cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Learning from Each Other: A Multisite Collaborative to Reduce Electrolyte Testing.

Inpatient electrolyte testing rates vary significantly across pediatric hospitals. Despite evidence that unnecessary testing exists, providers still struggle with reducing electrolyte laboratory testing. We aimed to reduce serum electrolyte testing among pediatric inpatients by 20% across 5 sites within 6 months. Methods A national quality improvement collaborative evaluated standardized interventions for reducing inpatient serum electrolyte testing at 5 large tertiary and quaternary children's hospitals. The outcome measure was the rate of electrolyte laboratory tests per 10 patient-days. The interventions were adapted from a previous single-site improvement project and included cost card reminders, automated laboratory plans via electronic medical record, structured rounds discussions, and continued education. The collaborative utilized weekly conference calls to discuss Plan, Do, Study, Act cycles, and barriers to implementation efforts. Results The study included 17,149 patient-days across 5 hospitals. The baseline preintervention electrolyte laboratory testing rate mean was 4.82 laboratory tests per 10 patient-days. Postimplementation, special cause variation in testing rates shifted the mean to 4.19 laboratory tests per 10 patient-days, a 13% reduction. There was a wide variation in preintervention electrolyte testing rates and the effectiveness of interventions between the hospitals participating in the collaborative. Conclusions This multisite improvement collaborative was able to rapidly disseminate and implement value improvement interventions leading to a reduction in electrolyte testing; however, we did not meet our goal of 20% testing reduction across all sites. Quality improvement collaboratives must consider variation in context when adapting previously successful single-center interventions to a wide variety of sites.
Structural Defects in a Partially-Filled Skutterudite

The partially filled skutterudite structure is a candidate thermoelectric material with the capacity for phonon scattering by the decoupled rattling of filling ions. In this transmission electron microscopy investigation of a 1.6%Ce, 1.6%Ni, 4.9%Ge, 22.8%Co, and 69.1%Sb alloy, the structure is found to be that expected of a partially-filled skutterudite, but with a varied assortment of structural defects. These defects are characterized and their effect on thermoelectric properties is discussed.
Heterogeneous Computing Systems for Complex Scientific Discovery Workflows

With Moore's law progressively running out of steam, heterogeneous computing architectures have been powering the top supercomputers in the world for many years and are now finding broader adoption across the industry. The trend towards sustainable computing also requires domain-specific heterogeneous hardware architectures, which promise further gains in energy efficiency. At the same time, today's high performance computing applications have evolved from monolithic simulations in a single domain to multidisciplinary complex workflows. In this paper, we explore how these trends affect system design decisions and what this means for future computing system architectures.
Mortars and masonry—structural lime and gypsum mortars in Antiquity and Middle Ages

Mortar is of fundamental importance for the building technology. It is used to bind together masonry units and ease the building process. Several building techniques evolved to take advantage of the capacity of mortars to improve cohesiveness and form sound structures. In this paper, I discuss how lime and gypsum mortars were employed from the Antiquity to the Middle Ages. Gypsum mortars offered several advantages due to their adhesive properties and quick setting. Their use as a structural binding agent developed in regions rich in gypsum, and was particularly significant in vault construction. Lime mortars offered different advantages over gypsum ones, particularly in terms of mechanical resistance and resilience to humid conditions. The massive use of lime mortars started with the ancient Romans and continued throughout the centuries as the foremost binding material, until the introduction of Portland cement mortars in the nineteenth century.
Semantic optimization of XQuery by rewriting

Queries on XML data are increasingly widespread in use and scope of application. However, optimization strategies are not yet as developed as they are for traditional DBMSs. Current strategies mostly involve logical or physical query plan optimization. We propose a novel optimization for XQuery using semantic information from the XML schema, where we rewrite a query into an equivalent query with fewer XPath expressions based on schema information. Our experimental results indicate that this optimization can result in substantial performance gains.
What Does the Non-Mathematics Intensive Major Think Mathematics Is?

This study explores the myriad definitions and conceptualizations of mathematics, with a particular focus on how undergraduate students in a mathematics course designed for non-mathematics intensive majors define the term. Students enrolled in this particular course at a regional university in the Midwest were asked the open-ended question: “What is math?” The researchers employed content analysis in their analysis and interpretation of the data. A number of categories emerged, with the modal category beingthe conception of mathematics as problem solving that occurs in mathematics classes. Keywords: mathematics, problem-solving, definitions
A mandate to lead: independence leaders in power and the unlikelihood of civil war incidence

The field of civil conflict research focuses on how the structural features of states influence the odds of civil war occurring. This thesis discusses the impact that independence leaders and their reputations have on the likelihood of civil war incidence. Using data for every post-independence leader in Africa until 2004, I find that independence leaders are significantly less likely to experience civil war than a non independence leader in any given year, all else being equal.
Chiara de Franco, Media Power and the Transformation of War

Chiara De Franco’s Media Power and the Transformation of War offers insights on power, power sources, and power relations as it analyzes the dynamics, actors, and actions in contemporary conflict and focuses on the mediatization role of the media and its importance in conflict reporting. The author refers to mediatization as the media’s role in conflict toward intervention for peace. The book takes a pro-journalistic stand while crediting the media’s power during war and conflict, in decision making, and in changing the nature of war and warfare. De Franco examines media power and effects during conflicts. Focusing precisely on the power of television, she argues that the function and characteristics of media power is transformative and can influence policies, decision making, and politics. Media Power supports previous literature on war and media as it notes the media’s influence on public perception toward calling for political intervention in conflict. The book ventures beyond a discussion of the media’s ability to influence governments and cause policy change, becoming more useful and strategic in how it illustrates the media’s diplomacy in calling international communities and nongovernmental organizations to action in times of war.
WARLOC: a high-power millimeter-wave radar

A high-power, coherent, W-band (94 GHz) millimeter-wave radar has been developed at the Naval Research Laboratory. The radar employs a 100 kW peak power, 10 kW average power gyroklystron as the final power amplifier, an overmoded transmission line system, and a quasioptical duplexer, together with a 6 foot Cassegrain antenna, a four-channel receiver, and state-of-the-art signal processing. Developed as a research radar for the investigation of tactical Navy radar applications in the millimeter wave band, additional radar measurement studies include cloud physics, propagation, and forward and backscatter studies.
MmWave ad hoc network coverage and capacity

Ad hoc networks consistently underperform compared to cellular networks. Protocols either create residual interference that leads to poor signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratios or try to coordinate transmissions leading to fewer transmission opportunities. Communication with millimeter-wave (mmWave) devices offers the potential for higher bandwidth communication channels and reduced interference in ad hoc networks. This paper uses a stochastic geometry approach to characterize the coverage probability of a mmWave ad hoc network with directional antennas and random building blockages. The coverage probability in the presence of noise and both line-of-sight and non-line-of-sight interference is analyzed and used to derive the transmission capacity. Performance of mmWave is then analyzed in terms of area spectral efficiency and rate coverage. The results show that mmWave networks support larger densities, higher area spectral efficiencies, and better rate coverage compared to traditional, lower-frequency ad hoc networks.
RF radiation measurement for the Advanced Photon Source (APS) personnel safety system

The Advanced Photon Source (APS) booster and storage ring RF system consists of five 1-MW klystrons, four 5-cell cavities, and sixteen single-cell cavities. The RF power is distributed through many hundreds of feet of WR2300 waveguide with H-hybrids and circulators. In order to protect personnel from the danger of RF radiation due to loose flanges or other openings in the waveguide system, three detector systems were implemented: an RF radiation detector, a waveguide pressure switch, and a Radiax aperture detector (RAD). This paper describes RF radiation measurements on the WR2300 waveguide system.
THE PREDICTION OF STEAM VOLUME FRACTIONS IN BOILING SYSTEMS

The results of an extensive study of the relative velocity of two-phase mixtures at ANL are presented. The parameter ranges studied are pressure 150–2000 psi, mixture quality 0–0.25, superficial li...
Atomic capture of negative mesons (II). Fuzzy Fermi-Teller model

Abstract The Fermi-Teller (FT) model is extended to account for the discrete nature of the energy and angular momentum loss of negative mesons undergoing capture and deexcitation through the excitation of atomic electrons. Statistical fluctuations in the energy loss permit more mesons to be captured at high energy than predicted by the FT model. The variation with atomic number ( Z ) of the angular momentum ( l ) distribution when the meson is bound with an energy comparable to K-shell electrons is similar to that predicted by the FT model. The fuzzy Fermi-Teller (FFT) model enables us to calculate a number of interesting quantities (e.g. the distribution of angular momentum at various stages of the cascade, the distribution of energy and angular momentum jumps, etc.) which provide insight into the details of the deexcitation process. The effect of an energy gap and polarization potential is investigated. Capture and energy loss cross sections are changed by these parameters, but they have only a small effect on the l -distribution at the K-shell. A parameter is introduced to alter the distribution of energy and angular momentum loss in the outer part of the atom. We find that the angular momentum distribution at the K-shell is sensitive to this aspect of the model and by varying this parameter, we produce changes in the absolute kaonic X-ray yields which approach the magnitude of the periodic variations reported by Wiegand and Godfrey.
Stereochemical Classification of Organic Transformations. 1. Stereotopoprocesses

This chapter presents an alternative, universal stereochemical classification of chemical transformations based on overall loss, no loss/gain, and overall gain of chirotopic atoms. These chirotopoprocesses are labeled as chirotopolysis, chirotopomutation, and chirotopogenesis, respectively. Further subclassification is carried out by using the dual criteria of rotativity (expected optical activity) and stereoselectivity (preferential formation of one stereoisomer over another). When the two attributes, stereoselectivity and rotativity, of chemical transformations are taken into account, stereoaselective, nonstereoselective, and stereoselective transformations can lead to mixtures that are either nonrotative or rotative. Thus, nonrotative mixtures can result from stereoaselective, nonstereoselective, or stereoselective transformations. Similarly, rotative mixtures can also form in the course of transformations that are stereoaselective, nonstereoselective, or stereoselective. The chapter also introduces and defines the novel concepts of chiroselectivity and chirospecificity. Finally, the merits of the classification of chirotopoprocesses are presented, and the stereotopoprocesses and chirotopoprocesses are correlated in relation to the stereotopic molecular faces.
Terrain Aerodynamics and Plume Dispersion

The ability to predict ground-level concentrations of air pollutants released from sources in or near complex terrain is required in order to determine the environmental impact from existing sources, to evaluate alternative new source locations and designs, and to estimate the effects of possible modifications to existing sources. Mathematical models that reliably predict concentrations when plumes are affected by complex terrain are not yet available. Field studies are very expensive and time consuming, and the results are not generally transferable to other sites. Previous wind-tunnel studies on dispersion of effluents from industrial plants located in complex terrain have usually been designed to answer specific questions such as the suitability of a particular plant location or the stack height necessary to avoid downwash; the results have not been generally applicable to other sites.
Privacy attitudes and privacy-related behavior.

A significant body of research has arisen over the last few decades describing the causes of observed incongruity between attitudes and behaviors. Recent work in the area of privacy has demonstrated this type of situation, in which people with negative attitudes toward the provision of personal information will disclose this very same infor- mation for no apparent benefit. However, little theoretical work has been developed to explain why this paradoxical anomaly exists. This paper suggests that attribution plays a crucial role and should be taken into account with regard to both the assessment of behavioral outcomes and the examination of attitude formation. The purpose of the current work, thus, is to consider the contribution of the two theoretical areas, attitude formation and attribution, in explaining the correspondence between privacy-related attitudes and behaviors. This represents a critical first step in understanding the antecedents of privacy-related behaviors and in further developing the under- standing of attitude models in general. As such, the paper suggests a framework and a set of propositions to guide future research and theoretical development. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Large-Scale Variations in Observed Antarctic Sea Ice Extent and Associated Atmospheric Circulation

The 1974 Antarctic large scale sea ice extent is studied from data from Nimbus 2 and 5 and temperature and sea level pressure fields from the Australian Meteorological Data Set. Electrically Scanning Microwave Radiometer data were three-day averaged and compared with 1000 mbar atmospheric pressure and sea level pressure data, also in three-day averages. Each three-day period was subjected to a Fourier analysis and included the mean latitude of the ice extent and the phases and percent variances in terms of the first six Fourier harmonics. Centers of low pressure were found to be generally east of regions which displayed rapid ice growth, and winds acted to extend the ice equatorward. An atmospheric response was also noted as caused by the changing ice cover.
Fatigue and psychiatric illness in a large community sample of persons with multiple sclerosis.

Abstract Background Fatigue and depression are among the most common and disabling symptoms in multiple sclerosis (MS), but the nature and extent of the relationships between fatigue and psychiatric disorders in MS patients remain poorly understood. Methods A mail survey was completed by 739 members of the King County (WA) MS Association. Fatigue was evaluated by questions from the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS), depressive symptoms by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), substance-use disorders from the PRIME-MD. Information on demographics, employment and characteristics of MS was also collected. Logistic regression was used to identify covariates significantly associated with disabling fatigue. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of fatigue for depression. Results Twenty-five percent of this community-dwelling sample reported that their activities were often or almost always limited by fatigue. Seventy-six percent of subjects with disabling fatigue had significant depressive symptoms (CES-D >16), compared with 31% of those without disabling fatigue. Depression was strongly associated with fatigue, after controlling for age, gender, marital status, and severity, course and duration of illness. In logistic regression analysis, subjects with clinically significant depressive symptoms (CES-D >16) were much more likely to report disabling fatigue: OR=6.24 (4.16, 9.35). Anxiety and substance-use disorders did not have the same strong associations with fatigue. Fatigue was highly sensitive and specific for clinically significant depressive symptoms. Conclusions Disabling fatigue is strongly associated with clinically significant depressive symptoms. Patients who report disabling fatigue should be screened for depression.
Construction and purification of His-tagged staphylococcal ArsB protein, an integral membrane protein that is involved in arsenical salt resistance.

Bacterial resistance to arsenical salts encoded on plasmid pI258 occurs by active extrusion of toxic oxyanions from cells of Staphylococcus aureus. The operon encodes for three gene products: ArsR, ArsB and ArsC. The gene product of arsB is an integral membrane protein and it is sufficient to provide resistance to arsenite and antimonite. A poly His-ArsB fusion protein was generated to purify the staphylococcal ArsB protein. Cells containing the His-tagged arsB gene were resistant to arsenite and antimonite. The levels of resistance to these toxic oxyanions by the His-tagged construct were greater than the levels obtained with the wild type gene. These data would indicate that the His-tagged protein is functionally active. A new 36 kDa protein band was visualized on 10% SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE), which was confirmed as the His-ArsB protein by immunodetection with polyclonal Hisantibodies. The His-ArsB fusion protein was purified by the use of metal-chelate affinity chromatography with a Ni+2-nitrilotriacetic acid column and size-exclusion chromatography suggests that the protein was a homodimer.
Sleep apnea and intracranial hypertension in men.

Abstract Purpose To investigate sleep apnea as an associated finding in idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) in men. Design Multicenter, retrospective, noncomparative interventional case series. Methods Retrospective review of all men with the diagnosis of IIH seen within the last 5 years at three tertiary care academic ophthalmologic institutions. Cases with sleep apnea (SA) and IIH were identified and reviewed. Results Thirty-two cases of IIH in men were reviewed. Six cases with SA met the modified Dandy criteria for the diagnosis of IIH. Of these six patients, one received acetazolamide alone, four received acetazolamide and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), and one was treated with CPAP alone. All patients had preserved central acuity (20/20 or better in both eyes), enlarged blind spots, and optic disc edema in both eyes. Five patients had normal visual fields after treatment, and one patient had residual visual field loss. Three patients had normal optic nerve examinations, with resolution of the optic disc edema at last follow-up. After resolution of the optic disc edema, these three patients were maintained on CPAP but discontinued acetazolamide. Two patients had persistent but improved papilledema and are under continued treatment with acetazolamide and CPAP. One patient had optic disc pallor in both eyes and is stable. Conclusions SA was a common finding in men meeting the modified Dandy criteria for IIH in adults. Treatment of sleep apnea with nocturnal oxygenation may improve the signs and symptoms of IIH in affected men.
Selective disadvantage of non-functional protein synthesis in Escherichia coli

Comparison of growth rates of isogenic strains that synthesize varying levels of beta-galactosidase during continuous culture on non-inducing medium indicates that synthesis of low levels of non-functional protein has a small but possibly significant effect upon growth rate.
ALTERATION OF GLUCOSINOLATE CONTENT, PATTERN, AND MUTAGENICITY OF CABBAGE (BRASSICA OLERACEA) GROWN ON MUNICIPAL SEWAGE SLUDGE—AMENDED SOIL

Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) was grown on soil (control) or municipal sewage sludge-treated plots. The cabbage was freeze-dried and analyzed for glucosinolate content and pattern. Results showed that cabbage grown on sludge-amended soil contained only half the glucosinolate content of cabbage grown on the control plot. The pattern of individual glucosinolates present was also altered. The sludge-grown cabbage glucosinolate extract was shown to be mutagenic in the non-activated test system of S. typhimurium TA 100. Extracts of both sludge-grown and control cabbage were shown to enhance the mutagenicity on a dose-response basis of aflatoxin B1, benzo(a)pyrene, and captan.
RAPID METHOD FOR DETERMINATION OF ALDOSTERONE IN HUMAN URINE BY GLASS PAPER CHROMATOGRAPHY

A method for the determination of aldosterone in urine is described, which utilizes rapid chromatography on glass fiber paper. After acid hydrolysis, chloroform extracts of the urine are chromatographed on silica-gel columns, run on 2 glass paper chromatographic systems, acetylated, and again separated by 2 additional runs in separate glass paper chromatographic systems. Final determination of aldosterone is performed by measurement of alkaline fluorescence. The specificity and precision of the method, the recovery of steroid by this technic, and the range of values in normal man are presented. The advantages of glass paper chromatography are pointed out, not the least important of which is that each chromatographic step requires only fifteen minutes.
Effects of age and caloric intake on glutathione redox state in different brain regions of C57BL/6 and DBA/2 mice

The main purpose of the present study was to determine whether specific regions of the mouse brain exhibit different age-related changes in oxidative stress, as indicated by glutathione redox state and the level of protein-glutathionyl mixed disulfides. Comparison of 3- and 21-month-old mice indicated an age-related decrease in the ratio of reduced to oxidized glutathione (GSH/GSSG) as well as a pro-oxidizing shift in the calculated redox potential (ranging from 6 to 15 mV) in the cortex, hippocampus, striatum and cerebellum, whereas there was little change in the brainstem. This pro-oxidizing shift in redox state was due to a modest decrease in GSH content occurring in all the brain regions examined, and elevations in GSSG amount that were most pronounced in the striatum and cerebellum. The regional changes in glutathione redox state were paralleled by increases in the amounts of protein-mixed disulfides. A reduction of caloric intake by 40% for a short period (7 weeks), implemented in relatively old mice (17 months), increased the GSH/GSSG ratio and redox potential at 19 months in the same brain regions that exhibited age-related decreases. The effects of age and caloric restriction were qualitatively similar in C57BL/6 and DBA/2 mice. However, young DBA/2 mice, which do not show extension of life span in response to long-term caloric restriction, had lower GSH/GSSG ratios and higher protein-mixed disulfides than age-matched C57BL/6 mice. The current findings demonstrate that oxidative stress, as reflected by glutathione redox state, increases in the aging brain in regions linked to age-associated losses of function and neurodegenerative diseases.
Highly Potent, Selective, and Low Cost Bis-tetrahydroaminacrine Inhibitors of Acetylcholinesterase STEPS TOWARD NOVEL DRUGS FOR TREATING ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE

We report highly potent, selective, and low cost bifunctional acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors developed by our two-step prototype optimization strategy utilizing computer modeling of ligand docking with target proteins: 1) identify low affinity sites normally missed by x-ray crystallography; and 2) design bifunctional analogs capable of simultaneous binding at the computer-determined low affinity site and the x-ray-identified high affinity site. Applying this strategy to 9-amino-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroacridine (THA), a drug for Alzheimer's disease, we obtained alkylene linked bis-THA analogs. These analogs were up to 10,000-fold more selective and 1,000-fold more potent than THA in inhibiting rat AChE and yet required one simple reaction to synthesize. Additionally, alkylene linked benzyl-THA analogs were developed to examine the specificity of the docking-derived low affinity THA peripheral site in AChE. The present work and our previous computational studies strongly suggest that a low affinity THA peripheral site exists in AChE. This peripheral site provides a structural basis for design of improved cholinesterase ligands for treating Alzheimer's disease and for other health-related purposes.
Experimental Investigation of Minimum Film Boiling Temperature for Vertical Cylinders at Elevated Pressure

The minimum film boiling temperature, Tmin , is of particular interest to nuclear safety. Many thermal-hydraulics codes depend on an accurate estimation of Tmin to determine the appropriate heat transfer regime. Heat transfer coefficients increase considerably when the surface temperature decreases below Tmin . This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation of Tmin for vertical cylinders at elevated pressure. While several previous studies have investigated Tmin under various conditions, relatively few have generated experimental data at pressures above atmospheric. As a result, correlations for Tmin often predict unrealistic values at high pressure. The present investigation has generated an experimental database examining the effects of pressure, material, subcooling, surface roughness, and oxidation on Tmin . The experimental apparatus and test specimens are described in addition to the evaluation procedure. Tmin results are reported in this paper for Type 316 stainless steel, Type 1018 carbon steel, and Zircaloy-4. Pressure was varied from 0.101 MPa to 3.0 MPa, and liquid subcooling was ranged up to 30 °C. Zircaloy-4 samples with a thick oxide layer were also tested. The results show that Tmin increases with pressure, liquid subcooling, surface roughness, and surface oxidation. Tmin is a strong function of pressure at low pressure, but asymptotically approaches a constant value as pressure increases. Tmin is also a function of surface material properties, with Zircaloy-4 being found to have the highest minimum film boiling temperature compared to carbon steel and stainless steel. For Zircaloy-4, an oxide layer was found to significantly increase Tmin .Copyright © 2002 by ASME
Total and free triiodothyronine and thyroxine in early infancy.

ABSTRACT Serum total and free triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) concentrations and thyrotropin (TSH) levels were measured in cord serum (n = 30), and serum from the same infants 3 days (n = 26) and 6 weeks of age (n = 15). Mean total T3 levels at these times were 48 ± 3, 125 ± 8 and 163 ± 6 ng/100 ml respectively (all values mean ± sem). The corresponding values for mean free T3 concentrations were 130 ± 10, 410 ± 20 and 400 ± 20 pg/100 ml. The total and free T3 levels in 6-week-old infants were higher than those of normal adults (p < 0.001). The mean T4 levels were 10.9 ± 0.3, 17.2 ± 0.5 and 10.3 ± 0.4 μg/100 ml and free T4 levels 2.23 ± 0.12, 4.87 ± 0.33 and 2.07 ± 0.08 ng/100 ml in the same sera. Free T4 levels were elevated over the values in normal adults only in sera from the 3-day-old infants. Mean TSH levels were 8.5 ± 0.7 and 7.3 ± 1.0 /μU/ml in cord serum and at age 3 days and were <2.5 μU/ml at age 6 weeks. The persistent elevation in free T3 levels at age 3 days and 6 weeks relative to ...
History of the Use of “Cedar Glades” and Other Descriptive Terms for Vegetation on Rocky Limestone Soils in the Central Basin of Tennessee

Use of “cedar glades” and other terms by geologists, botanists, soil scientists, and zoologists to describe vegetation on rocky limestone soils in the Central (Nashville) Basin of Tennessee from 1851 to 2003 is reviewed. Historically, in the Central Basin “cedar glades” has been applied to the rocky openings / redcedar / redcedar-hardwood / hardwood forest complex primarily on the (thin-bedded) Lebanon limestone but also on other (thick-bedded) Ordovician limestones. However, “cedar glades,” “limestone glades,” and “limestone cedar glades” increasingly are being used by botanists and plant ecologists for the rocky openings only, which have C4 native annual grass-C3 annual/perennial forb-cryptogam-dominated vegetation. Some erroneous statements in the literature that have resulted from misinterpretation or misunderstanding of “cedar glades” and other terms are discussed. Finally, a graphical model of the (apparent) pathways of development of cedar glade vegetation from bare rock to forest in the Central Basin is presented.
Ultrastructural basis and function of iridescent blue colour of fruits in Elaeocarpus

IRIDESCENT colour, caused by physical effects (thin-film interference, diffraction and Tyndall scattering), is relatively common in animals but exceedingly rare among plants1. Some benthic marine algae produce blue to violet iridescence2,3, and the upper leaf surfaces of a few vascular plants from the shady environments of humid tropical forests are iridescent blue4–6. Blue fruit colour has been assumed to be caused by anthocyanins7. A survey of such fruits (26 species in 18 genera) in Costa Rica, India, Florida and Malaysia, showed this to be the case, except for the iridescent colour in fruits of Elaeocarpus angustifolius Blume (Elaeocarpaceae). There I show that the colour is caused by a remarkable structure in the epidermis, and provide evidence for its selective advantage.
Parched elasto hydrodynamic lubrication film thickness measurement in an instrument ball bearing

Parched Elasto Hydrodynamic Lubricant (PEHL) film thickness in a large instrument ball bearing is measured by electrical capacitance across its ball set. Correlation is shown between changes in film thickness and changes in Basic Speed Ratio (BSR) measured at the same time. BSR is confirmed as a sensitive, non-intrusive measure of transients in film thickness in a real bearing.
Recessions, Retirement, and Social Security

This paper examines how labor market fluctuations around the time of retirement affect the labor force status and Social Security receipt of individuals ages 55 to 69 and the income of retirees in their 70s, using data from the March Current Population Survey, Census, and American Community Surveys. We find that workers are more likely to leave the labor force, to collect Social Security earlier, and to have lower Social Security income when they face a recession near retirement. The impact is greatest for the less-educated, who are more susceptible to job loss and rely more heavily on Social Security.
Synthesis of Longitudinal Joint of Flexible Pavement

This paper provides a wide range of information related to longitudinal joints of asphalt pavement, such as types of longitudinal joints, performance evaluations, factors of failure, and selection of the best practice in constructing longitudinal joints. Additionally, this synthesis provides an overview of construction methods which are typically used in constructing longitudinal joints, along with guides and approaches implemented by different road builders or authorities to attain a better longitudinal joint. It was found that difficulties during compaction of the asphalt pavement at the center line resulted in poor joint density. This has reduced the performance and durability of pavement that is associated with cracks and degradations due to moisture damage, such as raveling. Results from previous field studies and laboratory evaluations have been summarized to understand the factors of failure of the adjacent joint. The Michigan joint technique was found to be the best method in constructing longitudinal joints of HMA. The cutting wheel and the edge restraining device techniques are also recommended by the asphalt technologists however are dependent on the machine operator to obtain consistent results.
Catalytic activities associated with the enzymes II of the bacterial phosphotransferase system.

The phosphotransferase system (PTS) in Escherichia coli is a multifunctional, multicomponent enzyme system. Its primary functions deal with carbon source acquisition, while its secondary functions are concerned with the regulation of bacterial physiology. The primary functions of the system include (1) extracellular detection, (2) unidirectional and exchange transmembrane transport, and (3) phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent and sugar phosphate-dependent phosphorylation of the sugar substrates of the system. The secondary functions include (1) regulation of the activities of adenylate cyclase and various non-PTS permeases and (2) regulation of the induced synthesis of several PTS enzymes. Both the primary and secondary functions appear to be elicited by the binding of a sugar substrate to an Enzyme II complex. One of these integral transmembrane enzymes, the mannitol Enzyme II (IImtl), has been solubilized with detergent, purified to homogeneity, and reconstituted in an artificial membrane system. The molecular weight of this protein, IImtl, is 60,000 daltons. It possesses an extracellular sugar binding site and distinct intracellular combining sites for sugar phosphate and phospho-HPr. An essential sulfhydryl group and an antibody combining site are localized to the cytoplasmic surface of the enzyme, while a dextran combining site is localized to the external surface. Preliminary experiments suggest that the different functions of the Enzyme IImtl can be dissected by genetic and biochemical techniques. These studies emphasize the functional complexity of the PTS and its integral membrane protein constituents.
Gastrointestinal radiology: current indications and referral patterns

To determine the current indications and referral patterns for routine gastrointestinal radiology examinations, 1000 consecutive patients were prospectively analyzed. The following specialties were the largest sources of referral: general internal medicine (38%), gastroenterology (21%), and general and colorectal surgery (17%). Referrals from gastroenterologists were weighted toward areas not well evaluated by endoscopy, such as suspected small bowel disease. The major indications for upper gastrointestinal (GI) examinations were dysphagia and swallowing disorders (32%), hiatus hernia/reflux (14%), and ulcer (14%). Small bowel series were predominantly performed for inflammatory bowel disease (37%), obstruction (25%), and occult blood loss (18%). The majority of combined upper GI/small bowel studies were performed for indications primarily relating to the small bowel. Forty percent of barium enemas were performed for detection of neoplasms and polyps, with pain/irritable colon (14%) and exclusion of leak (14%) the next most common indications. Traditional indications, such as peptic ulcer disease and neoplastic disease, continue to be sources of referral for gastrointestinal radiology. However, more specialized applications, particularly in areas not well suited to endoscopy, such as swallowing disorders, inflammatory disease of the small bowel, and evaluation of surgical anastomoses, are also being commonly used. The changing indications, along with the previously documented decreased volume of gastrointestinal radiologic procedures, should be kept in mind when planning a radiology resident educational curriculum.
Systemic infection and limited replication of SHIV vaccine virus in brains of macaques inoculated intracerebrally with infectious viral DNA.

Abstract SHIV deleted in two accessory genes, Δ vpu Δ nef SHIV PPC , functioned well as a vaccine against later challenge with highly pathogenic SHIV KU , and it was able to reach the brain after oral inoculation of live virus. In this study, the proviral genome cloned into a plasmid was inoculated as DNA intracerebrally and spread systemically. Few regions of the brain had detectable proviral DNA by real-time PCR. Two measures of virus replication, detection of viral mRNA expression and circular proviral DNA, were negative for those brain regions, with the exception of the infection site in the right parietal lobe, whereas lymphoid tissues were positive by both measures. Histopathological analyses of all the sampled brain and spinal cord regions did not reveal any abnormalities. Despite intracerebral inoculation of the viral DNA, the brain was not targeted for high levels of virus replication.
Immune rejection mechanisms in murine leukemia. I. Timing of tumor cell rejection process relative to the development of humoral and cell-mediated cytotoxic immune responses.

Studies were undertaken to investigate the relationship between cell-mediated and humoral immune responses in the rejection of L1210/MTX-Rev (LR) leukemia cells in CD2F1 mice. The anti-LR antibody (humoral) response was defined by both its cytotoxic antibody titer and isotype composition, assessed by a complement-dependent cytotoxicity assay and radioimmune assay, respectively. The cytotoxic thymus (T)-derived lymphocyte response in the spleen was quantitated by 125I release by 125I-IUdR-labelled target cells. Analysis of the sera of tumor-bearing mice indicated that the LR leukemia cells elicited a wide spectrum of anti-tumor antibody isotypes. In mice that mounted a rejection response, the IgM anti-LR response was transient, while in those that did not, the IgM response persisted. Antibody titers for all isotypes remained low until the onset of LR rejection. At that time, high titers of IgG anti-LR antibodies, predominantly of the IgG2a subclass, were detected in sera of tumor-free mice. Thus, the LR rejection response coincided best with the appearance of high titers of IgG2a anti-LR antibodies. A single i.p. injection of viable LR cells elicited a potent cell-mediated immune response; neither the appearance nor the magnitude of the cell-mediated immune response as measured in the spleen correlated well with the onset or the strength of the LR rejection response in the peritoneal cavity. The LR peritoneal cell population grew unabated in the presence of an intense spleen cell-mediated immune response, and the rejection process began at a time when little cellular immunity could be detected. These results suggest that in the rejection response IgM antibodies contribute little, if any, to the process, and the role of cytotoxic T lymphocytes is questionable (uncertain). The rejection of LR cells appears to be primarily mediated by IgG2a antibodies.
Low distortion and high SNR analog signal multicasting using self-seeded parametric mixer

We present noise and distortion measurements of multicast copies generated in a self-seeded parametric mixer. Linear mixer operation by distortion free SBS suppression results in high signal-to-noise and -distortion-ratio wavelength copies compatible for analog processing.
An Empirical Investigation of Some Antecedents of Opportunism in a Marketing Channel

The author examines the determinants of opportunistic behavior in an interfirm relationship. Data from a franchise setting are examined for the effects of inter-organizational structure and interfi...
Theory and design of “shortened” multiantenna microwave applicators with controllable SAR patterns

A ‘‘shortened’’ multiantenna hyperthermia applicator has been designed and tested at the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology at Washington University School of Medicine. By shortening the distance from antenna to aperture, an applicator is obtained that produces an SAR pattern that is essentially the same as produced by a monopole antenna. By placing several properly spaced probe antennas into the same ‘‘shortened’’ applicator, an applicator is obtained that produces a SAR distribution that is essentially a composite of small overlapping SAR patterns produced by weakly interacting incoherently driven antennas. Such a design significantly improves the applicator’s lateral heating efficiency and allows the independent control of temperatures in certain tumor areas by changing the input power to the respective antennas.
Androgens of the leopard frog, Rana pipiens Schreber

Abstract It was determined by paper chromatographic methods that the principal steroids produced by the testes of Rana pipiens S. are testosterone and androstenedione.
Image vector quantization with block-adaptive scalar prediction

ABSTRACTA novel method for block coding of images is presented which combines 2-D scalar prediction with vectorquantization. The input image is divided into spatially contiguous, non—overlapping square blocks and the inherent spatial nonstationarity is modeled by adaptation of the scalar predictor to each block. A new technique for the quantization of predictor coefficients is introduced which ensures the stability of the resultant inverseprediction error filter. Simulation results show that the predictor adaptation method leads to significantly improved performance compared to a coder with a fixed predictor for a nominal increase in the overall bit rate. When compared with predictive vector quantization, our coder provides higher coding gain and better percep- tual quality. 1. INTRODUCTION Vector quantization (VQ) is known to be a powerful coding technique which has the potential of achieving rate-distortion bounds for a sufficiently large vector dimension k or rate r [1]. However, the complexity of VQ
Applications of adsorption microcalorimetry for the characterization of metal-based catalysts

Microcalorimetry is a useful tool for studies of heterogeneous catalysts, because it provides a direct measurement of the strength with which molecules interact with solid surfaces. The following communication reviews adsorption microcalorimetric studies of unsupported metals and metal-based catalysts performed over the last 20 years, and then presents three advanced microcalorimetric techniques and their applications to the study of low surface-area-metal single crystals, films and powders, and metal surfaces/catalysts that are highly reactive toward oxygenates.
Application of speckle metrology at a nuclear waste repository

Nuclear contaminated waste must be isolated for up to 10 , 000 years before it is rendered harmless and, at present, bedded salt is the burial in&lium of choice. Bd&1 salt is not, however, considereI to be an erineerir material ; its lorj-term creep properties are recondite. The prcble facir analysts is that new defomation models require experimental verification for which traditional point-by-point methods , such as strain gages , provide inadequate coverage. Fortunately, wholefield optical tecbniques, speckle photography in particular, are amenable to this measurement prcblem. The use of 'speckle' in this novel application
Bicalutamide and Third-Generation Aromatase Inhibitors in Testotoxicosis

Testotoxicosis, a form of gonadotropin-independent precocious puberty, results from an activating mutation of the luteinizing hormone receptor expressed in testicular Leydig cells. Affected males experience early testosterone secretion, virilization, advancing bone age, and resultant short stature. Recently, the use of combination therapy with a potent antiandrogen agent (bicalutamide) and a third-generation aromatase inhibitor (anastrozole or letrozole) was reported to yield encouraging short-term results. We present here the results of longer-term treatment (4.5 and 5 years) with this combination therapy in 2 boys who demonstrated that it is well tolerated, slows bone-age advancement in the face of continued linear growth, and prevents progression of virilization.
Phase effects owing to multilayer coatings in a two-mirror extreme-ultraviolet Schwarzschild objective

The aberrations of a multilayer-coated reflective Schwarzschild objective, which are influenced both by mirror surface profiles and by multilayer coatings, are evaluated with a phase-shifting point diffraction interferometer operating in the extreme ultraviolet. Using wave-front measurements at multiple wavelengths near 13.4 nm, we observed chromatic aberrations and wavelength-dependent transmission changes that were due to molybdenum–silicon multilayer coatings. The effects of chromatic vignetting due to limited multilayer reflection passbands on the imaging performance of the Schwarzschild optic are considered. The coating characteristics extracted from the interferometry data on the two-mirror optical system are compared with previously reported coating properties measured on individual mirror substrates.
Genetic biogeography of the rate “copper moss”,Scopelophila cataractae (Pottiaceae)

Scopelophila cataractae, one of the so-called “copper mosses”, has a broad geographic distribution that includes North, Central, and South America, Europe, and Asia, but is rare throughout its range. A genetic analysis of 32 populations from the United States, Europe, and Asia based on 15 putative allozyme loci indicates that levels of genetic diversity vary among geographic regions. Six European populations are fixed for the same alleles at all 15 loci, consistent with the hypothesis thatS. cataractae is a recent immigrant in that region. The species is more diverse in the U.S., where it appears to be native. Five populations collected on copper-enriched soils around shrines and temples in Tokyo are genetically monomorphic, but Asian populations from another Japanese site, India, and Nepal are exceptionally diverse in terms of numbers of alleles and multilocus haplotypes, total gene diversity (HT), and in the degree of differentiation among populations (measured as Nei'sI andD). Long-distance dispersal has probably played an important role in the geographic history ofS. cataractae, but the species appears to be native in both the New and Old Worlds. Gene flow between plants disjunct on different continents is insufficient to explain the lack of geographically correlated morphological and genetic differentiation inS. cataractae.
Light and electron microscopic studies of retzius lines in human cervical enamel.

Unaltered mature enamel and partially demineralized mature enamel from the cervical third of human permanent teeth were examined by means of transmission electron microscopy, microradiography, phase contrast and Nomarski differential interference microscopy. The Retzius lines in the outer third of the cervical enamel had a staircase configuration. The steps in the stair-case pattern formed the bases of triangular regions which were radiolucent and ultrastructurally contained fewer crystallites than the adjacent enamel. In the outer prismless layer, the Retzius lines had a curvilinear configuration and were also crystallite deficient. The structure of the Retzius lines in the inner portion of the cervical enamel was not nearly as well defined.