cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Study of a two-stage growth of DHA-producing marine algae Schizochytrium limacinum SR21 with shifting dissolved oxygen level

The culture protocol of Schizochytrium limacinum SR 21, a known docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) producing marine algae was modified in this study to better fit fermentation parameters, particularly control of dissolved oxygen (DO) to the known reproductive and growth biology of the microorganism. The cultures controlled at 50% DO saturation produced a cell density of 181 million cells/ml, whereas cultures with 10% DO produced only 98.4 million cells/ml. A fixed-agitation rate of 150 rpm resulted in an even lower density of 22.5 million cells/ml. Fifty percent DO saturation level led to a decreased pH, as well as a negative correlation with lipid accumulation, while low oxygen concentration was obligatory for lipid accumulation. This study indicated that high DO was preferred for the cells’ reproduction via release of zoospores. Thus, the culture of S. limacinum SR21 should be best divided into two stages: (1) a cell-number-increasing stage in which cell reproduction and cell number increase with little increase in the size and weight of each cell; and (2) a cell-size-increasing stage in which cells stop reproduction but cell size enlarges due to lipids accumulation. With such a protocol, the production of algae biomass and DHA was improved to levels of 37.9 g/L and 6.56 g/L, respectively. The two-stage culture process could be potentially used not only for omega-3 PUFA production, but also in other single cell oil (SCO)-producing processes, including biodiesel production from algae.
How precise are SeaWiFS ocean color estimates? Implications of digitization-noise errors

Various subtle but important digitization round-off and noise errors are found in SeaWiFS imagery. These errors often cause large relative errors at a pixel and cause pixelization or “speckling” across the image, which is particularly obvious in the SeaWiFS chlorophyll standard product. Using simulations and current SeaWiFS algorithms, we show the effect of digitization-noise errors on the SeaWiFS ocean-color data products. It is found that the SeaWiFS mission goals, namely to estimate water-leaving radiances to within ±5% and chlorophyll-a concentrations to within ±35% for Case I waters, cannot always be met. For maritime aerosol conditions the errors in the estimated chlorophyll concentrations over oligotrophic waters can easily reach ±60% and the absolute values over adjacent pixels can vary 2–3 fold. Several schemes can be used to reduce this type of error, among which the spatial smoothing of the atmospheric-correction bands is recommended. This is because the errors in those bands are propagated and exaggerated to the visible bands and to the chlorophyll product through the atmospheric-correction process. The smoothing scheme, however, will cause more pixels to be discarded over cloud edges. Ultimately, a significant increase in both digitization bits and sensitivity is essential to achieve the stated mission goals. Such improved specifications are available on MODIS.
The knots in D2 × S1 which have nontrivial Dehn surgeries that yield D2 × S1

Abstract A complete classification of the nontrivial knots in D2 × S1 which have nontrivial Dehn surgeries yielding D2 × S1 is given, together with the surgery or surgeries on each such knot that produce D2 × S1.
Development of Streptomycin Resistance of Gram-Negative Bacilli In vitro and During Treatment.

ConclusionsIt was possible to increase the resistance of Gram-negative bacilli to over 50,000 units per ml, in all cases studied, by passage through increasing concentrations of streptomycin in bro...
Distribution of tetracycline in haemolymph and tissue of all stages of corn earworm (Heliothis zea Boddie)

Abstract 1. 1. Insects reared on tetracycline containing diets had lower mortality, but required more time to reach the pupal stage. 2. 2. Tetracycline diffuses and dissipates readily into and out of insect blood and tissues. 3. 3. It reduces biosynthesis of high molecular weight proteins in blood. 4. 4. Apportionment of tetracycline in the pupal tissue is uneven.
Duplex Scanning–Derived Access Volume Flow: Novel Predictor of Success Following Endovascular Repair of Failing or Nonmaturing Arteriovenous Fistulae for Hemodialysis:

The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of duplex scanning-derived access volume flow (DAVQ) to predict the success or failure of arteriovenous fistulae (AVF) after interventions. Eighty-eight DAVQ measurements were available for 60 AVF in 59 patients. In 25 cases, physical examination findings or inadequate dialysis suggested failing (11) or nonmaturing (14) AVF. Outflow stenoses (1-4; mean 1.2 +/- 0.8) were confirmed by contrast fistulograms in 23 cases (17 peripheral; 6 central). These 23 cases underwent successful endovascular repair (17 balloon angioplasty; 6 stents) and had pre- and postintervention DAVQ measurements within 2 weeks of the procedure. Each was measured three times in a nontortuous venous segment with laminar flow, and mean values were used for comparison. The overall mean DAVQ for 65 functioning AVF was 1,199 +/- 485 mL/min, whereas it was 652 +/- 438 mL/min (range 150-1,840 mL/min) for the remaining 23 failing or nonmaturing cases (p < .0001). Postintervention, the latter values changed to 867 +/- 517 mL/min (range 257-2,020 mL/min), with a p < .13. Of these, 11 were still nonfunctional after endovascular procedures and had a mean DAVQ of 404 +/- 111 mL/min (range 257-652 mL/min). The remaining 12 cases had a mean DAVQ of 1,280 +/- 382 mL/min (range 762-2,020 mL/min) and were functional and usable for at least 6 months of follow-up (p < .0001). It is interesting to note that none of the AVF cases with postintervention DAVQ < 700 mL/min became functional and usable, whereas all cases with a higher DAVQ underwent successful hemodialysis treatments. This early experience suggests that DAVQ can be used to predict the success or failure of an AVF following endovascular procedures. To our knowledge, this is the first such report.
Electron-induced desorption of O+ ions from W, Mo and Cr

Abstract We have studied the electron-induced desorption (EID) of O + ions from oxygen-covered polycrystalline W, Mo and Cr surfaces. As the incident electron energy is increased, desorption begins at about 25 eV, and increases dramatically at the binding energy major low-lying substrate core levels. In the range of electron energy studied, below about 200 eV, there are also other variations in ion yield not associated with known core levels. The peak ion kinetic energy is 7.8, 5.3 and 3.4 eV for W, Mo and Cr respectively, and is independent of incident electron energy. These measurements imply that the desorption is initiated by a core level ionization event, although the subsequent electronic transitions leading to desorption apparently differ from those occurring on metallic oxide surfaces.
Left-Sided Stellate Ganglion Ablation or "Rate-Controlled" Vagal Nerve Stimulation Decreases Regional Myocardial Metabolic Impairment During Acute Ischemia in Dogs

This study was designed to see whether during ischemia a metabolic advantage results with left-sided ablation of the stellate ganglion (SGA), an available clinical technique. Its effects on hemodynamics and regional metabolism during myocardial ischemia were compared with those of electrical stimulation of the left vagus nerve (VS), a nonclinical technique, and those of a control condition (ischemia without intervention). The left anterior descending coronary artery (LADa) of 30 dogs was constricted to reduce blood flow by 50% and then 75% from that before constriction and after autonomic intervention (baseline). Electrocardiogram, left-ventricular (LV) first-time derivative (dP/dt), and systemic, LADa, and LV end-diastolic pressures were continuously recorded. Before and during each constriction, cardiac output and regional myocardial blood flow (by microspheres), blood gas tensions, pH, hemoglobin O2 saturation, lactate, glucose, sodium, and potassium concentrations were measured. During ischemia, SGA and VS each decreased heart rate, myocardial contractility (dP/dt), and filling pressures, the decrease in each variable being greater with VS. Also during ischemia, myocardial O2 delivery and consumption decreased to the same extent in the ischemic zone with VS, but the O2 delivery/consumption ratio was higher only with SGA. In addition, ischemic lactate production was lower with SGA and VS than with no autonomic intervention. It is concluded that left-sided SGA or VS to a heart rate of 80 to 90 beats per minute similarly mitigated metabolic impairment during myocardial ischemia. Although the study was only designed to compare modification of ischemia by two different techniques, the results suggest that ischemic zone O2 delivery/consumption ratio and hemodynamic stability were better with SGA.
High Frame-Rate Imager With All-Parallel Outputs

An all-parallel output CCD imager was developed for high frame-rate imaging applications. This imager was designed for 5000 frames per second but has been operated at much higher frame rates. The all-parallel output design was chosen to keep the pixel rate for each output low and thus obtain low-noise performance. A frame-transfer architecture was implemented to obviate the need for a fast shutter system. The device can be implemented using a backside-thinned CCD technology to achieve an improved blue response.
Modeling of Turbulent Heat Transfer from an Array of Submerged Jets Impinging on a Solid Surface

ABSTRACT Heat transfer from a row of turbulent jets impinging on a stationary surface is investigated numerically with the finite-difference algorithm SIMPLE. The jet-to-jet interaction, the geometric parameters of the jet array, and the effect of Reynolds number are investigated. The jets under consideration are submerged, planar, and exit the nozzle with a developed velocity profile. This study focuses on the turbulent regime (Re j up to 72,300) using the Lam-Bremhorst version of the low-Re k–ϵ model. The notorious overpredictions in the stagnation region are alleviated using the Yap correction. Transition from laminar to turbulent flow is predicted via the Schmidt-Patankar production-term-modification model. Good comparison with experimental data is shown. Model results show that heat transfer is a maximum at the stagnation point and decreases with distance along the plate. At some point, heat transfer may exhibit an increase due to transition to turbulence. There is also a local maximum in Nusselt num...
Scientific rationale for the use of antenatal glucocorticoids to promote fetal development.

After completing this article, readers should be able to: 1. Describe the scope of physiologic effects of antenatal corticosteroids on the developing fetus. 2. Describe the role for endogenous corticosteroids in fetal maturation. 3. Delineate the components of surfactant that are induced with corticosteroid treatment. 4. Describe the time course of pulmonary effects following administration of corticosteroids in the fetal lamb. 5. Delineate recommended treatment regimens and levels of plasma glucocorticoid activity in human infants. Following publication of the report of the National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Conference on the Effect of Corticosteroids for Fetal Maturation in 1994, antenatal corticosteroid therapy has become routine practice in the United States and most other countries. This therapy had its origins in the pioneering observations of Liggins in 1969, who reported the unexpected viability of prematurely delivered lambs after treatment with corticosteroid in utero. Since then, much has been learned about the biochemical and physiologic effects as well as the mechanisms of corticosteroid action in the developing lung and other tissues. This review summarizes the evidence that constitutes the scientific rationale for clinical use of antenatal treatment and discusses pharmacokinetic issues related to the recommended doses of corticosteroid. ### PHYSIOLOGIC EFFECTS IN THE LUNG The physiologic effects of glucocorticoids in the developing lung have been investigated extensively in various animal models (Table 1⇓ ). In initial studies with rabbits and lambs, corticosteroid therapy was found to stimulate structural development of lung parenchyma involving both airspace lining cells (differentiation into surfactant-producing type II cells) and the mesenchyme (condensation with narrowing of saccular septae). When viewed by electron microscopy, the ultrastructure of airspace epithelial cells in glucocorticoid-treated cultured fetal lung resembles that of mature type II cells of adult lung, containing well-developed lamellar bodies and microvillae. Glucocorticoids also increase lung compliance and maximal volume independent of the effects of increased surface-active material, presumably reflecting …
Norepinephrine Release in the Amygdala in Response to Footshock Stimulation

Extensive evidence suggests that many drugs and hormones influence memory storage by modulating training-induced release of norepinephrine (NE) within the amygdala. This experiment used in vivo microdialysis and high-performance liquid chromatography to examine norepinephrine NE release in the amygdala induced by footshock stimulation typically used in inhibitory avoidance training. Sprague-Dawley rats were implanted bilaterally with cannulae aimed at the amygdala. One to two weeks later, microdialysis probes were inserted (unilaterally) and the animals were placed in a box with a stainless-steel grid floor through which a single footshock (0.55 mA, 1.0 s) was administered either 45.5 (N = 5) or 180.5 (N = 4) min later. Samples were collected and analyzed at 15-min intervals. In both groups, the footshock stimulation increased NE levels to approximately 75% above basal levels in the first sample collected after the footshock and the levels returned to baseline within 30 min. The findings are consistent with pharmacological evidence suggesting that NE released by arousing stimulation is involved in regulating memory storage.
Mussel glue from Mytilus californianus Conrad: a comparative study.

Marine mussels secrete a byssus in order to attach to solid surfaces in the sea. The polyphenolic protein is the “glue” in the adhesive plaques of the byssus. InMytilus californianus, the polyphenolic protein has an apparent molecular weight of 85,000±5,000 and is rich in the amino acids lysine, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine, serine, threonine, and hydroxyproline. In composition it resembles the polyphenolic protein ofM. edulis (Mr=125,000), although theM. edulis protein contains significantly less isoleucine and more alanine. Tryptic digestion ofM. californianus polyphenolic protein revealed two types of repeating decapeptides (1) (Ser/Thr)-Thr-(Tyr/Dopa)-Hyp-Hyp-Thr-Dopa-Lys-Hyp-Lys and (2) Ile-(Thr/Ser)-(Tyr/Dopa)-Hyp-Hyp-Thr-Dopa-Lys-Hyp-Lys. Residues 2 to 8 are identical with residues 4–10 inM. edulis decapeptides.
Neurophysiologic monitoring during cranial base surgery.

The last decade has seen a rapid growth in surgical techniques directed at resection of skull base tumors. Lesions that were previously inoperable can now be resected either partially or in some cases completely. The morbidity in these procedures has diminished with increased surgical experience. Additional aids to successful surgical resection include intraoperative neurophysiologic monitoring techniques. The following text out-lines methods of monitoring cranial nerve and brain function in a manner that is directly relevant to cranial base surgery in which so many structures are potentially at risk. These techniques permit the identification of nerves obscured by tumor before they may be inadvertently damaged, the repeated confirmation during tumor resection that a nerve is still functional, and infer the state of brain and brainstem function during the course of long surgical procedures to help signal vascular compromise, or the effects of brain retraction. These techniques can only help to enhance the safety of the long and complex procedures required for successful resection of tumors of the cranial base.
Ability of Holter electrocardiographic recording and atrial stimulation to detect sinus nodal dysfunction in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients with sinus bradycardia

Abstract Holter electrocardiographic recording and functional testing (determination of corrected sinus recovery time and estimated sinoatrial conduction time) were performed in 51 patients with sinus bradycardia. Thirty-seven patients were symptomatic; eight were known to have the sick sinus syndrome before study. Electrocardiographic abnormalities diagnostic of the sick sinus syndrome were found with Holter recording in 20 patients. When abnormal functional testing was defined with currently used criteria (corrected sinus recovery time greater than 525 msec or sinoatrial conduction time greater than 120 msec, or both), 12 of the 20 patients with an abnormal Holter electrocardiogram had abnormal and 8 had normal functional testing (sensitivity rate 60 percent); 23 of the 31 patients with normal Holter recordings had normal and 8 had abnormal functional testing (specificity rate 74 percent). These criteria for abnormal functional testing gave an apparent false positive rate of 40 percent and a false negative rate of 26 percent, using Holter electrocardiographic abnormalities as the criteria for sick sinus syndrome. When abnormal functional testing was defined as corrected sinus recovery time greater than 600 msec or sinoatrial conduction time greater than 130 msec, or both, the sensitivity rate remained at 60 percent but the specificity rate increased to 94 percent and the false positive rate decreased to 14 percent. Functional testing and the Holter electrocardiogram in combination are more useful than either alone in revealing sinus nodal dysfunction in asymptomatic and symptomatic patients with sinus bradycardia. When corrected sinus recovery time greater than 525 msec or sinoatrial conduction time greater than 120 msec, or both, is used to define functional testing as normal, the combination of a normal Holter electrocardiogram and normal functional testing is strong evidence against significant sinus nodal dysfunction.
DIRECT CURRENT MHD GENERATORS WITH VARIABLE CONDUCTIVITY, VELOCITY, AND MAGNETIC FIELD.

Modular Nuclear-Rocket Systems," Astronautics & Aeronautics, June 1965. 4 Deerwester, J. M. and D'Haem, S. M., "Systematic Comparison of Venus Swingby Mode with Standard Mode of Mars Round Trips," Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets, Vol. 4, No. 7, July 1967, pp. 897-904. 5 "Nuclear Stage Design," Kept. DAG-58090, Feb. 1968, Douglas Aircraft Co. 6 Fenstermacher, C. F. and Oakley, D. T., "On the Effects of Cooldown Requirements Upon Mission Applications for Nuclear Rockets," Paper 65-555, 1966, AIAA. 7 Way, K. and Wigner, E. P., Physical Review, Vol. 75, 1948, p. 1318. 8 Perkins, J. F. and King, R. W., "Energy Release from the Decay of Fission Products," Nuclear Science and Engineering, Vol. 3, 1958, pp. 726-746.
Application of engineering & technology management practices to university R&D research in sustainable healthcare information technology for primary care clinics

Adoptions of Information Technology in healthcare settings such as primary care clinics can support improve quality of patient care and increase clinical efficiency. Such types of applications generally referred to as Health IT (HIT) are frequently results of university R&D projects and teams, often housed in Medical Schools. Due to the technological nature of these R&D projects they require a considerable level of systems engineering, product development and business planning competences in conjunction with healthcare domain expertise. Successful research teams incorporate the range of these practices either by partnering with other universities with complementary expertise or adding individuals with such skills to their research teams. The Care Management Plus program at Oregon Health & Science University founded by the John A. Hartford Foundation and the National Library of Medicine is an example of a successful HIT development program. The CMP team has implemented an interdisciplinary approach incorporating Healthcare, Medical Informatics and Engineering & Technology Management disciplines. Through this publication the research background, the team and the gap analysis that lead to adoption of an interdisciplinary approach are presented. Specifically application of Technology Management concepts including Technology Road Mapping, User-Centered Innovation, System Dynamics and Technology Transfer are discussed.
Nourishing a structured world with living metal in Bronze Age Europe

For over a thousand years, European peoples intently deposited bronze artefacts into the earth. This essay examines the motivation for doing so from a cosmological perspective. It argues that depositions were believed to support universal life processes and assure availability of resources for people and polities by literally “feeding“ universal creative energies. It is suggested that metallic ores were considered living materials that grew within the earth in locales usually at some distance from a given society and that they were embued with generative force that would be returned to the earth when metal was deposited within it. The vital life force was tangibly evidenced by metallurgical processes and uses and especially by the blue-green patina that copper and copper alloys acquire when the metal is exposed to moist conditions.
Transient cortical blindness following vertebral angiography.

SYNOPSIS A 32-year-old migrainous woman suffered an episode of transient cortical blindness during evaluation by angiography of her neurological complaints. EEG documentation was obtained to correlate with her deficit and recovery.
Trends in prevalence of prognostic factors and survival in lung cancer patients from 1985 to 2004 at a tertiary care center.

Abstract Background : After a prolonged period of increasing rates of lung cancer incidence and mortality for both men and women, incidence and mortality rates are decreasing in men and stabilizing in women. The goal of this study was to assess changes over 20 years in the prevalence of known risk factors for lung cancer and to elucidate possible predictors associated with lung cancer survival. Methods : The study included a total of 908 patients with primary lung cancer referred to The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center over three study periods 1985–1989 ( N =392), 1993–1997 ( N =216), and 2000–2004 ( N =300). Detailed questionnaires were used to collect information from the patients. Hazard ratios were estimated by fitting a Cox proportional hazards model. Using the Kaplan–Meier method, survival in months was calculated up to 2 years from the date of diagnosis to achieve comparability in the three groups. Results : We observed a decrease in the proportion of patients who are current cigarette smokers and an increase in the proportion of patients who present with adenocarcinoma of the lung, are obese and patients who present with localized disease. We also found an increase in the number of patients who report a family history of lung cancer. The overall median survival duration has increased over the years from 12.0 months in 1985–1989 to 17.5 months in 2000–2004. Also, the probability of survival of patients who were alive at 2 years after diagnosis has also increased (26.5% in 1985–1989 to 40.8% in 2000–2004). Overall, women had a better median survival than men. Conclusions : The results show that the demographic, histologic, clinical, and outcome variables of patients with lung cancer have changed over the past 20 years. Most important, the survival of patients with lung cancer has improved.
Adaptation to altered visual-vestibular feedback : Mechanisms of maintenance and recovery

Adaptation of perceived movement during head motion (apparent concomitant motion, ACM) and the subsequent elimination of adaptation were studied in two experiments. During the adaptation phase of both experiments, subjects performed voluntary 1-Hz head oscillations for 6 min while fixating a stimulus moving either in the same (with) direction as or the opposite (against) direction of head movements. In Experiment 1, ACM adaptation was measured following either a 1- or a 4-min delay after the adaptation phase. Results indicated some loss of adaptation during the additional 3-min delay, demonstrating a tendency of the system linking head and image to return to its preadaptation state following removal of an adaptation stimulus. In Experiment 2, subjects viewed a stimulus after adaptation that appeared to move minimally in the same manner as the adaptation stimulus during 3 min of head oscillations. No loss of adaptation was measured in these subjects between the beginning and the end of the 3-min interval. In another condition, subjects viewed a stimulus that appeared to move alternately in the same direction as and in the opposite direction of the adaptation stimulus during a similar 3-min interval following adaptation. ACM adaptation was substantially reduced during this 3-min interval. These results implicate two mechanisms that operate to either maintain or eliminate the short-term adaptation. One is passive and operates in the absence of visual feedback to eliminate the short-term adapted state, and the other responds to postadaptation visual feedback.
Parental perceptions of mathematical talent

Parents often become frustrated when their perception of their child’s talent in mathematics differs from that held by the school. Yet for the young child, research suggests parents have a much deeper insight into the interests and talents of their child. Failure to recognize talent can result in lost opportunities for the child as well as a loss to society. This article evaluates the development of an instrument designed to assess parent perceptions of mathematical talent. Parental perceptions and family demographics were collected for third grade students participating in Project M3: Mentoring Mathematical Minds, a research program conducted collaboratively by the University of Connecticut, Northern Kentucky University and Boston University, and for second grade students under consideration for the program. The data were correlated with other identification tools used for the identification of talented second graders for Project M3 to explore a research-based means of parent identification of mathematical talent.
Power Aware Routing Algorithms for Wireless Sensor Networks

Recently there have been numerous research results in the area of power efficiency in ad hoc and wireless sensor networks. This paper discusses the effect of power efficient routing algorithms on the lifetime of multihop wireless sensor networks (WSNs). The WSNs considered are special cases of mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs); in particular, we assume that all data and control traffic in the WSN is flowing between the sensor nodes and the base station. This assumption results in a considerably simpler problem and solution than for the more general MANETs. We calculate analytically lifetime bounds of the WSN under specific routing algorithms. The main result of the paper is that, for WSNs, the choice of the routing algorithm has almost no consequence to the lifetime of the network. This result, as well as being obviously useful, is somewhat surprising since this is not true of general MANETs.
Homotopy methods for constraint relaxation in unilevel reliability based design optimization

In reliability based design optimization, a methodology for finding optimized designs characterized with a low probability of failure the main objective is to minimize a merit function while satisfying the reliability constraints. Traditionally, these have been formulated as a double-loop (nested) optimization problem, which is computationally intensive. A new efficient unilevel formulation for reliability based design optimization was developed by the authors in earlier studies, where the lower-level optimization was replaced by its corresponding first-order Karush–Kuhn–Tucker (KKT) necessary optimality conditions at the upper-level optimization and imposed as equality constraints. But as most commercial optimizers are usually numerically unreliable when applied to problems accompanied by many equality constraints, an optimization framework for reliability based design using the unilevel formulation is developed here. Homotopy methods are used for constraint relaxation and to obtain a relaxed feasible de...
The Great Escape: Viral Strategies to Counter BST-2/Tetherin

The interferon-induced BST-2 protein has the unique ability to restrict the egress of HIV-1, Kaposi's sarcoma–associated herpesvirus (KSHV), Ebola virus, and other enveloped viruses. The observation that virions remain attached to the surface of BST-2-expressing cells led to the renaming of BST-2 as “tetherin”. However, viral proteins such as HIV-1 Vpu, simian immunodeficiency virus Nef, and KSHV K5 counteract BST-2, thereby allowing mature virions to readily escape from infected cells. Since the anti-viral function of BST-2 was discovered, there has been an explosion of research into several aspects of this intriguing interplay between host and virus. This review focuses on recent work addressing the molecular mechanisms involved in BST-2 restriction of viral egress and the species-specific countermeasures employed by various viruses.
Parametric reduced order models for predicting the nonlinear vibration response of cracked structures with uncertainty

Modeling and re-analysis techniques are proposed for predicting the dynamic response of complex structures that have suffered damage in one or more of their components. When such damages are present, the model of the healthy structure may no longer capture the system-level response or the loading from the rest of the structure on the damaged components. Hence, novel models that allow for an accurate re-analysis of the response of damaged structures are needed in important applications, including damage detection. Herein, such models are obtained by using a reduced order modeling approach based on component mode synthesis. Because the resonant response of a complex structure is often sensitive to component uncertainties (in geometric parameters such as thickness, material properties such as Young's modulus, etc.), novel parametric reduced order models (PROMs) are developed. In previous work, PROMs have been applied for handling uncertainties in a single substructure. Herein, PROMs are extended to the general case of multiple substructures with uncertain parameters or damage. Two damage cases are considered: severe structural deformation (dents), and cracks. For the first damage case, an approximate method based on static mode compensation (SMC) is used to perform fast re-analysis of the vibration response of the damaged structure. The re-analysis is performed through a range of locations and severity levels of the damage. For selected damage locations and levels, the SMC approximation is compared to full finite element analysis to demonstrate the accuracy and computational time savings for the new method. For the second damage case (cracks), the vibration problem becomes nonlinear due to the intermittent contact of the crack faces. Therefore, to estimate the resonant frequencies for a cracked structure, the bi-linear frequency approximation (BFA) is used for cracks of various lengths. Since BFA is based on linear analyses, it is fast and particularly well suited for implementation with PROMs for structural re-analysis. In contrast, most other nonlinear techniques for predicting the dynamic response are computationally intensive and cumbersome. For validating the proposed PROMs, resonant frequencies predicted using BFA and PROMs are shown to agree very well with results obtained using a much more expensive commercial finite element tool.
Non-convex hull surfaces

We present a new algorithm to reconstruct approximating watertight surfaces from finite oriented point clouds. The Convex Hull (CH) of an arbitrary set of points, constructed as the intersection of all the supporting linear half spaces, is a piecewise linear watertight surface, but usually a poor approximation of the sampled surface. We introduce the Non-Convex Hull (NCH) of an oriented point cloud as the intersection of complementary supporting spherical half spaces; one per point. The boundary surface of this set is a piecewise quadratic interpolating surface, which can also be described as the zero level set of the NCH Signed Distance function. We evaluate the NCH Signed Distance function on the vertices of a volumetric mesh, regular or adaptive, and generate an approximating polygonal mesh for the NCH Surface using an isosurface algorithm. Despite its simplicity, this simple algorithm produces high quality polygon meshes competitive with those generated by state-of-the-art algorithms. The relation to the Medial Axis Transform is described.
Bipolaronic-enhanced third-order nonlinearity in organic ladder polymers

Third order nonlinear optical properties of organic ladder copolymer (POL) system is studied using degenerate four-wave mixing with picosecond laser pulse. Both the real and imaginary part of the third order nonlinear susceptibility (3) were determined by a new phase conjugate interferometric method over the wavelength range of 532 - 720 nm. From the space symmetry and wavelength dependence of -) we attribute the observed nonlinearity to the nonlinear photoexcitation of bipolarion states in this ladder copolymer system.
Linking Market Internality to the Non-Oil Sector in Nigeria

Economists coined the concept of market externality to show that activities in a market affect third parties. An interesting question which economists have left unanswered is whether or not third parties too can affect markets/economy, for there is no concept in economics on how thirdparty activities affect market transactions. This paper therefore explores this issue, using the concept of market internality for this purpose. Four nonmarket activities such as poverty, corruption, political instability, and primary school enrollment are studied to find out if they affect the Nigeria’s non-oil sector. The results showed that the variables have short-run relationships at significant levels.
Investigating Supervisor Attributions of Subordinate Performance

This field study was conducted to investigate the impact of factors relating to supervisor-subordinate affective relationship and work relationship, supervisor job tenure, and subordinate performance level on supervisor attributions of subordinate performance. The results indicate that the length and nature of supervisor-subordinate work relationship and supervisor job tenure significantly affect supervisor attributions of subordinate performance to internal or external causes. The results for supervisor-subordinate affective relationship and subordinate performance level conflict with previous, predominantly laboratory-based, research. Reasons are discussedfor these results. Implications for practice are also offered.
A robust method for determining DNA binding constants using capillary zone electrophoresis.

Abstract Capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE or CE) with on-line UV detection was utilized to measure the binding constants between purified calf thymus DNA and a library of designed tetrapeptides which had been constructed using unnatural amino acids with thiazole ring side chains. Mixtures containing a constant amount of a tetrapeptide, the neutral marker (mesityl oxide), and varying concentrations of DNA were prepared and equilibrated at 8°C for 12 h. CE was then utilized to separate unbound tetrapeptides from the DNA–peptide complex. The UV absorbance of the peak representing unbound tetrapeptide decreased incrementally as a result of increasing the concentration of DNA in the equilibrium mixture. The absorbance of the peak corresponding to the unbound tetrapeptide was obtained directly from the electropherogram and used in the calculation of the DNA–peptide binding constants. The binding constant for each tetrapeptide to calf thymus DNA was obtained from the negative slope of a Scatchard plot and a comparison of the binding constants for different peptides showed that the tetrapeptides in the library have DNA-binding affinities ranging from 102to 106M−1.
The London OMED position statement for credentialing and quality assurance in digestive endoscopy

The goal of every clinician (and the health systems in which they work) is to provide high quality medical services. In the case of digestive endoscopy, this means that use of the procedures should adhere to accepted indications, that accurate diagnoses are made, that successful therapies are applied, and that all this is done while maximizing the patient’s comfort, and minimizing the risks. The quality assurance process includes granting of privileges only to competent practitioners, ensuring ongoing competence through re-privileging, and engaging in quality improvement through measurement and remediation. Quality is an issue for everyone involved in the endoscopy process, not just the endoscopists. As a service to the world community, the leadership of OMED (Organisation Mondiale d’Endoscopie Digestive, World Organisation of Digestive Endoscopy) charged Dr. Douglas Faigel and Dr. Peter Cotton to chair a working party of interested endoscopists from a wide range of countries and organizations to develop universal guidelines to assist healthcare institutions in ensuring that the highest quality care be given. The working party met twice, and conducted most of its deliberations by correspondence and conference calls. All known national and international organizations supporting the practice of endoscopy were interrogated for information on relevant topics; many already have extensive publications [1–7]. A list of members of the working party is given in the Appendix. It is well recognized that resources vary around the world, and that digestive endoscopy is regulated in different ways in different countries (and very little in some), so that the application of these guidelines will vary enormously in extent andmethod. However, we believe that the recommendations can provide a useful platform from which all systems can move forward. These guidelines should also be used by educational organizations throughout the world to set goals in their continuing medical education programs, thus improving the quality of endoscopy worldwide. This review does not include discussion of the issues involved in training and credentialing nonphysician endoscopists, which is becoming more common, especially in Britain. However, the same general principles should apply.
Bone morphogenetic protein gene therapy.

STUDY DESIGN A retrospective analysis of previous BMP gene therapy and general gene therapy publications. OBJECTIVE To present the potential role of BMP gene therapy for the induction of osteogenesis and spinal fusion. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA A variety of viral and non-viral techniques have been utilized to insert foreign transgenes into cells, both in vivo and in vitro. These techniques are now being used to transduce cells with a BMP gene to express significant amounts of BMP. This secreted BMP can subsequently stimulate osteogenesis in a variety of locations, including in the paraspinal regions. METHODS A retrospective analysis of the literature. RESULTS Direct and ex vivo BMP gene therapy has been shown to successfully promote bone healing and regeneration in a variety of animal models. Long-term and regulated transgene expression are clear advantages of BMP gene delivery, compared to direct BMP application. To date, BMP gene delivery with adenoviral vectors have been the most effective approach for stimulating bone induction in vivo. CONCLUSIONS Although BMP gene therapy techniques have significant potential for the treatment of spine pathology, further preclinical and clinical research and development are required before this technology will have direct clinical applications.
Block implementation of recursive digital filters--New structures and properties

Several new structures for the block implementation of HilR digital filters are proposed. The relation between the pole locations of the block structure to that of the original scalar transfer function is derived. A method to obtain the scalar transfer function from a given block structure is described.
Complex modulus of round window membrane over auditory frequencies in normal and otitis media chinchilla ears

To better reveal the mechanical properties of round window membrane (RWM) in normal and pathological ears, the complex modulus of chinchilla RWM was determined by measuring its dynamic behaviour together with the finite element simulation. The acute otitis media (AOM) was created by transbullar injection of Haemophilus influenzae in chinchillas and RWM specimens in AOM ears were prepared four days post inoculation. Vibration of the RWM induced by coil-magnet force stimulation was measured by laser Doppler vibrometry over frequencies of 0.2–8 kHz. A finite element model-based inverse-problem solving method was used to determine the complex modulus of each RWM specimen in the frequency domain. Experimental results of the AOM ears indicated that the resonance frequency decreased by 13.94% compared with the normal ears and the mean storage modulus and loss modulus were decreased by 65% and 32%, respectively.
Fatigue crack growth mechanics for Ti-6Al-4V (RA) in vacuum and humid air

The effects of environment and cyclic stress intensity factor on crack opening displacement and crack tip strain have been measured, and discontinuous crack growth has been observed directly under high resolution conditions in the Scanning Electron Microscope. This information is used in a crack tip failure model together with cyclic stress-strain, low cycle fatigue, and microstructural characteristics of the material to derive the expected crack growth increment. Agreement with measured striation spacings is reasonable.
Redox regulation of macrophage migration inhibitory factor expression in rat neurons.

Abstract Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) expression is induced by angiotensin II (Ang II) in normal rat neurons and serves a negative regulatory role by blunting the chronotropic actions of this peptide. The aim here was to determine whether hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), a reactive oxygen species (ROS) that is a key intracellular mediator of the neuronal actions of Ang II, is a trigger for MIF production in neurons. Thus, we tested the effects of H2O2 on MIF expression in primary neuronal cultures from newborn normotensive (Wistar Kyoto [WKY] or Sprague–Dawley [SD]) rat brain, cells that respond to Ang II by increasing MIF levels. Treatment of WKY or SD rat neuronal cultures with a non-cytotoxic concentration of H2O2 elicited a significant, time-dependent increase in MIF mRNA and protein levels. Glucose oxidase, which produces H2O2 via oxidation of glucose in the cell-culture medium, elicited a similar increase in neuronal MIF mRNA levels. The stimulatory action of H2O2 was not apparent in neuronal cultures from spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), cells that fail to express increased MIF in response to Ang II. Finally, preincubation of SD rat cultures with either polyethylene glycol-catalase or actinomycin D abolished the H2O2-induced increase in MIF, suggesting that this ROS is acting intracellularly to increase transcription of the MIF gene. These results suggest the presence of a redox regulatory mechanism for induction of MIF in normotensive rat neurons.
ROSAT Energy Spectra of Low-Mass X-Ray Binaries

The 0.1-2.4 keV bandpass of the ROSAT Position Sensitive Proportional Counter (PSPC) offers an opportunity to study the very soft X-ray continuum of bright low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs). In 46 pointed observations, 23 LMXBs were observed with count rates between 0.4 and 165.4 counts s-1. The survey identified a total of 29 different luminosity levels, which are compared with observations and identified spectral states from other missions. The atoll source 4U 1705-44 was observed near Eddington luminosities in an unusually high intensity state. Spectral analysis provided a measure of the interstellar column density for all 49 observations. The sensitivity of spectral fits depends strongly on column density. Fits to highly absorbed spectra are merely insensitive toward any particular spectral model. Sources with column densities well below 1022 cm-2 are best fitted by power laws, while the blackbody model gives clearly worse fits to the data. Most single-component fits from sources with low column densities, however, are not acceptable at all. The inclusion of a blackbody component in eight sources can improve the fits significantly. The obtained emission radii of less than 5 km suggest emission from the neutron star surface. In 10 sources acceptable fits can only be achieved by including soft-line components. With a spectral resolution of the PSPC of 320-450 eV, between 0.6 and 1.2 keV unresolved broad-line features were detected around 0.65, 0.85, and 1.0 keV. The line fluxes range within 10-11 and 10-12 ergs cm-2 s-1, with equivalent widths between 24 and 210 eV. In LMC X-2, 2S 0918-549, and 4U 1254-690, line emission is indicated for the first time. The soft emission observed in 4U 0614+091 compares with recent ASCA results, with a new feature indicated at 1.31 keV. The deduced line fluxes in 4U 1820-30 and Cyg X-2 showed variability of a factor of 2 within timescales of 1-2 days. Average fluxes of line components in 4U 1820-30 varied by the same factor over a time span of 3 yr.
Structural Similarity of Human and Bovine Somatomedin Receptors and Human Insulin Receptor: Analysis by Affinity Labeling

The growth promoting and insulin-like actions of somatomedin-C (Sm-C) are thought to be mediated respectively by interactions with the Sm-C and insulin (In) receptors. Since Sm-C and In are structurally homologous, we compared the size and subunit structure of their respective radiolabeled receptors in human placental membranes (hPM) and bovine chondrocytes (bC) by crosslinking with disuccinimidyl suberate (DSS). The labeled hormone-receptor complexes (RCs) were analyzed by SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) and autoradiography. Specificity of the respective RCs was demonstrated by competitive inhibition studies. Both hPM RCs had apparent molecular weights of > 250,000 daltons. Reduction with 2-mercaptoethanol yielded subunits of ~ 140,000 daltons. Limited proteolysis with trypsin, chymotrypsin and staphylococcal V-8 protease of the labeled RCs gave similar products. The Sm-C RC In bC isolated from calf epiphyseal plates also contained a 140,000 dalton binding subunit indistinguishable from the HPM receptor. Conclusions: 1) the hPM receptor for Sm-C has a 140,000 MW binding subunit linked by disulfide bonds. 2) By this technique, the hPM Sm-C receptor is structurally indistinguishable from either the Sm-C receptor in bC or the In receptor in hPMs, 3) The sizes of In and Sm-C receptors and their subunits differ from that reported for MSA and certain other hormones.
How CDC is promoting a clear communication culture

Both the federal Plain Writing Act and the mission of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to protect and promote people's health require CDC to communicate clearly so that people can understand and act on the important health information it provides. Decades of research shows that health information and services are often unfamiliar, complicated, and technical, even for people with many years of formal education. Although individual skills are important, the actions of health professionals in communicating health information are influential as well. In response to both the challenges faced by those who need health information and the opportunities for improvement among those who provide health information, CDC is taking steps to promote a clear communication culture to make its health information and services accessible and understandable by the different audiences it serves.