cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Targeting macrophages by an aza-anthrapyrazole to ameliorate experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

Abstract Background Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an immune-mediated neurodegenerative disease in the central nerve system, in which both innate and adaptive immune cells are involved. BBR3378, an aza-anthrapyrazole prevents experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an inflammatory condition similar to MS, by antagonizing T cell autoimmune responses. Here, we report BBR3378’s regulatory effect on macrophages. Methods EAE was induced in ten-week-old female C57BL/6 mice by immunization with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein peptides followed by BBR3378 or sham treatment administered intraperitoneally, and clinical signs were assessed using a 0–5 scoring system. These mice were subjected to serum ELISA for cytokine IFNγ and TNFα levels, RT qPCR analysis of macrophage markers in isolated monocytes, and flow cytometry analysis for macrophage infiltration in the brain. Macrophages derived from primary monocytes and macrophage cell line RAW 264.7 were used to investigate BBR3378’s effect on LPS-stimulated pro-inflammatory cytokine induction. RAW 264.7 cells expressing NF-κB-driven luciferase reporter were treated with LPS with or without BBR3378, and luciferase assays performed to assess the inhibition on NF-κB activation. LPS-induced activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) with or without the presence of BBR3378 was also investigated by Western blot analysis. Results BBR3378 down-regulated cytokine-induced macrophage differentiation and activation in EAE mice, contributing to protection against macrophage infiltration in the brain and clinical symptoms from EAE. Treating macrophages with BBR3378 counteracted LPS-induced cytokine production via blocking activation of key signal molecules mediating inflammatory responses, such as NF-κB and MAPKs. Conclusions These data suggest that in addition to T cells, BBR3378 can also target macrophages to attenuate the inflammation associated with EAE.
Oxygen evolution electrocatalysis using mixed metal oxides under acidic conditions: Challenges and opportunities

Abstract Shaping the energy landscape through development of more efficient electrochemical energy conversion and storage devices requires significant advancements in the catalysis of key electrochemical processes involving oxygen. This is especially the case for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), which is largely challenged by the cost-ineffectiveness of the best performing electrocatalysts (i.e., Ru, Ir), along with their limited stability under acidic conditions. This presents a roadblock in the development of robust acid-based polymer exchange membrane electrochemical systems, currently the most advanced technologies for electrochemical energy conversion. Approaches such as dilution of Ru/Ir into flexible mixed metal oxide frameworks have been used as alternative strategies in designing robust OER electrocatalysts. Herein, we discuss the state of research in this area and detail the effect of the composition and structure of mixed metal oxides on their acidic OER activity and stability. Future directions for developing mixed metal oxide electrocatalysts suitable for acidic electrochemical environments are devised.
Can anesthetics affect bladder cancer recurrence? Total intravenous versus volatile anesthesia in patients undergoing robot-assisted radical cystectomy: A single institution retrospective analysis.

Abstract Background Radical cystectomy is standard of care and part of a multidisciplinary approach for long-term survival in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) or high-grade non-MIBC. Recent data have suggested that anesthetic technique can affect long-term survival and recurrence in patients undergoing cancer related surgery. Methods The records of all patients who underwent robot-assisted radical cystectomy for high-risk non-MIBC or MIBC at a single academic institution from 2014 to 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were grouped according to whether they received total intravenous (TIVA) or volatile inhalation anesthesia (VIA). Univariable and multivariable cox proportional hazards models were used to compare hazard ratios for distant recurrence. Kaplan-Meier recurrence-free survival curves were constructed from the date of surgery to recurrence. Results A total of 231 patients were included, of which 126 (55%) received TIVA and 105 (45%) received VIA. Distant recurrence occurred in 8.7% and 26.7% of patients who received TIVA and VIA, respectively (P Conclusions The use of volatile inhalation anesthetics during robot-assisted radical cystectomy may be associated with an increased risk of distant recurrence. Further studies will be necessary to validate these findings.
Nasal DNA Methylation Architecture of the {ACE2} gene and Epigenetic Aging

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has led to the global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. SARS-CoV-2 enters cells via angiotensin-Converti...
Not just a 'drain': venules sprout brain capillaries

The cerebral cortex requires a dense, highly organized network of vasculature that ensures high-volume and continuous oxygen delivery to metabolically active neuronal circuits. In a recent paper, Coelho-Santos et al. used in vivo two-photon microscopy to reveal how this precise network is constructed during a short window of mouse postnatal development.
Numerical Experiments with Three-Scale Space Filtering Approach Applied to Periodic Burgers’ Flow

The range of scales occurring in natural flows is so wide that when, in the context of numerical simulations, one attempts to select grid sizes and time steps in such a way that the associated scales lie in the inertial subrange, the required computational effort may be considerable with presently available computer resources, even when time filtering is introduced. Thus, the basic motivation behind the development of the three-scale filtering approach was the provision of means to simulate an intermediate range of scales, thereby relaxing the resolution requirement associated with two-scale approaches.
On the non-existence of maximum likelihood estimates for the extended exponential power distribution and its generalizations

Abstract In this work, we show that the maximum likelihood estimates fail to exist for the extended exponential power distribution and its univariate generalizations.
Variability of the coherent arrivals extracted from low-frequency deep-ocean ambient noise correlations

Correlation processing of ocean noise can be used to develop totally passive ocean monitoring methods. Using various hydrophone pair orientations, this study investigates the frequency dependence, seasonal variability, and emergence rate of coherent arrivals from cross-correlations of low frequency ambient noise (f < 40 Hz) recorded on triangular hydrophones arrays. These arrays are located at five existing hydroacoustic stations of the International Monitoring System (IMS), situated in the deep-sound channel, and distributed across the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Ocean basins. For the majority of studied sites, persistent and fast-emerging coherent arrivals are reliably obtained if the axis connecting the selected hydrophone pair has a direct line-of-sight with regions of the globe containing stable and diffuse noise sources (e.g., polar-ice or seismic noise). Furthermore, for this favorable orientation, the emergence rate of coherent arrivals extracted between hydrophone pairs separated by long ranges (here ∼130 km) can be approximated based on measurements made between hydrophone pairs separated by short ranges (∼2 km) in the Atlantic Ocean. Hence, results from this study, obtained using existing hydrophone configurations of the IMS hydroacoustic stations, could be used to guide the placement of other hydrophone arrays over the globe for future long-range passive ocean monitoring experiments.
Choosing designs of calibration transducer electronic data sheets

The IEEE 1451.2 standard introduced the notion of a calibration Transducer Electronic Data Sheet (TEDS), which contains the information needed by software for mapping between transducer-side values and physical unit values. When a calibration TEDS entry is created for a transducer, a calibration model (the degree of the multinomials and the placement of segment boundaries) must be chosen. Calibration TEDS must fit into small memories, and hardware floating point support is typically unavailable for correction function evaluation, but uncertainty due to error fitting the correction function must be minimized. This paper considers the computing of TEDS memory consumption, the number of floating point computations required for each correction, and the uncertainty when the correction function is a spline. It also describes a prototype tool that makes these computations and graphs them in forms intended to be of use in making calibration model design tradeoffs. The tool also contains a facility for automatic selection of "best" designs.
Vadose Zone Microbiology

The vadose zone is defined as the portion of the terrestrial subsurface that extends from the land surface downward to the water table. As such, it comprises the surface soil (the rooting zone), the underlying subsoil, and the capillary fringe that directly overlies the water table. The unsaturated zone between the rooting zone and the capillary fringe is termed the "intermediate zone" (Chapelle, 1993). The vadose zone has also been defined as the unsaturated zone, since the sediment pores and/or rock fractures are generally not completely water filled, but instead contain both water and air. The latter characteristic results in the term "zone of aeration" to describe the vadose zone. The terms "vadose zone," "unsaturated zone", and "zone of aeration" are nearly synonymous, except that the vadose zone may contain regions of perched water that are actually saturated. The term "subsoil" has also been used for studies of shallow areas of the subsurface immediately below the rooting zone. This review focuses almost exclusively on the unsaturated region beneath the soil layer since there is already an extensive body of literature on surface soil microbial communities and process, e.g., Paul and Clark (1989), Metting (1993), Richter and Markowitz, (1995), and Sylviamore » et al. (1998); whereas the deeper strata of the unsaturated zone have only recently come under scrutiny for their microbiological properties.« less
Pilot-Scale Demonstration of Two-Phase Anaerobic Digestion of Activated Sludge

An innovative pilot-scale two-phase anaerobic digestion process was developed to stabilize concentrated (7-5%) activated sludge at a 12-day SRT and a loading rate of 5 kg VS/m 3 d. The pilot system exhibited an unusually high VS reduction of 73%, an aggregated carbohydrate-protein-lipid reduction of 71%, and a methane yield of 0.3 m 3 /kg VS added. Optimum acidogenic fermentation producing 9500 mg/l of organic acids was achieved at an HRT of 3 days and a loading rate of 16 kg VS/m 3 .d or higher. Enhanced acidogenic hydrolysis and prehydrolysis of polymerics and nocardial residues eliminated digester foaming. Sulfate and nitrate reductions, and syntrophic methane fermentation occurred during acidogenic conversions. Acetogenesis and aceticlastic methane fermentation were predominant in the methane digester, which generated 93% of the system methane production. Contrary to literature reports, there was no inhibition of acetogens or methanogens at a high ammonia-N concentration of 2500 mg/l and pH 7.7. The acid and methane digesters could be started quickly. They were resilient to temperature drops and loading fluctuations. Acid fermentation of 8% of the plant9s WAS and addition of the resulting fermentation products (enzymes, organic acids, etc.) to the full-scale high-rate digester increased VS reduction by 46% and eliminated severe foaming. Full-scale two-phase digestion of WAS is scheduled to start in 1990.
Deciphering Sedition in Sab

Abstract The colliding agendas of abolitionism, feminism, and nationalism that coexist within Avellaneda's Sab (1841) have encumbered a clear ideological interpretation of the novel. If recent scholarship has demonstrated that Sab functions more as a narrative of feminist liberation than slave emancipation, the critical inclination towards the feminist reading—albeit sound—has overshadowed a handful of seemingly anomalous moments in which the title character alludes to slave uprisings. After one of Sab's insurrectionary moments, the narrator even situates the protagonist's remarks, and the white characters' reaction to them, within the context of the prolonged conflicts that comprise the Haitian revolution (1789–1804). The violent language might cause fleeting discomfort or confusion for the white landowners; however, Sab's words do not bring about any disastrous effect. This study will posit that the coalescence of the incendiary speech and the references to the French colony provides Avellaneda with a s...
Surgical treatment of complications resulting from irradiation therapy of cervical cancer.

Abstract The surgical principles involved in the diagnosis and correction of necrotic lesions following irradiation therapy have been discussed. These include skin necrosis, irradiation proctitis, irradiation necrosis of the cervix and vagina, and multiple genital fistulas. Illustrative cases of each category have been presented and the method of treatment used covered in detail.
Security ontology to facilitate web service description and discovery

Annotation with security-related metadata enables discovery of resources that meet security requirements. This paper presents the NRL Security Ontology, which complements existing ontologies in other domains that focus on annotation of functional aspects of resources. Types of security information that could be described include mechanisms, protocols, objectives, algorithms, and credentials in various levels of detail and specificity. The NRL Security Ontology is more comprehensive and better organized than existing security ontologies. It is capable of representing more types of security statements and can be applied to any electronic resource. The class hierarchy of the ontology makes it both easy to use and intuitive to extend. We applied this ontology to a Service Oriented Architecture to annotate security aspects of Web service descriptions and queries. A refined matching algorithm was developed to perform requirement-capability matchmaking that takes into account not only the ontology concepts, but also the properties of the concepts.
Fuzzy-based model for predicting lighting efficiency in institutional buildings

In the USA, Lighting energy consumption in commercial buildings is considered one of the major energy consumption. Occupants' presence and behavior in buildings as well as environmental, physical, activities types and policies have large impact on electric lighting usage. This study examines the effect of previous factors on occupants preferences and therefore on electric lighting energy consumption in the workplaces. The data was collected using a questionnaire from the occupants of institutional buildings at Purdue University. This study investigates the occupants' preferences of daylighting intensity in the workplace, and develop a model to predict the lighting energy performance of manually electric lighting. The model is based on hierarchical fuzzy expert system. The developed research /model will help architects and practitioners to design an efficient workplace daylighting, and reduce artificial lighting energy use.
Renal Handling of Proteins and Polypeptides

The sections in this article are: 1 Endocytosis 1.1 Fluid-Phase Endocytosis 1.2 Adsorptive Endocytosis 1.3 Nature and Functions of Endosomes 1.4 Lysosomal Hydrolysis of Absorbed Proteins 2 Renal Uptake and Extraction of Proteins and Polypeptides 2.1 Renal Accumulation of Administered Proteins 2.2 Nephron and Intracellular Localization of Protein Uptake 2.3 Renal Extraction and Turnover of Circulating Proteins 3 Filtration of Proteins 4 Tubular Absorption of Filtered Proteins 4.1 Effect of Inhibitors 4.2 Effect of Protein Charge 4.3 Competition for Tubular Uptake 4.4 Selective Constraint Model 4.5 Tubular Absorption of Albumin 4.6 Urinary Proteins and Proteinurias 5 Intracellular Transport and Hydrolysis of Absorbed Proteins 5.1 Vesicular Transport 5.2 Lysosomal Hydrolysis 5.3 Influence of Lysosomal pH on Renal Hydrolysis of Absorbed Proteins 5.4 Renal Hydrolysis of Absorbed Albumin 5.5 Deposition of Absorbed Protein within Renal Cells 6 Renal Handling of Specific Polypeptide Hormones 6.1 Insulin and Related Peptides 6.2 Glucagon and Related Peptides 6.3 Parathyroid Hormone 6.4 Atrial Natriuretic Factor 7 Conclusions
Authors’ Explanation of the Retraction:

husband’s stroke and divorce. We also reported that we failed to reject the null hypothesis of disease-specific coefficients by gender in all cases. In the corrected analysis, we find that in the case of heart problems and stroke, wife’s onset is a statistically significant predictor of divorce, while husband’s is not. Further, in the case of heart problems, we reject the null hypothesis of equality of coefficients for husband’s and wife’s onset (p < .05) in the corrected analysis, providing evidence of a gendered relationship between heart problems and divorce risk. We now describe the error and how it affects results in detail. This error was brought to our attention following queries from Drs. I-Fen Lin and Susan Brown at Bowling Green State University regarding the paper’s estimate of the percentage of marriages that ended via divorce. After reviewing the Stata .do file that we supplied to them, Drs. Lin and Brown identified an error in one line of code in which marriages lost to attrition (due to attrition of either spouse) were erroneously coded as divorced. This was the basis for the results reported in the previous paper’s (incorrect) estimates that 32% of the marriages in the sample ended in divorce, fewer than 1% were lost to attrition, and 44% remained continuously married. Based on the corrected coding, we estimate 6% of marriages ended via divorce, 24% of marriages ended via widowhood, 34% of marriages remain continuous through the 2010 wave, and 35% of marriages were lost to 550144
Sand dispersion from an ephemeral river delta on the Central California coast

Abstract An ephemeral river delta on the wave-dominated Central California coast was studied to determine how and when river sand was incorporated into the longshore transport regime. The delta, at the mouth of the San Lorenzo River, was built in January 1982 by a 30-year flood. Records of river flow, sediment load and channel volume were used to estimate the river sediment yield. Repeated topographic surveys of the delta and surrounding beaches confirmed the estimates of river yield and traced sand movement from the river mouth. Directional wave data confirmed the direction of longshore sand movement and identified sites of erosion and accretion due to divergence in the longshore transport. Most sand delivered to the delta in flood was deposited seaward of the surfzone. About a quarter of this sand was returned shoreward each summer by swell. For a time, wave refraction across the submerged delta trapped the river sand and littoral drift from upcoast on the delta, limiting the sand supply to the beaches downcoast. As storm waves broadened the delta, refraction lessened and the river sand began to disperse alongshore. Longshore dispersion was assisted by seasonal cross-shore movements: directly, through a net longshore creep; and indirectly, through the return of sand from offshore to the surfzone transport. The overall pattern of river sand dispersion was that of a low-amplitude sandwave.
Linkage between ζ-potential and electron donicity of charged polar surfaces 2. Repeptization of flocculation caused by plurivalent counterions by means of complexing agents

Abstract Complete reversal of flocculation of a smectite (SWy-1) suspension previously flocculated by the addition of the plurivalent counterion La3+ was achieved by the addition of complexing agents, e.g. ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid trisodium salt (Na3EDTA) or (NaPO3)6. With the addition of La3+ ions, the particles' surface became more hydrophobic (the electron-donor surface tension parameter γ⊖ decreased from 36.4 to 12.3 mJ m−2) while the ζ-potential decreased (from −60 to −18.5 mV), and the attraction between the particles increased to 90% hydrophobic and 10% van der Waals. When the La3+ ions were removed by complexing agents, the surface hydrophilicity was restored (γ⊖ increased from 12.3 to 36.8 mJ m−2) and repeptization ensued, which was caused primarily by hydrophilic (85%) and secondarily (15%) by electrostatic repulsive forces. Washing with, or dialysis against, distilled water did not result in repeptization. The phenomenon of spontaneous repeptization of flocculated SWy-1 suspensions is also discussed.
Combined elliptical window genioglossus advancement, hyoid bone suspension, and uvulopalatopharyngoplasty decrease apnea hypopnea index and subjective daytime sleepiness in obstructive sleep apnea.

Purpose The objective and subjective outcomes of combined mandibular elliptical window genioglossus advancement, hyoid bone suspension, and uvulopalatopharyngoplasty procedures have not been evaluated. This study was conducted to evaluate postoperative changes in the apnea hypopnea index (AHI) and subjective daytime sleepiness with this combination of procedures in the surgical management of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Patients and Methods This was a retrospective cohort analysis of patients who had undergone combined elliptical window genioglossus advancement, hyoid bone suspension, and uvulopalatopharyngoplasty performed at Allegheny General Hospital (Pittsburgh, PA) from July 1, 2006 through December 31, 2008 for polysomnogram-confirmed OSA. Inclusion criteria included patients who had undergone the combined elliptical window genioglossus advancement, hyoid bone suspension, and uvulopalatopharyngoplasty procedures with preoperative and minimum 6-month postoperative AHI and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). Statistical significance between mean differences of pre- and postoperative AHI and ESS was determined with the 2-tailed paired t test and 95% confidence intervals. Results Thirteen male patients (average age, 43.0 ± 2.4 yr; average follow-up, 18.0 ± 3.6 months) were included in this study. There were statistically significant differences between mean pre- and postoperative AHI (28.3 vs 12.1; P P Conclusion The combined mandibular elliptical window genioglossus advancement, hyoid bone suspension, and uvulopalatopharyngoplasty procedures for the treatment of OSA decrease AHI and subjective daytime sleepiness.
Vapor pressures and amphiphilic association structures

Abstract The vapor pressures in a micellar system of nonionic surfactant/water/phenethyl alcohol were determined. The results in this simple system are compared to those in other systems and the special features of the dependence of vapor pressure on composition and variation of colloidal structure is reviewed with special attention to conditions during evaporation.
Senate Hearing Focuses on Critical Minerals and Efforts to Ensure U.S. Supplies

A discussion about the current severe propane shortage in the U.S. Midwest was not on the agenda for a 28 January hearing on critical minerals held by the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. However, that did not stop committee member Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) from bringing up the topic as “a really stark illustration of what happens when there are disruptions, how dangerous it can be when resources that we absolutely rely on—for, in this case, warmth of our constituents' homes—are disrupted. We need a stable supply of our critical resources.”
Determination of the Multipolarity of Nuclear Electromagnetic Transitions Using a Magnetic Pair Spectrometer

An intermediate-image magnetic pair spectrometer has been modified so as to respond to positron-electron internal pairs emitted at large relative angles ($50\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}\ensuremath{\lesssim}\ensuremath{\theta}\ensuremath{\lesssim}90\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$) thereby making the pair-line transmission depend sensitively on the multipolarity of electromagnetic transitions above 2 MeV. The modification consists of a specially designed spiral baffle system which selects pairs emitted within 105\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} azimuthal sectors on opposite sides of the axis. Measurements are made of the net yield of an internal-pair-conversion coincidence line, both in the normal spectrometer operation (pairs with relative angles $0\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}\ensuremath{\le}\ensuremath{\theta}\ensuremath{\lesssim}90\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$) and with the spiral baffle installed, giving a reduction ratio ${R}_{\ensuremath{\omega}}=\frac{{Y}_{\mathrm{with}\mathrm{baffle}}}{{Y}_{\mathrm{without}\mathrm{baffle}}}$. Experimental ratios were determined for 14 known transitions including $E0$, $E1$, $M1$, $E2$, $M2$, and $E3$ multipoles between 3 and 7 MeV. Theoretical calculations were carried out on the spectrometer transmission, when using the baffle, for $E0$, $E1$ through $E4$, and $M1$ through $M4$ transitions from nonaligned nuclei over a wide energy range. These transmissions were combined with previous calculations of the transmission without the baffle in order to derive curves of ${R}_{\ensuremath{\omega}}(l)$ versus transition energy for the various multipoles. A best fit to the experimental ratios for the known multipoles was made in the calculations by adjusting slightly the values of the mean spectrometer-entrace angle and the sector angle $\ensuremath{\omega}$ of the baffle. The various ratio curves thus obtained are spaced widely enough apart to allow clear multipole assignments to be made in most cases. For mixed transitions from aligned nuclei, calculations were made of correction factors to be applied to the experimentally determined ratios. It is shown how the correction factors can be derived from separate measurements of the angular distributions of the corresponding gamma rays. The method has been applied to a number of previously unassigned transitions in ${\mathrm{Be}}^{10}$, ${\mathrm{B}}^{10}$, ${\mathrm{C}}^{14}$, and ${\mathrm{N}}^{14}$ leading to new spin and parity information on certain levels in these nuclei. In particular, it is found that the ${\mathrm{Be}}^{10}$ 6.18-MeV level and the ${\mathrm{C}}^{14}$ 6.58-MeV level are both ${0}^{+}$ and the ${\mathrm{N}}^{14}$ 5.10-MeV level has odd parity.
Emotional/behavioral difficulties and adolescent obesity: effect of sex and Hispanic origin/race

AbstractThis study examines the relationship between emotional/behavioral difficulties and obesity among US adolescents aged 12–17 using parent-reported data for 11,042 adolescents in the National Health Interview Survey. Obesity was defined as body mass index (BMI) ≥sex/age-specific 95th percentile BMI cut-points from the 2000 CDC Growth Charts. Types of emotional/behavioral difficulties were identified using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Among females, emotional/behavioral difficulties were associated with obesity among non-Hispanic (NH) white and Hispanic adolescents (both those with interviews in English and interviews in Spanish). Among males, emotional/behavioral difficulties were associated with obesity among NH white adolescents and Hispanic males with interviews in English. No association between any difficulties and obesity was found among NH black adolescents, either male or female, or Hispanic males with interviews in Spanish. Awareness of the differing association between emot...
Electronic structure of UPt 3

Fully relativistic linear muffin-tin orbital electronic band-structure results are presented for ${\mathrm{UPt}}_{3}$ in the experimentally observed hexagonal ${\mathrm{SnNi}}_{3}$ crystal structure. The basic electronic structure is a narrow spin-orbit-split U 5f band at the Fermi energy just above a filled Pt 5d band. Hybridization between the two bands removes states from the top of the Pt 5d band and places them in the energy region of the U 5f band. Besides a discussion of hybridization, the total and projected density of states, and bonding, comparison calculations with a different exchange-correlation potential and where three U 5f states have been forced into the core (to simulate localized states) are also presented. In the latter case U 5f hybridization changes the Pt d-band bonding and causes the pressure to increase more than would be expected by a loss of f-electron bonding only. Thus itinerant U f character has important observable effects on the transition-metal d band. To better understand the effects of hybridization, of the transition-metal d band, and of the local crystalline symmetry, band-structure calculations of ${\mathrm{UIr}}_{3}$, ${\mathrm{UPt}}_{3}$, and ${\mathrm{UAu}}_{3}$ in the cubic ${\mathrm{AuCu}}_{3}$ structure are shown and discussed, as well as calculations for pure fcc U and Pt metal. Compared with ${\mathrm{UIr}}_{3}$, ${\mathrm{UPt}}_{3}$ has a much weaker U f and transition-metal d hybridization and in this respect more closely resembles the filled d-band case of ${\mathrm{UAu}}_{3}$.
Measurement of KoL(e3) charge asymmetry

Abstract We have investigated the charge ratio K L o → e + π − ν/ K L o → e − π + ν which may depart from unity due to CP violation. The detector was a charge symmetric spectrometer. We obtained a sample of 640 000 clean events with reconstructed vertex in vacuum and find δ =0.0036±0.0018 after mass absorption corrections.
Assessment of communication technologies and network requirements for different smart grid applications

Our current electric power grid was built over 100 years ago based on simple demand and supply requirements. With emerging technologies, availability of small-scale distributed energy sources and higher customer expectations, two-way information flow, communication architecture, as well as smart sensing and metering technologies are being incorporated into the current power grid. The objective of this paper is to compare different communication technologies and assess their suitability for deployment to serve various smart grid applications. Both wired and wireless communication technologies are compared in terms of their data rates and coverage ranges. Comprehensive assessment is performed to evaluate suitability of different communication technologies for use to enable different smart grid applications based on specific network requirements.
Effects of Long-term Smoking on Myocardial Blood Flow, Coronary Vasomotion, and Vasodilator Capacity

Background—The effect of long-term smoking on coronary vasomotion and vasodilator capacity in healthy smokers is unknown. Methods and Results—Myocardial blood flow (MBF) was quantified with [13N]ammonia and positron emission tomography (PET) at rest, during cold pressor testing (endothelium-dependent vasomotion), and during dipyridamole-induced hyperemia in 16 long-term smokers and 17 nonsmokers. MBF at rest did not differ between the 2 groups. Cold induced similar increases in rate-pressure product (RPP) in smokers and nonsmokers. However, MBF increased only in nonsmokers and was, during cold, higher than in smokers (0.91±0.18 versus 0.78±0.14 mL · g−1 · min−1, P<0.05). MBF normalized to the RPP (derived from the ratio of MBF ([milliliters per gram per minute] to RPP [beats per minute times millimeters of mercury] times 10 000) declined in smokers but remained unchanged in nonsmokers (0.86±0.10 versus 0.72±0.11, P=0.0006, and 0.99±0.25 versus 0.96±0.27, P=NS). The hyperemic response to dipyridamole and t...
A synthetic membrane for testing needle penetration.

Needle performance is primarily judged by its penetration through tissue. For detailed studies of needle performance, tissue is too heterogeneous and unstable and difficult to obtain. A homogeneous, stable, and readily available polyurethane substrate has been evaluated as a suitable alternative to biological tissue for evaluation of needle penetration. The needle penetration profiles through the synthetic substrate correlated very well with those through natural tissue. In addition, the synthetic substrate was sensitive enough to easily detect a 20% increase in the force necessary to penetrate natural tissue. This polyurethane substrate offers a valid alternative to biological tissue for the testing of needle penetration performance. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Abductive reasoning, interpretation and collaborative processes

In this paper we want to examine how the mutual understanding of speakers is reached during a conversation through collaborative processes, and what role is played by abductive inference (in the Peircean sense) in these processes. We do this by bringing together contributions coming from a variety of disciplines, such as logic, philosophy of language and psychology. When speakers are engaged in a conversation, they refer to a supposed common ground: every participant ascribes to the others some knowledge, belief, opinion etc. on which to rely in order to reach mutual understanding. As the conversation unfolds, this common ground is continually corrected and reshaped by the interchanges. An abductive reasoning takes place, in a collaborative setting, in order to build new possible theories about the common ground. In reconstructing this process through the use of a working example, we argue that the integration of a collaborative perspective within the Peircean theory of abduction can help to solve some of the drawbacks that the critics of the latter have outlined, for example its permissivity and non generativity.
Errata: `` Record Allocation for Minimizing Expected Retrieval Costs on Drum-Like Storage Devices''

This paper examines the problem of distributing a set of equal-size records among the sectors of a drum-like storage device in order to exploit known access frequencies and reduce the average access time. A simple catenated search model is defined for which, the problem is shown to be NP-complete. Heuristics are then defined and analyzed in terms of worst-case bounds. It is shown that easily implemented highest-access-frequency-first assignment rules provide an average access time very close to optimal.
Accuracy of roentgen diagnosis in carcinoma of the stomach.

In the review of 861 cases of gastric cancer, the incidence of false-positive radiologic diagnosis was found to be 7.8 per cent. The incidence of false-negative radiologic diagnosis was 8.4 per cent.
Groups of Arithmetical Functions

Here the sum is taken over all positive integer divisors d of n. This somewhat surprising choice of a product is quite fruitful, allowing one to obtain interesting numbertheoretic formulas from simple computations in the ring. In particular, the useful functions mentioned above can all be expressed in terms of two simple elements of this ring. In this MAGAZINE, Berberian [2] discussed (among other things) the group of units of this ring. He showed that τ , σ , and φ can be expressed in terms of two very simple functions and proved that those two functions are linearly independent. In this article we extend his pair to an uncountably infinite set. In the process, we present answers to other questions posed in his article, including a description of the structure of the group of units. In the interest of accessibility, most of the discussion is confined to real-valued arithmetical functions. Except for a bit of abelian group theory, the algebraic ideas come from introductory linear algebra and abstract algebra. For many readers the only novel concept will be Bell series, a powerful tool developed by E. T. Bell in the early twentieth century.
Ionizable side chains at catalytic active sites of enzymes

Catalytic active sites of enzymes of known structure can be well defined by a modern program of computational geometry. The CASTp program was used to define and measure the volume of the catalytic active sites of 573 enzymes in the Catalytic Site Atlas database. The active sites are identified as catalytic because the amino acids they contain are known to participate in the chemical reaction catalyzed by the enzyme. Acid and base side chains are reliable markers of catalytic active sites. The catalytic active sites have 4 acid and 5 base side chains, in an average volume of 1,072 A3. The number density of acid side chains is 8.3 M (in chemical units); the number density of basic side chains is 10.6 M. The catalytic active site of these enzymes is an unusual electrostatic and steric environment in which side chains and reactants are crowded together in a mixture more like an ionic liquid than an ideal infinitely dilute solution. The electrostatics and crowding of reactants and side chains seems likely to be important for catalytic function. In three types of analogous ion channels, simulation of crowded charges accounts for the main properties of selectivity measured in a wide range of solutions and concentrations. It seems wise to use mathematics designed to study interacting complex fluids when making models of the catalytic active sites of enzymes.
Synthesis of 5-bromo-6-methyl imidazopyrazine, 5-bromo and 5-chloro-6-methyl imidazopyridine using electron density surface maps to guide synthetic strategy

Abstract Small heteroaromatic rings are valuable monomers in drug discovery that can enable rapid access to novel and desirable chemical space. Installation of a synthetic handle on a heteroaromatic core may be difficult if steric and electronic factors are not in alignment with the desired transformation. Described are practical routes for the construction of 5-bromo-6-methyl imidazopyrazine (1) as well as 5-bromo and 5-chloro-6-methyl imidazopyridines (2a and 2b), which were developed using electron density surface maps encoded with ionization potential to guide synthetic strategy.
Benchmarking for Business Schools/Colleges: Implementing an Alternative, Partnership Approach

Abstract A brief overview of benchmarking, choosing performance indicators, in higher education is presented prior to discussion of a particular benchmarking partnership that has recently linked five AACSB-accredited business schools in the state of Georgia. An alternative to the more expensive benchmarking approach pioneered by AACSB and Educational Benchmarking, Inc., this Georgia-based partnership offers a flexible and adaptive model for cooperating business schools. A key characteristic of the approach is reliance on a facilitator in the process through which institutional representatives select particular benchmarks, as well as in the gathering and reporting of benchmarks, best practices, and ACT business student satisfaction scores.
Studies on the relationship of the synthesis of prostaglandins to the biological activity of essential fatty acids

Abstract 1. 1. Hypophysectomized immature rats developed scaly tails and feet similar to severe dermal symptoms of an essential fatty acid deficiency in less than 8 weeks after the operation in spite of an abundance of linoleate and arachidonate in the diet. There was no effect of hypophysectomy on the interconversion of linoleate to arachidonate. 2. 2. Studies on the biosynthesis of prostaglandins by the vesicular glands of normal and hypophysectomized sheep indicated that the synthesis of these compounds was impaired by hypophysectomy. These observations suggest that the biological activity of essential fatty acids may be related to prostaglandin synthesis through an endocrine function.
Yeast UAA suppressors effective in ψ+ strains: Leucine-inserting suppressors☆

Over 200 revertants that suppressed three or more UAA markers were isolated in a haploid strain of yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, containing the ψ+ cytoplasmic determinant which increases the efficiency of action of certain suppressors. These revertants were grouped into classes on the basis of suppression of four nutritional markers and the canavanine-resistant marker can1–100, and on the basis of the efficiency of suppression of the cyc1–72 marker which contains a defined UAA mutant codon corresponding to position 06 in iso-1-cytochrome c. Genetic analysis and other tests indicated that 40% of the suppressors were highly efficient and were allelic to one or another of the known tyrosine-inserting suppressors, that 59% of the suppressors were moderately efficient and were allelic to either the previously known serine-inserting suppressor SUP16 or to the newly discovered serine-inserting suppressor SUP17, and that 1% of the suppressors were inefficient and were allelic to the newly discovered SUP26 suppressor. The SUP16 suppressors were shown to be allelic to the previously characterized suppressor SUQ5 whose locus is on the right arm of chromosome XVI. This location and the pattern of suppression suggests that the SUP16 locus may be identical to the previously described SUP15 locus. Genetic analysis established that the newly discovered SUP17 locus is on the left arm of chromosome IX, between the his6 and lys11 markers. The examination of four different strains revealed that the SUP16 and SUP17 suppressors cause insertion of serine in iso-1-cytochrome c at the UAA site of the cyc1–72 mutant. It is suggested that the gene products of the SUP16 and SUP17 loci are redundant forms of the same serine transfer RNA. Because viable haploid strains containing both suppressors were obtainable, it was concluded that SUP16 and SUP17 could not be the sole genes coding for the only UCA-decoding species of serine tRNA.
Electrophoresis of spheroidal particles

Abstract The exact solutions to the linearized Poisson-Boltzmann equation for the electrical double layer around spheroids at low potentials are obtained by the use of spheroidal wavefunctions. The potential fields around prolate and oblate spheroids with constant surface potential are determined. This solution is then used to calculate the electrophoretic mobility of arbitrarily oriented spheroidal particles with a double-layer thickness comparable to the size of the particle. Our result shows that the orientation effect is significant. Furthermore, the electrophoretic mobility is not monotonic with respect to κa but can have a minimum value at double layers comparable to particle sizes because of the subtle nature of interactions between hydrodynamic and electrostatic forces around nonspherical particles.
Ambiguities in evaluating performance of multiple target tracking algorithms

Evaluating performance of tracking algorithms is straightforward for a simulation with a single target and one computed track. Performance evaluation with multiple targets, on the other hand, is complex due to ambiguities that create confusion about which target goes with a track. The ambiguities are caused by misassociations or unresolved closely spaced objects. Various considerations in choosing a methodology for performance evaluation to handle these ambiguities are discussed. An approach to assigning tracks to targets is described that takes these considerations into account.
Tolerance to Hairy Chinch Bug Feeding in Kentucky Bluegrass

Seventeen Kentucky bluegrass, Poa pratensis L., cultivars were evaluated for tolerance to feeding by adult hairy chinch bugs, Blissus leucopterus hirtus Montandon. Adults were confined on one month-old plants within a 10 cm diam × 20.3 cm high cylindrical plastic cage for 17–19 days. Cages were divided longitudinally so that 1/2 of the plants in each pot were infested. Tolerance was evaluated as differences between infested and uninfested plants for height of regrowth, dry weight, yield of clippings, root length and weight, plant survival, tillering, and % dry matter. Regrowth, yield of clippings, root length, and plant survival were significantly reduced and % dry matter significantly increased in almost all cases by adult feeding. Dry weight, root weight, and tillering of plants were not significantly changed by feeding. Significant differences were found in tolerance among Kentucky bluegrass cultivars. Differences in cultivar regrowth, yield, and % dry matter were the most useful criteria for measuring tolerance.
Regulation of systemic iron homeostasis.

Purpose of reviewThe circulating peptide hepcidin modulates systemic iron balance by limiting the absorption of dietary iron and the release of iron from macrophage stores. Recent studies conducted in humans, animal models, and tissue culture systems have enhanced our understanding of the molecular
Tree classifier design with a permutation statistic

Abstract This paper proposes a permutation statistic as a basis for designing binary tree classifiers of d -dimensional patterns. The statistic permits an objective and easily interpreted evaluation of a (feature, threshold) pair that is the core of the design paradigm. It has a known distribution that is independent of the number of training patterns. After defining the permutation statistic and explaining its properties, the paper proposes the design procedure whereby each non-terminal node is assigned a feature and a threshold on that feature. The design procedure is demonstrated on six test sets and compared to designs based on mutual information.
Rapid-sequence tandem transplant for children with high-risk neuroblastoma.

Background The majority of patients with high risk neuroblastoma (NB) still relapse. Procedure We designed a Phase II trial for children with advanced NB utilizing a program of induction chemotherapy followed by tandem high-dose chemoradiotherapy with stem cell rescue (HDC/SCR) in rapid sequence. Fifty-five patients were evaluable, ages 1–14 years, and 97 cycles of HDC/SCR have been completed to date. Pheresis was possible for every patient, despite their young age, with an average of 7.2 × 106 CD34+ cells/kg available to support each HDC/SCR cycle. Results Engraftment was rapid, with median time to neutrophil engraftment of 11 days. Five patients who completed the first HDC course did not complete the second and there were four toxic deaths. With a median follow-up of 24 months from diagnosis, 38 of 55 patients (3-year EFS 59%) remain event-free. A subset of the patients received stem cells purged by CD34 selection. The engraftment and EFS of these patients are similar to the overall group. Conclusion This work demonstrates that a tandem transplant regimen for high-risk NB is a feasible treatment strategy in children and may improve disease-free survival. Med. Pediatr. Oncol. 35:696–700, 2000. © 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Nonionic Detergents Induce Dimerization among Members of the Bcl-2 Family *

Members of the Bcl-2 family (including Bcl-2, Bcl-XL, and Bax) play key roles in the regulation of apoptosis. These proteins are believed to be membrane-associated and have been proposed to regulate apoptosis through both homodimerization and heterodimerization. We have found that whereas Bcl-2 is predominantly membrane-associated as previously reported, significant amounts of Bcl-XL and most of the Bax proteins are not membrane-associated and thus appear in the cytosolic fraction of thymocyte and splenocyte extracts. This finding allows the study of the dimerization properties and conformation of these proteins in the absence of detergent perturbation. For this analysis, we have produced monoclonal antibodies that are specific for known epitopes of Bax, Bcl-2, and Bcl-XL. An antibody to an N-terminal epitope (alpha uBax 6A7) between amino acids 12 and 24 fails to bind the soluble cytosolic form of Bax, indicating that this epitope is normally buried. Nonionic detergents alter the Bax conformation to expose this epitope. In the presence of nonionic detergent, the 6A7 antibody avidly binds the monomeric form of Bax, but not Bax complexed with either Bcl-XL or Bcl-2. In contrast, a monoclonal antibody to an adjacent epitope of Bax (alpha mBax 5B7) within amino acids 3-16 binds the soluble and detergent-altered forms of Bax and also binds the Bax.Bcl-XL or the Bax.Bcl-2 complex. Surprisingly, in the absence of detergent Bax fails to form homodimers or heterodimers with Bcl-XL. These results demonstrate a novel conformational state of members of the Bcl-2 family under a physiological condition that is distinct from the detergent-altered state that forms dimers and is currently believed to regulate apoptosis.