cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Identifying manufacturing operational conditions by physics-based feature extraction and ensemble clustering

Abstract Manufacturing processes usually exhibit mixed operational conditions (OCs) due to changes in process/tool/equipment health status. Undesired OCs are direct causes of out-of-control production and thus need to be identified. Data-driven OC identification has been widely used for recognizing undesired OCs, yet most methods of this kind require labels indicating the OCs in model training. In industrial applications, such labels are rarely available due to delay, incompleteness or physical constraints in data collection. A typical case is the thermal images acquired by in-process infrared camera and pyrometer, which contain rich information about process health status but are unlabeled. To facilitate data-driven OC identification with unlabeled thermal images, this study proposes a feature extraction-clustering framework that characterizes the heat-affected zone by its temperature profile and performs ensemble clustering on the extracted features to label the data. Domain knowledge from plant manufacturing is incorporated in the framework to map cluster labels to OCs. Both offline OC recovery and online OC identification are studied. Thermal images from hot stamping in automotive manufacturing are used to demonstrate and validate the proposed method. The feasibility, effectiveness and generality are well justified by the case study results.
Herb-drug interactions in neuropsychiatric pharmacotherapy - a review of clinically relevant findings.

The management of neuropsychiatric disorders relies heavily on pharmacotherapy. The use of herbal products as complimentary medicine, often concomitantly, is common among patients taking prescription neuropsychiatric drugs. Herb-drug interaction, a clinical consequence of this practice, may jeopardize the success of pharmacotherapy in neuropsychiatry. Besides the well-known ability of phytochemicals to inhibit and/or induce drug-metabolizing enzymes and transport proteins, several phytoconstituents are capable of exerting pharmacological effects on the central nervous system. The consequent pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic interactions with orthodox medications often result in deleterious clinical consequences. This study reviewed the relevant literature and identified 13 commonly used herbal products - celery, echinacea, ginkgo, ginseng, hydroxycut, kava, kratom, moringa, piperine, rhodiola, St John's wort, terminalia/commiphora ayurvedic mixture and valerian - which have shown clinically relevant interactions with prescription drugs used in the management of neuropsychiatric disorders. The clinical focus is aimed to provide easily accessible information that will be of interest to clinicians, researchers, and the drug-consuming public.
Hypernatremia and intercalated disc edema synergistically exacerbate long-QT syndrome type 3 phenotype.

Background: Cardiac voltage-gated sodium channel gain-of-function prolongs repolarization in the Long-QT Syndrome Type 3 (LQT3). Previous studies suggest that narrowing the perinexus within the int...
Anatomy of the Facial Nerve

ABSTRACT A clear understanding of the anatomy of the facial nerve, or seventh cranial nerve, is vital during head and neck surgery and for prevention and treatment of facial paralysis. There are four main components of the facial nerve, (branchial motor, special sensory, general sensory, and visceral parasympathetic) that control muscles of facial expression, taste, auricular sensation, and glandular secretion, respectively. It is important for surgeons to appreciate the complex course of the facial nerve as it travels intracranially, intratemporally and extratemporally to prevent injury to these components and identify targets for treatment. This chapter provides an overview of the anatomical course of the facial nerve, describing the anatomy and physiology as they correlate to facial nerve deficits and treatment.
Opportunistic Resource Allocation driven by pattern recognition to attain High Availability in Vision based Edge Compute Systems

Managing High Availability (HA) among Computer Vision Systems deployed on Edge devices requires expensive hardware redundancy. The cost of scaling such systems becomes prohibitive. We present an alternative approach for managing high availability by building this capacity at an application layer. To this end, we propose the use of pattern recognition components to make the application context aware. This intelligent application is then itself able to decide which Edge modules are running redundant or less significant processes. For example, if the module is processing uneventful video streams, the application may decide to make this compute available to some other module. In the event of hardware failures, this application can then provision workloads on idle hardware (or hardware running less significant workload).
Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist? Reconciling Implicit Bias and Title VII

Since its enactment as part of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VII’s main purpose has been to end all forms of employment discrimination. Through a flexible judicial interpretation of Title VII that reached newly discovered forms of discrimination, and through occasional intervention by Congress to update the statute, Title VII has been largely successful in reducing and remedying instances of overt discrimination in the workplace. However, more recently, social scientists have analyzed and applied the results of Harvard’s Implicit Association Test to recognize a new form of discrimination characterized by a subconscious decisionmaking process based on intuition and a lack of an overt intent to discriminate. This phenomenon is called “implicit bias.” To date, several courts have been receptive to incorporating an implicit bias-based theory of employment discrimination, seeing this as the next step in the battle to end all forms of discrimination. Yet many other courts have remained skeptical of the impact of implicit bias and have refused to find that discrimination existed without a showing of intent, specific actions by an employer, or specific employment practices. This Note examines the struggle courts face when analyzing potential instances of implicit bias, and suggests how implicit bias–based claims can be consistent with the existing Title VII intent-based framework and evaluated with minimal changes to that framework.
Unintended Consequence: Fair Value Accounting Informs on Liquidity Risk

We examine in this study the usefulness to investors of the three-level liquidity risk disclosure under SFAS No. 157 through the innovative prism of investors’ reaction to 44 key events (e.g., Lehman’s demise) during late 2008, the peak of the world-wide financial crisis. If fair value accounting informs about the risks (illiquidity) of financial items, then investors’ reaction to the crisis events should be conditional on the three-level disclosure. We indeed find a pecking order of investors’ reaction: For negative - liquidity shrinking - events, investors’ adverse reaction is strongest for Level 3 (highest risk) items, followed by Levels 2 and 1 (often no reaction at all). The reverse holds for positive - liquidity expanding (TARP program, for example) - events. We thus document, for both financial and nonfinancial firms, an important, yet rarely discussed attribute of fair value accounting: Informing on liquidity risk.
CO2 fixation and the involvement of allophanate in the biotin-enzyme-catalyzed cleavage of urea.

ATP:urea amidolyase, a biotin-enzyme induced by growth of the urease-less yeast Candida utilis on urea as sole nitrogen source, exhibits a requirement for catalytic quantities of bicarbonate. Evidence is presented to show that the reaction catalyzed by this enzyme, viz. the ATP- and potassium ion-dependent cleavage of urea to carbon dioxide and ammonia, represents yet another example of a biotin-mediated carboxylation process, one which, in this case, leads to fixation of CO2 at a nitrogen atom of urea. The resulting molecule of allophanate is then susceptible to enzymatic hydrolysis at the amide carbon atom, a cleavage that requires neither ATP, potassium ion, nor the biotin-coenzyme portion of the lyase. A reaction sequence describing the possible molecular events occurring as integral parts of this new "carboxylytic" process of urea degradation in urease-negative organisms is proposed.
DoppelDriver: Counterfactual actual travel times for alternative routes

“What would have happened, had I taken the alternative route?” This is a question that many drivers often ponder, hoping that their chosen route is the best. This paper proposes DoppelDriver, a system that attempts to answer such questions on non-chosen alternative routes to a given destination by determining actual times of arrival (ATAs) from participatory users on the non-chosen routes. DoppelDriver offers a direct, actual travel time comparison among route choices. With DoppelDriver's collection of actual travel time comparisons, users will be able to make strategic decisions on, and self-assessments of, their route choices. Also, we describe the potential usage and benefits of ex-post feedback (i.e. travel time on non-chosen routes) and how snapshots of travel time comparisons can be used to support strategic decision making on the choice of a route. Using real taxi GPS data, we investigate whether aggregating ATAs for road segments from other users mimics the ATA for the intended origin-to-destination route. Finally, we present our system design for a prototype implemented on the Android platform.
Superoxide Dismutases of Escherichia coli: Intracellular Localization and Functions

Escherichia coli B contains two superoxide dismutases which differ with respect to their localization within the cell, the nature of their prosthetic metals, their responses to changes in pO2, and their functions. One of these enzymes, which was liberated from the cells by osmotic shock and which was therefore presumed to be localized in the periplasmic space, is an iron-containing superoxide dismutase. The amount of this iron enzyme did not vary in response to changes in pO2 during growth. In contrast, the other superoxide dismutase was not solubilized by osmotic shock, was a mangano-protein, and was found in greater amounts in cells which had been grown at high pO2. E. coli, which had low levels of the iron-enzyme and high levels of the mangano-enzyme, as a consequence of growth in iron-deficient aerated medium, was killed by exposure to an exogenous flux of O2− which was generated either photochemically or enzymatically. The addition of bovine superoxide dismutase to the suspending medium protected these cells against this stress. On the other hand, E. coli, which had high levels of the iron-enzyme and low levels of the mangano-enzyme, as a consequence of growth in iron-rich anaerobic medium, was resistant to exogeneous O2−. On the basis of these and of previously reported results (4a, Yost, F. J. and I. Fridovich, J. Biol. Chem., 1973, in press), it appears that the iron superoxide dismutase, of the periplasmic space, serves as a defense against exogenous O2−, whereas the mangano-superoxide dismutase, in the matrix of these cells, serves to counter the toxicity of endogenous O2−.
Stability assessment of a circular earth dam

SUMMARY Stability of a circular earth dam is assessed for radial cracking potential and static slope stability using continuum mechanics-based three-dimensional numerical models. Comparisons of numerical model results for a circular water tank with vertical walls and different radii with their analytical counterparts are included to support the validity of the ideas and their implementation in the continuum mechanics-based computer program used. Effects of sloping wall faces and Poisson’s ratio on computed deformations and stresses are also included. The same numerical models are used to assess stability of a circular dam in terms of factor-of-safety and associated failure surface. Three-dimensional slope stability analysis results are compared with continuum based two-dimensional slope stability analysis results to assess the magnitude of 3D effects. Example problems are included to illustratethe use of ideas presented.Published 2013. This article is a U.S.Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
Short-Term Institutional Herding and its Impact on Stock Prices

Using the trades of 776 institutional investors from 1999 to 2004, we examine the existence and impact of short-term institutional herding. We report robust evidence of herding at the weekly frequency using the Lakonishok, Shleifer, and Vishny (1992) measure and the Sias (2004) measure. More importantly, we find that these weekly herds significantly affect the efficiency of security prices. We document strong evidence of return reversals following short-term sell herds and weak evidence of return continuations following short-term buy herds. Our results are consistent with short-term sell herds being motivated by behavioral considerations and driving asset prices away from fundamental values. Alternatively, the absence of return reversals following short-term buy herds suggest that these herds are information based and help impound new information into security prices.
Population ageing and economic growth in Japan

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine how population ageing is related to economic growth as measured by real GDP per capita in Japan. This study is to address the following questions: first, how is population composition by age group related to economic change? Second, how is the dependency ratio related to economic change? And finally, what are the predictions for economic growth in the future? This study answers these questions in relation to Japan. Design/methodology/approach – Regression methods were applied to single-country data for the period 1975-2011. Findings – This study finds that an increase in the 70-74 population age group is associated with a decrease in economic growth, while an increase in the 75 and over population age group is associated with an increase in economic growth in Japan. Research limitations/implications – The relationships that were found in this study do not imply causation from demographic change to economic change. Practical implications – One potential w...
Accretion of southern Alaska

Abstract Paleomagnetic data from southern Alaska indicate that the Wrangellia and Peninsular terranes collided with central Alaska probably by 65 Ma ago and certainly no later than 55 Ma ago. The accretion of these terranes to the mainland was followed by the arrival of the Ghost Rocks volcanic assemblage at the southern margin of Kodiak Island. Poleward movement of these terranes can be explained by rapid motion of the Kula oceanic plate, mainly from 85 to 43 Ma ago, according to recent reconstructions derived from the hot-spot reference frame. After accretion, much of southwestern Alaska underwent a counterclockwise rotation of about 50 ° as indicated by paleomagnetic poles from volcanic rocks of Late Cretaceous and Early Tertiary age. Compression between North America and Asia during opening of the North Atlantic (68-44 Ma ago) may account for the rotation.
Public Order in India An Empirical Study

The nature of public order varies across societies and time. The analysis of public order and social control of disorder requires an understanding of the nature of public order in society. This article analyzes public events that occurred in a city in India in a year. After empirically examining each event, a classification system for public events and for quantifying disorder is proposed. Based on these aspects, the contours of public order in India are defined.
Anistropic Cu Knight shift and magnetic susceptibility in the normal state of YBa2Cu3O7.

Precise measurements of the Knight shift at Cu(1) (chain) and Cu(2) (plane) sites have been made in the normal state of a Y${\mathrm{Ba}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}$${\mathrm{O}}_{7}$ powder sample, for which the $c$ axis of each grain has been aligned in a magnetic field. By combining these data with the Knight shift data in the superconducting state and the anisotropic magnetic susceptibility, it is shown that (1) the anisotropy of the magnetic susceptibility is mainly due to the orbital moment of the $3d$ electrons, (2) the magnitude of the spin contribution to the Knight shift is similar at both sites, and (3) the isotropic part of the Cu hyperfine field is large and positive (112 kOe/${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\mu}}}_{\mathit{B}}$).
Surgical Management of Coarctation of the Aorta in Adults with Concurrent Cardiac and Aortic Disease

We evaluated our experience with the surgical management of aortic coarctation (ACo) in adults with concurrent cardiac and aortic disease approached via median sternotomy. Eight patients were presented using a variety of repair techniques including end-to-end anastomosis, transpericardial ascending aorta to descending aorta bypass, and stage 1 elephant trunk insertion. All patients were male and symptomatic at presentation. The average age was 41 years (range, 27-67 years). The systolic blood pressure decreased by a mean of 49 mmHg in the patients presenting with hypertension. The postoperative New York Heart Association functional class was I or II in all patients. Mean length of stay was 7.7 days. There were no perioperative complications, and overall survival was 100%. Operative repair of complex ACo can be safely accomplished through the mediastinum in patients in whom a conventional left thoracotomy may not be the preferred approach.
Surgical treatment of stress urinary incontinence and severe pelvic organ relaxation in the medically compromised elderly patient using local anesthesia

Abstract Objective: To describe the technique and complications of vaginal repair of advanced pelvic organ prolapse and the use of tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) using intravenous sedation and local anesthesia for patients with concomitant severe vaginal prolapse and stress urinary incontinence. Methods: A retrospective review of the surgical records of 15 patients was performed. Patient demographics, surgical procedure, surgical time, estimated blood loss, complication rate, and hospital stay were examined. Results: All 15 patients reviewed had their operations completed without the need for general anesthesia. The advanced pelvic organ prolapse was repaired vaginally in all patients prior to the TVT procedure being completed. The procedures included eight Lefort partial colpocleises, four total colpocleises, and three anterior repairs with colpoectomy. General anesthesia was contraindicated in all patients. Patients had a mean age of 78 years (range 65–91 years), a mean parity of 2.7, a mean estimated blood loss of 54 mL and a mean operative time of 94 minutes. All hospital stays were less than 24 hours. One intraoperative and no postoperative complications were reported. Conclusions: All 15 patients had successful surgical repair and placement of the TVT sling under local anesthesia without the need for general induction. Surgical correction of concomitant severe pelvic organ relaxation and stress urinary incontinence can be performed rapidly and safely using local anesthesia, thus limiting the potential risks of general anesthesia.
Cell arrest in G2 in root meristems: a control factor from the cotyledons.

Abstract A substance promoting cell cycle arrest in G 2 in the root meristem is demonstrated. This substance is produced in the cotyledons and is transported to the root.
Lessons From Experimental Computer Assisted Sketching Tool for Planar Mechanisms

This paper describes the authors’ experiences in implementing a prototype to explore the technical and research challenges in developing a mechanical design system based on the sketching metaphor. This includes basic approaches, methodology, framework, and research issues. Since the objective of the developing the prototype was to identify the issues, a simple, yet representative design domain of conceptual design of planar mechanisms was chosen. The prototype has the functionality to support users creating skeleton sketches of planar mechanisms on a tablet PC. The freehand sketches are then interpreted to derive the structure of the mechanism consisting of linkages and joints. The paper describes the approach for deriving components from skeleton diagrams and outlines the research challenges in way of creating design tools based on the sketching metaphor.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Mortality among seriously injured patients treated in remote rural trauma centers before and after implementation of a statewide trauma system.

BACKGROUND Injury mortality in rural regions remains high with little evidence that trauma system implementation has benefited rural populations. OBJECTIVE To evaluate risk-adjusted mortality in remote regions of Oregon before and after implementation of a statewide trauma system. RESEARCH DESIGN A retrospective cohort study assessing injury mortality through 30 days after hospital discharge. SETTING Nine rural Oregon hospitals serving counties with populations <18 persons per square mile. SUBJECTS Severely injured patients presenting to four level-3 and five level-4 trauma hospitals 3 years before and 3 years after trauma system implementation. MEASURES Interhospital transfer, hospital death, and demise within 30 days following hospital discharge. RESULTS A total of 940 patients were analyzed. After trauma system implementation, patients presenting to level-4 hospitals were more likely transferred to level-2 facilities (P <0.001). Interhospital transfer times from level-3 hospitals lengthened significantly after system implementation (P <0.001). Overall mortality rates were higher in the postsystem period (8.3%) than the presystem period (6.7%), but not significantly. Controlling for covariates, no additional benefit to risk-adjusted mortality was associated with trauma system implementation. Additional deaths, occurring after trauma system implementation, included head-injured patients transferred from rural hospitals to nonlevel-1 trauma center hospitals. CONCLUSIONS Increased injury survival after Oregon trauma system implementation, demonstrated in urban and statewide analyses, was not confirmed in remote regions of the state. Efforts to improve trauma systems in rural areas should focus on the processes of care for head-injured patients transferred to higher designation trauma centers.
Community characteristics and in-school criminal victimization

The problem of crime in schools is one that receives a great deal of attention in the media and by the general public. Attempts to understand the problem often make reference to the impact of the neighborhood in which the school is found. Research rarely measures the surrounding environment and its impact on crime and victimization in the school. This article reports on an effort to uncover the influence of the surrounding environment on in-school victimization. Data from surveys of students, census and official crime data for the area, and a windshield survey of the neighborhood were used. The results suggest that the surrounding neighborhood has little impact on in-school victimization. Implications of this result on further research and school policy were examined.
The electroactive Mo(VI) species in neutral citrate medium

Abstract In neutral citrate medium the electroactive Mo(VI) species is the 1:1 complex [MoO4HCit]4−. This complex is rather weak, its formation constant at 2°C being ca. 5 × 102. Whereas at 24°C the reaction is sufficiently rapid that the current exhibits a significant kinetic component, at 2°C the equilibrium is effectively frozen and the limiting current is controlled entirely by diffusion of the complex from bulk solution. Of the common hydroxycarboxylic acids, only the α isomers enhance the electroactivity of Mo(VI) under these conditions.
Physiological inactivation of vasoactive hormones in rainbow trout

Hormone titers are affected by interplay between secretion and inactivation processes. While secretion is a focal process, inactivation mechanisms are often complex and poorly understood. In the present study, inactivation of cardiovascular regulatory hormones was examined from a physiological perspective by analyzing the half-time (t½) for recovery of dorsal and ventral aortic and central venous pressure, cardiac output, heart rate, and systemic and branchial vascular resistance following infusion or injection of hormones into conscious rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss. When possible, these were compared to recovery t½ of isolated vessel rings in vitro. The t½ for epinephrine or norepinephrine recovery in vivo was 3–4 min, approximately twice as long as recovery t½ for isolated celiacomesenteric and epibranchial artery rings in vitro. Thus, the rate-limiting step in vascular relaxation is the concentration of circulating catecholamine concentrations, and not metabolic or mechanical events within the vascular wall. The in vivo recovery t½ following angiotensin II (ANG II) infusion was 6–7 min, nearly twice that of catecholamines, but also greater than the t½ following bolus ANG II injection, inhibition of angiotensin converting enzyme with captopril or injection of trout bradykinin. Arginine vasotocin (AVT) recovery t½ in vivo, was considerably longer (20–30 min) than either catecholamine or ANG II t½ and longer than AVT recovery t½ of isolated vessels in vitro (5–6 min). The inactivation kinetics of catecholamines are consistent with circulatory convection-limited processes and do not appear to be limited by either tissue uptake or enzymatic degradation. This is probably the fastest type of ‘on-off’ endocrine regulation in fish. Inactivation of ANG II and bradykinin are also convection limited, but ANG II metabolism may become saturated with high doses of exogenous ANG II. AVT inactivation is not convection limited and may compensate for a quantitatively lower capacity of the pituitary for peptide secretion, or less emphasis on AVT as an on/off effector of vascular resistance. J. Exp. Zool. 279:254–264, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Serum squamous cell carcinoma antigen levels in patients with invasive squamous vulvar and vaginal cancer: A preliminary report

Pretreatment serum squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC) levels were obtained in 12 patients with invasive vulvar and 5 patients with invasive vaginal squamous cancer. Only 4 of 12 (33%) patients with vulvar cancer and 1 of 5 (20%) patients with vaginal cancer, usually those with more advanced disease, had elevated serum SCC levels at the time of diagnosis.
A novel method to reduce data acquisition time in differential phase contrast: computed tomography using compressed sensing

Recently, differential phase contrast computed tomography (DPC-CT) imaging methods have been successfully implemented using either synchrotron or x-ray tube generated x-rays. As far as image reconstruction is concerned, FBPtype reconstruction algorithms have been proposed. However, due to the intrinsic low photon efficiency of the system and the sampling requirement of the FBP reconstruction algorithms, the x-ray exposure time is unacceptably long, on the order of hours. In order to significantly shorten the data acquisition time, we proposed to acquire projection data at significantly fewer view angles. This poses a challenge in image reconstruction. In this work, we aimed at using the newly developed compressed sensing (CS) image reconstruction method to accurately reconstruct phase contrast CT images from vastly under-sampled data. Experimental data were utilized to validate our new reconstruction method. Our results demonstrate that the CS method enables acceptable image reconstruction in DPC-CT using significantly fewer view angles when compared with the FBP image reconstruction method.
Creating an Individual Work Identity

Abstract This article builds on existing research on social identity and organizational identity to theoretically examine ways individuals create their own personal work identities. Individual work identity refers to a work-based self-concept, comprised of a combination of organizational, occupational, and other identities, that affects the roles people adopt and the corresponding ways they behave when performing their work. We show how individuals' identification with their organizations and/or occupations can be used to create their work identity, and we suggest this process will be based on the degree to which membership in these groups enhances their distinction and status. We argue that these concepts depend on whether individuals view their work as jobs, careers, or callings, as well as on whether individuals pursue a traditional career strategy versus a boundaryless career one. Finally, we offer propositions exploring the impact of identity creation on individuals' job performance and turnover intentions. We discuss the implications of our ideas for not only research in organizational identity, but also for research that explores the human resource implications of organizational actions.
A sentence level probabilistic model for evolutionary theme pattern mining from news corpora

Some recent topic model-based methods have been proposed to discover and summarize the evolutionary patterns of themes in temporal text collections. However, the theme patterns extracted by these methods are hard to interpret and evaluate. To produce a more descriptive representation of the theme pattern, we not only give new representations of sentences and themes with named entities, but we also propose a sentence-level probabilistic model based on the new representation pattern. Compared with other topic model methods, our approach not only gets each topic's distribution per term, but also generates candidate summary sentences of the themes as well. Consequently, the results are easier to understand and can be evaluated using the top sentences produced by our probabilistic model. Experimentation with the proposed methods on the Tsunami dataset shows that the proposed methods are useful in the discovery of evolutionary theme patterns.
Enhancement of Teaching Design of CNC Milling Machines

Abstract This paper presents a new approach to teaching which is focused on designing CNC milling machines in the Department of Machine Design at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen. It is aimed at creating guidelines for students with the following main priorities: find and unify information in one place and in a simple manner for students. For this purpose, 3D models are created in Catia, NX, etc. and converted into a 3D pdf which has lower hardware requirements, no special program and students can still rotate and move the models and make them visible/invisible. The parts are described including their functions.
Effects of diphenyliodonium chloride on proteolysis and leucine metabolism by rumen microorganisms

Abstract Diphenyliodonium chloride (DIC) at 0.3 and 0.8 mM inhibited hydrolysis of casein by a rumen microbial ecosystem unadapted to DIC by as much as 30%. Adaptive effects to DIC on leucine oxidation over 37 days were evaluated in a batch culture system repetitively diluted with culture media devoid of protein but containing carbon and nitrogen sources essential for growth. DIC concentrations up to 0.1 mM had no effect on concentrations of microbial protein during the 37 day period of semi-continuous culture. Concentrations of ammonia were depressed ( P ≤ 0.05) by day 5 after initiating an influx of 0.1 mM DIC while other levels of DIC were without effect. Effects of DIC on oxidation of leucine were determined in aliquots of removed culture to which [1- 14 C]-leucine was added. Leucine oxidation was assessed as the 14 CO 2 evolved during a 1 h fermentation with [1- 14 C]-leucine and subsequent peroxide oxidation of the residual [1- 14 C]-α-ketoisocaporate (KIC). The proportion of 14 CO 2 recovered during fermentation and from KIC was essentially equal (regression coefficient of 1.0244 ± 0.04) and did not differ ( P > 0.05) due to level of DIC or days of culture. The results suggests that leucine was deaminated via oxidative deamination to KIC followed by oxidative decarboxylation of KIC to isovalerate. These results illustrate that DIC can completely inhibit leucine degradation without detrimental effects on microbial growth in culture systems derived from rumen fluid that are allowed to adapt to DIC.
Diffusion of CO on Ni(111) and Ni(115)

Diffusion of CO on the Ni(111) and (115) planes as a function of coverage was studied by the field-emission fluctuation method from 130–219 K. On (111) Ed = 6.8 kcal, independent of coverage, while D0 ≅ 10−3 cm2 s−1. Near CONi = 0.4 there is a peak in D at all temperatures. Mean square fluctuations increase only slightly with increasing T but show strong oscillations in the coverage range 0.3 ⩽ CONi ⩽ 0.5 at all temperatures probed. D divided by the “thermodynamic factor”, i.e. D〈(δN) 2〉〈N〉 is not constant as a function of coverage, indicating a compensation between the thermodynamic factor and the remaining terms in D. On (115), which consists of terraces of varying width of (100) orientation, Ed = 6.4 kcal, D0 ≅ 10−3 cm2 s−1 up to CONi = 0.6 or CO = 0.96 × 1015moleculescm2. Above this coverage Ed and D0 drop rapidly, reaching 4.5 kcal and 2 × 10−6 cm2 s−1 respectively near saturation. 〈(δN)2〉〈N〉 decreases markedly with increasing coverage but is only slightly temperature dependent. There is again a strong compensation between changes in the thermodynamic factor and the remaining terms in D.
Eye-banking risk factors for fungal endophthalmitis compared with bacterial endophthalmitis after corneal transplantation.

Purpose To track the relative frequency and explore possible risk factors of fungal compared with bacterial endophthalmitis after corneal transplantation. Design Case-comparison study nested in a surveillance registry. Methods We examined, among recipients who underwent surgery from January 1991 through December 2003, demographic and eye-banking characteristics of postkeratoplasty endophthalmitis cases that were reported to the Eye Bank Association of America by US eye banks. Potential predictors of fungal compared with bacterial endophthalmitis were examined using multiple logistic regression. Results Of 234 reported cases of postkeratoplasty endophthalmitis reported by US eye bank, 46 cases (19.7%) were fungal, and 130 cases (55.6%) were bacterial. Concordant cultures of the residual donor corneoscleral rim or preservation medium occurred significantly more often with fungal than bacterial endophthalmitis ( P = .009). After the introduction of Optisol-GS, the odds of bacterial relative to fungal endophthalmitis decreased by 77% (95% confidence interval, 44% - 91%). After adjustment for the preservation method and other eye-banking variables, the odds of fungal endophthalmitis was 3.4 (95% confidence interval, 1.6 - 7.4) times that of bacterial endophthalmitis, when donor corneal preservation was 4 days or longer. Conclusions The frequency of postkeratoplasty bacterial endophthalmitis compared with fungal endophthalmitis fell after widespread use of a corneal preservation medium supplemented with gentamicin and streptomycin. Further improvements in corneal preservation procedures are needed.
Nuclear magnetic resonance studies of heteroaromatic systems. Methyl coupling of 2‐substituted picolines, 2‐pyridones and 2‐pyridthiones

The proton magnetic resonance spectra of all the 2-amino-, 2-chloro-, 2-nitropicolines were determined. Long-range coupling of the methyl groups to all available ortho (four bonds) and para (six bonds) ring protons was found in these picolines. The p.m.r. spectra of all of the ring methyl substituted 2-pyridones and 2-pyridthiones were analyzed. In 4- and 5-methyl-2-pyridones and the corresponding thiones, selective ring coupling was observed to only one ortho ring proton, viz., to H-3 and H-6 respectively. However, in 3- and 6-methyl-2-pyridones and analogous thiones, long-range coupling was visible to both ortho and para ring protons. These long-range spin-spin interactions are interpreted in terms of the structures of 2-pyridones and their thione analogs.
Shakespeare, god, and lonely hearts: transforming data access with many eyes

Data visualization has historically been accessible only to the technological elite. It is, after all, "serious" technology done by experts for experts. But recent web-based visualizations - ranging from political art projects to news stories - have reached millions. Unfortunately, while lay users can view sophisticated visualizations, they have few ways to create them. In order to "democratize" visualization, we have built Many Eyes, a web site where people may upload their own data, create interactive visualizations, and carry on conversations. By making these tools available to anyone on the web, the site fosters a social style of data analysis that empowers users to engage with public data through discussion and collaboration. Political discussions, citizen activism, religious conversations, game playing, and educational exchanges are all happening on Many Eyes. The public nature of these visualizations provides users with a transformative path to information literacy.
Poverty, suicide, and homicide among Native Americans.

Analysis of data for 12 areas of the Indian Health Services available from the US Department of Health and Human Services yielded a correlation (rho) of .65 between poverty and suicide and a significant rho of. 52 with homicide rates. The Navajo area is an exception, raising for study questions about social disintegration.
Decreased membrane potassium permeability and transport in human chronic leukemic and tonsillar lymphocytes

Human blood T-lymphocytes increase their potassium (K+) permeability and active K+ transport following lectin or antigen stimulation. We have studied the permeability and active transport of K+ by lymphocytes in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) to determine if their membrane K+ transport was similar to resting or lectin-stimulated normal blood lymphocytes. K+ transport was assessed both by the rate of isotopic 42K+ uptake and by the rate of change in cell K+ concentration after inhibition of the K+ transport system with ouabain. CLL lymphocytes had a marked decrease in membrane K+ permeability and active transport of K+ when compared to blood T lymphocytes. K+ transport in five subjects with CLL (10 mmol.1 cell water-1.h-1) was half that in normal blood T-lymphocytes (20 mmol.1 cell water-1 h-1). Phytohemagglutinin (PHA) treatment of CLL lymphocytes did not increase significantly their active K+ transport, whereas K+ transport by normal T-lymphocytes increased by 100%. Since there were 73% T-lymphocytes in normal blood and 14% in CLL blood, the difference in membrane K+ turnover could be related either to neoplasia or to the proposed B-lymphocyte origin of CLL. We studied human tonsillar lymphocytes which contained a mean of 34% T-cells. In five studies of tonsils, K+ transport was 14 mmol.1 cell water-1.h-1 and treatment with PHA increased K+ transport only 30%. The intermediate values of basal K+ transport and K+ transport in response to PHA in tonsillar lymphocytes were consistent with the proportion of T-lymphocytes present. These data suggest that B-lymphocytes have reduced membrane permeability and active transport of K+. Thus the marked decrease in CLL lymphocyte membrane K+ permeability and transport may be a reflection of its presumed B-cell origin, rather than a membrane alteration related to malignant transformation.
Temperature-dependent structural arrest of silica colloids in a water–lutidine binary mixture

We study the onset of structural arrest and glass formation in a suspension of silica nanoparticles in a water–lutidine binary mixture near its consolute point. By exploiting the near-critical fluid degrees of freedom to control the strength of an attraction between particles and multispeckle X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy to characterize the particles' collective dynamics, we show that this model liquid undergoes a glass transition both on cooling and on heating, and that the intermediate liquid realizes unusual logarithmic relaxations. We are able to characterize in unprecedented detail how vitrification occurs for the two different glass transitions observed, and draw comparisons to recent theoretical predictions for glass formation in systems with attractive interactions.
The Ratio of Thromboxane to Prostacyclin is Increased by Peroxide in a Dose-Dependent Manner, Along with Increased Vasoconstriction in the Human Placenta

Objective: To determine if perfusion of the human placenta with increasing doses of exogenous peroxide will result in a dose-dependent increase in the ratio of thromboxane to prostacyclin, and a progressive increase in placental vasoconstriction.Methods: Isolated human placental cotyledons (n = 7) were perfused serially for 20-min intervals with control Krebs-Ringer-bicarbonate (KRB) buffer gassed with 95% O2 and 5% CO2, and then KRB buffer containing progressively increasing concentrations of f-butyl hydroperoxide (10, 25, 50, and 100 μmol/L). Control KRB buffer was perfused between each dose of t-butyl hydroperoxide. Perfusion pressure was continually monitored and maternal and fetal effluent samples were collected and analyzed for thromboxane and prostacyclin by their stable metabolites, TXB2 and 6-keto PGF1α.Results: Compared to control KRB buffer, perfusion with t-butyl hydroperoxide at concentrations of 25, 50, and 100 μmol/L resulted in a progressive and significant increase in the fetal secretion ...
Pitfalls in counterfactual analyses of policy rules

This analysis examines the validity of utilizing a subset of reduced form equations, such as from a VAR model, for the construction of counterfactual policy analyses. It is shown that the omission of one of the estimated reduced form (VAR) equations and the substitution of a counterfactual policy rule to complete the model severely limits the admissible structure of the economic model that could have generated the historical data.
The Outdoor Air Pollution and Brain Health Workshop

Accumulating evidence suggests that outdoor air pollution may have a significant impact on central nervous system (CNS) health and disease. To address this issue, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences/National Institute of Health convened a panel of research scientists that was assigned the task of identifying research gaps and priority goals essential for advancing this growing field and addressing an emerging human health concern. Here, we review recent findings that have established the effects of inhaled air pollutants in the brain, explore the potential mechanisms driving these phenomena, and discuss the recommended research priorities/approaches that were identified by the panel.
MHC class II signaling in B-cell activation

The cognate interaction between T cells and antigen-presenting cells (APCs), mediated by major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II molecules, results in the delivery of activation signals to the APC. These signals contribute to the expression of co-stimulatory activity by APCs and have important consequences for cell effector function. MHC class II molecules also serve as receptors for B-cell stimulation by microbial superantigens. In this review, Paul Scholl and Raif Geha discuss recent advances in our understanding of mechanisms of MHC class II signaling and analyse their role in human B-cell activation.
Optimization of Aerosol Penetration through Transport Lines

When aerosol particles are transported through tubing systems for near-real-time monitoring purposes, there will be losses of particles on internal surfaces of the transport system that will render the monitoring process less accurate. Herein we consider three aspects of modeling particle penetration: an analytical solution for the effective particle depositional velocity in inclined tubes; the optimum diameter of a straight tube for maximum aerosol penetration; and the concept of maximum penetration, Pmax, between two points in space. Pmax is the upper bound, and the ratio of the actual penetration, P, to Pmax gives the scope for improving the transport line design to increase penetration. * Aerosol Technology Laboratory Publication 6441/02/01/91/NKA.
Intron splicing: a conserved internal signal in introns of Drosophila pre-mRNAs

The introns of Drosophila pre-mRNAs have been analysed for conserved internal sequence elements near the 3' intron boundary similar to the T-A-C-T-A-A-C in yeast introns and the C/T-T-A/G-A-C/T in introns of other organisms. Such conserved internal elements are the 3' splice signals recognized in intron splicing. In the lariat splicing mechanism, the G at the 5' end of an intron joins covalently to the last A of a 3' splice signal to form a branch point in a splicing intermediate. Analysis of 39 published sequences of Drosophila introns reveals that potential 3' splice signals with the consensus C/T-T-A/G-A-C/T are present in 18 cases. In 17 of the remaining cases signals are present which vary from this consensus just in the middle or last position. In Drosophila introns the 3' splice signal is usually located in a discrete region between 18 and 35 nucleotides upstream from the 3' splice point. We note that the Drosophila small nuclear U2-RNA has sequences complementary to C-T-G-A-T, one variant of the signal, and to C-A-G, one variant of the 3' terminus of an intron. We also note that the absence of any A-G between -3 and -19 from the 3' splice point may be an essential feature of a strong 3' boundary.
Nitrous oxide-induced c-Fos expression in the rat brain

Induction of c-Fos has previously been used to map locations of cells in the central nervous system (CNS) that are activated by ethanol administration. Only a few studies examining a restricted range of CNS areas have identified brain areas activated by nitrous oxide (N2O). Because ethanol and N2O have overlapping physiological, psychological and behavioral effects, we hypothesized that these drugs act on similar sites in the CNS. To test this hypothesis, we assessed c-Fos-like immunoreactivity in brain slices from male Long–Evans rats that received a 2-h exposure of 0, 20, 40 or 60% N2O (n=5 each) immediately prior to sacrifice. N2O administration produced significant (P<0.05) dose-related increases of c-Fos expression in several forebrain regions, including the hypothalamic supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei, the thalamic paraventricular nucleus, the amygdala, and in retrosplenial cortex. In the midbrain, N2O caused significant dose-related c-Fos expression in the Edinger–Westphal nucleus. Finally, the pontine locus coeruleus, and two medullary regions, the nucleus of the solitary tract and ventrolateral medulla, also showed significant dose-related N2O-induced c-Fos expression. Most of the brain areas identified as targets of N2O are also activated by ethanol administration. The overlapping pattern of c-Fos induced by ethanol and N2O suggests that these drugs may cause comparable central activity by acting on similar neuronal pathways.
Contribution of Axial Arm Rotation to Humeral Head Translation

The contribution of axial arm rotation to translation of the humeral head with the arm in the hanging position was examined using nine fresh-frozen cadaveric shoulders. Three standard clinical tests were simulated: anterior and posterior translation and sulcus tests. In both the anterior translation and sulcus tests, anterior and inferior displacements were significantly restricted in internal rotation but not in neutral and external rotation. In the posterior translation test, no significant differences in displacement could be observed in internal, neutral, or external rotation. Since anterior and inferior translations of the humeral head were significantly affected by the rotation of the arm, we recommend that the anterior translation and sulcus tests be performed in various rotations.