). Biological (neutrophil chemotactic) activity was also assessed. Serum levels of C5a were directly proportional to the amount of CVF infused. C5a and neutrophil chemotactic activity, peaked by 5 min, then plateaued. In vitro addition of anti-C5a to serum samples of CVF-infused rats totally abolished chemotactic activity, indicating that all biological activity could be ascribed to C5a. Blood neutrophils obtained from CVF-infused animals showed a significant upregulation of CD11b, the increase being reduced (38%) in animals pretreated with anti-C5a. These findings indicate that infusion of CVF into rats produces generation of C5a, all chemotactic activity in serum being related to C5a. The in vivo generation of C5a is, at least inpart, responsible for upregulation of CD11b on blood neutrophils.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/44517/1/10753_2004_Article_426059.pd

Rapid progression of prostate cancer in men with a BRCA2 mutation.

Men with BRCA2 mutations have been found to be at increased risk of developing prostate cancer. There is a recent report that BRCA2 carriers with prostate cancer have poorer survival than noncarrier prostate cancer patients. In this study, we compared survival of men with a BRCA2 mutation and prostate cancer with that of men with a BRCA1 mutation and prostate cancer. We obtained the age at diagnosis, age at death or current age from 182 men with prostate cancer from families with a BRCA2 mutation and from 119 men with prostate cancer from families with a BRCA1 mutation. The median survival from diagnosis was 4.0 years for men with a BRCA2 mutation vs 8.0 years for men with a BRCA1 mutation, and the difference was highly significant (P<0.01). It may be important to develop targeted chemotherapies to treat prostate cancer in men with a BRCA2 mutation

Ten Years In: Implementing Strategic Approaches to Cyberspace

This book represents a look beyond theories and analogies to examine the challenges of strategy implementation. In the essays that follow, practitioners who are building cyberspace forces at-scale join scholars who study power and force in this new domain to collectively offer a unique perspective on the evolution and future of cyber strategy and operations.https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/usnwc-newport-papers/1044/thumbnail.jp

Role of Chemotactic Factors in Neutrophil Activation After Thermal Injury in Rats

Acute thermal trauma is well known to produce evidence of a “systemic inflammatory response” in vivo, as manifested by evidence of complement activation, appearance in plasma of a variety of inflammatory factors, and development of multi-organ injury. The current studies were focused on acute thermal injury of rat skin and factors responsible for accompanying activation of blood neutrophils. Acute thermal injury of rat skin resulted in a time-dependent loss of L-selectin and up-regulation of Mac-1 (CD11b/CD18) on blood neutrophils, with no changes in LFA-1 (CD11a/CD18). The loss of L-selectin was prevented by blockade of C5a but not by blockade of the α-chemokine, macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (MIP-2). C5a, the α chemokines, MIP-2 and keratinocyte-derived cytokine (KC), and platelet activating factor (PAF) contributed to up-regulation of blood neutrophil Mac-1. Blocking interventions against these mediators also blunted the degree of neutropenia developing after thermal trauma. These data suggest that activation of blood neutrophils after thermal trauma is related to the role of several chemotactic mediators. These studies may provide clues regarding factors responsible for development of the “systemic inflammatory response syndrome” after thermal injury in the experimental model employed.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/44526/1/10753_2004_Article_408821.pd

The guider and wavefront curvature sensor subsystem for the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope

The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope instrument include four guiding and wavefront sensing subsystems called corner raft subsystems, in addition to the main science array of 189 4K x 4K CCDs. These four subsystems are placed at the four corners of the instrumented field of view. Each wavefront/guiding subsystem comprises a pair of 4K x 4K guide sensors, capable of producing 9 frames/second, and a pair of offset 2K x 4K wavefront curvature sensors from which the images are read out at the cadence of the main camera system, providing 15 sec integrations. These four guider/wavefront corner rafts are mechanically and electrically isolated from the science sensor rafts and can be installed or removed independently from any other focal plane subsystem. We present the implementation of this LSST subsystem detailing both hardware and software development and status.Astronom

Neurochemical Changes in the Mouse Hippocampus Underlying the Antidepressant Effect of Genetic Deletion of P2X7 Receptors.

Recent investigations have revealed that the genetic deletion of P2X7 receptors (P2rx7) results in an antidepressant phenotype in mice. However, the link between the deficiency of P2rx7 and changes in behavior has not yet been explored. In the present study, we studied the effect of genetic deletion of P2rx7 on neurochemical changes in the hippocampus that might underlie the antidepressant phenotype. P2X7 receptor deficient mice (P2rx7-/-) displayed decreased immobility in the tail suspension test (TST) and an attenuated anhedonia response in the sucrose preference test (SPT) following bacterial endotoxin (LPS) challenge. The attenuated anhedonia was reproduced through systemic treatments with P2rx7 antagonists. The activation of P2rx7 resulted in the concentration-dependent release of [3H]glutamate in P2rx7+/+ but not P2rx7-/- mice, and the NR2B subunit mRNA and protein was upregulated in the hippocampus of P2rx7-/- mice. The brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression was higher in saline but not LPS-treated P2rx7-/- mice; the P2rx7 antagonist Brilliant blue G elevated and the P2rx7 agonist benzoylbenzoyl ATP (BzATP) reduced BDNF level. This effect was dependent on the activation of NMDA and non-NMDA receptors but not on Group I metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR1,5). An increased 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation was also observed in the dentate gyrus derived from P2rx7-/- mice. Basal level of 5-HT was increased, whereas the 5HIAA/5-HT ratio was lower in the hippocampus of P2rx7-/- mice, which accompanied the increased uptake of [3H]5-HT and an elevated number of [3H]citalopram binding sites. The LPS-induced elevation of 5-HT level was absent in P2rx7-/- mice. In conclusion there are several potential mechanisms for the antidepressant phenotype of P2rx7-/- mice, such as the absence of P2rx7-mediated glutamate release, elevated basal BDNF production, enhanced neurogenesis and increased 5-HT bioavailability in the hippocampus

Understanding the Cool DA White Dwarf, G29-38

The white dwarfs are promising laboratories for the study of cosmochronology and stellar evolution. Through observations of the pulsating white dwarfs, we can measure their internal structures and compositions, critical to understanding post main sequence evolution, along with their cooling rates, allowing us to calibrate their ages directly. The most important set of white dwarf variables to measure are the oldest of the pulsators, the cool DAVs, which have not previously been explored through asteroseismology due to their complexity and instability. Through a time-series photometry data set spanning ten years, we explore the pulsation spectrum of the cool DAV, G29-38 and find an underlying structure of 19 (not including multiplet components) normal-mode, probably l=1 pulsations amidst an abundance of time variability and linear combination modes. Modelling results are incomplete, but we suggest possible starting directions and discuss probable values for the stellar mass and hydrogen layer size. For the first time, we have made sense out of the complicated power spectra of a large-amplitude DA pulsator. We have shown its seemingly erratic set of observed frequencies can be understood in terms of a recurring set of normal-mode pulsations and their linear combinations. With this result, we have opened the interior secrets of the DAVs to future asteroseismological modelling, thereby joining the rest of the known white dwarf pulsators.Comment: 29 pages including 5 figures To appear in ApJ 1 Mar 9

The role of contracting strategies in social value implementation

There has been an increasing demand for social value (SV) implementation to assume a cardinal position in the infrastructure delivery efforts of infrastructure client organisations (ICOs). However, whereas successful implementation has been recorded in some projects, monumental failures have also been recorded in others. This variance in implementation performance is a cause for concern. The mode of governance applied in an infrastructure delivery endeavour has been identified as capable of influencing the implementation of SV. This observation makes imperative an investigation into the role of contracting strategies – an integral part of governance modes – adopted by ICOs on SV implementation performance. This is the aim of this study. Using a case study approach, three infrastructure projects which used different contracting strategies were selected from two different countries, the UK and Nigeria. Semistructured interviews were conducted with ICO representatives on these projects and subsequently analysed using qualitative content analysis. Findings confirmed that the kind of contract adopted by ICOs influenced their ability to drive the successful implementation of desirable SV objectives through their supply chain. It is therefore recommended that ICOs ensure that the selected contracting strategies are capable of ensuring successful implementation of the desired objectives