cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of Synthetic Vitamin B 6 on the Hæmopoietic System of Human Beings

SINCE vitamin B6 (2-methyl, 3-hydroxy, 4,5-di-[hydroxymethyl] pyridine) is a constituent of liver and yeast, both of which relieve some of the symptoms of pellagra and pernicious anaemia in relapse, it was decided to give large amounts of this synthetic vitamin to pellagrins with macrocytic anaemia and to patients with classical pernicious anaemia. The observations of Fouts, Helmer, Lepkovsky and Jukes1 show that dogs with a deficiency of vitamin B6 in the diet develop a hypochromic anaemia which is not relieved by iron. These results have been confirmed and extended by McKibbon, Madden, Black and Elvehjem2 in puppies. We have searched in vain to date for patients with hypochromic anaemia which did not respond to large amounts of iron. The vitamin B6 used throughout this study was furnished by Merck and Company, Rahway, New Jersey.
Study of MEPDG Sensitivity Using Nonparametric Regression Procedures

AbstractBecause the new Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG) includes numerous inputs, a sensitivity analysis using the Monte Carlo approach is not practical because it requires thousands of MEPDG runs. Instead, nonparametric regression procedures can be very useful to perform MEPDG sensitivity analysis. In this study, nonparametric regression procedures such as multivariate adaptive regression splines and gradient boosting machine are employed to identify inputs that contribute significantly to the outputs. Thirty inputs are used to randomly generate 750 input combinations by using Latin hypercube sampling. Using four-layer pavement geometry [two asphalt concrete (AC), base, and subgrade layers], simulations are run in MEPDG software to produce a time series of predicted distresses such as roughness, rutting, and cracking. Sensitivity analysis resulted in three groups of inputs to which the output is (1) highly sensitive, (2) moderately sensitive, and (3) minimally sensitive. Results show ...
Identification of lanosterol 14α-methyl demethylase in human tissues

Abstract Lanosterol 14α-methyl demethylase was investigated in human tissues using a radio-HPLC assay to detect the 4,4-dimethyl-5α-cholesta-8,14-dien-3β-ol (diene) metabolite. The sequence of events leading to the demethylated product in human liver microsomes involves the conversion of the diol to the aldehyde followed by diene formation. Enzyme activity displayed a greater than 10 fold variation among the 9 liver samples studied. Kinetic parameters were determined and shown to differ between two separate liver samples. Addition of inhibitors of yeast lanosterol 14α demethylase, ketoconazole and miconazole, resulted in extensive inhibition of formation of the demethylated metabolite. The enzyme, detected in microsomes isolated from human kidney and lymphocytes, also catalyzed the conversion of dihydrolanosterol to oxylanosterol intermediates and the diene. The presence of this enzyme in microsomes from various human tissues suggests that it may play a role in cellular regulation of cholesterol synthesis.
Btb Readers Guide: Millennialism

This Readers Guide describes a phenomenon that social scientists and social historians call "millennialism." The guide stresses the potential value of millennialism for the study of ancient Judaism and early Christianity.
The underestimated long term medical and economic consequences of rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis is generally a progressive disease, with radiographic evidence of joint damage, declines in functional status, and premature mortality. In addition, the disease has severe long term economic consequences, including direct costs of medical care, indirect costs of work disability and interference with social roles, as well as the intangible costs of pain, fatigue, helplessness, loss of self-efficacy, and other psychological difficulties. The consequences of rheumatoid arthritis have often been underestimated by health professionals, reimbursement agencies, the general public, and even rheumatologists. Furthermore, the adverse effects of potential therapies have often been regarded as more severe than the ‘adverse effects’ of untreated disease. More than 50% of patients with rheumatoid arthritis who are younger than 65 years and who were working at onset of disease receive work disability payments, and 0.8% of the US population eligible to work are individuals who have symmetrical polyarthritis but who, unfortunately, are not working. The total earnings gap between individuals with symmetrical arthritis and those in the general population was $US8.9 billion for women and $US8.7 billion for men, for a total of $US17.6 billion (1986 US dollars). The projected costs of knee replacement in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in the US are between $US600 million and $US900 million annually. New approaches to therapy, which include earlier and more aggressive intervention, new drugs, and combinations of drugs, appear required to provide adequate control of inflammation, so that the long term damage of rheumatoid arthritis might be prevented and the considerable costs ameliorated. The possible adverse effects and costs of treatment must be balanced against the adverse effects and underestimated costs of rheumatoid arthritis.
Acceleration of atherosclerosis during the course of rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are predisposed to atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. This is thought to be caused in part, by exposure to chronic systemic inflammation during the course of the disease. We hypothesized that RA disease duration augments the effect of age on atherosclerosis. We measured the carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) in 631 consecutive RA patients. We ascertained age, sex and disease duration, established CV risk factors, RA clinical manifestations and markers of inflammation. We used multivariable regression to model IMT, with age as the independent variable. We then added RA duration quartile×age interaction terms to estimate the IMT-age relationship within RA duration strata. We found that the rate at which the IMT increased per unit of age steepened in proportion to the RA duration, from 0.154mm/10 years among patients with RA for 7 years or less, to 0.295mm/10 years among patients with RA for 20 years or more ( P ≤0.001). None of the covariates effaced the significance of the age×RA duration product terms. Thus, patients with prolonged RA have more atherosclerosis than patients of the same age with more recent disease onset. This suggests that atherogenesis accelerates after the onset of RA. Systemic inflammation may amplify the age-related risk of CV disease.
Recovery and chemical analysis of submicrogram particles

Abstract A study has been made of the application of several methods of analyzing small metallic particles. The techniques of particle recovery and purification have been found to be satisfactory. Particularly, the use of oxygen excited by an electrodeless radiofrequency discharge to remove carbonaceous matter appears superior to conventional ashing procedures for the retention of volatile elements and the preservation of particle structure. Values of particle density accurate to within a few per cent were obtained by the modified terminal velocity method. The present technique, based on the rate of fall of a particle in a single liquid, requires that the particle be spherical. Small irregularities in shape may produce large errors. Both neutron activation and electron probe analysis were successfully employed to determine the chemical composition of single particles. For elements with suitable nuclear properties, neutron activation followed by radiochemical separation is more sensitive. However, electron probe analysis is less time consuming and can be applied to a greater number of elements. At present, difficulty in correcting the measured X-ray intensities for matrix effects limits the accuracy of the latter technique.
Studies on vitamin A ester: alcohol partition between the liver, kidneys and plasma of rats.

Abstract Vitamin A-deficient albino rats either were supplemented daily for 21 days with 13 μg. of vitamin A ester dissolved in cottonseed oil or were dosed orally with different amounts (50–180,000 μg.) of vitamin A ester dissolved in cottonseed oil. Following these treatments, the rats were fed the vitamin A-test diet and, at various time intervals, were sacrified, and kidneys, livers, and plasma were analyzed for vitamin A ester and alcohol. The ester and alcohol were separated chromatographically. Approximately an equal distribution of vitamin A ester and alcohol existed in the kidneys, while in the liver the ester predominated. Both liver vitamin A alcohol and kidney vitamin A (alcohol and ester) either declined very slowly or remained substantially consant during the early and middle stages of depletion of moderate amounts of vitamin A. Also, during this period the content of plasma vitamin A remained relatively the same while the vitamin A ester of the liver was lost rapidly. No correlation was found between the concentration of vitamin A alcohol in either the liver or kidneys and plasma vitamin A alcohol. However, the plasma ester fraction of vitamin A increased with increased dosage and storage of the vitamin in the liver. A close relationship was found between vitamin A alcohol and kidney vitamin A at different levels of vitamin A storage. This study supports the view that plasma vitamin A alcohol is controlled by a mechanism apart from the concentration of vitamin A (ester or alcohol) in the liver or kidneys. It is suggested that certain specialized carrier proteins are responsible for the maintenance of plasma vitamin A alcohol level.
A prospective study of prophylactic long-acting octreotide in high-risk patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy

Abstract Background Postoperative pancreatic fistula (postoperative pancreatic fistula [POPF]) is the most common complication after pancreaticoduodenectomy. Despite some studies showing little effect of octreotide in unselected patients, we hypothesized that in high-risk patients depot octreotide may reduce the risk of POPF. Methods Sixty-eight patients were prospectively evaluated for inclusion in the current study. Two groups were identified: pancreatic ducts ≤3 mm (high risk) and those with ducts >3 mm (low risk). Thirty-two patients were low risk, whereas 36 patients were high risk. High-risk patients were treated preoperatively with depot octreotide and begun on an intravenous drip for 24 hours. Low-risk patients underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy without pharmacologic intervention. In contrast, the control cohort represents 106 retrospectively analyzed patients who underwent a pancreaticoduodenectomy without depot octreotide injection without regard to low- or high-risk status. Results Overall, POPF was 11 of 68 (16%). Nine of 36 high risk patients treated with depot octreotide developed POPF (25%), and 2 of 32 low risk patients developed POPF (6%). In the control cohort of high-risk patients, 9 of 44 (20%) and 3 of 62 (5%) low-risk patients developed POPF (P = .628 when comparing the development of POPF in high-risk patients with or without pharmacologic intervention). Conclusions Prophylactic use of depot octreotide in high-risk patients does not result in reduced incidence of POPF. Duct size has a significant impact on the occurrence of POPF.
Choline phospholipid metabolism: a target in cancer cells?

The experience of treating cancer over the past several decades overwhelmingly demonstrates that the disease continues to evade the vast array of drugs and treatment modalities available in the twenty-first century. This is not surprising in view of the complexity of this disease, and the multiplicities of pathways available to the cancer cell to enable its survival. Although the progression of cancer arrives at a common end point of cachexia, organ failure, and death, common pathways are rare in cancer. Identifying and targeting common pathways that would act across these levels of multiplicity is essential for the successful treatment of this disease. Over the past decade, one common characteristic consistently revealed by magnetic resonance spectroscopic studies is the elevation of phosphocholine and total choline-containing compounds in cancer cells and solid tumors. This elevation has been observed in almost every single cancer type studied with NMR spectroscopy and can be used as an endogenous biomarker of cancer. In this article, we have summarized some of the observations on the choline phospholipid metabolism of cancer cells and tumors, and make a case for targeting the aberrant choline phospholipid metabolism of cancer cells.
Targeted mass spectrometry approaches for protein biomarker verification

The search for protein biomarkers has been a highly pursued topic in the proteomics community in the last decade. This relentless search is due to the constant need for validated biomarkers that could facilitate disease risk stratification, disease diagnosis, prognosis, monitoring as well as drug development, which ultimately would improve our quality of life. The recent development of proteomic technologies including the advancement of mass spectrometers with high sensitivity and speed has greatly advanced the discovery of potential biomarkers. One of the bottlenecks lies in the development of well-established verification assays to screen the biomarker candidates identified in the discovery stage. Recently, absolute quantitation using multiple-reaction monitoring mass spectrometry (MRM-MS) in combination with isotope-labeled internal standards has been extensively investigated as a tool for high-throughput protein biomarker verification. In this review, we describe and discuss recent developments and applications of MRM-MS methods for biomarker verification.
Role of carbohydrate in human chorionic gonadotropin: Deglycosylation uncouples hormone-receptor complex and adenylate cyclase system

Abstract Previous work has shown that deglycosylation of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) does not affect its receptor binding characteristics, but its ability to stimulate intracellular cyclic AMP accumulation and steroidogenesis in ovarian cells is abolished. To identify the site at which carbohydrate of hCG is involved in the mechanism of action of the hormone, we have studied adenylate cyclase activity in ovarian membrane preparations in response to deglycosylated and native hCG. The deglycosylated hCG does not stimulate adenylate cyclase of ovarian membrane preparation and also it acts as an inhibitor of hCG action. Data are presented to show that both hCG- and catecholamine receptors are coupled to the same adenylate cyclase complex. Since adenylate cyclase activity in the presence of deglycosylated hCG remains still responsive maximally to catecholamines, it indicates that the adenylate cyclase complex is functional and is unaffected by the interaction of deglycosylated hCG to its receptor. This is further supported by the fact that the deglycosylated hCG does not impair the maximal stimulation of adenylate cyclase by guanine nucleotides. Thus, the site of action of the carbohydrate of hCG is prior to the coupling of the hormone-receptor complex and the adenylate cyclase system.
Residual Stresses in Silicon Nitride Based Composites Using Synchrotron Radiation

In order to measure the residual strain (stress) in the silicon nitride based composites, synchrotron based x-ray diffraction was employed on the BESSRC beamline at the APS. The residual stress for both the baseline Si 3 N 4 and the Si 3 N 4 -TiN composites were determined from the (441) and (531) reflections, obtained by applying the three-dimensional 2θ-sin 2 ψ method. In both the baseline Si 3 N 4 and the Si 3 N 4 -TiN composites, after thermal shocking, compressive residual stresses were developed in both directions parallel and perpendicular to the specimen's surface. The average residual stresses in the direction parallel to the sample surface were much higher than in the perpendicular direction. The measured residual stresses were compared with the flexural strength and fracture toughness results to determine the effects of residual stress and thermal shocking on the strength and toughness of each composite. The results suggested that there should be a maximum thermal shock temperature, within the range of 1000 °C to 1100 °C, for improving the fracture toughness for both the baseline Si 3 N 4 and the Si 3 N 4 -TiN composites. Also, the addition of the TiN appeared to improve both the strength and toughness of the baseline composition.
Simulation studies of multilevel dynamic job shop scheduling using heuristic dispatching rules

Abstract We present a two-level scheduling technique in which heuristic rules are used to determine the job-to-machine routing and the job sequencing. The effectiveness of this strategy on jobs that arrive continuously with prescribed due dates is studied using 88 sets of simulations. We also present the sensitivity of the heuristic rules to variations in job due dates.
Crucial Experiments and Social Psychological Inquiry

The difficulties in performing a crucial experiment in social psychology are addressed taking philosophical and epistemo logical issues into account. While previous discussions have pro posed that present social psychological theories and methods pre vent such tests, closer analysis indicates that this inability is not unique to social psychology, but is an aspect of any scienti fic inquiry.
Studies of human germinal mutations by deoxyribonucleic acid hybridization

Spontaneous mutations that occur in human germ cells contribute significantly to clinical disorders and result in premature mortality, incurable morbidity, mental handicap, and infertility. We have used molecular analysis of deoxyribonucleic acid to study the occurrence of spontaneous human germinal mutations. We examined 458 offspring and parents in 60 multigeneration human families. Probes for hypervariable loci were dispersed throughout all chromosomes to note the occurrence of new mutations. We found that both point mutations and insertion-deletion mutations occur frequently enough to be directly quantitated. The rates of occurrence detected at the molecular level are much greater than the rates detected with other modalities. The mutational rates at some loci approach 1 % in live-born children. Such mutations appear to be sequence specific and related to the processes of meiosis or mitosis as they occur in the production of human gametes.
Crossed-beam chemiluminescence: The alkaline earth rearrangement reaction M + S2Cl2 → S2* + MCl2

Abstract The reaction of the heavier Group IIA metal atoms Ba, Sr, and Ca with S2Cl2 under crossed-beam conditions produces a chemiluminescent spectrum in which the S2 B3ϵu−-X3ϵg− emission bands are the most prominent features. In addition, chemiluminescence is also observed from excited states of the alkaline earth monochlorides and from a “pseudo-continuum” which is believed to originate from an excited polyatomic metal halide, probably the alkaline earth dichloride. More than 100 bands are assigned to the S2 B-X band system; the vibrational levels of the S2 B state are found to be populated by the reaction in a non-thermal manner. The reaction forming S2* is determined to be the first order with respect to both the ground state metal atom and the disulfur dichloride molecule. Phenomenological cross sections for removal of metal atoms from the metal beam by S2Cl2 are 162 ± 20 A2 for Ba, 105 ± 20 A2 for Sr, and 92 ± 20 A2 for Ca, which is consistent with an electron jump model if the vertical electron affinity of S2Cl2 is 3.25 eV. Absolute photon yield measurement in- dicate that less than 1% of the reacton products are S2* molecules that emit in the 2800–6000 A region. From the single-collision chemiluminescence spectra the following dissociation energies are estimated: Doo(Cl-S2Cl)=44.2 ± 5 kcal/mole and Doo(S2-Cl=54 ± 5 kcal/mole. A speculation is offered that most of the reaction exoergicity appears in the S2* product when the S2Cl2M collision complex passes through a nearly-planar, five-member ring structure in separating to form products.
The permeability of hyperplastic oral epithelium

An epithelial hyperplasia is one of the reactions of skin and oral mucosa to chemical and mechanical insult. It is usually assumed that this reaction produces a more effective epithelial harrier, but there is no information as to whether a less permeable (issue results. To examine this question, hyperplasia was induced in the cheek pouches of hamsters by either chemical treatment with 0.0025% TPA in acetone or by mechanical abrasion with a rotating mop; untreated hamsters served as controls. The animals were killed and the cheek pouches were removed, mounted in diffusion chambers and the permeability to labelled water and horseradish peroxidase (IIRPO) determined. The results showed that higher values were obtained for the permeability constant of hyperplastic epithelia than for that of control tissue, suggesting that an increased epithelial thickness is not necessarily associated with an improved permeability barrier function. The presence of an inferior barrier layer in hyperplastic epithelia may be related to the increased rate of turnover of this tissue.
Ultrafiltration does not affect certain predictors of outcome in heart failure

Ultrafiltration as a therapeutic option for heart failure has been of more recent interest due to a proposed physiologic basis for its mechanism of action and the development of newer technology. Several studies have so far demonstrated its efficacy in rapid removal of fluid and improvement in congestive symptoms. However, there is currently no data on its impact on long-term outcomes of patients with heart failure. Moreover, evidence extracted from available studies does not support any beneficial impact on established predictors of mortality in this setting (i.e. blood urea nitrogen and serum sodium levels). This observation coupled with previous data indicating lack of expected beneficial effect on renal function highlights the emergent need for robust long-term outcome studies prior to expansion of the implementation of this complicated and costly therapy.
Social stratification and multiple enterprises: Some implications for farming systems research

Abstract The basic thesis of this paper is that the socioeconomic characteristics of household economies delimit the range of viable agronomic alternatives. Agricultural technologies have salient socioeconomic characteristics, which make them appropriate or inappropriate. This varies in ways which are known or knowable, and it is precisely the covariation of the socioeconomic characteristics of farming households, agricultural enterprises and appropriate technologies which can help orient farming systems programs to specific consitituencies. This thesis is developed with respect to three strata of smallholders. Several aspects of fanning systems are considered, including the organisation of crop and livestock production, the marketing of agricultural inputs and products, and the storage of grain for seed. Characteristics of appropriate technologies are identified. A chart summarises the discussion, thereby permitting comparison of the socioeconomic characteristics of appropriate technologies across strata and enterprises.
Transferrin receptor internalization sequence YXRF implicates a tight turn as the structural recognition motif for endocytosis

Using detailed functional studies on 24 human transferrin receptor mutants, we identified YXRF as the internalization sequence. Provided that at least 7 residues separate this tetrapeptide from the transmembrane region, changing the tetrapeptide position within the TR cytoplasmic domain does not reduce internalization activity. Thus, any conformational determinant for internalization must be localized to the YXRF sequence. Twenty-eight tetrapeptide analogs of YXRF, found by an unbiased search of all known three-dimensional protein structures, significantly favored tight turns similar to a type I turn. Of the ten tetrapeptides most closely related to YXRF, eight were surface exposed and had tight-turn conformations, as were four of five tetrapeptides with sequences related to the low density lipoprotein receptor internalization motif, NPXY. The internalization sequences of both receptors contain aromatic residues with intervening hydrogen-bonding residues. Thus, two distinct internalization sequences favor a common structural chemistry and implicate an exposed tight turn as the recognition motif for high efficiency endocytosis.
Evaluation of an ATM LAN constructed with a cyclic deflection-routing network

This paper presents the design and performance evaluation of an ATM local-area network constructed with the Manhattan-street network (MSN). The MSN has a cyclic structure and belongs to the class of deflection-routing networks. The structure of the switch element with the use of shared buffering and flow control mechanism is presented. With shared buffers the network operates efficiently since the occurrence of deflections is minimized. Cell multicasting under deflection routing is handled using the cell recycling technique and through relay and copy nodes. An analytical queueing model is developed for the network and the numerical results of the traffic performance analysis is compared with the results of a separate simulation. It is determined what speed-up factor (speed advantage) the network requires to become a practical LAN.
Asia‐pacific regionalism and northeast Asia Subregionalism∗

Regionalism has increasingly become a growing trend around the world, the Asia‐Pacific region being no exception. Both in the security area where the changing balance of power in Asia Pacific, particularly in Northeast Asia is prompting discussions of multilateral security and cooperation in the region, as well as on the economic front where much is being made of the growing international interdependent market integration in the Asia Pacific, such developments can be witnessed. However, very little has been said about the relationship between various schemes for multilateral cooperation within Northeast Asia and that in the broader region of Asia Pacific. The reasons why Northeast Asia has not emerged as a focal point of discussion either in the context of Asia‐Pacific political economy or in connection with the Asean process , in addition to what kind of developments would elevate both cooperation among the Northeast Asian countries and the international community to a significant level are the questions...
The steiner problem with edge lengths 1 and 2

Abstract The Steiner problem on networks asks for a shortest subgraph spanning a given subset of distinguished vertices. We give a 4 3 -approximation algorithm for the special case in which the underlying network is complete and all edge lengths are either 1 or 2. We also relate the Steiner problem to a complexity class recently defined by Papadimitriou and Yannakakis by showing that this special case is MAX SNP-hard, which may be evidence that the Steiner problem on networks has no polynomial-time approximation scheme.
Procedural annotation of uncertain information

In many applications of scientific visualization, a large quantity of data is being processed and displayed in order to enable a viewer to make informed and effective decisions. Since little data is perfect, there is almost always some degree of associated uncertainty. This uncertainty is an important part of the data and should be taken into consideration when interpreting the data. Uncertainty, however, should not overshadow the data values. Many methods that address the problem of visualizing data with uncertainty can distort the data and emphasize areas with uncertain values. We have developed a method for showing the uncertainty information together with data with minimal distraction. This method uses procedurally generated annotations which are deformed according to the uncertainty information. As another possible technique we propose distorting glyphs according to the uncertainty information.
Velocity of coherent and incoherent electromagnetic waves in a dense strongly scattering medium.

Frequency and time-domain experiments are conducted to present additional confirmation of the slow speed of electromagnetic waves in a dense strongly scattering medium. A wide-band microwave signal is propagated through randomly distributed glass spheres, and the speed is defined as the time at which 50% of the pulse energy arrives. Thus, the speed was measured directly without the use of the transport mean free path and the diffusion coefficient. The speed of an incoherent pulse in the Mie resonance scattering region is found to be less than 40% of the vacuum speed for a fractional volume of 11% consistent with the energy velocity. Since the incoherent wave in a dense medium is the diffuse wave, the velocity presented in this paper corresponds to the velocity of the diffuse wave and it is different from the ballistic velocity. The speed of coherent waves is found to be almost constant and is quite different from the energy velocity.
A Differential Assessment of the Cumulative Versus Stabilizing Effect of Methadone Maintenance Treatment

Differential response effectiveness is examined for patients during multiple episodes of metha done maintenance (MM) treatment. Subjects were 251 narcotics addicts who were divided into three groups based on their daily narcotics use pattern during their first two MM treatment penods: (I) a "stabilizing group"—showing no daily use for both periods, (2) a "cumulative group "—showing a lower level of daily use during the second period compared to the first, and (3) a "deteriorating group"—showing higher daily use during the second period. Behavioral measures for various narcotics-related variables were plotted over 4 time penods (pre-MM, during first MM, between first and second episodes, and during second MM) were compared. Results indicated several individual differences related to patients'response to multiple episodes of MM. Clinical, research, and policy implications are discussed.
Nutritional Status in an Academic Nursing Home

Inadequate nutrition is a major problem facing the elderly today. Despite seemingly appropriate meal standards and dietary supervision, patients in long-term care facilities remain at risk for developing malnutrition. Various nutritional parameters including weight loss, percentage average body weight, serum albumin levels, anthropometrics, and skin testing were examined in 130 patients in an academic nursing home, two thirds of whom were over the age of 65 years. Functional status including type of feeding and associated diseases was also determined. The data show that nutritional risk factors are similar among different age-groups in nursing home patients. A significant proportion of our patients lost weight while maintaining their serum albumin levels. Despite this, there appears to be less evidence of malnutrition among patients in the academic nursing home compared with other nursing home settings studied.
Determination of global mechanical response of friction stir welded plates using local constitutive properties

Global mechanical behaviour, i.e. the true stress–strain curves, yield strength σs, hardening exponents n, and strength coefficients K, of friction stir welded plates, in which the weld line lies either perpendicular or parallel to the axis of the applied tensile force, is determined by using the local constitutive properties of the base metal, heat affected zone and weld nugget. The principle of 'rule of mixtures' is adopted to develop the analytical models. Experimental data from Lockwood (2000 PhD Dissertation Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of South Carolina) for Al 2024-T351 specimens under tension in the transverse direction are compared with the analytical results. The effect of the size of different welding zones on the global mechanical response of the welded plate is also assessed. The 'rule of mixtures' method is shown to be reasonably accurate in determining the global mechanical response of the welded plate.
Production planning of a flexible manufacturing system in a material requirements planning environment

Early flexible manufacturing system (FMS) production planning models exhibited a variety of planning objectives; typically, these objectives were independent of the overall production environment. More recently, some researchers have proposed hierarchical production planning and scheduling models for FMS. In this article, we examine production planning of FMS in a material requirements planning (MRP) environment. We propose a hierarchical structure that integrates FMS production planning into a closed-loop MRP system. This structure gives rise to the FMS/MRP rough-cut capacity planning (FMRCP) problem, the FMS/MRP grouping and loading (FMGL) problem, and the FMS/MRP detailed scheduling problem. We examine the FMRCP and FMGL problems in detail and present mathematical programming models for each of these problems. In particular, the FMRCP problem is modeled as a generalized assignment problem (GAP), and a GAP-based heuristic procedure is defined for the problem. We define a two-phase heuristic for the FMGL problem and present computational experience with both heuristics. The FMRCP heuristic is shown to solve problems that exhibit a dependent-demand relation within the FMS and with FMS capacity utilization as high as 99 percent. The FMGL heuristic requires very little CPU time and obtains solutions to the test problems that are on average within 1.5 percent of a theoretical lower bound. This FMS/MRP production planning framework, together with the resulting models, constitutes an important step in the integration of FMS technology with MRP production planning. The hierarchical planning mechanism directly provides for system-level MRP planning priorities to induce appropriate production planning and control objectives on the FMS while simultaneously allowing for necessary feedback from the FMS. Moreover, by demonstrating the tractability of the FMRCP and FMGL problems, this research establishes the necessary groundwork upon which to explore systemwide issues pertaining to the coordination of the hierarchical structure.
Composition and Evolution of the Mantle and Core

Seismology and solid state physics place strong constraints on the constitution of the earth's interior.
MS-CCSIM

Pattern-based spatial modeling relies on training images as basic modeling component for generating geostatistical realizations. The methodology recognizes that working with the unit of a pattern aids its reproduction, particularly for large systems. In this paper improvements are made, in terms of both the computation time and conditioning, of a pattern-based simulation method that relies on the cross-correlation-based simulation (CCSIM), introduced by Tahmasebi et al. (2012). The extension lies on the use of a multi-scale (MS) representation of the training image along a pattern projection strategy that is markedly different from the traditional multi-grid methods employed in the current methodologies, and proposes acceleration of the method by carrying out most of the computations in the Fourier space. In the proposed multi-scale representation, we transform the high-resolution training image into a pyramid of consecutively up-gridded views of the same image. The pyramid allows for rapid search of the patterns that can be superimposed over a shared overlap area with previously simulated patterns. A second advantage of the multi-scale view lies in data conditioning by means of a new hard data-relocation algorithm and the use of a co-template for looking for conditioning points ahead of the raster path employed in CCSIM. Using synthetic and real-field multi-million cell examples with sparse, as well as dense datasets, we investigate quantitatively how the improved algorithm performs with respect to CCSIM, as well as the traditional MP simulation algorithms. Computational improvement to pattern simulation using multi-scale search.Improved conditioning in raster-path methods using co-template.Multi-million cell real field application in seconds.
A Comparison of the GaAs MESFET and HBT for Power Microwave Amplification

A comparison of the GaAs MESFET and AlGaAs/GaAs single heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) for CW microwave power amplification has been carried out by theoretical analysis and simulation. The thermal resistance and therefore the device operating temperature is significantly higher for the HBT. If the device area is increased to allow for operation of the HBT at similar power density to the MESFET, then the input impedance (common emitter) of the HBT will be well below that of the MESFET, making input matching much more difficult to achieve.
State and Regional Professional Associations—the Case of the CSA and the PSA

The CSA and the PSA share several critical challenges including maintaining a stable membership, providing opportunities for students to present their work while at the same time maintaining their position as an organization of professional sociologists, meeting the needs of a diverse membership and balancing the teaching and research needs of this diverse membership. The need is for the CSA and the PSA to work together to form an even closer partnership.
Developing axons continue to grow at their tip after synapsing with their appropriate target

The contacts a growing neuron's axon makes with its synaptic targets are believed to inhibit further growth at the axon tip. Inhibition of axon growth has been difficult to examine in vivo, where studies have focused on populations of neurons with multiple targets, making the influence of a single target difficult to determine. Results of a direct test of the influence of synapse formation on axon growth are presented for the axon of the S interneuron in the leech, which has a single synaptic target that can decidedly inhibit growth at the axon's tip during regeneration in adults. Surprisingly, in embryos, after synapsing with its target, each S cell axon grew for several days, including growth at its tip, nearly doubling its length. Therefore, synaptic contact with the target does not stop further growth at the axon's tip.
Analytical evaluation of integrals over Coulomb wave functions

Abstract Indefinite integrals of products of Coulomb wave functions over the interval ( r , ∈) can be evaluated by conversion to continued fractions. Examples are given of normalization and dipole transition integrals required in photoionization calculations.
Antibacterial efficacy of core-shell nanostructures encapsulating gentamicin against an in vivo intracellular Salmonella model

Pluronic based core-shell nanostructures encapsulating gentamicin were designed in this study. Block copolymers of (PAA(+/-)Na-b-(PEO-b-PPO-b-PEO)-b-PAA(+/-)Na) were blended with PAA(-) Na(+) and complexed with the polycationic antibiotic gentamicin to form nanostructures. Synthesized nanostructures had a hydrodynamic diameter of 210 nm, zeta potentials of -0.7 (+/-0.2), and incorporated approximately 20% by weight of gentamicin. Nanostructures upon co-incubation with J774A.1 macrophage cells showed no adverse toxicity in vitro. Nanostructures administered in vivo either at multiple dosage of 5 microg g(-1) or single dosage of 15 microg g(-1) in AJ-646 mice infected with Salmonella resulted in significant reduction of viable bacteria in the liver and spleen. Histopathological evaluation for concentration-dependent toxicity at a dosage of 15 microg g(-1) revealed mineralized deposits in 50% kidney tissues of free gentamicin-treated mice which in contrast was absent in nanostructure-treated mice. Thus, encapsulation of gentamicin in nanostructures may reduce toxicity and improve in vivo bacterial clearance.
An analysis of the effects of swell and surface roughness spectra on microwave backscatter from the ocean

[1] The spectrum of ocean surface roughness is significantly modified by the presence of background long waves not generated by local wind. Active radar scattering and passive microwave emission from the ocean surface are therefore modified by swell conditions. Here we investigate predictions of the normalized radar cross section (NRCS) of the sea by a multiscale radar scattering model using four different spectral functions, one of which accounts for swell effects. Variations in predicted NRCS using the different spectral functions are quantified. As a result, the effect of swell on microwave backscatter can be separated from uncertainty due to the form of the spectrum without swell. The tilting effects of swell are also examined, and their effect on backscatter is calculated using the model. We find that changes in the ocean surface roughness spectrum due to swell reduce the wind speed dependence of the NRCS at low and moderate incidence angles while tilting effects produce changes in both the incidence angle and wind speed behavior of the NRCS. In general C band NRCS measurements are better explained by the multiscale model and less sensitive to choice of roughness spectral model than are Ku band NRCS values.
To the editor: Surgical infection nomenclature.

In 1992, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) created a useful system for categorizing nosocomial infections that affect only surgical patients. The foundation of this anatomic classification is the concept of surgical site infections—infections of the tissues, organs, or anatomic spaces potentially contaminated with organisms during operations. The CDC defined four types of infection within a new nosocomial infection category called ‘‘Surgical Site Infection’’: superficial incisional, deep incisional, organ, and space infections. Superficial incisional infections are limited to the subcutaneous fat stratum. Deep incisional infections are those that invade muscle or fascia (or both). Surgeons often misunderstand the CDC nomenclature system. The risk of not using that system properly in journal Articles is that future interpretation is difficult, if not impossible, for researchers. The crux of the problem is that the noun ‘‘site’’ has more than one meaning. The common meaning is ‘‘location’’ but the word ‘‘site’’ in official CDC parlance both prior to and after 1992 means ‘‘nosocomial infection category.’’ Moreover, the word ‘‘site’’ does not mean ‘‘incision’’ or ‘‘wound.’’ A common error is to use ‘‘surgical site infection’’ to mean ‘‘incisional infection’’ or ‘‘wound infection.’’ A little thought shows that this flawed usage ironically defeats the purpose of the 1992 nomenclature system, which was set up to facilitate detection and study of surgical infections in addition to wound (i.e., incision) infections. Another irksome error is use of the terms ‘‘superficial surgical site infection’’ and ‘‘deep surgical site infection.’’ There are simply no such entities. The only use of ‘‘superficial’’ and ‘‘deep’’ in CDC nomenclature is in the context of defining the two types of incisional infection. Woodfield and coworkers unfortunately made nomenclature errors throughout the narrative of a recent and important article. They used the terms ‘‘superficial surgical site infection’’ and ‘‘deep surgical site infection.’’ With due respect, this is simply incorrect. I assume that they were talking about incisional infections throughout, but they do not define their terminology. Whenever the term ‘‘surgical site infection’’ appears in writing, the inference is that the CDC nomenclature is being used. Authors must specify exactly which of the four types of infection is being referenced. Editors must insist on crisp, accurate usage so academic work products are accurate and lucid. What is published in the World Journal of Surgery is out there ‘‘forever.’’
Histidine decarboxylase: Isolation and molecular characteristics

High levels of histidine decarboxylase activity were measured in rat basophilic leukemia cells grown in ascitic form in 4 week old WKY/N rats. The potent inhibition of this enzyme by brocresine and α-methylhistidine but not by α-methyl DOPA identified it as a specific histidine decarboxylase. Gel filtration and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed a molecular weight of 125,000 for the native enzyme, similar to that of fetal rat liver histidine decarboxylase. Using rat basophilic leukemia cells as starting material, histidine decarboxylase was purified extensively in a seven step procedure. Electrophoresis under denaturing conditions revealed that histidine decarboxylase is a dimeric protein consisting of two identical subunits with a molecular weight of 62,000. The results indicate that rat basophilic leukemia cells provide a new and rich source for the purification of histidine decarboxylase.
High-voltage implanted-emitter 4H-SiC BJTs

Implanted-emitter, epi-base, npn 4H-SiC bipolar junction transistors (BJTs) which show maximum blocking voltage of 500 V and common-emitter current gain (/spl beta/) of 8 are demonstrated. Compared to the previous results (BV/sub CEO/ of 60 V and /spl beta/ of 40), the blocking voltage is greatly improved with reduced current gain due to a decrease of the base transport factor. The samples also show negative temperature coefficient of /spl beta/, similar to the previous samples, easing device paralleling problems.
An analysis of obstetric anesthesia cases from the American society of anesthesiologists closed claims project database.

Since 1985 the Committee on Professional Liability of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) has been conducting an ongoing study of insurance company liability files involving anesthesiologists. F iles that are no longer active (closed) are reviewed by practicing anesthesiologists, abstracted, double checked by the ASA Closed Claims Committee, and then entered into a computer database. In 1991 the first analysis of obstetric anesthesia-related closed claims was publ ished based on a total closed claims database of 1541 files.’ The most recent analysis of the obstetric data are presented here. As of January 1995, 35 companies from across the USA that provide liability coverage to anesthesiologists have participated in this effort. To date a total of 3533 files (excluding those for dental injuries) have been reviewed and entered into the ASA Closed Claims Project database. By their nature, closed claims studies have important lim itations that must be understood. Perhaps most important is the fact that we cannot derive information about how often claims are filed, much less the incidence of adverse events, from such studies. For any given time period, the total number of claims filed and the total number of anesthetics administered are not known. Additionally, most injuries that are attributable to med ical error do not result in a claim of ma lpractice.2 On the other hand, anesthesiologists may be named in claims in which there was no anesthetic-related adverse event. Another problem, in studies of this type, is the long time between opening
Understanding drawings by compositional analogy

We describe an analogical method for constructing a structuralmodel froman unlabelled 2D line drawing. The source case is represented as a schema that contains its 2D line drawing, the lines and intersections in the drawing, the shapes in drawing, and the structural model of the device depicted in the drawing. Given a target drawing and a relevant source case, our method first constructs a graphical representation of the lines and the intersections in the target drawing, then uses the mappings at the level of line intersections to transfer the shape representations from the source case to the target, next uses the mappings at the level of shapes to transfer the structural model of the device from the source to the target. The Archytas system implements and evaluates this method of compositional analogy.