cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Review of Estimates of Algal Growth Using 14C Tracer Techniques

This review is an assessment of the state of the art of measuring production of marine phytoplankton. Recently there have been several reviews on this subject. Carpenter and Esaias (1) expanded on the procedures given by Strickland and Parsons (2) for using the 14C light-dark bottle method. Peterson (3) discussed the development of the 14C method from the early 1950’s to recent times. Our review discusses potential biases in using the 14C technique and provides recommendations for its proper use. This review is not exhaustive, since by now many of the potential sources of error are well-known (e.g., protection of samples from light shock or use of a non-toxic sampler). We have attempted to concentrate on recent developments. Also, we have endeavored to omit material, such as the excellent discussion of effects of photorespiration and photoinhibition, already covered in Peterson’s (3) review.
Glia-Promoting Factors and the Control of Oligodendroglial Growth During Brain Development and Regeneration

The central nervous system (CNS) relies upon complex interactions among glial cells to regulate metabolic functions and to direct structural organization of neural networks. The contributions that astroglia, oligodendroglia, and microglia make to brain function are incompletely understood and include the support of tissue structure, production of myelin membrane, or mediation of inflammatory responses. One way to explore these cellular functions is to determine when and how glia are activated.
Effects of eosinophil granule proteins on human corneal epithelial cell viability and morphology.

PURPOSE There is mounting evidence that eosinophil granule proteins may cause tissue injury during allergic inflammation of the eye. Therefore, the authors investigated the in vitro effects of human eosinophil major basic protein (MBP), eosinophil cationic protein (ECP), eosinophil peroxidase (EPO), and eosinophil-derived neurotoxin (EDN) on cultured human corneal epithelial cell viability and morphology. METHODS Confluent primary human corneal epithelial cell cultures were exposed to each of the four human eosinophil cationic granule proteins at concentrations ranging from 0 to 100 micrograms/ml (0, 12.5, 25, 50, and 100 micrograms/ml) for up to 48 hours in serum-free media. Morphologic changes were assessed by light microscopy at 1, 6, 24, and 48 hours; cell viability was measured using the MTT cell viability assay at 24 hours. RESULTS Cells treated with MBP and ECP induced a dose-dependent gradual increase in morphologic changes; in contrast, EPO and EDN induced minimal changes in cell morphology. At 24 hours, both MBP and ECP induced statistically significant (P < 0.05) decreases in cell viability at a concentration of 100 micrograms/ml; EPO induced a significant (P < 0.05) decrease in cell viability at all concentrations tested, and EDN showed no significant reduction of cell viability at any of the concentrations tested. CONCLUSIONS The current study suggests that the human eosinophil granule proteins MBP and ECP affect human corneal epithelial cell viability and morphology in vitro, whereas the protein EPO affects cell viability only. EDN had no significant effect on cell viability or morphology. Hence, MBP, ECP, and EPO perturb the corneal epithelium differentially and may contribute to keratopathy associated with severe ocular allergy.
A novel rugged all-terrain wheelchair: opening the door to outdoor recreation and off-road travel for people with mobility impairments

When a person acquires a severe mobility impairment, especially an injury leading to the use of a wheelchair, natural settings become very difficult to access. Many studies find that outdoor recreation for people with disabilities is an exceptionally positive step in rehabilitation; it improves self image, increases fitness, reduces obesity, and produces a more favorable impression of the disabled person by the able-bodied population (1, 3, 4, 6, 10). Since conventional wheelchairs are of little use on rugged terrain, I developed the Kilikart* to enhance access to natural settings. The Kilikart is stable, durable, and permits able-bodied assistants to help power and stabilize the disabled rider. The device has been thoroughly tested and permits important new options for outdoor recreation and transport.
Mary Baker Eddy’s “Church of 1879”: Boisterous Prelude to The Mother Church

In 1889, Mary Baker Eddy, founder of Christian Science, asked her fractious Church of Christ (Scientist) in Boston to disband. No scholar has studied this “Church of 1879,” the predecessor of the present Mother Church founded in 1892, nor analyzed the members of this religious body. Therefore, after briefly discussing Eddy’s journey of faith, this article delves into pertinent affairs of her early, struggling church and investigates the largely forgotten people from most levels of society who comprised her initial flock. Many of Eddy’s actions to curb unruly personalities or undue adulation of herself followed sociologist Max Weber’s theories about the “routinization of charisma.” The headstrong membership, coupled with unreliable preaching by invited clergy and confusion over competing metaphysical groups, led Eddy to disincorporate her first church and found the more centralized Mother Church—The First Church of Christ, Scientist—in 1892. This article shows the institutional birth of an American religion.
Three-Patch Aortic Root Reconstruction With Extended Left Main Coronary Artery Patch Augmentation in Neonates and Infants.

Left main coronary artery (LMCA) stenosis is present in approximately 5% of patients with congenital supravalvular aortic stenosis (SVAS) (Fig. 1)1 and is associated with an increased risk of sudden cardiac death.2 However, patients undergoing coronary artery intervention at the time of SVAS repair are at the highest risk of experiencing major adverse cardiac events.3 Literature reports of surgical techniques and outcomes of concomitant coronary artery repair in these high-risk patients are diverse and inconsistently described. We have recently adopted a standardized surgical technique for management of this complex pathology by combining extended LMCA patch augmentation with a 3-patch aortic root reconstruction (Brom's technique). In this report, we describe our contemporary surgical technique of 3-patch aortic root reconstruction with extended LMCA patch augmentation for patients with congenital SVAS with ostial LMCA stenosis and bilateral outflow tract obstruction. Institutional review board approval was obtained for retrospective review of patient charts.
The Eustachian Tube as a Landmark for Early Identification of the Abducens Nerve During Endonasal Transclival Approaches.

Background Expanded endonasal approaches have the potential to injure the abducens nerve (cranial nerve [CN] VI). The nerve's root entry zone (REZ) and cisternal segment (CS) are particularly prone to injury during the clivus resection and dural incision of transclival approaches. Objective To investigate the role of the eustachian tube (ET) as a surgical landmark for the REZ and CS of CN VI. Methods Transclival expanded endonasal approaches were performed bilaterally in 6 fresh-frozen cadaveric specimens (12 sides). Anatomic relationships between ET and CN VI were documented with neuronavigation. Results The mean vertical distance from the inferior brainstem point to the horizontal projection of CN VI REZ, CS midpoint, and interdural segment (ID) were 26.38 mm (95% confidence interval [CI] 17.36-35.4), 38.61 mm (95% CI 25.61-51.61), and 42.68 mm (95% CI 30.14-55.22), respectively. The relative vertical distance from the ET to the horizontal projections of the REZ, CS midpoint, and its ID were 6.43 mm (95% CI 3.25-9.61), 18.66 mm (95% CI 11.52-25.8), and 22.72 mm (95% CI 16.02-29.42), respectively. In the axial plane the angles between the ET and (1) the REZ and its midline horizontal projection point, (2) the midpoint and its midline horizontal projection point, and (3) ID and its midline horizontal projection point were 9.81 ± SD 5.20°, 18.50 ± SD 4.87°, and 24.71 ± SD 6.21°, respectively. Conclusion The ET may serve as a constant landmark to reliably predict the position of the REZ and CS of CN VI.
Design space exploration of near memory accelerators

We describe an in-progress approach to resolving the opposing goals of speed and accuracy in designing, prototyping, and evaluating the system level performance of near-memory accelerators. Hardware emulators offer high fidelity and speed at the expense of flexibility in exploring the design space. Software simulators can be enormously flexible, but simulation speed suffers if high accuracy is required. Building on past experience of using both these methods, we report on progress with using SystemC simulation for full application level evaluation with eventual synthesis of the accelerator hardware components for emulation.
Strategic materials availability and supply

An evaluation is made of the supply sources and current availability of elements involved in superalloy compositions, as well as of development trends in the substitution of strategic materials for superalloys, giving attention to the results thus far achieved by NASA's Conservation of Strategic Aerospace Materials program, which formally operated only from 1980 to 1984 but whose various research initiatives have been continued under other NASA programs. Peacetime and wartime economies' need and probable availability analyses are presented for bauxite/aluminum, the Pt-group metals, and the alloying elements Mn, Nb, Ta, Co, Cr, Ni, W, Fe, Cu, Ti, Mo, and Mg.
Radar backscattering measurements of a simplified rough ocean surface

The radar frequency backscattering behavior of rough ocean surfaces has been investigated using a physical scale modeling approach and a millimeter-wave compact radar range. The method involved fabrication of two 1/16th scale simplified rough ocean surfaces from a material that at 160 GHz behaved as the dielectric equivalent of seawater at 10 GHz. By measuring the backscattering behavior of the physical models in a 160 GHz compact range, the X-band radar frequency scattering behavior was determined. Though the physical models used were static, a scale modeling approach readily offers the ability to examine ocean backscattering phenomenology of a given surface texture over an extended range of look angles and radar frequencies, which otherwise would be challenging in a dynamic ocean environment. Computational electromagnetic modeling of the surface was also performed and compared with compact range measurements. This effort, involving more realistic ocean surfaces, builds on previous ocean modeling work presented by our team that utilized a periodic rough surface. The simulated surfaces studied here represent a natural progression toward our goal of developing reliable methodologies to characterize the backscattering behavior of land and sea clutter using physical scale modeling technologies.
Second-Generation Drug-Eluting Resorbable Magnesium Scaffold: Review of the Clinical Evidence

Since October 8, 2013, the second-generation drug-eluting resorbable magnesium scaffold (RMS) has been used to treat coronary lesions. At present, the second-generation drug-eluting RMS is clinically available in Europe, some South American countries, and some Asian and African countries. Furthermore, patients are currently being enrolled in ongoing post-marketing trials. This device has the potential to be an alternative to drug-eluting stents in the future, but there is not yet sufficient evidence. This review provides the latest available evidence, comparison with other bioresorbable scaffolds, future perspectives, and discussion of clinical case reports with second-generation drug-eluting RMS. SUMMARY: Favorable outcomes have been reported after second-generation drug-eluting RMS implantation. More long-term clinical outcomes for this novel device are still required in the future.
Differences Between Managed Care and Fee-for-Service Medicaid in the Use of Generics for High-Rebate Drugs: The Cases of Insulin Glargine and Glatiramer.

BACKGROUND: Statutory rebates and preferred drug lists (PDLs) may result in differential use of biosimilars and generics between Medicaid fee-for-service (FFS) and managed care organizations (MCOs)...
The Affordable Care Act at 10 Years — Payment and Delivery System Reforms

The ACA at 10 Years — Payment and Delivery Systems In this second of two Health Policy Reports marking the 10th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, the authors describe major payment and delive...
Pmp22 super-enhancer deletion causes tomacula formation and conduction block in peripheral nerves.

Copy number variation of the peripheral nerve myelin gene Peripheral Myelin Protein 22 (PMP22) causes multiple forms of inherited peripheral neuropathy. The duplication of a 1.4 Mb segment surrounding this gene in chromosome 17p12 (c17p12) causes the most common form of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1A, whereas the reciprocal deletion of this gene causes a separate neuropathy termed hereditary neuropathy with liability to pressure palsies (HNPP). PMP22 is robustly induced in Schwann cells in early postnatal development, and several transcription factors and their cognate regulatory elements have been implicated in coordinating the gene's proper expression. We previously found that a distal super-enhancer domain was important for Pmp22 expression in vitro, with particular impact on a Schwann cell-specific alternative promoter. Here, we investigate the consequences of deleting this super-enhancer in vivo. We find that loss of the super-enhancer in mice reduces Pmp22 expression throughout development and into adulthood, with greater impact on the Schwann cell-specific promoter. Additionally, these mice display tomacula formed by excessive myelin folding, a pathological hallmark of HNPP, as have been previously observed in heterozygous Pmp22 mice as well as sural biopsies from patients with HNPP. Our findings demonstrate a mechanism by which smaller copy number variations, not including the Pmp22 gene, are sufficient to reduce gene expression and phenocopy a peripheral neuropathy caused by the HNPP-associated deletion encompassing PMP22.
COVID-19 in Patients With Inflammatory Arthritis: A Prospective Study on the Effects of Comorbidities and Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs on Clinical Outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the hospitalization and death rates among patients with inflammatory arthritis (IA) affected by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and to analyze the associations of comorbidities and immunomodulatory medications with infection outcomes. METHODS: Data on clinical and demographic features, maintenance treatment, disease course, and outcomes in individuals with IA (rheumatoid arthritis and spondyloarthritis) with symptomatic COVID-19 infection were prospectively assessed via web-based questionnaire followed by individual phone calls and electronic medical record review. Baseline characteristics and medication use were summarized for hospitalized and ambulatory patients, and outcomes with the different medication classes were compared using multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: A total of 103 patients with IA were included in the study (80 with confirmed COVID-19 and 23 with high suspicion of COVID-19). Hospitalization was required in 26% of the participants, and 4% died. Patients who were hospitalized were significantly more likely to be older (P < 0.001) and have comorbid hypertension (P = 0.001) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (P = 0.02). IA patients taking oral glucocorticoids had an increased likelihood of being admitted for COVID-19 (P < 0.001), while those receiving maintenance anticytokine biologic therapies did not. CONCLUSION: Among patients with underlying IA, COVID-19 outcomes were worse in those receiving glucocorticoids but not in patients receiving maintenance anticytokine therapy. Further work is needed to understand whether immunomodulatory therapies affect COVID-19 incidence.
The First Latina Hackathon : Recoding Infrastructures from México

An event advertised as the first all-women’s hackathon in Latin America was held in Mexico in 2015. Highly ephemeral but also highly visible, the hackathon functions as a critical site to examine how communities crystallize and evaporate, and how participants actively negotiate their hacker identities and practices across boundaries of nation, gender, race, and ethnicity. Popular discourse poses inclusivity within maker/hacker groups by proposing ways to get different or “diverse” participants to join events aimed at empowering their communities. I explore how members of marked groups are called upon to construct and manage these differences themselves within hacker spaces and “maker” formations. I first highlight how participants at the women’s hackathon aligned themselves with structures of expertise as they negotiated normative constructions of gender and femininity. Hackers continue these negotiations when they get caught up in Mexican nationalist pushes for productivity. In the final section, I unpack a surprise visit by abuelitas (grandmothers), who taught everyone a lesson on the invisibilized labor that supports communities of hackers. In a space usually reserved for young makers who understand “new” technologies, they claimed their space within “progress” and reasserted undervalued domestic work as foundational for other type of work. By weaving these three threads together ethnographically, I suggest the ways in which differences become important as Latina hackers differentially position themselves, but also align themselves, with the contradictions of treating code work as coded labor.
Using space-time cube to analyze trends in adverse birth outcomes and maternal characteristics in Massachusetts, USA.

Rates of preterm births (< 37 gestational weeks) and low birthweight (≤ 2500 g) are rising throughout the United States. This study uses singleton live birth data, Empirical Bayes approach, space–time cube and Mann–Kendall statistic to evaluate temporal trends in these adverse birth outcomes (ABO) and maternal characteristics over 15 years (2000–2014) at the census tract level for non-Hispanic white and black women in Massachusetts. In addition to analyzing trends for each variable individually, the study analyzes spatial coincidence of trends to determine which maternal characteristics exhibited trends that most strongly correlated with the ABO trends. The 15-year average rate of ABO was 7.34% for white women, and 12.05% for black women. Results show that more census tracts exhibited an increasing trend than decreasing trend in birth outcomes and in several maternal characteristics for both races (gestational and chronic hypertension, gestational diabetes, and previous preterm birth). Study identified 52 census tracts concurrently experiencing an increasing trend in ABO and in four maternal characteristics for black women, indicating that multiple negative trends in health outcomes are concentrated at the same location creating a potential for even more adverse outcomes in the future. This study provides a novel, spatially explicit analytical framework based on Empirical Bayes rates and space–time cube, which could be extended to analyze trends in other health outcomes at various spatial scales.
Assessing 3 Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia Definitions: Associations between Room Air Challenge Results and Respiratory Outcomes

Background: The Neonatal Research Network (NRN) has used 3 definitions for bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD): 1) a clinical definition based on supplemental oxygen at 36 weeks postmenstrual age (PMA) (clinBPD), 2) a physiologic definition inclusive of a room air challenge (RAC) at 36 weeks (physBPD), and 3) a pragmatic definition based on any respiratory support at 36 weeks (pragBPD). PragBPD has been shown to be strongly correlated …
A prediction model for postoperative urinary retention after thoracic surgery

Abstract Background Urinary retention remains a frequent postoperative complication, associated with patient discomfort and delayed discharge following general thoracic surgery (GTS). We aimed to develop and prospectively validate a predictive model of postoperative urinary retention (POUR) among GTS patients. Methods We retrospectively developed a predictive model using data from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons GTS Database at our institution. The patient study cohort included adults undergoing elective in-patient surgical procedures without a history of renal failure or Foley catheter on entry to the recovery suite (August 2013 to March 2017). Multivariable logistic regression models identified factors associated with urinary retention, and a nomogram to aid medical decision making was developed. The predictive model was validated in a cohort of GTS patients between April 2017 and November 2018 using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Results The predictive model was developed from 1484 GTS patients, 284 of whom (19%) experienced postoperative urinary retention within 24 hours of the operation. Risk factors for POUR included older age, male sex, higher preoperative creatinine, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, primary diagnosis, primary procedure, and use of postoperative patient-controlled analgesia. A logistic nomogram for estimating the risk of POUR was created and validated in 646 patients, 65 of whom (10%) had urinary retention. The ROC curves of development and validation models had similar favorable c-statistics (0.77 vs 0.72; P > .05). Conclusions Postoperative urinary retention occurs in nearly 20% of patients undergoing major GTS. Using a validated predictive model may help by targeting certain patients with prophylactic measures to prevent this complication.
Why Donald Trump Should be a Fervent Advocate of Using Rank-Choice Voting in 2024

This article builds off work by Devine and Kopko (2021) and Lacy and Burden (1999) who estimate a probit model of candidate choice from nationally representative survey data to determine the second choice of third-party voters. Using this model on 2020 election data, we show that the Libertarian candidate Jo Jorgenson probably cost Donald Trump victory in at least two state – AZ and GA. Additionally, the popular vote margin enjoyed by Joe Biden could have been between 260,000 and 525,000 votes less, using conservative estimates. The motivation of this paper is to give contrary evidence for two main misconceptions. First, that third-party candidates are “spoiling” elections for the Democrats. Our evidence clearly shows that third-parties have the potential to hurt either of the two main parties, but in 2020, it was Donald Trump who was hurt most; though not consequentially. Second, some reformers believe that Rank Choice Voting benefits the Democrats; again, we show that, all else being equal, in the presidential election of 2020, it was the Republicans that would have benefited by the change in rules, since the majority of third-party votes are going to the Libertarian candidate, and whose voters prefer Republicans over Democrats 60% to 32%.
Differentially Private Deep Learning under the Fairness Lens.

Differential Privacy (DP) is an important privacy-enhancing technology for private machine learning systems. It allows to measure and bound the risk associated with an individual participation in a computation. However, it was recently observed that DP learning systems may exacerbate bias and unfairness for different groups of individuals. This paper builds on these important observations and sheds light on the causes of the disparate impacts arising in the problem of differentially private empirical risk minimization. It focuses on the accuracy disparity arising among groups of individuals in two well-studied DP learning methods: output perturbation and differentially private stochastic gradient descent. The paper analyzes which data and model properties are responsible for the disproportionate impacts, why these aspects are affecting different groups disproportionately and proposes guidelines to mitigate these effects. The proposed approach is evaluated on several datasets and settings.
Morphological awareness and vocabulary predict reading resilience in adults

Resilient readers comprehend written language despite word reading deficits. The reading resiliency framework specifies candidate protective factors hypothesized to mitigate adverse effects on reading comprehension arising from phonological decoding deficiencies and, consequently, illuminates how some individuals exhibit relative reading resiliency. A focus on relative reading resiliency involves an examination of individual strengths and weaknesses because areas of relative strength can bolster one's abilities. The ability for morphological awareness and vocabulary to be strengths or protective factors contributing to reading resiliency was explored in a sample of university students. Morphological awareness is predicted to be a particularly important skill for university students due to the complexity of texts encountered in their coursework. A measure of word-level morphological awareness was positively associated with relative reading resiliency. Furthermore, across norm-referenced and standardized high-stakes testing measures of reading comprehension, vocabulary mediated the impact of morphological awareness on comprehension after controlling for phonological decoding ability. These findings suggest that morphological awareness and vocabulary skills are important contributing factors to reading comprehension and reading resilience.
Eight-Fold Increase in Dietary Supplement-Related Liver Failure Leading to Transplant Waitlisting Over the Last Quarter Century in the United States.

Introduction We investigated the trends in listing and outcomes of drug induced acute liver failure (DIALF) over the last quarter century in the United States using the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) database. Methods We examined waitlisted patients in the UNOS database between 1995 and 2020 with a diagnosis of DIALF, and assessed trends in etiologies, demographic and clinical characteristics, and outcomes over 3 periods, 1995-2003, 2004-2012 and 2013-2020. Patients with DIALF and cirrhosis were classified as drug induced acute on chronic liver failure (DI-ACLF). Implicated agents including acetaminophen (APAP) and herbal or dietary supplements (HDS) were ascertained. Results There were 2146 individuals with DIALF during the study period. The observed demographic trends between the earliest and latest period included fewer pediatric patients (19% to 13%), but with increasing male gender in non-APAP DIALF (32% to 41%), and increased racial diversity in APAP DIALF. Antimicrobials remained the most common non-APAP agents across all periods, but antiepileptics, propylthiouracil and mushroom poisoning decreased, while HDS markedly increased from 2.9% to 24.1% of all non-APAP DIALF. The overall 5-year post liver transplant (LT) patient survival improved significantly over the 3 periods (69.9% to 77.4% to 83.3%) and was evident for both APAP and non-APAP DIALF. Discussion Over the last quarter century, there has been an eight-fold increase in HDS related liver failure necessitating waitlisting for liver transplantation in the US. There are other important temporal trends during the study period, including improved survival following LT among both APAP and non-APAP DIALF.
An analytical model for shale gas permeability

Abstract Based on the kinetic theory of gases and using the regularized 13-moment method, the analytical R13 AP model is introduced for predicting gas apparent permeability of nanoporous shale samples. These samples are characterized by ultratight pores and may introduce significant rarefaction effects, especially under the laboratory conditions, which cannot be accounted for in the classical hydrodynamic equations. Due to the significance of the rarefaction effects, measured values of the gas apparent permeability depend on the operating parameters, such as pressure and temperature, and gas type in addition to pore size. The R13 AP model incorporates these parameters and can predict the apparent permeability for Knudsen numbers up to unity. This model is compared with the other models and experimental results. The results of the R13 AP model match the published experimental data of flow in nanochannels. It is shown that the gas molecular weight and temperature have a significant effect on apparent permeability of the nanochannels, and the Tangential Momentum Accommodation Coefficient (TMAC) has a minimal effect for its experimental range (0.8–1). The effect of adsorption on apparent permeability of nanochannels is studied by employing the experimental Langmuir isotherms of different shale samples. It is shown that the apparent permeability does not change linearly with surface coverage and, change of permeability with surface coverage becomes more pronounced as the surface coverage increases. R13 AP model results for apparent permeability of Carbon Dioxide and Nitrogen agree with the experimental measurements performed on a Marcellus shale sample. The absolute permeability values are calculated and compared with the ones estimated by the double slippage model for both gases. Unlike the double slippage model, the R13 AP model honors the values of apparent permeability at high pressure and estimates lower absolute permeability values. For Carbon Dioxide, the value is slightly lower due to the presence of an adsorbed layer.
Hybridity: The Cultural Logic Of Globalization

Chapter 1: Cultural Hybridity and International Communication Chapter 2: Scenarios of Global Culture Chapter 3: The Trails and Tales of Hybridity Chapter 4: Corporate Transculturalism Chapter 5, The Political Economy of Hybrid Media Texts Chapter 6, Identity on the Line: Growing up Hybrid Chapter 7: Hybridity Without Guarantees: Towards Critical Transculturalism
Aspen Dynamics simulation of a middle-vessel batch distillation process

Abstract Aspen Dynamics is a powerful dynamic simulator that is widely used to explore the dynamics and control of continuous processes around some steady-state design operating point. This paper explores its use to study the dynamics of a batch process. The example studied is a middle-vessel batch distillation system for separating a ternary mixture. The batch system is operated by adjusting the two reflux flowrates (one from the reflux drum to the top of the upper column and the second from the middle vessel to the top of the lower column). The liquid inventories in the three drums vary with time. This paper shows how this batch operation can be conveniently simulated by first using the steady-state simulator Aspen Plus to correctly size the equipment. Then the file is exported into Aspen Dynamics where a rigorous dynamic simulation can explore alternative control strategies by using the large library of control functions.
Effects of shot-peening residual stresses on the fracture and crack-growth properties of D6AC steel

The fracture strength and cyclic crack-growth properties of surface-flawed, shot-peened D6AC steel plate were investigated. For short crack lengths (up to 1.5 mm) simple linear elastic fracture mechanics - based only on applied loading - did not predict the fracture strengths. Also, Paris' Law for cyclic crack growth did not correlate the crack-growth behavior. To investigate the effect of shot-peening, additional fracture and crack-growth tests were performed on material which was precompressed to remove the residual stresses left by the shot-peening. Both tests and analysis show that shot-peening residual stresses influence the fracture and crack-growth properties of the material. This report presents the analytical method of compensating for residual stresses and the fracture and cyclic crack-growth test results and predictions.
Deregulation of mouse antibody-forming cells by streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin (SPE): IV. Fractionation of a T-cell subpopulation which generates SPE-induced deregulation of anti-TNP PFC responses

Abstract Deregulation of the immune response to T-cell-dependent immunogens is a relevant biological property of Group A streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin (SPE). The deregulated response induced by SPE differs from a normal regulated immune response to a T-dependent immunogen, trinitrophenylated rabbit erythrocytes (TNP-RE), by the generation of a late burst of plaque-forming cells (PFC) at 10–12 days without further immunogen stimulation. An in vitro cellular complementation system has allowed us to perform reconstruction experiments using the separate subpopulations of mouse immunocytes which include the B cells, T cells, and macrophages required for a complete anti-TNP PFC response in Marbrook-type cultures. Utilizing this system, the target of SPE activity was localized to the T-cell subpopulation. In this report we have fractionated two pools of spleen T lymphocytes from macrophage-depleted NFR/N +/nu mouse splenocytes via nylon wool columns. Analysis of these pools by cellular complementation, immunofluorescence, and antibody-complement-mediated inactivation showed the cell pools to contain different phenotypes. The subpopulation of T cells which eluted first (designated Pool 1) from the nylon wool column was capable of complementing the PFC responses of congenic NFR/N nu/nu mouse splenocytes. This result is consistent with their identity as helper T cells. The population of T cells which eluted second from the nylon wool column was designated Pool 2 and was capable of inhibiting the TNP-specific PFC responses of cultures optimally complemented with Pool 1 cells. This result is consistent with the identification of Pool 2 cells as a subpopulation with a phenotype as native negative regulatory T cells. Treatment of Pool 2 cells with SPE inhibited their suppressive activity for Pool 1 cells, and thus delineated the site of SPE-generated deregulation to Pool 2 cells.
Web accessibility and the law: issues in implementation

Through a series of federal and state laws and standards, the legal foundation concerning Web accessibility that impact people with disabilities and their ability to fully overcome digital barriers and participate in the Web environment has been established. Currently, the concept of accessible design or universal design is increasingly becoming an important component of Web design. However, the unanswered questions in laws, the absence of the obligation in fulfilling legal requirements, and the general unawareness of the need to make Web pages accessible have created barriers in implementing the Americans with disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act as amended in 1998, and others. In many cases, the absence of obligations is due to unfamiliarity with legal responsibility of creating accessible Web sites. As a result, the response to Web accessibility concerns frequently comes about only on an ad hoc basis. Identifying these barriers is the first step toward solutions. There are legal and practical approaches for addressing Web accessibility issues in policies, education, research and development, and technology and tools.
Understanding Realistic Reconciliation in an Age of Divorce

Indiivduals who find themselves in the midst of marital struggles may need a divorce lawyer, or they may be looking for alternatives to divorce. Often such family law clients wish to preserve their family for the sake of their children, or to preserve family wealth. The family law attorney who understands real legal alternatives can make a tremendous difference. This article offers a simulation and actual contract language to assist couples in marital difficulties to rebuild trust toward family restoration.
Degradation of a mixture of high‐molecular‐weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by a Mycobacterium strain PYR‐1

Abstract Mycobacterium sp. PYR‐1, which was previously shown to mineralize several individual polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), simultaneously degraded phenanthrene, anthracene, fluoranthene, pyrene and benzo[a]pyrene in a six‐component synthetic mixture. Chrysene was not degraded significantly. When provided with a complex carbon source, Mycobacterium sp. PYR‐1 degraded greater than 74% of the total PAH mixture during 6 d of incubation. Mycobacterium sp. PYR‐1 appeared to preferentially degrade phenanthrene. No significant difference in degradation rates was observed between fluoranthene and pyrene. Anthracene degradation was slightly delayed but, once initiated, proceeded at a constant rate. Benzo[a]pyrene was degraded slowly. Degradation of a crude mixture of benzene‐soluble PAHs from contaminated sediments resulted in a 47% reduction of the material in 6 d compared with that of autoclaved controls. Experiments using an environmental microcosm test system indicated that mineralization rates of i...
Defense Conversion – The Economic Conversion of the World Economies

Discusses the military‐defense industry conversion in the USA, particularly the state of California. Describes specific American federal and state programs which link and co‐ordinate the effort. Argues that the basic economic structure of post‐Cold War America has been changed dramatically forever. Out of defense conversions are emerging new economic opportunities which will change the USA and affect world economies. Meanwhile, the US has much to learn from European (and Asian) economic programs.
How to erradicate illiteracy without erradicating illiterates

The text challenges various suppositions which are frequently included in official discussions on literacy, questioning the inherent liberating and posit...
Eosinophiluria in atheroembolic renal disease

Abstract purpose and patients: Eosinophiluria has been reported in acute interstitial nephritis and other renal diseases, but its presence in atheroembolic renal disease (AERD) has not been previously established. AERD has been identified as a cause of acute and chronic renal failure, particularly in elderly patients with advanced atherosclerosis and in those patients who have undergone manipulation or intervention of the abdominal aorta, renal artery, or coronary artery. The definitive diagnosis is made by renal biopsy. However, many patients are too acutely ill to tolerate renal biopsy and, in recent years, peripheral eosinophilia, hypocomplementemia, and thrombocytopenia have been recognized in association with AERD. Previous studies have reported that AERD is associated with an inactive renal sediment and an absence of urine eosinophils. We reviewed our experience over a 4year period with 24 patients with renal biopsy-proven AERD. results: Urine eosinophils were evaluated in nine patients to help determine the cause of their renal deterioration. Seven of these patients presented with evidence of vascular disease. Three patients had procedures involving manipulation of the abdominal aorta. Physical examination revealed findings of atheroembolism in three of nine patients. Overall, eight of nine patients had a positive Hansel's stain for eosinophiluria. Six of eight patients had more than 5% of their urinary white cell count as eosinophils. The reason for failure of previous studies to detect eosinophiluria in AERD is unclear but may have been related to the use of Wright's stain instead of Hansel's stain. conclusion: In the evaluation of acute renal insufficiency, eosinophiluria may indicate AERD in addition to the other known causes for this finding.
A prospective study of outcome and predictors of subclinical and clinical depression in an older biracial sample of psychiatric outpatients

Abstract Objectives There continues to be a debate about the long-term prognosis of psychiatric treatment of depression in later life. There have been no long-term naturalistic studies of psychiatric outpatient treatment of older adults in the United States. This study examines outcome and predictors of various levels of depression among a biracial sample of geropsychiatric outpatients in Brooklyn, NY. Methods We conducted a naturalistic study (median: 33 months) of 143 persons aged 55 and over with diagnoses of depression drawn from 15 psychiatry outpatient clinics and 2 geriatric day programs. Their mean age was 68 years, 87% were female, and 43% were white and 57% were black, among whom 37% were African Caribbeans. Using George's Social Antecedent Model of Depression, we examined the impact of 15 predictor variables on two outcome measures: presence of any either subclinical or clinical depression (CES-D score ≥ 8) and presence of clinical depression (CES-D score ≥ 16). Results On follow-up, 84% and 90% of subclinically and clinically depressed persons at baseline, respectively, were depressed (CES-D ≥ 8); 62% of those in remission at baseline were depressed. In logistic regression, 3 variables were significant predictors of any level of depression on follow-up: baseline depression, baseline anxiety, greater increase in anxiety symptoms during the follow-up period. These 3 variables along with financial strain were significant predictors of clinical depression on follow-up. There were no inter- or intra-racial differences in outcome. Conclusions The bleak outcome findings among older psychiatric outpatients in Brooklyn were consistent with unfavorable results reported in European studies. Because there were only a few predictors of outcome, strategies that target high risk persons – e.g., such as those with subclinical depression, anxiety, or in more economic distress – may prevent transition to severe and persistent depressive states.
Radioimmunoassay of contraceptive steroids. II. Synthesis of 6,7-3H-mestranol and ethinylestradiol of high specific activity.

Abstract This paper describes a simple and convenient method for the preparation of tritiated mestranol and ethinylestradiol of high specific activity as a prerequisite in the development of the radioimmunoassay of the unlabelled compounds. Radioactive mestranol was prepared from estrone-6,7-3H (40 Ci/mmole) by methylation followed by ethinylation and purification by TLC. Radioactive ethinylestradiol could not be made from this mestranol by demethylation with boron tribromide, but it could be made directly from estrone-6,7-3H by ethinylation, removing the unreacted estrone by Girard's reagent T and purifying the product by TLC. Purities of these compounds were checked by TLC in two solvent systems and finally by the isotopic dilution technique. The specific activity of the final products was calculated by determining the loss of tritium during each step of reaction with a double isotopic method.
Risk Analysis in Land Development

Land development poses a different set of risks from income-producing property. This paper explores the nature of land development risk with particular reference to large-scale subdivision development. Because several major variables in land development analysis are correlated, meaningful risk analysis requires that intercorrelation be explicitly recognized and incorporated into simulations. A case study is presented which demonstrates the application of risk analysis to land development and the handling of intercorrelation among random variables.
Towards a temporal modeling of the genetic network controlling Systemic Acquired Resistance in Arabidopsis thaliana

We studied defense mechanism of the Arabidopsis thaliana subjected to Salicylic Acid (SA) treatment for 0, 1, and 8 hours using a broader application of the frequent itemset approach. Four genotypes of the plant were used in this study, Columbia wild type, mutant npr1-3, double mutant tga1 tga4 and triple mutant tga2 tga5 tga6. We defined the major patterns of transcription regulation governing pathogen defense mechanism, thereby creating a model of the Systemic Acquired Resistance (SAR) at three time points. The temporal model describes the relationships among the regulators and defines groups of genes that are subject to similar regulation. The results obtained offered a first glimpse into the temporal pattern of the transcription regulatory network during SAR in Arabidopsis thaliana. We found that most of the genes that responded to SA challenge are in fact dependent on one or more of the NPR1 and TGA factors tested in this study.
Phenomenological Molecular-Field Theory of the Mott-Wigner Transition in Magnetite

The measurement by Verwey and Haayman of the variation of the transition temperature of magnetite with stoichiometry is discussed in terms of the molecular-field solution of a lattice-gas model of the Mott-Wigner insulator-to-metal transition. This model gives rise to a second-order phase transition. The observed first-order transition is reproduced by substituting a phenomenologically screened interaction, in which the dielectric constant causing the screening decreases with increasing order parameter. Since the phenomenological screening necessary to produce the observed results is very large compared to that expected on the basis of electronic screening, we postulate that the dielectric constant includes the effect of local charge polarization accompanying the ordering. It is possible to obtain a consistent picture of many of the experimental data on magnetite using this model. Inelastic neutron scattering and optical absorption are discussed as means of observing the elementary excitations of the system and to deduce some of the parameters in the theory. The low-lying excitations in the ordered (i. e., insulating) state are shown to be excitons with flat dispersion (i. e., their energies do not depend on wave vector); their energies and cross sections are calculated.
Mesothelioma associated with asbestosis. A report of 3 cases.

A study of 54 autopsies of patients dying with pulmonary asbestosis disclosed 3 cases of peritoneal mesothelioma, one of which was complicated by a mesothelioma of the pleura. In 2 of the 3 patients there was an occupational exposure history of 20 and 34 years in an asbestos textile plant. Although the remaining patient had classical asbestosis of the lungs at autopsy, there was no known history of industrial exposure to asbestos. The authors think asbestos can produce mesothelioma of either peritoneum or pleura; they present 3 cases to support the concept of a causal relationship. The increased utilization of asbestos material and the recent demonstration of asbestos bodies in the lungs of urban dwellers may have significant implications for cancer epidemiology in the future.
Stimulation by acetoacetate of hepatic triacylglycerol synthesis

Summary The factors responsible for the huge accumulation of hepatic triacyglycerols in the ketotic diabetic state are not established. Our earlier work suggested a role for ketone bodies in the increased hepatic triacylglycerol synthesis observed in the ketotic diabetic state. Isolated hepatocytes obtained from normal fed rats were incubated with sodium acetoacetate or sodium chloride (control) and [1- 14 C]palmitate in Krebs-albumin buffer. Acetoacetate stimulated triacylglycerol synthesis in a concentration-dependent manner without increasing palmitate uptake or inhibiting palmitate oxidation. Beta hydroxybutyrate showed no effect on palmitate esterification to triacylglycerols. Isolated hepatocytes of normal fed rats were incubated with either sodium acetoacetate or sodium chloride and the nuclear-free homogenate was incubated with [U- 14 C]glycero-3-phosphate and cofactors. The synthesis of triacylglycerol and the activity of the cytosolic phosphatidate phosphohydrolase were increased in the cells pre-incubated with acetoacetate. The results of this study demonstrate that the increases in triacylglycerol synthesis and the cytosolic activity of phosphatidate phosphohydrolase previously observed by us in the ketotic diabetic liver, could be reproduced in normal fed rat liver cells by incubating them with acetoacetate. The results identify acetoacetate as a potential factor, (i) in the regulation of hepatic triacylglycerol synthesis and (ii) for hepatic accumulation of triacylglycerols observed in the ketotic diabetic state.