cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The effect of dioctyl phthalate films on the ammonium nitrate aerosol evaporation rate

Abstract The evaporation of submicrometer ammonium nitrate (NH 4 NO 3 ) aerosol coated with an organic film was measured in order to determine the effect of the film on mass transfer rate and equilibration time of the semi-volatile inorganic. Ammonium nitrate (NH 4 NO 3 ) particles 100–200 nm in diameter were coated with dioctyl phthalate (DOP) and allowed to evaporate in a constant temperature laminar flow reactor. Evaporation rates for the organic-coated particles were compared to pure ammonium nitrate evaporation at 22 and 27°C. A decrease, up to 50%, in NH 4 NO 3 evaporation rate due to the presence of the DOP film was observed. The decrease in evaporation due to the DOP can be described mathematically at 22°C by a decrease in the accommodation coefficient for NH 4 NO 3 , α NH 4 NO 3 , from 0.4 (the pure NH 4 NO 3 value) to 0.25 for the DOP-coated NH 4 NO 3. Similarly, at 27°C, a decrease in α NH 4 NO 3 from 0.3 for the pure NH 4 NO 3 to 0.25 for the DOP-coated particles was estimated. The decrease in evaporation rates can also be explained by a decrease in NH 4 NO 3 effective diffusivity. The implications to NH 4 NO 3 formation and evaporation in the atmosphere are discussed.
Survey of physician knowledge about hemochromatosis.

Purpose: To survey physicians about knowledge of hemochromatosis. Methods: A questionnaire was faxed to American physicians. Results: A total of 2,563 evaluable responses were obtained. There were ≥ 70% correct responses about at-risk population, associated abnormalities, and population screening. There were 32% and 53% correct answers about diagnosis and treatment, respectively. A total of 8.0% and 4.9% reported asking >75% of patients about family history of hemochromatosis and iron overload, respectively. Less than 25% requested HFE mutation analysis in the previous year. Correct answers were associated with academic practice, internal medicine specialty, and medical school graduation within 10 years. Conclusion: Many physicians have inadequate knowledge about hemochromatosis diagnosis and treatment.
Smart impact management devices: experimental validation of impact triggered rapid expansion of aluminum honeycomb

A major limitation of current dedicated impact energy management structures and passive devices used in the transportation industry is that their starting volume is their maximum volume, i.e. they dissipate energy by crushing or stroking from a larger to a smaller volume. This space so occupied is not available for other uses, including such necessary/desirable functions as vehicle serviceability and repair, operational clearances, and interior spaciousness. This limitation has led to the proposal of a class of "smart" impact energy management devices, based on unexpanded aluminum honeycomb (HOBE), that initially occupy a small volume and based on sensor input are rapidly expanded to a much larger crushable volume (nominally 75 times greater) just prior to or in response to an impact. This paper documents the first portion of an experimental exploration of the viability of this technology. Specific goals of the herein documented test program were the demonstration, starting from blocks of unexpanded aluminum honeycomb, a) of the feasibility (and robustness) of sensor triggered rapid expansion both in terms of the integrity and uniformity of the resulting expanded honeycomb, and b) that expansion mechanisms that were required could be simple and have low energy/force requirements. The test program documented here was successful in both respects, demonstrating and thus validating the feasibility and robustness of low energy rapid expansion of aluminum honeycomb.
Using discourse analysis to understand "failure modes" of undergraduate engineering teams

In recent years, engineering education has been increasingly emphasizing teamwork to solve "real world" problems. However, teamwork as an educational tool has been called into question. Our study seeks to understand how team discourse constructs a unique team culture, established in the early stages of the teaming process. We investigated four co-ed teams of first-year engineering students in an introductory design course. Discourse analysis was used to break team discussions down into countable units for quantitative and qualitative analysis. We found that despite the preemptive team-related intervention regarding gendered role differentiation and the importance of pursuing individual learning goals, all four teams faced challenges in co-constructing knowledge within the first few weeks of the teaming process. Careful faculty scaffolding is needed to support team formation and maturation throughout the entire teaming processes to foster development of successful communication. We discuss the four "failure modes" encountered in this study as models-in-use and propose possible intervention approaches.
Adaptive Loop Transfer Recovery

DAPTIVE control is an attractive approach in nonlinear systems theory due to its ability to cope with system uncertainties and failures. Adaptive controllers can be classified as either indirect or direct. This paper focuses on improving the robustness of a direct adaptive control design. The method is arrived at by examining the loop transfer properties of an adaptive system when linearized about an equilibrium condition. The design approach modifiesanadaptivelawwiththegoalofpreservingthelooptransfer propertiesofareferencemodelassociatedwithanonadaptivecontrol design. The aim is to achieve an adaptive system that preserves the stability margins of a nonadaptive design, while at the same time providing the benefits of adaptation to modeling error. Many modification terms are reported in the literature [1–11]. Included among these, � modification [1] adds a pure damping term to the adaptive law, whereas e modification [2] adds a variable damping term that depends on the error signal. These terms are introduced to ensure that the adapted weights remain bounded. Backgroundlearning[3–5]usescurrentandpastdataconcurrentlyin the adaptation process. It allows the adaptation law to continually train in the background based on past data, while still being responsivetodynamicchangesbasedonthecurrentdata.Inthisway, background learning incorporates long-term learning. Q modification [6–8] is similar in spirit to background learning in its intent to improve adaptation performance by using a moving window of the integrated system uncertainty. There is an optimal control theory based modification term that improves adaptation in the presence of large adaptive gain [9]. More recently, a Kalman filter modification approach[10]hasbeenintroducedasamodificationterminadaptive control.Kalman filtermodificationleadstoalternativeformsforwell
Intraparticle mass transport in slurries by dynamic adsorption studies

Rates were measured at 25°C for the adsorption of benzaldehyde from an aqueous solution into particles of Amberlite, or activated carbon, suspended in the solution. The data for monodisperse, Amberlite particles (mean pore radius = 50A) showed significant intraparticle diffusion resistance over the entire particle size range 200 to 900 microns (diameter). Intraparticle diffusivities were larger (tortuosity factor ∼ 0.35) than expected from pore-volume diffusion in the liquid-filled pores. For the activated carbon particles (of the same size) which have a bidisperse pore-volume distribution (pore diameter range 15 to 104A), the effect of intraparticle diffusion was much less important and separation of the external diffusion resistance to obtain a precise value of the intraparticle diffusivity was not possible. However, De values are larger than for Amberlite and much greater than the molecular diffusivity of benzaldehyde in liquid-filled pores. The unusually high intraparticle diffusivity seems most likely to be due to interpreting dynamic adsorption data for a bidisperse porous particle with a theory involving but one diffusivity.
The genetics of Tourette syndrome

Tourette syndrome has significant genetic determinants. The mode of transmission, while mildly controversial, generally is thought to be due to a single major locus inherited either as an autosomal dominant trait with reduced penetrance, or as a trait with intermediate inheritance in which some heterozygotes manifest the disorder. These is evidence for a Tourette syndrome spectrum of symptoms that includes obsessive-compulsive disorder. Systematic genome linkage studies of Tourette syndrome are progressing, but to date there are no significant linkage findings, although the search has included many neurologically relevant candidate genes.
Phosphorus and intraspecific density alter plant responses to arbuscular mycorrhizas

We investigated how phosphorus availability, intraspecific density, and their interaction affect plant responses to arbuscular mycorrhizas. Four facultatively mycotrophic species: chile, cilantro, tomato, and corn were examined separately in pot experiments that employed a tropical phosphorus-immobilizing soil. Each experiment comprised nine soluble phosphorus additions, two levels of intraspecific plant density, and inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi or not. High phosphorus signi- ficantly diminished mycorrhizal colonization of corn, cilantro, and tomato, but not chile, which was highly variably colonized. Corn roots were colonized by other root-inhabiting fungi, and mycorrhizas significantly reduced colonization by these potential root parasites. High phosphorus significantly increased relative growth rates (RGR) of all species, and high density significantly reduced RGR of cilantro, tomato, and corn. Chile showed little growth at any but the highest phosphorus additions, and consequently had no RGR response to density or mycorrhizas. Mycorrhiza inoculation caused transient depression of corn growth during the first month, but mycorrhizas increased corn RGR during the second month of growth. Both RGR and dry weights at harvest, cilantro, tomato, and corn benefited from mycorrhizas at low phosphorus availability, but this benefit diminished or changed to disadvantage as phosphorus availability increased. At low phosphorus availability, high density increased the dry weight of mycorrhizal cilantro and thereby amplified the benefit of mycorrhizas. At high phosphorus availability, increased density diminished the effects of mycorrhizas on dry weight, reducing mycorrhiza benefit to tomato and chile and reducing mycorrhiza detriment to cilantro. This study demonstrates that for three of the four plant species examined, phosphorus availability, intraspecific density, and their interaction significantly modify plant responses to arbuscular mycorrhizas.
The World Health Organization (WHO) classification of tumors of the hematopoietic and lymphoid tissues: An overview with emphasis on the myeloid neoplasms

The World Health Organization (WHO) classification of myeloid and lymphoid neoplasms utilizes morphology, immunophenotype, genetics and clinical features to define disease entities of clinical significance. It is a consensus classification in which a number of experts have agreed on the classification and diagnostic criteria. In general, the classification stratifies neoplasms according to their lineage (myeloid, lymphoid, histiocytic/dendritic) and distinguishes neoplasms of precursor cells from those comprised of functionally mature cells. Lymphoid neoplasms are derived from cells that frequently have features that recapitulate stages of normal B-, T-, and NK-cell differentiation and function, so to some extent they can be classified according to the corresponding normal counterpart, although additional features, such as genotype, clinical features and even location of the tumor figure into the final classification listing as well. Five major subgroups of myeloid neoplasms are recognized based mainly on their degree of maturation and biologic properties: myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) which are comprised primarily of mature cells with effective proliferation; myeloid (and lymphoid) neoplasms with eosinophilia and abnormalities of PDGFRA, PDGFRB and FGFR1, defined largely by the finding of significant eosinophilia and specific genetic abnormalities; myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasms (MDS/MPN), comprised mainly of mature cells with both effective and ineffective proliferation of various lineages; myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), in which immature and mature cells are found with abnormal, dysplastic and ineffective maturation, and acute myeloid leukemia (AML), comprised of precursor cells with impaired maturation. Genetic abnormalities play an important role as diagnostic criteria for further sub-classification of some myeloid neoplasms, particularly of AML. Although therapy-related MDS and AML (t-MDS/AML) often have genetic defects identical to those found in de novo AML and de novo MDS, they are classified separately from de novo AML and MDS in order to emphasize their unique clinical and biologic properties.
Scheduling effects of punishment and nonreinforcement on verbal conditioning and extinction

Summary The purpose of this experiment was to determine the effects of five schedules of punishment and nonreinforcement on the conditioning and extinction of a verbal response class. The Ss were initially presented a series of slides. Each slide contained three words. Each time the S selected a word representing the vegetable or fruit category a white light was presented and the S received a point. After the S had reached a learning criterion the slide presentation was discontinued and the S instructed to say words at the rate of one per second. A white light indicating a point was made contingent on a continuous basis for all words involving food content. This procedure lasted for two blocks of 20 trials. For the next three blocks of 20 trials the S received some schedule of both positive reinforcement and either punishment or nonreinforcement for food words. A red light signifying the loss of a point constituted punishment in this study. The absence of light contingent upon the food response constituted nonreinforcement. An extinction period consisting of five blocks of trials followed conditioning. During this time no lights were presented. For each type of contingency (punishment and nonreinforcement) there were five schedules investigated: 0%, 20%, 35%, 50%, and 100%. The results showed no differences between punishment and nonreinforcement. There were significant differences between schedules in both conditioning and extinction. The results were interpreted in terms of the discriminative properties of punishment and nonreinforcement.
The domain order of mammalian capping enzyme can be inverted and baculovirus phosphatase can function in cap formation in vivo.

Abstract The bifunctional mammalian mRNA capping enzyme (Mce1) consists of an N-terminal triphosphatase domain Mce1(1–210) fused to a C-terminal guanylyltransferase domain Mce1(211–597). The physical domain order H 2 N-triphosphatase-guanylyltransferase-COOH mimics the temporal order of the capping reactions. To determine if the physical domain order is functionally important in vivo, we engineered an “inverted” mammalian capping enzyme Inv Mce1 [H 2 N-Mce1(211–597)-(1–210)-COOH]. We found that Inv Mce1 complemented the growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae cet1Δ and ceg1Δ strains in which the endogenous yeast triphosphatase and guanylyltransferase genes were deleted. By testing truncated versions of Inv Mce1, we determined that Mce1(1–178) comprises a minimal functional triphosphatase domain. Baculovirus phosphatase (BVP) is a monofunctional single-domain protein with RNA triphosphatase and RNA diphosphatase activities and an undefined role in viral RNA metabolism. Here we demonstrated that BVP can function as an RNA triphosphatase for cap formation in vivo when fused to the C-terminus of Mce1(211–597). By characterizing a series of Inv Mce1-BVP derivatives with amino acid substitutions in the phosphate-binding loop of BVP, we showed that the in vivo activity of the mutant chimeras in cap formation is contingent upon in vitro phosphohydrolase activity of the respective BVP proteins. BVP catalysis in vitro was not limited to 5′-phosphorylated RNA or nucleotide substrates, but also embraced tripolyphosphatase and pyrophosphatase activities. BVP-specific activities with nucleotide and inorganic substrates were as follows: ATP (14 min −1 ), ADP (31 min −1 ), PPP i (3.7 min −1 ), and PP i (1 min −1 ). BVP did not hydrolyze AMP. We surmise that BVP has adapted the cysteinyl phosphatase fold to the hydrolysis of phosphoanhydrides.
S&P 500 Index Replacements

Standard & Poor9s has become increasingly aggressive in deleting stocks from the S&P 500 index. Where once it made replacements in the index only when a particular stock had to be removed due to merger or acquisition, corporate restructuring, and bankruptcy filing, S&P now voluntarily removes a company for a variety of reasons, which may include low market capitalization, low share price, dwindling market share, or simply the need to find a spot for an up-and-comer. There are a variety of impacts on share price and trading volume for stocks added to and deleted from the S&P 500 during the period January 1996 through December 2001. For additions, abnormal returns and trading volumes are higher than ever. For deletions, share prices are dealt a crippling blow.
Hypoxia-inducible factors and marrow stromal function

Multicellular organisms have developed complex organ systems for the uptake, transport, and delivery of oxygen. Many processes involved in oxygen homeostasis are mediated by hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs), which control the transcription of a number of target genes. Initially identified as the key
Orthonormal aspect on vibration modes for a class of nonuniform beans

Abstract The orthonormality properties of mode forms for the vibration of a uniform beam are well known (1,2), and they are widely applied in the evaluation of coefficients for the general solution of beam vibrations. The same properties can be extended to a class of nonuniform beams. The orthogonality property is well known from the theorem of Strum-Liouville when the expression of the lineal density of the beam is considered as a weighting function. The normalization factors are evaluated here for different end conditions of the beam by using Rayleigh's technique.
Early hominid subsistence strategies in seasonal habitats

Nutritional arguments concerning the role of lean meat in the diet of hunters and gatherers in highly seasonal temperate and northern latitudes are discussed. These arguments suggest that high protein intakes may be detrimental to hunter-gatherers at these latitudes during seasonally recurrent periods of weight loss and inadequate total calorie intake. It is argued that contemporary environments in eastern and southern Africa also display marked seasonality (in rainfall) that produces similar periods of resource stress and weight loss in both hunter-gatherers and higher primates. Given comparable seasonality in African Plio-Pleistocene environments, it is suggested that early hominids also faced seasonal resource stress, to which they too would have responded by avoiding high intakes of lean meat. Thus, while faunal remains from Plio-Pleistocene rainy season sites are likely to reflect hominid procurement of meat (by either scavenging or hunting), and hence should provide clear insights into the role of animal protein in early hominid diet, bones from height-of-dry-season sites are more likely to reflect food-getting activities under conditions of resource stress, when acquisition of fat rather than meat may have been more critical. As a consequence, faunal remains from height-of-dry-season sites may tell us little about the overall importance of meat in early hominid diet, and may introduce serious bias into our reconstructions and interpretations, unless we find ways to determine site seasonality and take into account the nutritional consequences of different energy sources under conditions of stress.
Predicting the Flexure Response of Wood-Plastic Composites from Uni-Axial and Shear Data Using a Finite-Element Model

AbstractWood-plastic composites (WPCs), commonly used in residential decks and railings, exhibit mechanical behavior that is bimodal, anisotropic, and nonlinear viscoelastic. They exhibit different stress-strain responses to tension and compression, both of which are nonlinear. Their mechanical properties vary with respect to extrusion direction, their deformation under sustained load is time-dependent (they experience creep), and the severity of creep is stress-dependent. Because of these complexities, it is beneficial to create a mechanics-based predictive model that will calculate the material’s response in situations that are too difficult or expensive to test experimentally. Such a model would also be valuable in designing and optimizing new structural shapes. Analysis and prediction of WPC members begins with the time-dependent characterization of the material’s axial and shear behaviors. The data must then be combined with a tool that can simulate mode-dependence, anisotropy, and nonlinear axial st...
The role of hepatitis B virus in the development of primary hepatocellular carcinoma: Part I.

Chronic infections with hepatitis B virus (HBV) of humans and animal hepadnavirus infections in their natural hosts are strongly associated with primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Although viral integrations are found in cells of many HCC, no general viral-specific hepatocarcinogenic mechanism for hepadnaviruses has been identified. In approximately one half of HCC in woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) infected woodchucks, viral integrations near the c-myc or N-myc genes have been reported which result in enhanced expression of the respective gene. Such host gene-specific insertional mutagenesis has not been found in HCC of other hepadnavirus infected hosts. Thus in humans, ground squirrels and ducks hepadnaviral integrations appear to be at different host chromosomal DNA sites in each HCC and few integrations have been found within or near any cellular gene. Other possible hepadnavirus-specific carcinogenic mechanisms that are being investigated include transactivation of cellular gene expression by an hepadnavirus gene product (e.g. the X-gene), and mutation of host genes by unknown hepadnavirus-specific mechanisms. It should be noted, however, that chronic hepadnavirus infection is associated with chronic necroinflammatory liver disease with hepatocellular necrosis and regeneration (sometimes leading to cirrhosis in humans), a pathological process that is common to numerous other risk factors for HCC. This suggests the possibility that this pathological process is hepatocarcinogenic irrespective of the inciting agent and the role of hepadnavirus infection is no different from that of other risk factors in causing chronic necroinflammatory liver disease.
Static heterogeneities in liquid water

Abstract The thermodynamic behavior of water seems to be closely related to static heterogeneities. These static heterogeneities are related to the local structure of water molecules, and when properly characterized, may offer an economical explanation of thermodynamic data. The key feature of liquid water is not so much that the existence of hydrogen bonds, first pointed out by Linus Pauling, but rather the local geometry of the liquid molecules is not spherical or oblong but tetrahedral. In the consideration of static heterogeneities, this local geometry is critical. Recent experiments suggested more than one phase of amorphous solid water, while simulations suggest that one of these phases is metastable with respect to another, so that in fact there are only two stable phases.
Ca2+/diacylglycerol-activated, phospholipid-dependent protein kinase in the Hermissenda CNS.

In mammalian systems, Ca2+/diacylglycerol-activated phospholipid-dependent protein kinase (C-kinase) appears to play an important role in regulating physiological responses that outlast the transient rise in cytosolic Ca2+. Electrophysiological experiments in neurons of the nudibranch mollusc, Hermissenda crassicornis, have suggested a role for C-kinase in the long-lasting reductions in early and late K+ currents that have been observed following associative learning. Accordingly, we have investigated the catalytic properties of C-kinase in Hermissenda CNS. Following homogenization in Ca2+-free buffer, C-kinase can be separated from Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase by centrifugation; C-kinase activity is found in the supernatant whereas essentially all of the Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase is found in the membrane fraction. Addition of Ca2+, phosphatidylserine, and diacylglycerol to the cytosol results in phosphorylation of at least eight endogenous proteins. The Hermissenda CNS C-kinase can also phosphorylate lysine-rich histone, a substrate for mammalian C-kinase. The molluscan enzyme exhibits phospholipid specificity in that phosphatidylserine is much more effective than phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine, phospha-tidylinositol, and phosphatidic acid. Addition of diacylglycerol, in the presence of Ca2+ and phosphatidylserine, increases the activity of the C-kinase. The percentage of activation by diacylglycerol is larger at lower Ca2+ concentrations. Enzyme activity is inhibited by trifluoperazine and polymixin B sulfate. These studies indicate that the Hermissenda C-kinase is catalytically similar to mammalian C-kinase.
Analysis of yeast endocytic site formation and maturation through a regulatory transition point

The earliest stages of endocytic site formation and the regulation of endocytic site maturation are not well understood. Here we analyzed the order in which the earliest proteins are detectable at endocytic sites in budding yeast and found that an uncharacterized protein, Pal1p/Ydr348cp, is also present at the initial stages of endocytosis. Because Ede1p (homologue of Eps15) and clathrin are the early-arriving proteins most important for cargo uptake, their roles during the early stages of endocytosis were examined more comprehensively. Ede1p is necessary for efficient recruitment of most early-arriving proteins, but not for the recruitment of the adaptor protein Yap1802p, to endocytic sites. The early-arriving proteins, as well as the later-arriving proteins Sla2p and Ent1/2p (homologues of Hip1R and epsins), were found to have longer lifetimes in CLC1-knockout yeast, which indicates that clathrin light chain facilitates the transition from the intermediate to late coat stages. Cargo also arrives during the early stages of endocytosis, and therefore its effect on endocytic machinery dynamics was investigated. Our results are consistent with a role for cargo in regulating the transition of endocytic sites from the early stages of formation to the late stages during which vesicle formation occurs.
Characterization of status epilepticus induced by two organophosphates in rats

Organophosphates (OPs) inhibit the enzyme cholinesterase and cause accumulation of acetylcholine, and are known to cause seizures and status epilepticus (SE) in humans. The animal models of SE caused by organophosphate analogs of insecticides are not well characterized. SE caused by OPs paraoxon and diisopropyl fluorophosphate (DFP) in rats was characterized by electroencephalogram (EEG), behavioral observations and response to treatment with the benzodiazepine diazepam administered at various stages of SE. A method for SE induction using intrahippocampal infusion of paraoxon was also tested. Infusion of 200nmol paraoxon into the hippocampus caused electrographic seizures in 43/52 (82.7%) animals tested; and of these animals, 14/43 (30%) had self-sustaining seizures that lasted 4-18h after the end of paraoxon infusion. SE was also induced by peripheral subcutaneous injection of diisopropyl fluorophosphate (DFP, 1.25mg/kg) or paraoxon (1.00mg/kg) to rats pretreated with atropine (2mg/kg) and 2-pralidoxime (2-PAM, 50mg/kg) 30min prior to OP injection. SE occurred in 78% paraoxon-treated animals and in 79% of DFP-treated animals. Diazepam (10mg/kg) was administered 10min and 30min after the onset of continuous EEG seizures induced by paraoxon and it terminated SE in a majority of animals at both time points. DFP-induced SE was terminated in 60% animals when diazepam was administered 10min after the onset of continuous EEG seizure activity but diazepam did not terminate SE in any animal when it was administered 30min after the onset of continuous seizures. These studies demonstrate that both paraoxon and DFP can induce SE in rats but refractoriness to diazepam is a feature of DFP induced SE.
Identification of a Major Heparin-binding Site in Kallistatin

Kallistatin is a heparin-binding serine proteinase inhibitor (serpin), which specifically inhibits human tissue kallikrein by forming a covalent complex. The inhibitory activity of kallistatin is blocked upon its binding to heparin. In this study we attempted to locate the heparin-binding site of kallistatin using synthetic peptides derived from its surface regions and by site-directed mutagenesis of basic residues in these surface regions. Two synthetic peptides, containing clusters of positive-charged residues, one derived from the F helix and the other from the region encompassing the H helix and C2 sheet of kallistatin, were used to assess their heparin binding activity. Competition assay analysis showed that the peptide derived from the H helix and C2 sheet displayed higher and specific heparin binding activity. The basic residues in both regions were substituted to generate three kallistatin double mutants K187A/K188A (mutations in the F helix) and K307A/R308A and K312A/K313A (mutations in the region between the H helix and C2 sheet), using a kallistatin P1Arg variant as a scaffold. Analysis of these mutants by heparin-affinity chromatography showed that the heparin binding capacity of the variant K187A/K188A was not altered, whereas the binding capacity of K307A/R308A and K312A/K313A mutants was markedly reduced. Titration analysis with heparin showed that the K312A/K313A mutant has the highest dissociation constant. Like kallistatin, the binding activity of K187A/K188A to tissue kallikrein was blocked by heparin, whereas K307A/R308A and K312A/K313A retained significant binding and inhibitory activities in the presence of heparin. These results indicate that the basic residues, particularly Lys312-Lys313, in the region between the H helix and C2 sheet of kallistatin, comprise a major heparin-binding site responsible for its heparin-suppressed tissue kallikrein binding.
Neonatal uninephrectomy causes hypertension in adult rats.

This study was designed to test the hypothesis that a reduced number of nephrons from birth leads to increased arterial pressure in adulthood. Newborn Sprague-Dawley rat pups were uninephrectomized...
Anatomic Double-Bundle Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Revision Surgery

Abstract With the increasing number of double-bundle anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstructions being performed, revision cases are expected. This report describes the first 3 cases of revision double-bundle ACL surgeries performed at our institution. In 3 athletes in whom the ACL was previously reconstructed with an anatomic double-bundle technique, new traumatic events occurred and an ACL retear was diagnosed. In cases 1 and 2 the anteromedial (AM) bundle was completely torn and the posterolateral (PL) bundle was stretched and nonfunctional. In case 1 both bundles were reconstructed via the previous tunnels, and the AM and PL grafts were tensioned at 60° of flexion and full extension, respectively. In case 2 the PL femoral tunnel was posterosuperior to the PL anatomic position. Therefore we drilled a third femoral tunnel and used the previous PL tunnel as our new AM tunnel. In case 3 the rupture pattern presented an intact and functional PL bundle and a midsubstance AM tear. We decided to revise only the AM bundle using the previous AM tunnels, which were anatomically positioned. This report shows that revision of anatomic double-bundle ACL reconstruction is reasonable to accomplish and that the principles of anatomy are essential as a guide to approaching each case.
The Keviar Story—an Advanced Materials Case Study

Limited space permits description of only two examples of Kevlar applications research. There are numerous others. In the early product development there were some indications that Kevlar would go mainly into tire reinforcement. This has turned out not to be true. In the mid-seventies Kevlar was participating in only ten market segments and less than fifty specific applications, but today, it is in more than twenty market segments, serving more than two hundred applications, and continued growth is anticipated. Kevlar is produced in a 45 million pound plant in Richmond, VA, USA. In 1988, a second plant was started up in Northern Ireland and plans for a third plant in Japan were announced. The Kevlar innovation story exemplifies the kind of obstacles, interdisciplinary skills and systems approach involved in bringing a laboratory discovery to commercial reality. The story is still unfolding and applications currently not envisioned will undoubtedly become important in the future. .
Approximate Performance Analysis for Linear Codes in Superposition Schemes over Gaussian Broadcast Channels

Unequal error-protection schemes obtained by means of two-level superposition coding are considered. Their performance over Gaussian broadcast channels (GBCs) is investigated with optimal maximum-likelihood decoding as well as with a suboptimal decoding strategy based on interference cancellation. We focus on GBCs without fading and, assuming that linear codes are used, we evaluate, for both decoding strategies, analytical approximations of the word-error rate based on a suitable application of the union bound. As in the case of turbo codes and turbo-coded modulations in schemes without superposition, the derivation of the approximations exploits the concept of uniform interleaving. The analytical expressions obtained are in excellent agreement with the simulation results, and thus provide a useful tool for analysis and design of practical superposition-coding schemes. Unlike the existing design tools, which rely on the assumption of infinite-length superposition codes, the proposed approach allows us to study the effectiveness of finite-length coding schemes with known distance spectrum.
The Effect of Work Interruptions on Women's Wages

This paper examines the effects of work interruptions on women's wages, focusing particularly on work interruptions to give birth. It also accounts for whether mothers return to work at their pre-childbirth jobs after giving birth. The results show that work interruptions in general and work interruptions specifically to give birth reduce wages. However, the negative effects of work interruptions to give birth are at least partially eliminated when controlling for whether mothers return to work for their pre-childbirth employers. Also, these effects are temporary and do not persist beyond the second year after returning to work.
Lilith Lights: A Network Traffic Visualization Tool for High Performance Clusters

High performance computing increasingly utilizes loosely coupled clusters of commodity computers. Performance monitoring data on such platforms is traditionally performed by invasive message passing taps, and examined only after the run is complete. We present an alternative, designed to capitalize on the scalable nature of the platform. Lilith Lights is a non-invasive network and processor monitoring tool which collects and processes data from the individual cluster machines. The data is gathered and displayed concurrently with the running applications. The display format can correspond to the application's virtual topology or to the physical connectivity of the message passing hardware.
The healthcare information technology context: a framework for viewing legal aspects of telemedicine and teleradiology

Explores the healthcare information technology context as a backdrop for viewing the legal issues that accompany telemedicine and teleradiology. In this age of managed care, healthcare informatics has become a burgeoning field. Computer-based technologies help automate processes such as patient data collection. As patient records become increasingly digitized, they are more easily transmitted between various healthcare sites and personnel. The security of electronic medical data transfer, however, is sometimes inadequate. Digitized medical records give rise to a number of legal issues. A well-known example is the security of electronic medical data. Data security and other legal issues pose enormous challenges to the adoption of healthcare technologies; these barriers can potentially inhibit their diffusion. In the case of telemedicine, many of the current laws are underdeveloped and unstable, and pending bills are often obscure. In addition to confidentiality, other legal issues I discuss include malpractice, reimbursement and licensure.
Pedestrian detection in transit bus application: sensing technologies and safety solutions

Pedestrian safety is a primary traffic issue in urban environment. The use of modern sensing technologies to improve pedestrian safety has remained an active research topic for years. A variety of sensing technologies have been developed for pedestrian detection. The application of pedestrian detection on transit vehicle platforms is desirable and feasible in the near future. In this paper, potential sensing technologies are first reviewed for their advantages and limitations. Several sensors are then chosen for further experimental testing and evaluation. A reliable sensing system will require a combination of multiple sensors to deal with near-range in stationary conditions and longer-range detection in moving conditions. An approach of vehicle-infrastructure integrated solution is suggested for the pedestrian detection in transit bus application.
Physical activity and urologic cancers

Despite convincing evidence that physical activity protects against colon and breast cancers, the association of physical activity with urologic cancers is less well explored. Expert panels have previously found a probably protective benefit for prostate cancer, but insufficient evidence for other urologic cancers. We review the evidence for testicular, kidney/renal, bladder, and prostate cancers, including whether benefits may exist within subgroups. While the limited evidence base does not support an association of physical activity with either testicular or bladder cancers, a growing body of research suggests that physical activity results in a modest risk reduction for kidney cancer. A large number (>30) of studies suggests a probable small decrease in prostate cancer risk among those who are physically active, which is likely driven by the effect on advanced/aggressive tumors. The role of physical activity in decreasing urologic cancer risk is thus likely limited to advanced prostate and possibly kidney cancers with no association in testicular or bladder cancers.
Method for Measuring Ammonia Emissions from Poultry Houses

SUMMARY We present a measurement method for NH3 emissions from mechanically ventilated poultry buildings, which has been successfully used in a multistate, multidisciplinary research project to establish baseline values for the United States. To accurately determine building emission rate (ER, the product of pollutant concentration and exhaust airflow rate), accurate measurements must be made over representative periods and production phases. We present an innovative, lowcost, and accurate methodology that allows multiple buildings to be sampled in sequential order, provided that appropriate biosecurity measures are taken. Direct ventilation measurement is used in broiler houses, and in some layer operations, the number of fans is few enough that each fan can be individually calibrated in situ with a fan assessment numeration system device. For larger layer buildings with more than 15 fans, building ventilation is obtained from a tracer gas balance, utilizing CO2 generated by birds and feces. Other methods to determine building ventilation rate, which do not account for mechanical condition and degree of maintenance, both of which significantly affect actual fan capacity, introduce large errors. Twenty-eight portable monitoring units were fabricated and used for field acquisition of exhaust NH3 and CO2 concentrations and building static pressure. Ammonia is measured with redundant electrochemical sensors that are cyclically purged to eliminate errors caused by saturation from continuous exposure to air laden with NH3. The redundant NH3 unit minimizes missing data due to sensor failure.
The West: asking heretical questions

Aldous Huxley said 'All great truths begin as heresy.' It is important for every generation to ask heretical questions. Some of the current heretical questions in the West have to do with 'growth' – both of the economy and of population. The question of growth gives rise to such other questions as sustainability, immigration and carrying capacity.
Leigh Hunt's London Journal

Marchand identifies "Leigh Hunt's London Journal" as mine for information on the social or literary history of Pre-Victorian England.Â It was published from April 2, 1834, and ended abruptly on December 26, 1835.
Activity-Based Intervention and Developmentally Appropriate Practice Points of Convergence

In the current controversy over the appropriateness of using developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) with young children with disabilities, the philosophies of early childhood special education (ECSE) and early childhood education (ECE) have frequently been characterized as incompatible. This article contrasts the differences between the two disciplines and discusses a service delivery approach, known as activity-based intervention (ABI). Combining strategies from both ECSE and ECE, this model utilizes behavior analytic techniques within child-directed activities. Although ABI and DAP appear to be compatible in many ways, DAP's emphasis on emotional development creates a dilemma. In part, because emotional development is difficult to evaluate, it has not been a focus of ECSE. This dilemma, as well as its implications for intervention, is discussed. It is argued that the continued comparison and integration of the philosophies of ECE and ECSE may enhance education for all young children.
Chihuahuan Desert Grassland Responds Similarly to Fall, Spring, and Summer Fires During Prolonged Drought

Land managers frequently use prescribed burning to help maintain grassland communities. Semiarid grassland dynamics following fire are linked to precipitation, with increasing soil moisture accelerating the rate of recovery. Prescribed fires are typically scheduled to follow natural fire regimes, but burning outside the natural fire season could be equally effective and more convenient for managers, depending on their management objectives. We conducted a field experiment in desert grassland to determine if fire seasonality influenced plant community recovery. Experimental burn treatments occurred in fall, spring, and summer in replicate 0.24-ha plots to determine if fire seasonality affected the rate of recovery of an ungrazed Chihuahuan Desert grassland in central New Mexico. Plant communities were surveyed seasonally for 5 yr after the burns. Grassland community structure responded to fire but not fire seasonality. Grass cover in all burned treatments remained lower than unburned controls for 3 yr after the burns. Community change through time was largely influenced by low rainfall, as grass cover in burned and unburned communities converged during a year with severe drought. In conclusion, fire seasonality did not influence rate of community recovery, but extended drought was possibly more influential than fire on grassland dynamics.
The Washington aerial spray drift study: Modeling pesticide spray drift deposition from an aerial application

A routinely scheduled aerial organophosphorus pesticide application of methamidophos in central Washington State was monitoredin the summer of 2002. The sprayedpotato crop surround eda rural agricultural community where residences were within 200 meters of the sprayed fields. Modeling pesticide spray drift is critical for exposure assessment of the residential population. Herein the objective is to model spray drift deposition with regard to model selection, calibration, andpred iction for a particular application event. The US Environmental Protection Agency’s Fugitive Dust Model (FDM) was chosen for its flexibility in terms of both inputs and outputs. Model calibration was accomplished by varying the aerosol size distribution in comparison with collected deposition samples and locating the minimum relative bias measure. From the calibrated model, a map of total pesticide deposition within the community indicated spray drift occurring despite adherence to general precautionary pesticide application guidelines. The calibrated model also provided 15-min time-resolved deposition images over the 5-h application period. These timeresolved maps revealed that actual community deposition occurred in only 2 of the 20 time periods when the source, due to the changing wind, was oriented towards the community. Despite the limitations of FDM in modeling a liquid aerosol, the calibration of the model to samplers located in the areas of interest allows it to serve as a potential tool for conducting exposure assessment within the community. r 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Bilateral traumatic renal artery dissection

We present a case of bilateral renal artery dissection, with the related computed tomographic images, caused by blunt torso trauma. Discussion includes the etiologies of this type of injury, the diagnostic modalities, and treatment options.
The Need for Strategic Planning in Passive Restoration of Wildlife Populations

There are two reasons for strategic planning in passive wildlife restoration: first, to maximize the potential for colonization of restoration sites in challenged landscapes, and second, to maximize the contribution of each restoration project to regional, management area, ecosystem, or target species goals. Landscape configuration and the demographic/dispersal characteristics of target species can govern the level of wildlife response to habitat restoration projects. This is particularly true for fragmented habitats in rapidly suburbanizing areas, where the widely held notion that wildlife can colonize any restored habitat is challenged by barriers to dispersal. Because habitat restoration is a passive means of restoring wildlife populations, equal weight needs to be given to the context (likelihood of site colonization by target species) as well as the content (habitat) of restoration projects. Defining spatial patterns of demography, dispersion, and dispersal allows restorationists to place projects where they can have the greatest impact on the threats and sensitivities of target species, and the greatest contribution to the persistence and/or recovery of populations. Further, it provides a means of evaluating the relative potential worth of different restoration sites. If passive wildlife restoration is to be successful, the constraints to colonization need to be interpreted with regional goals of ecosystem and species management in mind.