cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of operating conditions on the size, morphology, and concentration of submicrometer particulates emitted from a diesel engine

Abstract Particulate emissions at the exhaust of a diesel engine were systematically investigated at different engine loads and speeds by rapid thermophoretic sampling followed by direct transmission electron microscope (TEM) visualization. Spherule and aggregate size distributions, aggregate fractal dimensions and prefactors, and particle volume fractions were comprehensively characterized using this novel technique, which provided new, accurate, and relevant data on diesel particulates compared to the abundant past studies involving questionable mobility sizing measurements. In contrast to the narrow (Gaussian) distributions of spherule sizes, there were broad variations in aggregate sizes that were approximated by a lognormal probability function with a geometric standard deviation of about 1.8. Mean spherule diameters were in the range 20–35 nm, and mean aggregate gyration diameters of 0.16–0.35 μm were always smaller than the PM2.5 standard. Average sizes of both spherules and aggregates mostly increased with the relative engine load or overall equivalence ratio, which disagreed with the trends and correlations suggested by a recent study. Independent of engine operating condition, aggregate fractal dimension was 1.77 ± 0.14 , a nearly universal property that contradicted with the broad range of past values reported for diesel engines based on mobility-based experiments. The aggregate fractal prefactor, which was also necessary to fully characterize the morphology of diesel soot, was found to be 1.9 ± 0.5 . In addition to this new contribution, sampling/TEM experiments were also implemented for the first time in a diesel engine to estimate particle volume fractions, which were crucial for the determination of available specific surface areas. The present method was more accurate than the laser attenuation method for the relatively low particle volume fractions of 0.001–0.1 ppm emitted by the diesel engine considered here.
MAGNETIC AND GRAVITATIONAL ENERGY RELEASE BY RESISTIVE INSTABILITIES.

The resistive magnetohydrodynamic "tearing" and "gravitational-interchange" instabilities are investigated in the linear incompressible limit in the absence of heating. A periodic model is used for the initial magnetic field. The requirement that the spatial Fourier series of the perturbation must converge uniquely determines the growth rate of the instability. At the most unstable wavelength the tearing mode has a growth rate $\ensuremath{\omega}{\ensuremath{\tau}}_{r}=3.4{S}^{0.57}$, where $S$ is the magnetic Reynolds number at the Alfv\'en velocity and ${\ensuremath{\tau}}_{r}$ is the resistive diffusion time. The interchange mode exhibits behavior, at small wavelengths and large gravitational fields, similar to that of the magnetohydrodynamic Rayleigh-Taylor instability. The resistive mode grows for gravitational fields smaller than the equivalent Suydam threshold for infinite-conductivity instability in a sheared magnetic field. Application of these results to the solar-flare problem is briefly discussed, in the context of the temporal behavior exhibited.
The first Japanese garden in the Western world: the garden in the Louisiana Purehase Exposition

Abstract The Meiji Government and world's fairs Until American warships forced Japan to open her ports to foreign trade in 1854, Japan had been closed to all foreigners. After two centuries without war during the peaceful Tokugawa period, the Japanese did not have advanced military systems and weapons when they first encountered Western countries. Like other subjugated Asian nations, Japan was forced to sign une qual treaties that granted Western powers one-sided economic and legal advantages. Seeing the result of the opium wars and the consequences of unequal treaties, the Japanese realized that the only way for a small island like Japan to regain its independence from Western powers was to pursue modernization.
Comment on: "Technical note: Consistent calculation of aquatic gross production from oxygen triple isotope measurements" by Kaiser (2011)

Abstract. Kaiser (2011) has introduced an improved method for calculating gross productivity from the triple isotopic composition of dissolved oxygen in aquatic systems. His equation avoids approximations of previous methodologies, and also accounts for additional physical processes such as kinetic fractionation during invasion and evasion at the air-sea interface. However, when comparing his new approach to previous methods, Kaiser inconsistently defines the biological end-member with the result of overestimating the degree to which the various approaches of previous studies diverge. In particular, for his base case, Kaiser assigns a 17O excess to the product of photosynthesis (17δP) that is too low, resulting in his result being ~30 % too high when compared to previous equations. When this is corrected, I find that Kaiser's equations are consistent with all previous study methodologies within about ±20 % for realistic conditions of metabolic balance (f) and gross productivity (g). A methodological bias of ±20 % is of similar magnitude to current uncertainty in the wind-speed dependence of the air-sea gas transfer velocity, k, which directly impacts calculated gross productivity rates as well. While previous results could and should be revisited and corrected using the proposed improved equations, the magnitude of such corrections may be much less than implied by Kaiser.
Characterization of Diffusion Barrier Interlayers Between Copper and Plasma Sprayed Beryluum

Plasma spraying is being investigated as a method to fabricate first wall Be armor for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor. Diffusion barriers of Ti, V, and W were deposited between the Be and the Cu substrate, also by plasma spray, to prevent formation of brittle Be-Cu intermetallics. Interface fracture toughness tests revealed loading mode-dependent crack behaviors and interface fracture toughnesses.
Enthalpies of formation of azomethane, azoethane, and methyl-azoethane

Abstract The standard molar enthalpies of formation at 298.15 K of trans -azomethane(g), trans -methyl-azoethane(g), and trans -azoethane(g) are estimated to be +(32.14 ± 0.90), +(27.21 ± 0.90), and +(22.29 ± 0.90) kcal th mol −1 from experimental values for azo- n -propane and azo- i -propane.
Salmonella, the host and its microbiota

The intestine is host to a diverse bacterial community whose structure, at the phylum level, is maintained through unknown mechanisms. Acute inflammation triggered by enteric pathogens, such as Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium), is accompanied by changes in the bacterial community structure marked by an outgrowth of the pathogen. Recent studies show that S. Typhimurium can harness benefit from the host response to edge out the beneficial bacterial species that dominate in the healthy gut. The elucidation of how S. Typhimurium alters the bacterial community structure during gastroenteritis is beginning to provide insights into mechanisms that dictate the balance between the host and its microbiota.
Use of surrogate markers.

(2004). Use of surrogate markers. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Other Motor Neuron Disorders: Vol. 5, No. sup1, pp. 103-103.
Is specific gravity a good estimate of urine osmolality

Context: Urine specific gravity (USG) is often used by clinicians to estimate urine osmolality. USG is measured either by refractometry or by reagent strip. Objective: We studied the correlation of USG obtained by either method with a concurrently obtained osmolality. Design: Using our laboratory's records, we retrospectively gathered data on 504 urine specimens on patients on whom a simultaneously drawn USG and an osmolality were available. Out of these, 253 USG's were measured by automated refractometry and 251 USG's were measured by reagent strip. Urinalysis data on these subjects were used to determine the correlation between USG and osmolality, adjusting for other variables that may impact the relationship. The other variables considered were pH, protein, glucose, ketones, nitrates, bilirubin, urobilinogen, hemoglobin, and leukocyte esterase. The relationships were analyzed by linear regression. Results: This study demonstrated that USG obtained by both reagent strip and refractometry had a correlation of approximately 0.75 with urine osmolality. The variables affecting the correlation included pH, ketones, bilirubin, urobilinogen, glucose, and protein for the reagent strip and ketones, bilirubin, and hemoglobin for the refractometry method. At a pH of 7 and with an USG of 1.010 predicted osmolality is approximately 300 mosm/kg/H2O for either method. For an increase in SG of 0.010, predicted osmolality increases by 182 mosm/kg/H2O for the reagent strip and 203 mosm/kg/H2O for refractometry. Pathological urines had significantly poorer correlation between USG and osmolality than “clean” urines. Conclusion: In pathological urines, direct measurement of urine osmolality should be used. J. Clin. Lab. Anal. 24:426–430, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
A Method for Measuring Planar Residual Stresses in Rectangularly Orthotropic Materials

A semidestructive method has been developed for determining the principal residual stresses and directions in rectangularly orthotropic materials. The reduction equations are based upon a set of functions that describe the surface strain-relaxation field about a hole drilled to a limited depth into the material. Three constants contained in the strain functions have to be determined by calibration tests; they are related to three general constants and the elastic material constants to establish applicability to an orthotropic material. Expressions for the planar residual-stress components in the material-symmetry directions are then devel oped, and from Mohr's stress circle, the principal residual stresses and directions are determined.
Fabrication and Implantation of Miniature Dual-element Strain Gages for Measuring In Vivo Gastrointestinal Contractions in Rodents.

Gastrointestinal dysfunction remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Indeed, gastrointestinal (GI) motility in health and disease remains an area of productive research with over 1,400 published animal studies in just the last 5 years. Numerous techniques have been developed for quantifying smooth muscle activity of the stomach, small intestine, and colon. In vitro and ex vivo techniques offer powerful tools for mechanistic studies of GI function, but outside the context of the integrated systems inherent to an intact organism. Typically, measuring in vivo smooth muscle contractions of the stomach has involved an anesthetized preparation coupled with the introduction of a surgically placed pressure sensor, a static pressure load such as a mildly inflated balloon or by distending the stomach with fluid under barostatically-controlled feedback. Yet many of these approaches present unique disadvantages regarding both the interpretation of results as well as applicability for in vivo use in conscious experimental animal models. The use of dual element strain gages that have been affixed to the serosal surface of the GI tract has offered numerous experimental advantages, which may continue to outweigh the disadvantages. Since these gages are not commercially available, this video presentation provides a detailed, step-by-step guide to the fabrication of the current design of these gages. The strain gage described in this protocol is a design for recording gastric motility in rats. This design has been modified for recording smooth muscle activity along the entire GI tract and requires only subtle variation in the overall fabrication. Representative data from the entire GI tract are included as well as discussion of analysis methods, data interpretation and presentation.
THORACIC AORTIC DISSECTION WITH RENAL ARTERY INVOLVEMENT FOLLOWING BLUNT THORACIC TRAUMA

Blunt thoracic aortic injury most often occrs beyond the left subclavian artery with subsequent transection and exsanguination. We present a case of an unrestrained driver involved in a high-speed motor vehicle crash who had a traumatic mid-thoracic aortic dissection involving the orifices of both r
pH-Dependent Raman spectra and thermal melting profiles for polycytidylic acid

The Raman spectrum of polycytidylic acid was investigated in the pH range of 6.6–4.1. The thermal melting temperatures and the nature of the thermal melting profiles change in this range as monitored by the three Raman band envelopes, which include the 780-, 805-cm−1 bands, the 1190-, 1285-cm−1 bands, and the 1527-cm−1 band. By coupling these data with the theory of Raman scattering intensity and quantitative pH profiles for cytidine, it is shown that the band envelopes studied exhibit specific, yet different information regarding the thermal melting process. The band envelopes at 1170–1310 and 1527 cm−1, which are a sensitive function of both the extent of protonation and base stacking (hypochromic), reveal Tm values which agree with values derived from uv melting profiles. The 760–830-cm−1 envelope, which is not directly sensitive to cytosine residue protonation, but includes information associated with base stacking (the 780-cm−1 band) and the nature of the phosphodiester backbone (the frequency-dependent 805-cm−1 component), exhibits Tm values which deviate from the values obtained from the other bands. The observed differences are pH-dependent and correlate well with the extent of deprotonation that takes place in the denaturation process. Details of the spectrum of neutral and protonated poly(C) from pH 7 to 4.1 are discussed and related to the nature of the thermal denaturation process.
An optimum self-synchronized communication system

One set of optimum signal waveforms for unidirectional transmission with minimum error probability, when the interference is additive gaussian noise, consists of sequencies of binary waveforms resembling a modified Reed Code. The binary waveforms considered here are phase-shifted sinusoids. The theoretical design of the receiver is given such that the reference signal required for correlation detection is directly generated from the message signal itself. Thus multipath and doppler are automatically compensated for.
Multiscale analysis of well and seismic data

Acoustic/elastic surface seismic and borehole oriented remote sensing methods generally derive their existence from the presence of singularities, regions of rapid variation, in the medium properties that carry the waves. Coherent reflections emanate at these singularities and the primary aim of this paper is: (1) to find a characterization for the singularity structure by means of scaling exponents and singularity spectra; (2) to better understand how the singularity structure is being mapped from space (the medium) to space-time (the wavefield); and (3) to initiate a theoretical discussion on the implications of the multiscale analysis findings in relation to wave theory. Applying multiscale analyses to well- and seismic reflection data shows two things. Firstly, the earth's subsurface behavior is much more intricate as assumed within the current piece- wise smooth medium representations. And, secondly, it reveals a direct relationship between the singularity structure of the medium, the well-log, and that of the wavefield, the reflection data. The medium's singularity structure shows that the singularities are not limited to jump discontinuities and that they lie dense. These important observations allude to the questions: (1) how to improve the understanding of the medium's scale dependence in relation to the amplitudes of waves, and (2) how to explain for the mapping of the singularity structure within the current wave theory.
Sums of Connectivity Functions on Rn

A function f : R n → R is a connectivity function if the graph of its restriction f|C to any connected C ⊂ R n is connected in R n x R. The main goal of this paper is to prove that every function f : R n → R is a sum of n + 1 connectivity functions (Corollary 2.2). We will also show that if n > 1, then every function g: R n → R which is a sum of n connectivity functions is continuous on some perfect set (see Theorem 2.5) which implies that the number n + 1 in our theorem is best possible (Corollary 2.6). To prove the above results, we establish and then apply the following theorems which are of interest on their own. For every dense G δ -subset G of R n there are homeomorphisms h 1 ...,h n of R n such that R n =G∪h 1 (G)∪...∪h n (G) (Proposition 2.4). For every n >1 and any connectivity function f : R n → R, if x ∈ R n and e >0 then there exists an open set U⊂R n such that x ∈ U⊂B n (x,e), f|bd(U) is continuous, and |(x)-f(y)|
Changing careers: the effects of social context

This paper investigates the social context in which career decisions are made. Results show that beyond individual-level factors such as demographics and work history, individuals' decisions to change careers are socially embedded. Findings suggest that the greater the diversity of an individual's network of advisors, the greater the likelihood that an individual will change careers. In addition, this paper explores the mechanisms through which different subsets of advice relationships — instrumental versus psychosocial — affect the decision to change careers. Results show that the greater the diversity of an individual's set of instrumental relations, the greater the number of offers he or she receives during the job search process and, further, that the number of offers received is positively related to the likelihood of changing careers. The diversity of an individual's set of psychosocial relations was related to his or her confidence to overcome career obstacles. However, confidence was not, in turn, related to career change, counter to expectations. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The design of low-noise amplifiers

The essential theory and practical considerations for the design of low-noise amplifiers are gathered and organized to a uniform presentation. The relevant material is quite simple and straightforward, hopefully bringing within the reach of the interested circuit designer the "art" of low-noise-amplifier design.
The change probability effect for high and low spatial frequency items accompanied by a shift in the allocation of attention during encoding

The Change Probability Effect • Probable changes are detected more accurately than improbable changes (Beck, Angelone, & Levin, 2004). • The Change Probability Effect occurs for everyday objects (Beck et al, 2008) and for novel objects after incidental learning of the probability information (Beck et al, 2004). • Biases at the retrieval and comparison stage (Beck et al, 2007) and at the decision stage (Yang, Chang, & Wu, 2013) have been implicated in the Change Probability Effect. • Current Research Question: Can participants learn to bias the allocation of visual attention during encoding toward probable changes?
Regional and global hydrology and water resources issues: The role of international and national programs

This paper presents an overview of water resources issues in the context of world population growth, climate change, and variability, and provides examples of how these issues affect local and regional water policy concerns. Also discussed is the associated research of the international scientific community in regard to physically-based modeling of the hydrological cycle, with special focus on the Global Energy and Water cycle EXperiment (GEWEX) Programme. The critical role of precipitation measurements for climate model accuracy is emphasized, with a review of several satellite methods and strategies for improving precipitation measurements. Finally, the impact of semiarid regions on global hydrologic issues is underscored with a review of research conducted by SAHRA, the National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center dedicated to Sustainability of semi-Arid Hydrology and Riparian Areas.
Measurement of the Thermoelectric Power of a Fully Ionized, Low-Temperature Plasma

The plasma generated in the Q-1 device by allowing a collimated beam of K to impinge upon a hot W plate is confined radially by a strong magnetic field and axially by hot plates. One plate was grounded while the other was allowed to float. The voltage generated in the thermocouple joints formed by the plasma, W plates, and voltmeter connectors as the temperature of the floating plate was varied permitted determination of the thermoelectric force as 3.8 x 10/sup -3/ volt/degree, in reasonable agreement with theory. (D.C.W.)
Pharmacologic Inhibition of the Anaphase-Promoting Complex Induces A Spindle Checkpoint-Dependent Mitotic Arrest in the Absence of Spindle Damage

Microtubule inhibitors are important cancer drugs that induce mitotic arrest by activating the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC), which, in turn, inhibits the ubiquitin ligase activity of the anaphase-promoting complex (APC). Here, we report a small molecule, tosyl-L-arginine methyl ester (TAME), which binds to the APC and prevents its activation by Cdc20 and Cdh1. A prodrug of TAME arrests cells in metaphase without perturbing the spindle, but nonetheless the arrest is dependent on the SAC. Metaphase arrest induced by a proteasome inhibitor is also SAC dependent, suggesting that APC-dependent proteolysis is required to inactivate the SAC. We propose that mutual antagonism between the APC and the SAC yields a positive feedback loop that amplifies the ability of TAME to induce mitotic arrest.
Yeast two-hybrid contributions to interactome mapping

Interactome mapping, the systematic identification of protein interactions within an organism, promises to facilitate systems-level studies of biological processes. Using in vitro technologies that measure specific protein interactions, static maps are being generated that include many of the protein networks that occur in vivo. Most of the binary protein interaction data currently available was generated by large-scale yeast two-hybrid screens. Recent efforts to map interactions in model organisms and in humans illustrate the promise and some of the limitations of the two-hybrid approach. Although these maps are incomplete and include false positives, they are proving useful as a framework around which to elaborate and model the in vivo interactome.
Joint optimization of number of wells, well locations and controls using a gradient-based algorithm

Abstract This paper presents a detailed algorithm for solving the general well-placement optimization problem in which the number of wells, their locations and rates are simultaneously optimized with an efficient gradient-based algorithm. The proposed well-placement optimization algorithm begins by placing a large number of wells in the reservoir, where, the well rates are the optimization variables. During iterations of the algorithm, most of the wells are eliminated by setting their rates to zero. The remaining wells and their controls determine the optimal number of wells, their optimum locations and rates. The well-placement algorithm consists of two optimization stages. In the initialization stage, the appropriate total reservoir production rate (or the total injection rate) for the set of to-be-optimized producers (or injectors) is estimated by maximizing the net-present-value for the specified operational life of the reservoir. In the second stage, a modified net-present-value functional which also considers the drilling cost of the wells is maximized subject to the a total rate constraint determined in the initialization stage. Both stages of the algorithm use gradient projection to enforce the linear and bound constraints, where the required gradients are computed with the adjoint method. The bottomhole pressure constraints on the wells are enforced using a practical approach. The applicability and robustness of our well-placement algorithm is discussed through several example problems.
Impact of student- versus instructor-directed case discussions on student performance in a pharmacotherapy capstone course.

Objective. To evaluate the impact of incorporating student-directed (SD) vs instructor-directed (ID) active learning on student performance in a pharmacotherapy capstone course. Design. This 9-credit course was redesigned from exclusively ID case discussions to a format in which half were SD and half were ID. Student performance on evaluation questions derived from SD sessions was compared with that from ID sessions. Assessment. Overall, students (n=299) performed better on ID-session questions than on SD-session questions (78.7% vs 75.3%, correctly answered, respectively; p<0.001). For written evaluations, students performed better on ID-session questions than on SD-session questions (79.8% vs 73.9%, respectively; p<0.001). For verbal evaluations, students performed better on SD-session questions than on ID-session questions (79.5% vs 74.5%, respectively; p<0.001). After the course revision, student confidence regarding their ability to think critically, solve problems, make decisions, and pursue lifelong learning was high, and student and faculty feedback was positive. Conclusion. Student performance in a pharmacotherapy capstone course remained acceptable when a combination of SD and ID active learning was used, but the addition of SD learning did not translate to better performance on course evaluations.
A novel “patient-like” model of cholangiocarcinoma progression based on bile duct inoculation of tumorigenic rat cholangiocyte cell lines

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma typically presents in an advanced stage in which treatment options are limited. In an effort to recapitulate key biological and clinical features of the progressive disease, we established a novel rat model based on bile duct inoculation of rat cholangiocyte cell lines in different stages of tumor progression. Our BDEneu cell line, which is highly tumorigenic, originated from an immortalized rat cholangiocyte cell line (BDE1 cells) that was stably transfected to constitutively overexpress mutationally activated rat neu oncogene. Our less aggressive tumorigenic BDEsp cholangiocyte cell line was derived from the spontaneous in vitro neoplastic transformation of the same parent BDE1 cell line. Unlike BDEneu cells, BDEsp cells expressed wild-type c-neu and exhibited in vitro growth rates intermediate between those of BDEneu and BDE1 cholangiocytes. Cyclooxygenase-2 and activated Akt were significantly overexpressed in BDEsp cells over those of BDE1 cells, and at higher levels than those expressed in BDEneu cells. Only BDEneu cells overexpressed activated p185neu, which was associated with a significant increase in phospho-p44/42 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). Mucin 1 (MUC1) messenger RNA (mRNA), an indicator of cholangiocarcinoma cell progression, was also significantly overexpressed in BDEneu cells over that of BDEsp cells. BDEneu cells inoculated into the bile duct of isogenic rats resulted over a 21- to 26-day period in rapid exponential cholangiocarcinoma tumor growth within liver, paralleled by increases in bile duct obstruction and gross peritoneal metastases. Under comparable conditions, BDEsp cells yielded only small nonmetastatic intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas without bile duct obstruction. Conclusions: A novel model of cholangiocarcinoma progression mimicking progressive development of the advanced human disease has been established, which may serve as a powerful preclinical platform to study cholangiocarcinoma progression and for rapidly testing treatment approaches. (HEPATOLOGY 2008.)
Complexity and dynamic self-assembly

Abstract Physico-chemical complex systems are composed of many non-linearly interacting components, operate away from thermodynamic equilibrium, are adaptive to their environment, and often organize into patterns. Understanding the principles that govern such systems might lead to better understanding of life and to new types of technological applications. This contribution describes a bottom-up approach to studying complex systems, in which they are “synthesized” from smaller subunits and properly tailored interactions; the “synthesis” is guided by a set of heuristic design rules. This approach was used to develop a class of dissipative complex systems based on magnetic and hydrodynamic interactions. Some of the designed ensembles were the basis of successful microfluidic and mechanical devices.
Research in Geological Environmental Evaluation System of Transmission Line

With the rapid development of electric power construction , transmission lines and the surrounding geological environment influence each other that has become increasingly serious, however, there is not formed yet a set of complete and more scientific geological environmental evaluation system in transmission lines at present. In this paper, on the basis of using the experience of other industries of geological environmental evaluation research , study and put forward the geological environmental evaluation method specifically for transmission lines. Evaluation system is established for transmission lines in planning period and construction period , and also put forward the corresponding evaluation index. The research conclusion can provides theoretical support and maintenance for transmission lines of the whole life cycle design,and it also provides reference in designing transmission lines plan and preventing, and controlling geological environmental problems of transmission lines for the decision-making department.
Trauma centers and trauma surgeons: have we become too specialized?

S WANTED DEADLINE MARCH 1, 2000 Abstracts must be submitted on the abstract forms. The body of the abstract, including tables or graphs, must fit, with proper line spacing, within the confines of the box.s must be submitted on the abstract forms. The body of the abstract, including tables or graphs, must fit, with proper line spacing, within the confines of the box. Abstracts must include the title, the author’s name, and a complete mailing address. If the author is not a Fellow, the sponsor’s name and address must also be included. Abstract forms should be submitted as soon as possible before the deadline.s must include the title, the author’s name, and a complete mailing address. If the author is not a Fellow, the sponsor’s name and address must also be included. Abstract forms should be submitted as soon as possible before the deadline.
Updating and Upgrading the World's Database on the Opening Shock Factor C k

The opening shock factor Ck is a dimensionless formulation of a parachute’s maximum drag generated during inflation. It is expressed non-dimensionally via a comparison with the steady drag generated by the same parachute moving at a speed identical to that sustained at suspension line stretch while fully opened. Here we present an update of the World’s database on Ck by including for the first time data collected on parafoils and solid textile parachutes (i.e., low-porosity hemispherical parachutes). We also discuss, with the help of the Momentum-Impulse Theorem, the source of the significant data-scatter that typically grace any Ck data sets plotted versus the mass ratio. The paper also describes NIH’s ImageJ program, which allows the digitizing of old paper-based graphical data onto modern spreadsheet programs such as Excel.
Statin Trials and Goals of Cholesterol-Lowering Therapy

Hydroxymethylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors (statins) are a breakthrough in the treatment of high serum cholesterol. Several recent clinical trials1 2 3 demonstrate that statins can substantially reduce both morbidity and mortality from CHD. They are becoming a mainstay in management of patients with established CHD (secondary prevention), and they hold promise for high-risk patients without evident CHD (primary prevention). The introduction of statins occurred about the same time as the initiation of the NCEP; this program is a national effort to increase public and professional awareness of the dangers of high serum cholesterol and to emphasize the benefits of reducing serum cholesterol concentrations. Besides the NCEP’s public health effort4 to lower serum cholesterol levels in the general public through modification of life habits, the NCEP has established guidelines for cholesterol management in both secondary prevention and high-risk primary prevention.5 6 These guidelines identify LDL cholesterol as the primary target of therapy, and they specify goals for LDL cholesterol–lowering therapy. For example, the NCEP recommended that high-risk patients who have elevated LDL cholesterol levels but not clinical CHD or other atherosclerotic disease should have their LDL cholesterol concentration reduced to <130 mg/dL.5 6 For patients with CHD or other atherosclerotic diseases, the goal of NCEP is an LDL cholesterol of ≤100 mg/dL.5 6 These therapeutic goals derive from judgments based on epidemiological data and clinical trial results available at the time of reporting. Recent statin trials1 2 3 provide a wealth of data documenting the benefit of cholesterol-lowering therapy in both primary and secondary prevention. A major fact has been established: cholesterol lowering with statins is both safe and effective in high-risk patients. Recent statin trials amply underpin the NCEP’s promotion of efforts for decreasing coronary morbidity or mortality. Of some importance, however, is …
Gender- and Age-Specific Cytotoxic Susceptibility to Benzene Metabolites in Vitro

Abstract Benzene, a widely used compound, is a known carcinogen and hematopoietic toxicant. Several studies have shown gender and age differences in the responses to benzene-induced hematotoxicity. It is not known if these differences in response are due to age- or gender-associated metabolic differences or to age- or gender-associated differences in the susceptibilities of the target cells. In order to address this issue, mouse colony-forming units-erythroid (CFU-e, an erythroid precursor cell particularly susceptible to benzene toxicity) were cultured in the presence of either individual benzene metabolites or binary mixtures of these metabolites. CFU-e were obtained from unexposed age-matched adult male and female (both virgin and pregnant) Swiss Webster (SW) mice and from SW male and female 16-day fetuses. The metabolites used were phenol, hydroquinone, catechol, benzoquinone, andtrans,trans-muconic acid. The concentrations of the individual metabolites used were 10, 20, and 40 μM. Binary mixtures of metabolites were prepared using the lowest concentrations of the individual metabolites that caused cytotoxicity. These concentrations were 10 μM for hydroquinone, catechol, and benzoquinone, and 40 μM for phenol and muconic acid. In general, the CFU-e from adult females (both virgin and pregnant) were more resistant to the toxic effects of the individual metabolites than CFU-e from other subjects. CFU-e from adult males were more susceptible to the cytotoxic effects of hydroquinone and benzoquinone than CFU-e from other subjects and CFU-e from both male and female fetuses were highly sensitive to the toxic effects of catechol. On the other hand, CFU-e from adult males were less susceptible to the cytotoxic effects of catechol than CFU-e from other subjects. Similar results were observed with binary mixtures of metabolites. CFU-e from adult males were more susceptible to the binary mixtures than CFU-e from virgin females and CFU-e from fetal males were more susceptible than CFU-e from fetal females. In addition, CFU-e from fetuses were more resistant than CFU-e from adults to the cytotoxic effects of those binary mixtures that did not contain catechol. In contrast, binary mixtures containing catechol were more toxic to fetal cells than to adult cells. These results suggest that differences in benzene hematotoxicity associated with gender and age may be due, at least in part, to intrinsic factors at the level of the target cell rather than solely to age- or gender-related differences in the metabolism of benzene.
Institutional, individual, and socio-cultural domains of partnerships: a typology of USDA Forest Service recreation partners.

Federal land management agencies, such as the USDA Forest Service, have expanded the role of recreation partners reflecting constrained growth in appropriations and broader societal trends towards civic environmental governance. Partnerships with individual volunteers, service groups, commercial outfitters, and other government agencies provide the USDA Forest Service with the resources necessary to complete projects and meet goals under fiscal constraints. Existing partnership typologies typically focus on collaborative or strategic alliances and highlight organizational dimensions (e.g., structure and process) defined by researchers. This paper presents a partner typology constructed from USDA Forest Service partnership practitioners’ conceptualizations of 35 common partner types. Multidimensional scaling of data from unconstrained pile sorts identified 3 distinct cultural dimensions of recreation partners—specifically, partnership character, partner impact, and partner motivations—that represent institutional, individual, and socio-cultural cognitive domains. A hierarchical agglomerative cluster analysis provides further insight into the various domains of agency personnel’s conceptualizations. While three dimensions with high reliability (RSQ = 0.83) and corresponding hierarchical clusters illustrate commonality between agency personnel’s partnership suppositions, this study also reveals variance in personnel’s familiarity and affinity for specific partnership types. This real-world perspective on partner types highlights that agency practitioners not only make strategic choices when selecting and cultivating partnerships to accomplish critical task, but also elect to work with partners for the primary purpose of providing public service and fostering land stewardship.
Big Data Analytics in Immunology: A Knowledge-Based Approach

With the vast amount of immunological data available, immunology research is entering the big data era. These data vary in granularity, quality, and complexity and are stored in various formats, including publications, technical reports, and databases. The challenge is to make the transition from data to actionable knowledge and wisdom and bridge the knowledge gap and application gap. We report a knowledge-based approach based on a framework called KB-builder that facilitates data mining by enabling fast development and deployment of web-accessible immunological data knowledge warehouses. Immunological knowledge discovery relies heavily on both the availability of accurate, up-to-date, and well-organized data and the proper analytics tools. We propose the use of knowledge-based approaches by developing knowledgebases combining well-annotated data with specialized analytical tools and integrating them into analytical workflow. A set of well-defined workflow types with rich summarization and visualization capacity facilitates the transformation from data to critical information and knowledge. By using KB-builder, we enabled streamlining of normally time-consuming processes of database development. The knowledgebases built using KB-builder will speed up rational vaccine design by providing accurate and well-annotated data coupled with tailored computational analysis tools and workflow.
An 80-dB DR, 7.2-MHz Bandwidth Single Opamp Biquad Based CT $\Delta \Sigma$ Modulator Dissipating 13.7-mW

A novel low power compact loop filter using a single amplifier biquad (SAB) network is presented for continuous-time (CT) delta-sigma (ΔΣ) modulators. This new technique reduces power consumption and die area by minimizing the number of active elements and simplifying the modulator topology. The new SAB network has a transfer function (TF) zero, which implements a local feedforward (FF) path in system-level diagram. By having a local FF branch embedded in the SAB network, the FF branches to the summing block in the SAB based feedforward modulator topology is reduced to half the number of FF branches in the conventional topology. Consequently, the SAB based modulator utilizes a switch-capacitor (SC) adder replacing the commonly used CT adder and the sample & hold blocks in the conventional architecture. The SAB based loop filter with reduced FF branches simplifies the design and implementation of the high-order continuous-time ΔΣ modulator. The proposed loop filter is a general filter, which can be used for both high and low oversampling ratios (OSRs). A 4th-order low pass continuous-time ΔΣ modulator is designed and implemented in 130 nm process to confirm the effectiveness of the proposed techniques. Within a 7.2 MHz signal bandwidth, the measured dynamic range and SFDR of this prototype IC are 80 dB and 83.1 dB, respectively, and the total power consumption of 13.7 mW.
Rapid enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assays for the detection of salmonella enteritidis in eggs

Rapid antibody‐based assays have been developed for the detection of Salmonella enteritidis in eggs. The assays consist of an initial non‐selective enrichment step in a chemically defined medium followed by either an indirect competitive enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay or an antibody‐capture enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. The limits of detection are 6 × 105 cells and 5×104 cells/ml respectively, and both assays are highly reproducible. A positive result is obtained from an egg inoculated with 10 S. enteritidis cells in 18 h using either assay. The potential for further improvements is discussed.
Analysis of cyclins in trigeminal ganglia of calves infected with bovine herpesvirus-1

Following acute infection of cattle with bovine herpesvirus-1 (BHV-1), cyclin expression was examined in trigeminal ganglia (TG). Cyclin A was primarily detected in the nucleus of TG neurons. In contrast, cyclin D1 and cyclin E were detected in the nucleus and cytoplasm of TG neurons. Uninfected or latently infected calves did not express detectable levels of these cyclins in TG neurons. Following dexamethasone-induced reactivation, cyclins D1, E and A were also detected in TG neurons. In situ hybridization of consecutive sections demonstrated that many neurons expressing cyclins contained viral nucleic acid, demonstrating that they were infected. Based on these observations, we hypothesize that BHV-1 infection activates neuronal cyclin expression to enhance productive infection. It is also possible that the stress of neuronal infection or reactivation leads to cyclin expression.
Increased selectivity of clinical peripheral nerve interfaces

Selective, spiral peripheral nerve interfaces have been implemented in several clinical applications. Modeling results and intraoperative validation studies of the Flat Interface Nerve Electrode (FINE) demonstrate that with single channel, monopolar stimulation the FINE can increase the selectivity of neural stimulation. We hypothesize the stimulation selectivity can be further improved and potentially equal to intrafascicular stimulation by more sophisticated stimulation fields and interfascicular placement of electrodes with directed stimulation surfaces. We have developed an accurate linear approximation to the double cable model that is fast enough to implement non-gradient descent optimization techniques. Simulations suggest that anodal surround field shaping and directed interfascicular stimulation can increase the stimulation selectivity without placing electrodes inside the fascicles.
The Role of Haptic Macrophages in Regulation of Idiosyncratic Drug Reactions

Idiosyncratic drug reactions (IDR) account for approximately 6%-10% of all adverse drug reactions. The unpredictable and serious nature of these reactions makes them a significant economic burden and safety concern to the health care community and the pharmaceutical industry. Clinical and laboratory evidence suggests that adverse immune responses against drug-protein adducts play a role in the pathogenesis of IDR. However, it remains unclear why only a small percentage of patients are susceptible to developing these reactions. We hypothesized that most patients develop immunological tolerance against drug-protein adducts as a default mechanism, and that IDRs can only occur when this tolerance is deficient or abrogated in susceptible individuals. Using a murine model of 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB)-induced delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) reaction, our previously published data demonstrated that intravenous pretreatment of mice with dinitrophenyl-bovine serum albumin (DNP-BSA) induced immunological tolerance to subsequent DNCB sensitization, and that hepatic macrophages (Kupffer cells, KC) played an important role in mediating such tolerance. Further mechanistic investigation revealed that KC, acting as incompetent antigen-presenting cells, cannot elicit strong T cell reactions, and that they actively suppress T cell activation through production of prostaglandins. These findings suggest that KCs may play a critical role in regulating immune reactions within the liver and contributing to liver-mediated systemic immune tolerance.
Nitrogen atom energy distributions in a hollow-cathode planar sputtering magnetron

Energy distributions of N atoms in a hollow-cathode planar sputtering magnetron were obtained by use of optical emission spectroscopy. A characteristic line, N I 8216.3 A, well-separated from molecular nitrogen emission bands, was identified. Jansson's nonlinear spectral deconvolution method, refined by minimization of {chi}w ² , was used to obtain the optimal deconvolved spectra. These showed nitrogen atom energies from 1 eV to beyond 500 eV. Based on comparisons with VFTRIM results, we propose that the energetic N atoms are generated from N2+ ions after these ions are accelerated through the sheath and dissociatively reflect from the cathode.
Cocaine-related behaviors in mice with deficient gliotransmission.

Rationale Astrocytes play an integral role in modulating synaptic transmission and plasticity, both key mechanisms underlying addiction. However, while astrocytes are capable of releasing chemical transmitters that can modulate neuronal function, the role of these gliotransmitters in mediating behaviors associated with drugs of abuse has been largely unexplored.
CASE STUDY: Carcass characteristics of Angus steers finished on grass or grain diets at similar quality grades

ABSTRACT Research comparing grain- and grass-finished steers usually compares steers at the same chronological age. Because fat depots develop slowly in grass-finished steers, results are biased for greater fat and muscle development in grain-finished steers. The purpose of this study was to compare carcass characteristics and profitability between grain- and grass-finished steers at a minimum level of fat development (high-Select). Twenty-nine Angus steers (15 mo of age) with similar initial traits were finished on irrigated annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) and white clover (Trifolium repens) pasture (CP = 14.3%, ME = 2.58 Mcal/kg of DM) for 303 d (n = 15) on average or finished on an 80% cracked-corn (CP = 9.70%, ME = 3.07 Mcal/kg of DM) diet for 168 d (n = 14). At slaughter, grain-finished steers exhibited greater final BW, ADG, ultrasound i.m. fat percentage, ultrasound backfat thickness, HCW, DP, KPH, calculated LM area, and retail yield than did grass-finished steers (P