cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sol–gel synthesis and characterization of mesoporous yttria-stabilized zirconia membranes with graded pore structure

Mesoporous yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) membranes can be used for liquid phase applications in harsh environments and as supports for ultra-thin dense ceramic, carbonate, or metallic membranes. This article reports on the synthesis and characterization of three-layer mesoporous ceramic membranes consisting of a mesoporous YSZ layer, a macroporous YSZ intermediate layer, and macroporous α-alumina support. The macroporous YSZ intermediate layer was coated on the alumina support using a suspension of submicron-sized YSZ powders, and the mesoporous YSZ layer was obtained by dip-coating with diluted zirconia sol doped with yttrium nitrate. The mesoporous YSZ layer has desired cubic phase structure. Crack-free mesoporous YSZ membranes could be obtained by multiple dip-coating, drying, and calcination using a dilute YSZ sol at a concentration of 0.014 M with the help of using a drying control chemical additive. The 5 times dip-coated mesoporous YSZ membranes were about 1 μm in thickness with an average pore diameter of 3 nm. The mesoporous YSZ membranes exhibited Knudsen separation factor. The characteristics of the dip-coating process for the mesoporous YSZ membranes on the macroporous YSZ support are similar to those on the macroporous alumina support.
Racial trends in mammography rates: a population-based study

Background The rates of mammography have been declining over the last 5 years. The objective of this study was to examine racial disparities in this trend. Methods The National Health Interview Survey is a population-based interview survey conducted annually. Caucasian and African-American women over 40 years of age who completed the cancer module of this survey in 2000 and 2005 formed the cohort of interest for this study. Results In 2000, 69.8% of Caucasian and 64.4% of African-American women over the age of 40 had had a mammogram within the preceding 2 years. In 2005, these rates declined to 66.7% and 62.9% respectively. This decline only reached statistical significance in the Caucasian population ( P = .0006 vs P = .4998). While on univariate analysis a significant difference was seen between rates of mammography in Caucasian and African-American women ( P Conclusion Rates of mammography are declining, particularly in Caucasian populations. While minority women are less likely to report having had a mammogram, this apparent racial disparity is explained by differences in education, income and insurance status.
Generation of normal lymphocyte populations by Rb-deficient embryonic stem cells

Abstract Background: Mice homozygous for a loss-of-function mutation of the recombination-activating gene-2 ( RAG 2 ), which is required for the rearrangement of antigen receptor genes, do not produce mature B and T lymphocytes. But chimeric mice that result from injection of normal embryonic stem (ES) cells into blastocysts from RAG2 -deficient mice develop normal mature lymphocyte populations, all of which are derived from the injected ES cells; we have called this process RAG2 -deficient blastocyst complementation. Using ES cells with homozygous mutations, RAG-2 -deficient blastocyst complementation could provide a physiological assay with which to determine the potential role of almost any gene in the development and/or function of lymphocytes. To test the general utility of this system, we have used it to test the differentiation-potential of ES cells that harbor homozygous loss-of function mutations of their retinoblastoma susceptibility ( Rb ) gene loci. We chose Rb for this analysis because of its widespread function in the control of the cell cycle and cell differentiation, the adverse effect of homozygous germline mutations of Rb on hematopoiesis in fetal liver, and the embryonic lethality that results when the homozygous Rb mutation is introduced into the germline. Results: Homozygous Rb mutant ES cells can develop into phenotypically normal, mature B and T lymphocytes in the RAG-2 -deficient background. Strikingly, Rb -deficient B and T cells do not have major defects in either activation or function. Conclusion: We have demonstrated the efficacy of the RAG-2 -deficient blastocyst complementation system for evaluating the role of critical genes in lymphocyte development. Our results indicate that Rb expression is not intrinsically required for B-cell or T-cell function, despite the normally high levels of Rb expressed in lymphoid cells.
Distinct roles for steroidogenic factor 1 and desert hedgehog pathways in fetal and adult Leydig cell development.

Testicular Leydig cells produce testosterone and provide the hormonal environment required for male virilization and spermatogenesis. In utero, fetal Leydig cells (FLCs) are necessary for the development of the Wolffian duct and male external genitalia. Steroidogenic factor 1 (Sf1) is a transcriptional regulator of hormone biosynthesis genes, thus serving a central role in the Leydig cell. Desert hedgehog (Dhh), a Sertoli cell product, specifies the FLC lineage in the primordial gonad through a paracrine signaling mechanism. Postnatally, FLCs are replaced in the testis by morphologically distinct adult Leydig cells (ALCs). To study a putative interaction between Sf1 and Dhh, we crossed Sf1 heterozygous mutant mice with Dhh homozygous null mice to test the function of these two genes in vivo. All of the compound Sf1+/−; Dhh−/− mutants failed to masculinize and were externally female. However, embryonic gonads contained anastomotic testis cords with Sertoli cells and germ cells, indicating that sex reversal...
Extensive carboxypeptidase digestion of clam α-paramyosin. The effect on the size and solubility of the residual protein

The purpose of this paper is to provide further evidence that the C-terminal 13 of the α-paramyosin molecule is the portion responsible for the low solubility of α-paramyosin at neutral pH and low ionic strength. This was accomplished by digesting from the C-terminal end with carboxypeptidases A and B in 2 M urea at pH 8.5. The solubility increased as the molecular weight decreased until a stable segment 23 of the size of the molecule remained.
Osteochondral autograft transfer of the first metatarsal head: a case report

A case of an osteochondral autograft transfer performed at the head of the first metatarsal for an acute incidence of traumatic osteochondritis dissicans was presented. The donor site for the osteochondral graft was from the medial and plantar aspect of the talar head, which was found to be composed entirely of articular hyaline cartilage, yet was not part of the functional talonavicular articulation. Six months postoperatively, the graft was well seated at the head of the first metatarsal, as confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging, and the graft donor site was asymptomatic. At 12 months' follow-up, the patient had a functional metatarsophalangeal joint range of motion. Details from the case study as well as a review of the literature are presented.
USE AND OVERUSE OF ANGIOGRAPHY AND REVASCULARIZATION FOR ACUTE CORONARY SYNDROMES

Over the past two decades, clinical and pathological studies have examined the pathophysiology of the acute coronary syndromes, unstable angina, and non–Q-wave and Q-wave myocardial infarction. In ...
Weed Biomass and Species Composition as Affected by an Integrated Crop–Livestock System

Crop and livestock production are rarely integrated together in modern farming systems. Reintegrating crops with livestock production has been shown to produce many agronomic and environmental benefi ts. The objective of this study was to evaluate how an integrated crop–livestock system would infl uence weed biomass and weed species composition compared with a conventional, continuous corn (Zea mays L.) cropping system. The experimental farming system used in this study was established on a 90-ha site near Pana, IL, in 2002. The integrated system included two phases: (i) a corn and oat (Avena sativa L.) cash crop rotation, grown in summer, and (ii) post-harvest grazing of corn stover with annual cover crops. Over a 4-yr period (2004–2007), weed biomass was approximately 4.5 times higher in the conventional system (8.4 g m –2 ) compared with the integrated system (1.8 g m –2 ). Weed species composition was affected by the integrated system and showed a temporal disjunction between the time of year and weed life history. Surprisingly, cattle grazing on cropland had little effect on weed biomass or species composition. The primary drivers that suppress weed biomass and change species composition appear to be use of crop rotation and annual cover crops within the integrated system. Wider adoption of integrated crop–livestock systems, such as the one used in this study, should reduce reliance on herbicides compared with more conventional cropping systems.
Relationship between the "cognitive triad" from the personality inventory for children and an extended Halstead-Reitan neuropsychological battery.

Abstract The relationships between the Achievement, Intellectual Screening, and Development scales from the Personality Inventory for Children (PIC) and a comprehensive neuropsychological battery were examined in a sample of 49 children with histories of behavioral problems, learning problems, or both but without known neurological impairments or pervasive developmental disorders. Using stepwise multiple regression, the PIC scales predicted global neuropsychological functions moderately well, particularly verbal IQ and achievement. More specific neuropsychological functions were not significantly predicted. The Developmental scale from the PIC consistently outperformed the other two PIC “cognitive-triad” scales, and the latter made no statistically significant additional contribution in predicting neuropsychological functions after the contribution of the Development scale was taken into account.
“Soñar con tus ojos“∗: Carlos Saura's melodic cinema

(1983). “Sonar con tus ojos“: Carlos Saura's melodic cinema. Quarterly Review of Film Studies: Vol. 8, The New Spanish Cinema, pp. 49-55.
Synthesis and Activities of Rutile IrO2 and RuO2 Nanoparticles for Oxygen Evolution in Acid and Alkaline Solutions

The activities of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) on iridium-oxide- and ruthenium-oxide-based catalysts are among the highest known to date. However, the OER activities of thermodynamically stable rutile iridium oxide (r-IrO2) and rutile iridium oxide (r-RuO2), normalized to catalyst mass or true surface area are not well-defined. Here we report a synthesis of r-IrO2 and r-RuO2 nanoparticles (NPs) of ∼6 nm, and examine their OER activities in acid and alkaline solutions. Both r-IrO2 and r-RuO2 NPs were highly active for OER, with r-RuO2 exhibiting up to 10 A/goxide at 1.48 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode. When comparing the two, r-RuO2 NPs were found to have slightly higher intrinsic and mass OER activities than r-IrO2 in both acid and basic solutions. Interestingly, these oxide NPs showed higher stability under OER conditions than commercial Ru/C and Ir/C catalysts. Our study shows that these r-RuO2 and r-IrO2 NPs can serve as a benchmark in the development of active OER catalysts for electrol...
Pediatric hospitalists: a systematic review of the literature.

BACKGROUND. Systematic reviews have demonstrated consistently decreased length of stay and costs in internal medicine hospitalist systems. Systematic reviews of pediatric hospitalist systems have not been conducted. OBJECTIVE. Our aim was to determine the effects of pediatric hospitalist systems on length of stay, costs, quality of care, and provider satisfaction and experience. METHODS. We searched PubMed, Medline, Cochrane Library databases, and the Pediatric Academic Societies National Meeting research abstracts for all primary-data studies published or presented on pediatric hospitalist systems. Studies presenting primary data on efficiency, financial performance, clinical outcomes, or family, referring provider, and housestaff experience in hospitalist systems were included; review articles and case studies were excluded. To minimize publication bias, we contacted all primary authors to obtain information about unpublished studies. RESULTS. Of 47 publications reviewed, 20 were primary-data studies that met criteria for inclusion. Six of 7 studies that compared traditional and hospitalist systems of care demonstrated improvements in costs and/or length of stay in pediatric hospitalist systems. The average decrease in cost was 10%; average decrease in length of stay was 10%. Three of 3 economic analyses, however, demonstrate that efficiency gains do not generally translate into revenues for the hospitalist programs themselves; most hospitalist programs are currently losing money. Surveys of families, referring providers, and pediatric residents demonstrate neutral or improved experiences in hospitalist systems, although these data are less comprehensive. Data on quality of care are insufficient to draw conclusions. CONCLUSIONS. Emerging research suggests that pediatric hospitalist systems decrease hospital costs and length of stay without adversely affecting provider, parent, or housestaff experiences. The quality of care in pediatric hospitalist systems is unclear, because rigorous metrics to evaluate quality are lacking. Studies of the processes and outcomes of hospital care are needed.
The Association of Team Composition and Meeting Characteristics With Foster Care Placement Recommendations

Research shows that changing foster care placements is associated with negative outcomes for children. This study examines the extent to which Team Decision Making (TDM) can influence placement recommendations for children currently in foster care. Using administrative data from three sites, logistic regression models are fitted to estimate the association of team and meeting characteristics with placement recommendations. Controlling for demographic differences across sites, results show that caregiver attendance significantly reduces the likelihood that a child will be recommended to change placements, specifically, to less restrictive and more restrictive placements. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.
Whither Advanced Placement

This is a review of the Advanced Placement (AP) Program. In disagreement with claims of the College Board, there is firm evidence that the average test performance level has dropped. The College Board's scale and claims for AP qualification disagree seriously with college standards. A majority of tests taken do not qualify. It appears that "advanced placement" is coming closer to "placement." This article recommends that the College Board's policy of concentrating on numbers of participants should be changed to an emphasis on student performance and program quality.
Social and Individual Forces in Learning: Implications for Instruction of Children with Learning Difficulties.

The role of individual knowledge construction in socially mediated instructional activities is examined. We argue that effective learning in social situations involves processes of communicational inference and knowledge consolidation. An analysis of these processes highlights the continuing need to incorporate individual learner characteristics in a full specification of the dynamics of effective socially mediated instruction.
Accent matters: Material consequences of sounding local in northern Italy

Abstract In this article, I discuss accents as signs of ‘things in the world,’ social practices whose forms and functions matter. I move beyond the common tendency to analyze accents as just indexes of identity or phonological variables, and treat them as verbal symbols that circulate in everyday conversation and in the mass media, bridging the symbolic and the material. Focusing on the accent of Bergamo, a town in northern Italy, I look at semiotic ideologies of accent in local and national contexts, illustrating Bergamascos’ views of their own and others’ accents in the process. Drawing on Goffman, I treat accents as phonological representations of sociogeographical characterological figures and the qualities associated with such figures, linked to the Italian social hierarchy of place.
Maximizing the hemodynamic benefit of enhanced external counterpulsation

Background: Enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) has been demonstrated to be an effective treatment for angina and exertional ischemia in patients with coronary disease. Hypothesis: It is hypothesized that the ability of EECP to enhance the recruitment or development of coronary collaterals in coronary artery disease may be determined by the relative magnitude of diastolic augmentation (DA) and systolic unloading (SU). This study examines the relation between the proposed EECP effectiveness ratio (DA/SU), as assessed by finger plethysmography, and changes in descending aortic flow as assessed by Doppler echocardiography in 15 patients during EECP. Methods: Varying external cuff pressures (0-275 mmHg) were used to generate a range of DA/SU ratios. The effect on aortic antegrade systolic and retrograde diastolic flow was assessed by Doppler echocardiography to determine whether there was an optimal EECP effectiveness ratio that maximizes the hemodynamic effects of EECP. With increasing DA/SU there was an initial positive linear increase in both systolic and diastolic flow volume. Systolic flow maximized at an effectiveness ratio of 1.5 and diastolic flow at a ratio of 2.0. Result: Therefore, effectiveness ratios (DA/SU) in the range of 1.5-2.0 are optimal for maximizing the hemodynamic effects of EECP.
Some Ideas about Research Methodologies in Mathematics Education

1. Guide to Science Education Programs, SE 79-1, Science Education Directorate, National Science Foundation, Washington, D.C. 20550. 2. Development in Science Education, Guide for Preparation of Preliminary Proposals, SE 79-50, Science Education Directorate, National Science Foundation, Washington, D.C. 20550. 3. Research in Science Education, Guide for the Preparation of Preliminary Proposals, SE 79-55, Science Education Directorate, National Science Foundation, Washington, D.C. 20550.
Evaluation of remediation worker risk at radioactively contaminated waste sites

Abstract This paper presents a methodology for estimating worker risk occurring during remediation of radioactively contaminated sites. The methodology was applied to estimate remediation worker risks associated with remediation of 17 DOE sites. Fatal construction and off-site transportation risks associated with remediation of the sites were also evaluated. Cancer risks associated with exposure to radiation were found to be about nine times lower on average than construction- and transportation-related accident fatalities.
Effect of oral contraceptives on antithrombin III.

Abstract Conflicting results have been reported on the effect of oral contraceptives on antithrombin III levels. We measured antithrombin III by functional and immunologic assays on plasma and serum from women on oral contraceptives and from normal female controls. Plasma antithrombin III activity, measured by a heparin cofactor assay, was significantly decreased in women on oral contraceptives (79.8% ± 14.6 (1 S.D.)) compared to normal controls (101.5% ± 23.4) (p .05). Serum assays gave variable results. These studies support the conclusion that a true decrease in plasma antithrombin III occurs in women on oral contraceptives. For these studies we devised a modified heparin cofactor assay, which is accurate and inexpensive and does not require defibrinated plasma.
PARTICLE--HOLE AND PARTICLE--PARTICLE INTERACTIONS IN THE MASS-90 REGION.

Abstract States of ( g 9 2 ν) −1 ( d 5 2 ) aand ( g 9 2 π)( d 5 2 ν) are calculated using realistic inyeractions with inclusion of core polarization. Comparison is made to experimentally observed neutron particle-hole states in 88Sr and 90Zr ant to particle-particle states in 90Y and 92Nb.
An experimental study of the “blue-monday” hypothesis

Abstract Despite significant research efforts, the cause of the variation of equity returns across weekdays remains a matter of debate. A recent explanation of this phenomenon depends on psychological factors. The “Blue Monday” hypothesis, states that the weekday effect results from shifts in investor portfolios resulting from variations in investor optimism across the week. This study tests the “Blue Monday” hypothesis with an experiment consistent of two paired investment simulations in which investors divide their wealth among seven securities over several investment rounds. In each paired simulation, portfolio choices of investors during a Monday trial are compared to choices of similar investors subjected to an identitical series of returns on Friday. Consistent with the “Blue Monday” hypothesis, Monday's participants invested a significantly lower proportion of their wealth in the securities with the highest level of risk and a significantly higher proportion of their wealth in Treasury-bills.
Chemical signals in the marine environment: dispersal, detection, and temporal signal analysis

Chemical signals connect most of life's processes, including interorganismal relationships. Detection of chemical signals involves not only recognition of a spectrum of unique compounds or mixtures of compounds but also their spatial and temporal distribution. Both spectral and temporal signal processing determine what is a signal and what is background noise. Each animal extracts its unique information from the chemical world and uniquely contributes to it. Lobsters have provided important information on temporal signal processing. Marine chemical signals can be measured with high spatio-temporal resolution giving us a novel view of the lobster's environment. Lobster chemoreceptor cells have flicker fusion frequencies of 4 Hz and can integrate stimuli over 200 ms, closely corresponding to odor sampling behavior with 4-Hz "sniffs." Using this information, spatial odor gradients can be determined from temporal analysis of odor patches typical of turbulent dispersal. Lobsters appear to use this information to locate odor sources. Lobster social behavior depends greatly on chemical signals. Urine carries important information for courtship, dominance, and individual recognition. A novel gland in the nephropore is strategically located to release its products into the urine. Urine, in turn, is injected into the gill current, which jets water 1-2 m ahead of the animal. Lobsters control three different currents that carry chemical signals to and from them. The study of odor dynamics has only just begun. It will be exciting to see how signal dispersal, receptor temporal tuning, neural processing, and animal behavior interact to enhance signals for communication and detection and to reduce signals for chemical camouflage.
Chemical evolution of basalts from 23°N along the mid-Atlantic ridge: evidence from melt inclusions

The chemical compositions of melt inclusions in a primitive and an evolved basalt recovered from the mid-Atlantic ridge south of the Kane Fracture Zone (23°–24°N) are determined. The melt inclusions are primitive in composition (0.633–0.747 molar Mg/(Mg+Fe2+), 1.01–0.68 wt% TiO2) and are comparable to other proposed parental magmas except in having higher Al2O3 and lower CaO. The primitive melt inclusion compositions indicate that the most primitive magmas erupted in this region are not near primary magma compositions. Olivine and plagioclase microphenocrysts are close to exchange equilibrium with their respective basalt glasses, whose compositions are displaced toward olivine from 1 atm three phase saturation. The most primitive melt inclusion compositions are close to exchange equilibrium with the anorthitic cores of zoned plagioclases (An78.3-An83.1; the hosts for the melt inclusions in plagioclase) and with olivines more forsteritic (Fo89-Fo91) than the olivine microphenocrysts (the hosts for the melt inclusions in olivine). Xenocrystic olivine analyzed is Fo89 but contains no melt inclusions. These observations indicate that olivines have exchanged components with the melt after melt inclusion entrapment, whereas plagioclase compositions have remained the same since melt inclusion entrapment. Common denominator element ratio diagrams and oxide versus oxide variation diagrams show that the melt inclusion compositions, which represent liquids higher along the liquid line of descent, are related to the glass compositions by the fractionation of olivine, plagioclase and clinopyroxene (absent from the mincral assemblage), probably occurring at elevated pressures. A model is proposed whereby clinopyroxene segregates from the melt at elevated pressures (to account for its absence in the erupted lavas that have the chemical imprint of clinopyroxene fractionation). Zoned plagioclases in the erupted lavas are thought to be survivors of decompressional melting during magma ascent. Since similar primitive melt inclusions occur in olivine microphenocrysts and in the cores of zoned plagioclases, any model must account for all phases present.
A highly sensitive silicon chip microtransducer for air flow and differential pressure sensing applications

Abstract A miniature flow sensor, consisting of a thin film thermally-isolated microstructure integrated onto a silicon chip, has a large temperature response over a broad range of air flow velocities. When packaged in a suitable channel to provide a controlled laminar flow, the sensor response can be calibrated for velocity, mass flow or differential pressure. The sensor combines advantages of sensitivity, small size, low power and low cost and can be used in a broad range of flow and differential pressure applications.
Genome sequence divergences and functional variations in human cytomegalovirus strains

Genome sequences of numerous and wide-ranging species have been completed, but genome-wide sequence variation patterns linked to biological functions are just starting to be investigated. Here, by comparatively analyzing the genome variation patterns of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) genomes, we revealed large sequence divergences and functional variations existing in HCMV genomes. They are divergent in genome-size, inversion, orientation and coding potential, even within conserved genes, including nucleotide polymorphism, DNA strand composition asymmetry, and evolutionary rate variation in conserved genes. These divergences in conserved genes are linked to HCMV biology. Codon usage variation of conserved genes located in the negative DNA strand is significantly different between HCMV strains, and this variation associates with virion production and virulence factor, suggesting that the negative DNA strand primarily contributes to virion production and virulence factor in HCMV. In addition, we also revealed that genes functioning for entry and egress are the most adaptable, and that those for transcription and replication are the most conserved in HCMV genomes. The conserved-transcription system is generally controlled by a genome-wide motif GCGC revealed in this study by Chaos map analysis. Our findings demonstrated that genome sequences of HCMV are generally divergent and these divergences directly reflect viral biology.
Role of phospholipases in myocardial ischemia: effect of cardioprotective agents on the phospholipases A of heart cytosol and sarcoplasmic reticulum in vitro

Increased breakdown of myocardial phospholipids to fatty acids and lysophosphoglycerides is an early feature of myocardial ischemic injury and many investigators believe that enhanced phospholipase action is an important factor in the process. Several recent reports indicate that inhibitors of phospholipase A, such as mepacrine, chloroquine and chlorpromazine, can prevent heart phosphoglyceride breakdown in vivo. We isolated the phospholipases A from rat heart cytosol and sarcoplasmic reticulum and examined the effects of various cardioprotective substances on their activity. Most of the cardioprotective agents studied inhibited the heart phospholipases in vitro, providing further evidence that phospholipid degradation in ischemic myocardial injury may be modulated by pharmacologic agents.
Ionization of fast foil-excited ion beams in electromagnetic fields

We report the results of a series of experiments investigating the nature of very-highly-excited states of fast ions emerging from thin foils. The yields of electrons produced by field ionization of these atoms are compared for different projectiles and beam energies. Various field arrangements were used. The consequences for related studies of fast-ion beams penetrating solids are discussed.
A procedure for studying strategy development in humans

An early version of the computer gameStar Trek was modified to conduct behavioral research. By appropriate use of the starship’s weapon and defense systems, the player can kill enemy ships and avoid destruction. The player’s moves, as well as the time and state of the game environment when each move occurs, are recorded. The procedure tracks performance changes over time very well, and allows the dissection of performance into sequences of commands that reflect the subject’s play strategy. Computer games such asStar Trek could be the basis for experiments that bridge the gap between operant and cognitive research.
Complications following radiosurgery: A review

The complication rates following radiosurgery (RS) for a variety of intracranial lesions are reviewed. While complications are generally uncommon, increased rates are seen with larger doses and treatment volumes. The deep portions of the brain (e.g., brain stem) and the optic structures are particularly sensitive. The risks of RS need to be considered as RS gains popularity and is used to treat a wider variety of intracranial lesions. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Modeling of Piston Trajectory-Based HCCI Combustion

Previously, the authors have designed and implemented an active motion control “virtual crankshaft” for a free piston engine, which enables precise piston tracking of desired trajectories. With this mechanism, the volume of the combustion chamber can be regulated, and therefore the pressure, temperature and species concentrations of in-cylinder gas can be adjusted in real-time which affect the combustion process directly. This new degree of freedom enables us to conduct trajectory-based combustion control. In this paper, a model of the free piston engine running homogeneous charge compression ignition combustion under variant piston trajectories is presented. The variant piston trajectories have the ability to change the compression ratio and accommodate different piston motion patterns between the top dead center and the bottom dead center. The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory reduced n-heptane reaction mechanism is employed in the model in order to describe the chemical kinetics under various piston trajectories. Analysis of the simulation results is then presented which reveals the piston trajectory effects on the combustion phenomena in terms of in-cylinder gas temperature trace, indicated output work, heat loss and radical species accumulation process.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Main Magnet Coil Diagnostic Tests at the Zero Gradient Synchrotron (ZGS)

To establish a meaningful history of the electrical condition of our main magnet coils, various instruments and techniques were developed for a diagnostic program.
Complex Formation of the Elongation Factor Tu from Pseudomonas aeruginosa with Nucleoside Diphosphate Kinase Modulates Ribosomal GTP Synthesis and Peptide Chain Elongation

The elongation factor Tu (EF-Tu) from Pseudomonas aeruginosa was purified as a 45-kDa polypeptide that forms a complex with both the 12- and 16-kDa forms of nucleoside-diphosphate kinase (Ndk) and predominantly synthesizes GTP. 70 S ribosomes of P. aeruginosa predominantly synthesize GTP, which is inhibited in presence of anti-Ndk antibodies. Anti-EF-Tu antibodies change the specificity of ribosomal GTP synthesis to all nucleoside triphosphate synthesis. Ndk has been shown to be a part of 30 S ribosomes, whereas EF-Tu is found to be associated with the 50 S ribosomal subunit. These data indicate that GTP synthesis in the ribosome is modulated both by Ndk and by EF-Tu. Peptide chain elongation as measured by polymerization of Phe-tRNA on a poly(U) template in presence of GDP can be inhibited by anti-Ndk antibodies and restored by the addition of GTP. Anti-EF-Tu antibodies similarly inhibit peptide chain elongation by P. aeruginosa ribosomes in the in vitro translation assay; however, this inhibition cannot be overcome by adding back GTP. Because the purified EF-Tu.16-kDa Ndk complex predominantly synthesizes GTP, it seems likely that this complex is a significant source of GTP for translational elongation in protein biosynthesis.
Fringe Analysis And Interpretation

Misinterpretation of the fringe order and errors in determining its value is one of the greatest, if not greatest, shortcomings in photomechanics. Three methods are herein proposed which either improve upon or automate existing procedures. The methods, in the order presented are: 1) Carrier Fringe Methods, 2) Coherent Compensation, and 3) Color/Load Coding.
The role of imaging in the diagnosis and management of uveitis

The purpose of this article is to describe commonly used imaging techniques to diagnose and manage uveitis and its complications. Older imaging techniques, such as fluorescein and indocyanine green angiography, and newer noninvasive techniques, such as optical coherence tomography and fundus autofluorescence, are reviewed. The transition from film-based imaging to digital imaging has been a remarkable achievement and enables easy storage, immediate access, and efficient propagation of information. The recent introduction of spectral-domain optical coherence tomography systems allows axial resolution of retinal tissue approaching that only previously obtainable with histology, but in real time and without the need of tissue biopsy. Fundus autofluorescence offers the potential to further characterize posterior uveitic entities and expand our understanding of underlying disease mechanisms. Continued advances in technology will improve image resolution, speed, and versatility of systems that will translate in...
Social Divisions and Coercive Control in Advanced Societies: Law Enforcement Strength in Eleven Nations from 1975 to 1994

Conflict theory suggests that economic stratification poses a threat to order, so we should expect increased inequality to lead to a greater capacity for coercive control. The police are the primary agency that uses force to preserve order, yet we know little about the effects of economic divisions on police size in advanced nations besides the United States. The generality of findings based on a fixed-effects panel design applied to 11 developed nations should provide increased insight about how coercion is used to preserve domestic order. Other social divisions that should matter include minority presence and unemployment. With economic development, urbanism, crime, and social disorganization held constant, economic inequality and crime rates in the last years of the sample matter, but minority presence explains police strength only in the United States. The results suggest that threats to internal stability due to economic stratification are most likely to produce subsequent expansions in formal social control. These findings should help resolve disputes about which potentially destabilizing social divisions provide the most general explanation for shifts in the strength of state agencies that specialize in domestic control.
Rupture characteristics of the 2003 Mw 7.6 mid‐Indian Ocean earthquake: Implications for seismic properties of young oceanic lithosphere

[1] Analysis of broadband seismograms from the 15 July 2003 large earthquake (M 7.6) in the central Indian Ocean reveals an unusual source process. The source duration of longer than a minute is more than twice as long as expected from earthquake scaling relations, yet ∼80% of the moment release occurred in two energetic asperities near the end of the rupture. These two asperities were located in lithosphere with an age of 7 Ma or greater. A previous study has suggested that strike-slip earthquakes in oceanic lithosphere having much longer than expected source durations also have a slow, dissipative rupture process characterized by low radiated seismic energy (and therefore low apparent stress). We find no evidence for a slow rupture process to the 2003 earthquake. Instead, the long duration appears to be due only to nucleation close to the actively spreading Carlsberg Ridge, in lithosphere younger than 7 Ma. Younger oceanic lithosphere may be able to generate small to moderate earthquakes but be unable to sustain slip in a large event due to steady release of strain in aseismic creep events. Large strike-slip earthquakes within oceanic lithosphere may occur only in the central portions of long transform faults or in intraplate regions, rupturing energetic asperities like those that failed in the mid-Indian Ocean earthquake and leading to the observation that oceanic strike-slip earthquakes have the largest apparent stresses among the global population of shallow earthquakes.
Lightweight Optical Barrel Assembly Structures for Large Deployable Space Telescopes

Future space based telescopes will need apertures and focal lengths that exceed the dimensions of the launch vehicle shroud. In addition to deploying the primary mirror and secondary mirror support structure, these large telescopes must also deploy the stray light and thermal barriers needed to ensure proper telescope performance. The authors present a deployable light and thermal optical barrel assembly approach for a very large telescope with a variable sun angle and fast slew rate. The Strain Energy Deployable Optical Barrel Assembly (SEDOBA) uses elastic composite hinges to power the deployment of a hierarchical truss structure that supports the thermal and stray light shroud material that form the overall system. The paper describes the overall design approach, the key component technologies, and the design and preliminary testing of a self deploying scale model prototype.
Clinical hypnosis with children: first steps toward empirical support.

Abstract A review of controlled studies on the efficacy of clinical hypnosis with children reveals promising findings, particularly for reduction of acute pain, chemotherapy-related distress, and enuresis. However, no child hypnosis interventions currently qualify as “efficacious” according to criteria for empirically supported therapies (EST). A major limitation of the existing literature relative to EST guidelines is the lack of treatment specification via a manual or its equivalent.
CMOS-based colour-change pH measurement system

A real-time pH detection and monitoring sensor system using a novel design neuromorphic CMOS optical sensor chip is presented. The system uses Bogen's universal indicator solution combined with a white light source and the CMOS optical sensor chip to measure pH as a function of colour change in a sample. Bogen's universal indicator solution causes a colour change in a sample according to the pH of the sample. The output voltage from the colour-sensitive CMOS photodetector circuit on the chip is proportional to the pH of the sample. Experimental results show that this sensor system can determine the pH of a sample from pH 1 to 9 in real-time. The sensor chip is implemented in AMI 1.5 µm CMOS technology available through MOSIS.
Separation of protein mixtures by continuous annular chromatography with step elution

Abstract The chromatographic separation of protein mixtures with step elution was studied in a continuous annular chromatograph (CAC) unit. A truly continuous, steady-state separation of mixtures of bovine serum albumin and hemoglobin was obtained with the strong-acid, macroporous resin S-Sepharose. With an appropriate selection of operating conditions, an essentially complete separation was obtained, with a simultaneous concentration of the more strongly retained species, hemoglobin. A model was developed to predict the CAC behaviour step elution conditions. The model predictions, based solely on independently derived values of equilibrium and rate parameters, were found to be in excellent agreement with the experimental results, so long as the resolution of different hemoglobin variants did not occur. Except for these conditions, the model provides a useful tool for design and optimization, and a comparison with the experimental results shows that the continuous step elution fractionation of protein mixtures by CAC can be obtained with essentially the same resolution as that of an equivalent conventional chromatograph.
Approximate Models for General Cache Networks

Many systems employ caches to improve performance. While isolated caches have been studied in-depth, multi-cache systems are not well understood, especially in networks with arbitrary topologies. In order to gain insight into and manage these systems, a low-complexity algorithm for approximating their behavior is required. We propose a new algorithm, termed a-Net, that approximates the behavior of multi-cache networks by leveraging existing approximation algorithms for isolated LRU caches. We demonstrate the utility of a-Net using both per- cache and network-wide performance measures. We also perform factor analysis of the approximation error to identify system parameters that determine the precision of a-Net.
Impaired Ventral Prostate Affinity for Testosterone in Hypophysectomized Rats

Several studies have suggested that nongonadotrophic pituitary secretions influence growth and function of the rat ventral prostate; the basis for this hypophysial effect is unclear. In order to investigate whether hypophysectomy would alter the previously demonstrated special avidity of rat ventral prostatic tissue for testosterone from that seen in intact animals, ventral prostate uptake and discharge of radioactivity after intravenous injection of testosterone-4-14C was studied in intact, castrate and hypophysectomized adult rats. Following intravenous injection of testosterone-4-14C to normal rats, only the excretory organs, the liver, kidney and lung and the adrenal and ventral prostate yielded significantly high levels of radioactivity. Timed studies revealed rapid decrease in radioactivity in all tissues over the first 30-60 min in control rats, whereas decline in radioactivity was less in hypophysectomized animals, presumably because of impaired hepatic excretion of the isotope resulting in higher...
Duplex ultrasound criteria for diagnosis of splanchnic artery stenosis or occlusion

Mesenteric artery duplex scanning appears promising for detection of splanchnic artery stenosis or occlusion or both in patients with symptoms suggestive of chronic intestinal ischemia. However, no specific duplex criteria have been developed for detection of mesenteric artery stenosis. We obtained mesenteric artery duplex scans and infradiaphragmatic lateral aortograms in 34 patients to determine duplex criteria for mesenteric stenosis. Seventy percent or greater angiographic stenosis was present in 10 superior mesenteric arteries and 16 celiac arteries. Duplex scans were reviewed to determine if celiac artery and superior mesenteric artery ratios of peak systolic velocities and end-diastolic velocities to peak aortic systolic velocity, as well as celiac artery and superior mesenteric artery peak systolic velocities and end-diastolic velocities alone, could predict a greater than or equal to 70% angiographic stenosis or occlusion or both. The results obtained by use of receiver operator curves indicated peak systolic velocity alone was an accurate predictor of splanchnic artery stenosis. Specifically, a peak systolic velocity greater than or equal to 275 cm/sec in the superior mesenteric artery and greater than or equal to 200 cm/sec in the celiac artery or no flow signal (superior mesenteric artery and celiac artery) predicted a 70% to 100% stenosis with sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive values of 89%, 92%, and 80% for the superior mesenteric artery. Similar values for the celiac artery were 75%, 89%, and 85%, respectively. End-diastolic velocities or calculated velocity ratios conveyed no additional accuracy in predicting splanchnic artery stenosis.
Convection generated stress field and intra-plate volcanism

Abstract Convection generated stresses in the lithosphere are inferable from the high degree harmonics of the geopotential. Hot spots on the earth's surface, marked by anomalous volcanism, could be surface expressions or flaws of stress concentration in tension caused by the hotter upwelling mantle convection currents. Widespread Cenozoic intra-plate volcanism in Africa, Asia, Australia and the Western United States is almost exclusively restricted to areas of the convection generated tensional stress field. This non-random distribution indicates that during Cenozoic the convection generated stresses in the lithosphere have exerted a control on the locations of these volcanic areas. In this case intraplate volcanism would be associated with tensional tectonics. The absence of volcanism in the convection generated compressional stress regimes implies that the environment of compression in the lithosphere is unfavorable for basalt magmas to migrate from the asthenosphere to the surface of the earth. Based on the results of this study, it seems reasonable to suggest that the convection generated subcrustal tensional stress field as inferred from the satellite and surface gravity data may be the genesis of the Cenozoic intra-plate volcanism.
Radon exposure estimates

Chronic inhalation of radon and its alpha-emitting progeny has long been identified with increased incidence of respiratory tract carcinoma in uranium miners of the Colorado Plateau and in Europe. This disease has been regarded as an occupational hazard from the sixteenth century until the mid-1970s, with exposure (and subsequent risk estimates) measured in units of Working Level Months. However, since the reporting during the last several years of elevated radon levels in homes in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and several New England states, attention has centered on continuous exposure to families and to individuals of all ages and degrees of susceptibility to carcinogenic risk from this ubiquitous radioactive air contaminant. This paper addresses current estimates of risk to the members of the general population and the validity of recently promulgated action levels.
Small cell lung cancer: current status of new chemotherapeutic agents

3. New chemotherapeutic agents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212 3.1. Taxanes (paclitaxel and docetaxel) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 3.1.1. Paclitaxel (Taxol) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 3.1.2. Docetaxel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214 3.2. Camptothecins (CPT-11, topotecan, 9-aminocamptothecin) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214 3.2.1. CPT-11 (Irinotecan). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214 3.2.2. Topotecan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215 3.3. Gemcitabine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215 3.4. Vinorelbine (Navelbine) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Analysis of comparison-based diagnosable systems using temporal criteria

L'approche proposee est basee sur un critere temporel pour l'identification des unites defectueuses dans un systeme multiprocesseur tolerant les pannes