cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Compost product optimization for surface water nitrate treatment in biofiltration applications

Abstract Compost based material has been proposed for use as media for biofiltration for environmental restoration in many areas to remediate contaminated water and soil. The objective of this project was to develop techniques to produce compost products for nitrate removal in storm water biofiltration applications, from typical solid waste materials. Compost products were manufactured from different feedstocks and evaluated for their nitrate removal efficiencies. Three different compost products manufactured from varying feedstock amounts of wood chips and grass clippings, along with some dry compost material from the City of Brownsville Municipal Landfill Facility (BMLF), were evaluated using column studies. Indicators of the compost product’s quality included moisture % content, pH, and conductivity measurements. The columns were loaded with water containing at least 13.5 mg/L nitrate–nitrogen and effluent water from the columns was tested to determine the nitrate reduction for the different products. All of the manufactured compost products and the BMLF material removed some nitrate. The project demonstrated that compost product materials can be effectively used for some nitrate removal for surface water quality improvement and that compost product feedstocks and blends can influence the materials capability for nitrate removal.
Polyol pathway activity in streptozotocin-diabetic rat lens.

Abstract We have examined polyol pathway kinetics in the lenses of rats made diabetic with streptozotocin. At up to 11 days after diabetes induction, the lenses were isolated and subjected to ‘pulse-chase’ studies: the lenses were incubated with [ 13 C]glucose and lens metabolism followed by [ 13 C]nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Proton NMR spectroscopy was also performed to measure the hexose monophosphate shunt (HMPS) activity. The results showed that (1) the activity of aldose reductase increased initially and decreased after 11 days of diabetes; (2) the fructose pool increased innitially but started to decline after 3 days; (3) the HMPS activity increased nearly 40% immediately after diabetes induction; and (4) the turnover rates of glucose, α-glycerophosphate (GP), lactate, sorbitol, and fructose were 80·8±2·6, 10·1±1·4, 47·7±3·7, 7·9±0·9 and 5·2±2·2 nmol hr −1 lens −1 (34 mg wet weight lens −1 ), respectively. Up to 35% of lactate appeared to derive from the polyol pathway. Further, GP was rapidly metabolized, although its fate is currently unknown. These results reveal a far more complex pattern of glucose metabolism in the diabetic lens than that in lenses incubated in high glucose.
Randomized Clinical Trial of an Absorbable Stent for Vasectomy Reversal

AbstractPurpose: More successful methods of vasectomy reversal would benefit those undergoing this treatment and might also increase the popularity of vasectomy. We conducted a randomized, prospective clinical trial of vasectomy reversal methods, comparing a new absorbable stent with 2-layer reattachment.Materials and Methods: We studied 116 men seeking vasectomy reversal between November 1990 and March 1994. Data were analyzed primarily by intention to treat.Results: Patients in the stent (64 cases) and no stent (52) randomized groups were similar in age distribution, age of spouses, years since vasectomy, proportion who had undergone prior vasectomy reversal and proportion who had previously achieved pregnancy. Operation time was more than 19 minutes shorter in the stent randomized group (p = 0.006). Fewer patients in the stent than the no stent group had patent vasovasostomies (81.0 versus 89.6%, respectively, p = 0.2) postoperatively. Fewer stent randomized patients had motile sperm (76.2 versus 81.3%...
Membrane Proteins and Their Antigenicity of Toxoplasma gondii

Surface membrane proteins of virulent RH strain and tissue cyst-forming Fukaya strain of Toxoplasma gondii were analysed by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis after LPO-catalyzed surface iodination and lectin blotting, then identified the zoite-specific antigens. Prior to the analyses, purification of RH tachyzoites from mouse peritoneal exudate and of Fukaya bradyzoites from mouse brain tissues were performed by centrifugation - on the discontinuous Percoll density-gradient. Ta- chysoites were obtained at the interface of 50U and 60% Percoll solution and brain cysts were harvested at the interfaces of 40-50% and 50-60%, then bradyzoites were obtained by treating the cysts with hypertonic solution. The LPO-catalyzed iodination detected 15 KDa and 14 KDa proteins o( brady- zoites and 30 KDa protein of tachysoites as major bands with several other minor bands. But Con A blotting revealed some bands of 200 K∼50 KDa glycoproteins of bradyzoites and 52 KDa band as major and minor bands of 33 K∼20 KDa of tachyzoites. Phytohemagglutinin did not detect any band in the two forms. EITB with anti- Fukaya antibody and anti-RH antibody revealed cross-reactivities between the two forms. Despite the cross-reactivity, anti-Fukaya antibody reacted with 15 KDa band of bradyzoites specifically and, anti-RH antibody with 52 KDa, 30 KDa, and 25 KDa bands of tachyzoites, respectively. It was identified that 15 KDa protein in bradyzoite, which was not a glycoprotein, was a major membrane protein with sufficient antigenicity, and in the case of tacky- zoite, 52 KDa surface glycoprotein (gp52) with specific antigenicity might be added to the major surface protein, p30. Key lords: Toxoplasma gondii, biochemistry, membrane proteins, antigenicity, glycoprotein
Fungal growth inhibition of regenerated cellulose nanofibrous membranes containing Quillaja saponin.

Antifungal properties were introduced in nonwoven regenerated cellulose (RC) nanofibrous membrane using Quillaja saponin. To generate cellulose membranes, deacetylation of electrospun cellulose acetate (CA) nanofibrous membranes was performed using 0.05 M NaOH and ethanol for membranes both loaded and unloaded with Quillaja saponin. Chemical and physical properties of nonwoven CA and RC nanofibrous membrane were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, attenuated total reflectance–Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and tensile properties. Our results showed that saponin doping did not affect the morphology of the resulting fibers and that the membrane structure was maintained during deacetylation. The antifungal properties of saponin-loaded fabric were determined at 0 and 24 h against two household fungi, Penicillium roguefortii and Aspergillus ochraceus, and compared with control samples. Our findings show that after 24 h the saponin-loaded fabrics had spores kill of 80.4% and 53.6% for P. roguefortii and A. ochraceus, respectively. Fabric containing Quillaja saponin has potential for household applications and could be evaluated further for medical applications.
Sudden Death Related to Selected Tricyclic Antidepressants in Children

The association between tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) use in children and increased risk of sudden death is unclear, but still possible. There are suitable alternatives to TCAs for all of the indications in which they have shown efficacy. A prudent practice model for the utilisation of TCAs has been developed. This includes initial utilisation of alternative agents, with TCAs as secondary or tertiary choices; informed consent from patient and family, including mention of the possible relationship of TCA with sudden death; vigilance of the emerging literature; and finally, systematic monitoring of patients, including electrocardiograms, drug serum concentrations and vital signs. This protocol needs to be validated with regard to utility and the degree of assistance it provides in the management of children treated with TCAs.
Polyamines regulate eukaryotic initiation factor 4E-binding protein 1 gene transcription.

Abstract Difluoromethylornithine-induced polyamine depletion produced a significant fall in the rate of 4E-BP1 gene transcription in IEC-6 cells, without a change in stability of the 4E-BP1 message. The effect was reversed by the addition of exogenous putrescine. Decreased 4E-BP1 gene transcription produced a concomitant fall in steady-state concentration of the 4E-BP1 protein. Segments of the 4E-BP1 gene 5′ flanking sequence were inserted into a GFP reporter construct. While all the segments containing the first 500 nucleotides 5′ to exon 1 were capable of driving GFP expression, two regions (between −2465 and −1965, and between −896 and 511) did so in a polyamine-dependent manner. Steady-state concentration of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), the first enzyme in the polyamine biosynthetic pathway, was increased in response to polyamine depletion. These data provide a mechanism by which polyamines affect transcription of the 4E-BP1 gene, which in turn affect translation of ODC and perhaps other cap-dependent proteins.
The use of caffeinated alcoholic beverages among underage drinkers: Results of a national survey

Objective The mixing of alcoholic beverages with caffeine has been identified as a public health problem among college students; however, little is known about the consumption of such drinks among younger adolescents. We estimated the prevalence of caffeinated alcoholic beverage (CAB) use among a wide age range of underage drinkers, examined differences in traditional (i.e. self-mixed alcoholic beverages with soda, coffee and tea) and non-traditional CAB use (pre-mixed caffeinated alcoholic beverages or self-mixed alcoholic beverages with energy drinks or energy shots) among underage drinkers by age and other demographic characteristics, and examined differences in hazardous drinking behavior between CAB and non-CAB users.
Comparative metabolism in vivo of [4-14C]cortisol in synovial fluid in the normal, rheumatoid and osteoarthritic knee

Abstract Ten min after the injection of [4- 14 C]cortisol in the synovial cavity of normal and arthritic knees of humans and horses, a sample of synovial fluid was aspirated, extracted with organic solvents, and fractionated into free and conjugated fractions. The free fraction accounted for 85% of the total extract of the normal synovium of humans and horses while in the arthritic knees this fraction amounted to 93 and 96% of the total radioactivity in synovial fluid extract. The radioactivity which corresponded to unconverted cortisol was 44 and 47% of the total radiometabolites in synovium of normal knees of human and horse, respectively, 80% in a human subject with rheumatoid arthritis, 6% and 1% in human and horse with osteoarthritis. The main transformation product of cortisol in human and horse in normal and arthritic joints was 11β-hydroxyandrostenedione. 11-Ketoandrostenedione and less polar metabolites were isolated. Unidentified highly polar metabolites were also detected. The relatively small percentage of radioactivity which corresponded to cortisol in osteoarthritic human and horse was accompanied by a considerable increase in the radioactivity which corresponded mainly to 11β-hydroxyandrostenedione. After 10-min intervals up to 2 h the quantities of cortisol metabolites are changeable. After 2 h, the percentage of 11β-hydroxyandrostenedione, 11-ketoandrostenedione and less polar metabolites decreased considerably while the percentage of compounds of greater polarity than cortisol increased.
Performance Implications of MNEs' Diversification Strategies and Institutional Distance

By proposing a conceptual outline for a general model that explains the link between multinational enterprises' (MNEs') diversification and their performance, this study tests the moderating effects of institutional distance empirically. Integrating literature from a strategic perspective within international business research, the proposed integrated, multidimensional framework can analyze MNEs' product diversification, international diversification, and institutional distance, as well as the impacts of these elements on firm performance. A sample of Fortune Global 500 companies confirms this moderation and extends prior research by establishing the importance of relationships among MNEs' product and international diversification, institutional distance, and performance. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The use of weighted and scored risk assessment models for venous thromboembolism.

Formalised risk assessment models (RAMs) for venous thromboembolism (VTE) using weighted and scored variables have only recently been widely incorporated into international antithrombotic guidelines.Scored and weighted VTE RAMs have advantages over a simplified group-specific VTE risk approach, with the potential to allow more tailored strategies for thromboprophylaxis and an improved estimation of the risk/benefit profile for a particular patient. The derivation of VTE RAMs should be based on variables that are a priori defined or identified in a univariate analysis and the predictive capability of each variable should be rigorously assessed for both clinical and statistical significance and internal consistency and completeness. The assessment of the RAM should include the goodness of fit of the model and construction of a prognostic index score. Any VTE RAM which has been derived must undergo validation of that model before it can be used in clinical practice. Validation of the model should be performed in a “deliberate”prospective fashion across several diverse clinical sites using pre-defined criteria using basic standards for performing model validation. We discuss the basic concepts in the derivation of recent scored and weighted VTE RAMs in hospitalised surgical and medical patients and cancer outpatients, the mechanisms for accurate external validation of the models, and implications for their use in clinical practice.
Clinical evaluation of the Datex 221 neuromuscular transmission monitor for recording posttetanic electromyographic responses

Abstract The assessment of deep neuromuscular blockade produced by nondepolarizing neuromuscular blocking agents is not possible with the conventional use of the Datex NMT-221 "relaxograph" (Datex NMT-221 monitor, Datex Instrumentarium, Helsinki, Finland), an otherwise useful electromyographic (EMG) monitoring device. A method whereby the relaxograph can be adapted to quantitatively measure posttetanic responses is described here. In anesthetized adult patients, neuromuscular blockade was monitored simultaneously on both hands with two relaxographs. On one hand, EMG responses of hypothenar muscles to the built-in 120-second sequence of train-of four stimuli of the monitor were used. On the other hand, similar recordings were made with the addition of periodically superimposed supramaximal tetanic stimuli of 100 Hz to the ulnar nerve. Neuromuscular block was provided with pancuronium. The time courses of the spontaneous recovery of the first of the train-of-four EMG responses were compared in the stimulated and control arms. At the end of the surgery, the neuromuscular block was pharmacologically reversed with atropine and neostigmine. If no tetanic stimuli were applied, the EMG responses were identical in both arms during the spontaneous recovery from the neuromuscular blockade. If tetanic stimuli were applied every 4 or 7 minutes, the rate o f recovery in the stimulated hand usually exceeded that of the control hand. However, no significant difference was observed in the recovery rate when the tetanic stimuli were spaced at 15-minute intervals. Pharmacologic reversal by atropine and neostigmine was found to be identical in all patient groups. The author concludes that the Datex relaxograph is suitable for the quantitative assessment of profound surgical neuromuscular blockade with the described modification.
Left ventricular diastolic filling abnormalities identified by doppler echocardiography in asymptomatic patients with sickle cell anemia

To determine whether left ventricular diastolic abnormalities are an early feature of sickle cell anemia, indexes of diastolic filling were obtained with pulsed Doppler echocardiography in 30 consecutive patients with this disease (mean age 29 years; range 19 to 39) who had not experienced symptoms of heart failure and had normal left ventricular systolic function. Data were compared with those in 30 normal control subjects of similar ages. Seventeen (57%) of the 30 patients with sickle cell anemia had evidence of abnormal left ventricular diastolic filling. Six of these 17 patients had a Doppler pattern consistent with "restrictive" filling, characterized by reduced early diastolic deceleration time (less than 110 ms) or an increased rate of decline of early flow velocity (EF slope greater than 7.4 m/s2), or both, as well as decreased late diastolic velocity-time integral (2.6 +/- 0.7 vs. 3.4 +/- 0.8 cm in normal subjects; p less than 0.05). Another 11 patients showed a Doppler waveform consistent with impaired relaxation, characterized by prolonged deceleration time (greater than 166 ms) or reduced EF slope (less than 3.8 m/s2), as well as increased late diastolic velocity-time integral (4.0 +/- 0.5 vs. 3.4 +/- 0.8 cm in normal subjects; p = 0.03). This Doppler echocardiographic analysis demonstrates that left ventricular diastolic filling patterns are altered in patients with sickle cell anemia and that these diastolic abnormalities may be present in the absence of symptoms of heart failure. These abnormal patterns suggest an intrinsic myocardial abnormality in patients with sickle anemia and may prove to be early markers of cardiac disease.
The brain tumor window model: a combined cranial window and implanted glioma model for evaluating intraoperative contrast agents.

Primary brain tumors are diagnosed in approximately 51,000 individuals per year in the United States1. In the majority of cases, the treatment of brain tumors begins with maximal surgical resection. It is increasingly apparent that the extent of surgical resection correlates with patient outcome for all types of brain tumors2. Numerous methods for improving the extent of resection including stereotactic navigation, intraoperative ultrasound and intraoperative MRI have been developed. However, the common limitation of each of these methods is that the images they generate are physically separated from the operative field, requiring the surgeon to correlate imaging data with what is visually observed through the operating microscope. To bridge the imaging gap between radiographs and the operating field, investigators have long proposed the use of fluorescent and visible dyes that would optically delineate tumor margins 3-10. Dyes including fluorescein8 and fluorescent porphyrins 9 have been used, with varying success, in brain tumor patients to improve the extent of resection. However, research aimed at developing better visible contrast agents for brain tumor surgery has yielded a number of promising candidates that have yet to be tested clinically. Because they could be visualized under the normal lighting conditions of the operating room, bromophenol blue7 and indocyanine green3, 4 are among the most attractive candidate dyes currently proposed for intraoperative tumor delineation. Experimental studies in implanted 9L gliomas demonstrate that in ex vivo specimens, both indocyanine green and bromophenol blue provide clear visual contrast with the surrounding tissues at high doses. However, clinical trials of these agents have been limited due to the fact that the doses of contrast required to visibly delineate the margins of implanted tumors have unacceptable or lethal side effects. Due to the visual differences between perfused and non-perfused tissue, we hypothesized that the properties of candidate optical contrast agents could be best characterized using in vivo, rather than ex vivo models. Therefore, we aimed to create an animal model to allow real-time, in vivo visualization of the tumor brain interface. In this study we describe a combination of the conventional 9L implanted glioma model with the chronic closed cranial window model to create the brain tumor window (BTW) model, a new system for evaluating the visual appearance of experimental brain tumors in vivo.
On a series representation for Carleman orthogonal polynomials

Let {p n (z)} ∞ n=0 be a sequence of complex polynomials (p n of degree n) that are orthonormal with respect to the area measure over the interior domain of an analytic Jordan curve. We prove that each p n of sufficiently large degree has a primitive that can be expanded in a series of functions recursively generated by a couple of integral transforms whose kernels are defined in terms of the degree n and the interior and exterior conformal maps associated with the curve. In particular, this series representation unifies and provides a new proof for two important known results: the classical theorem by Carleman establishing the strong asymptotic behavior of the polynomials p n in the exterior of the curve, and an integral representation that has played a key role in determining their behavior in the interior of the curve.
Control of Spasticity by Implantable Continuous Flow Morphine Pump

Continuous flow pumps are being used for the delivery of morphine sulfate to the intrathecal and epidural space for control of pain. We have encountered several patients who had a combination of pain and spasticity or who had spasticity so intense that it was the source of pain. One to two milligrams of intrathecal morphine dramatically relieved their spasticity and pain. Three such patients have subsequently undergone pump implantation with prolonged control of their spasticity. This has initiated a formal clinical investigation directed at determining the physiological mechanism of this phenomenon, as well as its long term efficacy.
Macrostructure and Microbehavior in a Metropolitan Area

Negative externalities generated by the rational actions of individual decisionmakers sometimes have large-scale repercussions on urban structure that backfire on all concerned. Such a situation, involving the externalities of intensive development in low-density areas, was recently addressed by the Los Angeles Planning Department. In an attempt to explore the complex logic of that phenomenon and draw out any relevant policy implications, a dynamic model of the interaction between urban structure and individual behavior is outlined in this paper. This consists of a submodel simulating the spatial distribution of densities and development payoffs in an urban area, and a second one modelling the choice developers have either to cooperate or not to cooperate with an official urban plan. Although the model could in principle be implemented, it may be more valuable in a planning context as a conceptual framework for helping planners think through the intricacies of this very complex situation.
On studying world order: A plea for systematic inquiry

The creation of improved systems of world order requires great care. Alternative configurations may or may not prove more suitable, and each must be painstakingly examined on its own merits. For those of us who are actively concerned with studying about world order, this means the application of a far more rigorous conception of inquiry to our subject. So long as we cannot accept the Leibnizian claim that this is certainly the best of all possible worlds, our search for better ones must certainly be the best of all possible searches. This means that models of world order must be derived from appropriate hypotheses and subjected to the strictures of systematic analysis. World order studies must be treated in accordance with the strict canons of inquiry outlined in this essay. Only then can they begin to develop the highly generalized system of theory that characterizes any science.
Laboratory study of asthmatic volunteers exposed to nitrogen dioxide and to ambient air pollution.

Adult volunteers with moderate to severe asthma (N=59) underwent dose-response studies to assess their reactivity to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in otherwise clean air. Exposure concentrations were 0.0 (control), 0.3 and 0.6 ppm. A subgroup (N=36) also underwent exposures to Los Angeles area ambient air at times when NO2 pollution was expected. Concentrations of NO2 during ambient exposures were 0.086±0.024 ppm (mean±s.d.). All exposures took place in a movable chamber/laboratory facility. Each study lasted 2 hr, with alternating 10 min periods of exercise (mean ventilation rate 40 L/min) and rest. Lung function was measured prior to exposure and after 10 min, 1 hr and 2 hr of exposure. Symptoms were recorded prior to exposure, during exposure and for 1 week afterward. In some subjects bronchial reactivity to cold air was measured 1 hr after the end of exposure and again 24 hr later. Different exposure conditions were presented in randomized order, 1 week apart. No pollutant exposure produced statistically sig...
INDUCED RESISTANCE IN SOYBEAN TO Helicoverpa zea: ROLE OF PLANT PROTEIN QUALITY

Resistance in soybean toHelicoverpa zea is comprised of both constitutive and inducible factors. In this study, we investigated the induction of resistance byH. zea in both greenhouse and field studies. In a greenhouse experiment, fourth-instarH. zea growth rates were reduced by 39% after 24 hr feeding and by 27% after 48 hr when larvae fed on previously wounded V3 foliage (cv. Forrest) compared with undamaged foliage. In a field study, the weight gain by larvae was more than 52% greater when larvae fed for 72 hr on undamaged R2/R3 soybean plants (cv. Braxton) compared to those that fed on previously wounded plants. A significant component of the induced resistance is due to a decline in the nutritional quality of foliar protein following foliar damage byH. zea. Foliar protein was extracted from damaged and undamaged foliage and incorporated into artificial diets. Larval growth was reduced 26% after four days and 49% after seven days on diets containing protein from damaged plants compared to larvae feeding on foliar protein from undamaged plants. Chemical analyses of protein quality also indicated a decline in quality in damaged plants compared to unwounded plants. Increases in lipoxygenase activity (53%), lipid peroxidation products (20%), and trypsin inhibitor content (34%) were observed in protein from wounded plants. Moreover, a 5.9% loss in free amines and 19% loss in total thiols occurred in protein from wounded plants. Larval feeding causes a significant increase in foliar lipoxygenase activity that varied among genotypes. Lipoxygenase isozymes were measured at pH 5.5, pH 7.0, and pH 8.5 in V3 stage plants of Forrest, Hark, D75-1069, and PI 417061 genotypes. Lipoxygenase activity in each genotype was significantly increased after 72 hr of larval feeding at each pH level tested, with the exception of lipoxygenase isozymes at pH 5.5 in genotype PI 417061. Larval feeding on R2/R3 stage plants (field-grown cv. Braxton) for six days also increased foliar lipoxygenase activity.
A moving average model for sequenced reaction-time data☆

Abstract Reaction times are often collected in order to study the durations of hypothesized subprocesses. In many important cases, reaction times are collected for a sequence of tasks in which the processing for one task is a subset of the processing required for the next in the sequence. Data of this sort have been analyzed by multiple-regression methods. Here we propose a more sophisticated moving average model for such data. We show that ordinary multiple-regression methods produce estimates that are consistent, but not efficient, and that the usual R 2 statistic may provide a misleading impression of goodness of fit. One consequence of the suggested statistical model is that it allows the same quantity of data to be used to fit a psychological model to a larger range of tasks.
Corrugator Muscle Responses Are Associated With Individual Differences in Positivity-Negativity Bias

Corrugator supercilii muscle activity is considered an objective measure of valence because it increases in response to negatively valenced facial expressions (angry) and decreases to positive expressions (happy). The authors sought to determine if corrugator activity could be used as an objective measure of positivity-negativity bias. The authors recorded corrugator responses as participants rated angry, happy, and surprised faces as “positive” or “negative.” The critical measure of bias was the percentage of positive versus negative ratings assigned to surprised faces by each participant. Reaction times for surprise expressions were longer than for happy and angry expressions, consistent with their ambiguous valence. Participants who tended to rate surprised faces as negative showed increased corrugator activity to surprised faces, whereas those who tended to rate surprise as positive showed decreased activity. Critically, corrugator responses reflected the participants’ bias (i.e., their tendency to rate surprise as positive or negative). These data show that surprised faces constitute a useful tool for assessing individual differences in positivity-negativity bias, and that corrugator activity can objectively reflect this bias.
Organelle Signaling: How Stressed Chloroplasts Communicate with the Nucleus

Plastids are able to relay information to the nucleus to regulate stress responses. A new genetic screen has identified an isoprenoid intermediate that accumulates in stressed plastids and acts as a novel retrograde signal.
The Ordered Open-End Bin-Packing Problem

We study a variant of the classical bin-packing problem, the ordered open-end bin-packing problem, where first a bin can be filled to a level above 1 as long as the removal of the last piece brings the bin's level back to below 1 and second, the last piece is the largest-indexed piece among all pieces in the bin. We conduct both worst-case and average-case analyses for the problem. In the worst-case analysis, pieces of size 1 play distinct roles and render the analysis more difficult with their presence. We give lower bounds for the performance ratio of any online algorithm for cases both with and without the 1-pieces, and in the case without the 1-pieces, identify an online algorithm whose worst-case performance ratio is less than 2 and an offline algorithm with good worst-case performance. In the average-case analysis, assuming that pieces are independently and uniformly drawn from [0, 1], we find the optimal asymptotic average ratio of the number of occupied bins over the number of pieces. We also introduce other online algorithms and conduct simulation study on the average-case performances of all the proposed algorithms.
THE OCCURRENCE DURING ACUTE INFECTIONS OF A PROTEIN NOT NORMALLY PRESENT IN THE BLOOD : III. IMMUNOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF THE C-REACTIVE PROTEIN AND ITS DIFFERENTIATION FROM NORMAL BLOOD PROTEINS.

The C-reactive protein present in the albumin fraction of the serum of patients during certain acute bacterial infections is highly antigenic upon injection into rabbits. The antiserum thus prepared reacts specifically with this protein and does not react with the proteins of normal human serum. Immunological specificity has been demonstrated by both precipitin and complement-fixation tests. Antiserum prepared in rabbits to the C-reactive protein from human sources also reacts specifically with the similar protein in the serum of monkeys acutely ill with experimental pneumococcus infection. By means of immunological reactions it is possible to detect amounts of reactive protein which are too small to yield a visible precipitate in tests with the C polysaccharide. Certain of the properties are discussed which distinguish the C-reactive protein from the proteins of normal human serum.
Computationally-Efficient, Generalized Expressions for the Proximity-Effect in Multi-Layer, Multi-Turn Tubular Coils for Wireless Power Transfer Systems

Wireless power transfer (WPT) based on magnetic induction is used in numerous applications where physical contact between the power source and the load is not desired. For efficient power transfer, the resonant coils should have a low equivalent series resistance at the resonant frequency and have a high packing factor while being simple to manufacture. Coils made from hollow copper tubes might be an acceptable alternative to Litz wire designs due to low skin-effect resistance, easy manufacturing, and simplicity in implementing active cooling; however, the lack of an analytical model for complex coil designs poses a difficulty in systematically assessing its benefits and limitations. This paper presents a new method, based on the Fourier series, for evaluating proximity-effect losses in a multi-turn, multi-layer tubular coil. The model evaluates the proximity factor Gp as a function of coil and tube parameters, which can be incorporated into the design and optimization procedures. The derivations are supported by simulations that compare analytic and finite element models (FEM) of current density distribution in the coil. The model is further validated via experimental measurements of the resulting equivalent series resistance for two prototype coils.
Picosecond switching dynamics of a Josephson tunnel junction

The authors previously reported (D.R. Dykaar et al., 1987) switching measurements of a tunnel junction excited by photogenerated picosecond current pulses. The junction was found to switch from the zero- to the finite-voltage regime for subcritical current pulses, and the results were modeled with a critical charge concept. It is shown that in addition to pulse charge, pulse risetime is a critical parameter in determining the junction response. Simulations have been performed using exponentially rising and failing pulses to simulate the experimentally measured waveform. Significant deviations from DC behavior have been found. Pulse risetime has been found be the parameter which causes the onset of the observed chaos in these devices. Pulse falltime has no effect, which is consistent with the critical risetime interpretation. >
11 Signs in Human Hands: A Model for the Intonated Object

Artifacts deemed to have played a religious or ritual role in past societies belong to a broader analytical category of “symbolic” material culture. This chapter explores a new approach to such material culture, in which each symbolic object is understood as a “once-occurrent” dialogic interaction involving (1) coded cultural content, (2) particular material and contextual attributes, and (3) a situated synthesizing human perspective. Drawing on the work of Mikhail Bakhtin among others, an embodied semiotic approach to symbolic objects is outlined, which identifies the constitution of the object not in its elusive past meaning but in the unique and dynamic relationship of its component parts. This approach positions the human actor not merely as an external evaluator of the object but as a fundamental element of its very definition. Discussion of a group of seal stones from Bronze Age Crete illustrates these ideas.
Hierarchical MEMS Synthesis and Optimization

A hierarchical MEMS synthesis and optimization architecture has been developed for MEMS design automation. The architecture integrates an object-oriented component library with a MEMS simulation tool and two levels of optimization: global genetic algorithms and local gradient-based refinement. An object-oriented data structure is used to represent hierarchical levels of elements in the design library and their connectivity. Additionally, all elements encapsulate instructions and restrictions for the genetic operations of mutation and crossover. The parameterized component library includes distinct low-level primitive elements and high-level clusters of primitive elements. Surface micro-machined suspended resonators are used as an example to introduce the hierarchical MEMS synthesis and optimization process.
Struggling to Recover New Orleans: Creativity in the Gaps and Margins

As an ethnographer currently conducting research in New Orleans, I use my own lived experience and role as curator to explore the way in which Ethnographic Terminalia 2010: New Orleans, Art Spill: Disaster, Art, Activism, and Recovery, and other American Anthropological Association (AAA)–sponsored exhibitions entered ongoing local conversations about boundaries, resistance, recovery, and social action in the post-Katrina era. Taking the position that the exhibition may work as a kind of ethnographic experiment—involving collaboration and agitation between various actors—I build on Shannon Dawdy's use of archaeological taphonomy to speculate on the role of disruptive curatorial projects in the region's chronic, ongoing post-disaster recovery process.
New combinations in the fern genus Tectaria (Tectariaceae) for the Flora of China

For studies on the fern family Tectariaceae for the Flora of China, four species previously treated as Ctenitopsis need new combinations in Tectaria. The new combinations are proposed here and information on their types is provided.
Spontaneous speech at 6½ years of age in children who required neonatal intensive care in 1986-1989

Spontaneous speech at 6½ years of age in children who required neonatal intensive care in 1986-1989
Serious Money: Fundraising and Contributing in Presidential Nomination Campaigns

Serious Money offers detailed analysis of the relationship between fundraising methods and contributing decisions in presidential nomination campaigns, based largely upon newly conducted surveys of contributors to both the 1988 and 1992 campaigns. Brown, Powell and Wilcox explore the fundamental differences detween direct mail solicitation and personal-solicitation networks, and how candidate resources dictate the use of unique methods of solicitation. Candidate resources analysed include home state power bases, access to national party networks and the national legislative agenda, congressional office, social identity, and ideological proximity. With respect to contributing decisions, the book focuses on the three fundamental sources of the decision to contribute: the purposive, solidary, and material motives of contributors.
Inhibition of Primary and Metastatic Tumor Growth in Mice by Cancer-associated Galactosyltransferase Acceptor

The antitumor activity of a glycopeptide purified from human malignant effusion, termed cancer-associated galactosyltransferase acceptor (CAGA), was assessed in BALB/c mice bearing primary and metastatic tumors. Initial studies with the fast-growing KA31 and slow-growing KB521 Kirsten sarcoma-transformed mouse fibroblast cell lines confirmed their tumorigenicity and metastatic potential. Inoculation of 1 X 10(5) KA31 cells s.c. resulted in palpable tumor formation in recipient animals within 14 days and death within 42 days from primary tumor growth (mean survival, 26 days; total survival, 0%). Inoculation of the slower-growing KB521 resulted in tumor formation in 85% of recipients, and tumor-bearing animals succumbed within 56 days after primary inoculation (mean survival, 48 days; total survival, 15%). Administration of CAGA by i.p. injection as a single dose or series of five daily doses (each 50 micrograms) inhibited primary tumor growth by 35 to 68% in animals receiving KA31 cells and by 25 to 70% in animals receiving KB521 cells. CAGA increased mean survival 50% from 26 to 38 days and total survival from 0 to 27% in animals bearing KA31-derived primary tumors. In animals bearing KB521-derived tumors, CAGA increased mean survival from 48 to 90 days and total survival from 15 to 50%. Similarly, CAGA was also found to significantly inhibit formation of pulmonary metastases in animals after excision of primary tumors. CAGA administration reduced death from metastatic deposits by 55 to 66% in animals initially inoculated with the KA31 cell line and by 58 to 90% in animals initially bearing primary tumors derived from the KB521 line. There was a corresponding decrease in the number of metastatic deposits per lung after administration of CAGA. Thus, CAGA appears to have potential antitumor activity against tumors with a range of growth rates and appears to inhibit both primary and metastatic tumor growth.
Middle Eastern Americana: Beyond Orientalism

From a float decorated as their ibis-headed Egyptian namesake, tarboosh-topped members of the Krewe of Thoth toss trinkets to happy throngs along St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans. The occasion is Mardi Gras—not a day but a season in this legendary American city. Along with Thoth parade the krewes (social clubs) of Babylon, Isis, and Cleopatra, among others, the last group winding through Algiers, the second-oldest neighborhood in New Orleans, on the west bank of the Mississippi across from the French Quarter.
A framework for next-generation radiation belt models

[1] The trapped radiation specifications, such as AE-8 and AP-8, are based upon a simple and reasonable framework that happens to be insufficient to the modern demands placed upon them. This manuscript outlines an improved framework for the next generation of radiation models. While existing radiation specifications tend to provide mean fluxes on a grid in magnetic coordinates, scientific and engineering users are starting to demand capabilities that are far beyond this simple framework, such as error bars on total mission dose and real-time data assimilation. One framework that can provide these added capabilities while still remaining fairly simple is the joint probability distribution, described here. The joint distribution can describe the behavior of individual fluxes on a grid in magnetic coordinates while also describing how those fluxes vary together. This covariance is a crucial ingredient for data assimilation and for proper error bars and percentiles on composite quantities like dose or fluence to a shielded device. This manuscript describes the core math of the proposed framework, an approach to building the model from in situ observations and/or numerical simulations, how to use the model to calculate error bars and percentiles on composite quantities, how to use the model in data assimilation, and how to make a first estimate of the dependence of worst case fluences on aggregation time.
Keynote talk II: Accelerating data centers using reconfigurable logic

Reconfigurable logic has the potential to provide hardware level performance with the flexibility of software. Such properties make it an interesting solution in data center environments that value high throughput, low latency, low power, and uniformity of hardware. Microsoft has been exploring the use of reconfigurable logic in its data centers. In this talk, I will describe some of our efforts in this area.
Conceptualizing Accessibility for English Language Proficiency Assessments

This paper is the second in a series from Educational Testing Service (ETS) that conceptualizes next-generation English language proficiency (ELP) assessment systems for K-12 English learners (ELs) in the United States. The first paper articulated a high-level conceptualization of next-generation ELP assessment systems (Hauck, Wolf, & Mislevy, 2016), the third paper addressed issues related to summative ELP assessments that emerged from the presentations and discussions at the English Language Proficiency Assessment Research working meeting (Wolf, Guzman-Orth, & Hauck, 2016), and the fourth paper focused on a key concern within such systems—the initial identification and classification of ELs (Lopez, Pooler, & Linquanti, 2016). The goal of this paper is to address accessibility issues in the context of ELP assessments and to discuss critical considerations to improve the accessibility of ELP assessments for ELs and ELs with disabilities. Although accessibility for ELs and ELs with disabilities who are taking content assessments is also important, a discussion about content assessments is beyond the scope of the paper at this time. In this paper, we discuss challenges and areas of possible directions to pursue for ongoing and future ELP assessment development, policy implications, and research considerations to improve the ELP testing experience for all users.
Alexia Without Agraphia in a Right-Handed Individual Following Right Occipital Stroke

Alexia without agraphia is a disconnection syndrome that typically involves damage to the occipital lobe, with splenium involvement, in the dominant left hemisphere. We describe an exceptionally rare case of a right-handed individual displaying this deficit following a right-sided occipital stroke. A report of a single case of a 65-year-old man is presented with data from appointments with the neurology and neuropsychology departments that occurred approximately 10 and 12 months following the patient's stroke. During the evaluation, he exhibited a marked deficit in his ability to read, with vision grossly intact. His ability to write single words and short phrases from dictation was intact, but he was later unable to read them. This case demonstrates the complexity of the organization of language in the human brain. Although a large majority of individuals exhibit language dominance in their left hemispheres, it remains possible that some right-handed individuals may show atypical organization of language. This highlights the need for clinicians to consider atypical cortical organization when observed deficits may not necessarily match expected lesions within the cortex.
The Impact of Critical Theory on the Study of Autobiography: Marginality, Gender, and Autobiographical Practice

(1987). The Impact of Critical Theory on the Study of Autobiography: Marginality, Gender, and Autobiographical Practice. a/b: Auto/Biography Studies: Vol. 3, No. 3, pp. 1-12.
Abstract T P275: Hospital’S Role In Community Stroke Risk Screening

Background: Hospitals can contribute to the success of the American Heart Association’s 2020 Impact Goals through community stroke risk screenings and educational awareness events. Purpose: The purpose of this quality project was to evaluate the effectiveness of strategies used to conduct community stroke risk and education events. Method: Marketing strategies were utilized to promote free community stroke risk screenings and awareness events at nine sites. Stroke nurses used standardized risk screening and FAST teaching tools. Participant data was aggregated into a dashboard and analyzed. A survey was developed and distributed to participants in order to evaluate satisfaction and responses to recommendations from the screening events. Results: 423 participants attended the stroke events. The average age of participants was 51 years and the majority of participants were Caucasian (82%) and female (73%). Two or more risk factors were identified in 67% of participants. Nearly half (48%) of participants were...