cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Error measure comparison of currently employed dose-modulation schemes for e-beam proximity effect control

Standard matrix inversion methods of e-beam proximity correction are compared with a variety of pseudoinverse approaches based on gradient descent. It is shown that the gradient descent methods can be modified using 'regularizers' (terms added to the cost function minimized during gradient descent). This modification solves the 'negative dose' problem in a mathematically sound way. Different techniques are contrasted using a weighted error measure approach. It is shown that the regularization approach leads to the highest quality images. In some cases, ignoring negative doses yields results which are worse than employing an uncorrected dose file.
A preamble to the Kurdish question: the politics of Kurdish identity

(1998). A preamble to the Kurdish question: the politics of Kurdish identity. Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs: Vol. 18, No. 1, pp. 9-18.
Education to assist spouses in coping with Alzheimer's disease. A controlled trial

This study investigates whether a brief educational program, provided to spouses of patients with Alzheimer's disease, improved the caregivers' coping skills; it also questions whether the gender of the spouse had an effect on coping ability. The sample consisted of 40 spouses who were caring for the Alzheimer patient at home, 20 who participated in the educational program, and 20 controls. The instrument used for the study was the Health Specific Family Coping Index (HSFCI). This instrument provided a quantitative assessment of overall family coping with both potential and actual health problems in the psychosocial and physical domains of health. It is rated in nine domains: physical independence, therapeutic competence, knowledge of the condition, application of principles of personal hygiene, attitude toward health care, emotional competence, family living patterns, physical environment, and use of community resources. A home visit was made by a registered nurse prior to the educational intervention and at the end of the four-week intervention period. The HSFCI was completed at each visit. There were no pretreatment differences between the intervention and control groups in coping ability. Findings indicate that the educational program was beneficial in assisting spouses to feel greater competence in the face of the disease process and to function with greater independence. In the treatment group, the greatest significant increase was in the knowledge domain, followed by therapeutic competence and emotional competence. There was no overall relationship between gender of the spouse and coping ability.
Carbon Isotopic Studies of Organic Matter in Precambrian Rocks

A survey has been undertaken of the carbon composition of the total organic fraction of a suite of Precambrian sediments to detect isotopic trends possibly correlative with early evolutionary events. Early Precambrian cherts of the Fig Tree and upper and middle Onverwacht groups of South Africa were examined for this purpose. Reduced carbon in these cherts was found to be isotopically similar to photosynthetically produced organic matter of younger geological age. Reduced carbon in lower Onverwacht cherts was found to be anomalously heavy; it is suggested that this discontinuity may reflect a major event in biological evolution.
Potassium-catalyzed gasification of graphite in oxygen and steam

Abstract Controlled atmosphere electron microscopy has been used to study the catalytic influence of potassium salts on the graphite-oxygen and graphite-steam reactions. This investigation showed strong interaction of potassium species with the graphite substrate in both reactant atmospheres. Potassium salt particles in contact with the edges of the graphite layers were observed to wet and spread on the edges at about 500 °C. Gasification then proceeded in both atmospheres by recession of the edges of the layer planes, with little or no attack by discrete catalyst particles. This behavior is consistent with previous indications of high catalyst dispersion associated with the formation of alkali surface complexes as active sites in alkali-catalyzed gasification. The technique also revealed other interesting details regarding the mode of catalyzed attack. In steam the edges show hexagonal facetting with the receding edges parallel to the 〈1120〉 set of crystal directions. This indicates a preferential reactivity in removal of the edge atoms. Occasionally portions of actively receding edges suddenly became inactive. No strong crystallographic preference or deactivation was found in the catalyzed graphite-oxygen reaction.
Minimal requirements for peptide mediated activation of CD8+ CTL

Abstract A physical chemical model of T cell stimulation by class I-peptide complexes was developed and used to analyse in vitro studies of γ-interferon release as a function of the number of peptide and MHC molecules. The analysis provided reasonable estimates of well identified parameters, including equilibrium constants and the minimum number of T cell receptor-class I-peptide ternary complexes on a presenting cell required to activate T cells. The latter number was estimated as 3–5 per T cell. This is in distinct contrast to estimates in the literature of the number of peptide-MHC complexes required for activity, which is necessarily larger. The analysis also predicted that activity is potentiated by interaction between class I molecules, even if one member of the pair is not bound by antigen. The analytical approach used in this paper may be applicable to other activation systems.
Mortality while awaiting liver retransplantation: Predictability of MELD scores

Abstract Introduction Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD) scores at the time of listing on the transplant waiting list have been shown to accurately predict 3-month mortality in adults. There is no data assessing the accuracy of the MELD scores in predicting mortality of patients awaiting liver retransplantation. We sought to determine the outcome of patients listed for retransplantation at a single center and the accuracy of MELD scores in predicting mortality on the transplant waiting list. Methods A retrospective review of adult patients at a single center listed for a second liver transplantation during the years 1993 to 2000. MELD scores and a concordance statistic were calculated at the time of initial listing and initial transplant as well as the time of relisting for a second transplant and at 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, and 24 weeks after relisting. Results Of the 63 patients in the study, 43 (68%) received a second transplant, and 20 (32%) died while awaiting retransplantation. Of the patients receiving a second transplant, 13 (30%) died within 1 year of receiving the transplant. The most common cause of death on the waiting list was sepsis (50%), hepatorenal syndrome (20%), and multiorgan failure (10%), whereas the majority of deaths posttransplantation were sepsis-related (69%). At the time of relisting the c-statistic for MELD scores predicting death after 1 week on the waiting list was 0.78 ( P = .007). After 3 months on the waiting list, the c-stat was largely unchanged (0.76, P = .04). Conclusions We have shown that MELD scores may predict mortality on the transplant waiting list for patients listed for a second transplant.
Serotonin-induced coronary microvessel contractions post cardioplegia, cardiopulmonary bypass are mediated in part via the phospholipase A2 pathway in patients

INTRODUCTION: Vasomotor dysfunction after cardiac surgery with cardioplegia and cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is estimated to occur in up to 2.5 % of patients, with EKG changes occurring in up to 8%. This dysfunction is thought to be caused by microvascular spasm and leads to myocardial ischemia and worsening cardiac function postoperatively. Phospholipases are involved in signal transduction pathways and regulate many inflammatory pathways. In this study, we examined the role of phospholipases A2 and C in serotonin-induced vasospasm post-CPB. METHODS: Right atrial tissue was harvested from patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (n 5) before initiation of CPB (pre) and after termination of CPB (post). Cold blood cardioplegia was used. We examined coronary arterioles (70- 180 m) for vascular responses to serotonin alone and in the presence of phospholipase A2 (quinacrine, 10-9 to 10-5 mol/L) or phospholipase C inhibitors (U73122, 10-9 to 10-5 mol/L). RESULTS: Microvessels demonstrated a slight relaxation response to serotonin pre-CPB, which shifted to a strong dose-dependent contraction post-CPB. At the highest concentration, serotonin caused a 18.9%2%contraction.Additionofquinacrinesignificantlyinhib
The Meaning of Goodness-of-Fit Tests: Commentary on "Goodness-of-Fit Assessment of Item Response Theory Models"

Goodness-of-fit assessment for IRT models is maturing; it has come a long way from zero, which is the number of entries under “goodness of fit” in the index of Lord and Novick's (1968) classic text...
Cyber security analysis testbed: Combining real, emulation, and simulation

Cyber security analysis tools are necessary to evaluate the security, reliability, and resilience of networked information systems against cyber attack. It is common practice in modern cyber security analysis to separately utilize real systems of computers, routers, switches, firewalls, computer emulations (e.g., virtual machines) and simulation models to analyze the interplay between cyber threats and safeguards. In contrast, Sandia National Laboratories has developed novel methods to combine these evaluation platforms into a hybrid testbed that combines real, emulated, and simulated components. The combination of real, emulated, and simulated components enables the analysis of security features and components of a networked information system. When performing cyber security analysis on a system of interest, it is critical to realistically represent the subject security components in high fidelity. In some experiments, the security component may be the actual hardware and software with all the surrounding components represented in simulation or with surrogate devices. Sandia National Laboratories has developed a cyber testbed that combines modeling and simulation capabilities with virtual machines and real devices to represent, in varying fidelity, secure networked information system architectures and devices. Using this capability, secure networked information system architectures can be represented in our testbed on a single, unified computing platform. This provides an “experiment-in-a-box” capability. The result is rapidly-produced, large-scale, relatively low-cost, multi-fidelity representations of networked information systems. These representations enable analysts to quickly investigate cyber threats and test protection approaches and configurations.
6-Hydroxydopamine induced cardiac malformations and alterations of the autonomic nervous system in the developing chicken embryo.

ABSTRACT 6-Hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) was injected into the air sac of developing chicken embryos on day E3 in order to study its effects on cardiac development both morphologically and biochemically. A dose-dependent teratogenic effect and fetotoxicity were observed in the 6-OHDA-treated embryos. Cardiac malformations, including ventricular septal lesions, detachment of the apical portions of the ventricles, cardiac hypertrophy, areas of coagulative necrosis with pyknotic nuclei and broken nuclear membranes, and swollen mitochondria were evident from gross histologic and ultrastructural examinations. A LD50 of 0.3 mg/egg on day Ell was obtained. Biochemically, 6-OHDA induced a significant dose-dependent reduction in the total cardiac choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activities on days E8 and Ell, followed by a recovery on days E15 and E20. The effects on muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs) were less marked than on ChAT, indicating the effects on the cholinergic nervous system development are primarily presynaptic. There was a significant decrease in the level of norepinephrine (NE) and a delay in the appearance of detectable cardiac NE. It is suggested that 6-OHDA-induced cardiac malformation can be a useful model to study the mechanisms of cardiovascular development.
Determination of chlorinated hydrocarbons introduced into air/acetylene flames by Fourier transform infrared emission spectroscopy

Abstract A Fourier transform spectrometer is used to record the infrared emission from chlorinated hydrocarbons combusted in an air/acetylene flame. In this manner, the chlorinated hydrocarbons are determined by monitoring the infrared emission of hydrogen chloride at 2653 cm −1 . Discussion is presented of the air/acetylene flame background, and the potential spectral interference from the emission of deuterated species. Practical detection limits for chloroform, carbon tetrachloride and methylene chloride in acetone, methanol, and ethanol are solvent independent and are found to be 1.1, 0.80, and 1.0%, respectively. Calibration curves for these three analytes are linear from their detection limits to approximately 55% (v/v). In addition, evidence is presented that flame flicker-noise does not lead to a multiplex disadvantage when the Fourier transform instrument is used for data acquisition.
The Contribution of Nursing Theory to Nursing Administration Practice

The requisite theoretical base of nursing administration has been defined as a synthesis of knowledge from nursing and other disciplines. The purpose of this paper is to explore the contribution made by nursing knowledge to the distinctive epistemology of nursing administration. The value of nursing theory to administration practice is articulated as well as levels of theory development and their relationship to the knowledge base of nursing administration practice.
Left Ventricular Mass and Systolic Performance in Pediatric Patients With Chronic Renal Failure

Background— Children with chronic renal disease have a high prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), which is thought to be adaptive to improve contractility and lower wall stress in the face of increased afterload and preload. The aim of this study was to determine the association between LV mass, LV performance, and LV contractility in children with chronic renal insufficiency (CRI) and children undergoing chronic dialysis. Methods and Results— Twenty-five children with CRI, 12 undergoing chronic dialysis, and 24 controls had echocardiographic evaluation during rest and peak exercise. LV performance was assessed by calculation of shortening fraction and heart rate–corrected velocity of circumferential fiber shortening (VCF). Contractility (VCF difference) was determined based on the relation between VCF and end-systolic wall stress. Contractile reserve was assessed by the difference between contractility at rest and peak exercise. The dialysis group had higher LVM index than the group with CRI ...
The stability of retinol, α-tocopherol, trans-lycopene, and trans-β-carotene in liquid-frozen and lyophilized serum

The concentrations of retinol, alpha-tocopherol, and trans-beta-carotene in lyophilized serum stored at -25 degrees C and -80 degrees C have been monitored for 10 years. There was no evidence of degradation of any of these compounds over the 10-year period. Retinol, alpha-tocopherol, and trans-beta-carotene were less stable at -25 degrees C in liquid-frozen serum than they were in lyophilized serum. At -80 degrees C, trans-beta-carotene levels were stable for up to 3 years of storage in liquid-frozen serum. Both retinol and alpha-tocopherol appeared stable in liquid-frozen serum for at least 5 years at -80 degrees C. The effect of repeated freeze/thaw cycles on retinol, alpha-tocopherol, trans-lycopene, and trans-beta-carotene in liquid-frozen and reconstituted lyophilized serum both stored at -20 degrees C was also studied. Retinol, alpha-tocopherol, trans-lycopene, and trans-beta-carotene in reconstituted lyophilized serum stored at -20 degrees C were stable for at least 3 days with minimal (< 5) freeze/thaw cycles.
Screening for nuclear replacement candidates in patients with lumbar degenerative disc disease.

Background Nuclear replacement is an emerging surgical treatment for degenerative disc disease (DDD) and low back pain (LBP). While clinical experience is most extensive with the prosthetic disc nucleus PDN (Raymedica, Minneapolis, Minnesota), strict indications apply for the implantation of this device. The purpose of this study was to ascertain what percentage of patients treated surgically for degenerative disc disease with other surgical procedures would have been candidates for nuclear replacement implantation.
Nighttime Visibility and Retroreflectance of Pavement Markings in Dry, Wet, and Rainy Conditions

Research was conducted to determine the nighttime visibility of flat pavement-marking tape, patterned pavement-marking tape, and wetweather pavement-marking tape in dry, wet (just after rainfall), and simulated rain conditions (ongoing 1-in./h rainfall). The measures of effectiveness were the detection distances, the eye-fixation distributions, and the pavement-marking retroreflectance. The research was sponsored by FHWA. The experiment was conducted on a test track in Cottage Grove, Minnesota. This test track had a section at which 1-in./h rainfall could be simulated. Eleven women and seven men, ranging in age from 55 to 74 (average age 62.5), participated in this study. The participants drove the experiment vehicles along the pavement-marking treatments. The participants were to state the earliest point at which they could see the end of the pavement markings. The retroreflectance of each pavement-marking material was measured with three handheld retroreflectometers under the three weather conditions ac...
Low-energy electron diffraction study of krypton on Cu(110)

Abstract Low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) was used to study the adsorption of krypton on Cu(110). Adsorption isobars indicate that the isosteric heat of adsorption for one-half monolayer is 114±10 meV. A dynamical LEED study of the c(2×8) higher-order commensurate structure at 25 K indicates that rows of krypton atoms are localized on top of the copper substrate rows. The krypton rows are situated such that they have the lowest-coordinated position along the rows. The overlayer–substrate spacing is 3.36±0.07 A and the top two interlayer spacings of the substrate are 1.18±0.04 A and 1.31±0.02 A, respectively.
Effects of cytochrome P-450 monooxygenase inducers on mouse hepatic microsomal metabolism of testosterone and alkoxyresorufins.

Abstract The effects of treatment with phenobarbital, l,4-bis[2-(3,5-dichloropyridyloxy)]benzene (TCPOBOP), pregnenolone-16/ga-carbonitrile (PCN), 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MC) and isosafrole on the hepatic microsomal formation of nine monohydroxy metabolites of testosterone and the O-dealkylation of the ethyl and pentyl ethers of resourfin were evaluated in adult male C57BL/6J and DBA/ 2NCR mice. In both strains, phenobarbital, TCPOBOP and PCN induced testosterone 2β-, 6β-, 15β-and 16/gb-hydroxylases up to 5-fold, while phenobarbital and TCPOBOP increased the rate of dealkylation of pentoxyresorufin by approximately 30-fold. However, phenobarbital and TCPOBOP did not exhibit identical patterns of induction for the testosterone oxidation reactions. Hepatic microsomes from C57BL/6J mice treated with TCPOBOP displayed a depression in 6α-testosterone hydroxylase activity, which was also observed in PCN-treated animals, whereas phenobarbital-treated mice exhibited an elevation in this monooxygenase activity. A dose of TCPOBOP (0.5 μmol/kg) previously demonstrated to represent an ED 50 for mouse aminopyrine N -demethylase activity was also found to approximate the ED 50 for pentoxyresonifin O -dealkylase activity in the C57BL/6J mouse. Isosafrole or 3-MC treatment had little effect on testosterone metabolism or pentoxyresorufin O -dealkylase activity in either strain, while 3-MC induced ethoxyresorufin O -deethylase activity in C57BL/6J but not DBA/2NCR mice. This study confirms that TCPOBOP is a potent cytochrome P-450 inducer which most closely resembles phenobarbital in its mode of action. However, TCPOBOP and phenobarbital do not evoke identical modulations of cytochrome P-450-dependent monooxygenases in mice.
Temperature distribution in toroidal electrical coils of rectangular cross section

Abstract The essential content of a recent paper by the present writer comprises a comprehensive discussion of the physical bases underlying derivation of formulas for calculating the temperature distribution T , maximum temperature T m and average temperature T a in a toroidal electrical coil of rectangular cross section, internally generated heat and change of wire resistance with temperature being taken into account. Illustratively, the solution for the boundary value condition of constant surface temperature and uniform equivalent thermal conductivity was obtained. For the most part, however, problems that arise in practice are not encompassed in the comparatively simple boundary conditions of constant temperature. Experiment shows that in general the boundary condition is T − T′ = − Kϱ ϱn ; whereof n denotes the outward drawn normal to the coil surface, K = ( k n h ) the ratio of the equivalent thermal conductivity in the direction of n to the emissivity of the boundary surface, and T and T ′ are the corresponding temperatures in the coil surface and the immediately adjacent ambient medium. Again, it frequently ensues in practice that the thermal conductivity is substantially different in the directions of the two principal axes of the cross section. In the present paper formulas for T , T m , and T a are obtained for electrical coils of ratio of external to internal radius greater than (roughly) two whereof (i) the thermal conductivity is different in the directions of the two principal axes of the cross section, (ii) K is different on but constant over each of the four faces of the coil, and (iii) no restriction is made as to T ′ except that over each face it be expressible in a generalized Fourier series. Determination of T is posed as a boundary-value problem in the mathematical theory of heat; the formal solution of T effected by expansions in orthogonal functions; and T m and T a then determined through use of their known relationships with T . The resulting formulas are in the form of rapidly-converging singly-infinite trigonometric-hyperbolic series. Illustrative of application of these general formulas, the maximum temperatures in a coil of given dimensions subject to two different sets of surface conditions are calculated and found to be in excellent agreement with the known measured values. The just-mentioned formulas encompass practically all cases encountered in practice except those coils which do not satisfy the restriction as to ratio of radii. For these latter formulas for T , T m , and T a are obtained pursuant to conditions of (i) equivalent thermal conductivity different in the directions of the two principal axes of the cross section, (ii) K , and likewise T ′, different on but constant over each of the four faces of the coil. These formulas are in the form of rapidly-converging singly-infinite trigonometric- Bessel function (of zero order) series: Illustratively, the maximum temperature in a coil of given dimensions is calculated and found to be in excellent agreement with the known measured value.
Color Doppler Features of Left Ventricular Pseudoaneurysm

A patient had left ventricular pseudoaneurysm after mitral valve replacement surgery. The diagnosis was made by color flow Doppler demonstration of systolic flow between the left ventricular chamber and an echo-free space posterior to the heart which was initially interpreted as localized pleural effusion. Color Doppler features of this entity have not been previously described. Color flow cardiac Doppler enhances echocardiographic and pulsed Doppler diagnosis of left ventricular pseudoaneurysms. (Chest 1989; 95:231-32)
Selenium Assimilation and Nutrient Element Uptake in White Clover and Tall Fescue under the Influence of Sulphate Concentration and Selenium Tolerance of the Plants

Tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) and white clover (Trifolium repens L.) were examined for Se assimilation and nutrient element uptake. Substantial Se tolerance difference was found between the two species. An inverse relationship between Se accumulation and Se tolerance suggests an exclusion mechanism that restricts Se uptake by the plant with greater Se tolerance. A positive relationship between the increase of protein Se concentration and growth inhibition in the plants suggests that assimilation of Se into proteins is responsible for the Se toxic effect and this study indicates that the antagonistic effect of sulphate is responsible for reducing Se toxicity at the protein level. No evidence that a Se exclusion mechanism which excludes Se from incorporating into protein, such as that found in Astragalus species, plays any major role of Se tolerance in these two species. Under Se treatment, plant tissue Ca concentration was increased, but P concentration was decreased. A higher Fe concentration was found in white clover which increased with increasing tissue Se concentration. Copper, Mn, and Zn concentrations only increased in the white clover under conditions of severe growth inhibition.
Introduction of the project management discipline in a software development organization

An approach to the introduction of the project management discipline in a software development organization is presented, with emphasis on the aspects that can be generalized and adopted by other organizations under similar circumstances. The presentation includes the key elements of the approach taken, the maturity scale used to guide the introduction effort, a short description of the education program developed specifically for this case, a methodology for developing project models, and the staff and support structure put in place. The paper concludes by reporting the initial experience and noting directions for future development.
Technique de la double lumière pour préserver la perméabilité des troncs supra-aortiques au cours du traitement endovasculaire des lésions de l'aorte thoracique

Le traitement endovasculaire (TE) peut comporter la couverture planifiee ou non des troncs supra-aortiques lorsque l'endoprothese est implantee au niveau de la crosse aortique. La permeabilite de ces branches vitales peut etre preservee par les techniques de debranchement chirurgical ou la mise en place de stents supplementaires destines a maintenir la permeabilite arterielle. Nous rapportons notre experience d'une technique d'endoprothese a double lumiere utilisee pour preserver la permeabilite des troncs supra-aortiques au cours du TE. Sept malades ont eu un TE utilisant la technique de la double lumiere, avec mise en place de stents dans le tronc arteriel brachio-cephalique (n = 3), la carotide primitive gauche (n = 3) et l'artere sous-claviere gauche (n = 1) associee a une endoprothese aortique. Des endoprotheses Gore TAG ont ete utilisees dans tous les cas et des stents autoexpansibles (n = 6) ou un stent expansible par ballonnet (n = 1) ont ete utilises pour maintenir la permeabilite des troncs supra-aortiques. Dans trois cas, la technique du double stent a ete utilisee pour restaurer la permeabilite d'une artere carotide primitive gauche couverte par inadvertance. Quatre cas electifs comportaient le deploiement proximal d'une endoprothese au niveau de l'aorte ascendante avec mise en place d'un stent dans le tronc arteriel brachio-cephalique (n = 3) et la couverture de l'artere sous-claviere gauche avec mise en place d'un stent au niveau de l'artere sous-claviere (n = 1). Le TE utilisant un double stent a ete realise avec un plein succes technique, comportant le maintien de la permeabilite du tronc supra-aortique et l'absence d'endofuite de type I dans chacun des 7 cas. Un cas de mise en place d'une endoprothese au niveau de la zone 0 avec un stent au niveau du tronc arteriel brachio-cephalique s'est complique d'un accident vasculaire cerebral hemispherique gauche attribue a un probleme technique au cours du pontage carotido-carotidien. Au cours d'un suivi compris entre deux et 18 mois, tous les stents des branches et toutes les endoprotheses aortiques sont restes permeables sans endofuite, migration ou perte de l'integrite des dispositifs. La technique du double stent maintient la permeabilite de la branche aortique et fournit une longueur supplementaire de fixation de l'endoprothese au cours du TE destine a traiter les anevrysmes interessant la crosse aortique. De plus, la technique utilise des dispositifs disponibles dans le commerce et permet une couverture complete de la crosse aortique (zone 0) sans sternotomie. Bien que les resultats precoces soient encourageants, la durabilite a long terme reste inconnue.
Améliorer la qualité du travail peu rémunéré: l'expérience des Etats-Unis

Resume. Aux Etats-Unis, malgre la vigueur du marche de travail, environ un cinquieme de la main-d'œuvre du secteur prive a des emplois mediocres: salaires au niveau du seuil de pauvrete, voire inferieurs, et faibles perspectives d'avancement. Face a ce constat, l'auteur examine les politiques de la demande susceptibles d'inciter les entreprises a ameliorer la qualite de l'emploi. Il decrit et evalue plusieurs programmes a cet effet et propose une approche coherente et equilibree associant, d'une part, formation et actions concertees avec les employeurs, et, d'autre part, plus forte syndicalisation et meilleures normes sur les salaires et la duree du travail.
Selective absorption of H2S from CO2 — factors controlling selectivity toward H2S

Abstract A novel experimental system was adapted to determine factors controlling selective absorption of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) from carbon dioxide (CO2). This work demonstrates that liquid film controlled mass transfer regime and a low value of the liquid side mass transfer coefficient favors selective removal of H2S from CO2. By identifying the factor controlling selective removal of H2S from CO2, this work lays the basis for the parameter optimization of a process for selective removal of H2S from CO2.
Detection and Incidence of Yellow Turkey Semen on Commercial Breeder Farms

Seminal plasma from 270 commercial Large White breeder turkeys (30 males from each of nine farms) was evaluated for protein concentration, color, and opacity. Yellow semen syndrome (YSS) was detected by identifying seminal plasma having both a yellow color and a high protein concentration (greater than 20 mg/ml) and was present in 11.8% of the males. Normal white semen males, with seminal plasma protein less than 20 mg/ml and white or slight yellow in color, were found in 85.9%. Using this method only 3.3% of the males did not fit either category. Protein concentrations were clustered near 10 mg/ml but values ranged from 3.7 to 79 mg/ml. A low protein group (less than 8 mg/ml; 13.3% of the males) had 34 white, 2 slight yellow, and 0 yellow samples. A median protein group (10 mg/ml; 74.1%) had 175 white, 21 slight yellow, and 4 yellow. The high protein group (greater than 20 mg/ml; 12.5%) had 2 white, 14 slight yellow, and 18 yellow. There was large variation among farms, ranging from 0% to 23.3% YSS. Protein concentration was not correlated with the age of the males, and opacity of the seminal plasma was lowly correlated with color (r = .17; P less than .01). Refractive index was useful for estimating the seminal plasma protein concentration (r = .87; P less than .0001), which along with color, could be used as a simple method for estimating the quality of turkey semen on the farm.
Disruption of latent inhibition following systemic administration of parachlorophenylalanine (PCPA)

Abstract Rats received either 0 or 30 preexposures to a tone which was later used as a CS in a two-way active avoidance task. Tone preexposure resulted in retarded conditioning in normal animals. This latent inhibition effect, however, was not present in rats treated with parachlorophenylalanine. A second experiment used the combined-cue summation test to verify the fact that stimulus preexposure endowed the tone with latent and not conditioned inhibitory properties. The results were discussed in terms of the role of the serotonergic mesolimbic system in tuning out irrelevant stimuli.
Pure Projective Approximations

A notion of good behavior is introduced for a definable subcategory of left R -modules. It is proved that every finitely presented left R -module has a pure projective left -approximation if and only if the associated torsion class of finite type in the functor category (mod- R , Ab) is coherent, i.e., the torsion subobject of every finitely presented object is finitely presented. This yields a bijective correspondence between such well-behaved definable subcategories and preenveloping subcategories of the category Add( R -mod) of pure projective left R -modules. An example is given of a preenveloping subcategory ⊆ Add( R -mod) that does not arise from a covariantly finite subcategory of finitely presented left R -modules. As a general example of this good behavior, it is shown that if R is a ring over which every left cotorsion R -module is pure injective, then the smallest definable subcategory ( R -proj) containing every finitely generated projective module is well-behaved.
Anesthetic management of aortocaval fistula repair associated with aortic valve replacement, severe aortic regurgitation, and bacterial endocarditis

We report a case of an adult male who had received a gunshot to the abdomen 12 years earlier. He presented with manifestations of high-output congestive heart failure (CHF), aortic regurgitation (AR), and pulmonary septic embolism. Further investigation revealed an aortocaval fistula (ACF). Following endovascular repair of the ACF, we observed an immediate rise in systemic vascular resistance (SVR), decrease in central venous pressure (CVP), increase in regurgitant flow across the aortic valve, and decrease in central mixed venous oxygenation. A combination of vasodilators and vasopressors was used to maintain hemodynamics. Milrinone infusion was necessary after cardiopulmonary bypass to maintain cardiac output. Even though local anesthesia and light sedation were used for ACF closure, the hemodynamics changed dramatically throughout the procedure. ACF closure under local anesthesia and sedation is preferred because the hemodynamics alterations under local anesthesia are less severe. The rise in SVR and regurgitant flow across aortic valve is less dramatic. As a result, hemodynamic management and separation from cardiopulmonary bypass are easier.
An Independent-Flow-Field Model for a SDOF Nonlinear Structural System–Part I: Identification and Comparisons

An independent-flow-field (IFF) model selected in this study to investigate the nonlinear response behavior of a medium-scale, experimental, submerged, moored structure is validated via parametric studies. Bifurcations in experimental responses are frequently observed, and the associated nonlinear primary and secondary resonances are identified in frequency response diagrams. Distinct from previous investigations, this study intends to identify a set of "best-fit" constant coefficients for predictions and comparisons over the entire wave frequencies examined. It is concluded that the small-body, IFF model predicts, reasonably well, the nonlinear, moored, and submerged structural response subjected to regular waves.
The Impact of Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies on the Rainfall over Northeast Brazil

Abstract The response of the tropical atmosphere to the sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies in the Northern Hemisphere spring of 1984 is investigated. The methodology for investigation consists of comparing simulations with and without the global distribution of SST anomalies in the boundary conditions of the UCLA General Circulation Model (GCM). At low levels, the response includes weaker southeast trade winds over the Atlantic, increased precipitation off the northeast coast of Brazil, and reduced precipitation west of this region. The increased precipitation is due to enhanced convergence of moisture advected by the southeast trade winds, although the trades themselves are weaker. The results for the western equatorial Atlantic am in apparent agreement with the observed anomalous southern migration of the ITCZ in years with warm SST anomalies in the southern tropical Atlantic. There are strong anomalous trade winds over the Pacific extending east of the date line and weak wind anomalies over the ma...
Regarding the glycoprotein hormones and their sulphated oligosaccharides.

In a recent mini review by N.R.Thotakura and D.L.Blithe (Thotakura and Blithe, 1995) entitled: Glycoprotein Hormones: glycobiology of gonadotropins, thyrotropin and free alpha subunit, the authors refer to an abstract by Furuhashi et al. (1994) which concludes that the Pro-Leu-Arg motif of the a subunit is not critical for the addition of sulphate and by inference /V-acetylgalactosamine. The authors reach this conclusion because changes in the Pro-Leu-Arg motif do not alter the incorporation of [S]SO4 into PNGase releasable oligosaccharides on free a subunit expressed in GH3 cells. We have examined GH3 cells expressing lutrophin, obtained from Dr Boime (Washington University, St Louis), for the presence of glycoprotein hormone:A/-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase and GalNAc-4-sulphotransferase activities. We were unable to find detectable levels of either enzyme even though we have documented the presence of these activities in other cell lines (Dharmesh et al., 1993). The sulphated, Asn-linked oligosaccharides present on the free a subunit, chorionic gonadotrophin and lutrophin expressed in GH3 cells are not likely to have the same terminal structures as the sulphated oligosaccharides which we described on native lutrophin, thyrotrophin and free a subunits synthesized in the pituitary (Green and Baenziger, 1988a,b). Conclusions about the relationship of the Pro-Leu-Arg to sulphation of oligosaccharides on proteins expressed in GH3 cells must await elucidation of the structures of their oligosaccharides. We have recently characterized in greater detail the region of the a subunit which contains the recognition motif and found additional residues which contribute to recognition in our in vitro assay (Mengeling et al., 1995). These residues must also be considered in any analysis of this recognition motif. I would also like to point out that differences in the rate of clearance based on the presence of oligosaccharides terminating with GalNAc-4-SO4 as opposed to sialic acid-Gal were originally described by us for lutrophin in its recombinant and native forms (Baenziger et al., 1992). The basis for the differences in clearance rate were demonstrated to reflect clearance by a GalNAc-4-SO4 specific receptor located in hepatic endothelial and Kupffer cells (Fiete et al., 1991). It is likely that this same system accounts for the differences for native and recombinant thyrotrophin shown in Figure 3 of the review by Thotakura and Blithe. In light of the importance we have ascribed to these structures for lutrophin bioactivity in vivo (Fiete et al., 1991; Baenziger et al, 1992; Dharmesh and Baenziger, 1993), it is satisfying to see that thyrotropin displays similar properties. Since we have found that the transferases, the recognition motif and the sulphated oligosaccharide structures themselves have been conserved in vertebrates from fish to man, these sulphated oligosaccharides represent a critical structural feature of the glycoprotein hormones which is likely essential for the expression of full biologic activity. References
Performance modeling of feature-based classification in SAR imagery

We present a novel method for modeling the performance of a vote-based approach for target classification in SAR imagery. In this approach, the geometric locations of the scattering centers are used to represent 2D model views of a 3D target for a specific sensor under a given viewing condition (azimuth, depression and squint angles). Performance of such an approach is modeled in the presence of data uncertainty, occlusion, and clutter. The proposed method captures the structural similarity between model views, which plays an important role in determining the classification performance. In particular, performance would improve if the model views are dissimilar and vice versa. The method consists of the following steps. In the first step, given a bound on data uncertainty, model similarity is determined by finding feature correspondence in the space of relative translations between each pair of model views. In the second step, statistical analysis is carried out in the vote, occlusion and clutter space, in order to determine the probability of misclassifying each model view. In the third step, the misclassification probability is averaged for all model views to estimate the probability-of-correct- identification (PCI) plot as a function of occlusion and clutter rates. Validity of the method is demonstrated by comparing predicted PCI plots with ones that are obtained experimentally. Results are presented using both XPATCH and MSTAR SAR data.
Designing a scripting language to help the blind program visually

The vast proliferation of GUI-based applications, including graphical interactive development environments (IDEs), has placed blind programmers at a severe disadvantage in a profession that had previously been relatively accessible. Visual Basic is one such programming language and IDE, in which most programmers "point and click" to design the forms on which their applications rely. It is the goal of this project to introduce a scripting language that eliminates this barrier by providing a scripting language that makes it possible to define Visual Basic GUI forms and their components verbally, while remaining easy to write.
Formation and Destabilization of Actin Filaments with Tetramethylrhodamine-Modified Actin

Actin labeling at Cys(374) with tethramethylrhodamine derivatives (TMR-actin) has been widely used for direct observation of the in vitro filaments growth, branching, and treadmilling, as well as for the in vivo visualization of actin cytoskeleton. The advantage of TMR-actin is that it does not lock actin in filaments (as rhodamine-phalloidin does), possibly allowing for its use in investigating the dynamic assembly behavior of actin polymers. Although it is established that TMR-actin alone is polymerization incompetent, the impact of its copolymerization with unlabeled actin on filament structure and dynamics has not been tested yet. In this study, we show that TMR-actin perturbs the filaments structure when copolymerized with unlabeled actin; the resulting filaments are more fragile and shorter than the control filaments. Due to the increased severing of copolymer filaments, TMR-actin accelerates the polymerization of unlabeled actin in solution also at mole ratios lower than those used in most fluorescence microscopy experiments. The destabilizing and severing effect of TMR-actin is countered by filament stabilizing factors, phalloidin, S1, and tropomyosin. These results point to an analogy between the effects of TMR-actin and severing proteins on F-actin, and imply that TMR-actin may be inappropriate for investigations of actin filaments dynamics.
Global Cerebral Blood Flow in Relation to Cognitive Performance and Reserve in Subjects with Mild Memory Deficits

Purpose This study was undertaken to explore the mechanisms underlying cognitive reserve in subjects with mild memory deficits by using positron emission tomography (PET).
Slow light in narrow paraffin-coated vapor cells

Alkali vapor cells with antirelaxation coated walls can have long atomic coherence times. However, using such coated cells in the hyperfine configuration for electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) requires longitudinal atomic motion to be confined to less than the hyperfine wavelength. We employed a narrow (1 mm) coated cell geometry to study hyperfine EIT and slow and stored light in warm R87b vapor, with results comparable to those in buffer gas cells and showing the promise of such cells for several applications.
Dichlorobenzimidazole‐riboside Inhibition of Nuclear RNA Accumulation Initiated with γ‐Thio Analogues of ATP and GTP

The γ-thio analogues of ATP and GTP, ATP[S] and GTP[S], have been used as affinity probes to measure RNA synthesis initiated in vitro in L cell nuclei. 5,6-Dichlororibofuranosylbenzimidazole was found to inhibit total RNA synthesis in vitro and the amount bound by mercury-affinity chromatography. Initiation in vitro was also shown by [35S]ATP[S] and [35S]GTP[S] incorporation in RNA molecules with a large size distribution. Although 66% of RNA molecules labeled with [35S]GTP[S] and 74% of those labeled with [35S]ATP[S] were 3–12 S in size, the remainder of the label was recovered in RNA molecules larger than 12 S and a significant portion in RNA larger than 18 S. The specificity of the initiation process seems to be indicated by the finding of molecules of the size of pre-tRNA on gel electrophoresis which were labeled with [35S]GTP[S] but not [35S]ATP [S] under our experimental conditions. 5,6-Dichlororibofuranosylbenzimidazole severely inhibited the incorporation of [35S]GTP [S] and [35S]ATP [S] by all size classes, indicating that it can decrease accumulation of RNA initiated in vitro in the L cell nuclear system.
Jamming conditions for multiple peg-in-hole assemblies

Reliable flexible assembly workstations depend ultimately on the physics of assembly tasks performed. Multiple-peg insertions, as a practical assembly class, is complicated by the large number and kind of interaction between mating parts.In this article, geometric and quasi-static analyses of multiple-peg insertions are presented. First, a possible contact-state enumeration, geometric conditions for each contact-state, and the force-moment equations for static-equilibrium states of two dimensional dual-peg insertions are derived. The jamming diagrams and the taxonomy of dual-peg insertions are obtained. Then, an experiment to verify the analysis is presented.
The Supreme Court in American Democracy: Unraveling the Linkages between Public Opinion and Judicial Decision Making

There is wide scholarly agreement that the frequent replacement of justices has kept the Supreme Court generally attuned to public opinion. Recent research indicates that, in addition to this indirect effect, Supreme Court justices respond directly to changes in public opinion. We explore the two causal pathways suggested to link public opinion directly to the behavior of justices and the implications of the nature and strength of these linkages for current debates concerning Supreme Court tenure. The recent increase in the stability of Court membership has raised questions about the continued efficacy of the replacement mechanism and renewed debates over mechanisms to limit judicial tenure. Our analysis provides little evidence that justices respond strategically to public opinion but provides partial support for the idea that justices' preferences shift in response to the same social forces that shape the opinions of the general public. Our analysis offers preliminary evidence that—even in the absence o...
Near Wake Dynamics for An Ahmed Body With Active Flow Control

An Ahmed body with a 25° rear slant (rear window) is the base model used to investigate the use of steady microjets as a control method to redu ce separation. The actuator array is placed just downstream of the leading edge of the r ear slant in order to control the flow separation that occurs on this surface. Modificati ons to the flow field are studied over a wide range of control conditions in terms of momentum flux through the actuators. Attention is focused on the dynamics of the trailin g wake and the effect of separation control on the near wake characteristics. By controlling t he degree of separation changes to the primary shedding frequency as well as to the dominant wake structure were found to occur. The near wake was found to elongate by nearly 17% causing a pressure increase on the rear vertical base. This is thought to be a key compon ent to drag reduction on blunt body separation.