cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of analogues of steroid and thyroxine hormones on wound healing in hamsters.

The effect of two anabolic hormones on wound healing was studied. Following the extraction of a lower first molar, ten normal hamsters received intraperitoneal injections of Durabolin, ten received Synthroid, and ten were given Durabolin and Synthroid. Ten controls received saline injections. Two animals from each group were sacrificed at 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20 days post extraction. Histological sections revealed the following changes: Animals treated with Durabolin exhibited fewer inflammatory cells, significant earlier bone fill and more accelerated reepithelization than the controls. The group receiving Synthroid produced bone replacement earlier than the controls. Epithelization occurred at essentially the same rate. When Durabolin and Synthroid were administered simultaneously, the animals demonstrated fewer inflammatory cells and less bone fill than the controls.
Economic Returns from United States Artificial Insemination Sires in Holstein Herds in Colombia, Mexico, and Venezuela

Abstract Net present values of milk income over feed and semen costs were estimated for 102,198, and 47 US Holstein AI sires with semen available in Colombia, Mexico, and Venezuela in early 1987. Also evaluated were four US bulls imported to Venezuela for local semen processing. Net present values of semen were compared with those obtained by US producers. Data were PD of bulls and milk and semen prices in each country. Alternative scenarios were for conception rates of 30 and 50%; daughter milk response to US sire PD milk of .30 to .60 for Colombia and Venezuela, and .40, .55, and .75 for Mexico; and real interest rates of 7 and 10%. Average economic returns from investing in US semen in Colombia, Mexico, and Venezuela were negative for most scenarios. Opportunities for positive returns were greater in Mexico than in Colombia and Venezuela. Zero to 56.9 to 82%, and 2 to 85% of sires in Colombia, Mexico, and Venezuela had positive returns for the scenarios considered, Imported semen should be used judiciously in situations of high conception rate and environmental opportunity for high milk response to sire selection. Lower profitability in these countries than in the US was mainly from less daughter response in milk than from economic effects (lower milk prices, higher semen cost, and real interest rate). Locally processed semen from imported bulls increased the number of profitable choices in Venezuela.
Ways in which ICME sheaths differ from magnetosheaths

[1] Because the material that constitutes a coronal mass ejection expands as it propagates into interplanetary space (where it is referred to as an interplanetary coronal mass ejection, ICME), its sheath differs from other heliophysical sheaths in three ways: (1) the lateral deflection of the solar wind away from the nose of an ICME is reduced; (2) the solar wind tends to pile up in front of an ICME instead of flowing around it; and (3) the ICME sheath is thinner. (We refer here to ICME sheaths that have a preceding bow shock and that therefore are analogous to other heliophysical sheaths.) These three differences are explained here by physical arguments and illustrated with an MHD simulation.
Candidate Campaign E-Mail Messages in the Presidential Election 2004

Candidate e-mail messages play an increasing role in online, candidate-controlled media. E-mail messages allow candidates to directly contact voters, serving as political marketing tools. This study content analyzed the universe of campaign e-mail messages (N = 78) from the Bush and Kerry campaigns during the general cycle of the 2004 presidential election. Results indicate that as key election events drew near, candidates increased the number of e-mail messages they sent. Direct address (using you) in the e-mail messages occurred at a statistically significant higher level than expected. Candidates used e-mail messages for promotion more often than opponent attacks. The study also investigated issue coverage, message strategy, and interactivity. The findings indicate that e-mail messages are potent instruments because they can be forwarded to myriad nonsubscribers. As such, candidate e-mail messages can be considered a form of viral marketing that offers a unique way to overcome the problem of selective ...
Ways to Improve Radiologists' Adherence to Fleischner Society Guidelines for Management of Pulmonary Nodules

Purpose The aim of this study was to assess one institution's experience with radiologists' adherence to the Fleischner Society guidelines for managing pulmonary nodules incidentally detected on CT, which anecdotally was substantially higher than in a recent report. Methods All chest and abdominal CT scans in the electronic messaging system for communicating unexpected abnormal imaging findings to referring physicians were searched for the terms "lung" or "pulmonary" and "nodule" or "mass." Data were collected regarding patient age, nodule size, and whether the patient was at high risk for malignancy (primarily smoking history) or had evidence of prior or concurrent malignancy. Radiologists' recommendations were then correlated with the Fleischner guidelines for nodule size and patient history. Results Of the study cohort of 1,412 patients who underwent chest and abdominal CT scans, 420 had new pulmonary nodules. Of these, 205 (48.8%) were excluded because of prior or concurrent malignancies, nodules initially seen on prior CT examinations, ground-glass appearance, or age Conclusions Radiologists' recommendations for the management of pulmonary nodules incidentally detected on CT adhered to the Fleischner guidelines in 82.8% of cases, more than twice that in a recent report. This difference may reflect various practical departmental attempts to emphasize the importance of the Fleischner guidelines in reducing patient radiation and health care costs.
Improving Pin-Fin Heat Transfer Predictions Using Artificial Neural Networks

In much of the public literature on pin-fin heat transfer, Nusselt number is presented as a function of Reynolds number using a power-law correlation. Power-law correlations typically have an accuracy of 20% while the experimental uncertainty of such measurements is typically between 5% and 10%. Additionally, the use of power-law correlations may require many sets of empirical constants to fully characterize heat transfer for different geometrical arrangements. In the present work, artificial neural networks were used to predict heat transfer as a function of streamwise spacing, spanwise spacing, pin-fin height, Reynolds number, and row position. When predicting experimental heat transfer data, the neural network was able to predict 73% of array-averaged heat transfer data to within 10% accuracy while published power-law correlations predicted 48% of the data to within 10% accuracy. Similarly, the neural network predicted 81% of row-averaged data to within 10% accuracy while 52% of the data was predicted to within 10% accuracy using power-law correlations. The present work shows that first-order heat transfer predictions may be simplified by using a single neural network model rather than combining or interpolating between power-law correlations. Furthermore, the neural network may be expanded to include additional pin-fin features of interest such as fillets, duct rotation, pin shape, pin inclination angle, and more making neural networks expandable and adaptable models for predicting pin-fin heat transfer.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Choline metabolism in normal and choline-deficient rats of different ages.

Abstract The rates of synthesis and degradation (decay times) of lipid-bound, liver choline were studied in normal and choline-deficient rats with body weights in the 40–100 gm range. The rate of choline synthesis from l -methionine-CH 3 -C 14 decreased exponentially as the body weight increased and was greater in the choline-deficient rat than in the normal rat of the same body weight. The decay time of liver choline was constant and identical for normal and choline-deficient animals; liver choline labeled by incorporation of l -methionine-CH 3 -C 14 or choline-CH 3 -C 14 decayed at the same rates. Concentrations of lipid-bound liver and kidney choline, expressed on the basis of unit body weight, were unchanged in choline-deficient rats and did not vary with change in body weight. The concentration of free choline in the liver was the same in normal male and female rats, but the females had a higher concentration of free choline in the kidneys than males; free choline concentrations in liver and kidney were decreased in choline-deficient animals. Thus the free choline present in liver and kidneys seems to be more directly concerned with choline deficiency than are the lipid-bound forms of choline.
Exhibiting left-flat spaces asH spaces: An example

A one-parameter family of type-N left-flat spaces is given and the parameterized family of totally null two-surfaces is used to generate a good-cut function which is of the Sparling class. Generalizations are then presented.
Characteristics Of Transition Radiation In The X-Ray Spectral Region

Measurements of soft x -ray production by transition radiation have been performed in aseries of experiments at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The results haveshown that transition radiation is an intense and predictable source of photons in thesoft x -ray energy range. This paper will give a brief review of the general properties ofthe x -ray distributions generated by these sources.IntroductionTransition radiation is generated when an energetic charged particle crosses theboundary between two different dielectric media (see Figure 1). For relativisticparticles most of the radiation is emitted into a narrow cone in the forward direction.The intensity distribution has a minimum in the direction of the particle velocity, andhas a maximum at an angle given roughly by 1/y radians, where y is the relativistic energyparameter (for electrons, y =
Effectiveness of mass and night ventilation in lowering the indoor daytime temperatures. Part I: 1993 experimental periods

Abstract Buildings with different mass levels were monitored in the summer of 1993 in Pala, South California, under different ventilation and shading conditions. The effect of mass in lowering the daytime (maximum) indoor temperatures, in closed and in night ventilated buildings, was thus evaluated. Night ventilation had only a very small effect on the indoor maxima of the low-mass building. However, it was very effective in lowering the indoor maximum temperatures for the high mass building below the outdoor maxima, especially during the ‘heat wave’ periods. On an extremely hot day, with outdoor maximum of 38 °C (100 °F), the indoor maximum temperature of the high-mass building was only 24.5 °C (76 °F), namely within the comfort zone for the humidity level of California. Comment: In 1994 the monitoring has been continued, first with the original dark color of the envelope and then with the buildings painted white, as well as under natural, all-day ventilation with open windows. The results of the 1994 experiments will be reported in Part II.
Correlation between biopsy and radical cystectomy in assessing grade and depth of invasion in bladder urothelial carcinoma.

Abstract Objectives. To assess the degree of correlation between the pathologic characteristics of the specimens obtained from biopsy and radical cystoprostatectomy. The stage and grade of bladder urothelial (transitional cell) carcinoma are important predictors of prognosis. Methods. We retrospectively identified 169 cases of urothelial carcinoma from 222 radical cystectomies performed at University of Chicago Hospitals from 1992 to 1999. Results. For all the cases in this study, the histologic grade, using the 1998 World Health Organization and International Society of Urological Pathologists (WHO/ISUP) classification, was identical when the biopsy specimen and radical cystectomy specimen were compared. However, when the same cases were assessed using the traditional three-grade system, the histologic grade increased or decreased by one grade in 19 (11%) and 8 (5%) of 169 cases, respectively. Patients with invasion of the lamina propria on biopsy had tumor extending outside the bladder in 15 (27%) of 55 cases. Patients with invasion of the muscularis propria on biopsy had tumor extending outside the bladder in 47 (49%) of 96 cases, including nodal metastasis in 22 (23%) of 96 cases. Overall, bladder biopsy underestimated the true extent of the disease in 78 (46%) of 169 cases. Conclusions. Using either the WHO/ISUP (1998) classification or the traditional three-grade system, the histologic grade of the biopsy specimen is a fairly good predictor of the final histologic grade. The preoperative biopsy tends to understage bladder cancer. Patients with muscularis propria invasion demonstrated by biopsy have a significantly higher risk of non-organ-confined disease than those with lamina propria invasion.
Comparative myotrophic and nitrogen retaining effects of several steroids.

The myotrophic and nitrogen retaining effects of five steroids (methyltestosterone; methylandrostenediol; 17α-methylandrosta-4,6-diene-17β-ol-3-one; 19-nor-17α-methylandrost-5 (10) eno-17β-ol-3-one and 17β-hydroxy-17α:-methylandrost-4-eno[3,2-c]pyrazole were compared with those of testosterone propionate. The myotrophic potencies and 95% confidence limits of the five compounds relative to testosterone propionate at 100 were: methyltestosterone, 63 (46–90); methylandrostenediol, 6.7 (4.4–9.8); methylandrostadienolone, 4.6 (3.7–6.5); methylnorandrostenolone, 30 (21–44) and hydroxystenazole, 8.0 (5.1–11.4), whereas the nitrogen retaining potencies were: methyltestosterone, 17 (4–69); methylandrostenediol, 2.5 (estimated); methylandrostadienolone, 12 (4.8–29); methylnorandrostenolone and hydroxystenazole inactive. Agreement existed between the myotrophic and nitrogen retaining potencies of methyltestosterone, methylandrostenediol and methylandrostadienolone. A disparity between the myotrophic and nitrogen ret...
Independence of parturition and mouse-killing by female rats

Responses of female rats toward mice were unaffected by gestation, lactation, parturition, and caring for litters. Mouse-killing mothers continued to do so, in several instances killing their own pups, while nonkillers never began to kill mice and showed instead maternal responses toward them Both killer and nonkiller females showed normal maternal responses toward their own litters.
The role of bristles in the distribution of a Scenedesmus (Chlorophyceae)

In culture, Scenedesmus 614 produces four-celled colonies with spines and bristles. Mean bristle length is 120 μm. Colonies in undisturbed, actively growing, batch cultures remain uniformly distributed in the medium for a period of weeks. Each colony has a fixed position and a finite amount of space. With its complete bristle complement a colony in the inoculum can remain in suspension until reproduction occurs. Each newly released colony develops its own bristle display, which soon interlaces with other bristles, even those of the discarded parent cell wall. In such an elaborate interlaced net cultures can not, and do not, settle. Suspension is assisted during the light period by convection currents within the culture vessel (e.g. currents produced by the heat from a fluorescent bulb). Colonies began sinking in darkness, at a rate of no more than 2·5 cm in 9 h.
An artificial solution for adoptive immunotherapy

Abstract Adoptive immunotherapy is a promising strategy in the battle against cancer and infectious diseases and the recently developed artificial antigen-presenting cell (aAPC) overcomes several obstacles for this therapy. The aAPC recapitulates the natural in vivo antigen-presenting cell (APC)–T cell interactions by coupling human leukocyte antigen–immunoglobulin fusion protein (HLA–Ig), a soluble multivalent HLA–Ig chimeric fusion protein, to beads. The natural ligand–receptor interaction promotes rapid sustained expansion and normal functioning of the antigen-specific T cells.
Second degree heart block with Wenckebach phenomenon; its occurrence over a period of several years in a young healthy adult.

Abstract 1. 1. Intermittent second degree auriculoventricular block with the Wenckebach phenomenon has been demonstrated in a patient who does not have organic heart disease. The duration of this phenomenon has been at least 6 years. 2. 2. The effects of atropine and vagal stimulation have been discussed.
Detecting Higgs-boson decays into Z pairs

A Higgs boson in the mass range 400--1000 GeV would be observable at the Superconducting Super Collider through its decay into two Z's, one of which decays into e/sup +/e/sup -/ or ..mu../sup +/..mu../sup -/ and the other into ..nu..nu-bar. A comparison with the background from continuum Z pairs shows that the signal would be apparent in the transverse-mass spectrum. The increase in statistics provided by these decays substantially extends the reach of the Superconducting Super Collider for discovering the Higgs boson.
Most small premature infants are not small weight-for-length

Purpose To compare the categorization of growth status in premature infants using weight-for-gestational age (WT/age) versus weight-for-length 3 (WT/LN 3 ) methods. Methods Secondary analysis of infants 25–29 weeks at birth (1991–2003) from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network Generic Database for Cincinnati infants. Categorized infant growth status by weight-for-age and weight-for-length 3 (Lubchenco et al, 1966). Results Sample included 1222 infants (51% males; 68% white) with growth data at birth and at discharge or 120 days of life (whichever came first). The average ± SD at birth was 27.7 ± 1.1 weeks gestational age (GA), 1054 ± 218 gm in WT and 36.3 ± 2.7 cm in LN. The average ± SD at discharge/120 d was 35.5±3.1wk GA, 2213 ± 590 gm in WT and 43.3 ± 3.5 cm in LN. There was poor agreement between WT/age and WT/LN 3 methods in assigning small, appropriate or large categories (kappa = 0.02, 0.10 for birth and discharge/120 d, respectively). Of the 151 (12%) small weight-for-age (SGA) infants at birth, 22% were small weight-for-length (SWL), 77% were appropriate weight-for-length (AWL) and 1% were large weight-for-length (LWL). By discharge/120 d , there were more SGA infants (N = 262, 21%) yet fewer (8%) were SWL, 80% were AWL and 11% were LWL. The number of appropriate weight-for-age (AGA) infants declined from birth to discharge/120 d (1068 to 949), but the proportion of AGA infants who were LWL tripled (6% to 19%). Conclusion Using both WT/age and WT/LN 3 better defines growth status in premature infants, and may change nutrition care decisions (e.g., high calorie/protein diets may be used less often for SGA infants who are appropriate or large WT/LN 3 ). Overfeeding may be in part responsible for the increase in LWL infants by discharge/120 d. The long-term implications of a premature infant becoming LWL are unknown, but early identification seems prudent.
Nonlinear Mechanical Model for the Description of Propellant Sloshing

Planar and rotary sloshing motion of liquid, using analytic mechanical model that consists of mass point constraint to parabolic surface
Structural stability of β‐lactoglobulin in the presence of kosmotropic salts A kinetic and thermodynamic study

The thiol group of beta-lactoglobulin reacted very sluggishly with dithio-bis-nitro-benzoic acid as compared to that of glutathione at pH 6.85. The pKapp value of the thiol group of the protein was 9.35. In the presence of 3 M urea, the thiol group reacted completely with dithio-bis-nitrobenzoic acid at pH 6.85. Heating (from 50 degrees to 80 degrees) increased the exposure of the thiol by dissociating the dimer unit. From the pseudo-first order rate constants of heat-exposure of thiol, thermodynamic activation parameters, delta G++, delta H++, and delta S++, for the heat-dissociation of beta-lactoglobulin dimer were estimated to be 23,290 cal/mol, 31,160 cal/mol, and 22.9 e.u. (at 70 degrees), respectively. Addition of kosmotropic salts, chloride, tartrate, sulfate, phosphate, and citrate (0.2 M) decreased the heat-induced exposure of the thiol group (at 70 degrees), probably by decreasing the dissociation of the dimer at pH 6.85. The relative change in free energy of activation for the dissociation of the dimer, delta(delta G++dimer), in the presence of the salts was positive, suggesting that these additives increase the stability of the dimer against heat. These salts also increased the conformational stability of beta-lactoglobulin as revealed by an increase in -delta(delta G0conf) values in their presence. Both delta(delta G++dimer) and -delta(delta G0conf) values followed the order, chloride less than tartrate less than sulfate less than phosphate less than citrate. These salts seem to manifest their structure-stabilizing effect by increasing both inter- and intramolecular hydrophobic interactions via changes in structure of water.
ABC1: connecting yellow tonsils, neuropathy, and very low HDL.

In 1960, the most common surgical procedure performed on children was tonsillectomy. During one such routine operation, an astute physician recognized that the tonsils of his 5-year-old patient from Tangier Island were anything but ordinary (1). The tonsils were strikingly large, lobulated, and lemoncolored. The tonsils of the patient’s sister were similarly abnormal in appearance and had a 50- to 100-fold elevated content of cholesteryl ester. The siblings also shared another remarkable trait: both had extremely low plasma levels of HDL cholesterol (HDL-C). These children were the index cases of Tangier disease, a genetic disorder characterized by an abnormal plasma lipoprotein profile — virtual absence of HDL-C, reduced levels of LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) with mildly or moderately elevated triglycerides, and
The challenge of testing digital RF technologies

Digital RF refers to the integration of digital computing and traditional analog radio frequency technologies and is a major technical driver enabling new wireless applications. The potential sources of problems in the RF devices has grown geometrically from traditional analog problems with things like intermodulation, distortion, etc., to now include RF problems relating to digital processing (such as digital IF signals, direct digital synthesis, digital filtering, DSP, etc.). This presentation will introduce you to real time spectrum analysis (RSA), and how this technology can greatly simplify the job of testing and troubleshooting todaypsilas digital RF devices and systems.
Organization of extratropical transients during El Niño

Abstract Four observed El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events are studied to determine the mechanisms responsible for the anomalous extratropical atmospheric circulation during northern winter. A parallel analysis of a GCM's response to El Nino is performed in order to assess if similar mechanisms are operative in the model atmosphere. The observed stationary wave anomalies over the Pacific/North American (PNA) region are found to he similar during the four winters despite appreciable differences in sea surface temperatures. The anomalous transient vorticity fluxes are remarkably robust over the North Pacific during each event, with an eastward extension of the climatological storm track leading to strong cyclonic forcing near 40°N, 150°W. This forcing is in phase with the seasonal mean Aleutian trough anomaly suggesting the importance of eddy-mean flow interactions. By comparison, the intersample variability of the GCM response over the PNA region is found to exceed the observed inter-El Nino variabi...
Efficient and stable CIGS solar cells with ZnOS buffer layer

A chemical bath deposition (CBD) ZnOS process has been designed to yield repeatable and robust ZnOS/CIGS solar cells that do not require light soaking or annealing to reach conversion efficiency levels comparable with CdS/CIGS solar cells. In this study, copper content was varied over a wide range to understand its impact on these devices. Capacitance and temperature-dependent performance measurements were used to characterize the electrical performance as a function of Cu composition. The optimum Cu concentration was found to be about the same for both CBD CdS and CBD ZnOS junctions.
The role of developmental neurotoxicology studies in risk assessment.

A number of questions have been raised about the use of the US Environmental Protection Agency's Developmental Neurotoxicity Testing Guideline (DNTG) in the hazard identification of chemicals. The applicability and sensitivity of animal tests in the DNTG relative to human developmental neurotoxicity have recently been questioned. In a workshop held in 1989, participants compared the effects of several known developmental neurotoxicants in humans and animal models and concluded that the DNTG would have detected known human developmental neurotoxicants. They also concluded that although procedural differences may differ in the testing of humans and animals, the neurobiologic functions (ie, autonomic, sensory, motor, and cognitive) affected by chemical exposure were similar. In cases where the DNTG has been compared with other measures of reproductive and developmental toxicity, the DNTG has been relatively sensitive and specific. To date, DNTGs have been required 12 times, for 9 pesticides and 3 solvents. T...
Strain distribution in the superplastic Pb-Sn eutectic alloy

Experiments were conducted to investigate the distribution of strain within the gauge length for specimens of the superplastic Pb-62 wt % Sn eutectic alloy tested at room temperature. It is shown that deformation is quasi-uniform at low strain rates in region II so that the necks are diffuse rather than localized, but failure occurs by the formation of a sharp neck at high strain rates in region III. Using a specimen grain size of 6.1 μm, the transition from region II to region III occurs at an initial strain rate in the vicinity of
An AUTOSAR-Compliant Automotive Platform for Meeting Reliability and Timing Constraints

High demands on advanced safety and driving functions, such as active safety and lane departure warnings, increase a vehicle’s dependency on automotive electrical/electronic architectures. Hard real-time requirements and high reliability constraints must be satisfied for the correct functioning of these safety-critical features, which can be achieved by using the AUTOSAR (Automotive Open System Architecture) standard. The AUTOSAR standard was introduced to simplify automotive system design while offering inter-operability, scalability, extensibility, and flexibility. The current version of AUTOSAR does not assist in the replication of tasks for recovering from task failures. Instead, the standard assumes that architecture designers will introduce custom extensions to meet such reliability needs. The introduction of affordable techniques with predictable properties for meeting reliability requirements will prove to be very valuable in future versions of AUTOSAR. In this paper, we propose a new Software-Component (SW-C) allocation algorithm called R-FLOW (Reliable application-FLOWaware SW-C partitioning algorithm) for fail-stop processors to support fault-tolerance with bounded recovery times, and we integrate the R-FLOW algorithm into AUTOSAR. R-FLOW leverages different types of replication schemes to satisfy reliability and timing constraints, while offering a high degree of resource utilization and flexibility. Specifically, R-FLOW classifies real-time periodic tasks into Hard Recovery tasks, Soft Recovery tasks, and Best-Effort Recovery tasks. Hot Standbys are used for recovering from failures of hard recovery tasks, whereas Cold Standbys are utilized for recovering from failures of soft recovery and best-effort recovery tasks. With this goal in mind, we design and implement our proposed architecture within the guidelines of the current AUTOSAR framework. We have built an at-scale prototyping platform, comprising of Freescale HCS12X processing boards, a dualchannel FlexRay bus, and a CAN network. Our proposed architecture is evaluated on this platform using reliability and timeliness metrics in the context of different fault scenarios.
Beyond the Significance Test in Administrative Research and Policy Decisions

Purpose: To describe confidence interval (CI) analysis and show how it can be used in administrative decisions. Organizing Construct: Statistical significance testing should be supplemented, if not replaced, by effect size (ES) estimation and confidence interval analysis. Hypothesis testing based on the statistical significance test is the dominant paradigm in statistics; however, this approach has inherent problems which can ultimately diminish the usefulness of research for perational decisions. After identifying major difficulties with significance testing, the authors use hypothetical examples to demonstrate how ES and CI analysis provide more informative answers to nursing administrative research questions. Conclusions: CI analysis provides the basis for both improving the interpretation of findings from individual studies and for facilitating the analysis of cumulative evidence. By clarifying the meaning of results, CI analysis can increase the relevance and usefulness of research for health care executives and practitioners.
Effect of transmembrane pressure on overall membrane resistance during cross-flow filtration of solutions with high-ionic content

Abstract The purpose of the study was to investigate the change in membrane resistance in relation to operating pressure for clean RO and NF membranes during filtration of a bioreactor effluent. Experiments were conducted using a SEPA CFII membrane element cell and effluent from a bioreactor with high-ionic content. Flux–pressure profiles of two RO and one NF membranes were analyzed and compared with those for filtration of deionized water. The flux–pressure profile increased linearly with increasing pressure for all three membranes during filtration of deionized water. However, during filtration of the bioreactor effluent, the rate of increase in flux decreased after the pressure reached a critical level with both RO membranes. The changes in flux and membrane resistance were analyzed in relation to the operating pressure which was correlated to transmembrane pressure using logarithmic and second order polynomial correlations. Experimental results showed that a second order polynomial function described the flux–pressure profile more adequately than the linear correlation. The use of the flux ratio (i.e., flux with bioreactor effluent to flux with deionized water) allowed a basis for comparison of change in membrane resistance with transmembrane pressure for different membranes. The critical pressure which resulted in the minimum membrane resistance was determined by the change in the membrane resistance expressed in dimensionless form as the ratio of the observed membrane resistance with bioreactor effluent and deionized water.
Increased Bactericidal Activity as Documented by Serum Bactericidal Titers for a Triple Combination of Cell Wall Active Agents against Gentamicin-resistant Enterococci

Infections caused by enterococci have become increasingly difficult to treat because these bacteria are becoming increasingly resistant to commonly used antibiotics such as ampicillin, gentamicin and vancomycin. A consensus for an optimal therapy of enterococcal infections caused by resistant isolates has not yet been determined. We present a patient with prolonged enterococcal sepsis in whom a combination of ampicillin, vancomycin and imipenem was ultimately sucessfull in suppressing enterococcal bacteremia. The enhanced activity of this triple combination was documented by the results of serial serum bactericidal titers.
Research note: Characterization of a cDNA encoding glutamine synthetase II from Gelidium crinale (Rhodophyta)

SUMMARY A cDNA encoding glutamine synthetase (GS) was characterized from the red alga, Gelidium crinale (Turner) Gaillon, using reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and the 5′- and 3′-rapid amplification of cDNA ends. Sequence analysis of a 1231-bp GS cDNA transcript included both 5′ and 3′ untranslated regions and a 1056-bp open reading frame encoding a 352 amino acid polypeptide. Comparison with GS sequences from other organisms revealed that the G. crinale cDNA encodes a type-II GS, and the absence of a N-terminal plastid signal sequence suggests that it is a cytosolic isoenzyme. Phylogenetic analyses of GSII amino acid sequences supports the multiple origin of cytosolic and plastid isoenzymes during eukaryotic evolution.
Probability of Project Completion Using Stochastic Project Scheduling Simulation

This paper introduces a software, Stochastic Project Scheduling Simulation (SPSS), developed to measure the probability to complete a project in a certain time specified by the user. To deliver a project by a completion date committed to in a contract, a number of activities need to be carried out. The time that an entire project takes to complete and the activities that determine total project duration are always questionable because of the randomness and stochastic nature of the activities' durations. Predicting a project completion probability is valuable, particularly at the time of bidding. The SPSS finds the longest path in a network and runs the network a number of times specified by the user and calculates the stochastic probability to complete the project in the specified time. The SPSS can be used by a contractor: (1) to predict the probability to deliver the project in a given time frame and (2) to assess its capabilities to meet the contractual requirement before bidding. The SPSS can also be used by a construction owner to quantify and analyze the risks involved in the schedule. The benefits of the tool to researchers are: (1) to solve program evaluation and review technique problems; (2) to complement Monte Carlo simulation by applying the concept of project network modeling and scheduling with probabilistic and stochastic activities via a web based Java Simulation which is operateable over the Internet, and (3) to open a way to compare a project network having different distribution functions.
In situ formation of welded tuff-like textures in the carapace of a voluminous silicic lava flow, Owyhee County, SW Idaho

The Badlands rhyolite, on the Owyhee Plateau of southwestern Idaho, can be demonstrated to be a large lava flow on the basis of its geometry of large and small flow lobes, its well-exposed near-vent features, and its response to pre-existing topography. However, samples of the dense upper vitrophyre of the unit reveal a range of annealed fragmental textures, including material which closely resembles the compressed, welded glass shards which are characteristic of ignimbrites. Formation of these tuff-like textures involved processes probably common to emplacement of most silicic lava flow units. Decompression upon extrusion causes inflation of pumice at the surface of the lava flow; some of this pumice is subsequently comminuted, producing loose bubble-wall shards, bits of pumice, chips of dense glass, and fragments of phenocrysts. This debris sifts down around loose blocks and into open fractures deeper in the flow, where it can be reheated, compressed, and annealed to varying degrees. The end result is a dense vitrophyre layer (beneath the true upper, non-welded carapace breccia) which can be extremely texturally heterogeneous, with areas of flow-foliated lava occurring very near lava which in many aspects looks like welded ignimbrite, complete with flattened pumices. Identical textures in other silicic units have been cited by previous workers as evidence that those units erupted as pyroclastic flows which then underwent sufficient rheomorphism to create a flow-foliated rock which otherwise appears to be lava. The textures described herein indicate that lava flows can come to mimic rheomorphic ignimbrites, at least at scales ranging from thin sections to outcrops. Voluminous silicic units with scattered fragmental textures, but with otherwise lava-like features, are probably true effusive lava flows.
Induction of lung tumours by radioactive particles.

Data are tabulated on the incidence of pathological findings in the lungs of mice following the intratracheal administration of ruthenium-106 oxide and plutonium239 oxide. Results are presented from gross and microscopic examinations, and estimates of the total dose to lung tissue are included. The mice were killed either 100 or 500 days after treatment. Pneumonitis and pulmonary papillary cystadenomas were observed, with a marked increase in histological effects observed after 350 to 500 days. Several malignant tumors were observed. (C.H.)
A probabilistic structure life prediction system for container ship repair and inspection

Abstract A probabilistic fracture mechanics code has been developed to assess the impact of welding procedure, inspection frequency, and flaw detection/rejection criteria, on the reliability of butt weld joints in container ship deck doubler plates. A fatigue loading stress spectrum was developed based on statistical sea state data and a structural model of a ship. An initial flaw size distribution was developed from ultrasonic inspection results of deck doubler butt welds. Other random variables included fracture toughness and inspection detection of weld defects. Probability distributions of the input random variables were applied through Monte Carlo simulation to a deterministic fracture mechanics model for fatigue crack growth. This paper describes the development and application of the analysis program.
Organization of the hydrogenase gene cluster from Bradyrhizobium japonicum: sequences and analysis of five more hydrogenase-related genes.

Abstract Previously, the deletion of a 2.9-kb chromosomal EcoRI fragment of DNA located 2.2 kb downstream from the end of the Bradyrhizobium japonicum hydrogenase structural genes caused lack of normal-sized hydrogenase (Hup) subunits and complete loss of Hup activity. It was suggested that this region encodes one or more genes required for Hup processing. Sequencing of a 3322-bp XcmI fragment of DNA covering this 2.9-kb EcoRI fragment within the hup gene cluster revealed the presence of five open reading frames (ORFs) designated hupG, hupH, hupI, hupJ and hupK, encoding polypeptides with calculated molecular masses of 15.8, 30.7, 7.6, 18.1 and 38 kDa, respectively. Based on deduced amino acid (aa) sequences, all five products of the hupGHIJK genes showed significant homology with other genes' products in several H2-utilizing bacteria. Of particular interest are HupG and Hupl. HupG showed 70% similarity (28% identity) to the HyaE of the Escherichia coli hydrogenase-1 operon which was demonstrated to be involved in the processing of hydrogenase-1. Hupl showed strong identity to rubredoxin and rubredoxin-like proteins from many other bacteria. The latter proteins contain two ‘C-X-X-C’ motifs, which may serve as iron ligands for non-heme iron proteins involved as intermediate electron carriers or in the assembly process for Fe-S (or NiFe-S) clusters.
Environmental jolts: impact of exogenous factors on online community participation

Few studies of online communities take exogenous factors into account while explaining community participation. We present preliminary results from a study investigating the impact of steward companies' actions on online community participation. We identified two events: (1) open sourcing of Java by Sun and (2) acquisition of Sun (and consequently of Java) by Oracle, and examined participation in their developer online communities. We found significant change in participation levels around each event with both significant increases and decreases. We conjecture that participation increased if the action was perceived as supportive by developers (e.g. Sun's open sourcing of Java) whereas it decreased if the action was perceived as detrimental by developers (e.g. Oracle's acquisition of Sun).
Song-Like Displays in Sayornis Species

(1) Each of the three species of Sayornis employs some of its vocal displays in more or less continuous, regular, and prolonged bouts which, for present purposes, are defined as "song". In each species, song is a complex form of displaying comprising various combinations of two to three basic displays, the Regularly Repeated Vocalizations (RRVs, with units RR 1 and RR 2 ) and the Initially Peaked Vocalizations (IPVs). (2) Within each species, the basic display units differ from one another in the behavior patterns with which their employment can be correlated; that is, each display differs in message from the others. Since song comprises various combinations of these displays, its message is variable and dependent upon their ratio in each combination. (Whether or not the message of song varies in direct proportion to the frequency of its components has not been measured.) Yet the general range of employment of song bouts appears to be similar from species to species, indicating that the range of messages available to song is also generally similar. The song messages indicate different probabilities that the communicator will attack or escape, be nonagonistic, or associate; they also identify the communicator. (3) The messages of at least the RR1 and IPV displays vary among the species, so that the use of these displays in song also varies among the species. IPV is rarely or never used in song bouts of S. phoebe, but is prominent in the song of S. nigricans, and is the major component of S. saya song in which the RR1 is used very little. Many of the behavioral patterns with which the use of IPV is correlated in S. nigricans (and apparently in S. saya, for which the data are less extensive) are correlated with use of the RR1 in S. phoebe.
Mimecan, the 25-kDa Corneal Keratan Sulfate Proteoglycan, Is a Product of the Gene Producing Osteoglycin

Bovine cornea contains three unique keratan sulfate proteoglycans (KSPGs), of which two (lumican and keratocan) have been characterized using molecular cloning. The gene for the third protein (KSPG25) has not been identified. This study examined the relationship between the KSPG25 protein and the gene for osteoglycin, a 12-kDa bone glycoprotein. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of KSPG25 occurs in osteoglycin cDNA cloned from bovine cornea. The osteoglycin amino acid sequence makes up the C-terminal 47% of the deduced sequence of the KSPG25 protein. Antibodies to osteoglycin reacted with intact corneal KSPG, with KSPG25 protein, and with a 36-kDa protein, distinct from lumican and keratocan. KSPG25-related proteins, not modified with keratan sulfate, were also detected in several connective tissues. Northern blot analysis showed mRNA transcripts of 2.4, 2.5, and 2.6 kilobases in numerous tissues with the 2.4-kilobase transcript enriched in ocular tissues. Ribonuclease protection analysis detected several protected KSPG25 mRNA fragments, suggesting alternate splicing of KSPG25 transcripts. We conclude that the full-length translation product of the gene producing osteoglycin is a corneal keratan sulfate proteoglycan, also present in many non-corneal tissues without keratan sulfate chains. The multiple size protein products of this gene appear to result from in situ proteolytic processing and/or alternative splicing of mRNA. The name mimecan is proposed for this gene and its products.
Nonlocal Continuum Theory of Liquid Crystals

Abstract A nonlocal continuum theory of liquid crystals is constructed to explain and predict the physical behavior of liquid crystals under long range intermolecular forces Balance laws consist of conservation of mass and mocroinertia, balance of momenta and energy. Constitutive equations are given for the equibilibirium and non-equilibirium parts of the stress, couple strees, free energy, entropy an nonlocal body force and couple. Thermodynamic restrinctions and material frame-indifference are studied. The theory is valid for liquid crystals having arbitrary shapes (inertia), Passage is made to the thread-like molecuels and to local theory. Applications are considered to two-dimensional problmes, steady, plane shear flows and disperison of twist waves.
Defect-Tolerant Gate Macro Mapping & Placement in Clock-Free Nanowire Crossbar Architecture

Recently, we proposed a new clock-free nanowire crossbar architecture based on a delay- insensitive paradigm called Null Convention Logic (NCL). The proposed architecture has simple periodic structure that is suitable for non-deterministic nanoscale assembly and does not require a clock distribution network - so it is intrinsically free from timing-related failure modes. Even though the proposed architecture offers improved manufacturability, it is still not free from defects. This paper elaborates on the different programming techniques to map a given threshold gate macro on a random PGMB (Programmable Gate Macro Block) with predefined dimension. Defect-Aware and Defect Unaware approaches have been considered to map a given threshold gate onto a PGMB without affecting its functionality. Defect aware approach uses a defect map, gate table which help in efficient programming and also conservative use of resources. Defect unaware approach on the other hand is faster than defect aware approach, does not use defect maps and is not as efficient as defect aware approach. Parametric simulation results using MATLAB are used to show the programmability of these approaches under various circumstances.
Development of neural network tools for ASIC design

The scheduling and allocation phase is a critical phase in the high-level behavioral synthesis of ASICs. A neural network model is presented which schedules a dataflow graph under several simultaneous constraints: a limited number of control steps, buses, and hardware units, and an objective to minimize data path lengths. Comparisons with such heuristic approaches as ALAP demonstrate typically superior solutions. >
Metaphor and Imagination in James Wilson's Theory of Federal Union

“Through metaphor, the past has the capacity to imagine us, and we it.” -Cynthia Ozick, in “The Moral Necessity of Metaphor” American federalism is nothing more-und nothing less-than a metaphor. This was how lames Wilson, the most prominent lawyer at the Philadelphia Convention, came to approach the novel problem of understanding and conveying what federalism in a modern republic should mean. The Federal Republic created in 1787 was, for Wilson, more than a mutter of ingenious political design, more than a mutter of the “new science of politics,” and more than a mutter of constitutional law or constitutionalism itself-unless the Constitution were seen to “comprehend” the moral purpose and moral promise of the new nation. To Wilson, this view of the importance of the moral content of republican federalism was entailed by the “knowledge” that he took to be the necessary foundation of the Republic. It was this knowledge of certain fundamental principles- of “moral science,‘I human nature, and the nature of language, and, more generally, of “cultivation” us a political and social process that was also an end in itself-that ultimately justified “the People” us the “sublime” metaphor governing American constitutional theory. Yet, for all Wilson's faith in figurative “comprehensiveness,” his distinctive approach to securing the New Republic through a federal union of the American People seems to have proved less and less compelling to his contemporaries the more he tried to pursue it as far us his vision of a politics of cultivation directed.