cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Alternatively Assessing an In-service Program

In-service evaluation is typically inadequate. Specifically, most in-service assessments provide a limited amount of information about the in-service program, and the participant does not take an active role in the evaluation. One possible first step to reforming in-service evaluation is integrating the assessment process with the in-service program. This paper describes how the staff in one in-service program attempted to integrate assessment with an in-service program through the development and utilization of an implementation rubric. At the conclusion of the in-service program, the developed rubric provided program staff with information about the effectiveness of the in-service program. Yet throughout the in-service program, the rubric provided participants with opportunities to reflect upon their practice, revealed the changes that occurred in participants' classrooms and their instruction, and guided the instructional decisions of program staff.
Break-in liner wear and piston ring assembly friction in a spark-ignited engine

Cylinder liner wear and surface roughness were measured at the topping reversal point of a single-cylinder, air-cooled, spark-ignition (gasoline) engine during break-in. In addition, the instantaneous factional torque of the engine was determined and correlated with the wear rate and surface roughness during this period. The engine friction, liner surface roughness and wear had their highest values at the beginning of the break-in period. The wear rate dropped sharply during the first hour, after which it maintained a steady lower rate. The surface roughness and friction took longer than the wear rate to stabilize. Friction was found to change in three modes. The first mode took one hour and was characterized by a sharp drop in wear rate and a small drop in friction. The second mode was a transition to the third mode, and took about 2.5 hours. The third mode lasted about 20 hours and was characterized by a drop in both surface roughness and friction. The wear rate did not change much during this mode. Aft...
Time error in lifted weights as affected by presentation order and judgment mode

In the method of constant stimulus differences, results obtained under two presentation orders (standard first and standard second) are commonly combined to eliminate time error. The present study shows that this technique is not adequate for controlling time error as the presentation orders have differential effects upon PSE. Using a two-handed technique, 96 subjects judged lifted weights on the comparative rating scale. The subjects lifted the standard before, with, or after the variable stimulus. They also either judged the standard in terms of the variable or the variable in terms of the standard (mode of judgment). Judgment mode, a previously uninvestigated confounding variable of presentation order was not an important factor in influencing the value of the PSE.
Hydrogen-vacancy interactions in Ni-H solid solutions

Abstract The data for the solubility of hydrogen in nickel in equilibrium with H 2 -gas at atmospheric pressure have been analyzed in terms of a model which considers H–vacancy interactions. This model has been shown to be compatible with both the thermodynamic and kinetic data for Ni–H system.
Electric Field Control of Charge Transport in Doped Polymers

Abstract Recent observation of a large “field effect” for conducting polymers is in conflict with a fact that the electric field cannot penetrate in a conductor further than the molecular scale Debye radius. We review the experimental results for gate voltage control of conductivity in a FET structure. We propose that the field effect is related to inhomogeneous structure and remnant ions. The free space within the polymer network enables ions to move in and out. The electronic screening at the dielectric/conducting polymer boundary transforms the electric potential into the shift of chemical potential for ions inside leading to ionically charging/discharging of the polymer film. The ionic charge is compensated by the variation of the electron concentration. In the linear response to the gate voltage, the charging capacity is c = e e 0 ( r i 2 + r e 2 ) , where ri,e is the Debye radius for ionic and electronic subsystems. For low concentration of ions (ri ≫ re) the charging response increases exponentially with applied voltage and approaches saturation c0 = e2N(EF) that is a few hundred F/cm3. Surprisingly, the experimental “off state” is reached with only a few percent of compensation. Therefore we propose that the main effect of the ionic invasion is suppression of the charge conduction between metallic grains of the inhomogeneous polymers.
Quality versus quantity in Mexican household poultry and pork purchases

How food demand responds to changes in income, prices and household characteristics is important from a policy perspective when attempting to improve the dietary status of a particular population. This study develops a unique double-hurdle model of demand for a composite food, which endogenizes the commodities unit value. The model structure allows us to account for the inability to observe such values for non-purchasing households while simultaneously adjusting for quality-based demand effects for purchasing households. Our application to Mexican household pork and poultry expenditures shows the importance of controlling for composite good quality. We find that for these two aggregate commodities, expenditures depend on both quantity demanded and quality desired. JEL Classification: C51, D12 © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Indirect determination of boron-proton coupling in trimethyl borate by proton spin-echo NMR☆

Abstract The scalar proton-boron coupling constant in trimethyl borate has been determined by the proton Carr-Purcell spin-echo NMR method. As expected, the spin-echo decay is strongly dependent on the pulse repetition rate. The presence of both 11B and 10B isotopes was taken into account in the data analysis. The experiments were done at 10.748 and 32.088 MHz, in a search for the systematic errors found by other workers. Various sources of systematic errors were kept at a low level. A parallel study of a degassed water sample was also done, with the expectation the spin-echo decay time constant should be independent of the pulse repetition rate. Very small deviations from this behavior were found. The value of the 11BH coupling constant is 2.4 Hz.
Purpura Fulminans and Late Onset Group B Streptococcal Sepsis in a Premature Twin

Introduction: Purpura fulminans (PF) is a skin manifestation due to hemorrhagic infarction caused by intravascular thrombosis secondary to bacterial infections or deficiency of anticoagulants such as protein C and protein S. Neonatal PF is a rare but potentially disabling disorder associated with a high mortality and severe long term morbidity in those who survive. Case description: We report a case of a premature infant who developed extensive PF due to late onset group B streptococcus sepsis. Despite early identification and initiation of antibiotic therapy in our patient, PF progressed rapidly, leading to autoamputation of fingers and toes and severe brain injury. Conclusion: In conclusion, our case highlights the severe sequelae of PF due to late onset GBS sepsis in a premature infant.
111 ECHOCARDIOGRAPHIC CORRELATES OF LEFT VENTRICULAR HYPERTROPHY DIAGNOSED BY ELECTROCARDIOGRAPHY IN CHILDREN

To determine the anatomic correlates of electrocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) we performed an M-mode echocardiogram (echo) in 92 children (29 normals, 27 with aortic stenosis and 36 with aortic insufficiency). The ECG was normal in 53 and met criteria for LVH in 39 (including 1 normal). From the echo we measured LV end-diastolic diameter (EDD), septal and posterior wall thickness (PWT) and calculated LV mass. All normal subjects had a normal echo. Of the 39 children with LVH by ECG, 19 (50%) had increased EDD and PWT, 8(20%) had only increased EDD, 8(20%) had only increased PWT and 4(10%) had a normal echo. In 20(51%) LV mass was increased. In all patients (pts) with a product of EDD × PWT > 5.2cm2 the ECG showed LVH. Of the 53 children with a normal ECG, 44(83%) had a normal echo, 6(11%) had only increased PWT, 3(6%) had only an increased EDD and none had increased EDD and PWT. LV mass was increased in 7(13%); 11(24%) of pts with an abnormal echo had a normal ECG. We conclude: (1) LVH on ECG may be due to an enlarged LV cavity, increased PWT or both, (2) children with EDD × PWT > 5.2cm2 consistently have LVH on ECG and (3) Most children with aortic valve disease and LVH by ECG have abnormal echo measurements.
Change in Surface Soil Carbon under Rotated Corn in Eastern South Dakota

A diversified crop rotation may reduce fertilizer N inputs for corn (Zea mays L.) and increase soil organic C (SOC). Our objectives were to determine the effects of crop rotation and fertilizer N on soil C within the surface soil (0-15-cm depth). Rotations were started in 1990 on a Barnes sandy clay loam near Brookings, SD. Measurements of SOC began in 1996. Primary tillage since 1996 was chisel plow. All crop residues were returned to the soil. Rotations were continuous corn (CC), corn-soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.], and corn-soybean-wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) companion seeded with alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.)-alfalfa hay (CSWA). Uncropped treatments included perennial grasses. Corn N treatments were based on the soil NO 3 test and yield goal. Corn was fertilized for a grain yield of 8.5 Mg ha -1 (high N), 5.3 Mg ha -1 (mid N), and no N. Under grass, SOC increased 3.8 Mg C ha -1 from 1996 to 2006. Continuous corn under high N returned 34% more aboveground plant C (PC) to the soil compared with the CSWA rotation, but this did not offset the SOC loss. Under high N, there was a loss of 2.3 Mg C ha -1 in the surface soil from CC and a gain of 0.3 Mg C ha -1 from CSWA (1996-2006). There was a significant effect of fertilizer N addition and rotation on SOC. A combination of greater crop diversity and fewer tillage operations on CSWA, compared with CC, probably contributed to a balance of SOC (return of PC ≈ loss of SOC).
Problem-solving therapy for cancer patients

Estimates of the prevalence of psychological difficulties, such as depression, anxiety, and poor quality of life, are high among individuals diagnosed with cancer. Problem-solving therapy (PST), a cognitive and behavioral intervention, is one major approach that has been applied and evaluated as a means of positively impacting on such problems. PST trains individuals in a series of skills that helps them cope more effectively with life stressors, such as those associated with cancer and its treatment. This paper provides a brief overview of the research supporting its efficacy, as well as clinical guidelines.
Gravity research at Cottrell observatory

The Cottrell gravity research observatory and work in progress are described. Equipment in place and equipment to be installed, the cryogenic gravity meter (CGM), concrete pads to support the vertical seismometer, CGM, and guest experiments, techniques of data analysis, and improvements needed in the CGM are discussed. Harmonic earth eigenvibrations with multipole moments are examined and their compatibility with a fictitious black hole binary system (of which the primary central mass is assigned a value one million solar masses) located 400 light-years away is shown by calculations.
Ablative Technologies for Urologic Cancers

Driven by patient preference and a more favorable oncologic prognosis at diagnosis, there has been a paradigm shift in the treatment of urologic cancers. Although the standard of care for most urologic malignancies continues to be surgical extirpation, ablation, in the form of needle-based or extracorporeal approaches, is quickly establishing itself as a viable primary treatment option. If there is anything to be learned from pioneering studies, it is that there must be strict adherence to inclusion criteria for patient enrollment and that there are real limitations with each approach. It is only with this awareness that we can achieve maximal benefit while limiting the number of unnecessary complications and poor oncologic outcomes.
Developing new algorithms for estimating river discharge from space

SWOT River Discharge Algorithms Workshop;Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 18–20 June 2012 Flow of water through rivers is a critical component of the global hydrologic cycle, yet present-day discharge on many rivers remains poorly observed. The planned NASA/Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES) Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite mission will provide concurrent observations of water surface elevation, its spatial derivative (surface slope), and inundated area for rivers wider than 50–100 meters, which will allow a step-change improvement in characterization of river discharge from space. Researchers in remote sensing of river discharge recently attended a NASA-funded workshop to discuss new approaches for incorporation of SWOT's unprecedented observations into discharge estimation algorithms.
Management of high-grade dysplasia and intramucosal adenocarcinoma in Barrett's esophagus.

Clinical Scenario A Caucasian male with chronic long-standing gastroesophageal reflux disease and a history of nondyslastic Barrett’s esophagus (BE) undergoes surveillance upper ndoscopy with biopsies at an outside facility. Biopsies revealed igh-grade dysplasia (HGD) and the patient is referred to a ertiary care referral center for endoscopic eradication therapy EET). His symptoms are adequately controlled on twice daily roton pump inhibitor therapy, and he denies any alarm sympoms. His physical examination is unremarkable with the exeption of mild obesity. Repeat endoscopy revealed proximal isplacement of the squamocolumnar junction by 4 cm above he most proximal extent of the gastric folds (circumferential egment, 2 cm; maximal extent, 4 cm; Prague C2M4) and a edium-sized sliding hiatal hernia. The BE segment was careully inspected with standard white light high-resolution enoscopy and narrow band imaging (NBI). Although no obvious isible lesions were identified, an area of abnormal mucosal and ascular pattern was detected with NBI. Endoscopic mucosal esection (EMR) of this area was performed and pathology was onsistent with intramucosal esophageal adenocarcinoma IMC) with negative deep and lateral margins confirmed by 2 xpert gastrointestinal pathologists. Random surveillance biopies were obtained from the remaining Barrett’s segment that howed intestinal metaplasia with no dysplasia. How should ou counsel this patient with Barrett’s esophagus and IMC egarding therapeutic options? What are the treatment options o achieve endoscopic eradication of BE? What are the compliations of EET and how should this patient be followed after reatment?
A Generalized Minmax Influence Coefficient Method for Flexible Rotor Balancing

Rotor balancing is a requirement for the smooth operation of high-speed rotating machinery. In field balancing, minimization of the residual vibrations at important locations/speeds under practical constraints is usually a challenging task. In this paper, the generalized minmax coefficient influence method is formulated as an optimization problem with flexible objective functions and constraints. The optimization problem is cast in a Linear Matrix Inequality (LMI) form and a balancing code is developed to solve it. Two balancing examples are run to verify the efficiency and flexibility of the proposed method. Over the existing methods, current method is more flexible for the various requirements encountered in field balancing and can be solved accurate with current mathematical software.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
HPLC separation of geometric isomers of carbamyl peptides

Abstract Carbamylated peptides that were studied showed much improved resolution on C-18 reversed phase HPLC columns compared to the parent peptides. A number of dipeptides were carbamylated with ethyl-, n-propyl- or isopropyl isocyanates. The three carbamyl derivatives of each dipeptide could easily be resolved. Carbamylated dipeptides with reversed amino acid sequences were also easily separated. Methionine-enkephalin, leucine-enkephalin, Angiotensins I, II and III and substance P were carbamylated with isocyanates derived from certain carcinostatic 2-chloroethyl nitrosoureas. 1-(2-Chloroethyl)-3-cyclohexyl-1-nitrosourea (CCNU), 1-(2-chloroethyl)-3-(cis-4-hydroxycyclohexyl)-1-nitrosourea (cis-4-hydroxy-CCNU) and 1-(2-chloroethyl)-3-(trans-4-hydroxycyclohexy1)-1-nitroso urea (trans-4-hydroxy-CCNU) gave carbamylated derivatives of each peptide and each mixture of derivatives from a single parent peptide could be resolved. Conditions were found in each case whereby baseline resolution of the corresponding ...
The prognostic value of BRCA1 promoter methylation in early stage triple negative breast cancer.

Abstract Introduction: Methylation of the BRCA1 promoter is frequent in triple negative breast cancers (TNBC) and results in a tumor phenotype similar to BRCA1-mutated tumors. BRCA1
Advisability of some proposed changes for the evaluation of disinfectants.

The standard methods for the evaluation of disinfectants are not entirely satisfactory. Several changes have been proposed, especially since the advent of quaternary ammonium compounds. Their effect upon the results by standard methods is discussed.
Water and land surface satellite based data for use in the UTC-M Mesoscale planetary boundary layer atmospheric model: sea breeze predictions along central Florida using a thermal sub-model

The purpose of this paper is to present simulation results of a thermal sub-model developed for the Florida Tech UTC-M sea-breeze model. The insertion of this thermal radiative model into the atmospheric planetary boundary layer model, allows calculation of time dependant heat flux boundary conditions at the air-land boundary that are derived from satellite data such as AVHRR and MODIS. The improved UTC-M planetary boundary layer model with this thermal sub-model is used to demonstrate the use of thermal inertia to help estimate heat fluxes at the land-air interface which in turn influences convergence and vertical fluxes, which then affects mesoscale meteorological wind and convergence predictions. We present thermal radiative model simulations and associated results due to the influence of the parameterization of the net surface radiation and thermal inertia using wavelength or channel specific data from MODIS and AVHRR satellite sensors. Results are presented for cloudless sky conditions.
Study of power integrity challenges in high-speed I/O design using power rails merging scheme

Modern electronic devices such as tablets and smartphones are getting more powerful and efficient. The demand in feature sets, functionality and usability increase exponentially and this has posed a greater challenge to the design of a power distribution network (PDN). Power rails merging is a popular option adopted today in a PDN design as the provision of numerous power rails is no longer feasible due to form factor limitation and cost constraint. In this paper, a study of power integrity challenges in a high-speed input/output design using power rails merging scheme is presented. Despite having all the advantages such as pin count reduction, decoupling capacitors sharing, lower impedance and cost saving, power rails merging can however, introduce coupling noise to the system. In view of this, a PDN design with power rails merging that fulfills design recommendations and specifications such as noise target, power well placement, voltage supply values as well as power supply quadrant assignment is extremely important.
Compressive Load Challenges on Sub 1.00 Ball Pitch for Flip Chip Ball Grid Array (FCBGA)

This paper reviews sub 1.00mm ball pitch solder joint reliability (SJR) challenges under compressive loaded thermal cycling stressing. It focuses on different types of heat sinks and their compressive load effect on solder joint thermal fatigue performance. Heat sink configuration and compressive load applied was found to be important factors in determining failure region across ball grid array (BGA). Lastly, board thickness effect under different heat sink configuration was also evaluated
Educating Generation Net—Can U.S. Engineering Woo and Win the Competition for Talent?

U.S. engineering education needs to evolve if the country is to maintain its preeminence in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields. This paper, building on both national engineering student data and findings from the Academic Pathways Study, conjectures and reports on analyses of what matters to future generations of engineers. The paper compares the current generation of college students, Generation Net, with previous generations, explores motivations and choices along the engineering pathway (pre-college to the workforce), examines students' knowledge and skills relative to faculty practices, and concludes with three scenarios of engineering education and the workforce, including the consequences of stasis or change.
Editorial: Thyroid Hormones and Bone Mass

Thyrotoxicosis increases bone turnover. This accentuation of the normal remodelling sequence increases the number of osteoclasts and resorption sites, and alters the ratio of resorptive to formative bone surfaces. One result of this increase in bone resorption is hypercalcemia, which has been reported to occur in approximately 20% of patients with thyrotoxicosis. Ionized calcium levels appear to be increased in as many as 50% of patients with thyrotoxicosis (1). Since serum PTH and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 levels are decreased and intestinal calcium absorption blunted in patients with thyrotoxicosis, the increased calcium levels are thought to directly reflect the accelerated bone resorption. Hypercalciuria is also common in patients with thyrotoxicosis, occurring in individuals with and without hypercalcemia. The suppression of PTH secretion in patients with thyrotoxicosis, and the resultant decrease in renal tubular calcium reabsorption mediated by PTH, are thought to be the mechanisms responsible for h...
Annual hourly CFD simulation: New approach—An efficient scheduling algorithm for fast iteration convergence

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is one of the branches of fluid mechanics that uses numerical methods and algorithms to solve and analyze problems that involve fluid flows. Annual hourly fast flow simulations are needed for some applications in building industry, such as the conceptual design of indoor environment, or coupled with energy simulation to provide deep analysis on the performance of the buildings. Year round simulation, which consists of 8760 (365×24) independent hourly simulations, is needed to help the designer investigate the problem clearly. However, CFD computation is time consuming, and usually only two or three extreme cases can be simulated in practice. Annual hourly simulation using the traditional method can be considered as a computational intractable problem. Based on previous researches, even though the fast fluid dynamics (FFD) algorithm combined with the General Purposed Graphics Processing Unit (GPGPU) hardware acceleration can make CFD simulation much faster (400x), annual hourly simulation still requires CFD performance to be further improved by 10-20x to make it practical. In this study, a minimal spanning tree based scheduling algorithm is developed, which always gives the best CFD simulation strategy that reuses previous calculated results to generate new results, thus making iteration convergence much faster. It is shown in the paper that the annual hourly simulation by GPGPU accelerated FFD by using this new algorithm requires a similar simulation time to the one used to perform two or three extreme cases of simulation using the traditional method.
Mechanism of membrane anchoring affects polarized expression of two proteins in MDCK cells

The signals that direct membrane proteins to the apical or basolateral plasma membrane domains of polarized epithelial cells are not known. Several of the class of proteins anchored in the membrane by glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol (GPI) are expressed on the apical surface of such cells. However, it is not known whether the mechanism of membrane anchorage or the polypeptide sequence provides the sorting information. The conversion of the normally basolateral vesicular stomatitis virus glycoprotein (VSV G) to a GPI-anchored protein led to its apical expression. Conversely, replacement of the GPI anchor of placental alkaline phosphatase with the transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains of VSV G shifted its expression from the apical to the basolateral surface. Thus, the mechanism of membrane anchorage can determine the sorting of proteins to the apical or basolateral surface, and the GPI anchor itself may provide an apical transport signal.
Long-term nonpassaged EGF-responsive neural precursor cells are stem cells

We have screened lines of nonpassaged epidermal growth factor-responsive neurospheres from embryonic striatum and brainstem. They have been maintained in defined medium with epidermal growth factor over a period of 2 years and remained in an undifferentiated state to this date. Since isolation from the brain 2 years ago, these nonpassaged epidermal growth factor responsive neurospheres have shown active proliferation and self-renewal capacity. When subplated on a poly-D-lysine coated surface, they resumed differentiation within 24 hours. The differentiation process of the nonpassaged epidermal growth factor responsive neurosphere appeared to recapitulate the neural development in the brain. Many cells migrated, extending radial processes while expressing nestin and S100 in the early 7-day subplating culture. They continued to differentiate into major neural types in 14-day subplating culture, including fibrous and cytoplasmic astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and serotonin, gamma-aminobutyric acid, and a small number of tyrosine hydroxylase-positive neurons. The nonpassaged epidermal growth factor-responsive neurospheres in many ways resemble hemopoietic cells. Both are proliferative, possess the potential of indefinite self-renewal, yet multipotent, and are capable of resuming the differential pathway. The nonpassaged epidermal growth factor responsive neurospheres meet the criteria of stem cells and have been found to be a useful model to study the development in vitro.
Electrical Resistivity of Meteorites

SOME attempts have recently been made to interpret the resistivity of the lower part of the Earth's mantle in terms of the semi-conducting properties of silicates1. Although it is realized that the mantle may contain a notable proportion of metal phase, as most stony meteorites do, it is generally assumed that the metal phase will occur as isolated grains which will not contribute appreciably to the conductivity.
Rule-based delegation for prototypes

Arguments have been given recently for providing the functionality of prototypes in object-oriented languages. Prototypes allow more flexible sharing of code and data by delegating messages to parent objects without the rigid structure of a class hierarchy. Prototypes can implement classes, and delegation can be used to model both single and multiple inheritance. However, one drawback with delegation is the difficulty in enforcing the semantics that delegation is used to model. This paper proposes a novel mechanism to control the delegation of messages with rules. In this system, the delegation of messages is governed by a set of rules possessed by each object. Rules can be used to implement classical single inheritance and can implement various solutions to multiple inheritance. In addition, rules can be created dynamically to model application-specific semantics. This paper describes how rule-based delegation works and illustrates various rules for rule-based delegation that have been implemented.
Physics-based animation of large-scale splashing liquids

Fluid simulation has been one of the greatest successes of physics-based animation, generating hundreds of research papers and a great many special effects over the last fifteen years. However, the animation of large-scale, splashing liquids remains challenging. In this paper, we show that a novel combination of unilateral incompressibility, mass-full FLIP, and blurred boundaries is extremely well-suited to the animation of large-scale, violent, splashing liquids.
Permutation-Based Elitist Genetic Algorithm for Optimization of Large-Sized Resource-Constrained Project Scheduling

The resource-constrained project scheduling problem (RCPSP) has received the attention of many researchers because its general model can be used in a wide variety of construction planning and scheduling applications. The exact procedures and priority-rule-based heuristics fail to search for the optimum solution to the RCPSP of large-sized project networks in a reasonable amount of time for successful application in practice. This paper presents a permutation-based elitist genetic algorithm for solving the problem in order to fulfill the lack of an efficient optimal solution algorithm for project networks with 60 activities or more as well as to overcome the drawback of the exact solution approaches for large-sized project networks. The proposed algorithm employs the elitist strategy to preserve the best individual solution for the next generation so the improved solution can be obtained. A random number generator that provides and examines precedence feasible individuals is developed. A serial schedule generation scheme for the permutation-based decoding is applied to generate a feasible solution to the problem. Computational experiments using a set of standard test problems are presented to demonstrate the performance and accuracy of the proposed algorithm.
Rapid Estrogen Receptor-Mediated Mechanisms Determine the Sexually Dimorphic Sensitivity of Ventricular Myocytes to 17β-Estradiol and the Environmental Endocrine Disruptor Bisphenol A

Previously we showed that 17β-estradiol (E(2)) and/or the xenoestrogen bisphenol A (BPA) alter ventricular myocyte Ca(2+) handing, resulting in increased cardiac arrhythmias in a female-specific manner. In the present study, the roles of estrogen receptors (ER) in mediating the rapid contractile and arrhythmogenic effects of estrogens were examined. Contractility was used as an index to assess the impact of E(2) or BPA on Ca(2+) handling in rodent ventricular myocytes. The concentration-response curve for the stimulatory effects of BPA and E(2) on female myocyte was inverted-U shaped. Detectable effects for each compound were observed at 10(-12) M, and the most efficacious concentrations for each were at 10(-9) M. Sensitivity to E(2) and BPA was not observed in male myocytes and was abolished in myocytes from ovariectomized females. Analysis using protein-conjugated E(2) suggests that these rapid actions are induced by membrane-associated receptors. Analysis using selective ER agonists and antagonists and a genetic ERβ knockout mouse model showed that ERα and ERβ have opposing actions in myocytes and that the balance between ERβ and ERα signaling is the prime regulator of the sex-specific sensitivity toward estrogens. The response of female myocytes to E(2) and BPA is dominated by the stimulatory ERβ-mediated signaling, and the absence of BPA and E(2) responsiveness in males is due to a counterbalancing-suppressive action of ERα. We conclude that the sex-specific sensitivity of myocytes to estrogens and the rapid arrhythmogenic effects of BPA and estradiol in the female heart are regulated by the balance between ERα and ERβ signaling.
Characterization of translation initiation factor 5 (eIF5) from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Functional homology with mammalian eIF5 and the effect of depletion of eIF5 on protein synthesis in vivo and in vitro.

Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 5 (eIF5) interacts in vitro with the 40 S initiation complex (40 S.AUG.Met-tRNAf.eIF2.GTP) to mediate the hydrolysis of ribosome-bound GTP. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, eIF5 is encoded by a single copy essential gene, TIF5, that encodes a protein of 45,346 daltons. To understand the function of eIF5 in vivo, we constructed a conditional mutant yeast strain in which a functional but a rapidly degradable form of eIF5 fusion protein was synthesized from the repressible GAL promoter. Depletion of eIF5 from this mutant yeast strain resulted in inhibition of both cell growth and the rate of in vivo protein synthesis. Analysis of the polysome profiles of eIF5-depleted cells showed greatly diminished polysomes with simultaneous increase in free ribosomes. Furthermore, lysates of cells depleted of eIF5 were dependent on exogenously added yeast eIF5 for efficient translation of mRNAs in vitro. This is the first demonstration that the TIF5 gene encodes a protein involved in initiation of translation in eukaryotic cells. Additionally, we show that rat eIF5 can functionally substitute yeast eIF5 in translation of mRNAs in vitro as well as in complementing in vivo a genetic disruption in the chromosomal copy of TIF5.
12. Predictive Factors of Contraceptive Practices Regarding Female Adolescent Patients Among Pediatricians and Pediatric Sub-Specialists

who discontinuedOCs than in thosewho continuedOCs (6.9 5.3 vs. 5.6 4.2, p 0.008). Score differentials were even higher for those who had discontinued OCs due to perceived side effects as compared to those who had discontinued for other reasons (8.5 6.0 vs. 6.3 4.9, p 0.002).In multivariate regression models, young women reportingmoderate to severemenstrual distress symptoms at baseline were half as likely to continue OCs than those women with less symptoms (OR 0.5, CI 0.3-0.8, p 0.003); those reportingmoderate to severe menstrual distress symptoms were over three times more likely to discontinue their OCs due to reported side effects (OR 3.3, CI 1.9-5.7, p 0.001). Conclusions: OC’s potential or actual benefit in alleviating menstrual distress symptoms may be an insufficient motivator to continue use. Further examination of associations between perceived symptomatology, including conditions in which generalized symptoms commonly occur such as depression, on OC-attributed side effects and use is warranted. Sources Of Support: Affinity Health Plan.
Drug residues in food animals. III. Plasma and tissue kinetics of potassium penicillin G in young cross‐bred swine

Twenty-two young cross-bred swine were treated either intravenously or orally with potassium penicillin G. The pharmacokinetics of penicillin G were determined in plasma and tissues. The plasma half-life of penicillin G in swine was found to be 19.45±1.69 min, and the distribution and elimination kinetics were found to fit a classical two-compartment model. The volume of distribution was found to be 0.53±0.12 1/kg, and the body clearance was found to be 19.06±5.06 ml/min/kg which exceeded the effective renal plasma flow of 16.50±2.73 ml/min/kg, suggesting that the drug was eliminated both by tubular excretion and glomerular filtration. The elimination rate constants (Beta) for the major organs were as follows: muscle, 0.00343 min-1; lung, 0.0310 min-1; fat, 0.0394 min-1; and kidney, 0.0213 min-1, which compared favorably with the elimination rate constant found in plasma (0.0320 min-1). These values were found to be significantly similar at the level of P < 0.005 in muscle, spleen and fat, and at a level of P < 0.025 in lung tissue. The data indicates that blood plasma would be a satisfactory body fluid for estimating this drug in tissue.
Genetic programs and responses of neural stem/progenitor cells during demyelination: potential insights into repair mechanisms in multiple sclerosis

In recent years, it has become evident that the adult mammalian CNS contains a population of neural stem cells (NSCs) described as immature, undifferentiated, multipotent cells, that may be called upon for repair in neurodegenerative and demyelinating diseases. NSCs may give rise to oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) and other myelinating cells. This article reviews recent progress in elucidating the genetic programs and dynamics of NSC and OPC proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis, including the response to demyelination. Emerging knowledge of the molecules that may be involved in such responses may help in the design of future stem cell-based treatment of demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis.
Effects of CDP-choline and the combination of CDP-choline and galantamine differ in an animal model of schizophrenia: Development of a selective α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonist strategy

The regionally selective reduction of expression of the alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (alpha7 nAChR) in schizophrenia underlies impaired sensory inhibition, a possible endophenotype of the disorder. This ligand-gated ion channel receptor has been proposed as a pharmacotherapeutic target in schizophrenia. The current study examined the effect of CDP-choline alone and the combination of CDP-choline and galantamine, administered acutely and once-daily for five consecutive days, in an animal model of NMDA receptor hypofunction that is relevant to schizophrenia. The results support the allosteric modulatory influence of galantamine on CDP-choline; however, individual doses of CDP-choline and galantamine must be carefully titrated in order to achieve optimal levels of alpha7 nAChR "agonism" that may be necessary for the desired therapeutic effect.
Comments concerning “Determination of specific heat capacity and standard molar combustion enthalpy of taurine by DSC”

In a recent article appearing in this Journal, Han et al. [1] reported the specific heat capacity and standard molar combustion of taurine. There are several errors in the paper, and the quality of the measured calorimetric data is highly questionable. In Table 4 of the manuscript the authors tabulate a numerical of –DcUm/kJ mol -1 = 2545.7 based on four replicate measured values of 2554.5, 2430.5, 2497.9, and 2700.1. The calculated average value and corresponding standard deviation of –DcUm/kJ mol -1 = 2545.7 ± 114.7 shows that the measured values were not very reproducible. Combustion measurements are normally much more reproducible than this. Moreover, Yan et al. [2] reported a numerical of –DcUm/kJ mol -1 = 1611.8 ± 0.1. Han et al. did not reference the earlier work of Yan et al., and their measured value of –DcUm/kJ mol -1 = 2545.7 differs significantly from the published literature, even when the abnormally large standard deviation of 114.7 kJ mol in the Han et al. value is taken into account. Han et al. [1] calculate the standard molar of formation of taurine, based on the following combustion reaction:
The Problem of Specificity in the Assessment of Risk from Chemicals and Radiation-Breast Cancer Models

In estimating the risk to man from radiation or chemicals one has to be concerned with specificity. These specificities include: species specificity — can we extrapolate our finding from rodents to man? organ specificity — if it can be shown that a chemical will not cause liver cancer, can we be sure that it will not cause breast cancer? individual specificity — will all women respond to breast carcinogens in a similar manner? If not, how can we identify susceptible women? I feel that many of these questions can be approached by studying primary cells in vitro from specific organs of both rodents and man. In the following discussion, I will give examples from our work to demonstrate how these questions can be examined. I will emphasize the problem of etiology of breast cancer.
The use of radioisotopes in normal and diseased joints.

LTHOUGH THE PROPERTIES of radioactive isotopes have been exploited in many branches of internal medicine, it is only recently that their applicability to rheumatology has been recognized. In general, radioisotopes have been used in rheumatology as investigative rather than therapeutic agents, and apart from a short section on local treatment, the bulk of this review reflects this emphasis. From the earliest studies it was apparent that differences between inflamed and normal joints could easily be detected, whether the radioisotope was given intravenously or intraarticularly. 1~2~18~1g~34~40~4g~54~58~60~63~*4~89~ g7~9g~102~103 In the first case the presence of inflamed synovium was reflected in a greater accumulation (increased uptake) of radioactivity in the diseased as opposed to the normal joint. When the isotope was injected into the joint cavity, its subsequent rate of disappearance from the inflamed joint was faster than from the normal joint. Since the mechanisms involved are so different, these methods of displaying inflammed joints will be considered separately in this review. However, certain generalities apply to both situations. First, both methods are nonspecific, both in terms of the nature of the inflammatory disease and in terms of the radioisotope used in the study. Thus, similar degrees of abnormality of radioisotope uptake or clearance rate may be found in rheumatoid arthritis, Reiter’s disease, septic arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, acute gouty arthritis, and systemic lupus erythematosus.28~34~43~4g~6*~71~90~g5~g7~103 Increased uptake may be demonstrated using radioactive technetium ( ggm Tc) or radioiodinated serum albumin, and increased clearance rates are obtained with radioisotopes as dissimilar as radioactive xenon (133Xe) and radioactive sodium (Z4Na).28~37~43~102~L06 A corollary to this is that these radioisotopic methods cannot be expected to provide information of a primarily diagnostic nature. Second, the abnormalities shown by both methods reflect the severity of clinical involvement in the disease process and may be used to quantitate either spontaneous or therapeutically induced changes in disease activity.
Using the observer design pattern for implementation of data flow analyses

Data flow analysis is used widely in program compilation, understanding, design, and analysis tools. In data flow analysis, problem-specific information is associated with nodes and/or edges in the flow graph representation of a program or component and re-comp\-uted iteratively. A popular data flow analysis design relies on a worklist that stores all nodes and edges whose data flow information has to be re-computed. While this approach is straightforward, it has some drawbacks. First, the presence of the worklist makes data flow algorithms centralized, which may reduce effectiveness of parallel implementations of these algorithms. Second, the worklist approach is difficult to implement in a way that minimizes the amount of information passed between flow graph nodes.In this paper, we propose to use the well-known Observer pattern for implementation of data flow analyses. We argue that such implementations are more object-oriented in nature, as well as less centralized, than worklist-based ones. We argue that by adopting this Observer-based view, data flow analyses that minimize the amount of information passed between flow graph nodes can be implemented easier than by using the worklist view. We present experimental data indicating that for some types of data flow problems, even single-threaded implementations of Observer-based data flow analysis have better run times than comparable worklist-based implementations.
Real-Time Task Assignment in Heterogeneous Distributed Systems with Rechargeable Batteries

Real-time systems are one of the fields of computing where major benefits are expected from the increasing availability of multiprocessor technology. Heterogeneous computing environments, which utilize different high-performance machines interconnected via a high speed communication system, are well suited to the large, computation intensive, real-time or non-real-time applications. Nowadays, many of the systems in these environments are powered by rechargeable batteries. Scheduling real-time tasks on these rechargeable systems is an important issue which has been studied in the literatures. In this paper, we explore the task assignment problem on heterogeneous distributed system with rechargeable batteries. Our techniques to solve the problem are based on four heuristics, namely Minimum Schedule Length (MSL), Min-min Schedule Length (MmSL), Genetic Algorithm (GA), and Ant Colony Optimization (ACO). While the modifications of the MSL, MmSL and GA approaches from their original implementation are somewhat straight-forward, we design a novel structure using ACO. The performance comparisons of these four techniques are performed and the results are discussed. This paper not only gives a suggestion on which heuristic is best suited for the specific problem, but also provides a new direction to solve similar problems.
A kinetic study of sulfur dioxide in aqueous solution with radioactive tracers

A kinetic study was made of the homogeneous reactions in the sulfur dioxide-sodium bisulfite-water system, with a radioactive tracer technique. By operating this system at chemical equilibrium but at isotopic disequilibrium the influence of the diffusion of sulfur dioxide into and out of the aqueous solution could be divorced from the kinetic effects of the chemical reaction. It was then possible to follow the rate of reaction of this system by analyzing the radioactive sulfur-35 in the form of gaseous sulfur dioxide, with the Bernstein-Ballentine technique. Data were collected at temperatures of 0 degrees to 20 degrees C. and at pH ranges from 1.25 to 4.3. Analysis and correlation of the experimental data by different kinetic models demonstrated that the classical reaction SO/sub 2/ + H/sub 2/O in equilibrium H/sup +/ + HSO/sub 3//sup -/ represented the experimental data best from a macroscopic viewpoint. Because of the low pH conditions employed it was not possible to obtain rate data for the reaction SO/sub 2/ + OH/sup -/ in equilibrium HSO/sub 3/. Forward and reverse rate constants are reported for the first time for this system.
Interactions of inter‐ and intraphase gradients in a diffusion limited catalytic reaction

The experimental measuremet of inter- and intraphase temperature gradients in a single pellet reactor for the Ni-kieselguhr catalyzed benzene hydrogenation reaction is described. Experimental variables were temperature, feed composition, flow rate (hence heat and mass transfer coefficients) and intrinsic catalytic activity. All parameters required for carrying out calculations were either measured in separate experiments or compared with available independent information. The rather complex interactions between inter- and intraphase gradients are well represented by the theory except at conditions of high reaction rate and low convective transport rate. The discrepancies observed at these conditions are apparently due to the development of nonuniform external boundary layers.
A novel non‐linearly explicit second‐order accurate L‐stable methodology for finite deformation: hypoelastic/hypoelasto‐plastic structural dynamics problems

A novel non-linearly explicit second-order accurate L-stable computational methodology for integrating the non-linear equations of motion without non-linear iterations during each time step, and the underlying implementation procedure is described. Emphasis is placed on illustrative non-linear structural dynamics problems employing both total/updated Lagrangian formulations to handle finite deformation hypoelasticity/hypoelasto-plasticity models in conjunction with a new explicit exact integration procedure for a particular rate form constitutive equation. Illustrative numerical examples are shown to demonstrate the robustness of the overall developments for non-linear structural dynamics applications.