cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Variation of symptoms during the menstrual cycle in female patients with gastroparesis

Background Gastroparesis, a chronic gastric motility disorder with symptoms of nausea, vomiting, early satiety, postprandial fullness and bloating, predominantly affects women. Some studies suggest that gastric emptying may be slower in females especially during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle when estrogen and progesterone levels are elevated. In females with irritable bowel syndrome, symptoms may worsen during the luteal phase. The aim of this study was to determine if symptoms of gastroparesis vary along the menstrual cycle and to determine the effect of oral contraceptive agents (OCPs) on symptoms. Methods Thirty-nine premenopausal women were studied (10 gastroparesis patients not on OCPs, 10 gastroparesis on OCPs, nine healthy women not on OCPs and 10 healthy women on OCPs). The Gastroparesis Cardinal Symptom Index Daily Diary was used to assess daily symptoms (0 = none and 5 = very severe). Key Results Gastroparesis patients not on OCPs had significantly worse symptoms during the luteal phase compared to the follicular phase for nausea (2.25 ± 0.68 vs 1.58 ± 1.06; P < 0.001) and early satiety (2.80 ± 0.50 vs 1.70 ± 1.50; P < 0.001), but not for vomiting, bloating, abdominal pain, fullness, or loss of appetite. Gastroparesis patients on OCPs showed little day-to-day variation of symptoms. Vomiting was more severe in patients off OCPs (2.00 ± 0.80 vs 1.20 ± 0.83; P = 0.040). Healthy women exhibited little to no symptoms regardless of OCP use. Conclusions & Inferences Increased symptoms, particularly nausea and early satiety, occurred in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle in female patients with gastroparesis. A variation in symptoms was not seen in gastroparesis female patients on hormonal contraception.
Granulomatous lesions in the bone marrow in infectious mononucleosis; a comparison of the changes in the bone marrow in infectious mononucleosis with those in brucellosis, tuberculosis, sarcoidosis and lymphatic leukemia.

1. The findings in the blood and in aspirated bone marrow in 23 cases of infectious mononucleosis have been described. 2. Unequivocal evidence of involvement of the bone marrow has been found in 70 per cent of the cases. 3. Evidence of granulomatous inflammation of the marrow was found in 48 per cent of the cases. 4. Epithelioid cells were found in the films of bone marrow in 48 per cent of the cases. These cells appear morphologically identical with those seen in imprints of lymph nodes from infectious mononucleosis and sarcoidosis and with the epithelioid cells seen in films of the marrow in brucellosis, sarcoidosis and tuberculosis. 5. The granulomatous lesions of infectious mononucleosis seem most similar to those of brucellosis, but they also resemble the small granulomatous lesions of sarcoidosis and tuberculosis. 6. Lymphocytosis of the marrow as well as of the blood was demonstrated in all cases. Evidence of formation of lymphocytes in the marrow was presented, and the altered lymphocytes of infectious mononucleosis were found in films of the marrow. The degree of lymphocytosis of the marrow in infectious mononucleosis was shown to be less than that in lymphatic leukemia. Lymphocytosis of the marrow was not found in brucellosis, sarcoidosis or tuberculosis. The lymphocytic reaction demonstrable in the marrow in infectious mononucleosis is believed to be of value in differential diagnosis. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We wish to acknowledge the generous cooperation of Dr. Ruth E. Boynton and the Staff of the Student’s Health Service of the University of Minnesota throughout the course of this year long study of infectious mononucleosis. We are indebted to Dr. T. Edward Bell and Dr. James Cardy for performing the sternal aspirations. The photomicrographs were made by Mr. Henry Morris.
EO Signal Propagation in a Simulated Underwater Turbulence Environment

Underwater electro-optical, or EO, transmission is a function of medium properties and constituents within. While the majority of the research focus has been on the constituents, especially the particulate forms, recent research indicates that under certain conditions, the apparent signal degradation could also be caused by variations of the index of refraction associated with temperature and salinity microstructure in oceans and lakes. These would inherently affect optical signal transmission underwater, which is important to both civilian and military applications involving search and rescue, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance applications, as well as optical communications. To study the effect of optical turbulence and to mitigate its impacts, a controlled environment allowing various intensities of turbulent mixing is a critical asset. Numerical experiments as well as measurements have been carried out in such a simulated environment, in order to understand mixing setup time, development and dissipation rates. The domain is modeled after a large Rayleigh-Benard convective tank with a length, width and depth dimension of 5, 0.5 and 0.5m, respectively. The convective mixing is realized by using heating and cooling plates at the bottom and top of the tank at given temperature differences. The computational fluid dynamics model is implemented with large eddy simulation approximation. Dissipation rates from model and measurements are compared and suggest fully developed turbulence has been achieved by this setup. Optical signal transmission under these conditions are also examined, through image degradation using image quality metric, and phase screen models from corresponding power spectrum. The integrated temperature variation along the transmission path is compared to generated phase screens, along with discussions on reducing uncertainties in estimation of key parameters.
Nursing-sensitive outcome reliability testing in a tertiary care setting.

purpose. To describe nursing outcomes classification (NOC) that are most relevant for, specialty acute care nursing practice, and to assess the adequacy of measures. methods. Data were collected on 434 patients during the 14-month data collection period at a tertiary care center: cardiac surgery intensive care (n = 76), cardiac transplant unit (n = 153), and medical unit (n = 205). findings. Thirty-six NOC outcomes were used 10 or more times during the study. Of those, 16 had an inter-rater reliability of 75% or higher. conclusions. NOC outcomes show promise for accurately documenting the effectiveness of nursing interventions. Further study is needed to develop meaningful analysis of the documented NOC outcomes and efficiently integrate NOC into electronic documentation systems. practice implications. Increased familiarity with NOC allowed nursing staff to determine which outcomes comprise core nursing-sensitive outcomes for their clinical setting.
Intrinsic Hole Migration Rates in TiO2 from Density Functional Theory

Formation and migration of hole polarons in bulk rutile and anatase TiO2 were modeled using density functional theory (DFT) combined with the Marcus/Holstein theory of electron/polaron transfer. We previously applied a similar methodology to model electron polarons and extended the approach to hole polarons. Holes were formed by removal of an O(2p) valence electron, and the quantum mechanical characterization of hole hopping (reorganization energy and electronic coupling) was carried out with the DFT+U method, a method that corrects for self-interaction errors and facilitates charge localization, combined with Hartree−Fock cluster calculations. Several elementary hole transfer processes along various directions were investigated for both rutile and anatase. Hopping along most directions in rutile and along one direction in anatase was found to be adiabatic in character, i.e., thermal processes coupled to phonons. The activation energies for these processes were found to be about twice as large as the acti...
A small high-frequency headphone

The construction and performance of a small electrostatic sound transducer are discussed. The transducer has strong power output, from 2,000 Hz to 70,000 Hz, and is simple to fabricate. Applications include a semi-insertion headphone for human audiology experiments and a compact sound source that can be flush mounted against an animal’s auditory canal.
Correlation of trypsin-plasma inhibitor complexes with mortality in experimental pancreatitis in rats

Activation of trypsinogen in acute pancreatitis results in subsequent increases in plasma levels of trypsin bound to the inhibitors α1-protease inhibitor (α1-PI) and α-macroglobulin (α-M). It seems logical to speculate that plasma levels of these inhibitor-bound forms of trypsin may reflect the degree of intrapancreatic zymogen activation and that determination of such parameters may be of diagnostic and prognostic value. In order to test this hypothesis, the concentrations of trypsinogen and of trypsin bound to α1-PI have been determined in serial plasma samples from rats who died (N=7) and survived (N=5) following induction of pancreatitis with taurocholate. Since the other major reaction product of active trypsin in plasma, α-macroglobulin-bound trypsin, cannot be measured directly, the plasma levels of trypsin-like amidase activity were determined to estimate the concentration of trypsin-α-M complex. Shortly after induction of pancreatitis, elevated levels of trypsinogen were present in plasma, but no α1-PI-bound trypsin could be detected. Trypsin-α1-PI complex continuously increased over the time course of pancreatitis in animals that died. In contrast, the plasma levels of trypsin-α1-PI complex were lower in animals that survived, peaked around 15 hr postinduction at levels (182±53 ng/ml) significantly lower than those in dying animals (543±346 ng/ml), and fell during the following 48 hr. There was a significant correlation between plasma trypsin-like amidase activity and plasma α1-PI-bound trypsin. Our data demonstrate that the concentration of activated forms of plasma trypsin in the bloodstream are correlated with mortality in experimental pancreatitis.
Histone Staining with Ammoniacal Silver

Under controlled conditions, ammoniacal silver (A-S) stains the bands of Dipteran salivary gland chromosomes in a precise and selective manner. Such staining is dependent upon the histone content of the band, as shown by the effects of selective extraction and blocking of the histones. The effects of qcid extraction and HONO solution on the A-S staining of different bands suggest that specific genes may have particular histones associated with them.
Model Development Under Uncertainty via Conjoint Analysis

Model development decisions are critical in the early phases of engineering design. Engineering models serve as representations of reality that help designers understand input/output relationships, answer ‘what-if’ questions, and find optimal design solutions. Upon making model development decisions, the designer commits a large percentage of the costs associated with reaching design goals/objectives. The decisions dictate cost-drivers such as experimental setups and computation time. Unfortunately, the desire to develop the most accurate model competes with the desire to reduce costs. The designer is ultimately required to make trade-offs between attributes when choosing the best model development decision. Hence it is critical to develop tools for selecting the model development decision that appropriately balances trade-offs. A framework is proposed for model development decision-making. Conjoint Analysis (CA) is implemented in order to handle trade-offs among attributes. Thus, the framework can be used to make optimal decisions based on the assessment of multiple attributes. Moreover, the framework addresses the uncertainty that exists early in model design. Imprecision in model parameters are estimated and propagated through the model. In particular, the proposed decision framework is employed to select the optimal model development decision with respect to the final phase of experimentation. Preference intervals are evaluated in order to choose which final experimentation to perform. The decision framework proves to be useful for making model development decisions under uncertainty by considering the preference of multiple attributes and the imprecision of said attributes that is prevalent in early model development phases.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Identification, purification, and molecular cloning of N-1-naphthylphthalmic acid-binding plasma membrane-associated aminopeptidases from Arabidopsis.

Polar transport of the plant hormone auxin is regulated at the cellular level by inhibition of efflux from a plasma membrane (PM) carrier. Binding of the auxin transport inhibitor N-1-naphthylphthalamic acid (NPA) to a regulatory site associated with the carrier has been characterized, but the NPA-binding protein(s) have not been identified. Experimental disparities between levels of high-affinity NPA binding and auxin transport inhibition can be explained by the presence of a low-affinity binding site and in vivo hydrolysis of NPA. In Arabidopsis, colocalization of NPA amidase and aminopeptidase (AP) activities, inhibition of auxin transport by artificial β-naphthylamide substrates, and saturable displacement of NPA by the AP inhibitor bestatin suggest that PM APs may be involved in both low-affinity NPA binding and hydrolysis. We report the purification and molecular cloning of NPA-binding PM APs and associated proteins from Arabidopsis. This is the first report of PM APs in plants. PM proteins were purified by gel permeation, anion exchange, and NPA affinity chromatography monitored for tyrosine-AP activity. Lower affinity fractions contained two orthologs of mammalian APs involved in signal transduction and cell surface-extracellular matrix interactions. AtAPM1 and ATAPP1 have substrate specificities and inhibitor sensitivities similar to their mammalian orthologs, and have temporal and spatial expression patterns consistent with previous in planta histochemical data. Copurifying proteins suggest that the APs interact with secreted cell surface and cell wall proline-rich proteins. AtAPM1 and AtAPP1 are encoded by single genes. In vitro translation products of ATAPM1 and AtAPP1 have enzymatic activities similar to those of native proteins.
Reliability characteristics of the Donovan spinal cord injury pain classification system

Abstract Richards JS, Hicken BL, Putzke JD, Ness T, Kezar L. Reliability characteristics of the Donovan spinal cord injury pain classification system. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2002;83:1290-4. Objective: To determine the interrater reliability of the Donovan system for classification of pain in spinal cord injury (SCI) as well as the clinician-based usefulness of each of the classification criteria used in the Donovan system. Design: Information pertinent to the Donovan system was provided incrementally by videotape for each pain site. After each additional piece of information, the 3 raters classified the pain site into 1 of 5 types and gave a confidence rating (5-point Likert scale) regarding the accuracy of their classifications. Thus, each pain site was classified 6 separate times, each with an associated confidence rating. Setting: Academic rehabilitation hospital. Participants: Twenty-eight persons with traumatic onset SCI reported 60 pain sites. Interventions: Not applicable. Main Outcome Measure: The short-form McGill Pain Questionnaire. Results: Interrater agreement ranged from 50% to 70%. Interrater agreement did not change as additional information was provided. In contrast, confidence ratings significantly increased as additional information was provided. Conclusions: There was considerable variability between raters using the Donovan system for classifying SCI pain. Additional clinical information increased the rater's confidence in the accuracy of their ratings but did not improve interrater agreement. © 2002 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Clinical status epilepticus due to anaplastic cortical ependymoma

1. IntroductionEpendymomas are glial tumors which arise from the ependy-mal lining of the cerebral ventricles and the central canal of thespinal cord.Duetomigrationfromperiventricularareastothecor-tex during the embryonal stage ependymal cells are also presentinside brain parenchyma.Ependymomas currently account for approximately 3–5% ofall intracranial malignancies in the United States, therefore mak-ing them the third most common brain tumor in children andyoung adults.Furthermore,African-Americansaremorecommonlyaffected than Caucasians.They aremorefrequentinchildren,wheretheymayaccountforabout 10% of all intrinsic brain tumors. In contrast this tumor typeis much rarer (1–2%) in adults. As a general rule, the prognosis inyoung patients seems to be worse than in adults.Anaplastic ependymomas are recognized as WHO grade III anddeﬁned on the basis of their relative hypercellularity, cellularand nuclear pleomorphism, frequency of mitoses and endothe-lial proliferation. Only very little is known about the etiology ofependymomas, butapossibleinfectiousetiologyhasbeenhypoth-esized.This case highlights a rare clinical presentation due to anunusual localization of this type of tumor. The patient presented
The effect of clay on the thermal degradation of polyamide 6 in polyamide 6/clay nanocomposites

Abstract The degradation pathway of polyamide 6/clay nanocomposites was studied as a function of clay content. Well-dispersed polymer–clay nanocomposites can be easily obtained by simple melt blending between organically-modified clays and polyamide 6. Polyamide 6–clay nanocomposites exhibit a large reduction in the peak heat release rate, 60%, measured by cone calorimetry. There are no significant differences in the evolved products during thermal degradation of polyamide 6 and polyamide 6/clay nanocomposites in terms of composition and functionality. The main degradation pathway of polyamide 6 is aminolysis and/or acidolysis, primarily through an intra-chain reaction, producing e-carprolactam, which is the monomer of polyamide 6. As the clay loading is increased, the relative quantity of e-carprolactam in the evolved products decreases and the viscosity of the soluble solid residues increases. It is thought that inter-chain reactions become significant in the presence of clay because the degrading polymer chains are trapped in the gallery space of the clay during thermal degradation.
Levels of mast-cell growth factors in plasma and in suction skin blister fluid in adults with mastocytosis: Correlation with dermal mast-cell numbers and mast-cell tryptase

Abstract Background: Mast-cell accumulation has been observed in the skin and other organs of patients with systemic indolent mastocytosis (SM). The basis for this pathologic increase is not fully understood. Objective: We sought to determine levels of mast-cell growth factors in the skin and plasma of patients with SM, patients with atopic dermatitis (AD), and healthy individuals and to correlate these levels to dermal mast-cell numbers and levels of mast-cell tryptase. Methods: Skin suction blister fluid and plasma levels of stem-cell factor, IL-3, IL-4, IL-6, vascular endothelial growth factor, and total mast-cell tryptase were analyzed by means of ELISA. The number of mast cells was determined in a biopsy section taken from adjacent skin. Results: Mast-cell numbers in the dermis were higher in patients with SM compared with numbers in patients with AD ( P P P P P P P P Conclusion: Because elevated levels of IL-6 could contribute to the fever, fatigue, and osteoporosis observed in patients with SM and because IL-6 is antiapoptotic for mast cells, IL-6 could potentiate the biologic consequences of this disease. (J Allergy Clin Immunol 2002;109:82-8.)
Simulation of Photodetection Using FDTD Method with Application to Near-Field Subwavelength Imaging Based on Nanoscale Semiconductor Photodetector Array

Simulation of detecting photoelectrons using FDTD method with an application to near-field subwavelength imaging based on nanoscale semiconductor photodetector array is reported. Spatial distributions for the electric field and photoelectron density have been obtained and the photocurrents from the photoelectrons have been calculated for the nanoscale photodetector array. The resolution of this novel device for subwavelenegth imaging can be achieved down to one tenth of the operating wavelength, which is comparable to commercial near-field scanning optical microscope.
Parent–Child Acculturation Profiles as Predictors of Chinese American Adolescents’ Academic Trajectories

Acculturation plays a critical role in the adjustment of Asian Americans, as a large proportion of them are immigrants in the US. However, little is known about how acculturation influences Asian American adolescents’ academic trajectories over time. Using a longitudinal sample of 444 Chinese American families (54 % female children), the current study explored the effect of mothers’, fathers’, and adolescents’ individual acculturation profiles and parent–child acculturation dissonance on adolescents’ academic trajectories from 8th to 12th grade. Academic performance was measured by grade point average (GPA), and by standardized test scores in English language arts (ELA) and Math every year. Latent growth modeling analyses showed that adolescents with a Chinese-oriented father showed faster decline in GPA, and Chinese-oriented adolescents had lower initial ELA scores. Adolescents whose parents had American-oriented acculturation profiles tended to have lower initial Math scores. These results suggest that Chinese and American profiles may be disadvantageous for certain aspects of academic performance, and bicultural adolescents and/or adolescents with bicultural parents are best positioned to achieve across multiple domains. In terms of the role of parent–child acculturation dissonance on academic trajectories, the current study highlighted the importance of distinguishing among different types of dissonance. Adolescents who were more Chinese-oriented than their parents tended to have the lowest initial ELA scores, and adolescents experiencing more normative acculturation dissonance (i.e., who were more American-oriented than their parents) had the highest initial ELA scores. No effects of parent–child acculturation dissonance were observed for GPAs or standardized Math scores. Altogether, the current findings add nuances to the current understanding of acculturation and adolescent adjustment.
SINGULAR LAPLACIAN GROWTH

The general equations of motion for two dimensional Laplacian growth are derived using the conformal mapping method. In the singular case, all singularities of the conformal map are on the unit circle, and the map is a degenerate Schwarz-Christoffel map. The equations of motion describe the motions of these singularities. Despite the typical fractal-like outcomes of Laplacian growth processes, the equations of motion are shown to be not particularly sensitive to initial conditions. It is argued that the sensitivity of this system derives from a novel cause, the non-uniqueness of solutions to the differential system. By a mechanism of singularity creation, every solution can become more complex, even in the absence of noise, without violating the growth law. These processes are permitted, but are not required, meaning the equation of motion does not determine the motion, even in the small.
Quality Level and Fault Coverage for Multichip Modules

A relationship between the quality level of a multichip module package and test coverage is established. A fault model for each stage of assembly of the package is assumed and the contribution of each of these stages to the quality level is assessed to produce the required relationship to test coverage achieved through test generation programs.
Thermal Analysis of a New IMPATT Semiconductor Device

In many cases, functions of semiconductor devices are limited by thermal rather than electronic considerations. A microcomputer code has been developed to analyze the steady-state thermal behavior of a new multilayered IMPATT device. A two-step modeling approach which can reduce the computer memory needed for computation was employed to allow the present study to be conducted in a microcomputer. The new device was originally designed for electronic purposes. However, the present study found that the multilayer design can provide a favorable thermal environment to improve the heat dissipation rate. The present results also indicate that an increase of the operating frequency increases the thermal resistance which is consistent with most observations. Since the detailed information on temperature distributions throughout the device as well as the proposed packaging (heat sink) is available, the present study can contribute not only to better understanding of the device’s thermal characteristics but also to better design of the packaging.
Free proteolytic enzymes in pancreatic juice of patients with acute pancreatitis.

Pancreatic juice from four patients with acute pancreatitis was collected at 4° C from uncomplicated fistulae or by catheterization of the pancreatic duct. The concentration of free trypsin, chymotrypsin, and elastase, as well as the corresponding zymogens in the specimens, was estimated. With the exception of the juice from one patient with a fistula, who secreted zymogens and free chymotrypsin only during the first two postoperative days, all specimens contained free enzymes exclusively, including those specimens obtained by catheter during the period of observation. The apparent lack of pancreatic trypsin inhibitor in the secretions of our patients, and earlier reports of low levels or absence of this inhibitor after abdominal operations, may reflect a prerequisite in the development of acute pancreatitis. In this scheme, the trigger mechanism in the premature activation of pancreatic zymogens may be provided by autoactivation of trypsinogen or its activation by enzymes of the blood-clotting or fibrinolytic systems. Some evidence in support of this hypothesis is presented.
Rate of crystal growth of sulfathiazole and methylprednisolone

The results of crystal growth rate studies using single crystals of sulfathiazole and methylprednisolone are presented. The growth rate of sulfathiazole crystals growing in a supersaturated aqueous solution showed stirring rate dependence from 10 to 400 r.p.m. The same stirring rate dependence was found for all three faces studied. In alcohol solutions, however, the stirring rate dependence appeared to disappear above 150 r.p.m., suggesting that at the higher stirring rates the rate of crystal growth of sulfathiazole is surface controlled. A plot of the growth rate versus the supersaturation ratio appeared to be linear for all studies with intercepts exhibited on the supersaturation ratio axis. The intercept appeared to be a function of its solvent varying from 1.07 to 1.43 and to be a function of the polarity of the alcohol. The crystal growth rate of methylprednisolone, on the other hand, showed no stirring rate dependence in the range from 20 to 400 r.p.m. and appears to be surface controlled even at low stirring rates.
EFCAB7 and IQCE regulate hedgehog signaling by tethering the EVC-EVC2 complex to the base of primary cilia.

Summary The Hedgehog (Hh) pathway depends on primary cilia in vertebrates, but the signaling machinery within cilia remains incompletely defined. We report the identification of a complex between two ciliary proteins, EFCAB7 and IQCE, which positively regulates the Hh pathway. The EFCAB7-IQCE module anchors the EVC-EVC2 complex in a signaling microdomain at the base of cilia. EVC and EVC2 genes are mutated in Ellis van Creveld and Weyers syndromes, characterized by impaired Hh signaling in skeletal, cardiac, and orofacial tissues. EFCAB7 binds to a C-terminal disordered region in EVC2 that is deleted in Weyers patients. EFCAB7 depletion mimics the Weyers cellular phenotype—the mislocalization of EVC-EVC2 within cilia and impaired activation of the transcription factor GLI2. Evolutionary analysis suggests that emergence of these complexes might have been important for adaptation of an ancient organelle, the cilium, for an animal-specific signaling network. Video Abstract
SIGNALING TO P53 : BREAKING THE MDM2-P53 CIRCUIT

As is often the case with new discoveries, new questions are posed: What are the protein kinases involved in phosphorylating p53 sites that regulate its interactions with MDM2? Do different forms of genotoxic stress activate discrete upstream kinase signaling cascades and result in different outcomes, such as apoptosis versus cell cycle arrest? How does phosphorylation of N-terminal sites affect p53’s interaction not only with MDM2, but also with transcription factors and with its DNA sites? How do Myc and Ras signal to ARF? The model presented in Figure 2Figure 2, suggesting that release of E2F is sufficient to stabilize p53, is likely to be an oversimplification. Since E2F activity is liberated during transit to S phase, how is p53 checkpoint function reigned in during normal passage of cells through the cycle? Oncogenes may not only work to relieve repression of E2F; perhaps they can also prevent downregulation of ARF by p53. Are there signaling and stabilization pathways to p53 that are separate from the two outlined in Figure 2Figure 2? How does p53 get back to ground state once stabilized by either ARF or DNA damage? And perhaps the most important question of all: can these discoveries be used for therapeutic purposes? Answers to these and related questions are likely to keep many of us busy for the forseeable future.
Trends in computers

I am really pleased to have this chance to talk to this group, which includes so may people of whom I have such very pleasant memories . I will talk about the evolution of computers, which of course, is something I have been spending a lot of time on for the last fifteen years. This evolution, I also believe, is one of the great events of our time. It certainly is clear to all of you, I think, the effect that it already has had on management science and I think to some extent, the effect that it has already had on society at large . One thing I am sure you are going to see as I go through this talk in more detail, is that there is every reason to believe that the present rapid progress of computers and therefore their effect on management science, on society, will continue. My talk is structured as follows . First, I am going to go through the elements of computer technology : logic and memory, storage, and a few words about software technology . Next, I am going to talk about the impact which the progress in those areas has on the computer systems that are built out of those parts . Then after I finish this technical part of the talk, I am going to talk briefly about the national and international reaction to this very rapid evolution of computers . There is one very peculiar characteristic about computers which, although probably many of you are conscious of it, I want to stress, because I believe it is the fundamental thing that lies behind
Shelf water and chlorophyll export from the Hatteras slope and outer shelf

Using high-resolution data acquired from a shipboard ADCP and a towed Scanfish equipped with a CTD and fluorometer, we examine the properties and transport of Middle Atlantic Bight (MAB) shelf water over a region of the Hatteras outer shelf and slope where MAB shelf water is commonly deflected offshore and entrained into the Gulf Stream. The data are from a period in early August 2004 when the seasonal pycnocline of the MAB is well developed and situated over a weakly stratified, near-bottom shelf water mass commonly referred to as the cold pool. Our data show chlorophyll-rich cold pool water carried rapidly southward over the slope and outer shelf, at a rate of up to 60 cm s−1, as part of the shelf-edge frontal jet. This southward transport of chlorophyll-rich cold pool water is shunted eastward and entrained into the Gulf Stream. However, the latitude band over which this export occurs varies significantly over the 7 day course of our study, a variation which is linked to an order 50 km shift in the latitude at which the Gulf Stream separates from the continental margin. The coupled rapid translation of the Gulf Stream frontal separation and the cold pool export zone is likely to have a significant impact on the movement and accumulation of biogenic material over the Hatteras slope and rise.
Ion Transport in Nanofluidic Channels

Theoretical modeling of ionic distribution and transport in silica nanotubes, 30 nm in diameter and 5 μm long, suggest that when the diameter is smaller than the Debye length, a unipolar solution of counterions is created within the nanotube and the colons are electrostatically repelled. By locally modifying the surface charge density through a gate electrode, the ion concentration can be depleted under the gate and the ionic current can be significantly suppressed. It is proposed that this could form the basis of a unipolar ionic field-effect transistor.
Peer-to-peer checkpointing arrangement for mobile grid computing systems

This paper deals with a novel, distributed, QoS-aware, peer-to-peer checkpointing arrangement component for Mobile Grid (MoG) computing systems middleware. Checkpointing is more crucial in MoG systems than in their wired counterparts due to node mobility and less reliable wireless links resulting in frequent and dynamic connections and disconnections. Having determined the globally optimal checkpoint arrangement to be NP-complete, we consider ReD, our Reliability Driven (ReD) protocol, employing QoS-aware heurisitcs, for constucting superior peer-to-peer checkpointing arrangements efficiently.
Kinetics and Mechanism of CCl4 Photoreductive Degradation on TiO2: The Role of Trichloromethyl Radical and Dichlorocarbene

The mechanism of photoreduction of CCl_4 on illuminated TiO2 surfaces was investigated by selectively trapping transient free radical intermediates. Dichlorocarbene and trichloromethyl radical were trapped with 2,3-dimethyl-2-butene during the photocatalytic degradation of CCl_4. The rate of formation of trapped :CCl_2 and •CCl_3 was found to be a function of [H_2O], pH, [CCl_4], the nature of the dissolved gas, and light intensity. Dissolved oxygen was not essential for the degradation of CCl_4. The production rate of trapped dichlorocarbene showed light intensity dependencies of second, first, and half order with progressively increasing light intensity. A two-electron photoreductive pathway (via dichlorocarbene formation) was found to be the dominant mechanism leading to the full degradation of CCl_4. Since dichlorocarbene is hydrolyzed under basic conditions, the pH and water concentration were found to be integral parameters controlling the complete degradation of CCl_4 to CO, CO_2, and HCl. Kinetic equations describing the formation of trapped dichlorocarbene were derived from a proposed mechanism. The comparison of the predicted rate expression to the observed data suggested that the observed two-electron transfer occurred consecutively.
Characterization of a chromosomally integrated luxCDABE marker for investigation of shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O91:H21 shedding in cattle

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O91:H21 has been recognized as a potential life-threatening foodborne pathogen and is commonly involved in human infections in European countries. Fecal shedding of the organism by cattle is considered to be the ultimate source for contaminations. Studies examining STEC shedding patterns often include inoculation of strains carrying antibiotic resistance makers for identifiable recovery. However, indigenous intestinal microflora exhibiting similar antibiotic resistance patterns can confound such studies. Such was the case in a study by our group when attempting to characterize shedding patterns of O91:H21 in calves. A chromosomally integrated bioluminescence marker using a luxCDABE cassette from Photorhabdus luminescens was developed in O91:H21 to overcome such shortcomings of antibiotic resistance markers during animal challenge experiment. The marker was validated in various aspects and was shown to have no impact on metabolic reactions, isotype virulence gene patterns, cost to growth, and additionally demonstrated high in vitro stability. Together, the results indicated that a chromosomally integrated luxCDABE based marker may be a superior system for the study of STEC colonization and shedding in cattle.
Energy efficient scheduling of parallel tasks on multiprocessor computers

In this paper, scheduling parallel tasks on multiprocessor computers with dynamically variable voltage and speed are addressed as combinatorial optimization problems. Two problems are defined, namely, minimizing schedule length with energy consumption constraint and minimizing energy consumption with schedule length constraint. The first problem has applications in general multiprocessor and multicore processor computing systems where energy consumption is an important concern and in mobile computers where energy conservation is a main concern. The second problem has applications in real-time multiprocessing systems and environments where timing constraint is a major requirement. Our scheduling problems are defined such that the energy-delay product is optimized by fixing one factor and minimizing the other. It is noticed that power-aware scheduling of parallel tasks has rarely been discussed before. Our investigation in this paper makes some initial attempt to energy-efficient scheduling of parallel tasks on multiprocessor computers with dynamic voltage and speed. Our scheduling problems contain three nontrivial subproblems, namely, system partitioning, task scheduling, and power supplying. Each subproblem should be solved efficiently, so that heuristic algorithms with overall good performance can be developed. The above decomposition of our optimization problems into three subproblems makes design and analysis of heuristic algorithms tractable. A unique feature of our work is to compare the performance of our algorithms with optimal solutions analytically and validate our results experimentally, not to compare the performance of heuristic algorithms among themselves only experimentally. The harmonic system partitioning and processor allocation scheme is used, which divides a multiprocessor computer into clusters of equal sizes and schedules tasks of similar sizes together to increase processor utilization. A three-level energy/time/power allocation scheme is adopted for a given schedule, such that the schedule length is minimized by consuming given amount of energy or the energy consumed is minimized without missing a given deadline. The performance of our heuristic algorithms is analyzed, and accurate performance bounds are derived. Simulation data which validate our analytical results are also presented. It is found that our analytical results provide very accurate estimation of the expected normalized schedule length and the expected normalized energy consumption and that our heuristic algorithms are able to produce solutions very close to optimum.
Release of pyridoxal 5′-phosphate upon unfolding of mitochondrial aspartate aminotransferase

Abstract Dimeric mitochondrial aspartate aminotransferase (mAAT) contains a molecule of pyridoxal 5′-phosphate (PLP) tightly attached to each of its two identical active sites. The presence of this natural reporter allows us to study separately local perturbations in the architecture of this critical region of the molecule during unfolding. Upon unfolding of the enzyme with guanidine hydrochloride (GdnHCl), the coenzyme is completely released from the active site. The transition midpoint for the dissociation of PLP is 1.4±0.02 M when determined by size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) and 1.6±0.02 M when the protein-bound PLP is estimated by electrospray mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). In both cases the transition midpoint is higher than that of inactivation (1.3±0.01 M). On the other hand, the midpoint of the unfolding transition obtained by monitoring changes in ellipticity at 356 nm, which reflects the asymmetric environment of the PLP cofactor at the active site, is 1.19±0.011 M guanidine. These results indicate that the unfolding of mAAT is a multi-step process which includes an intermediate containing bound PLP but lacking catalytic activity.
A Mammalian Expression System for Rapid Production and Purification of Active MAP Kinase Phosphatases

Abstract Expression of enzymatically active mammalian proteins in Escherichia coli can proven to be a challenging task due to poor solubility, improper folding, and lack of adequate posttranslational modification. Expression of mammalian proteins using baculovirus or yeast systems is time-consuming and may also be subject to inadequate modification. In order to overcome these technical difficulties, we have developed a mammalian expression system for the convenient subcloning of cDNA fragments, high-level expression, and one-step purification of enzymatically active proteins. The mammalian expression vector pEBG that expresses glutathione S -transferase fusion proteins was modified to create an Srf I restriction site in the multiple cloning site. The protein coding sequences of MAP kinase phosphatase-1 (MKP-1), MAP kinase phosphatase-2 (MKP-2), and the tumor suppressor PTEN were PCR-amplified using Pfu DNA polymerase and cloned into the Srf I site through Srf I digestion-coupled ligation. The resulting plasmids were transiently transfected into 293T cells using FuGENE 6 transfection reagent. Forty eight hours after transfection, cells were harvested and bioactive recombinant proteins were purified by glutathione-Sepharose beads. Protein yield, which ranged from 200 to 700 μg, was more than adequate for biochemical studies. The usefulness of this versatile system for studying protein function and its potential application for proteomics research are discussed.
An algorithm for handling exceptional elements in cellular manufacturing systems

The paper develops an algorithm for eliminating bottleneck parts in a cellular manufacturing setting. Bottlenecks are eliminated by determining the machine duplication pattern that minimizes total duplication costs. A unique feature of the algorithm is that it recognizes that under some conditions machine duplication costs can be minimized by increasing the number of machine cells. Examples of such situations are given.
Nonnucleosynthetic Constraints on the Baryon Density and Other Cosmological Parameters

Because the baryon-to-photon ratio ?10 is in some doubt, we drop nucleosynthetic constraints on ?10 and fit the three cosmological parameters (h, ?M, ?10) to four observational constraints: Hubble parameter ho = 0.70 ? 0.15, age of the universe t=14 Gyr, cluster gas fraction fo ? fG h3/2 = 0.060 ? 0.006, and effective shape parameter ?o = 0.255 ? 0.017. Errors quoted are 1 ?, and we assume Gaussian statistics. We experiment with a fifth constraint ?o = 0.2 ? 0.1 from clusters. We set the tilt parameter n = 1 and the gas enhancement factor = 0.9. We consider cold dark matter models (open and ?M = 1) and flat ?CDM models. We omit HCDM models (to which the ?o constraint does not apply). We test goodness of fit and draw confidence regions by the ??2 method. CDM models with ?M = 1 (SCDM models) are accepted only because the large error on ho allows h < 0.5. Baryonic matter plays a significant role in ?o when ?M ~ 1. Open CDM models are accepted only for ?M 0.4. The combination of the four other constraints with ?o ? 0.2 is rejected in CDM models with 98% confidence, suggesting that light may not trace mass. ?CDM models give similar results. In all of these models, ?10 6 is favored strongly over ?10 2. This suggests that reports of low deuterium abundances on QSO lines of sight may be correct and that observational determinations of primordial 4He may have systematic errors. Plausible variations on n and in our models do not change the results much. If we drop or change the crucial ?o constraint, lower values of ?M and ?10 are permitted. The constraint ?o = 0.15 ? 0.04, derived recently from the IRAS redshift survey, favors ?M ? 0.3 and ?10 ? 5 but does not exclude ?10 ? 2.
GRADIENT EXPANSION FOR THE FREE ENERGY OF A CLEAN SUPERCONDUCTOR

We describe a method for obtaining the gradient expansion for the free energy of a clean BCS superconductor. We present explicit results up to fourth order in the gradients of the order parameter.
Plant phenols and polyphenoloxidase in Nicotiana tabacum during greenhouse growth, field growth and air-curing

Abstract A difference was noted between greenhouse Nicotiniana tabacum plants and field plants in the amounts of total soluble phenols, chlorogenic acids and rutin distributed among the leaves from upper, middle and lower stalk positions after flowering. Field plants contained more soluble phenols in upper leaves; greenhouse plants contained more in lower leaves. Total soluble phenols did not decrease during air-curing, but chlorogenic acids and rutin decreased with time during curing-chamber (primed leaves) and conventional (leaves on stalks) air-curing. Polyphenoloxidase (PPO) activity increased as plants matured. PPO activity showed an additional transient rise during the first 7–9 days of air-curing. Thereafter, the enzyme activity decreased for 3–4 weeks, reaching very low levels. Leaves from greenhouse plants contained lesser amounts of total soluble phenols, chlorogenic acids, rutin and PPO activity than field plants of the same variety during growth and air-curing. These differences between greenhouse and field plants may be related to the light transmission characteristics of glass in the wavelength region 290–330 nm.
High mobility amorphous zinc oxynitride semiconductor material for thin film transistors

Zinc oxynitride semiconductor material is produced through a reactive sputtering process in which competition between reactions responsible for the growth of hexagonal zinc oxide (ZnO) and for the growth of cubic zinc nitride (Zn3N2) is promoted. In contrast to processes in which the reaction for either the oxide or the nitride is dominant, the multireaction process yields a substantially amorphous or a highly disordered nanocrystalline film with higher Hall mobility, 47 cm2 V−1 s−1 for the as-deposited film produced at 50 °C and 110 cm2 V−1 s−1 after annealing at 400 °C. In addition, it has been observed that the Hall mobility of the material increases as the carrier concentration decreases in a carrier concentration range where a multicomponent metal oxide semiconductor, indium–gallium–zinc oxide, follows the opposite trend. This indicates that the carrier transports in the single-metal compound and the multimetal compound are probably dominated by different mechanisms. Film stability and thin film tran...
Quasiparticle interactions and the Bose-Einstein phase transition

We look at a strongly interacting Bose gas in an attempt to understand the effects upon the physics of the phase transition of the interactions between the higher momentum excitations. At densities an order of magnitude below liquid helium, we find that these interactions are affecting the phase transition in a manner reminiscent of the effects of roton-roton interactions upon the lambda transition. We find singularities in the specific heat and infinite slope at the transition temperature for the superfluid density.