cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Design and Application of a T.V. Video Output Transistor

The requirements for a transistor to drive both monochrome and color picture tubes are discussed. Realistic device models are presented to demonstrate the permissible parameter trade-offs and a figure of merit for video output devices is derived. A transistor to meet these criteria is introduced and its performance in various circuit configurations is discussed.
Morphometric analysis of collagen in gestational and retained bovine placentomes

Abstract Bovine placentome collagen was quantified (P n = 8 d ), at 2 h post partum without (n = 4) and at 2 and 12 h post partum with (n = 8) experimentally-induced placental retention. Placentome sections were fixed and stained for collagen. Fetal cotyledonary (FC) collagen volume fraction (VV) increased over days of gestation studied (VV=0.03±0.01, 0.06±0.01, 0.13±0.01 and 0.19±0.01). Fetal cotyledonary hydroxyproline (3.15±0.41, 4.55±0.41 and 7.04±0.41 mg/g) and FC protein (432.0±17.1, 479.9±17.1, 585.4±17.1 mg/g) increased over Days 90, 150 and 210 and were similar on Days 210 and 270. Fetal cotyledonary collagen VV and hydroxyproline did not differ between Day 270, retained and nonretained cotyledons. Protein concentration was higher in 2 h (578.1±18.5 mg/g) and 12 h (526.0±18.5 mg/g) retained versus nonretained (400.4±36.2 mg/g) cotyledons. Maternal caruncular (MC) collagen VV and protein concentration were higher on Days 90 and 150 than on Days 210 and 270. Maternal caruncular hydroxyproline was similar from Day 90 to 210 and increased from Day 210 to 270. Maternal caruncular collagen VV, hydroxyproline and protein concentrations were similar on Day 270 and in 2 h and 12 h retained membrane caruncles. Gestational increases in placentome collagen occurred from FC sources. No difference in FC or MC collagen VV existed between Day 270, retained and nonretained placentomes.
Creative Writing at Osgood Park, Salem, 9/7/10

I was teaching a Creative Writing class at Salem State University (in Salem, Mass) and I took 12 of my students down the street from the college to write some nature poems by a small ocean inlet on...
Liver transplant rejection arteritis: Serial hepatic arteriography

Two liver transplant recipients underwent serial hepatic arteriography, demonstrating a severe, rapidly progressive arteritis involving the hilar hepatic arteries. Liver biopsies in these patients demonstrated ischemic necrosis as a prominent feature. The angiographic appearance and therapeutic implications of liver transplant rejection arteritis are presented.
The effects of wafer-scan induced image blur on CD control, image slope, and process window in maskless lithography

In this paper we present analytical and simulation results on the wafer-scan induced image blur and its impact on CD control, image slope and line-edge roughness (LER), and process window in maskless lithography. It is shown that the effects of image blur do not impose serious constraints on lithographic performance in low throughput operation. However, when throughput is high, significant CD enlargement, lower image slope and higher LER, and process window degradation are observed consistently in both coherent imaging analysis and partially coherent lithographic simulations. The dependence of CDs on the wafer's scan speed and the distance between neighboring features will be an important issue of maskless OPC development. We also analyze the potential challenges of image blur to DUV and EUV maskless lithography and propose several solutions to overcome them.
Hofmeister Solute Effects on Hydrophobic Adhesion Forces in SFM Experiments

One of the chief problems currently facing surface scientists is determining the relationship between mechanical forces, such as those measured by surface forces apparatus (SFA) or scanning force microscopes (SFM), and chemical driving forces, such as those governing interactions between molecules. Hydrophobic forces are important at both levels, but there is no clear relationship between their manifestation at molecular and supramolecular scales. To help bridge this gap, we have used an SFM to measure detachment forces between untreated silicon nitride SFM tips, which are moderately hydrophobic, and the highly hydrophobic surfaces paraffin and octadecylsilane−mica in the presence of various 2.0 and 3.0 M salt solutions. The salts were chosen for their strong abilities to promote or inhibit hydrophobically driven phenomena, according to their positions in the Hofmeister series. Thus, this is the first systematic assessment of Hofmeister salt effects on supramolecular hydrophobic adhesion in solution-phase...
Ordering and disordering processes in Cu3Au—III

Abstract The isothermal change of Young's modulus with time is measured in a single crystal of Cu3Au following a sudden change in temperature above and through the critical temperature, Tc, when the specimen is initially in one of various states of long and short range order. Short range ordering changes above and close to Tc are found to be completed within minutes. Evidence is adduced for the existence of a metastable short range order below Tc. When the specimen is quenched from above Tc to below, it is shown that the continual formation of new ordered nuclei is an important part of the ordering process. Equations are presented explaining the principal features of the ordering curves in terms of the relative contributions of nucleus formation and growth. When the specimen is heated from below Tc to above, it is deduced that the disorder diffuses from each domain boundary into the domains. Also, the initial disordering rate immediately above Tc is controlled by the existence of a metastable state of long range order.
Conducting educational design research

The need to seriously consider educational design research is timely, offering an alternative to the “gold standard,” medical model that is often difficult to conduct in complex learning environmen...
Novel optical system for neonatal brain imaging

A highly portable, fast, safe and affordable imaging system that provides interpretable images of brain function in full- and pre-term neonates within a few seconds has been applied to neonates with normal and pathological states. We have used a uniquely sensitive optical tomography system, termed phased array, which has revealed significant functional responses, particularly to parietal stimulation in neonate brain. This system can indicate the blood concentration and oxygenation change during the parietal brain activation in full- and pre-term neonates. The preliminary clinical results, especially a longitudinal study of a cardiac arrest neonate, suggest a variety of future applications.
Biotransformation and pharmacokinetics of prodrug 9-(β-d-1,3-dioxolan-4-yl)-2-aminopurine and its antiviral metabolite 9-(β-d-1,3-dioxolan-4-yl)guanine in mice

Abstract 9-( β - d -1,3-Dioxolan-4-yl)guanine (DXG) exhibits potent antiviral activity against human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) in vitro. However, since DXG possesses limited aqueous solubility, a more water soluble prodrug of DXG, 9-( β - d -1,3-dioxolan-4-yl)-2-aminopurine (APD), was synthesized. The purpose of this study was to characterize the pharmacokinetics of APD and its antiviral metabolite DXG in mice. Female NIH-Swiss mice were administered 100 mg/kg APD intravenously or orally. Serum, brain and liver were collected at selected times following prodrug administration and concentrations of APD and DXG were determined by HPLC. APD was efficiently converted to parent nucleoside DXG following both intravenous and oral administration. Biotransformation of APD to DXG likely occurs in the liver and is mediated by xanthine oxidase. Similar pharmacokinetic profiles for DXG were observed following either route of administration in serum, liver and brain. These results demonstrate that APD appears to be a promising prodrug for the delivery of DXG.
Molecular characterization and expression of glycoprotein gene of Hantavirus R22 strain isolated from Rattus norvegicus in China.

Abstract A cDNA containing the complete open reading frame of the M genome segment of Hantavirus R22 strain isolated from Rattus norvegicus in China, was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and then cloned. The M segment is 3656 nucleotides in length with a predicted region of 3402 bases encoding a precursor glycoprotein of 1134 amino acids subsequently processed into viral glycoproteins 1 and 2 (G1 and G2). A strain comparison between R22 and SR11 (isolated from a rat in Japan), and Hantaan 76–118 (isolated from Apodemus in Korea), and Hallnas B1 (isolated from a bank vole in Sweden) revealed 95%, 74%, and 53% homologies at the deduced amino acid sequence level respectively. This suggests that the rodent host species may be a more important determinant of genetic relationships than geographic proximity. Six potential asparagine linked glycosylation sites (five in G1 and one in G2) were identified, and among them all are conserved in SR11, five in Hantaan virus and four in Hallnas B1 virus. Although different degrees of homology exist among these four viruses at amino acid sequence level, more than 90% of the cysteine residues are conserved, suggesting that structural homology may be very strong between the Hantaviruses. Genetic differences in the M segment genome of R22 and SR11 viruses, within the same serotype viruses, were found as random coding changes; some limited to single amino acids, others in clusters. A recombinant vaccinia virus that contained the fully activated M segment cDNA of R22 was constructed. This recombinant virus expressed two glycoproteins G1 and G2 identical to R22 virus G1 and G2 in molecular weight, cleavage pattern and cellular immunofluorescent patterns.
Circulatory responses of Rana catesbeiana to temperature, season and previous thermal history.

Abstract 1. 1. Heart rate, femoral arterial pressure, plasma volume, blood volume and hematocrit ratio were determined on unrestrained, unanesthetized winter (January–March) and summer (July- August) bullfrogs which had been acclimated ot 5 to 20°C for 2–3 weeks. 2. 2. Winter frogs exhibited an increased sensitivity of heart rate to temperature change following cold acclimation. Heart rates of warm and cold acclimated summer frogs were not significantly different at comparable body temperatures (Tb's). 3. 3. Femoral arterial pressure increased continuously with Tb between 0 and 36°C in warm acclimated winter and summer frogs, but tended to remain constant (winter frogs) or increased more slowly (summer frogs) over the same range of Tb's in cold acclimated animals. 4. 4. Cold acclimation had no effect on arterial capacitance measured in vitro. Arterial capacitance decreased markedly (a manifestation of increased vessel rigidity) at pressures above 30–40 mm Hg. 5. 5. While blood volume did not vary with season or acclimation temperature, plasma volume was significantly reduced in cold acclimated winter frogs. 6. 6. The hematocrit ratio increased following acclimation to cold in winter but not in summer.
Vitamin E-dependent anemia in the premature infant

Studies on serum tocopherol levels, hematopoietic responses, and erythrocyte phospholipid fractions were carried out in agroup of low-birth-weight (mean, 1,530 gm) premature infants whose diets were supplemented with either water-soluble (TPGS) or fat-soluble (TA) forms of d-alpha tocopheryl (25 IU/day). Significantly higher serum tocopherol levels and early maintenance of higher hemoglobin values were observed in the infants who received the water-soluble tocopheryl preparation. Comparable but less marked differences in these values were identified in similarly paired groups fed lower concentrations of the tocopheryls in combination with iron. The lowest hemoglobin levels were recorded in the infants fed formulas containing TA and iron. Among a selected group of vitamin E-deficient infants, evidence of lipid instability in the erythrocyte membrane was manifested by decreased values of phosphatidyl ethanolamine.
Hydroxyapatite-Based Colloidal Gels Facilitate the Proliferation and Migration of Chondrocytes and the Adhesion of Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Collective movement of cells that have been delivered on biomaterials for transplantation purposes would be a desirable attribute that would promote wound healing, cell proliferation, and eventual growth and regeneration of damaged organs. We hypothesized that colloidal gels made from hydroxyapatite (HA) and poly(D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) particles will be conducive to the growth and migration of porcine chondrocytes, will allow the adhesion of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells, and will have negligible effects on the cell cycle of these cells. Then, we performed experiments designed to assess the viability and migratory properties of porcine chondrocytes studded on nanosized HA/PLGA particles. Our experiments show that porcine chondrocytes migrated in and around a hydroxyapatite-based biomaterial that could be described as a colloidal gel. Cells in the colloidal gel demonstrated unidirectional movement. Cells were seen to be extending lamellae and were followed by other cells.
Predictive Equations to Quantify the Impact of Spectral Matching on Ground Motion Characteristics

Spectral matching, the process of modifying a seed acceleration time history in intensity and frequency content until its acceleration response spectrum matches a target spectrum, is used extensive...
Subarachnoid Hemorrhage-Induced Hydrocephalus in Rats

Background and Purpose—Hydrocephalus is an important complication of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). We investigated the occurrence of acute hydrocephalus in a rat SAH model. Methods—SAH was induced by endovascular perforation in adult male Sprague-Dawley rats (n=36). Sham rats (n=8) underwent the same procedure without perforation. MRI was performed 24 hours after SAH and the volume of the ventricular system and extent of T2* hypointensity lesions were measured. We defined hydrocephalus as ventricular volume > +3 SDs above the mean in sham animals. SAH grade was determined and brains were used for histology, immunohistochemistry, Perls staining, and Western blot analysis. Ventricular wall damage was defined as percentage of ependymal surface disruption. Results—All surviving rats (n=27) after SAH had ventricular enlargement (33.6±4.7 versus 13.5±1.4 mm3 in sham animals, P<0.01). Ventricular volume correlated with SAH severity (r=0.48; P<0.05). Out of 27 SAH rats, 12 demonstrated hydrocephalus and all had ...
Role of adjuvant chemotherapy in the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer.

Purpose. The role of adjuvant chemotherapy in the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is described. Summary. The intrinsic resistance of NSCLC tumors to chemotherapy necessitates the use of complete surgical resection of the malignant growth as the primary modality of treatment; however, only about one third of patients are appropriate candidates for surgical resection. While several cytotoxic combinations have been used to treat metastatic NSCLC, no single regimen is considered the standard of care. Given the poor prognosis of patients with NSCLC, adjuvant chemotherapy has been investigated as a treatment option but has not demonstrated a consistent survival benefit. Several recent studies have sought to clarify the role of adjuvant chemotherapy in the treatment of NSCLC: the Big Lung Trial, the International Adjuvant Lung Cancer Trial (IALT), the Adjuvant Lung Project Italy trial, and a study of the combination of uracil and tegafur, which is not yet available in the United States. The IALT, the largest trial among the four and sufficiently powered to detect a survival benefit, revealed a modest increase in survival. Complicating the issue is the financial cost of adjuvant therapy, especially in light of the small survival benefit gained. Conclusion. The use of adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with NSCLC can lead to a modest increase in survival. Platinum-based regimens are the most studied and should be considered the regimens of choice. However, further studies are needed to determine the optimal regimen and patient population that would derive the most benefit from this treatment.
Effects of thermal damping on the dynamic response of a hydraulic motor-accumulator system

A hydraulic accumulator is often modeled as a gas spring following a polytropic process, but this fails to properly account for the dissipative effects of heat transfer which produce damping and phase shift in the dynamic behavior. A thermal time constant can properly characterize the heat transfer between the charge gas and the accumulator walls, and it is shown that for the linearized case the accumulator becomes equivalent to the Anelastic Model. The transfer function for the accumulator is derived, and the mathematical solution is presented for a hydraulic accumulator coupled to the inlet of a hydraulic motor where the load force is subject to a small, sinusoidal variation with time. Experimental data are presented to show that the accumulator can be accurately modeled using a thermal time constant, and the Anelastic Model would adequately describe the accumulator for the case of small perturbations.
TEMPORAL AND SPATIAL EXPRESSION OF LEUKEMIA INHIBITORY FACTOR IN RABBIT UTERUS DURING EARLY-PREGNANCY

Leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) has been shown to play an important role in the implanta- tion of mouse blastocysts. The present study was designed to document the appearance of LIF in the rabbit uterus during early pregnancy and to determine whether changes just prior to implantation, similar to those in mice, oc- curred. LIF was localized in endometrial epithelium, myo- metrium, and endometrial glands. A low level of LIF was detected in the uterus of nonestrous and estrous females. LIF expression reached its highest level on day 5 of preg- nancy and declined on days 6 and 7. By day 13 of preg- nancy, little endometrial LIF was apparent. The expression of LIF on day 5 of pseudopregnancy was similar to that on day 5 of pregnancy. LIF expression was much higher at implantation sites than that at nonimplantation areas on day 7 of pregnancy. It is concluded that LIF may be impor- tant for the implantation of rabbit blastocysts. 0 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
The effects of storage and processing complexity on comprehension repair in children and adults

Abstract In four experiments, the ability of young children (6 to 10 years of age) and college adults to repair a comprehension problem in situations varying repair difficulty was examined. The subjects were read short stories describing a consistent or inconsistent adult response to a child's action, and repair information that resolved or failed to resolve the inconsistency. The subjects were asked questions after each story to determine if they had detected and resolved the inconsistency. The repair information was manipulated as a means of varying the storage and prosessing complexity of integrating problem and repair information. The information was separated from or adjacent to the inconsistent response, before or after the response, and the relevancy of the repair information was obvious or only inferentially available. The results showed that even first graders can repair a comprehension problem in situations of minimal information processing complexity, and that increments in complexity affect the repair performance of younger more than older subjects.
Studies on heterogeneous polymeric systems

The physical and morphological properties of heterogeneous mixtures of polystyrene with styrene: butadiene copolymers were determined. A mechanism of ultimate failure is proposed which permits the qualitative rationalization of the effects of copolymer composition, structure, and concentration upon certain physical properties of the mixture.
Spin relaxation in metallic ferromagnets

The Elliott theory of spin relaxation in metals and semiconductors is extended to metallic ferromagnets. Our treatment is based on the two-current model of Fert, Campbell, and Jaoul. The $d\ensuremath{\rightarrow}s$ electron-scattering process involved in spin relaxation is the inverse of the $s\ensuremath{\rightarrow}d$ process responsible for the anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR). As a result, spin-relaxation rate $1/{\ensuremath{\tau}}_{\text{sr}}$ and AMR $\ensuremath{\Delta}\ensuremath{\rho}$ are given by similar formulas, and are in a constant ratio if scattering is by solute atoms. Our treatment applies to nickel- and cobalt-based alloys which do not have spin-up 3$d$ states at the Fermi level. This category includes many of the technologically important magnetic materials. And we show how to modify the theory to apply it to bcc iron-based alloys. We also treat the case of Permalloy ${\text{Ni}}_{80}{\text{Fe}}_{20}$ at finite temperature or in thin-film form, where several kinds of scatterers exist. Predicted values of $1/{\ensuremath{\tau}}_{\text{sr}}$ and $\ensuremath{\Delta}\ensuremath{\rho}$ are plotted versus resistivity of the sample. These predictions are compared to values of $1/{\ensuremath{\tau}}_{\text{sr}}$ and $\ensuremath{\Delta}\ensuremath{\rho}$ derived from ferromagnetic-resonance and AMR experiments in Permalloy.
Effect of Duration of Osmotherapy on Blood–Brain Barrier Disruption and Regional Cerebral Edema after Experimental Stroke:

Osmotherapy is the cornerstone of medical management for cerebral edema associated with large ischemic strokes. We determined the effect of duration of graded increases in serum osmolality with mannitol and hypertonic saline (HS) on blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption and regional cerebral edema in a well-characterized rat model of large ischemic stroke. Halothane-anesthetized adult male Wistar rats were subjected to transient (2-h) middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) by the intraluminal occlusion technique. Beginning at 6 h after MCAO, rats were treated with either no intravenous fluids or a continuous intravenous infusion (0.3 mL/h) of 0.9% saline, 20% mannitol, 3% HS, or 7.5% HS for 24, 48, 72, and 96 h. In the first series of experiments, BBB permeability was quantified by the Evans blue (EB) extravasation method. In the second series of experiments, water content was assessed by comparing wet-to-dry weight ratios in six predetermined brain regions. Blood-brain barrier disruption was maximal in rats treated with 0.9% saline for 48 h, but did not correlate with increases in serum osmolality or treatment duration with osmotic agents. Treatment with 7.5% HS attenuated water content in the periinfarct regions and all subregions of the contralateral nonischemic hemisphere to a greater extent than mannitol did with no adverse effect on survival rates. These data show that (1) BBB integrity is not affected by the duration and degree of serum osmolality with osmotic agents, and (2) attenuation of increases in brain water content with HS to target levels >350 mOsm/L may have therapeutic implications in the treatment of cerebral edema associated with ischemic stroke.
Testing of Habitat Assessment Models for Small Trout Streams in the Medicine Bow National Forest, Wyoming

Abstract We tested the applicability of four habitat assessment models to small trout streams in the Medicine Bow National Forest. All models yielded predictions of trout standing stocks or ratings of trout cover that were correlated with measured trout standing stocks; however, the predicted and measured standing stocks were not directly proportional, and not all model variables appeared to contribute to the predictions or ratings derived from the models. Among the habitat variables included in the four models, those most highly correlated with trout standing stocks were width-to-depth ratio, abundance of overhead bank cover, average stream width, and level of late-summer streamflow. We hypothesize that much of the variation in measured habitat and model predictions among our study reaches was due to natural variation in habitat features associated with stream size and reach gradient. Our results identify the habitat features that appear to drive the habitat models when applied to small trout streams tha...
Passive and Active Controls of Three-Dimensional Wake of Bluff-Body

Passive and active controls of wakes behind axisymmetric bluff-bodies are presented. The passive controls include base-bleed (slotted disks), edge-induced longitudinal vortices behind three-dimensional polygonal plates, the fineness ratio and surface protrusion. The disk wake was further actively controlled in air using actuated tabs and in water using net-zero mass actuators along the edge. The active control suppressed the helical mode of oscillation, but enhanced the closing of the reverse flow region with reduced base pressure. Unsteady velocity vector fields from the time-resolved PIV are presented and issues related to future feedback flow control for the bluff-body wake will be addressed.
Statistical techniques in predicting thermal stability

In developing new pharmaceutical products it is often necessary to predict degradation rates at marketing temperatures from data collected on accelerated degradation taken at elevated temperatures. A technique for predicting degradation rate based on the Arrhenius equation was presented by Garrett in 1956. While his method is characterized by ease of computation involved (necessary due to scarcity of computer facilities at that time), it violates a number of assumptions upon which leastsquares analysis is based, and hence inferences made from the results can be misleading. This report presents a method based on weighted least-squares analysis which can easily be adapted for computer analysis. Comparisons are made with the method suggested by Garrett to illustrate differences in technique and the effect the basic assumptions have upon the results obtained by the two methods. A statistical test is presented for determining the applicability of the Arrhenius relation to the data at hand. Finally, the technique is illustrated by application to chloramphenicol.
Disruption of early face recognition processes by object substitution masking

Visual stimuli can fail to reach conscious awareness when surrounded by dots sharing a common onset but remaining visible after target removal, a phenomenon known as object substitution masking (OSM). We assessed the locus of substitution by recording the N170 component of the human event-related potential during a face/house classification task. Delayed-offset dots impaired target categorization, confirming the generality of object substitution masking by extending the effect to realistic, complex stimuli. Furthermore, object substitution masking eliminated the N170 amplitude difference between faces and houses, providing the first neural evidence that object substitution masking disrupts structural encoding stages during object recognition.
Spins of the levels and multipole mixing ratios of the transitions in 95Mo

Abstract Directional correlations and polarization-directional correlations have been measured for several γ-γ cascades in 95Mo populated from the decay of 95Tc. Two Ge(Li) detectors were used in the polarization measurements and NaI(Tl)-Ge(Li) detectors were used in the directional correlation measurement. Combination of the results of these measurements give unique spin assignments of 1 2 +, 3 2 +, and 1 2 + for the 786, 821, and 1039 keV levels, respectively. The determined E2/M1 mixing ratios are: −19 ≦ δ (219) ≦ −0.6, δ (582) = +0.27+0.05−0.04, δ(616) = −(2.0 ± 0.2) and δ(835) = +0.04 ± 0.02.
Raphe pallidus and raphe obscurus projections to the intermediolateral cell column in the rat

The descending spinal projections from the raphe pallidus and raphe obscurus nuclei were studied by the anterograde autoradiographic technique in the rat. Both regions project to the intermediolateral cell columns. These pathways were destroyed by intraventricular injections of 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine, a neurotoxin relatively specific for serotonergic cells.
Effectiveness of a physician peer educator in improving the quality of immunization services for young children in primary care practices.

Abstract Objective To determine if the addition of a physician peer educator would lead to improved immunization quality when compared to the traditional education provided as part of a vaccines for children (VFC) site visit. Methods A randomized controlled trial was conducted. Study participants were private pediatric and family medicine practices. Both the intervention and control groups received a VFC visit; in intervention practices this visit was augmented by a presentation by the physician peer educator. Data on immunization rates and quality of immunization services were collected prior to the VFC visits and approximately 1 year later. Results A total of 73 practices participated, including 37 in the intervention group and 36 in the control group. At follow-up there was no difference in practice immunization rates (PIR) between intervention and control practices (mean rates 71.4% and 69.6%, respectively, P = 0.94). There were also no significant differences between groups for any of the quality measures except that significantly more intervention practices used the appropriate length needle for vaccine injections in 2-month-old infants at follow-up ( P = 0.02). When assessing the overall impact of VFC visits, no significant increase in PIR were noted from baseline to follow-up assessments. However, statistically significant improvements in several quality measures were found. Conclusions The addition of a physician peer educator did not result in improved immunization quality when compared to VFC visits alone. The educational content of the VFC site visit was associated with improved quality of immunization services delivered by primary care practices.
Eighteen “monozukuri‐focused” assembly line design and visual factory management principles with DENSO industrial examples

Purpose – To offer lean design and assembly principles with a focus on “monozukuri,” meaning sustainable, environmentally friendly factories and products with simultaneously integrated product and process designs.Design/methodology/approach – Based on extensive study of products, processes and factories, 18 “monozukuri‐focused” product, process, factory design and management principles are explained by the author.Findings – The rule‐based approach to designing lean, sustainable, “monozukuri‐focused” flexible products, processes, production systems and factories will reduce waste at all levels, and create new opportunities for satisfying dynamically changing market needs.Originality/value – Reveals 18 lean design and assembly line design and management principles with some practical industrial examples.
Species Abundance: Natural Regulation of Insular Variation

Variation in numbers of land plant species on islands in the Galapagos Archipelago can be predicted on the basis of elevation, area of the adjacent island, distance from the nearest island, and distance from the center of the archipelago, but not on the basis of the area of the host island. Multiple linear regression (y = bx1 + bx2 . . .) gives better "goodness of fit" than curvilinear analysis (y = bxz). The variation in number of species on large islands can be predicted more accurately than the variation on small ones. Ecologic diversity and isolation are the natural regulators of species abundance.
A study of skin homografting in patients with lymphomas.

Skin homografts were performed on seven patients with lymphomas, three patients with miscellaneous conditions affecting their RE system and four control patients. The ability to reject skin homograft was impaired in most of the patients with lymphomas, in a patient with bronchogenic carcinoma who had received extensive treatment, and in a patient with multiple myeloma. The presence of normal amounts of gamma globulin and normal response to typhoid antigen did not necessarily indicate a normal response to skin homografts. If marrow homotransplants or other organ homotransplants become a form of therapy in patients with lymphomas, the result of skin grafts from the same donor may be of interest. Our study supports the previous impressions of the immunologic handicaps in patients with lymphomas.
Solar Terrestrial Theory Program: Overview and status

The Solar Terrestrial Theory Program (STTP) was started by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 1979 as a response to a call from a number of theoreticians and experimentalists in the space science community. The idea was to have a program to enhance our understanding of data obtained from past and present spaceflight programs and to aid in planning future spaceflight programs whose mission would be to better our understanding of the plasma universe.
Functions of Myosin Motor Proteins in the Nervous System

The myosin superfamily consists of 24 classes of actin-based molecular motors that carry out a diverse array of cellular functions ranging from cell motility and morphology to cytokinesis, signal transduction, membrane trafficking, RNA and protein localization. The development and functioning of the nervous system strongly depends on the proper establishment of complex networks of neurons with highly specialized morphologies and molecular composition. Thus, it is not at all surprising that multiple classes of myosin motors are expressed in the nervous system, including classes I, II, III, V, VI, VII, IX, X, XV, and XVI. This review discusses the current knowledge on myosin functions in both neurons and specific sensory neurons, the hair cells of the inner ear, and the photoreceptors in the eye. The role of myosin II in growth cone motility and neurite outgrowth is the best characterized myosin function in neurons. However, there is increasing evidence that different myosin motors are also involved in protein and organelle trafficking underlying synaptic function. Multiple myosin motors have been localized to hair cells and photoreceptors and associated with genetic diseases; however, a future challenge will be a better characterization of the cellular functions of these various motor proteins.
Quantification of nitrate sources to an urban stream using dual nitrate isotopes

Human-engineered landscapes and subsequent altered hydrology affect the fate and transport of reactive nitrogen, particularly in urban watersheds. In this study, we used dual-nitrate isotopes and mixing model analysis (δ(15)N and δ(18)O of NO3(-)) to quantify nitrogen inputs from two sources concentrated in urban systems, sewage and atmospheric deposition. Analysis was conducted on samples collected from Nine Mile Run (Pittsburgh, PA) including over two years of samples collected biweekly and samples collected through the hydrographs of four storm events. Mixing models incorporated uncertainties in the isotopic composition of potential nitrate sources and resolved the relative proportions of nitrate inputs from each source using Bayesian techniques. The results indicate that up to 94% of nitrate in streamwater originated from sewage sources during baseflow conditions. During storms, atmospheric deposition was a substantial nitrate source (∼ 34%) to total event-based nitrate loads, although sewage-derived nitrate remained the dominant source (66%). The potential influence of denitrification was considered by incorporating associated isotopic fractionations into mixing models; up to 19% of sewage-derived samples showed the isotopic effects of denitrification. This study quantitatively delineates proportions of nitrate from different sources to urban streamwater, while incorporating remaining uncertainties in source endmember compositions.
Comparative physiology of the pulmonary blood-gas barrier: the unique avian solution

Two opposing selective pressures have shaped the evolution of the structure of the blood-gas barrier in air breathing vertebrates. The first pressure, which has been recognized for 100 years, is to facilitate diffusive gas exchange. This requires the barrier to be extremely thin and have a large area. The second pressure, which has only recently been appreciated, is to maintain the mechanical integrity of the barrier in the face of its extreme thinness. The most important tensile stress comes from the pressure within the pulmonary capillaries, which results in a hoop stress. The strength of the barrier can be attributed to the type IV collagen in the extracellular matrix. In addition, the stress is minimized in mammals and birds by complete separation of the pulmonary and systemic circulations. Remarkably, the avian barrier is about 2.5 times thinner than that in mammals and also is much more uniform in thickness. These advantages for gas exchange come about because the avian pulmonary capillaries are unique among air breathers in being mechanically supported externally in addition to the strength that comes from the structure of their walls. This external support comes from epithelial plates that are part of the air capillaries, and the support is available because the terminal air spaces in the avian lung are extremely small due to the flow-through nature of ventilation in contrast to the reciprocating pattern in mammals.
The misuse value of the TV set Reading media objects in transnational urban spaces

This article uses photography to document what I call ‘television settings’: the video installations that people make in everyday life by putting objects and images on and around the TV screen. Its focus is not on domestic TV, but rather on treatments of the TV set outside the home, in urban spaces of work and leisure that serve, and are operated by, members of immigrant communities in the USA. These treatments of the screen combine raw materials of diverse origin to register the complexities of transnational experience. Studies of transnationalism often describe media images as links to the elsewhere of the lost homeland. But TV settings complicate such singular views of TV’s relationship to place, calling attention instead to uses of the screen as an object in the ‘here and now’. Intertwining transnational perspectives on locality with the protocols and contingencies of small-scale commerce in the USA, the TV settings examined in this article testify to the flexibility of TV as an object through which p...
Evaluation of Synchronous Online Tutoring for Students at Risk of Reading Failure

This study examined the effects of online reading instruction for at-risk fourth-grade students in Philadelphia. The authors used a multiple baseline design to assess the extent to which the students increased their oral reading rate given systematic supplemental online reading instruction. Tutoring consisted of 4 sessions per week with 50-min lessons of instruction delivered over Adobe Connect™. Analysis of the multiple baseline across participants revealed gains in oral reading fluency for all participants when placed into the synchronous online tutoring program. Participating students and tutors reported an awareness of increased reading skills and value of synchronous online instruction. Teachers and parents generally reported that students demonstrated increased reading skills after receiving instruction.
Every microsecond counts: tracking fine-grain latencies with a lossy difference aggregator

Many network applications have stringent end-to-end latency requirements, including VoIP and interactive video conferencing, automated trading, and high-performance computing---where even microsecond variations may be intolerable. The resulting fine-grain measurement demands cannot be met effectively by existing technologies, such as SNMP, NetFlow, or active probing. We propose instrumenting routers with a hash-based primitive that we call a Lossy Difference Aggregator (LDA) to measure latencies down to tens of microseconds and losses as infrequent as one in a million.Such measurement can be viewed abstractly as what we refer to as a coordinated streaming problem, which is fundamentally harder than standard streaming problems due to the need to coordinate values between nodes. We describe a compact data structure that efficiently computes the average and standard deviation of latency and loss rate in a coordinated streaming environment. Our theoretical results translate to an efficient hardware implementation at 40 Gbps using less than 1% of a typical 65-nm 400-MHz networking ASIC. When compared to Poisson-spaced active probing with similar overheads, our LDA mechanism delivers orders of magnitude smaller relative error; active probing requires 50--60 times as much bandwidth to deliver similar levels of accuracy.
Testing the Converse Party Support Model in Britain

This article supports the Converse party support model in Britain and more generally. The Converse theory, which has implications for electoral stability, is that public support for political parties comes from individuals whose partisanship strengthens as they gain experience in voting for a party. Abramson recently concluded the theory does not apply in Britain because generational change and historical (period) effects account for partisan intensities. He argued that even if period effects concealed life cycle gains, the theory would not apply because historical events in Britain—and in the United States—are too modest. From British panel data, this article reports the strongest evidence to date supporting life cycle gains in partisanship. Cohort equations show generational change in addition, as a secondary explanation. Cohort equations also disclose which historical events caused dealignment. Dealignment periods in both Britain and the United States are limited, and the events that produced them are ...
From Metchnikoff to Monsanto and beyond: The path of microbial control

In 125 years since MetchnikoV proposed the use of Metarhizium anisopliae to control the wheat cockchafer and brought about the Wrst Weld trials, microbial control has progressed from the application of naturalists’ observations to biotechnology and precision delivery. This review highlights major milestones in its evolution and presents a perspective on its current direction. Fungal pathogens, the most eye-catching agents, dominated the early period, but major mycological control eVorts for chinch bugs and citrus pests in the US had questionable success, and interest waned. The discoveries of Bacillus popilliae and Bacillus thuringiensis began the era of practical and commercially viable microbial control. A program to control the Japanese beetle in the US led to the discovery of both B. popilliae and Steinernema glaseri, the Wrst nematode used as a microbial control agent. Viral insect control became practical in the latter half of the 20th century, and the Wrst registration was obtained with the Heliothis nuclear polyhedrosis virus in 1975. Now strategies are shifting for microbial control. While Bt transgenic crops are now planted on millions of hectares, the successes of more narrowly deWned microbial control are mainly in small niches. Commercial enthusiasm for traditional microbial control agents has been unsteady in recent years. The prospects of microbial insecticide use on vast areas of major crops are now viewed more realistically. Regulatory constraints, activist resistance, benign and eYcacious chemicals, and limited research funding all drive changes in focus. Emphasis is shifting to monitoring, conservation, integration with chemical pesticides, and selection of favorable venues such as organic agriculture and countries that have low costs, mild regulatory climates, modest chemical inputs, and small scale farming. Published by Elsevier Inc.
Identification of Staphylococcus aureus α-hemolysin as a protein drug that is secreted by anticancer bacteria and rapidly kills cancer cells.

Targeted bacterial deliveryof anticancer proteins has the ability to overcome therapeutic resistance in tumors that limits the efficacy of chemotherapeutics. The ability of bacteria to specifically target tumors allows for delivery of aggressiveproteinsthatdirectlykillcancercellsandcannotbe administered systemically. However, few proteins have been tested for this purpose. To identify effective molecules, we systematically sorted proteins that have been shown to cause mammalian cell death. The genes for five proteins were selected and cloned into Escherichia coli and Salmonella. Supernatant from cultures of the transformed bacteria was applied to flasks of MCF-7 mammary carcinoma cells to identify proteinsthat(1)wereexpressed,(2)secreted,and(3) rapidly killed cancer cells. Time-lapse images were taken to visualize mammalian cell morphology. Of the investigated proteins, a-hemolysin from Staphylococcus aureus (SAH) was the most promising because it was secreted, caused trauma to cellular membranes, and induced oncosis in 18min. After exposure for 6h, SAH decreased cell viability by 90%. In comparison, the positive control, Pseudomonas aeruginosa exotoxin A (PEA), required 11daysto achievea similareffect, when administered at 3,000 times its LC50. The maximum deathrate induced bySAH wascalculatedtobeareductionin cell viability of 7.1% per min, which was 200-fold faster than the PEA control. Two proteins, Dermonecrotic Toxin and Phospholipase C were active when extracted from the bacterial cytoplasm but were not secreted. This investigation revealed for the first time SAH as a potent anticancer drug for delivery by bacteria because of its ability to be secreted in a fully functional form and aggressively kill cancer cells. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2014;9999: 1-13. 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The Cellular Prion Protein (PrPC): Its Physiological Function and Role in Disease

Prion diseases are caused by conversion of a normal cell-surface glycoprotein (PrPC) into a conformationally altered isoform (PrPSc) that is infectious in the absence of nucleic acid. Although a great deal has been learned about PrPSc and its role in prion propagation, much less is known about the physiological function of PrPC. In this review, we will summarize some of the major proposed functions for PrPC, including protection against apoptotic and oxidative stress, cellular uptake or binding of copper ions, transmembrane signaling, formation and maintenance of synapses, and adhesion to the extracellular matrix. We will also outline how loss or subversion of the cytoprotective or neuronal survival activities of PrPC might contribute to the pathogenesis of prion diseases, and how similar mechanisms are probably operative in other neurodegenerative disorders.
Sex differences in aging of the human frontal and temporal lobes

This study investigated effects of age and sex on regional brain structure in humans, focusing on the frontal and temporal lobes. Hemispheric volumes were obtained from magnetic resonance images (MRIs) of 96 young (53 men, 43 women; aged 18-40 years) and 34 older (17 men, 17 women; aged 41-80) healthy volunteers. Images (5 mm axial spin-echo, repetition time of 3000 msec and echo times of 30 and 80 msec) were resliced along the anterior commissure-posterior commissure (AC-PC) axis to standardize for difference in head tilt, and imported into a computer program where borders of the frontal and temporal lobes were delineated. The program calculated regional brain volumes based on slice data from which CSF was segmented out. An age x sex x hemisphere x region interaction indicated that age-related reductions in brain volume were sexually dimorphic, lateralized, and region specific. Greater decrements in brain volume occurred with age in the frontal lobe than in the temporal lobe. Age-related reductions in both regions were greater in men than in women, demonstrating that sexual dimorphisms in human neuroanatomy are not fixed, but continue to change throughout adulthood. The possibility that gonadal hormones play a role in the promotion and/or prevention of neural atrophy with aging is discussed.