cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Vertically coherent compressible convective flows in a layer with a high density contrast

Two-dimensional simulations are used to study compressible convection in a plane-parallel layer of ideal gas with a high density contrast across the layer. The convective flows are found to consist of rolls which are coherent throughout the entire vertical domain, similar to the results of a number of earlier investigations. Motions near the upper boundary are supersonic, though the Rayleigh number is moderate. The major effect of a high density stratification is to significantly rarefy the fluid in the upper part of the domain, hence increase its thermal diffusivity. The consequence appears to be twofold: Firstly, enhanced thermal diffusion makes non-adiabatic cooling more efficient, thus helps the flows to become supersonic more easily. Secondly, sufficient diffusion can broaden shocks to such an extent that it actually turns them into smooth transition regions.
Calibration and correction of laser-induced incandescence for soot volume fraction measurements

A procedure for accurately calibrating and correcting the projected laser-induced incandescence (LII) intensity measurements for axisymmetric flames is presented. The corrected LII intensity and soot volume fractions along the measurement axis (which are unknowns) are calculated using the projected LII distribution. This technique does not require calibration using an independent measurement of soot volume fraction. Instead, a single line-of-sight extinction measurement is needed to obtain the calibration factor and corrections for the projected LII intensities. This technique is demonstratcd to provide accurate soot concentrations for mediums producing significant trapping of the LII signal.
Investigations on Growth of Textured and Single Crystal Oxide Fibers Using a Quadrupole Lamp Furnace

Fine ceramic oxide fibers are widely used as reinforcements in composites for high temperature applications. The primary goal of this research effort was to investigate the growth of single crystal or textured oxide fibers by heat treatment of polycrystalline or amorphous, extruded precursor fibers. Mullite was selected for this study due to its excellent chemical stability, creep resistance and strength at high temperatures. Precursor polycrystalline fibers of mullite were prepared by (a) sol infiltration of silk or cotton threads and (b) extrusion. Green fibers of ∼10 μm and ∼150 μm could be made by sol infiltration (of single silk filament) and by extrusion, respectively. A quadrupole lamp furnace, with a small, disc-shaped, hot zone was used for the heat treatment. The effect of temperature and traverse rate through the hot zone, on the microstructure of the polycrystalline precursor fibers, was evaluated. Mullite whiskers were synthesized and used as a template for introducing texturing in extruded mullite fibers. Textured growth of mullite fiber with elongated grains, ∼400μm in length and aligned along the long-axis of the fibers, was achieved with heat treatment. The whisker templated fibers were further subjected to repeated cycles of heat treatment to form a transparent oxide. Preliminary investigations suggest that the transparent part of the heat treated fiber is a single crystal. However, rigorous optical microscopy, x-ray diffraction and TEM investigations are underway to confirm our finding.
Metabolic adaptation of animals from different lautitudes

1. The present paper reviews certain quantitative aspects of the physiological characteristics of animal populations from different latitudes. Special emphasis is placed on decapod crustaceans of the genusUca, the fiddler crabs. 2. Metabolic characteristics, determined over a graded temperature series and under different conditions of thermal acclimation, are given for larvae and adults of tropical and temperate zone species. Patterns of thermal acclimation according to Prosser's system may be different for each stage of development. No consistent pattern appears to be typical of either tropical or temperate zone species or for different latitudinally separated populations of the same species. 3. The patterns of metabolic-temperature response of various tissues (“brain”, muscle, gill, heart, and mid-gut gland) are not all the same as the response of the whole organism.
Peer Feedback to Facilitate Project-Based Learning in an Online Environment

There has been limited research examining the pedagogical benefits of peer feedback for facilitating project-based learning in an online environment. Using a mixed method approach, this paper examines graduate students’ participation and perceptions of peer feedback activity that supports project-based learning in an online instructional design course. Our findings indicate that peer feedback can be implemented in an online learning environment to effectively support project-based learning. Students actively participated in the peer feedback activity and responded positively about how the peer feedback activity facilitated their project-based learning experiences. The results of content analysis exploring the peer feedback reveal that learners were mostly supportive of peers’ work and they frequently asked questions to help advance their peers’ thinking. The implications and challenges of implementing peer feedback activity in an online learning environment are discussed.
Poly(meta-phenylene isophthalamide) nanofibers: Coating and post processing

Electrospun nanofibers have applications in the areas of filtration, composites, biomaterials, and electronics. Controlling the surface properties of these nanofibers is important for many applications. Nanofibers can also be used as unique substrates for observing the growth of deposited films and creating nanoscale structures. In this work, electrospun poly(meta-phenylene isophthalamide) (MPD-I) nanofibers were used as substrates for creating nanoscale structures out of carbon-based materials and metals. MPD-I was used because it can be electrospun into nanofibers with diameters smaller than 10 nm and it has good thermal stability. MPD-I nanofibers were coated with carbon, copper, and aluminum using plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition and physical vapor deposition methods. Some of the aluminum-coated nanofibers were then converted into nanotubes. Transmission electron microscopy was used to determine the thickness, uniformity, and grain size of the coatings on the fibers and the nanotubes.
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in the Primary Care Medical Setting

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a prevalent disorder that adversely affects 2-5% of the general population. Little is known about PTSD in the primary care setting. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the utility of a screening instrument for PTSD (the PCL-C) in primary care and to examine comorbidity, disability, and patterns of healthcare utilization among persons with PTSD in this setting. Adult, English-speaking patients attending for routine medical care (N=368) participated in a two-stage screening consisting of the administration of a self-report measure for posttraumatic stress disorder (the PCL-C) followed by a structured diagnostic interview. Current (1-month) prevalence of PTSD was determined, as were current comorbid disorders. Brief functional impairment and disability indices were administered, and healthcare utilization in the prior 6 months was ascertained. 11.8% (standard error 1.7%) of primary care attendees met diagnostic criteria for either full or partial PTSD. Comorbidity with major depression (61% of cases of PTSD) and generalized anxiety disorder (39%) was common, but less so with social phobia (17%) and panic disorder (6%). Substance use disorder comorbidity (22%) was also fairly common. Patients with PTSD reported significantly more functional impairment than patients without mental disorders. Patients with PTSD also made greater use of healthcare resources than not mentally ill patients. PTSD frequently is encountered in primary care, and is associated with considerable functional impairment and healthcare utilization. Comorbidity with other mood and anxiety disorders is extensive. It remains to be seen if greater awareness and more aggressive treatment of PTSD in primary care will lead to improved functioning and reduced (or more appropriate) healthcare utilization. These are topics for further study.
Inhomogeneous Broadening Effects in cw Chemical Lasers

Abstract : The effects of inhomogeneous broadening on the performance of cw chemical lasers are investigated. A simple two-level vibrational model and a Fabry-Perot resonator are assumed. Laser performance is found to depend on certain parameters. Numerical results are presented for a cw chemical laser with laminar diffusion and with a single longitudinal optical mode. The variation of differential number density and local lasing intensity with streamwise distance and the variation of net laser output power with tuning frequency are presented. The latter exhibits a Lamb dip near linee center, which is in agreement with experimental observations. Thus, in typical devices, inhomogeneous broadening effects become negligible for p or = O(10) Torr. These effects become important in single longitudinal model lasers operating in the regime p (Torr) or = O(1) and in lasers wherein the streamwise length of the resonator is short compared with the streamwise length of the positive gain region.
Query unnesting in object-oriented databases

There is already a sizable body of proposals on OODB query optimization. One of the most challenging problems in this area is query unnesting, where the embedded query can take any form, including aggregation and universal quantification. Although there is already a number of proposed techniques for query unnesting, most of these techniques are applicable to only few cases. We believe that the lack of a general and simple solution to the query unnesting problem is due to the lack of a uniform algebra that treats all operations (including aggregation and quantification) in the same way.This paper presents a new query unnesting algorithm that generalizes many unnesting techniques proposed recently in the literature. Our system is capable of removing any form of query nesting using a very simple and efficient algorithm. The simplicity of the system is due to the use of the monoid comprehension calculus as an intermediate form for OODB queries. The monoid comphrehension calculus treats operations over multiple collection types, aggregates, and quantifiers in a similar way, resulting in a uniform way of unnesting queries, regardless of their type of nesting.
Interstitial radiation for recurrent cervix or endometrial cancer in the suburethral region

Recurrent tumors in the suburethral area are uncommon, but potentially morbid lesions. Brachytherapy, with or without external beam irradiation, was used to treat 10 consecutive women with lesions ranging from 1-6 cm in the suburethral area. All women achieved local control, with one woman developing a serious complication. Four of the 10 women remain alive without evidence of disease. A high rate of distant metastasis in those women who have recurred despite previous adjuvant pelvic radiation following hysterectomy for endometrial cancer should prompt the investigation of effective systemic chemotherapeutic agents.
Scattering and complete integrability in the massive ϑ4 theory

Abstract The wave and scattering operators for the equation (□ + m 2 ) ϑ + λϑ 3 = 0 with m , λ > 0 on four-dimensional Minkowski space are analytic on a neighborhood of the space of finite-energy Cauchy data, L 2,1 ( R 3 )⊕ L 2 ( R 3 ). This allows the construction of infinitely many independent conserved quantities with vanishing Poisson brackets and implies that the massive ϑ 4 theory is completely integrable at low energy.
The fabrication of a novel projection screen for autostereoscopic display systems

Entertainment is usually considered an important application for stereoscopic display technologies. In order to provide more realistic and exciting VR effect, it is desirable to have as large screen as possible. However, the screen sizes of current autostereoscopic display technologies are limited by either the displaying panel or the optical components. In a government-sponsored project, we designed and fabricated a novel projection screen for autostereoscopic display. The screen consists of two layers of microretarder and a layer of polarization reserved diffuser. Both the screens and the projectors can be arrayed to build a large autostereoscopic display system. Curved or multi-plane screens are also possible. This kind of autostereoscopic display screen has the advantages of ease to scale up, low cost and no precise alignment between the projectors and the screen required. In this paper, the manufacture considerations of such a screen are studied and the experimental results are presented.© (2004) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
NITRO-BLUE TETRAZOLIUM (NBT) TEST IN BACTEREMIC NEONATES

The NBT test is used as supporting evidence for the diagnosis of sepsis in children and adults. In neonates the previously observed high values in normal subjects preclude such use. Our preliminary observations on 15 healthy term newborns showed that high heparin doses gave falsely elevated NBT values; when heparin dosage was controlled (1 unit/ml NBT solution) consistent values of <20% were obtained in 68 normal infants of 25-43 wks of gestation. Since respiratory distress is a common presenting sign for both hyaline membrane disease (HMD) and neonatal sepsis, we have performed the NBT test in 25 infants with such signs to evaluate the NBT test in the differential diagnosis of HMD vs. sepsis. Endotoxin-stimulated NBT preparations were also performed to insure phagocytic inducibility of the neutrophils. NBT slides were read without knowledge of each infant's clinical diagnosis. HMD was confirmed by classical chest roengenograms and a negative rapid surfactant test in gastric aspirate, and sepsis by positive blood (4 cases) or CSF (1 case) cultures. The results were as follows: Three additional bacteremic infants had no neutrophils on the NBT smears. The NBT test appears to be a reliable indicator of neonatal sepsis and may prove beneficial in the early differentiation of HMD from bacterial infection.
A prognostic model for 1-year mortality in older adults after hospital discharge

Abstract Purpose To develop and validate a prognostic index for 1-year mortality of hospitalized older adults using standard administrative data readily available after discharge. Subjects and methods The prognostic index was developed and validated retrospectively in 6382 older adults discharged from general medicine services at an urban teaching hospital over a 4-year period. Potential risk factors for 1-year mortality were obtained from administrative data and examined using logistic regression models. Each risk factor associated independently with mortality was assigned a weight based on the odds ratios, and risk scores were calculated for each patient by adding the points of each independent risk factor present. Patients in the development cohort were divided into quartiles of risk based on their final risk score. A similar analysis was performed on the validation cohort to confirm the original results. Results Risk factors independently associated with 1-year mortality included: aged 70 to 74 years (1 point); aged 75 years and greater (2 points); length of stay at least 5 days (1 point); discharge to nursing home (1 point); metastatic cancer (2 points); and other comorbidities (congestive heart failure, peripheral vascular disease, renal disease, hematologic or solid, nonmetastatic malignancy, and dementia, each 1 point). In the derivation cohort, 1-year mortality was 11% in the lowest-risk group (0 or 1 point) and 48% in the highest-risk group (4 or greater points). Similarly, in the validation cohort, 1-year mortality was 11% in the lowest risk group and 45% in the highest-risk group. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.70 for the derivation cohort and 0.68 for the validation cohort. Conclusion Reasonable prognostic information for 1-year mortality in older patients discharged from general medicine services can be derived from administrative data to identify high-risk groups of persons.
Stabilization of air bubbles at the air-sea interface by surface-active material

Abstract The longevity of air bubbles at the air-water interface is a function of the surface-chemical activity of the water and the chemical condition of the water surface. In the absence of a sea surface film, the lifetime of an air bubble is determined by the surface-active material adsorbed during its passage upwards through the ocean. The presence of a compressed monomolecular layer (sea slick) at the sea surface will significantly reduce bubble stability and act as an antifoaming agent even though the underlying water may be rich in bubble-stabilizing substances. Single bubbles are stabilized by a surface tension gradient flow, but their lifetimes may be decreased by resistance to flow caused by intermolecular cohesional forces within the monolayer at higher film pressures. Bubble stability studies on pure compounds provide useful qualitative information about molecular interactions and orientations within the stabilizing film.
Promoting Quality and Variety Through the Public Financing of Privately Operated Schools in Qatar

In 2002, Qatar began establishing publicly funded, privately operated “independent schools” in parallel with the existing, centralized Ministry of Education system. The reform that drove the establishment of the independent schools included accountability provisions such as (a) measuring school and student performance and (b) distributing school performance information to parents. Because parental demand for the new schools exceeds supply, the effectiveness of parental choice in promoting accountability is limited. The independent schools showed higher student achievement (in elementary grades) and significant changes in classroom practices on the basis of 2005–2007 data. In 2009, the government announced that all ministry schools would convert to independent schools. In addition, over time, vouchers would become available to allow per-student funding to be used in some private schools.
Probabilistic Solution to Stochastic Overland Flow Equation

The point-location-scale conservation equations of hydrologic processes, when viewed at the scale of computational grid areas, become stochastic partial differential equations (PDEs). For the upscaling of the point-location-scale conservation equations to the scale of computational grid areas, a common approach is to develop the ensemble averages of these equations. Accordingly, in this study general ensemble average conservation equations for determining the probabilistic and mean behavior of nonlinear and linear hydrologic processes are developed to exact second order. From the derived equations it is seen that the evolution equation for the probabilistic behavior of a generally nonlinear hydrologic system becomes a FokkerPlanck equation (FPE). As such, the determination of the probabilistic behavior of a hydrologic system of processes reduces to the solution of a linear, deterministic PDE, the FPE, under appropriate initial and boundary conditions. The solution of the FPE yields the probability density function of the hydrologic system which can then be used to obtain the means of the state variables of the system by the expectation operation. One can also determine the mean behavior of nonlinear stochastic hydrologic processes by means of master key ensemble average conservation equations developed in this study. Upon examination of these generic deterministic equations, one may note that they are implicit integro-differential nonlinear equations in the mixed EulerianLagrangian form. Meanwhile, the master key equations which were developed also for linear hydrologic processes, are explicit, linear PDEs.
A modelling approach to design of integrated facilities

To achieve high productivity in today's plants and warehouses, an efficient, orderly, and flexible flow of materials is essential. It is increasingly being realized that material handling and warehousing activities cannot be separated from plant layout and design activities. The interface between plant layout, material handling, and warehousing systems represents a crucial step toward an integrated and systematic facilities design. The manufacturing entities who design for the total operating system by a well-defined set of objectives and constraints tend to increase their chance of improving or increasing throughput, space utilization, operating flexibility, employee morale/working conditions, and overall productivity. These also tend to reduce capital expenditure and operating costs. Once an integrated facilities system is envisioned and contemplated, the emphasis shifts to models and optimizing the system. Quick and Dirty Methods, Simulation Methods, and Clustering Analysis Methods have been proposed a...
Jewish women and apostasy in the medieval crown of Aragon, c. 1300–1391

On the basis of unpublished records from the diocesan archives of Barcelona and Girona, this essay explores why Jewish women converted to Christianity, what their alternatives were, and what happened following their baptisms in the environs of the Crown of Aragon during the century prior to the massacres and forced conversions of 1391. It suggests that Jewish women apostatized under two general sets of circumstances. Some went over to Christianity with their husbands or fathers, while others chose baptism in order to assert control over their individual fates, in defiance of communal norms. Among the latter group, some converted for love, and at least one woman threatened to apostatize in the hope of escaping an abusive husband. Following baptism, apostates often endured poverty and, when suspected of judaizing, they were prosecuted by ecclesiastical officials. The alternatives to baptism that all of these women contemplated, however, were also harsh. In examining how some medieval women negotiated the competing demands of their identities as daughters, wives, mothers, lovers, and Jews, this study also brings to light legal conundra to which apostasy gave rise and illustrates how varied and risky apostasy was in Iberia during the decades prior to 1391. Transcriptions of four documents follow the essay.
Analysis and mechanisms of cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine ion formation in desorption electrospray ionization.

The general ion chemistry of the explosive molecule cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine (RDX) was studied with an atmospheric pressure ionization mass spectrometer (API-MS) fitted with a desorption electrospray ionization (DESI) source. Explosive molecule chemistry within trace detection techniques such as ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) is an area of intense interest because of the widespread deployment of IMS-based explosive detectors for counterterrorism efforts. As in IMS, the DESI-MS experiments analyze material that starts in the solid phase and is detected in the gas phase. Using the unique chemical characterization inherent in mass spectrometry, information pertinent to the atmospheric ionization of RDX is obtained in order to help explain the behavior of explosive molecule signatures observed within IMS experiments. Qualitative and quantitative information was obtained over 3 orders of magnitude of deposited mass (nanograms to greater than micrograms). A method was developed to use the relative integra...
Modeling of Pyrolytic Laser-Assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition: Effects of Kinetics and Choice Of Substrate

The pyrolytlc laser-assisted deposition of metals Is modeled. A finite element approach is used to solve for temperatures and gas-phase concentrations In a transient calculation. The model accommodates the use of temperature-dependent physical properties as well as the occurrence of irregularly shaped deposits. Volcano-like deposits’ are predicted under certain conditions of gas pressure and laser intensity. The effect of using substrates with different thermal conductivities is investigated. Using adsorption-desorption kinetics such that the reaction rates have sharp maxima with respect to temperature, volcanoes of varying depths are modeled.
The domestication and genetic erosion of maize

The genetic variability available for selection is the raw material for crop improvement. However, the process of domestication itself restricts the range of genetic variation, which eventually limits the crop's selective response to small gains and increases the crop's vulnerability to parasites. The variability in primitive cultivars and their wild relatives remains a largely unexploited genetic resource some of which has been lost. Therefore, we must preserve and understand the variation that still remains in our cultivars and their wild relatives, because it is upon this variation that mankind's survival depends (Galinat, 1972). The seemingly wide variation in cultivars in comparison to that in the ancestral wild species is more apparent than real. It results from a vast increase in population size, a transport to new habitats and a selection by man of traits that are not only lethal in the wild but that may be added up or assembled in combinations so bizarre that the original wild form may appear to be unrelated or unrecognizable. A full exploitation of the variation that lingers from the past requires an understanding of its role in the crop's evolution. The emergence of maize as a domestic plant from the wild grasses of Central America is shrouded in mystery because
Gamma-ray bursts in the galactic halo

It is shown here that significant isotropy can be achieved for the angular and luminosity distributions of gamma-ray bursts with a spherically symmetric Galactic halo model for the bursts if the halo extends out beyond 100 kpc. Large halo core radii enhance isotropy, although consistency with observation is possible for core radii as small as 5 kpc if the halo radius is sufficiently large. The intrinsic luminosity distribution of gamma-ray bursts must be treated as a free parameter to fit the observations. If gamma-ray bursts are from the halo, they are likely to be old population H neutron stars, because models based on pulsars escaping from the Galactic plane have strong anisotropies.
Image accuracy and representational enhancement through low-level multisensor integration techniques

This research focuses on data and conceptual enhancement algorithms. To be useful in many real-world applications, e.g., autonomous or teleoperated robotics, real-time feedback is critical. Unfortunately, many multi-sensor integration (MSI)/image processing algorithms require significant processing time. The basic direction of this research is the potentially faster and more robust formation of `clusters from pixels' rather than the slower process of extracting `clusters from images.' Techniques are evaluated on actual multi-modal sensor data obtained from a laser range camera, i.e., range and reflectance images. A suite of over thirty conceptual enhancement techniques are developed, evaluated, and compared on this sensor domain. The overall result is a general-purpose, MSI conceptual enhancement approach which can be efficiently implemented and used to supply input to a variety of high-level processes, including: object recognition, path planning, and object avoidance systems.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
‘Eminently Suited to Girls and Women’: The Numerical Feminization of Public Librarianship in England 1914–31

This study investigates the rapid growth in the number of women employed in English public libraries in the years between the outbreak of World War I and the census of 1931, building on earlier work which highlighted the long-term causes that led women to view the library workplace as respectable in the long nineteenth century. The article argues that the demographic upheaval caused by World War I, the provisions of the Public Libraries Act of 1919, the library-building activity of the Carnegie United Kingdom Trust, and the library employment advocacy of the Central Bureau for the Employment of Women completed the feminization of English public librarianship during the first third of the twentieth century.
Group conversational-skills training with inpatient children and adolescents. Social validation, generalization, and maintenance.

Two groups of inpatient youths (n = 4 and n = 5) received group conversational skills training. Conversational component behaviors of both groups at baseline were compared to the behaviors of normal youth from the community. For each inpatient group, component behaviors on which they were most discrepant from normal youths were selected for training. Multiple baseline designs across component behaviors were used and patients were trained to socially validated criterion levels. Effectiveness of training was demonstrated through (a) behavioral ratings during dyadic, unstructured conversations with other members of their group, (b) behavioral ratings during conversations with unfamiliar nonpsychiatric persons, (c) global ratings of conversational effectiveness by nonpatient peers, (d) generalization to in vivo conversations, and (e) maintenance of improvement at 1 and 3-month follow up assessments. Results were replicated across both groups and indicated that training effects were socially validated, general...
Radiation therapy and hydroxyurea followed by the combination of 6-thioguanine and BCNU for the treatment of primary malignant brain tumors.

Purpose: This study was designed to evaluate a combined modality treatment for malignant gliomas using radiation therapy with a radiosensitizer and an adjuvant chemotherapy regimen designed to modify resistance to BNCU. Methods and Materials: Patients were eligible if they were 15 years of age or older, and had newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), or anaplastic glioma (AG). Treatment consisted of external beam radiotherapy given to a dose of 60 Gy using a single daily fraction Monday to Friday. Concurrent hydroxyurea at a dose of 300 mg/m2 every 6 h every other day was given during radiation. Following radiotherapy, patients were then treated with BCNU and 6-Thioguanine (6TG). The 6-TG was given by mouth every 6 h for 12 doses prior to BCNU. Patients were initially treated with 60 mg/m2/dose of 6TG, with escalation to a maximum dose of 100 mg/m2/dose. The primary study end points were time to tumor progression and survival. Results: A total of 245 eligible patients were enrolled from 1/18/88 to 12/26/91. The histologic subtypes included 135 GBM, and 110 with AG (103 with anaplastic astrocytoma, 7 with high-grade mixed oligoastrocytoma). For the GBM group, the median time to tumor progression (TTP) and median survival were 33 (95% CI 26, 39) and 56 (95% CI 49, 69) weeks, respectively. For the AG group the median TTP was 282 weeks (95% lower confidence bound = 155 weeks). Median survival for this group has not been reached (95% lower confidence bound = 284 weeks) with a median follow-up for surviving patients of 298 weeks. A proportional hazards model was used to look at potential prognostic factors for survival, including initial Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS), age, and extent of surgery, as well as dose of 6TG. Higher KPS, and lower age, predicted for longer survival (p < 0.01, < 0.001) in GBM patients; lower age was significant (p = 0.05) for AG cases. A higher (greater than 95 mg/m2) or lower dose of 6TG was not statistically significant in this model. Conclusions: This therapy was no more effective in patients with GBM than other reported series. In patients with malignant gliomas other than GBM, prolonged progression-free and overall survival is noted, without a median survival reached at the time of this report. In this subset of AG patients, survival is comparable to recent studies using halogenated prymidines during radiation and Procarbazine, CCNU, and Vincristine (PCV) as adjuvant chemotherapy.
Comparative chemical ionization mass spectra of tricyclic antidepressant amines and related compounds

Positive-ion methane chemical ionization (CI) mass spectra were obtained for seven underivatized tricyclic amines: amitriptyline, nortriptyline, protriptyline, imipramine, desipramine, cyclobenzaprine and cyproheptadine. Some discrepancies in previously reported spectra were noted. Spectra of protriptyline, cyclobenzaprine and cyproheptadine are reported for the first time. Comparisons are made among the CI spectra and with electron ionization spectra, and relative abundances of major CI ions among the seven compounds are rationalized in terms of substituent and geometric effects. In most cases low-mass iminium ions from anion abstraction were more abundant than [MH]+. Hydride abstraction and adduct formation with reagent-gas ions were important. The three heterocyclic amines gave abundant [M]+˙ by electron transfer. Protonation at the nitrogen atom on the side chain followed by amine elimination gave tricyclic aromatic fragment ions.
Cetocycline, Tetracycline Analog: In Vitro Studies of Antimicrobial Activity, Serum Binding, Lipid Solubility, and Uptake by Bacteria

Cetocycline (formerly chelocardin or cetotetrine) is structurally related to the tetracyclines. It was found to be more active than tetracycline against many clinical isolates of aerobic gram-negative bacilli, but is less active against staphylococci, and has no activity against Pseudomonas . It is bactericidal against susceptible enteric gram-negative bacteria at concentrations two to four times higher than the minimal inhibiting concentrations. The drug is highly lipid soluble; more than 80% is bound to serum, and it is more avidly taken up by susceptible bacteria than tetracycline. A direct correlation between drug uptake and susceptibility of bacteria was not noted, except with a strain of Proteus vulgaris .
⁎4687 Pancreatic duct stent therapy for “smoldering” pancreatitis.

Introduction: During recovery from acute pancreatitis, a small group of patients experience unremitting abdominal pain, intolerance to oral feeds, elevated enzymes, and inflammatory changes on CT scan. This clinical syndrome has been termed "smoldering" pancreatitis. Continued inflammation typically results from pancreatic necrosis, pseudocysts, pancreatic duct (PD) strictures, or PD disruption. Occasionally, however, no explanation exist for the persistent inflammation. Functional obstruction of the papillary orifice may account for the unremitting course seen in these patients.We report our experience with the use of PD stents in this patient population. Methods: Thirteen patients were evaluated for "smoldering" pancreatitis. Nine patients had no identifiable etiology despite extensive evaluation. Each of the other 4 patients had a recognized risk factor (1- hypertriglyceridemia, 1-cystic fibrosis, 1-pancreas divisum, and 1 patient with pancreas divisum and post-ERCP pancreatitis). The patients (8 male, 5 female), age 11-55 years (mean 35 years), had persistent symptoms for 10-60 days (mean 41 days) from the onset of pancreatitis until PD stent placement. Each patient had severe daily pain, exacerbated by oral intake, and requiring intravenous narcotics. Parenteral nutrition was administered in 12 patients. At ERCP, the amylase was normal in 3 patients, elevated 5x in 2 patients. CT scan revealed pancreatic and peripancreatic inflammation, without necrosis or pseudocyst formation. The pancreatogram was normal in 8 patients, revealed chronic pancreatitis in 2 patients, mild diffuse narrowing in 2 patients, and diffuse irregular narrowing with a distal CBD stricture in 1 patient. Follow-up ERCP revealed a normal PD in all patients, except for the 2 patients with chronic pancreatitis whose pancreatograms were unchanged. A PD stent (5-7 Fr, 2-3 cm) was placed in all 13 patients for a period of 2-12 weeks (mean 6 weeks). Results: PD stent placement resulted in significant relief of abdominal pain within 1-10 days (mean 2.8 days). Parenteral analgesics and nutrition were discontinued within 1-10 days (mean 3.0 days). Patients were discharged home within 2-11 days (mean 4.0 days) after stent placement. Conclusions: "Smoldering" pancreatitis may result from functional obstruction, possibly caused by edema or spasm of the papillary orifice. Pancreatic duct stent placement can effectively treat this entity, and allow rapid relief of symptoms, resumption of oral intake, and hospital discharge.
Review, extension and prediction in emergency service siting models

Abstract This is a review of a selected set of location papers and a research agenda. The location models reviewed fall into three categories: (1) basic deterministic covering models, (2) deterministic models which consider the value of additional covering servers, and (3) probabilistic models which allow randomness in server availability. Contributions in each of these categories are compared in a sequence which highlights the intellectual evolution of the models. Several new models are structured using the new formulation tools that are described. Several additional models whose development is predicted are described verbally.
Electron transfer in the reduction of primary halides by metal hydrides

Abstract The reactions of various main-group metal hydrides with 1-halo-5-hexenes and with 1-halo-2,2-dlmethyl-5-hexenes produce both straight chain and cyclized reduction products. The formation of cyclic hydrocarbons clearly indicates the presence of radical intermediates during the course of these reactions.
The epidemiology of enterococci

The enterococci are emerging as a significant cause of nosocomial infections, accounting for approximately 10 % of hospital acquired infections. They are found as normal inhabitants of the human gastrointestinal tract, but may also colonize the oropharynx, vagina, perineal region and soft tissue wounds of asymtomatic patients. Until recently, evidence indicated that most enterococcal infections arose from patients' own endogenous flora. Recent studies, however, suggest that exogeneous acquisition may occur and that person-to-person spread, probably on the hands of medical personnel, may be a significant mode of transmission of resistant enterococci within the hospital. The use of broad-spectrum antibiotics, especially cephalosporins, is another major factor in the increasing incidence of enterococcal infections. These findings suggest that barrier precautions, as applied with other resistant nosocomial pathogens, along with more judicial use of antibiotics may be beneficial in preventing nosocomial spread of resistant enterococci.
Shadows, echoes and auditory analysis of speech

Abstract A review of research on speech-motor perceptual and auditory processing, based particularly on studies at the I.P. Pavlov Institute of Physiology in Leningrad by V. Kozhevnikov and L. Chistovich. The use of spoken responses to speech stimuli, i.e. shadowing and mimicking, is given particular emphasis. Early versions of a motor theory of speech perception are also presented.
Induction of cytochrome P-450 mRNA in rainbow trout: in vitro translation and immunodetection.

The time course of induction of the raingow trout microsomal hepatic monooxygenase (MO) system was examined by determination of levels of mRNA and corresponding levels of catalytic activity. Animals were pretreated with β-naphthoflavone (β-NF, ip, 100 mg/kg) and terminated at 0, 2, 6, 18, and 48 hr postinjection. Levels of mRNA were determined by immunoprecipitation of in vitro translation products. Levels of mRNA coding for the cytochrome P-450 LM4b isozyme were maximally increased (13-fold) at 18 hr and had decreased almost to pretreatment levels by 48 hr post-treatment. This was in contrast to the catalytic activity in which ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) and ethoxycoumarin-O-deethylase (ECOD) were significantly elevated at both 18 hr (25- and 5-fold, respectively) and 48 hr (46- and 8-fold, respectively). Pretreatment with β-NF (ip, 100 mg/kg) or 2,4,5,2′,4′,5′-hexachlorobiphenyl (6-CB, ip, 150 mg/kg) for 18 hr resulted in significant differences in levels of mRNA in only the β-NF-treated group. The LM2 P-450 isozyme could not be detected by immunoprecipitation with anti-LM2 IgG in trout treated with these same inducers. The results suggest a difference between the time course of induction of the mRNA for cytochrome P-450 LM4b isozyme and the induction of catalytic activity. Under the detection system utilized, the results suggest that the phenobarbital-like inducer, 6-CB, does not induce cytochrome activity nor does it induce the mRNA for cytochrome P-450 LM4b isozyme.
A new O2 band system: The c1∑u−−b1∑g+ transition in the terrestrial nightglow

[1] A new O2 band system, the c1∑u−-b1∑g+ transition, has been found in sky spectra of the terrestrial nightglow from the Keck telescopes. The spectral region is 380–550 nm, and emission occurs from highly vibrationally excited levels, exhibiting peak intensities at v = 9 and v = 10 of the c1∑u− state. The spectral lines are relatively sparse, and because of the nature of the transition, they extend to quite high rotational levels in a single Q branch. Population is observed from v = 4 to v = 11 of the c1∑u− state, and the estimated intensity of the entire system is 30 R. A comparison is made between the detectability of the new system and the c1∑u−-X3∑g+ Herzberg II bands of O2, taking into consideration that the latter are the dominant visible emission in the nightglow of Venus, though only from v′ = 0.
Synthesis of sub-10 nm solid lipid nanoparticles for topical and biomarker detection applications

Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) are a promising platform for sensing in vivo biomarkers due to their biocompatibility, stability, and their ability to carry a wide range of active ingredients. The skin is a prominent target organ for numerous inflammatory and stress-related biomarkers, making it an excellent site for early detection of physiological imbalance and application of sensory nanoparticles. Though smaller particle size has generally been correlated with increased penetration of skin models, there has been little attention paid to the significance of other nanoparticle synthesis parameters with respect to their physical properties. In this study, we demonstrate the synthesis of sub-10 nm SLNs by the phase inversion temperature (PIT) method. These particles were specifically designed for topical delivery of hydrogen peroxide-detecting chemiluminescent dyes. A systematic design of experiments approach was used to investigate the role of the processing variables on SLN form and properties. The processing variables were correlated with the SLN properties (e.g., dye solubility, phase inversion temperature, particle size, polydispersity, melting point, and latent heat of melting). Statistical analysis revealed that the PIT method, while allowing total control over the thermal properties, resulted in well-controlled synthesis of ultra-small particles, while allowing great flexibility in the processing conditions and incorporated compounds.
The Role of Substrate Curvature in Actin-Based Pushing Forces

The extension of the plasma membrane during cell crawling or spreading is known to require actin polymerization; however, the question of how pushing forces derive from actin polymerization remains open. A leading theory (herein referred to as elastic propulsion) illustrates how elastic stresses in networks growing on curved surfaces can result in forces that push particles. To date all examples of reconstituted motility have used curved surfaces, raising the possibility that such squeezing forces are essential for actin-based pushing. By contrast, other theories, such as molecular ratchets, neither require nor consider surface curvature to explain pushing forces. Here, we critically test the requirement of substrate curvature by reconstituting actin-based motility on polystyrene disks. We find that disks move through extracts in a manner that indicates pushing forces on their flat surfaces and that disks typically move faster than the spheres they are manufactured from. For a subset of actin tails that form on the perimeter of disks, we find no correlation between local surface curvature and tail position. Collectively the data indicate that curvature-dependent mechanisms are not required for actin-based pushing.
MDL1 is a high copy suppressor of ATM1: evidence for a role in resistance to oxidative stress.

Abstract The yeast ATM1 gene is essential for normal cellular iron homeostasis. Deletion of ATM1 results in mitochondrial iron accumulation and increased sensitivity to oxidative stress and transition metal toxicity. Atm1p is an ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter localized to the mitochondrial inner membrane. The specific function of Atm1p has not been determined, though roles in both mitochondrial iron export and cytosolic Fe–S cluster assembly have been proposed. We undertook a screen for yeast genes capable of suppressing the abnormalities of cellular iron metabolism demonstrated by Δatm1 cells. One of the genes we identified was MDL1, which like ATM1, encodes a mitochondrial inner membrane ABC transporter. Mdl1p has previously been shown to function in the export of peptides from the mitochondrial matrix. We demonstrate that over-expression of MDL1 in Δatm1 cells results in a reduction of mitochondrial iron content, and decreased sensitivity to H2O2 and transition metal toxicity. Additionally, in studies of the effect of over-expression and deletion of MDL1, we have identified a novel role for Mdl1p in the regulation of cellular resistance to oxidative stress.
Pyrethroid action on the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor/channel

The interactions of natural pyrethrins and nine pyrethroids with the nicotinic acetylcholine (ACh) receptor/channel complex of Torpedo electric organ membranes were studied. None caused significant reduction in [3H]ACh binding to the receptor sites, but all inhibited [3H]perhydrohistrionicotoxin ([3H]H12-HTX) binding to the channel sites in presence of carbamylcholine. Allethrin inhibited [3H]H12-HTX binding noncompetitively, but [3H]imipramine binding competitively, suggesting that allethrin binds to the receptor's channel sites that bind imipramine. The pyrethroids were divided into two types according to their actions: type I, which included pyrethrins, allethrin, bioallethrin, resmethrin, and tetramethrin, was more potent in inhibiting [3H]H12-HTX binding and acted more rapidly (i.e., in <30 sec). Type II, which included permethrin, fluvalinate, cypermethrin and fenvalerate, was less potent and their potency increased slowly with time. Also, inhibition of the initial rate of [3H]H12-HTX binding by type I compounds increased greatly by the presence of the agonist carbamylcholine, but this was not so with type II compounds. The receptor-regulated 45Ca2+ flux into Torpedo microsacs was inhibited by pyrethrins and pyrethroids, suggesting that their action on this receptor function is inhibitory. There was very poor correlation between the potencies of pyrethrins and pyrethroids in inhibiting [3H]H12-HTX binding and their toxicities to house flies, mosquitoes, and the American cockroach. However, the high affinities that several pyrethroids have for this nicotinic ACh receptor suggest that pyrethroids may have a synaptic site of action in addition to their well known effects on the axonal channels.