cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Isocyanates and work-related asthma: Findings from California, Massachusetts, Michigan, and New Jersey, 1993-2008.

Background Isocyanates remain a leading cause of work-related asthma (WRA). Methods Two independent data systems were analyzed for the period 1993–2008: (1) State-based WRA case surveillance data on persons with isocyanate-induced WRA from four states, and (2) Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) isocyanate air sampling results. Results We identified 368 cases of isocyanate-induced WRA from 32 industries and 678 OSHA isocyanate air samples with detectable levels from 31 industries. Seventeen industries were unique to one or the other dataset. Conclusion Isocyanate-induced WRA continues to occur in a wide variety of industries. Two data systems uncovered industries with isocyanate exposures and/or illness. Improved control measures and standards, including medical surveillance, are needed. More emphasis is needed on task-specific guidance, spill clean-up procedures, skin and respiratory protection, and targeted medical monitoring to mitigate the hazards of isocyanate use. Am. J. Ind. Med. 58:1138–1149, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The Role of Parental Misperception of Child's Body Weight in Childhood Obesity.

Purpose To investigate the accuracy of parental perceptions of their child's weight status and also the relationship between parental perceptions and the prevalence of childhood obesity in Mississippi. Design and Methods Data from multi-year surveys (2009–2012) with random samples of public school parents (N = 14,808). Descriptive statistics and multiple logistic regression were conducted with quantitative data to examine the relationship between parental perception and childhood obesity. Results More than 2 out of 5 parents misperceived the weight status of their child (k-12). The greatest difference occurred with kindergartners, 83.9% of parents categorized them as “healthy", when only 28.3% actually were. Parents who misperceived their child's weight were almost 12 times more likely of having an obese child. Conclusions Only half of the children in this study had a healthy weight (54.5%). Health care providers, nutritionists, social workers, teachers, and school health councils could play an important role in educating parents and children on how to recognize an unhealthy weight. Practice Implications The strongest predictor of childhood obesity was parental misperception of their child's weight status.
SPI-SNOOPER: a hardware-software approach for transparent network monitoring in wireless sensor networks

The lack of post-deployment visibility into system operation is one of the major challenges in ensuring reliable operation of remotely deployed embedded systems such as wireless sensor nodes. Over the years, many software-based solutions (in the form of debugging tools and protocols) have been proposed for in-situ system monitoring. However, all of them share the trait that the monitoring functionality is implemented as software executing on the same embedded processor that the main application executes on. This is a poor design choice from a reliability perspective. This paper makes the case for a joint hardware-software solution to this problem and advocates the use of a dedicated reliability co-processor that is tasked with monitoring the operation of the embedded system. As an embodiment of this design principle, this paper presents Spi-Snooper, a co-processor augmented hardware platform specifically designed for network monitoring. Spi-Snooper is completely cross-compatible with the Telos wireless sensor nodes from an operational standpoint and is based on a novel hardware architecture that enables transparent snooping of the communication bus between the main processor and the radio of the wireless embedded system. The accompanying software architecture provides a powerful tool for monitoring, logging, and even controlling all the communication that takes place between the main processor and the radio. We present a rigorous evaluation of our prototype and demonstrate its utility using a variety of usage scenarios.
Algebras generated by a weighted shift

Techniques of Olin and Thomson and of Chevreau, Pearcy and Shields are used to prove the following: If T is an injective weighted shift on H with r(T)=‖T‖ then for each L ∈ (a(T), weak-*)*, there exist f, g ∈ H so that L(A)=◃Af, g▹ for all A ∈a(T). Thus the map i(A)=A is a homeomorphism from (a(T), weak-*) onto (a(T), WOT).
Using the structure of inhibitory networks to unravel mechanisms of spatiotemporal patterning

Summary Neuronal networks exhibit a rich dynamical repertoire, a consequence of both the intrinsic properties of neurons and the structure of the network. It has been hypothesized that inhibitory interneurons corral principal neurons into transiently synchronous ensembles that encode sensory information and subserve behavior. How does the structure of the inhibitory network facilitate such spatiotemporal patterning? We established a relationship between an important structural property of a network, its colorings, and the dynamics it constrains. Using a model of the insect antennal lobe, we show that our description allows the explicit identification of the groups of inhibitory interneurons that switch, during odor stimulation, between activity and quiescence in a coordinated manner determined by features of the network structure. This description optimally matches the perspective of the downstream neurons looking for synchrony in ensembles of presynaptic cells and allows a low-dimensional description of seemingly complex high-dimensional network activity.
SMC proteins and chromosome structure

The structure of chromosomes is largely determined by chromosome-associated proteins. Members of the SMC (structural maintenance of chromosomes) family play an important role in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic chromosome structure and dynamics. SMC proteins are involved in chromosome condensation, sister-chromatid cohesion, sex-chromosome dosage compensation, genetic recombination and DNA repair. There have been major advances recently in understanding the function of SMC proteins--including the identification of biochemical activities of SMC-containing protein complexes and the realization that individual SMC proteins might link seemingly unrelated aspects of chromosomal metabolism.
The application of surgical cordectomy in the management of an intramedullary-extramedullary atypical meningioma: case report and literature review.

Background The English literature describes only four cases of intraspinal tumors requiring surgical intervention in the form of cordectomy; none of these cases was for meningiomas. Intraspinal meningiomas, typically extramedullary-intradural, require treatment in the form of resection with dural margin excision. The presentation of an intramedullary atypical World Health Organization grade II meningioma is rare. The authors report a case of a transformed intramedullary-extramedullary atypical meningioma treated with cordectomy. Methods The patient was a 65-year-old woman who presented with a recurrent thoracic meningioma status post three attempted resections, radiation therapy, and a trial of hydroxyurea chemotherapy. The patient presented paraplegic with reports of burning paresthesias bilaterally in her upper extremities 12 months after her third resection attempt. Results Magnetic resonance imaging on this current presentation revealed a heterogeneously enhancing hypointense mass extending from T2 to T6. Extension of abnormal T2 signal within the cord superiorly to C7 was noted with a 1-cm enhancing extra-axial lesion at T10 and an extradural mass posteriorly T12 also noted. The patient underwent a T2-T7 laminectomy with a T2-T8 cordectomy. Two months postoperatively, the patient was doing well with no further deterioration in neurologic function. Conclusions This case highlights the viability of surgical cordectomy in the treatment of varying intramedullary processes under appropriate indications.
Spurious routes in public BGP data

Researchers depend on public BGP data to understand the structure and evolution of the AS topology, as well as the operational security and resiliency of BGP. BGP data is provided voluntarily by network operators who establish BGP sessions with route collectors that record this data. In this paper, we show how trivial it is for a single vantage point (VP) to introduce thousands of spurious routes into the collection by providing examples of five VPs that did so. We explore the impact these misbehaving VPs had on AS relationship inference, showing these misbehaving VPs introduced thousands of AS links that did not exist, and caused relationship inferences for links that did exist to be corrupted.We evaluate methods to automatically identify misbehaving VPs, although we find the result unsatisfying because the limitations of real-world BGP practices and AS relationship inference algorithms produce signatures similar to those created by misbehaving VPs. The most recent misbehaving VP we discovered added thousands of spurious routes for nine consecutive months until 8 November 2012. This misbehaving VP barely impacts (0.1%) our validation of our AS relationship inferences, but this number may be misleading since most of our validation data relies on BGP and RPSL which validates only existing links, rather than asserting the non-existence of links. We have only a few assertions of non-existent routes, all received via our public-facing website that allows operators to provide validation data through our interactive feedback mechanism. We only discovered this misbehavior because two independent operators corrected some inferences, and we noticed that the spurious routes all came from the same VP. This event highlights the limitations of even the best available topology data, and provides additional evidence that comprehensive ground truth validation from operators is essential to scientific research on Internet topology.
Conditions for Mating and Inheritance of Mating Type in Variety Seven of Tetrahymena pyriformis

Induction of conjugation in clones of variety 7 of Tetrahymena pyriformis required more precise control than was necessary for the classical variety 1 clones, WH-6 and WH-14. Axenic methods are herein described which were successful in eliciting the mating response; especially important was a period of growth under optimal nutritional conditions, and use of animals in the logarithmic phase of growth. Three cases of presumptive age-induced selfing are reported, along with the discovery of new mating types III and IV. The isolation of a stage intermediate between a “pure” marine type and a selfing condition offers additional evidence for mating type instability. An analysis of the system of mating-type inheritance shows a pattern similar to that seen in Paramecium aurelia (Group B), and variety 9 of Tetrahymena pyriformis.
Use of xenograft corium for reconstruction of abdominal wall defects.

Abstract Corium autografts and corium zenografts prepared in Merthiolate prior to lyophilisation were used to repair surgically-created, full-thickness abdominal wall defects in rats. They were found to be equally effective in preventing the development of abdominal hernias.
Rational Molecular Engineering of Ceramic Materials

Most of the advances in modern ceramics have been based on the development of a new material. A rational approach to the design and execution of such innovative syntheses can be made more scientific and less serendipitous. The understanding of molecular architecture and the principles of structure building can only be based on the science of crystal chemistry and solid-state thermodynamics. This review presents a summary of the principles and state-of-the-art empirical data in relevant crystal chemistry and the correlates found in phase-equilibrium diagrams. It deals explicitly with the role of metastable equilibrium in the formation and use of technological materials. It also summarizes the major classes of experimental facilities needed for sophisticated molecular engineering. Several examples are presented as successful paradigms of rational molecular engineering, covering different size ranges of creative architecture from 10 A to 10 μm. Likely future developments in this area are proposed as being based principally on 2- (or multi-) phase materials, and/or on noncrystalline phases based on the entire composition range of ceramics, and on combinations of ceramics with metals and, possibly, polymers.
The increase of typhoid agglutinins in tuberculosis (amnestic reaction)

Summary 1. Typhoid agglutinin titres were determined in 50 tuberculous patients and compared with those in 50 normal individuals. 2. The relative agglutinability of the typhoid agglutinins is demonstrated. 3. There is a definite increase in all the typhoid agglutinins in the tuberculous, both in incidence and titre, as compared with those of normal individuals.
Facile displacement of tetramethylethylene from thexylborane-triethylamine by treatment with olefins. a convenient synthesis of monoalkylborane derivatives

Abstract The reaction of thexylborane-triethylamine with representative olefins proceeds readily at 25° with the displacement of tetramethylethylene (TME) and the formation of the corresponding monoalkylborane-triethylamine adduct. This reaction provides a convenient synthesis in high yield of such monoalkylboranes and their derivatives.
Quantum logic via the exchange blockade in ultracold collisions.

A nuclear spin can act as a quantum switch that turns on or off ultracold collisions between atoms even when there is neither interaction between nuclear spins nor between the nuclear and electron spins. This ``exchange blockade'' is a new mechanism for implementing quantum logic gates that arises from the symmetry of composite identical particles, rather than direct coupling between qubits. We study the implementation of the entangling $\sqrt{\mathrm{SWAP}}$ gate based on this mechanism for a model system of two atoms, each with ground electronic configuration $^{1}S_{0}$, spin $1/2$ nuclei, and trapped in optical tweezers. We evaluate a proof-of-principle protocol based on adiabatic evolution of a one-dimensional double Gaussian well, calculating fidelities of operation as a function of interaction strength, gate time, and temperature.
Differential Effects of Actinomycin D and Puromycin on the Release of Interferon induced by Double Stranded RNA

THE induction of interferon production with synthetic double stranded RNA1 is suppressed by actinomycin D2,3. Finkelstein et al.4, however, reported that considerably higher concentrations of actinomycin D were required for the suppression of interferon production induced by double stranded RNA than for the inhibition of viral-induced interferon synthesis. Moreover, the release of interferon after treatment with double stranded RNA in the intact organism5 or in cell cultures4 was not suppressed by inhibitors of protein synthesis, while viral-induced interferon synthesis was inhibited in the same conditions.
Time-frequency distribution spectral polynomials for instantanous frequency estimation

Abstract The local autocorrelation function of the time–frequency distribution (TFD), defined by an appropriate kernel, is used to form a spectral polynomial. Some of the roots of this polynomial correspond to the instantaneous frequencies of the input signal. In this paper, we use extended version of Newton's method for root-finding to obtain the trajectories of the signal IF zeroes. It is shown that the proposed TFD-based zero-tracking technique provides good tracking performance for both mono- and multi-component signals.
Some causes and a consequence of epitaxial roughening

This article consists of two related parts. In the first part, a review is presented of the theory of surface roughening during homoepitaxial growth or lattice-matched heteroepitaxial growth. Emphasis is placed on qualitative concepts and general mechanisms. Rate equations, Monte Carlo simulations, and continuum equations of motion are used to illustrate roughening due to asymmetric diffusion barriers to interlayer mass transport and from statistical fluctuations in the incident deposition flux. In the second part, we report new results regarding one consequence of such roughening that is pertinent to the growth of semiconductor alloys that exhibit long-range order induced by local thermodynamics at the free surface. The qualitative ingredients for a kinetic mean field theory are described along with preliminary results that indicate that surface roughness induces the injection of anti-phase domains that progressively destroy the lateral coherence of order in a growing film.
cDNA Cloning and Expression of a Human Aldehyde Dehydrogenase (ALDH) Active with 9-cis-Retinal and Identification of a Rat Ortholog, ALDH12

This report describes the isolation of a heretofore uncharacterized aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) with retinal dehydrogenase activity from rat kidney and the cloning and expression of a cDNA that encodes its human ortholog, the previously unknown ALDH12. The human ALDH12 cDNA predicts a 487-residue protein with the 23 invariant amino acids, four conserved regions, cofactor binding motif (G209 XGX3G), and active site cysteine residue (Cys287) that typify members of the ALDH superfamily. ALDH12 seems at least as efficient (Vm/Km) in converting 9-cis-retinal into the retinoid X receptor ligand 9-cis-retinoic acid as two previously identified ALDHs with 9-cis-retinal dehydrogenase activity, rat retinal dehydrogenase (RALDH) 1 and RALDH2. ALDH12, however, has ∼40-fold higher activity with 9-cis- retinal than with all-trans-retinal, whereas RALDH1 and RALDH2 have equivalent and ∼4-fold less efficiencies for 9-cis-retinal versusall-trans-retinal, respectively. Therefore, ALDH12 is the first known ALDH to show a preference for 9-cis-retinal relative to all-trans-retinal. Evidence consistent with the possibility that ALDH12 could function in a pathway of 9-cis-retinoic acid biosynthesis in vivoincludes biosynthesis of 9-cis-retinoic acid from 9-cis-retinol in cells co-transfected with cDNAs encoding ALDH12 and the 9-cis-retinol/androgen dehydrogenase, cis-retinoid/androgen dehydrogenase type 1. Intense ALDH12 mRNA expression in adult and fetal liver and kidney, two organs that reportedly have relatively high concentrations of 9-cis-retinol, reinforces this notion.
Solutions of the Boltzmann equation

Abstract Some theorems of Carleman on the existence and uniqueness of the solutions to the Boltzmann equation are extended to the case ρ(ζ) = ρo ζ−y, with γ ∊ [0,1], where ζ is the relative velocity and a the cross section. Existence is proved in the small when there is a convex surface in the gas, and in the large for a spatially homogeneous gas.
Interface configurations during the directional growth of salol. I: Morphology

Abstract The facet crystallography and morphological transitions in directionally grown transparent salol is studied. The facet cell morphologies are observed in situ in experiments where the velocity of growth is imposed and also during recalascence in the presence of a strong temperature gradient. It is found that the growth interface of salol is bounded by various combinations of (111) planes. The choice of a particular (111) plane is influenced by the root tip undercooling of the interface. At low undercooling values, facet cracking is observed. At a higher undercooling of the interface, the facet tip angle is noted to decrease while retaining the (111) planes which bound the interface. A model is presented for explaining the growth over a wide range of interface undercooling and the associated cracking phenomena. Stress assisted faceted dendrites are also noted during growth within glass cells which are separated by less than 12 microns. The origin of the dendrites and the emergence of the related spacings are discussed.
Utilization of flash ladar for cooperative and uncooperative rendezvous and capture

An ideal Rendezvous and Capture (R&C) sensor on a seeker Space Vehicle (SV) would provide accurate relative 6 degree of freedom data for the Guidance Navigation and Control System (GNCS) from far and near, operate autonomously, and provide multifunctional capability. Flash LADAR has the potential to fulfill these requirements. Sandia has developed Scannerless Range Imaging (SRI) LADAR sensors for a multitude of applications. One of the sensors, LDRI, flew onboard the STS97 mission to install the P6 truss and solar panels on the International Space Station. When compared to scanning LADAR, Scannerless LADAR is smaller, lighter, not mechanically complex, and has a much faster image acquisition time. Recently Sandia has demonstrated Flash Scannerless Range Imaging. Flash LADAR enables the capture of a full scene 3-D range image in one acquisition, thus, enabling freeze motion. The technology"s proven ability to accurately image an object as well as capture the image on the move has the potential to provide very accurate static and dynamic position data for the target vehicle relative to the seeker SV. Since no specific requirements are imposed on the target vehicle, the sensor will work equally well on cooperative and uncooperative target vehicles. This sensor technology can also provide docking feature inspection data and perform a detailed inspection of the target vehicle. This paper will describe the applicability of a Flash LADAR sensor for on-orbit cooperative and uncooperative rendezvous and capture.© (2003) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Effect of standing stubble on soil water loss by evaporation

Abstract To assess the effects of standing stubble on evaporative water loss from wet soil surfaces during the growing season, three mini-lysimeters were installed in each of three treatment areas: fallow (bare soil), half stubble (standing stubble cut to half the height left by the combine), and full stubble (standing stubble at the height left by the combine). During the period from August 28 to September 27, 1978, prewet lysimeters containing a soil mix were set in the field between 4:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. The soil in the lysimeters was wet beyond field capacity, but there was no free water on the surface when installed in the field. The following day the lysimeters were removed between 4:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. and weighed and the depth of water computed. When rain occurred during an observation period, the data for that period were omitted from the study. Nine suitable observations were obtained from August 28 to September 1 and from September 22 to 27. The average daily evaporation for the 9 days from fallow, half stubble, and full stubble was 6.2 mm, 3.6 mm, and 3.7 mm, respectively. Statistical analyses indicated a difference in evaporation between treatments significant at the 1% level. Evaporation from lysimeters in full stubble as a percent of that from fallow lysimeters averaged 60%, and varied from day to day between about 45% and 75%. Evaporation from fallow lysimeters exceeded that from the evaporation pan by about 25%, a difference that may be attributable to the size of the evaporative surface. The reduced evaporation in stubble as compared with fallow appears to be largely attributable to the reduced wind speed and associated turbulent exchange within the standing stubble. There was a close day-to-day relationship in evaporation between the lysimeters in the various treatments. Evaporation from the half stubble and full stubble lysimeters was highly correlated, as might be expected in view of the similar nature of the two treatments. On the other hand, the relatively lower correlations of the two stubble treatments with fallow suggest that environmental factors influencing evaporation operate differently on fallow fields than on stubble fields. An attempt is made to describe quantitatively how environmental factors might have caused the differences in evaporation between treatments noted in this experiment.
Renin, ANP, ACE polymorphisms, blood pressure and age in American Samoans: Preliminary data.

Molecular studies have identified numerous candidate genes that may influence interindividual variation in physiologically important endpoints. Among these are molecular variants of three proteins associated with blood pressure regulation, renin, atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE). These loci are polymorphic in all populations examined. The purpose of this study was to determine gene and genotype frequencies at these three loci in a sample of American Samoans and to examine associations of the various genotypes with blood pressure, hypertension, and age. Genotype frequencies of a BglI restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP) at the renin locus were slightly out of Hardy-Weinberg expectations (P ⩽ 0.025). Frequencies of a BglI RFLP at the ANP locus and of the insertion/deletion polymorphism at the ACE locus approximated Hardy-Weinberg expectations (P ⩾ 0.10). These frequencies differed from those reported in "Afro-Caribbean" and "Caucasian" samples from London. Neither average blood pressures nor the frequencies of either systolic or diastolic hypertension differed significantly across genotypes at the ANP or ACE loci. However, systolic pressure was elevated among those heterozygous for the renin BglI cut site (P = 0.07). Mean age was 34.4 years among individuals heterozygous for the ANP BglI cut site, while it was 46.0 years for homozygotes without the site (P = 0.04). After dividing the sample at its median age (45 years), 31.8% of younger, but only 8.7% of older participants were ANP BglI heterozygotes (G = 9.48; P = 0.005). Am. J. Hum. Biol. 10:439-449, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Reaction of water with MgO(100) surfaces. Part I : Synchrotron X-ray photoemission studies of low-defect surfaces

Abstract Synchrotron-based photoemission spectroscopy and low-energy electron diffraction were used to study the reaction of water vapor at 300 K and different water vapor pressures, p (H 2 O), ranging from 5×10 −9 Torr to 10 −3 Torr (3 min exposure at each pressure), with vacuum-cleaved MgO(100) surfaces that had low (5–10%) defect densities. The O 1s, Mg 2p, and O 2s/VB spectra were acquired at photon energies chosen to optimize surface sensitivity. O 1s and O 2s/VB spectra are sensitive to water adsorption onto MgO(100) even at very low water vapor exposures [ −8 Torr for 3 min ( −4 Torr for 3 min (≥1.8×10 4 L)]. Comparison of these spectra with similar spectra of MgO(100) surfaces immersed in bulk water and of polycrystalline Mg(OH) 2 indicates that water chemisorbs dissociatively in two distinct stages on “low defect” MgO(100) surfaces, forming surface hydroxyl groups. The first stage occurs at water vapor exposures ≤3×10 −5 Torr for 3 min (≤5.4×10 3 L) or for 30 min (≤5.4×10 4 L) and involves a relatively fast reaction with surface defects (corner and edge-step sites and point defects) comprising 5–10% of the surface sites, in agreement with recent first-principles electronic structure calculations. The second stage occurs at higher water vapor pressures (≥10 −4 Torr for 3 min) and involves dissociative chemisorption of water on terrace sites, which is not predicted by recent first-principles calculations. The apparent sticking coefficient for the first reaction stage (≥0.16) is about four orders of magnitude larger than that for the second reaction stage (≥3×10 −5 ), suggesting that the second reaction stage requires significantly more activation energy than the first stage. Our results also suggest that the hydroxylation reaction is not sensitive to exposure time below a threshold pressure of ≈10 −4 Torr. Although both kinetic and thermodynamic interpretations are possible, a thermodynamic analysis of the hydroxylation reaction (using bulk solid free energies) predicts approximately the same threshold pressure as observed. After the surface is fully hydroxylated, additional water can be physisorbed on the hydroxyl layer. Analysis of O 1s spectra taken from the same surface but at different photon energies indicates that hydroxyls are formed predominantly on the surface and not in the bulk under these exposure conditions. Our experimental data also show that the 4–6 eV electrons used to mitigate surface change during the photoemission experiments have no effect on the dissociation of water on the MgO(100) surface.
Calcitriol Treatment Is Not Effective in Postmenopausal Osteoporosis

Abstract Study Objective: To determine if calcitriol is an effective treatment in postmenopausal osteoporosis. Design: Double-blind, randomized clinical trial of 2 years' duration. Setting: Univers...
Accurate caloric expenditure of bicyclists using cellphones

Biking is one of the most efficient and environmentally friendly ways to control weight and commute. To precisely estimate caloric expenditure, bikers have to install a bike computer or use a smartphone connected to additional sensors such as heart rate monitors worn on their chest, or cadence sensors mounted on their bikes. However, these peripherals are still expensive and inconvenient for daily use. This work poses the following question: is it possible to use just a smartphone to reliably estimate cycling activity? We answer this question positively through a pocket sensing approach that can reliably measure cadence using the phone's on-board accelerometer with less than 2% error. Our method estimates caloric expenditure through a model that takes as inputs GPS traces, the USGS elevation service, and the detailed road database from OpenStreetMap. The overall caloric estimation error is 60% smaller than other smartphone-based approaches. Finally, the smartphone can aggressively duty-cycle its GPS receiver, reducing energy consumption by 57%, without any degradation in the accuracy of caloric expenditure estimates. This is possible because we can recover the bike's route, even with fewer GPS location samples, using map information from the USGS and OpenStreetMap databases.
Petroleum expulsion. Part 3. A model of chemically driven fractionation during expulsion of petroleum from kerogen

The expulsion of hydrocarbons from kerogen is the initial step in the primary migration process, during which the composition of the expelled petroleum is enriched in saturated and aromatic hydrocarbons while the retained bitumen is enriched in polar compounds. The physical and chemical principles responsible for this chemical fractionation are not well understood, and numerous theories have been proposed to explain the expulsion process. A multicomponent equilibrium likely exists between the kerogen matrix and the expelled fluid during petroleum generation and expulsion. To test whether such equilibrium can explain the nature and extent of chemical fractionation, an extended Flory-Rehner Regular Solution Theory model was developed and applied to a series of kerogens of varying structure, generative potential, and maturity. Thermodynamic parameters for immature Type II and IIIC kerogens (solubility parameter, cross-link density, and native swelling) were derived experimentally and extended to higher maturity. Mixtures of model compounds with well-defined properties were created to reflect the composition of primary generated products of kerogen thermal decomposition. Multicomponent equilibrium then was calculated under closed system conditions. The amount and composition of modeled expelled products are most sensitive to the generative potential and cross-link density of the kerogen. In general, lower source richness and cross-link density is associated with bitumen retention and a relative enrichment of the aliphatic components in the expelled fluid. Higher source richness and cross-link density result in earlier expulsion of fluids that are enriched in polar components. The predicted compositions of expelled fluids correspond well with the compositional range observed for produced petroleum. The predicted bitumen (kerogen-retained, soluble organic matter) compositions are uniformly >50% C 14 + NSOs at all levels of maturity for all modeled kerogens. A chemically driven equilibrium mechanism based on Regular Solution Theory can explain almost completely the nature and extent of chemical fractionation that takes place during expulsion.
The Inefficiency of the Stock Market Equilibrium

This paper establishes that when there is not a complete set of markets but more than one commodity the stock market equilibrium will not in general be a constrained Pareto optimum. The economy will lack both the property of exchange and production efficiency. Necessary conditions which must be satisfied if the economy is to be a constrained Pareto optimum for all technologies are derived; if all individuals have identical, homothetic indifference maps, then either there must be unitary price elasticities (so there is no effective risk) or all individuals must have the same degree of risk aversion (so there is no trade on the stock market).
The densities of Mediterranean Sea waters

Abstract The relative densities of 283 samples of Mediterranean Sea waters collected near Gibraltar were measured at 25°C with a vibrating densimeter. The measured densities agree on the average to ±3.9 × 10 −6 g cm −3 with those predicted from the equation of state of Millero, Gonzalez and Ward ( Journal of Marine Research , 34 , 61–93, 1976). The densities and conductivity salinities of weight diluted Mediterranean waters have also been determined. These results agree on the average to ±2 × 10 −6 g cm −3 in density, and ±0.003% in salinity with our earlier measurements on standard seawater. These results indicate that Mediterranean Sea waters have the same physical chemical properties as evaporated standard seawater at the same conductivity salinity.
Dimensional assessment of personality in an out-patient sample: Relations of the systems of Millon and Cloninger

The Cloninger Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) and the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI-II) are both self-report inventories that can be used to assess personality reliably in clinical samples. Both instruments were administered to 103 consecutive psychiatric out-patients with or without personality disorders. The goals were to assess the convergent validity of the two instruments, to replicate the findings of Svrakic et al. (1993) Archives of General Psychiatry, 50, 991–999, about the differential diagnosis of Axis II disorders, and to analyse the relations of Millon's measures of Axis 1 disorders with Cloninger's measures. We observed a strong convergent validity between the instruments; the seven dimensions of the TCI accounted for most of the variance in MCMI-II measures of both Axis 1 and Axis 2 disorders. As reported by Svrakic et al. (1993) Archives of General Psychiatry, 50, 991–999, in in-patients, low self-directedness and low cooperativeness were confirmed to be the essential features of all personality disorders in out-patients. In addition, self-transcendence, the third of Cloninger's character dimensions, was observed to be a strong correlate of severe Axis-1 psychopathology, including manic and delusional disorders.
Converting call-by-reference to call-by-value: Fortran and Lisp coexisting

Programs written in languages supporting call-by-reference continue to be of interest in functional programming circumstances where call-by-value is standard. In particular, if we can find a neat interface, by converting Fortran to Lisp we allow programmers to take advantage of an interactive functional symbolic system while running legacy numerical code. We show this can be done without unacceptable loss of efficiency. In building a combined symbolic-numeric environment such a conversion and combination may increase the synergy between the two approaches to scientific computing. This paper builds upon earlier reported work on f2cl.
Regulation of chicken Hsp70 and Hsp90 family gene expression by transforming growth factor-β1

Transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF beta) is a regulator of protein synthesis in cultured chicken embryo cells (CEC). Preceding a gradual increase in overall protein synthesis, members of the Hsp70 family (Hsp70, Hsc70, and Grp78) and the Hsp90 family (90-2 and 90-3) of molecular chaperones are induced rapidly and represent a new class of TGF beta-inducible proteins (I.M. Takenaka and L.E. Hightower, J. Cell. Physiol., 152:568-577, 1992). Herein, 32P-labeled cDNA probes encoding Hsc70 and Hsp90 were used to show that levels of the corresponding mRNAs increased as a fraction of total RNA and in polysomes within five hours of treatment of CEC with TGF beta. This cytokine did not increase rates of hsc70 and hsp90 gene transcription as measured by run-on transcription assays of isolated nuclei. However, the Hsp RNA inductions were inhibited by dactinomycin, indicating a requirement for newly synthesized RNA. Both Hsc70 and Hsp90 mRNAs had relatively short half-lives, measured by Northern blot analyses of dactinomycin chases, which were not altered substantially in TGF beta-treated cells. In contrast, Hsp mRNA half-lives increased in heat shocked CEC exposed to dactinomycin during recovery, revealing a difference in regulation of these genes in stressed cells compared with TGF beta-treated cells. Our results support the conclusion that hsc70 and hsp90 gene expression is regulated posttranscriptionally in TGF beta-treated CEC, and the mechanism likely involves a nuclear event such as increasing the half-lives of nuclear RNA transcripts, processing, or transport into the cytoplasm.
Marked synergism between mutant SOD1 and glutamate transport inhibition in the induction of motor neuronal degeneration in spinal cord slice cultures

Loss of astrocytic glutamate transport capacity in ALS spinal cord supports an excitotoxic contribution to motor neuron (MN) damage in the disease, and dominant gain of function mutations in Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1) cause certain familial forms of ALS. We have used organotypic slice cultures from wild type and G93A SOD1 mutant rat spinal cords to examine interactions between excitotoxicity and the presence of mutant SOD1 in the induction of MN degeneration. Slice cultures were prepared from 1 week old pups, and after an additional week in vitro, some were exposed to either a low level (30 μM) of the glutamate uptake inhibitor, trans-pyrrolidine-2,4-dicarboxylic acid (PDC) for 3 weeks, or a higher level (50 μM) for 48 h, followed by histochemical labeling to assess MN injury. In wild type animals these exposures caused relatively little MN degeneration. Similarly, little MN degeneration was seen in slices from SOD1 mutant animals that were not exposed to PDC. However, addition of PDC to SOD1 mutant slices resulted in substantial MN injury, which was markedly attenuated by a Ca2+ permeable AMPA-type (Ca-AMPA) glutamate channel blocker, or by a nitric oxide synthase antagonist. These observations illustrate the utility of the organotypic culture model for the investigation of intracellular interactions underlying MN degeneration in ALS, and support the hypothesis that activation of Ca-AMPA channels on MNs provides a metabolic burden that synergizes with deleterious effects of mutant SOD1 in the induction of MN injury.
The relation of coping strategies to alcohol consumption and alcohol-related consequences in a college sample

According to the SLT of alcohol abuse, problem drinkers exhibit coping deficits and hold positive expectancies or beliefs about the effects of alcohol that promote the use of alcohol as a generalized coping strategy (Abrams, D.B. and Niura, R.S. (1987). Social learning theory. In: Blane, H.T. and Leonard, K.E. (Eds.), Psychological Theories of Drinking and Alcoholism, pp. 131–178. Guilford Press, New York; Wilson, T.G. (1987). Cognitive studies in alcoholism. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 55(3), 325–331.). Coping is often conceptualized as consisting of emotion-focused, problem-focused, and avoidance coping categories (Folkman, S. and Lazarus, R.S. (1980). An analysis of coping in a middle-aged community sample. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 21(3), 219–239; Billings, A.G. and Moos, R.H. (1981). The role of coping responses and social resources in attenuating the stress of life events. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 4(2), 139–157.). Despite some researchers’ belief that this is a...
Nitrogen fixation by a methanogenic archaebacterium

The ability to fix nitrogen (N2) is found among a wide variety of the prokaryotic eubacteria, but not in eukaryotes1. In addition to the prokaryotic eubacteria and eukaryotes, a third ‘kingdom’—the archchaebacteria—has been defined based on the comparison of 16S ribosomal oligonucleotide sequence catalogues2,3. Included in the archaebacterial kingdom are certain obligate halophiles and thermoacidophiles, and the methanogens, strictly anaerobic, methane-producing bacteria4. Here we report diazotrophy by an archaebacterium, the methanogen Methanosarcina barkeri strain 227. Because it has been proposed that the archaebacteria, eubacteria and eukaryotes diverged at an early stage in evolution2,3, the discovery of diazotrophy (N2 fixation) in a member of the archaebacterial group raises interesting evolutionary questions.1
Drift-wave stabilization by random fields

Abstract A drift wave in a sodium plasma in a slight mirror field is stabilized by applying a random electric field across the column whose spectrum spans the range of cyclotron frequencies in the plasma. A physical explanation is suggested.
Active Torsion Bar Body Roll Minimization System: Design and Testing

Sport utility and light-duty commercial vehicles exhibit a higher propensity for rollover during aggressive driving maneuvers, emergency scenarios, and degraded environmental conditions. A variety of strategies have been proposed to reduce vehicle body roll including active suspensions, comprehensive yaw stability systems, and active torsion bars. The active torsion bar systems have recently gained popularity due to their cost effective design and adaptability to existing chassis systems. However, the development of new control algorithms, design of subsystem components, and the evaluation of parameter sensitivity via testing a full scale vehicle is not always practical due to cost and safety concerns. Thus, a modular simulation tool and bench top testing environment is required to facilitate design and performance studies. In this paper, a series of mathematical models will be introduced to describe the vehicle dynamics and the roll prevention system. Representative numerical results are discussed to investigate a vehicle’s transient response with and without an active torsion bar system, as well as the impact of torsion bar and hydraulic component design parameters. Finally, a hardware in-the-loop test environment will be presented.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Studies on the Occurrence of Disialosyl Groups in Glycoproteins of Salivary Glands

The major glycoprotein of pig submandibular and rat sublingual glands were investigated for the presence of disialosyl groups. The content of (C-8)-substituted sialic acid in the glycoproteins was determined by three different procedures: colorimetric, periodate oxidation and permethylation. Approximately 13% of sialic acid in pig submandibular glycoprotein, but none in rat sublingual glycoprotein, contained a substituent at C-8. This substituent was identified as sialic acid from its susceptibility to neuraminidase treatment. From our estimation, it appears that one out of four sialic acid residues in pig submandibular glycoprotein occurs in an N-acylneuraminyl-α(2 8)-N-acylneuraminyl grup.
weather and world food

Increasing demand is outstripping world food production, despite increased yields due to technological progress. Combined with adverse weather and governmental policies, this has led to a major rundown of reserve grain stocks over the last few years. Without adequate reserves to provide equalization, weather must now be recognized as a critical factor in balancing the supply and demand of world food. Regardless of long term trends, such as the return of an Ice Age, unsettled weather conditions now appear more likely than those of the abnormally favorable period which ended in 1972. This possibility and its implications must be considered in planning and determining national and world food policies. There is an urgent need for better understanding and utilization of information on weather variability and climatic change in this context.
Thermal Cracking of Mass Concrete Bridge Footings in Coastal Environments

The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) identified several mass concrete footings in coastal bridges with cracking that needed to be assessed in the context of current North Carolina mass concrete specifications. Cracked concrete in coastal environments is of particular concern due to the higher potential for corrosion damage. Site visits were made to assess the extent of the cracking observed in mass concrete footings of three different bridges. A finite-element model was developed and used to analyze the footings and assess them for their early age thermal cracking potential. Finite-element model results showed that reasonably sized mass concrete footings that followed typical NCDOT control plans did not have a high likelihood of significant cracking from thermal stresses. However, a much larger mass concrete footing had a distinctly higher risk of significant cracking even when typical NCDOT control plans are followed. Further, cracking was even more likely when formwork was removed early. The model results correlated well with observations from the field. A comparison with temperature rise results from the Schmidt method, as implemented in the design of the mass concrete structural elements, shows the Schmidt method’s limitations in predicting temperature differences for very large mass concrete footings.
Cloning, Sequencing, Heterologous Expression, Purification, and Characterization of Adenosylcobalamin-dependentd-Lysine 5,6-Aminomutase from Clostridium sticklandii

Abstract d-Lysine 5,6-aminomutase fromClostridium sticklandii catalyzes the 1,2-shift of the e-amino group of d-lysine and reverse migration of C5(H). The two genes encoding 5,6-aminomutase have been cloned, sequenced, and expressed in Escherchia coli. They are adjacent on theClostridial chromosome and encode polypeptides of 57.3 and 29.2 kilodaltons. The predicted amino acid sequence includes a conserved base-off 5′-deoxyadenosylcobalamin binding motif and a 3-cysteine cluster in the small subunit, as well as a P-loop sequence in the large subunit. Activity of the recombinant enzyme exceeds that of the 5,6-aminomutase purified from C. sticklandii by 6-fold, presumably due to the absence of bound, inactive corrinoids in the recombinant enzyme. The K m values for adenosylcobalamin and pyridoxal 5′-phosphate are 6.6 and 1.0 μm, respectively. ATP does not have a regulatory effect on the recombinant protein. The rapid turnover associated inactivation reported for the enzyme purified from Clostridium is also seen with the recombinant form. Aminomutase activity does not depend on structural or catalytic metal ions. Electron paramagnetic resonance experiments with [15N-dimethylbenz-imidazole]adenosylcobalamin demonstrate base-off binding, consistent with other B12-dependent enzymes that break unactivated C—H bonds.
MODIFIED ANYON (MANYON) THEORY OF HETEROGENEOUS ELECTRONIC PHASES

There is a purely electronic analog to spinodal decomposition in alloys. A number of examples of such phase separation are presented, including one of potential interest to high-Tc superconductivity. It is speculated that, under some circumstances, the heterogeneous state may be described by a modification of the anyon theory.