cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Predicting bond ratings using publicly available information

This paper developed a model to predict bond ratings using financial and non-financial variables although the rating agencies believe that bond ratings could not be replicated quantitatively by using a computer model. The model used an artificial intelligence (AI) technique that is non-parametric and designed to capture a dynamic relationship between input and output variables. The results showed that bond rating could be assessed quite accurately and critical variables were successfully identified. In addition the investment grade bonds were successfully distinguished from the speculative bonds.
Physiologic effects of terbutaline on pulmonary function of infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia

This study defines the physiologic changes in pulmonary mechanics induced by subcutaneous terbutaline administration in ventilator-dependent infants with severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). Eight such infants (mean +/- SEM weight = 2.56 +/- 0.32 kg, postnatal age = 13.0 +/- 3.2 weeks) were chosen for the study. Pulmonary mechanics and arterial blood gases were measured in the control state and at 30 and 60 minutes following the subcutaneous injection of 5 micrograms/kg terbutaline. There was a significant (p less than 0.001) improvement in lung compliance from baseline values at 30 minutes and at 60 minutes (38%). A significant (p less than 0.05) decrease of 23% in the average pulmonary resistance at 30 minutes and a 26% decrease at 60 minutes from control values were observed. An increase in the I/E ratio occurred in all patients at 60 minutes (p less than 0.01). In addition, clinical improvement was noted in six of eight infants. Administration of terbutaline demonstrated a significant improvement in the pulmonary mechanics of infants with severe BPD.
Guillain-Barré syndrome after transplantation

Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) is an unusual complication after organ and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. We report two cases of GBS associated with autologous and allogeneic stem cell transplantation along with a review of the literature.
CNS stimulant properties and physiologic disposition of , -difluorophenylethylamine in mice.

Β,Β-Difluorophenylethylamine, because of the strong electrophilic nature of the fluorines, is a much weaker base than is phenylethylamine. The pK for the difluoro compound is 6.75 compared to 9.55 for phenylethylamine. At physiologic pH, difluorophenylethylamine exists primarily as a neutral molecule, whereas phenylethylamine is almost entirely cationic. Difluorophenylethylamine caused increased locomotor activity in mice, and its effects were enhanced by a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (tranylcypromine) as were the effects of phenylethylamine. Comparable levels of difluorophenylethylamine and phenylethylamine in brain appeared to lead to equivalent increases in locomotor activity. At doses above those giving the maximum increase in locomotor activity, behavioral differences between phenylethylamine and difluorophenylethylamine were observed. Difluorophenylethylamine localized in adipose tissue to a greater degree than in other organs; it disappeared from adipose tissue and from brain with a physiologic half-life of 8 min in mice.
The use of limit theorems in paired comparison model building.

The Thurstone and the Bradley-Terry models, both initially advanced on intuitive grounds, have proved useful in the analysis of paired comparisons. The psychological meaning of these models and their relation to one another is unclear, but they fit data. Stevens has observed that there may be two basic mechanisms of discrimination 1) additive and 2) substitutive. We advance two corresponding mathematical models: that experienced sensation is 1) the sum of a large number of independent signals and 2) the maximum of a large number of independent signals. These assumptions yield 1) Thurstone's model and 2) the model of Bradley-Terry. Psychological interpretations of the various parameters, in terms of sensation, present themselves in a natural manner. Thus this paper presents a theory which unifies and interprets two paired comparison models that have proved useful in fitting experimental data.
Recycling and Resensitization of the Neurokinin 1 Receptor INFLUENCE OF AGONIST CONCENTRATION AND Rab GTPASES

Substance P (SP) induces endocytosis and recycling of the neurokinin 1 receptor (NK1R) in endothelial cells and spinal neurons at sites of inflammation and pain, and it is thus important to understand the mechanism and function of receptor trafficking. We investigated how the SP concentration affects NK1R trafficking and determined the role of Rab GTPases in trafficking. NK1R trafficking was markedly influenced by the SP concentration. High SP (10 nM) induced translocation of the NK1R and beta-arrestin 1 to perinuclear sorting endosomes containing Rab5a, where NK1R remained for >60 min. Low SP (1 nM) induced translocation of the NK1R to early endosomes located immediately beneath the plasma membrane that also contained Rab5a and beta-arrestin 1, followed by rapid recycling of the NK1R. Overexpression of Rab5a promoted NK1R translocation to perinuclear sorting endosomes, whereas the GTP binding-deficient mutant Rab5aS34N caused retention of the NK1R in superficial early endosomes. NK1R translocated from superficial early endosomes to recycling endosomes containing Rab4a and Rab11a, and Rab11aS25N inhibited NK1R recycling. Rapid NK1R recycling coincided with resensitization of SP-induced Ca2+ mobilization and with the return of surface SP binding sites. Resensitization was minimally affected by inhibition of vacuolar H(+)-ATPase and phosphatases but was markedly suppressed by disruption of Rab4a and Rab11a. Thus, whereas beta-arrestins mediate NK1R endocytosis, Rab5a regulates translocation between early and sorting endosomes, and Rab4a and Rab11a regulate trafficking through recycling endosomes. We have thus identified a new function of Rab5a as a control protein for directing concentration-dependent trafficking of the NK1R into different intracellular compartments and obtained evidence that Rab4a and Rab11a contribute to G-protein-coupled receptor recycling from early endosomes.
Consequences of prior alloimmunization during granulocyte transfusion.

The transfusion of leukocyte-containing blood products can lead to the production of antibodies to antigens on the surface of leukocytes. Such antibodies can be detected by a variety of techniques including assays for lymphocytotoxicity, granulocytotoxicity, and leukoagglutination. In order to evaluate the effect of preformed anti-leukocyte antibodies during granulocyte transfusion therapy, recipient beagles were sensitized to donor foxhound antigens. After being made granulocytopenic with cyclophosphamide, these animals were transfused with a set dose of granulocytes collected by continuous flow centrifugation. When compared to the results of similar transfusions to nonsensitized recipients, granulocyte transfusions to animals with preformed anti-leukocyte antibodies resulted in lower one-hour posttransfusion leukocyte increments (p less than .04) and in less migration of neutrophils through a skin abrasion into a chamber containing a strong chemoattractant, autologous serum (p less than .0001). Also, profound thrombocytopenia was found in sensitized animals, but not in nonsensitized recipients, one hour after the granulocyte transfusion.
Are the Perpetrators of Violence One and the Same? Exploring the Co-occurrence of Perpetration of Physical Aggression in the United States

Important gaps exist in our understanding of aggressive behavior and the extent to which aggression involves one or more types of victims. This information is critical for determining the utility of integrated approaches for violence prevention versus continuation of independent efforts for reducing community violence, partner violence, and child maltreatment. To better understand the overlap in aggressive behaviors within the general population, the authors examine the co-occurrence of self-reports of physically striking strangers, acquaintances, intimate partners, and children among a nationally representative sample of 3,024 U.S. adults. The findings from this cross-sectional random digit dial telephone survey show that more than a third of the population reports engaging in at least one form of aggression and that, of these, a third had perpetrated violence against more than one type of victim. The percent of respondents who reported perpetrating violence against more than one type of victim range from 13% (percent of those striking a friend or acquaintance who also struck a child) to 34% (percent of those striking a friend or acquaintance who also struck a stranger). Furthermore, engaging in one type of aggression substantially increases the odds of engaging in another from 1.5 to 4 times. The findings suggest potential value in pursuing both integrated and independent approaches in research and prevention.
Relative Efficacy of Knee Osteoarthritis Treatments: Are All Placebos Created Equal?

In this issue, Bannuru and colleagues conducted a network meta-analysis of existing evidence to better understand the comparative efficacy and toxicity of treatments for knee osteoarthritis. The ed...
Hydroquinone oxidation kinetics in adsorptive liquid chromatographic beds

Abstract Catalytic properties of chromatographic silicas modified with ferric ions using a batch preparation process are compared with those modified in situ in a column on the basis of the hydroquinone oxidation to benzoquinone in a liquid chromatographic reactor. This is done through application of a statistical moment method for kinetic parameter estimation from reactor chromatograms. The first absolute moment of the overall elution profile is utilized to evaluate the pseudo-first order rate constants for oxidation both with and without consideration of hydroquinone sorption processes. In general, hydroquinone adsorption processes are found to have a significant role in the overall process and affect the intrinsic reaction rate measurements. On comparing the two modified silicas, it is found that the influence of adsorption in models is less pronounced with the batch-treated material. The decrease in reaction rate effects with the material prepared by a batch process can be attributed to increased quenching of strongly adsorptive sites on the silica surface as a result of prolonged exposure to metal ions in solution. Retention behavior is consistent with a decrease in the influence of hydrogen bonding hydroxyl groups on the batch-treated material.
Growth of Single Crystals of Silver Iodide in Silica Gel

THE great solubility of silver iodide in concentrated potassium iodide solution and the rapid decrease of this solubility on dilution with water suggested that single crystals of silver iodide could be grown by a gel method1 similar to that used for growing crystals of cuprous chloride2. Indeed, small silver iodide single crystals have been grown from solution by a dilution method. They appear as hexagonal prisms up to 20 mm in length and 2 mm in diameter or hexagonal pyramids up to 3 mm long and 1.5 mm across the base and take about 6–8 weeks to reach this size3. It seemed plausible that a combination of the two methods would yield larger and better crystals.
On the road to obesity : Television viewing increases intake of high-density foods

Television viewing (TVV) has been linked with obesity, possibly through increased sedentary behavior and/or through increased ingestion during TVV. The proposition that TVV causes increased feeding, however, has not been subjected to experimental verification until recently. Our objective was to determine if the amount eaten of two familiar, palatable, high-density foods (pizza and macaroni and cheese) was increased during a 30-min meal when watching TV. In a within-subjects design, one group of undergraduates (n = 10) ate pizza while watching a TV show of their choice for one session and when listening to a symphony during the other session. A second group of undergraduates (n = 10) ate macaroni and cheese (M&C). TVV increased caloric intake by 36% (one slice on average) for pizza and by 71% for M&C. Eating patterns also differed between conditions. Although the length of time to eat a slice of pizza remained stable between viewing conditions, the amount of time before starting another slice was shorter during TVV. In contrast, M&C was eaten at a faster rate and for a longer period of time during TVV. Thus, watching television increases the amount eaten of high-density, palatable, familiar foods and may constitute one vector contributing to the current obesity crisis.
Numerical integration of green's functions for an edge-loaded infinite strip

Abstract A numerical method is given for the evaluation of Green's functions for the elasticity problems of symmetrically or anti-symmetrically edge-loaded infinite strips. The numerical formulation allows quick and accurate computation of the Green's functions for the problems of normal and shear loading applied to the edges of the strip.
Expanding the entry-level competencies for cytotechnology programs: Broadening horizons

Introduction Faced with rapid changes in the cytopathology workplace, a number of expanded entry-level competencies (ELCs) were developed by the Cytotechnology Programs Review Committee with input from various communities of interest. The Resource Sub-Committee of the Cytotechnology Programs Review Committee was developed to assist the programs in finding appropriate resources to bring cytotechnology programs up to more modern standards of practice. Materials and methods A survey was conducted asking program directors to rank their level of perceived need for each of the new ELCs. Interpretation of the relative need for these resources was based on a 4-tier system. If the program directors' felt they had or could obtain adequate resources, these 2 responses were given a lower weighting in the analysis. If the program was not already teaching the topic and did not have access to appropriate resources, the response was ranked as indicating a high level of need. An intermediate level of need was indicated by a perceived need to strengthen the resources for a topic currently being taught. Results A 97% response rate was obtained on the survey and an evaluation of the ELCs, which indicated a high level of need that included telepathology, digital pathology, laboratory information systems, billing and coding, and triage of fine-needle aspiration specimens. Low levels of need were indicated for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act issues, proficiency testing, workload recording, obtaining clinical information, and fine-needle aspiration adequacy reporting. Other topics were ranked as intermediate in perceived need for resources. Conclusions Efforts by the subcommittee are currently underway to provide these resources to improve the educational programs in cytotechnology.
The Role of Donor-Acceptor Complexes in the Initiation of Ionic Polymerization

Abstract Work carried out in the past few years aimed at elucidating the mechanism of initiation of vinyl polymerization when a donor and an acceptor molecule, one or both of which may be vinyl monomers, is summarized. The emphasis of our investigation has been on polymerizable ether donors and strong electron acceptors which do not undergo polymerization, or the acceptor vinylidene cyanide. Alkyl vinyl ethers were polymerized in the presence of tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) and 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-p-benzoquinone (DDQ) in polar solvents. Observation of the ESR spectrum of the DDQ radical anion and the isolation of a 1:1 addition product of DDQ and alkyl vinyl ether when the two are mixed in a 1:1 ratio and quenched in alcohol support an initiation mechanism involving a coupling reaction of the donor monomer (radical cation) and the acceptor initiator (radical anion). The reaction of vinylidene cyanide (VC) with the vinyl ethers p-dioxene, dihydropyran, ethyl vinyl ether, isopropyl vinyl ether, and ...
Solvent Effects on Structure and Reaction Mechanism: A Theoretical Study of [2 + 2] Polar Cycloaddition between Ketene and Imine

The effects of aqueous solvent on structures and mechanism of the [2 + 2] cycloaddition between ketene and imine were investigated by using correlated MP2 and MP4 levels of ab initio molecular orbital theory in conjunction with the dielectric continuum Generalized Conductor-like Screening Model (GCOSMO) for solvation. We found that reactions in the gas phase and in aqueous solution have very different topology on the free energy surfaces but have similar characteristic motion along the reaction coordinate. First, it involves formation of a planar trans-conformation zwitterionic complex, then a rotation of the two moieties to form the cycloaddition product. Aqueous solvent significantly stabilizes the zwitterionic complex, consequently changing the topology of the free energy surface from a gas-phase single barrier (one-step) process to a double barrier (two-step) one with a stable intermediate. Electrostatic solvent−solute interaction was found to be the dominant factor in lowering the activation energy b...
Polyethylene glycol-promoted development of somatic embryos in loblolly pine ( Pinus taeda L.)

The effect of polyethylene glycol (PEG) combined with abscisic acid (ABA) and KCl on somatic embryo development in loblolly pine was investigated. Two embryogenic cell lines, which had not produced cotyledonary stage embryos using previously published methods, were employed in this study. As a maturation medium, basal medium was supplemented with 0 to 10% PEG (MW 3350), 10 to 40 mg/l (37.8 to 151.3 µM) ABA, 0 or 10 mM KCl, 1.5 g/l activated charcoal, 30 g/l sucrose, and 6 g/l agar. Without PEG in the maturation medium, most somatic embryos at stage 1 could not mature further. Embryogenic tissues on the maturation medium with 5 to 7.5% PEG consistently produced stage 2 and stage 3 somatic embryos. PEG at 10% significantly decreased the number of stage 2 and 3 embryos compared to PEG at 5 to 7.5% ABA at 40 mg/l (151.3 µM), combined with 7.5% PEG and 10 mM KCl, gave the maximum number of stage 3 embryos in both cell lines. ABA at 10 mg/l (37.8 µM) induced an over-proliferation of embryogenic tissues and generally failed to produce mature embryos. KCl also significantly enhanced initial stage embryo formation and subsequent embryo maturation.
Lake Water Temperature Simulation Model

Functional relationships to describe surface wind mixing, vertical turbulent diffusion, convective heat transfer, and radiation penetration based on data from lakes in Minnesota have been developed. These relationships have been introduced by regressing model parameters found either by analysis of field data or by calibration (minimizing the difference between measured and predicted temperatures) in simulations on individual lakes, against gross lake properties such as surface area or Secchi depth. Results of the deterministic lake water temperature stratification model using the functional relationships are not much different than results using the individual calibrations on a great variety of lake surface areas, depths, and transparencies. The model also requires no on‐lake weather but uses input from existing off‐lake weather stations. First order uncertainty analysis showed moderate sensitivity of simulated lake water temperatures to model coefficients. The numerical model which can be used without ca...
Massively Parallel Algorithms for Real-Time Wavefront Control of a Dense Adaptive Optics System

Massively parallel algorithms and architectures for real-time wavefront control of a dense adaptive optic system (SELENE) are presented. We have already shown that the computation of a near optimal control algorithm for SELENE can be reduced to the solution of a discrete Poisson equation on a regular domain. Although this represents an optimal computation, due to the large size of the system and the high sampling rate requirement, the implementation of this control algorithm poses a computationally challenging problem since it demands a sustained computational throughput of the order of 10 GFlops. We develop a novel algorithm, designated as Fast Invariant Imbedding algorithm, which offers a massive degree of parallelism with simple communication and synchronization requirements. We also discuss two massively parallel, algorithmically specialized, architectures for low-cost and optimal implementation of the Fast Invariant Imbedding algorithm.
An experimental study of the radon-content of soil-gas

The experiment at Fordham is the first investigation of its kind in this country since 1912, when J. C. SANDERSON examined the radon-content of the soil-gas in New Haven, Connecticut. The present investigation was made in conjunction with Dr. VICTOR F. HESS'S analogous study of the penetrating-radiation of the soil.
Tandem betatron accelerator

1407_50The tandem betatron is a compact, high-current induction accelerator that has the capability to accelerate electrons to an energy of order one gigavolt. Based upon the operating principle of a conventional betatron, the tandem betatron employs two synchronized induction cores operating 180 degrees out of phase. Embedded within the cores are the vacuum chambers, and these are connected by linear transport sections to allow for moving the beam back and forth between the two betatrons. The 180 degree phase shift between the core fluxes permits the circumvention of the flux swing constraint that limits the maximum energy gain of a conventional betatron. By transporting the beam between the synchronized cores, an electron can access more than one acceleration cycle, and thereby continue to gain energy. This added degree of freedom also permits a significant decrease in the size of the magnet system. Biasing coils provide independent control of the confining magnetic field. Provided that efficient beam switching can be performed, it appears feasible that a one gigavolt electron beam can be generated and confined. At this energy, a high current electron beam circulating in a one meter radius orbit could provide a very intense source of short wavelength ((lambda) < 10 nm) synchrotron radiation. This has direct application to the emerging field of x-ray lithography. At more modest energies (10 MeV-30 MeV) a compact tandem betatron could be employed in the fields of medical radiation therapy, industrial radiography, and materials processing.© (1991) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Molecular basis for tooth eruption and its clinical implications in orthodontic tooth movement

Abstract The process of tooth eruption is a complex sequence of biological eventswhich leads to the timely eruption of teeth in the oral cavity. The factors responsible for the initiation of this process and its timely occurrence are still controversial and subject to intensive research efforts. In this article, the authors review some of the fundamental aspects and principles involved in the eruption process of teeth and discuss the factors involved in delayed eruption. In addition, clinical situations are discussed in which the absence of tooth eruption in a significant portion of the dentition causes great clinical challenges in orthodontic patient management. Also specific clinical situations which may be of help to the clinician are described. From an orthodontic standpoint, the sequenced and timely eruption of teeth in the oral cavity is critical to the timing of treatment initiation as well as the selection of treatment modalities. Treatment length may also be directly associated with the timely eruption of teeth and a better understanding of this process may help managing patients more efficiently.
Propagation-vectors for trees (PVT): concise yet effective summaries for hierarchical data and trees

Summarization of hierarchical data and metadata is a fundamental operation in applications in many domains. In particular, similarity search of hierarchical data, such as XML, would benefit greatly from concise and indexable summaries. This is especially true in P2P scenarios, where the search needs to be done in a distributed fashion on multiple peers. This situation requires summaries which are small, yet effective in identifying potential peers that need to be further explored. In this paper, we propose a method, called propagation-vectors for trees (PVT) which constructs very concise and accurate summaries of hierarchical data, such as XML trees. We then show how to use this summary to perform similarity search on summarized data. The proposed summarization scheme relies on a label-propagation mechanism, which constructs an n-dimensional vector from a given tree with n unique data labels. Experimental results have shown that the constructed PVT summaries capture the structure of the input trees very accurately, the representations are highly concise, and that the search based on these summaries are faster than the existing approaches.
Specific transduction and labeling of pancreatic ducts by targeted recombinant viral infusion into mouse pancreatic ducts

Specific labeling of pancreatic ducts has proven to be quite difficult. Such labeling has been highly sought after because of the power it would confer to studies of pancreatic ductal carcinogenesis, as well as studies of the source of new insulin-producing β-cells. Cre-loxp recombination could, in theory, lineage-tag pancreatic ducts, but results have been conflicting, mainly due to low labeling efficiencies. Here, we achieved a high pancreatic duct labeling efficiency using a recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) with a duct-specific sox9 promoter infused into the mouse common biliary/pancreatic duct. We saw rapid, diffuse duct-specific labeling, with 50 and 89% labeling in the pancreatic tail and head region, respectively. This highly specific labeling of ducts should greatly enhance our ability to study the role of pancreatic ducts in numerous aspects of pancreatic growth, development and function.
The Quality of Management Forecasts of Capital Expenditures and Store Openings

We study the quality of retailers' forecasts of planned capital expenditures and store openings. We examine five desirable attributes of management forecast quality: unbiasedness, efficiency, explanatory power, incremental informativeness, and sufficient-statistic efficiency (meaning that the forecasts summarize all available information). We find forecasts are unbiased, have high explanatory power and have substantial incremental informativeness relative to alternative historical information. In our in sample tests, we find evidence of inefficiency and sufficient statistic inefficiency, but our out of sample tests find no significant evidence of either. That suggests that it is difficult to improve on these management forecasts. Overall the evidence indicates that these forecasts are of high quality. These findings contribute to our understanding of the general quality of MD&A information, management forecasts in general, and the reasons why MD&A disclosures are associated with future accounting results and reduced cost of capital. The findings also provide some support for recent arguments that encourage requiring information on the ex post accuracy of estimates.
Method of belotserkovskii for asymmetric blunt-body flows

Figures 3 and 4 show the corresponding results for m = 2 and ra = 3, respectively. As in Fig. 2, the various correlation systems show wide differences up to the time of Amax but they agree well subsequently. The values of n corresponding to Amax are seen to be, approximately, 2, 3, and 4 for the cases m = 1, 2, and 3, whereas in Table 1 the corresponding values for Km&* are n = 1, 1.1, and 1.2, respectively. To summarize, the correlation system has been shown to have limited usefulness. The parameter K in Eq. (5) is not a reliable guide to the magnitude of the reduction in torsional stiffness since maximum values of K and A do not correspond, and the latter is a more useful parameter to assess the reduction, Eq. (11).
Segmenting Echocardiographic Image Sequences Using Expert Labeling

Echocardiographic images are generally of poor quality. From a strict gray scale perspective, there are few edges which correspond to the underlying anatomy. Trained ultrasonographers must use considerable a priori information regarding normal human anatomy and use this information extensively to 'fill in' the missing and scanty details of a typical echocardiogram. Due to these constraints, the conventional image processing approaches often fail miserably for echocardiographic images. Knowledge-based approaches for segmenting echo images have been proposed in the recent past; these appear to be much more successful. One of the limitations of knowledge-based approaches is that the acquisition of knowledge and the formation of rules is a relatively difficult task. Moreover, there are instances where experts may have different opinions; this is specially true in the context of echocardiographic images. Additionally, it is much more difficult to codify the expert's knowledge at the image level. Considering these factors plus the typical medical research scenario, where a series of images are acquired at one sitting for a patient, we present in this paper an approach for segmenting echocardiographic image sequences by directly acquiring the expert's knowledge at the image level. The present implementation yields a look up table capturing the expert's knowledge leading to near real time segmentation of echocardiographic images. The results obtained are quite in agreement with the segmentations obtained through trained ultrasonographers.
Apolipoprotein-B-containing plasma lipoproteins in health and in disease.

Coronary heart disease is declining slowly in many affluent nations, although it remains their major cause of death and disability. In sharp contrast, many societies in Eastern Europe are experiencing a substantial increase in atherosclerotic heart attack, possibly due largely to diets rich in saturated fat and cholesterol and to smoking. Most fats and cholesterol are transported in blood plasma in lipoproteins. Many studies implicate excessive blood levels of particles containing apolipoprotein B∗ (apo B) in the atherogenic process although apo-B-containing particles (very low density lipoproteins, low-density lipoproteins, and chylomicrons) are essential for good health as shown by the genetic disease of abetalipoproteinemia (abeta) in which these particles are absent. Recent research has identified a probable defect in abeta, the apparent absence of microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTP) that may be obligatory for core lipidation of apo B in the rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER). This discovery coincides with the articulation of a novel concept called the two-step hypothesis of triglyceride-rich particle assembly in hepatocytes and enterocytes forming very low density lipoproteins and chylomicrons, respectively. The first step is predicted to be dependent on MTP core lipidating full-length apo B that is firmly bound to the RER membrane. Core lipidation of apo B releases a small apo-B-rich particle from the RER membrane into the RER lumen. A larger triglyceride-rich but apo-B-deficient particle is formed independently in the smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER). Usually, an apo-B-rich small particle formed in the RER coalesces with an apo-B-deficient larger particle from the SER as the second step of assembly of nascent triglyceride-rich particles for secretion. In several conditions, small apo-B-rich particles formed in the first step in the RER are secreted directly into the blood, bypassing the second step. These new concepts of the mechanisms of origin of apo-B-containing plasma lipoproteins may soon facilitate dietary and pharmacologic interventions that lower blood levels of apo B, reducing the incidence of heart attack and stroke.
Evaluation of postponement structures to accommodate mass customization

Abstract In order to meet increasing customer demands for more diverse product offerings, firms are revising their supply chain structures to accommodate mass customization. The revised structures often involve delaying the delivery of the products until after the customer orders arrive, termed time postponement (TP), or delaying the differentiation of the products until later production stages, termed form postponement (FP). We develop models representing possible implementations of the TP and FP structures and compare their performance in total supply chain cost and expected customer waiting times. We find that once the number of different products increases above some threshold level, the TP structure is preferred under both performance metrics. For the most general model, a numerical experiment was designed to investigate how different factors affect the performance of the TP and FP structures. Through this experiment we show that higher arrival time and process time variations make the FP structure more favorable while increases in the number of products and higher interest rates make the TP structure more favorable. We also offer guidance to managers using either structure on where to allocate resources for performance improvement. For example, to improve the customer waiting times under the FP structure, increasing the coverage of the generic component and reducing the number of products provide larger benefits than reducing the variability of the arrival and process times.
An Analysis of Latino Poverty and a Plan of Action

Abstract This paper provides a broad overview of the current poverty status of Latinos in the United States. Data from the 1996 U.S. Census indicates that poverty affects Latinos disproportionately and that Latinos' low educational attainment and poor occupational status participation have a great impact on the current poverty conditions of Latinos. Also discussed are the effects of poverty on the well-being of Latinos. The findings from the U.S. Census and several major health surveys suggest that there is a relationship between poverty and Latino current health and educational status. Recommendations are made by the author to alleviate the conditions of poverty faced by Latinos.
PCBs, DDE, and child development at 18 and 24 months

To determine whether perinatal exposure to "background" levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) or dichlorodiphenyldichloroethene (DDE) affected child development, we followed a cohort of children through the age of 2 years; 676 were tested at 18 months and 670 at 24 months with the Bayley Scales. Transplacental and cumulative exposures from breast milk to both chemicals were estimated for each child from analyses of breast milk and other samples. Bayley testing was done without knowing the chemical levels. At 18 and 24 months, adjusted scores on the psychomotor scales were 4 to 9 points lower among children in the top fifth percentile of transplacental PCB exposure, significantly so at 24 months. There were no consistent effects apparent from exposure to PCBs through breast milk, nor from DDE exposure. We conclude that there is a small delay in motor maturation attributable to transplacental exposure to PCBs that is still detectable at 24 months. There is no evidence of an effect from the larger but later exposure through breast milk, although effects may emerge as the children age.
Collecting, interpreting, and merging fish telemetry data from an AUV: Remote sensing from an already remote platform

Chemical and hydrological AUV sensors (e.g. C, T, 02, CDOM, Chlorophyll a) collect information about water in contact with or in close proximity to the vehicle. Sonar (e.g. ADCF, side scan, dual beam, and multibeam) collect data about features distant on the scale of tens of meters away and linked to coordinates. In contrast, acoustic tags implanted in fishes or other marine fauna can be detected at distances greater than a kilometer away, which brings special considerations to data treatment and merging. In the case of telemetry systems that log sound pressure levels, relative signal strength can be used to produce proximity maps using regression. For systems with invariant signal timing, a synthetic aperture engine can calculate location of the tag if a suitable AUV path produces a good aperture. In the common case where both of these conditions are lacking, the tag position must be assigned to a place along the vehicle's path. The use of tags that broadcast information from their own sensors (e.g. pressure, temperature) can help resolve both the position and environment of the distant tag. An empirically-fashioned hierarchical decision matrix based on numerous AUV-fish telemetry missions in shallow and deep (<3m to 600m) water assists in mission planning, data processing, and displaying AUV-collected data about telemetered fauna and their environment.
Thermomechanical Behavior of Low CTE Metal-Matrix Composites Fabricated Through Ultrasonic Additive Manufacturing

Shape memory and superelastic NiTi are often utilized for their large strain recovery and actuation properties. The objective of this research is to utilize the stresses generated by pre-strained NiTi as it is heated in order to tailor the CTE of metal-matrix composites. The composites studied consist of an Al 3003-H18 matrix with embedded NiTi ribbons fabricated through an emerging rapid prototyping process called Ultrasonic Additive Manufacturing (UAM). The thermally-induced strain of the composites is characterized and results show that the two key parameters in adjusting the effective CTE are the NiTi volume fraction and prestrain of the embedded NiTi. From the observed behavior, a constitutive composite model is developed based constitutive SMA models and strain matching composite models. Additional composites were fabricated to characterize the NiTi-Al interface through EDS and DSC. These methods were used to investigate the possibility of metallurgical bonding between the ribbon and matrix and determine interface shear strength. Interface investigation indicates that mechanical coupling is accomplished primarily through friction and the shear strength of the interface is 7.28 MPa. Finally, using the developed model, a composite was designed and fabricated to achieve a near zero CTE. The model suggests that the finished composite will have a zero CTE at a temperature of 135°C.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Progress towards prognostic health management of passive components in advanced small modular reactors

Sustainable nuclear power to promote energy security and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are two key national energy priorities. The development of deployable small modular reactors (SMRs) is expected to support these objectives by developing technologies that improve the reliability, sustain safety, and improve affordability of new reactors. Advanced SMRs (AdvSMRs) refer to a specific class of SMRs and are based on modularization of advanced reactor concepts. Prognostic health management (PHM) systems can benefit both the safety and economics of deploying AdvSMRs and can play an essential role in managing the inspection and maintenance of passive components in AdvSMR systems. This paper describes progress on development of an experimental setup for testing and validation of PHM systems for AdvSMR passive components. The experimental set-up for validation of prognostic algorithms is focused on thermal creep degradation as the prototypic degradation mechanism. The test bed enables accelerated thermal creep aging of materials relevant to AdvSMRs along with multiple nondestructive evaluation (NDE) measurements for assessment of thermal creep damage. NDE techniques include eddy current, magnetic Barkhausen noise (MBN), and linear and non-linear ultrasonic measurements. Details of the test-bed design as well as initial measurements results for specimens at different levels of thermal creep damage are presented.
Possible bursting phenomena in self-tuning control

In this paper, in the case when there are no modelling errors, bursting phenomena in extended-least-squares- (ELS-) based self-tuning control are analysed. It is shown that in the absence of external excitation and without imposing structural conditions on the system model, bursts of the tracking error and consequently drift of the parameter estimates are possible. By analysing the possible occurrence of bursting, an upper bound on the convergence rate of the tracking error is established. It is demonstrated that it is the self-excitation mechanism which provides global stability of the adaptive system. In other words, the possible instability of the adaptive loop generates a bounded condition number of the covariance matrix. This in turn implies stabilization of the adaptive system. In this paper we also discuss a stochastic gradient algorithm with a convergence rate similar to that presently established for the ELS-based self-tuning controller.
Spatial Frequency Analysis Of Three-Dimensional Vision

The concept of spatial frequency has been a useful tool in evaluating two-dimensional imaging systems. In three-dimensional imaging the spatial frequency concept must be applied to the disparity function as well as to the luminance function. Sensitivity functions of human observers to various combinations of luminance and disparity spatial frequencies have been obtained. Taken together, these constitute a three-dimensional transfer function which should be useful in optimizing stereo display systems.© (1982) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Nonstress delayed-enhancement magnetic resonance imaging of the myocardium predicts improvement of function after revascularization for chronic ischemic heart disease with left ventricular dysfunction ☆

Abstract Background The extent of myocardial scarring of the left ventricle (LV) is important in patients with chronic ischemic heart disease (CIHD). With delayed-enhancement magnetic resonance imaging (DE-MRI), scarred myocardium (hyper-enhanced) is easily distinguishable from viable (dark) myocardium. This investigation assessed the use of DE-MRI for predicting functional improvement after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in patients with CIHD and significant LV dysfunction. Methods The patient population (n = 29) with CIHD and LV dysfunction (ejection fraction 28% ± 10%) underwent both DE-MRI, to delineate scarred regions before revascularization, and echocardiography (Echo), to assess segmental function before and after CABG (interval 188 ± 57 days). Using a 16-segment model, LV myocardium was semiquantitatively analyzed for scarring based on DE-MRI and for improvements in resting function by pre- and post-CABG Echo. Results Before CABG, 82% of targeted myocardial segments had abnormal contraction; 78% showed scarring, including 38% with greater than mild amounts (25%–100%). Normal contraction was found in 18% of segments before revascularization; scarred areas were identified in 42%, 84% of which had, at most, minimal amounts (0%–24%). Of segments with pre-CABG dysfunction, 82% with no evidence of scar recovered, compared to only 18% with ≥50% scarring. Amount of hyper-enhancement was a very good indicator of improvement of function, especially at the ≥50%/segment threshold; overall accuracy was 0.74 (95% CI 0.66–0.82, P Conclusions In patients with CIHD and significant LV dysfunction, DE-MRI can predict likelihood of functional improvement after revascularization.
Thermal compatibility of dental ceramic systems using cylindrical and spherical geometries.

Abstract Objective To test the hypothesis that bilayer ceramic cylinders and spheres can provide valid confirmation of thermal incompatibility stresses predicted by finite element analyses. Methods A commercial core ceramic and an experimental core ceramic were used to fabricate open-ended cylinders and core ceramic spheres. The core cylinders and spheres were veneered with one of four commercial dental ceramics representing four thermally compatible groups and four thermally incompatible groups. Axisymmetric thermal and viscoelastic elements in the ANSYS finite element program were used to calculate temperatures and stresses for each geometry and ceramic combination. This process required a transient heat transfer analysis for each combination to determine input temperatures for the structural model. Results After fabrication, each specimen was examined visually using fiberoptic transillumination for evidence of cracking. There were 100% failures of the thermally incompatible cylinders while none of the thermally compatible combinations failed. Among the spheres, 100% of the thermally incompatible systems failed, 16% of one of the thermally compatible systems failed, and none of the remaining compatible combinations failed. The calculated stress values were in general agreement with the experimental observations, i.e., low residual stresses for the specimens that did not fail and high residual stresses for the specimens that did fail. Significance Simple screening geometries can be used to identify highly incompatible ceramic combinations, but they do not identify marginally incompatible systems.
Aminoacyl transfer from adenylate anhydride to the 2'OH groups along the backbone of polyribonucleotides.

Abstract This work reports the transfer of the N-acetylglycine from the adenylate anhydride to the 2′OH groups along the backbone of homopolyribonucleotides. This transfer involves an N-acetylglycylimidazole intermediate; no transfer was observed in the absence of imidazole, and the rate of transfer was different for the various polynucleotides: poly U > poly A > poly C = poly G = 0. These results suggest that catalysis is necessary for transfer of aminoacyl from adenylates to polyribonucleotides and the data are consistent with a model involving a histidine residue in the active site of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases. They are also consistent with a model for primordial protein formation involving polymerization of amino acids which are attached at the 2′OH groups along the polyribonucleotide backbone.
Visible Region Polarization Spectroscopic Studies of Template-Synthesized Gold Nanoparticles Oriented in Polyethylene

We have obtained visible range polarization spectra of template-synthesized gold nanoparticles oriented in polyethylene (PE). The plasmon resonance extinction bands observed with the incident electric field polarized parallel, perpendicular, and at intermediate angles to the direction of friction orientation are consistent with the long axis of the particles being aligned with the gross orientation axis. For all particle sizes considered (radii 16, 38, and 60 nm) the degree of linear dichroism increases with the amount of gold deposited in the template synthesis step prior to extraction and orientation. The experimental spectra agree with the predictions of the Rayleigh, Maxwell−Garnett, and dynamical Maxwell−Garnett theories only qualitatively. All of these treatments fail to predict the dependence of the spectral extinction intensities on the polarization angle θ. T-matrix scattering calculations suggest that the contribution from electric quadrupole modes cannot be ignored in the 38 and 60 nm radius pa...
Evidence that pioglitazone, metformin and pentoxifylline are inhibitors of glycation

Enhanced formation and accumulation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) have been proposed to play a major role in the pathogenesis of diabetic complications, and atherosclerosis, leading to the development of a range of diabetic complications including nephropathy, retinopathy and neuropathy. Several potential drug candidates as AGE inhibitors have been reported recently. Aminoguanidine is the first drug extensively studied. However, there are no currently available medications known to block AGE formation. We have previously reported a number of novel and structurally diverse compounds as potent inhibitors of glycation and AGE formation. We have now studied several of the existing drugs, which are in therapeutic practice for lowering blood sugar or the treatment of peripheral vascular disease in diabetic patients, for possible inhibitory effects on glycation. We show that that three compounds; pioglitazone, metformin and pentoxifylline are also inhibitors of glycation.