cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Supersonic conical separation due to shock vorticity

A numerical study of the conical, supersonic, inviscid flow about circular slender cones at large incidence is presented. Although the flow is assumed inviscid, separation and an accompanying spiral are found. This phenomenon is shown to be a valid solution to Euler's equations, i.e., valid in the sense of being independent of any numerical viscosity. The separation and spiral are caused solely by the vorticity produced by a cross-flow shock. The resulting separated flowfields are compared to full potential calculations and to experimental data.
FTTx: The Rise of Broadband Optical Access

FTTx is the topic of this year workshop, i.e. the eighth International Workshop on Optical Networking Technologies. Since the arena of optical access solutions is seeing increasing number of acronyms, it is appropriate to use this editorial to shed light on some of them. Depending on the physical point in the field where fiber terminates and interfaces with copper and/or equipment, FTTx may take any of the forms described above. These forms however can be realized using different technologies and protocols.
Tuning p-Wave Interactions in an Ultracold Fermi Gas of Atoms

We have measured a p-wave Feshbach resonance in a single-component, ultracold Fermi gas of 40K atoms. We have used this resonance to enhance the normally suppressed p-wave collision cross section to values larger than the background s-wave cross section between 40K atoms in different spin states. In addition to the modification of two-body elastic processes, the resonance dramatically enhances three-body inelastic collisional loss.
Thyroid Hormone Receptor Does Not Heterodimerize with the Vitamin D Receptor but Represses Vitamin D Receptor-Mediated Transactivation

The 9,000 Mr calcium-binding protein calbindin-D9k (CaBP9k) is markedly induced by 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25-(OH)2D3] in mammalian intestine. However, although a vitamin D response element (VDRE) has been reported in the promoter of the rat CaBP9k gene (at -490/-472), the CaBP9k promoter is weakly transactivated by 1,25-(OH)2D3. Previous studies indicated that when MCF-7 cells are transfected with the rat CaBP9k VDRE ligated to the thymidine kinase promoter and treated with both 1,25-(OH)2D3 and T3 there is an enhancement of the response observed with 1,25-(OH)2D3 alone, suggesting direct cross-talk between thyroid hormone and the vitamin D endocrine system and activation via the formation of vitamin D receptor (VDR)-thyroid hormone receptor (TR) heterodimers. To determine whether the weak response of the rat CaBP9k natural promoter to 1,25-(OH)2D3 could be enhanced by T3, CaBP9k promoter/reporter chloramphenicol acetyltransferase constructs were transfected in MCF-7 cells, and the cells were treated with the two hormones alone or in combination. No induction with T3 alone and no enhancement of reporter activity in the presence of both hormones was observed. To determine whether a lack of effect by T3 was specific for the CaBP9k promoter and to further examine the possibility of cross-talk between the TR- and VDR-signaling pathways, the 1,25-(OH)2D3-responsive rat 24 hydroxylase [24(OH)ase] promoter and the rat osteocalcin VDRE (-457/-430), both fused to reporter genes were similarly examined in MCF-7 cells. Again, no enhancement of the response to 1,25-(OH)2D3 was observed in the presence of T3. In addition, a similar lack of response to T3 but responsiveness to 1,25-(OH)2D3 was observed when UMR106-01 osteosarcoma cells [which, like MCF-7 cells, express VDR, TR, and the retinoid X receptor (RXR) endogenously] were transfected with a 1,25-(OH)2D3 responsive mouse osteopontin promoter reporter. In vitro DNA binding assays were carried out using purified human VDR, human RXRalpha, and chick T3Ralpha and 24(OH)ase, osteocalcin, osteopontin, and CaBP9k VDRE oligonucleotide probes. No VDR-TR heterodimer binding on any of these VDREs was observed, although, as expected, there was binding by the VDR-RXR complex and strong TR-RXR binding to a consensus thyroid hormone response element. Simultaneous gel retardation assays using similar and lower concentrations of TR with RXR showed strong binding of TR-RXR on a 32P-labeled thyroid response element. Studies using the yeast two-hybrid system also did not provide evidence for the formation of a VDR-TR protein-protein interaction. In addition, in vivo data showed that transfection of TR, in fact, repressed VDR-mediated transcription and that the repression could be reversed by the addition of RXR. Thus, in vitro and in vivo experiments do not support ligand-sensitive transactivation mediated by VDR-TR heterodimer formation but rather suggest that TR expression can repress 1,25-(OH)2D3-induced transcription predominantly by sequestering RXR.
Effects of Ready-to-Eat Breakfast Cereals on Dental Caries Experience in Adolescent Children: A Three-Year Study

The 375 adolescent public school children who participated in a permissive three-year breakfast consumption study showed no differences in dental caries experience whether they ate ready-to-eat breakfast cereals or other dietary regimens.
Pathway of incorporation of vitamin a3H2 into photoreceptors of a snail,Helix aspersa

Eyes from a garden snail,Helix aspersa, were fixed at various times after injection of tritiated vitamin A. The initial uptake by the eye was in the so-called synthetic centers, deep within the photosensory cells. Photic vesicles (800Adia.) appear to function as transporters for a vitamin A containing photopigment or its precursors, moving from their origin in the Golgi apparatus, along the sensory cell columns into the apical hillocks at the distal end of the cell where their contents are liberated and utilized by the rhabdomeric microvilli, the presumed light-sensitive organelles. Large paracrystalline masses seem to be basal storage centers for photic vesicles.
Poisoning in the elderly. An increasing problem for health care providers.

AbstractCrises related to older persons such as failing health, death of a spouse, and retirement may all be contributing factors responsible for increasing numbers of poisonings reported annually in the United States. A one-year retrospective analysis of poison exposures of persons 60 years of age and older revealed 75.2% were due to accidental circumstances compared to 87.4% of the total accidental cases. Intentional poisoning in the elderly was 20.6% contrasted to 11.3%. Adverse reactions to various products and drugs accounted for 2.0% in older persons as compared to 0.6% of total adverse reactions. Route of exposure in elderly poisonings contrasted by the total percent shows ingestion 71.4% versus 80.3%, inhalation 14.8% versus 5.2%, ocular contamination 5.3% versus 6.8%, and dermal exposure 5.2% versus 5.9%. Females aged 60 and over accounted for 63.4% as opposed to 46.7% of total female poisonings. Elderly males were 36.4% compared to 51.3% total males. Home management occurred in 39.1% of the elde...
Synthesis of the carbonic acid benzotriazol-1-yl-ester-(2-biotinylamino)-9h-fluoren-9-ylmethyl ester: A convenient transient-biotinylation reagent for use in affinity chromatography

Abstract Stepwise synthesis of hydrophobic peptides frequently yields deletion products, which often require extensive purification and identification. We synthesized a new transient-biotinylation reagent 9 , which was conveniently used in affinity Chromatography of crude products ( exemplified by 11-I and 11-II ), to afford pure peptides ( 15-I and 15-II , respectively). Unlike conventional affinity Chromatography, reagent 9 leads to free N-terminal peptides, which are thus amenable to further chemical manipulations.
"Footprint" titrations yield valid thermodynamic isotherms

Abstract A central issue in gene regulation is the mechanism, and biological function, of the cooperative binding of regulatory protein ligands to specific sites on DNA. To elucidate the physical-chemical basis of these interactions we have developed a thermodynamically rigorous method for conducting DNase I "footprint" (protection) titration experiments. The intrinsic binding constants and also those for cooperative interactions between various sites can be resolved from the individual-site binding curves determined by this technique. Experimental studies of cI-repressor-operator binding have demonstrated that the method provides an accurate representation of the fractional saturation of a binding site. We present individual-site binding curves for a lambda operator with two competent sites that demonstrate the presence of cooperative interactions between the sites. These curves set a lower limit to the magnitude of the cooperative free energy without comparison to single-site mutant operators.
Thin-layer electrochemical studies of the underpotential deposition of cadmium and tellurium on polycrystalline Au, Pt and Cu electrodes

Abstract Thin-layer electrochemical studies of the underpotential deposition (UPD) of Cd and Te on polycrystalline Au, Pt, and Cu substrates have been performed. These studies were done in order to investigate the initial stages of the electrodeposition of CdTe. Tellurium deposition on Cu electrodes is very rapid at potentials between hydrogen evolution and Cu dissolution; as a result, the amount of electrodeposited Te cannot be suitably controlled with potential. Subsequent removal of Te on Cu also proved difficult by standard electrochemical cleaning procedures. Tellurium UPD and stripping on Pt occurred simultaneously with Pt oxide reduction and Pt oxidation, respectively. In addition, cadmium UPD on Pt is ill-defined, resulting in three peaks overlapping with the hydrogen wave voltammetry. It is presumed that the hydrogen waves are suppressed by the deposited Cd, although this is not definite. The most informative results were obtained with Au because of its broad double-layer window, which is free of complications from surface-specific faradaic reactions. Deposition of Te from TeO 2 solutions on Au was shown to require 3.9 ± 0.1 electrons per deposited Te. A substantial loss of electrodeposited Te was observed when the potential was cycled into the oxidation region on both the Au and Pt electrodes. Quantitation of the charge on Au indicated this loss was the result of oxidation of the Te(IV) to a Te(VI) compound which is difficult to reduce back to Te(IV) prior to hydrogen evolution on Au or Pt. At potentials between Au oxidation and Te UPD, the soluble Te species, HTeO + 2 , was shown to adsorb reversibly on the Au surface. In studies of the alternated deposition of Cd and Te, initially deposited Cd is displaced by Te at potentials positive of −0.35 V. Subsequent UPD of Cd on the Te-covered Au resulted in one Cd atom for each deposited Te.
Simultaneous rayleigh, raman, and LIF measurements in turbulent premixed methane-air flames

Instantaneous measurements of temperature, major species, OH, CO, and NO are performed in turbulent premixed flames using simultaneous Rayleigh scattering, Raman scattering, and laser-induced fluorescence (LIF). Temperature is determined from Rayleigh scattering, and concentrations of CH 4 , O 2 , N 2 , H 2 O, CO 2 , and H 2 are obtained from Raman scattering. Linear LIF is used to measure OH and NO, while two-photon LIF is used to determine CO concentrations. The two-photon CO-LIF system provides significant improvements over CO-Raman measurements. This combination of diagnostic techniques is used to investigate the detailed compositional structure of turbulent lean premixed methane-air flames. Three turbulent flames having different equivalence ratios are considered. The ratio of rms velocity to laminar flame speed ranges from approximately 6 to 17. The correlation of major species, OH, and CO concentrations with temperature are similar to those predicted by one-dimensional laminar flame calculations. However, NO concentrations in the leaner flames are higher than the predicted values.
IMPURITY TRANSPORT AND PLASMA ROTATION IN THE ISX-B TOKAMAK

Recent calculations have shown that when external momentum sources and plasma rotation are included in the neoclassical theory, the standard results for impurity transport can be strongly altered. Under appropriate conditions, inward convection is reduced by co-injection and enhanced by counter-injection. In order to examine the theoretical predictions, several observations of impurity transport have been made in the ISX-B tokamak during neutral-beam injection for comparison with the transport seen with Ohmic heating alone. Both intrinsic contaminants and deliberately introduced test impurities display a behaviour that is in qualitative agreement with the predicted beam-driven effects. These correlations are particularly noticeable when the comparisons are made for deuterium where the impurity transport in the Ohmically heated discharges exhibits neoclassical-like characteristics, i.e. accumulation and long confinement times. Similar but smaller effects are observed in beam-heated hydrogen discharges; neoclassical-like behaviour is not seen in Ohmically heated hydrogen sequences. Emphasis has been placed on measuring toroidal plasma rotation, and semi-quantitative comparisons with the theories of beam-induced impurity transport have been made. It is possible that radial electric fields other than those associated with momentum transfer and increased anomalous processes during injection could also play a role.
Specific removal of DNA antibody with an immunoadsorbent

Une colonne immunoadsorbante d'ADN-cellulose contenu dans une matrice d'agar a servi a extraire d'une maniere specifique des anticorps seriques anti-ADN. Approximativement 70% des anticorps seriques anti-ADN ont ete adsorbes durant une periode de 8 h, avec une liberation minime, par la colonne d'ADN marquee I125. Ces resultats permettent d'esperer une approche specifique du traitement du lupus erythemateux dissemine.
Emotion‐focused coping in young children: Self and self‐regulatory processes

This chapter explores paths toward emotion-focused coping among typically developing young children and their more or less average parents-portraying characteristic developmental patterns, demands, and stresses. Emotion-focused coping strategies are effortful and aim to decrease negative emotions in stress-inducing interpersonal contexts. The themes here highlight developmental changes of the early years and related parent and child hassles; likely cognitive, social, and linguistic antecedents and correlates of emotion-focused coping; and some self-regulatory processes that enable coping. The chapter concludes by noting that new directions in the study of young children's coping involve returning to well-crafted, short-term longitudinal research.
Consideration of faint gall-bladder shadows in intravenous cholecystography

Abstract 1. 1. A survey was made of all patients receiving a radiologic diagnosis of “pathologic gall-bladder because of the faintness of the shadow” over a five-year period (January 1, 1933 to January 1, 1938). A total of 1,355 patients received intravenous cholecystography. The gallbladder was diagnosed as pathologic because of a “faint shadow” in 12.9 per cent of the patients (176), which constitutes the number used in this survey. 2. 2. Some 72.2 per cent of the total group were females; 93.7 per cent were white; and 51.2 per cent were between 40 and 60 years of age. 3. 3. The symptoms complained of by these patients were those accepted for the most part as characteristic of chronic cholecystitis: (right upper quadrant or epigastric pain (64.7 per cent); upper abdominal distress (77.2 per cent); coexisting jaundice (11.9 per cent). 4. 4. The radiologic diagnosis of pathologic gall-bladder based on the faintness of the shadow, when compared with the clinical diagnosis, showed an accuracy of 88.1 per cent in unselected cases, and 90.9 per cent in selected cases. A clinical diagnosis of chronic cholecystitis was present in 60.2 per cent; cholecystitis and cholelithiasis in 21 per cent; and acute cholecystitis in 4 per cent. A total of 34 per cent of these patients were submitted to surgery, and 24.4 per cent, or one in every four, had a cholecystectomy. An additional 13.6 per cent were advised to have surgery but either they refused, or the operation was contraindicated by the patient's poor physical condition. 5. 5. The gall-bladders, when examined pathologically both grossly and microscopically, showed that 11.9 per cent had chronic cholecystitis; 15 per cent cholecystitis and cholelithiasis. A clinical diagnosis of cholelithiasis was made in 21 per cent, but in the radiologic diagnosis in only 6.2 per cent. A comparison of the operative findings and pathologic reports with the radiologic diagnosis of “pathologic gall-bladder because of faintness of the shadow” revealed an accuracy of 92.7 per cent.
Effects of monoamine oxidase inhibitors on the copulatory behavior of male rats.

Five experiments were conducted in order to assess the effects of monoamine oxidase inhibitors on the copulatory behavior of male rats. Copulatory behavior was studied after administration of a) three injections of 25 mg/kg iproniazid, b) single injections of 50 and 100 nig/kg iproniazid, c) single injections of 50 and 100 mg/kg nialamide, and d) single injections of 25 and 50 mg/kg pargyline. All treatments produced some retardation of copulatory behavior, although not all measures were affected by all drugs. A total of 21 statistically significant effects appeared. All were in the direction of retardation. Results are consistent with the hypothesis that high brain monoamine levels inhibit copulatory behavior in male rats.
Spatial Clusters of Cancers in Illinois 1986–2000

Elevated cancer rates in some areas may arise simply by chance. The pattern generally warrants a study only when it is statistically significant. This research uses a recently developed spatial statistic, implemented in a Geographic Information System (GIS) environment, to detect spatial clusters of diagnostically specific cancers in Illinois. On the basis of the cancer incidence data (the 1986–1990 and 1996-2000 data sets) from the Illinois Cancer Registry, the study examines different clustering patterns of four leading types of cancer in Illinois, namely breast, lung, colorectal, and prostate cancers. The first part of the study uses the data at the county level, and the second part uses the data in zip code areas. The analysis using the zip code area data directly may be problematic since the rate estimates for rare events like cancer in small populations are susceptible to data errors. The spatial order method is used to group zip code areas so that the new geographic areas have sufficiently large base populations for estimates of reliable cancer rates. Results from the spatial cluster analysis may be valuable for other researchers to design follow-up case-control and retrospective cohort studies.
Influence of size, shape and properties on the mechanics of axisymmetric saccular aneurysms.

Rupture of intracranial saccular aneurysms is the most common cause of spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage which, despite advances in neurosurgery, continues to result in significant morbidity and mortality. Currently, the decision to treat a diagnosed, unruptured aneurysm is based primarily on the maximum dimension of the lesion even though there is controversy over the 'critical size' (e.g. many 'large' lesions do not rupture whereas some 'small' ones do). There is a need, therefore, for improved predictors of the rupture-potential of these lesions. In this paper, we show that it is highly unlikely that saccular aneurysms expand or rupture due to a limit point instability, and suggest that a rupture-criterion should be based on local multiaxial states of stress or strain. Moreover, our results from nonlinear finite element analyses reveal important roles of lesion shape, material properties, and loading conditions, not just size, in governing the distributions of stress and strain within a sub-class of axisymmetric saccular aneurysms. For example, we find that maximum biaxial stresses and strains are most often at the fundus, where rupture tends to occur, and that maximum stresses increase markedly with increases in lesion size, the ratio of neck diameter to lesion height, and the distending transmural pressure.
Experimental Investigation of Vortex-Tail Interaction on a 76/40 Degree Double-Delta Wing

Abstract : An experimental investigation was conducted to quantify the vortex-tail interaction on a 76/40 degree double delta wing model. The effects of different fillets at the wing/strake juncture, tail span wise positions, and angles of attack were evaluated. The vertical tails were instrumented with 28 fast response pressure transducers. Pressure time histories and frequency power spectral densities were analyzed for 35 configurations. Angle of attack was varied from -2 to 40 degrees, tunnel dynamic pressure was 26.74 psf and Reynolds number was 1.3 million. The results show a strong dependence on fillet geometry, tail position, transducer measurement location, and angle of attack on the magnitude and frequency of the tail response to the vortex forcing. In addition, a low frequency pulse was found that contained tremendous energy.
Purification methods for recombinantLactobacillus casei thymidylate synthase and mutants: A general, automated procedure

General procedures for the rapid, large-scale purification of recombinant Lactobacillus casei thymidylate synthase and its mutants have been established. An effective method employs sequential phosphocellulose and hydroxylapatite chromatography. Crude cell extracts are directly applied to phosphocellulose, and the enzyme is obtained in a nearly pure state by stepwise elution with KCl. The eluate is directly applied to hydroxylapatite, and the homogeneous enzyme is eluted with a gradient of potassium phosphate. The method has been successful for the purification of recombinant wild-type enzyme and all mutants thus far examined. The entire purification procedure has been automated using a commonly available FPLC system and can be performed in several hours with minimal operator time.
Effects of Thermal Roughening on the Angular Distributions of Trapping and Scattering in Gas−Liquid Collisions

Atomic beam scattering experiments are used to investigate collisions of 71 kJ/mol of argon atoms with perfluorinated polyethers (PFPE) over a wide range of liquid temperatures (Tliq) and incident and exit angles. At temperatures ranging from 280 to 359 K, argon atom energy transfer and trapping at the PFPE interface increase steadily with more normal approach directions. Trapping also grows with Tliq for all approach and exit directions we measured. The fractional change of trapping with Tliq is 2−5 × 10-3 K-1, rising weakly with more grazing impact angles. In contrast, the inelastic scattering flux decreases with increasing Tliq at forward scattering angles and increases for backward deflections. These results are consistent with a surface of protruding hard sphere-like CFx groups that becomes more corrugated at higher temperatures, promoting multiple collisions of incoming atoms at all impact angles.
CASTE AND MARRIAGE AMONG THE SIKHS OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: OBSERVATIONS FROM A STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

This study examined the attitudes of Sikhs in southern California toward inter-caste marriages. It looked at numerous variables such as caste background, gender, income, education, and time spent in the USA and examined them quantitatively. Qualitative observations also buttressed discussion of the quantitative variables. The findings of this study show attainment of greater levels of education causes individuals to adopt a more liberal attitude toward inter-caste marriage. The ranking of a person in the caste hierarchy also played a significant role in shaping attitudes toward inter-caste marriage: individuals from highest and lowest positions in the caste hierarchy (Jats and Dalits, respectively) were tended to be less open to inter-caste marriages whereas those belonging to castes in the middle of the hierarchy had more liberal attitudes. Gender, income, and time spent in the USA had limited impact vis-a-vis the two variables mentioned previously in shaping one's attitude toward inter-caste marriage.
Pressure deflagration limit of solid rocket propellants: Experimental results

Abstract The burning of solid rocket propellants at pressures above and below the pressure deflagration limit (PDL) has been studied experimentally to obtain more details about the propellant combustion behavior in this critical pressure range. This work essentially is devoted to devising an experimental procedure to measure the PDL value with good reproducibility and to check its dependence on the operating conditions and propellant nature. Comparisons between different go/no-go techniques are presented, showing the chosen procedures to yield different results. Several solid rocket propellants have been tested (metalized and nonmetalized composite propellants, catalyzed double-base propellant). The results show a strong decrease of PDL for increasing cross-sectional area of the propellant sample and the trend, for higher sections, evinces an asymptotic PDL value depending only on the propellant nature as its intrinsic property. The external energy addition tends to decrease the PDL, but a minimum pressure value below which burning regime is not possible was still found. The experimental evidence shows that any operating conditions or physical-chemical propellant properties which increas the propellant burning stability yield a lower PDL. Comparisons with results obtained by other researchers validate this trend.
The prediction of permeability for an epoxy/E-glass composite using optical coherence tomographic images

Knowledge of the permeability tensor in liquid composite molding is important for process optimization. Unfortunately, experimental determination of permeability is difficult and time consuming. Numerical calculation of permeability from a model reinforcement can circumvent experimentation. However, permeability predictions often rely on a model reinforcement that does not accurately mimic the actual microstructure. A rapid, nondestructive technique called optical coherence tomography (OCT) can image the microstructure of a composite in minutes. Actual microstructural information can be then used to improve the accuracy of the model and therefore the predicted permeability. Additionally, the influence on fiber volume fraction and microstructural variability on permeability can be systematically studied. In this work, binary images were generated from the low contrast OCT data through image de-noising, contrast enhancement and feature recognition. The resulting data were input to a lattice-Boltzmann model for permeability prediction. The influence of the fiber volume fraction, tow surface area, average mean free channel path, and variable microstructure are discussed in terms of their individual and synergistic effects on permeability. The calculated axial and transverse permeabilities from the images show very good agreement with the experimental values.
How Do University Students Attempt to Avoid Plagiarism? A Grammatical Analysis of Undergraduate Paraphrasing Strategies

Over the past decade, university student plagiarism has received considerable attention, and a number of text-based studies have investigated the extent to which student writers copy source text language into their own written work. Much less is known, however, about student paraphrasing. To address this gap, the present study analyzed a corpus of summaries written by a group of native English speakers (n=124) writing in their first language (L1) and by a group of students from other language backgrounds (n=103) writing in their second language (L2), and aimed to identify the major grammatical strategies that students employed when paraphrasing source text language. While many of the paraphrases analyzed contained copied strings of 5 or more words, most did not. And while the strategies of deletion and synonym substitution were frequently used, many students, both L1 and L2 writers, made a number of grammatical changes to the original. Students who avoided copied language used a common paraphrasing strategy: Rather than simply select individual words to replace with synonyms, they divided the original excerpt into its major components (e.g. subject, main verb, direct object) and transformed those components into new units typically of a different grammatical form) that expressed the same idea. These findings suggest that continued investigation of student paraphrasing may help to refine our understanding of the linguistic strategies associated with effective textual borrowing.
Phase I Trial of Trimetrexate Glucuronate on a Five-Day Bolus Schedule: Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacodynamics

Trimetrexate glucuronate (TMTX), a nonclassical folate antagonist, has been evaluated clinically on several schedules. We have studied TMTX administered as an iv bolus for 5 consecutive days every 3 weeks in 35 patients with advanced solid tumors. Drug was given at doses ranging from 7.6 to 18.8 mg/m2. The maximal tolerated dose was 13.1 mg/m2 per day x 5 for patients without prior myelotoxic treatment and 7.6 mg/m2 per day x 5 for previously treated patients. Because of wide individual differences in drug tolerance, dose escalation in 25% increments is recommended for patients not experiencing toxic effects. The dose-limiting toxicity was neutropenia. Rash and mucositis were also significant. TMTX concentrations were measured 1 and 24 hours after each dose, and the data were fit by use of a one-compartment pharmacokinetic model. With this simplified sampling and modeling scheme, the mean total body clearance (+/- SD) of trimetrexate was 31 +/- 20 mL/min per m2 and the volume of distribution was 13 +/- 7 L/m2. Mean plasma concentrations 1 hour after a dose were 1.12, 2.43, 3.33, and 3.25 mumol/L at 7.6, 9.1, 10.9, and 13.1 mg/m2, respectively. The mean TMTX concentration (+/- SD) 24 hours after a dose was 114 +/- 87 nmol/L. The mean area under the concentration-versus-time curve at 13.1 mg/m2 was 2,266 mumol.min/L. The drug concentration 1 hour after the first dose and the area under the concentration-versus-time curve were highly correlated with leukopenia and thrombocytopenia (r = .6 and .65 and P = .0007 and .0001, respectively). The maximal tolerated dose on the daily x 5 schedule was 30% of the dose tolerated on an iv bolus schedule. The choice of drug schedule for clinical trials when murine and human pharmacokinetics differ is discussed. Phase II trials are under way with both the iv bolus and the daily x 5 schedules.
A near-fatal complication of endoscopic third ventriculostomy: case report.

The authors treated a 14-year-old girl with posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus and an infected ventriculopleural shunt. She was taken for endoscopic third ventriculostomy with the hope of removing the hardware entirely, but she developed an arrhythmia and hypertension, followed rapidly by complete cardiac arrest. She was resuscitated successfully, made a complete recovery, and subsequently underwent a conventional shunt replacement. This is a newly reported life-threatening complication of neuroendoscopy that must be anticipated by any surgeon undertaking such a procedure
Hot-electron-induced traps studied through the random telegraph noise

Random telegraph signal (RTS) measurements have been used to study individual hot-carrier-induced traps in nMOSFETs. It is shown that single filling and emptying can cause 0.1% step noise in channel current. Trap location (3-10 A from interface), time constant ( approximately 10 ms), and energy are found to be quite different from those of prestress (process-induced) traps. The type (acceptor or donor) of the traps can also be identified by RTS measurements; both the process and stress-induced traps with energies near the conduction band edge are found to be of the acceptor type for nMOSFETs and trap levels near the valence band edge are found to be of the donor type for pMOSFETs. Using RTS as a characterization tool, it is found that the stress-induced interface traps are located closer to the interface, resulting in shorter time constants and a stronger influence on the surface mobility than the process-induced traps. >
Breakthroughs in Photonics 2013: Research Highlights on Biosensors Based on Plasmonic Nanostructures

Label-free biomolecular sensing is by far the most common and successful application area in the emerging field of nanoplasmonics. This review paper highlights the latest progress and achievements made in this area. Key aspects of the nanoplasmonic sensor development, including performance enhancement, efforts to increase multiplexing capacity, and the progress in sensor integration and miniaturization, are discussed.
Pressure Ulcer Prevalence in Long‐Term Nursing Home Residents Since the Implementation of OBRA '87

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate change in pressure ulcer prevalence in long-term nursing home residents since the implementation of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987 (OBRA '87). DESIGN: Cross-sectional comparison of two time periods. SETTING: Ninety-two nursing homes scheduled for a quality-of-care survey randomly selected from 22 representative states. PARTICIPANTS: Four thousand six hundred seventy-nine residents who had resided in the facility for at least 100 days were evaluated: 2,336 during 1992–1994 and 2,343 during 1997–1998. MEASUREMENTS: Trained registered nurses collected data on pressure ulcer prevalence, stage, and risk factors from medical record review during on-site evaluations. Risk-adjusted differences were estimated using logistic regression. RESULTS: Unadjusted prevalence rates for all stages of pressure ulcers (8.52% vs 8.54%, P = .983) and those rated stage 2 or greater (5.31% vs 5.63%, P = .624) did not differ between the two time periods. After adjustment for urinary incontinence, immobility, poor nutrition, and history of previous pressure ulcers, the relative odds of having a pressure ulcer in 1992/4 versus 1997/8 was 1.06 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.84–1.34) for all stages and 1.21 (95% CI = 0.92–1.60) for stages 2 and greater. CONCLUSIONS: No change in pressure ulcer prevalence was demonstrated since implementation of OBRA '87 in this nationally derived sample of long-term nursing home residents.
Bergmannian relativity and bracket spaces

We explore an avenue of higher-dimensional spacetimes based on generalized spinors which transform under the special linear groups and result in spacetime dimensions which are squares of integers. The Bergmannian chronometrics are not Riemannian, but Finslerian in the higher dimensions. The general concept of bracket space is introduced in order to show a variety of routes to hyperspace. The field equations found generalize Einstein's by replacing a factor of two by the spinorial dimension. A mass term is introduced in the action, which results in a hyper-stress-energy-momentum tensor. The chronometric is not required to be covariantly constant under the hyper-Palatini variations: there is torsion. “Spherical” symmetry in this spacetime is explored, an appropriate set of coordinates is introduced, and the invariant for nine-dimensional “spherical” symmetry is given.
Stability and formation mechanisms of carbonyl- and hydroxyl-decorated holes in graphene oxide

By use of molecular dynamics simulations, we have studied the evolution of epoxy and hydroxyl functional groups on graphene oxide (GO) during high-temperature thermal reduction. We find that the reduced GO sheets are characterized by a large number of stable holelike defects formed by breaking of C−C bonds in the basal plane. These defects are always decorated by the carbonyl (C═O) groups and are formed due to the strain in the basal plane created by epoxy and hydroxyl functional groups that are located close to each other. With very few exceptions, the carbonyl groups that are observed in Raman spectroscopy and other experimental studies are generally attributed to the C═O terminations of the edges. However, our study using first-principles calculations and a reactive force field approach clearly shows that the formation of carbonyl groups within the graphene basal plane is energetically favorable compared to other well-known functional groups such as epoxies and ethers. We have identified the specific r...
The Inner Workings of an Ethics Committee: Latest Battle over Jehovah's Witnesses

Jehovah's Witnesses who refuse blood transfusions on religious grounds have long created ethical dilemmas for those in the medical profession trying to serve them. A bioethicist working in a clinical setting explores how one hospital ethics committee grappled with the additional problem of pregnant Jehovah's Witnesses, including the complex interdependence of maternal and fetal rights.
Populus Community Mega-Genomics: Coming of Age

Plants, once germinated or transplanted, will live and die in the same location their entire life. And for woody perennial plants, this circumstance exists for many years, even millennia. As a resu...
Trends in EHV transmission equipment

The winds of change accelerating the growth of electric power in the United States are no longer blowing gently. Basic factors affecting the loading capacity of overhead lines (a common index of electrical capability) are herein examined Before the turn of the century, ac polyphase transmission had been firmly established in the transportation of electric energy. Doubling approximately every ten years, the growth rate in the production and consumption of electric power has been more than twice that for the Gross National Product, and much faster than the rate of increase in the population.
GAS CHROMATOGRAPHIC SEPARATION OF CARBONYL FLUORIDE AND CARBON DIOXIDE

Abstract : An experimental method for the quantitative analysis of both CO2 and CF2O in gas mixtures is described. The analysis is based on thermal conductivity gas chromatography techniques, and it is shown that the detector response is linear over a wide range of CF2O concentrations. (Author)
Far ultraviolet circular dichroism spectra of cytochrome c.

Abstract The circular dichroism spectra and optical rotatory dispersion of horse-heart ferricytochrome c and of ferrocytochrome c in the spectral region 240-188 mμ in the presence of 0.1 M phosphate KOH buffer (pH 7.0) and at 25° have been measured and the results have been compared with those of the synthetic polypeptides with well-established conformations. The circular dichroism spectra of both ferri- and ferro-cytochrome c exhibit major ellipticity peaks centered at about 222 mμ, 209 mμ and 190 mμ, similar to those of α-helical proteins and polypeptides, and a well-defined shoulder at 218 mμ and a positive peak at 195 mμ, typical of β-structurally organized synthetic polypeptides. It has been concluded that cytochrome c contains both α-helical and β-structural organization in the protein moiety, and that the former is in predominance. The reduction of the protein shows no significant change in the ellipticity at 222 mμ, thus indicating that the conformation of the polypeptide chain of cytochrome c is more or less independent of the oxidation state of heme iron. However, a possibility of internally compensated alterations has been suggested. Some of the implications of β-structure have also been discussed.
Effects of Varied Physical Mechanisms on the Evolution of Lubricant Interface During Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording

A concoction of various forces and physical effects (both mechanical and chemical) come into play in the depletion and evolution of the lubricant on the media during a heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) process. They include the air-bearing shear and pressure, capillary pressure, thermo-capillary stress, disjoining pressure, lubricant desorption and the vapor recoil mechanism. The effects of these mechanisms and their complex interplay to stabilize/destabilize the lubricant interface is studied here numerically. Results for Z-type perfluropolyether (PFPE) lubricants with different polydispersity indices (PDI) are summarized.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Be a Man—Buy a Car! Articulating Masculinity With Consumerism in Man's Last Stand

On February 5, 2010, a Super Bowl XLIV advertisement, entitled Man's Last Stand, offered 106 million viewers the newly designed Dodge Charger not as a mode of transportation, not as a lifestyle choice, but as a last defense of manhood against the symbolic castration betokened by the encroaching forces of bureaucratization and empowered femininity. In this article, I argue that Man's Last Stand offers a novel development in the discourse of masculinity crisis when it deftly articulates a defense of manhood with consumerism by presenting the purchase of a Dodge Charger as a remedy to the threat of emasculation posed by women and bureaucracy.
Conditions for asymptotically exponential solutions of linear difference equations with variable coefficients

Abstract Sufficient and necessary conditions are given for the asymptotic exponential growth of the solutions B(t) of a linear difference equation with variable nonnegative coefficients. If x0(T) is the positive solution of the tth characteristic equation associated with the process, then rapid convergence of x0(t) to x0 ensures that B(t) will be asymptotically exponential with growth rate x0 − 1 (rapid convergence is the absolute convergence of the series of remainders ∑ x0(t) − X0). Convergence of x0(t) to x0 is necessary for asymptotic exponential growth. These conditions tightly define the circumstances under which the solutions of linear difference equations (with variable nonnegative coefficients) are asymptotically exponential.
The PROMIS smoking assessment toolkit--background and introduction to supplement.

Introduction The PROMIS Smoking Initiative has developed an assessment toolkit for measuring 6 domains of interest to cigarette smoking research: nicotine dependence, coping expectancies, emotional and sensory expectancies, health expectancies, psychosocial expectancies, and social motivations for smoking. The papers in this supplement describe the methods used to develop these item banks, their psychometric properties, and the preliminary evidence for their validity. This commentary is meant to provide background information for the material in this supplement. Methods After discussing the use of item response theory in behavioral measurement, I will briefly review the initial developmental steps for the smoking assessment toolkit. Finally, I will describe the contents of this supplement and provide some closing remarks. Results Psychometric evidence strongly supports the utility of the toolkit of item banks, short forms (SFs), and computer adaptive tests (CATs). The item banks for daily smokers produce scores with reliability estimates above 0.90 for a wide range of each cigarette smoking domain continuum, and SF and CAT administrations also achieve high reliability (generally greater than 0.85) using very few items (4-7 items for most banks). Performance of the banks for nondaily smokers is similar. Preliminary evidence supports the concurrent and the discriminant validity of the bank domains. Conclusions The new smoking assessment toolkit has attractive measurement features that are likely to benefit smoking research as researchers begin to utilize this resource. Information about the toolkit and access to the assessments is available at the project Web site (http://www.rand.org/health/projects/promis-smoking-initiative.html) and can also be accessed via the PROMIS Assessment Center (www.assessmentcenter.net).
Clinical course and prognosis of non-secretory multiple myeloma.

Objective To determine the prognosis of patients with non-secretory myeloma. Methods: We studied 124 patients diagnosed with multiple myeloma who had no monoclonal protein detected on serum and urine immunofixation at diagnosis and on all subsequent follow up testing (non-secretory myeloma). The overall survival (OS) of patients with non-secretory myeloma was compared with 7075 patients with typical myeloma seen during the same time period in whom a monoclonal protein was detected at the time of diagnosis. Results One hundred and twenty four patients met criteria for non-secretory multiple myeloma. The median follow-up was 102 months (range, 1-204 months). The median progression free survival with initial therapy was 28.6 months, and the median OS was 49.3 months. There was a significant improvement in OS since 2001; median survival 99.2 versus 43.8 months (prior to 2001) versus 99.2 months (2001-2012), P<0.001. OS was superior in patients with a normal baseline FLC ratio (n=10) compared to patients with an abnormal ratio (n=19), medians not reached in both groups. Prior to 2001, OS was similar in non-secretory myeloma (n=86) and secretory myeloma (n=4011), median 3.6 versus 3.5 years, respectively, P=0.63. However, among patients diagnosed between 2001-2012, OS was superior in non-secretory myeloma (n=36) compared to secretory myeloma (n=2942), median 8.3 versus 5.4 years, respectively, P=0.03. Conclusions Non-secretory myeloma is an uncommon subtype of multiple myeloma. In the last decade, there has been an improvement in the survival of non-secretory myeloma, and appears superior to secretory myeloma. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Relationship between plasma creatinine concentration and glomerular filtration rate in dogs

Glomerula filtration rate (GFR), plasma creatinine concentration (CR), and plasma urea nitrogen concentration (BUN) were measured in 129 adult dogs with reduced renal mass. A preliminary examination of the relationship between CR and GFR was conducted, and the inverse model (GFR vs. 1/CR) was chosen for further evaluation. The slope of the regression of GFR on 1/CR which was computed from actual data was not statistically different from a theoretical regression line generated from the clearance equation. Evaluation of subsets of the population revealed no significant difference between male (n = 69) and female (n = 60) dogs on the slope of the regression equations. Diets differing in protein concentration (16% protein, n = 35: 21% protein, n = 75: 32% protein, n = 19) did not cause a significant difference in the slope of the regression equations. The regression equation and the confidence intervals generated in this study may be used to predict a probable range of GFR values from CR in individual dogs. Such values may be useful in adjusting drug dosages in dogs with renal disease. However, since the derived equation did not differ significantly from the theoretical inverse relationship between GFR and CR, it remains to be established whether the equation is advantageous.
Expression of β-galactosidase from a hybrid promoter: operator element in Escherichia coli

A hybrid trpPO:lacO regulatory sequence was cloned upstream of a promoterless lacZ gene and recombined onto a Λ bacteriophage. Escherichia coli lysogens representing the four possible phenotypes for lacI and trpR were constructed and the synthesis of β-galactosidase was assayed under various growth conditions. The results illustrated that both control elements could be efficiently and independently regulated by the addition or omission of appropriate accessory molecules.
Constant Proportionality in the Female Segment of a Roosevelt Elk Population

Abstract Incomplete population counts indicate change in population sizes when constant proportionality holds, a condition that is rarely met. However, researchers have not explored whether constant proportionality holds for a segment of a population. I examined whether the female segment (juv, subadult M, subadult and ad F) of a Roosevelt elk (Cervus elaphus roosevelti) population displayed constant proportionality. When most food is in particular habitats, females of polygynous species should use that habitat frequently, even when food is limited, because they are more familiar with food distribution and abundance than males. I obtained counts of elk and tallies of naturally marked animals from vehicle surveys of a population inhabiting a landscape where forage was in meadows that were interspersed in closed-canopied forest. I conducted population surveys in January or February and estimated population size with Bowden's mark–resight estimator. Population size estimates declined from 130 in 1997 to 37 i...