cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Epidemiological survey of brucellosis in Zibo City Shandong Province from 1954 to 2011

Objective To explore epidemic characteristics and trend of livestock brucellosis in Zibo,and to provide a scientific basis for development of prevention strategies to brucellosis.Methods Epidemiology statistical analysis and forecast was made based on related information such as the active immunization data of human brucellosis,the infection data between people and livestock,and the active immunization data among livestock over the years since 1954.Results From 1954 to 2011,37 years had brucellosis cases reported in Zibo City,with accumulative reports of 380 cases,and the average incidence rate was 0.2512/100 000,distributed in 118 villages 56 counties 3 towns 5 districts of the whole city.From 1954 to 1988,only 14 years had brucellosis cases reported,with accumulative reports of 94 cases,and the average incidence rate was 0.1573/100 000.From 1989 to 2011,each year had brucellosis cases reported,with accumulative reports of 283 cases,and the average incidence rate was 0.3158/100 000,of which the highest incidence was in 2011 (45 cases).From 1958 to 2011,there were a total of 140 154 livestock went through serology monitoring,1162 positives,and the positive rate was 0.83％,while the total immunization number of sheep was 884 900,of which 28 years did not carry out immunization work.Conclusions The incidence rate has decreased year by year since the seventies of last century.But the epidemic is on the rise since 1989,while new epidemic areas are emerging and the history affected areas are still serious,therefore the brucellosis prevention and control situation is still grim. Key words: Brucellosis; Epidemic trend; Outcome evalution
Italy’s Fields of Glory: First World War Battlefield Travel and the Uses of Public Memory, 1919–1953

David Aliano examines travel to First World War battlefield sites to understand how the Italian state and its tourist sector projected Italy’s military culture both to the Italian public and to foreign visitors. Making use of a select number of representative battlefield guidebooks and state-sponsored tours over time, this study analyzes the layered public memories drawn from the empty battlefield spaces and contextualized for the different types of visitors to the sites. Focus in particular is on how the Italian military’s wartime experience was used to instill patriotism at home and enhance Italy’s image abroad through battlefield images and memories that paid tribute to, but were also quite apart from, those of the ex-combatants themselves.
Composition of seagrass phyllosphere microbial communities suggests rapid environmental regulation of community structure

Recent studies have revealed that seagrass blade surfaces, also known as the phyllosphere, are rich habitats for microbes; however, the primary drivers of composition and structure in these microbial communities are largely unknown. This study utilized a reciprocal transplant approach between two sites with different environmental conditions combined with 16S rRNA gene sequencing (iTag) to examine the relative influence of environmental conditions and host plant on phyllosphere community composition of the seagrass Thalassia testudinum. After 30 days, identity of phyllosphere microbial community members was more similar within the transplant sites than between despite differences in the source of host plant. Additionally, the diversity and evenness of these communities was significantly different between the two sites. These results indicated that local environmental conditions can be a primary driver in structuring seagrass phyllosphere microbial communities over relatively short time scales. Composition of microbial community members in this study also deviated from those in previous seagrass phyllosphere studies with a higher representation of candidate bacterial phyla and archaea than previously observed. The capacity for seagrass phyllosphere microbial communities to shift dramatically with environmental conditions, including ecosystem perturbations, could significantly affect seagrass-microbe interactions in ways that may influence the health of the seagrass host.
Coiflet interpolation and approximate solutions of elliptic partial differential equations

In this article, we prove a higher order interpolation result for square–integrable functions by using generalized coiflets. Convergence of approximation by using generalized coiflets is shown. Applications to wavelet–Galerkin approximation of elliptic partial differential equations and some numerical examples are also given. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq 13:303–320, 1997.
Revisiting Reciprocity: How Accountability, Proactivity, and Interpersonal Skills Shape Obligations to Reciprocate Citizenship Behavior

Across two studies, we directly test the widely held tenet in the scholarship of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) that individuals choose to engage in OCB as a result of felt obligations to reciprocate. We further examine how obligations to reciprocate operate against a backdrop of relevant contextual factors (accountability) and individual differences (proactive personality and interpersonal skill). Using an experimental method, we find evidence supporting the proposition that reciprocity obligations increase OCB engagement and that these effects are amplified by contexts high in accountability and when individuals possess high levels of proactive personality. In a subsequent field study, we find further corroborating evidence for the effects of reciprocity obligations on OCB and reaffirm the moderating influences of proactive personality and accountability. Overall, the convergent evidence supports the causal relationship between reciprocity obligations and OCB, as well as explicates the conditions under which this foundational effect operates across individuals and varying contexts.
II. The Question of God in the Struggle for Racial Justice

In March 1943, having narrowly escaped Europe three years earlier, Abraham Joshua Heschel published “The Meaning of This War,” his first essay in an American publication. The essay shows, quite remarkably, his full command of literary English. It also shows, as biographer Edward Kaplan remarks, that Heschel “had found his militant voice.” “Emblazoned over the gates of the world in which we live,” the essay begins, “is the escutcheon of the demons. The mark of Cain in the face of man has come to overshadow the likeness of God. There have never been so much guilt and distress, agony and terror. At no time has the earth been so soaked with blood.” Heschel's extraordinary life's witness, his whole body of work, traverses precisely this anthropological and theological knife's edge: The mark of Cain in the face of man has come to overshadow the likeness of God. Where is God? Or better, Who is God? in relation to the rapacious misuse and idolatrous distortion of human freedom? Or simply, Is God?
An Investigation of the (In)effectiveness of Counterfactually Augmented Data.

While pretrained language models achieve excellent performance on natural language understanding benchmarks, they tend to rely on spurious correlations and generalize poorly to out-of-distribution (OOD) data. Recent work has explored using counterfactually-augmented data (CAD) -- data generated by minimally perturbing examples to flip the ground-truth label -- to identify robust features that are invariant under distribution shift. However, empirical results using CAD for OOD generalization have been mixed. To explain this discrepancy, we draw insights from a linear Gaussian model and demonstrate the pitfalls of CAD. Specifically, we show that (a) while CAD is effective at identifying robust features, it may prevent the model from learning unperturbed robust features, and (b) CAD may exacerbate existing spurious correlations in the data. Our results show that the lack of perturbation diversity in current CAD datasets limits its effectiveness on OOD generalization, calling for innovative crowdsourcing procedures to elicit diverse perturbation of examples.
Neglect, Trivialization, and Stigmatization: Disc Golf in Popular Movies and Television

Although the disc golf movement has generally benefited from coverage in traditional news media, as well as insider media, prosumers, and social media, references to the sport in popular television shows and movies are often critical. In this chapter, I argue that as non-normative sports gain popularity, they meet resistance from the dominant sports culture. Drawing on Todd Gitlin’s work (Social Problems 26:251, 1979) on ideological hegemony and Erving Goffman’s Stigma (Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity. Prentice-Hall, 1963), I explore how disc golf has been neglected, trivialized, and stigmatized by high-status media organizations. I analyzed seventy-seven references to disc golf in television shows and movies using quantitative and qualitative measures. Disc golf references are shorter in high-status programs than in low-status programs. It is also more likely to be trivialized and stigmatized in high-status programs than in low-status ones. The chapter reveals how the evolution of non-normative sports movements may be constrained by hegemonic sports culture.
Camden Hills and Mount Desert

Researches continued—Evidence of glacial action—Galileo’s assertion at the conclusion of his recantation before the Inquisition—Supporting our opponents side of the question in dispute—Deep water to the south of Vinalhaven—Examination of Camden Hills—Glacial striation about the village and its nearest mountains—Scratched quartz vein on the summit of Magunticook, 1300 ft high—The mountain broken down upon its south side—Boulders between this mountain and Battie—Denuded condition of Mount Battie—Its bold southern front—Glacial scratches at this side—Great boulders around its base—Battie the oldest mountain of the group, and probably the oldest in the state—Visit to Mount Desert -Ð Reflections— Picturesque effects of the mountains—Glacial phenomena abundant – Splendid passage of Somes Sound between two high mountains—Sometimes a dangerous passage—View from mountain top—Denuded summits of the mountains—No local glaciers ever existing there —Degraded summits afford us some data for estimation of thickness of the great glacier.
Estimation of ROC Curve with Multiple Types of Missing Gold Standard

In evaluating the diagnostic accuracy of a test, the gold standard might be missing because of high cost or harmfulness to the patient. The estimation of the diagnostic accuracy could be biased if the missingness is not handled appropriately. In this chapter, we propose a likelihood-based approach to jointly estimate the selection model and disease model when the missing data mechanism is a mixture of ignorable and nonignorable missingness. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and its area are estimated empirically using imputation and reweighting techniques. The proposed method extends the results of Liu and Zhou (2010, Biometrics, 66, 1119–1128), as the latter assumes a single source of nonignorable missingness. We perform simulation studies to compare the performance of the proposed method and the existing approaches in the literature. This methodology is motivated from and applied to a study in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), where two reasons of missingness are modeled separately.
ESSAY: The Cosmological Constant Problem in Brane-Worlds and Gravitational Lorentz Violations

Brane worlds are theories with extra spatial dimensions in which ordinary matter is localized on a (3+1) dimensional submanifold. Such theories could have interesting consequences for particle physics and gravitational physics. In this essay we concentrate on the cosmological constant (CC) problem in the context of brane worlds. We show how extra-dimensional scenarios may violate Lorentz invariance in the gravity sector of the effective 4D theory, while particle physics remains unaffected. In such theories the usual no-go theorems for adjustment of the CC do not apply, and we indicate a possible explanation of the smallness of the CC. Lorentz violating effects would manifest themselves in gravitational waves travelling with a speed different from light, which can be searched for in gravitational wave experiments.
Mercury pollution and remediation: the chemist's response to a global crisis

Environmental mercury pollution is a growing global problem. Due to its unique properties, mercury has in the past been widely used by a variety of industries. This has led to the deposition of large amounts of mercury into the environment, where it is naturally redistributed but not naturally removed. In its methylated form, this mercury tends to accumulate in marine life, eventually reaching levels that can be toxic to humans. Fortunately a variety of remediation methods, including phytoremediation, filtration, and chemical precipitation, are currently in development. One precipitation leagent called MetX appears extremely promising. It binds mercury and other soft heavy metals irreversibly and produces precipitates that do not leach. This technology and many others holds the promise of a future victory over mercury pollution.
Laparoscopy as a diagnostic and therapeutic technique in uterine perforations during first-trimester abortions.

Abstract Laparoscopy has been performed in 11 cases of instrumental uterine perforation during first-trimester abortion at The New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center from October 1971, to January 1973. The procedure is safe when performed in indicated cases and an exact diagnosis of the extent of the perforation injury can be obtained. The laparoscopy is carried out as soon as the perforation takes place, with the same anesthesia if general anesthesia is used. The only exceptions are those cases in which there has been extensive instrumentation after perforation or when tissue resembling bowel or fat is obtained. In these cases an immediate laparotomy is indicated. The abortion can be completed either by suction or sharp curette and intra-abdominal bleeding controlled by cauterization under laparoscopic observation. This procedure may save the patient exploratory laparotomy and thus shortens hospital stay and minimizes medicolegal problems. The suggested management of different types of instrumental perforations during first-trimester abortions is outlined.
An improved implementation of triangular-domain basis functions for the analysis of microstrip interconnects

In the implementation of the triangular-domain basis functions for the analysis of microstrip interconnects, new schemes are developed to construct the method of moments impedance matrix. These schemes are compared to the original method developed by Rao, Wilton, and Glisson (RWG) in terms of efficiency and accuracy. An important feature of the schemes is that the symmetry of the matrix is retained such that only the diagonal and the upper triangular portions of the matrix are stored. A banded matrix iterative algorithm is then applied to solve this symmetry matrix. The matrix fill time is reduced by a factor of 2 when compared to RWG. The matrix solve time is also reduced by a factor of 10 when compared to the full matrix inversion often used in RWG.
Long correlations and fractional difference analysis applied to the study of memory effects in high-frequency (tick) data

This work is devoted to the study of long correlations, memory effects and other statistical properties of a sample of high-frequency (tick) data. The high-frequency data sample consists of high-frequency (minute) data for several stocks over a seven-day period which we know is relevant for market crush behaviour in the US market; 10–18 March 2008. The Hurst exponent estimation, the detrended fluctuation analysis and the fractional difference parameter are the tools used for this analysis. It also investigates the underlying volatility processes in high-frequency (tick) data using range of GARCH specifications. The GARCH variants considered include the basic GARCH, IGARCH, ARFIMA (0,,0)-GARCH and FIGARCH models. In all the applications, the methodology provides insight into features of these series volatility.
The Standard Oil Company (New Jersey)

The aim of this discussion is to elucidate the evolution of the management concepts, organizational patterns, and policies of the Standard Oil Company (New Jersey). In point of fact, these topics are discussed primarily with reference to the origin and development of the Standard Oil combination under its various legal titles prior to 1911. The policies and practices, both sound and unsound, of the men who administered the Jersey Company in its early years were largely those of the men who created the combination.
Native ATM application programmer interface testbed for cluster-based computing

This paper investigates the use of ATM for cluster based computing. The need for a native ATM API is discussed as well as the performance of message passing libraries (MPL) that are written to use such an API to exploit the advantages of a high-speed network for cluster-based computing. The MPLs offer a standard interface, such as PVM or MPI, and interoperate with existing TCP/IP and UDP/IP based versions in addition to the ATM API environment. The interoperability extensions made to two MPLs, MPI and Prowess, are described with a hybrid environment of both ATM and TCP-based legacy network technology. The native ATM API is described in this paper which supports cluster based computing that may be geographically distributed. Furthermore, this API provides a reliable transport interface to the MPL which has been optimized for an ATM environment. The transport protocol is a low-state design that optimizes the performance based on the available bandwidth, buffer constraints, propagation delay characteristics, and security requirements of a particular connection, and will rapidly evolve if the connection characteristics change.
Detection of static eccentricity and turn-to-turn short circuit faults in permanent magnet synchronous AC machines

Permanent Magnet Synchronous Machines play a major role in many industrial applications, therefore developing a method to detect the faults, fault type and severity becomes more important. Faults will cause changes to the machine performance and parameters. One of these effects is changing the machine saturation level. This change is reflected in the incremental inductance curve as a change in the peak amplitude and/or a shift in the curve peak. In this paper the difference in the incremental inductance curves between healthy and faulted machine is used as a fault indicator. Based on the direction and the amount of the curve peak shift, the type of the fault can be detected and its severity can be estimated. Two faults are discussed here: static eccentricity and turn-to-turn short circuit. k-Nearest Neighbor classifier is used to detect the type and estimate the severity of the fault. Both simulation and experimental data are used to validate the method. Finite Element Analysis simulations using Flux-2D software are performed on two 3 phase Permanent Magnet Synchronous Machines with different winding topologies: a distributed and a concentrated winding machine, experimental data are performed on the distributed winding machine.
Evaluation of standing-wave thermoacoustic cycles for cooling applications

The most promising applications for standing-wave thermoacoustic cooling were investigated from the perspective of the ratio of coefficient of performance (COP) to the reversible COP or COPR. A design optimization program based on the thermoacoustic simulation program known as DELTAE was developed. The program was applied to two standing-wave thermoacoustic cooler configurations in order to determine the best possible COPRs for various temperature spans between hot-side and cold-side stack-end temperatures. It was found that the COPR of standing-wave thermoacoustic coolers increases with temperature span and reaches a maximum for temperature lifts around 80 °C. Analysis of the results and the losses clearly shows that the efficiency of these systems may be good for refrigeration, but not for air-conditioning and cryogenic cooling. The COPRs determined from measurements for various thermoacoustic coolers developed so far show similar trends, and generally support the optimization results.
RNA localization: SHEdding light on the RNA–motor linkage

Abstract Specific mRNAs achieve an asymmetric distribution in the cell by linking to molecular motors that walk along the cytoskeleton. Studies in S. cerevisiae have begun to define the nature of the RNA–motor linkage and identify She3p as an adaptor protein that links a type V myosin motor to specific ribonucleoproteins.
Parsing with derivatives: a functional pearl

We present a functional approach to parsing unrestricted context-free grammars based on Brzozowski's derivative of regular expressions. If we consider context-free grammars as recursive regular expressions, Brzozowski's equational theory extends without modification to context-free grammars (and it generalizes to parser combinators). The supporting actors in this story are three concepts familiar to functional programmers - laziness, memoization and fixed points; these allow Brzozowski's original equations to be transliterated into purely functional code in about 30 lines spread over three functions.Yet, this almost impossibly brief implementation has a drawback: its performance is sour - in both theory and practice. The culprit? Each derivative can double the size of a grammar, and with it, the cost of the next derivative.Fortunately, much of the new structure inflicted by the derivative is either dead on arrival, or it dies after the very next derivative. To eliminate it, we once again exploit laziness and memoization to transliterate an equational theory that prunes such debris into working code. Thanks to this compaction, parsing times become reasonable in practice.We equip the functional programmer with two equational theories that, when combined, make for an abbreviated understanding and implementation of a system for parsing context-free languages.
In-depth analysis of traffic congestion using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling method

This paper introduces computational fluid dynamics (CFD), a numerical approach widely and successfully used in aerospace engineering, to deal with surface traffic flow related problems. After a brief introduction of the physical and mathematical foundations of CFD, this paper develops CFD implementation methodology for modeling traffic problems such as queue/platoon distribution, shockwave propagation, and prediction of system performance. Some theoretical and practical applications are discussed in this paper to illustrate the implementation methodology. It is found that CFD approach can facilitate a superior insight into the formation and propagation of congestion, thereby supporting more effective methods to alleviate congestion. In addition, CFD approach is found capable of assessing freeway system performance using less ITS detectors, and enhancing the coverage and reliability of a traffic detection system.
Crystallization and preliminary electron diffraction study to 3.7 Å of DNA helix-destabilizing protein gp32∗I☆

Abstract A two-dimensionally large and thin crystal has been obtained from gp32∗I, a proteolytically digested product of a DNA helix-destabilizing protein coded by gene 32 in bacteriophage T4. High-resolution electron diffraction patterns (~3.7A) are recorded from both unstained and stained protein crystals embedded in glucose. The crystal is of orthorhombic space group with a = 62.9 A and b = 47.3 A .
Tectonic Implications of a Basaltic Dike, Southern Franklin Mountains, El Paso County, Texas

A basaltic dike cuts Paleozoic strata and a Cenozoic landslide breccia in the southern Franklin block of the Franklin Mountains. Strike-slip displacement of this dike records mostly right lateral but some left lateral movements along major faults in the range. These major faults are genetically related with the boundary faults of the range. The dike has been emplaced following exogenic gravity gliding of large masses of west-dipping strata on the western dip slope of the range, thus indicating the following general geologic history: contemporaneous uplift and tilting of the range, with some internal faulting and gravity gliding of large blocks, dike emplacement, and strike-slip displacement along the internal faults. The Franklin Mountains are bounded by the Texas lineament on the southern end and by the Rio Grande trench on their westerly side, hence this strike-slip displacement in major faults of the range is of significance in the analysis of the regional tectonics of these two major lineaments.
Modeling and Parameter Design of a Laser Shock Peening Process

Laser shock peening (LSP) is a surface treatment technique that has been applied to improve fatigue and corrosion properties of metals. The ability to use a high energy laser pulse to generate shock waves, inducing a compressive residual stress field in metallic materials, has applications in multiple fields such as turbomachinery, airframe structures, and medical appliances. In the past, researchers have investigated the effect of LSP parameters experimentally [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] and performed a limited number of simulations on simple geometries [6, 7, 8, 9]. However, monitoring the dynamic, intricate relationship of peened material experimentally is expensive and challenging. With an increasing number of applications on complex geometries, these limited experimental and simulations capabilities are not sufficient for LSP process design. A computational mechanics procedure is required that can perform simulations of multiple treatments of LSP at the same location, sequential LSP at multiple locations, differ...
Mutating Three Residues in the Bovine Rod Cyclic Nucleotide-Activated Channel Can Switch a Nucleotide from Inactive to Active

Cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) channels, which were initially studied in retina and olfactory neurons, are activated by cytoplasmic cGMP or cAMP. Detailed comparisons of nucleotide-activated currents using nucleotide analogs and mutagenesis revealed channel-specific residues in the nucleotide-binding domain that regulate the binding and channel-activation properties. Of particular interest are N(1)-oxide cAMP, which does not activate bovine rod channels, and Rp-cGMPS, which activates bovine rod, but not catfish, olfactory channels. Previously, we showed that four residues coordinate the purine interactions in the binding domain and that three of these residues vary in the alpha subunits of the bovine rod, catfish, and rat olfactory channels. Here we show that both N(1)-oxide cAMP and Rp-cGMPS activate rat olfactory channels. A mutant of the bovine rod alpha subunit, substituted with residues from the rat olfactory channel at the three variable positions, was weakly activated by N(1)-oxide cAMP, and a catfish olfactory-like bovine rod mutant lost activation by Rp-cGMPS. These experiments underscore the functional importance of purine contacts with three residues in the cyclic nucleotide-binding domain. Molecular models of nucleotide analogs in the binding domains, constructed with AMMP, showed differences in the purine contacts among the channels that might account for activation differences.
Determination of overlayer thickness by angle-resolved XPS: A comparison of algorithms

Angle-resolved XPS data from two well-characterized samples of SiO2 on Si were analyzed using three different algorithms for the determination of overlayer thickness. The relative ratio algorithm, the Heaviside step function approximation to the Laplace transform algorithm and the absolute ratio algorithm were compared in terms of the d/λ values calculated, correlated parameters, experimental requirements, goodness-of-fit and sensitivity to overlayer thickness variation. Although an inverse correlation exists between the normalization parameter and d/λ for the relative ratio algorithm, this algorithm is recommended over the absolute ratio algorithm and the Laplace transform algorithm for the determination of overlayer thicknesses. The relative ratio algorithm results in the most accurate overlayer thickness ratio and is more sensitive to overlayer thickness variations than the other algorithms.
A technique of enteroenterostomy to prevent alimentary limb obstruction in laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.

Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGBP) has rapidly become a widely accepted treatment option for patients with morbid obesity, producing weight loss as dramatic as the open operation while minimizing the incidence of postoperative wound infection and incisional hernia. Pain is less and recuperation is improved. Currently, the technique for stapled closure of the enterotomy in laparoscopic RYGBP consists of aligning the alimentary and biliopancreatic limbs, creating an enterotomy on the antimesenteric side of each loop, and inserting a linear stapler through the enterotomies into the proximal segments of bowel. The stapler is fired once or twice in the same direction to create a side-to-side anastomosis between the two loops of bowel. In the final step, traction is used to pull up the enterotomy. The stapler is then laid across and fired to close the enterotomy. Stapled closure of the enterotomy may result in narrowing and potential obstruction of either the alimentary limb or the biliopancreatic limb, because it is often difficult to assess and control the amount of tissue being transected during this closure. On the other hand, the true corner of the enterotomy must be visualized and incorporated in the staple line to ensure complete closure. For this reason, sutures are placed on the edges of the enterotomy before stapling. This step requires careful consideration because narrowing of the alimentary limb is a significant technical hazard at this stage. Narrowing of the biliopancreatic limb is less likely, but inadvertent closure of the enteroenterostomy may occur, resulting in biliopancreatic limb obstruction and, in turn, anastomotic dehiscence. Our objective is to describe a method of stapled enteroenterostomy that avoids narrowing of the alimentary or biliopancreatic limb, yet offers an easy and secure closure of the enterotomy.
Equipment requirements to facilitate contrast-enhanced MR imaging

During the past decade, MR equipment and imaging techniques have experienced unprecedented development. Significant improvements have been made in image quality, enhancing conventional contrast agent studies. In addition, the development of new applications, such as MR angiography, has expanded the role of existing agents. A major benefit for contrast agent research has been the development of ultrafast MR imaging. This ability to provide information on contrast agent dynamics will aid in the detection and characterization of neoplastic and other disease states. While the gradient-echo techniques may provide adequate temporal resolution for many applications, echo planar imaging will enable the assessment of perfusion for an entire organ, which is critical in the heart or when the location of the pathology is unknown a priori. It is also likely that continued development in MR contrast agents will have a synergistic impact on pulse sequences, e.g., MR diffusion imaging. The growth in functional MR imaging will be based in large measure on the continued interactive development of imaging strategies and magnetopharmaceutials.
Exchangeable sodium and blood volume in normotensive and hypertensive humans on high and low sodium intake.

Eight normotensive and eight essential hypertensive humans were studied when on high and low sodium intake. Total 24-hr exchangeable body sodium, blood volume, serum sodium concentration, hematocrit, body weight, and mean arterial pressures, when the subjects were supine and upright, were measured. Plasma and nonplasma sodium fractions, nonplasma weight, and plasma, cell, and whole blood volumes, as referred to body weight and height, were calculated. Changes in these parameters with diet were also calculated. Specific differences between normotensives and hypertensives were found, in absolute values and with changes with diet. The hypertensives fell into two groups with regard to exchangeable sodium: in four the values varied with diet and in the other four, the values remained low regardless of diet. The "variable-sodium" patients had high upright arterial pressures when on high salt intake and normal upright pressures when on low salt intake. "Low-sodium" patients had high arterial pressures on both di...
Diffusion controlled reaction rate, survival probability, and molecular trajectory characteristics in the bulk, transition and Knudsen regime

Random walk simulation results are presented for the diffusion controlled reaction rate coefficient, molecular survival probability, average track length and relative collision frequency in the bulk, transition and Knudsen diffusion regime, in porous media formed by randomly oriented cylindrical fibers. The survival probability and mean survival distance are found to increase with the porosity in all diffusion regimes. The diffusion controlled reaction rate coefficient attains higher values at lower porosities, obeying an upper bound of the literature and approaching its value in the bulk regime. The values computed for all three parameters in the transition regime depend strongly on the Knudsen number, whereas in the Knudsen regime they are in line with analytical predictions based on the chord length distribution of the fiber structures. A harmonic average approximation based on Bosanquet's equation for the effective diffusivities is found to link successfully the values of the diffusion controlled reaction rate coefficient in the three diffusion regimes. The simulation results for the average molecular track length and relative collision frequency deviate in the biggest part of the transition regime from earlier analytical and numerical results obtained from long diffusion time random walks, in agreement with an analysis centered on the basic differences of molecular trajectories in diffusion controlled reaction systems from those involving molecular reflection from the pore surface.
Independent Sources of Spontaneous BOLD Fluctuation Along the Visual Pathway

In resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiments, correlation analysis can be used to identify clusters of cortical regions that may be functionally connected. Although such functional connectivity is often assumed to reflect cortico-cortical connections, a potential confound is the contribution of subcortical brain regions, many of which have strong anatomical connectivity to cortical regions and may also enable cortico-cortical interactions through trans-thalamic pathways. To investigate this, we performed resting state fMRI of the human visual system, including cortical regions and subcortical nuclei of the pulvinar and lateral geniculate. Regression analysis was used to investigate the dependence of the measured inter-regional correlations upon afferents from specific retinal, thalamic and cortical regions as well as systemic global signal fluctuation. A high level of inter-hemispheric correlation (cc = 0.95) was found in the visual cortex that could not be explained by activity in the subcortical nuclei investigated; in addition a relatively low level of inter-hemispheric correlation (cc = 0.39–0.42) was found in vision-related thalamic nuclei that could not be explained by direct anatomical connections or their cortical inputs. These findings suggest that spontaneous fMRI signal correlations within the human visual system originate from a mixture of independent signal sources that may be transmitted through thalamo-cortical, cortico-thalamic, and cortico-cortical connections either trans-callosal or trans-thalamic in origin. Our findings thus call for more cautious interpretation of resting state functional connectivity in terms of any single type of anatomical connectivity.
Sequential interaction of the chaperones BiP and GRP94 with immunoglobulin chains in the endoplasmic reticulum

During their transit through the endoplasmic reticulum, newly synthesized light and heavy chains of immunoglobulins associate with two endoplasmic reticulum stress proteins. BiP/GRP78, a member of the HSP70 family, binds these polypeptides, presumably through promiscuously exposed hydrophobic sequences, soon after their translocation into the endoplasmic reticulum. GRP94, another endoplasmic reticulum stress protein homologous to HSP90, also associates with unassembled immunoglobulin chains, but its interaction is biochemically, kinetically and structurally distinct from BiP's. We report here that whereas BiP preferentially binds an early disulphide intermediate of light chain and dissociates within a few minutes, GRP94 exclusively binds fully oxidized molecules and dissociates with a half-time of 50 min. These results indicate that GRP94 is itself a chaperone which acts after BiP.
Synthesis of methyl 4-dihydrotrisporate B, a prohormone of

Abstract Methyl 4-dihydrotrisporate, a prohormone from the plus mating type of Blakeslea trispora , has been synthesized by a route which confirms its structure and configuration.
Identification, extraction and quantification of the synthetic cannabinoid JWH-018 from commercially available herbal marijuana alternatives

Abstract In this work, methods for the rapid identification, extraction, and quantification of the synthetic cannabinoid, JWH-018, from commercially available "Spice" (a herbal marijuana alternative) are presented. JWH-018 was identified in three different products using time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometry coupled with a direct analysis in real time (DART) ionization source, a process that was completed in less then five minutes and required no sample preparation. Extraction of the JWH-018 from the spice samples using an automated accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) instrument provided clean extracts with few plant pigments. Subsequent quantification by isocratic HPLC produced the following results (mg JWH-018/g plant material): Weekend Warrior brand "Hash": 90 (±3%)mg/g, Weekend Warrior brand "Leaf": 29 (±6%)mg/g, TrainWreck Hayze brand: 28 (±4%)mg/g. Vegetative samples spiked with JWH-018 gave a recovery of 97% (±1%).
Thermal ablative therapies for secondary hepatic malignancies

Hepatic metastatic disease affects more than half of the patients with colorectal cancer and neuroendocrine cancer. Hepatic resection remains the gold standard for liver metastasis from colorectal and neuroendocrine primaries. Thermal ablative technologies, however, are increasingly being used either alone or in combination with resection to treat this group of patients. Radiofrequency ablation is the most common modality used in the United States, whereas microwave ablation has been more widely used in the East. In addition to being adjuncts to hepatic resection, ablation has gained an increased popularity in the management of patients who are not operative candidates or have unresectable colorectal or neuroendocrine hepatic metastasis. Although radiofrequency ablation seems to have a higher local recurrence than resection, ablation remains an important therapeutic option for many patients with hepatic metastasis.
Inhibitory control gains from higher-order cognitive strategy training

The present study examined the transfer of higher-order cognitive strategy training to inhibitory control. Middle school students enrolled in a comprehension- and reasoning-focused cognitive strategy training program and passive controls participated. The training program taught students a set of steps for inferring essential gist or themes from materials. Both before and after training or a comparable duration in the case of the passive controls, participants completed a semantically cued Go/No-Go task that was designed to assess the effects of depth of semantic processing on response inhibition and components of event-related potentials (ERP) related to response inhibition. Depth of semantic processing was manipulated by varying the level of semantic categorization required for response selection and inhibition. The SMART-trained group showed inhibitory control gains and changes in fronto-central P3 ERP amplitudes on inhibition trials; whereas, the control group did not. The results provide evidence of the transfer of higher-order cognitive strategy training to inhibitory control and modulation of ERPs associated with semantically cued inhibitory control. The findings are discussed in terms of implications for cognitive strategy training, models of cognitive abilities, and education.
Hemangioma associated with thrombocytopenic purpura

Summary A patient with a large hemangioma and an associated thrombopenia is reported. This is the fourth such case in the literature. The patient had a good result with blood transfusion and x-ray therapy. The three cases previously reported are reviewed.
On random and systematic failures

Abstract The Licensee Event Reports (LERS) for Zion 1 and 2 (1974–April 1979) and 100 design errors compiled by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) for the period 1977–1978 are analyzed. Two general classes of errors, random and systematic, are defined and the latter class is investigated in detail. Systematic errors are studied from various points of view, namely their causes, effects, mode of discovery, and their relation to fragility curves.
Phase II trial of 4'-deoxydoxorubicin (esorubicin) in hormone resistant prostate cancer.

Fifteen patients with hormone resistant advanced prostate cancer were treated with anthracycline analog 4′-deoxydoxorubicin (Esorubicin). No patient had objective evidence of tumor regression. Six patients (40%) were classified using the National Prostatic Cancer Project criteria as having stable disease after two courses of therapy. Treatment was associated with significant hematologic toxicity with 50% of patients experiencing grade III or IV neutropenia. Clinical cardiac toxicity was not observed. Further trials of 4′ -deoxydoxorubicin do not appear to be warranted in advanced prostate cancer.
Effects of interdomain tether length and flexibility on the kinetics of intramolecular electron transfer in human sulfite oxidase.

Sulfite oxidase (SO) is a vitally important molybdenum enzyme that catalyzes the oxidation of toxic sulfite to sulfate. The proposed catalytic mechanism of vertebrate SO involves two intramolecular one-electron transfer (IET) steps from the molybdenum cofactor to the iron of the integral b-type heme and two intermolecular one-electron steps to exogenous cytochrome c. In the crystal structure of chicken SO [Kisker, C., et al. (1997) Cell 91, 973−983], which is highly homologous to human SO (HSO), the heme iron and molybdenum centers are separated by 32 A and the domains containing these centers are linked by a flexible polypeptide tether. Conformational changes that bring these two centers into greater proximity have been proposed [Feng, C., et al. (2003) Biochemistry 42, 5816−5821] to explain the relatively rapid IET kinetics, which are much faster than those theoretically predicted from the crystal structure. To explore the proposed role(s) of the tether in facilitating this conformational change, we alt...
Quantitative fluorescence measurements from tissue using confocal detection

Fluorescence intensity measurements from fluorophore molecules present in tissue can be affected by the intrinsic scattering and absorption of the tissue. Using detection of the fluorescence from small regions of tissue the fluorescent intensity signal is not significantly affected by the background absorption in the tissue. Confocal microscopic measurements have been examined here in an effort to develop a system in which the fluorescent intensity measured from tissue is linearly proportional to only the fluorophore concentration and the input light irradiance. Monte Carlo simulations confirm that by constraining the detected area to smaller than the average scattering length, that the fluorescence measurements are not significantly affected by intrinsic absorption. This type of system is useful for quantification of photosensitizer concentrations in tissue during photodynamic therapy or for pharmacokinetic measurements of uptake in tissue. Preliminary measurements confirm that this method should be equivalent to fluorescence-based tissue extraction methods of photosensitizer uptake in tissue.
C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) increases [125I]ANF binding to FRTL-5 rat thyroid cells by increasing ANF receptor affinity

Abstract To examine a possible role for C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) in the thyroid, we studied the ability of this peptide to compete with atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) binding to FRTL-5 rat thyroid cells. Rather than competing for ANF binding, CNP significantly elevated [ 125 I]ANF binding above control at both 23° and 2°C. The increase in ANF binding was due largely to a threefold increase in receptor affinity in the presence of CNP (control, K d = 8.7 n M ; 1 μ M CNP, K d = 3.1 n M ). Despite the failure to compete for ANF binding, CNP was almost as effective as ANF at inducing cGMP production in FRTL-5 cells. Competition binding studies using [ 125 I]CNP indicated the presence of a relatively low-affinity site for CNP ( K d = 77 n M ) that bound ANF with equal affinity. These results show for the first time that ANF receptor binding can be positively regulated by the related natriuretic peptide, CNP.
Simulations and Statistical Analyses of the Alignment of Patterned Optical Waveguides

In this paper we investigate the tolerances required to achieve high transmission efficiencies given two planar waveguides with misalignments in both offset and overlap. More specifically, simulations of two types of waveguides, embedded and deep-ridge, with defects created during a multi-exposure lithographic process are presented along with statistical analyses results. Average efficiencies as high as 99% can be achieved with both waveguides having misalignment deviations in position as great as 0.3 μm. Overlap misalignment in the regime we explored was found to be much less critical for the planar waveguide coupling.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
Observability and redundancy classification in generalized process networks—II. Algorithms

Abstract The observability of a variable and the redundancy of a measurement are basic information in designing process performance monitoring systems. In these two papers we present the treatment for a general process network, allowing for overall and component mass balances, energy balances, reactions, heat exchanges and stream splitting. The algorithms effectively exploit the graph-theoretic properties of the network and the solvability of constraint equations to determine observability. The classification principles are presented in this paper, and the classification algorithms in Part II. Classification of a medium-size process network requires only a few seconds of CPU time on a Vax 11/780.
A perspective on the muscle reflex: implications for congestive heart failure

In this review we examine the exercise pressor reflex in health and disease. The role of metabolic and mechanical stimulation of thin fiber muscle afferents is discussed. The role ATP and lactic acid play in stimulating and sensitizing these afferents is examined. The role played by purinergic receptors subdivision 2, subtype X, vanilloid receptor subtype 1, and acid-sensing ion channels in mediating the effects of ATP and H+ are discussed. Muscle reflex activation in heart failure is then examined. Data supporting the concept that the metaboreflex is attenuated and that the mechanoreflex is accentuated are presented. The role the muscle mechanoreflex plays in evoking renal vasoconstriction is also described.