cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Image intensifier-based volume tomographic angiography imaging system: system evaluation

An image intensifier-based rotational volume tomographic angiography imaging system has been constructed. The system consists of an x-ray tube and an image intensifier that are separately mounted on a gantry. This system uses an image intensifier coupled to a charge coupled device (CCD) camera as a two-dimensional detector so that a set of two-dimensional projections can be acquired for a direct three-dimensional reconstruction (3D). A computer simulation has been performed to quantify the reconstruction error due to using 'a single circle cone beam geometry.' The results from the computer simulation indicate that the reconstruction error is relatively small compared to object contrast encountered in intra- arterial angiography. In this study, a scatter and veiling glare correction technique is reported. This technique put a beam stop array behind a phantom and in front of the image intensifier to estimate the scatter and veiling glare distribution. Then the primary beam distribution was estimated by subtracting the scatter and veiling glare distribution from the total detected radiation distribution. After obtaining the primary projections, a direct 3D reconstruction was obtained. The experimental results indicate that image contrast can be substantially improved by applying our scatter and veiling glare correction technique.
THE RELATIVE COSTS OF SELF- AND CROSS-FERTILIZED SEEDS IN IMPATIENS CAPENSIS (BALSAMINACEAE)'

By using a generally applicable technique that involves monitoring the development and survivorship of flowers and seed capsules, I estimated the material and energetic costs of producing self- and cross-fertilized seeds in Impatiens capensis. All flowers and fruits on six plants were censused intensively for the two-month period of reproduction. Cleistogamous (selfing) flowers ripened seed in about 24 days, compared to about 36 days for the chasmogamous (outcrossing) flowers. In terms of dry weight, selfed seeds cost about two-thirds as much as outcrossed seeds: 12.4 versus 18.4 mg dry weight per seed. When adjusted to the currency of calories, and including an independent estimate of pollen and nectar production in outcrossing flowers, I estimate the costs to be about 65 and 135 calories per selfed or outcrossed seed. Sources of error include the accuracy of the estimates of flower and fruit weight, and possible differences among the developmental stages in respiratory costs. The cost discrepancy implies that outcrossed seeds should possess a countervailing fitness advantage large enough to offset their greater energetic cost.
Relationships of Extreme Body Types to Ranges of Flexibility

Abstract Data were collected from 105 of the fattest, thinnest, and most muscular students at Pennsylvania State University to investigate the relationship of these extreme body types to ranges of flexibility. Anatomical and statistical procedures were used to discover the association. X-rays failed to indicate any significant cause for extreme ranges of flexibility. Statistical analysis demonstrated concurrence among important variables to a signficant degree.
Microchip-Based Assay Systems: Methods and Applications. Pierre N. Floriano, editor. Totowa, NJ: Humana Press, 2007, 229 pp; (hardcover). ISBN 978-1-59745-426-1

This is volume 385 in the long-established Methods in Molecular Biology series and is devoted to analytical microchips (lab-on-a-chip), one of the most actively developing areas in analytical chemistry and analytical biochemistry. The scope of analytical microchips spans microfluidic chips that allow control of microliter volumes of fluid, bioelectronic chips that incorporate both microfluidic and electronic control or detection components, and microarray chips formed from dense arrays of protein or nucleic acid reagents. Applications for each type of chip are presented among the 16 chapters in this book. This volume places heavy emphasis on analytical microchips fabricated from polymers, such …
Toll-like receptor deficiency worsens inflammation and lymphedema after lymphatic injury

Mechanisms regulating lymphedema pathogenesis remain unknown. Recently, we have shown that lymphatic fluid stasis increases endogenous danger signal expression, and these molecules influence lympha...
Epidermal growth factor-dependent phosphorylation of lipocortin

Lipocortin-like proteins are a family of steroid-induced inhibitors of phospholipase activity with potential anti-inflammatory activity (for reviews see refs 1, 2). Related proteins have been detected in a variety of tissues and species3–7. The best characterized form is a protein of relative molecular mass (Mr)∼40,000 (40K), which is phosphorylated in vivo by protein tyrosine kinases and by protein serine-threonine kinases8,9. It has been proposed that the phospholipase inhibitory activity of lipocortin can be regulated by its phosphorylation5. In the A431 cell line, a protein of ∼35K is phosphorylated by the protein tyrosine kinase activity of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor10. Here we report that human lipocortin is phosphorylated near its amino terminus by the EGF receptor/kinase. By peptide mapping and immunological analyses, we show that lipocortin and the endogenous 35K substrate for the EGF receptor/kinase from A431 cells are the same protein.
Screening for Glaucomatous Visual Field Loss: The Effect of Patient Reliability

Eighty-eight glaucoma patients and 252 normal subjects underwent C-30-2 testing on the Humphrey Field Analyzer. The effect of fixation losses, high false-positive and false-negative response rates on visual field test results was assessed using the mirror image method of detecting asymmetry across the horizontal meridian, and the Humphrey STATPAC pattern standard deviation (PSD) and mean deviation (MD). Glaucoma patients with poor fixation (greater than or equal to 20%) had less depressed fields and fewer localized defects than those with good fixation. Fixation loss did not affect measures of localized defects or generalized depression among normal subjects. High false-positive rates (greater than or equal to 10%) were associated with less-depressed visual fields among glaucoma patients and normal subjects. Visual fields were depressed by an average of 9 dB for glaucoma patients and 7 dB for normal subjects with high false-negative rates (greater than or equal to 33%), when compared with those with low false-negative rates. Apparent localized defects were observed among normal subjects with high false-negative rates. Most of these defects were located in the superior nasal and adjacent arcuate area.
A short-scan reconstruction for cone-beam CT using shift-invariant FBP and equal weighting.

A 3D reconstruction formula has been derived for a circular cone-beam (CB) short scan using 1D shift-invariant filtering, CB backprojection, and equal weighting. By first converting the divergent projections to parallel projections, we analyze the circular CB data using the classic central slice theorem. The sampling density in Fourier space is investigated and 1D shift-invariant filtering before backprojection can be used to compensate for the nonuniformity. The final formula consists of a conventional FDK reconstruction and a correction term using differential backprojection and the 1D Hilbert transform in the image domain. On a full scan, the approach reduces to the FDK algorithm, while for a short scan, the CB artifacts are suppressed by the second term. This algorithm outperforms the modified FDK algorithm with Parker’s weighting, as illustrated by computer simulations and experimental results. Due to its shift-invariant filtered-backprojection structure, the proposed algorithm is implemented efficiently, and requires a simple adaptation of the FDK algorithm.
The Promises and the Challenges of Social Movement Unionism

The Voice of Southern Labor: Radio, Music, and Textile Strikes, 1929–1934. Vincent J. Roscigno and William F. Danaher. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2004. Reorganizing the Rust Belt: An Inside Study of the American Labor Movement. Steven Henry Lopez. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2004. Rebuilding Labor: Organizing and Organizers in the New Union Movement. Ruth Milkman and Kim Voss editors. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2004.
Combination vs. disproportionation in dialkyl biradicals. Selectivity reversal in a crystalline solid.

While 1,6-biradicals produced by photodecarbonylation of dimethyl 11-oxodibenzo[c,h]bicyclo[4.4.1]undeca-3,8-diene-1,6-dicarboxylate (1) react exclusively by disproportionation in benzene solution, reactions in crystals lead to radical–radical combination reactions in almost quantitative yield.
Modification of Hauser--Feshbach calculations by direct-reaction channel coupling.

Abstract If open channels are strongly coupled by direct reactions, the traditional Hauser-Feshbach method of calculating fluctuation cross sections is invalid, because of non-statistical correlations which the direct channel-coupling induces between resonance partial widths in different channels. The fluctuation cross sections can still be computed from the optical S-matrix elements, however, and the formulas necessary for doing so are obtained here with the aid of an “optical background” representation of the full S-matrix. The resulting compound-elastic cross section is increased over the Hauser-Feshbach expression by a factor of 2(Γ ⪢ D) or 3(Γ ⪡ D) in the large-N limit, and compound-reaction cross sections are increased by roughly a factor of (N + 1) N , where N is the number of directly-coupled open channels.
Intensity and Amount of Physical Activity in Relation to Insulin Sensitivity: The Insulin Resistance Atherosclerosis Study

Context.—Exercise training is associated with improved insulin sensitivity (SI), but the potential impact of habitual, nonvigorous activity is uncertain.Objective.—To determine whether habitual, nonvigorous physical activity, as well as vigorous and overall activity, is associated with better SI.Design.—A multicultural epidemiologic study.Setting.—The Insulin Resistance Atherosclerosis Study, conducted in Oakland, Calif; Los Angeles, Calif; the San Luis Valley, Colo; and San Antonio, Tex.Participants.—A total of 1467 men and women of African American, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic white ethnicity, aged 40 to 69 years, with glucose tolerance ranging from normal to mild non–insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.Main Outcome Measure.—Insulin sensitivity as measured by an intravenous glucose tolerance test.Results.—The mean SI for individuals who participated in vigorous activity 5 or more times per week was 1.59 min−1·µU−1·mL−1·10−4 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.39-1.79) compared with 0.90 (95% CI, 0.83-0.97) for those who rarely or never participated in vigorous activity, after adjusting for potential confounders (P<.001). When habitual physical activity (estimated energy expenditure [EEE]) was assessed by 1-year recall of activities, the correlation coefficient between SI and total EEE was 0.14 (P<.001). After adjustment for confounders, vigorous and nonvigorous levels of EEE (metabolic equivalent levels ≥6.0 and <6.0, respectively) were each positively and independently associated with SI (P≤.01 for each). The association was attenuated after adjustment for the potential mediators, body mass index (a measure of weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters), and waist-to-hip ratio. Results were similar for subgroups of sex, ethnicity, and diabetes.Conclusions.—Increased participation in nonvigorous as well as overall and vigorous physical activity was associated with significantly higher SI. These findings lend further support to current public health recommendations for increased moderate-intensity physical activity on most days.
Symbol Comprehension and Learning: A "Vocabulary" Test of Three Chimpanzees ( Pan Troglodytes )

Language comprehension in the great apes has been investigated through a variety of paradigms. This experiment employed a match-to-sample computer task to investigate the current language comprehension of three chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) raised in different language environments but with a similar symbol system (lexigrams). Each of these animals still uses the lexigram keyboard system on a daily basis but none of the animals are the focus of ongoing ape language research programs. Six testing conditions were employed utilizing photographs, lexigrams and spoken English. The results indicated that all apes retained knowledge of at least some of the symbols that they had previously learned, and they each learned differing numbers of new lexigrams that were never taught to them. This indicates that rearing history is important not only in initial symbol acquisition in apes, but also in extended recall of the symbols, particularly when those symbols are used infrequently later in life. Differences in the current ages of these apes requires that such a conclusion be made tentatively, and suggests the need to continue the examination of symbol vocabulary size at various times throughout the life of each ape.
Size requirement of polyinosinic acid for DNA synthesis, viral resistance, and increased survival of leukaemic mice.

THIS study correlates the molecular size requirements of polyinosinic acid (poly I) and polyacrylic acid in four systems: (a) release of restrictions on nuclear DNA template activity; (b) prolongation of the survival time of mice inoculated with L1210 leukaemia cells; (c) production of interferon-like substances in the mouse; and (d) induction of viral resistance in cultured mouse fibroblasts (L929).
The Effects of Changing Fuels on Hot Gas Path Conditions in Syngas Turbines

Gas turbines in integrated gasification combined cycle power plants burn a fuel gas (syngas) in which the proportions of hydrocarbons, H2, CO, water vapor, and minor impurity levels may differ significantly from those in natural gas. Such differences can yield changes in the temperature, pressure, and corrosive species that are experienced by critical components in the hot gas path, with important implications in the design, operation, and reliability of the turbine. A new data structure and computational methodology is presented for the numerical simulation of a turbine thermodynamic cycle for various fuel types. The approach used allows efficient handling of turbine components and different variable constraints due to fuel changes. Examples are presented for a turbine with four stages. The vanes and blades were considered to be cooled in an open circuit, with air provided from the appropriate compressor stages. A constraint was placed on the maximum metal temperature and values were calculated for the fuel flow rates, airflow ratios, and coolant flow rates for cases where the turbine was fired with natural gas, NG, or syngas, SG. One NG case was conducted to assess the effect of coolant pressure matching between the compressor extraction points and corresponding turbine injectionmore » points. It was found that pressure matching is a feature that must be considered for high combustion temperatures. The first series of SG simulations was conducted using the same inlet mass flow and pressure ratios as those for the NG case. The results showed that higher coolant flow rates and a larger number of cooled turbine rows were needed for the SG case to comply with imposed temperature constraint. Thus, for this first case, the turbine size would be different for SG than for NG. In order to maintain the original turbine configuration (i.e., geometry, diameters, blade heights, angles, and cooling circuit characteristics) for the SG simulations, a second series of simulations was carried out in which the inlet mass flow was varied while keeping constant the pressure ratios and the amount of hot gas passing the first vane of the turbine. The effects of turbine matching between the NG and SG cases were increases for the SG case of approximately 7 and 13 % for total cooling flows and cooling flows for the first vane, respectively. In particular, for the SG case, the vane in the last stage of the turbine experienced inner wall temperatures that approached the maximum allowable limit.« less
Comorbidity of eating disorders with bipolar disorder and treatment implications.

Objectives: To review the scientific evidence examining the comorbidity among eating disorders and bipolar disorder (BD). Methods: We reviewed all published English-language studies addressing the comorbidity of anorexia nervosa, bulimia, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder in patients with BD and studies of comorbidity of BD in patients with eating disorders. In addition, we discuss the pharmacologic treatment implications from reviewed studies of agents used in BD and eating disorders. Results: Community and clinical population studies of the lifetime prevalence rates of eating disorders in patients with BD, and of BD in patients with eating disorders, particularly when subthreshold and spectrum manifestations of these disorders are included, indicate high rates of comorbidity among these illnesses. Conclusions: Pharmacologic treatment approaches to patients with BD and a co-occurring eating disorder require examination of the possible adverse effects of the treatment of each syndrome on the other and attempts to manage both syndromes with agents that might be beneficial to both.
Inaccurate documentation of HIV-positive status in adolescents visiting an urban emergency department.

Abstract Purpose: To identify the frequency of documentation of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive adolescents’ serostatus during urban pediatric emergency room visits, and to examine possible differences between those whose HIV positive serostatus was and was not documented. Methods: Between 1986 and 1996, 115 HIV-positive adolescents (41 male, 74 female) were followed for primary medical care at the Children’s National Medical Center’s adolescent HIV clinic (Burgess Clinic) in Washington, DC. A retrospective chart analysis of visits to the emergency room by these adolescent patients known to be HIV positive was conducted. Results: Forty-nine of the HIV patients (ages 10–23 years) visited the hospital’s emergency room a total of 124 times in the time following notification (range, 2 days to 15 years; mean, 2.6 years) of their seropositivity and joining the program. Twenty-nine of the patients had no HIV seropositivity recorded during one or more of their visits; this prevalence represents 38% of the 124 emergency room visits. Twenty of the HIV-positive emergency room patients had no seropositivity documented during any emergency department visit. Of all 124 visits, 45 involved potential health care worker exposure to the HIV virus. Diagnosis of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, CD4 count, age, gender, and year of visit did not differ among those with and without HIV documentation. Conclusion: Human immunodeficiency virus–positive adolescents are seen in this emergency room and their records do not reflect their infection status. These data reinforce the need for universal precautions for every patient.
Analysis and Comparison of Active Solar Desiccant and Absorption Cooling Systems: Part II—Annual Simulation Results

A comparative analysis has been performed to compare the cooling and dehumidification performance of future ventilation mode desiccant systems, proposed advanced absorption systems, and conventional vapor compression systems. A common framework has been developed for direct comparison of these different cooling technologies; this method is described in a companion paper. This paper presents the application of this method to annual simulations of cooling system performance in five cities.
Tolerance of Skin Heterografts in Adult Rats

THE survival of skin heterografts can be considered as a stage in the course of research on the achievement of acquired immunological tolerance in adult animals. In earlier reports, the achievement of agammaglobulinaemia in adult animals, treated with thymic extracts from young fœtal pigs, has been described4. It has been found that these extracts render animals permanently insensitive to foreign soluble proteins5, and even to antigammaglobulinaemia serum6. Antibodies present in the serum acted against gammaglobulinaemia in experimental animals, that is, mice. The permanent tolerance of skin homografts has also been achieved in 2 adult mice7.
Thoughts on industrial ecology, emerging technologies, and sustainability science

For anyone with an interest in social science, the evolution of the field of industrial ecology (IE) was fascinating not just substantively, but also socially and institutionally. Establishing an IE journal of record, for example, did not just help institutionalize ‘‘industrial ecology’’ as a legitimate field of study. It also necessarily raised a number of important questions. What articles are appropriate for such a journal; more broadly, what are the appropriate boundaries of IE? How does IE relate to other areas of study, such as life cycle assessment and ecological economics, whose boundaries are also somewhat unclear? Is IE primarily an engineering and scientific field, or should it include social science? More basically, perhaps, should IE be valued because it provides greater objective understanding of complicated industrial/environmental systems, or only in as much as it supports environmental (and, subsequently, sustainability) advocacy? Obviously, such questions have important methodological implications: should an IE study use the sort of quantitative, structured methods characteristic of engineering or scientific investigation, or should it rely on the more qualitative, even emotional, forms of analysis characteristic of the social sciences and environmental activism? They also have important social and community dimensions: who should be allowed to be part of the IE community, and consider themselves an industrial ecologist—and, therefore, get to publish in the journals, and attend the conferences, and use the academic infrastructures, and the employment and funding networks, which IE was building? These questions, decades old, still remain difficult for many in IE. These sorts of concerns also swirl around sustainability science, where they are, perhaps, even more vexed. Partially, this is because IE still focuses primarily on environmental issues, which are reasonably amenable to explication and even quantification, while sustainability science takes on the added challenge of working with social and cultural issues. This may appear to be a relatively small step, but it is, in actuality, huge, because many social issues are irreducibly normative. The methodological implications for sustainability science are also profound. For the sorts of issues IE addresses, objective heuristics (e.g., less use of toxics, increased energy efficiency) may often be available; there are, however, no heuristics that are not inevitably normative that can capture the social and cultural implications of most products for society. Moreover, unlike IE, sustainability science must, at some point, grapple with the unpredictability and uncertainty inherent in many of the complex integrated human/built/natural systems that characterize the B. Allenby (&) Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA e-mail: Braden.Allenby@asu.edu 1 For a longer discussion of these issues, see Allenby (2006).
Mathematical modeling of controlled release from a hollow fiber

Abstract The closed form solution to a mathematical model of a cylindrical membrane device successfully predicts the release profile of benzoic acid. Physically the device consists of a given concentration of benzoic acid in octanol or decanol, bounded by a nylon porous hollow fiber with water-filled pores. The prediction shows excellent agreement with the experimentally derived release profile from two different systems. In comparison to the experimentally derived release profile, the benzoic acid/octanol system prediction gives a maximum relative difference of
Acute suppurative appendicitis with abscess formation and subsequent perforation of the anterior abdominal wall.

Abstract A case of acute suppurative appendicitis with abscess formation and subsequent perforation of the anterior abdominal wall is presented. Concerning a mass in the abdominal wall, particularly one in the right lower quadrant, differential diagnosis should include extension of an appendiceal abscess. Cases similar to the one here reported have occurred but are comparatively rare at the present time. The probable manner in which the abdominal wall was invaded is discussed.
Hidden contours on a frame-buffer

To comply with drafting practices and because shaded images do not always reveal the internal or hidden structures of 3D models, designers need wireframe images with hidden lines dashed and nonconlour tesselation edges removed. Software techniques for wireframe rendering of polyhedra that require the viewpoint-dependent identilication of the visible portions of intersection and contour (i.e. silhouette) edges are too slow for interactive applications. Hardware support in contemporary graphics pipelines is unavailable or at best limited to the identification of contour edges. In this paper, new hardware assisted techniques for hidden-line removal and determination of contour edges are presented. The techniques do not require any face/edge adjacency information and can be implemented easily on any platform that supports a hardware z-buffer.
Intergroup Bias and Inequity: Legitimizing Beliefs and Policy Attitudes

Policy attitudes relating to group-based inequities are in many cases founded on tenuous legitimizing beliefs which are contradicted by empirical evidence. Policy issues, and their attendant legitimizing beliefs, are considered, including affirmative action, colorblindness/“racial privacy,” hate crime legislation, same-sex marriage, and, in greater depth, capital punishment and racial profiling. Primary themes underlying the legitimizing beliefs include denials that group-based biases and inequities exist, overestimations of the societal costs of inequity-reducing policies, valuing public safety above civil liberties, and discounting the adverse effects of inequity-reducing policies.
A sociological view on why firms differ

Much theory and research that apparently seeks to explain why firms differ actually addresses the question of why successful firms differ. This article explains why the two questions are different and explores some of the implications of this difference for the field of strategic management. A wide variety of organizational and economic theories are reviewed in this context, including contingency theory, resource dependence theory, process models, dispositional models, transaction cost economics, organizational ecology and institutional theory. Further discussion considers why heterogeneity persists at the firm level when it becomes apparent that only certain types of firms will succeed.
Evaluation of the Coulomb force via the Fredholm integral equation

The electrostatic force between two conducting spheres is solved exactly from Coulomb's law. The force is evaluated in two steps: (i) the charge distribution on each of the spheres is calculated as a function of separation distance by way of a solution to the Fredholm integral equation; (ii) the effect of the known charge distribution is integrated to obtain the electrostatic force. Evaluation of the electrostatic force is fast because the series expression for the charge distribution is `super converging', a characteristic trait for some Fredholm-type equations.
Electromagnetic-pulse propagation in a simple dispersive medium

Using a simple model, the resulting distortion for a transient plane wave propagating through a dissipative and dispersive medium is considered. The analysis is exact for the chosen form of the frequency dependence of the complex `relative permittivity?. The results have some relevance to the propagation of electromagnetic pulses through geological media.
``Magne-Blast'' Air Circuit Breaker for 5,000-Volt Service

Fundamental principles of magnetic action and thermal reaction have been united in an original manner to create a new circuit interrupter, the ``Magne-Blast'' air circuit breaker. Intended for general applications in switching, controlling, and protecting 2,300- to 5,000-volt circuits, this breaker, throughout a comprehensive test program, has proved satisfactory in every requirement. An open presentation of test results shows how an efficient arc chute functions thermally to decay and extinguish the arc with a minimum of voltage disturbance. The breaker is immune to circuit recovery characteristics. Principles of performance are discussed using the familiar terms of current, voltage, resistance, and reactance in showing their effect on the instantaneous values of phase angle, current reduction, and the attendant rates of rise of recovery voltage. The coordinated electrical and mechanical design is described in some detail and a typical arrangement is shown as used in a metalclad equipment.
Effects of prior androgen exposure upon adrenal function in maturing rats.

Abstract Gonadectomy in the newborn produced an elevated or “female” pattern of serum corticosterone levels when basal levels of corticosterone (B) were measured at the trough and peak of the daily rhythm and when the response to a 2 minute ether stress was recorded after weaning age. Administration of 1.25 mg testosterone propionate (TP) at two days of age did not significantly alter corticosterone patterns in intact males but did prevent the rise in serum B noted in gonadectomized (Gondx) males. In contrast with oil-injected females, females androgenized with 1.25 mg TP showed precocious vaginal opening,persistent estrous and a failure of serum B to become elevated at noon on the day of vaginal opening. Gonadectomy at weaning age had no effect on basal levels of B but there was a more rapid elevation of B after ether stress in Gondx males. By 30 minutes post-stress, the levels of B were the same in both groups. Gonadectomy at 60 days of age had no effect on B levels except for a transient decrease in B at 8 p.m. one week after surgery. The stress response was also normal in castrated males. It can be concluded that early androgen exposures does alter the functional properties of the adrenal but that continued secretion of androgen is not necessary to maintain adrenal function at a “male” level in adults.
Difference spectrophotometric study on the interaction of cellulase from Schizophyllum commune with substrate and inhibitors

Studies were made on the ultraviolet difference absorption spectra of cellulase (1,4-β-d-glucan 4-glucanohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.4) from Schizophyllum commune specifically induced by substrates and inhibitors. The substrate, cellodextrin, and the competitive inhibitor, cellobiose, produced characteristic difference spectra with maxima at 291–292 nm, 283–286 nm and 278–280 nm. Such difference spectra indicate that the environment of a tryptophan residue or residues located near to or at the active site of S. commune cellulase becomes more hydrophobic upon the binding of these ligands. The spectrum produced by another competitive inhibitor, glucose, with a broad maximum at 278–283 nm and a shoulder at 290 nm, was similar to the simple solvent perturbation spectrum induced by ethylene glycol. The differences between the cellulase spectra induced by these ligands suggest a subsite structure for the binding of substrate/inhibitor to the enzyme, with cellobiose and cellodextrins, but not glucose, binding to a subsite that contains the tryptophan residue or residues. From the concentration dependence of the difference spectra, the dissociation constants for the cellulase complex with cellobiose and cellodextrin were estimated to be 22 mM and 3.5 mM, respectively. The Δϵmax value at 291–292 nm for the cellulase-cellobiose complex was calculated to be 1710 M−1 · cm−1, suggesting that one tryptophan residue near or at the active site is specifically perturbed by cellobiose. In contrast, the cellulase-cellodextrin complex provided a Δϵmax value at 291–292 nm of 2610 M−1 · cm−1, indicating that approximately two tryptophan residues are specifically perturbed by this substrate. The numbers of tryptophan and tyrosine residues which were exposed and accessible to dioxane were determined by the solvent perturbation technique to be eight each. In the presence of either cellobiose or cellodextrin, two tryptophan residues and one tyrosine residue were masked from dioxane perturbation.
The Role of Reading Self-Concept and Home Literacy Practices in Fourth Grade Reading Comprehension.

This study examined the relationships among reading comprehension, reading self-concept, and home literacy environment (HLE) in a sample (n = 67) of fourth grade children enrolled in an urban school district. Children’s reading comprehension, word reading, and verbal ability were assessed using standardized measures. Reading self-concept was assessed with a child-administered survey that is comprised of three subscales (i.e., competence in reading, perception of ease with reading, attitude towards reading). Information on child and family literacy practices was collected via a questionnaire administered to parents of participating children. Bivariate correlations and multiple regression analyses demonstrated that all three reading self-concept subscales were positively related to reading comprehension after controlling for verbal ability and word reading skills, and aspects of HLE were positively related to aspects of reading self-concept. The findings support the inclusion of psychosocial and family literacy measures in future studies designed to investigate the process of reading comprehension for children beyond the primary grades.
Further evidence that amphetamines produce long-lasting dopamine neurochemical deficits by destroying dopamine nerve fibers

Methamphetamine and amphetamine were continuously administered to rats for 3 days by means of subcutaneously implanted osmotic minipumps. The total daily dose of each drug was approximately 4 mg/day. Dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin determinations two weeks later indicated that both amphetamines produced a selective striatal dopamine depletion. Anatomical studies indicated that this depletion was associated with striatal nerve fiber degeneration. To determine whether this fiber degeneration induced by amphetamines was dopaminergic, the long-lasting dopamine depletion produced by methamphetamine was antagonized with alpha-methyl-para-tyrosine. This prevented the appearance of nerve fiber degeneration after methamphetamine. These findings suggest that amphetamines produce a long-term striatal dopamine depletion by destroying striatal dopamine nerve fibers.
Quantification of partial or complete A4 pulley release with FDP repair in cadaveric tendons

Purpose Repair of a lacerated flexor digitorum profundus (FDP) tendon underneath or just distal to the A4 pulley can be technically challenging, and success can be confounded by tendon triggering and scarring to the pulley. The purpose of this study was to quantify the effect of partial and complete A4 pulley release in the context of a lacerated and repaired FDP tendon just distal to the A4 pulley. Methods Tendon biomechanics were tested in 6 cadaveric hands secured to a rigid frame, permitting measurement of tendon excursion, tendon force, and finger range of motion. After control testing, each finger had laceration and repair of the FDP tendon at the distal margin of the A4 pulley using a 6-strand core suture technique and epitendinous repair. Testing was then repeated after the following interventions: (1) intact A4 pulley, (2) release of the distal half of the A4 pulley, (3) complete release of the A4 pulley, and (4) continued proximal release of the sheath to the distal edge of A2 (release of C2, A3, and C1 pulleys). Release of the pulleys was performed by incision; no tissue was removed from the specimens. Results From full extension to full flexion, average FDP tendon excursion for all intact digits was 37.9 ± 1.5 mm, and tendon repair resulted in average tendon shortening of 1.6 ± 0.4 mm. Flexion lag increased from 4 mm with venting of the A4 pulley, complete A4 release, and proximal sheath release, respectively. Compared to the intact state, repair of the tendon with an intact A4 pulley, release of half the A4 pulley, complete A4 release, and proximal sheath release resulted in percentage increases in work of flexion of 11.5 ± 3.1%, 0.83 ± 2.8%, 2.6 ± 2.4%, and 3.25 ± 2.2%, respectively. Conclusions After FDP laceration and repair in the region of the A4 pulley, work of flexion did not increase by more than 3% from control conditions after partial or complete A4 pulley release, and work of flexion was significantly less than that achieved by performing a repair and leaving the A4 pulley intact.
A Rapid Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation (SSF) Technique to Determine Ethanol Yields

We have developed a relatively simple simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) technique to determine the ethanol production potential for large sets of biomass samples. The technique is based on soaking approximately 0.5 grams of a biomass sample in aqueous ammonia at room temperature and at atmospheric pressure for 24 h, then fermenting with Saccharomyces cerevisiae D5A for 24 h using Spezyme CP, for enzymatic hydrolysis of structural polysaccharides. We have tested the technique on a set of corn stover samples representing much of the genetic variability in the commercial corn hybrid population. The samples were weighed into modified Ankom filter bags (F57) before soaking to avoid biomass loss during the process. Fermentation samples were analyzed for ethanol after 24 h by HPLC. Percentages of theoretical maximum ethanol yields of the samples ranged between 44.9 and 73%. We observed that percentages of theoretical maximum ethanol yields were highly correlated (r2 = 0.90) with acid detergent lignin concentration while a low correlation was observed between cellulose concentration and ethanol yield. Near infrared spectra of corn stover samples were also examined. The coefficient of determination (r2) from regression of predicted versus measured percent theoretical maximum ethanol yield was 0.96. This result suggests that using NIRS is a promising method for predicting ethanol yield, but larger calibration sets are necessary for obtaining improved accuracy for larger sample populations. We conclude that the developed SSF technique could be applied to large numbers of biomass samples to rapidly estimate ethanol yields and to compare different biomass samples in terms of ethanol yields.
Pulmonary arterial hypertension in children: Diagnostic work-up and challenges

The diagnostic evaluation of a pediatric patient with suspected pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is extensive but essential, given the rapid progression of the disease if left undiagnosed and untreated. The major goals of performing a complete diagnostic work-up are to confirm the diagnosis of PAH, assess disease severity, rule out associated diseases, and begin to formulate an individualized treatment plan for the pediatric patient with pulmonary hypertension. This article will provide a comprehensive review of the diagnostic work-up of the child with suspected PAH as well as a review of some of the challenges faced when assessing a child for PAH.
Effect of pressure on molecular rotation in solid adamantane

Abstract The pressure dependence of the proton spin-lattice relaxation time has been measured in solid adamantane up to 4 kbar at different temperatures. The rotational correlation times were obtained as a function of temperature and pressure in the α-andβ-phases of adamantane. Hysteresis in the pressure-induced solid-solid transition has been observed.
Polymer–filler interaction in polyurethane kraft lignin polyblends

Kraft lignin fillers have been shown to enhance the mechanical characteristics of different types of polymeric-based sealants; however, the mechanism for reinforcement and the degree of interaction was not well understood. In this study, interactions between a polyurethane-based elastomer and various Kraft lignin fillers as well as kaolin and titanium dioxide filler combinations were investigated in an effort to determine the most useful elastomer–filler combination for use as a construction joint sealant. A relationship that describes and relates the characteristics of polymer–filler interaction requires that the surface-energy properties of both the polymer matrix and the filler be determined. Measurements using the sessile drop method are used to evaluate the critical surface energy of the polymer matrix, whereas the rate of rise of a liquid through a bed of filler provides the means to evaluate the surface energetics of the various fillers. Results obtained from this study show that the tensile modulus of the different elastomer formulations are proportional to the equilibrium work of adhesion, as described by the relationship derived by Lee that relates the degree of interaction of the formulation components and the mechanical properties of the blends. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Racial Identity as a Moderator of Daily Exposure and Reactivity to Racial Discrimination

The role of racial identity in the stress process was examined in a sample (N = 174) of African American doctoral students and graduates of doctoral programs. Racial discrimination and psychological distress (negative affect, depression, and anxiety) were assessed each day for a period of two weeks. Multilevel random coefficient modeling analyses revealed that unique dimensions of racial identity were associated with greater exposure to daily racial discrimination. Individuals higher in racial centrality were more likely to report daily encounters of racial discrimination than those lower in racial centrality. In contrast, individuals higher in private regard were less likely to report these encounters than those lower in private regard. Finally, the daily association between racial discrimination and psychological distress was stronger for individuals high in racial centrality. Specifically, racial centrality exacerbated the effects of daily racial discrimination on negative affect and depression. Implic...
Innate Immunity and the Role of Defensins in Otitis Media

Otitis media is the most common pediatric disease in developed countries and a significant cause of morbidity and hearing loss in developing countries. The innate immune system is essential to protecting the middle ear from infection. Defensins, broad-spectrum cationic antimicrobial peptides, have been implicated in prevention of and the early response to acute otitis media; however, the mechanisms by which defensins and other antimicrobial molecules mediate this protection have not been completely elucidated. In both animal otitis media models and human middle ear epithelial cell culture models, β-defensins are highly induced and effectively kill the common pathogens associated with otitis media. We review the importance of innate immunity in protecting the middle ear and recent advances in understanding the roles of defensins and other antimicrobial molecules in the prevention and treatment of otitis media. The extremely high prevalence of otitis media, in spite of sophisticated innate and adaptive immune systems, is a vexing problem for clinicians and scientists. We therefore also review mechanisms by which bacteria evade innate immune defenses.
Verification of a Finite Element Analysis Procedure for Modeling the Nonlinear, Monotonic In-Plane Behavior of 4 Inch, Schedule 10, Stainless Steel, 90° Elbows

A project has been conducted to verify a finite element analysis procedure for studying the nonlinear behavior of 90°, stainless steel, 4 inch schedule 10, butt welding elbows. Two displacement controlled monotonic in-plane tests were conducted, one closing and one opening, and the loads, displacements, and strains at several locations were recorded. Stacked 90° tee rosette gages were used in both tests because of their ability to measure strain over a small area. ANSYS shell element 181 was used in the FEA reconciliations. The FEA models incorporated detailed geometric measurements of the specimens, including the welds, and material stress-strain data obtained from the attached straight piping. Initially, a mesh consisting of sixteen elements arrayed in 8 rings was used to analyze the elbow. The load-displacement correlation was quite good using this mesh, but the strain reconciliation was not. Analysis of the FEA results indicated that the axial and hoop strain gradients across the mid-section of the elbow were very high. In order to generate better strain correlations, the elbow mesh was refined in the mid-section of the elbow to include 48 elements per ring and an additional six rings, effectively increasing the element density by nine times. Using the refined mesh produced much better correlations with the strain data.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Cleavage of poly(vinyl alcohol) in the presence of tert-butyl hydroperoxide and biologically active metal complexes

The cleavage of poly(vinyl alcohol) in dimethyl sulfoxide at 42°C has been measured viscometrically in the presence of tert-butyl hydroperoxide and metal complexes. Phthalocyanine complexes of copper(II), iron(III), cobalt(II), and vanadium as VO(II) as well as hemin, hematin, chlorophyllin, and cytochrome c were used. The rates of decomposition of tert-butyl hydroperoxide in the presence of these metal complexes were measured idometrically. These data are compared to results obtained with other metal complexes in similar reactions.
Synthesis and Crystal Structures of Two Polymorphs of Trilanthanum Iridium Septaoxide (La 3 IrO 7 )

Two polymorphs of trilanthanum iridium septaoxide, La3IrO7, were prepared as single crystals using a molten cesium hydroxide flux and were structurally characterized using single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Polymorph A crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Cmcm with unit cell dimensions of a = 11.2103(3) A, b = 7.4982(2) A, and c = 7.6110(2) A. Polymorph B crystallizes into the monoclinic space group P21/n with the unit cell dimensions of a = 8.8512(5) A, b = 5.7167(3) A, c = 24.4454(13) A, and β = 95.542(2)°. The crystal structure of polymorph A is isostructural to the family of compounds with formula Ln3MO7 (M = Nb5+, Mo5+, Ru5+, Ta5+, Re5+, Os5+, and Ir5+) while the crystal structure of polymorph B has no known corollaries. Two polymorphs of trilanthanum iridium septaoxide, La3IrO7, were grown as single crystals via molten cesium hydroxide flux. Two polymorphs of La3IrO7 were crystallized from a molten CsOH flux in the a Cmcm and b P21/n space groups, respectively. = iridium, = lanthanum, and oxygen atoms are omitted for clarity.
Modification of a laser‐based flow cytometer for high‐resolution DNA analysis of mammalian spermatozoa

Modification of a Coulter EPICS V orthogonal laser-based flow cytometer/cell sorter allows resolution of X and Y mammalian sperm populations based on DNA content. The modification consists of beveling the sample injection tube situated in the flow chamber, adding a second fluorescence detector directly forward along the laser beam axis, and routing the collected fluorescence through an optical fiber bundle to one of the existing photomultiplier tubes. The X and Y chromosome-bearing spermatozoa from the bull, boar, and ram can be resolved using this system.
A piezomodulation study of the absorption edge and Mn++ internal transition in Cd1−xMnxTe, a prototype of diluted magnetic semiconductors

Abstract We report the first piezomodulation spectrum of Cd1−xMnxTe. Signatures of the exciton transition and the internal transition of Mn++ are identified. The opposite signs of these signatures are attributed to the positive pressure coefficient of the direct interband transition as contrasted to a negative pressure coefficient for the 6 A 1 → 4 T 1 transition causing the Mn++ feature.