cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A cadmium-resistant variant of the Chinese hamster (CHO) cell with increased metallothionein induction capacity.

Abstract The toxic trace metal Cd 2+ has been used to select a variant (designated Cd r ) of the Chinese hamster cell (line CHO) resistant to the growth-inhibitory and cytotoxic effects of Cd 2+ . Resistance of the Cd r cell to Cd 2+ -mediated cytotoxicity is not due to a decreased capability of the Cd r cell to accumulate Cd 2+ since Cd 2+ uptake in the Cd r cell is indistinguishable from that in the CHO cell at both toxic and subtoxic Cd 2+ exposures. Comparison of the relative capacities of these two cell types to induce specific low molecular weight Cd 2+ -binding proteins (metallothioneins) reveals that the Cd r cell has an increased capacity to induce metallothionein and to sequester intracellular Cd 2+ in metallothioneins. These results suggest that the greater competence of the Cd r cell to induce metallothionein is a major factor in the Cd 2+ -resistant phenotype of the variant.
Electrical Alternans of the ST Segment in Non‐PrinzmetaPs Angina

Elevated electrical alternans of the elevated ST segment (STEA) was documented in a patient with non-Prinzmetal's or classical angina and severe atherosclerotic coronary artery disease. STEA was precipitated during graded exercise testing. The disappearance of this phenomenon after aortocoronary bypass surgery suggests that the coronary obstructions were the etiologic factors. These findings emphasize that the STEA may occur in myocardial ischemia caused by conditions other than Prinzmetal's angina.
TU-D-I-609-01: Overview

Laboratory experiments including observer studies suggest that CADe should be effective in improving the accuracy of mammography. However, the few clinical studies reported have not been as positive as the non-clinical studies have indicated. There are several possible explanations for this that will be discussed in this forum. These include (a) methodological problems making it difficult to measure any true improvement; (b) laboratory experiments are too different from actual clinical conditions (c) CADe is an effective clinical tool only under certain conditions. This symposium will discuss these issues.
Attention to components or compounds as a factor in discrimination transfer performance

Abstract Prior to being tested with standard reversal or extradimensional (ED) shift procedures, two groups of mentally retarded subjects (MA: 4 to years) were pretrained using two different methods. The Component group received two problems which could be solved easily only by attending to the form components. The Compound group was trained on two problems requiring attention to compound color-form cues. It was assumed that the two solution modes would carry over to the third problem, which was for both groups a standard form discrimination with color variable and irrelevant within settings. The fourth problem was either an ED shift or a reversal. The Component group learned reversal faster than ED shift whereas the opposite was true for the Compound group. Subproblem analyses of ED shift performance showed dependent settings for the Component group and independent settings for the Compound group. Results are consistent with the view that compound and component solutions of discriminative problems are achieved by attention to the abstract dimensions of compounds or components and that attention to either of these dimensions can be trained at higher or lower developmental levels even though the salience of the compound dimension may be initially greater for lower level subjects.
XPS studies of strong metal-support interactions (SMSI)—PtTiO2

Samples of platinum (Pt) on titanium oxide were reduced at temperatures ranging from 150 to 600/sup 0/C with a mixture of hydrogen and helium. Similar experiments were performed with Pt on silica. Each sample was cooled and evacuated before inserting it into the spectrometer. X-ray photoelectron studies of the agglomerated platinum 4f binding energies indicated no large effect of the reduction temperature. Data for the silica supported platinum also indicated no large shift of the Pt 4f binding energies between the reduced and nonreduced samples, although the Pt 4f/sub 7/2/ binding energy was ca 6 eV higher than that of the bulk metal. Investigation of the catalyst by x-ray diffraction revealed that the Pt particles were agglomerated to ca 100/sup 0/A crystallites. The study suggests that electrons are transferred from the reduced titanium centers to the Pt particles, thus results a strong metal-support interaction. 3 figures, 2 tables.
Specification and encoding of transaction interaction properties

Transaction-level modeling is used in hardware design for describing designs at a higher level compared to the register-transfer level (RTL) (e.g. Cai and Gajski in CODES+ISSS '03: proceedings of the 1st IEEE/ACM/IFIP international conference on Hardware/software codesign and system synthesis, pp. 19---24, 2003; Chen et al. in FMCAD '07: proceedings of the formal methods in computer aided design, pp. 53---61, 2007; Mahajan et al. in MEMOCODE '07: proceedings of the 5th IEEE/ACM international conference on formal methods and models for codesign, pp. 123---132, 2007; Swan in DAC '06: proceedings of the 43rd annual conference on design automation, pp. 90---92, 2006). Each transaction represents a unit of work, which is also a useful unit for design verification. In such models, there are many properties of interest which involve interactions between multiple transactions. Examples of this are ordering relationships in sequential processing and hazard checking in pipelined circuits. Writing such properties on the RTL design requires significant expertise in understanding the higher-level computation being done in a given RTL design and possible instrumentation of the RTL to express the property of interest. This is a barrier to the easy use of such properties in RTL designs. In this paper, we consider specification of interaction properties at the transaction-level and the subsequent encoding of the property and the transaction-level model as a finite-state system for model checking. We discuss how the encoded finite-state system can be automatically generated from the specification of the property and the transaction-level model, and illustrate this through simple examples.
PERTUSSIS SYNDROME AND ECHOVIRUS 6(E6) INFECTION IN A FAMILY

Isolation of E6 from the nasopharynx (N-P) of a 5 month old unimmunized child (patient #1) hospitalized with clinical pertussis was accompanied by a fourfold rise in neutralizing (N) antibody to this virus. (Table) The illness occurred in Aug. and Sept., produced significant symptoms for 4 weeks, and was accompanied by an absolute lymphocytosis. B. pertussis was not isolated from her N-P and no pertussis agglutinins were demonstrated. 13 of 15 family members ranging in age from 1-48 yrs reported clinical illness with prominent respiratory symptoms during the 2 months preceding hospitalization of the index case. A 4 yr old immunized cousin (patient 2) with paroxysmal cough and cyanosis also had E6 isolated from her N-P. 8 of 9 family members demonstrated serological evidence of infection with E6 but not with B. pertussis. Isolation of E6 from 2 patients and antibody liters in 10 persons associate E6 with the clinical illness in this family. Table. Virus isolation and N antibody in 2 patients
Santa María, Guatemala: Bimodal soda-rich calc-alkalic stratovolcano

Abstract Santa Maria has a three-phase history of activity: a long period of composite cone growth, a dramatic plinian eruption and a dome-extrusion period. The volcano has produced approximately equal volumes of basaltic andesite and dacite, with a clear compositional gap. The basaltic andesite was mainly erupted at slow rates in the cone-building stage, as a sequence of lavas which generally became more silicic and more enriched in incompatible elements. The plinian eruption of 1902 was a brief homogeneous outpouring of dacite with a very minor proportion of discrete basaltic andesite magma, which followed an exceptionally long repose. The dome-building period has been a pulsating series of extrusions of compositionally monotonous, degassed dacite which has continued to the present. The extrusives of each phase share common characteristics of relatively high Na 2 O, and identical Sr isotope ratios. The cone-building period of Santa Maria is thought to represent the development of an open-system magma body which grew in size because of increasing inhibition of extractions of magma to the surface. This large magma body may have resided at the base of the crust, and transmitted magma in batches to the near-surface region where more fractionation often occurred before eruption. The long repose before the plinian eruption probably stabilized conditions at the top of the deep open-system magma body and caused development of a silicic cap. The overall rate of magma production in the mantle below Santa Maria may be constant at about 1.5–2 km 3 /1000 y., and the key element which influences the style and composition of lavas that reach the surface is the tendency for magma to reside for long periods at the crust/mantle interface. As the cone at the surface grew, the inhibition of surface eruptions increased and finally became complete. Detachment of the silicic cap and its eventual rise renewed activity in the plinian and dome-building phases
Organic Vapor (OV) Respirator Cartridge Testing—Potential Jonas Model Applicability

More efficient methods of characterizing organic vapor (OV) respirator performance against the wide range of compounds and environmental conditions found in industrial settings are needed to improve respiratory protection in the workplace. One method, based on Jonas'kinetic model, has potential application for evaluating OV cartridges and more efficiently utilizing available research, testing and certification resources. Jonas has shown that the kinetic adsorption capacity and gas adsorption rate of a small packed charcoal sorbent bed is described by the linear relationship between gas breakthrough time and sorbent weight as predicted by the modified Wheeler equation. This research is based on the hypothesis that characterizing sorbent performance against a reference compound will allow prediction of breakthrough times, and therefore prediction of cartridge life, for other compounds under similar conditions. Baseline data on dried cartridges at dry conditions are presented that demonstrate that the linear...
Identification and characterization of a long isoform of human IFT80, IFT80-L

Intraflagellar transport (IFT) proteins are evolutionarily conserved throughout all ciliated organisms and are essential for the assembly and maintenance of cilia. IFT80, a component of the IFT complex, was linked recently to a human developmental disorder, Jeune asphyxiating thoracic dystrophy. We report here identification and characterization of a human IFT80 long isoform (namely IFT80-L), the carboxyl terminus of which shares the protein sequence of IFT80. Sequence analysis indicates that IFT80-L is likely an evolutionarily merged product of genes IFT80 and TRIM59, a RING finger gene we reported previously. Expression analysis of IFT80-L demonstrates that IFT80-L is ubiquitously expressed in humans. By using the nerve growth factor-induced cell differentiation assays, we reveal that IFT80-L is highly expressed in the rapidly proliferating cells but not in differentiated cells, which withdraw from the cell cycle. Our findings suggest that IFT80-L, like other IFT proteins, plays an important role in cell proliferation and differentiation.
An EM approach to MAP solution of segmenting tissue mixture percentages with application to CT-based virtual colonoscopy.

Electronic colon cleansing (ECC) is an emerging technique developed to segment the colon lumen from a patient’s abdominal computed tomography colonography (CTC) images. However, the residue stool and fluid tagged by contrast materials as well as mixed tissue distribution with partial volume (PV) effect impose several challenges for ECC, resulting in incomplete and overcomplete cleansings. To address the PV effect, this work investigated an improved maximum a posteriori expectation-maximization (MAP-EM) image segmentation algorithm which simultaneously estimates tissue mixture percentages within each image voxel and statistical model parameters for the tissue distribution. Given the segmented tissue mixture information beyond the image voxel level, not only the PV effect has been satisfactorily addressed as a particular case of tissue mixture problem, but incomplete and overcomplete ECC causes could also be maximally avoided. For clinical application to CTC that involves several issues transferring from theoretical analysis to practical validation, an innovative initialization procedure and refined estimation strategy were proposed to build an ECC pipeline based on the MAP-EM segmentation. The pipeline was evaluated based on 52 patient CTC studies, downloaded from the website of the Virtual Colonoscopy Screening Resource Center, by two radiologists. A noticeable improvement over the authors’ previous ECC pipeline was documented. Several typical cases were also presented to show visually the improved performance of the presented ECC pipeline.
Vesicle formation and acetylene reduction activity in Frankia sp. CPI1 cultured in defined nutrient media

It has been reported that certain species of free-living Rhizobium were capable of producing nitrogenase1–5, thereby demonstrating conclusively that the nif genes reside in the bacterial component of the dinitrogen-fixing symbiosis between Rhizobium and leguminous host plants. In the comparable dinitrogen-fixing symbiosis between the actinomycete Frankia and the actinorhizal woody dicotyledons that serve as nodulated host plants, the endophytic filamentous bacteria have only recently been brought into culture6–8. We report here evidence that free-living Frankia sp. grown in appropriate nutrient conditions show nitrogenase activity (acetylene reduction) associated with a distinctive morphological structure formed in effective nodules and also developed in culture.
The effect of financial pressure on the quality of care in hospitals

This paper examines the effect of financial pressure on hospital quality, using health outcomes after treatment for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) as quality indicators. The financial pressure variables are: fiscal pressure from the Prospective Payment System (PPS) for inpatient care, and changes in health maintenance organization (HMO) penetration at the county level. The study shows that both types of financial pressures adversely affect short-term health outcomes, but do not affect patient survival beyond 1 year after patients' hospital admissions. Furthermore, the impact of HMO penetration appears to differ from that of Medicare payment changes for certain hospitals because HMO penetration encourages price competition.
Hemolysis of Canine Fresh and Stored Blood Associated With Peristaltic Pump Infusion

Summary Hemolysis produced by peristaltic pump infusion of canine whole blood was studied in fresh (3-hours-old) and stored (21-day-old) blood units. Blood was pumped at infusion rates of 50, 100, and 200 ml/hr and compared to gravity flow blood at the same rates. IVAC 530 and 560 (peristaltic) and the Animed Flowset 100 (rotaty) pumps were evaluated. In the fresh blood group, the IVAC 530 did not produce significant hemolysis at any rate compared togravity infusion. Blood pumped through the IVAC 560 and the Animed Flowset 100 was significantly hemolyzed when compared to blood administered by gravity flow. Free plasma hemoglobin was higher in stored blood than in fresh blood for all groups. The Animed Flowset 100 demonstrated significant hemolysis at 50 and 100 ml/hr flow rates compared to free-dripped blood, the IVAC 530, and the IVAC 560. All pumps hemolyzed blood more at 100 and 200 ml/hr than at 50 ml/hr. When fresh blood is transfused, it can be pumped through an IVAC 530 at 50, 100, or 200 ml/hr without significant hemolysis. The IVAC 560 produces an intermediate level of hemolysis. The Animed Flowset 100 is not recommended for pumping whole blood. Blood that has been stored for 21 days appears to have a much higher level of hemolysis than fresh blood at all infusion rates.
Stability of individual differences in heart rate activity during the newborn period.

Reliability of 14 measures of newborn heart rate activity was estimated by intercorrelations among repeated daily testings and by the coefficient of concordance. Subjects were 16 newborns tested for three days and a subsample of 10 newborns tested for five days. Thirteen of the measures showed some significant stability although they differed in the size of correlations and in the degree of concordance. The two measures of temporal characteristics of response were among the least reliable and measures taken at the point of minimal activity were among the most reliable. The only measure for which there was no evidence of significant reliability was the within-individual regression of poststimulus on prestimulus scores. This finding has obvious implications for the argument that individual regressions should be used instead of group regressions to adjust for prestimulus differences.
The relationship between diet and the immune response of fish

Abstract Diseases exert heavy economic losses in fish cultural facilities due to mortality, morbidity, poor product quality and costs associated with chemotherapy. Aquaculturists are, therefore, interested in developing cost-effective management strategies that can either prevent the outbreak or reduce the severity of epizootics. One management strategy currently under exploration is nutritional modification. This paper reviews investigations that have been conducted to evaluate the possibility of enhancing the immune response of fish through dietary supplementation with vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. Alterations in constitutive as well as inducible defence mechanisms are examined, as are changes in cell-mediated and humoral immune responses. Although results of the various investigations are variable, this field of inquiry offers promise for disease management.
Structural Evaluation of Slow Desorbing Sites in Model and Natural Solids Using Temperature Stepped Desorption Profiles. 2. Column Results

Results from temperature stepped desorption (TSD) experiments are presented and compared with simulations from the TSD model presented in the first of this two-paper series. TSD columns were filled with a sand, a sediment, a soil, or a silica gel, all at 100% relative humidity. Next, TSD columns were equilibrated with trichloroethene (TCE), initially purged at 30 °C, and then heated to 60 °C after 100, 1000, or 10 000 min of slow desorption. One γ distribution of diffusion rate constants at 30 °C and one γ distribution of diffusion rate constants at 60 °C were used to simulate column results at all three heating times for a single solid. At each heating time, diffusion rate constants of the γ distributions at 30 °C and 60 °C were used to calculated an effective activation energy, Eact,eff. Values of Eact,eff for all solids were between 47 and 94 kJ/mol, on the order of activation energy values found for diffusion in microporous solids. Between 100 and 10 000 min heating times, the value of Eact,eff increa...
Predictive Models for the Median and Variability of Building Period and Damping

There are two goals in this paper: (1) the presentation of a comprehensive database of over 4,000 fundamental period and damping measurements from nearly 1,000 buildings; and (2) the derivation of predictive models for period and damping. The modeling approach presented in the companion paper, which accounts for the statistically nonconforming properties that characterize building data, is used herein to derive models which include two intrinsic sources of variability: that associated with multiple measurements from different excitations on the same building and variability between buildings that are nominally identical. The period models are in general agreement with those currently used, with model parameters that are in terms of height, material, and lateral force resisting system. The damping models show a decrease in damping as building height increases and, for steel and reinforced structures, a twofold increase in damping for earthquake excitations as opposed to other, lower amplitude excitations.
Web-based structural health monitoring of an FRP composite bridge

This paper describes how wireless technology was used in a structural health monitoring scheme to monitor the long-term performance of fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composite bridge structures. The scheme was implemented on the Kings Stormwater Channel Bridge, located on a major state highway in California. The bridge was constructed using FRP composite girders and deck panels. The data collected by a comprehensive array of sensors are transmitted wirelessly, and processed in real-time remotely. Computer-based automated analysis algorithms process the incoming data to provide an assessment of structural response. Effects, due to time-based deterioration, and irregularities are determined using modal parameters, in terms of damage localization indices and an estimated damage severity. The results, made available via a web-based interface, enable appropriate action to be authorized for preliminary maintenance or emergency response prior to actual on-site inspection. This approach shows promise for monitoring and assessment of structural systems.
Supernova Reverse Shocks: SiC Growth and Isotopic Composition

We present new mechanisms by which the isotopic compositions of X-type grains of presolar SiC are altered by reverse shocks in Type II supernovae. We address three epochs of reverse shocks: pressure wave from the H envelope near t = 106 s, reverse shock from the presupernova wind near 108-109 s, and reverse shock from the interstellar medium near 1010 s. Using one-dimensional hydrodynamics we show that the first creates a dense shell of Si and C atoms near 106 s in which the SiC surely condenses. The second reverse shock causes precondensed grains to move rapidly forward through decelerated gas of different isotopic composition, during which implantation, sputtering, and further condensation occur simultaneously. The third reverse shock causes only further ion implantation and sputtering, which may affect trace element isotopic compositions. Using a 25 M☉ supernova model we propose solutions to the following unsolved questions: Where does SiC condense? Why does SiC condense in preference to graphite? Why is condensed SiC 28Si-rich? Why is O-richness no obstacle to SiC condensation? How many atoms of each isotope are impacted by a grain that condenses at time t0 at radial coordinate r0? These many considerations are put forward as a road map for interpreting SiC X grains found in meteorites and their meaning for supernova physics.
Exploring telehealth opportunities in domestic violence shelters.

Purpose To determine the degree of interest in using a computer for the purpose of accessing services from a nurse practitioner (NP) at domestic violence shelters (DVSs); and to identify issues of privacy and confidentiality that might arise from participation by victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) in a Telehealth intervention. Data Sources Focus groups with 19 women residing in two DVSs. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and themes were identified that answered the questions posed in the interviews. Conclusions Most of the women understood the term NP and were favorably inclined to seek services from one. Over half of the women were not familiar with computer use, but were willing to learn in order to receive health care services, both for episodic needs and for maintenance of chronic conditions. After learning of the method proposed to allow them to access an NP through the internet while still protecting their privacy and confidentiality, the women felt comfortable with this approach to meeting their health care needs. Implications for Practice Results from this study can be used to support the development and testing of Telehealth interventions for these victims of IPV.
An Electrocardiogram Should Not Be Included in Routine Preparticipation Screening of Young Athletes

The sudden death of a young athlete during competition is a tragic yet rare occurrence that results in significant public and media attention. Increased catecholamine response to maximum stress in subjects with underlying structural heart disease is a well-known cause of lethal cardiac arrhythmias.1 In 1996, the American Heart Association issued a scientific statement advocating universal cardiovascular preparticipation screening for high school and college athletes in an attempt to identify those at increased risk of cardiovascular events.2 The recommendations included a 12-point complete history and physical examination (including brachial artery blood pressure measurement) before competitive sports (Table 1) and reserved noninvasive testing such as a 12-lead ECG, echocardiogram, exercise testing, and cardiovascular consultation for athletes in whom any abnormality was detected. View this table: TABLE 1. The 12-Element AHA Recommendations for Preparticipation Cardiovascular Screening of Competitive Athletes Response by Myerburg and Vetter p 2615 The recommendations include repeat cardiovascular screening every 2 years with an abbreviated examination in intervening years. Parental participation in gathering a proper history in younger athletes was encouraged. The committee recommended a national standard for preparticipation cardiovascular medical evaluation and education of all healthcare providers who screen athletes because of the marked heterogeneity in the design and content of preparticipation cardiovascular screening and variable experience of healthcare screeners at the time. Routine diagnostic tests (ie, a 12-lead ECG) as part of the screening procedure were excluded primarily for cost-efficacy considerations. In the 2007 update,3 recently published in Circulation , the 12-point recommendations listed in Table 1 remain unchanged and do not include universal 12-lead ECG recordings as part of every preparticipation history and physical examination, unless, of course, the athlete fails the 12-point examination.3 The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) screening questionnaires serve a purpose similar to that of …
Non-filling of cerebral vessels during angiography: correlation with intracranial pressure.

Non-filling of the cerebral circulation with contrast material at the time of angiography has been demonstrated in three patients. In all three cases intracranial pressure was measured from a catheter in the supratentorial space and determined to be equal to the blood pressure. A right brachial arteriogram was performed in one patient, and arrest of flow in the vertebral artery at the level of the foramen magnum was also found. We believe that the non-filling phenomenon which occurs in the presence of severe intracranial hypertension is due to mechanical compression of the cerebral vessels, and specifically, that this occurs at the level of the sagittal sinus or at the junction of the cerebral veins with the sinuses.
When the timing is right: Antibiotic timing and infection after cardiac surgery.

Objectives Guidelines recommend antibiotic prophylaxis 60 minutes before skin incision; however, it is unclear whether more precise timing would further reduce sternal wound infection. Our objectives were to examine the relationship between antibiotic timing and infection, test potential efficacy of optimal antibiotic timing in preventing infection, and determine whether patient comorbidity is related to timing and infection. Methods From 1/1/1995–1/1/2008, 28,250 patients underwent 28,702 cardiac surgical procedures involving a median sternotomy; 85% received only cefuroxime and 15% received only vancomycin prophylaxis. Multivariable analysis identified factors associated with infection within each phase, and risk-adjusted optimal timing was determined using patient data, risk variables, and hypothetical values of antibiotic timing. Results Prevalence of sternal wound infection was 2.0% (489 patients) for cefuroxime and 2.3% (101 patients) for vancomycin. Minimum prevalence for infection was 1.8% observed when cefuroxime was administered 15 minutes before incision; risk increased to 2.2% with administration more than 45 minutes before incision and to 2.8% at 60 minutes before incision. Minimum prevalence of infection in patients who received vancomycin was 1.8% observed with initiation 32 minutes before incision; risk increased to 2.2% for administration 45 minutes before incision and 3.2% with administration 60 minutes before incision. Simulation for optimal timing found that it was influenced by phase-specific risk factors. Conclusions Refining current antibiotic prophylaxis guidelines may lower sternal wound infections. Antibiotic administration timing resulting in lowest likelihood for infection varied with antibiotic and patient-specific factors. Optimal risk-adjusted timing could potentially reduce infections by 9%-31%.
DETECTION OF COMPLEMENT REGULATORY PROTEINS ON SOFT CONTACT LENSES

PURPOSE. To determine whether the regulators of complement activation, decay-accelerating factor (DAF) and CD59, which have been identified on the cornea and conjunctiva and in soluble forms in tears and lacrimal secretions, are transferred to soft contact lenses worn by normal subjects. METHODS. Following overnight wear of group 4 extended-wear hydrophilic contact lenses by five normal subjects, we examined the lenses immunohistochemically for decay-accelerating factor (DAF) and CD59, two regulators which interfere with the complement cascade at the C3 and C9 steps, respectively. RESULTS. Both proteins were detected on all worn lenses but not on controls. CONCLUSIONS. These findings raise the question of whether these proteins, as do other contact lens-bound proteins, have deleterious effects, or to the contrary, if they maintain their natural activity, might they have protective functions for contact lens wearers.
Leptospirosis and an Animal Bite

In October 2013, leptospirosis was identified in a 20-year-old male. The male was bitten on his hand by either his canine or a skunk while breaking up a fight between the two animals. Eight days after the bite, the male developed fever, headache, drowsiness, neck pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, malaise and erythematous rash. Diagnosis was confirmed by amplification of Leptospira by DNA from a urine specimen. Veterinarian serology testing of the canine for Leptospira was negative. Leptospira in a human, acquired from an animal bite is a rare occurrence.
Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging of freeze-drying

Abstract The objective of this study was to determine the feasibility of using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to observe the shape and position of the ice sublimation front during primary drying for subsequent comparison of these images with those predicted by mathematical model of heat and mass transfer during primary drying. One-dimensional (1D) profile studies on both ice and 2% HSA during in situ freeze-drying were performed with a single point imaging (SPI) sequence, and demonstrated that the SPI technique can be used in capturing the ice signal during freeze-drying. In order to perform two-dimensional imaging, it was found that the ice must be “doped” in order to increase the apparent transverse relaxation time ( T 2 *) and decrease the longitudinal relaxation time ( T 1 ) of ice. HBr at a level of 0.1 mM was shown to be an effective dopant. As a result, 2D images of ice and 5% HSA doped with 0.1 mM HBr were successfully collected, and the shape and position of the ice sublimation front during in situ freeze-drying were observed.
Project Manager Assignment and Its Impact on Multiple Project Management Effectiveness: An Empirical Study of an IT Organization

Abstract:Because project managers influence the success of projects, assigning the right project manager to a project is a crucial management decision. Despite the importance of the decision, research on project manager assignment is very limited. The objective of this study is to empirically examine the impact of the approaches used in project manager assignment on project management effectiveness, especially in a multiple project management setting. The research results confirm the significance of project manager assignment and reveal assignment approaches that enhance effectiveness in terms of resource productivity, organization learning, project success, and personal satisfaction.
Construction of denture teeth with gold occlusal surfaces.

Abstract To satisfy unique clinical requirements, it is sometimes appropriate to employ denture teeth having metal occlusal surfaces. The advantages, in addition to the inherent physical properties of the metal, include adaptability to unusual opposing occlusion problems and different theories of occlusion. The disadvantages are the increased cost and perhaps, in some instances, compromised esthetics. An effective technique is presented which permits denture teeth to be constructed with gold occlusal surfaces. The technique permits the construction of duplicate teeth with minimal additional time and materials.
Analysis of dropwise ignition versus external ignition for dilute multicomponent fuel sprays

Abstract An attempt has been made to identify conditions for dropwise ignition and spray ignition. Both pure as well as multicomponent fuels are considered. For dropwise ignition, an existing ignition criterion has been modified to account for the nonlinear dependence of reaction rate on fuel and oxygen concentrations and to account for the multicomponent nature of the fuel. The external or spray ignition is considered through the zero heat flux condition at the ignition source. The effect of chemical kinetics is examined by employing reaction schemes with unity as well as nonunity exponents of fuel and oxygen concentrations. Results indicate that for most of the conditions considered, the individual droplet ignition is favored over the external ignition. Only when the drop diameter is smaller than 30 μm does the spray ignite earlier than droplets. The addition of a small amount of a volatile component significantly enhances the ignitability of both modes. However, the effect is stronger for the dropwise ignition mode.
Learning intercultural communication skills with virtual humans: Feedback and fidelity.

In the context of practicing intercultural communication skills, we investigated the role of fidelity in a game-based, virtual learning environment as well as the role of feedback delivered by an intelligent tutoring system. In 2 experiments, we compared variations on the game interface, use of the tutoring system, and the form of the feedback. Our findings suggest that for learning basic intercultural communicative skills, a 3-dimensional (3-D) interface with animation and sound produced equivalent learning to a more static 2-D interface. However, learners took significantly longer to analyze and respond to the actions of animated virtual humans, suggesting a deeper engagement. We found large gains in learning across conditions. There was no differential effect with the tutor engaged, but it was found to have a positive impact on learner success in a transfer task. This difference was most pronounced when the feedback was delivered in a more general form versus a concrete style.
Management of patient skin dose in fluoroscopically guided interventional procedures.

PURPOSE To simulate dose to the skin of a large patient for various operational fluoroscopic conditions and to delineate how to adjust operational conditions to maintain skin dose at acceptable levels. MATERIALS AND METHODS Patient entrance skin dose was estimated from measurement of entrance air kerma (dose to air) to a 280-mm water phantom for two angiographic fluoroscopes. Effects on dose for changes in machine floor kVp, source-to-skin distance, air gap, electronic magnification, fluoroscopic dose rate control settings, and fluorographic dose control settings were examined. RESULTS Incremental changes in operational parameters are multiplicative and markedly affect total dose delivered to a patient's skin. For long procedures, differences in doses of 8 Gy or more are possible for some combinations of operational techniques. CONCLUSIONS Effects on skin dose from changes in operational parameters are multiplicative, not additive. Doses in excess of known thresholds for injury can be exceeded under some operating conditions. Adjusting operational parameters appropriately will markedly reduce dose to a patient's skin. Above all other operational factors, variable pulsed fluoroscopy has the greatest potential for maintaining radiation exposure at low levels.
Electron affinity and Schottky barrier height of metal–diamond (100), (111), and (110) interfaces

The electron emission properties of metal–diamond (100), (111), and (110) interfaces were characterized by means of UV photoemission spectroscopy (UPS) and field-emission measurements. Different surface cleaning procedures including annealing in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) and rf plasma treatments were used before metal deposition. This resulted in diamond surfaces terminated by oxygen, hydrogen, or free of adsorbates. The electron affinity and Schottky barrier height of Zr or Co thin films were correlated by means of UPS. A negative electron affinity (NEA) was observed for Zr on any diamond surface. Co on diamond resulted in NEA characteristics except for oxygen-terminated surfaces. The lowest Schottky barrier heights were obtained for the clean diamond surfaces. Higher values were measured for H termination, and the highest values were obtained for O on diamond. For Zr, the Schottky barrier height ranged from 0.70 eV for the clean to 0.90 eV for the O-terminated diamond (100) surface. Values for Co ranged fr...
Housing Finance and Mortgage-Backed Securities in Mexico

This paper reviews the Mexican experience with the securitization of residential mortgages. It highlights the key legislative and institutional reforms leading to the development of primary and secondary mortgage markets and reports the main features and valuation practices of the RMBS markets. The paper identifies areas warranting close attention to improve the outlook for the Mexican RMBS market and draws some lessons from the recent U.S. subprime mortgage market problems.
Mechanism of SeO2 promoted oxidative rearrangement of 2-substituted oxazolines to dihydrooxazinones: Isotopic labeling and kinetic studies

Abstract The mechanism of the recently reported 1 SeO 2 promoted oxidative rearrangement of 2-alkyl oxazolines was investigated. 13 C labeling studies with 1a -2- 13 C showed that rearrangement proceeds by fission and migration of the CN bond, not the CC bond as first proposed. Oxidation-rearrangement of 1 proceeds by rapid SeO 2 promoted oxidation to 2-acyloxazoline 3 followed by slower rearrangement of 3 to oxazinone 2 . The second order rate constant for the oxidation step for 2,4-diphenyloxazoline 1b in 1,4-dioxane at 40°C was k 1 = 2.85 ± 0.62 × 10 −2 M −1 ·s −1 . The second and rate limiting rearrangement step ( 3 b →2 b ) had a first order rate constant of k 2 = 1.15 ± 0.09 × 10 −3 s −1 while the relatively low apparent energy of activation E A of 4.2 ± 1.6 kcal·mol −1 in the presence of 2.0 equiv of SeO 2 suggests heterogeneous catalysis. The reaction is catalyzed by Lewis acids, including SeO 2 or small amounts of H 2 O. A plausible mechanism is proposed involving Lewis acid activation and nucleophilic catalysis with H 2 O.
SUPERIOR IN VIVO RESPONSE OF RECOMBINANT FACTOR VIII CONCENTRATE IN CHILDREN WITH HEMOPHILIA A. † 926

SUPERIOR IN VIVO RESPONSE OF RECOMBINANT FACTOR VIII CONCENTRATE IN CHILDREN WITH HEMOPHILIA A. † 926
High temperature color conductivity at next-to-leading log order

The non-Abelian analogue of electrical conductivity at high temperature has previously been known only at leading logarithmic order \char22{} that is, neglecting effects suppressed only by an inverse logarithm of the gauge coupling. We calculate the first sub-leading correction. This has immediate application to improving, to next-to-leading log order, both effective theories of non-perturbative color dynamics, and calculations of the hot electroweak baryon number violation rate.
Massive atomics for massive parallelism on GPUs

One important type of parallelism exploited in many applications is reduction type parallelism. In these applications, the order of the read-modify-write updates to one shared data object can be arbitrary as long as there is an imposed order for the read-modify-write updates. The typical way to parallelize these types of applications is to first let every individual thread perform local computation and save the results in thread-private data objects, and then merge the results from all worker threads in the reduction stage. All applications that fit into the map reduce framework belong to this category. Additionally, the machine learning, data mining, numerical analysis and scientific simulation applications may also benefit from reduction type parallelism. However, the parallelization scheme via the usage of thread-private data objects may not be vi- able in massively parallel GPU applications. Because the number of concurrent threads is extremely large (at least tens of thousands of), thread-private data object creation may lead to memory space explosion problems.In this paper, we propose a novel approach to deal with shared data object management for reduction type parallelism on GPUs. Our approach exploits fine-grained parallelism while at the same time maintaining good programmability. It is based on the usage of intrinsic hardware atomic instructions. Atomic operation may appear to be expensive since it causes thread serialization when multiple threads atomically update the same memory object at the same time. However, we discovered that, with appropriate atomic collision reduction techniques, the atomic implementation can out- perform the non-atomics implementation, even for benchmarks known to have high performance non-atomics GPU implementations. In the meantime, the usage of atomics can greatly reduce coding complexity as neither thread-private object management or explicit thread-communication (for the shared data objects protected by atomic operations) is necessary.
Numerical investigation of airflow in an idealized human extra-thoracic airway: a comparison study

Large eddy simulation (LES) technique is employed to numerically investigate the airflow through an idealized human extra-thoracic airway under different breathing conditions, 10, 30, and 120 l/min. The computa- tional results are compared with single and cross hot-wire measurements, and with time-averaged flow field computed by standard k-ω and k-ω-SST Reynolds-averaged Navier- Stokes (RANS) models and the Lattice Boltzmann method (LBM). The LES results are also compared to root-mean- square (RMS) flow field computed by the Reynolds stress model (RSM) and LBM. LES generally gives better predic- tion of the time-averaged flow field than RANS models and LBM. LES also provides better estimation of the RMS flow field than both the RSM and the LBM.
Analysis of Third-Party Certification Approaches Using an Occupational Health and Safety Conformity-Assessment Model

The occupational health and safety conformity-assessment model presented in this article was developed (1) to analyze 22 public and private programs to determine the extent to which these programs use third parties in conformity-assessment determinations, and (2) to establish a framework to guide future policy developments related to the use of third parties in occupational health and safety conformity-assessment activities. The units of analysis for this study included select Occupational Safety and Health Administration programs and standards, International Organization for Standardization-based standards and guidelines, and standards and guidelines developed by nongovernmental bodies. The model is based on a 15-cell matrix that categorizes first-, second-, and third-party activities in terms of assessment, accreditation, and accreditation-recognition activities. The third-party component of the model has three categories: industrial hygiene/safety testing and sampling; product, equipment, and laborator...
Selecting Items for a Food Behavior Checklist for a Limited-Resource Audience

Abstract Objective To report 6 psychometric properties of food behavior checklist (FBC) items and then to use these properties to systematically reduce the number of items on this evaluation tool. Design Random assignment to the intervention and control groups. Setting Low-income communities. Participants Women (N = 132) from limited-resource families. Main Outcome Measures Reliability, internal consistency, baseline differences by ethnicity, sensitivity to change, and criterion and convergent validity of subscales. Results The fruit and vegetable subscale showed a significant correlation with serum carotenoid values ( r = .44, P Conclusions and Implications This brief food behavior checklist (16 items) is easy to administer to a client group, has an elementary reading level (fourth grade), and has a low respondent burden in addition to meeting requirements for validity, reliability, and sensitivity to change. This study establishes a process that can be used by other researchers to develop and further refine instruments for use in community health promotion interventions.
Praecoris dominicana gen. n., sp. n. (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Holoptilinae) from Dominican amber, with an interpretation of past behavior based on functional morphology

An ant bug of the subfamily Holoptilinae (Reduviidae: Hemiptera), Praecoris dominicana gen. n., sp. n., is described in amber from the Dominican Republic. Based on the functional morphology of extant forms, the behavior of the fossil bug as an ant predator is discussed. This find clearly establishes the Holoptilinae in the New World during the Tertiary and gives credence to the single New World extant specimen reported from Guyana. It is likely that the prey of the fossil specimen was the arboreal ant, Dolichoderus dibolia. Both the bug and its ant prey are now extinct and no descendents occur in the Greater Antilles today.
Synthesis of reactive mass-exchange networks with general nonlinear equilibrium functions

The problem of synthesizing reactive mass-exchange networks (REAMENs) is addressed for which the equilibrium relations governing the transfer of a certain species from rich streams to reactive mass-separating agents are nonlinear (convex and/or nonconvex). Previously developed synthesis procedures for REAMENs are not applicable to such cases, since they were developed for cases of linear and/or convex equilibria. Two peculiar phenomena are associated with REAMENs with general nonlinear equilibria: the location of a mass-exchange pinch point is not restricted to supply compositions of streams; mass exchangers may straddle the pinch point even for networks featuring the minimum cost of mass-separating agents. To account for such intriguing characteristics, a systematic procedure is developed to synthesize cost-effective REAMENs with general nonlinear equilibria. In addition, a robust solution procedure is devised to guarantee the identification of the global solution of the developed optimization programs. Applicability and usefulness of the proposed synthesis procedure are demonstrated via a case study on the desulfurization of gaseous wastes from a coal-to-methanol plant.