cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Incidence of new onset metabolic acidosis following enteroplasty for myelomeningocele

245Urological Surveyresults demonstrated that male gender, age less than one year at diagnosis, lower grade of reflux at presentation and unilateral reflux were all predictors of spontaneous resolution, which is consistent with previous studies. In addition, they were able to demonstrate that reflux improvement on imaging one year after diagnosis, as well as improvement in reflux grade from the previous year at any point during follow-up, were both independent predictors of resolution. This study has important clinical implications when counseling with parents over the decision to con-tinue waiting for spontaneous resolution versus pursuing surgical correction of reflux. Though many of us have assumed that improvement in the grade of reflux is a positive indicator of a greater likelihood for spontaneous resolution, we now have data to back up our assumptions.
SIMS/XPS study of CO chemisorption on polycrystalline Pd, Ag and a PdAg alloy

Abstract The SIMS spectra of Ag, Pd and a 79% PdAg alloy exposed to CO have been investigated. Exposure of a Ag foil to 10 −6 Torr CO resulted in no measurable metal CO clusters. On Pd foil, however, CO adsorption reached saturation after 3 L exposure as indicated by the rise in Pd + , Pd 2 + , PdCO + and Pd 2 CO + ions. Further increases in these ions were noticed as the background pressure of CO was increased from ambient up to 10 −6 Torr. On 79% PdAg, the CO adsorption was found to be very slow, reaching saturation after 3000 s at 10 −6 Torr CO. Of special interest was that both the Pd + and Ag + ions were observed to increase during the chemisorption even though the CO is believed to interact only with Pd atoms. The SIMS spectra also produced other combinations of cluster ions including PdAg + , Pd 2 + , Ag 2 + , Ag 3 + , PdCO + , AgCO + , PdAgCO + and an undetermined mixture of M 3 CO + clusters. The presence of AgCO + in large quantities provides strong evidence that the cluster ions do not leave the surface as a single entity, but form from atoms that were not necessarily neighbors.
Acoustic-phonon propagation in rectangular semiconductor nanowires with elastically dissimilar barriers

We have theoretically studied acoustic phonon spectra and phonon propagation in rectangular nanowires embedded within elastically dissimilar materials. As example systems, we have considered GaN nanowires with AlN and plastic barrier layers. It has been established that the acoustically mismatched barriers dramatically influence the quantized phonon spectrum of the nanowires. The barriers with lower sound velocity compress the phonon energy spectrum and reduce the phonon group velocities in the nanowire. The barriers with higher sound velocity have an opposite effect. The physical origin of this effect is related to redistribution of the elastic deformations in the acoustically mismatched nanowires. In the case of the “acoustically slow” barriers, the elastic deformation waves are squeezed in the barrier layer. The effect predicted for the nanowires embedded with elastically dissimilar materials could be used for reengineering phonon spectrum in nanostructures.
Intuitive Perceptions of Change An Overlooked Phenomenon in Person Perception

Luchins' classic study on impression formation has contributed to the widespread belief in the predominance of stable, trait like impressions in the person perception process. The present replication of Luchins' study demonstrates that subjects often infer change in others rather than maintain stable impressions. Subjects were provided with Luchins' original stimulus materials, but were led to believe that the behavioral inconsistencies occurred either close in time or further apart in time. As expected, participants who believed that they were observing behavioral inconsistencies separated in time tended to describe the person as having changed rather than employing stable trait ascriptions. Implications of the present findings for the widespread belief in the pervasiveness of stability judgments are discussed.
Purification of bovine growth hormone and prolactin by preparative electrophoresis.

Abstract Experimental conditions are described whereby the multiple components of bovine prolactin and growth hormone can be isolated by preparative electrophoresis on polyacrylamide using a commercially available instrument. A method is also described for isolation of prolactin and growth hormone directly from a crude pituitary extract. Immunodiffusion, bioassay, and NH 2 -terminal data are presented for the purified prolactin and growth hormone. Data are presented which indicate that the electrophoretic mobility of bovine growth hormone is altered markedly by iodination. Prolactin is also affected but to a lesser degree.
Daily relaxation modifies serum and salivary immunoglobulins and psychophysiologic symptom severity.

This study investigated the effect of daily relaxation on concentrations of serum immunoglobulins A, G, and M and secretion rates of salivary immunoglobulin A (S-IgA). Twenty-four volunteers were randomly assigned to practice a relaxation technique daily for 3 weeks and 16 to a waiting list control condition. Blood and saliva samples were collected before and after a supervised 20-min relaxation session at the beginning and end of the 3-week practice period. S-IgA secretion rate increased significantly (p less than .001) after 20 min of relaxation. A longer-term practice effect also occurred in that the increase in secretion rate in "before to after" relaxation samples was higher (p = .014) in subjects who had practiced relaxation once a day for 3 weeks than in waiting list control subjects practicing for the first time. Serum IgA (p less than .001), IgG (p less than .001), and igM (p less than .05) increased significantly over the 3-week practice period. Relaxation may be a self-regulating strategy affecting both humoral and cellular divisions of the immune system.
Comparative validity of traditional versus S-R format inventories of interpersonal behavior

Abstract The comparative validity of two “S-R format” inventories of interpersonal behavior, Kinnane et al.'s (1969) Schedule of Interpersonal Response and a newly developed Rational S-R Inventory, and two “traditional” inventories, the Personality Research Form and the Interpersonal Check List, was examined with respect to 14 self-report and peer rating criteria selected to broadly tap the interpersonal domain. Sixty-four male and female high school seniors served as S s. In spite of the situational specificity inherent in the S-R inventories, the traditional inventories substantially outperformed the S-R inventories and, in contrast to previous findings, also outperformed simple self-ratings. The results are discussed not only in terms of the relative advantages of various inventory construction strategies but also in reference to the problem of criterion measurement and theoretical and methodological issues in the assessment of situational parameters.
Hydrogen diffusion in amorphous silicon

Abstract Hydrogen diffusion in doped and compensated a-Si:H has been measured by secondary-ion mass spectrometry profiling in the temperature range 155-300°C. Doping reduces the activation energy and enhances the diffusion coefficient by up to three orders of magnitude at 200°C, and a correlation between the diffusion coefficient and the dangling-bond density is found. An analysis of three different diffusion models indicates that the breaking of weak Si – Si bonds by hydrogen may be an important process. The relation between the diffusion results and the thermal equilibration of the electronic structure is discussed. The hydrogen diffusion coefficient in a-Si:H has been measured over the temperature range 155-300°C, with particular emphasis on the effects of doping and compensation. In all cases D H is thermally activated with an energy 1[sdot]2-1[sdot]5 eV. The diffusion coefficient decreases slowly with time which is attributed to the disorder-induced variation in site energies. We find that D H is gre...
Public trust, research activity, and the ideal of service to students as clients of teaching

The authors summarize points made in the volume and conclude that, with few exceptions, research activity does not hinder faculty from meeting the educational needs of students as clients of undergraduate college teaching. They also offer recommendations for practice and research.
Dihydrofolate reductase inhibition by 2,4-diaminotriazines: A structure-activity study.

Abstract Quantitative structure-activity relationships have been formulated for the inhibition of dihydrofolate reductase from bovine and rat liver by 4,6-diamino-1,2-dihydro-2,2-dimethyl-1-(3-X-phenyl)-s-triazines. The best correlations are: bovine, log 1 C = 1.05π 3 − 1.21 log (β·10 π 3 + 1) + 6.64, where log β = −0.736 and r = 0.955 for 28 congeners; rat, log 1 C = 1.12π 3 − 1.34 log (β·10 π 3 + 1) + 6.29, where log β = −0.978 and r = 0.977 for 18 congeners. In these expressons C is the molar concentration of inhibitor producing 50% inhibition of the enzyme, π3 is the octanol/water hydrophobic parameter for the 3-X-phenyl substituent, β is an iteratively derived coefficient, and r is the multiple least squares correlation coefficient. The implications of these bilinear models are discussed and compared with earlier work by B. R. Baker.
Chemoselective and stereoselective addition of organocuprates to α-oxoketene dithioacetals

Abstract The chemoselective and stereoselective addition of organocuprates to cyclic α-oxoketene dithioacetals affords predominately the E vinylogous thioesters. An acyclic α-oxoketene dithioacetals affords the Z vinylogous thioester stereoselectively. The observed selectivities are dependent upon substrate structure and the organocopper reagent.
PHOTOSYNTHESIS‐IRRADIANCE RELATIONSHIPS IN SEA ICE MICROALGAE FROM McMURDO SOUND, ANTARCTICA1

Sea ice microalgae in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica were examined for photosynthesis-irradiance relationships and for the extent and time course of their photoadaptation to a reduction in in situ irradiance. Algae were collected from the bottom centimeter of coarse-grained congelation ice in an area free of natural snow cover. Photosynthetic rate was determined in short term (1 h) incubations at −2° C over a range of irradiance from 0 to 286 μE·m−2·s−1. Assimilation numbers were consistently below 0.1 mg C·mg chl a−1·h−1. The Ik's3 averaged only 7 μE·m−2·s−1, and photosynthesis was inhibited at irradiances above 25 μE·m−2·s−1. Photosynthetic parameters of the ice algal community were examined over a nine day period following the addition of 4 cm of surface snow while a control area remained snow-free. A reduction of 40% in PmB relative to the control occurred after two days of snow cover; α, β, Ik, and Im were not significantly altered. Low assimilation numbers and constant standing crop size, however, suggested that the algal bloom may have already reached stationary growth phase, possibly minimizing their photoadaptive response.
The longitudinal course, risk factors, and impact of sleep disturbances in children with traumatic brain injury

Abstract This study aimed to examine the prevalence and trajectory of sleep disturbances and their associated risk factors in children up to 24 months following a traumatic brain injury (TBI). In addition, the longitudinal association between sleep disturbances and children's functional outcomes was assessed. This was a prospective study of a cohort of children with TBI and a comparison cohort of children with orthopedic injury (OI). Parental reports of pre-injury sleep disturbances were compared to reports of post-injury changes at 3, 12, and 24 months. Risk factors for sleep disturbances were examined, including severity of TBI, presence of psychosocial problems, and pain. Sleep disturbances were also examined as a predictor of children's functional outcomes in the areas of adaptive behavior skills and activity participation. Both cohorts (children with TBI and OI) displayed increased sleep disturbances after injury. However, children with TBI experienced higher severity and more prolonged duration of s...
Pharmacokinetics and Safety of Tobramycin After Once-Daily Administration in Patients With Cystic Fibrosis

Study objective Tobramycin is commonly used to treat respiratory tract infections in patients with cystic fibrosis. We designed a study to determine the pharmacokinetics and safety of once-daily dosing of tobramycin in this population. Design Multiple blood samples were collected from each patient, and serum concentrations of tobramycin were determined by a fluorescence polarization immunoassay. Blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine levels were measured every 2 to 3 days, and audiometric evaluations were performed at the start and end of therapy. Measurements and results Eighteen patients (mean age, 24.6 years) received tobramycin at doses of 7 to 15 mg/kg/d as a single-dose infusion over 20 min. The maximum serum concentration of tobramycin ranged from 40.1 to 64.6 mg/L. A mean dose of 11.9±1.9 mg/kg was needed to obtain a theoretical mean peak serum concentration of 42.4±4.5 mg/L. The mean total body clearance, apparent volume of distribution, and elimination half-life was 1.7±0.4 mL/min/kg, 0.27±0.06 L/kg, and 1.8 ±0.3 h, respectively. The period of time that the serum concentration exceeded eight times the theoretical minimum inhibitory concentration of 1 mg/L ranged from 2.1 to 4.4 h, which was nearly five times longer compared with the use of divided daily doses in the same patients during previous hospitalizations. No nephrotoxicity, ototoxicity, or adverse effects occurred in any patient. Conclusion Based on our data, tobramycin may be used safely in once-daily doses to treat exacerbations of respiratory tract infections in patients with cystic fibrosis.
Free air on plain film: Do we need a computed tomography too?

Context: Standard teaching is that patients with pneumoperitoneum on plain X-ray and clinical signs of abdominal pathology should undergo urgent surgery. It is unknown if abdominal computed tomography (CT) provides additional useful information in this scenario. Aims: The aim of this study is to determine whether or not CT scanning after identification of pneumoperitoneum on plain X-ray changes clinical management or outcomes. Settings and Design: Retrospective study carried out over 4 years at a tertiary care academic medical center. All patients in our acute care surgery database with pneumoperitoneum on plain X-ray were included. Patients who underwent subsequent CT scanning (CT group) were compared with patients who did not (non-CT group). Statistical Analysis Used: The Wilcoxon rank-sum test, t-test and Fisher's exact test were used as appropriate to compare the groups. Results: There were 25 patients in the non-CT group and 18 patients in the CT group. There were no differences between the groups at presentation. All patients in the non-CT group underwent surgery, compared with 83% (n = 15) of patients in the CT group (P = 0.066). 16 patients in the non-CT and 11 patients in the CT group presented with peritonitis and all underwent surgery regardless of group. For patients undergoing surgery, there were no differences in outcomes between the groups. After X-ray, patients undergoing CT required 328.0 min to arrive in the operating room compared with 136.0 min in the non-CT group (P = 0.007). Conclusions: In patients with pneumoperitoneum on X-ray and peritonitis on physical exam, CT delays surgery without providing any measurable benefit.
High Purity Liquid Phase Epitaxial GaAs for Radiation Detectors

We report on the growth of high purity n-GaAs using Liquid Phase Epitaxy (LPE) and the fabrication of room temperature p-i-n radiation detectors. Our epilayers are grown from a Ga solvent in a graphite boat in a pure hydrogen atmosphere. Growth is started at a temperature of approximately 800 °C. Our best epilayers show a net-residual-donor concentration of 2×1013 cm−3, confirmed by Hall effect measurements. The residual donors have been analyzed by far infrared spectroscopy and found to be sulfur and silicon. Epilayers with thicknesses of up to 120 µm have been deposited on 650µm thick semi-insulating GaAs substrates and on 500µm thick n+-type GaAs substrates. We report the results obtained with Schottky barrier diodes fabricated from these high purity n-type GaAs epilayers and operated as X-ray detectors. The Schottky barrier contacts consisted of evaporated circular gold contacts on epilayers on n+ substrates. The ohmic contacts were formed by evaporated and alloyed Ni-Ge-Au films on the back of the substrate. Several of our diodes exhibit currents of the order of 1 to 10 nA at reverse biases depleting approximately 50µm of the epilayer. This very encouraging result, demonstrating the possibility for fabricating GaAs p-i-n diodes with depletion layers in high purity GaAs instead of semi-insulating GaAs, is supported by similar results obtained by several other groups. The consequences of using high purity instead of semi-insulating GaAs will be much reduced charge carrier trapping. Diode electrical characteristics and detector performance results using 55Fe and 241Am radiation will be discussed.
Method of weighted proportion of reproductive-aged women taking folic acid supplements to predict a neural tube defect rate decline.

BACKGROUND Neural tube defect (NTD) rates can be lowered by increased consumption of folic acid (FA) by women before and during early pregnancy. The crude proportion of reproductive-aged women taking FA supplements has been used to predict a decline of the NTD rate in the general population. In this study we examine the potential error in using the crude proportion to predict NTD risk reduction, and offer an alternative method. METHODS The crude proportion measures the number of women taking FA. It ignores the substantial variability by maternal age in the probability of giving birth. Age-specific fertility rates (ASFRs) reflect the probability that a woman in a specific age group will give birth in a given year. In this study, we show how to calculate a proportion weighted by ASFRs to predict a decline in the NTD rate, and to assess the effectiveness of FA consumption in preventing NTDs. RESULTS Our results show that a crude proportion of 50% of women (15–49 years old) taking FA is associated with a range of 24–77% in weighted proportions. Assuming a 40% risk reduction from taking 400 μg of FA daily, the expected NTD rate decline could vary from 9.6% to 30.6%, depending on the age distribution of women taking FA. CONCLUSIONS The ASFR-weighted proportion estimates the proportion of babies born to women taking FA, as opposed to the crude proportion of women taking FA. We recommend using the ASFR-weighted proportion to predict an NTD rate decline and measure the success of FA education campaigns. We found that when women in high-fertility age groups increased their FA consumption, the decline in the NTD rate was greater than when women in low-fertility age groups did so. Our findings suggest that the more efficient approach to NTD prevention is to focus on women with a higher probability of giving birth. For example, by focusing on <50% of women of childbearing age (20–34 years), as much as 76% of the maximum NTD rate reduction can be achieved. Birth Defects Research (Part A), 2003. Published 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Statins might reduce risk of renal cell carcinoma in humans: case-control study of 500,000 veterans.

OBJECTIVES Statins are commonly used cholesterol-lowering agents noted to suppress tumor cell growth in several in vitro and animal models. METHODS We studied the association between renal cell carcinoma and statins in veterans. A retrospective nested case-control study was conducted using prospectively collected data from the Veterans Integrated Service Networks 16 Veteran Affairs database from 1998 to 2004. We analyzed the data from 483,733 patients from eight states located in the south-central United States. The primary variables of interest were renal cell carcinoma and the use of statins before the diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma. Multiple logistic regression analysis was done to adjust for covariates, including age, sex, body mass index, and smoking. Statistical Analysis Systems software was used for statistical computing. RESULTS Of the 483,733 patients in the study, 164,441 (34%) were taking statins before the diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma and 1446 (0.3%) had a primary diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma. Statin use was significantly associated with a risk reduction of renal cell carcinoma of 48% (adjusted odds ratio 0.52, 95% confidence interval 0.45 to 0.60). Furthermore, the protective effect of statins was seen across different age and sex groups and was irrespective of the presence of obesity and smoking. CONCLUSIONS Statins appear to be protective against the development of renal cell carcinoma, after controlling for age, sex, smoking, and obesity.
Membrane transduction of oligoarginine in HeLa cells is not mediated by macropinocytosis.

The mechanism in which small cationic oligopeptides are able to reach the cytosol of cells is controversial. Macropinocytosis has been recently suggested as a major mechanism for internalization of these peptides. In this report, the involvement of macropinocytosis on cytosolic localization of oligoarginine was quantitatively investigated in HeLa cells. Using a method which allows for the separate measurement of cytosolic versus vesicular oligopeptide, the results show that neither macropinosome nor filopodia formation correlates with cytosolic delivery of oligoarginine. Additionally, unlike macropinocytosis, the cytosolic delivery of oligoarginine was not inhibited by incubation at 16 °C, or by treatment with amiloride. Oligoarginine treatment does not contribute to leakage from endocytic vesicles, indicating the lack of endosomolytic properties. Finally, the amount of oligoarginine found in the cytosol was not substantially increased after coincubation with EGF, a known stimulator of macropinocytosis. T...
Comment on a paper on parallel processing

The article by Lynn Yarbrough on Parallel Processing in the October Communications is interesting since it attracts attention to a subject which needs to be given increased consideration. His indictment of manufacturers for failing to provide what he feels is minimal to realizing the advantages of multi-programming is not applicable to STRETCH, however. It may be recalled that his specific complaint concerns the lack of protection of any program or monitor from the unpredictable actions of any other program. On page 15 of the STRETCH Data Processing System Reference Manual, we read: Address monitoring facilities are provided … The upper and lower boundaries of the storage area to be defined are placed in two address boundary registers. An alarm will be given when an address falls either inside or outside the defined area, whichever is desired. Storing in protected areas is normally suppressed.
Imaging in practice. A patient with acute flank pain.

With all of the imaging options, which is the best way to assess for renal calculi in the acute setting?
Enhancement of the critical current density in single-crystal Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 superconductors by chemically induced disorder

Abstract The effect of metal substitution on the critical current densities of single-crystal PbxBi2-xSr2CaCu2O8 (x = 0 or x = 0.7) superconductors has been investigated. Substitution of lead was found to increase the average critical current density from 1 x 10(5) A/cm2 to 2 x 10(6) A/cm2 at 5 K in an applied magnetic field of 10 kilooersteds (1 oersted = 80 A/m). The order of magnitude increase in the critical current density was observed for temperatures up to the flux vortex lattice melting point; the flux lattice melting point was also found to increase to 30 K (from 22 K) in the lead-substituted materials. Diffraction and microscopy investigations of the structural parameters indicate that the fundamental atomic lattices are virtually the same for both materials. Scanning tunneling microscopy images demonstrate, however, that lead substitution causes significant disorder (or defects) in the one-dimensional superstructure found in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8. Since crystal defects can increase the critical current density by pinning the motion of flux vortices, it is likely that this lead-induced disorder enhances vortex pinning. The lead-induced disorder is specific to the nonsuperconducting Bi-O layers, and thus our results suggest that chemical substitutions may be utilized to control selectively flux pinning and the critical current density in these materials.
The Political Economy of Marriage and HIV: The ABC Approach, “Safe” Infidelity, and Managing Moral Risk in Uganda

Research has shown that married women's greatest risk for HIV infection is their husbands' extramarital sexual activities. Using 6 months of ethnographic research in southeastern Uganda, I examined how the social and economic contexts surrounding men's extramarital sexuality and the dynamics of marriage put men and women at risk for HIV infection. I found that Uganda's HIV prevention messages may be inadvertently contributing to increased difficulty in acknowledging HIV risk and to newer forms of sexual secrecy and that structural determinants, including persistent poverty, intersect with gender inequalities to shape marital risk. After examining a community effort to regulate men's sexuality, I suggest that HIV prevention strategies should focus more on endogenous forms of risk reduction while simultaneously addressing structural factors that facilitate opportunities for men's extramarital sex.
Challenges and Opportunities of Business Education in Southeast Europe: The Case of a Balkan Business School.

In 2004, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) concluded a 4‐year, 10 million dollar contract with the University of Delaware to create the Sarajevo Graduate School of Business, the first Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business [AACSB]‐accredited business school in Southeast Europe. This case study examines inconsistencies in the school's mission and goals, the structure and operation of the joint venture between Delaware and the University of Sarajevo, the fit between Delaware's MBA program and the local environment, pricing in an emerging market, the impact of the school's business model on its sustainability, challenges of market estimation and new product introduction, and the realism of USAID's goal of cultural change. The article concludes with an up‐to‐date epilogue and summary of conclusions that pertain generally to organizational strategies in emerging markets.
Efficient planar single-mode fiber-to-chip coupler based on two-stage adiabatic evolution

A novel planar two-stage adiabatic single-mode fiber-to-chip coupler design is presented. The combination of rib and inverse tapers allows to make it 2–2.5 times shorter than state-of-the art inverse taper-based couplers with similar conversion efficiency.
Applications Of Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy To The Study Of Catalytic Reactions

Infrared spectroscopy is one of the most widely used techniques for characterizing the molecular structures of species present on a catalyst surface. By using a Fourier-transform spectrometer, high quality spectra can be obtained in times as short as a few seconds, making it possible to investigate the dynamics of adsorption, desorption, and reaction of selected structures. This paper will illustrate several applications of this technique to studies of NO adsorption/desorption and CO hydrogenation over supported rhodium and ruthenium catalysts.
Shape-resonance-induced long-range molecular Rydberg states

When an excited atomic electron interacts with a neutral perturbing atom or molecule that possesses a shape resonance, it generates a characteristic class of Born-Oppenheimer potential curves that rise with internuclear distance. We document this effect, and predict the existence of a diverse class of stable, strongly bound atom-atom and atom-molecule states that result from this phenomenon. For the specific case in which Rb is the perturbing atom, we show that such states should be observable in the spectroscopy of an ultracold gas or condensate.
Extraperitoneal endoscopic pelvic lymph node dissection (EEPLND)

Extraperitoneal endoscopic pelvic lymph node dissection was performed in 60 patients for staging of organ-confined prostatic carcinoma. This procedure has significant advantages over the node dissection performed laparoscopically and should be adopted as the operative approach for staging of prostatic carcinoma.
Calcium binding and fluorescence measurements of dansylaziridine-labelled troponin C in reconstituted thin filaments.

The direct binding of Ca2+ to reconstituted thin filaments containing troponin C and the 5-dimethylaminonaphthalene-1-sulphonylaziridine (DANZ) fluorescent analogue of troponin C (TnC DANZ ) was measured (25° C) at three Mg2+ concentrations. Biphasic Scatchard plots were found for all binding curves reflecting the binding of Ca2+ to high- and low-affinity sites of troponin. The binding of Ca2+ to the high-affinity sites had a greater sensitivity to Mg2+ (KMg=1×104m−1) than the low-affinity sites (KMg=1.2×103m−1). The fluorescence change of thin filaments reconstituted with TnC DANZ was titrated with Ca2+ in the same solutions used for binding assays. The Ca2+-dependent fluorescence change had nearly the same sensitivity to Mg2+ (KMg=9.4×102m−1) as did Ca2+ binding to the low-affinity sites. The Ca2+ concentration at the midpoint of the fluorescence change was about 0.3 log units less than at the midpoint for Ca2+ binding to the low-affinity sites. A similar relationship between the fluorescence change and Ca2+ binding to the low-affinity sites of isolated TnC DANZ was measured (4° C). From these results the binding of Ca2+ to either low-affinity site is concluded to produce the fluorescence change. In comparison with the low-affinity sites of isolated troponin and troponin-tropomyosin complex, the low-affinity sites of reconstituted thin filaments were consistently lower in Ca2+ affinity.
Molecular interaction and localization of tocotrienol-rich fraction (TRF) within the matrices of lipid nanoparticles: Evidence studies by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy (1H NMR)

Nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs), made from mixtures of solid and liquid lipids, were postulated to have superior properties over solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs). Nonetheless, the architecture of their inner cores remains elusive. The objective of this study was to elucidate the mode by which tocotrienol-rich fraction (TRF) is entrapped within NLCs and the impact of TRF interaction with solid lipids on the long-term stability of the nanoparticles. The mode of TRF localization was postulated from TEM image analysis and (1)H NMR signals' amplitude. The size, polydispersity, and fusion enthalpy were found to decrease with an increase in TRF loading, which implied a distortion in the crystallinity of the nanoparticles and the preferential entrapment of TRF within the cores of the NLCs. Nonetheless, (1)H NMR spectra of TRF-NLCs broadened as TRF load decreased from 100 to 10%, which was attributed to partial TRF mobility on the surface of the nanoparticles. This was confirmed by TEM images of NLCs at 50% TRF loads. These data led to the conclusion that NLCs have limited capacity to accommodate TRF with the excess being expelled to the surface of the nanoparticles. Such arrangement may have implication on future utility of the NLCs as drug delivery vehicles.
The Lithium Cation Binding Energies of Gaseous Amino Acids

The lithium cation binding energies of 15 of the common amino acids were determined via the kinetic method in a quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer. Values were obtained in two ways. First, a ladder of relative lithium cation binding energies was developed from pairwise comparisons of the amino acids. Second, values were determined by comparison to a pair of simple reference compounds, dimethoxyethane and diethoxyethane. The values from the two approaches are in good accord. The scale from glycine to glutamic acid spans a range from 41.6 to 52.9 kcal/mol. The present values for lithium cations have been compared to those obtained by others previously for sodium, copper, and silver cations. These comparisons suggest that the alkali metals have exalted binding energies for amino acids with side chains that include oxygen-bearing functional groups (i.e., alcohols and carboxylic acids) whereas the transition metals have enhanced binding energies for amino acids with side chains that include sulfur-bearing or aromatic functional groups. This analysis is in accord with the principles of hard-soft acid/base behavior.
A Visualization-Based Approach to Engineering Kinematics Using Cognitive Models

Visualization and spatial reasoning are integral to developing an understanding of contemporary sciences. They form the basis for understanding a wide variety of topics across science, mathematics and engineering, including molecular structures, topologies, motion and forces, and manufacturing processes. Within engineering, it can be argued that challenging and time consuming topics such as kinematics can be better taught by faculty, and hence better understood and appreciated by students, by advancing our understanding of human visualization and spatial reasoning and using this knowledge to develop computer-based visualization instruction in ways that maximize their effectiveness. The achievement of such a goal will require importing proven extant theories from other fields such as psychology, education, engineering and computer science. This paper presents the results of one such effort for teaching engineering kinematics. The motivation for this work can be found in cognitive science literature, where motion comprehension has been identified and studied as a mental task. Accordingly, a major task in doing this work involved the study of cognitive models of motion comprehension, and identifying key stages present in them. Mapping such key stages in motion comprehension on to kinematics domain, this paper presents the framework for the visual comprehension based pedagogical approach to kinematics. A web-based gear-trains tutor has been developed to demonstrate this concept. Results from the tests on a controlled population of engineering students are presented and the efficacy of a visual comprehension based approach as an instructional tool is discussed.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
Fast speaker diarization using a high-level scripting language

Most current speaker diarization systems use agglomerative clustering of Gaussian Mixture Models (GMMs) to determine “who spoke when” in an audio recording. While state-of-the-art in accuracy, this method is computationally costly, mostly due to the GMM training, and thus limits the performance of current approaches to be roughly real-time. Increased sizes of current datasets require processing of hundreds of hours of data and thus make more efficient processing methods highly desirable. With the emergence of highly parallel multicore and manycore processors, such as graphics processing units (GPUs), one can re-implement GMM training to achieve faster than real-time performance by taking advantage of parallelism in the training computation. However, developing and maintaining the complex low-level GPU code is difficult and requires a deep understanding of the hardware architecture of the parallel processor. Furthermore, such low-level implementations are not readily reusable in other applications and not portable to other platforms, limiting programmer productivity. In this paper we present a speaker diarization system captured in under 50 lines of Python that achieves 50–250× faster than real-time performance by using a specialization framework to automatically map and execute computationally intensive GMM training on an NVIDIA GPU, without significant loss in accuracy.
The Generation of Salinity Finestructure by Vertical Diffusion

Abstract The nonlinear differential equation for the vertical diffusion of salt (or heat) has initially unstable solutions under conditions of high gravitational stability. These solutions stabilize as they approach alternating layers of high and low salinity gradient. A numerically computed example of this phenomenon resembles salinity finestructure observed in the Hudson Estuary. However, similar computations may result in the generation of mathematically artificial finestructure if the diffusion coefficient is not adequately smoothed or if unrealistic initial conditions are used.
Emergency department screening for unsuspected carbon monoxide exposure

Carbon monoxide (CO) is the leading toxic cause of death in the United States today. Unsuspected exposure to this gas will sometimes result in clinically significant, but undiagnosed, toxicity. A high incidence of such unsuspected exposures would make screening for these worthwhile among high-risk populations. We conducted a two-part study to determine the value of screening for unsuspected CO exposure in a population of patients presenting to an emergency department. The first part of our study involved the prospective screening of ED patients using CO breath analysis, regardless of their chief complaint. In the second part, COHGB levels of all patients who underwent arterial blood gas analysis during the study period were reviewed retrospectively. Of 1,038 patients screened by this combined approach, only 29 (2.8%) had abnormal CO breath readings and/or COHGB levels. Of a condensed subgroup of 152 patients defined retrospectively by chief complaint, eight (5.3%) had abnormal values. We conclude that routine screening of ED patients for unsuspected CO exposure is not practical. Although yield increases when patients are screened in a more selective manner on the basis of chief complaint, such an increase still does not appear to justify the screening process.
Protein enhanced inactivation of viral DNA by UV radiation.

Viral DNA was irradiated in the presence of proteins and assayed for loss of biological activity. Several proteins were found to enhance the inactivation of transfecting ability by UV radiation. The sensitization caused by a particular protein depends upon its amino acid composition. Experiments done at low molar ratios of protein to DNA indicate that a protein-induced lesion could be a highly efficient means of inactivation.
Unscheduled DNA synthesis in cells of different shape in fibroblast cultures from donors of various ages.

Abstract Human fibroblast cultures derived from normal donors of different ages were examined for the proportion of spindle-shaped, sail-shaped, and large pleomorphic cells which constitute the cultures, and the capacities of these cells for unscheduled DNA synthesis (UDS). The large pleomorphic cells were most abundant in all cultures, followed in abundance by the sail-shaped and spindle-shaped cells. Major changes in the occurrence of the cells of different shape with increased donor age were not apparent, although the abundance of spindle-shaped cells decreased slightly with donor age. The large pleomorphic and sail-shaped cells exhibited similar UDS which was consistently greater than that of the spindle-shaped cells. No major changes in UDS were observed for either type of cell with increased donor age.
Cheddar Cheese Manufactured from Condensed Milk

Abstract The effect of condensing milk by evaporation on Cheddar cheese composition, yield, and quality was studied. Milk fat globules increased in number and decreased in size in whole condensed milk indicating a partial homogenization effect. Small fat globules (
Differential expression of TLR-2 and TLR-4 in the epithelial cells in oral lichen planus.

Abstract Objective Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic inflammatory condition of the mucosa mediated by a complex signalling network between the keratinocytes and the sub-epithelial lymphocytes. Since OLP occurs in constantly renewing epithelium continuously exposed to commensals, we hypothesised that the epithelial cell microflora interactions may mediate the persistent inflammation. By virtue of their ability to respond to most oral commensal microorganisms, the toll like receptor-2 (TLR-2) and TLR-4 are the most widely investigated receptors in oral diseases. The overall objective of this study was to investigate the role of TLR-2 and TLR-4 in OLP. Design Systemically healthy OLP and control subjects were recruited after obtaining the institutional review board approval. Expression of TLR-2 and TLR-4 proteins and transcripts in the tissue epithelium and in the epithelial cells isolated from saliva were determined by immunohistochemistry and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction respectively. Results The tissue epithelium and the salivary epithelial cells expressed reduced TLR-2 and increased TLR-4 proteins and transcripts in OLP. The salivary epithelial cells from OLP subjects secreted elevated IL-12. However, upon stimulation with bacterial lipopolysaccharide the epithelial cells from OLP exhibited a mixed Th1 (IL-12) and Th2 (IL-4) response. Presence of dexamethasone significantly reduced inflammatory cytokines in the in vitro stimulated cultures of salivary epithelial cells from OLP subjects. Conclusion Collectively, our data support a critical role for the host–microbial interactions in the OLP pathogenesis. The potential use of exfoliated oral epithelial cells in saliva for functional analysis exponentially increases its value as biological specimen for clinical research.
Experimental Determination of the Toughness of Crack Stop Structures

In this paper we present an experimental approach to the determining the toughness of crackstop structures. It is shown that methods used for adhesion testing can be adapted to quantitatively determine the effective toughness of different crackstop designs. A design based on metal pad shapes connected together with vias is shown to be capable of producing toughnesses that are 3.75 times the intrinsic toughness of the dielectric. In an optimized design we obtain a further 60% improvement in the crackstop toughness. The experiments presented provide an accurate way of determining the effectiveness of crackstop designs in arresting dicing flaws driven by the stresses present in different packages.
Control for high instantaneous torque from induction machines: Methods and limits

This paper evaluates maximum instantaneous torque capabilities of induction machines, and analyzes field-oriented control and related control strategies that can deliver high momentary forces. The analyses show that by using the entire voltage headroom, in principle up to 300% of the breakdown torque can be obtained at stall without saturating the magnetic circuit. An augmented vectorized volts-per-hertz control strategy is proposed and two different synthesis approaches are presented. The augmentation schemes can generate high instantaneous torques comparable to vector controllers.
Higher-Level Conformal Blocks Divisors on

We study a family of semi-ample divisors on the moduli space of n-pointed genus 0 curves given by higher-level conformal blocks. We derive formulae for their intersections with a basis of 1-cycles, show that they form a basis for the Sn-invariant Picard group, and generate a full-dimensional subcone of the Sn-invariant nef cone. We find their position in the nef cone and study their associated morphisms.
Activation of adenylyl cyclase in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii by adhesion and by heat

Adhesion between Chlamydomonas reinhardtii gametes generates a rapid rise in cAMP levels which stimulates mating responses and zygotic cell fusion (Pasquale and Goodenough, 1987). We show here that sexual adhesion in vivo results in a twofold stimulation of flagellar adenylyl cyclase activity when the enzyme is subsequently assayed in vitro, a stimulation that is specifically blocked by Cd2+. A twofold stimulation is also elicited by the in vitro presentation of soluble cross-linking reagents (antisera and concanavalin A). In contrast, the 10-30-fold stimulation of the flagellar cyclase by in vitro exposure to 40 degrees C, first described by Zhang et al. (1991), is insensitive to Cd2+ but sensitive to such drugs as trifluoperizine and dibucaine. The capacity for twofold stimulation is displayed by the vegetative and gametic enzymes but is lost when gametes fuse to form zygotes; in contrast, the 10-fold stimulation is displayed by the gametic and zygotic enzymes but not the vegetative enzyme. The signal-defective mutant imp-3 fails to generate the normal mating-triggered cAMP production and can be rescued by exogenous dibutyryl cAMP. It displays normal basal rates of flagellar cyclase activity and a normal twofold stimulation by sexual adhesion and by soluble cross-linkers, but it is defective in 40 degrees C activation. The gametic cell-body adenylyl cyclase is stimulated when wild-type flagella, but not imp-3 flagella, undergo adhesive interactions in vivo, and it can be directly stimulated in vitro by cAMP presentation. We propose that the two levels of flagellar cyclase stimulation reflect either sequential steps in the activation of a single cyclase enzyme, with imp-3 blocked in the second step, or else the sequential activation of two different flagellar enzymes, with imp-3 defective in the second enzyme. We further propose that the cell-body enzyme is activated by the cAMP that is generated when flagellar cyclase activity is fully stimulated.
Behaviors that cause clinical instructors to question the clinical competence of physical therapist students.

Background and Purpose . Clinical instructors (CIs) observe behavior to determine whether students have the skills assumed necessary for safe and effective delivery of physical therapy services. Studies have examined assumptions about necessary skills, but few studies have identified the types of student behaviors that are “red flags” for CIs. This study examined the student behaviors that negatively affect students' clinical performance, which can alert CIs to inadequate performance. Subjects. Twenty-eight female and 5 male CIs discussed the performance of 23 female and 17 male students who were anonymous. Methods . Using questionnaires and semistructured interviews that were taped and transcribed, CIs described demographics and incidents of unsafe and ineffective physical therapy. After reading the transcripts, investigators identified and classified the behaviors into categories and checked their classification for reliability (κ=.60–.75). Results . Behaviors in 3 categories emerged as red flags for CIs: 1 cognitive category—inadequate knowledge and psychomotor skill (43% of 134 behaviors)—and 2 noncognitive categories—unprofessional behavior (29.1%) and poor communication (27.6%). The CIs noticed and valued noncognitive behaviors but addressed cognitive behaviors more often with students. Students who did not receive feedback about their performance were unlikely to change their behavior. The CIs used cognitive behaviors often as reasons to recommend negative outcomes. Conclusion and Discussion . Clinical instructors need to identify unacceptable cognitive and noncognitive behaviors as early as possible in clinical experiences. Evidence suggests that they should discuss their concerns with students and expect students to change.