cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An integrated approach to the layout of flexible transfer lines (FTLs): Buffer stocks allocation☆

Abstract A key factor to a successful layout design is the allocation of the limited buffer space between the work cells of a production line. Based on a closed-form solution, this paper presents an algorithm for the optimum allocation of buffer stocks in flexible transfer lines. The analysis assumes the availability of a general storage area (central buffer), where blocked jobs can be kept until needed. Although the algorithm is devloped for Markovian systems, it has been found applicable also to non-Markovian ones.
Effect of material coupling on wave vibration of composite Euler-Bernoulli beam structures

Abstract Fiber-reinforced composite materials are an important development in the continuing search for lightweight materials for great strength and stiffness. Lighter structures are usually more prone to vibrations. Furthermore, due to material coupling, composite beams normally vibrate with coupled vibration modes, which complicates vibration analysis. This paper presents the effect of coupling between bending and torsional deformations on vibrations of composite Euler–Bernoulli beams from a wave vibration standpoint. In the study, it is found that the torsional mode is only unaffected by the material coupling at low frequencies. The flexural modes are found affected over the entire frequency band. Unlike their uncoupled metallic counterparts, the wavenumbers for propagating and decaying wave components are no longer the same due to material coupling. Free vibration analysis is performed from a wave standpoint. Free vibration of composite beam with the coupling effect taken into account is of great importance. This is because the free vibration characteristics can be designed favorably by suitable choice of ply orientations and stacking sequence—one of the unique features of composite structures. Numerical examples for which comparative results are available in the literature are presented.
The Rotationally Resolved 3-μM Spectrum and the Structure of the ICCH Dimer

Abstract We have obtained the ICCH dimer spectrum in the fundamental CH stretch region (3327 cm −1 ) using molecular beam, optothermal detection. Only one A / B hybrid band was observed. A simulation of this spectrum yields the following rotational constants: A ″ = 3195.5(50) MHz, B ″ = 307.3(10) MHz, and C ″ = 278.5(10) MHz, with A Δ = −0.3(1) MHz, A Δ = −0.3(1) MHz, and A Δ = −0.03(1) MHz. The positions of the lines are fairly well predicted by the rigid rotor model. However, this is not true for the intensities, due to unresolved hyperfine structure and local perturbations in the spectrum. Based upon the small inertial defect observed for the molecule, the equilibrium structure is believed to be planar with a center of mass to center of mass distance of 4.44 A. We have calculated the vibrationally averaged geometries that are consistent with the measured rotational constants and find that none of the C 2 h structures can account for the observed A / B intensity ratio, and that all have an I-I and/or I-C contact distance substantially shorter (about 10%) than the sum of the corresponding covalent Van der Waals radii. We tentatively assign to the dimer a T-shaped structure, based on the relative intensities of the A - and B -type transitions, the contact distances that are within 2% of accepted Van der Waals radii, and the small complexation-induced redshift, as well as the fact that it should provide for considerable stabilization by dispersion forces.
A microstructural study of dislocation substructures formed in metal foil substrates during ultrasonic wire bonding

A study has been conducted on the deformation mechanisms in metal substrates subject to aluminum ultrasonic wire bonding (UWB). Aluminum wires were bonded to copper, nickel, stainless steel, and aluminum bronze foil substrates and then removed in aqueous sodium hydroxide to permit thin sections of bonded areas to be examined in the transmission electron microscope (TEM). The results showed a variety of dislocation substructures formed during bonding, including dislocation cells, subgrains, and planar arrays. Aluminum and copper showed evidence of thermal effects on microstructural evolution during bonding, such as dislocation annihilation at cell walls in copper and complete recrystallization in aluminum. In the nickel and stainless steel substrates, which have higher recrystallization temperatures, thermal effects on microstructure were not observed. In addition, it was found that low stacking-fault energy (SFE) materials, such as aluminum bronze, were less likely to undergo cell formation, and only planar dislocation arrays formed. In general, it is clear that the process of UWB induces cyclic stresses in the substrates, which exceed the yield strength of the metals examined. In addition, there is some heat generated during the bonding process, which can influence the resultant deformation microstructure.
Optimized Determination of Viscous Mud Properties Using a Nonlinear Wave-Mud Interaction Model

The complex process of surface wave propagation over areas of cohesive sediments has generally been treated by assuming a particular rheological behavior for the mud layer, thereby fixing the description of the mud characteristics into the specification of parameters relevant to the selected rheology. The capability of inverting data to recover these parameters is investigated here. Representing the mud layer as a thin viscous fluid, a nonlinear wave‐mud interaction model, coupled with a nonlinear optimization technique (Levenberg‐ Marquardt), is used to deduce mud characteristics from estimates of wave energy. A set of numerical tests with a deterministic phase-coherent cnoidal wave are conducted to individually estimate viscosity and mud layer depth (keeping one fixed while estimating the other), and to determine the limits of convergence of the inversionalgorithm.Itisshownthatinstancesofconvergenceornonconvergencecanbetracedtotheshapeof the dissipation rate curve as a function of the parameter under consideration as well as the location of the initial guesses of the target parameter along that curve. It is found that the estimation of viscosity is less problematic than the estimation of mud layer depth. Tests with random waves are also performed, using both root-mean-square wave height (representation of wave energy) and wave skewness (representation of nonlinearwaveproperties)asinput fortheinversion.Theuseofrandomwavesappearstoamelioratemanyofthe convergence difficulties encountered with the cnoidal wave tests, while the use of wave skewness, while promising, is somewhat less successful. Finally, the inversion algorithm is tested against laboratory data and the deduction of both mud layer depth and viscosity proceed well. Implications for general mud property deduction are discussed.
Discriminant analysis of vegetable oils by near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy

Discriminant analysis of four vegetable oil types (cotton-seed, peanut, soybean and canola) was performed by near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy. The objective of this study was to provide an alternate method to differentiate vegetable oil types and to classify unknown oil samples. Second derivative spectra of the vegetable oils were subjected to discriminate analysis with Mahalanobis distances principles. A four-wavelength (1704, 1802, 1816 and 2110 nm) equation was derived, which produced a sum of inverse squared distance of 0.0548. Although all four groups were successfully separated with a chi square of 18.9, the soybean oil group is more dispersed in space than the other three groups. Iodine values of the soybean oil samples suggest that this group may have a wide range of hydrogenation states. Discriminant analysis can be successfully used to differentiate vegetable oil types and possibly could also be used to differentiate degree of hydrogenation and oxidative states of oils.
Nerve Growth Factor‐Induced Down‐Regulation of Calmodulin‐Dependent Protein Kinase III in PC12 Cells Involves Cyclic AMP‐Dependent Protein Kinase

: Treatment of PC12 cells with nerve growth factor (NGF), epidermal growth factor (EGF), or agents that raise intracellular cyclic AMP (cAMP) levels (e.g., forskolin) reduces the activity of calmodulin-dependent protein kinase III (CaM-PK III) over a period of 8 h. The mechanism of this effect of NGF has now been examined in more detail, making use of a mutant PC12 cell line (A126-1B2) that is deficient in cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity. Control experiments showed that A 126-1B2 cells retain other NGF-mediated responses (e.g., the induction of ornithine decarboxylase, a cAMP-independent event) and contain a complement of CaM-PK III and its substrate, elongation factor-2, comparable to that of wild-type cells. The ability of NGF or forskolin, but not of EGF, to down-regulate CaM-PK III was markedly attenuated in A 126-1B2 compared to wildtype cells. Treatment of wild-type cells with the cAMP phosphodiesterase inhibitor, isobutylmethylxanthine, enhanced the effects of NGF, but not of EGF. The possibility that NGF led to a stimulation of cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity in wild-type cells was assessed by measurement of the “activation ratio’(-cAMP/+cAMP) of this enzyme before and at various times after NGF addition. A small, but significant, increase in the activation ratio from 0.3 to 0.48 was observed, reaching a peak 5 min after NGF treatment. EGF had no effect on the activation ratio in wild-type cells. These experiments support the hypothesis that NGF, but not EGF, achieves its effects on CaM-PK III by activation of a cAMP-dependent protein kinase and suggest that other actions of NGF may be mediated by the same mechanism.
Direct liquid injection MOCVD of high quality PLZT films

Abstract High quality lanthanum-modified lead zirconate titanate (PLZT) films have been deposited on (111)Pt/Ti/SiO 2 /Si substrates by direct liquid injection (DLI) metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). The as-deposited PLZT films have smooth, reflective surfaces which were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry. X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements indicated that single perovskite phase with a -axis oriented PLZT films were formed in situ at a substrate temperature of 650 °C. Typical P-E hysteresis loop exhibits remanent polarization as high as 2 P r = 48.1 μC / cm 2 . The coercive field is 2 E c = 98 kV / cm . Electrical fatigue tests show 70% of the original switched polarization remained after 1 × 10 10 cycles.
Under the invisibility cloak? Teacher understanding of cultural difference

While research does exist on how teachers feel about multicultural education or bilingual education, very little data exists on how teachers cognitively construct a core concept of these educational approaches—cultural difference. This article describes the investigation of this understanding among 155 teachers in midwestern USA from rural, urban and suburban schools across grade levels. Utilizing data from the Intercultural Development Inventory, one important finding reveals the degree to which teachers minimize cultural differences. Implications for teacher education are discussed.
Cost benefit analysis of condition monitoring systems for optimal maintenance decision making

Tremendous advances in high performance sensing and signal processing technology enable the development of condition monitoring systems (CMS) for complex engineered systems to detect, diagnose, and predict the system-wide effects of failure events. Although employing CMS in preventing catastrophic system failures and reducing the operation and maintenance (O&M) costs have been acknowledged, the cost and benefit of CMS have not been well studied and further the advantages of CMS have not been fully recognized for the optimal maintenance decision making, mainly due to the lack of valid theoretical modeling addressing the interrelationship between the CMS effectiveness and system downtime due to system failures. In this study, a Poisson Process model will be developed for the modeling of occurrence of the system-wide failure events and study the potential benefits provided by the CMS in preventing these failure events. With the developed Poisson process model, the cost benefit analysis (CBA) will then be implemented by considering the CMS system reliability and costs varying with its failure detection effectiveness presented by the probabilistic detectability measure. Facilitated by CBA of the CMS, break-even points (BEP) between expected lifecycle benefits and the required CMS detectability level can be found to select optimal CMS for different system failure modes. Moreover, with the help of the CBA results, optimal maintenance strategies can be determined to minimize the O&M costs. The presented CBA methodology for the CMS systems will be demonstrated with an aircraft maintenance case study and the efficacy will be validated.
Long‐term grating acuity and visual‐field development in preterm children who experienced bronchopulmonary dysplasia

Grating acuity, visual-field extent, and recognition acuity were examined in 77 children who had bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), 101 children who had hyaline membrane disease (HMD), and 77 healthy preterm (HPT) children. None of the subjects had significant retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) or neurological abnormalities. Grating acuity and field extent were tested at 0 to 1, 4, 9, 12, 17, 24, 30, 36, and 48 months corrected age and recognition acuity was tested at 36 and 48 months corrected age. Ophthalmological examinations indicated that a greater proportion of subjects in the BPD group than in the HMD or in the HPT group had strabismus or high refractive error. However, grating acuity and field extent in the BPD group did not significantly differ from the HMD group or from the HPT group at any test age. Recognition acuity was poorer in the BPD and HMD groups than in the HPT group at both 36 and 48 months, but the difference was significant only at 36 months. These results suggest that children who experienced BPD with no significant ROP and no neurological complications show grating acuity and visual-field development comparable to that of healthy preterm children, but that recognition acuity, or the skills required to perform a recognition-acuity task, may be delayed in this BPD population.
Behavioral Dimensions of Stuttered Speech

Nineteen stutterers provided samples of speech and reading from which scores representing 46 visible-audible phenomena were correlated. An analysis of the correlations revealed 10 factors which acc...
Studies on pituitary melanotrophs reveal the novel GABAB antagonist CGP 35-348 to be the first such compound effective on endocrine cells

One obstacle to understanding the action and physiological significance of the responsiveness of various endocrine cells to gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) has been that previously available substances, all active as GABAB antagonists in the nervous system, are ineffective on endocrine cells. The introduction of a potent new member of this class, CGP 35-348, of very different chemical structure, encouraged us to examine its effect on endocrine cells. For this purpose, we studied melanotroph secretion from pituitary neurointermediate lobes. We found that CGP 35-348, in contrast to previously available members of this class, suppressed completely, in rat and toad, secretory responses to baclofen, the classic GABAB agonist. Analysis, in toad, showed CGP 35-348 did not affect responses to GABAA agonists (muscimol; isoguvacine), dopamine, or neuropeptide Y. When tested against GABA, the physiological ligand present in the innervation of melanotrophs (along with dopamine and neuropeptide Y), CGP 35-348 completely suppressed the secretory response, which, in toad, is purely inhibitory and unaffected by bicuculline, the specific GABAA antagonist. In addition, CGP 35-348 unmasked a stimulant effect that bicuculline blocked. In CGP 35-348, we thus have a new tool with which to analyse responses to GABA and their physiological involvement in endocrine cells.
Interleukin-4 suppression of interleukin-1-induced transcription of collagenase (MMP-1) and stromelysin 1 (MMP-3) in human synovial fibroblasts

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disorder in which a primary inflammatory event occurs in the synovium. The inflamed synovium is characterized by infiltrating T cells and macrophages, as well as activated fibroblasts. The macrophages produce inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-1 (IL-1) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF), which stimulate production of chemotactic factors and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). These MMPs (e.g., collagenase [MMP-1] and stromelysin [MMP-3]) are believed to play a major role in the joint and tissue destruction associated with chronic inflammatory diseases such as RA (1) and periodontitis (2). Production of MMPs by synovial fibroblasts is regulated by a variety of growth factors and cytokines, including IL-1. Although there are an increasing number of exceptions (3–7), the 2 genes are coordinately regulated under many conditions (8). The mechanism(s) by which IL-1 increases transcription of the MMP genes are not yet fully understood, but transcription factor activator protein 1 (AP-l), which has a binding site at a similar location in both promoters, is thought to play an important role (9,10). Synovial fluid from RA patients and crevicular fluid from patients with periodontitis has been shown to contain high levels of proinflammatory cytokines IL-1 and TNF (11–13), while antiinflammatory cytokines IL-4 and IL-10 are virtually undetectable (14–16). IL-4 has been shown to inhibit collagenase expression in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated monocytes (17,18) and in superantigen-induced synovial fibroblasts (19), as well as stromelysin expression in human skin fibroblasts stimulated with IL-1 (20). However, its effects on MMP expression in IL-1–stimulated synovial fibroblasts have not yet been examined. In addition, although the inhibitory effects of IL-4 have been associated with decreased production of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) (18–22) and lack of protein kinase C activation (20), the mechanism of IL-4 inhibition of MMP expression has not been well established in any model system. Herein we report that coincubation of human synovial fibroblast cultures with IL-1 and IL-4 results in a significant, dose-dependent reduction in the IL-1–stimulated production of both collagenase and stromelysin messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein, as well as PGE2. However, the mechanism of IL-4 inhibition of MMP expression appears to be independent of its inhibition of PGE2 production, since exogenous addition of PGE2 was unable to restore the MMP induction. Although this inhibition takes place at least in part at the transcriptional level, binding of transcription factor AP-1 is not affected. These findings suggest that the inhibitory effects of IL-4 may be mediated through other, less well-characterized, transcription factors involved in modulating the expression of these genes.
Dose-related effects of ethylketazocine on nociception, behaviour and autonomic responses in the horse.

Sensitive methods for measuring the analgesic, physiological and behavioural effects of opioids in the horse have recently been developed. Fentanyl, a prototypic mu-opiate receptor agonist, has been previously shown to produce a syndrome characterized by marked analgesia and locomotor stimulation as well as tachycardia, tachypnoea and behavioural arousal. To determine whether other opiate receptors mediate some of the actions of the narcotic analgesics in the horse, an agent with activity at kappa- and to lesser extent mu-receptors was studied using a vigorous experimental protocol. Like fentanyl, ethylketazocine (EKC) (0.0025-0.012 mg kg-1 i.v.) produced marked dose-related analgesia to noxious thermal stimuli. Modest dose-related increases in locomotor activity, pupil diameter and rectal temperature were also observed. However, in contrast to fentanyl, EKC failed to produce any change in cardiac or respiratory rates and produced behavioural sedation rather than arousal. These data suggest that mu- and possibly kappa-receptors can mediate the actions of narcotics in the horse.
Cellular and molecular mechanism(s) of coronary flow regulation by adenosine.

There is strong evidence in favor of a major role for adenosine in the metabolic regulation of blood flow to the heart. The exact nature of the molecular and cellular events leading to the vasodilatation by adenosine are poorly understood. In the present report we have provided experimental evidence that; (i) hypoxia of cardiac cells resulted in the production of adenosine (and its degradative products) which can be responsible for the hypoxic dilation observed by several workers; (ii) the release of metabolites such as potassium and inorganic phosphate was unchanged due to a 30-minute hypoxia of cardiac cells; (iii) the release of prostaglandin E but not F was enhanced due to hypoxia of cardiac cells which may be due to the storage pools in the cells; (iv) prostaglandin E1, E2 and F2α inhibited the uptake of adenosine at pharmacological concentrations but not at physiological concentrations; (v) prostaglandin synthetase inhibitors (aspirin and indomethacin) nonspecifically inhibited the uptake of adenosine in the cardiac cells; (vi) lowering of pH resulted in inhibition in the uptake of adenosine and its incorporation into adenine nucleotides in cardiac cells; (vii) lowering the pH of the perfusion medium resulted in the increased release of perfusate adenosine (and its degradative products) with a simultaneous increase in coronary blood flow; (ix) specific adenosine receptor sites were found in cardiac muscle, coronary arteries, and carotid arteries of the dog and rabbit aorta, which satisfy the basic characteristic of receptor binding; and (x) these receptor binding sites were different from the adenosine uptake protein and were competitively blocked by theophylline or aminophylline. It is concluded that adenosine plays a major role in blood flow regulation to the heart and acts through specific receptors to produce vasodilatation.
Crystal development in the Malpighian tubules of Bombyx mori (L.)

Abstract The Malpighian tubules of the silkworm ( Bombyx mori ) produce crystals of calcium oxalate. The crystals are birefringent and easily seen in the optical microscope using polarized light. The first stage of crystal development, visible at the fine structural level, is the appearance of patches of matrix in the tubule lumen. The matrix is closely associated with the cell surface. Gradually more matrix appears and serves as a template for the deposition of crystalline calcium oxalate. The tubule lumen is eventually filled with mature crystals that are released when the larval cuticle is shed. This cycle repeats during each intermolt period.
Anti-quorum sensing activity of medicinal plants in southern Florida

Bacterial intercellular communication, or quorum sensing (QS), controls the pathogenesis of many medically important organisms. Anti-QS compounds are known to exist in marine algae and have the ability to attenuate bacterial pathogenicity. We hypothesized that terrestrial plants traditionally used as medicines may also produce anti-QS compounds. To test this hypothesis, 50 medicinal plants from southern Florida were screened for anti-QS activity using two biomonitor strains, Chromobacterium violaceum and Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Of these plants, six showed QS inhibition: Conocarpus erectus L. (Combretaceae), Chamaecyce hypericifolia (L.) Millsp. (Euphorbiaceae), Callistemon viminalis (Sol. ex Gaertn.) G. Don (Myrtaceae), Bucida burceras L. (Combretaceae), Tetrazygia bicolor (Mill.) Cogn. (Melastomataceae), and Quercus virginiana Mill. (Fagaceae). This study introduces not only a new mode of action and possible validation for traditional plant use, but also a potentially new therapeutic direction for the treatment of bacterial infections.
Building Social Capital: Civic Attitudes and Behavior of Public Servants

This study compares public servants and other citizens with regard to several important civic attitudes and behaviors that are closely related to social capital. These attributes include social trust, social altruism, equality, tolerance, humanitarianism, and civic participation. The first five attributes provide soft evidence of social capital, but the last attribute-civic participation-is hard behavioral evidence. Finally, a rigorous test is applied: a multivariate model estimates the strength of public employment as a predictor of civic participation while it holds other theoretically important variables constant. The results show that public employment is a substantively important and highly significant predictor of civic participation. Overall, public servants are far more active in civic affairs than are other citizens, and they appear to be catalysts for the building of social capital in society at large.
Transitions Regulating the Timing of Cytokinesis in Embryonic Cells

Anaphase, mitotic exit, and cytokinesis proceed in rapid succession, and while mitotic exit is a requirement for cytokinesis in yeast [1, 2], it may not be a direct requirement for furrow initiation in animal cells [3, 4]. In this report, we physically manipulated the proximity of the mitotic apparatus (MA) to the cell cortex in combination with microinjection of effectors of the spindle checkpoint and CDK1 activity to determine how the initiation of cytokinesis is coupled to the onset of anaphase and mitotic exit. Whereas precocious contact between the MA and the cell surface advanced the onset of cytokinesis into early anaphase A, furrowing could not be advanced prior to the metaphase-anaphase transition. Additionally, while cells arrested in anaphase could be induced to initiate cleavage furrows, cells arrested in metaphase could not. Finally, activation of the mitotic checkpoint in one spindle of a binucleate cell failed to arrest cytokinesis induced by the control spindle but did inhibit the formation of furrows between the arrested MA and the control, nonarrested MA. Our experiments suggest that the competence of the mitotic apparatus to initiate cytokinesis is not dependent on cyclin degradation but does require anaphase-promoting complex (APC) activity and, thus, inactivation of the mitotic checkpoint.
Prehospital thrombolysis in acute myocardial infarction

The benefit and risk of prehospital thrombolysis for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) were evaluated in a double-blind randomized trial. Patients presenting less than 4 hours after symptom onset received 2 million units of urokinase as an intravenous bolus either before (group A, n = 40) or after (group B, n = 38) hospital admission. The mean time interval from onset of symptoms to thrombolytic therapy was 85 +/- 51 minutes in group A and 137 +/- 50 minutes in group B (p less than 0.0005). In 91% of the patients, thrombolytic therapy was administered less than 3 hours after symptom onset. Complication rates during the pre- and in-hospital period were low and did not differ between groups. Three patients died (1 in group A, 2 in group B) from reinfarction 7 to 14 days after admission. Left-sided cardiac catheterization before discharge revealed a patency rate in the infarct-related artery of 61% in group A and 67% in group B (difference not significant). Global left ventricular function and regional wall motion at the infarct site did not differ significantly between group A and B (ejection fraction 51 +/- 10%, n = 28 vs 53 +/- 14%, n = 28; wall motion -2.3 +/- 1.3 vs -2.2 +/- 1.1 standard deviation, respectively). Also, peak creatine kinase did not differ significantly (838 +/- 634 U/liter in group A vs 924 +/- 595 U/liter in group B). Prehospital thrombolysis using a bolus injection of urokinase has a low risk when performed by a trained physician with a mobile care unit. The saving of 45 minutes in the early stage of an acute infarction through prehospital thrombolysis did not appear to be important for salvage of myocardial function.
New symmetries in topological field theories

Abstract We construct various new topological field theories. These constructions and their symmetries are formally independent of a specific dimension for spacetime. The theories possess unusual features, such as interacting higher rank forms with non-abelian gauge invariances in higher dimensions. We find new local fermionic symmetries in some of these theories. We find theories that correspond to coset models, both bosonic and fermionic.
Vitamin D status and hypertensive disorders in pregnancy.

Purpose Several studies have reported increased risk of preeclampsia when 25-hyrdoxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) levels are low. The extent to which 25(OH)D may lower risk for hypertensive disorder during pregnancy remains unclear.
Urban Political Theory and the Case of the Local Government Simulation

This essay contributes to the growing literature on the benefits of using in-class simulations. We find that the use of a simulation in an urban politics class improved student achievement and understanding of theoretical concepts across a range of measures regardless of student GPA or major status. Special care was taken to ensure the simulation experience covered each discrete stage: preparation, interaction, and debriefing. While no absolute claim is made as to the relative importance of each stage compared to the others, clear evidence emerged regarding the pedagogical effectiveness of the simulation as a total experience.
Hope as a change mechanism in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder.

Research exploring nonspecific mechanisms of change is necessary to understand processes that contribute to psychotherapy outcomes. Many veterans diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) report a profound sense of hopelessness prior to receiving treatment, and thus one possible nontargeted change mechanism is the enhancement of hope. In this study, 164 veterans diagnosed with PTSD and admitted to a Veteran’s Administration residential treatment program received 6 weeks of cognitive processing therapy. Measures of PTSD symptoms, depression and hope were gathered across the course of treatment. Results revealed that higher levels of hope midway through treatment affected reductions in PTSD and depression from mid- to posttreatment (and not the other way around), thus supporting that hope is one nonspecific change mechanism toward symptom reduction. Implications of these findings as they extend to cognitive-behavior therapies as a whole, and to the understanding of how psychological strengths serve as nonspecific change mechanisms in the treatment of PTSD, conclude the article.
Description of the Trajectory Functions of TOPEX/Poseidon Navigation

TOPEX/POSEIDON is a joint American/French ocean topography experiment. It was launched by an Ariane launch vehicle on August 10, 1992 to study and map ocean circulation. The primary functions of the navigation subsystem of the TOPEX/POSEIDON project are to establish and maintain a pre-designed reference orbit, and to measure, monitor, and predict the satellite ground track continuously. To fulfill these functions, trajectory analysis is required to design and generate all trajectory related products. This paper is concerned with the trajectory functions of TOPEX/POSEIDON navigation. It describes various activities of this support function.
Potassium ion accumulation in a periaxonal space and its effect on the measurement of membrane potassium ion conductance.

Potassium currents of various durations were obtained from squid giant axons voltage-clamped in artificial seawater solutions containing sufficient tetrodotoxin to block the sodium conductance completely. From instantaneous potassium current-voltage relations, the reversal potentials immediately at the end of these currents were determined. On the basis of these reversal potential measurements, the potassium ion concentration gradient across the membrane was shown to decrease as the potassium current duration increased. The kinetics of this change was shown to vary monotonically with the potassium ion efflux across the membrane estimated from the integral over time of the potassium current divided by the Faraday, and to be independent of both the external sodium ion concentration and the presence or absence of membrane series resistance compensation. It was assumed that during outward potassium current flow, potassium ions accumulated in a periaxonal space bounded by the membrane and an external diffusion barrier. A model system was used to describe this accumulation as a continuous function of the membrane currents. On this basis, the mean periaxonal space thickness and the permeability of the external barrier to K+ were found to be 357 A and 3.21×10−4 cm/sec, respectively. In hyperosmotic seawater, the value of the space thickness increased significantly even though the potassium currents were not changed significantly. Values of the resistance in series with the membrane were calculated from the values of the permeability of the external barrier and these values were shown to be roughly equivalent to series resistance values determined by current clamp measurements. Membrane potassium ion conductances were determined as a function of time and voltage. When these were determined from data corrected for the potassium current reversal potential changes, larger maximal potassium conductances were obtained than were obtained using a constant reversal potential. In addition, the potassium conductance turn-on with time at a variety of membrane potentials was shown to be slower when potassium conductance values were obtained using a variable reversal potential than when using a constant reversal potential.
A Comparison of Cloud Cover Statistics from the GLAS Lidar with HIRS

The cloud dataset from the Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) lidar on the Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) spacecraft is compared to the cloud analysis of the Wisconsin NOAA High Resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder (HIRS) Pathfinder. This is the first global lidar dataset from a spacecraft of extended duration that can be compared to the HIRS climatology. It provides an excellent source of cloud information because it is more sensitive to clouds that are difficult to detect, namely, thin cirrus and small boundary layer clouds. The second GLAS data collection period from 1 October to 16 November 2003 was used for this comparison, and a companion dataset of the same days were analyzed with HIRS. GLAS reported cloud cover of 0.70 while HIRS reported slightly higher cloud cover of 0.75 for this period. The locations where HIRS overreported cloud cover were mainly in the Arctic and Antarctic Oceans and parts of the Tropics. GLAS also confirms that upper-tropospheric clouds (above 6.6 km) cover about 0.33 of the earth, similar to the reports from HIRS data. Generally, the altitude of the cloud tops reported by GLAS is, on average, higher than HIRS by 0.4 to 4.5 km. The largest differences were found in the Tropics, over 4 km, while in midlatitudes average differences ranged from 0.4 to 2 km. Part of this difference in averaged cloud heights comes from GLAS finding more high cloud coverage in the Tropics, 5% on average but 13% in some areas, which weights its cloud top average more toward the high clouds than the HIRS. The diffuse character of the upper parts of high clouds over tropical oceans is also a cause for the difference in reported cloud heights. Statistics on cloud sizes also were computed from GLAS data to estimate the errors in cloud cover reported by HIRS from its 20-km field-of-view (FOV) size. Smaller clouds are very common with one-half of all clouds being 41 km in horizontal size. But, clouds 41 km cover only 5% of the earth. Cloud coverage is dominated by larger clouds with one-half of the coverage coming from clouds 1000 km. GLAS cloud size statistics also show that HIRS possibly overreports some cloud forms by 2%–3%. Looking at groups of GLAS data 21 km long to simulate the HIRS FOV, the authors found that 5% are partially filled with cloud. Since HIRS does not account for the part of the FOV without cloud, it will overreport the coverage of these clouds. However, low-altitude and optically thin clouds will not be reported by HIRS if they are so small that they do not affect the upwelling radiation in the HIRS FOV enough to trigger the threshold for cloud detection. These errors are partially offing.
Rhenium analogues of promising renal imaging agents with a [99mTc(CO)3]+ core bound to cysteine-derived dipeptides, including lanthionine.

The coordination chemistry of lanthionine (LANH2) and cystathionine (CSTH2) dipeptides, which respectively consist of two cysteines and one cysteine and one homocysteine linked by a thioether bridge, is almost unstudied. Recently for fac-[99mTc(CO)3(LAN)]- isomers, the first small 99mTc(CO)3 agents evaluated in humans were found to give excellent renal images and to have a high specificity for renal excretion. Herein we report the synthesis and characterization of Re complexes useful for interpreting the nature of tracer 99mTc radiopharmaceuticals. Treatment of [Re(CO)3(H2O)3]OTf with commercially available LANH2 (a mixture of meso (d,l) and chiral (dd,ll) isomers) gave three HPLC peaks, 1A, 1B, and 1C, but treatment with CSTH2 (l,l isomer) gave one major product, Re(CO)3(CSTH) (2). Crystalline Re(CO)3(LANH) products were best obtained with synthetic LANH2, richer in meso or chiral isomers. X-ray crystallography showed that these dipeptides coordinate as tridentate N2S-bound ligands with two dangling carb...
The use of mark-recapture to measure worker number in the rock nesting ant species, Formica neorufibarbis Emery

I examined the use of a mark-recapture technique to measure colony size and colony growth in the ant species Formica neorufibarbis. I addressed three questions: 1) Is the method reasonably accurate?, 2) is the method precise?, and 3) how many workers does the method kill? I found that estimates of colony sizes based on mark-recapture were similar to those estimated by colony excavation. The error in estimates of worker and cocoon number due to the binomial nature of the mark-recapture method was relatively small, with a mean coefficient of variation of twelve percent for workers and nine percent for cocoons. I estimated that the method killed less than two percent of the workers in a nest.
Crassostrea gigas (Thunberg) hepatopancreas-cellulase kinetics and cellulolysis of living monocellular algae with cellulose walls

Abstract Kinetics of the cellulase activity of hepatopancreas extracts from Crassostrea gigas (Thunberg) on carboxymethyl cellulose was assayed in vitro. The extracts exhibited a high cellulose degradation potential (pH optimum = 5.5–6 and Q10 = 1.79 in the temperature interval 16–32 °C). In vitro digestion of living Tetraselmis suecica(Kylin) Butch was tested at optimal pH values and suitable temperatures with hepatopancreas extract from oysters fed for 3 wk on a diet including T. suecica, with extract from unfed oysters and with purified bacterial cellulase. Extract from oysters previously fed a cellulose-rich diet exhibited significantly (P 0.05) between fed and starved oysters. Thus, the study can neither support nor falsify the idea that associated bacteria account for the cellulase activity. The study demonstrates (1) that purified bacterial cellulases do digest cell walls of the green algae; and (2) that hepatopancreas extract from oysters fed on a suitable diet lyses cell walls of the green algae whereas extract from starved oysters does not.
An Improved Thermoregulatory Model for Automatic Cooling Control Development in Liquid Cooling Garment Systems

Current state-of-the-art thermoregulatory models do not simulate body temperature responses with the accuracies that are required for the development of automatic cooling control in liquid cooling garment (LCG) systems. Automatic cooling control would be beneficial in a variety of space, aviation, military, and industrial environments. It would optimize cooling efficiency, aid in making LCGs as portable and practical as possible, alleviate the individual from manual cooling control, and improve thermal comfort and cognitive performance. In this study, we implement an available state-of-the-art thermoregulatory model in a LCG environment and compare the thermal model response with experimental data for a 700 W rectangular type metabolic rate schedule. We modify the blood flow dynamics of the thermoregulatory model and identify a new vasoconstriction signal, i.e., the rate of change of hypothalamus temperature weighted by the hypothalamus error signal, which governs the thermoregulatory response during conditions of simultaneously increasing core and decreasing skin temperatures. With this new vasoconstriction dependency, the thermoregulatory model simulates rectal and mean skin temperature responses with root mean square deviations of 0.10°C and 0.48°C, respectively, which results in 40% and 17% reductions in the mean and peak body heat storage errors, respectively. Although the new model’s mean body heat storage error is within the allowable by an 11% margin, the peak body heat storage error exceeds the allowable by 222%, indicating that further refinements are needed. With additional improvements to the set-point temperatures, the central blood pool formulation, and the LCG boundary condition, it seems possible to achieve the strict accuracy that is needed for the development of automatic cooling control in LCG systems.
The effect of die flow on the dynamics of isothermal melt spinning

Abstract The effect of die flow variables on the stability of isothermal melt spinning has been studied, both theoretically and experimentally. A die flow analysis provides the boundary conditions for a differential treatment of the spinline, both as a steady flow problem and as a linear stability problem. From the latter, one can predict the onset of draw resonance as a function of draw ratio, certain rheological parameters, and the stresses in the die. The experimental materials were two commercial polypropylenes and the apparatus consisted of a short (1.5–6 cm) isothermal spinning chamber; the agreement with theory was quite satisfactory. In most cases, high shear rates in the die (and subsequent high die swells) decrease the spinline stability but the magnitude of this interaction depends on many variables. In general, there is a high propensity for draw resonance (or ductile breakage) when the spinline is operating under conditions of severe thinning in a rheological sense.
Preventing childhood injury: developmental and mental health issues.

Injuries have replaced illness as the major source of death and disability for children in the United States. Conceptual issues underlying child safety programs are reviewed, and a framework is presented within which such efforts can be evaluated and the relationship between "accidental" and "inflicted" injuries assessed. The framework is applied in a proposal for the training and support of professionals as community child safety specialists. Language: en
The integrability condition for dynamical systems

Abstract We study dynamical systems with a dual Poisson bracket structure from the lagrangian point of view. We show that the condition for integrability corresponds to the vanishing of the Nijenhuis tensor. The conserved quantities are obtained in closed form and the Lax equation as well as the higher order equations in the hierarchy are also presented.
Identification of Protein Folding Cores Using Charge Center Model of Protein Structure

METHODS. This presentation introduces a novel method for identification of the folding cores in proteins. Positive and negative charge centers, defined solely from the structure of the folded protein are likely to indicate the protein’s folding core. The residues and sequences, identified by the procedure, are highly consistent with the available biochemical data on folding as seen for a set of about 20 proteins[1]. Here, the folding of chymotrypsin inhibitor-2 (CI2) from barley is analyzed in some detail.
Management of rheumatic disease with comorbid HBV or HCV infection

Despite the major advances towards better prevention and treatment of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections, these two chronic infections still account for ∼500 million infected people and 1 million deaths per year worldwide. Rheumatologists are frequently encountering patients with rheumatic disease who have co-existing HBV or HCV infection in daily clinical practice. Moreover, over the past decade, a number of studies have shown an increased risk of HBV reactivation and liver-related complications in HBV-infected patients treated with biologic agents (especially anti-TNF therapies). In this Review, the basic viral characteristics of HBV and HCV, as well as the natural course of chronic HBV and HCV infection, are outlined. Furthermore, a rational clinical approach for diagnosis and treatment of these comorbid conditions in the context of rheumatic disease is presented.
Colonization, survival, and causes of mortality of Camerariu hamadryadella (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) on four species of host plants

. 1 The abundance, survival, and causes of mortality of Cameraria hamadryadella (Clemens) (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) were examined on four host plant species in Virginia, U.S.A. Quercus alba L. and Q.rubra L. are native within the geographic range of C.hamadryadella, and Q.robur L. and Q.benderi Baenitz are exotic. Q.robur is native to Europe, North Africa, and Asia and was probably introduced prior to 1850, and Q.benderi is of hybrid origin and introduced to cultivation before 1900. Q.alba and Q.robur are in the subgenus Lepidobalanus (white oaks), and Q.rubra and Q.benderi are in the subgenus Erythrobalanus (red oaks). 2 Larval mines of C. hamadryadella were abundant on both white oak species, including the exotic Q.robur, but were rare on host plants in the red oak subgenus. Un-hatched eggs of C.hamadryadella were not observed on red oaks. Other observations on host distribution indicate that C.hamadryadella is rarely found on red oaks. These observations are interpreted as circumstantial evidence that C. hamadryadella generally avoids ovipositing on red oaks. 3 Survival of C.hamadryadella to the adult stage was similar among all host species, but larvae tended to survive longer on hosts in the red oak subgenus. The observation of higher survival rates of early instar larvae on red oaks suggests that no nutritional or secondary chemical barrier reinforces the observed pattern of oviposition. 4 Significant differences in the distribution of the causes of mortality were detected between native and exotic host plant species. Larvae and pupae on native hosts were more likely to die because of predation, while those on exotic host plants were more likely to die because of parasitism and host feeding by adult female parasitoids. This pattern could arise because parasitoids prefer to forage on exotic host plants or because predators avoid foraging on exotic plants. 5 This study shows for C. hamadryadella that the only barriers to colonization and use of exotic hosts, in the white and red oak subgenera, are the presence of cues sufficient to stimulate oviposition and/or the absence of cues to deter oviposition. It also suggests that the presence of closely related native host plants in the region of introduction will increase the probability that exotic plants will be colonized by phytophagous insects.