cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Urea, Citrate and Orotate Excretions in Growing Rats Fed Amino Acid-deficient Diets

Male, weanling rats were fed a control purified amino acid diet or the same diet with lysine, phenylalanine, tryptophan, valine, or arginine omitted singly, or both arginine and lysine omitted. Blood urea reached three to four times that of control levels with all deficient diets. Urea excretion increased almost linearly with time during the first 3 days of amino acid deficiency. Rates of urea excretion on day 3 in decreasing order for various deficiencies were as follows: lysine and arginine combined are more than lysine is more than tryptophan equals valine is more that phenylalanine equals arginine. Urinary citrate was 26 and 21.8 times that of control values without arginine and 11.4 and 6.2 times that of control values without lysine on days 2 and 3, respectively. By day 8 citrate excretion had returned to control levels without lysine but not without arginine. Citrate excretion was unchanged with other deficiencies. Orotic acid excretion increased markedly only without arginine and slightly without tryptopahn. A deficiency of arginine and lysine increased urea and citrate excretions to a greater extent than either deficiency alone. Two injections of arginine or homoarginine (0.50 mmole/injection) given at 12-hour intervals to rats fed no lysine and arginine for 3 days decreased citrate excretion immediatedly and on the following day. Urea excretion decreased with injected homoarginine, but not with arginine. Orotic acid excretion increased more than four times on the day of homoarginine injection compared with that of the preceding day. Arginine injection returned orotic acid excretion to nearly control levels within 24 hours. Urea degradation in the gastrointestinal tract was increased in animals fed amino acid-deficient diets.
Knowledge Management in Expert System Creator

Recent explosive growth in data and the availability of large data-sets in multiple disciplines, generates the need for new techniques and tools that can intelligently transform the data into useful information and knowledge. The machine learning algorithms synthesize various knowledge representation forms, most of them equivalent and inter-changeable. A new approach is needed to support and combine the knowledge representation form with various data sources (represented by database management systems). In this paper, a powerful, visual CASE tool for knowledge management is introduced. It supports the integration of high-level knowledge "beans" into host projects. A scalable approach to the problem of data integration from conventional database systems in expert systems is also over-viewed.
Flow boiling and condensation stability analysis

The stronger the driving forces for flow processes the more stable are the resulting phenomena and vice versa. Many of the processes in nuclear thermal hydraulics are associated with low driving forces and tend to instability. This chapter presents a nonlinear stability analysis on some prominent examples in the nuclear thermal hydraulics: the flow boiling and condensation stability analysis. After a state-of-the-art review the AREVA boiling stability data for the ATRIUM 10B fuel bundle are compared with state-of-the-art predictions using the methods presented in this monograph. The classical boiling instability analysis is accomplished with the seldom-presented flow condensation stability analysis in a complex system of emergency condensers consisting of a large number of 1D condensing pipes submerged in a 3D pool. Condensation at the high-pressure side leads to all flow patterns for nearly horizontal pipes with all their instabilities. It is coupled with the 3D boiling of the secondary pool side. The complex picture is very informative for what can be expected and what has to be avoided in such designs.
Analyse der Werbewirkung mit Hilfe bimodaler Clusteranalysen

Der vorliegende Beitrag beschaftigt sich mit der multivariaten Auswertung von Assoziations- oder Konfusionsdaten, die im Bereich der Werbewirkungskontrolle unter anderem von gestutzten oder ungestutzten Recalltests geliefert werden. Durch den Einsatz zweimodaler Clusteranalysen gelingt es, bestimmte Werbewirkungsdimensionen im Umfeld konkurrierender Werbemittel zu visualisieren und damit den Informationsgehalt in der Auswertung im Vergleich zur bisher praktizierten Vorgehensweise zu erhohen.
Prediction of indoor and outdoor signal strengths from indoor transmitter

This paper describes a method for an integrated site-specific radio wave propagation simulation model for both indoor and outdoor building environments. The results of the model are compared to measurements taken from the campus of the University of Arizona at four frequencies: 49, 379,943 and 1842 MHz. The model will account for propagation between different floors within the same building as well as propagation from an indoor base station to outdoor receivers
Modes and models of GABAA receptor gating

Upon activation by agonist, the type A γ-aminobutyric acid receptor (GABAR) ‘gates’, allowing chloride ions to permeate membranes and produce fast inhibition of neurons. There is no consensus kinetic model for the GABAR gating mechanism. We expressed human α1β1γ2S GABARs in HEK 293 cells and recorded single channel currents in the cell-attached configuration using various GABA concentrations (50–5000 μm). Closed and open events occurred individually and in clusters that had at least three different modes that were distinguishable by open probability (PO): High (PO= 0.73), Mid (PO= 0.50), and Low (PO= 0.21). We used a critical time to isolate shorter bursts of openings and to thus eliminate long-lived, desensitized events. Bursts from all three modes contained three closed and three open components. We employed maximum likelihood fitting, autocorrelation analysis and macroscopic current simulation to distinguish kinetic schemes. The ‘core’ gating scheme for most models contained two closed states that preceded an open state (C1⇌ C2⇌ O1). The two best-fitting models had a third closed state connected to C1 and a second open state (O2) connected to C2. The third open state, whose occupancy varied greatly between modes, could be connected either to O2 or C2. We estimated rate constants for two identical, independent GABA binding steps by globally fitting data across GABA concentrations ranging from 50 to 1000 μm. For the most highly ranked model the binding rate constants were: k+= 3 μm−1 s−1 and k–= 272 s−1 (KD= 91 μm).
Detection of Bulky Endogenous Oxidative DNA Lesions Derived from 8,5′‐Cyclo‐2′‐deoxyadenosine by 32P‐Postlabeling Assay

8,5'-Cyclopurine-2'-deoxynucleotides represent a class of oxidative DNA lesions that are specifically repaired by nucleotide excision repair but not by base excision repair or direct enzymatic reversion. The 32P-postlabeling assay is an ultrasensitive method that has been extensively used for the detection of carcinogen-DNA adducts in laboratory animal and epidemiological studies. This assay under modified chromatographic conditions is also a suitable and sensitive method for the detection of 8,5'-cyclo-2'-deoxyadenosine (cA). After enzymatic digestion of DNA, and enrichment of the oxidative products from the DNA digest, four dinucleotides containing cA, i.e., Ap-cAp, Cp-cAp, Gp-cAp, and Tp-cAp, are 5'-labeled with [32P]orthophosphate from [γ-32P]ATP, mediated by polynucleotide kinase (PNK). The 32P-labeled cA products are separated by two-dimensional thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and quantified by Instant Imager or by a scintillation counter. The assay only requires 1 to 10 μg of DNA sample and is capable of detecting cA lesions at frequencies as low as 1 in 1010 normal nucleotides. © 2015 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Ehlers-Danlos syndrome with renal tuhular acidosis and medullary sponge kidneys

An infant with the Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is described who has renal tubular acidosis and medullary sponge kidneys. The mother and three unrelated children, each of whom has the Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, were challenged by prolonged loading with ammonium chloride, and pyelography was performed. The data indicate that either or both renal abnormalities occur in the Ehlers-Danlos syndrome with a frequency greater than that anticipated from chance alone.
Wireless clinical monitoring at scale

Early detection and intervention are essential for preventing clinical deterioration in patients. We are developing a two-tiered clinical warning system designed to identify the signs of clinical deterioration and provide early warning of serious clinical events at general hospital units. The first tier of the system automatically identifies patients at risk of clinical deterioration from existing electronic medical record databases. The second tier performs real-time clinical event detection based on vital sign data collected from on-body wireless sensors attached to those high-risk patients. Wireless sensor networks play an important role in clinical warning by collecting real-time vital signs for clinical decision support. This talk presents the architecture of, and our experiences with, a large-scale wireless clinical monitoring system. Our system encompasses portable wireless pulse oximeters, a wireless relay network spanning multiple hospital floors, and integration with electronic medical record databases. We report our experience and lessons learned from a 14-month clinical trial of the system in six hospital wards of Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. Our experiences show the feasibility of achieving reliable vital sign collection using a wireless sensor network integrated with hospital IT infrastructure and procedures. We highlight technical and non-technical elements that pose challenges in a real-world hospital environment and provide guidelines for successful and efficient deployment of similar systems. The convergence of wireless sensors, mobile computing, data mining and electronic medical record in clinical warning systems will lead to enhanced quality of care for patients in hospitals as well as outpatients in their everyday lives.
Grouping variables into multiport memories for ASIC data path synthesis

Grouping variables into multiport memories is an essential step for multiport memory based data path synthesis. The proposed system, GMD, not only groups variables into a minimum number of multiport memory modules, but also simultaneously minimizes the number of registers in each memory module. The minimization problem is formulated as a 0-1 integer linear programming (ILP) problem. Experiments on benchmarks are promising. >
Short-Horizon Incentives and Stock Price Inflation

Firms with short-horizon CEO incentives experience stock price inflation followed by reversal. Short-horizon CEOs exploit the price inflation by selling relatively more stock and making greater abnormal profits than long-horizon CEOs do. The stock price inflation is partly explained by greater earnings surprises and more positive investor reaction to the surprises. To sustain the inflated price, short-horizon firms are more likely to employ income-increasing discretionary accruals. The findings are consistent with recent theories linking short-horizon incentives to stock price inflation, suggest CEOs have some success in doing so, and shed light on the role earnings management plays in the process.
Flame theory and combustion technology

The study of combustion processes is in a sufficiently early stage so that there is no strong connection between combustion theory and the technology of combustion chamber development. To clarify such a connection is the principal task of workers engaged in establishing combustion as an engineering science. The equations of aerothermochemistry are reviewed for the case in which temperature and composition gradients are small. Solutions have been obtained in very few cases and under very restrictive circumstances; most detailed considerations are restricted to the plane laminar flame front. The current situation in the theory of plane laminar flames is discussed. The few extensions that have been made to two-dimensional problems are then described. Several directions of work which would assist in establishing theoretical results approaching technological requirements appear possible.
Titration of free fatty acids of plasma: a study of current methods and a new modification.

Dole's titrimetric method for determination of the free fatty acids of plasma has been modified to improve its specificity. The fatty acid solution which is to be titrated is first washed with 0.05 per cent H2SO4 and thus freed of lactic acid and of an acetone-insoluble material which interferes. With this change, the Dole procedure yields results which agree well with those of Gordon's method.
Review of nonlinear ultrasonic guided wave nondestructive evaluation: theory, numerics, and experiments

Interest in using the higher harmonic generation of ultrasonic guided wave modes for nondestructive evaluation continues to grow tremendously as the understanding of nonlinear guided wave propagation has enabled further analysis. The combination of the attractive properties of guided waves with the attractive properties of higher harmonic generation provides a very unique potential for characterization of incipient damage, particularly in plate and shell structures. Guided waves can propagate relatively long distances, provide access to hidden structural components, have various displacement polarizations, and provide many opportunities for mode conversions due to their multimode character. Moreover, higher harmonic generation is sensitive to changing aspects of the microstructures such as to the dislocation density, precipitates, inclusions, and voids. We review the recent advances in the theory of nonlinear guided waves, as well as the numerical simulations and experiments that demonstrate their utility.
The seasonal response of the Held-Suarez climate model to prescribed ocean temperature anomalies. I - Results of decadal integrations

Anomalies in ocean surface temperature have been identified as possible causes of variations in the climate of particular seasons or as a source of interannual climatic variability, and attempts have been made to forecast seasonal climate by using ocean temperatures as predictor variables. However, the seasonal atmospheric response to ocean temperature anomalies has not yet been systematically investigated with nonlinear models. The present investigation is concerned with ten-year integrations involving a model of intermediate complexity, the Held-Suarez climate model. The calculations have been performed to investigate the changes in seasonal climate which result from a fixed anomaly imposed on a seasonally varying, global ocean temperature field. Part I of the paper provides a report on the results of these decadal integrations. Attention is given to model properties, the experimental design, and the anomaly experiments.
Internal and external distraction in the control of cold-pressor pain as a function of hypnotizability.

Abstract The effectiveness of different pain-distraction tasks was compared as a function of level of hypnotizability, using the cold-pressor pain-testing procedure. Selected high, medium, or low hypnotizable participants first underwent a 1-minute baseline immersion of a hand in ice water, with periodic pain ratings. Independent groups were then given 4-minute test immersions under one of five conditions. Analgesia suggestion and guided imagery were conceived to be internal distractors, whereas word memory and pursuit-rotor tasks were external distractors. Placebo-control groups were given permission to let their minds wander. All four experimental treatments reduced pain significantly for highly hypnotizable participants, compared to the control group, whereas none of the experimental treatments were effective for low hypnotizables. The different treatment instructions did not produce differnt preimmersion anxiety state ratings, so the treatment effects on pain ratings could not be explained in terms of...
Adrenoleukodystrophy: Impaired Oxidation of Very Long Chain Fatty Acids in White Blood Cells, Cultured Skin Fibroblasts, and Amniocytes

Summary: We compared the formation of 14CO2 from [I-14C]fatty acids in homogenates of cultured skin fibroblasts and white blood cells from 25 patients with adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) and from 24 controls. The ALD group included 16 boys with childhood ALD, five men with adrenomyeloneuropathy (AMN), and two boys and two girls with neonatal ALD. The substrates were unbranched saturated fatty acids ranging in chain length from 16-26 carbons. From C24:0, the radioactive CO2 production by homogenates of ALD fibroblasts and white blood cells was 17% and 37% of control, respectively, and from C26:0 it was 17% of control in ALD fibroblasts. The CO2 evolution from palmitate (C16:0) in the ALD was identical to the control group; for C18:0, the value for ALD cells was 76% of control, and fatty acids with chain lengths between C18:O and C24:0 gave intermediate results. Results for childhood ALD patients were similar to those for the AMN patients. More limited studies with cultured amniocytes of fetuses with childhood ALD gave results similar to those obtained with cultured skin fibroblasts, and results with neonatal ALD patients appeared to be the same as for childhood ALD and AMN. Studies of three women who were carriers for childhood ALD gave values intermediate between ALD and control. The total C26:0 levels in ALD cultured skin fibroblasts and white blood cells were 4-6 times that of control; the total C24:0 levels were increased 10-30%, whereas the C22:0 levels were unchanged. The results suggest that ALD patients have a defect in the oxidation of very long chain fatty acids (C24:0 and longer) but not for the degradation of fatty acids with a chain length of 18 carbons or less. Such a defect could account for the accumulation of the very long chain fatty acids in a variety of tissues and lipid moieties. The accumulation of these fatty acids, coupled with the metabolic data presented here, suggests that normal catabolism of very long chain fatty acids involves a metabolic pathway which is distinct from that for other fatty acids, and that this pathway is genetically deficient in patients with ALD.
A comparison of quantitative computerized and human panel coronary endpoint measures: implications for the design of angiographic trials.

The Monitored Atherosclerosis Regression Study was a double-blind, 2-year, placebo-controlled, randomized, serial angiographic trial which tested reduction of low density lipoprotein-cholesterol with monotherapy using lovastatin on the progression of coronary atherosclerosis. Angiographic outcome was evaluated both by a panel of human readers who visually inspected matched film pairs to arrive at a global change score and by automated computerized vessel edge finding and lesion measurement (quantitative coronary angiography, QCA). In this paper, we model the association between QCA measures of coronary artery lesion change and the panel-based global change score. QCA measures included: per-patient changes in percent diameter stenosis and minimum lumen diameter averaged over all lesions; per-patient changes in average diameter and percent involvement averaged over all segments; the numbers of progressing and regressing lesions and new total occlusions; and the development of any new lesions. We found that when evaluating coronary artery lesion change, panelists evaluate changes in percent diameter stenosis for both low grade ( or = 50% diameter stenosis at baseline) lesions as well as new total occlusions and the number of progressing lesions. Although computerized quantification of the size of a lesion at baseline and as an endpoint may be a more precise measure than that by human panel interpretation, QCA fails to incorporate many other important aspects of coronary angiographic change visualized over the entire coronary artery tree by a panel of human interpreters. Thus, the global change score provides a "multiple endpoint" for coronary angiographic trials which does not suffer from the problems of statistical analysis and interpretation of multiple hypothesis tests which usually accompany true multiple endpoint measures. Choice of either or both endpoints in preparing angiographic trials depends on careful consideration of the desired information as well as the cost of carrying out the endpoint analysis.
Atomic Scale Mechanisms of the Reduction of Nickel–Magnesium Aluminate Spinels

The dynamics of the reduction reaction of NixMg1−xAl2O4 to form nickel metal and a remnant oxide was quantified to understand spinel behavior in catalysis applications. X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetry, and pycnometry were employed to track the evolution of high-Ni spinels to metastable nonstiochiometric spinels during reduction, but before the phase transformation to theta alumina. Rietveld refinements of X-ray diffraction data were used to quantify structural changes in the spinel and the phase fraction, crystallite size, and microstrain of all phases during H2 reduction. During reduction, one O2− is lost for each Ni2+ reduced to Ni metal. Ni0.25Mg0.75Al2O4 and Ni0.5Mg0.5Al2O4 were shown to form Ni metal and a non-stoichiometric spinel of the same Mg-Al ratio as the starting composition. NiAl2O4 and Ni0.75Mg0.25Al2O4 were found to become unstable as full reduction was approached, and metastable spinel, Θ-Al2O3, and α-Al2O3 formed sequentially given sufficient time at temperature.
The Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug Indomethacin Induces Heterogeneity in Lipid Membranes: Potential Implication for Its Diverse Biological Action

Background The nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), indomethacin (Indo), has a large number of divergent biological effects, the molecular mechanism(s) for which have yet to be fully elucidated. Interestingly, Indo is highly amphiphilic and associates strongly with lipid membranes, which influence localization, structure and function of membrane-associating proteins and actively regulate cell signaling events. Thus, it is possible that Indo regulates diverse cell functions by altering micro-environments within the membrane. Here we explored the effect of Indo on the nature of the segregated domains in a mixed model membrane composed of dipalmitoyl phosphatidyl-choline (di16:0 PC, or DPPC) and dioleoyl phosphatidyl-choline (di18:1 PC or DOPC) and cholesterol that mimics biomembranes. Methodology/Principal Findings Using a series of fluorescent probes in a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) study, we found that Indo induced separation between gel domains and fluid domains in the mixed model membrane, possibly by enhancing the formation of gel-phase domains. This effect originated from the ability of Indo to specifically target the ordered domains in the mixed membrane. These findings were further confirmed by measuring the ability of Indo to affect the fluidity-dependent fluorescence quenching and the level of detergent resistance of membranes. Conclusion/Significance Because the tested lipids are the main lipid constituents in cell membranes, the observed formation of gel phase domains induced by Indo potentially occurs in biomembranes. This marked Indo-induced change in phase behavior potentially alters membrane protein functions, which contribute to the wide variety of biological activities of Indo and other NSAIDs.
Effects of real-time eco-feedback and organizational network dynamics on energy efficient behavior in commercial buildings

Abstract Commercial buildings account for a significant portion of energy consumption and associated carbon emissions around the world. Consequently, many countries are instituting building energy efficiency policies to mitigate the negative environmental impacts of building operations. As building owners and operators act to address the challenge of increasing energy efficiency, occupant behavior modification programs are growing increasingly popular. Recent advances in energy monitoring and control technologies have enabled the development of eco-feedback systems that collect, process, and relay high resolution, real-time energy consumption information to help building occupants control their energy-use. These systems have extended research into the effects of high resolution eco-feedback on building occupant behavior and energy efficiency from residential to commercial building settings. However, little is understood about how organizational network dynamics impact user-engagement levels with such systems and how these network connections may impact the energy conservation behavior of individuals inside commercial buildings. In this paper, results are presented from a novel 9-week eco-feedback system study which demonstrates that organizational network dynamics can significantly impact energy conservation among commercial building occupants. Furthermore, it is shown that exposure to eco-feedback impacts building occupant energy conservation differently in commercial office buildings than it does in residential buildings.
Failure at the taper lock of a modular stemmed femoral implant in revision knee arthroplasty. A report of two cases and a retrieval analysis.

The Optetrak total knee arthroplasty system (Exactech, Gainesville, Florida) is the fifth in a series of total knee arthroplasty designs developed at the Hospital for Special Surgery1-3. The Optetrak implant retains the design concepts of the previous posterior stabilized Insall-Burstein-I (IB-I PS; Johnson and Johnson, Braintree, Massachusetts; Zimmer, Warsaw, Indiana) and Insall-Burstein-II (IB-II PS; Zimmer) posterior stabilized total knee implants2,4-7. A constrained condylar knee version of the Optetrak design has an elevated tibial post that, because of its higher and more squared design in comparison with standard posterior stabilized designs, provides greater varus-valgus and anteroposterior stability. The modular femoral and tibial components can accommodate stems through a taper junction. Traditionally, constrained condylar devices have been used with stem extensions to augment component fixation. The stem transfers the bending and torsion loads to the diaphysis and unloads the epiphyseal cancellous bone. From 1995 to 2006, 3886 of these constrained condylar stems were implanted at our institution. We report the cases of two patients who had failure in the male portion of the taper junction of the femoral component and stem extension. This study was performed under a protocol approved by the institutional review board of the Hospital for Special Surgery. Both patients were informed that data concerning the cases would be submitted for publication, and they consented. Case 1. A man underwent a right total knee arthroplasty for osteoarthritis in 1993 with use of the Insall-Burstein-II posterior stabilized knee prosthesis. The patient was sixty-three-years old, weighed 91 kg, and was 1.6 m tall at the time of the operation. He did well for nine years, until 2002, at which time aseptic loosening necessitated revision total knee arthroplasty with use of an Optetrak stemmed constrained condylar knee prosthesis. A constrained insert …
Waveguide Diffraction Gratings In Integrated Optics

A discussion of the various TE-TE and TM-TM coupling coefficients derived for both normal and oblique incidence to the rulings of a corrugated waveguide diffraction grating is presented. It is shown that the substantial disparity between the TM-TM coupling coefficients can result in vastly different predictions of peak grating reflectivity. We conclude that experimental examination of the coupling coefficients is necessary before the accurate design and analysis of waveguide gratings can be achieved.
Apollo 16 far-ultraviolet camera/spectrograph - Earth observations.

A far-ultraviolet camera/spectrograph experiment was operated on the lunar surface during the Apollo 16 mission. Among the data obtained were images and spectra of the terrestrial atmosphere and geocorona in the wavelength range below 1600 angstroms. These gave the spatial distributions and relative intensities of emissions due to atomic hydrogen, atomic oxygen, molecular nitrogen, and other species - some observed spectrographically for the first time.
Sanctions as a Foreign Policy Tool: Weighing Humanitarian Impulses

Economic sanctions have become a popular multilateral and bilateral enforcement measure in the 1990s. Their efficacy is doubtful along with their moral superiority over military force. Substantial suffering by vulnerable groups in Iraq, former Yugoslavia, and Haiti has led to a 'bust' for this foreign policy tool. Sanctions can be designed to be more effective and less inhumane than they are at present, but much more research is required about their precise impact on civilians and on targeted regimes. Early post-Cold War euphoria is giving way to more realistic and subtle assessments of the pluses and minuses of economic and military coercion.
Interspecific occupation of a tropical social wasp colony (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Polistes)

Social parasitism, involving the takeover of a queenright nest by a foreign reproductive female, has been documented in all families of social Hymenoptera (Wilson, 1971). Taylor (1939) hypothesized that the evolution of social
Dispersion of channel-sediment contaminants in distributary fluvial systems: Application to fluvial tephra and radionuclide redistribution following a potential volcanic eruption at Yucca Mountain

Abstract Predicting the fluvial transport and mixing of channel-sediment contaminants is necessary for assessing and mitigating heavy-metal and nuclear-waste contamination in rivers. The dilution–mixing model is widely used for this purpose in tributary channel systems that transport contaminants as bed-material load without significant overbank sedimentation. Here a more general, three-dimensional (3D) contaminant transport numerical model is developed and tested based on bed scour, turbulent mixing of contaminant material with uncontaminated channel-bed sediments, and re-deposition of the mixture by the cumulative effect of many flood events. First, the model is applied to a synthetic alluvial-fan environment downstream from a localized contaminant source in order to illustrate the model behavior. Second, the model is validated against measured tephra concentrations in channels downstream from the Lathrop Wells scoria cone volcano, a localized source of basaltic tephra to downstream channels otherwise comprised of non-basaltic sediments. Third, the model is applied to the problem of predicting the concentration of radionuclide-bound tephra in channels downstream from the proposed nuclear-waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, in the event of a volcanic eruption through the repository. Contaminated tephra is mobilized from the landscape in this model using threshold criteria for hillslope gradient and channel stream power. Mobilized contaminated tephra is mixed with uncontaminated channel-bed sediments using the contaminant transport model and deposited in channels of the Fortymile Wash alluvial fan where the residents nearest to the proposed repository live. The results of twenty Monte Carlo simulations of eruption fallout and post-eruption redistribution corresponding to a range of wind conditions and eruption magnitudes provide information on the mean and variability of contaminated tephra concentrations to be expected in channels of the Fortymile Wash alluvial fan in the event of an eruption. Mean tephra concentrations are approximately 1% but vary from nearly zero to as high as 26%, reflecting the combined effects of wind direction, eruption magnitude, and dilution of tephra with uncontaminated channel-bed sediments during transport.
Conversion of human steroid 5β-reductase (AKR1D1) into 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase by single point mutation E120H: example of perfect enzyme engineering.

Human aldo-keto reductase 1D1 (AKR1D1) and AKR1C enzymes are essential for bile acid biosynthesis and steroid hormone metabolism. AKR1D1 catalyzes the 5β-reduction of Δ4-3-ketosteroids, whereas AKR1C enzymes are hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases (HSDs). These enzymes share high sequence identity and catalyze 4-pro-(R)-hydride transfer from NADPH to an electrophilic carbon but differ in that one residue in the conserved AKR catalytic tetrad, His120 (AKR1D1 numbering), is substituted by a glutamate in AKR1D1. We find that the AKR1D1 E120H mutant abolishes 5β-reductase activity and introduces HSD activity. However, the E120H mutant unexpectedly favors dihydrosteroids with the 5α-configuration and, unlike most of the AKR1C enzymes, shows a dominant stereochemical preference to act as a 3β-HSD as opposed to a 3α-HSD. The catalytic efficiency achieved for 3β-HSD activity is higher than that observed for any AKR to date. High resolution crystal structures of the E120H mutant in complex with epiandrosterone, 5β-dihydrotestosterone, and Δ4-androstene-3,17-dione elucidated the structural basis for this functional change. The glutamate-histidine substitution prevents a 3-ketosteroid from penetrating the active site so that hydride transfer is directed toward the C3 carbonyl group rather than the Δ4-double bond and confers 3β-HSD activity on the 5β-reductase. Structures indicate that stereospecificity of HSD activity is achieved because the steroid flips over to present its α-face to the A-face of NADPH. This is in contrast to the AKR1C enzymes, which can invert stereochemistry when the steroid swings across the binding pocket. These studies show how a single point mutation in AKR1D1 can introduce HSD activity with unexpected configurational and stereochemical preference.
R(6)TT'(2), new variants of the Fe(2)P structure type. Sc(6)TTe(2) (T = Ru, Os, Rh, Ir), Lu(6)MoSb(2), and the anti-typic Sc(6)Te(0.80)Bi(1.68).

The Fe2P structure (P62m) features two 3-fold Fe positions and both 2-fold and 1-fold P sites, and variations in occupancies of the latter pair yield the reported diversity of results. The known Sc6TTe2 examples for T = Fe−Ni are herein extended to four heavier transition metal T derivatives. An attempt to synthesize bismuth analogues led to the novel inverse derivative in which fractional Te (vice T) occupies the smaller tricapped trigonal prismatic (TTP) Sc polyhedron, and Bi rather than Te occurs in the larger TTP of Sc, with parallel reversal of polarity in the bonding. The reported Lu8Te, which is distributed as Lu6TeLu2, is the only example in which a transition metal occupies the normal 2-fold P or Te non-metal position, with corresponding large effects on the bonding. Lutetium otherwise does not form R6TTe2 analogues, but the novel Lu6MoSb2 isotype occurs instead. Extended Huckel calculations are presented for five examples, and the structural and bonding regularities and varieties are discussed ...
Suppressor T cells: Rebirth, function and homeostasis.

Abstract A minor subpopulation of CD4 + T cells that co-express the cell-surface molecule CD25 has emerged as the major population of T cells responsible for downregulation of the immune response and prevention of autoimmunity.
The role of multi-modality adjuvant chemotherapy and radiation in women with advanced stage endometrial cancer

Abstract Objective. The optimal adjuvant therapy for women with stages III and IV endometrial cancer following surgical staging and cytoreductive surgery is controversial. We sought to determine the outcome of patients with advanced stage endometrial cancer treated with postoperative chemotherapy±radiation to determine whether there was an advantage to combining treatment modalities. Methods. A retrospective analysis of patients with surgical stages III and IV endometrial cancer from 1975 to 2006 was conducted at Duke University and the University of North Carolina. Inclusion criteria were comprehensive staging procedure including hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, ±selective pelvic/aortic lymphadenectomy, surgical debulking, and treatment with adjuvant chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. Progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were analyzed using Kaplan–Meier method and Cox proportional hazards model. Results. 356 Patients with advanced stage endometrial cancer were identified who received postoperative adjuvant therapies; 48% ( n =171) radiotherapy alone, 29% ( n =102) chemotherapy alone, 23% ( n =83) chemotherapy and radiation. The median age was 66 years; 38% had endometrioid tumors; and 83% were optimally debulked. There was a significant difference between the adjuvant treatment groups for both OS and PFS ( p p =0.122) for chemotherapy alone and 2.01 (95% CI, 1.17 to 3.48; p =0.012) for radiotherapy alone, compared to combination therapy. When the analysis was restricted to optimally debulked patients the adjusted HR for patients who were treated with either chemotherapy or radiation alone indicated a significantly higher risk for disease progression [HR=1.84 (95% CI, 1.03 to 3.27; p =0.038); HR=1.80 (95% CI, 1.10 to 2.95; p =0.020)] and death [HR=2.33 (95% CI, 1.12 to 4.86; p =0.024); HR=2.64 (95% CI, 1.38 to 5.07; p =0.004)], respectively, compared to patients who received combination therapy. Conclusion. Combined adjuvant chemotherapy and radiation was associated with improved survival in patients with advanced stage disease compared to either modality alone. Future clinical trials are needed to prospectively evaluate multi-modality adjuvant therapy in women with advanced staged endometrial cancer to determine the appropriate sequencing and types of chemotherapy and radiation.
Left and right ventricular diastolic function during acute pericardial tamponade.

Summary. The aim of the study was to determine the effect of acute pericardial tamponade on left (LV) and right ventricular (RV) intracavitary and transmural pressure-volume (P–V) relations and to assess the effect of changing blood volume during tamponade on LV and RV volumes. The experiments were done in 11 acutely instrumented anaesthetized dogs in which LV and RV volumes were determined by computed tomography (CT) (n= 5) and LV and RV diameters by sonomicrometry (n= 6). Pressures were measured in the pericardium (balloon transducer), in the aorta and in the ventricles. Incremental pericardial infusion (up to 180 ml) caused a progressive left and upward shift of the LV and the RV intracavitary P–V relationship. This shift was entirely due to increased pericardial prressure (PP). The induction of tamponade caused no change in the LV and RV transmural P–V relationship. During tamponade with ventricular filling pressures above 10–15 mmHg, blood volume expansion caused only minimal increase in LV and RV volumes. In conclusion, pericardial tamponade shifted the LV and the RV intracavitary diastolic P–V relation by increasing PP. However, there was no change in the transmural P–V relationship, indicating unchanged myocardial compliance. Volume loading caused only minimal increase in LV and RV volumes during tamponade.
Measurement of Acoustical and Mechanical Properties of Porous Road Surfaces and Tire and Road Noise

The absorption coefficients of dense and porous road surfaces have been measured in the laboratory with core samples with 4- and 6-in.-diameter impedance tubes and with an impedance tube mounted vertically in situ on the pavement surfaces. The 6-in. tube allows the absorption of a large core sample surface to be determined, but only up to a frequency of about 1,250 Hz. The 4-in. tube allows the absorption coefficient to be determined up to a frequency of about 1,950 Hz. The two different-diameter impedance tubes also were mounted vertically on some of the same pavement types, and the absorption coefficients of these pavement types were measured in this way too. The measured peak sound absorption coefficients of the fine- and coarse-mix aggregate porous surfaces suggest that the first peak frequency and peak absorption coefficient magnitude are only slightly different for the two types of porous surfaces. Because the fine-mix aggregate porous surface is smoother, it is preferred because it should result in...
The hemodynamic basis of diastology

by C. P. Appleton, L. K. Hatle, R. I. Popp [(2)][1] Introduction In this edition of the Journal , we release the thirteenth in a series of reviews of influential articles that have been previously published in ACC journals, including the American Journal of Cardiology (from 1958 to 1982) and JACC
Comparative risk assessment primer

Abstract Comparative risk assessment (CRA) is both an analytical process and a methodology for prioritizing environmental problems. It is a useful tool for managers and planners at all levels of government. A personal computer (PC) DOS-based Comparative Risk Assessment Primer has been developed to train and assist those involved in environmental policy formation, and to serve as a detailed information source for persons interested in environmental risk and risk assessment. The primer provides: definitions of key terms; an overview of risk and risk assessment; a breakdown of the CRA methodology; an overview of risk management; summaries of 36 CRA projects; glossary; bibliography; and a listing of environmental information contacts. It is an interactive software program that incorporates text, line drawings and digitized imagery. Supplemental information accessible through hypertext links imbedded in the text passages and on select graphics provides on-line help and more detailed information for interested users.
Analgesic and antinociceptive components of general anesthesia

The article by Kendig focuses on the controver­ sial problem of the analgesic action of general anesthetics. Controversy starts with the very definition of the analgesic properties of anesthet­ ics. Does the blockade of a nocifensive response in an anesthetized and unconscious patient produced by an additional increase in the concentration of a general anesthetic represent the analgesic action? If the answer is yes, it contradicts the very definition of analgesia accepted by the International Association for the Study of Pain: "an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage" [15]. An anesthe­ tized, unarousable subject responding to noxious stimuli with movement or an increase in heart rate does not have "unpleasant sensory and emotional experience," at least with sufficient depth of anesthesia. We know that, following anterolateral cordotomy in humans, it is pos­ sible to observe nociceptive flexion reflexes in the absence of any pain sensation [4]. In our opinion, the term analgesic action in conjunction with general anesthetics should be applied only when consciousness is clearly present. Awareness during general anesthesia is defined as a degree of conscious­ ness, revealed by the occurrence of explicit or implicit memory of intraoperative events [7]. It is impossible to determine precisely when during induction of anesthesia nocifensive responses are already not indicative of pain. Therefore, suppression of a nocifensive response by general anesthetics beyond the state of any degree of unconsciousness probably should be regarded as an antinociceptive, not analgesic effect. As clearly indicated
The activity expansion model of the hydrogen equation of state

Abstract A brief description of the activity expansion model of partially-ionized plasmas is given. This model avoids the complexities of a fully quantum mechanical treatment by first carrying out a classical analysis and then replacing classical expressions with their quantum analogues. Comparisons with theory and recent laser shock experiments are presented.
Role of nutrition in the survival after hepatotoxic injury.

Nutritional status is an important factor in determining susceptibility to toxic chemicals. While macro and micronutrients may affect many aspects of Stage I and Stage II of toxicity, in this paper, the influence of macronutrients as sources of energy required for cell division and tissue repair mechanisms on the outcome of hepatic injury is discussed. Male Sprague-Dawley rats maintained on normal rodent chow and 15% glucose (as a source of energy for the centrilobular hepatocytes) in drinking water for 7 days experienced an increased lethality from structurally and mechanistically different centrilobular hepatotoxicants (acetaminophen, thioacetamide, chloroform and carbon tetrachloride), while male Sprague-Dawley (S-D) rats fed rat chow containing palmitic acid (PA, 8% w/w, as a source of energy for the periportal hepatocytes) and L-carnitine (LC, 2 mg/ml, as a mitochondrial carrier for the supplemented fatty acids) in drinking water for 7 days were protected from a LD100 dose (600 mg/kg, i.p.) of thioacetamide (TA). Indices of cell division revealed that cell cycle progression in the liver played a very critical role in determining the final outcome of hepatotoxic injury. These results confirmed our hypothesis that cell division and tissue repair play a critical role in survival after life-threatening hepatotoxic injury. Any manipulation directed towards altering a prompt and exacting compensatory cell division and tissue repair responses after hepatotoxic injury would also alter the final outcome of the toxicity. These studies indicate that the source of cellular energy can decisively influence the compensatory response of the target tissue to alter the outcome of hepatotoxic injury. Since nutritional status is known to vary widely among human populations, these could contribute enormously to susceptibility of human populations to toxic chemicals.
Risk of prophylactic contralateral carotid endarterectomy.

Fifty-eight patients underwent a prophylactic contralateral carotid endarterectomy following an initial endarterectomy for symptomatic (38 patients) or asymptomatic (20 patients) carotid stenosis. No deaths occurred after either operation. Two (3.4%) minor neurologic deficits occurred after the initial operation and two (3.4%) major and two (3.4%) minor deficits occurred after the prophylactic contralateral carotid endarterectomy. Sixteen (28%) of the initial endarterectomies were associated with perioperative hyper- or hypotensive episodes compared to 35 (60%) of the prophylactic contralateral carotid endarterectomies (p
The Hausdorff dimensions of some continued fraction cantor sets

Abstract We give a new method for finding the Hausdorff dimension of the sets E n consisting of the real numbers which have all their continued fraction partial quotients ≤ n . In particular, we show that dim E 2 ∈ (.53128049, .53128051).
Agro-exports and the peasantry in the agrarian reforms of El Salvador and Nicaragua

Abstract The post-1979 agrarian reforms in El Salvador and Nicaragua were constrained by the legacy of the previous pattern of commercial agricultural development, which left social and economic biases against peasant producers in favor of capital-intensive agro-export enterprises. Between 1979 and 1984, both governments transferred only limited amounts of land to poor rural households, while preserving the medium-sized agro-export estates. After 1984, the Sandinistas moved the Nicaraguan reform in an increasingly pro-peasant direction in response to the weaknesses of earlier reform policies, while the Salvadoran government was not able to address those weaknesses and the Salvadoran reform stagnated.