cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Patient and allograft outcomes after kidney transplant for the Indigenous patients in the United States.

Background The objective is to assess cardiovascular (CV), malignancy, infectious, graft outcomes and tacrolimus levels for the Indigenous patients compared to Whites after kidney transplant (KTx). Methods 165 Indigenous and 165 White patients matched for the KTx year at Mayo Clinic Arizona from 2007–2015 were studied over a median follow-up of 3 years. Propensity score was calculated to account for baseline differences. Results Compared to Whites, Indigenous patients had the following characteristics: younger age, more obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and required dialysis prior to KTx (p<0.01). Indigenous patients had longer hospital stay for KTx, shorter follow-up and lived further from the transplant center (p<0.05). 210 (63.6%) received deceased donor KTx and more Whites received a living donor KTx compared to Indigenous patients (55.2% vs 17.6%, p<0.0001). Post-KTx, there was no difference in the CV event rates. The cumulative incidence of infectious complications was higher among the Indigenous patients (HR 1.81, p = 0.0005, 48.5% vs 38.2%, p = 0.013), with urinary causes as the most common. Malignancy rates were increased among Whites (13.3% vs 3.0%, p = 0.001) with skin cancer being the most common. There was a significant increase in the dose normalized tacrolimus level for the Indigenous patients compared to Whites at 1 months, 3 months, and 1 year post-KTx. After adjustment for the propensity score, there was no statistical difference in infectious or graft outcomes between the two groups but the mean number of emergency room visits and hospitalizations after KTx was significantly higher for Whites compared to Indigenous patients. Conclusions Compared to Whites, Indigenous patients have similar CV events, graft outcomes and infectious complications after accounting for baseline differences.
Preliminary Report: US Physician Stress During the Early Days of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Abstract Objective To assess the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on physician stress and mental health. Methods The 10-item Coping With COVID survey assessed stress among 2373 physicians from April 4 to May 27, 2020. A stress summary score with 4 items (a single-item [overall] stress measure, fear of exposure, perceived anxiety/depression due to COVID, and work overload, each scored 1-4) ranged from 4 to 16. Hypothesized stress mitigators included enhanced purpose and feeling valued by one’s organization. Multilevel linear regression tested associations of variables with overall stress and stress summary scores. Results In 2373 physicians in 17 organizations (median response rate of 32%), mean stress summary score was 9.1 (SD 2.6). Stress was highest among women (stress summary score, 9.4 [SD 2.5] vs 8.7 [SD 2.6] in men; P Conclusion Mental health support, modulation of workload, and noting physicians’ organizational value should be explored as means to reduce COVID-related stress.
Classification of T cell metabolism from autofluorescence imaging features

Reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) and oxidized flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) are coenzymes of cellular metabolism reactions, and their endogenous fluorescent signals are used to evaluate cell redox state and detect changes in cellular metabolism. Different cellular metabolic states can alter NADH and FAD fluorescence features. Here, a model is developed to determine T cell metabolic pathway utilization from autofluorescence lifetime imaging features. The model is trained and tested using cellular features extracted from NADH and FAD fluorescence lifetime images of activated and quiescent T cells with chemical inhibition of glycolysis, oxidative phosphorylation, glutaminolysis, and fatty acid synthesis. Feature analysis revealed the optical redox ratio (FAD intensity/ (NADH intensity + FAD intensity), the fluorescence lifetime redox ratio (fraction of bound NADH/fraction of bound FAD), and the fluorescence lifetime of free NADH are the highest weighed features for classification of T cells dependent on glycolysis versus oxidative metabolism. High classification accuracy is achieved for discrimination between quiescent and activated T cells, and modest classification accuracy is achieved for classification of T cells into metabolic subgroups. Autofluorescence features vary between cytoplasm and mitochondria and analyzing this difference can provide additional metabolic information. Altogether, these results demonstrate the potential for autofluorescence lifetime imaging features to classify T cell function and metabolic state.
An approximate model for backscattering and emission from land and sea

A two-scale model for near nadir backscattering based upon Semyonov's paper is developed for random surfaces with rms surface height smaller than one-half the incident wavelength. Reasonable estimates are obtained when this model is applied to interpret both land and sea measurements. By generalizing this approximate model (not corrected for scattering by small-scale roughnesses for scattering at large incident angles) to the bistatic case and then using it for emission calculations, reasonable estimates near nadir are also obtained when applied to emissions from the bare ground and the sea surfaces.
Molecular features of exceptional response to neoadjuvant anti-androgen therapy in high-risk localized prostate cancer.

Summary High-risk localized prostate cancer (HRLPC) is associated with a substantial risk of recurrence and disease mortality. Recent clinical trials have shown that intensifying anti-androgen therapies administered before prostatectomy can induce pathologic complete responses or minimal residual disease, called exceptional response, although the molecular determinants of these clinical outcomes are largely unknown. Here, we perform whole-exome and transcriptome sequencing on pre-treatment multi-regional tumor biopsies from exceptional responders (ERs) and non-responders (NRs, pathologic T3 or lymph node-positive disease) to intensive neoadjuvant anti-androgen therapies. Clonal SPOP mutation and SPOPL copy-number loss are exclusively observed in ERs, while clonal TP53 mutation and PTEN copy-number loss are exclusively observed in NRs. Transcriptional programs involving androgen signaling and TGF-β signaling are enriched in ERs and NRs, respectively. These findings may guide prospective validation studies of these molecular features in large HRLPC clinical cohorts treated with neoadjuvant anti-androgens to improve patient stratification.
Neuroethology of Species Recognition in Electroreception

Two critical stages of information processing are prelude to most sensory recognition tasks: filtering, and coding. Peripheral sensory receptors act either in unison, or as banks of stimulus filters to shape and modify stimuli, and to improve signal detection. Stimuli are then coded into nerve impulses so that information can pass to higher centers. It would be impossible to search for neural correlates for an innate releasing mechanism without knowledge of these two early, fundamental steps in the recognition process. Recognition may take place in a sequence or hierarchy of steps, and in order to understand one, the functions of the earlier stages must be known. Knowledge of the mechanisms of information processing can be used to make predictions about the effects of novel stimuli on behavior. The characteristics of sensory filtering and coding, also shed light on the evolution of function in sensory systems.
Using phoebus data transfer accelerator in cloud environments

The quality of data exchange in cloud computing applications relies on the connection performance between user clients and their cloud storage providers, and is often dependent on the wide area network (WAN) properties among data centers. For certain classes of applications, it can be crucial to provide an end-to-end solution that accelerates large data transfers and improves overall user experience.
Identification in hH ∞ via convex programming

Convex programming technique is employed to solve the problem of system identification in H∞ which was first formulated in [6]. A unique feature of this proposed identification algorithm is that it has a performance close to that of Nevanlinna Pick interpolation based algorithm as studied in [1,5] which is strongly optimal within a factor of two. An explicit bound is also derived for the worst case identification error measured in H∞ norm.
The Revisionary Muse in Virginia Woolf's On Being Ill: On Literary Politics, Modernist-Style

In On Being Ill, Woolf figures sickness as a new perspective that grants priority to the immediacy of the body more than the mind, endowing language with a new physicality. O’Hara notes the materiality of the words “plush perhaps” and Woolf’s general “crushing together” of words and meanings, that at once enable multiplicity and open up abysses in meaning disjunctions between words and thoughts. Similarly, O’Hara casts revisionism as a sickness that enables multiple vantage points, multiple impossibilities, so any particular subject position may be transcended, thereby temporarily bridging the abyss. This literary politics, modernist style, relies on the imagination to play out the embryonic selves that inhere in moments of being within the larger context of the common experience.
The human epilepsy mutation GABRG2(Q390X) causes chronic subunit accumulation and neurodegeneration

Genetic epilepsy and neurodegenerative diseases are two common neurological disorders that are conventionally viewed as being unrelated. A subset of patients with severe genetic epilepsies who have impaired development and often go on to die of their disease respond poorly to anticonvulsant drug therapy, suggesting a need for new therapeutic targets. Previously, we reported that multiple GABAA receptor epilepsy mutations result in protein misfolding and abnormal receptor trafficking. We have now developed a model of a severe human genetic epileptic encephalopathy, the Gabrg2(+/Q390X) knock-in mouse. We found that, in addition to impairing inhibitory neurotransmission, mutant GABAA receptor γ2(Q390X) subunits accumulated and aggregated intracellularly, activated caspase 3 and caused widespread, age-dependent neurodegeneration. These findings suggest that the fundamental protein metabolism and cellular consequences of the epilepsy-associated mutant γ2(Q390X) ion channel subunit are not fundamentally different from those associated with neurodegeneration. Our results have far-reaching relevance for the identification of conserved pathological cascades and mechanism-based therapies that are shared between genetic epilepsies and neurodegenerative diseases.
Keynote Address: Software Development Challenges for the 2000's

If you live and breath it’s clear that the e-world is here. If you are in the software development business or your business is significantly dependent on software the e-world’s impact on you is nothing short of phenomenal. The market is demanding, in internet-speed, Six Sigma quality, product development cycle-times 10-100 times faster than tradition, and extraordinary innovation. From a software development technology point of view this means order of magnitude improvements in the methods we use to achieve quality, productivity, and cycle-time. This is the challenge for the 2000’s. This presentation will address the state of the practice in these areas and spell out the target as defined by the market and the gap that exists. We will discuss process, tools and environments, and culture change/management, this will lead to definition of a series of challenges.
Exact invariants in the form of momentum resonances for particle motion in one-dimensional, time-dependent potentials

A momentum-resonance ansatz of Lewis and Leach was used to study exact invariants for time-dependent, one-dimensional potentials. This ansatz provides a framework for finding invariants admitted by a larger class of time-dependent potentials that was known previously. For a potential that admits an exact invariant in this resonance form, we have shown how to construct the invariant as a functional of the potential in terms of the solution of a definite linear algebraic system of equations. We have found a necessary and sufficient condition on the potential for the existence of an invariant with a given number of resonances. There exist more potentials that admit invariants with two resonances than were previously known and we have found an example in parametric form of such a potential. We have also found examples of potentials that admit invariants with three resonances.
Prevention and Management of Common Musculoskeletal Injuries in Preadolescent and Adolescent Female Athletes

Females transitioning from childhood to adolescence undergo a dramatic change in their body. In fact, this transitional period is where males and females start to diverge in terms of body composition, muscular strength, and bone mass. With the start of menses, female hormones begin to take an even more significant role on the body by greatly affecting the development/function of skeletal, muscular, and nervous systems. This rapid physiologic change during menarche exposes the female athlete’s body to musculoskeletal injury, i.e., tendons, ligaments, muscles, and bones are all at risk. The skeleton in particular, is at greater risk due to the presence of open physes or “growth plates” at the ends of growing long bones. The young female athlete is therefore more prone to the multitude of sports-related injuries, and in fact at higher risk for certain types of trauma than their adult counterparts. Heightened awareness and a certain level of precaution need to be taken to help prevent potential injury. However, if trauma does occur then appropriate steps need to be taken to treat as well as protect the injured site for optimal healing and recovery.
Relations of Habitat-Specific Algal Assemblages to Land Use and Water Chemistry in the Willamette Basin, Oregon

Benthic algal assemblages, water chemistry, and habitat were characterized at 25 stream sites in the Willamette Basin, Oregon, during low flow in 1994. Seventy-three algal samples yielded 420 taxa — mostly diatoms, blue-green algae, and green algae. Algal assemblages from depositional samples were strongly dominated by diatoms (76% mean relative abundance), whereas erosional samples were dominated by blue-green algae (68% mean relative abundance).
Tagging for protein expression

Tags are frequently used in the expression of recombinant proteins to improve solubility and for affinity purification. A large number of tags have been developed for protein production and researchers face a profusion of choices when designing expression constructs. Here, we survey common affinity and solubility tags, and offer some guidance on their selection and use.
Evolutionary Awareness: A Metacognitive Framework for Ethics

In this chapter, we advance the concept of “evolutionary awareness,” a metacognitive framework that examines human thought and emotion from a naturalistic, evolutionary perspective. We begin by discussing the evolution and current functioning of the moral foundations on which our framework rests. Next, we discuss the possible applications of such an evolutionarily informed ethical framework to several domains of human behavior: sexual maturation, mate attraction, intrasexual competition, culture, and the separation between various academic disciplines. Finally, we discuss ways in which an evolutionary awareness can inform our cross-generational activities—which we refer to as “intergenerational extended phenotypes”—by helping us to construct a better future for ourselves, for other sentient beings, and for our environment.
Attention is fast but volition is slow.

A random scan is a quicker way to find items in a display than a systematic search. How swiftly can the object of your attention be changed? Consider two ways to deploy attention: it can be commanded from place to place by a deliberate act of will, or it can run freely without specific instruction. Here we use a visual search task to show that deliberate movement of attention is significantly slower because of an internal limit on the speed of volitional commands.
Photoconductor Detector Technology

Photoelectric detectors are semiconducting devices that convert optical signals into electrical signals. They rely on the quantum nature of matter, whereby incident photons, ranging from high energy gamma rays through visible light to infrared rays, excite electrons in matter to produce an electrical charge. The operation of a photoelectric detector involves two steps: (1) conducting charge generation by an incident light photon and (2) charge transport and/or multiplication by whatever current gain mechanism may be present. Photoelectric detectors are classified as photoemission and photoconductive detectors. Photoemission occurs when the energy of the photon hν is sufficient to eject an electron from the surface of the solid into vacuum, and the phenomenon is the basis for photomultiplier tubes. Photoconductivity, sometimes referred to as internal photoemission, is observed in a solid when the absorbed photon raises an electron from a nonconducting energy state to a conducting energy state where it contributes to electrical conductivity. This article on photoconducting detectors explains the fundamental concepts of photoconductivity and describes the elementary photoconducting devices, their design, materials, and how they work. Except for two, photodectors incorporated in specific imaging devices and an explanation of their operation are not considered here because they are discussed in other sections on specific applications such as UV or IR detectors, CCD imagers, etc. The exceptions are electrophotographic and vidicon-type television camera photoconductors that can be understood only as imaging devices. In contrast to other imaging photodetectors, electrophotographic photoconductors are not covered in any other sections. For this reason and because they differ significantly in their design, materials and operation from the other photodetectors, most of this section is devoted to a detailed discussion of electrophotographic photoconductors. Keywords: concepts; photodiodes; phototransistors; electrophotographic photoreceptors; video camera
Optimal investment strategy in photovoltaics and energy storage for commercial buildings

In order to attain higher degrees of energy efficiency and lower energy consumption costs, buildings stakeholders are installing local photovoltaic (PV) renewable generation and energy storage (ES). The stakeholders, however, need to determine the sizing capacity of these resources in order to economically invest. The sizing of the resources result in to investment costs, which must be economically justified for them in the long-run. This only occurs if the savings obtained from the resources surpass the investment costs. An optimization model can incorporate these criteria along with the consideration of the time value of money and various battery techno-economic parameters (e.g. life expectancy, efficiencies, and costs) to determine the optimal capacities. The results show the value of the proposed model in assisting the stakeholder investment process.
Concentrations and annual fluxes of sediment‐associated chemical constituents from conterminous US coastal rivers using bed sediment data

Coastal rivers represent a significant pathway for the delivery of natural and anthropogenic sediment-associated chemical constituents to the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf of Mexico coasts of the conterminous USA. This study entails an accounting segment using published average annual suspended sediment fluxes with published sediment-associated chemical constituent concentrations for (1) baseline, (2) land-use distributions, (3) population density, and (4) worldwide means to estimate concentrations/annual fluxes for trace/major elements and total phosphorus, total organic and inorganic carbon, total nitrogen, and sulphur, for 131 coastal river basins. In addition, it entails a sampling and subsequent chemical analysis segment that provides a level of ‘ground truth’ for the calculated values, as well as generating baselines for sediment-associated concentrations/fluxes against which future changes can be evaluated. Currently, between 260 and 270 Mt of suspended sediment are discharged annually from the conterminous USA; about 69% is discharged from Gulf rivers (n = 36), about 24% from Pacific rivers (n = 42), and about 7% from Atlantic rivers (n = 54). Elevated sediment-associated chemical concentrations relative to baseline levels occur in the reverse order of sediment discharges: Atlantic rivers (49%) > Pacific rivers (40%) > Gulf rivers (23%). Elevated trace element concentrations (e.g. Cu, Hg, Pb, Zn) frequently occur in association with present/former industrial areas and/or urban centres, particularly along the northeast Atlantic coast. Elevated carbon and nutrient concentrations occur along both the Atlantic and Gulf coasts but are dominated by rivers in the urban northeast and by southeastern and Gulf coast (Florida) ‘blackwater’ streams. Elevated Ca, Mg, K, and Na distributions tend to reflect local petrology, whereas elevated Ti, S, Fe, and Al concentrations are ubiquitous, possibly because they have substantial natural as well as anthropogenic sources. Almost all the elevated sediment-associated chemical concentrations found in conterminous US coastal rivers are lower than worldwide averages. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Uncertainty Analysis Utilizing Gradient and Hessian Information

In this chapter gradient and Hessian information computed using automatic differentiation and the adjoint method is applied to approximate Monte Carlo simulations for a geometric uncertainty analysis involving a sinusoidally pitching airfoil.
Chronic High-Fat Diet Drives Postnatal Epigenetic Regulation of μ -Opioid Receptor in the Brain

Opioid system dysregulation has been observed in both genetic and high-fat diet (HFD)-induced models of obesity. An understanding of the molecular mechanisms of MOR transcriptional regulation, particularly within an in vivo context, is lacking. Using a diet-induced model of obesity (DIO), mice were fed a high-fat diet (60% calories from fat) from weaning to >18 weeks of age. Compared with mice fed the control diet, DIO mice had a decreased preference for sucrose. MOR mRNA expression was decreased in reward-related circuitry (ventral tegmental area (VTA), nucleus accumbens (NAc), and prefrontal cortex (PFC)) but not the hypothalamus, important in the homeostatic regulation of feeding. DNA methylation is an epigenetic modification that links environmental exposures to altered gene expression. We found a significant increase in DNA methylation in the MOR promoter region within the reward-related brain regions. Methyl CpG-binding protein 2 (MeCP2) can bind methylated DNA and repress transcription, and DIO mice showed increased binding of MeCP2 to the MOR promoter in reward-related regions of the brain. Finally, using ChIP assays we examined H3K9 methylation (inactive chromatin) and H3 acetylation (active chromatin) within the MOR promoter region and found increased H3K9 methylation and decreased H3 acetylation. These data are the first to identify DNA methylation, MeCP2 recruitment, and chromatin remodeling as mechanisms leading to transcriptional repression of MOR in the brains of mice fed a high-fat diet.
Transport: Plutonium's Trojan horse.

Concern over exposure to the radioactive fallout from nuclear power generation is episodic; not surprisingly, it is heightened at present, following the tragedy in Japan. A primary cytotoxin cohort released in such reactor meltdowns consists of isotopes of plutonium (Pu), all radioactive. The most common valence form, Pu(IV), mimics Fe(III) in the transferrin–transferrin receptor pathway; this pathway serves as Pu's 'Trojan horse' through which to enter the body.
Microwave spectrum of the CH3OH-NH3 complex

Abstract Microwave spectra of CH 3 OH-NH 3 and 13 CH 3 OH-NH 3 have been obtained using a pulsed-nozzle Fourier-transform microwave spectrometer. The spectra, which are complicated by the internal rotation of the CH 3 and NH 3 groups, exhibit five K =0 states at the ≈ 1 K rotational temperature of the expansion. Four of these are metastable, excited internal rotor states and correlate to E states of free CH 3 OH or NH 3 . For the two states in which the NH 3 top is in its ground internal rotor state, Δ J =1, K =0 progressions are observed and fit to linear-molecule-type frequency expressions to obtain effective spectroscopic constants. For CH 3 OH-NH 3 these constants are: ( B+C )/2=3690.119(2) and 3686.114(2) MHz; eQq aa =−3.184(10) and −3.182(9) MHz; and μ a =2.854(9) and 2.956(14) D. The complexes are hydrogen bonded with an OH---N bond length of 2.02 A. This bond length is similar to that found by Herbine and Dyke in the related HOH-NH 3 complex, 1.97 A. Ab initio SCF calculations have also been carried out for the CH 3 OH-NH 3 and HOH-NH 3 complexes in order to compare interaction-energy components and origins of the dipole moment enhancements.
Influences of forest roads and their edge effects on the spatial pattern of burn severity

Abstract Previous research has shown that forest roads are an important feature in many landscapes and have significant effects on wildfire ignition and cessation. However, forest road effects on burn severity have not been studied at the landscape level. Therefore, the overarching goal of our study is to identify the influences of road edge effects on the spatial patterns of burn severity. We analyzed six fires within the Okanogan–Wenatchee National Forest on the eastern slope of the Cascades mountain range of central Washington. We generated two categories for assessing road variables: (1) Primary Road Effect Zone (area within 150 m of the nearest road) and (2) Secondary Road Effect Zone (area from 150 m to 300 m to the nearest road). A regular sampling grid including one out of every 9 cells was created for each fire. These grids were intersected with burn severity data in the form of the Relative Differenced Normalized Burn Ratio (RdNBR), road distance category, stream distance, elevation, slope, terrain shape index, heat load index, canopy cover, and fuel type. We fit spatial regression models with RdNBR as the dependent variable. We found that high burn severity is less likely to occur in the Primary Road Effect Zone for most fires, although one fire exhibited the opposite relationship. Forest road edge effects were hypothesized to be an important determinant of burn severity because fragmentation created by roads alters the roadside fuel profile and environment and because road corridors create barriers to fire spread. Recognizing roadside effects on burn severity patterns highlights the need for further study of the range of effects that roads have on fuels and the fire environment and the potential for incorporating road effects into landscape-level assessments of fire risk.
Effect of ternary additions on the structural stability and electronic structure of intermetallic compounds: Al3Ti + Cu

The effects of substituting Cu for either Ti or Al in Al3Ti were studied by the first-principles local density self-consistent linear muffin tin orbital method. The Cu atoms are found to strongly favor Al sites and to promote the stability of the L12 phase, in agreement with experiment. Surprisingly, the rigid band model is closely followed when Cu substitutes for Al. However, the structure of the density of states undergoes remarkable changes if Cu substitutes for Ti; a much weaker hybridization occurs in both L12- and DO22-like structures, giving rise to weaker binding effects. The modification of bond directionality upon Cu addition is determined by comparing the charge density for the structures calculated with those of pure Al3Ti. The effect of tetragonal distortion is also examined. By comparing with the bonding characteristics of pure Al3Ti in the L12 and DO22 structures, the addition of Cu to Al3Ti is found to be equivalent to the tetragonal distortion in DO22 Al3Ti as far as bonding is concerned, resulting in the stabilized L12-like structure for (AlCu)3Ti. The semi-empirical inverse relation between the structural stability and the density of states at Fermi energy is well established.
Internal mammary compartment: window to the mediastinum.

PURPOSE: To determine the role of internal mammary ultrasonography (US) in assessment of the mediastinum. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In 66 patients (age range, 2 days to 18 years old; mean age 6.5 years) US imaging with spectral and color Doppler was used to examine the internal mammary region. Forty-four patients were suspected to have mediastinal masses; 22, vascular abnormalities. RESULTS: Five patients had abnormal internal mammary arterial flow (reversed in one). Internal mammary vein flow was reversed or absent in 10 patients with vein obstruction or Glenn shunts. Eight of 23 patients with lymphoma had internal mammary adenopathy. None of six patients with infectious mediastinal adenopathy and no patients with other benign mediastinal masses or vascular abnormalities had visualized internal mammary nodes. CONCLUSION: US and Doppler imaging of the internal mammary vessels and nodes provide valuable information about the nature of mediastinal masses and vascular disease. Flow pattern in the internal mamma...
Generalized scaling of spontaneous imbibition data for strongly water-wet systems

Mass transfer between fractures and matrix blocks is critical to oil recovery by waterflooding in fractured reservoirs. A scaling equation has been used for rate of oil recovery by spontaneous imbibition and presented their results as oil recovery vs. dimensionless time. Many conditions apply to this scaling equation, including identical core sample shapes and fluid viscosity ratios. Recent investigation by experiment of these two factors has resulted in a more generalized scaling equation for strongly water-wet systems with a general definition of characteristic length and a viscosity ratio term included in the definition of dimensionless time. In this paper, published data on oil recovery by imbibition have been analyzed and correlated through application of the new definition. These data sets were for different porous media, core dimensions, boundary conditions, and oil and water viscosities. All of the systems were strongly water-wet. The generalized correlation was fitted closely by an empirical mass transfer function with the new definition of dimensionless time as the only parameter.
Numerical Modeling of Unsteady Gas Flow Around the Projectile in the Light Gas Gun

In this study, an attempt to calculate the characteristics of gas flow around a projectile during the motion of the projectile in the Joint Actinide Shock Physics Experimental Research (JASPER) light-gas gun is undertaken. The flow is considered as axisymmetric, nonstationary, nonisothermal, compressible, and turbulent. For calculating the flow around the projectile, the finite volume method was employed. A comparison between two launch tube exit geometries was made. The first case was standard muzzle geometry, where the wall of the bore and the outer surface of the launch tube form a 90 degree angle. The second case included a 26.6 degree bevel transition from the wall of the bore to the outer surface of the launch tube. The results of the calculations are represented in figures depicting the flow at different moments of time. The figures show the fields of velocity, pressure and density, as well as the appearance of shock waves inside the geometry. Some comparisons with calculations of the same problem but using finite-element method were made. The obtained results can be further used for optimization JASPER geometry. The results also can be used for calculating the gun barrels for the strength and the oscillatory stability. In our future study we will couple structural analysis of the gun barrel material with the gas dynamic calculation of motion of the projectile in the gun barrel with the use of advanced computational methods.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
Glial cells assemble hyaluronan-based pericellular matrices in vitro.

The extracellular matrix (ECM) of the brain contains hyaluronan and proteoglycans, as does the ECM of cartilage. Aggrecan, the major proteoglycan of cartilage, forms large aggregates with hyaluronan, which then associate with the chondrocyte cell surface through an interaction with surface hyaluronan binding proteins. In culture, chondrocytes elaborate hyaluronan-proteoglycan aggregates, which form large hydrated pericellular matrices (PCMs) that can be visualized by a particle exclusion assay (Knudson and Toole: Dev Biol 112:308, 1985). It has recently been demonstrated that embryonic glial cells can also elaborate PCMs in culture (Deyst and Toole: Dev Brain Res 28:351, 1995). We demonstrate here that different classes of glial cells elaborate different types of endogenous PCMs in culture. Less differentiated glial cells, as evidenced by their immunoreactivity for nestin, elaborate larger endogenously produced PCMs than differentiated astrocytes, as defined by immunoreactivity for GFAP. This in vitro result may be a reflection of the larger volume of extracellular space present in the embryonic than in the mature brain. We show further that glial cells can incorporate cartilage aggrecan into their PCMs, and that both endogenous and aggrecan-supplemented glial PCMs are dependent on hyaluronan. In contrast, primary neurons from newborn (P0) and P1 rat cortex neither express endogenous matrices nor can assemble exogenous hyaluronan/aggrecan aggregates into PCMs. These results suggest that immature neurons may not have the ability to assemble hyaluronan-based PCMs, and they raise the possibility that neural proteoglycans associate with neuronal surfaces through a mechanism that may not directly involve hyaluronan. GLIA 20:193–202, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Minimizing total weighted tardiness on a single machine with sequence-dependent setup and future ready time

This paper minimizes total weighted tardiness on a single machine with sequence-dependent setup time and future ready time. The sequence-dependent setup is classified into two categories: continuous sequence-dependent setup and separable sequence-dependent setup. The former is the conventional type, which needs a part on a machine to setup, while the latter does not. The weighted shortest processing time (WSPT) term, the slack term, and the ready time term of the apparent tardiness cost (ATC)-based rules are analyzed. Two dispatching rules, ATC with ready time and continuous setup (ATCRCS) and ATC with ready time and separable setup (ATCRSS), are proposed for the problems which setup are the continuous type and the separable type, respectively. These new rules are evaluated by the best-of-the-best measure and the territory measure of the performance.
POETS: Portable Occultation, Eclipse, and Transit System

Occultations of stars by small bodies in the outer solar system are opportunities to make high- resolution measurements of their geometries and orbital elements and to detect or probe their atmospheres. Such events are limited in space and time, so it is desirable to deploy highly capable camera systems on multiple fixed and/or portable telescopes anywhere in the world, potentially on short notice. Similar considerations apply to planetary transits and solar eclipses. We have designed a camera system called POETS (Portable Occultation, Eclipse, and Transit System), which is optimized for occultation and related observations, and have assembled five such systems. The core of this system is the Andor Technology DV-887 (now DU-897) frame-transfercamera, featuring a high frame rate, minimal dead time, high quantum efficiency, and low read noise. An electron- multiplying mode lowers effective read noise to below 1 e ! pixel ! 1 and is capable of photon counting. Each POETS includes a compact GPS timing system with microsecond accuracy, and a high-performance computer system capable of sustained fast frame rates. Each POETS is designed to be transportable as carry-on luggage and is adaptable to a wide variety of sites. POETS were deployed for the first time for the 2005 July 11 Charon occultation event, and they performed extremely well on telescopes with apertures from 0.6 to 6.5 m. Three POETS were subsequently deployed for the 2006 March 29 total solar eclipse, and five for the 2006 June 12 Pluto occultation.
Evaluation and management of head trauma

Abstract Head injury is a common presenting problem in the outpatient setting. Primary care physicians should be skilled in the initial evaluation and management of these patients, particularly those with minor head injury. This article presents information on incidence and demographics, anatomy and physiology of injury, specific head injuries, and gives an overview of the evaluation and management of head-injured patients by the primary care physician.
Springs in Swimming Animals

Animals can lower the metabolic cost of swimming by using appropriately tuned, elastic springs. Jet-powered invertebrates use springs that lie in functional parallel to their swimming muscles to power half the locomotor cycle. The parallel geometry constrains the spring to be non-linearly elastic; muscle power is diverted to load the spring only when swimming muscles are not capable of producing maximal hydrodynamic thrust. The springs of jellyfish and scallops are forced at or near their resonant frequency, producing large energy savings. Measuring the contribution of elastic energy storage to jet-powered locomotion has been facilitated by the relatively simple geometries of invertebrate locomotor systems. In contrast, complex musculoskeletal systems and kinematics have complicated the study of springs in swimming vertebrates. Skins, tendons and axial skeletons of some vertebrate swimmers have appropriate mechanical properties to act as springs. To date, though, there exist just a handful of studies that have investigated the mechanical behaviors of these locomotor structures in swimming vertebrates, and these data have yet to be integrated with measures of swimming power. Integrating mechanical, kinematic, hydrodynamic and metabolic data are required to understand more fully the role of elastic springs in vertebrate swimming energetics.
Jews in the Criminal-Justice System of Early Modern Germany

The free imperial city of Frankfurt am Main serves as the basis for a historical probe of whether Jews received differential treatment in the criminal-justice system of early modern Germany. The study proceeds from an analysis of legislative and procedural court practices to the sentencing of Jews, and culminates in an assessment of penal problems.
Effect of AR-R 17477, a potent neuronal nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, on infarction volume resulting from permanent focal ischemia in rats.

Objective: We tested whether AR-R 17477, a selective inhibitor of neuronal nitric oxide synthase, reduces brain injury In rats subjected to permanent focal ischemia. Design: Randomized within cohort; nonblinded study. Setting: University basic science laboratory. Subjects: Halothane-anesthetized male Wistar rats (n = 53). Interventions: Rats were treated with either Intravenous saline (diluent) or AR-R 17477 (1 or 3 mg/kg) 30 mins before or 60 mins after the onset of permanent focal cerebral ischemia. Infarction volume was determined at 18 or 48 hrs of ischemia. Measurements and Main Results: Pretreatment with 1 mg/kg AR-R 17477 was associated with a decreased infarct volume (2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining) in the striatum (saline, 81 ± 7 mm 3 ; AR-R 17477, 55 ± 3 mm 3 ) but not In the cortex at 18 hrs of occlusion (saline, 302 ± 29 mm 3 ; AR-R 17477, 237 ± 36 mm 3 ). However, this therapeutic effect of AR-R 17477 was no longer evident if the rats were allowed to survive for 48 hrs before analysis of infarction volume. In fact, In this separate cohort of animals, three of eight AR-R 17477-treated and five of eight saline-treated rats died before completing 48 hrs of ischemia. Efficacy of AR-R 17477 was completely absent (even at 18 hrs of ischemia) when drug treatment was delayed until 1 hr after the onset of ischemia. Infarction volume at 18 hrs of ischemia was similar between rats treated with saline, 1 mg/kg (cortex, 229 ± 43 mm 3 ; strlatum, 67 ± 8 mm 3 ) or 3 mglkg AR-R 17477 (cortex, 284 ± 34 mm 3 ; striatum, 75 ± 5 mm 3 ). In addition, only one of eight rats treated with 3 mg/kg AR-R 17477 at 1 hr of Ischemia survived 48 hrs of occlusion, compared with three of eight rats treated with saline. Conclusions: Neuronally generated nitric oxide is a mediator of brain injury during permanent focal ischemia In rats. However, severity of the ischemic insult appears to limit the therapeutic efficacy of the specific neuronal nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, AR-R 17477.
Particle rotation as a heat transfer mechanism

Abstract A particle rotating in a temperature gradient will absorb heat from the hot side of the gradient and reject it on the cold side. This paper examines the case of a rotating solid sphere in a stationary medium on which is imposed a uniform temperature gradient. The results show that particle rotation improves the internal energy transport in much the same way as increasing the particle's thermal conductivity. At moderate values of the rotational Peclet number, the rotation induces anisotropies in the apparent thermal conductivity of the material which disappear at Pe = 0 and as Pe → ∞.
Avian leukosis virus (ALV) infection, shedding, and tumors in maternal ALV antibody-positive and -negative chickens exposed to virus at hatching.

SUMMARY. Chickens highly susceptible to avian leukosis virus (ALV) infection and tumors, with and without ALV subgroup A maternal antibody (MAB), were infected with a field strain of ALV subgroup A at hatching. Viremia, antibody development, cloacal and albumen shedding, and tumors in chickens with MAB (MAB+) were compared with those in chickens lacking MAB (MAB-). At 18 weeks of age, the incidence of viremia was significantly lower in MAB+ chickens than in MAB- chickens; further, MAB significantly reduced the proportion of tolerantly infected (viremic antibody-negative) chickens. Cloacal shedding of ALV at 22 weeks of age and shedding of ALV group-specific (gs) antigen in albumen of eggs from all laying hens at 30-32 weeks of age were significantly lower in MAB+ hens than in MAB- hens. The incidence of ALV-induced tumors was lower in MAB+ chickens than in MAB- chickens, significantly so in one of three trials conducted. These results suggest that MAB may influence the development of viremia, antibody, and shedding of ALV following massive exposure to virus at hatching. RESUMEN. Infecci6n, diseminaci6n viral y tumores causados por el virus de leucosis aviar en pollos reci&n nacidos con y sin immunidad maternal y expuestos al virus. Dos grupos de pollos, con o sin anticuerpos matemales al subgrupo A de leucosis aviar y muy susceptibles a la infecci6n y a los tumores causados por el mismo virus, fueron infectados al nacimiento con una cepa de campo del subgrupo A. Se compararon entre los dos grupos los siguientes parametros: Viremia, desarrollo de anticuerpos, diseminaci6n viral en cloaca y albumina y presencia de tumores. A las 18 semanas de edad, la incidencia de viremia fue significantemente mas baja en los pollos con anticuerpos matemales que en los sin anticuerpos. Ademas, los anticuerpos materales redujeron significantemente la proporci6n de aves tolerantes a la infecci6n (vir&micas sin anticuerpos). Basados en los datos obtenidos en los grupos de ponedoras, la diseminaci6n del virus en la cloaca a las 22 semanas de edad y de antigeno de leucosis especifico de grupo en la albumina del huevo a las 30-32 semanas fueron significantemente mas bajas en aves con anticuerpos matemales que en las aves sin anticuerpos. La incidencia de tumores por el virus de leucosis aviar en pollos con anticuerpos materales fue mas baja que en las aves sin anticuerpos materales, especialmente en uno de los tres experimentos realizados. Estos resultados sugieren que los anticuerpos materales contra leucosis aviar puede influenciar el desarrollo de viremia, de anticuerpos y la diseminaci6n viral despu6s de una fuerte exposici6n al virus de leucosis aviar durante el nacimiento.
Selective functionalization and free solution electrophoresis of single-walled carbon nanotubes: Separate enrichment of metallic and semiconducting SWNT

p-Hydroxybenzene diazonium salt was utilized to selectively functionalize metallic single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) at 45 °C with high selectivity. Deprotonation in alkaline solution induces a negative charge on the functionalized SWNT for electrophoretic separation. We applied this concept to enrich metallic and semiconducting fractions separately using the induced differences in electrophoretic mobilities. Free solution electrophoresis was utilized to separate selectively reacted samples into nonmobile and negative electrophoretic mobility fractions. Raman spectroscopy and UV−vis−nIR absorption spectroscopy confirm both the separation of reacted and unreacted SWNT, and after annealing, the enrichment of metallic and semiconducting SWNT respectively in two distinct fractions.
Web-Based Personalized Feedback: Is This an Appropriate Approach for Reducing Drinking Among High School Students?

Research indicates that brief Web-based personalized feedback interventions are effective in reducing alcohol use and the negative associated consequences among college students. It is not clear, however, that this is an appropriate strategy for high school students. This study examined high school students' perceptions of a brief Web-based personalized feedback program to assess the appropriateness of this approach for this age group. Results indicated that the majority of students found the program to be user-friendly and to have high utility. Additionally, students reporting alcohol use found the program more useful and indicated that they would be more likely to recommend the program to other students relative to non-drinkers. Findings support the appropriateness of this approach for high school students, and suggest that Web-based personalized feedback may be more positively perceived by students who have initiated drinking.
A Note on Measuring Item Bias.

AbstractThis brief note suggests a new method of measuring item bias. A test for item bias is also suggested that is based on standard asymptotic results.
Building a model to predict caseworker and supervisor turnover using a neural network and logistic regression

Human service professionals are increasingly pressured to use sophisticated data analysis tools to support service decisions. However, the application of these tools often involves assumptions and nuances that are difficult for the practitioner to evaluate without specialized information. This article helps the practitioner evaluate two different quantitative methods, a logistic regression and a neural network. Both were used on the same data set to develop a model for predicting employee turnover in a regional child protective services agency. The different steps of building and enhancing the model were discussed. Ultimately, the neural network was able to predict turnover more accurately than a logistic regression by only 1%. The article provides advice to practitioners on comparing, evaluating, and interpreting logistic and neural network tools.
DISTURBANCE IN THE PROLIFERATION AND DIFFERENTIATION OF MONONUCLEAR LEUCOCYTES TO FIBROBLASTS IN DIFFUSION CHAMBERS BY DEUTERIUM OXIDE.

The effects of D/sub 2/O on theproliferation and differertiaiion of mononuclear leukocytes to fibroblasts were investigated. Mice were fed water containing 30% D/sub 2/O prior to starting the experiments. The results indicated that the capacity of mesenchymal mononuclear leukocytes of blood to proliferate and afterwards to differentiate to fibroblasts in diffusion chambers is impaired when normal leukocytes are implanted in subcutaneous tissue environments rich in D/sub 2/O. Also, complete failure of growth and differentiation resulted when leukocytes from deuterated hosts were cultivated in either normal or deuterated mice, suggesting that deuterium oxide is deleterious to the capacity for differentiation of mesenchymal leukocytes in physiologically nontoxic concentrations. (P.C.H.)