cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
PROTEOSE INTOXICATIONS AND INJURY OF BODY PROTEIN : II. THE METABOLISM OF DOGS WITH DUODENAL OBSTRUCTION AND ISOLATED LOOPS OF INTESTINE.

Dogs with isolated loops of small intestine show many evidences of intoxication. A study of the total nitrogen elimination shows a great rise above the normal base-line minimum of the fasting period (Table II). This means that the intoxication is associated with a great destruction of body protein, and explains the high non-protein nitrogen of the blood which was observed and reported previously (2). Injection of a proteose obtained from a closed intestinal loop will cause a similar rise in the nitrogen elimination curve. This furnishes more evidence that the intoxication observed in association with a closed intestinal loop is in reality a proteose intoxication. Dogs injected with sublethal doses of proteose will show a definite tolerance to subsequent injection, and will show much less acute intoxication after the isolation of a closed intestinal loop (Table 1). These immune or tolerant dogs show a much less pronounced rise in the nitrogen elimination curve during proteose intoxication of any type. This indicates that the tolerance or immunity to proteose gives more protection for the body proteins against the injury which these toxic proteoses inflict upon the body cells. Complete duodenal obstruction combined with a gastrojejunostomy gives a chronic type of intestinal obstruction associated with little vomiting, which is peculiarly suited to metabolism study (Table IV). Such duodenal obstructions show a definite and sustained rise in the curve of nitrogen elimination above the normal base-line level. These dogs, too, are tolerant to injections of standard toxic proteoses. Control ether anesthesia experiments show little if any rise in the curve of nitrogen elimination (Table VI). Control laparotomy experiments show a definite rise in the curve of nitrogen elimination, but a rise which is small compared with the rise noted in the intoxication of duodenal obstruction or of isolated intestinal loops. It is probable that the tissue injury and disintegration associated with the wound reaction are responsible for the general reaction. We may assume that protein split products from the wound area are absorbed and are responsible for the general reaction observed. We propose to assume that the intoxications here studied are associated with a definite proteose intoxication, which is capable of initiating and continuing a profound injury of tissue protein. One index of this protein injury is the great and sustained rise in the curve of total nitrogen elimination.
High resistance of the mechanical properties of the chondrocyte pericellular matrix to proteoglycan digestion by chondroitinase, aggrecanase, or hyaluronidase

In articular cartilage, the extracellular matrix (ECM) and chondrocyte-associated pericellular matrix (PCM) are characterized by a high concentration of proteoglycans (PGs) and their associated glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). These molecules serve important biochemical, structural, and biomechanical roles in the tissue and differences in their regional distributions suggest that different GAG/PG species contribute to the specific biomechanical properties of the ECM and PCM. The objective of this study was to investigate region-specific contributions of aggrecan, chondroitin and dermatan sulfate, and hyaluronan to the micromechanical properties of articular cartilage PCM and ECM in situ. Cryosections of porcine cartilage underwent digestion with ADAMTS-4, chondroitinase ABC, bacterial hyaluronidase or human leukocyte elastase. Guided by immunofluorescence for type VI collagen, AFM stiffness mapping was used to evaluate the elastic properties of matched PCM and ECM regions in paired control and digested cartilage sections. These methods were used to test the hypotheses that specific enzymatic digestion of GAGs or PGs would reduce both PCM and ECM elastic moduli. Elastase, which digests a number of PGs, some types of collagen, and non-collagenous proteins, was used as a positive control. ECM elastic moduli were significantly reduced by all enzyme treatments. However, PCM micromechanical properties were unaffected by enzymatic digestion of aggrecan, chondroitin/dermatan sulfate, and hyaluronan but were significantly reduced by 24% following elastase digestion. Our results provide new evidence for high resistance of PCM micromechanical properties to PG digestion and suggest a potential role for elastase in the degradation of the ECM and PCM.
New advances in understanding decisions among multiple alternatives

Experimental studies of decision-making have put a strong emphasis on choices between two alternatives. However, real-life decisions often involve multiple alternatives. This article provides an overview of theoretical frameworks that have been proposed to account for behavioral data from both economic and perceptual multialternative decision-making. We further review recent neurophysiological data collected in conjunction with decision-making behavior. These neural recordings provide constraints on putative models of the decision mechanism. For example, the time course of inhibition provides insight into how the competition between alternatives is mediated. Furthermore, whereas decision-related neural activity seems to reach a common threshold at the end of the decision period, the starting point tends to depend systematically on the number of alternatives. We discuss candidate mechanisms that could drive the reduction in firing rates on decisions among multiple alternatives.
Biodiesel Fuels: The Use of Soy Oil as a Blending Stock for Middle Distillate Petroleum Fuels

Fuels for military applications have more severe restrictions than for the usual commercial consumer. One of the most stringent and difficult requirements to meet is that of fuel storage stability. Storage instability is defined in terms of solids formation which can plug nozzles and filters. Materials added as fuel blending stocks must be chemically stable and not induce instability in the fuel to which it is added. In the present research, a soybean-derived fuel was added in concentrations up to 20% in both stable and unstable petroleum middle distillate fuels. The storage stability of the mixture was tested by ASTM 5304. The soy−fuel mixtures proved stable in the stable fuel and reduced the instability in the unstable fuel significantly.
Direct globally convergent adaptive regulation of stable multivariable plants

A simple globally convergent direct methodology for adaptive regulation of stable plants, assuming convergence of the parameters, is presented. The development is strictly in terms of the input-output representations and is based on the stable coprime factorization approach [14].
Iron binding activity is essential for the function of IscA in iron-sulphur cluster biogenesis

Iron–sulphur cluster biogenesis requires coordinated delivery of iron and sulphur to scaffold proteins, followed by transfer of the assembled clusters from scaffold proteins to target proteins. This complex process is accomplished by a group of dedicated iron–sulphur cluster assembly proteins that are conserved from bacteria to humans. While sulphur in iron–sulphur clusters is provided by L-cysteine via cysteine desulfurase, the iron donor(s) for iron–sulphur cluster assembly remains largely elusive. Here we report that among the primary iron–sulphur cluster assembly proteins, IscA has a unique and strong binding activity for mononuclear iron in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, the ferric iron centre tightly bound in IscA can be readily extruded by L-cysteine, followed by reduction to ferrous iron for iron–sulphur cluster biogenesis. Substitution of the highly conserved residue tyrosine 40 with phenylalanine (Y40F) in IscA results in a mutant protein that has a diminished iron binding affinity but retains the iron–sulphur cluster binding activity. Genetic complementation studies show that the IscA Y40F mutant is inactive in vivo, suggesting that the iron binding activity is essential for the function of IscA in iron–sulphur cluster biogenesis.
Formation and Properties of Fluffy Planetesimals

A mechanism of accumulation of grains in the primordial solar nebula is described. This process produces porous, low density compressible aggregates. Compaction of the aggregates in a collision between them dissipates the kinetic energy of the collision and can result in efficient growth. A simple analysis of such collisions is developed and applied over a range of aggregate sizes and relative velocities. The results indicate that large planetesimals could grow through collisions rather than fragment if the conditions are favorable. Our modelling suggests that primordial asteroids and comets on the order of a kilometer in size will have low densities and irregular shapes.
STRICT LOCAL TESTABILITY OF THE FINITE CONTROL OF TWO-WAY AUTOMATA AND OF REGULAR PICTURE DESCRIPTION LANGUAGES

We prove that every regular language is recognized by a deterministic two-way finite automaton whose control unit is strictly locally testing. Similarly, every picture language which can be described by a regular language can actually be described by a strictly locally testable language; this strengthens a result of Friedhelra Hinz.
Five preventable causes of kidney graft loss in the 1990s: a single-center analysis.

Five preventable causes of kidney graft loss in the 1990s: A single-center analysis. Background Despite improvements in immunosuppressive protocols and patient care, kidney allografts continue to fail. We studied causes of graft loss for primary kidney transplants in the 1990s to determine major causes and potential interventions. Methods Causes of graft loss were reviewed for 1467 primary kidney transplants done at our institution between January 1, 1990, and December 31, 1999. Graft loss for that entire population was studied and then the causes of loss selectively examined at 5 years post-transplant. Finally, causes of loss in the 1990s versus the 1980s were compared. Results Five major causes of graft loss were noted in the 1990s: thrombosis, acute rejection (either alone or combined with delayed graft function or infection), chronic rejection, death with function, and noncompliance. In the first year post-transplant, thrombosis (25%) and death with function (41%) were the major causes of graft loss. After the first year, chronic rejection and death with function predominated. For recipients dying with graft function, cardiovascular disease was the major cause of death. Conclusions This study identified the five major causes of kidney graft loss in the 1990s. Different interventions are required to decrease loss from each of these causes. Future research needs to be directed at such interventions.
A dual-purpose angioplasty-drug infusion catheter for the treatment of intragraft thrombus

An investigational angioplasty-drug infusion catheter (Transport, CardioVascular Dynamics, Irvine, CA) was used to treat a saphenous vein graft stenosis associated with a thrombus. The catheter was successfully used both to infuse urokinase at the site of angioplasty and to perform effective angioplasty, demonstrating the feasibility and utility of a dual-purpose angioplasty catheter capable of angioplasty and/or local drug infusion with the same catheter. © 1994 Wiley-Liss,Inc..
Deriving the indications for laparoscopic appendectomy from a comparison of the outcomes of laparoscopic and open appendectomy

Abstract Background: Indications for laparoscopic appendectomy (LA) remain controversial and poorly defined. We sought to identify indications for LA through a comparison of LA and open appendectomies (OA). Methods: We reviewed demographics, coexisting medical conditions, radiology and pathology data, hospital course, and complications from charts on all LA patients and a comparison group of OA done from 1991 to 1998. Results: The following were significantly associated with LA: female sex, higher mean body mass index (BMI), coexisting medical problems, private insurance, and daytime surgery. The OA group was significantly more likely to have: a radiology report suggesting the diagnosis of acute appendicitis, perforation of the appendix, intensive care unit admission, and complications in their hospital course. Forty-one percent of the LA patients did not have appendicitis, compared with 20% of the OA patients. Conclusions: Daytime surgery, women, private insurance, coexisting medical problems, prior abdominal surgery, higher BMI, and less severe disease appear to be used by surgeons as indicators for LA. The threshold for surgical exploration appears to be lower for LA.
Nonconservation of gauge singlet charge operators in light cone field theories

Abstract A light cone gauge theory is considered which possesses one or more conserved currents. It is shown quite generally that the usual associated charge operator is not conserved whenever the current transforms as a vector in Minkowski space. This includes the case of a conserved current which is a singlet under the operations of any group associated with a coupling to a non-abelian gauge field. As one application of this result one infers that there are no conserved flavor charge operators in the light cone formulation of quantum chromodynamics.
Effects of time of day and appropriateness on food intake and hedonic ratings at morning and midday.

Abstract In societies such as the U.S.A. many foods are considered appropriate or inappropriate for particular meals. Although some previous work has indicated that hedonic ratings reflect these cultural patterns, little is known about the impact of time of day and “appropriateness” in particular on food acceptance and intake. The purpose of the present study was to explore the role of appropriateness on consumption and hedonic ratings of breakfast and nonbreakfast foods. Experiment 1 examined these factors in the context of four meals in which the type of menu (breakfast or lunch) was factorially combined with time of day (breakfast time or lunchtime). Experiment 2 examined hedonic ratings obtained in the morning and afternoon using samples of the same foods and rating methods used in Experiment 1. Experiment 3 replicated Experiment 2 but employed the rating methods used in Birch et al. (1984). Results from the three experiments indicated that the appropriateness or inappropriateness of when foods were served had no effect upon hedonic ratings and no clear impact on food intake. Postmeal hunger ratings in Experiment 1, however, provided some support for the salience of appropriateness. These results suggest that appropriateness may be more relevant to food selection than to consumption or palatability per se.
From Reluctant Champion to Development Ringmaster: Managing the Expanding Mission of the World Bank

In the last decade, the World Bank has catapulted from relative obscurity in its work to alleviate global poverty to centrality in the latest controversies over development, economic interdependence, and the global economy. Since its inception at the Bretton Woods Conference in 1944, the Bank has attempted to assist poor countries in developing the infrastructure they need to prosper in the world economy. The Bank’s original mission was based on pure economic and macroeconomic reform. Through its experience in implementing this mission, however, the Bank has learned more about the nature of development and the many and various inputs necessary to achieve it. As a result, the Bank’s mission has broadened significantly. “There is probably nothing in this world more political than money.” After the Cold War was won by the proponents of free trade principles, the political spotlight fell upon the World Bank as the premier multilateral institution devoted to international aid. As understanding about the nature of development grew, developed countries and NGOs increased pressure on the Bank to expand its mission to include not only macroeconomic reform, but also reform in other social and political arenas such as human rights, protection of the environment and cultural heritage, and establishment of legal institutions. At the same time, the Bank’s own difficult experience further motivated it to expand its mission to accommodate these new areas of development assistance. Greater pressure from developed countries such as the United States and the swift expansion of the World Bank’s mission have made the Bank’s policies a focal point for criticism and discussion about the direction of international aid
Does Anthropogenic Nitrogen Enrichment Increase Organic Nitrogen Concentrations in Runoff from Forested and Human-dominated Watersheds?

Although the effects of anthropogenic nitrogen (N) inputs on the dynamics of inorganic N in watersheds have been studied extensively, “the influence of N enrichment on organic N loss” is not as well understood. We compiled and synthesized data on surface water N concentrations from 348 forested and human-dominated watersheds with a range of N loads (from less than 100 to 7,100 kg N km−2 y−1) to evaluate the effects of N loading via atmospheric deposition, fertilization, and wastewater on dissolved organic N (DON) concentrations. Our results indicate that, on average, DON accounts for half of the total dissolved N (TDN) concentrations from forested watersheds, but it accounts for a smaller fraction of TDN in runoff from urban and agricultural watersheds with higher N loading. A significant but weak correlation (r 2 = 0.06) suggests that N loading has little influence on DON concentrations in forested watersheds. This result contrasts with observations from some plot-scale N fertilization studies and suggests that variability in watershed characteristics and climate among forested watersheds may be a more important control on DON losses than N loading from atmospheric sources. Mean DON concentrations were positively correlated, however, with N load across the entire land-use gradient (r 2 = 0.37, P < 0.01), with the highest concentrations found in agricultural and urban watersheds. We hypothesize that both direct contributions of DON from wastewater and agricultural amendments and indirect transformations of inorganic N to organic N represent important sources of DON to surface waters in human-dominated watersheds. We conclude that DON is an important component of N loss in surface waters draining forested and human-dominated watersheds and suggest several research priorities that may be useful in elucidating the role of N enrichment in watershed DON dynamics.
Frontal cortical afferents facilitate striatal nitric oxide transmission in vivo via a NMDA receptor and neuronal NOS-dependent mechanism

Striatal nitric oxide (NO) signaling plays a critical role in modulating neural processing and motor behavior. Nitrergic interneurons receive synaptic inputs from corticostriatal neurons and are activated via ionotropic glutamate receptor stimulation. However, the afferent regulation of NO signaling is poorly characterized. The role of frontal cortical afferents in regulating NO transmission was assessed in anesthetized rats using amperometric microsensor measurements of NO efflux and local field potential recordings. Low frequency (3 Hz) electrical stimulation of the ipsilateral cortex did not consistently evoke detectable changes in striatal NO efflux. In contrast, train stimulation (30 Hz) of frontal cortical afferents facilitated NO efflux in a stimulus intensity-dependent manner. Nitric oxide efflux evoked by train stimulation was transient, reproducible over time, and attenuated by systemic administration of either the NMDA receptor antagonist MK-801 or the neuronal NO synthase inhibitors 7-nitroindazole and NG-propyl-l-arginine. The interaction between NO efflux evoked via train stimulation and local striatal neuron activity was assessed using dual microsensor and local field potential recordings carried out concurrently in the contralateral and ipsilateral striatum, respectively. Systemic administration of the non-specific NO synthase inhibitor methylene blue attenuated both evoked NO efflux and the peak oscillation frequency (within the delta band) of local field potentials recorded immediately after train stimulation. Taken together, these observations indicate that feed-forward activation of neuronal NO signaling by phasic activation of frontal cortical afferents facilitates the synchronization of glutamate driven oscillations in striatal neurons. Thus, NO signaling may act to amplify coherent corticostriatal transmission and synchronize striatal output.
Enteral feeding tubes are a reservoir for nosocomial antibiotic-resistant pathogens

Abstract Background: Patients and their surroundings are known reservoirs for nosocomial pathogens. Enteral feeding tubes and formula are not thought of as reservoirs for nosocomial organisms. Methods: A prospective observation study was conducted comparing methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) cultured from nosocomial infections and MRSA/VRE cultured from enteral feeding tubes used in the same neonatal intensive care unit during the same time period but in different babies. DNA fingerprinting then was used to compare MRSA and VRE cultured from feeding tubes with MRSA/VRE isolates cultured from clinical infections. Results: There were 23 S aureus isolates; 12 of 23 were methicillin resistant (MRSA). There were 4 MRSA infections in patients without feeding tubes. DNA fingerprinting showed that the MRSA species causing each of the clinical infections also was found in the feeding tubes of other babies. There were no vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus infections during the study period. Conclusion: Feeding tubes are a reservoir for antibioticresistant pathogens that can be transmitted to other infants. J Pediatr Surg 37:1011-1012. Copyright 2002, Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.
Destination-based adaptive routing on 2D mesh networks

The choice of routing algorithm plays a vital role in the performance of on-chip interconnection networks. Adaptive routing is appealing because it offers better latency and throughput than oblivious routing, especially under non-uniform and bursty traffic. The performance of an adaptive routing algorithm is determined by its ability to accurately estimate congestion in the network. In this regard, maintaining global congestion information using a separate monitoring network offers better congestion visibility into distant parts of the network than solutions relying only on local congestion state. However, the main challenge in designing such routing schemes is to keep the logic and bandwidth overhead as low as possible to fit into the tight power, area and delay budgets of on-chip routers. In this paper, we propose a minimal destination-based adaptive routing strategy (DAR) where every node estimates the delay to every other node in the network, and routing decisions are based on these per-destination delay estimates. DAR outperforms Regional Congestion Awareness (RCA) [7], the best previously known adaptive routing algorithm that uses non-local congestion knowledge. This is because the per-destination delay estimates in DAR are more accurate and not corrupted by congestion on links outside the admissible routing paths to the destination. We show that DAR outperforms minimal adaptive routing by up to 65% and RCA by up to 41% in terms of latency on SPLASH-2 benchmarks. It also outperforms these algorithms in latency and throughput under synthetic traffic patterns on both 8x8 and 16x16 mesh topologies.
Decays of intermediate vector bosons, radiative corrections and QCD jets

Abstract We investigate decay properties of the intermediate vector bosons W± and Z0. QED and QCD radiative corrections to leptonic and hadronic decay modes are calculated. Implications of the results for decay widths, branching ratios, determination of the number of neutrino species, e-μ-τ universality and properties of hadronic jets produced in W± and Z0 decays are examined.
Inkjet Printable Flexible Thin-Film NCQD Photodetectors on Unmodified Transparency Films

We proposed and experimentally demonstrated a cost-efficient and easy-to-fabricate flexible thin-film nanocrystal quantum dot (NCQD) photodetector, by sandwiching a piece of NCQD-soaked tracing paper between two PEDOT:PSS electrodes. The highly conductive and transparent multilayer polymer electrodes are printed with an office inkjet printer without further patterning on commercial unmodified transparency films. The tracing paper is able to act as both the bed for NCQD attachment and the interspacing layer to prevent short-circuiting in vertical devices. Consistent increase in device performance is observed when the bending radius becomes smaller. Linear I-V characteristics are obtained, which show our device structure works as a photoconductor.
A Coal-Water Slurry Combustor for a 5MW Industrial Gas Turbine

This paper summarizes 1/10 scale combustor test results and design parameters that have lead to the fabrication, assembly and test of a full-scale, 22 MW thermal-input (76 mmbtu/hr) combustor and engine system. The engine is a production Allison 501-K industrial turbine that has been modified to accept an external combustor designed for burning coal-water-slurry (CWS) fuel. The combustor utilizes rich-quench-lean (RQL) staging to control emissions of both thermal NOx and NOx formed from nitrogenous compounds contained in the coal-water slurry. Water is injected into the quench zone to freeze molten ash that is formed in the rich zone. The dry ash is removed from the system and collected in storage vessels by passing the hot combustion products through parallel cyclone separators. The cleaned fuel-rich gases pass to the lean zone where the addition of compressor-discharge air results in auto-ignition of the gas mixture and provides sufficient oxygen for completion of the combustion reactions.Measurements made of emissions from the bench-scale combustor at simulated power conditions show that NOx and CO concentrations of less than 50 ppmvd corrected to 15% oxygen can be expected. Check out testing of the full-scale combustor on CWS and the combined combustor/engine assembly on distillate fuel are now in progress. It is anticipated that engine testing on CWS will commence in early 1991.Copyright © 1991 by ASME
The Quantitative Analysis of Absorption Spectra

Methods of estimating the information in an absorption spectrum concerning the amount of absorber are presented. The analysis allows a single value of the absorber amount and its standard deviation to be obtained when a wide region of the spectrum is analyzed. An empirical method of reducing the errors caused by departures from Beer's Law is demonstrated to improve the results of the analysis of synthetic spectra of N2O.
Sparsely Cross-Linked “Nanogel” Matrixes as Fluid, Mechanically Stabilized Polymer Networks for High-Throughput Microchannel DNA Sequencing

We have developed sparsely cross-linked “nanogels”, subcolloidal polymer structures composed of covalently linked, linear polyacrylamide chains, as novel replaceable DNA sequencing matrixes for capillary and microchip electrophoresis. Nanogels were synthesized via inverse emulsion (water-in-oil) copolymerization of acrylamide and a low percentage (∼10-4 mol %) of N,N-methylene bisacrylamide (Bis). Nanogels and nanogel networks were characterized by multiangle laser light scattering and rheometry, respectively, and tested for DNA sequencing in both capillaries and chips with four-color LIF detection. Typical nanogels have an average radius of ∼230 nm, with ∼75% of chains incorporating a Bis cross-linker. The properties and performance of nanogel matrixes are compared here to those of a linear polyacrylamide (LPA) network, matched for both polymer weight-average molar mass (Mw) and the extent of interchain entanglements (c/c*). At sequencing concentrations, the two matrixes have similar flow characteristics...
Insulin binding in human pregnancy: comparisons to the postpartum, luteal, and follicular states.

We have studied insulin binding to isolated erythrocytes from 28 nondiabetic, pregnant women and have compared these results to similar data obtained in nonpregnant, nondiabetic women. In the nonpregnant subjects insulin binding was 35% higher during the follicular stage of the menstrual cycle as compared to the luteal phase. In the pregnant women insulin binding was comparable to that seen in the nonpregnant women during the follicular phase but was higher than that seen during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. Insulin binding was measured in 5 pregnant women during the third trimester and in the postpartum period. In these subjects insulin binding to erythrocytes declined by 31% after delivery. These results demonstrate that erythrocyte insulin receptors are not decreased in normal human pregnancy despite the presence of hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance. Providing erythrocyte insulin receptors are reflective of insulin receptors in other tissues in human pregnancy, these findings suggest t...
New perturbation results on pseudo-inverses of linear operators in Banach spaces

Abstract Let X and Y be Banach spaces, let T : X → Y be a bounded linear operator with closed range, and let S : X → Y be another bounded linear operator. We study conditions on S – T that guarantee the closeness of the range of S and obtain some new bounds on the pseudo-inverse of S .
Width effects on the tensile strength and fatigue behavior of angle-ply laminates

Abstract The effects of the specimen width on the tensile strength and fatigue behavior of fiberglass/epoxy coupons was investigated experimentally. Monotonic and fatigue tensile tests of [±Θ 2 ] s laminates with six fiber angle orientations (ranging from ±25° to ±75°) and five different widths were conducted. The ultimate tensile strength and fatigue behavior depend on both the fiber angle orientation and specimen width. The effects of specimen width are more apparent at smaller angles, Θ≤45°. In general, the tensile strength and fatigue life increases and approachs a steady value as the specimen width increases. For larger fiber angles, Θ>45°, the width effects are less pronounced for both monotonic and fatigue loading.
Body fat and fat distribution in relation to sex differences in blood pressure.

The extent to which the relationship between body fat and blood pressure either differs by sex or explains sex differences in blood pressure is examined. Estimates of the relationship of blood pressure to several measures of adiposity in men and women were obtained from a systematic review of the literature and tests of whether these relationships differ by sex were performed. Analysis of covariance (controlling for age and race) was used for both casual and ambulatory blood pressure in the Cornell Worksite Blood Pressure Study (N = 276). In general, most adiposity measures were significantly related to casual and ambulatory blood pressure in men and women. Subscapular skinfold thickness and body mass index exhibited the strongest associations. The vast majority of adiposity/blood pressure associations were not significantly different for men and women. Finally, sex differences in adiposity did not account for much of the sex difference observed in blood pressure. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Response of the RIF-1 tumour to superficial or interstitial heating (46-50°C) using an Nd-YAG laser

The response of the RIF-1 tumour in C3H mice to 1064 nm near infra-red radiation from an Nd-YAG laser was investigated. Tumours in the right hind leg of mice were heated, in groups of 10, to 46, 48 or 50°C (at a feedback thermocouple) for 30 min. Superficial or interstitial treatment was effected by a 600 μm quartz fibre terminating in a microlens or cylindrical diffuser, respectively. Three thermocouples were inserted in each tumour for temperature measurement. The feedback thermocouple was connected to the laser and controlled power output during heating. Our experiments indicated that superficial heating (employing a feedback thermocouple at the base) resulted in greater tumour growth delay and control at 60 days compared to interstitial treatment, where the feedback thermocouple was located above the diffuser. A mean temperature gradient of approximately 13 degrees was observed from the surface to the base of tumours when heated superficially, resulting in extensive skin necrosis within 48h post-treatment. Superficial heating to a base temperature of 50°C resulted in 50% tumour control at 60 days. In contrast, only minor differences in temperature were measured above and below the inserted cylindrical diffuser during interstitial treatment, resulting in reduced skin necrosis at 48h and no long-term tumour control. It appears from our study that use of a single, defocused beam (superficial delivery) of 1064 nm radiation results in effective but non-uniform heating of the RIF-1 tumour, and may require surface cooling to limit skin temperatures. Use of a cylindrical fibre tip (interstitial delivery) will require insertion of multiple fibres in the tumour mass to effectively heat tumours larger than 1 cm.
Prevalence and correlates of fatigue among persons with HIV infection

To describe prevalence of fatigue and its correlates among persons with HIV infection, we abstracted medical records of 13,768 persons in care for HIV in >100 US clinics. The prevalence of fatigue (defined as fatigue, malaise, or weakness that was the primary reason for a medical visit, was persistent, or was severe enough to preclude work) was 37%. Fatigue was more common among persons with clinical AIDS (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 1.3, CI 1.1-1.5); depression (AOR 2.4, CI 2.1-2.7); and hemoglobin concentrations <8, 8-10, and 10-12 g/dL (AORs 3.3 [CI 2.4-4.6], 2.7 [CI 2.2-3.2], and 1.5 [CI 1.3-1.7], respectively). Fatigue was not associated with viral load or CD4 cell count <200/microl. Fatigue cannot be viewed solely as a constitutional symptom of progressive HIV disease. Physicians should seek underlying, treatable causes for fatigue such as depression and anemia and treat these conditions when they are found.
Plasmid-Determined Resistance to Erythromycin: Comparison of Strains of Streptococcus faecalis and Streptococcus pyogenes with Regard to Plasmid Homology and Resistance Inducibility

Abstract Streptococcus faecalis strains DS-5 and Streptococcus pyogenes strain AC-1 both have a 17 million dalton plasmid that determines resistance to erythromycin, lincomycin, and vernamycin Bα. The results of deoxyribonucleic acid-deoxyribonucleic acid hybridization experiments indicate that the two plasmids are about 95% homologous. It was also shown that erythromycin resistance is inducible in AC-1 and constitutive in DS-5.
Lack of evidence for prescription of antepartum bed rest

Antepartum bed-rest treatment is based on assumptions that it is both effective and safe for mother and fetus. However, research indicates, that bed-rest treatment is ineffective for preventing preterm birth and fetal growth restriction, and for increasing gestational age at birth and infant birthweight. Studies of women treated with pregnancy bed-rest identify numerous side effects, including muscle atrophy, bone loss, weight loss, decreased infant birthweight in singleton gestations and gestational age at birth, and psychosocial problems. Studies conducted by aerospace scientists who have used bed rest as a model for the study of weightlessness in space using nonpregnant individuals report similar results. Antepartum bed-rest treatment should be discontinued until evidence of effectiveness is found.
Cosmetics: An overview

Cosmetics of the hair, skin, and nails represent an area of great importance to the practicing dermatologist because use of these products can enhance the external appearance, create cutaneous disease, or interfere with other treatment modalities. Furthermore, the dermatologist is the physician best suited to aid patients in appropriate cosmetic product selection and use. This article is an overview of the most important cur-rently marketed cosmetics for the hair, skin, and nails. It discusses the use of hair cosmetics to alter the shape, color, thickness, and cosmetic appearance of the hair. Hair-removal techniques are also discussed. Nail polishes and prostheses to alter nail color and length are examined. Finally, skin cosmetics and toiletries for the face and body in the form of cleansers, toners, exfoliants, masks, moisturizers, specialty creams, and antiperspirants/deodorants are evaluated in terms of formulation, as well as therapeutic versus aesthetic benefit.
A zonal approach for the steady transonic simulation of inviscid rotational flow

A finite difference zonal method is developed to compute steady inviscid transonic flow by coupling a semi-flux split form of the Euler equations in a vorticity producing zone with a zone of scalar and vector (i.e., dual) potential equations. The dual potential equations permit vorticity convection, but not production, and are efficiently solved as an iteratively decoupled set of scalar equations. Zonal results presented for a nonlifting biconvex airfoil on a stretched Cartesian grid show substantial savings in CPU time compared to solving the semi-flux split Euler equations alone. The dual potential equations also provide an alternate way of treating potential flows with circulation. This has been demonstrated by computing a subcritical flow over a lifting airfoil using generalized curvilinear coordinates.
Topographic study of superplastically formed AA7475 hemispherical domes

Sliding of grain groups occurs during superplastic stretching of 7475 aluminium alloy with a spherical punch. Such co-operative grain boundary sliding (CGBS) is accompanied by cavity formation in intersection sites of CGBS surfaces, formation of striated bands and migration of sliding grain boundaries. Fibres were observed evolving from the striated bands between grains separated due to CGBS. This fibring process anticipates extreme ductility of the material and could be considered as “microsuperplasticity” originating from operation of a diffusion-like process or incipient melting.
Strain-dependent variation in the early transcriptional response to CNS injury using a cortical explant system

While it is clear that inbred strains of mice have variations in immunological responsiveness, the influence of genetic background following tissue damage in the central nervous system is not fully understood. A cortical explant system was employed as a model for injury to determine whether the immediate transcriptional response to tissue resection revealed differences among three mouse strains. Immunological mRNAs were measured in cerebral cortex from SJL/J, C57BL/6J, and BALB/cJ mice using real time RT-PCR. Freshly isolated cortical tissue and cortical sections incubated in explant medium were examined. Levels of mRNA, normalized to β-actin, were compared using one way analysis of variance with pooled samples from each mouse strain. In freshly isolated cerebral cortex, transcript levels of many pro-inflammatory mediators were not significantly different among the strains or too low for comparison. Constitutive, baseline amounts of CD74 and antisecretory factor (ASF) mRNAs, however, were higher in SJL/J and C57BL/6J, respectively. When sections of cortical tissue were incubated in explant medium, increased message for a number of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines occurred within five hours. Message for chemokines, IL-1α, and COX-2 transcripts were higher in C57BL/6J cortical explants relative to SJL/J and BALB/cJ. IL-1β, IL-12/23 p40, and TNF-α were lower in BALB/cJ explants relative to SJL/J and C57BL/6J. Similar to observations in freshly isolated cortex, CD74 mRNA remained higher in SJL/J explants. The ASF mRNA in SJL/J explants, however, was now lower than levels in both C57BL/6J and BALB/cJ explants. The short-term cortical explant model employed in this study provides a basic approach to evaluate an early transcriptional response to neurological damage, and can identify expression differences in genes that are influenced by genetic background.
Basiliximab decreases the incidence of acute rejection after intestinal transplantation.

INTESTINAL allografts are highly immunogenic and have required higher levels of baseline immunosuppression than other solid organ transplant recipients to maintain graft function. In spite of much higher overall immunosuppression, approximately 80% to 90% of recipients experience rejection of the intestinal allograft and require additional bolus corticosteroid therapy or antilymphocyte therapy. Up to 20% of recipients require removal of the allograft due to uncontrollable acute rejection. The high levels of immunosuppression lead to frequent infectious complications. The addition of other immunosuppressive medications (such as OKT3, cyclophosphamide, and mycophenolate mofetil) has historically not resulted in a lower incidence of graft rejection or graft loss but has been associated with a higher incidence of infection. In kidney transplant recipients, basiliximab has been associated with a decreased incidence of acute rejection without an apparent increase in infectious complications. Herein we examine the efficacy of basiliximab in addition to standard immunosuppression with tacrolimus and steroids after intestinal transplantation.
Meaning in Life: One Link in the Chain From Religiousness to Well-Being

Meaning in life has been identified as a potential mediator of the link between religiousness and psychological health. The authors tested this hypothesis in 2 studies, using multiple methods and measures of religiousness and well-being. In the studies, meaning in life mediated the relation between religiousness and life satisfaction (Study 1A), as well as self-esteem and optimism (Study 1B). In addition, using an experience sampling method, the authors found that meaning in life also mediated the relation between daily religious behaviors and well-being (Study 2). The authors discuss these findings and suggest that meaning in life may be an effective conduit through which counselors and clients can discuss “ultimate” matters, even when they do not share similar perspectives on religion.
Surface effects on phase distributions of a fast-quenched miscibility gap type system: Succinonitrile-water

If a binary homogeneous melt is cooled into an immiscible region, the newly formed second phase will generally have a density different from the parent phase, and will separate readily by sedimentation. Observation of solidification processes in microgravity indicates that outside of sedimentation, at least two other important effets can separate the phases: (1) preferential wetting, and (2) thermal migration of second-phase droplets due to interfacial tension gradients. The latter effect would drive the minority phase along the thermal gradient toward the hottest part (assuming the interfacial tension decreases with increasing temperature), which is usually away from the crucible wall. On the other hand, if the minority phase preferentially wets the crucible, a minority phase layer which thickens as initial solution compositions approach critical, will form adjacent to the solid surface and remain in the coldest region of the ingot. This study presents compelling preliminary evidence that these two effects do exist and that they compete with one another. However, the temperature dependence of preferential wetting below T(c) for the current system of study is, as yet, undetermined. These effects are sensitive to the initial concentration of a hypermonotectic solution cooling through a miscibility gap.
Modeling Failure Reduction for Combinational Logic using Gate Level NMR

We present a mathematical model for describing the relationship between overhead and error reduction under single-error conditions in combinational logic using N-modular redundancy (NMR) as an upper bound. We then provide an analysis for the model under more realistic circuit and overhead assumptions. We compare system, sub-circuit, and gate level NMR. Based on our results, implementing NMR at the gate level offers the benefits of NMR with customizable overheads but with reduced effectiveness when compared to system level implementations
Further evidence for sequential action of amphotericin B and 5-fluorocytosine against Candida albicans.

Experiments were designed to determine the nature of amphotericin B (AMB)– 5-fluorocytosine (5-FC) synergism against strains of Candida albicans susceptible to either drug alone. AM
Erratum to: “Sufficiency in Blackwell’s theorem” [Math. Social Sci. 46(1) (2003) 21–25]

Abstract If one information service is more informative than another, then any agent values it more. In fact, the opposite implication is also true, and this characterization is the celebrated theorem of Blackwell. We present here a short proof. This is a correction of our earlier attempt.
Development of an Advanced High Temperature Heat Exchanger Design for Hydrogen Production

This paper deals with the development of an advanced high temperature heat exchanger design for hydrogen production by the sulfur iodine thermochemical cycle from advanced nuclear reactor concepts. The offset strip-fin hybrid plate type compact heat exchanger concept is chosen, and the material of manufacture is the liquid silicon impregnated carbon composite. The offset strip-fin is chosen as a method of heat transfer enhancement due to the boundary layer restart mechanism between the fins that has a direct effect on enhancing heat transfer. The effect of the fin thickness, pitch in flow direction, and the aspect ratio of the offset fins on the flow field and heat transfer are studied in 2-D using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) techniques, and the results are then compared with the analytical calculation results. The preprocessor GAMBIT is used to create a computational mesh, and the CFD software package FLUENT, that is based on the finite volume method is used to produce numerical results. Proper dimensions of the strip fins need to be chosen in order to have an optimized heat transfer enhancement coupled with a reduced pressure drop. The study is conducted with helium gas as the working fluid with varied of Reynolds number values. The flow and heat transfer is considered to become periodically fully developed after a certain entrance length hence numerical simulations were performed using periodic boundary conditions. Two-dimensional numerical simulations were also performed for the whole length of the heat exchanger which has 37 such periodic modules. Comparison study was performed between the cases of fins with rectangular and curved geometry. Attempt has also been made in order to validate the coefficient of fin thickness (Cfin ) value using CFD techniques, which has been used in the existing empirical correlations to suit this type of heat exchanger geometry. The model developed in this paper is used to investigate the heat exchanger design parameters in order to find an optimal design.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
On the number of zeros of diagonal cubic forms

Abstract We extend to finite fields in general the results proved, in a recent paper (J. Number Theory 9 (1977)) with the same title as the current work, by Chowla, Cowles, and Cowles for the prime fields. The results concern the dependence on s of the number of solutions of the equation x 1 3 + x 2 3 + ⋯ + x 3 3 = 0 . We also give results for the equation x 1 4 + x 2 4 + ⋯ + x 8 4 = 0 .
The Cauchy integral in Cn for domains with minimal smoothness

Abstract We prove L p ( b D ) -regularity of the Cauchy–Leray integral for bounded domains D ⊂ C n whose boundary satisfies the minimal regularity condition of class C 1 , 1 , together with a naturally occurring notion of convexity.