cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
16. Immunologic lung disease

Abstract This review summarizes the recent advances regarding pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of immunological diseases of the lung. Rather than attempt a comprehensive analysis, we have focused on selected diseases that are of particular relevance to the practicing physician, and the material has been organized according to the dominant immunologic mechanisms underlying the disease. Because of the redundancy that characterizes the mammalian immune repertoire, this system of classification inevitably produces overlap but facilitates acquisition of what is otherwise a disparate collection of facts. The principal lung immunologic mechanisms are most broadly classified as innate or adaptive immune processes. Innate immunity includes neutrophils and complement that are important in diseases, such as pneumonia and the acute respiratory distress syndrome. Adaptive immunity involves T and B cells capable of recognizing discrete antigens. T H 1- and T H 2-dependent adaptive immune responses underlie some of the most common and important of lung diseases, including tuberculosis and asthma, respectively. Other important immunopathologic processes include granulomatous inflammation that characterizes sarcoidosis and Churg-Strauss vasculitis, and autoimmunity, which is characteristic of antiglomerular basement membrane disease and others. (J Allergy Clin Immunol 2003;111:S613-23.)
The Use of Thiourocil in Thyrotoxicosis

SEVERAL recent reports (1–5) attest to the usefulness of thiouracil in the treatment of various forms of thyrotoxicosis. Details concerning its administration and effectiveness have been described in sufficient detail to preclude the necessity of their recapitulation here. We wish merely to point out several aspects concerning the use of this drug which have not been stressed by previous workers. We have used thiouracil2 in a total of 18 patients with results comparable to those obtained by previous workers. The drug was administered in doses of 0.1 gm. six times daily. The principal toxic effect which we have observed has been an urticarial eruption which appeared in 4 of the patients two to three days after beginning the administration of the drug but which in no case was sufficiently severe to necessitate withdrawal of the drug. In 4 of the patients there was also a drop in the leucocyte count from a normal level of 6,000–10,000 to 3,000–4,000 on the third or fourth day aftermedication was begun.
Magnetic vortices instead of stripes: Another interpretation of magnetic neutron scattering in lanthanum cuprates

It is proposed that a two-dimensional magnetic superstructure closely related to the one mentioned recently by Christensen et al. constitutes a viable interpretation of the fourfold splitting of the magnetic $(\ensuremath{\pi},\ensuremath{\pi})$ peak in lanthanum cuprates. (This splitting is usually interpreted as evidence for stripes.) The superstructure in question has the topology of a square crystal of magnetic vortices with approximate periodicity $4a\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}4a$. This vortex crystal exhibits no magnetic antiphase lines. It is shown that such a superstructure is magnetically stable in the approximation of staggered spin polarizations and that it should be accompanied by charge modulation characterized by charge peaks at the positions observed experimentally.
Traffic congestion mitigation: combining engineering and economic perspectives

This paper introduces and provides a context for a special issue consisting of five selected papers that examine traffic congestion mitigation, with a focus on combining engineering and economic perspectives. Each paper provides novel insights of their own. The papers cover the modeling of parking behavior using possibility theory as well as the evaluation of a novel concept called Highway Space Inventory Control, where drivers must book in advance for their highway usage. A further paper evaluates the implications of new types of traffic pricing schemes and the challenges they face. Another paper tackles exactly this problem by evaluating different measures using data from the Netherlands. A fourth paper examines the implications of a disaster (bridge collapse) on traffic and assigns an economic value to such an outcome. The final paper is a case study that shows that price-based mechanisms may not be the best way to curb congestion.
Design and Simulation of 5–20-kV GaN Enhancement-Mode Vertical Superjunction HEMT

The systematic design process using numerical simulations of the novel gallium nitride (GaN) enhancement-mode vertical superjunction high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) with breakdown voltage (BV) in the range of 5-20 kV is presented. The GaN superjunction pillar structure in the drift region of the vertical HEMT is first optimized using a simpler GaN superjunction diode structure, and the optimum half-pillar charge dosage is obtained to be 8×1012 cm-2, which is consistent with the value estimated from the Gauss's Law. The GaN vertical superjunction HEMT is then simulated and optimized, and the Ron,sp-BV tradeoff curves in the range of 5-20 kV are obtained by varying the epi thickness. The Ron,sp-BV tradeoff is found to improve with smaller pillar width as in silicon superjunction MOSFETs, and the best Ron,sp of 4.2 mΩ-cm2 with BV of 12.4 kV is projected with half-pillar width of 3 μm. The robustness of the superjunction HEMT is also examined using structure with half-pillar width of 8 μm, and compared with the GaN vertical HEMT with conventional drift layer and same dimensions. The simulated on-state BV of the GaN vertical superjunction HEMT shows a 4.5% drop from the off-state BV and is only slightly higher than the 1.7% drop of the conventional GaN vertical HEMT.
Effect of strong potential scattering on the local moment relaxation in anisotropic superconductors

Abstract The relaxation rate for the local moment of an impurity in an anisotropic superconductor is calculated, taking into account the effect of strong scalar potential scattering-off the same impurity. In applying our results to heavy fermion superconductors, the phase shift associated with this potential scattering turns out to be close to π 2 . As a result a strong enhancement of the relaxation rate is obtained for states with lines of nodes in their energy gap, and a reduction for states with point nodes. Such signatures might be helpful in identifying the correct microscopic structure of the energy gap in these systems.
Strong regularities in online peer production

Online peer production systems have enabled people to coactively create, share, classify, and rate content on an unprecedented scale. This paper describes strong macroscopic regularities in how people contribute to peer production systems, and shows how these regularities arise from simple dynamical rules. First, it is demonstrated that the probability a person stops contributing varies inversely with the number of contributions he has made. This rule leads to a power law distribution for the number of contributions per person in which a small number of very active users make most of the contributions. The rule also implies that the power law exponent is proportional to the effort required to contribute, as justified by the data. Second, the level of activity per topic is shown to follow a lognormal distribution generated by a stochastic reinforcement mechanism. A small number of very popular topics thus accumulate the vast majority of contributions. These trends are demonstrated to hold across hundreds of millions of contributions to four disparate peer production systems of differing scope, interface style, and purpose.
Grass-Root Organisations, Intergovernmental Collaboration, and Emergency Preparedness: An Institutional Collective Action Approach

AbstractThis paper examines the importance of grass-root emergency response groups in emergency preparedness. Consistent with the Institutional Collective Action framework, we highlight key constraints associated with local government strategies of mutual resource exchange and barriers to intergovernmental collaboration. We examine local governments’ emergency preparedness using survey data collected in the North Central Texas region. We employed a simple OLS analysis to determine mutual exchange and Poisson estimations on the likelihood of local governments receiving and providing external assistance. Findings showed that the presence of grass-root organisations in a jurisdiction is associated with emergency preparedness, highlighting the importance of norms of volunteerism. Local political institutions and participation in federally funded programmes also have an effect on local government decisions.
Analysis of transient arrhythmias and conduction disturbances occurring during submaximal treadmill exercise testing.

Abstract To determine the incidence, types, and clinical correlates of transient arrhythmias and conduction disturbances that occur with submaximal exercise, the electrocardiogram was recorded continuously during the course of treadmill testing of 713 adults. These subjects had varying degrees of fitness, and 398 of them had known heart disease. Arrhythmias (three or more consecutive beats) occurred in 39 people, an incidence of 5.5 per cent. They occurred most frequently in people with known heart disease who were older than 50 years of age, and were associated with abnormal resting electrocardiograms. Premature beats were seen in the same exercise test in 82.9 per cent of those with arrhythmias. Simultaneous palpitations were not noted by any subject, although one man did report a transient sensation of light-headedness. The induced tachyarrhythmias were brief and all terminated spontaneously. Nine subjects had arrhythmias at low levels of exertion and were able to comfortably tolerate higher levels without subsequent arrhythmia appearance. The transient tachycardias that were seen in four healthy people did not exceed 5 beats in duration. Conduction disturbances were less frequent, occurring in eight subjects, seven of whom had heart disease. Transient changes in intraventricular conduction appeared during walking, and one case with brief prolongation of A-V conduction was seen in the postexercise period. Repeat tests, after several weeks, were performed with 30 of those who had arrhythmias or conduction disturbances in their first tests. Seven, or 23.3 per cent, developed the same change at least once during a repeat test. Conduction disturbances were more often reproducible than were the arrhythmias. There is a wide divergence of current opinion regarding the clinical significance of rhythm or conduction changes with exercise. We do not conclude that a diagnosis of heart disease or a "positive" test should be assumed if the only change is a brief transient arrhythmia or conduction disturbance. Of those with known heart disease who developed an arrhythmia, only seven (20.6 per cent) had exercise-induced ischemic ST changes. Because these arrhythmias do not usually cause symptoms, the use of constant recording or monitoring is suggested for their detection. Serial exercise tests, limited to the comfortable tolerance of each subject, offer a simple means for studying the behavior and natural history of intermittent arrhythmias and conduction disturbances.
Behavioral correlates of focal hippocampal x-irradiation in rats.

Prior investigations have shown the effects of hippocampal degranulation on behaviors such as two-way avoidance, open-field behavior, and operant schedules of reinforcement. Little, however, has been done with behaviors related to adaptive function in a natural setting; the present study has addressed this issue. Long-Evans hooded rats, subjected to focal neonatal X-irradiation of the hippocampus, were tested in passive avoidance and four dominance situations. The experimental animals, which had approximately a 70% reduction in the granule cells of the hippocampal dentate gyrus, showed response perseveration in the passive avoidance task and were generally non-competitive in the dominance situations when compared to non-irradiated control animals. The single exception to this was noted in the test where an experimental rat and control animal were competing for a receptive female rat. Here the degranulated animals were strikingly superior to the control subjects with many more successful mounts. Some support for the response suppression model of hippocampal functioning was noted.
Immunogenicity of trivalent influenza vaccine in extremely low-birth-weight, premature versus term infants.

Background:Influenza vaccine immunogenicity in premature infants is incompletely characterized.Objective:To assess the immunogenicity of trivalent, inactivated influenza vaccine (TIV) in extremely low-birth-weight (≤1000 g birth weight) premature (<30 weeks gestation) infants. We hypothesized that g
REMOVAL AND DISSOCIATION OF EPITHELIAL CELLS FROM THE RODENT GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT.

WITH advances in the study of gastrointestinal physiology, knowledge of functions unique to the intact organ has accumulated. To facilitate investigations at a cellular level attempts have been made to obtain a pure suspension of epithelial cells for in vitro investigations. In procedures so far reported, there is contamination of the cell suspension by mesenchymal elements1–3. Additionally, abundant flora in the postnatal gut has hampered cellular maintenance and study. The following method largely overcomes these difficulties and provides a reliable cell sample for in vitro biochemical, anatomical, and immunological analysis.
Observations on the specificity of thermolysin with synthetic peptides.

Abstract It was found previously that thermolysin, a thermostable protease ( Endo, 1962, 1965 ), hydrolysed preferentially peptide bonds involving the amino groups of hydrophobic amino acid residues with bulky side chains in several protein substrates ( Matsubara et al., 1965 , Matsubara et al., 1966 . In the present study, several synthetic peptides were tested as substrates for thermolysin. Only one type of peptide, exemplified by Cbz (Carbobenzoxy)-Gly-Pro-Leu-Ala-Pro, which has been used as a substrate for collagenase ( Nagai, et al. , 1960 ), has previously been found to be a good substrate for thermolysin ( Ohta and Ogura, 1965 ). In the searching for simpler substrates it was found that Cbz-Gly-L-Phe-amide and Cbz-Ala-L-Leu-hydrazide were readily hydrolysed by thermolysin. The present communication compares several synthetic peptides and presents a discussion of the structural requirement for their susceptibility to hydrolysis by this enzyme.
Autoshaping in the goldfish

The target-striking response of the goldfish was classically conditioned to target-light color, the effectiveness of the pairing (of color and reinforcement) being demonstrated by appropriate controls.
Midterm Evaluation of Teaching Provides Helpful Feedback to Instructors

Advantages of using student evaluation of teaching effectiveness at midterm are discussed. They include receiving information on microbehaviors of teaching instead of global ratings, getting feedba...
Using Cultural Algorithms to generate models for archaic urban centers: The Monte Alban example

Although urban centers are taken for granted today, they have only been in existence for a relatively short period of time, several thousand years. In this paper the emergence of archaic or ancient urban centers is viewed as a Cultural Evolutionary process. The focus here is on one of the earliest urban centers in Meso-America, Monte Alban. The paper examines the first phase of settlement at this site, Monte Alban Ia, using tools from complex systems and data mining to construct structural-functional building blocks. These building blocks are then employed by a Cultural Algorithm to evolve structural functional models of the ancient urban center. The population of the Cultural Algorithm was a set of urban planning agents, each of whom competed to build up a high level model of the site from the building blocks. The best model is compared with existing models of modern cities in order to identify similarities and differences between ancient and modern cities. The resultant comparison suggests that early Monte Alban exhibited a sector-based model that is characteristic of some modern cities.
The Ageing Population and the Future of Healthcare Plans

This paper studies the relationship between healthcare expenditure and age. The positive relationship between age and healthcare expenditure observed in cross-sectional data may be caused by the fact that at age 70 and older, there are more individuals in their last two years of life. A validation of this hypothesis is done using cohort data of an insurance scheme.
Polarization of SN 1987A Revisited

The conventional picture for the origin of the polarization of a supernova is based on a model of Thomson or resonance scattering of photons traveling through an aspherical supernova atmosphere. Positive detection of intrinsic polarization in SN 1987A is then interpreted as evidence of an asymmetrical supernova atmosphere. We show here a different view based on the scattering of the supernova light by a dusty circumstellar material (CSM), or the "light echo" effect. At a given epoch after the explosion, the observed photons consist of both those propagating directly from the supernova and those scattered by dust particles in the CSM. Polarized light can be produced if the distribution of the dust particles is aspherical. The model can reproduce both the time evolution of the observed broadband polarization of SN 1987A and major features of the polarization spectra. It is also successful in providing a natural model for the early infrared light curve, in particular the observed 30 day delay of the IR maximum compared to the maximum of the bolometric light curve.
A Hybrid GA-based Scheduling Algorithm for Heterogeneous Computing Environments

We design a hybrid algorithm to schedule the execution of a group of dependent tasks for heterogeneous computing environments. The algorithm consists of two elements: a genetic algorithm (GA) to map tasks to processors, and a heuristic-based approach to assign the execution order of tasks. This algorithm takes advantage of both the exploration power of GA and the heuristics embedded in the scheduling problem, so it can effectively reduce the search space while not sacrificing the search quality. The experiments show that this algorithm performs consistently better than heterogeneous earliest-finish-time (HEFT) without incurring much computational cost. Multiple runs of the algorithm can further improve the search result.
Life cycle greenhouse gas assessment of infrastructure construction for California’s high-speed rail system

Abstract This study estimates of the life cycle greenhouse gas inventory for construction of high-speed rail infrastructure from San Francisco to Anaheim indicates it will result in 2.4 million metric tons of CO 2 with material production comprising 80% of emissions and transportation of construction materials, 16%. While tunneling and aerial structures account for only 15% of the route’s length, they are responsible for 60% of emissions. Based on estimates of avoided emissions from operation of the system of just over one million metric tons of CO 2 per year, construction emissions would be recuperated in about two years and their global warming effect in about six after services begin. This range of recuperation times is relatively short given the long-life of the constructed infrastructure. Avoided emissions estimates are dependent on ridership and if low ridership lead to a 75% decrease in offset emissions, recuperation times may increase to more than 20 years.
Potential Advantage of Flash Echocardiography for Digital Subtraction of B-Mode Images Acquired During Myocardial Contrast Echocardiography ☆ ☆☆ ★

Optimal assessment of myocardial perfusion with contrast echocardiography by using B-mode imaging often requires image alignment and background subtraction, which are time consuming and need extensive expertise. Flash echocardiography is a new technique in which primary images are gated to the electrocardiogram and secondary images are obtained by transmitting ultrasound pulses in rapid succession after each primary image. Myocardial opacification is seen in the primary image and not in the secondary images because of ultrasound-induced bubble destruction. Because the interval between the primary and first few secondary images is very short, cardiac motion between these images should be minimal. Therefore we hypothesized that 1 or more secondary images could be subtracted from the primary image without the need for image alignment. The ability of ultrasound to destroy microbubbles was assessed by varying the sampling rate, line density, and mechanical index in 6 open-chest dogs. The degree of translation between images was quantified in the x and y directions with the use of computer cross-correlation. At sampling rates of 158 Hz or less and a mechanical index of more than 0.6, videointensity rapidly declined to baseline levels by 25 ms. Significant translation between images was noted only at intervals of more than 112 ms. It is concluded that flash echocardiography can be used for digital subtraction of baseline from contrast-enhanced B-mode images without image alignment. Background subtraction is therefore feasible on-line, potentially eliminating the need for off-line image processing in the future.
Steady-state kinetic investigation of specific anion effects on the catalytic activity of yeast glutathione reductase.

Abstract The catalytic activity of yeast glutathione reduetase at pH 7.6 is sensitive to the sodium phosphate buffer concentration and the presence of monovalent sodium salts in the assay medium. Low concentrations of sodium phosphate activate and high concentrations inhibit enzymatic activity. The optimal concentration is at about 0.06 m sodium phosphate. In the presence of 0.06 m sodium phosphate, addition of a variety of monovalent sodium salts results in inhibition of enzymatic activity, the inhibition being competitive with respect to NADPH and noncompetitive with respect to oxidized glutathione. At suboptimal concentrations of sodium phosphate, addition of monovalent sodium salts activates enzymatic activity. In addition, at suboptimal sodium phosphate concentration Lineweaver-Burk plots of initial velocity at constant NADPH concentration with oxidized glutathione as the variable substrate are nonlinear, being concave down. The nonlinear behavior can be eliminated by addition of 0.1 m sodium chloride. It is concluded that there are at least two specific anion binding sites at or near the enzyme active site. The anion inhibition is explained in terms of an ordered sequential mechanism for glutathione reduetase. The anion activation is analyzed in terms of a change of reaction pathway, the reactive enzyme species being dependent upon the oxidized glutathione concentration.
Theoretical Study of the Effect of Surface Density on the Dynamics of Ar + Alkanethiolate Self-Assembled Monolayer Collisions†

We present a classical-trajectory study of energy transfer in collisions of Ar atoms with alkanethiolate self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of different densities. The density of the SAMs is varied by changing the distance between the alkanethiolate chains in the organic monolayers. Our calculations indicate that SAMs with smaller packing densities absorb more energy from the impinging Ar atoms, in agreement with recent molecular-beam scattering experiments. We find that energy transfer is enhanced by a decrease in the SAM density because (1) less dense SAMs increase the probability of multiple encounters between Ar and the SAM, (2) the vibrational frequencies of large-amplitude motions of the SAM chains decrease for less dense SAMs, which makes energy transfer more efficient in single-encounter collisions, and (3) increases in the distance between chains promote surface penetration of the Ar atom. Analysis of angular distributions reveals that the polar-angle distributions do not have a cosine shape in trapping-desorption processes involving penetration of the Ar atom into the alkanethiolate self-assembled monolayers. Instead, there is a preference for Ar atoms that penetrate the surface to desorb along the chain-tilt direction.
Emerging Trends in the Food Distribution System

Abstract Two trends, the drive for differentiation and the clamor for collaboration, are emerging from intermediaries in the food distribution system. Differentiation by large manufacturers and retailers will encourage more direct marketing by farmers. Although differentiation by manufacturers creates entry barriers for small firms, differentiation by retailers may open opportunities. Some collaboration initiatives will increase the supply chain efficiency up to the retailer, but adoption rates of collaborative technologies by stores will likely be slow. With more differentiation, consumers will have greater choice. Some technologies that could boost the efficiency of the food distribution system may be resisted by consumers.
The Expansion of Neoliberal Economic Reforms in Latin America

This article seeks to explain why most Latin American countries have expanded market-oriented reforms since the 1980s despite their generally disappointing economic results. To explain deepening liberal economic reform, we test panel data for 15 Latin American countries from 1980 to 1995, using Beck and Katz' panel-corrected standard errors regression. Controlling for several competing explanations, we find that, except under fragmented party systems, high inflation promotes the expansion of economic reforms. We then show how our results are consistent with Weyland's (1996) use of prospect theory as well as Rodrik's (1994) work on the distributional effects of high inflation. Since the late 1980s nearly all Latin American countries have adopted marketoriented, neoliberal reforms.' Economic hardship caused, in part, by the previous initiation of import-substituting industrialization (ISI) policies, convinced these governments to reduce the role and size of the state in the economy. However, after more than 15 years of market-oriented reforms in the region, strong economic
Vernix Caseosa: Formation and Functions

Abstract Native vernix is a multifunctional skin cream with properties of skin moisturization/hydration, anti-infective, skin cleansing, skin barrier repair, wound healing, and skin barrier protection against irritants. Vernix facilitates formation of the stratum corneum (SC) in utero through yet to be fully determined mechanisms. It enables development of the SC barrier in the normal, full term infant through a variety of protective and adaptive mechanisms. The findings provide support for the practice keeping vernix on the skin at birth and waiting at least six hours prior to bathing newborn infants.
Distributed convex optimization with identical constraints

This paper presents a gossip-style, distributed asynchronous algorithm that solves constrained optimization problems over networks with time-varying topologies, where the objective function is a sum of uniformly strictly convex local objective functions belonging to nodes in the network, and the inequality and equality constraint functions are convex and identical to every node. Referred to as Pairwise Equalizing (PE), the algorithm operates by forcing the nodes' estimates of the unknown minimizer to asymptotically achieve consensus while satisfying a conservation condition derived from the Karush-Kuhn-Tucker condition. We show that as long as the gossiping pattern is sufficiently rich, PE achieves asymptotic convergence and solves the problem. The proposed algorithm represents an alternative to the existing subgradient algorithms and generalizes our earlier algorithm for problems without constraints.
Cryopreservation of rat cortical synaptosomes and analysis of glucose and glutamate transporter activities, and mitochondrial function

Direct comparisons of synaptic functional parameters in brain tissues from different groups of experimental animals and different samples from post mortem human brain are often hindered by the inability to perform assays at the same time. To circumvent these difficulties we developed methods for cryopreservation and long-term storage of neocortical synaptosomes. The synaptosomes are suspended in a cryopreservation medium containing 10% dimethylsulfoxide and 10% fetal bovine serum, and are slowly cooled to -80 degreesC and then stored in liquid nitrogen. The function of plasma membrane glucose and glutamate transporters, and mitochondrial electron transport activity and membrane potential were measured in fresh, cryopreserved (CP), and non-cryopreserved freeze-thawed (NC) synaptosomes. Glucose and glutamate transporter activities, and mitochondrial functional parameters in CP synaptosomes were essentially identical to those in fresh unfrozen synaptosomes. Glucose and glutamate transport were severely compromised in NC synaptosomes, whereas mitochondrial function and cellular esterase activity were largely maintained. Electron paramagnetic resonance studies in conjunction with a protein-specific spin label indicated that cryopreservation did not alter the physical state of synaptosomal membrane proteins. These methods provide the opportunity to generate stocks of functional synaptosomes from different experiments or post mortem samples collected over large time intervals.
Fish and Long-Chain ω-3 Fatty Acid Intake and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease and Total Mortality in Diabetic Women

Background— Although several prospective cohort studies have found an inverse association between fish consumption and risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) or sudden cardiac death in the general population, limited data are available among diabetic patients. Methods and Results— We examined prospectively the association between intake of fish and ω-3 fatty acids and risk of CHD and total mortality among 5103 female nurses with diagnosed type 2 diabetes but free of cardiovascular disease or cancer at baseline. Between 1980 and 1996 (45 845 person-years of follow-up), we documented 362 incident cases of CHD (141 CHD deaths and 221 nonfatal myocardial infarctions) and 468 deaths from all causes. Compared with women who seldom consumed fish (<1 serving/mo), the relative risks (RRs) (95% CI) of CHD adjusted for age, smoking, and other established coronary risk factors were 0.70 (0.48 to 1.03) for fish consumption 1 to 3 times per month, 0.60 (0.42 to 0.85) for once per week, 0.64 (0.42 to 0.99) for 2 to 4 time...
Direct Numerical Simulation and Linear Stability Analysis of the Flow in a Pebble Bed

The flow in a tightly packed array of spheres is important to various engineering fields. In nuclear engineering applications, for instance, researchers have proposed core geometries of the pebble bed reactor (PBR) type cooled by gas or molten salt. Proper core cooling, both at operation and during accident conditions, is a key issue that must be addressed in any reactor design; and the limited amount of data available for the complicated geometry of PBR cores makes this task even more complex. A detailed understanding of coolant flow patterns and properties must be developed in order to meet safety requirements and ensure core longevity.We address this issue by using the spectral-element computational fluid dynamics code Nek5000, developed at Argonne National Laboratory, to conduct both large eddy simulation (LES) and direct numerical simulation (DNS) of fluid flow through a single face-centered cubic sphere lattice with periodic boundary conditions. Moreover, a statistical analysis of the flow field and a global linear stability analysis of the laminar flow were performed in order to investigate the mechanism of laminar-turbulent transition in this geometry. One of the main objectives of the present study is, in fact, to determine how the Reynolds number affects the development of asymmetries within the flow patterns.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Soluble adenylyl cyclase mediates bicarbonate-dependent corneal endothelial cell protection

Cyclic AMP produced from membrane receptor complex bound adenylyl cyclases is protective in corneal endothelial cells (CEC). CEC also express soluble adenylyl cyclase (sAC), which is localized throughout the cytoplasm. When activated by HCO3−, cAMP concentration ([cAMP]) increases by ∼50%. Here we ask if cAMP produced from sAC is also protective. We examined the effects of HCO3−, pH, phosphodiesterase 4 inhibition by rolipram, sAC inhibition by 2HE (2-hydroxyestradiol), and sAC small interfering RNA (siRNA) knockdown on basal and staurosporine-mediated apoptosis. HCO3− (40 mM) or 50 μM rolipram raised [cAMP] to similar levels and protected endothelial cells by 50% relative to a HCO3−-free control, whereas 2HE, which decreased [cAMP] by 40%, and H89 (PKA inhibitor) doubled the apoptotic rate. sAC expression was reduced by two-thirds in the absence of HCO3− and was reduced to 15% of control by sAC siRNA. Protection by HCO3− was eliminated in siRNA-treated cells. Similarly, caspase-3 activity and cytochrome c release were reduced by HCO3− and enhanced by 2HE or siRNA. Analysis of percent annexin V+ cells as a function of [cAMP] revealed an inverse, nonlinear relation, suggesting a protective threshold [cAMP] of 10 pmol/mg protein. Relative levels of phosphorylated cAMP response element binding protein and phosphorylated Bcl-2 were decreased in CEC treated with 2HE or siRNA, suggesting that HCO3−-dependent endogenous sAC activity can mobilize antiapoptotic signal transduction. Overall, our data suggest a new role for sAC in endogenous cellular protection.
The equation xyz = x + y + z = 1 in integers of a cubic field.

We determine all cubic number fields such that the title equation has a solution in the ring of integers of the field.
A profile of PR directors in British companies

Examines the role of public relations (PR) officers in British companies and the use of corporate communications. States that the PR role covers a wide area and varies from company to company. Concludes, however, that the role of the PR officer directly impacts on the strategy of the company and its strategic communications.
Combined magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopic imaging approach to molecular imaging of prostate cancer.

Magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) provides a noninvasive method of detecting small molecular markers (historically the metabolites choline and citrate) within the cytosol and extracellular spaces of the prostate, and is performed in conjunction with high-resolution anatomic imaging. Recent studies in pre-prostatectomy patients have indicated that the metabolic information provided by MRSI combined with the anatomical information provided by MRI can significantly improve the assessment of cancer location and extent within the prostate, extracapsular spread, and cancer aggressiveness. Additionally, pre- and post-therapy studies have demonstrated the potential of MRI/MRSI to provide a direct measure of the presence and spatial extent of prostate cancer after therapy, a measure of the time course of response, and information concerning the mechanism of therapeutic response. In addition to detecting metabolic biomarkers of disease behavior and therapeutic response, MRI/MRSI guidance can improve tissue selection for ex vivo analysis. High-resolution magic angle spinning ((1)H HR-MAS) spectroscopy provides a full chemical analysis of MRI/MRSI-targeted tissues prior to pathologic and immunohistochemical analyses of the same tissue. Preliminary (1)H HR-MAS spectroscopy studies have already identified unique spectral patterns for healthy glandular and stromal tissues and prostate cancer, determined the composition of the composite in vivo choline peak, and identified the polyamine spermine as a new metabolic marker of prostate cancer. The addition of imaging sequences that provide other functional information within the same exam (dynamic contrast uptake imaging and diffusion-weighted imaging) have also demonstrated the potential to further increase the accuracy of prostate cancer detection and characterization.
Identification and initial characterization of a putative neuromedin B-type receptor from rat urinary bladder membranes

Receptor binding site(s) on the rat urinary bladder membranes were characterized using a biologically active analog of bombesin, [Tyr4,Leu14]bombesin, and a 50,000 x g total particulate preparation. The binding was specific, reversible, saturable, time- and concentration-dependent. A dissociation curve showed that both bombesin and neuromedin B equally displaced the radioligand in the first 10 min after saturation. From the rate constant of association K + 1 = 7.60 x 10(9) M-1 min-1, and the rate constant of dissociation k-1 = 0.050 min-1, the apparent equilibrium dissociation constant Kd = 6.57 +/- 1.09 pM was determined. A linear Scatchard plot of the specific binding of 125I-[Tyr4,Leu14]bombesin to the membranes revealed that the radioligand bound with high affinity, Kd = 6.38 +/- 0.86 pM, to a single class of sites (Bmax = 2.3 fmol/mg protein). The Hill coefficient of the same binding data was 1.05 +/- 0.21, indicating that the radioligand was binding to a single population of noninteracting binding sites. Both bombesin and neuromedin B displaced the radioligand dose dependently (IC50 = 0.3 nM). Neurokinin A and neurokinin B were less potent (IC50 = 20 and 110 nM, respectively). Substance P, or the specific bombesin receptor antagonists [D-Phe6]bombesin-(6-13) methyl ester, [D-F5Phe6,D-Ala11]bombesin-(6-11) methyl ester, [D-Phe6]bombesin-(6-13) propylamide, [D-Phe6,Leu13psi(CH2NH)Leu14]bombesin or [D-Cpa6,Phe14(psi13-14)]bombesin-(6-14) had an IC50 greater than 1 microM. The results presented suggest the presence of neuromedin B receptor sites on the rat urinary bladder membranes that can be occupied also by some other peptides, notably bombesin, neurokinin A and neurokinin B.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The metabolism of iodotyrosines. IV. Metabolism of L-diiodotyrosine in patients with hypothyroidism.

WHEN diiodotyrosine labeled with radioactive iodine is administered to normal subjects, almost all of the labeled iodine which appears in the urine is in the form of inorganic iodide. Albert and Keating (1), observing the disposal of labeled diiodotyrosine in 3 patients with treated myxedema, found that only approximately 5 per cent appeared in the urine as diiodotyrosine. The optical activity of the diiodotyrosine was not stated. Entirely comparable results have been obtained in 15 euthyroid patients with various diseases (2). When labeled racemic (dl) diiodotyrosine was injected intravenously into 3 patients with hypothyroidism and goiter, however, the labeled iodine which appeared in the urine was in the form of diiodotyrosine (3). No deiodination of diiodotyrosine could be demonstrated. Identical findings were obtained in 2 of these patients after they had been treated with desiccated thyroid. In the present study, the urinary disposal of levorotatory diiodotyrosine has been observed in a group of pat...
Hydrosilation in Supercritical CO2: Synthesis of Fluorinated Polysiloxanes

Hydrosilation of poly(methylhydrosiloxane) with a fluorinated olefin in supercritical CO2 (scCO 2 ) using Karstedt's Pt catalyst has been successfully demonstrated; results were compared with those obtained in a subcritical conventional solvent, i.e. toluene. Rates of hydrosilation were found to be dependent on solvent, reactant concentration, and reaction temperature. Levels of hydrosilation were 40-50%, depending on reaction conditions. Gel formation, which was not observed under any conditions in subcritical toluene, occurred in all reactions done in scCO 2 and accounted for up to 20 wt.-% of the final product mix.
Human Carrier of the Psittacosis Virus

The carrier and shedder stage so common in spontaneous psittacosis of many species of birds and readily produced by inoculation of mammalian and avian hosts has not been recognized in man with certainty, although the observations reported by Gerlach as early as 1936 suggested such a condition. The Austrian investigator had isolated the psittacosis agent from the sputum of five patients without clinical symptoms of parrot fever. The examination of a patient with a persistent cough led to the isolation of the psittacosis virus from the respiratory discharges 8 and probably 10 years after a severe acute attack. This unusual opportunity was chosen to make a detailed study of the infective agent. With the methods now available it was not possible to demonstrate that the strain acquired characteristics which would place it into the human pneumonitis group. Antigenically, it is related to the meningopneumonitis agent.
Line shape of the electroreflectance spectra in germanium

Abstract By modifying the experimental conditions of the semiconductor in electrolyte electroreflectance technique we have been able to obtain the flat band condition at the surface and therefore obtain results which can be simply interpreted. In particular it is shown that the Kramers-Kronig transforms of the electro-absorption experiments where the field is known and uniform agree quite well with our new electroreflectance data at the direct edge of germanium. The agreement between the two methods allows a direct determination of the effective electric field in the electroreflectance experiments. It is found that the effective electric field is directly related to the average penetration depth of the photons and therefore explains the increasing width of the electroreflectance lines with energy observed in all previous experiments.
A simple efficient synthesis of [23,24]-13C2-labeled bile salts as NMR probes of protein-ligand interactions

The synthesis of [23,24]-13C2-labeled bile salts is achieved through a steroidal side chain degradation and isotopic regeneration strategy. Three common bile acids were degraded to the corresponding C22 aldehyde by an oxidative decarboxylation followed by ozonolysis. The side chain was subsequently regenerated via a Horner–Emmons reaction using an ylide generated from 13C2-labeled bromoacetic acid. These compounds were used as probes of protein–bile salt interactions using two- and three-dimensional NMR techniques.
Routine operative breast endoscopy during lumpectomy.

Background: Lumpectomy for the management of breast cancer is commonly directed by mammography or ultrasound. We hypothesized that fluid-producing ducts would likely connect to the site of the known cancerous or precancerous lesion and that endoscopic evaluation might reveal unsuspected additional disease. Methods: All women undergoing lumpectomy in a single surgeon’ practice from January 2000 to August 2001 were evaluated for fluid production from the nipple at the time of lumpectomy. All fluid-producing ducts were cannulated and endoscoped with a 0.9-mm Acueity microendoscope. Results: Of the 201 patients (16 with atypical ductal hyperplasia, 52 with ductal carcinoma-in-situ, and 133 with stage 1 or 2 breast cancers), 150 (74.6%) could be successfully dilated and scoped. Additional lesions outside the anticipated lumpectomy were identified in 41% (n = 83) of cases. If successful, the chances for a positive margin for cancer decreased from 23.5% to only 5.0%. Endoscopy proved to be a useful adjunct in this series of patients because it identified all cases of extensive intraductal component in early-stage breast cancer. Conclusions: Routine operative breast endoscopy can reduce the need for re-excision lumpectomy. It also finds substantially more cancerous and precancerous disease than anticipated by routine preoperative mammography and ultrasound.
Liquid Extraction From Produced Gas on small Oil Leases

''Micro'' gas plants, small, refrigerated, liquid extraction plants that are capable of removing hydrocarbon liquids from small gas production streams normally associated with oil production operations are described and the processes involved are discussed. Operation and maintenance of these small units are described. Two examples are presented to illustrate application of the small units. Although not all lease operations can benefit from these units, small liquid extraction units can recover substantial volumes of propane, butane, and natural gasoline (often called liquifiable natural gases or LNG) from produced gas streams on many small oil leases.
Dominating sets whose closed stars form spanning trees

Abstract For a subset W of vertices of an undirected graph G , let S ( W ) be the subgraph consisting of W , all edges incident to at least one vertex in W , and all vertices adjacent to at least one vertex in W . If there exists a W such that S ( W ) is a tree containing all the vertices of G , then S ( W ) is a spanning star tree of G . These and associated notions are related to connected and/or acyclic dominating sets and also arise in the study of A-trails in Eulerian plane graphs. Among the results in this paper are a characterization of those values of n and m for which there exists a connected graph with n vertices and m edges that has no spanning star tree, and a proof that finding spanning star trees is in general NP-hard.
Vehicle tracking for urban surveillance

Tracking is widely used in a variety of computer vision applications, ranging from video surveillance to medical imaging. The principal goal of tracking is to first identify regions of interest in a scene, and to then monitor the movements or changes of the object through the image sequence. In this paper, we focus on unsupervised vehicle tracking for low resolution aerial images taken from an urban area. Various optical effects have traditionally made this tracking problem very challenging. Objects are often lost in tracking due to intensity changes that result from shadowed or partially occluded regions of an image. Additionally, the presence of multiple vehicles in a scene can lead to mistakes in tracking and significantly increased computation time. We propose a feature-based tracking algorithm herein that will seek to mitigate these limitations. To first isolate vehicles in the initial frame, we apply three-frame change detection to the registered images. Feature points are identified in the labelled regions using the Harris corner criteria. To track a feature point from one frame to the next, we search for the point around a predicted location, determined from the feature's previous motion, that minimizes the sum-of-squared-differences value. Finally, during the course of the image sequence, our algorithm constantly searches for new objects that might have entered the scene. We will demonstrate the success of our tracking approach through experimental considerations.
Photoreactions of Polymeric (Meth)acryloylethyl PhenylglyoxylateReactivity in Solution and Film1

Photochemical reactions of poly[(meth)acryloylethyl phenylglyoxylate] in aprotic solvents were studied, and cross-linking of the polymer caused by a hydrogen abstraction reaction between pendent phenylglyoxylate chromophores was observed. The Norrish type II reaction, a primary photochemical process of the phenylglyoxylate chromophore, does not compete with this hydrogen abstraction. Poly[(meth)acryloylethyl phenylglyoxylate] was tested as a negative-tone photoimaging material and found to have a sensitivity of 110 mJ·cm-2 and a contrast ratio of 0.75 after imagewise irradiation. The resolution achieved under conventional laboratory conditions was 2 μm.
Using cross-country variances to evaluate growth theories

Abstract Much of the empirical growth literature has attempted to evaluate growth theories by estimating regressions that relate the growth rate of per capita output for a sample of countries to initial per capita output and country characteristics. The resulting inferences are shown to be invalid except under strong conditions. An alternative method that uses cross-country variances is formulated and shown to produce valid inferences under weak conditions. Applying this method to data from thirteen countries over the period 1870–1989 provides no evidence that their per capita outputs have different trend growth rates and much evidence that they revert toward a common trend. This evidence does not support those endogenous growth theories that predict appreciably different trend growth rates across countries.