cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Apoptosis in mesangial cells induced by ionizing radiation and cytotoxic drugs

Apoptosis in mesangial cells induced by ionizing radiation and cytotoxic drugs. Mesangial proliferation contributes to the pathogenesis of many forms of glomerulonephritis. To evaluate the role of apoptosis on the pharmacologic effects of cytotoxic drugs and ionizing radiation, we studied their effects on cultured rat mesangial cells (MC), whose apoptotic response to these drugs is unknown. Mesangial cells were cultured with or without stimuli to induce apoptosis and were harvested at 24 and 48 hours. MC morphology was examined by light microscopy, in situ end labeling technique using terminal deoxy-transferase (TUNEL) and by electrophoresis of extracted total cellular DNA. MCs exposed to cytotoxic drugs or irradiation demonstrated statistically significant increases in apoptotic cells identified by light microscopy. DNA fragmentation of apoptotic cells was also visualized as characteristic staining by the TUNEL method and statistically significant increases in apoptotic cell number in cells exposed to cytotoxic drugs and irradiation were noted compared to control cultures. In general, the number of TUNEL positive cells was greater than that of morphologically apoptotic cells. DNA extracted from these cells also showed the characteristic ladder pattern of internucleosomal chromatin cleavage of 180bp fragments on agarose gel electrophoresis. To further analyze whether MC apoptosis induced by these drugs alters the cell cycle, 3 H-thymidine incorporation rates were measured in both the cell culture monolayer and in those cells shed into the supernatant when cultured with or without cyclophosphamide ( N = 5). 3 H-thymidine incorporation corrected for total cellular DNA showed a similar pattern in both control and cyclophosphamide treated groups, suggesting that cyclophosphamide did not alter the mesangial cell cycle. Considering that the dosage of the cytotoxic drugs utilized in these experiments is nearly the therapeutic plasma level in humans, these results suggest that cytotoxic drugs used to treat glomerular disease can induce apoptotic mesangial cell death and may operate in part via this mechanism.
Bonnesen-style inequalities and pseudo-perimeters for polygons

In this paper, we establish some Bonnesen-style isoperimetric inequalities for plane polygons via an analytic isoperimetric inequality and an isoperimetric inequality in pseudo-perimeters of polygons.
The role of moving air-water interfaces in colloid mobilization within the vadose zone

[1] The movement of colloid-sized particles through the vadose zone has important water-quality implications, yet the mechanisms that govern colloid mobilization are poorly understood. Results of our laboratory column experiments demonstrate that moving air-water interfaces associated with a downward-propagating drying front are capable of scouring kaolinite colloids from the surfaces of quartz sand. The efficiency of air-water interfaces in capturing the immobile colloids increases with increasing drying-front velocity and decreasing porewater ionic strength. A model that approximates the sand pack as a bundle of capillary tubes and that links pressure-head changes during drainage to the rates of air-water interface movement through the tubes reproduces the time-series data on effluent-kaolinite concentrations.
The Trepobatinae (Heteroptera: Gerridae) of New Guinea and surrounding regions, with a review of the world fauna. Part 2. Tribe Naboandelini

The small waterstriders of the subfamily Trepobatinae have radiated extensively on New Guinea and surrounding archipelagos. The present contribution is the second in a series of reports dealing with this endemic fauna, and presents a revision of the tribe Naboandelini, proposed in Part 1 of this series to hold the genera Naboandelus Distant (type-genus), Hynesionella Poisson, and Calyptobates gen. n. A key to these genera is provided, followed by a taxonomic treatment of their constituent species occuring in the Australasian region. The following new taxa are proposed within Naboandelini: Calyptobates gen. n., including type-species Calyptobatesjourama sp. n. from Australia, Calyptobates amboina sp. n. from Ambon, Calyptobates andaman sp. n. from the Andaman Islands, Calyptobates minimus sp. n. from Australia, Calyptobates rubidus sp. n. from Australia, Calyptobates samarinda sp. n. from Borneo, and Calyptobates simplex sp. n. from New Guinea. The genus Naboandelus Distant is redescribed, and the following new species are added: Naboandelus borneensis sp. n. from Borneo, Naboandelus johorensis sp. n. from Malaysia, and Naboandelus taprobanicus sp. n. from Sri Lanka. The genus Hynesionella Poisson is redefined, Naboandelus capensis Poisson 1955 is transferred to the genus (comb. n.), and Hynesionella omercooperi Hungerford & Matsuda, 1959 is shown to be a synonym of capensis (syn. n.). Habitat and distributional data are given for these taxa, accompanied by figures of key characters and distribution maps.
Self-diffusion of adatoms on fcc(110) surfaces

Abstract We investigate the mechanisms and associated energies of diffusion for the Ni Ni(110) , Cu Cu(110) , Pd Pd(110) and Ag Ag(110) systems using the corrected effective medium (CEM) method. On the (110) surface, cross-channel diffusion can occur via atomic exchange of the adsorbate atom with an atom of the channel wall or by hopping over the short-bridge site located in the channel wall. We find that the barrier for cross-channel diffusion is much smaller for the atomic exchange path. In-channel diffusion occurs via hopping over the long-bridge site. We find that the activation barrier associated with in-channel diffusion is smaller than the activation barrier associated with cross-channel diffusion by 0.17, 0.01, 0.03 and 0.08 eV for Ni, Cu, Pd and Ag, respectively. We also investigate convergence of the activation barriers by varying the number of active atoms in the simulations. Decreases of 0.3–0.6 eV are found as the number of active atoms is increased from nearest neighbors to a (converged) large number of active atoms; this is due to relaxation of the strain. The decreases are nearly identical for the in-channel and cross-channel mechanisms.
Effect of the serotonin precursor, tryptophan, on pituitary hormone secretion.

L-tryptophan (TP) availability has been shown to be a major factor regulating CNS serotonin concentration. Consequently, this essential amino acid was administered to healthy men and its effect on the pituitary hormone secretion investigated. The oral administration of 10 g of L-TP significantly increased L-TP levels by 15 min (19.1 ±2.0 to 55.2 ±.5 μg/ml, P < 0.01) and caused drowsiness in all subjects. In 11 men plasma cortisol decreased from a baseline of 8.1 ±0.9 /xg/dl to 5.6 ±.7 /μtg/dl by 45 min. The maximal nadir of 4.7 ±0.8 Atg/dl, a decrease of 43.2% (range 33-87%), occurred at 15-75 min and was followed by a rebound above baseline to 11.2 ±1.5 fig/dl. A significant inverse relationship existed during the first 45 min between TP and cortisol concentrations. TP treatment 15 min before the iv administration of regular insulin (0.1 U/kg) significantly blunted the peak corticotropin (ACTH) and cortisol response to hypoglycemia. The infusion of L-TP was followed by a significantly greater fall in ACT...
Patterns of drinking four weeks prior to an alcohol-related vehicular crash.

Objective:The primary objective of the study was to determine if drinking patterns on the days immediately prior to an alcohol-related motor vehicle crash (ARMVC) were significantly different than drinking patterns in the weeks prior to the crash. Methods:Following ARMVC, 187 hospitalized non-alcohol dependent young-adults (43 females, 144 males) were enrolled. Mean age was 29.03 years, mean blood alcohol level was 165.18 mg/dL, and mean injury severity score was 10.50. When alcohol-free, subjects were interviewed by nurse clinicians to determine the quantity/frequency of alcohol consumption during the 28 days prior to the crash. Subjects reported the number of standard drinks using the Timeline Followback procedure. Total drinks/day were determined, with day 1 considered 4 weeks prior to the crash and day 28 the day of the crash. A random-intercepts general linear mixed model (GLMM) was used to test the effect of several covariates (segment 1 [days 1–26], segment 2 [days 27–28], age, sex, race, holiday/n...
FEM-Based Process Design for Laser Forming of Doubly Curved Shapes

Abstract This study presents a finite element method (FEM) based three-dimensional laser forming process design methodology for thin plates to determine the laser scanning paths and heating conditions. The strain fields were first calculated via FEM. The laser scanning paths were chosen perpendicular to the averaged principal minimum strain direction. The ratios of in-plane and bending strain were calculated to help determine the heating condition. Two typical doubly curved shapes—a pillow shape and a saddle shape—were studied, and the overall methodology was validated by experiments.
The monazomycin probe as detector of the interaction of charged lipid vesicles, polypeptides, proteins, and divalent cations with planar bilayer lipid membranes.

Abstract The antibiotic monazomycin, operated in a current-clamp mode, is shown to provide a convenient, sensitive, and continuous monitor of the interactions of charged moieties, including biological materials, with planar bilayer lipid membranes. The technique is quite general; its use is illustrated by demonstrating the interactions of phosphatidylserine vesicles, poly-L-lysine, cytochrome c, and MgSO4 with planar lipid bilayers.
Internal capsule, corpus callosum and long associative fibers in good and poor outcome schizophrenia: A diffusion tensor imaging survey

Abstract Background Prior voxelwise studies of white matter anisotropy found widespread reductions involving all major fiber tracts of the schizophrenic brain. We set out to confirm these exploratory findings and evaluate their relation to illness severity using a hypothesis-driven region-of-interest approach. Methods 104 schizophrenia patients (51 with good outcomes, 53 with poor outcomes) and 41 matched comparison subjects participated in the study. Regions of interest were selected on the basis of published voxelwise findings and placed within major fiber tracts using Talairach's stereotaxic coordinates. Results Fractional anisotropy reductions in schizophrenia patients were confirmed in the left cingulum, anterior thalamic radiation, fronto-occipital and inferior longitudinal fasciculi, as well as bilaterally in the corpus callosum, anterior and posterior limbs of internal capsule, superior longitudinal fasciculus, optic radiation, and frontotemporal extrafascicular white matter. Anisotropy reductions were more extensive in patients with poor outcomes (“Kraepelinian”), particularly in the posterior corpus callosum, fronto-occipital fasciculus, left optic radiation and frontotemporal white matter. Lower anisotropy in the right hemisphere tracts was associated with more prominent positive symptomatology, whereas negative symptoms were inversely associated with anisotropy values in both hemispheres. Conclusions These results support a global neural disconnectivity in schizophrenia patients, which is more severe in those with poor clinical outcomes.
Construction of asymptotic solutions to scattering problems in the fourier transform representation

It is shown that the construction of a high-frequency asymptotic solution for the problem of a slit can be greatly simplified in the Fourier transform representation. This is accomplished by iterative solution of a pair of coupled integral equations whose kernels are the Green's functions for two isolated half planes.
Crystallographic disorder in [M2X8]n-, M2X4L4 and related compounds : chemical and theoretical implications

Abstract Orientational disorder occurs in many simple salts and molecular solids, and has been studied by a variety of techniques. A more complex series of compounds, the transition metal complexes of the general types [M 2 X 8 ] n − , M 2 X 4 L 4 and M 2 X 4 (P-P) 2 , exhibit an unusual but characteristic form of orientational crystallographic disorder. The metal-metal axis of these complexes often reveals that they have two- or three-fold orientational disorder of the ion or molecule, which gives the appearance of being simply a disorder of the M 2 within a set of halide and phosphine ligands. We provide here a complete tabulation of all such cases and we discuss some of the implications and questions that are thereby raised concerning the chemistry of these compounds.
Identifying maximal rigid components in bearing-based localization

We present an approach for sensor network localization when provided with a set of angular constraints. This problem arises in camera networks when angles between nearby points can be measured but depth measurements are not readily available. We provide contributions for two different variations on this problem. First, when each node is aware of a global coordinate frame, we present a novel method for identifying the components of the problem that are rigidly constrained. Second, in the more difficult case where only relative angles are known, we propose a novel spectral solution that achieves a globally-optimal embedding under transitively-triangular constraints, which we show encompass a wide range of real-world conditions. We demonstrate the utility of our algorithm on both synthetic data and data from quadrotor robot formations.
Detection of intentional sub-optimal performance on a computerized finger-tapping task.

Twenty-four undergraduates were assigned to two groups to determine if the T3 computerized finger-tapping task could discriminate between persons motivated to perform optimally and those motivated to perform sub-optimally. Group HI was instructed to simulate a head-injured person undergoing an insurance evaluation, whereas group J was instructed to simulate an applicant undergoing a job interview. Group HI tapped slower, demonstrated less fatigue, less similarity between their right- and left-hand performance, and showed less of a speed advantage for the preferred hand. While group HI displayed less variability for the non-preferred hand, the groups did not differ on variability for the preferred hand. Therefore, the T3 successfully discriminates on multiple measures between persons simulating optimal and sub-optimal performance. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol 59: 123–131, 2003.
Applications of Video Microscopy to Studies of the Developing Nervous System

Abstract Growing neurites are guided to their correct targets in the developing nervous system by their highly motile tips, nerve growth cones. To understand how the mammalian cerebral cortex establishes appropriate neural circuits, we have used several light microscopic video techniques to observe growth cones as they extend from developing hamster cerebral cortical neurons and interact with their cellular environment. We describe how Nomarski optics can be combined with video and image processing techniques, termed VEC-DIC (video-enhanced contrast-differential interference contrast) microscopy, to observe the behaviors of neuronal growth cones and the intracellular events that accompany these behaviors. Results from our laboratory on dissociated cortical cell cultures and explants suggest that positive and inhibitory cell-cell interactions in which growth cones grow along other cellular processes or collapse and withdraw from them play a central role in the development of cortical circuits. We show how low-light-level video microscopy of living fluorescently labeled neurons can be used to observe developmental events within intact or semi-intact preparations of the nervous system. With these video techniques we have observed behaviors of fluorescently labeled cortical growth cones as they extend within living neonatal brain slices. Dynamic shape changes of callosal growth cones, growing toward their targets in the contralateral cortex, suggest distinct axon guidance cues in different regions of the corpus callosal pathway. Together these advances in video techniques for Nomarski and fluorescence microscopy will be important in observing directly the mechanisms underlying formation of connections in the developing nervous system.
A Global Routing Algorithm for General Cells

An algorithm is presented which accomplishes the global routing for a building block or general cell routing problem. A line search technique is employed and therefore no grid is assumed either for the module placements or the pin locations. Instead of breaking the routing surface up into channels, a maze search finds acceptable global routes while avoiding the blocks. Both multi-pin terminals and multi-terminal nets are accomodated. It is shown that the Lee-Moore grid-based approach is actually a special case of the general search algorithm presented. This algorithm is borrowed from the field of artificial intelligence where it has been applied to many state-space search problems.
In situ measurement of thermal electrons on the SIERRA nightside auroral sounding rocket

[1] In January 2002 the SIERRA sounding rocket was launched from Alaska into active substorm expansion aurora. Direct measurements of the cold ionospheric population in darkness were made by the Thermal Electron Detector (TED), which was designed to measure thermal electrons that can carry auroral currents coupling the lower ionosphere and the magnetosphere. Measurement of thermal electrons must be accompanied by a careful study of electrostatic potentials forming near conducting bodies in a plasma. The TED instrument measurements show that a nonmonotonic potential barrier can form in the sheath around the attractively biased detector and prevent measurements of the core of the thermal electrons. The TED instrument design and response are discussed along with the current balance conditions which can lead to the formation of a potential barrier. A plasma distribution reconstruction technique enables key measurements of temperature, density, spacecraft potential, and an estimate of field-aligned current flow. Observed thermal electron core temperatures vary greatly, from ∼0.1 eV in the polar cap to ∼0.8 eV in auroral arcs. Outside active precipitation, the electron density agrees with an independent calculation based on measurements from the high-frequency (HF) wave receiver, verifying the method used for estimating the spacecraft potential. In the auroral regions the HF measurement of electron plasma density must be used to extract more accurate results for the spacecraft potential. The thermal electron data indicate that in the dark the nonnegligible auroral and secondary emission currents must be accounted for in order to understand the spacecraft potential and its impact on thermal electron measurements.
Effect of Dietary p-Aminobenzoic Acid on Murine Plasmodium yoelii Infection

Plasmodia species, unlike humans, can utilize p-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) for the de novo generation of folate. Plasmodial enzymes for the synthesis of PABA via the shikimate pathway are being investigated as novel targets for malaria chemotherapy. We show that, despite the presence of biosynthetic machinery to synthesize PABA, Plasmodium yoelii, a rodent malaria species, requires exogenous dietary PABA for survival. Mice fed low-PABA diets do not die from lethal doses of P. yoelii. The initiation of a PABA-deficient diet after P. yoelii infection is established leads to the clearance of parasites and subsequent resistance to infection by P. yoelii. An intact immune system is not necessary for protection, given that mice with severe combined immunodeficiency were also protected by PABA-deficient diet. Our studies suggest that the PABA content in the diet will affect the host clearance of malaria parasites and may affect the efficacy of treatments that target the shikimate pathway.
Regression technique for determining temperature profiles in the upper stratosphere from satellite-measured radiances.

Abstract This paper describes a statistical regression technique for specifying the vertical temperature profile above 10 mb from satellite radiances simulated for the Satellite Infrared Spectrometer B (SIRS B) instrument when the temperature profile up to 10 mb is known. Sensitivity of the radiance information to temperature at the high atmospheric levels is attained by subtracting, from the total radiance, that part of the radiance emanating from the known temperature profile below 10 mb. The remainder is that portion of the radiance representative of the temperature profile above 10 mb. Statistics are derived using a sample of 50 carefully selected temperature profiles representative of worldwide atmospheric conditions above 30 km during all times of the year. Regression equations are developed relating temperature at 10 pressure levels between 10 and 0.5 mb to a set of predictors [temperature at 50, 30, and 10 mb and radiance information derived from SIRS B channels 7 (679.8 cm−1) and 8 (668.7 cm−1)]....
The effect of combining simple priority heuristics in flow-dominant shops

SUMMARY Previous scheduling research indicates that no single priority heuristic is effective on all the relevant performance criteria. However, few heuristics have shown to be effective on particular performance criteria. This study examines this issue further by applying various scheduling heuristics at different states of three flow-dominant shops (i.e. entrance, intermediate, and exit workstations), under a variety of experimental conditions. The experimental factors used are shop load, due date tightness, and shop structure. Twenty-eight different combinations of heuristics were investigated. The results indicate that the application of particular priority heuristics at various stages of the production process has a positive impact on the shop performance. By selectively utilizing different scheduling heuristics, it is possible to gain the advantages of each heuristic and at the same time minimize their associated shortcomings. Furthermore, the relative rankings of the heuristic combinations are fair...
Amine acid-acceptors for the preparation of piperazine polyamides by low-temperature solution polycondensation

Polyamides from 2,5-dimethylpiperazine and terephthaloyl and sebacyl chlorides, having high molecular weight, were prepared in a single solvent system in the presence of various amine acceptors. Strongly basic, hindered secondary amines were fair acceptors, but tertiary amines were preferred. The tertiary amines performed well when the pKa in water was equal to or greater than the pKa of the amine group on the end of a polymer chain. The polycondensations were affected adversely by acid chloride-tertiary amine reactions, by precipitation of diamine salts, and under some conditions by precipitation of polymer.
Mediation strategies in L2 writing processes: a case study of two Korean language learners

With the recent rise of sociocultural theory in second-language acquisition, attempts have been made to understand L2 learners' uses of different resources in writing, based on their cultural, historical, and institutional contexts. In line with L2 writing research within the sociocultural paradigm, this study investigates the writing strategies deployed by L2 learners of Korean, focusing on the mediated actions involved in their writing processes. Two American learners of Korean in a college Korean programme participated in this study. Data were collected from three sources: interviews, think-aloud protocol, and stimulated recall. Based on the analysis of data, emerging themes and trends in learner strategy use were identified for each participant. The findings are discussed case by case in relation to each individual's sociocultural context. The data reveal that a learner's socially situated context is closely related to the kinds of writing strategies and mediating tools he or she uses or prefers.
Evaluating the Sustainability of Ceramic Filters for Point-of-Use Drinking Water Treatment

This study evaluates the social, economic, and environmental sustainability of ceramic filters impregnated with silver nanoparticles for point-of-use (POU) drinking water treatment in developing countries. The functional unit for this analysis was the amount of water consumed by a typical household over ten years (37,960 L), as delivered by either the POU technology or a centralized water treatment and distribution system. Results indicate that the ceramic filters are 3-6 times more cost-effective than the centralized water system for reduction of waterborne diarrheal illness among the general population and children under five. The ceramic filters also exhibit better environmental performance for four of five evaluated life cycle impacts: energy use, water use, global warming potential, and particulate matter emissions (PM10). For smog formation potential, the centralized system is preferable to the ceramic filter POU technology. This convergence of social, economic, and environmental criteria offers clear indication that the ceramic filter POU technology is a more sustainable choice for drinking water treatment in developing countries than the centralized treatment systems that have been widely adopted in industrialized countries.
Ventilation and climate simulation with the Multiflux code

Multiflux, a new thermal, hydrologic, and airflow model and software was being employed to solve the flow of heat, moisture, and air in and around an underground opening. The airway domain was solved with an integrated-parameter Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) module, which is an embedded part of the Multiflux code. The CFD model includes convection, conduction, and radiation for heat, as well as convection and diffusion for moisture transport in an air-filled opening. The surrounding rockmass model may be from any analytical solution, or from a complex thermal-hydrologic numerical model such as NUFT or TOUGH2. The rockmass model is interfaced to Multiflux using a novel technique called Numerical Transport Code Functionalization (NTCF). The purpose was to briefly describe the Multiflux model and show four example applications. The first example reports the results of Multiflux simulations for a mine drift, comparing calculations with CLIMSIM, a well known mine climate software, and with measured data. The second and third examples involve development ends in two coal mines. Another development-end ventilation model in Multiflux is also shown as the 4th example compared with field measurements from the Lucky Friday Mine in Idaho, USA for comparison. The results of the study show very good agreement between the Multiflux model and the available measured field results.
Large eddy simulations of coal gasification in an entrained flow gasifier

Abstract In this paper, we investigate multi-phase reacting flow in a coal-fed entrained flow gasifier using large-eddy simulations and Reynolds-averaged Navier Stokes models, respectively. An axial-flow type lab-scale gasifier is investigated. The simulations are performed using a Lagrangian–Eulerian method in which the coal particles are modeled using a Lagrangian approach and the gas phase is solved using an Eulerian approach. We compare the performance of LES and RANS results. The coal particle models include devolatilization, char consumption that uses heterogeneous chemistry and two-way coupling of mass, momentum and energy with the surrounding gas phase. The gas phase combustion is modeled using homogenous chemistry and the effect of turbulence on combustion and gasification is modeled using a partially stirred reactor approximation. Results show that LES captures the unsteady flow structures inside the gasifier. We show that modeling the unsteady mixing is critical to the accurate predictions of the gas phase species and carbon conversion in these gasifiers.
Histochemical localization of production and secretion of trypsin in the earthworm Lumbricus terrestris.

The origin of trypsin in the digestive tract of Lumbricus terrestris was localized by using the chromogenic tryptic substrate carbobenzyloxy-L-arginine-β-napthylamide HCl (CANA) coupled with the azo dye Fast Garnet GBC. The specificity of earthworm trypsin toward the naphthylamide substrate was confirmed by disc gel electrophoresis of homogenates of the digestive tract and of intestinal fluid. Eluted fractions were assayed for tryptic activity using the synthetic substrates benzoyl-DL-arginine-p-nitroanilide (BAPA) and p-toluenesulfonyl-L-arginine methyl ester (TAME). The peak of activity toward these substrates corresponded in electrophoretic mobility to the band of CANA activity and all activities were abolished in the presence of the tryptic inhibitor N-tosyl-L-lysyl chloromethane HCl (TLCK).
Fracture Toughness and Quantitative Computed Tomography Number of Human Tibia Cortical Bone

In spite of its importance, the fracture toughness of human bone has been the subject of only a few studies. The objective of the first part of the present work was, thus, to expand this database. For this purpose, linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) principles and single-edge-notched three-point bend specimens were used to determine the fracture toughness of compact bone cut from the tibiae of embalmed cadavers (donor ages between 36 and 94 years). The overall mean and standard deviations of the fracture toughness were 3.12 and 1.21 MP/m, respectively. The case for using LEFM principles, various aspects of four key variables, and the present results are all fully discussed. In the second part of the study, the computed tomography (CT) number of all the specimens were measured. Correlational analysis of all the results demonstrated that CT number exerts a moderately positive influence on fracture toughness for this bone. The clinical significance of this finding is discussed.
Review on short pitch rail corrugation studies

Short pitch rail corrugation on tangent track has been a problem for railways for more than a century. Rail corrugation is associated with noise nuisance and increased maintenance cost. A century of research in many countries world-wide, has provided a wealth of information and insight. When placing the researches in the right historical perspective, the outcome of these researches can be paralleled with present day state of the art on engineering and manufacturing of railways and its assets. In this paper, short pitch rail corrugation studies are reviewed and placed in this historical perspective.
Mutagenic potency of haloacroleins and related compounds

2-Chloroacrolein, the ultimate mutagen formed on metabolism of the carcinogenic herbicides diallate and sulfallate, and its 2-bromo-, 2,3-dichloro- and 2,3,3-trichloro- analogs are much more potent mutagens in the Ames Salmonella typhimurium strain TA100 assay than any other aldehydes examined previously or in this study. Polymer formation on reaction of deoxyadenosine with the difunctional 2-chloroacrolein probably involves crosslinking via Schiff base formation at the carbonyl group and Michael addition at the double bond.
The Influence of Cure Method on the Sol Content and Physical Structure of Crosslinked Polyethylene Insulation

A series of transmission cables insulated with crosslinked polyethylene have been studied. The cables were cured using a variety of heat transfer methods, but were all based on the same resin system. Insulation cured with steam or dry gas gave approximately constant sol fractions across the wall thickness. Cables cured using an experimental heat transfer method gave rise to a sol fraction which increased across the wall thickness as the conductor was approached. Correlations exist between sol fraction, swelling ratio, and melting data. It is suggested that a simple melting curve determination can be used to estimate both sol fraction and crosslink density for low density polyethylenes crosslinked using dicumyl peroxide.
Probing visual cortical function with discrete chemical lesions

Abstract Recent anatomical and physiological experiments suggest that a neural pathway in primate visual cortex selectively analyses visual motion information. By creating small chemical lesions in identified visual areas of this pathway, a new link has been established between the physiological properties of cortical neurons and the behavioral capabilities of rhesus monkeys. Such lesions elevate psychophysical thresholds in motion-related tasks while leaving non-motion thresholds unaffected. Small chemical lesions also impair a monkey's ability to employ motion information to guide eye movements, but have no effect on eye movements to static targets. This technique creates the opportunity for a detailed functional analysis of the motion pathway and may be employed in other visual pathways as well.
Angiotensin converting enzyme: Method of assay and partial purification

Abstract An automated, continuous-flow method for measuring angiotensin converting enzyme activity has been developed employing the ninhydrin reaction. The method measures the new free amino group produced when angiotensin I is hydrolyzed to angiotensin II and histidylleucine in the presence of enzyme and sodium chloride. The use of this method has permitted the partial purification of converting enzyme from hog plasma by means of ammonium sulfate fractionation, carboxymethyl-cellulose treatment, and gel adsorption. The enzyme has a pH optimum of 7.8 in phosphate buffer, and requires a chloride concentration of 0.1 M for maximal activity. Inhibition by EDTA may be reversed by the addition of Zn 2+ , Mn 2+ , or Co 2+ at concentrations of 10 to 30 μ M .
Implementation and utility of a daily ultrasound-based localization system with intensity-modulated radiotherapy for prostate cancer

Abstract Purpose : To evaluate the clinical feasibility of daily computer-assisted transabdominal ultrasonography for target position verification in the setting of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for prostate cancer. Methods and Materials : Twenty-three patients with clinically localized prostate cancer were treated using a sequential tomotherapy IMRT technique (Peacock) and daily computer-assisted transabdominal ultrasonography (BAT) for target localization. Patients were instructed to maintain a full bladder and were placed in the supine position using triangulation tattoos and a leg immobilizer to minimize pelvic rotation. The BAT ultrasound system is docked to the treatment collimator and electronically imports the CT simulation target contours and isocenter. The system is able to use the machine isocenter as a reference point to overlay the corresponding CT contours onto the ultrasound images captured in the transverse and sagittal planes. A touch screen menu is used to maneuver the CT contours in three dimensions such that they match the ultrasound images. The system then displays the three-dimensional couch shifts required to produce field alignment. Data were prospectively collected to measure the frequency by which useful ultrasound images were obtained, the amount of time required for localization/setup, and the direction/magnitude of the positional adjustments. Results : Of the 23 patients, the BAT ultrasound system produced images of sufficient quality to perform the overlay of the CT contours in 19 patients such that positional verification could be reliably performed. Poor image quality was associated with patient inability to maintain a full bladder, large body habitus, or other anatomic constraints. Of the 19 assessable patients, a total of 185 treatment alignments were performed (mean 8.8/patient). For all cases, the average time required for the daily ultrasound imaging and positional adjustments was 11.9 min. After the initial 5 cases, the user experience skills improved such that the time required for image verification/positional adjustments decreased to a mean of 5.6 min. The average right-left, AP, and cranial-caudal adjustment was 2.6 ± 2.1 mm, 4.7 ± 2.7 mm, and 4.2 ± 2.8 mm, respectively. Positional adjustments >10 mm were infrequent and related primarily to misidentification of the target structures on the ultrasound image, patient movement, or improper registration of the triangulation tattoos. Conclusion : Daily computer-assisted BAT ultrasound positional verification of the prostate can be successfully performed through the acquisition of high-quality images in most patients with only a modest increase in treatment setup time. Positional data obtained with this system resulted in clinically meaningful adjustments in daily setup for sequential IMRT that would not be otherwise apparent from other verification modalities.
Trace metals in eggs of winter flounder from Boston Harbor, a contaminated North American estuary☆

Abstract In 1987, the effects of contaminant levels in Boston Harbor, Massachusetts on the reproductive success of winter flounder were studied. As part of the study, the concentrations of 15 trace metals in laboratory-spawned eggs from adult winter flounder, taken from two stations in Boston Harbor, were measured using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Trace metal concentrations in the eggs were low. There were no statistically significant differences between the two stations in the concentrations of any trace metal in the eggs. However, two fish captured from the Deer Island station had concentrations of cadmium in their eggs that were the highest reported for a flounder species to date. The concentrations of trace metals in eggs of winter flounder from Boston Harbor were similar to eggs of flounder species from other estuaries that exhibited different levels of habitat contamination. This suggests that differences in habitat contamination are not necessarily reflected in metal concentrations in laboratory spawned eggs.
SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF METALLIC NANO-SPHERES

The SiO2 and SiO2-Ag0 nano-spheres by sol-gel method have new application in the field photonics crystals. In this report, we demonstrate the synthesis of silver particles by reduction Ag+, obtained nanoparticles with range of size 2-10 nm, on colloid silica sphere, the silver nanoparticles, appearing on the surface of the silica microsphere. The material morphology was examined by electron microscopy (TEM) and the optical properties were studied by photoluminescence with excitation wavelength of 320 and 380 nm, the luminescence emission observed in the range 400-550 nm.
3D ARTICULATED OBJECT UNDERSTANDING, LEARNING, AND RECOGNITION FROM 2D IMAGES

This paper is aimed at 3D object understanding from 2D images, including articulated objects in active vision environment, using interactive, and internet virtual reality techniques. Generally speaking, an articulated object can be divided into two portions: main rigid portion and articulated portion. It is more complicated that "rigid" object in that the relative positions, shapes or angles between the main portion and the articulated portion have essentially infinite variations, in addition to the infinite variations of each individual rigid portions due to orientations, rotations and topological transformations. A new method generalized from linear combination is employed to investigate such problems. It uses very few learning samples, and can describe, understand, and recognize 3D articulated objects while the objects status is being changed in an active vision environment.
Simplified LCAO Method for the Periodic Potential Problem

The LCAO, or Bloch, or tight binding, approximation for solids is discussed as an interpolation method, to be used in connection with more accurate calculations made by the cellular or orthogonalized plane-wave methods. It is proposed that the various integrals be obtained as disposable constants, so that the tight binding method will agree with accurate calculations at symmetry points in the Brillouin zone for which these calculations have been made, and that the LCAO method then be used for making calculations throughout the Brillouin zone. A general discussion of the method is given, including tables of matrix components of energy for simple cubic, face-centered and body-centered cubic, and diamond structures. Applications are given to the results of Fletcher and Wohlfarth on Ni, and Howarth on Cu, as illustrations of the fcc case. In discussing the bcc case, the splitting of the energy bands in chromium by an antiferromagnetic alternating potential is worked out, as well as a distribution of energy states for the case of no antiferromagnetism. For diamond, comparisons are made with the calculations of Herman, using the orthogonalized plane-wave method. The case of such crystals as InSb is discussed, and it is shown that their properties fit in with the energy band picture.
SU‐FF‐T‐469: Energy Spectra Reconstruction From Beta Emitters: A Study of the Sr‐90/Y‐90 Case

Purpose: Reconstruction of the energy spectrum of a 90Sr/90Yradioactive source for low dose (~1Gy) radiation biology experiments. Method and Materials:Electrons originated from a 25 {micro}Ci 90Sr/90Yradioactive source were recently used in radio-biology experiments to study the response of cancer cells to low dose irradiation (~1Gy). The beam was separated into individual energies using a dipole magnet, the number of exited electronsmeasured by a scintillating fiber based detector and the dose obtained using double-layered EBT films. The dipole was constructed from two 5.08 x 5.08 x 2.54 cm{sup 3}permanent magnets separated by a distance of 2 cm and having a maximum field of about 5 kG at the center. The beam entered the magnet through a 1 cm diameter, 0.5 cm thick leaded glass collimator. The detector was an array of 16 blue shifted 1 mm thick scintillating fibers. A realistic Geant4 simulation was used to account for the energy loss while electrons propagate throughout the system. The incident energy spectrum was generated from the NIST-logft calculation. Results: The data was first compared with measurements using a pancake frisker detector for an overall general assessment of the data quality, giving an agreement to within 15%. The average deviation of the data/simulationmore » ratio is {+-}2.5%. A comparison between the measured and simulated mean energies gives an agreement to within 1{sigma} (less than 0.3%). Conclusion: The simple system developed for this work can serve as a mean for an efficient way to accurately reconstruct the energy distribution of charged particle emitters as well as to assess expected dose delivery to biological systems. Such data can also be used to benchmark low energy physics processes implemented in simulation tools for medical physics purpose.« less
Synthesis and Characterization of Gold−Silica Nanoparticles Incorporating a Mercaptosilane Core-Shell Interface

The first synthesis and characterization of gold−silica core−shell nanoparticles with a mercaptosilane interface between the core and shell is reported. These nanoparticles exploit the strong interaction between thiols and gold to create a well-defined interface of functional group organization between core and shell. This requires the synthesis of a mercaptosilane monolayer on the colloidal gold surface, which is accomplished indirectly using 1 as a protected precursor to 3-mercaptopropyltriethoxysilane. 1 binds to gold, undergoes sol−gel hydrolysis and condensation, and subsequently deprotects to a thiol via gold-catalyzed thioester hydrolysis. This process results in a monolayer of condensed mercaptosilane on the nanoparticle surface without inducing colloidal instability, which was observed upon direct mercaptosilane addition at the same surface coverage. Similar results were obtained for the previously reported thioester 2, which also binds to gold and deprotects in the bound state, as does 1, but la...
Variations in apparent spatial frequency with stimulus orientation: L Incidence of the effect in the general population

The human visual system is anisotropic not only for stimulus detection and discrimination but also for stimulus appearance. The apparent length of a stationary stimulus and the apparent velocity of a moving stimulus vary with orientation. These variations are predictable from a model assuming a compression of the horizontal spatial meridian relative to the vertical meridian. In this paper, the apparent spatial frequency of a suprathreshold grating is shown to depend on the grating orientation. Specifically, horizontal gratings appear coarser than vertical gratings of equivalent spatial frequency. Additional data collected from the same group of observers show that horizontal lines appear shorter than vertical lines of the same extent. The presence of the spatial frequency and length illusions, although both predictable from the compression model, were not found to be correlated within observers. Implications of these results for other data in the literature are discussed.
DOAS measurement of glyoxal as an indicator for fast VOC chemistry in urban air

[1] We present the first direct measurements of glyoxal (CHOCHO) in the atmosphere, and demonstrate that glyoxal measurements are possible by differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS). Glyoxal was routinely detected during the daytime in Mexico City, where mixing ratios ranged from <0.15 ppbv (detection limit) to 1.82 ppbv. These time-resolved measurements resolve the rapid diurnal variation of glyoxal, and indicate the onset of volatile organic compound (VOC) oxidation about 1hr after sunrise. The atmospheric lifetime of glyoxal is determined to be 1.3 hr for overhead sun conditions. Then elevated glyoxal levels indicate a persistently active VOC chemistry during most of the day. Glyoxal forms from the oxidation of numerous VOCs, which foster the formation of ‘photochemical smog’ including ozone and aerosol particles; atmospheric levels are essentially unaffected by direct vehicle emissions in Mexico City. Satellite measurements of glyoxal seem feasible, making possible the better identification of photochemical hot spots in the Earth's atmosphere.
Thermal Design of High-Tc Superconductor Radiometers

This paper investigates the feasibility of constructing electrical substitution radiometers operating near liquid-nitrogen temperature using high-temperature (T,) superconductors. Three design examples that utilize micromachining techniques and a YBa 2 CU 3 O 7-δ superconductor meander line are presented and evaluated. The key performance parameters of a radiometer, such as the power noise level, the maximum measurable power, the time constant, and the spatial uniformity, are predicted based on the design geometry and materials properties. A finite element method is employed to calculate the temperature distribution on the receiver. The temperature responsivity is obtained for different heating methods. The spatial nonuniformity and the nonequivalence between radiative heating and electrical heating are determined. A time constant of about I s, a measurable power ranging from 150 nW to 150 μW, and a nonequivalence (between radiative and electrical heating) of 0.36% are predicted for a design that uses a thin silicon substrate sustained by a yttria-stabilized zirconia membrane. A time constant of about 2 s, a measurable power ranging from l.3 μW to 1.3 mW, and a nonequivalence of 0.18% are predicted for a design that uses a 25-μm-thick sapphire plate.
Cover Picture: Length‐Dependent Uptake of DNA‐Wrapped Single‐Walled Carbon Nanotubes (Adv. Mater. 7/2007)

Well-defined length fractions of DNA-wrapped single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) of below 200 nm are taken up preferentially by IMR-90 human lung fibroblasts, while longer DNA wrapped SWNTs are excluded from the cell interior (inset), report Matt Becker and coworkers on p. 939. The cover image construct includes overlaid images of the labeled cell membrane, the nuclei (blue), and the fluorescently labeled DNA wrapped SWNTs (red) that have gained access to the cell interior.