cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Saw Blade Designs on Controlling Dust from Cutting Fiber-cement

ABSTRACT Fiber-cement can contain as much as 50% crystalline silica and cutting this material has shown to cause excessive exposures to respirable crystalline silica. We conducted this study to evaluate different saw blades for cutting fiber-cement siding, aiming at identifying blade design features that lead to lower dust release. Through laboratory evaluations of 22 saw blades, the releasing rate of respirable dust, i.e., GAPS, was analyzed and compared with and without engineering control measures. Two on-tool passive control measures were specifically evaluated. First, a dust-collecting box with a capped exhaust port was attached to the circular saw. Second, the dust-collecting box was connected to a passive dust collector, which includes a cyclone dust collector and an air filter. Both control measures help collect a portion of the dust with the aid of the induced airflow from the fast-spinning blade. The GAPS generally increased with the number of teeth and the kerf width of the blades. However, the number of teeth seems to have a reduced effect on GAPS for the conditions with the two control measures, possibly due to a higher airflow rate induced by more blade teeth, which results in more dust captured by the dust collectors. The 4-tooth Hitachi blade had the lowest GAPS under all three testing conditions, likely due to fewer teeth, thinner kerf, and its specific design characteristics of a “smooth” gullet optimizing induced airflow and dust transporting into the dust collectors. The control measure with the added passive dust collector provided a dust collection efficiency as high as 66%. The gullet design of the blade seems to play an important role in affecting the amount of dust releasing as well as the collection efficiency of the passive dust controls.
No Way In: Barriers to Access, Service and Administrative Justice at South Africa's Refugee Reception Offices

Despite the recent attention given to improvements within the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) under outgoing Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, the Department’s record with respect to refugees and immigrants remains disturbingly ineffectual. Among the most troubled of the Department’s services for migrants is its asylum system, a set of institutional bodies and practices established to carry out the country’s obligations under refugee and asylum law. This system has consistently failed to carry out its legal mandate and regularly acts outside of the law, with dire consequences for those asylum seekers who face a threat to life or liberty if returned to their home country. The failure to provide protection violates the fundamental tenet of refugee law, suggesting an asylum system that exists in name only. As the Department continues to restrict service provision, it has given no indication of how it will preserve and protect the rights of asylum seekers. Even before the recent office closures, problems in the asylum system threatened these rights. This report aims to identify the scope of these shortcomings by examining the situation at the country’s refugee reception offices. The findings reflect research undertaken between November 2011 and March 2012 by ACMS field researchers who administered two surveys outside of four refugee reception offices: Cape Town, Musina, and the two offices in Pretoria — the Tshwane Interim Refugee Reception Office (TIRRO) and Marabastad. The survey took place after the closure of the Johannesburg office but before the closure of the Cape Town Office. The Port Elizabeth office closed during the course of the research. Many of the problems highlighted below are likely to have grown worse as the effects of these closures are felt and are likely to resurface in any reopened or relocated facility.
Re-Storying Life as a Means of Critical Reflection: The Power of Narrative Learning

Narrative learning is strongly allied with transformational learning and adult development (Merriam, Caffarella, & Baumgartner, 2007), given that it creates context for adult meaning making. Through the use of narrative writing, adult students have the opportunity to engage multiple aspects of learning. Many colleges and universities allow adult learners to earn college credit for prior learning experience by submitting written narratives about their prior learning. By using the Kolb (1984) model to write prior learning narratives, students develop new knowledge that may lead to transformational learning. This article presents the use of narrative writing as an important method of adult learning. Through self-written narratives, adult learners can critically reflect upon prior learning experiences in ways that allow them to “re-story” (Clark & Rossiter, 2008, p. 61) their lives. The premise of this paper is that the act of reframing and re-storying past learning experiences provides a means of adult sense...
If the Banks are Doing So Well, Why Can't I Get a Loan? Regulatory Constraints to Financial Inclusion in Indonesia

Indonesia's financial sector has two paradoxes: (i) Indonesia has been a global leader in microfi- nance for the past 25 years, but access to microfinance services is declining; and (ii) Indonesia's commercial banks are liquid, solvent, and profitable, and the Indonesian economy has been doing well over the past decade, but small and medium enterprises are facing a credit crunch. Although Indonesia is underbanked, most commercial banks have been unresponsive to unmet effective demand. The behavior of banks has been in their own short-term best interests, primarily because of the unintended consequences of Indonesia's financial sector reregulation after the East Asian crisis and contradictory monetary policies, which have produced a prudentially sound but ineffi- cient, narrow, and homogenized banking oligopoly. Indonesia should not respond to financial exclusion by artificially pumping out and administratively allocating more credit. Instead, it should promulgate smart regulation so that banks maintain their sound risk management without pursu- ing noncompetitive and noninclusive business practices.
Infrastructure Coverage and the Poor: A Global Perspective

The poor in most parts of the world may have electricity (especially in urban areas), but they rarely have water, sewer, and telephone services. When they gain access to local services, however, many do decide to connect. Komives, Whittington, and Wu use the World Bank's Living Standards Measurement Study (LSMS) surveys from 15 countries (covering more than 55,500 households) to examine the relationship between infrastructure coverage and household income. The results show that throughout the world all income groups have much higher levels of coverage for electricity than for other formal infrastructure services (in-house piped water service, sewerage service, and private telephone service). In many countries most households in urban areas now have electricity service. As monthly household incomes increase from $100 to $250, coverage of all these infrastructure services rises, but at different rates. The findings confirm that the very poor rarely have these infrastructure services - with exceptions. The very poor often do have electricity if they live in urban areas. The very poor in Eastern Europe and Central Asia have much higher levels of coverage than those elsewhere in the world; they often have electricity, water, sewer, and telephone services. The results also suggest that if the poor gain access to services in their communities, many will decide to connect. This paper - a product of the Private Provision of Public Services Group, Private Sector Advisory Services Department - is part of a larger effort in the department to identify ways of improving services to the poor through private participation in infrastructure. Preparation of the paper was supported by the Public-Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility, a multidonor technical assistance facility aimed at helping developing countries improve the quality of their infrastructure through private sector involvement. For more information on the facility see the Web site www.ppiaf.org.
RENAL TUBULAR ACIDOSIS

Renal tubular acidosis refers to a group of disorders that result from pure tubular damage without concomitant glomerular damage. They could be hereditary (primary) or acquired (secondary to various disease states like sickle cell disease, obstructive uropathy, postrenal transplant, autoimmune disease, or drugs). The hallmark of the disorder is the presence of hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis with, or without, associated defects in potassium homeostasis, a UpH greater than 5.5 in the presence of systemic acidemia, and absence of an easily identifiable cause of the acidemia. There are three physiologic types whose basic defects are impairment of or a decrease in acid excretion, i.e., type 1 (dRTA); a failure in bicarbonate reabsorption, i.e., type 2 (pRTA); and deficiency of buffer or impaired generation of NH4+, i.e., type 4 RTA. Several pathophysiologic mechanisms have been postulated for these various types. pRTA is the least common of all in the adult population. It rarely occurs as an isolated defect. It is frequently accompanied by diffuse proximal tubule transport defects with aminoaciduria, glycosuria, hyperphosphaturia, and so forth (Fanconi syndrome). dRTA is associated with a high incidence of nephrolithiasis, nephrocalcinosis, osteodystrophy, and growth retardation (in children). Osteodystrophy also occurs in pRTA to a lesser degree and is believed to be secondary to hypophosphatemia. Patients with type 4 RTA usually have mild renal insufficiency from either diabetes mellitus or interstitial nephritis. Acute bicarbonate loading will result in a high fractional excretion of bicarbonate greater than 15% (FEHCO3- greater than 15%) in patients with pRTA, but FEHCO3- less than 3% in patients with dRTA. Type I patients will also have a low (U - B) PCO2 with bicarbonate loading. They are also unable to lower their urine pH to less than 5.5 with NH4Cl loading. The treatment of these patients involves avoidance of precipitating factors when possible, treatment of underlying disease, correction of electrolyte imbalance, particularly hypokalemia and hyperkalemia, and most importantly, the use of alkali. This will prevent or reduce all the various complications.
Impact of surgical volume of centers on post-operative outcomes from cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intra-peritoneal chemoperfusion

Complex surgical operations performed at centers of high volume have improved outcomes due to improved surgical proficiency, and betters systems of care including avoidance of errors. Cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intra-peritoneal chemoperfusion (HIPEC), which has been shown to be an oncologically effective strategy for peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC), is one such procedure with significant morbidity and mortality. The learning curve to reach technical proficiency in CRS + HIPEC is about 140- 220 cases for a center. Focus on improving surgical proficiency through training, improving systems of care through partnerships and reporting mechanisms for quality could reduce the time to proficiency.
Effects of Horizontal and Vertical Grid Spacing on Mixing in Simulated Squall Lines and Implications for Convective Strength and Structure

AbstractThe sensitivity of an idealized squall line to horizontal and vertical grid spacing is investigated using a new approach. Simulations are first performed at a horizontal grid spacing of 1 km until the storm reaches its mature stage. The model output is then interpolated to smaller (and larger) grid spacings, and the model is restarted using the interpolated state plus small thermodynamic perturbations to spin up small-scale motions. This framework allows an investigation of the sensitivity of the storm to changes in without complications from differences in storm initiation and early evolution. The restarted simulations reach a quasi steady state within approximately 1 h. Results demonstrate that there are two -dependent regimes with the transition between regimes occurring for between 250 and 500 m. Some storm characteristics, such as the mean convective core area, change substantially for 250 m but show limited sensitivity as is decreased below 250 m, despite better resolving smaller-scale turbu...
ZR reliability and operations analysis

Sandia National Laboratories' Z machine provides a unique capability to a number of National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and basic science communities, and routinely produces X-ray power more than 5 times, and energy 50 times, greater than any other nonpulsed power laboratory device. To address an increasing demand and widening range of research interests, Sandia's Z refurbishment (ZR) program intends to increase Z utilization by providing the capability to double the number of shots per year, improve the overall precision for better reproducibility and enhanced data quality, and increase delivered current to provide additional performance capability. Reliability and operations analysis has been included from the onset of the ZR program to maximize performance and operations capacity. Preliminary analysis using a system-level reliability model highlighted Z failure modes requiring reliability improvement to help meet the increased ZR requirements. Preliminary results from analysis with a developed Z and ZR operations simulation model indicate, from an overall operations perspective including penalty costs and personnel resources, the scheduled maintenance activities and unscheduled repairs most in need of reduced time requirements and rates of occurrence.
Self-Reported Periodontal Disease: Validation in an Epidemiological Survey

Background: Evidence is accumulating to support poor oral health as a risk factor for systemic conditions, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes control, adverse pregnancy outcomes, and pneumonia. Prohibitive costs for clinical assessment of periodontal disease limit information to assess the prevalence and trends of periodontal diseases in the United States population. However, self-report is used widely to assess economically the population-based prevalence of various medical conditions and health-related behaviors and characteristics. Methods: The goal of this secondary data analysis was to identify self-report items sufficiently correlated with clinical periodontal disease for use via face-to-face or telephone interviews. Data for analysis were collected for a project focused on oral health that included face-to-face interview items regarding oral health-related self-care, professional care, and barriers; knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes; risk behavior; impact on quality of life; and demographic characteristics. Also, participants had complete oral examinations. Results: Logistic regression analyses identified self-reported items contributing to two sets of models predicting moderate or severe periodontal disease (MODSEV) and severe periodontal disease (SEV). Age, gender, race/ethnicity, smoking, and periodontal health-related self-report items constituted predictive models with maximum sensitivity and specificity of 71% and 83%, respectively, with area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.85 (as a measure of accuracy) for MODSEV. For SEV, predictive models' maximum sensitivity and specificity were 92% and 53%, respectively, with a maximum AUC of 0.92. Conclusion: These analyses suggest that self-report may be valid for surveillance of periodontal disease burden and trends in the American population, in lieu of more costly clinical periodontal examinations.
Expression profiling identifies responder and non-responder phenotypes to interferon-β in multiple sclerosis

Autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis are characterized by complex genetic traits and pathomechanisms that translate into clinical heterogeneity. This wide heterogeneity of multiple sclerosis as well as different biological responses to immunomodulatory drugs can be expected to contribute to differential treatment responses. Strategies that dissect the relationship between the treatment response and the biological characteristics in individual patients are valuable not only as a clinical tool, but also in leading to a better understanding of the disease. Here we address the in vitro and ex vivo RNA expression profile under one approved therapy of multiple sclerosis, interferon-beta (IFN-beta, Betaseron), by cDNA microarrays and demonstrate that non-responder and responder phenotypes to IFN-beta as assessed by longitudinal gadolinium-enhanced MRI scans and clinical disease activity differ in their ex vivo gene expression profile. These findings will help to better elucidate the mechanism of action of IFN-beta in relation to different disease patterns and eventually lead to optimized therapy.
Evaluation of a Communications Program to Increase Adoption of Vasectomy in Guatemala

This paper reports on a study that tested the impact of 3 communications strategies (radio and promoter radio alone and promoter alone) in increasing the adoption of vasectomy and measured the relative cost-effectiveness of the 3 strategies. The communications strategies were implemented for a 1-year period in 3 different semi-rural towns in the southern coastal region of Guatemala while a 4th community served as a control. There was little change in knowledge or attitudes that could be attributed solely to the program (because changes in the treatment areas were also observed in the control possibly because of spill-over). However the number of operations performed in all 3 treatment areas increased significantly. The strategy employing the male promoter alone generated the greatest number of operations and at the lowest cost. (authors)
The trouble with disaster relief.

I traveled to Port-au-Prince in March 2010, just over 2 months after the earthquake, and spent a week helping to staff a field hospital run by Project Medishare. Taking a step back, it's clear that...
Functional Ecdysone Receptor Is the Product of EcR and Ultraspiracle Genes

Although the biological activity of the insect moulting hormone ecdysone, is manifested through a hormonally regulated transcriptional cascade associated with chromosomal puffing, a direct association of the receptor with the puff has yet to be established. The cloned ecdysone receptor (EcR) is by itself incapable of high-affinity DNA binding or transcriptional activation. Rather, these activities are dependent on heterodimer formation with Ultraspiracle (USP) the insect homologue of vertebrate retinoid X receptor. Here we report that native EcR and USP are co-localized on ecdysone-responsive loci of polytene chromosomes. Moreover, we show that natural ecdysones selectively promote physical association between EcR and USP, and conversely, that high-affinity hormone binding requires both EcR and USP. Replacement of USP with retinoid X receptor produces heterodimers with distinct pharmacological and functional properties. These results redefine the ecdysone receptor as a dynamic complex whose activity may be altered by combinatorial interactions among subunits and ligand.
Shaking the Diptera tree of life: performance analysis of nuclear and mitochondrial sequence data partitions

The value of mitochondrial versus nuclear gene sequence data in phylogenetic analysis has received much attention without yielding definitive conclusions. Theoretical arguments and empirical data suggest a lower phylogenetic utility than equivalent nuclear gene sequences, but there are many examples of important progress made using mitochondrial sequences. We undertook a systematic performance analysis of mitochondrial and nuclear sequence partitions taken from a representative sample of dipteran species. When analysed alone, mitochondrial genes generally performed less well than nuclear genes; however, these genes resolved some branches for which nuclear genes failed. Moreover, the combined use of mitochondrial and nuclear sequences produced superior results without artifacts for nodes where mitochondrial and nuclear gene data generated conflicting topologies. These findings strongly advocate the inclusion of mitochondrial sequences, even in deep phylogeny reconstruction. Comparison of tree support between our and previous analyses identified robustly supported high-confidence clades in the Diptera, but also revealed problematic groupings in need of further analysis.
Potential Impacts of Leakage from Deep CO2 Geosequestration on Overlying Freshwater Aquifers

Carbon Capture and Storage may use deep saline aquifers for CO2 sequestration, but small CO2 leakage could pose a risk to overlying fresh groundwater. We performed laboratory incubations of CO2 infiltration under oxidizing conditions for >300 days on samples from four freshwater aquifers to 1) understand how CO2 leakage affects freshwater quality; 2) develop selection criteria for deep sequestration sites based on inorganic metal contamination caused by CO2 leaks to shallow aquifers; and 3) identify geochemical signatures for early detection criteria. After exposure to CO2, water pH declines of 1−2 units were apparent in all aquifer samples. CO2 caused concentrations of the alkali and alkaline earths and manganese, cobalt, nickel, and iron to increase by more than 2 orders of magnitude. Potentially dangerous uranium and barium increased throughout the entire experiment in some samples. Solid-phase metal mobility, carbonate buffering capacity, and redox state in the shallow overlying aquifers influence the...
Military requirements for water supply

Abstract The U.S. Army Mobility Equipment Research and Development Command is developing transportable reverse osmosis (RO) equipment to produce potable water from fresh, brackish and sea water sources and to remove chemical and radiological contaminants from these waters. Of the various water purification processes available the Army has determined that reverse osmosis has the greatest potential for achieving this multi-purpose function. A 600 gallon per hour (gph) trailer mounted unit, the smallest unit in a family of equipment to be developed, has undergone field testing producing potable water at rated capacity from the turbid Potomac River, a brackish well supply, and the Atlantic Ocean. In addition, the unit has successfully removed three toxic chemical agents from a natural water source. Principle components of the unit are a multi-media filter using the addition of cationic polyelectrolyte to aid preclarification of the water and 10 pressure vessels containing 20 spiral wound reverse osmosis elements. Special dry cellulose acetate membranes have been developed that have been found successful on fresh and brackish water operations in which the feed water is prechlorinated. The CA elements are wet-dry reversible so that the unit may be completely drained for transport and freezing environments. Replacement or spare elements may be stored in a dry condition without impairing membrane performance. In addition, a physically interchangeable dry polyamide (PA-300) RO element has been successfully used to produce drinking water in a single pass from sea water.
Determinants and consequences of voluntary disclosure in an emerging market: Evidence from China

Abstract In this paper we examine empirically the determinants of voluntary disclosure in the annual reports of Chinese listed firms that issue both domestic and foreign shares and determine if the cost of debt capital is related to the extent of voluntary disclosure. We find the level of voluntary disclosure is positively related to the proportion of state ownership, foreign ownership, firm performance measured by return on equity, and reputation of the engaged auditor. There is no evidence, however, that companies benefit from extensive voluntary disclosure by having a lower cost of debt capital.
Neutralizing Neutrophil Invasion

Stroke caused by obstruction of blood flow to a part of the brain (ischemic stroke) can be deadly. However, not all of the consequences of stroke stem directly from the interruption of blood flow; some of them are caused by “friendly fire” from the body’s own immune system. In particular, the invasion of neutrophils into the injured area is known to cause tissue damage, but the exact role that each cell type and cytokine plays in the postinflammatory network is currently unknown. Now, a new study by Gelderblom et al. provides further insights into this post-stroke inflammatory cytokine and immune cell network. Using a mouse model of stroke, the authors found that conventional (αβ) T cells and unconventional (γδ) T cells secreting interferon γ (IFN-γ) and interleukin 17A (IL-17A), respectively, were present in the injured tissue after a period of ischemia followed by reperfusion. IFN-γ then induced macrophages infiltrating the stroke site to produce tumor necrosis factor–α (TNF-α). TNF-α together with IL-17A attracted tissue-damaging neutrophils to the injured area through the induction of CXCL-1 in astrocytes. IL-17A further contributed to tissue damage independent of the neutrophil effects by up-regulating other inflammatory mediators, such as matrix metalloproteinase 3, which led to a breakdown of the blood-brain barrier. Additionally, in vivo studies in mice demonstrated that inhibiting IL-17A binding to its receptor by antibodies to IL-17A resulted in a significant reduction in the size of the injured tissue and improvement in clinical outcome. Post mortem analysis of tissues from human stroke patients showed similar immune cells and inflammatory cytokines in the injured sites. This observation suggests that the T cell/IL-17/neutrophil axis might be involved in the pathogenesis of ischemia/reperfusion injury after stroke in humans as well, providing a rationale for testing the efficacy of antibodies to IL-17A in patients with stroke. Gelderblom and colleagues elucidated the role that immune cells and their cytokines play in the post–ischemic stroke inflammatory network and provided preliminary evidence that neutralizing IL-17A antibodies may reduce the severity of stroke. Additional studies in larger animal models and humans are necessary to further explore the feasibility and efficacy of this therapeutic approach, but this new discovery does offer hope of reducing neutrophil invasion in stroke victims and decreasing the rates of the resulting disability and death. M. Gelderblom et al ., Neutralization of the IL-17 axis diminishes neutrophil invasion and protects from ischemic stroke. Blood , published online 13 September 2012 (10.1182/blood-2012-02-412726 ) [[Abstract]][1] [1]: http://bloodjournal.hematologylibrary.org/content/early/2012/09/13/blood-2012-02-412726
909-3 Transesophageal Dobutamine Stress Echocardiography for Detection of Coronary Artery Disease in Women Presenting with Chest Pain: Comparison with Other Standard Tests

Non-invasive identification of coronary artery disease (CAD) in women is hindered by a relatively high incidence of false positive studies. We have shown that transesophageal dobutamine stress echocardiography (TEDSE) is a useful technique for assessment of CAD in a predominantely male population. To determine the accuracy of TEDSE for detection of CAD in women in relation to other standard non-invasive tests, we studied 49 women (age 51 ± 10 years, range 33–78) who underwent cardiac catheterization, exercise treadmill test (ETT) and stress thallium scintigraphy (TI) for evaluation of chest pain and suspected CAD. Transesophageal echocardiography was performed using a biplane (13 patients) or an omniplane probe (36 patients), and dobutamine was infused in stepwise increments up to 40 μg/kg/min. Ten women had CAD (≥ 70% stenosis of ≥ 1 major coronary artery) and 39 had normal coronary angiograms. During TEDSE, chest pain developed in 8 of 10 (80%) women with CAD and in 31 of the 39 (79%) with normal coronary arteries (p = NS). Of the 10 women with CAD, 7 had ST segment depression during ETT, 8 had reversible TI defects, and 8 developed new or worsening wall motion abnormalities during TEDSE (sensitivity: 70%, 80%, and 80%, respectively; p = NS). Of the 39 women without CAD, 12 had ST segment depression during ETT, 8 had reversible Tl defects, and none developed new or worsening wall motion abnormalities during TEDSE (specificity: 69%,79%, and 100%, respectively; p l 0.002). The overall accuracy was 69% for ETT, 80% for TI, and 96% for TEDSE (p l 0.003). Thus, TEDSE is an accurate test for detection of CAD among women presenting with chest pain which, by virtue of its high specificity, compares favorably with other standard methods.
Experimental engineering procedure for the recovery of liquid water from the atmospheric vapor content

It is proposed that liquid water be recovered from the atmosphere through a partial duplication of natural moist convection processes within an experimental piece of equipment in which certain of the actions could be protected and enhanced. No source of driving energy other than the automatic release of latent heat of condensing water vapor is envisioned. Various problems of a scientific and engineering nature that arise are enumerated and discussed in a preliminary fashion.
LONG CHAIN ALKYL AND CHOLINE SUBSTITUTED XANTHATES AS EXTRACTANTS FOR CADMIUM(II)

Abstract The complexes of cadmium(II) with the xanthate anions ROCS − 2 (R = C 2 H 5 , 1-C 4 H 9 , 1-C 8 H 17 , 1-C 18 H 37 and CH 2 CH 2 N(CH 3 ) + 3 ) have been synthesized. The stoichiometry of the complexes in aqueous solution has been confirmed as 1:2 for cadmium:xanthate by the mole ratio method. The aqueous solubility of the complexes decreases with increasing alkyl chain length of R, but increases in the presence of the cetyltrimethylammonium and dodecylsulphate detergent ions. The choline-substituted xanthate ligand can be used for the electrokinetic extraction of cadmium ions from soils where its efficiency is approximately 10% of that of EDTA. The addition of the ionic detergents cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CETAB), cetyltrimethylammonium- p -toluenesulphonate (CETATS) or sodium dodecylsulphate (SDS) increases the aqueous solubility of the cadmium xanthates by some 20%.
Enhanced bio-sensing by mechanically stretching active plasmonic PDMS device

We demonstrated a bio-sensing tool involving deposition of gold coated PS nanospheres over a PDMS substrate. Sensing spectrum can be tuned by stretching PDMS substrate, providing large sensing range within a single structure.
Buckle Pattern of Biaxially Compressed Simply Supported Orthotropic Rectangular Plates

Simply supported orthotropic elastic rectangular plates in biaxial compres sion are considered, and it is proved that such plates will buckle with m or n (or both) equal to 1, where m and n are the...
Amino Acid Distribution Rules Predict Protein Fold: Protein Grammar for Beta-Strand Sandwich-Like Structures

We present an alternative approach to protein 3D folding prediction based on determination of rules that specify distribution of “favorable” residues, that are mainly responsible for a given fold formation, and “unfavorable” residues, that are incompatible with that fold, in polypeptide sequences. The process of determining favorable and unfavorable residues is iterative. The starting assumptions are based on the general principles of protein structure formation as well as structural features peculiar to a protein fold under investigation. The initial assumptions are tested one-by-one for a set of all known proteins with a given structure. The assumption is accepted as a “rule of amino acid distribution” for the protein fold if it holds true for all, or near all, structures. If the assumption is not accepted as a rule, it can be modified to better fit the data and then tested again in the next step of the iterative search algorithm, or rejected. We determined the set of amino acid distribution rules for a large group of beta sandwich-like proteins characterized by a specific arrangement of strands in two beta sheets. It was shown that this set of rules is highly sensitive (~90%) and very specific (~99%) for identifying sequences of proteins with specified beta sandwich fold structure. The advantage of the proposed approach is that it does not require that query proteins have a high degree of homology to proteins with known structure. So long as the query protein satisfies residue distribution rules, it can be confidently assigned to its respective protein fold. Another advantage of our approach is that it allows for a better understanding of which residues play an essential role in protein fold formation. It may, therefore, facilitate rational protein engineering design.
Crazy Children, Fantastical Theories, and the Many Uses of Metaphysics

Woolley rightly challenges the incredible idea, held by some adults, that it is children who are peculiarly "fantastical" in their thinking. However, Woolley expresses little appreciation for "fantastical thinking" as it underlies the capacity for both grand delusions and amazing insights. In reducing "fantastical thinking" to conceptual error, she overlooks the mythical underpinnings of her own theorizing and neglects the many constructive roles of "fantastical thinking" in development.
Spatial price equilibrium sensitivity analysis

Abstract A direct approach to performing sensitivity analysis for a spatial price equilibrium problem with nonlinear transportation cost, commodity supply and commodity demand functions is presented. The first order derivatives of all decision variables with respect to parameter perturbations are shown to be expressable in a simple from which requires inversion of a matrix whose rank is the number of regions considered. A typical network usually involves several hundred regions and several thousand links; thus, by working with a matrix whose rank depends only on the number of regions rather than the number of links, computer storage is minimized and the necessary matrix inversion is made feasible, enabling us to perform the sensitivity analyses of very large nonlinear equilibrium problems. An example is presented to demonstrate application of the method. The approach taken here is also adaptable to the sensitivity analysis of Wardropian equilibrium problems.
Experimental Investigation of the Effect of Purge Flow on Film Cooling Effectiveness on a Rotating Turbine With Nonaxisymmetric End Wall Contouring

The impact of the purge flow injection on aerodynamics and film cooling effectiveness of a three-stage high pressure turbine with non-axisymmetric endwall contouring has been experimentally investigated. As a continuation of the previously published work involving stator-rotor gap purge cooling, this study investigates film cooling effectiveness on the first stage rotor contoured platform due to a coolant gas injection. Film cooling effectiveness measurements are performed on the rotor blade platform using a pressure sensitive paint (PSP) technique. The present study examines, in particular, the film cooling effectiveness due to injection of coolant from the rotor cavity through the circumferential gap between the first stator followed by the first rotor. Efficiency and performance experiments were conducted with and without cooling injection to show (a) the impact of endwall contouring on the turbine efficiency and (b) the impact of film cooling injection in association with the endwall contouring.The experimental investigation is carried out in a three-stage turbine facility at the Turbomachinery Performance and Flow Research Laboratory (TPFL) at Texas A&M University. Its rotor includes non-axisymmetric endwall contouring on the first and second rotor row [1]. The turbine has two independent cooling loops. Film cooling effectiveness measurements are performed for three coolant-to-mainstream mass flow ratios of 0.5%, 1.0% and 1.5%. Film cooling data is also obtained for three rotational speeds, 3000 rpm (reference condition), 2550 rpm and 2400 rpm and compared with non-contoured endwall data.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Summer 2013 Book and Media Recommendations

This is a list of recommendations for books and a few Web sites for Journal readers to enjoy in the summer, either in preparation for fall teaching, or for sheer pleasure. Four contributors have assembled an eclectic list in this annual collection.
The two radii of a charged particle

The existence of two radii of each charged particle – a geometric and electrokinetic radii, is supposed. The mathematical relationship between them in the four possible combinations of an ion and its counterion is analyzed: (i) at equal geometric radii and, in absolute values, equal valencies; (ii) at equal geometric radii and, in absolute values, different valencies; (iii) at different geometric radii and, in absolute values, equal valencies; (iv) at different geometric radii and, in absolute values, different valencies. One of the equations worked out can be used to define the relationship between the geometric and electrokinetic radii of a polyion. All the equations are used in working out precise calculations.
Emotional Intelligence, Individual Ethicality, and Perceptions

Survey results (N = 198) suggest emotional intelligence is a significant predictor of individual ethicality, perceptions of others´ ethicality and perceptions that unethical behavior facilitates success. Importantly, emotional intelligence explains incremental variance in perceptions of others´ ethicality, over and above individual ethicality. The relationship between emotional intelligence and perceptions that unethical behavior facilitates success is fully mediated by self-esteem. Results suggest emotionally intelligent employees are more adept at interpreting the ethicality of others´ actions and potentially less likely to engage in unethical actions than employees low on emotional intelligence. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
The Problem of Creative Thought: A Psychophysiological Technique for Higher Creativity

Can we explain the relationship between analytical and intuitive thinking in ideal examples of creativity such as physics? Is there a practical means for enhancing creativity? This article presents a psychophysiological theory of creative thought that answers these questions affirmatively.
Estrogen metabolism and breast cancer

There is currently accumulating evidence that endogenous estrogens play a critical role in the development of breast cancer. Estrogens and their metabolites have been studied in both pre- and postmenopausal women with more consistent results shown in the latter population, in part because of large hormonal variations during the menstrual cycle and far fewer studies having been performed in premenopausal women. In this review we describe in detail estrogen metabolism and associated genetic variations, and provide a critical review of the current literature regarding the role of estrogens and their metabolites in breast cancer risk.
An analysis of drug delivery dynamics via a pediatric central venous infusion system: quantification of delays in achieving intended doses.

BACKGROUND:Pediatric patients frequently receive continuous infusions of drugs via central venous catheters in the intensive care unit and the operating room. This study characterized drug delivery profiles in a quantitative laboratory model of a standard pediatric central venous infusion system.MET
GENETIC SCREENING FOR COLORECTAL CANCER AND INTERVENTION

There is a complex interaction between environmental/dietary factors and genetics underlying the pathogenesis of colon carcinogenesis. Little data exist concerning the impact of diet on the phenotypic expression of genetically linked colon cancer. As a result, it has been difficult to develop rationally designed dietary intervention studies in first-degree relatives of patients with established familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) and other familial colon cancer syndromes. Only 2 double-blinded, placebo-controlled trials have been published concerning the use of preventive strategies in patients with genetically inherited colorectal cancer syndromes, both in patients with FAP. One study evaluated the effects of vitamin C plus vitamin E with or without a high-dose wheat bran fiber supplement on the recurrence of rectal adenomas. Over a 48-month intervention period, only the wheat bran fiber intervention significantly reduced polyp growth. A second study reported that intervention with the NSAID sulindac for 9 months in young patients with FAP resulted in a significant reduction in both polyp number and size in the rectosigmoid colon. All of the large-scale (i.e., >500 randomized participants) phase III nutrient or chemopreventive agent intervention studies thus far have targeted participants with a history of non-familial, sporadic colorectal adenomas. Current clinical adenoma trials do not measure whether the regimen being tested can prevent genotoxic events occurring in early stages of abnormal cell development that contribute to the eventual formation of adenomas nor whether the agent(s) can inhibit events occurring during the progression of adenomas to carcinomas. Therefore, future clinical trial designs may have to consider (i) lengthening the clinical trial period before adenomas develop, (ii) testing at early patient ages and/or (iii) measuring the growth of adenomas as they progress to carcinomas.
PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES TO PHOSPHORUS LIMITATION IN BATCH AND STEADY-STATE CULTURES OF DUNALIELLA TERTIOLECTA (CHLOROPHYTA): A UNIQUE STRESS PROTEIN AS AN INDICATOR OF PHOSPHATE DEFICIENCY1

A protein unique to phosphorus stress observed in Dunaliella tertiolecta Butcher was studied in the context of phosphate-limited cell physiology and is a potential diagnostic indicator of phosphate deficiency in this alga. Cells were grown over a range of limited, steady-state growth rates and at maximum (replete) and zero (phosphate-starved) growth rates. The stress protein, absent in nutrient-replete cells, was produced under all steady-state phosphate-limited conditions and increased in abundance with increasing limitation (decreasing growth rate). Cellular carbon: phosphorus ratios and the maximum uptake rate of phosphate (Vm) increased with increasing limitation, whereas the ratio of chlorophyll a: carbon decreased. Alkaline phosphatase activity did not respond to limitation but was measurable in starved, stationary-phase cells. Fv/Fm, a measure of photochemical efficiency, was a nonlinear, saturating function of p, as commonly observed under N limitation. The maximum Fv/Fm of 0.64 was measured in nutrient-replete cells growing at μmax, and a value of zero was measured in stationary-phase starved cells. When physiological parameters were compared, the P-stress protein abundance and Fv/Fm were the most sensitive indicators of the level of deficiency. The stress protein was not produced under N- or Fe-limited conditions. It is of high molecular weight (>200) and is associated with internal cell membranes. The stress protein has several characteristics that make it a potential diagnostic indicator: it is 1) unique to phosphorus limitation (i.e. absent under all other conditions), 2) present under limiting as well as starved conditions, 3) sensitive to the level of limitation, and 4) observable without time-course incubation of live samples.
Production and Reception of Meaningful Sound in Foville's ‘Encompassing Convolution’

In the history of neurology. Achille Louis Foville (1799-1879) is a name deserving to be remembered. In the course of time, his circonvolution d'enceinte of 1844 (surrounding the Sylvian fissure) became the 'convolution encompassing' every aspect of aphasiology, including amusia, ie., the localization in a coherent semicircle of semicircle of cerebral cortext serving the production and perception of language, song and instrumental music in health and disease.
Formation, Characterization, and Reactivity of Bis(μ-oxo)dinickel(III) Complexes Supported by A Series of Bis[2-(2-pyridyl)ethyl]amine Ligands

Bis(μ-oxo)dinickel(III) complexes supported by a series of bis[2-(2-pyridyl)ethyl]amine ligands have been successfully generated by treating the corresponding bis(μ-hydroxo)dinickel(II) complexes or bis(μ-methoxo)dinickel(II) complex with an equimolar amount of H2O2 in acetone at low temperature. The bis(μ-oxo)dinickel(III) complexes exhibit a characteristic UV−vis absorption band at ∼410 nm and a resonance Raman band at 600−610 cm-1 that shifted to 570−580 cm-1 upon 18O-substitution. Kinetic studies and isotope labeling experiments using 18O2 imply the existence of intermediate(s) such as peroxo dinickel(II) in the course of formation of the bis(μ-oxo)dinickel(III) complex. The bis(μ-oxo)dinickel(III) complexes supported by the mononucleating ligands (L1X = para-substituted N,N-bis[2-(2-pyridyl)ethyl]-2-phenylethylamine; X = OMe, Me, H, Cl) gradually decompose, leading to benzylic hydroxylation of the ligand side arm (phenethyl group). The kinetics of the ligand hydroxylation process including kinetic de...
The Euro Poses an Unheralded Challenge to Information Technology and Control

Abstract The Euro, the new Europe-wide currency, was scheduled to be introduced on January 1. Initially, eleven European states are expected to participate in the activation of the new currency. the United Kingdom continues to be a fence sitter.
Relations Among Oral Reading Fluency, Silent Reading Fluency, and Reading Comprehension: A Latent Variable Study of First-Grade Readers

The present study examined oral and silent reading fluency and their relations with reading comprehension. In a series of structural equation models (SEM) with latent variables using data from 316 first-grade students, (1) silent and oral reading fluency were found to be related yet distinct forms of reading fluency; (2) silent reading fluency predicted reading comprehension better for skilled readers than for average readers; (3) list reading fluency predicted reading comprehension better for average readers than for skilled readers; and (4) listening comprehension predicted reading comprehension better for skilled readers than for average readers.
Colonoscopic miss rates of adenomas determined by back-to-back colonoscopies.

Abstract BACKGROUND & AIMS: The miss rate of colonoscopy for neoplasms is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to determine the miss rate of colonoscopy by same day back-to-back colonoscopy. METHODS: Two consecutive same day colonoscopies were performed in 183 patients. The patients were randomized to undergo the second colonoscopy by the same or a different endoscopist and in the same or different position. RESULTS: The overall miss rate for adenomas was 24%, 27% for adenomas > or=5 mm, 13% for adenomas 6-9 mm, and 6% for adenomas CONCLUSIONS: Using current colonoscopic technology, there are significant miss rates for adenomas > 1 cm even with meticulous colonoscopy. Miss rates are low for adenomas
Disabling a C-terminal autoinhibitory control element in endothelial nitric-oxide synthase by phosphorylation provides a molecular explanation for activation of vascular NO synthesis by diverse physiological stimuli

Abstract Calmodulin-dependent activation of endothelial nitric-oxide synthase is generally considered to follow a transient increase in intracellular calcium levels. However, a number of physiological stimuli (e.g. endothelial shear-stress, insulin) are known to activate endothelial nitric oxide (eNOS) via a non-classical, “calcium-independent” pathway. Recent findings demonstrate that such stimuli elicit the phosphorylation of a C-terminal residue in eNOS (Ser1179 in the bovine isoform), rendering eNOS active at resting levels of intracellular calcium. However, the mechanistic basis for this mode of eNOS activation remains unknown. Protein modeling led us to consider that the C terminus of eNOS may fulfill an autoinhibitory function that can be disrupted by phosphorylation of serine 1179. To test this possibility we contrasted the phenotype of wild type bovine eNOS with that of a mutant lacking C-terminal residues 1179–1205 (CΔ27 eNOS). Despite no observed difference in calmodulin affinity, CΔ27 eNOS exhibited a 5-fold reduction in EC50 for calcium and a 2–4-fold increase in maximal catalytic activities. In these phenotypic properties, CΔ27 accurately mimics phospho-Ser1179 wild type eNOS. We conclude that the C terminus imposes a significant barrier to the activation of eNOS by calmodulin binding and that this barrier can be functionally disabled by Ser1179phosphorylation-elicited enzyme activation.