cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Antioxidant Enzymes Response in Vetiver Grass: A Greenhouse Study for Chelant-Assisted Phytoremediation of Lead-Contaminated Residential Soils

In a previous study we have demonstrated the suitability of using vetiver grass (Vetiveria zizanioides L.) for the phytostabilization of lead-based paint contaminated residential soils. Vetiver did not show any growth retardation or toxicity symptoms despite high soil Pb levels. Antioxidant enzymes like superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) reportedly allow plants to combat metal stress. Thus, we hypothesized that in vetiver, these antioxidant enzymes can play an important role in combating Pb induced stress, and that chelant-bound Pb is less toxic to vetiver compared to free Pb in soil. The response of antioxidant enzymes was studied in vetiver grass grown in Pb paint-contaminated residential soils collected from San Antonio, Texas and Baltimore, Maryland. Chelating agents such as ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and ethylenediaminedisuccinic acid (EDDS) were used to mobilize Pb from bound fractions to the labile pool, facilitating Pb uptake by vetiver. Although the Pb concentration in vetiver from these treatments was significantly higher than those grown in the absence of a chelant, the antioxidant enzymes activities were lower compared to the latter. Antioxidant enzymes activity of vetiver plants grown in the presence of chelants is lower compared to those in without chelant treatment, while they tended to increase with dose in treatments with varying chelant concentrations. Data obtained support the proposed hypothesis.
The US Army Foreign Comparative Test fuel cell program

Abstract The US Army RDECOM initiated a Foreign Comparative Test (FCT) Program to acquire lightweight, high-energy dense fuel cell systems from across the globe for evaluation as portable power sources in military applications. Five foreign companies, including NovArs, Smart Fuel Cell, Intelligent Energy, Ballard Power Systems, and Hydrogenics, Inc., were awarded competitive contracts under the RDECOM effort. This paper will report on the status of the program as well as the experimental results obtained from one of the units. The US Army has interests in evaluating and deploying a variety of fuel cell systems, where these systems show added value when compared to current power sources in use. For low-power applications, fuel cells utilizing high-energy dense fuels offer significant weight savings over current battery technologies. This helps reduce the load a solider must carry for longer missions. For high-power applications, the low operating signatures (acoustic and thermal) of fuel cell systems make them ideal power generators in stealth operations. Recent testing has been completed on the Smart Fuel Cell A25 system that was procured through the FCT program. The “A-25” is a direct methanol fuel cell hybrid and was evaluated as a potential candidate for soldier and sensor power applications.
How Targeted Should Research and Higher Education Be

The education and research system in the biomedical sciences is tremendously vital. But the scientific community must exert more leadership if this vitality is to continue, for both science education and research are prone to a common villain: inertia. For example, in the education arena, why do medical schools require two semesters of organic chemistry but no cell biology, when the center of biomedical research has shifted to cell biology? And why do so many graduate schools continue to send a strong message to their science students that there is only one really successful career path--the one leading to academia--when most of our PhD students cannot expect to become professors? Inertia in research can be seen in the trend for cell biologists to train researchers just like themselves, which means that the many opportunities to use new cell biological techniques to address important problems in tissue biology are likely to be missed. A solution to such problems is to design funding mechanisms that promote more adventuresome research. As a bottom line, our research system must support the independence of our best young scientists and encourage them to take the risks inherent in highly creative endeavors.
‘But What’s the Use? They Don’t Wear Breeches!’: Montaigne and the pedagogy of humor

AbstractBy virtue of his Essays Montaigne is rightly regarded not only as a radically modern philosopher but also as a transformative educational innovator. He confronted the extent to which pedantry and acculturation can justify cruelty by developing a conception of liberal arts education as the arts of liberation, and at the core of this education he placed the practice of essaying. This article argues that in easing us into essaying practices Montaigne qua educator makes reflexive use of three specific modes of didactic humor: incongruous comparison, subversive superiority, and leveling embodiment. Humor thus emerges as a cognitive disposition and communicative mode especially appropriate to the pedagogical engagement with difference today.
Bionomics, axenic culture, and substrate-related variation in trichospores of Smittium megazygosporum

Smittium megazygosporum, previously known only from southern France, was collected in South Carolina, USA, indicating a Holarctic distri- bution. An axenic culture was obtained from a black fly (Diptera, Simuliidae) that was probably a spurious host. The holdfast, with a refractive secreted-material base, is described for the first time, and verticillate branching in vegetative growth is confirmed. Zygo- spores, the largest known for the genus, were found in chironomids co-occurring with the black fly host. Trichospore sizes varied significantly depending on the host and medium in which they grew. This host- related size variation could have consequences for species diagnoses of Smittium that often are based on
Mechanisms of Genome‐Wide Hypermutation in Stationary Phasea

: Stationary-phase mutation (a subset of which was previously called adaptive mutation) occurs in apparently nondividing, stationary-phase cells exposed to a nonlethal genetic selection. In one experimental system, stationary-phase reversion of an Escherichia coli F′-borne lac frameshift mutation occurs by a novel molecular mechanism that requires homologous recombination functions of the RecBCD system. Chromosomal mutations at multiple loci are detected more frequently in Lac+ stationary-phase revertants than in cells that were also exposed to selection but did not become Lac+. Thus, mutating cells represent a subpopulation that experiences hypermutation throughout the genome. This paper summarizes current knowledge regarding stationary-phase mutation in the lac system. Hypotheses for the mechanism of chromosomal hypermutation are discussed, and data are presented that exclude one hypothetical mechanism in which chromosomal mutations result from Hfr formation.
Interaction of secretin5-27 and its analogues with hormone receptors on pancreatic acini.

Abstract The C-terminal tricosapeptide of secretin (S 5–27 ) and two analogues, one with asparagine replacing aspartic acid in position 15 (15-Asn-S 5–27 ) and one with lysine replacing aspartic acid in position 15 (15-Lys-S 5–27 ) were tested for their abilities to interact with hormone receptors on pancreatic acinar cells. In interacting with the receptors which prefer vasoactive intestinal peptide (vaso-active intestinal peptide-preferring receptors), the apparent affinity of 15-Asn-S 5–27 was equal to that of 15-Lys-S 5–27 and was greater than that of S 5–27 . In interacting with secretin-preferring receptors, the apparent affinity of 15-Asn-S 5–27 was equal to that of S 5–27 and was greater than that of 15-Lys-S 5–27 . In interacting with the secretin-preferring receptors each of the secretin fragments was approximately 2% as effective as secretin in causing an increase in cellular cyclic AMP. None of these fragments was able to cause a detectable increase in cyclic AMP mediated by the vasoactive intestinal peptide-preferring receptors. The dose vs. response curves for the action of secretin and vasoactive intestinal peptide on cellular cyclic AMP and on amylase secretion as well as the patetern of effects of secretin fragments on these actions indicated that the increase in amylase secretion caused by vasoactive intestinal peptide and secretin is mediated exclusively by the vasoactive intestinal peptide-preferring receptors. Furthermore, occupation of approximately 50% of the vasoactive intestinal peptide-preferring receptors is sufficient to cause maximal stimulation of amylase secretion.
Close-Contact, Human-Interactive Technologies

Machines designed to cooperate physically with humans enable entirely new ways for technology to support human activity. This presentation will review some challenges and possibilities of close-contact, human-interactive machinery. The essential requirement to maintain safety, stability and performance may be addressed by interaction control, which focuses control system design on the machine's interactive behavior. This can endow an amputee's motorized arm prosthesis with sufficient responsiveness to take advantage of mechanical constraints; and support dexterous bimanual cooperation between natural and artificial limbs. Robots capable of safely interacting and cooperating with humans enable new forms of therapy for recovery after neurological injury. Work at M.I.T. with clinical collaborators demonstrates that even a simple form of interactive robot therapy offers lasting benefits for acute-phase stroke victims, typically about twice that of conventional therapy alone. For stroke victims in the chronic phase, a period of apparently stable motor performance, it also offers lasting benefits, both an increase of motor abilities and a reduction of paretic arm pain. These examples provide the merest hint of the vast potential of machines designed for intimate physical cooperation with humans
CASE DISPATCHING VERSUS CASE-BASE MERGING: WHEN MCBR MATTERS

Multi-case-base reasoning (MCBR) extends case-based reasoning to draw on multiple case bases that may address somewhat different tasks. In MCBR, an agent selectively supplements its own case-base as needed, by dispatching problems to external case-bases and using cross-case-base adaptation to adjust their solutions for inter-case-base differences. MCBR has been advocated as a means to facilitate handling large case-bases when storage is limited, or to enable use of distributed case sources. However, this raises an important question: When storage is not an issue, and the cases from all external case sources could be merged into a single case-base, is there any reason for MCBR? This article answers that question with an experimental assessment of how MCBR affects the quality of solutions generated. It demonstrates that for a given local case-base and an external case-base for a task environment that is similar to, but different from, the local task environment, MCBR can improve accuracy compared to merging the case-bases into a single case-base. This improvement holds even if the cross-case-base adaptation method used by MCBR is also applied to the external cases before merging. The article hypothesizes an explanation of this behavior in terms of the ability of MCBR to exploit the tradeoffs between similarity of problems and similarity of solution contexts. It provides experimental evidence to support this hypothesis, and also demonstrates that MCBR is a useful framework for guiding case-base maintenance by selecting cases to add to a case-base.
The psychological aspects of noncardiac chest pain

Much of the early medical literature covering the psychological aspects of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and noncardiac chest pain (NCCP) suffers from a lack of scientific rigor. Early studies were done without control groups or standardized measures for gastrointestinal (GI) disorders. Often psychiatric diagnoses were made on the basis of the subjective observations of the investigator as opposed to a diagnosis made using validated psychological screening tools. In the last 10 to 15 years, a large number of validated psychometric instruments have been developed for use in the medical setting. Likewise, psychophysiologic research in medicine has improved by the use of case-control studies. The ability to compare normal control subjects to patients with chest pain of noncardiac origin and to compare the psychological differences between the two groups in a standardized and validated manner is an immense improvement in our ability to investigate the psychological substrates of NCCP. Likewise, improvements in psychiatric nosology, and particularly in the development of standardized psychiatric diagnostic criteria in the form of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association (DSM-IV), has allowed for better description of the psychiatric disorders that have been associated with NCCP, such as anxiety disorders (particularly panic disorder), major depressive disorder, and somatoform disorders. Finally, improvements in GI diagnostic technology, such as the development of ambulatory 24-hour esophageal pH monitoring and computerized esophageal motility testing, have created a new level of precision to help identify the physiologic correlates of various psychological states in a precise and accurate manner.
Low energy ion pitch angle distributions observed on the dayside at geosynchronous altitudes

Pitch angle distributions of low energy (20-400 eV) ions observed at geosynchronous altitudes are found to have field-aligned components almost 90% of the time on the average from dawn to midafternoon, thereafter decreasing to just less than 50%. Pancake pitch angle component occurrence frequencies vary oppositely, increasing to a peak of 40% in late afternoon. Although the occurrence frequencies for field-aligned components display no systematic variation with energy, pancake components are observed more often in the lower energy particles. Similarly, magnetic activity is found to have little effect on the occurrence frequencies of field-aligned components, whereas pancake components occur more frequently under magnetically quiet conditions.
Anodic dissolution of Zn in aqueous salt solutions

Abstract The anodic dissolution of Zn has been studied in aqueous solutions containing Cl−, Br−, I−, Ac−, SO42− and NO3−. An apparent deviation from Faraday's law was found in NO3− solutions which was a function of NO3− concentration, c.d. and temperature. The deviations (in terms of an apparent valency) were correlated using an equation derived previously for Cd in which the mode of dissolution was described as the normal (faradaic) anodic process accompanied by local corrosion and surface disintegration. The normal anodic process was also found to be consistent with the mechanism proposed previously for Cd.
Surface analysis of carbon and carbon fibers for composites

Abstract Carbon fibers are finding increasing application in making various composites with special properties. It is found that such composites have properties that can be markedly affected by the carbon fiber surface. The effects of surface modification by electrochemical and plasma oxidation are discussed and the surface chemical changes described with examples from the author's work. It is seen that the interaction of the matrix with the fiber surface is a subtle mixture of physical and chemical effects. Surface studies with core and valence band X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and other techniques are described. Valence band X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy is shown to have the ability to distinguish some subtle chemical differences, and the combination of XPS data from different regions is shown to indicate differences in chemical composition with depth into the surface. Examples are provided of interfacial chemical reactions between treated fibers and a coating of resin or polymer. A special cell for monitoring high temperature carbon oxidation is described, with examples of oxidation protection by aluminum oxide and magnesium oxide films.
Heteromeric intermolecular interactions as synthetic tools for the formation of binary co-crystals

The crystal structure of 4-nitrobenzamide pyrazinecarboxamide (1 ∶ 1) contains two homomeric amide⋯amide dimers, which is in sharp contrast with the structural motifs displayed by the vast majority of binary co-crystals (illustrated here with five new examples), where the driving force for the supramolecular assembly is one or more strong heteromeric intermolecular interactions.
ANALYSIS OF THE COMMERCIAL-SCALE COST OF PRODUCING FRESHWATER PRAWN Macrobrachium rosenbergii IN THE SOUTH CENTRAL UNITED STATES

Freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii, production costs have mainly been estimated from experimental results or from limited numbers of producers. This paper discusses results from a cost of production survey sent to freshwater prawn producers in the south central United States in 2005. Feed and stocking costs were the highest variable costs and were related to the proximity of the input sources. Inorganic fertilizer cost was significantly greater for the south region while electrical costs were greater for the west region of the study area. The average prawn breakeven price covering all costs was $12.74, $14.27, $16.12, $17.18, and $14.55 per kilogram for producers in Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, “Other States,” and for all respondents, respectively. Producers could decrease costs by improving yields, i.e., by increasing survival and/or weight gain, or by decreasing stocking, feed, and electrical costs; or by finding multiple uses of the equipment used to grow-out and harvest freshwater prawns.
Transcending through disability and death: Transpersonal themes in living with cystic fibrosis

Summary This study examines transpersonal themes related to a sense of dealing with spiritual transcendence through disability and death as represented in the views of adults with cystic fibrosis (CF), a life threatening chronic hereditary disease. Analysis of on‐line discussion, autobiographical writings, and interviews of 16 people with CF identified spiritual beliefs, spiritual metaphors, transpersonal developmental patterns, and accounts of transpersonal experiences, such as miracles and contact with sacred beings. The principles of empowerment and phenomenologically oriented research for transpersonal topics shaped the methodology of this qualitative study. Implications for spiritually sensitive social work practice with people with chronic illnesses are presented.
Context-dependent effects on analogical transfer.

The role of context in facilitating analogical transfer was investigated in two experiments. In both experiments, subjects first read two stories that were analogous to Duncker’s (1945) radiation problem. Later, subjects attempted to solve the radiation problem. In Experiment 1, the radiation problem was presented in a different context than that of the stories, and followed them by 6 min. Transfer was observed in subjects who were prompted to use the earlier stories in solving the problem. However, the solution frequency of subjects not given such prompts did not differ from control levels. In Experiment 2, the radiation problem was presented in the same context as the earlier stories to some subjects, and in a different context to others. The timing of the radiation problem also was varied. When a 6-min interval separated the stories from the radiation problem, transfer was a function of context, with weak transfer being observed in the samecontext condition, and no transfer being observed in the different-context condition. At a 45-sec delay, transfer was again observed in the same~ontext condition, and a nonsignificant trend toward transfer was observed in the different-context condition. The results were interpreted as indicating that context facilitates the retrieval of relevant problem-solving schemas, and as suggesting that the possession of relevant schemas is not sufficient to produce analogical transfer.
Optimal Inspection and Repair of a Production Process Subject to Deterioration

This paper considers the problem of optimally controlling a finite state production process subject to deterioration where the decisions available to the inspector are: produce without inspection, produce with inspection, and repair. The state of the production process is perfectly observed at times of inspection and completely unobserved otherwise. If the production process has an increasing failure rate and if certain reasonable assumptions are satisfied by the cost structure, it is shown that optimal strategies for the finite horizon, discounted cost, and average cost cases have certain structural properties which correspond to the well-known four-region description of the optimal policy presented by Ross for the two-state case. These results are also shown to be similar to those recently determined by Rosenfield and are proven under weaker assumptions.
Photographic Investigation of the Projection of Droplets by Bubbles Bursting at a Water Surface

Bubbles of air reaching the air-water interface burst and eject liquid droplets into the air to heights large compared to their diameter. Photographic evidence is introduced to prove the existence of a jet of liquid which upon breaking up produces these droplets. The jet is shown to be produced by the collapse of the bubble cavity. The droplets are found to be of the order of one tenth of the bubble size, for the range investigated (0.2 to 1.8 mm diameter), each bubble producing about 5 droplets. The droplet-producing mechanism is essentially the same for fresh and sea water or sea water with oleic acid surface film. The time required for the bubble to burst and the jet formation to take place is found to be proportional to the bubble size. The sea water droplets produced by this mechanism leave, upon evaporation of the water, salt nuclei having the size range observed by Woodcock (1952). It is suggested that such bursting of bubbles plays an important role in the natural production of air-borne sea-salt nuclei at the sea surface. DOI: 10.1111/j.2153-3490.1954.tb01085.x
Time-dependent friction response of plasma-sprayed molybdenum

Abstract Plasma-sprayed coatings are used widely for friction and wear control. These coatings are comprised of unique lamellar microstructure and differ considerably from conventional bulk materials. In this work, the friction and wear behavior of sintered and atmospheric plasma-sprayed (APS) molybdenum (PSMo), during sliding contact against an AISI 52100 ball, was studied under 10 N load, 10 mm/s sliding velocity and ambient atmosphere. The hypothesis on the genesis of friction by Suh and Sin [N.P.Suh, H.-C. Sin, Wear 69 (1981) 91–114.] has been examined for applicability to plasma-sprayed coatings. It was observed that plasma-sprayed Mo coatings display a time-dependent friction response similar to that for monolithic iron-based materials as reported in the literature. The initial coefficient of friction (COF) is related to plowing and thereby inversely related to surface hardness. The removal of wear debris from the sliding surfaces leads to a reduction in the COF, establishing that plowing and asperity deformation play a significant role in the genesis of friction during dry sliding contact. The peak in the COF for APS Mo occurs after 9 m of sliding as opposed to 25 m of sliding for sintered Mo due to an early occurrence of sub-surface failure at the inherently weak interlayer bond in plasma-sprayed coatings. This leads to an early onset of increased plowing and asperity deformation in APS Mo as compared to sintered Mo. The above results highlight the time-dependent friction response of thermal-sprayed coatings and distinguish their wear behavior with that of bulk monolithic materials and are significant for affecting improvements in the wear and friction behavior of thermal-sprayed coatings.
A non destructive scan diagnosis based fault isolation technique verification method using infrared laser stimulation on wafer level

Scan diagnosis based fault isolation technique using Electronic Design Automation (EDA) software tool is highly effective and commonly adopted for product chain and logic yield learning. For every new device introduction, prior to implementation of scan diagnosis for yield ramp, it is necessary to validate the success and accuracy of the test patterns generated for diagnosis. The accuracy of the fail suspects isolated is typically verified on physical failure analysis (PFA). In this paper, a non destructive verification methodology without the need for design information, die packaging and physical failure analysis is proposed. The contribution is a faster turnaround time for success qualification. The experimental data in this work demonstrates the feasibility and presents an added application for wafer level laser diagnostics.
Synthesis of 9-(3,4-dimethoxyphenoxy)-1,2,10-trimethoxyaporphine.

The reactions leading to the preparation of a penta-methoxyaporphine, a synthetic precursor to the cytotoxic compounds isolated from the genus Thalictrum, are described.
Carboxylic Acids Produced Through Oxidative Cleavage of Aromatic Rings During Degradation of Lignin in Spruce Wood by Phanerochaete Chrysosporium

Abstract Pre-extracted spruce wood chips were decayed by Phanerochaete chrysoaporium to a 20% loss in lignin (8% loss in total weight), and extracted successively with petroleum ether, chloroform, acetone, methanol, and aqueous dioxane. The low molecular weight fraction of the methanol extract was analyzed by gas chromatography/ high resolution mass spectrometry after acetylation and nethylation. Examination of the spectra resulted in structural assignments for 28 compounds, 10 of which were aromatic acids identified and reported previously (Holzforschung 36,3 (1982)). At least 13 of the remaining compounds were formed via aromatic ring cleavage. In addition to ring cleavages, the new structures revealed oxidation of α- and γ-hydroxyl groups, oxidative cleavage of Cα−Cβ and Cβ–Cγ bonds, and 3-O-demethylation. It is postulated that oxidative cleavage of aromatic rings in the lignin units with an ether linkage at C-4 of the guaiacyl group involves 3-O-demethylation, hydroxylation at C-2 and subsequent o-cle...
Error Diffusion Using Random Field Models

Algorithms for bilevel display of continuous tone images should provide reproduction of edge detail and proper rendition of continuous tone regions with binary textures that adequately reproduce image gray scale without introducing additional structure into the image. Error diffusion algorithms have been shown to have the capability of generating visually appealing binary images, but existing schemes will sometimes generate undesirable textural artifacts. A new image binarization algorithm is developed based on a Markov random field texture model and an edge based constraint matrix. The resulting Markov random field error diffusion algorithm generates nondeterministic binary textures that overcome some of the problems associated with conventional binarization algorithms.© (1984) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Applications of tandem mass spectrometry to the characterization of derivatized glutathione conjugates. Studies with S‐(N‐Methylcarbamoyl)‐glutathione, a metabolite of the antineoplastic agent N‐methylformamide

Daughter ion spectra are reported for [M + H]+ ions generated by fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry of S-(N-methylcarbamoyl)glutathione (1) and a series of alkoxycarbonyl methyl ester derivatives thereof. Structurally informative, even-electron fragment ions, which serve to define the nature of both the xenobiotic and peptide components of the conjugate, are observed in the collisionally activated dissociation (CAD) spectra of 1 and its ethoxy- and benzyloxycarbonyl methyl esters. Studies with the t-butyloxycarbonyl (tBOC) methyl ester derivative, on the other hand, indicated that the tBOC group exerts a powerful directing influence on the CAD process, and that the major daughter ions in this case are associated with cleavage of the tBOC functionality itself and are of little diagnostic value. Of the derivatives examined, the benzyloxycarbonyl congener, which may be generated readily from 1 in aqueous media, is judged to be the most useful from the standpoints of ease of formation, desirable high-performance liquid chromatographic properties, and informative mass spectral fragmentation characteristics under CAD conditions.
Simulation output analysis: a wavelet-based spectral method for steady-state simulation analysis

We develop an automated wavelet-based spectral method for constructing an approximate confidence interval on the steady-state mean of a simulation output process. This procedure, called WASSP, determines a batch size and a warm-up period beyond which the computed batch means form an approximately stationary Gaussian process. Based on the log-smoothed-periodogram of the batch means, WASSP uses wavelets to estimate the batch means log-spectrum and ultimately the steady-state variance constant (SSVC) of the original (unbatched) process. WASSP combines the SSVC estimator with the grand average of the batch means in a sequential procedure for constructing a confidence-interval estimator of the steady-state mean that satisfies user-specified requirements on absolute or relative precision as well as coverage probability. An extensive performance evaluation provides evidence of WASSP's robustness in comparison with some other output analysis methods.
Influences of Age and Hearing Loss on the Precedence Effect in Sound Localization

Cranford, Boose, & Moore (1990a) reported that many elderly persons exhibit problems in perceiving the apparent location of fused auditory images in a sound localization task involving the Preceden...
Fluorine-hydroxyl exchange in apatite and biotite: A potential igneous geothermometer

The free energy data for the simple fluorides, chlorides and hydroxides have been used to predict the distribution of these anions in hydrous minerals. The calculated partition of fluorine in phlogopite agrees well with published results; the distribution of fluorine and hydroxyl between apatite and phlogopite is temperature dependent and has been calculated. The temperatures deduced from analyses of natural apatite-biotite pairs frequently show discrepancies as compared with independent temperature estimates; these probably arise from late-stage exchange of the fluorine in phlogopite with an aqueous fluid, for which independent evidence is available. The fugacity of phosphorus in equilibrium with apatite, a ubiquitous hydrous mineral, has been calculated for various mineral assemblages. The estimates, which are subject to considerable error, are lower for basanites and alkali-basalts than for tholeiites and range from approximately 10−14 at 1000° C to 10−16 bars at 750° C for fayalitic rhyolites.
Advanced Target Cueing Techniques

Automatic image processing techniques for detection and recognition of military targets in imagery have recently made great strides. This paper describes the general approaches used and discusses their recent evolution and results. A very advanced approach which is implementable in CCDs is described in detail and limitations of the technology and likely future efforts are discussed.© (1978) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
AIDS Knowledge among Latinos: Findings from a Community and Agricultural Labor Camp Survey.

The authors assessed knowledge about AIDS and its modes of transmission in Latino adults from northern California via a survey administered in 2000 to 461 women and 356 men from a community sample ...
The role of tyrosine-158 in O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase activity.

The tyrosine residue present at position 158 in the human O 6 -alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase is one of 22 amino acid residues that are conserved in all known alkyltransferase protein sequences. The importance of this amino acid in the reactions brought about by the alkyltransferase was studied by changing this residue to alanine or to phenylalanine. The control and mutant alkyltransferase proteins were expressed in an Escherichia coli strain lacking alkyltransferase activity and the proteins purified to near homogeneity and their activities measured using both methylated DNA and 06-benzylguanine (BG) as substrates. The alteration to alanine led to a very large decrease in activity towards both substrates but removal of O 6 -methylguanine from DNA and the conversion of BG to guanine could still be detected when large amounts of the protein were used. The activity of the Y158A mutant was at least 800 times less than that of the control alkyltransferase. The change of tyrosine-158 to phenylalanine reduced the rate of reaction with methylated DNA only slightly (to about one-third). The conversion of BG to guanine by the Y158F mutant was also reduced to about one-third when assayed in the absence of DNA and by about one-half in the presence of DNA. These results suggest that the presence of tyrosine at position 158 plays an important but not absolutely essential role in the reactions brought about by the alkyltransferase. This role is likely to involve the stabilization of the bound substrate by interaction with the aromatic ring of the tyrosine. The hydrogen bond formed by the hydroxyl group from tyrosine-158 may also facilitate the reaction but the contribution from this interaction is relatively small.
Relation of myocardial salvage to size of myocardium at risk in dogs.

Infarct size varies in untreated animals subjected to coronary artery occlusion at the same anatomic site. The relation between the hypoperfused zone and the magnitude of myocardial salvage when different pharmacologic interventions are used remains to be established. Thus, in 95 anesthetized dogs, 1 minute after left anterior descending coronary occlusion, technetium-99m-labeled albumin microspheres (8 mCi) were injected into left atrium for the assessment of the hypoperfused zone. Fifteen minutes after coronary occlusion 42 dogs were randomized into a control group and 53 into a treated group. In the treated group, 6 dogs received nifedipine, 0.35 micrograms/kg followed by 2.4 micrograms/kg/hour; 7 received diltiazem, 0.2 mg/kg followed by 0.9 mg/kg/hour; 13 received bepridil, 2.5 mg/kg; 9 received cytochrome C, 2.5 mg/kg; 8 received rutosides, 200 mg/kg; and 10 received nifedipine plus cytochrome C. All drugs were administered intravenously. At 6 hours the dogs were killed and their hearts were cut into 3-mm-thick slices. Infarct size was determined by triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining; the hypoperfused zone was delineated by autoradiography. The dogs were retrospectively subgrouped as follows: those with small hypoperfused zones, i.e., less than 15% of the left ventricle (controls n = 8, treated n = 7) and those with large hypoperfused zones, i.e., more than 15% of the left ventricle (controls n = 34, treated n = 46). In dogs with large hypoperfused zones, treatment salvaged 42 +/- 3% of the myocardium destined to undergo necrosis, whereas in those with small hypoperfused zones 78 +/- 10% of myocardium was salvaged (p less than 0.001).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Team and player effects on NHL player salaries: a hierarchical linear model approach

This paper employs a hierarchical linear model (HLM) to assess the importance of both player- and team-level attributes in determining National Hockey League (NHL) player salaries. Empirical results show that there are significant differences in mean salaries and rewards to performance across teams and that these differences can be partially explained by differences in team revenues. Implications for research in other industries are considered.
Health and economic gains: what is at stake in South Africa's health reform?

Background: Health reform is on the agenda of the recently elected South African president. A National Health Insurance Scheme (NHI), a single-payer and universal health insurance plan, is the foremost option under consideration. This study examines the health and economic gains that South Africa may have at stake in health reform. Method: This descriptive study estimates the avoidable mortality rate in South Africa, or deaths that occur prematurely and could have been prevented with proper treatment for select conditions. The study also estimates the disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) associated with these premature deaths. The study compares the avoidable mortality rate in South Africa with the rates in countries falling into three overlapping groups: (1) countries with similar national health spending as South Africa, (2) countries with similar national health spending and universal health insurance coverage, and (3) countries with similar national health spending, universal health insurance coverage, and single-payer systems. Data: The source of data for avoidable mortality estimates is the World Health Organization (WHO) mortality database reporting the number of registered deaths in 2005. The source of data for the associated DALYs is the Mortality and Burden of Disease Estimate for WHO Member States in 2004. Results: South Africa could potentially gain up to 184,085 lives and reduce the burden of disease by 14.2 million DALYs by avoiding premature deaths under a single-payer system like the NHI. Meeting United Nations Millennium Development Goals could save an additional 32,190 lives. In addition to health reform, a healthy, productive, and skilled workforce is necessary to reach these goals, but the country's skilled-labor unemployment rate is high and its investment in health-professional training is low. Conclusion: Reform could impact health and economic growth via a healthier, productive workforce and demand for quality healthcare.
Enhanced motor unit rate coding with improvements in a force-matching task

These data describe improved modulation of discharge rates (rate coding) of first dorsal interosseous motor units throughout the acquisition of a complex force-matching skill involving isometric index finger abduction. In each of 15 consecutive trials, subjects attempted to match their force to a trajectory consisting of the sum of two sine waves (0.15 and 0.5 Hz) and random oscillations (overall mean force level approximately 20% MVC). Reductions in root-mean-square (RMS) error of each subject's force relative to the trajectory indicated substantial improvements in force-matching ability (F = 33.8, p < 0.001). With the acquisition of this new skill, there was increased amplitude modulation of muscular force near both dominant frequencies of the force-matching trajectory (F = 10.6, p = 0.008). The standard deviation and coefficient of variation of motor unit inter-spike intervals both decreased with improved performance indicating a general reduction in the amplitude of firing rate modulations (SD: F = 18.69, p = 0.001; CV: F = 43.6, p < 0.001). After skill acquisition, there was decreased firing rate modulation outside of the two dominant frequencies and increased amplitude of firing rate modulation at the higher of the two dominant frequencies (0.5 Hz, F = 8.23, p = 0.015). These findings indicate that improved precision of rate coding was a contributor to the acquisition of the new force-matching task. That the change in rate coding was frequency dependent suggests that factors other than frequency coding may contribute to the improved force matching at 0.15 Hz.
HYPERVENTILATION, BRAIN DAMAGE AND FLICKER

SUMMARY Critical flicker fusion frequencies were measured and Berg's hexobarbitone test was applied in six normal young adult male volunteers, following 2 hours passive hyperventilation and again after 2 hours rest. Measured by reduction of the critical flicker fusion frequency, there was no significant difference in the response to hexobarbitone in the hyperventilated and control situations.
Hospital readmission for fluid and electrolyte abnormalities following ileostomy construction: preventable or unpredictable?

Background Ileostomy creation has complications, including rehospitalization for fluid and electrolyte abnormalities. Although studies have identified predictors of this morbidity, readmission rates remain high.
Mapping a new truth.

Departments of Urology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars Program, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Health Policy and Management, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; e Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Use of and confidence in administering outcome measures among clinical prosthetists: Results from a national survey and mixed-methods training program

Background:Outcome measures can be used in prosthetic practices to evaluate interventions, inform decision making, monitor progress, document outcomes, and justify services. Strategies to enhance prosthetists’ ability to use outcome measures are needed to facilitate their adoption in routine practice.Objective:To assess prosthetists’ use of outcome measures and evaluate the effects of training on their confidence in administering performance-based measures.Study design:Cross-sectional and single-group pretest–posttest survey.Methods:Seventy-nine certified prosthetists (mean of 16.0 years of clinical experience) were surveyed about their experiences with 20 standardized outcome measures. Prosthetists were formally trained by the investigators to administer the Timed Up and Go and Amputee Mobility Predictor. Prosthetists’ confidence in administering the Timed Up and Go and Amputee Mobility Predictor was measured before and after training.Results:The majority of prosthetists (62%) were classified as non-rout...
Magnetic resonance imaging in patients with unstable angina: comparison with acute myocardial infarction and normals

The role of magnetic resonance imaging in characterizing normal, ischemic and infarcted segments of myocardium was examined in 8 patients with unstable angina, 11 patients with acute myocardial infarction, and 7 patients with stable angina. Eleven normal volunteers were imaged for comparison. Myocardial segments in short axis magnetic resonance images were classified as normal or abnormal on the basis of perfusion changes observed in thallium-201 images in 22 patients and according to the electrocariographic localization of infarction in 4 patients. T2 relaxation time was measured in 57 myocardial segments with abnormal perfusion (24 with reversible and 33 with irreversible perfusion changes) and in 25 normally perfused segments. T2 measurements in normally perfused segments of patients with acute myocardial infarction, unstable angina and stable angina were within normal range derived from T2 measurements in 48 myocardial segments of 11 normal volunteers (42 +/- 10 ms). T2 in abnormal myocardial segments of patients with stable angina also was not significantly different from normal. T2 of abnormal segments in patients with unstable angina (64 +/- 14 in reversibly ischemic and 67 +/- 21 in the irreversibly ischemic segments) was prolonged when compared to normal (p less than 0.0001) and was not significantly different from T2 in abnormal segments of patients with acute myocardial infarction (62 +/- 18 for reversibly and 66 +/- 11 for irreversibly ischemic segments). The data indicate that T2 prolongation is not specific for acute myocardial infarction and may be observed in abnormally perfused segments of patients with unstable angina.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Lyophilization decreases the formation of dialyzable iron by extraction and digestion of chicken breast muscle

We studied the effect of lyophilization of chicken breast muscle on the formation of dialyzable iron from ferric iron. Chicken breast muscle was used chilled, frozen or lyophilized and was analyzed for sulfhydryl and histidine content. It was then homogenized and mixed with ferric iron. The mixture was extracted with acid or digested with pepsin and pancreatin. The extracts and digests were analyzed for dialyzable ferrous and dialyzable total iron and also for protein. In the chilled muscle, similar amounts of dialyzable iron were formed after acid extraction and after proteolytic digestion; however, digestion led to more dialyzable ferrous iron. Freezing had no effect but lyophilization of the homogenized muscle caused large decreases in dialyzable iron and dialyzable ferrous iron for both extraction and digestion processes. Lyophilization also resulted in decreased extraction of peptides, decreased digestion of muscle proteins and reduced levels of sulfhydryl and histidine residues. Our results demonstr...
A General Mechanism for Network-Dosage Compensation in Gene Circuits

Coping with variations in network dosage is crucial for maintaining optimal function in gene networks. We explored how network structure facilitates network-level dosage compensation. By using the yeast galactose network as a model, we combinatorially deleted one of the two copies of its four regulatory genes and found that network activity was robust to the change in network dosage. A mathematical analysis revealed that a two-component genetic circuit with elements of opposite regulatory activity (activator and inhibitor) constitutes a minimal requirement for network-dosage invariance. Specific interaction topologies and a one-to-one interaction stoichiometry between the activating and inhibiting agents were additional essential elements facilitating dosage invariance. This mechanism of network-dosage invariance could represent a general design for gene network structure in cells.
Imparting Knowledge and Skills at the Forefront of Interdisciplinary Research - a case study on course design at the intersection of music and engineering

This paper presents a constructivist approach to advanced course development in an interdisciplinary field by focusing on a case study at the intersection of music and engineering. Engineering approaches to music modeling and cognition is a fast growing and rapidly evolving focus of study due to the explosion of digital music information. The challenges of designing a course to impart the expertise necessary to innovate at the forefront of the field include the lack of a formal body of scholarly knowledge in the form of a text, the lack of formal structures to support the course in the traditional disciplinary framework, the relatively small number of students with suitably strong backgrounds in both computing and music, and misconceptions about the nature of music research. The paper describes how these obstacles were surmounted. An outcome of the course was dissemination of organized knowledge and example projects through the web as a resource for the community.
Mechanisms of gallbladder hypomotility in pregnant guinea pigs.

Abstract Background & Aims: Gallbladder muscle contraction becomes impaired during pregnancy. This study was designed to investigate the mechanisms of gallbladder hypomotility induced by pregnancy in guinea pigs. Methods: Gallbladder muscle cells were obtained by enzymatic digestion. Cell contraction was expressed as percent shortening of initial control cell length. Results: Contraction induced by cholecystokinin (CCK)-8 or guanosine 5'- O -(3-thiotriphosphate) (GTPγS) was reduced in muscle cells from pregnant guinea pigs. The response to KCl or D-myo-inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate was not different between controls and pregnant animals. These findings suggest that impaired contraction in pregnancy might be caused by defective G protein activation. The function and content of G proteins were examined by using [ 35 S]GTPγS binding and G protein subunit quantitation. In female controls, CCK-8 at 1 μmol/L caused increased [ 35 S]GTPγS binding to Gαi3 but not to Gαq/11, Gαi1-2, or Gαs. GTPγS binding to Gαi3 induced by CCK-8 was reduced in gallbladder muscle from pregnant guinea pigs. Measurements of basal G proteins showed that the content of Gαi3 was significantly lower and the Gαs content was higher in muscles from pregnant guinea pigs than in controls. Conclusions: Pregnancy may cause down-regulation of contractile G proteins such as Gαi3 and up-regulation of Gαs that mediates relaxation, resulting in impaired gallbladder muscle contraction. GASTROENTEROLOGY 1999;116:411-419