cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Serial coagulation studies in patients undergoing Mustard procedure.

Abstract Following the Mustard procedure for operative correction of transposition of the great arteries, the incidence of serious hemorrhage in our original series was nearly 40%. Coagulation studies were performed serially in the next 4 patients undergoing the operation in an attempt to elucidate the etiology. Preexisting coagulation defects were present in all, but none had evidence of intravascular coagulation. Multiple clotting factors and platelets were decreased in the immediate postoperative period with gradual improvement in two weeks. In a patient with thrombocytopenia or deficient coagulation factors, preoperative phlebotomies may elevate these values to normal levels. When complete correction of the coagulation system has been achieved by this maneuver, a normal amount of postoperative bleeding has occurred in our patients.
Effect of non-proportional damping on the torque roll axis decoupling of an engine mounting system

Several mounting system design concepts are conceptually used to decouple the engine roll mode though limited success has been observed in practice. One shortcoming of the existing theories or design methods is that they ignore non-proportional viscous damping in their formulations. It seems that the rigid-body vibrations are coupled whenever non-proportional damping is introduced to the mounting system even though the torque roll axis decoupling is still theoretically possible with proportional damping assumption. To overcome this deficiency, we re-formulate the problem for a non-proportionally damped linear system while recognizing that significant damping may be possible with passive (such as hydraulic) or adaptive mounts. The complex mode method is employed in our work and the torque roll axis decoupling paradigm is re-examined given mount rate ratios, mount locations and orientation angles as key design parameters. We derive a necessary axiom for a mode in the torque roll axis direction provided two eigenvalue problems, in terms of stiffness and damping matrices, are concurrently satisfied. Two numerical examples are chosen to examine both steady-state and transient responses and the extent of coupling or decoupling is quantified. Results show that the torque roll axis for a mounting system with non-proportional damping (under oscillating torque excitation) is indeed decoupled when one of the damped modes lies in the torque roll axis direction. Finally, eigensolutions are validated by using experimental data.
Dynamics of a laser produced plasma for soft x-ray production

Laser produced plasmas (LPP) can be used as a source of a wide variety of useful radiation in the Soft X-ray (SXR) and Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) spectral regime. The specific spectral range emitted depends largely on the target material. Copper, the first material studied by this group, strongly emits X-rays in the 1.0 to 1.1 nm wavelength range. These X-rays have long been used in the biological sciences. Carbon and nitrogen rich targets emit in the 2.3-4.4nm range the so called "Soft X-ray Water Window," which is extremely useful in microscopy. Tin has been shown to emit with the greatest efficiency in EUV the range around 13.5 nm which is of great industrial interest for producing semiconductors in next generation lithography machines. Here we study the processes that are required to make a LPP that will emit radiation in these spectroscopic ranges. Presentation of a model will be made that looks at the formation of plasma by looking at the physics of the laser interaction with the target, conversion efficiency, debris generation, and the processes involved in producing SXR and EUV radiation.
Stationary Axisymmetric Solutions of Three-Dimensional Einstein Gravity

Einstein theory in three space-time dimensions is studied in the stationary, rotationally symmetric regime. Explicit interior solutions for various types of matter sources are found and their properties discussed.
Experimental research in aerodynamic control with electric and electromagnetic fields

Abstract Fifty years ago, publications began to discuss the possibilities of electromagnetic flow control (EMFC) to improve aerodynamic performance. This led to an era of research that focused on coupling the fundamentals of magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) with propulsion, control, and power generation systems. Unfortunately, very few designs made it past an exploratory phase as, among other issues, power consumption was unreasonably high. Recent proposed advancements in technology like the MARIAH hypersonic wind tunnel and the AJAX scramjet engine concepts have led to a new phase of MHD research in the aerospace industry, with many interdisciplinary applications. Compared with propulsion systems and channel flow accelerators, EMFC concepts applied to control surface aerodynamics have not seen the same level of advancement that may eventually produce a device that can be integrated with an aircraft or missile. The purpose of this paper is to review the overall feasibility of the different electric and EMFC concepts. Emphasis is placed on EMFC with high voltage ionization sources and experimental work.
Oxidation of vehicle components by photoproduced holes.

The oxidation by ZnO holes of vehicle components in thermal control coatings has been examined to develop experimental methods to study such reactions and to identify what components to avoid because of their instability when in the presence of u.v.-produced holes. Two methods were used that show consistent results. An electrochemical technique with a single crystal ZnO anode was used for quantitative comparisons, and electron spin resonance was used to study more practical powder/vehicle systems. Alcohols and dioxane were shown to be readily oxidized by ZnO holes, whereas acetonitrile, neopentane, and ethyl acetate were oxidation resistant. Some resistance to the photooxidation was provided by recombination centers.
Activin receptor-like kinase 1 is essential for placental vascular development in mice

Activin receptor-like kinase 1 (ALK1) is involved in the pathogenesis of hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia type II (HHT2) and pulmonary arterial hypertension. We have previously shown that Alk1 is predominantly expressed in the arterial endothelium and plays a pivotal role in the formation of embryonic blood vessels. At present, however, little is known about the precise expression pattern and function of ALK1 during extra-embryonic vascular development. Using previously generated lacZ reporter lines, we sought to examine the expression pattern and role of Alk1 during placental development in mice. Alk1 expression was restricted to endothelial cells of fetal vessels from the emergence of chorioallantoic fusion to the late gestational period, and no detectable Alk1 expression was observed in syncytiotrophoblasts or spongiotrophoblasts. Predominant arterial expression was observed in the umbilical and fetal placental vessels as well as in embryonic vessels. Morphological analysis of Alk1-null embryos indicates that Alk1 is essential for the development of distinct umbilical arteries and veins. The invasion of chorioallantoic mesoderm into the forming labyrinth layer was largely unaffected in the Alk1-null placenta, but chorioallantoic vessels appeared to be severely dilated and fused. Results from this study provide valuable information regarding the role of ALK1 in the development of placental vasculature as well as insights into the pathogenesis of HHT.
Whole Farm Income Insurance

This article employs a mathematical programming model to investigate farmers’ optimal crop choices under gross revenue insurance, whole farm income insurance (WFI), the Canadian Agricultural Income Stabilization (CAIS) program, and its modified 2008 program AgrInvest. WFI poses a particularly interesting problem since the indemnity/premium structure is dependent upon the choice of crops, whereas the choice of crops is simultaneously influenced by the presence of the whole farm insurance program. Results indicate that farmers will alter farm plans significantly in response to the type of insurance offered and the level of subsidy.
Multirole Cargo Aircraft Options and Configurations

A future requirements and advanced market evaluation study indicates derivatives of current wide-body aircraft, using 1980 advanced technology, would be economically attractive through 2008, but new dedicated airfreighters incorporating 1990 technology, would offer little or no economic incentive. They would be economically attractive for all payload sizes, however, if RD and T costs could be shared in a joint civil/military arrangement. For the 1994-2008 cargo market, option studies indicate Mach 0.7 propfans would be economically attractive in trip cost, aircraft price and airline ROI. Spanloaders would have an even lower price and higher ROI but would have a relatively high trip cost because of aerodynamic inefficiencies. Dedicated airfreighters using propfans at Mach 0.8 cruise, laminar flow control, or cryofuels, would not provide any great economic benefits. Air cushion landing gear configurations are identified as an option for avoiding runway constraints on airport requirements and/or operational constraints are noted.
Cap assisted colonoscopy for the detection of serrated polyps: a post-hoc analysis

Colonoscopy offers limited protection against right-sided colon cancer, a significant proportion of which arise from the serrated pathway of carcinogenesis. The aim of this study was to compare cap-assisted colonoscopy and standard high-definition white light colonoscopy regarding serrated polyps’ detection. Post hoc analysis was performed of a previously conducted randomized controlled trial comparing standard and cap-assisted colonoscopy for adenoma detection. Randomization was stratified based on the indication of colonoscopy and all procedures were performed by three experienced endoscopists. Following cecal intubation, the colonic mucosa was carefully inspected during withdrawal of colonoscope and all polyps detected were documented for their size, location, morphology and then removed and sent for histopathology. Detection rates of significant serrated polyps between both arms were compared using the Fisher’s exact test and Wilcoxon Rank Sum test. 427 patients were enrolled (7 exclusions, 210 completed study in each arm, mean age of 61 years, 95% male, 75% Caucasian, 67% screening colonoscopies). There were no significant differences in baseline characteristics between both groups. Cap-assisted colonoscopy detected a significantly higher proportion of subjects with significant serrated polyps as well as a higher total number of significant serrated polyps compared to standard colonoscopy (12.8% vs. 6.6%, p =0.047 and 40 vs. 20,p = 0.03 respectively). In this post-hoc analysis, Cap-assisted colonoscopy is a safe technique that offers a higher detection rate of significant serrated polyps when compared to standard colonoscopy. If confirmed in future trials, this simple technique has the potential to improve protection against interval colon cancers.
Issues of fit in strategic human resource management: Implications for research

There is a growing body of research showing that the methods used by an organization to manage its human resources can have a substantial impact on many organizationally relevant outcomes. Human resource management (HRM) practices have been linked with turnover (Arthur 19941, productivity (Ichniowski, Shaw, & Prennushi 1997; MacDufYie 1995), financial returns (Delcry & Doty 19961, survival (Welbourne & Andrews 19961, and firm value (Huselid 1995). This growing area of research has been labeled strategic human resource management (SHRM) in that it emphasizes the strategic role of human resources management in meeting business objectives. Estab~shing that HRM practices are linked with firm effectiveness is an important first step in this line of research, however, there is still little understanding of the mechanisms through which HRM practices influence effectiveness. For instance, Delaney and Huselid (1996) stated that researchers still do not know “how HRM practices affect org~izational outcomes, whether some practices have stronger effects than others, and whether complemtarities or synergies among such practices can further enhance organizational performance” (p. 950). This line of research has been interesting in that it points to the importance of human resources, but it has provided few real insights for organizations wishing to gain a competitive advantage through human resources. The purpose of this article is twofold. First, I provide a brief review of the major theoretical and empirical work completed to date in SHRM, focusing most closely on the fit of HRM practices into a coherent system. Second, I present several issues critical to empirical research in SHRAiI on which researchers must focus greater attention. To date, there is clearly no consensus as to how researchers must address these issues. It is argued throughout this article that the conceptual foundations of SHRM have been relatively weak and many of the empirical investigations have made assumptions not driven
A fluorometric assay for choline acetyltransferase and its use in the purification of the enzyme from human placenta.

— A fluorometric assay for choline acetyltransferase has been developed. This assay is based on coupling the choline acetyltransferase dependent formation of acetyl-CoA from acetylcholine and coenzyme A, to the reactions catalyzed by the enzymes citrate synthase and malic dehydrogenase. Although this assay is not as sensitive as previously described radiometric assays, it can be conveniently used during enzyme purification. Employing this assay method, choline acetyltransferase has been purified from human placenta to a specific activity of 92.7 μmol acetylcholine formed/min/mg protein.
Ultralow temperature inductive measurements of YbBiPt

Abstract Low frequency magnetic susceptibility measurements have been performed on YbBiPt from 3 to 800 mK. In addition to the known peak at 400 mK, an anomaly exists near 120 mK. The lowest temperature feature arises from a surface phase (e.g. Bi 2 Pt) and is not a property of the main material. No additional features in the susceptibility are attributed to the bulk material down to the lowest temperature.
Prenatal stress interacts with prepuberal social isolation to reduce male copulatory behavior.

Abstract Male offspring of female rats exposed to the stress of restraint and high intensity light during Day 14–21 of gestation were weaned when 22 days old into individual cages (social isolation) or into group cages with 2 other males (social rearing). Copulatory behavior was reduced by prenatal stress or social isolation alone and was absent in males exposed to both stress and prepuberal isolation. Adult therapy consisting of living with young females restored copulatory behavior in some stressed males only if they were reared prepuberally in a social environment. Stressed isolates showed chronic deficits in sexual behavior relative to controls. The study indicates that prenatal stress and prepuberal social isolation can interact to determine adult copulatory potentials in male rats.
Computer determination of the shear center of open and closed sections

Abstract A computer program is developed for the determination of properties of open and closed section thin-walled areas of rectangular segments. A brief recapitulation of properties of plane areas including the determination of the shear center of open and multi-cellular closed sections is presented.
Collection efficiency and pressure drop for a rotary-flow cyclone

Abstract Mathematical models for predicting the pressure drop and grade collection efficiency for a rotary-flow cyclone are presented. The models are based on simplifying assumptions about the nature of gas flow through the cyclone, as well as the mixing of particles in the gas stream. Despite these simplifications, the predictions of the models are close to experimental measurements of pressure drop and grade collection efficiency, made on an industrial rotary-flow cyclone which is used as a precleaner for an oil mist collection system. Using these models, optimisation curves were developed which predicted the dimensions (radius and pitch) of an optimised rotary-flow cyclone that would yield the minimum cut diameter d 50 for a given pressure drop. Optimisations were performed for one flow rate. Scaling equations were developed so that the results of this study can be used to design rotary-flow cyclones handling other flows.
Obesity affects short-term folate pharmacokinetics in women of childbearing age

Maternal folate status and body mass index (BMI) are independent risk factors for neural tube defects (NTD). Population-based studies have identified an inverse association between serum folate and BMI, after adjusting for intake. The objective of this intervention study was to compare the relationship between BMI and the short-term pharmacokinetic response to an oral dose of folic acid. Healthy obese (BMI ⩾30.0 kg m−2; n=16) and normal-weight (BMI 18.5–24.9 kg m−2; n=16) women of childbearing age (18–35 years) were administered a single oral dose of folic acid (400 μg). Blood samples were collected over a 10-h period to evaluate the serum folate response. Fasting baseline serum folate was lower in the obese group (P=0.005); in contrast, red blood cell folate was higher (P=0.05). Area-under-the-curve for the absorption phase (0–3 h) and peak serum folate concentrations were lower in obese versus normal-weight women (P<0.005). Overall serum folate response (0–10 h) was lower in obese versus normal-weight women (repeated-measures ANOVA, P=0.001). Data suggest body distribution of folate is significantly affected by obesity, and, should pregnancy occur, may reduce the amount of folate available to the developing embryo. These findings provide additional support for a BMI-adjusted folic acid intake recommendation for NTD risk reduction.
Frequency spectra of ventricular tachycardia and sinus rhythm in human intracardiac electrograms-application to tachycardia detection for cardiac pacemakers

Presently available antitachycardia pacemakers detect ventricular tachycardia (VT) by measurement of the period of the intracardiac electrogram (EGM). The resulting inability to differentiate between VT and rapid normal sinus rhythm (NSR) can cause inappropriate pacemaker output, possibly initiating an arrhythmia where none existed previously. It is reported that FFT analysis of matched-pair NSR-VT EGM recordings from 33 patients revealed a mean (+or-SD) NSR-VT difference in the peak amplitude point of 8 (+or-7) Hz and a difference of 18 (+or-18) Hz in the -3 dB point. NSR-VT amplitude differences could be significantly increased by filtering over the range of greatest spectral differences. Variable-passband programmable filters could enhance VT detection in antitachycardia pacemakers. >
Differences in the leucine aminopeptidase activity in extracts from human prostatic carcinoma and benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Extracts of tissue showed that prostatic carcinomas contain less leucine aminopeptidase activity than benign prostatic hyperplasia. This is true when activity is expressed as specific activity (P = 0.0033), specific activity/% epithelium (P = 0.0007), activity/wet weight of tissue (P = 0.0028), or activity/wet weight of tissue/% epithelium (P = 0.0005). Almost all histochemically demonstrable activity is located in the epithelium. Enzymatic activities in extracts and in histochemical preparations showed similar differences between carcinoma and benign prostatic hyperplasia and were related (B = -0.38, P = 0.0400) to Gleason's grades. The transurethrally resected prostate cancers studied contained no well-differentiated tumors and a high proportion of poorly differentiated tumors. Histochemical activity is absent in most prostatic carcinomas and decreased in others. This observation is particularly interesting in view of the growing knowledge of tumor suppressor genes.
Peer educator-counselors in sexuality for the disabled

In October 1976, under a grant from NIMH to the Human Sexuality Program at the University of California, San Francisco, the Sex and Disability Training Project began training disabled and nondisabled persons as socio-sexual educator-counselors for disabled persons; their spouses, intimates and families; and health care providers and agencies. The year-long training (20 hours per week) included didactic and supervised field placement experience. Evaluations by field placement supervisors indicated that the first group of 9 paraprofessionals trained by the Project were effectively utilized to deliver a variety of services in habilitation and rehabilitation settings.
Statistical analysis of CDMA-based systems in uplink and applications to FDD and TDD modes coexistence assessment in a regulatory context

The compatibility between two or more radio systems is today a recurrent issue for national administrations, operators and radio-system manufacturers wishing to ensure the best efficient use and sharing of the radio spectrum. Diverse spectrum engineering practices, tools and methodologies are available to address these compatibility issues. As a contemporary example, the coexistence of the FDD and TDD modes of IMT-2000 in adjacent bands at 2.5 GHz and in the same geographical area has been studied within attachment 7.12 to ITU-R report 8F/623. The main part of the report describes the base station to base station (BSBS) interference scenario. The paper focuses on the same scenario, which occurs when TDD allocations are adjacent to FDD uplink bands. We address the validation of the methodology for the definition of the acceptable levels of interference presented in that report. (5 pages)
The effect of methyl substitution on the electronic structure of bis(dimethyl ether) pentadienyllithium

Abstract The partially geometry-optimized structure of bis(dimethyl ether) pentadienyllithium has been calculated by the CNDO/2 method. The metal—anion interaction involves both σ and π bonding. The effect of methyl Substitution on the electronic structure of the solvated species has been evaluated. In general, the electronic effect of a methyl group is substantially less for the solvated structure than for the isolated anion.
The galaxy as the origin of gamma-ray bursts. II - The effect of an intrinsic burst luminosity distribution on log N/greater than S/ versus log S

The effect of intrinsic burst luminosity distributions on log N-log S has been investigated for halo and disk galactic sources, using a power-law burst luminosity distribution characterized by a shape exponent and a luminosity range. Properly chosen burst luminosity distributions are shown to produce the log N-log S relations sufficiently different from those obtained with monoluminosity bursts to yield halo and thick disk geometries which are compatible with the observations. The soft shape of luminosity distributions capable of altering log N-log S has such observable consequences as (1) gamma-ray burst expected repetitions which first become apparent at lower fluences, and (2) the occurrence of most phenomena at luminosities on the order of about 10 to the 39th ergs, and correspondingly lower fluences.
Structure formation during the copolymerization of styrene and unsaturated polyester resin

Abstract An integrated rheological, kinetic and morphological study was carried out to investigate microstructure formation in unsaturated polyester resins. Based on the experimental results, a mechanism for microstructure formation was proposed. The effects of reaction temperature and styrene molar fraction on the reaction kinetics, sample morphology and rheological changes were discussed.
Human platelets possess multiple [3H]imipramine binding sites

Scatchard analysis of [3H]imipramine binding to human platelets over the concentration range of 0.1-250 nM revealed a biphasic concave upward curve. Computer-assisted analysis indicated the best fit of the data by a two-site model with apparent Kd values of 0.68 and 293 nM and apparent Bmax values of 802 fmol/mg protein and 12.72 pmol/mg protein for the high- and low-affinity components, respectively. These results demonstrate the complex manner in which [3H]imipramine binding to human platelets, suggesting a reason for inconsistencies in Bmax values reported in the literature. Further studies of these low- as well as high-affinity sites may help elucidate the functional role of [3H]imipramine binding sites in affective disorders.
Sultan Mountain Mine, western San Juan Mountains, Colorado; a fluid inclusion and stable isotope study

The Sultan Mountain mine, in the western San Juan Mountains of Colorado, has produced Cu-Pb-Zn-Ag-Au ores from the mid-1870s until the 1950s. Production was from veins filling faults and fissures along the southern margin of the Silverton caldera. The principal host rock to the veins is a quartz monzonite stock.Five periods of hypogene mineralization have been recognized: (I) early quartz-pyrite; (II) quartz-pyrite; (III) rhodochrosite-siderite; (IV) main ore-stage chalcopyrite, tetrahedrite, galena, sphalerite, and gold; and (V) quartz-fluorite. Evidence of open-space filling (banding, crustification, vugs) is widespread.Heating studies of fluid inclusions in quartz, rhodochrosite-siderite, sphalerite, and fluorite indicate temperatures were approximately 200 degrees C for stages I to IV and 186 degrees C for stage V. Stages I, II, and IV show evidence of boiling. Crushing studies indicate that high-pressure gas, probably CO 2 , is present in the fluid inclusions. Freezing point depression estimates of salinity, corrected for CO 2 , indicate a range of 13.6 to 1.3 wt percent NaCl equiv. These data together with P-V-T data for saline solutions and P (sub CO 2 ) = 38 bars give a minimum depth of formation of 600 m.The delta 18 O values, at 200 degrees C, of water calculated for oxygen isotope composition of quartz range from -5.63 to -8.8 per mil and the values for rhodochrosite-siderite are -0.05 and -0.35 per mil. The delta 18 O values of whole rocks adjacent to the Champion and Alletha veins range from 2.65 to 6.10 per mil. These data suggest hydrothermal fluids were predominantly composed of meteoric water which underwent isotopic exchange with the quartz monzonite. The delta 13 C values for rhodochrosite-siderite range from -6.9 to -7.3 per mil. Carbon isotope data are inconclusive as to the source of the carbon. The delta 34 S values for sulfides range from -2.9 to -6.1 per mil, and these limited data suggest a Paleozoic evaporite source for most of the sulfur. Stable isotope data indicate isotopic control of the fluid by the surrounding country rocks.Geologic and geochemical studies suggest a model of Sultan Mountain ore deposition in which predominantly meteoric hydrothermal solutions, restricted mostly to the Sultan Mountain area, scavenged metals from the Precambrian basement and the Tertiary volcanic and intrusive rocks. Sulfur was derived mostly from solution of Paleozoic evaporites; however, the sulfur isotope data indicate some of the sulfur may have been derived from the quartz monzonite stock. The primary mechanism of precipitation of the ore was an increase in pH as a result of boiling.
The primary fibrin polymerization pocket: three-dimensional structure of a 30-kDa C-terminal gamma chain fragment complexed with the peptide Gly-Pro-Arg-Pro.

After vascular injury, a cascade of serine protease activations leads to the conversion of the soluble fibrinogen molecule into fibrin. The fibrin monomers then polymerize spontaneously and noncovalently to form a fibrin gel. The primary interaction of this polymerization reaction is between the newly exposed N-terminal Gly-Pro-Arg sequence of the α chain of one fibrin molecule and the C-terminal region of a γ chain of an adjacent fibrin(ogen) molecule. In this report, the polymerization pocket has been identified by determining the crystal structure of a 30-kDa C-terminal fragment of the fibrin(ogen) γ chain complexed with the peptide Gly-Pro-Arg-Pro. This peptide mimics the N terminus of the α chain of fibrin. The conformational change in the protein upon binding the peptide is subtle, with electrostatic interactions primarily mediating the association. This is consistent with biophysical experiments carried out over the last 50 years on this fundamental polymerization reaction.
Molecular weight determination of glyoxalated RNA by sedimentation centrifugation.

Abstract A rapid, reliable sedimentation centrifugation technique has been developed to measure the molecular weights of rather large glyoxalated RNAs. A distinctive feature of this method is that the glyoxalated RNAs can be analyzed in sucrose gradients containing no denaturant. This feature allowed us to compute the sedimentation coefficients of glyoxalated RNAs by a comparison with those of native, untreated RNA markers. These values then were used to obtain accurate molecular weight estimates by applying the linear log-log relation between the molecular weight of an RNA and its sedimentation coefficient.
TEXAS MARSH BURN: REMOVING OIL FROM A SALT MARSH USING IN SITU BURNING

ABSTRACT Frequently coastal marsh is burned to enhance regrowth; but rarely is it burned to remove spilled oil. On January 7, 1992, a 40.64 cm crude oil pipeline ruptured causing a spill in a salt marsh. Four days later, in an unprecedented cleanup coordinated by Exxon Pipeline Company and the Texas General Land Office, 1,150 barrels of South Texas crude was ignited and removed, minimizing environmental damage to Copano Bay, Chiltipin Creek, and the surrounding wetlands. This cleanup had been made difficult by inclement weather and heavy rainfall that saturated the marsh. Ingress and egress had damaged the marsh and was discontinued. Conventional mechanical cleanup techniques had been used with minimal success. Alternative methods like bioremediation, low pressure flooding, and peat moss applications were considered, but proved unfeasible. The unified command system then made an application for a permit to burn and gained approval. Seventy-six hours into the event, a successful test burn was conducted; on...
Color, Cooking Loss and Textural Properties of Patties as Affected by Catfish Belly Flap Mince Size and Cooking Method

ABSTRACT Patties were prepared with different sizes of channel catfish belly flap mince. Belly flap meat was minced using four different sizes of openings of plate, mixed with salt, formed, and cooked by two methods, in water and oven. Results indicated no differences (p > 0.05) in Kramer shear break force in the patties cooked by different methods for the same size of mince. As the size of meat particles for patties decreased, hardness and gumminess increased, and color differed from fillet, but Kramer shear break force as well as percent cooking loss decreased (p < 0.05). Patties cooked in an oven showed greater color difference from fillet, percent cooking loss, hardness, and gumminess than those cooked in water for the same size of meat particles (p < 0.05).
The structural biology of the developing dental enamel matrix.

The biomineralization of the dental enamel matrix with a carbonated hydroxyapatite mineral generates one of the most remarkable examples of a vertebrate mineralized tissue. Recent advances in the molecular biology of ameloblast gene products have now revealed the primary structures of the principal proteins involved in this extracellular mineralizing system, amelogenins, tuftelins, ameloblastins, enamelins, and proteinases, but details of their secondary, tertiary, and quaternary structures, their interactions with other matrix and or cell surface proteins, and their functional role in dental enamel matrix mineralization are still largely unknown. This paper reviews our current knowledge of these molecules, the probable molecular structure of the enamel matrix, and the functional role of these extracellular matrix proteins. Recent studies on the major structural role played by the amelogenin proteins are discussed, and some new data on synthetic amelogenin matrices are reviewed.
A chloride deficient leaf spot of durum wheat

A leaf spot complex of WB881' durum (Triticum turgidum L. var. durum), similar to symptoms observed in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L), was greatly suppressed by Cl at a field site in Montana. The objectives were to determine: (i) if this leaf spot phenomenon could be reproduced under hydroponics; (ii) the effect of Cl on leaf spot severity, water use, and plant growth; (iii) whether Br could substitute for Cl; and (iv) whether other durum cultivars were susceptible to leaf spotting under Cl deficiency, WB881 durum was grown at four halide (Cl and Br) levels of 1.5, 3.0, 6.0, and 30.0 mmole pot -1 , plus a control. Three cultivars (WB881, Kyle, and Monroe) were grown at Cl levels of 0, 1.2, and 24.0 mmole pot -1 . Withholding Cl from starter and refill solutions reproduced leaf spotting in WB881 similar to symptoms observed in the field. Leaf spotting was suppressed by Cl up to the 30.0 mmole pot -1 dose, but was aggravated by Br. Plant water use increased with Cl up to the 30.0 mmole pot -1 dose and was related to the beneficial effect of Cl in suppressing tissue necrosis. Leaf spot severity was closely related to shoot Cl concentration, tissue necrosis was minor if Cl concentration was ≥1.0 g kg -1 , but increased exponentially below this level. Withholding Cl from the hydroponic cultures reduced shoot and grain yield 58.2 and 98.9%, respectively, bromide did not substitute for Cl by improving shoot and grain yield. Monroe was less susceptible to this Cl-deficient leaf spot than was WB881 or Kyle. Cultivar susceptibility or tolerance to leaf spotting could not be explained by differences in Cl partitioning within the plant (e.g., roots, shoots, leaves).
Diagnostic Tool to Detect Electrode Flooding in Proton-Exchange-Membrane Fuel Cells

An electrode flooding monitoring device designed for PEM fuel cells with interdigitated flow distributors was proposed and tested. The pressure drop between the inlet and outlet channels can be used as a diagnostic signal to monitor the liquid water content in the porous electrodes, because of the strong dependence of the gas permeability of the porous electrodes on liquid water content. It can be used with no modification to existing fuel-cell assembly to give real-time flooding information in the electrode backing layers during operation. The device has been employed to investigate the correlation between the fuel-cell performance and the liquid water saturation level in the backing layers, the effects of various operating parameters, and the dynamics and hysteresis behavior of liquid water in the backing layers. The results provide, for the first time, direct evidence to show that inadequate water removal causes liquid water build up in the cathode, which in excessive amounts can severely reduce the performance of a PEM fuel cell. It was observed that more than 30 min. were needed for a PEM fuel cell to reach a new steady state when subjected to current-density changes, and this was attributed to the slow liquid water transport process. The results confirmed that increasing air flow rate or cell temperature increased the liquid water removal rate from the backing layers. The hysteresis behavior of fuel-cell performance was related to the water imbibition and drainage cycles in the electrode backing layers and was attributed to the difference in the water removal rate by capillary force and the difference in membrane conductivity.
Polypeptide end-capping using functionalized isocyanates: Preparation of pentablock copolymers

The use of electrophiles (isocyanates, isothiocyanates, acid chlorides) to cap the N-terminal ends of polypeptides and the use of isocyanates to prepare poly(γ-benzyl-l-glutamate)-b-(nonpeptide pol...
Inhibition of polynucleotide metabolism by inhibitors of protein synthesis.

Abstract Ribonucleoprotein particles isolated from pea seedlings incorporate the carbons of carbon dioxide, formate, glycine, adenine, and uracil, as well as orthophosphate, into their ribonucleic acid. The incorporation requires the presence of a mitochondrial preparation, an oxidizable substrate, ribose 5-phosphate, adenosine triphosphate, and magnesium ions. Incorporation of precursors into polynucleotide is promoted by a mixture of amino acids, and inhibited by various amino acid analogs, by hydroxylamine, and by high concentrations of chloramphenicol. The inhibitors do not inhibit the incorporation of precursors into soluble nucleotides.
On the variational aspects of the moment method (electromagnetics)

The variational properties of the moment method as applied via the electric field integral equation (EFIE) to perfectly conducting radiators and scatterers with time-harmonic excitation are discussed. It is shown that the admittance, impedance, gain and radar cross-section can be expressed in terms of the self-reaction or the mutual reaction of the electric current distribution induced on the body. Subject to the above restrictions and assuming the usual reciprocity theorems are applicable, it is shown that the reaction is stationary with Galerkin's method, but it is not when the non-Galerkin moment method is applied in the customary manner. Numerical results are included to compare the performance of the variational and nonvariational moment method. >
The Role of Superposition Techniques in Thermal Management

It is well-known that the performance and reliability of integrated circuits and other electronics are functions of operating temperature. The accurate prediction of temperature distributions for such applications poses engineering challenges due to many factors, including complex convection flows, non-uniform thermal boundary conditions, extrapolation to operation in extreme environments, and demanding steady-state and transient design requirements. In addition, the ever-increasing heat dissipation in a smaller package volume requires solutions with ever-increasing heat transfer and heat capacity. Thermal analysis and prediction based on superposition techniques are currently not as well-known as the use of numerical simulation tools readily available today. However, they are a powerful alternative to numerical simulation tools, especially for the complex scenarios that arise in this application. Superposition techniques can be applied to the design and interpretation of experiments and numerical simulations, and have the potential to form the building blocks of engineering tools that are more generally applicable to a wide range of challenging heat transfer problems.
Alzheimer disease, in living color.

A new study shows that amyloid plaques tagged with fluorinated ligand can be detected with 19F MRI in transgenic mice. The superior signal to noise of this technique is a major step toward visualizing the histopathology of Alzheimer disease in living patients.
A compact space of transitive locally non-satiated preference relations☆

Abstract It is shown that the space of locally non-satiated continuous preorders, when equipped with the topology introduced in Back (1986), can be compacted without including locally satiated or non-transitive relations. This contrasts with the closed convergence topology. The trade-off is that the compaction includes relations which are not lower-semicontinuous.
Pulsed ultrasound-modulated optical tomography using spectral hole-burning

We present a novel optical quantum sensor using spectral hole-burning for detecting signals in ultrasound-modulated optical tomography. In this technique, we utilize the capability of sub-MHz spectral filtering afforded by a spectral hole burning crystal to select the desired spectral component from the ultrasound-modulated diffuse light. This technique is capable of providing a large etendue, processing a large number of speckles in parallel, tolerating speckle decorrelation, and imaging in real-time. Experimental results are presented.
Cure behavior of very thin epoxy resin films on steel

FT-IR reflection absorption spectroscopy has been used to investigate the effect of a steel surface on epoxide cure. BF3 · MEA catalyzed epoxy resin films ranging in thickness from 10 to 1000 nm are cast on low carbon automotive steel and subjected to a 100°C heat treatment. The resulting epoxide conversion and aliphatic ether formation are found to be sensitive functions of film thickness, with the thinnest films exhibiting the most conversion and ether formation. Uncatalyzed epoxy resin films (5–80 nm) were subjected to an identical analysis. Prior to receiving heat treatment, some of these very thin films (up to 10 nm) exhibit a strong aliphatic ether absorption. Upon exposing these samples to the heating regimen, a strong relationship between epoxide conversion and thickness is again apparent, with thinnest films experiencing the most conversion and ether formation.
Teaching organ and tissue donation in medical and nursing education: a needs assessment

Context—Research on organ donation education is limited by its reliance on convenience samples (ie, small sample sizes and local schools) and its failure to assess methods of instruction on the topic.Objective—To describe medical and nursing students' training in organ donation by examining curriculum content and methods of instruction by using a national sample of medical schools and a statewide sample (New York) of nursing schools.Design—Self-report online survey.Participants—Nursing and medical deans responsible for curriculum development and evaluation.Main Outcome Measure—Participants provided information on the inclusion of specific topics in organ donation, skills related to organ donation, and the declaration of personal donation intentions within their respective educational programs. Methods of instruction on such topics (eg, standardized patients, lectures, small groups) also were assessed.Results—Although many educational programs include an organ donation component, a significant proportion o...
Principal Angles between Subspaces in an A -Based Scalar Product: Algorithms and Perturbation Estimates

Computation of principal angles between subspaces is important in many applications, e.g., in statistics and information retrieval. In statistics, the angles are closely related to measures of dependency and covariance of random variables. When applied to column-spaces of matrices, the principal angles describe canonical correlations of a matrix pair. We highlight that all popular software codes for canonical correlations compute only cosine of principal angles, thus making impossible, because of round-off errors, finding small angles accurately. We review a combination of sine and cosine based algorithms that provide accurate results for all angles. We generalize the method to the computation of principal angles in an A-based scalar product for a symmetric and positive definite matrix A. We provide a comprehensive overview of interesting properties of principal angles. We prove basic perturbation theorems for absolute errors for sine and cosine of principal angles with improved constants. Numerical examples and a detailed description of our code are given.
To Catch a Ballot Thief

Electoral Authoritarianism: The Dynamics of Unfree Competition. Edited by Andreas Schedler. Boulder: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2006. 267 pp., $55.00 cloth (ISBN: 1-58826-415-2), $22.50 paper (ISBN: 1-58826-440-4). It was all so much simpler before the Portuguese Revolucao dos Cravos overthrew the longest standing dictatorship in southern Europe on April 25, 1974. In that year, barely three decades ago, the number of democracies on the planet stood at a mere 39, but they were nearly all liberal democracies —characterized not only by free, fair, and competitive elections, but also by solid protection of civil and political freedoms, a decent degree of accountability, and a robust rule of law. Democracies were relatively few, but they were largely “good democracies” (Morlino 2004; Diamond and Morlino 2005). Portugal's domestic revolution heralded the launch of a global transformation. The “third wave” of democratization (Huntington 1991) quickly spread to the rest of the Iberian Peninsula and Greece, then in the 1980s to Latin America, several countries in Africa, Asia, and—with the demise of Soviet communism at the turn of the 1990s—to Central and Eastern Europe. By the mid-1990s, over five dozen democracies were created or restored, and the percentage of democratic states in the world had increased from 27 percent in 1974 to over 60 percent (Diamond 2005). At the end of 2006, among the 192 independent countries surveyed by Freedom House, 123 ranked as electoral democracies (Freedom House 2006). For the first time in human history, democracy had become not only a universal aspiration, but the predominant form …
Comparing the temperature dependence of FMN to heme electron transfer in full length and truncated inducible nitric oxide synthase proteins.

Abstract The FMN-heme interdomain (intraprotein) electron transfer (IET) kinetics in full length and oxygenase/FMN (oxyFMN) construct of human iNOS were determined by laser flash photolysis over the temperature range from 283 to 304 K. An appreciable increase in the rate constant value was observed with an increase in the temperature. Our previous viscosity study indicated that the IET process is conformationally gated, and Eyring equation was thus used to analyze the temperature dependence data. The obtained magnitude of activation entropy for the IET in the oxyFMN construct is only one-fifth of that for the holoenzyme. This indicates that the FMN domain in the holoenzyme needs to sample more conformations before the IET takes place, and that the FMN domain in the oxyFMN construct is better poised for efficient IET.
Towards the Parallelization of Shot Detection - a Typical Video Mining Application Study

As digital video data becomes more pervasive, mining information from multimedia data becomes increasingly important, e.g., extraction of goal events in soccer game automatically from the video content. Though all of these advances in multimedia mining have shown great potential in daily life, the huge computational requirement prohibits its wide use in practice. As computer architecture evolves from uniprocessor to the era of multi-core processors, accelerating the multimedia application by exploiting thread level parallelism would be more promising to boost performance and provide more functionality. This paper presents three different parallel approaches, i.e., task level, data slicing and hybrid parallel scheme, to parallelize shot detection, a widely used application in the video mining system. The hybrid scheme, with the exploration of data level and task level parallelism, delivers much better performance than the other two schemes. Besides, we also employ several software optimization techniques, e.g. data blocking and thread affinity, to improve the performance by more than 50%. Experimental results indicate that there are no obvious parallel limiting factors in the hybrid parallel scheme. It scales well the increasing number of processors, and exhibits 13.6x speedup on 16-way processor system
Detection and Visualization of Surface-Pockets to Enable Phenotyping Studies

In this paper, we propose a technique for detecting pockets on a surface-of-interest. A sequence of propagating fronts converging to the target surface is used as the basis for inspection. We compute a correspondence function between the initial and the target surface. This leads to a natural definition of the local feature size measured as the evolution distance between mapped points. Surface pockets are then extracted as salient clusters embedded in the feature space. The level-set initialization also determines the scale-space of the extracted pockets. Results are presented on a case-study in which the focus is to chronicle the phenotyping differences in genetically modified mouse placenta. Our results are validated based on manually verified ground-truth.