cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Control status quo of drinking-water-borne endemic fluorosis in the disease affected areas in Hubei Province in 2015: an analysis of survey results

Objective To investigate the progress and effectiveness of water-improving defluoridation projects comprehensively in control of fluorosis in drinking-water-borne endemic fluorosis areas in Hubei Province, and to provide a scientific basis for making strategies in prevention and control of endemic fluorosis. Methods All villages affected by fluorosis in drinking-water-borne endemic fluorosis areas were selected in Hubei Province, in which the progress and effectiveness of water-improving and defluoridation projects were investigated in 2015. Those villages were chosen to determine fluoride content of drinking water, and to check the prevalence of dental fluorosis of children 8 to 12 years old. Water fluoride content was tested with fluoride ion-selective electrode, and dental fluorosis was diagnosed by the Dean method. Results The water improvement projects were completed in 197 villages in the 30 disease affected counties (cities) with accomplishment rate 100.00% (197/197), geometric mean of water fluorine 0.36 mg/L, qualified rate of water fluorine 100.00% (197/197) and normal operation rate of the water-improvement projects 95.94% (189/197). Totally 14 856 children aged 8-12 were examined their dental fluorosis. The prevalence rate was 1.78% (265/14 856) and the dental fluorosis index was 0.04, which meant epidemic strength was negative. Totally 29 out of the 30 disease affected counties (cities) had met the disease control standards. Conclusion The prevalence of drinking-water-borne endemic fluorosis in Hubei Province has been under control, but management and monitoring of the water improvement projects still should be strengthened. Key words: Drinking; Fluorine; Data collection; Fluorosis, dental
The Current Evidence for Defining and Assessing Effectiveness of Surgical Educators: A Systematic Review

Surgical educator effectiveness is valued but lacks an operational definition. Clearly defining attributes consistent with effective surgical educators allows for the development of professional activities directed to nurture these qualities. Our aim was to identify the literature defining qualities of an effective surgical educator, and tools to measure effectiveness. We searched PubMed, Medline, Scopus and Academic Search Complete for English language articles from 1 July 2009–1 July 2019. Two reviewers screened all abstracts for relevance and read full text of selected articles to identify included studies. Inclusion criteria were description/definition of an effective surgical educator or description of assessment/measurement of effectiveness in surgical educators. Data extracted included: study design, participants, definition/description of qualities of an effective surgical educator, qualitative or quantitative methods to assess surgical educators. Initial search identified 8086 articles. Of these, 2357 articles were excluded as duplicates and 5729 abstracts screened with 5638 excluded due to irrelevance. Full text review was performed for 91 articles to assess eligibility, 23 met inclusion criteria. The majority (74%) did not clearly define an effective surgical educator. Themes from six studies that determined important qualities include: communication, leadership skills, professionalism, respect, positive learning climate, and brief-intraoperative teaching-debrief model. One validated assessment tool was identified. There is little published work defining or assessing effective surgical educators. Establishment of a positive learning climate and excellent communication skills continue to be important qualities that define surgical educator effectiveness.
Dynamically Load Modulated Power Amplifier Using Transistor Source Impedance Variation

This work presents a novel dynamic load modulation (DLM) power amplifier that does not require an input power splitter. The load is modulated using an auxiliary transistor's source impedance variation with output power. A proof of concept circuit is designed and simulated in a 65 nm TSMC CMOS technology. The transconductance $(\mathbf{g}_{\mathbf{m}})$ of the auxiliary transistor is used as the PA's load modulator. Operating from 2.3-2.5 GHz, the DLM PA demonstrates an output power of 10.4 dBm at 2.5 dB compression and a maximum gain of about 20 dB. The PA's power added efficiency (PAE) is 27% at the peak power and 20% at 6 dB output power back off. Output power combining is realized using an unequal lumped-element Wilkinson power combiner. The presented DLM PA has compact size because it does not require an input power splitter.
Direct conversion of methane to C2 hydrocarbons using W supported on sulfated zirconia solid acid catalyst

One of the most challenging aspects of modern day catalysis is the activation of methane. Conventionally, methane is activated with oxidizing agents to produce syngas, which then reacts to produce high value hydrocarbons. This process is energy inefficient. A more economic process is the direct one-step activation of methane to form value-added chemicals. This report focuses on direct conversion of methane to ethylene and ethane. Ethylene and ethane are the most important feedstocks in modern day chemical industries. Conventional process for ethylene production is via steam cracking of hydrocarbons, which is not an energy efficient approach. A direct conversion route from methane to C2 hydrocarbons would be a significant advance and has been widely studied. Mo supported on solid acids have been previously reported to be promising for direct conversion of methane to higher hydrocarbons. Here, a novel catalytic approach is introduced with W, a strong oxidizing agent, doped on sulfated zirconia solid acid and studied for the activation of methane at 650–750 °C. BET, DRIFTS, ammonia TPD, XPS, XRD and SEM–EDX were used to characterize the fresh catalyst. Reaction products are primarily ethylene and ethane, along with trace aromatics. Methane activation along with production of C2 hydrocarbons increased noticeably at higher temperature but deactivated due to carbon deposition as confirmed by TPO.
Authentication and Authorization Challenges for Controller-Pilot Information Exchange Using Mobile Devices

While most General Aviation (GA) pilots use some form of mobile application to file their flight plans and receive other pre-departure services, obtaining a departure clearance still requires voice communications, which can be time consuming and susceptible to errors. The MITRE Corporation's Center for Advanced Aviation System Development (MITRE CAASD) has been researching and prototyping ways to deliver departure clearances to pilots via their mobile devices without speaking a single word. Our more recent research involves studying the flight safety and information security aspects of providing voiceless Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) clearances, negotiation of IFR departure release at non-towered airports, and cancellation of IFR at non-towered airports using commercial mobile devices and technology. For brevity, we use the term “mobile IFR services” to describe these services intended for pilot use while aircraft are on the ground and not moving. Traditionally, information is exchanged between the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and certified avionics installed on an aircraft. The mobile IFR services environment will differ from this in several ways: •Information will be exchanged using readily available commercial hardware (e.g., mobile phones, tablets), services (e.g., wireless and mobile telecommunication networks), and applications (e.g., integrated into existing flight planning applications). •Data exchange will be performed by users acting on behalf of an aircraft (e.g., pilot, co-pilot, and dispatcher) and not by the aircraft avionics. •A single aircraft may be used by a multitude of pilots; for example, this is true of pilots who fly for a fleet of on-demand charter or fractional ownership aircraft, fly at a flight training school, or rent aircraft. There are many challenges to realizing mobile IFR services—particularly because the devices used to exchange information are not permanently bound to a single aircraft. Additional steps must be taken to ensure that users are who they say they are (authentication) and have the authority to act on behalf of a particular aircraft (authorization). Authentication and authorization are tightly coupled and must be considered together to ensure that information is exchanged only between the correct parties for a legitimate purpose. Understanding the burden required of service providers, users, and regulatory bodies, MITRE is researching practicable approaches for authentication and authorization within this new environment. This paper discusses various options currently being explored.
Optimizing the Combination of Immunotherapy and Trans-Arterial Locoregional Therapy for Stages B and C Hepatocellular Cancer

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common primary hepatic malignancy worldwide, is the second leading cause of cancer-related death. Underlying liver dysfunction and advanced stage of disease require treatments to be optimally timed and implemented to minimize hepatic parenchymal damage while maximizing disease response and quality of life. Locoregional therapies (LRTs) such as trans-arterial chemo- and radio-embolization remain effective for intermediate liver-only and advanced HCC disease (i.e., Barcelona-Clinic liver cancer stages B and C) not amendable to primary resection or ablation. Additionally, these minimally invasive interventions have been shown to augment the immune system. This and the recent success of immune-oncologic treatments for HCC have generated interest in applying these therapies in combination with such locoregional interventions to improve patient outcomes and response rates. This report reviews the use of trans-arterial LRTs with immunotherapy for stages B and C HCC, potential biomarkers, and imaging methods for assessing the response and safety of such combinations.
Rising Trends in Wrestling-associated Injuries in Females Presenting to US Emergency Departments.

Author(s): Hoge, Connor; Pirruccio, Kevin; Cohen, Olivia G.; Kelly IV, John D. | Abstract: Introduction: Wrestling is one of the fastest-growing sports among females in the United States (US). However, female wrestling injuries remain poorly characterized. In this study we describe historical and projected national estimates of female wrestling injuries, and compare injury characteristics with those of male wrestlers.Methods: We queried the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) database (2005-2019) to compare national weighted estimates and injury characteristics of male vs female wrestlers presenting to US emergency departments (ED) and projected annual female wrestling injuries expected by 2030.Results: Our analyses demonstrated a significant (P l 0.001) increase in female wrestling injuries between 2005 (N = 1500; confidence interval [CI], 923 – 2,078) and 2019 (N = 3,404; CI 2,296 – 4,513). Linear regression (R2 = 0.69; P l 0.001) projected 4,558 (CI, 3104 – 6033) such injuries in 2030. Of female wrestling injuries 50.1% (CI, 44.1 – 56.2) occurred in patients 14-18 years of age. Compared with age-matched males, female wrestlers were significantly less likely to present with fractures (Female [F]: 10.6%; CI 7.5% – 13.7%; Male [M]: 15.7%; CI 14.7% – 16.7%; P = 0.003) or head/neck injuries (F: 18.5%; CI 13.2% – 23.9%; M: 24.6%; CI 23.2% – 26.0%; P = 0.018), and significantly more likely to present with strains/sprains (F: 48.8%; CI, 41.2% – 56.3%; M: 34.4%; CI 31.6% – 37.1%; P l 0.001).Conclusion: Males and females possess distinctly unique physiology and anatomy, such as variances in ligamentous and muscular strength, which may help to explain differences in wrestling injury characteristics. Prompt management of injuries and specific training strategies aimed at prevention may help to reduce the projected increase of female wrestling-associated injuries as the popularity of the sport continues to rise.
Evaluating Effective Connectivity of Trust in Human–Automation Interaction: A Dynamic Causal Modeling (DCM) Study:

ObjectiveUsing dynamic causal modeling (DCM), we examined how credibility and reliability affected the way brain regions exert causal influence over each other—effective connectivity (EC)—in the co...
Factors Associated with Perceived Health and Perceived Nutrition among Women in Nadi, Fiji: A Pilot Study

The current study examined the associations between consumption of traditional foods, perceived health, perceived nutrition and the actual health status of women in rural Fiji. Participants complet...
A Multiple Baseline Interferometric Radar for Multiple Target Angular Velocity Measurement

We present a novel technique for directly estimating the angular velocities of multiple targets using multi-baseline millimeter-wave interferometric radar to significantly reduce nonlinear signal distortion caused when multiple targets are present. We show that through the multiplication of the normalized instantaneous frequency measurements across different baselines, nonlinear intermodulation products resulting from dual-antenna interferometric angular velocity measurements can be mitigated, producing only the terms corresponding to the angular velocity of the targets in the scene. To validate this, simulations were performed demonstrating the close agreement between the proposed method and an ideal correlation (without intermodulation distortion). Near-field errors resulting from far-field approximations are analyzed. Finally, experimental results of a three-antenna, three-baseline 38-GHz interferometric radar are presented that demonstrate the recovery of the motion of two oscillating pendulums of differing angular frequencies.
Preconditions for extreme wet winters over the contiguous United States

Abstract We identify physical factors leading to extreme wet winters over the contiguous U.S. and examine whether preconditions operated during winter 2019 (December 2018 to February 2019) when record precipitation occurred that led to billion-dollar flood disasters along the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. Models and observations are used to determine the effect of slow-varying forcing that may lead to practical forecast skill for extreme wet winters. Atmospheric models indicate that sea surface temperatures during strong eastern Pacific El Nino events like 1983 and 1998 can drive extreme wet winters over the contiguous U.S. These strong El Ninos shift the distribution of contiguous U.S. precipitation to wetter conditions with a mean wetting of 1.5–2.0 standard deviations of the interannual variability. The shift to wetter conditions leads to a fivefold increase in the probability of wet winters of the magnitude observed in 2019. On longer timescales, observations indicate contiguous U.S. winter precipitation has increased over the last century. Analysis of historical coupled model simulations indicate anthropogenically-forced shifts to wetter conditions over the last century of 0.2–0.4 standard deviations of the interannual variability. While increasing the risk of extreme wet winters like 2019, this effect is a limited source of predictability during any particular winter. Concerning 2019 specifically, preconditioning factors of the risk for extreme contiguous U.S. winter wetness were weak or absent and offered little practical early warning. The ongoing central Pacific El Nino that winter did not significantly alter the risk of the wetness, and thus the extreme 2019 conditions are judged not to have been a seasonal forecast of opportunity.
Bibago’s Introduction to his Commentary on Aristotle’s Metaphysics

AbstractAbraham Bibago’s Commentary on Aristotle’s Metaphysics is a highly technical close reading of the first nine books of Aristotle’s text and Averroes’ middle and long commentaries on it. It is the only extant Hebrew commentary on the Metaphysics. While the commentary itself contains almost no biblical references or allusions, Bibago’s introductory remarks are made up primarily of interwoven biblical quotes. This introduction thus offers a biblical or religious context to a purely philosophical text.
Mesenchymal Cell-Based Repair of Large Full Thickness Defects of Articular Cartilage

Osteochondral progenitor cells were used to repair large, full-thickness defects of the articular cartilage that had been created in the knees of rabbits. Adherent cells from bone marrow, or cells from the periosteum that had been liberated from connective tissue by collagenase digestion, were grown in culture, dispersed in a type-I collagen gel, and transplanted into a large (three-by-six-millimeter), full-thickness (three-millimeter) defect in the weight-bearing surface of the medial femoral condyle. The contralateral knee served as a control: either the defect in that knee was left empty or a cell-free collagen gel was implanted. The periosteal and the bone-marrow-derived cells showed similar patterns of differentiation into articular cartilage and subchondral bone. Specimens of reparative tissue were analyzed with use of a semiquantitative histological grading system and by mechanical testing with employment of a porous indenter to measure the compliance of the tissue at intervals until twenty-four weeks after the operation. There was no apparent difference between the results obtained with the cells from the bone marrow and those from the periosteum. As early as two weeks after transplantation, the autologous osteochondral progenitor cells had uniformly differentiated into chondrocytes throughout the defects. This repair cartilage was subsequently replaced with bone in a proximal-to-distal direction, until, at twenty-four weeks after transplantation, the subchondral bone was completely repaired, without loss of overlying articular cartilage. The mechanical testing data were a useful index of the quality of the long-term repair. Twenty-four weeks after transplantation, the reparative tissue of both the bone-marrow and the periosteal cells was stiffer and less compliant than the tissue derived from the empty defects but less stiff and more compliant than normal cartilage. Clinical Relevance: The current modalities for the repair of defects of the articular cartilage have many disadvantages. The transplantation of progenitor cells that will form cartilage and bone offers a possible alternative to these methods. As demonstrated in this report, autologous, bone-marrow-derived, osteochondral progenitor cells can be isolated and grown in vitro without the loss of their capacity to differentiate into cartilage or bone. Sufficient autologous cells can be generated to initiate the repair of articular cartilage and the reformation of subchondral bone. The repair tissues appear to undergo the same developmental transitions that originally led to the formation of articular tissue in the embryo.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
An FPGA based rapid prototyping platform for MIMO systems

Multiple input multiple output (MIMO) techniques hold the potential of dramatically increasing the data rates and spectral efficiency of wireless communications systems. Even with extensive research on the design of transmission and reception algorithms, little is known as to how much of the predicted gains are actually achievable on real wireless channels. In this paper, we present a MIMO testbed, which enables the rapid prototyping of MIMO transceivers for wideband channels. Such prototypes provide experimental quantification of achievable gains from MIMO algorithms. The testbed design allows real-time operation of baseband processing and RF up/down-conversion. The choice of testbed components is made to allow maximum, flexibility for research purposes, including monitoring and control of all subsystems. In addition to discussing the testbed's design, we present the implementation of two wireless systems. The first is a spread-spectrum system based on IEEE 802.11b. The second is an implementation of Alamouti's transmit diversity scheme.
Salese to Buffer Saliva in Elderly Patients with Xerostomia: a Pilot Study

Purpose: The objective of this study was to compare the pH of saliva from xerostomic patients before and after the use of Salese lozenges (Nuvora Inc., Santa Clara, CA). Materials and Methods: After IRB approval, ten subjects were selected to participate in this pilot study to evaluate the efficacy of Salese. The inclusion criteria were patients on multiple medications who demonstrated xerostomia and acidic salivary pH. Saliva was collected from the patients at baseline and after the use of Salese at selected intervals up to 120 minutes. The pH of the collected saliva was measured, and the data were analyzed using an ANOVA. Results: Use of Salese lozenges showed a shift toward a more neutral pH in the first half hour. The pH remained at the same level after the primary shift for at least 2 hours. Conclusions: This pilot study indicates that patients suffering with xerostomia can use Salese lozenges for at least 10-30 minutes to induce a salivary pH shift to a more neutral level. More research should be performed to investigate the buffering capacity of Salese lozenges.
Structural Studies of Three DNA Binding Proteins: Catabolite Gene Activator Protein, Resolvase, and the Klenow Fragment of DNA Polymerase I

We have been studying the crystal structure of three proteins that interact with DNA: the E. coli catabolite gene activator protein (CAP) whose structure was determined at 2.9 A resolution (1,2) and is now refined to 2.5 A resolution (3), the Klenow fragment of E. coli DNA polymerase whose structure has been determined from a 3.3 A resolution electron density map (4) and gamma-delta resolvase, a site-specific recombination protein whose structure determination is still in progress (5,6,7). In addition to working out the mechanism by which each of these proteins carries out its biological function, we have been interested in ascertaining the ways in which these proteins are similar or differ in their manner of interaction with double-stranded DNA. Both CAP and resolvase contain small DNA binding domains which confer their DNA sequence specificity (1,6). In both cases the principles of DNA sequence specific interaction appear to be very similar: side-chains from protruding alpha-helices penetrate the DNA major groove and interact with the exposed edges of base pairs. DNA polymerase, on the other hand, contains a very large cleft which is able to nearly surround a double-stranded DNA substrate.
A CASE FOR AN OPEN SYSTEM APPROACH TO ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR

The purpose of this paper is to argue that organizational structure behavior cannot be explained by considering the organization as a separate entity. Three types of evidence are offered to support this viewpoint. Additionally, a case is made for open systems theory development to explain behavior in schools and to stimulate the theory movement in Educational Administration.
Explanations of Interest Group Membership Over Time The Farm Bureau in Five Midwestern States

This study empirically tests several explanations of membership in political interest groups by using transfer function ARIMA modeling to examine the aggregate membership of five midwestern state F...
Multiscale Modeling of Transport Phenomena and Dendritic Growth in Laser Cladding Processes

A multiscale model is developed in this article to investigate the transport phenomena and dendrite growth in the diode-laser-cladding process. A transient model with an improved level-set method is built to simulate the heat/mass transport and the dynamic evolution of the molten pool surface on the macroscale. A novel model integrating the cellular automata (CA) and phase field (PF) methods is used to simulate the dendritic growth of multicomponent alloys in the mushy zone. The multiscale model is validated against the experiments, and the predicted geometry of clad tracks and the predicted dendrite arm spacing of microstructure match reasonably well with the experimental results. The effects of the processing parameters on the track geometry and microstructure are also investigated.
The case of the partnership approach to public regulation

Abstract This paper suggests that public regulation of the private sector involves a psychological-economic externality which is largely overlooked by economists. By affecting a particular belief, termed locus of control. current regulatory practices in the United States are likely to reduce the ability of decision makers to notice profitable opportunities for their firms and therefore involve an additional social cost. Specific research approaches are suggested for testing this hypothesis.
Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura in acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

3. Lang JE, and Cutting HO: Infantile genetic agranulocytosis, Pediatrics 35:596, 1965. 4. MacGillivray JB, Dacie JV, Henry JRK, Sacker LS, and Tizard J PM: Congential neutropenia: A report of five cases, Acta Paediatr Scand 53:188, 1964. 5. Kostmann R: Infantile genetic agranulocytosis: A review with presentation of ten new cases, Acta Paediatr Scand 64:362, 1975. 6. Bloomfield CD, and Brunning RD: Acute leukemia as a terminal event in nonleukemic hematopoietic disorders, Semin Oncol 3:297, 1976. 7. Johnson DE, Griep JA, and Baehner RL: Histiocytic leukemia following lifelong infection and thrombocytopenia: Histologic, metabolic, and bactericidal studies, J PrDIATR 82:664, 1973. 8. Schroeder TM, and Kirth R: Spontaneous chromosomal breakage and high incidence of leukemia in inherited disease, Blood 37:96, 1971. 9. Matsaniotis N, Kiossoglou KA, Karpouzas J, and Anastasea-Vlachou K: Chromosomes in Kostmann's disease, Lancet 2:llM, 1966. 10. Pierre RV: Preleukemic states, Semin Hematol 11:73, 1974.
Scientists, Engineers and the Organization of Work

. Scientists and engineers experience job dissatisfaction and perform below potential productivity, largely because of conflict between professionalism and work bureaucracies. Research has documented potential gain on both counts through reduced hierarchical power of management and movement toward greater participation in shared decision-making. But relative reduction in managerial power is not likely; neither is the spread of unionism for scientists and engineers as an offset to that power. Furthermore, any assumed transfer of power a la Veblen assures no social gain. Work organization for scientists and engineers is of direct relevance for economics. Yet, the human capital development in economics has ignored the entire question of the effect of work organization on productivity and job satisfaction. In doing so, it has divorced economics from other disciplines and sacrificed realism and relevance for quantitative rigor.
Reactions of methanol on W(100) and W(100)-(5 × 1)C surfaces

The decomposition of methanol-OD was studied on W(100) and W(100)-(5 × 1)C surfaces by temperature-programmed reaction spectroscopy. Initial adsorption of methanol-OD on the clean W(100) surface resulted in the complete dissociation of the molecule into hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen (β-CO). Methane, methanol-OH, and formaldehyde were observed as additional products after the CO(β) states had been saturated. The W(100)-(5 × 1)C surface produced the same products with the addition of carbon dioxide, water, and methyl formate. Moreover, the carbide surface enhanced the selectivity for hydrocarbon formation by an order of magnitude compared to the clean surface due to the suppression of the dissociation of methanol to β-CO and H2 on the carbon chemilayer. The reaction mechanism was explained in terms of three intermediates: methoxy, formate, and a surface complex comprised of methoxy radicals and trapped hydrogen atoms. The “trapped” hydrogen atoms were apparently stabilized by the methoxy intermediates.
Velocity bias in LDA measurements and its dependence on the flow turbulence

Abstract The velocity bias in flow measurements with Laser Doppler Anemometry (LDA) has been analysed. A theoretical analysis for one-dimensional flows and a numerical analysis for two- and three-dimensional flow fluctuations are given, based on the assumption of an homogeneous particle distribution in the flow and a Gaussian distribution of fluctuating velocities. In all of the cases, bias errors involved in the velocity components have been derived as a function of the turbulence intensity in the range from zero to infinity. For turbulence levels less than 30% the equations derived agree with an empirical method due to Edwards and can be approximated by parabolas. The relative bias in the mean velocity is constant amongst all the measured velocity components. It is lowest in three-dimensional and largest in one-dimensional flow fluctuations. The biased standard deviation of velocities shows similar properties. The velocity bias estimations given in this paper are available to quantitatively understand the turbulence influence on the measurement accuracy.
Adverse drug reaction processing in the United States and its dependence on physician reporting: zomepirac (Zomax) as a case in point.

Because of limited premarket testing for drugs newly approved by the FDA, serious but rare side effects may not be apparent or publicized by the drug manufacturers. Therefore, only the timely reporting of adverse drug reactions by physicians, along with rapid recognition of the significance by the FDA, can ensure the effectiveness of the FDA Spontaneous Reporting System as a warning to other prescribing physicians. The experience with zomepirac (Zomax ® ) and the unexpected incidence of severe anaphylactic reactions is recanted as an unfortunate illustrated example that has served to upgrade the adverse reaction reporting process.
"The Whorehouse bells were ringing" and other songs cowboys sing

Sentimental, bawdy, and personal--these were the songs working cowboys sang for fun. Guy Logsdon's field collection of the cowboy is truthful and vastly entertaining. Illustrated.
Skin toxicity of jet fuels: ultrastructural studies and the effects of substance P.

Topical exposure to jet fuel is a significant occupational hazard. Recent studies have focused on dermal absorption of fuel and its components, or alternatively, on the biochemical or immunotoxicological sequelae to exposure. Surprisingly, morphological and ultrastructural analyses have not been systematically conducted. Similarly, few studies have compared responses in skin to that of the primary target organ, the lung. The focus of the present investigation was 2-fold: first, to characterize the ultrastructural changes seen after topical exposure to moderate doses (335 or 67 μl/cm2) of jet fuels [Jet A, Jet Propellant (JP)-8, JP-8+100] for up to 4 days in pigs, and secondly, to determine if co-administration of substance P (SP) with JP-8 jet fuel in human epidermal keratinocyte cell cultures modulates toxicity as it does to pulmonary toxicity in laboratory animal studies. The primary change seen after exposure to all fuels was low-level inflammation accompanied by formation of lipid droplets in various skin layers, mitochondrial and nucleolar changes, cleft formation in the intercellular lipid lamellar bilayers, as well as disorganization in the stratum granulosum–stratum corneum interface. An increased number of Langerhans cells were also noted in jet fuel-treated skin. These changes suggest that the primary effect of jet fuel exposure is damage to the stratum corneum barrier. SP administration decreased the release of interleukin (IL)-8 normally seen in keratinocytes after JP-8 exposure, a response similar to that reported for SP's effect on JP-8 pulmonary toxicity. These studies provide a base upon which biochemical and immunological data collected in other model systems can be compared.
Suppression of rabbit lymphocyte functions by antibodies specific for allotypic membrane determinants

Regulation of immunoglobulin synthesis and secretion was analyzed by exposing spleen cells of b4b4 rabbits to anti-b4 for 24 hr in culture. As noted previously, no lymphocytes with membrane-bound b4 were found immediately after pulse treatment, but substantial regeneration of membrane Ig (mIg) occurred on further culture in antibody-free medium. Splenocytes cultured either in the presence or absence of anti-b4 showed a marked loss of Ig-secreting cells (ISC) after 24 hr in culture but recovered and exhibited peak numbers of ISC on Day 2. However, ISC formation in cultures of antibody-treated cells was significantly suppressed and thereafter declined at a more rapid rate than in control cultures. Polyclonal B cell activators from Nocardia and from gram-negative bacteria stimulated ISC formation in cultures of normal spleen cells, but responsiveness to these activators was depressed following antibody treatment. Antibody-induced suppression of Ig synthesis was attributed to interference with differentiation of B lymphocytes to the secretory stage.
Colloid deposition on non‐ideal porous media: The influences of collector shape and roughness on the single‐collector efficiency

[1] The transport of groundwater colloids (e.g., bacteria, viruses, clay particles) is governed, in part, by the rate at which the colloids strike and adhere to aquifer mineral grains. We report results of coupled flow and transport simulations that reveal how changes in mineral-grain shape and surface roughness influence the single-collector contact efficiency (ηT) – a parameter of colloid-filtration theory that quantifies the frequency of colloid collisions with the surface of a mineral grain (collector). Our analyses indicate that the sensitivity of ηT to variations in collector shape and roughness depends on colloid size and suggests that quantitative descriptions of colloid transport through real aquifers will, in some cases, require nontraditional approaches that are not limited by the simplifying assumptions of smooth, spherical collectors.
Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing of Six Clinical Isolates of Aspergillus

Several different methods of performing susceptibility tests on six clinical isolates of Aspergillus are described. Some of the conditions that affected the level of susceptibility to drugs were: the type of media used, temperature and time of incubation, and the initial inoculum size. For amphotericin B susceptibility testing, the effectiveness of the polyene antibiotic as measured by visual growth was equivalent to the effectiveness as measured by inhibition of ribonucleic acid synthesis and dry-weight increase. For 5-fluorocytosine and rifampin, the visual-turbidity method gave minimum inhibitory concentrations that were much higher than those determined by effects on ribonucleic acid synthesis and dry weight. The reason for these discrepancies in susceptibility testing with 5-fluorocytosine and rifampin are unknown. We conclude that the most relevant test of this fungus to antifungal agents will have to be determined by the correlation of in vitro data with animal experiments and clinical results.
Crack size independence of the crack driving force in the buckled plate specimen

A new fracture mechanics specimen, the buckled plate specimen, has been developed with the attractive property that the crack driving force is independent of crack size during constant deflection tests. The mechanics analysis and results of lgepal assisted slow crack growth in polyethylene are presented as verification.
MultiClass Object Classification in Video Surveillance Systems - Experimental Study

There is a growing demand in automated public safety systems for detecting unauthorized vehicle parking, intrusions, unintended baggage, etc. Object detection and recognition significantly impact these applications. Object detection and recognition are challenging problems in this context, since the purpose of the surveillance videos is to capture a wide landscape of the scene, resulting in small, low-resolution and occluded images for objects. In this paper, we present an experimental study on geometric and appearance features for outdoor video surveillance systems. We also studied the classification performance under two dimensionality reduction techniques (i.e. PCA and Entropy-Based feature Selection). As a result, we built an experimental framework for an object classification system for surveillance videos with different configurations.
Meeting review: the Second Meeting on the Critical Assessment of Techniques for Protein Structure Prediction (CASP2), Asilomar, California, December 13–16, 1996

In most fields of scientific endeavor, the outcomes of important experiments are not always known before the experiments are performed. But in protein structure prediction, algorithms are usually developed and tested in situations where the answers are known. In December 1996, the Second Meeting on the Critical Assessment of Techniques for Protein Structure Prediction (CASP2) was held in Asilomar, California to rectify this situation: protein sequences were provided in advance for which the experimental structure had not yet been published. Over 70 research groups provided bona fide predictions on 42 targets in four categories: comparative or 'homology' modeling, fold recognition or 'threading', ab initio structure predictions, and docking predictions. Since the previous CASP meeting in 1994, the role of fold recognition in structure prediction has increased enormously with the largest number of groups participating in this category. In this review, we highlight some of the important developments and give at least a qualitative sense of what kind of methods produced some of the better predictions.
Device optimization in PCPDTBT:PCBM plastic solar cells

Abstract We investigated device design parameters for low-bandgap conjugated organic polymer blends of poly[2,6-(4,4-bis-(2-ethylhexyl)-4H-cyclopenta[2,1-b;3,4-b′]dithiophene)-alt-4,7-(2,1,3-benzothiadiazole)]: phenyl-C 61 /C 71 -butyric acid methyl ester (PCPDTBT-PC 61 BM and PCPDTBT-PC 71 BM) used as photoactive components in polymer solar cells. The interrelationships between absorption, fill factor ( FF ), energy conversion efficiency, and current density have been simulated. Our results indicate that optimizing device efficiency is strongly dependent on the simultaneous control of active layer thickness and the charge carrier mobilities. It is found that energy conversion efficiencies have peak values when charge carrier transport is balanced. In addition PCPDTBT-PC 71 BM showed 44% higher efficiencies compared to PCPDTBT:PC 61 BM and yielded power conversion efficiencies of more than 6% when the active layer thickness is 90–100 nm. The results from this study will be used to predict potential efficiencies in PCPDTBT-PCBM organic solar cells.
Collagen; ultrastructure and its relation to mechanical properties as a function of ageing

Tail tendons from Fischer and Sprague-Dawly albino rats of ages from 2 weeks to 3 years were investigated under the polarizing microscope as regards structure and deformation behaviour. Periodically extinguishing bands were observed along the otherwise featureless tendons. By analysing the behaviour of this extinction pattern under appropriate rotations of the tendon, it could be deduced that the orientation of the basic birefringent units varies periodically along the tendon and that this periodic pattern corresponds to a planar arrangement of the anisotropic entities. All the relevant parameters of this periodic structure could be determined in a representative manner from polarizing optics alone. Subdivision of the tendons revealed regularly undulating or rather crimped subunits in good correspondence to what has been deduced from the extinction bands in the intact tendons. The crimp angle was found to decrease while the periodicity increased - in approximate proportion to the length of the tail - with the age of the rat implying constancy of crimp number during the life time of the animal. On elongation the periodicity was gradually removed. The calculated fibre elongation necessary to eliminate the crimp was in good agreement with observation for mature rats but was larger for young rats implying the simultaneous stretching of the fibre itself. Stress-strain properties of tendons were measured and models for crimp straightening were tested. It was found that a model containing inflexible hinges, corresponding to the ‘elastica’ problem in mechanics gave reasonable fit with experiment. Analysis of stress-strain data on this basis leads to a basic load bearing unit, the diameter of which increases from 100 to 500 nm with the age of the animal. Implications of these findings for the structure and properties of the tendons, also in relation to ageing are pointed out.
Correlation effects in carbon nanotubes

We consider the effects of Coulomb interactions on single-wall carbon nanotubes using an on-site Hubbard interaction, u. For the (N,N) armchair tubes the low-energy theory is shown to be identical to a two-chain Hubbard model at half-filling, with an effective interaction ${\mathrm{u}}_{\mathrm{N}}$=u/N. Umklapp scattering leads to gaps in the spectrum of charge and spin excitations which are exponentially small for large N. Above the gaps the intrinsic nanotube resistivity due to these scattering processes is linear in temperature, as observed experimentally. The presence of ``d-wave'' superconductivity in the two-chain Hubbard model away from half-filling suggests that doped armchair nanotubes might exhibit superconductivity with a purely electronic mechanism.
Changes in adrenoreceptors in the prefrontal cortex of subjects with dementia: evidence of compensatory changes.

In Alzheimer’s disease (AD) there is a significant loss of locus coeruleus (LC) noradrenergic neurons. However, recent work has shown the surviving noradrenergic neurons to display many compensatory changes, including axonal sprouting to the hippocampus. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is a forebrain region that is affected in dementia, and receives innervation from the LC noradrenergic neurons. Reduced PFC function can reduce cognition and disrupt behavior. Because the PFC is an important area in AD, we determined if noradrenergic innervation from the LC noradrenergic neurons is maintained and if adrenoreceptors are altered postsynaptically. Presynaptic PFC α2-adrenoreceptor (AR) binding site density, as determined by 3H-RX821002, suggests that axons from surviving noradrenergic neurons in the LC are sprouting to the PFC of subjects with dementia. Changes in postsynaptic α1-AR in the PFC of subjects with dementia indicate normal to elevated levels of binding sites. Expression of α1-AR subtypes (α1A- and α1D-AR) and α2C-AR subtype mRNA in the PFC of subjects with dementia is similar to what was observed in the hippocampus with one exception, the expression of α1A-AR mRNA. The expression of the α1A-AR mRNA subtype is significantly reduced in specific layers of the PFC in subjects with dementia. The loss of α1A-, α1D- and α2C-AR mRNA subtype expression in the PFC may be attributed to neuronal loss observed in dementia. These changes in postsynaptic AR would suggest a reduced function of the PFC. Consequence of this reduced function of the PFC in dementia is still unknown but it may affect memory and behavior.
The bondage and reinforcement numbers of g f for some graphs

Abstract For any graph G , a real-valued function g : V ( G ) → [0, 1] is called a dominating function if for every v ϵ V ( G ), Σ wϵN [ v ] g ( w ) ⩾ 1 The fractional domination number is defined to be γ f ( G ) =min{ Σ vϵV ( G ) g ( v ): g is a dominating function of G }. In this paper, we initiate the study of bondage and reinforcement associated with fractional domination. The bondage number of γ f , b f ( G ), is defined to be the minimum cardinality of a set of edges whose removal from G results in a graph G 1 satisfying γ f ( G 1 ) > γ f ( G ). The reinforcement number of γ f , r f ( G ), is defined to be the minimum cardinality of a set of edges which when added to G results in a graph G ″ satisfying γ f ( G ″) γ f ( G ). We will give exact values of b f ( G ) and r f ( G ) for some classes of graphs.
Harnessing the Geospatial Semantic Web: Toward Place-Based Information Organization and Access

The geospatial Semantic Web's primary use to date has been the creation of map mashups, collaborative mapping projects, and other research functions. The power of the geospatial Semantic Web can also be harnessed for the development of place-based access points to further the use of information collections—digital and print. Creating a geographic search interface for information collections allows users to search by location. The basic principles of linked data, describing entities using unique identifiers and providing links between related objects, tie into the desire for libraries to link their own digital resources with related materials held by other cultural institutions that publish content on the Web. This article will provide an overview of linked data principles, discuss the benefits and challenges of providing geographic information in metadata records, and provide examples of how location-based searches are valuable to users, and offer opportunities for future research.
Metabolic differences between arteriosclerotic and non-arteriosclerotic aortae

Abstract 1. The aortae of non-arteriosclerotic female virgin and arteriosclerotic female breeder rats were divided into arch, thoracic and abdominal segments. 2. Measurements were made of protein nitrogen and the rate of C14O2 release from aortic segments of normal and arteriosclerotic aortae. 3. The earliest metabolic differences found between arteriosclerotic and non-arteriosclerotic aortae appeared first in the abdominal aortic segment. 4. The progression of aberrant metabolism followed the anatomical progression of the arterial disease. 5. The deranged metabolism found in the aortae of arteriosclerotic breeder rats is believed to be due to the metabolic demands of repeated reproductive activity.
The Colonial Subject and Colonial Discourse: Salman Rushdie's Critique of Englishness in The Satanic Verses

Abstract Emmanuel Levinas and Jacques Derrida have applied the principle of deconstruction to argue against the uniqueness of Western culture and its claim to be the centre of the world. Colonial discourse, with the aid of Orientalism, in attempting to assimilate into its ‘totality’ the cultures of the colonized, had made a similar claim for English culture and for Englishness. This paper argues that in The Satanic Verses the experiences of Rushdie's protagonists show that the ‘Same’ ‐ represented as Englishness ‐ is unsuccessful in absorbing its ‘Other’ into a ‘totality’ of European history, which on these grounds is therefore neither unique nor ‘sovereign’.
Circadian calling behavior of the adult female brown-banded cockroach, Supella longipalpa (F.) (Dictyoptera: Blattellidae)

The diel pattern of pheromone-releasing behavior (calling) of the adult female brown-banded cockroach, Supella longipalpa (F.),was examined. Calling occurs discontinuously throughout most of the scotophase in a 12L: 12D photoperiodic regime. Females exhibited a free-running calling rhythm after transfer to continuous light or dark conditions. Shifts in the temporal pattern of calling following changes in the timing of the photoperiodic cues indicated that “lights-off” is the Zeitgeber. Studies of insects under long- and short-day conditions suggest that, although insects within a population may call synchronously or asynchronously, respectively, the duration of an individual's calling bout is innately limited.