cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Unlubricated gross slip fretting wear of metallic plasma-sprayed coatings for Ti6A14V surfaces

Abstract Plasma-sprayed Al–bronze or CuNiIn coatings are often applied to protect against fretting wear and extend the operational life of Ti-alloy compressor blades in turbine engines. In order to develop a fundamental understanding of how these coating systems perform under gross slip fretting conditions, bench level fretting wear tests were conducted at room temperature to simulate cold engine startup. Alternative coatings such as plasma-sprayed molybdenum and nickel were also evaluated because of their potential for reducing fretting wear under certain simulated engine conditions. The combination of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), surface profilometry, surface chemistry (EDS), and friction analysis were used to study coating performance and evaluate the interfacial wear mechanisms. In this study, it was determined that all coatings caused significant damage to the mating Ti6Al4V surfaces and that the wear mechanisms were all similar to those of the uncoated baseline case.
On the lower altitude limit of the Venusian ionopause

It has been observed from the plasma experiments on the Pioneer Venus Orbiter that the altitude of the upper boundary of the ionosphere decreases in response to increasing solar wind dynamic pressure. However, at pressures above about 2.5 x 10 to the -8th dynes/sq cm, the further decrease in the ionopause height is rather small. Following the model of Cloutier et al. (1969), it is suggested that during high solar wind conditions, when the ionopause is formed at lower altitudes, the solar wind induces vertical and horizontal flows which sweep away the ionospheric plasma that is produced locally by photoionization. As a result, a disturbed photodynamical ionosphere is formed which has the scale height of the ionizable neutral constituent. It is shown that such a photodynamical ionosphere is observed at the subsolar ionopause under these conditions. As a consequence of this interaction, the ionopause altitude is observed to follow the small-scale height of the ionizable species, atomic oxygen, showing only small changes with solar wind pressure.
Studies of the nuclear inertia in fission and heavy-ion reactions

On the basis of the non-self-consistent cranking model we study some aspects of the nuclear inertia of interest in fission and heavy-ion reactions. First, we consider in the adiabatic limit the inertia for a doubly closed-shell nucleus in a deformed spheroidal harmonic-oscillator single-particle potential plus a small perturbation. When expressed in terms of a coordinate that describes the deformation of the nuclear matter distribution, the inertia for small oscillations about a spherical shape is exactly equal to the incompressible, irrotational value. For large distortions it deviates from the incompressible, irrotational value by up to about ±1 % away from level crossings. Second, in order to study the dependence of the inertia upon a level crossing, we consider in detail two levels of the above system. This is done both in the adiabatic limit and for large collective velocities. At level crossings the adiabatic inertia relative to the deformation of the matter distribution diverges as 1/|ΔV|, where |ΔV| is the magnitude of the perturbation. However, for large collective velocities the contribution to the inertia from a level crossing is less than 4|ΔV|r2m, where rm is the collective velocity of the matter distribution. Although we have not considered the effect of large velocities on the remaining levels of the many-body system or the effect of a statistical ensemble of states, some of our results suggest that for high excitation energies and moderately large collective velocities the nuclear inertia approaches approximately the irrotational value.
Language Processing and Working Memory: Neuropsychological Evidence for Separate Phonological and Semantic Capacities

Abstract The short-term memory and sentence-processing abilities of two brain-damaged patients were investigated. Although both patients showed similar reductions in span, one patient showed worse retention on span tasks for semantic than phonological information, whereas the other patient showed the reverse. Their performance on the sentence-processing tasks was consistent with these contrasting short-term memory deficits. On sentence repetition, the patient with the phonological retention deficit was more impaired than the patient with the semantic retention deficit, whereas on sentence comprehension, the patient with the semantic retention deficit was more impaired. The results imply that the memory processes involved in span overlap with those involved in sentence processing. Furthermore, the dissociations in the patients′ performance imply that there are separate capacities for phonological and semantic retention. Thus, the results support a multiple-capacity rather than a single-capacity view of working memory.
Comparison of the Kubo formula, the microscopic response method, and the Greenwood formula

For a mechanical perturbation, the microscopic response method is equivalent to and more convenient to use than the Kubo formula. When the gradient of the carrier density is small, the current density reduces to that used by Greenwood.
Structural Constraints on the Ternary Complex of 5-Enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate Synthase from Rotational-echo Double-resonance NMR

Abstract The 46 kDa enzyme 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate (EPSP) synthase catalyzes the condensation of shikimate-3-phosphate (S3P) and phospho enolpyruvate to form EPSP. The reaction is inhibited by N -(phosphono- methyl)-glycine (Glp), which, in the presence of S3P, binds to EPSP synthase to form a stable ternary complex. As part of a solid-state NMR characterization of this structure, 15 N labels were introduced selectively into the lysine, arginine and histidine residues of EPSP synthase and distances to a 13 C label in Glp and to the 31 P in S3P and Glp were measured by rotational-echo double-resonance NMR. Three lysine and four arginine residues are in the proximity of the phosphate group of S3P and the carboxyl and phosphonate groups of Glp. A single histidine residue is in the vicinity of the binding site (closer to Glp than to S3P) but is more distant than the lysine and arginine residues.
Sampling of secondary margins decreases the need for re-excision after partial mastectomy

Background We analyzed factors that influenced the need for re-excision after partial mastectomy. Methods We conducted a retrospective study of 470 breast cancer patients treated with partial mastectomy with main outcome measures of re-excision, conversion to mastectomy, and recurrence. Results Of 470 patients, 146 (31%) underwent re-excision for inadequate margins and 42 (8.9%) required mastectomy. Twelve (2.6%) patients had local recurrence of disease with a mean follow-up of 4.2 years. Factors found on multivariate analysis increasing the likelihood of re-excision include wire localization (2.4-fold), tumor or ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) close to the margins ( Conclusion One third of patients treated with partial mastectomy required re-excision, but 89% avoided the need for mastectomy. Taking secondary margins during the initial procedure decreased the need for re-excision by half. The recurrence rate was identical whether clear margins were obtained after primary partial mastectomy or re-excision.
Statistical analysis of friendship patterns and bullying behaviors among youth

The authors use p* modeling to explore connections between network structures and social influence in a seventh-grade friendship network. Specifically, p* parameters reveal how bullying perpetration, dyads, triads, and more complex group structures contribute to network formation, providing fine-level detail about the operation of internal peer group structures. Language: en
A Computer Progam for Teaching and Auditing Patients' Knowledge of Diabetes:

Professionals responsible for the care of persons with diabetes mellitus are ever more convinced that patients need a strong, pragmatic knowledge about the disease to survive and thrive. Considerable expertise is being directed toward defining exactly what should be taught and how achievement should be measured and rewarded. This paper briefly reviews the accomplishments computers have made to this end, and describes a new soft ware program using dBASE III Plus that is derived from the author's previous clinical experience.
Diel changes in pyrenoid and starch reserves in dinoflagellates

The ultrastructure and lectin-labelling characteristics of dinoflagellate starch and pyrenoids were compared between day-and night-phase cells of two marine and three freshwater dinoflagellates (Cl...
Advanced materials for neural surface electrodes

Designing electrodes for neural interfacing applications requires deep consideration of a multitude of materials factors. These factors include, but are not limited to, the stiffness, biocompatibility, biostability, dielectric, and conductivity properties of the materials involved. The combination of materials properties chosen not only determines the ability of the device to perform its intended function, but also the extent to which the body reacts to the presence of the device after implantation. Advances in the field of materials science continue to yield new and improved materials with properties well-suited for neural applications. Although many of these materials have been well-established for non-biological applications, their use in medical devices is still relatively novel. The intention of this review is to outline new material advances for neural electrode arrays, in particular those that interface with the surface of the nervous tissue, as well as to propose future directions for neural surface electrode development.
Laminar tube flow heat transfer in non-newtonian fluids under arbitrary wall heat flux

Abstract Analytical solutions are developed for the wall temperature profile of a power law fluid in laminar flow in a circular tube. This profile is first developed for the boundary condition involving uniformly constant heat flux at the wall. This is next extended for the boundary condition involving an arbitrarily varying heat flux at the wall. The computed results are finally compared with measured values obtained from a horizontal recirculating flow experimental unit.
Artificial sarcomere and muscle made with conductive polyacrylonitrile (C-PAN) fiber bundles

Activated polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibers, which are suitably annealed, cross-linked and hydrolyzed, are known to contract and elongate when immersed in acidic and alkaline solutions, respectively. The key engineering features of PAN fibers are its capability of changing length more than 100 percent and its comparable strength to human muscle. A new technique that allows one to electrically control the actuation of active PAN fiber bundles is reported here. Increasing the conductivity of PAN fibers by making a composite of them with a conductive medium such as platinum, gold, graphite, carbon nanotubes and fibers by making a composite of them with a conductive medium such as platinum, gold, graphite, carbon nanotubes and conductive polymers such as polyaniline or polypyrrole has allowed for electric activation of PAN fibers when a conductive polyacrylonitrile (C-PAN) fiber bundle is placed in a chemical electrolysis cell as an electrode. A change in pH in the vicinity of C-PAN fiber electrode leads to contraction and expansion of C-PAN fibers depending upon the applied electric field polarity. Typically close to 100 percent change in C-PAN length in a few seconds is observed in a weak electrolyte solution with 10s of VDC power supply. These results indicate a great potential in developing electrically activated C-PAN muscles and linear actuators, as well as integrated pairs of antagonistic muscles and muscle sarcomere and myosin/actin assembly. This technology would be more applicable to realistic situations than that of chemically activated PAN fiber bundles as artificial muscles. These results present an excellent potential for using electrically activated C- PAN as artificial sarcomere and artificial muscle.
Repeatability of Quantitative Sodium Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Estimating Pseudo-Intracellular Sodium Concentration and Pseudo-Extracellular Volume Fraction in Brain at 3 T

The purpose of this study is to assess the repeatability of the quantification of pseudo-intracellular sodium concentration (C1) and pseudo-extracellular volume fraction (α) estimated in brain in vivo using sodium magnetic resonance (MRI) at 3 T. Eleven healthy subjects were scanned twice, with two sodium MRI acquisitions (with and without fluid suppression by inversion recovery), and two double inversion recovery (DIR) proton MRI. DIR MRIs were used to create masks of gray and white matter (GM, WM), that were subsequently applied to the C1 and α maps calculated from sodium MRI and a tissue three-compartment model, in order to measure the distributions of these two parameters in GM, WM or full brain (GM+WM) separately. The mean, median, mode, standard deviation (std), skewness and kurtosis of the C1 and α distributions in whole GM, WM and full brain were calculated for each subject, averaged over all data, and used as parameters for the repeatability assessment. The coefficient of variation (CV) was calculated as a measure of reliability for the detection of intra-subject changes in C1 and αfor each parameter, while intraclass correlation (ICC) was used as a measure of repeatability. It was found that the CV of most of the parameters was around 10–20% (except for C1 kurtosis which is about 40%) for C1 and α measurements, and that ICC was moderate to very good (0.4 to 0.9) for C1 parameters and for some of the α parameters (mainly skewness and kurtosis). In conclusion, the proposed method could allow to reliably detect changes of 50% and above of the different measurement parameters of C1 and αin neuropathologies (multiple sclerosis, tumor, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease) compared to healthy subjects, and that skewness and kurtosis of the distributions of C1 and αseem to be the more sensitive parameters to these changes.
A study of stratospheric vacillations and sudden warmings on a beta-plane. I - Single wave-mean flow interaction

A beta-plane model of the stratosphere is used to investigate the planetary-wave amplitude vacillations first reported by Holton and Mass (1976). This model differs from theirs in allowing more horizontal modes. For low surface wave amplitudes, a new class of solutions is found which exhibits a stationary, partially reflecting critical line at steady state. The critical line equilibrates at lower altitudes as the wave forcing is increased. Vacillating solutions occur when the steady state critical line occurs near the lower boundary. The maximum wave amplitude and the maximum steady-state wave amplitude found in the model are in the ratio of 2:1, in good agreement with theoretical predictions. The maximum wave amplitude never exceeds 2200 gpm which is quite close to the saturation limit predicted by Schoeberl (1982). An analysis of the statistics of slowly and rapidly vacillating flows shows that both the wave and zonal mean variances are important in determining the time mean, zonal mean dynamics of the upper stratosphere.
Reconciling self, servant leadership, and learning: The Journey to the East as locus for reflection and transformation

In his article, “Educational Research: The Hardest Science of All,” policy scholar David Berliner (2002) asserts that “no unpoetic description of the human condition can ever be complete” (p. 20). Berliner's words echo the epistemological and methodological climate of late 1970s and early 1980s social science research, a phase often characterized as the “literary turn.” In this historical moment, social science scholars turned to interdisciplinary sources, most notably literary theory and the humanities, for new means of addressing the ineffable, aesthetic aspects of human activity. This work and emphasis remains a prominent, growing genre within several fields, exemplified by widespread recognition of Margaret Wheatley's poetic approach to leadership inquiry and pedagogy (2009), frequent inclusion of aesthetic works in leading research journals (such as Qualitative Inquiry), and recent creation of arts- and humanities-based educational research criteria for submissions to the American Educational Research Association's annual conference and sponsored journals. No field of inquiry better illustrates the need to understand human activity as “poetic” than leadership, which is perhaps the quintessential marker of social existence. Accordingly, in this symposium we wish to explore how such interdisciplinary approaches, specifically those grounded in the humanities, have manifested in leadership inquiry and pedagogy. It is our hope that this collection of essays will illustrate the breadth and depth of the field of leadership studies, as well as offer our readers new perspectives and inspiration in their own research and practice.
Mactanamide, A New Fungistatic Diketopiperazine Produced By A Marine Aspergillus Sp

Abstract Mactanamide (1), a new diketopiperazine containing the uncommon amino acid D-2,6-dihydroxyphenylalanine, has been isolated from the mycelium of an undescribed marine fungus of the genus Aspergillus. the new fungal strain was obtained from the surface of the brown marine alga Sargassum sp. collected near Mactan Island in the Philippines. the structure and absolute stereochemistry of 1 was determined by interpretation of spectral data, by comparison with model compounds, and by measurement of the CD spectra of its component amino acids.
Chaos characteristics of tree ring series

Abstract The climatic characteristics of an area are reflected in the growth of the trees. Consequently, the characteristics of tree rings are studied to determine the long-term climatic behavior of a region. In the present study, 13 tree ring series from the Salt and Verde River basins in Arizona are analyzed to determine their chaos characteristics. Two methods of analysis are used in the study: the Grassberger-Procaccia algorithm and the method proposed by Scargle. Neither indicated any evidence of chaotic behavior in these tree ring series. The series are also successfully modeled by a second-order stationary stochastic process. These results confirm the earlier result of Grassberger, who analyzed a much longer tree ring series and found no evidence of chaotic behavior.
Chemical Agents for the Control of Molds on Meats

These experiments constitute attempts to evaluate 31 chemical agents for the control of mold spoilage of meats. The test fungi include Penicillium crustosum, P. cyaneum, P. cyclopium, P. martensii,...
The nuclear factor-κB–interleukin-6 signalling pathway mediating vascular inflammation

Vascular inflammation is a common pathophysiological response to diverse cardiovascular disease processes, including atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, and aortic aneurysms/dissection. Inflammation is an ordered process initiated by vascular injury that produces enhanced leucocyte adherence, chemotaxis, and finally activation in situ. This process is coordinated by local secretion of adhesion molecules, chemotactic factors, and cytokines whose expression is the result of vascular injury-induced signal transduction networks. A wide variety of mediators of the vascular injury response have been identified; these factors include vasoactive peptides (angiotensin II, Ang II), CD40 ligands, oxidized cholesterol, and advanced glycation end-products. Downstream, the nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) transcription factor performs an important signal integration step, responding to mediators of vascular injury in a stimulus-dependent and cell type-specific manner. The ultimate consequence of NF-kappaB signalling is the activation of inflammatory genes including adhesion molecules and chemotaxins. However, clinically, the hallmark of vascular NF-kappaB activation is the production of interleukin-6 (IL-6), whose local role in vascular inflammation is relatively unknown. The recent elucidation for the role of the IL-6 signalling pathway in Ang II-induced vascular inflammation as one that controls monocyte activation as well as its diverse signalling mechanism will be reviewed. These new discoveries further our understanding for the important role of the NF-kappaB-IL-6 signalling pathway in the process of vascular inflammation.
Community-managed rice banks: lessons from Laos

Rice banks are increasingly used in South-East Asia as a means of addressing seasonal food crises facing poor communities. Despite general agreement about the effectiveness of community-managed rice banks in improving food security, there has been almost no research into their effectiveness in reaching the poorest, or the prospects of sustainability linked to regular repayments of rice. Concern Laos sought to answer these questions through community mobilisation, forming rules and regulations to encourage the participation of the poorest, developing simple tools and procedures in line with existing community capacity, and building greater community capacity. Other challenges remain, such as changing the prevailing ‘relief’ mentality, ensuring women's participation, and establishing regular savings schemes, in order to enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of the rice banks.
Off Task Thinking Types and Performance Decrements During Simulated Automobile Driving

This research examined the relationship between performance decrements and types of off task thinking, including off task thoughts, mind wanderings and wanderings without meta-awareness. Participan...
Picture and Pattern Perception in the Sighted and the Blind: The Advantage of the Late Blind

Two experiments are reported on the contribution of visual experience to tactile perception. In the first experiment, sighted, congenitally blind, and late blind individuals made tactual matches to tangible embossed shapes. In the second experiment, the same subjects attempted tactile identification of raised-line drawings. The three groups did not differ in the accuracy of shape matching, but both groups of blind subjects were much faster than the sighted. Late blind observers were far better than the sighted or congenitally blind at tactile picture identification. Four of the twelve pictures were correctly identified by most of the late blind subjects. The sighted and congenitally blind performed at comparable levels in picture naming. There was no evidence that visual experience alone aided the sighted in the tactile task under investigation, since they performed no better than did the early blind. The superiority of the late blind suggests that visual exposure to drawings and the rules of pictorial representation may help tactile picture identification when combined with a history of tactual experience.
Tumor-protective and -facilitating antigens from 3 M KCl-solubilized tumor extracts.

Crude 3 M KCl extracts of the methylcholanthrene-induced fibrosarcoma of C3H/HeJ mice, MCA-F, contained two antigens with opposing immunobiological activity as demonstrated by preparative isoelectric focusing. One fraction induced tumor protection and the other facilitated the outgrowth of neoplastic cell. Using immunoprotection tests in syngeneic C3H/HeJ mice, optimal doses of crude solubilized tumor antigen afforded only a 28% reduction (P < 0.02) in tumor gowth, while the immunoprotective materials purified at pl 6.0 reduced tumor growth by 60% (P < 0.001). On the other hand, acidic proteins (pl 2.0–3.6) induced potent tumor facilitation increasing the tumor diameter by 36% (P < 0.001). Both immunoprotective and tumor-facilitating fractions induced immunologically specific responses in hosts challenged with MCA-F, but not the antigenically distinct MCA-C or MCA-D tumors. Thus, the weak immunoprotective activity of crude tumor cell extracts may represent the vectorial outcome of the antagonistic immune responses to these components.
Effect of High Temperature Conditioning on Beef from Grass or Grain Fed Cattle

Hereford by Angus heifers (n = 24) were fed grass or grain diets and slaughtered at 22 mo of age. The left side was chilled for 48 hr at 1°C while the right side was high temperature conditioned at 12 or 26°C for 3 hr and subsequently moved to the 1°C cooler. Meat from grass-fed heifers was darker in color, leaner and tended to be less tender than meat from gram-fed heifers. High temperature conditioning had no effect on carcass characteristics or cooked meat sensory attributes. Meat from the longissimus muscle was more tender and juicy than meat from the semitendinosus or semimembranosus.
Morphological variation along intertidal gradients in a population of black abalone Haliotis cracherodii Leach 1814

Temporal patterns of morphological variation in multivariate size and shape in a population of black abalone Haliotis cracherodii Leach 1814 in an intertidal boulder field in southern California was examined. From July 1983 to May 1985, 707 individuals were tagged and measured for six shell traits. The extent and pattern of morphological variation in allometric size, tremata (= respiratory pore) number, and relative tremata size was similar among surveys. Shore-level gradients in morphology varied temporally and involved independent variation in both shell size and shape. In the summer and fall, individuals with relatively fewer smaller tremata occurred higher on the shore than individuals with relatively more larger tremata. Seasonal variation in intertidal distribution and the incidence of Octopus-drilled abalone shells indicated that declines in abalone abundance were due to predation by Octopus in the summer and fall. Shore-level gradients were thus associated with opposing selective regimes, predation in the low intertidal and desiccation in the high intertidal. These results support the hypothesis that shore-level gradients in morphology result from movement and differential growth and are a dynamic response of individuals to temporal changes in physical stresses and predation which vary along intertidal gradients.
Conditional deletion of Hdac3 in osteoprogenitor cells attenuates diet-induced systemic metabolic dysfunction

Obesity is a major health epidemic in the United States and a leading cause of preventable diseases including type 2 diabetes. A growing body of evidence indicates that the skeleton influences whole body metabolism and suggests a new avenue for developing novel therapeutic agents, but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Here, it is demonstrated that conditional deletion of an epigenetic regulator, Hdac3, in osteoblast progenitor cells abrogates high fat diet-induced insulin resistance and hepatic steatosis. These Hdac3-deficient mice have reduced bone formation and lower circulating levels of total and undercarboxylated osteocalcin, coupled with decreased bone resorption activity. They also maintain lower body fat and fasting glucose levels on normal and high fat chow diets. The mechanisms by which Hdac3 controls systemic energy homeostasis from within osteoblasts have not yet been fully realized, but the current study suggests that it does not involve elevated levels of circulating osteocalcin. Thus, Hdac3 is a new player in the emerging paradigm that the skeleton influences systemic energy metabolism.
Murine and Bovine γδ T Cells Enhance Innate Immunity against Brucella abortus Infections

γδ T cells have been postulated to act as a first line of defense against infectious agents, particularly intracellular pathogens, representing an important link between the innate and adaptive immune responses. Human γδ T cells expand in the blood of brucellosis patients and are active against Brucella in vitro. However, the role of γδ T cells in vivo during experimental brucellosis has not been studied. Here we report TCRδ−/− mice are more susceptible to B. abortus infection than C57BL/6 mice at one week post-infection as measured by splenic colonization and splenomegaly. An increase in TCRγδ cells was observed in the spleens of B. abortus-infected C57BL/6 mice, which peaked at two weeks post-infection and occurred concomitantly with diminished brucellae. γδ T cells were the major source of IL-17 following infection and also produced IFN-γ. Depletion of γδ T cells from C57BL/6, IL-17Rα−/−, and GMCSF−/− mice enhanced susceptibility to B. abortus infection although this susceptibility was unaltered in the mutant mice; however, when γδ T cells were depleted from IFN-γ−/− mice, enhanced susceptibility was observed. Neutralization of γδ T cells in the absence of TNF-α did not further impair immunity. In the absence of TNF-α or γδ T cells, B. abortus-infected mice showed enhanced IFN-γ, suggesting that they augmented production to compensate for the loss of γδ T cells and/or TNF-α. While the protective role of γδ T cells was TNF-α-dependent, γδ T cells were not the major source of TNF-α and activation of γδ T cells following B. abortus infection was TNF-α-independent. Additionally, bovine TCRγδ cells were found to respond rapidly to B. abortus infection upon co-culture with autologous macrophages and could impair the intramacrophage replication of B. abortus via IFN-γ. Collectively, these results demonstrate γδ T cells are important for early protection to B. abortus infections.
Tumor Necrosis Factor, Interleukin 6, and the Acute Phase Response Following Hepatic Ischemia/Reperfusion

We report here the production of systemic levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) and associated changes in serum macroglobulin to albumin ratios in a nonlethal rat model of partial hepatic ischemia/reperfusion (I/R). Plasma IL-6 was detectable and elevated at 1 hr of reperfusion as compared to sham-operated controls (I/R rats = 12,100 +/- 3860 pg/ml; sham rats = 5260 +/- 842 pg/ml; IL-6 values = means +/- SEM) and reached maximal levels at 6 hr of reperfusion (I/R rats = 47,400 +/- 25,700 pg/ml; sham rats = 3370 +/- 394 pg/ml), in contrast to maximal TNF levels at 30 min of reperfusion (I/R rats = 72 +/- 15 pg/ml; sham rats = 2 +/- 2 pg/ml; TNF values = means +/- SEM). Pretreatment with neutralizing TNF antisera prior to ischemia resulted in a reduction of IL-6 at 1 hr of reperfusion (anti-TNF = 3870 +/- 2550 pg/ml; control serum = 7650 +/- 1670 pg/ml), but was without effect on IL-6 levels at subsequent time points over the 24 hr of reperfusion. Electrophoretic determination of macroglobulin (alpha 1 + alpha 2) and albumin concentrations in sham-operated and ischemia/reperfusion animals demonstrated an elevation in the macroglobulin/albumin ratio in both groups over time, suggestive of an acute phase response, and the ratio was unchanged by immunoneutralization of TNF prior to ischemia/reperfusion. We conclude that this model of hepatic ischemia/reperfusion results in temporally distinct systemic elevations in IL-6 and TNF; however, the induction of IL-6 and the associated changes in serum macroglobulin concentration are independent of TNF.
Effects of Economic and Environmental Reform on the Diffusion of Cleaner Coal Technology in China

Despite the urgent need to address severe air pollution problems caused by China's coal consumption, diffusion of cleaner coal technologies (CCTs) has been slow. This contribution utilizes the fragmented authoritarianism model to explain this slow diffusion by examining the structure of bureaucratic decision making and changes in incentives that have accompanied fiscal decentralization and enterprise deregulation. Case studies on the diffusion of two CCTs — flue gas desulphurization (FGD) and coal washing — highlight challenges of environmental policy design and implementation during the economic reforms of the past decade. Enterprises had little incentive to adopt FGD when central government agencies disagreed on promoting the technology and local agencies did not rigorously enforce national air pollution control policies. For washed coal, production slowed when coal pricing reform and coal industry restructuring were not co-ordinated with environmental policies. Further promotion of CCTs in China requires changes in incentive structures for local governments and enterprises, as well as enhanced policy co-ordination among central government agencies.
Cellular mechanisms that control mistranslation

Mistranslation broadly encompasses the introduction of errors during any step of protein synthesis, leading to the incorporation of an amino acid that is different from the one encoded by the gene. Recent research has vastly enhanced our understanding of the mechanisms that control mistranslation at the molecular level and has led to the discovery that the rates of mistranslation in vivo are not fixed but instead are variable. In this Review we describe the different steps in translation quality control and their variations under different growth conditions and between species though a comparison of in vitro and in vivo findings. This provides new insights as to why mistranslation can have both positive and negative effects on growth and viability.
The utility of utility indices

Many researchers have questioned the incorporation of utility indices following significant results yielded by the F ratio. Problems frequently mentioned concerning magnitude estimates include biases, questionable model utilization, acceptable size of the UI, and effects of sample size. These issues are addressed and arguments for the inclusion of a magnitude estimate in report writing are tendered. Results of a frequency study on the use of utility measures are included, which show that very few published reports incorporate magnitude estimates.
Development of catheters for combined intravascular ultrasound and photoacoustic imaging

Coronary atherosclerosis is a complex disease accompanied by the development of plaques in the arterial wall. Since the vulnerability of the plaques depends on their composition, the appropriate treatment of the arteriosclerosis requires a reliable characterization of the plaques' geometry and content. The intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) imaging is capable of providing structural details of the plaques as well as some functional information. In turn, more functional information about the same plaques can be obtained from intravascular photoacoustic (IVPA) images since the optical properties of the plaque's components differ from that of their environment. The combined IVUS/IVPA imaging is capable of simultaneously detecting and differentiating the plaques, thus determining their vulnerability. The potential of combined IVUS/IVPA imaging has already been demonstrated in phantoms and ex-vivo experiments. However, for in-vivo or clinical imaging, an integrated IVUS/IVPA catheter is required. In this paper, we introduce two prototypes of integrated IVUS/IVPA catheters for in-vivo imaging based on a commercially available single-element IVUS imaging catheter. The light delivery systems are developed using multimode optical fibers with custom-designed distal tips. Both prototypes were tested and compared using an arterial mimicking phantom. The advantages and limitations of both designs are discussed. Overall, the results of our studies suggest that both designs of integrated IVUS/IVPA catheter have a potential for in-vivo IVPA/IVUS imaging of atherosclerotic plaques.
Cell cycle kinetic dysregulation in HIV-infected normal lymphocytes

Background Viruses alter cellular gene transcription and protein binding at many steps critical for cell cycle regulation to optimize the milieu for productive infection. Reasoning that virus–host cell interactions would result in perturbations of cell cycle kinetics, measurement of the duration of the phases of the cell cycle in normal T lymphocytes infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was undertaken. Methods Flow cytometric measurement of bromodeoxyuridine-labeled and DNA content-stained cells at multiple points through the cell cycle allowed estimation of the fraction of cells in each phase, the potential doubling-time, and the durations of S and G2/M phases. Separate analysis of the HIV+ and HIV− populations within the infected cultures was performed based on intracellular, anti-HIV core p24 antibody labeling. A novel mathematical model, which accounted for cell loss, was developed to estimate cell cycle phases. Results (a) S phase was prolonged in the HIV-1SF2–infected cells compared with control. (b) This delay in S phase was due to delay in the population of cells not expressing HIV-1 antigens (p24 negative). (c) Accumulation of cells in G2/M phase was confirmed in HIV-1–infected cultures and was proportional to the level of infection as measured by p24 fluorescent intensity. However, all mock and HIV-1–infected populations predicted to proceed through cell division demonstrated similar G2/M-phase durations. (c) Potential doubling times were longer in the infected cultures; in contrast, the p24+ subpopulations accounted for this delay. This suggests an isolated delay in the G0/G1 phase for that population of cells. Conclusions Multiple phases of host cell cycle durations were affected by HIV-1SF2 infection in this in vitro model, suggesting novel HIV-1 pathogenesis mechanisms. Prolonged S-phase durations in HIV-1 infected/p24− and G0/G1-phase durations in HIV-1 infected/p24+ subpopulations require further study to identify mechanistic pathways. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Recovery of Dilute Aqueous Acetone, Butanol, and Ethanol with Immobilized Calixarene Cavities

Macrocyclic calixarene molecules were modified with functional groups of different polarities at the upper rim and subsequently grafted to mesoporous silica supports through a single Si atom linker. The resulting materials were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis, UV–visible spectroscopy, nitrogen physisorption, and solid-state NMR spectroscopy. Materials were then used to separate acetone, n-butanol, and ethanol from dilute aqueous solution, as may be useful in the recovery of fermentation-based biofuels. For the purpose of modeling batch adsorption isotherms, the materials were considered to have one strong adsorption site per calixarene molecule and a larger number of weak adsorption sites on the silica surface and external to the calixarene cavity. The magnitude of the net free energy change of adsorption varied from approximately 15 to 20 kJ/mol and was found to decrease as upper-rim calixarene functional groups became more electron-withdrawing. Adsorption appears to be driven by weak van der...
Equilibrium turbulent boundary layers

Empirical information is extracted from constant-pressure flows and, on this basis alone, the equations of motion are solved for flows where the pressure gradient parameter, β = δ*(dp/dx)/τ0 is held constant. The experimental defect profiles of Clauser and the near-separating profile of Stratford are predicted quite well.The present work is an extension of the work of Clauser and Townsend in that a particular form for an effective or eddy viscosity is hypothesized. Here, however, a continuous, and analytically precise family of defect profiles are calculated for the entire range, −0·5 ≤ β ≤ ∞. The solutions span the whole profile with the exception of the viscous sublayer.A detailed consideration of the viscous sublayer and a comparative examination of various eddy viscosity hypotheses are included in a companion paper.
Solar Sail Roadmap Mission GN and C Challenges

The NASA In-Space Propulsion program is funding development work for solar sails to enhance future scientific opportunities. Key to this effort are scientific solar sail roadmap missions identified by peer review. The two near-term missions of interest are L1 Diamond and Solar Polar Imager. Additionally, the New Millennium Program is sponsoring the Space Technology 9 (ST9) demonstration mission. Solar sails are one of five technologies competing for the ST9 flight demonstration. Two candidate solar sail missions have been identified for a potential ST9 flight. All the roadmap missions and candidate flight demonstration missions face various GN&C challenges. A variety of efforts are underway to address these challenges. These include control actuator design and testing, low thrust optimization studies, attitude control system design and modeling, control-structure interaction studies, trajectory control design, and solar radiation pressure model development. Here we survey the various efforts underway and identify a few of specific recent interest and focus.
Molecular cloning and characterization of a new fasting-inducible short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase from rat liver

We have isolated a 668 bp cDNA from fasted rat liver, designated RLF98, by suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH). The full-length RLF98 cDNA, cloned by rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE), is 1113 bp long with an open reading frame of 912 bp. This cDNA encodes a protein of 303 amino acid residues with a calculated molecular weight of 32433 Da. In vitro transcription and translation of the full-length RLF98 cDNA produced a protein of about 33 kDa. The RLF98 protein shares strong amino acid sequence homology with members of the short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase (SDR) family. Northern analysis of RNA from rat liver revealed a transcript of 1.1 kb. Fasting increased this mRNA 2.7-fold. While the RLF98 gene is widely expressed in rat tissues, its level of expression is highly variable. Expression in liver and kidney is abundant and is more than 10 times that observed in other tissues. Our data indicate that the RLF98 is a new member of the SDR family that is upregulated by fasting. Additional experiments including purification of recombinant RLF98 protein are in progress to define the specific function of this protein and the role it plays during fasting-induced catabolism.
Counterpoint: Belief, understanding, and the teaching of evolution

If we are to be successful in teaching evolution, we must take into account our students' worldviews as well as their individual understandings and misconceptions. This article makes several recommendations for how this might be accomplished in a way that respects individual student backgrounds and beliefs but is also scientifically appropriate. It is important (a) to know our students—their cultures, personal histories, cognitive abilities, religious beliefs, scientific misconceptions, and so forth; (b) to take this opportunity to teach about the nature of science and its distinctions from nonscience; (c) to address directly the likely cultural/religious concerns with evolution and to do so early on so as to break down the barriers that keep many students from hearing what you say; and (d) to present evolution appropriately as conflicting with none but the most fundamentalist religious tenets that demand a literal translation of the Bible. I have also argued that the approach advocated by Cobern in the previous article that focuses on belief in evolution is ill-advised on several grounds, principally because students may understand the term belief as synonymous with faith, opinion, or conviction and not as equivalent to the scientist's meaning of the term acceptance.
Consumer evaluation of bakery product flavour as affected by incorporating the prebiotic tagatose

This study evaluated whether incorporating tagatose, a monosaccharide with prebiotic properties, into bakery products affected their flavours. Cinnamon muffins, lemon cookies, and chocolate cakes were prepared; 1 or 2% tagatose was added to the experimental products while an equal amount of sucrose was added to the control products. Using triangle tests, untrained consumer panels (n=65-81) were unable to distinguish between the flavour of products with and without tagatose. In addition, the flavours of bakery products containing and not containing tagatose were liked similarly. Based on this data, bakery products may be formulated containing low levels of tagatose for its health benefits without altering the product's flavour.
Association Between Smoking Status, and Free, Total and Percent Free Prostate Specific Antigen

Purpose: There are scant data available on the relationship between smoking and total prostate specific antigen, free prostate specific antigen and percent-free prostate specific antigen. Given the high prevalence of smoking and the frequency of prostate specific antigen screening, it is important to determine any association between smoking and prostate specific antigen values using nationally representative data.Materials and Methods: Included in the final study population were 3,820 men 40 years old or older who participated in the 2001–2006 NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) and met the eligibility criteria for prostate specific antigen testing. The distributions of total, free and percent free prostate specific antigen were estimated by sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Multivariate linear regression models were fit to determine the adjusted relationship between smoking and total and percent free prostate specific antigen while simultaneously controlling for these ...
Polarization-Insensitive Wavelength Conversion and Transmultiplexing in AlGaAs Waveguides

By exploiting the inherent birefringence and strong third-order susceptibility of AlGaAs waveguides, we demonstrated several all-optical polarization-insensitive nonlinear-optical signal processing operations. Additionally, undesirable two-photon absorption was minimized via band gap engineering.
Analysis of an Axisymmetric Matrix Crack with Interfacial Debond

Interfacial debonding might occur with an increasing tensile load in a unidirectional fiber-reinforced composite. This debonding is assumed to be a significant contributor to increased composite toughness. A model is developed to analyze the stresses and energy release associated with a unidirectional composite containing matrix crack with interfacial debonding. A consistent shear-lag model in cylindrical coordinates is developed and the friction effect at the fiber/matrix interface is modeled by applying constant interfacial stresses in the debonded region. The governing equations are solved using an eigenvalue technique. The debond stresses are compared with the results of the single fiber pull-out experiment. A parametric study is performed for different constant values of interfacial stresses in the debond region, fiber embedded lengths and fiber diameters. A criterion for either the crack penetration or the debond growth is discussed.
Design time body bias selection for parametric yield improvement

Circuits designed in aggressively scaled technologies face both stringent power constraints and increased process variability. Achieving high parametric yield is a key design objective, but is complicated by the correlation between power and performance. This paper proposes a novel design time body bias selection framework for parametric yield optimization while reducing testing costs. The framework considers both inter- and intra-die variations as well as power-performance correlations. This approach uses a feature extraction technique to explore the underlying similarity between the gates for effective clustering. Once the gates are clustered, a Gaussian quadrature based model is applied for fast yield analysis and optimization. This work also introduces an incremental method for statistical power computation to further reduce the optimization complexity. The proposed framework improves parametric yield from 39% to 80% on average for 11 benchmark circuits while runtime is linear with circuit size and on the order of minutes for designs with up to 15K gates.