cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Glia maturation factor promotes proliferation and morphologic expression of rat Schwann cells

Glia maturation factor (GMF) is an acidic protein with a molecular weight of about 20,000 daltons, found in the adult brain of many species. Previously GMF was observed to stimulate the proliferation and subsequent maturation of rat astroblasts in culture. We investigated the effects of GMF on Schwann cells. Schwann cells were dissociated from rat sciatic nerve and purified by means of antimitotic agents and by selective immunoadsorption of contaminating fibroblasts. Cultured Schwann cells after 3 passages assumed a flat polygonal shape. Exposure of the cells to GMF converted the cells to the elongated, spindle morphology typical of Schwann cells. GMF also stimulated a 7-fold increase in DNA synthesis when compared with control cultures grown in F10 medium containing 5% fetal calf serum. The mitogenic activity of GMF was still detectable at 5 ng protein/ml medium. The maximal effect on DNA synthesis occurred 72 h after the initial exposure to GMF. Although the cells were positive for the Schwann cell marker Ran-1, GMF failed to induce the production of myelin-associated glycolipids (galactocerebroside) and proteins (Po) nor did it induce the astrocytic marker glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). The effects of GMF on Schwann cells extend its biological role beyond the central nervous system.
Dynamics of texture evolution in face-centered cubic polycrystals

Texturing of polycrystals under slip-dominated plastic deformation is driven by reorientation velocity fields that arise from the lattice spin that accompanies restricted slip. Here, the dynamics of reorientation velocity fields are analyzed to isolate mechanisms by which textures develop and dissipate. Two tools are introduced to enable this analysis: linear stability analysis to assess behavior of equilibrium orientations, and a parametrization of lattice spins to enable analysis of fields without equilibria. This toolkit is applied to face-centered cubic (FCC) polycrystals and sheds new insight into texture development under three representative deformation modes: plane strain compression, pure shear and simple shear.
AMPA receptor binding in adult guinea pig brain stem auditory nuclei after unilateral cochlear ablation.

Abstract This study determined if an asymmetric hearing loss, due to unilateral cochlear ablation, could induce the regulation of intracellular AMPA receptors in brain stem auditory nuclei. In young adult guinea pigs, the high-affinity specific binding of [3H]AMPA was measured in the cochlear nucleus (CN), the superior olivary complex (SOC), and the auditory midbrain at 2–147 postlesion days. After correction for tissue shrinkage, changes in specific binding relative to that in age-matched unlesioned controls were interpreted as altered numbers and/or activity of intracellular AMPA receptors. In the CN, transient elevations and/or deficits in binding were evident in most regions, which usually recovered by 147 days. However, persistently deficient binding was evident ipsilaterally in the anterior part of the anteroventral CN (AVCNa). In the SOC, transient elevations in binding were evident at 2 days in the medial limb of the lateral superior olive (LSOmed) and the medial superior olive. Between 7 and 147 days, most SOC nuclei exhibited transient, temporally synchronized postlesion deficits in binding. However, late in the survival period, deficits persisted ipsilaterally in the LSOmed and the lateral (LSOlat) limb of the lateral superior olive. In the midbrain, transient elevations and/or deficits in binding were evident in the dorsal nucleus of the lateral lemniscus as well as in the central and dorsal nucleus of the inferior colliculus. A persistent deficit was evident in the intermediate nucleus of the lateral lemniscus. The findings implied that auditory neurons contain regulatory mechanisms that control the numbers and/or activity of intracellular AMPA receptors. Regulation was induced by cochlear nerve destruction and probably by changes in the excitation of glutamatergic neurons. Many of the regulatory changes were transient, except in the ipsilateral AVCNa and LSO, where postlesion downregulations were persistent. The downregulation in the ipsilateral AVCNa was probably induced directly by the loss of cochlear nerve endings. However, other regulatory changes may have been induced by signals carried on pathways emerging from the ipsilateral CN and on centrifugal auditory pathways.
Wavefronts of linear elastic waves: local convexity and modeling

Abstract Seismic techniques incorporating high frequency asymptotic representation of the 3D elastic Green’s function require efficient solution methods for the computation of traveltimes. For finite difference eikonal solvers, upwind differences are requisite to sharply resolve discontinuities in the traveltime derivatives. In anisotropic media, the direction of energy propagation is not in general tangent to the wavefront normal, while finite difference eikonal solvers compute the solution based on the traveltime gradients and wavefront normal. Local convexity of the wavefronts in transverse isotropic (TI) media is proved to show that wavefront normal determines the upwind direction of the energy propagation. The eikonal equations for the traveltimes in TI media of a generally inclined symmetry axis (ITI) are derived in a way that the eikonal solvers fit conveniently. A stable, second-order, shock-capturing, upwind finite difference scheme is suggested for solving ITI eikonal equations in regular grids in 3D. Numerical experiments are presented to demonstrate the efficiency of the algorithm.
Tissue gold concentration in a rheumatoid arthritic receiving chrysotherapy

Postmortem specimens from a patient with rheumatoid arthritis who had received 5 g of aurothioglucose were examined histologically, and their gold content was determined by activation analysis. The highest concentration of gold was found in the lymph nodes followed by the adrenal gland, renal cortex and other organs of the reticuloendothelial system. Comparatively low concentrations were found in tissues comprising the joint structure. Organs in which the greatest quantities of gold were stored include the bone marrow, liver, skin and bone. These findings demonstrate the body's capacity to store relatively large quantities of gold without adverse reaction, support the concept of a systemic rather than local mechanism of action (at the joint level) and demonstrate in vivo gold concentrations in the range expected to produce local cellular biologic effects.
Visual documentation of knowledge work: an examination of competing approaches

Approaches to researching and understanding knowledge work in contemporary organizations have proliferated during the last decade. Interest in this area has been particularly charged by the emergence of knowledge management as a concern for administrators and managers. One of the challenges addressed by researchers working in this area is constructing visual representations of knowledge work. This paper examines competing approaches to such visualization work, exploring trends in current research-based work.
Use of glitazones in cardiac patients: A case for B-type natriuretic peptide monitoring?

In the United States (US), approximately 4.9 million patients have congestive heart failure (CHF), and 10.9 million patients are diagnosed with diabetes mellitus. An estimated additional 5.7 million people have undiagnosed diabetes, according to statistics from 1998. The direct and indirect costs related to CHF in 2003 are estimated at 24.3 billion US dollars. Many patients have both conditions at the same time. For this reason, the effect of diabetic treatment on the course of CHF has major implications. Recently several reports have linked the use of glitazones with CHF decompensation. Therefore, a better examination of this phenomenon and the development of strategies for early detection are warranted.
Reliability of Conservation Actions Based on Elasticity Analysis of Matrix Models

Matrix population models have entered the mainstream of conservation biology, with analysis of proportional sensitivities (elasticity analysis) of demographic rates becoming important components of con- servation decision making. We identify areas where management applications using elasticity analysis po- tentially conflict with the mathematical basis of the technique, and we use a hypothetical example and three real data sets (Prairie Chicken ( Tympanuchus cupido ), desert tortoise ( Gopherus agassizii ), and killer whale ( Orcinus orca )) to evaluate the extent to which conservation recommendations based on elasticities might be misleading. First, changes in one demographic rate can change the qualitative ranking of the elasticity val- ues calculated from a population matrix, a result that dampens enthusiasm for ranking conservation actions based solely on which rates have the highest elasticity values. Second, although elasticities often provide accu- rate predictions of future changes in population growth rate under management perturbations that are large or that affect more than one rate concurrently, concordance frequently fails when different rates vary by dif- ferent amounts. In particular, when vital rates change to their high or low values observed in nature, predic- tions of future growth rate based on elasticities of a mean matrix can be misleading, even predicting popula- tion increase when the population growth rate actually declines following a perturbation. Elasticity measures will continue to be useful tools for applied ecologists, but they should be interpreted with consider- able care. We suggest that studies using analytical elasticity analysis explicitly consider the range of variation possible for different rates and that simulation methods are a useful tool to this end.
The addition of bounded quantification and partial functions to a computational logic and its theorem prover

We describe an extension to our quantifier-free computational logic to provide the expressive power and convenience of bounded quantifiers and partial functions. By quantifier we mean a formal construct which introduces a bound or indicial variable whose scope is some subexpression of the quantifier expression. A familiar quantifier is the ∑ operator which sums the values of an expression over some range of values on the bound variable. Our method is to represent expressions of the logic as objects in the logic, to define an interpreter for such expressions as a function in the logic, and then define quantifiers as “mapping functions.” The novelty of our approach lies in the formalization of the interpreter and its interaction with the underlying logic. Our method has several advantages over other formal systems that provide quantifiers and partial functions in a logical setting. The most important advantage is that proofs not involving quantification or partial recursive functions are not complicated by such notions as “capturing,” “bottom,” or “continuity.” Naturally enough, our formalization of the partial functions is nonconstructive. The theorem prover for the logic has been modified to support these new features. We describe the modifications. The system has proved many theorems that could not previously be stated in our logic. Among them are: classic quantifier manipulation theorems, such as $$\sum\limits_{i = 0}^n {g(i) + h(i)} = \sum\limits_{i = 0}^n {g(i)} + \sum\limits_{i = 0}^n {h(i)} $$ elementary theorems involving quantifiers, such as the Binomial Theorem: $${(a + b)^n} = \sum\limits_{i = 0}^n {(_i^n)} {a^i}{b^{n - 1}}$$ elementary theorems about “mapping functions” such as: $$(FOLDRPLUS0L) = \sum\limits_{iEL} i $$ termination properties of many partial recursive functions such as the fact that an application of the partial function described by (LEN X) ⇐ (IF (EQUAL X NIL) 0 (ADD1 (LEN (CDR X)))) terminates if and only if the argument ends in NIL; theorems about functions satisfying unusual recurrence equations such as the 91-function and the following list reverse function: (RV X) ⇐ (IF (AND (LISTP X) (LISTP (CDR X))) (CONS (CAR RV (CDR X))) (RV (CONS (CAR X) (RV (CDR (CDR X))))))) X).
Baffle effects on performance of catalytic circulating fluidized bed reactor

This paper reports on baffle effects on the performance of a catalytic circulating fluidized bed reactor which were examined experimentally. The circulating fluidized bed reactor or riser was 102 mm in diameter and 6.32 m in height. Reaction was the catalytic decomposition of ozone using FCC particles with a mean diameter of 89 [mu]m, impregnated with ferric oxide as catalysts. Four ring-type baffles, mounted horizontally around the riser wall, were used in this study. Ozone concentrations were measured in both axial and radial directions under various operating conditions in a riser with and without baffles. Experimental results showed that in a riser with baffles, the ozone concentration in the radial direction was more uniform and the ozone conversion was higher than that in a riser without baffles except at the lowest gas velocity used. A mathematical model developed accounted for the gas-phase ozone conversion under various operating conditions. The gas-solid contact efficiency in the riser was discussed in light of the model.
Simple Numerical Method to Compute Viscous Lift Loss of Wings

It is well known that the lift of a wing is less than the value computed on the basis of potential  ow because of the presence of a boundary layer on the surface. A method of computing this lift loss is described based on numerically solving the integral equations of the three-dimensional boundary-layer  ow in a streamline coordinate system. When applied to several swept, tapered, and twisted wings, the method closely predicts the lift curve measured in a wind tunnel. Similar computations with a twodimensional (strip) model overestimate wing viscous lift loss by about 10%. The numerical effort required to solve the integral boundary-layer equation set is much less than that required to solve either the threedimensional boundary-layer equations or the Navier – Stokes equations, with little loss in accuracy. It could easily be used, therefore, for preliminary estimates of climb and cruise wing performance. A simple procedure is presented for identifying cross ow separation.
β-Catenin and Met Deregulation in Childhood Hepatoblastomas

Activation of the Wnt/β-catenin and hepatocyte growth factor/Met signaling has been implicated in various tumors. Owing to the cross-talk between these pathways and aberrant redistribution of β-catenin in hepatoblastomas, we examined their status in this tumor. This study examined changes in β-catenin and Met in paired pretreatment and post-treatment hepatoblastoma tissues in relation to their effects on proliferation and target genes such as c-myc and cyclin-D1. In this study we compared proliferation indices, β-catenin staining and its known molecular targets, c-myc and cyclin-D1, and Met, a tyrosine kinase receptor for hepatocyte growth factor in pretreatment and post-treatment specimens. Pretreatment and post-treatment sections from 13 children, ages 11 weeks to 9 years, were analyzed for these markers by immunohistochemistry. All tumors (13 of 13) displayed increased proliferation and β-catenin (cytoplasmic and nuclear) staining in pretreatment biopsies that remained relatively unaffected after treatment. Aberrant Met staining (cytoplasmic) was observed in all pretreatment samples that decreased considerably after treatment in 11 of 13 patients. A significant subset of these tumors showed increased c-myc and cyclin-D1 staining in pretreatment biopsies that decreased after chemotherapy in most cases. β-Catenin redistribution in tumor cells corresponds to proliferation in hepatoblastomas. However, β-catenin nuclear localization remains unaffected in viable hepatoblastoma tissue after chemotherapy. In contrast, Met undergoes a prominent decrease after treatment and thus might be important in pathogenesis of hepatoblastoma.
AIRWAY PATHOLOGY AFTER PROLONGED HIGH-FREQUENCY JET VENTILATION

High-frequency ventilation has become a valuable tool in the management of neonates with severe pulmonary disease. Along with reports of clinical successes, have come reports of serious complications, primarily mucous obstruction of the airways and necrotizing tracheitis. Airway histopathology from four infanta who died after prolonged (ave., 8 days), high-frequency jet ventilation (HFJV) with the Mallinkrodt Bunnell Life-Pulse Jet Ventilator were compared to 12 matched control infants who died after conventional mechanical ventilation (CMV). Each of the four HFJV treated infants was matched to three CMV treated infants for birth weight, gestational age, date of birth and duration of mechanical ventilation. The 4-point, 9-variable, histologic scoring system of Ophoven et al. was used to score histologic changes at the level of the larynx, mid-trachea, carina, and right and left main bronchi. Total injury scores and patterns of acute and chronic injuries were compared using the Wilcoxon rank-sum test for nonparametnc measurements. We found no statistically significant differences in total injury scores, or in patterns of acute or chronic injury at the levels of the larynx, trachea, carina, and right and left bronchi. Our results are in contrast with previously published data. The differences may be related to improved humidification systems provided by the most recent generation of jet ventilators.
Interspecific Hybridization and Caste Specificity of Protein in Fire Ant

One natural population of fire ant in Texas was found to be a hybrid between Solenopsis geminata and S. xyloni. Evidence from isozyme studies and breeding experiments is provided to demonstrate interspecific hybridization in ants. In this hybrid population, all worker ants have both parental types of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-malate dehydrogenase isozymes, but 95 percent of queens possess only the maternal type.
Stimulated Brillouin scattering in single-frequency fiber amplifiers with delivery fibers

For an all-fiber-based single-frequency amplifier, a passive delivery fiber carrying the amplified signal out of the pump combiner may induce unwanted stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) and affect amplifier performance. To evaluate the impact, a rate-equation based model has been adopted to study SBS characteristics in the fiber amplifier with a delivery fiber. The model allows independent inputs of many critical parameters, such as the delivery fiber length, temperature distribution, core size, Brillouin gain coefficient, as well as the gain fiber length. The SBS thresholds of the amplifiers under various conditions are computed. The results indicate that the delivery fiber lengths, core diameter, and Brillouin gain coefficient are the most influential parameters which make great impacts on amplifier performance. In addition, the gain fiber length also plays a role on SBS thresholds, but its impact is modest and normally less than a few percent. For an amplifier with a 25 μm gain fiber, to achieve more than 400 W output, the delivery fiber should have a Brillouin gain coefficient <1 × 10−11 m/W with a length of less than 2 m and a core diameter of greater than 35 μm.
Expression and purification of milligram levels of inactive G-protein coupled receptors in E. coli.

Abstract G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) are seven transmembrane helical proteins involved in cell signaling and response. They are targets for many existing therapeutic agents, and numerous drug discovery efforts. Production of large quantities of these receptors for drug screening and structural biology remains challenging. To address this difficulty, we sought to express genes for several human GPCRs in Escherichia coli. For most of the receptors, expression was poor, and was not markedly improved even in strains designed to compensate for differences in codon bias between human and E. coli genes. However, the gene for human NK1 receptor (hNK1R) was expressed in large quantities as inclusion bodies in E. coli. The inclusion bodies were not soluble in chemical denaturants such as guanidine chloride or urea, but were soluble in ionic detergents such as SDS, and the zwitterionic detergent fos-choline. Using immobilized metal affinity chromatography, we purified milligram amounts of hNK1R. Although inactive in ligand-binding assays, purified hNK1R in fos-choline micelles appeared to have a high content of α-helix, and was well-behaved in solution. Thus this protein is suitable for additional biophysical characterization and refolding studies.
Reoperation and mechanical circulatory support after repair of anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery: a twenty-year experience.

Background Although outcomes for repair of anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery (ALCAPA) have improved, early postoperative mechanical circulatory support is occasionally still required. This study was undertaken to determine whether long-term outcomes for children supported with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) after ALCAPA repair differ from those in children who did not require ECMO. Methods Between 1989 (when our ECMO program began) and 2010, 26 consecutive patients (median age of 0.26 years) underwent surgical repair of ALCAPA mainly with a strategy to produce a dual coronary system. Among the 26 patients, 21 did not require ECMO postoperatively (non-ECMO group) and 5 were supported by ECMO (ECMO group). Hospital and clinic records were reviewed to determine endpoints of early or late death, cardiac transplantation, and late reoperation. Results There were no early or late deaths in either study group, at a mean follow-up of 6.5 ± 6.5 years. Mean duration of ECMO support was 10.7 ± 6.7 days. There was no difference in age or weight between the two groups. Two patients, one in each group, required cardiac transplantation at 6 days and 21 months, respectively. Four other patients required 6 reoperations (5 for mitral regurgitation and 1 for an atrial septal defect with pulmonary stenosis). Actuarial freedom from cardiac transplantation or reoperation at 5 years was 0% in the ECMO group and 92% in the non-ECMO group ( p Conclusions Overall survival is excellent after ALCAPA repair. However, those patients who require mechanical support after repair appear to be at higher risk for transplantation or reoperation, typically for mitral regurgitation.
Micromechanical quantification of elastic, twinning, and slip strain partitioning exhibited by polycrystalline, monoclinic nickel-titanium during large uniaxial deformations measured via in-situ neutron diffraction

Abstract We draw upon existing knowledge of twinning and slip mechanics to develop a diffraction analysis model that allows for empirical quantification of individual deformation mechanisms to the macroscopic behaviors of low symmetry and phase transforming crystalline solids. These methods are applied in studying elasticity, accommodation twinning, deformation twinning, and slip through neutron diffraction data of tensile and compressive deformations of monoclinic NiTi to ~18% true strain. A deeper understanding of tension–compression asymmetry in NiTi is gained by connecting crystallographic calculations of polycrystalline twinning strains with in situ diffraction measurements. Our analyses culminate in empirical, micromechanical quantification of individual elastic, accommodation twinning, deformation twinning, and slip contributions to the total macroscopic stress–strain response of a monoclinic material subjected to large deformations. From these results, we find that 20–40% of the total plastic response at high strains is due to deformation twinning and 60–80% due to slip.
MODELING EFFECTS OF PARTIAL ROOTZONE IRRIGATION ON STOMATAL CONDUCTANCE AND TRANSPIRATION OF YOUNG CITRUS TREES

Partial rootzone irrigation has been proposed for decreasing the amount of water applied to citrus. The computer model WATFLO was developed to investigate how environmental, plant, and soil factors influence water use of young citrus trees with all or only part of their root systems irrigated. Solar radiation, dry–bulb temperature, dewpoint temperature, leaf area, root length density, soil volume, and soil water–holding characteristics are specified. Soil water movement to roots is computed using microscopic–scale radial flow to individual roots. Leaf stomatal conductance regulates actual transpiration in response to solar radiation, atmospheric evaporative demand, and soil water potential in the immediate vicinity of the roots, which is compatible with concepts of root–to–shoot abscisic acid signals that control leaf stomatal conductance. Three methods of calculating the effective soil water potential for governing leaf stomatal conductance were investigated. Partial rootzone irrigation is accomplished by dividing the rooting volume into four compartments and specifying the initial soil water content of each compartment. Predicted transpiration rates of young citrus trees with all or three–quarters of the compartments irrigated were in good agreement with measured values for young irrigated citrus trees in controlled– environment chambers. Predicted transpiration of trees with one–half or one–quarter of the compartments irrigated decreased during the afternoon due to reduced stomatal conductance in response to simulated depletion of soil water adjacent to the roots. The model indicates that partial rootzone irrigation may limit plant transpiration (with implicit plant water stress), especially if rooting volumes are small and soils are sandy with low water–holding capacity.
Erythrocyte catechol-O-methyltransferase and plasma dopamine-β-hydroxylase in human umbilical cord blood

Plasma dopamine-β-hydroxylase enzymatic activity and immunoreactive protein levels in human umbilical cord blood are only about 2% as great as values in the blood of older subjects. Erythrocyte catechol-O-methyltransferase activity levels in umbilical cord blood are very similar to those in the blood of adult subjects.
Observation of surface states of hydrogen on a Rh/TiO2 catalyst by NMR spectroscopy

Abstract The proton NMR spectra of H2 adsorbed on a Rh/TiO2 catalyst have been measured. The presence of two kinds of hydrogenic species has been observed.
XVM: a bridge between xml data and its behavior

XML has become one of the core technologies for contemporary business applications, especially web-based applications. To facilitate processing of diverse XML data, we propose an extensible, integrated XML processing architecture, the XML Virtual Machine (XVM), which connects XML data with their behaviors. At the same time, the XVM is also a framework for developing and deploying XML-based applications. Using component-based techniques, the XVM supports arbitrary granularity and provides a high degree of modularity and reusability. XVM components are dynamically loaded and composed during XML data processing. Using the XVM, both client-side and server-side XML applications can be developed and deployed in an integrated way. We also present an XML application container built on top of the XVM along with several sample applications to demonstrate the applicability of the XVM framework.
Concordance between Direct Observation and Staff Rating of Behavior in Nursing Home Residents with Alzheimer's Disease

This study examined concordance between staff ratings and direct observations of behavior in 177 nursing home residents with Alzheimer's disease. During a structured interview, the staff member who had the most frequent contact with each resident completed three standardized behavioral rating scales. Direct observation of behavior (60 observations per resident) was conducted concurrently by trained nonparticipant observers using a structured time-sampling technique. We found moderate agreement between the two sources for the occurrence of 12 target behaviors during the monitoring period, but generally low agreement regarding the frequency of these behaviors. Discrepancies regarding occurrence of behavior were non-random with a higher rate of detection by direct observation. Thus, the practical advantages of staff ratings of behavior in institutional settings may be partly offset by some reduction in the accuracy of enumeration.
The first synthesis of a borylated α-methylene-γ-butyrolactone

Background: The Michael acceptor scaffolding is a source of rich biological activity for α-methylene-γ-butyrolactones and their derivatives. A wide variety of these structures are present in many natural products that are well-known for their useful medicinal properties. Results: The first example of a borylated α-methylene-γ-butyrolactone is presented herein, along with its antipancreatic cancer activities against Panc-1, MIA PaCa-2 and BXPC-3. The synthetic route chosen allows for a wide range of lactones to be synthesized through different cross-coupling reactions starting from arylic bromide precursors. The precursors were synthesized by way of a highly efficient, chemoselective and indium-promoted Barbier reaction. Specifically, the indium metal reacted with only one of two present bromide functionalities: an allylic bromide in the presence of an arylic one. The bromide precursors were also tested for activity in the same bioassay as the borylated lactone and parthenolide. Conclusion: Notably, these ...
Quantification of cholesterol nucleation‐promoting activity in human gallbladder bile: A “homeopathic” approach?

We have developed a simple method to quantitate cholesterol nucleation promoting activity in bile. The method makes use of the fact that gallbladder bile of cholesterol gallstone patients contains potent nucleation promoting activity. Gallbladder bile samples were serially diluted, routinely from 1/25 to 1/6,400. The diluted samples were mixed with a supersaturated model bile and the nucleation time (NT) of the mixtures was determined. The greatest dilution that resulted in a significant shortening of the NT was called the nucleation promoting activity titre (NPAT). The determination is independent of the original lipid content of the bile sample. The NPAT was measured in 14 gallbladder bile samples derived from patients with cholesterol gallstones and 9 controls. In all samples promoting activity was found. In the samples from the stone patients the NPAT was significantly elevated as compared to the patients without cholesterol stones (p = 0.01). Our results suggest that the cholesterol saturation index and the activity of cholesterol nucleation promoting factors are the most important factors in the pathogenesis of cholesterol gallstone disease. Assessment of the NPAT allows the differentiation of groups of patients with a normal cholesterol saturation index who are at risk for gallstone formation due to a high NPAT.
Investigation of thermochemical conversion of biomass in supercritical water using a batch reactor

Abstract This study focused on gasification of biomass and a biomass model compound. Data are presented that show the presence of supercritical water enhances gasification efficiency, as it participates as both a solvent and a reactant. It is established that biomass gasification efficiencies are in the same range for all types of biomass. The thermodynamic changes of state are functions of elemental composition, not biomass species. The oxidation state of carbon atom of biomass is a key variable in determining the changes in enthalpy during both conventional combustion and supercritical water gasification. The oxidation state of the feed (together with the reaction conditions that influence the degree to which water participates as a reactant) also determines the vapor product composition. Decomposition reactions to vapor products are rapid and complete at high temperature (⩾550 °C), catalytic mediation is not required. Temperature and residence time are important operating parameters for SCW gasification. Less important are the pressure of gasification (in the range of 40–67 MPa) and the presence of catalyst. The vapor yield, gas composition, the carbon and hydrogen balance of SCW gasification are functions of gasification temperature, residence time and biomass load (concentration).
Sedimentology of proximal to distal volcaniclastics dispersed across an active foldbelt: Ellensburg Formation (late Miocene), central Washington

Late Miocene volcaniclastics of the Ellensburg Formation (Washington, northwestern USA) are exposed in basins within an integrated palaeodrainage over the depositional reach from 15 to 120 km eastward from a Cascade Range source area. Two facies associations are recognized. The first is composed of laterally restricted, well-sorted, polymictic conglomerates representing a gravel-bedload regime during inter-eruption periods. The second comprises laterally extensive sheets, bounded by deeply-developed paleosols, composed of monomictic pebbly, pumiceous dacitic sandstones with intercalated debris-flow and hyperconcentrated flood-flow deposits. These sheets aggraded in response to eruptive events that are sometimes recorded by air-fall tephras at the bases of sequences. Debris-flow and hyperconcentrated flood-flow deposits occur as far as 120 km from source, but are uncommon beyond 50 km. Hyperconcentrated flood-flow deposits initially increase in abundance away from source as debris-flow deposits diminish, suggesting formation of hyperconcentrated flood flows by dilution of debris flows. Sandy facies form broad sheets dominated by scour-fill bedding, in proximal and medial settings, and grade to narrower, trough cross-bedded sheets in distal settings, suggesting moderation of flood discharges with distance. Base-level changes associated with episodic sediment influx caused incision-aggradation cycles in mainstream settings, and episodic impoundment of tributaries to form lakes or rapidly aggrading, poorly drained floodplains. Although volcanism was the primary control on depositional style, concurrent development of the Yakima fold belt produced a structure-consequent drainage pattern that determined sediment dispersal, and basin subsidence permitted preservation of both syn-eruption and inter-eruption facies. Detritus from rising anticlines was generally diluted by the volumetrically superior extrabasinal volcaniclastics, but dominates deposits of small tributary streams flowing toward, rather than from, the Cascades.
Low computational complexity adaptive algorithms for IIR digital filters

The authors introduce a family of rapidly converging IIR (infinite impulse response) adaptive algorithms with O(N) computational complexity, where N is the filter order. By observing the similarity between the numerical solution of partial differential equations and the IIR adaptive filtering problem, results from the solution of systems of sparse linear equations may be employed. In this formulation the identification problem of the IIR coefficients separates into two subproblems, each of which may be solved by application of fast adaptive FIR (finite impulse response) techniques. Present IIR algorithms require greater computational cost or converge more slowly. >
The Induction of Osteopetrotic Changes in Hypophysectomized, Thyroparathyroidectomized, and Intact Rats of Various Ages

Osteopetrotic changes were induced in hypophysectomized (Hx), thyroparathyroidectomized (TxPx), as well as intact rats of various ages by means of daily injections of parathyroid extract (PTE) for a period of three weeks. Bone and blood formation and bone remodeling were assessed by quantitative means. Serum calcium was measured and differential counts were made on the thyroid epithelium. By selectively stimulating osteoblastic activity, PTE creates an imt balance whereby bone remodeling fails to keep pace with bone formation. The younger the anik mal at the onset of the PTE regimen, the greater the augmentation of osteogenic activity and the more extensive the ensuing osteopetrotic changes. When the PTE regimen was initiated before birth, y rate of membrane bone synthesis was doubled while expansion of the medullary cavities of the long bones was arrested. The induction of osteopetrotic changes in Hx and TxPx rats, in addition to PTE, required growth hormone (GH). The osteogenic stimulating affect of PTE...
Weighted log rank type statistics for comparing survival curves when there is a time lag in the effectiveness of treatment

SUMMARY In certain long-term treatment trials, one expects some lag period before the treatment is fully effective. This paper presents two weighted log rank type statistics designed to have good efficiency over a wide range of lags: a maximin efficiency robust statistic and a simplified version of this statistic. Both statistics can be computed as easily as the log rank statistic. Asymptotic efficiency calculations, supported by small sample simulations, show that the two proposed statistics are substantially more efficient than the conventional log rank statistic in certain lag situations with comparatively little efficiency loss relative to the log rank statistic when no lag exists. We recommend the maximin statistic for situations where a lag is expected but cannot be specified precisely in advance.
Vegetation and climate of the last glacial-interglacial cycle in Southern Illinois, USA

Raymond Basin and Bald Knob Basin, Montgomery County, Illinois, formed as kettles during Illinoian time. Fossil pollen from these basins provides information on vegetation and climate during the last glacial-interglacial cycle. The pollen profile at Raymond Basin contains an expanded Sangamonian section and an early Wisconsinan section, but both are missing the late Wisconsinan. The ages for the following pollen zones are estimated by correlation with the deep-sea δ18O record.
Electron spin resonance spectroscopic demonstration of the hydroxyl free radical scavenger properties of dimethylaminoethanol in spin trapping experiments confirming the molecular basis for the biological effects of centrophenoxine

The ADP-Fe(II)-H2O2 system generates OH free radicals which can be trapped by 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline-N-oxide (DMPO) thus yielding a measurable signal by electron spin resonance spectroscopy. The amount of DMPO-OH spin adduct formed under certain conditions decreased considerably, if dimethylaminoethanol (DMAE), p-chlorophenoxyacetic acid (PCPA) or centrophenoxine (CPH) were present in comparable concentrations to that of DMPO. It has been demonstrated that such an effect cannot be attributed to any interference of the tested compounds with the Fe(II) and its oxidability by H2O2. The reaction of DMAE with OH free radicals was demonstrated also by using other spin traps. These spin traps reacted with OH free radicals either not at all (phenyl-tert-butylnitrone, PBN) or only to a slight extent (alfa-pyridyl-l-oxide-N-tert-butylnitrone, 4-POBN). DMAE was also a competitive OH free radical scavenger with proline and hydroxyproline, both of which have recently been shown to react with OH free radicals to form nitroxyl free radicals. On the basis of the experimental results, the OH free radical scavenger property of DMAE can be regarded as firmly established. This result supports the molecular mechanism proposed for the explanation of the anti-aging effects of CPH in terms of the membrane hypothesis of aging.
Superfusion of Hemipituitaries with Portal Blood. I. LRF Secretion in Castrated and Diestrous Rats

A technique was developed for superfusion of rat hemipituitaries with hypophysial portal blood. One hemipituitary was placed in a special chamber and superfused with portal blood from a donor rat at a rate of 7 μl/min for 80 min, while the contralateral hemipituitary was superfused with arterial blood from the same animal. The effluent blood from each superfusion chamber was divided into 40 fractions (each equivalent to 2 min of superfusion) and assayed for LH by RIA. No difference in the LH output by a pair of hemipituitaries was observed when one was superfused with blood from the left femoral artery and the other with blood from the right femoral artery. However, hemipituitaries superfused with portal blood from castrated female rats secreted LH at the rate of 132 ± 4.1 ng/min (mean and SE) during the 80 min of the experiment, whereas the contralateral hemipituitaries superfused with arterial blood secreted LH at 63 ± 2.3 ng/min. The rate of LH output by hemipituitaries superfused with portal or arteri...
Experimental investigation of solar powered diaphragm and helical pumps

Abstract For several years, many types of solar powered water pumping systems were evaluated, and in this paper, diaphragm and helical solar photovoltaic (PV) powered water pumping systems are discussed. Data were collected on diaphragm and helical pumps which were powered by different solar PV arrays at multiple pumping depths to determine the pumping performance, efficiency, and reliability of the different systems. The highest diaphragm pump hydraulic efficiency measured was ∼48%, and the highest helical pump hydraulic efficiency measured was ∼60%. The peak total system efficiency (e.g. solar radiation to pumped water) measured for the diaphragm and helical pumps were ∼5% and ∼7%, respectively (based on PV modules with ∼12% efficiency). The daily water volume of the three-chamber high head diaphragm pump performed better than the dual-chamber high head diaphragm pump (∼5 to ∼100% depending on PV array input power and pumping depth). Use of a controller was shown to improve the quad diaphragm pump performance below a solar irradiance of 600 W/m 2 (20 m head) to 800 W/m 2 (30 m head). While diaphragm pumps made mostly of plastic demonstrated similar to much better pumping performance than diaphragm pumps made with a high proportion of metal, the metal pumps demonstrated a longer service life (>2 years) than the plastic pumps service life (
Thermal decomposition of energetic materials 60. Major reaction stages of a simulated burning surface of NH4ClO4

Abstract Major stages of pyrolysis that occur in a heterogeneous gas-condensed phase layer of NH 4 ClO 4 (AP) representative of the burning surface are described. T-Jump/FTIR spectroscopy provides the sequence of appearance of the gas products and the corresponding energy balance of a thin layer of AP heated at 2000°C/s to 440°C under 13 atm Ar. Some HClO 4 , but no NH 3 , escapes the reaction zone before significant heat is released. NH 3 is oxidized to NO 2 , N 2 O, and H 2 O. At least some of the N 2 O may result from 2HNO → N 2 O + H 2 O. As the decomposition rapidly accelerates and becomes strongly exothermic, NO and H 2 O are formed in large amounts and no more HClO 4 is evolved. In agreement with previous kinetic schemes, these observations are consistent with the large influence of HClO 4 + HNO → NO + ClO 3 + H 2 O in the overall rate. The acceleration of the process may result from growth in the HNO concentration. The final product concentrations qualitatively resemble the product profiles determined by microprobe-mass spectrometry of the AP flame. Dynamic weight loss of an AP film determined by SMATCH/FTIR spectroscopy extrapolates reasonably well to the burn rate of AP measured with a combustion bomb.
Relationships between MMPI and CPI types for male heroin abusers.

The similarity between typological systems based on the MMPI and CPI was investigated in a sample of male heroin users. The typologies had faiily high classification rates (85 and 75%, respectively) and evidenced relationships that seem consistent with psychological theory. Methods of using the two inventories and the respective typological systems in tandem were suggested, and the possibility of predicting the configural patterns of one inventory from those of the other was explored.
Formal verification of SSA-based optimizations for LLVM

Modern compilers, such as LLVM and GCC, use a static single assignment(SSA) intermediate representation (IR) to simplify and enable many advanced optimizations. However, formally verifying the correctness of SSA-based optimizations is challenging because SSA properties depend on a function's entire control-flow graph.This paper addresses this challenge by developing a proof technique for proving SSA-based program invariants and compiler optimizations. We use this technique in the Coq proof assistant to create mechanized correctness proofs of several "micro" transformations that form the building blocks for larger SSA optimizations. To demonstrate the utility of this approach, we formally verify a variant of LLVM's mem2reg transformation in Vellvm, a Coq-based formal semantics of the LLVM IR. The extracted implementation generates code with performance comparable to that of LLVM's unverified implementation.
X-ray diffraction and high-resolution NMR spectroscopic analysis of 2,4,7,8-tetra-O-acetyl-3-deoxy-α-d-manno-2-octulopyranosono-1,5-lactone

Abstract The X-ray diffraction and high-resolution 1 H and 13 C NMR spectral data are reported for 2,4,7,8-tetra- O -acetyl-3-deoxy-α- d - manno -2-octulopyranosono-1,5-lactone.
Raman spectrograms in fifth order coherent Raman scattering: The sequential CARS process in liquid benzene

Abstract The first Raman spectrograms are reported for fifth order coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering. The 992 cm −1 `ring breathing' mode of liquid benzene is examined using broadband, nontransform-limited, quasi-cw noisy laser light. The fifth order signal is entirely dominated by a sequential CARS process called I (3) SCARS. The vibrational Raman frequency and the dephasing rate constant for this mode is extracted from combined I (3) SCARS and I (2) CARS spectrograms with high precision and potentially high accuracy.
Exploring the roles of extracurricular activity quantity and quality in the educational resilience of vulnerable adolescents: Variable- and pattern-centered approaches

This longitudinal study examines how extracurricular activity involvement contributes to “educational resilience”—the unexpected educational attainments of adolescents who are otherwise vulnerable to curtailed school success due to personal- and social-level risks. Educationally vulnerable youth characterized by significant risks and an absence of assets were identified during early adolescence (approximately age 14) using measures of academic motivation, achievement, and mental health as well as family, school, and peer contexts. Using a mixture of variable- and pattern-centered analytic techniques, we investigate how both the total amount time that vulnerable youth spent in positive extracurricular activities and the specific pattern of their extracurricular activity involvement during late adolescence (approximately age 17) predict their subsequent enrollment in college during early adulthood (up through approximately age 21). Educational resilience was predicted uniquely by some, but not all, activity patterns. These results suggest that positive extracurricular activity settings afford vulnerable youth developmentally appropriate experiences that promote educational persistence and healthy development.