cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Characterizing the delays in adequate thromboprophylaxis after TBI.

Background We sought to compare enoxaparin dosing for venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis in trauma patients with and without traumatic brain injury (TBI) to better understand the time and dose required to reach target anti-Xa levels. Our hypothesis was that patients with TBI have significant delays in the initiation of adequate pharmacological prophylaxis and require a higher enoxaparin dose than currently recommended. Methods The medical records of trauma patients who received enoxaparin dosing based on anti-Xa trough levels between August 2014 and October 2016 were reviewed. Patients were included if their anti-Xa trough level reached the target range (0.1 IU/mL to 0.2 IU/mL). Results A total of 163 patients had anti-Xa levels within the target range of which 41 (25.2%) had TBI. Patients with TBI had longer delays before initiating enoxaparin (7.5 days vs. 1.5 days after admission, p<0.01) and were more likely to receive unfractionated heparin prior to enoxaparin (46.3% vs. 11.5%, p<0.01). Anti-Xa levels reached the target range later in patients with TBI (11 days vs. 5 days after admission, p<0.01). Enoxaparin 40 mg two times per day was the median dose required to reach the target anti-Xa levels for both cohorts. VTE rates were higher among patients with TBI (22.0% vs. 9.0%, p=0.03). Four patients (9.8%) had progression of their intracranial hemorrhage prior to receiving enoxaparin, although none progressed during enoxaparin administration. Conclusion Among patients with TBI who reached target anti-Xa levels, 11 days after admission were required to reach a median enoxaparin dose of 40 mg two times per day. Unfractionated heparin was used as pharmacological prophylaxis in about half of these patients. The delay in reaching the target anti-Xa levels and the use of unfractionated heparin likely contribute to the higher VTE rate in patients with TBI. Level of evidence Level III, therapeutic.
Plasma lyso-sphingomyelin levels are positively associated with clinical severity in acid sphingomyelinase deficiency.

Introduction A reliable biomarker is urgently needed in the diagnosis and management of acid sphingomyelinase deficiency (ASMD, also known as Niemann Pick A, A/B, and B). Lyso-sphingomyelin (LSM) has previously been proposed as a biomarker for this disease. However, existing studies have not investigated the relationship between LSM levels and clinical subtype or severity. The purpose of this study is to address this gap in knowledge. Material and methods We present a cross-sectional study of 28 patients with ASMD, enrolled in an ongoing natural history study at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and The Children's Hospital at Montefiore. Plasma LSM levels from 28 patients were analyzed, including 7 patients with the infantile neurovisceral phenotype (ASMD type A), 3 patients with chronic neurovisceral disease (ASMD type A/B) and 18 patients with chronic visceral ASMD (ASMD type B). The association between LSM levels and clinical subtype, dichotomized as infantile (type A) or chronic (type A/B and B), was analyzed using the Wilcoxon rank sum test. In secondary analysis, the association between LSM levels and clinical severity among the chronic ASMD patients was analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test. Results LSM levels were elevated in all patients with ASMD when compared to a reference range of (0.04-3.8 (ng/mL)). Median LSM levels were higher in patients with infantile ASMD (386 ng/mL [314, 605]) compared to chronic ASMD (133 ng/mL [90, 209]), p < .001. Additionally, among individuals with chronic ASMD there was a positive association between LSM level and clinical severity (p = .01, p for trend <0.001). Conclusion We identified greater LSM elevations in patients with infantile ASMD compared to those with chronic ASMD. Among patients with chronic ASMD, LSM levels were positively associated with clinical severity. These data support investigation of LSM as a biomarker for ASMD. Future studies are required to determine if LSM levels are predictive of phenotype in pre-symptomatic patients and how such levels correlate in response to treatment.
Fluoride Exposure and Age of Menarche: Potential Differences Among Adolescent Girls and Women in the United States

Fluoride exposure is associated with later pubertal development and decreased testosterone production in adolescent and adult males. However, its effects on female reproductive health and pubertal development are unclear. Therefore, we examined associations of fluoride exposure with reproductive health outcomes among adolescent girls and women in the United States. Participants were from The National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (2013 to 2016), aged 16–19 and identified as female. There were 524 and 460 participants with measures of plasma fluoride and household tap water fluoride respectively, who had at least one reproductive health outcome examined, and complete covariate data. We applied covariate adjusted survey-weighted linear or logistic regression to examine associations of fluoride exposure with age of menarche, menstrual cycle regularity, or serum sex steroid hormone levels. Median interquartile range (IQR) water and plasma fluoride concentrations were 0.48 (0.53) mg/L and 0.34 (0.30) µmol/L respectively. An IQR increase in water fluoride was associated with a 3.3 month earlier first menstrual period (B = − 0.28, 95%CI − 0.54, − 0.02, p = 0.05). Additionally, we observed a significant interaction between plasma fluoride and race/ethnicity in association with age of menarche (p = 0.01). Among Non-Hispanic Black adolescents, each IQR increase in plasma fluoride was associated with a 5-month earlier age of menarche (B = − 0.42, 95%CI − 0.61, − 0.23, p < 0.001). Potential impacts of chronic low-level fluoride exposure on reproductive health outcomes are an important area of study. Current study findings, as well as potential health disparities due to disproportionate fluoride exposure should be examined in prospective studies.
Normative Capital Formation and Capital Equipment Expensing in a Realization-Based Income Tax

Recently, I published an article that characterized the U.S. income tax as a specialized sub-category of a true income tax and dubbed it a "realization-based income tax" (RBIT). It analyzed cost recovery theory and policy with respect to equipment. The article argued that normative cost recovery policy for a tax on capital income in such a tax base should exhibit two financial features: first, it should provide for the complete economic and financial recovery of all capital invested in equipment; and second, it should accurately measure any realized income produced by the investment in the equipment. The article evaluated various cost recovery methods and concluded that only immediate expensing produced financial characteristics consistent with those features of a normative realization-based income tax when applied to equipment purchases financed exclusively with after-tax capital. As that analysis showed, only "capital expensing" provides complete recovery of capital investment financially, and only expensing taxes realized income financially in exact proportion to the tax rate across a wide variety of financial variables. The previous article concluded that a normative realization-based income tax can and should allow a given taxpayer's investment in short-lived depreciable assets, such as equipment, to be expensed to the extent such investment is made with and offsets after-tax capital. However, that article argued that only immediate expensing produces financially normative cost recovery for such investment. This article picks up where the other one left off, and asks whether full expensing for all earnings-financed equipment purchases can ever be economically consistent with two additional norms of a realization-based income tax. Those seemingly contradictory norms are: 1) the full taxation of all invested earnings, and 2) the simultaneous formation of after-tax capital in an amount equal to whatever amount of current earnings are invested and expensed.
The Healing Arts: Analysis of the Knowledge Flows between Successive Generations of Innovation in the Pharmaceutical Sector

This paper examines the location of innovations within pharmaceutical technology, using U.S. patent citation data to trace the knowledge flows over time. It is clear that knowledge clustering is certainly present. Our study utilizes multivariate left-censored Tobit regression analysis to control for identifiable factors, to examine whether over time the distance between successive innovators has changed. We find the distance to be increasing significantly over time, both when considering all citations and only inter-city transfers.
A job analysis of selected public school physical education directors

(1953). A Job Analysis of Selected Public School Physical Education Directors. Research Quarterly. American Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation: Vol. 24, No. 1, pp. 56-66.
When Gay People Get Married: What Happens When Societies Legalize Same-Sex Marriage by M. V. Lee Badgett

Badgett is not only a published author, professor, and research director, but she also lives her life in a same-sex relationship. Badgett is a trained economist and has worked in the field for 20 y...
Figural Tests of Reasoning in Africa: Studies in the Use of Raven's Progressive Matrices Across Cultures

Abstract L'A presente les resultats d'un certain nombrc d'expericnces qui ont ete realisees avec les Progressive Matrices de Raven en Afrique et en Grande-Bretagne. Il a utilise des methodes d'analyse factorielle pout comparer la difficulte des items d'une culture a l'autre et pour decrire les differentes strategies individuelles des repondants. Les principales conclusions sont les suivantes: 1. Les tests qui utilisent des dessins et des figures sont des instruments complexes qui entra[icaron]nent des biais caracteristiques dans les reponses. 2. Ces biais jettent un certain doute sur l'idee qu'il peut exister des tests libres de toute influence culturelle ou měme dans lesquels les facteurs culturels seraient reduits. 3. Les resultats sont mis en liaison avec une theorie de l'intelligence qui met l'accent sur le role du systeme de valeurs en vigueur dans une societe donnee; le systeme de valeurs determine en partie la nature des capacites humaines et leurs relations.
Public sharing of research datasets: a pilot study of associations

The public sharing of primary research datasets potentially benefits the research community but is not yet common practice. In this pilot study, we analyzed whether data sharing frequency was associated with funder and publisher requirements, journal impact factor, or investigator experience and impact. Across 397 recent biomedical microarray studies, we found investigators were more likely to publicly share their raw dataset when their study was published in a high-impact journal and when the first or last authors had high levels of career experience and impact. We estimate the USA's National Institutes of Health (NIH) data sharing policy applied to 19% of the studies in our cohort; being subject to the NIH data sharing plan requirement was not found to correlate with increased data sharing behavior in multivariate logistic regression analysis. Studies published in journals that required a database submission accession number as a condition of publication were more likely to share their data, but this trend was not statistically significant. These early results will inform our ongoing larger analysis, and hopefully contribute to the development of more effective data sharing initiatives.
The effects of miscibility on the thermal stability of poly(vinyl chloride) blends

Abstract The thermal degradation of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) blends with polyvinyl acetate (PVA) and ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers containing 70% (EVA70) and 45% (EVA45) vinyl acetate by weight has been studied by thermogravimetry (TG) and direct pyrolysis-mass spectroscopy (DPMS). TG studies conducted at a heating rate of 10°C/min in a nitrogen atmosphere show that PVC blends with PVA, EVA70, and EVA45 are less thermally stable than would be predicted from the behavior of the pure polymers. DPMS shows that the dehydrochlorination of PVC and the deacetylation of PVA, EVA70, and EVA45 are accelerated in the blends relative to the pure polymers. The amount of destabilization appears to be related to the miscibility of the blend systems.
Bank Holding Company Acquisition Activity: Evidence From Pre- and Post-Deregulation Periods

Both acquisition activity and deregulation have had an impact upon share price and performance of commercial bank holding companies. The purpose of this study is twofold: First, to discern the effects of acquisition activity from the effects of the passage of the Depository Institutions Deregulation and Monetary Control Act of 1980 (DIDMCA) and Garn-St Germain Depository Institutions Act of 1982 (GSG) on balance sheet composition of bank holding companies; and second, to examine the effects of deregulation on returns to shareholders of acquiring bank holding companies. This study finds that commercial bank holding companies involved in acquisitions experience significant changes in their balance sheet composition, not as a result of acquisition activity, but as a result of deregulation. Additionally, bank holding companies that announced acquisitions prior to the effective date of deregulation earned abnormal returns that were significantly negative, whereas holding companies announcing acquisitions after enactment of deregulation earned returns that were not significantly different from zero. Also, the abnormal returns found in previous studies of bank acquisitions may be biased upward because of increases in systematic risk associated with the passage of DIDMCA and GSG.
Gertrude Belle Elion. 23 January 1918 — 21 February 1999

In the spring of 1933 Gertrude Elion graduated from high school and that summer she had to select a major subject before she could begin her freshman year at Hunter College. This posed a quandary f...
Programmed cell death in flight muscle histolysis of the house cricket

We have characterized the process of flight muscle histolysis in the female house cricket, Acheta domesticus, through analysis of alterations of tissue wet weight, total protein content, and percent shortening of the dorsal longitudinal flight muscles (DLMs). Our objectives were to (1) define the normal course of histolysis in the cricket, (2) analyze the effects of juvenile hormone (JH) removal and replacement, (3) determine the effects of cycloheximide treatment, and (4) examine patterns of protein expression during histolysis. Our results suggest that flight muscle histolysis in the house cricket is an example of an active, developmentally regulated cell death program induced by an endocrine signal. Initial declines of total protein in DLMs indicated the JH signal that induced histolysis occurred by Day 2 and that histolysis was essentially complete by Day 3. Significant reductions in tissue weight and percent muscle shortening were observed in DLMs from Day 3 crickets. Cervical ligation of Day 1 crickets prevented histolysis but this inhibition could be reversed by continual topical treatments with methoprene (an active JH analog) although ligation of Day 2 crickets did not prevent histolysis. A requirement for active protein expression was demonstrated by analysis of synthesis block by cycloheximide and short-term incorporation of 35S-methionine. Treatment with cycloheximide prevented histolysis. Autofluorographic imaging of DLM proteins separated by electrophoresis revealed apparent coordinated regulation of protein expression.
Micromechanics and kinetics of deformation zones at crack tips in polycarbonate

Plane stress deformation zones are grown from cracks produced by electron beam irradiation in thin films of polycarbonate (PC) bonded to ductile copper grids. The kinetics of zone growth in both length and width are followed by optical microscopy while v f, the ratio of zone thickness to film thickness, is followed by optical interference and transmission microscopy measurements. These data allow the zone surface displacement and stress profiles to be computed at various times during growth. There is a stress concentration at the zone tip which relaxes to a uniform stress over the rest of the zone up to near the crack tip. Both the tip stress concentration and uniform zone stress decrease as zone growth proceeds. The zone surface displacement rate follows these changes in stress. It is highest just behind the zone tip where the stress concentration exists and is constant in the uniform stress zone. It decreases markedly with time. While the Dugdale model does not predict the details of the zone micromechanics, in particular the zone tip stress concentration, it does predict qualitatively the correct trends. The crack propagates into the oriented polymer in the deformation zone in the form of a characteristic half diamond shape, which is the analogue of diamond cavities previously observed in the fracture process of oriented bulk polymers.
Preparation and properties of S-adenosyl-l-homocysteine, S-adenosyl-l-homocysteine sulfoxide and S-ribosyl-l-homocysteine

Abstract A simple procedure for the preparation of crystalline S -adenosyl- l -homocysteine is reported. The product is free from all impurities detectable by conventional methods. S -Adenosyl- l -homocysteine was found to be quite resistant to alkaline treatment; however, it undergoes cleavage in the presence of weak acid, producing adenine and a new compound, S -ribosyl- l -homocysteine. The latter is split with stronger acid to ribose and homocysteine. The sulfoxide of S -adenosyl- l -homocysteine has been prepared. As expected, it is more labile to alkaline treatment than S -adenosyl- l -homocysteine, and the fragments formed are adenine, S -ribosyl- l -homocysteine sulfoxide, homocysteine, and ribose.
A comparison of step-and-shoot leaf sequencing algorithms that eliminate tongue-and-groove effects.

The performances of three recently published leaf sequencing algorithms for step-and-shoot intensity-modulated radiation therapy delivery that eliminates tongue-and-groove underdosage are evaluated. Proofs are given to show that the algorithm of Que et al (2004 Phys. Med. Biol. 49 399–405) generates leaf sequences free of tongue-and-groove underdosage and interdigitation. However, the total beam-on times could be up to n times those of the sequences generated by the algorithms of Kamath et al (2004 Phys. Med. Biol. 49 N7–N19), which are optimal in beam-on time for unidirectional leaf movement under the same constraints, where n is the total number of involved leaf pairs. Using 19 clinical fluence matrices and 100 000 randomly generated 15 × 15 matrices, the average monitor units and number of segments of the leaf sequences generated using the algorithm of Que et al are about two to four times those generated by the algorithm of Kamath et al.
A numerical approach to the complete stress-strain curve of concrete

This paper presents the experimental justification of two previously published formulas, Eqs. 2) and 6), for the estimation of the complete stress-strain diagram of concrete. Eq. 2) combined with Eq. 3) differs from the other formulas offered in the literature for similar purpose in that provides more relative curvature in the diagram for concretes of lower strengths. Also, with Eq. 6), it can take the fact into consideration that the value of Σ0 increases with increasing concrete strength. The result of these refinements is that the stress-strain diagrams calculated by these formulas fit better the experimentally obtained diagrams and within wider limits than the similar formulas available in the literature. (Figs. 5a through 5d, 8a through 8d, and 9.)
Duality between partial coherence and partial entanglement

Entangled-photon pairs ~biphotons! generated by spontaneous optical parametric down-conversion exhibit a number of properties that are analogous to those of ordinary photons generated by incoherent sources. The spatial pump-field distribution and the two-particle wave function in the biphoton case play the respective roles of the source intensity distribution and the second-order coherence function in the incoherent case. The van Cittert‐Zernike theorem, which is applicable for incoherent optical sources emitting independent photons, has a counterpart for biphotons. Likewise, the partial-coherence theory of image formation has an analogous counterpart for biphoton beams transporting spatial information. However, an underlying duality, rather than analogy, accompanies the mathematical similarity between incoherent and biphoton emissions if the comparison is made between the photon count rate in the incoherent case and the biphoton count rate in the entangledphoton case. The smaller the size of an incoherent source, the more separable is the coherence function and the more coherent is the field, and therefore the higher the visibility of ordinary interference fringes. In contrast, the narrower the size of a biphoton pump source, the more separable is the wave function and the less entangled is the field, and therefore the lower the visibility of biphoton interference fringes. This duality is similar to the complementarity between single and two-photon interference exhibited for biphotons.
Radar scattering center localization by the variable projection method

To many contemporary radar engineers the term "radar imaging" has come to be synonymous with "scattering center localization." Radar image-based target classification and identification, for example, is typically interpreted as a library look-up process in which the position and strength of target scattering centers is matched to a set of known template signatures. But the ability to accurately estimate scatterer position and strength is severely hampered by low image resolution and noise contamination. In addition, inverse synthetic aperture radar images often also require costly preprocessing steps (such as polar reformatting) to assure adequate accuracy. We describe a simple method, based on subspace fitting techniques, that can be applied to the position and strength estimation problem in this time-constrained and data-limited environment. The scheme is robust against noise corruption and allows for super-resolved estimates of all (or some) of the scatterers. Examples based on both real and synthetic data are presented.
Electrospun vascular graft properties following femtosecond laser ablation

For polymers in tissue engineering to reach their full potential, the three-dimensional integration of cells with scaffolds must become more complex. In vascular grafts this is particularly challenging as specific physical property requirements must be met. We apply a combination of polymer processing techniques—electrospinning and femtosecond laser ablation—to produce microchannels inside the walls of electrospun tubes providing for spatially-controlled cell seeding. To determine if such a scaffold can provide the desired physical properties, a greater understanding of the relationship between manufacturing and mechanics is needed. As the strength of these scaffolds is an important functional component, the relative properties of single, bi- and tri-layer combinations produced using different solvents were compared. The effect of fiber layer thickness was also investigated. The thickness of the hexafluorisopropanol-derived layer dominated the overall scaffold properties regardless of the nature of the other two layers. Although laser-machined microchannels had substantial effects on single layer and some of the bilayers, in the “final” trilayer scaffold, little effect on mechanical properties was observed. The concept of “vascular wall engineering” could successfully produce trilayer composite scaffolds that maintain the targeted mechanical properties while allowing intricate, three-dimensional cell seeding. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012
Comparative analysis of process interaction and activity scanning approaches in simulation of construction operations

This work illustrates the modeling and implementation differences between Process Interaction (PI) and Activity Scanning (AS) approaches in simulation of construction operations. AS has been widely used in simulation of construction activities while PI is a common approach in simulating manufacturing and industrial operations. A rock quarry site has been chosen as a sample construction operation which inherits some degrees of uncertainty primarily in limited resource levels. The two simulation tools used are ProModel (for process interaction) and STROBOSCOPE (for activity scanning). Relevant details of implementation are described on each software in an attempt to show that both programs can sufficiently be used to model the task. We compare the results and discuss the differences.
Quantitative analysis of steroidal glycosides in different organs of Easter lily (Lilium longiflorum Thunb.) by LC-MS/MS.

The bulbs of the Easter lily (Lilium longiflorum Thunb.) are regularly consumed in Asia as both food and medicine, and the beautiful white flowers are appreciated worldwide as an attractive ornamental. The Easter lily is a rich source of steroidal glycosides, a group of compounds that may be responsible for some of the traditional medicinal uses of lilies. Since the appearance of recent reports on the role steroidal glycosides in animal and human health, there is increasing interest in the concentration of these natural products in plant-derived foods. A LC-MS/MS method performed in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode was used for the quantitative analysis of two steroidal glycoalkaloids and three furostanol saponins, in the different organs of L. longiflorum. The highest concentrations of the total five steroidal glycosides were 12.02 ± 0.36, 10.09 ± 0.23, and 9.36 ± 0.27 mg/g dry weight in flower buds, lower stems, and leaves, respectively. The highest concentrations of the two steroidal glycoalkalo...
Ultraviolet mutagenesis and inducible DNA repair in Caulobacter crescentus.

The ability to reactivate ultraviolet (UV) damaged phage ΦCbK (W-reactivation) is induced by UV irradiation of Caulobacter crescentus cells. Induction of W-reactivation potential is specific for phage ΦCbK, requires protein synthesis, and is greatly reduced in the presence of the rec-526 mutation. The induction signal generated by UV irradiation is transient, lasting about 1 1/2–2 h at 30°C; if chloramphenicol is present during early times after UV irradiation, induction of W-reactivation does not occur. Induction is maximal when cells are exposed to 5–10 J/m2 of UV, a dose that also results in considerable mutagenesis of the cells. Taken together, these observations demonstrate the existence of a UV inducible, protein synthesis requiring, transiently signalled, rec-requiring DNA repair system analogous to W-reactivation in Escherichia coli. In addition, C. crescentus also has an efficient photoreactivation system that reverses UV damage in the presence of strong visible light.
Mixed convection plume - Application of superposition

By comparing with the exact similarity solution for the mixed convection plume of the point source, the limitation of the Oseen boundary layer solution is established. Superposition principles are given and applied to the cases of the vertical and the horizontal finite heated wire. Three-dimensional thermal and velocity fields are determined.
Learning Citizenship? How State Education Reforms Affect Parents' Political Attitudes and Behavior

Over the past three decades, the states have adopted a suite of reforms to their education systems in an effort to improve school performance. While scholars have speculated about the political consequences of these policies, to date there has been no empirical research investigating how these reforms affect the practice of American democracy. Combining data from an original survey of public school parents with information on state education standards, testing, and accountability policies, I examine how design features of these policies influence parents’ attitudes about government, participation in politics, and involvement in their children’s education. My research shows that parents residing in states with more developed assessment systems express more negative attitudes about government and education, and are less likely to become engaged in some forms of involvement in their children’s education, than are parents who live in states with less developed assessment systems.
Effective electrophoretic mobilities and charges of anti-VEGF proteins determined by capillary zone electrophoresis.

Macromolecules such as therapeutic proteins currently serve an important role in the treatment of eye diseases such as wet age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. Particularly, bevacizumab and ranibizumab have been shown to be effective in the treatment of these diseases. Iontophoresis can be employed to enhance ocular delivery of these macromolecules, but the lack of information on the properties of these macromolecules has hindered its development. The objectives of the present study were to determine the effective electrophoretic mobilities and charges of bevacizumab, ranibizumab, and model compound polystyrene sulfonate (PSS) using capillary zone electrophoresis. Salicylate, lidocaine, and bovine serum albumin (BSA), which have known electrophoretic mobilities in the literature, were also studied to validate the present technique. The hydrodynamic radii and diffusion coefficients of BSA, bevacizumab, ranibizumab, and PSS were measured by dynamic light scattering. The effective charges were calculated using the Einstein relation between diffusion coefficient and electrophoretic mobility and the Henry equation. The results show that bevacizumab and ranibizumab have low electrophoretic mobilities and are net negatively charged in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) of pH 7.4 and 0.16 M ionic strength. PSS has high negative charge but the electrophoretic mobility in PBS is lower than that expected from the polymer structure. The present study demonstrated that capillary electrophoresis could be used to characterize the mobility and charge properties of drug candidates in the development of iontophoretic drug delivery.
Evidence that the "waxy" protein of pea (Pisum sativum L.) is not the major starch-granule-bound starch synthase.

The aim of this work was to identify the starch-granule-bound starch synthase of developing pea embryos. When starch-granule-bound proteins were solubilised by digestion of granules with α-amylase and fractionated on a Mono Q anion-exchange column, activity of starch synthase eluted as three peaks. The distribution of activity in fractions from the column coincided with that of a 77-kDa protein. An antibody to this protein inhibited starch-synthase activity both in solubilised, starch-granule-bound protein and on intact starch granules. Recoveries of activity through extraction, solubilisation and chromatography indicate that this protein is the major, if not the only, form of starch synthase on the starch granule. The major, 59-kDa protein of the pea starch granule is antigenically related to the product of thewaxy locus of potato, which has previously been identified as the starch-granule-bound starch synthase of the tuber. However, the distribution of the 59-kDa protein did not coincide with that of starch-synthase activity in fractions from the Mono Q column. An antibody to the 59-kDa protein did not inhibit starch-synthase activity. The results raise questions about the relationship between “waxy” proteins and starch-granule-bound starch synthases generally.
Time-resolved light scattering of the phase separation in polymer-dispersed liquid crystals formed by photo-polymerization induced phase separation

Abstract Time-resolved light scattering is utilized to monitor the phase separation of photo-initiated polymer-dispersed liquid crystals. At the lowest cure intensities studied, the system undergoes spinodal decomposition and the results are analyzed with Cahn–Hilliard theory. As the cure intensity increases, the rate of phase separation increases such that the early stages of spinodal decomposition are no longer observable. These systems are analyzed using the Debye–Bueche model, which provides the time evolution of the number and size of LC domains. These results indicate that an increase in cure beam intensity initially increases the rate of domain growth, but this effect is overwhelmed by the fast vitrification and cross-linking that can occur at highest cure beam intensities.
Flow in the hydrodynamic entrance region of ducts of arbitrary cross section

A general method of analysis is presented for determining the developing velocity field and pressure drop for laminar flow in the entrance region of ducts having arbitrary cross sections. Application of the solution method is made to rectangular ducts and to triangular ducts. Available experimental data are compared with the analytical results and good agreement is found to prevail. Development characteristics for six ducts are brought together and compared, and various trends are identified.
An agenda for research on the flexibility of manufacturing processes

This paper outlines an agenda for conducting rigorous research into the flexibility of manufacturing processes. Its underlying premise is that current efforts are being impeded by the absence of operational measures for the concept. An initial domain for defining flexibility is established, specific measures are suggested, and sampling issues are discussed. There is also a discussion of relevant research problems that can be addressed once valid and reliable operationalisations exist.
Literature Forensics? Door to What Was Known but Now Forgotten☆☆☆

Abstract Science's all-consuming drive to make new discoveries often risks losing sight of what was already known at one time—that which already exists in the published literature. Inadequate attention to the published literature and insufficient time devoted to its mining and synthesis into new knowledge is a problem faced by all disciplines, especially highly interdisciplinary fields such as environmental forensics, whose knowledge base is fragmented across numerous disciplines. While the conduct of science applies principles of quality assurance to a wide array of its processes, how pervasive are quality controls designed to ensure that planned or ongoing research has not been undertaken before? Has sufficient energy been devoted to mining what has already been discovered and synthesizing it into a larger, more useful perspective? This paper touches on the liabilities associated with insufficient examination of an exponentially growing published literature (“literature forensics”) and offers some suggestions for achieving a better balance between original work and capturing what has already been reported—all essential to the growing responsibility of knowledge management. By lessening the importance of the published literature, are we asymptotically approaching a point where science may be preoccupied with publishing “new” findings while few have time to assimilate what has already been published?
New Method for Measuring the Rates of Ionic Transport and Loss. I. Mobility of NO

N${\mathrm{O}}^{+}$ ions are produced between parallel electrodes by photoionization, using the Kr resonance line at 1236 \AA{}. Rectangular voltage pulses, separated by a variable time interval, are applied to the electrodes. The transient current, as charges are swept out of the collection region, is displayed on an oscilloscope and recorded photographically; from this curve the mobility of the charge carriers may be deduced. Experimental values for the mobility of N${\mathrm{O}}^{+}$ in He, Ar, ${\mathrm{N}}_{2}$, and ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$ at 20\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C and 760 mm Hg are: 19.1\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}2.4, 3.7\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.2, 3.3\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.2, and 16.3\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}1.2 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$ ${\mathrm{sec}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ ${\mathrm{V}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$, respectively. The mobility of N${\mathrm{O}}^{+}$ in He-${\mathrm{N}}_{2}$ mixtures obeys Blanc's law, thus indicating negligible complexing of N${\mathrm{O}}^{+}$ with ${\mathrm{N}}_{2}$ or He. The integrated transient current is related to the total charge in the collection region at the initiation of collection; the rate of growth of ion density as the time interval between pulses is increased indicates the predominant ion loss process and its rate. In these experiments, the integrated current is consistent with ion loss by diffusion, with $D=\frac{\mathrm{KkT}}{e}$, where $K$ is the experimental ion mobility. The transient current shape, the role of space charge, and the initial charge distribution have been treated theoretically.
Free convective turbulent flow within the trombe wall channel

Abstract A study of free convective turbulent heat transfer between parallel plates has been made. The initial flow is assumed to remain laminar until a combination of geometry, temperature, and flow rate conditions reach a pre-defined level. At this point the model used in this study assumes transition and permits laminar flow to gradually develop into fully turbulent flow. Turbulent flow characteristics are predicted by a mixing length model which incorporates empirical parameters used in the literature. Using air as the fluid, a wide range of channel geometries, relative surface temperatures, and flow rates have been examined. Guided by the very limited available experimental data, computations were made and several correlations were developed to enable important quantities to be estimated given the channel geometry, surface temperatures, and inlet air temperature.
Diffusion–collision model for protein folding

The basic equations for the elementary step in the diffusion–collision–coalescence model of protein folding are derived for the case of two radially diffusing spherical microdomains. Refinements and biological implications of the mechanism are considered; included are detailed discussions of the parameters of the model, the possibilities of rotational diffusion and surface diffusion in one or two dimensions, the nature of the microdomains, and the application of the model to protein unfolding.
Novel HOX, POU and FKH genes expressed during bFGF-induced mesodermal differentiation in Xenopus

Abstract Cells from the cap of the animal hemisphere of the early Xenopus embryo are determined to form ectodermal lineages. When these cells are explanted and cultured in the presence of various growth factors a change in fate to cells of mesodermal lineage can be observed. Proteins of the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family belong to this class of fate altering compounds. The ability of FGFs to change animal cap cell fate is in part due to an alteration in the program of genes expressed in these explanted cells. Several genes that are known to be pattern regulating in other systems have been shown to be induced by FGFs in the animal cap assay. We have utilized a PCR-based sib-selection and cloning protocol to identify a large number of cDNAs of the HOX, POU and FKH families that are present in animal caps very early during bFGF-induced mesodermal differentiation. A total of 11 different HOX, 7 POU and 4 FKH cDNAs were identified in an induced animal cap cDNA library. In several cases, pairs of highly related sequence variants were identified that presumably represent expression from the duplicated alleles of the ancestrally tetraploid Xenopus genome. In this report we characterize the temporal and spatial expression of three novel Xenopus genes during early development as well as during bFGF-induced mesodermal differentiation.
Musculoskeletal MR Imaging at 3 T

MR imaging plays a major role in the assessment of pediatric musculoskeletal disease. Compared with 1.5 T MR imaging, 3 T magnets provide images with an increased signal-to-noise ratio, which is particularly helpful when assessing small body parts and structures in children. This article discusses the advantages and challenges associated with musculoskeletal MR imaging at 3 T, basic scanning protocols, image optimization techniques, and specific clinical applications in a pediatric population.
Seen, Said, or Deduced? Travel Accounts, Historical Criticism, and Discourse Theory: Towards an 'Archeology' of Dialogue in Seventeenth-Century Guinea

Puisqu'il n'existe pas de mots qui ne soient a personne(Bakhtin 1979 in Todorov 1981: 83)Le discours, c'est-a-dire le langage dans sa totalite concrete et vivante.(Bakhtin 1963 in Todorov 1981: 44)European travel accounts are widely used as sources to write the history of societies that did not themselves produce a large amount of textual documentation. On the Coast of Guinea, and more particularly on the area formerly known as Gold Coast (approximately the littoral of modern Ghana), many of the written documents providing historians with information on coastal societies prior to nineteenth century were produced by Europeans travelers. Most of these individuals were merchants, craftsmen, pastors or soldiers who had settled several years in the numerous forts and trading posts erected along the seashore to protect and enhance the trade of chartered companies. Others were seamen and merchants who only spent a few weeks at a stretch plying the African Coast aboard men-of-war or trading ships, exchanging manufactured goods for gold, slaves, and ivory. Professional writers, who had not traveled to Africa, but had obtained data from various written sources or from travelers, also composed some of the accounts. Therefore, these documents show an extraordinary diversity in form and content, which historians and archeologists need to investigate before using them as primary sources for reconstructing the past.In the first part of the present paper, which focuses on a specific genre, the seventeenth-century travel accounts, I recall the historiography of the recent critique of these sources. I also point out that despite decisive methodological breakthroughs, some heuristic dimensions or attributes of these texts are yet to be recognized and assessed. I then re-examine these sources from the dual perspective of historic and linguistic anthropological methods and introduce an exploratory approach centered on the Bakhtinian approach to discourse.
Anaphylaxis to algae

Abstract Rationale Cyanobacteria (blue green algae) have been shown to cause allergic respiratory disease but systemic anaphylaxis has not been previously described. We report the case of a previously nonatopic 7 year-old girl who experienced urticaria of the legs on 3 successive weeks after swimming in a lake. The cove in which she swam had an extensive growth of algae. On the 4th week, she swallowed a small amount of lake water after water entered her nose while swimming. Within a few minutes, she developed generalized urticaria, laryngeal edema, and wheezing. She recovered after treatment in a local emergency department. Methods Lake water was filtered through filter paper. The filter paper with the collected algae was allowed to dry, placed in buffered saline and extracted for 3 days. The extract was centrifuged, and both the filtered lake water and extract supernatant were concentrated and sterile filtered. The patient was prick skin tested to histamine, saline, lake water and algae extract. Three healthy subjects served as controls. Results The 3 control subjects showed no reaction to the lake water or algae extract. The patient showed markedly positive skin test reactions to lake water and algae. Conclusions This is the first report of systemic anaphylaxis to algae. We postulate that contact urticaria of the legs occurred on 3 occasions while swimming and ingestion of lake water resulted in anaphylaxis.
QoS constrained resource allocation to secondary users in cognitive radio networks

In this paper, we consider a multi-channel cognitive radio network (CRN) where multiple secondary users share a single channel and multiple channels are simultaneously used by a single secondary user (SU) to satisfy their rate requirements. In such an environment, we attempt to evaluate the optimal power and rate distribution choices that each secondary user has to make in order to maintain their quality of service (QoS). Our measures for QoS include signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR)/bit error rate (BER) and minimum rate requirement. We propose two centralized optimization frameworks in order to solve for the optimal resource management strategies. In the first framework, we determine the minimum transmit power that SUs should employ in order to maintain a certain SINR and use that result to calculate the optimal rate allocation strategy across channels. In the second framework, both transmit power and rate per channel are simultaneously optimized with the help of a bi-objective problem formulation. Unlike prior efforts, we transform the BER constraint into a convex constraint in order to guarantee optimality of the resulting solutions. Simulation results demonstrate that in both frameworks, optimal transmit power follows ''reverse water filling'' process and rate allocation follows SINR. We also observe that, due to the ability to adapt both power and rate simultaneously to attain a certain BER, the joint optimization framework results in a lower total transmit power than the two-stage approach.
Can Government Regulate Safety? The Coal Mine Example

With the 1970 passage of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA), federal regulation reached the American workplace. Given the newness of the legislation, any firm conclusion on its effectiveness seems premature. However, there is ample evidence on federal safety regulation of a specific workplace: the coal mine. The federal government has been directly involved in coal mining safety for over 35 years, operating under three major pieces of legislation, enacted in 1941, 1952, and 1969. Opposing opinions regarding the effect of this legislation can be grouped into three categories: radical, reactionary, and reformer. A multiple interrupted time-series analysis indicates that, in fact, the 1941 and 1969 regulations significantly reduced the fatality rate in coal mining. Certain conditions seem related to the effectiveness of this safety legislation: birth order, provisions, enforcement, target population, and goals. The first two conditions would appear to work for the success of the OSHA, the latter three conditions to work against it.
The isolation and characterization of bovine corneal collagen

The α1, α2, β11 and β12 collagen components were obtained from an acetic acid extract of adult bovine cornea by carboxymethylcellulose chromatography and Agarose 1.5 M gel filtration. Glucose and galactose were the only monosaccharides in all four collagen components. Amino acid analyses suggest that bovine corneal and skin collagens could be products of the same structural gene.