cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Inhibition of Mineral Scale Precipitation by Polymers

The inhibitory efficiency of polymeric inhibitors against the precipitation of common mineral scales in industrial processes could be described quantitatively using a semi-empirical model based on nucleation theory and laboratory experimental observations. The minimum effective inhibitor concentration (Cinh, mg/1) which is needed to prevent precipitation at a given degree of supersaturation can be estimated by: Cinh = (l/binh) log (fStp/t0), where binh is the efficiency of the inhibitor (l/mg), tp is the inhibition time or protection time needed for the system (seconds), t0 is the nucleation induction period for the mineral at a given condition in seconds, and fS is the safety factor (e.g., 2). Model parameters have been measured for typical scale minerals such as calcite and barite with eight scale inhibitors which have been commonly used in industrial processes, including polyacrylates and their derivatives (PAA, SPA, and PPCA) and poly-phosphonates (HEDP, NTMP, HDTMP, DTPMP, and BHPMP). This semi-empirical model has been demonstrated to be accurate in predicting the minimum effective inhibitor concentrations needed to protect a system from scaling comparing to both laboratory experimental simulation results using a high-temperature/high-pressure flow-through apparatus and preliminary observations in oil and gas production systems.
Indispensable role of protein kinase D1 in inflammatory responses and host defense in Group B streptococci infection

Group B streptococcus (GBS) causes life-threatening diseases in neonates and immune compromised individuals. We previously found that GBS induce activation of protein kinase D1 (PKD1) in mouse and human. This PKD1 activation by GBS is dependent on the TLR signaling adaptor MyD88 and its downstream IRAK4 and IRAK1. GBS-mediated proinflammatory cytokine production is substantially suppressed by pretreatment with a PKC/PKD inhibitor Go6976. However, it is currently unknown whether PKD1 plays a regulatory role in GBS-mediated proinflammatory responses and host defense. In the present study, to further understand contribution of PKD1 in inflammatory responses and host defense in GBS infection, tamoxifen-inducible PKD1-deficient mice were generated. We found that GBS-mediated activation of MAPKs and NF-kB and expression of cytokines/chemokines are significantly inhibited in PKD1-deficient mice. Furthermore, increased susceptibility to GBS infection was observed in PKD1-deficient mice. However, PKD1-deficient mice sensitized with D-galactosamine were more resistant to the shock-mediated death caused by antibiotic-killed GBS compared to wild-type. Our findings imply that PKD1 is one of the critical factors that plays a regulatory role in GBS-induced proinflammatory reactions and is indispensable for host defense against GBS infection and that inhibition of PKD1 activation together with antibiotic treatment in GBS-infected neonates might be an effective way to control GBS diseases.
Production of Biodiesels from Multiple Feedstocks and Properties of Biodiesels and Biodiesel/Diesel Blends: Final Report; Report 1 in a Series of 6

In a project sponsored by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the Institute of Gas Technology is conducting an investigation of biodiesels produced from vegetable and animal based feedstocks. This subcontract report presents their findings.
Toward an energy efficient healthcare environment: a case study of hospital corridor design

Several studies have linked nosocomial transmission of airborne diseases to airflow in healthcare settings. Quasi-experimental methods are developed to observe the aerodynamic transport behavior of synthetic respiratory particles in the corridors of an actual hospital. Computational models are then developed to validate the experimental results and to explore the spatial relationships of supply–exhaust air ventilation under various ventilation rates in patient corridors. This work aims to study the effect of ventilation rate and arrangement on the containment and removal of airborne contaminates in patient corridors. Results suggest that distribution of bio-aerosols in hospital corridors could be exacerbated by introducing higher ventilation rates. Increasing ventilation rate appears to reduce aerosol concentrations; however, depending on release point and ventilation arrangement, the reduction may not be worth the extra cost of ventilation. Modified supply–exhaust air system configurations could reduce average particle concentration up to 30% and transport distance more than 60% without increasing air change rate. Best results were obtained by placing an air outlet grille between each two supply air intakes along the corridor.
122-LB: iSage: Successful Basal Insulin Titration Managed by a Prescription-Only Digital Therapy for T2DM

Ideally, initiating and titrating basal insulin should quickly achieve A1C and fasting glucose targets without significant hypoglycemia. In practice, it’s often not so simple. iSage Rx (iSage) is the first FDA-cleared digital therapy for basal insulin titration that is prescribed by providers and easily downloaded to patients’ mobile phones. In less than a minute, the provider personalizes their patient’s glycemic targets and configures a titration algorithm for use with any basal insulin. The iSage app automatically manages the patient’s titration plan and provides ongoing education regarding insulin administration. We tested the efficacy of iSage in 27 T2DMs (59±7.6 year, 12M/15F). Entry criteria included T2DM patients treated solely with detemir, glargine or delgudec insulin, fluency in English, and generally healthy. T2DMs with stage 4 or 5 kidney disease, active malignancies, variable glucocorticoid doses, severe visual impairment and dementia were excluded. The study aims included changes in both insulin dose and A1C values while achieving low rates of hypoglycemia. The average (SD) starting and app-directed final doses of insulin were 33.6 (20) and 46.8 (27) U/d, p=0.047, respectively. Initial mean A1c was 8.2 (1.4)% that dropped to 7.3 (0.95)%, p=0.002 at study termination (79-139 days). Among those with an initial A1c >8.0, (mean A1c 9.3%) the final mean A1c was 7.4% (1.0) p=0.005. Of the 2,257 fasting blood glucose readings (BG) recorded in the mobile app, only 27 were The iSage digital therapy, while prescribed by a provider, requires minimal provider demands, is patient self-directed, and produces significant reductions in A1C with low rates of hypoglycemia. Disclosure K. Grdinovac: None. D.C. Robbins: None. T.A. Lavenbarg: None. P. Levin: Research Support; Self; MannKind Corporation, Novartis AG, Novo Nordisk Inc. Speaker’s Bureau; Self; Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Lilly Diabetes, Merck & Co., Inc., Sanofi. R. Sysko: Employee; Self; iSage Rx, LLC. Funding Amalgam Rx, Inc.; Blue KC
A CRISPR-based method for measuring the essentiality of a gene

Abstract The CRISPR/Cas9 system is a powerful method of editing genes by randomly introducing errors into the target sites. Here, we describe a CRISPR-based test for gene essentiality (CRISPR-E test) that allows the identification of essential genes. Specifically, we use sgRNA-mediated CRISPR/Cas9 to target the open reading frame of a gene in the genome and analyze the in-frame (3n) and frameshift (3n+1 and 3n+2) mutations on the target region of the gene in surviving cells. If the gene is non-essential, the cells would carry both in-frame (3n) and frameshift (3n+1 and 3n+2) mutations. In contrast, the cells would carry only in-frame (3n) mutations if the targeted gene is essential, and this selective elimination of frameshift (3n+1 and 3n+2) mutations of the gene indicate its essentiality. As a proof of concept, we have used this CRISPR-E test in the model organism Dictyostelium discoideum to demonstrate that Dync1li1 is an essential gene while KIF1A and fAR1 are not. We further propose a simple method for quantifying the essentiality of a gene using the CRISPR-E test. One Sentence Summary CRISPR-E measures a gene’s essentiality
Climate Change, Succession, and Reproductive Success of a Praying Mantid

We examined the adult phase of the Chinese praying mantid, Tenodera aridifolia sinensis (Saussure) (Mantodea: Mantidae) at the end of five growing seasons spanning two decades (1999–2018) in a successional old field. Sex ratio, which is generally male-biased by the time all members of a cohort are adults, exhibited a steady decline in proportion of males and eventual reversal by 2016, even though the calendar time of the study did not vary among years. Increasing length and warmth of the growing season resulted in earlier maturation, so we were seeing later portions of the adult phase at the same calendar time over successive years. This result is consistent with the earlier-published hypothesis that global warming can reduce fitness by warming and extending the growing season: earlier maturation results in earlier oviposition, which in turn causes eggs to hatch before onset of winter, thereby dying before egg diapause can occur.This may push the latitudinal distribution of this, and of other univoltine semelparous insects, farther north as the climate continues to warm. Reproductive output for the population, measured as total number of eggs produced by a cohort, peaked in 2004 at 8,514 and then fell to 226 by 2018, as did estimated numbers of adults. This decline was probably due to shrinkage of the open field area where prey were more abundant, by more than 2/3 as cedar trees replaced herbaceous vegetation during plant secondary succession.This is consistent with the hypothesis that succession limits the residence time in a habitat for these mantids.
Enrichment Motivation Using General Fibonacci Sequences.

ability to add the first ten numbers gen erated in any Fibonacci type sequence. If the class is asked to give us any two ran dom real numbers, say 2 and 4, then we write the third term by adding the first and second terms, and so forth until the tenth term, aio = a9 + a8, is written. We then immediately write the sum of the ten numbers by mentally computing the product of 11 and the seventh term of the series. Three examples will illustrate this.
E-Cigarette Exposure Decreases Bone Marrow Hematopoietic Progenitor Cells

Electronic cigarettes (E-cigs) generate nicotine containing aerosols for inhalation and have emerged as a popular tobacco product among adolescents and young adults, yet little is known about their health effects due to their relatively recent introduction. Few studies have assessed the long-term effects of inhaling E-cigarette smoke or vapor. Here, we show that two months of E-cigarette exposure causes suppression of bone marrow hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs). Specifically, the common myeloid progenitors and granulocyte-macrophage progenitors were decreased in E-cig exposed animals compared to air exposed mice. Competitive reconstitution in bone marrow transplants was not affected by two months of E-cig exposure. When air and E-cig exposed mice were challenged with an inflammatory stimulus using lipopolysaccharide (LPS), competitive fitness between the two groups was not significantly different. However, mice transplanted with bone marrow from E-cigarette plus LPS exposed mice had elevated monocytes in their peripheral blood at five months post-transplant indicating a myeloid bias similar to responses of aged hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) to an acute inflammatory challenge. We also investigated whether E-cigarette exposure enhances the selective advantage of hematopoietic cells with myeloid malignancy associated mutations. E-cigarette exposure for one month slightly increased JAK2V617F mutant cells in peripheral blood but did not have an impact on TET2-/- cells. Altogether, our findings reveal that chronic E-cigarette exposure for two months alters the bone marrow HSPC populations but does not affect HSC reconstitution in primary transplants.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment: Considerations in the Patient with Maxillofacial Trauma

Summary Hyperbaric oxygen therapy cannot take the place of standard medical and surgical therapy. With a few exceptions, it is predominantly a major adjunctive therapy. The absolute contraindications for its considered use are untreated pneumothorax, fulminant viral pneumonia, and congenital spherocytosis. With thoughtful and careful consideration, however, hyperbaric therapy will continue to find its rightful place among the other well-established means of wound-healing support and patient rehabilitation.
Los Centros para el Control y la Prevención de Enfermedades de los EE. UU. abordan el daño auditivo causado por el ruido recreacional.

Durante cinco decadas, los Centros para el Control y la Prevencion de Enfermedades (CDC) han investigado la perdida auditiva inducida por el ruido (NIHL, por sus siglas en ingles) en el lugar de trabajo y han divulgado sus hallazgos a traves del Instituto Nacional para la Seguridad y Salud Ocupacional (NIOSH, por sus siglas en ingles). En febrero del 2017, un grupo de trabajo perteneciente al Centro Nacional de Salud Ambiental (NCEH, por sus siglas en ingles), lanzo una campana sobre la perdida auditiva con el fin de aumentar la conciencia de que la exposicion excesiva a sonidos fuertes fuera del entorno laboral puede provocar la perdida auditiva permanente.
Optimize Memory Usage in Vector Particle-In-Cell (VPIC) to Break the 10 Trillion Particle Barrier in Plasma Simulations.

Vector Particle-In-Cell (VPIC) is one of the fastest plasma simulation codes in the world, with particle numbers ranging from one trillion on the first petascale system, Roadrunner, to ten trillion particles on the more recent Blue Waters supercomputer. As supercomputers continue to grow rapidly in size, so too does the gap between compute capability and memory capability. Current memory systems limit VPIC simulations greatly as the maximum number of particles that can be simulated directly depends on the available memory. In this study, we present a suite of VPIC memory optimizations (i.e., particle weight, half-precision, and fixed-point optimizations) that enable a significant increase in the number of particles in VPIC simulations. We assess the optimizations’ impact on a GPU-accelerated Power9 system. Our optimizations enable a 31.25% reduction in memory usage and up to 40% increase in the number of particles.
Cryptogenic new-onset refractory status epilepticus (NORSE) following blood transfusion in a patient with severe anemia (3932)

Objective: NA Background: New-onset refractory status epilepticus (NORSE) is a rare neurological emergency in which a patient without epilepsy or overt structural or toxic/metabolic derangement develops status epilepticus refractory to treatment. Although seizures have been documented in patients who undergo blood transfusion and develop evidence of posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES), this is the first documented case of NORSE following blood transfusion. Design/Methods: NA Results: A 46-year-old woman with distant history of thyroidectomy for papillary thyroid cancer presented with six months of intermittent menorrhagia, followed by one month of continuous menorrhagia and progressive lethargy. No other prodromal or neurological symptoms were evident. She was found to have hemoglobin 2.6 g/dL and was immediately transfused. After receiving her third unit of blood, she became tachycardic and confused, and then had a witnessed generalized tonic-clonic seizure. Continuous EEG revealed frequent right frontal seizures for which she received levetiracetam. Brain MRI showed focal T2 hyperintensity and diffusion restriction in the bilateral right greater than left frontal cortex and medial thalami. She had no documented hypotension to suggest anoxic injury. Lumbar puncture showed modest neutrophilic pleocytosis (5–10 WBCs) without oligoclonal bands. On the fourth hospital day, EEG showed non-convulsive status epilepticus (NCSE). Despite treatment with levetiracetam, lacosamide, phenytoin, clobazam, propofol, and midazolam infusions, she developed super-refractory NCSE and was placed in pentobarbital coma for burst suppression for 48 hours. She received high-dose intravenous methylprednisolone. By the eleventh hospital day, her EEG had improved dramatically, and she was weaned off pentobarbital with no further seizures. Extensive diagnostic workup for infectious, inflammatory/autoimmune, neoplastic/paraneoplastic, metabolic, and prion diseases was unrevealing. Conclusions: Approximately 50% of NORSE cases are cryptogenic, and none have previously been attributed to blood transfusion. Rapid correction of severe anemia could lead to brain capillary leakage and cortical irritation, though refractory status epilepticus is unexpected. Disclosure: Dr. Wu has nothing to disclose. Dr. Von Stein has nothing to disclose. Dr. Culbertson has nothing to disclose. Dr. Walia has nothing to disclose. Dr. Krishnamohan has nothing to disclose. Dr. Threlkeld has nothing to disclose.
Studies on chemical mechanisms of the action of neurotransmitters and hormones. II. Increased incorporation of 32P into phosphatides as a second, adaptive response to pancreozymin or acetylcholine in pigeon pancreas slices.

Abstract The concentrations of pancreozymin or acetylcholine necessary to give hormone-responsive amylase extrusion, and those necessary to give hormone-responsive increases in 32 P incorporation into phosphatides in pigeon pancreas slices, have been investigated. Low concentrations of pancreozymin or acetylcholine stimulated amylase extrusion with little or no effect on 32 P incorporation into phosphatides. High concentrations of pancreozymin gave increased incorporation of 32 P into phosphatides without increasing amylase extrusion above that observed with lower concentrations of hormone. Amylase extrusion in response to 10 −4 or 10 −6 m acetylcholine (plus eserine) was less than in response to lower concentrations of acetylcholine, but 32 P incorporation into phosphatides was much higher with the higher concentrations of acetylcholine. These results provide further evidence that increased synthesis or turnover of phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidic acid, phosphatidylethanolamine, and phosphatidylcholine in response to hormone is not a secondary consequence of zymogen granule extrusion (reverse pinocytosis). In view of the requirement for higher concentrations of hormone than those necessary to elicit amylase extrusion, it is suggested that the increased incorporation of 32 P into phosphatides may represent a second, adaptive response to hormone—part of a gearing up of the cell to meet greater demands for the secretion of zymogens than it had previously been meeting.
The Blood Donor Identity Survey: a multidimensional measure of blood donor motivations

Background Evidence indicates that donor identity is an important predictor of donation behavior; however, prior studies have relied on diverse, unidimensional measures with limited psychometric support. The goals of this study were to examine the application of self-determination theory to blood donor motivations and to develop and validate a related multidimensional measure of donor identity. Study Design and Methods Items were developed and administered electronically to a sample of New York Blood Center (NYBC) donors (n = 582) and then to a sample of Ohio University students (n = 1005). Following initial confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on the NYBC sample to identify key items related to self-determination theory's six motivational factors, a revised survey was administered to the university sample to reexamine model fit and to assess survey reliability and validity. Results Consistent with self-determination theory, for both samples CFAs indicated that the best fit to the data was provided by a six-motivational-factor model, including amotivation, external regulation, introjected regulation, identified regulation, integrated regulation, and intrinsic regulation. Conclusion The Blood Donor Identity Survey provides a psychometrically sound, multidimensional measure of donor motivations (ranging from unmotivated to donate to increasing levels of autonomous motivation to donate) that is suitable for nondonors as well as donors with varying levels of experience. Future research is needed to examine longitudinal changes in donor identity and its relationship to actual donation behavior.
Run length based steganography for binary images

Binary images (like cartoons, text documents, signatures captured by signing pads and/or 2-color imagery) are very commonly used in our daily life. Changing the pixel values in these images for hiding the data, may produce a noticeable change in the cover media. The primary problem is the capacity of the embedding technique and preserving the visible artifacts of the cover image even after embedding the secured data. In this paper, we present a run length based steganography algorithm for embedding the secured data into binary images. The proposed algorithm alters pixels of the embeddable blocks of cover image depending on there run length characteristics and chactersitics values of the block. In addition, the new algorithm is based on variable embedding rate for each block, which enhances the security of embedded data and the capacity of the embedding method. We test the performance of the algorithm over 50 various sizes of binary cover images embedding various sizes of secured data. Comparisons with existing algorithms will be presented. Keyword: Run length, steganography, binary image.
Higher-Order Superposition for Dependent Types

We describe a proof of the Critical Pair Lemma for Plotkin's LF calculus [4]. Our approach basically follows the one used by Nipkow [12] for the simply-typed case, though substantial modifications and some additional theoretical machinery are needed to ensure well-typedness of rewriting in this richer type system. We conclude the paper presenting some significant applications of the theory.
Higher Plant Alkaloids, Amides, and Ansa Macrolides

A majority of the biosynthetic products with substantial activity against solid neoplastic disease contain one or more basic or nearly neutral nitrogen atoms. About 15 of these compounds are either now in clinical trial as cancer chemotherapeutic drugs or are being considered for such application. The discussion of this section will be centered primarily on these promising candidates for cancer treatment. A comparable number of nitrogen-containing anticancer agents (usually classed as antitumor antibiotics) from the lower plants will be found in the following chapter dealing with microorganism biosynthetic products.
Executive Discretion and Corporate Performance as Determinants of CEO Compensation, Contingent on External Monitoring Activities

In this paper we discuss the potential impactof managerial discretion and firm performanceon CEO compensation, contingent on the extentof monitoring activities. We argue that CEOcompensation may be positively related toexecutive discretion and corporate performancefor firms that have vigilant external monitors. We alternatively contend that CEO compensationmay neither be associated with discretion norperformance for firms with passive externalmonitors. The empirical results are supportiveof our contentions.
Estimating confidence scores on ASR results using recurrent neural networks

In this paper we present a confidence estimation system using recurrent neural networks (RNN) and compare it to a traditional multilayered perception (MLP) based system. The ability of RNN to capture sequence information and improve decisions using processed history was main motivation to explore RNN's for confidence estimation. In this paper we also explore two subtle variations of confidence estimator: one that uses objective extracted over the entire sequence for training, and other that uses dynamic programming to decode and estimate confidence on all the words of the sequence jointly. In our experiments, we observed that for a constant false positive (FP) rate of 3% we can secure a relative reduction of 10% in false negative (FN) rate when we replaced a MLP in confidence estimator with a RNN.We also observed that relative gains achieved by a RNN based confidence estimator are directly proportional to the number of word in the utterances.
Alcohol: A Social and Cultural History

It is rare indeed to find an edited scholarly volume that does exactly what is promised in its introduction, which in this case clearly whittles down the rather grand domain suggested by the title ...
Amygdala response predicts trajectory of symptom reduction during Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy among adolescent girls with PTSD

Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) is the gold standard treatment for pediatric PTSD. Nonetheless, clinical outcomes in TF-CBT are highly variable, indicating a need to identify reliable predictors that allow forecasting treatment response. Here, we test the hypothesis that functional neuroimaging correlates of emotion processing predict PTSD symptom reduction during Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) among adolescent girls with PTSD. Thirty-four adolescent girls with PTSD related to physical or sexual assault were enrolled in TF-CBT, delivered in an approximately 12 session format, in an open trial. Prior to treatment, they were engaged in an implicit threat processing task during 3T fMRI, during which they viewed faces depicting fearful or neutral expressions. Among adolescent girls completing TF-CBT (n = 23), slopes of PTSD symptom trajectories during TF-CBT were significantly related to pre-treatment degree of bilateral amygdala activation while viewing fearful vs neutral images. Adolescents with less symptom reduction were characterized by greater amygdala activation to both threat and neutral images (i.e., less threat-safety discrimination), whereas adolescents with greater symptom reduction were characterized by amygdala activation only to threat images. These clinical outcome relationships with pre-treatment bilateral amygdala activation remained when controlling for possible confounding demographic or clinical variables (e.g., concurrent psychotropic medication, comorbid diagnoses). While limited by a lack of a control group, these preliminary results suggest that pre-treatment amygdala reactivity to fear stimuli, a component of neurocircuitry models of PTSD, positively predicts symptom reduction during TF-CBT among assaulted adolescent girls, providing support for an objective measure for forecasting treatment response in this vulnerable population.
The Assumptions Used for Exposure Assessments

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the procedures and assumptions used by the Office of Pesticide Programs in the preparation of pesticide exposure assessments. The risk assessment procedures used by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) require that exposure data be presented as quantitative estimates. However, the nature of the exposure assessment process makes these numerical estimates appear more precise than they actually are. The types of information needed, even when field exposure data are available, and the types of assumptions that must be made when no data are available are discussed in the chapter. The way in which these data and assumptions are utilized to reach quantitative or bottom-line exposure estimates are reviewed.
The SMAD4 protein and prognosis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

Purpose: SMAD4 (also called Dpc4) is a tumor suppressor in the TGF-β signaling pathway that is genetically inactivated in ∼55% of all pancreatic adenocarcinomas. We investigated whether prognosis after surgical resection for invasive pancreatic adenocarcinoma is influenced by SMAD4 status. Experimental Design : Using immunohistochemistry, we characterized the SMAD4 protein status of 249 pancreatic adenocarcinomas resected from patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy (Whipple resection) at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD, between 1990 and 1997. The SMAD4 gene status of 56 of 249 (22%) pancreatic carcinomas was also determined. A multivariate Cox proportional hazards model assessed the relative risk of mortality associated with SMAD4 status, adjusting for known prognostic variables. Results : Patients with pancreatic adenocarcinomas with SMAD4 protein expression had significantly longer survival (unadjusted median survival was 19.2 months as compared with 14.7 months in patients with pancreatic cancers lacking SMAD4 protein expression; P = 0.03). This SMAD4 survival benefit persisted after adjustment for prognostic factors including tumor size, margins, lymph node status, pathological stage, blood loss, and use of adjuvant chemoradiotherapy. The relative hazard of mortality for cancers lacking SMAD4 after adjusting for other prognostic factors was 1.36 (95% confidence interval, 1.01–1.83; P = 0.04). Conclusion : Patients undergoing Whipple resection for pancreatic adenocarcinoma survive longer if their cancers express SMAD4.
Thermal management for motor

We developed three-dimensional CFD and thermal models using Fluent/spl trade/ for thermal management on motor components. This paper presents simulation results for cooling fins, stator, and rotor. Fin study for motor housing was done with a single-fin flat plate model. The model was developed to reduce modeling time. We investigated the effects of various fin configurations. Our analysis showed that the maximum temperature could be reduced by either one of the following: higher fin geometry, reduced fin pitch and higher airflow velocity. Fin taper has a minor effect on cooling. We developed thermal models to simulate flow and heat transfer on ducted stator and solid rotor. The flow behavior out of ducted stator was discussed thoroughly. The flow behavior is a result of the relative magnitude between the effects of viscous loss, rotor rotation, and symmetric condition at the center of the motor.
Joint asymptotic multinormality for a class of rank order statistics in multivariate paired comparisons

The joint asymptotic multinormality of certain linear signed-rank statistics introduced by Shane and Puri (1969) is established for the nonidentically distributed case; moreover, the usual restriction forbidding constant score generating functions is dropped. In addition, sufficient conditions more general than those of Shane and Puri are given for the convergence of certain dispersion matrices, and these conditions guarantee the asymptotic independence of the statistics under consideration.
3,3,3-Trifluoro-2-aminoisobutyrate: A mechanism-based inhibitor of Pseudomonas cepacia α-dialkylamino acid transaminase

Summary Racemic 3,3,3-trifluoro-2-aminoisobutyrate (F3AIB) causes complete, irreversible inactivation of Pseudomonas cepacia α-dialkylamino acid transaminase. The inactivation reaction is first order in enzyme and is saturable with respect to F3AIB, with an apparent Michaelis constant of 0.15 mM. Competitive inhibition of the inactivation reaction by substrate, 2-aminoisobutyrate, and product, L -alanine, implicates complex formation between F3AIB and the enzyme active site. Tracer studies using [1- 14 C]F3AIB reveal that decarboxylation of F3AIB precedes inactivation.
The use of GABAA receptors expressed in neural precursor cells for cell-based assays

Abstract GABAA receptors are known targets for certain classes of environmental neurotoxins and pharmaceutical compounds. Since few neural cell lines express functional GABAA receptors, the capacity to rapidly screen for compounds that affect GABAA receptor function is presently limited. Previous work has demonstrated that rat neural precursor cells express functional GABAA receptors that can be monitored via Ca2+ imaging. This study examined GABAA receptor subunit expression to determine whether GABAA receptor function and its interactions with neurotoxins is preserved after passaging. Neural precursor cells isolated from embryonic day 13 rat brain were expanded in serum-free medium containing basic fibroblast growth factor and passaged three times. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis demonstrated early expression of abundant mRNAs encoding various GABAA receptor subunits. Ca2+ imaging showed that the highly proliferating precursor cells in passaged cultures maintained expression of functional GABAA receptors. In addition, we showed that trimethylolpropane phosphate, a neurotoxin generated during partial pyrolysis of a synthetic ester turbine engine lubricant, potently inhibited muscimol (GABAA receptor agonist) but not depolarization-induced cytosolic Ca2+ increase. The findings of this study suggest that neural precursor cells may be well suited for the evaluation of certain environmental neurotoxins with convulsant activity. The potential use of neural precursor cells in high-throughput screens for compounds acting on GABAA receptors is discussed.
Cointegrate formation between plasmids carrying virulence factor and antibiotic resistance genes in E. coli

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) strains which cause diarrhea in young pigs often possess the proteinaceous surface antigen, K88. The genetic determinants for production of K88 fimbriae and utilization of raffinose (Raf) are located on non-conjugative plasmids. We have examined some parameters of cointegrate formation between one of these plasmids, pPS900, and pPS030, a conjugative R factor. Cointegrate formation appears to be RecA-independent and to involve specific regions of both plasmids. Cointegrates are unstable, breaking down to form plasmid species indistinguishable from pPS030 and pPS900. Stable cointegrates have undergone a deletion which often includes all or part of the region of pPS900 encoding K88 antigen production.
Distance Dependence of Electronic Coupling through Trans Alkyl Chains: Effects of Electron Correlation

Electronic coupling between CH2 π donor/acceptor groups at the termini of trans alkyl chains [H2C−(CH2)n-2−CH2, n = 4−16] was investigated using Hartree−Fock (HF) theory, second-order Moller−Plesset perturbation theory (MP2), and density functional theory (DFT). For each method the couplings in the ions were calculated in two ways: (1) the difference in donor/acceptor orbital energies [Koopmans' theorem (KT)] and (2) the difference between the ground state and first excited state energy of the ions (ΔE). The distance dependence of the coupling in anions was found to be independent of the method used, indicating that electron correlation has little effect. In contrast, the distance dependence of the couplings in cations was very dependent on the method used. For cations, couplings from ΔDFT calculations have a weak distance dependence (β < 0.4) similar to that found previously for KT couplings from HF (β ∼ 0.4), while couplings from KT(DFT) and ΔMP2 calculations have a stronger distance dependence (β ∼ 0....
Detection of Multiple Protein Conformational Ensembles in Solution via Deconvolution of Charge-State Distributions in ESI MS

Monitoring the changes in charge-state distributions of protein ions in electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectra has become one of the commonly accepted tools to detect large-scale conformational changes of proteins in solution. However, these experiments produce only qualitative, low-resolution information. Our goal is to develop a procedure that would produce quantitative data on protein conformational isomers coexisting in solution at equilibrium. To that end, we have examined the evolution of positive ion charge-state distributions in the
Aquatic toxicity of forty industrial chemicals: Testing in support of hazardous substance spill prevention regulation

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is presently developing hazardous substance spill regulations to help prevent water pollution. Aquatic animal toxicity data are used as criteria for the designation and categorization of substances as hazardous, even though this type of data is not available for many industrial chemicals. Static 96-hr. toxicity tests were conducted with 40 such chemicals to provide basic toxicity data for regulatory decision making. Thirty-two of the 40 chemicals tested were hazardous to aquatic life as determined by 96-hr. LC50's less than or equal to 500 mg/l. All 40 chemicals were tested with the fresh-water fathead minnow, Pimephales promelas, and ten chemicals were also tested with the salt-water grass shrimp, Palaemonetes pugio.
63Cu NMR in the unconventional Kondo alloy UCu3.5Pd1.5

Abstract 63 Cu quadrupole-split nuclear magnetic resonance has been observed in the unconventional Kondo alloy UCu 3.5 Pd 1.5 . The magnetic and quadrupolar line widths were measured as functions of temperature. Below ∼ 30 K the magnetic line width is enhanced ∼ 25% over the values expected by scaling the high-temperature magnetic susceptibility. This behavior might indicate the possibility of U-spin freezing, as observed in some dilute Kondo alloys. The absence of any anomaly at ∼ 30 K in either the specific heat or the susceptibility suggests, however, that spin freezing does not account for the observations, and that the enhancement is related to intrinsic behavior of the paramagnetic alloy.
Soybean nodule xanthine dehydrogenase: A kinetic study

Abstract Xanthine dehydrogenase was purified from soybean nodules and the kinetic properties were studied at pH 7.5. K m values of 5.0 ± 0.6 and 12.5 ± 2.5 μ m were obtained for xanthine and NAD + , respectively. The pattern of substrate dependence suggested a Ping-Pong mechanism. Reaction with hypoxanthine gave K m 's of 52 ± 3 and 20 ± 2.5 μ m for hypoxanthine and NAD + , respectively. The V max for this reaction was twice that for the xanthine-dependent reaction. The pH dependence of V max gave a p K a of 7.6 ± 0.1 for either xanthine or hypoxanthine oxidation. In addition the K m for xanthine had a p K a of 7.5 consistent with the protonated form of xanthine being the true substrate. K m for hypoxanthine varied only 2.5-fold between pH 6 and 10.7. Product inhibition studies were carried out with urate and NADH. Both products gave mixed inhibition with respect to both substrates. Xanthine dehydrogenase was able to use APAD + as an electron acceptor for xanthine oxidation, with a K m at pH 7.5 of 21.2 ± 2.5 μ m and V max the same as that obtained with NAD + . Reduction of APAD + by NADH was also catalyzed by xanthine dehydrogenase with a K m of 102 ± 15 μ m ; V max was approximately 2.5 times that for the xanthine-dependent reaction, and was independent of pH between 6 and 9. Reaction with group-specific reagents indicated the possibility of an essential histidyl group. A thiol-modifying reagent did not cause inactivation of the enzyme. A role for the histidyl side chain in catalysis is proposed.
Follow-up survey of participants attending the Advanced Trauma Operative Management (ATOM) Course.

The Advanced Trauma Operative Management (ATOM) Course was developed to educate surgeons about the surgical management of penetrating injuries. Its goal is to improve knowledge, self-confidence, and technical competence. ATOM participants completed a 25-item questionnaire to assess self-efficacy (SE) for advanced trauma operative management before and immediately after taking the ATOM course. On follow-up, questionnaires were sent to ATOM participants. One was a seven-item survey to assess the value of the ATOM course to surgical practice. Another was the 25-item questionnaire to assess SE. Four items on the survey to assess the value of ATOM had mean scores ≥ 4.0, and three had mean scores > 3.6. All had modes of 4.0 or greater. For all items, most respondents selected the agree options, indicating positive assessments of the ATOM course’s value to their surgical practice. For SE, the pre-ATOM mean score was 3.88, and the immediate post-ATOM mean score was 4.57 (p 0.05). Follow-up data from ATOM participants indicate that respondents believe the ATOM course improved their ability to identify and repair traumatic injuries. They report they use the techniques and knowledge learned in ATOM, and confidence remains high after the ATOM course. ATOM is well-received as an effective teaching strategy for surgical education for the management of penetrating injuries.
Electro-optic coefficient spectrum of cadmium telluride

A spectrum for the electro-optic coefficient of cadmium telluride measured from 3 to 14 μm is reported. The spectrum shows that the quantity n3r41 has a nearly constant value of 1.09 × 10−10 m/V over this spectral band, with a slight (5%) dip at the weak absorption band centered at 6 μm. Measurements were performed with an infrared Mueller matrix spectropolarimeter. Transmission spectra of the Mueller matrix were acquired at a set of applied voltages. Retardance spectra were calculated from Mueller matrix spectra, and then the electro-optic coefficient was calculated at each wavelength by a least-squares fit to the resulting retardance as a function of voltage.
Bank mergers as scale-free coagulation

Abstract The asset size distribution of US banks is viewed as the result of a scale-free coagulation process. When two banks merge, the assets of the combined institution equals the sum of the assets of the constituent banks. Analysis of the Smoluchowski coagulation equation suggests the emergence of a steady state, power-law distribution with an exponent that only depends on the degree of homogeneity of the coagulation rate. Bank merger data satisfies such power-law scaling. We develop an underlying theoretical framework for bank mergers quite different from prevailing ideas based on game theory on the one hand, and recent econophysical models on the other. As a corollary we show that in order to avoid the emergence of a mega-bank, the rate of return should decrease with the bank size. Finally, we suggest that stochastic coagulation may provide a unifying description of fast integration processes characteristic of globalization.
Development of levodopa-induced dyskinesias in parkinsonian monkeys may depend upon rate of symptom onset and/or duration of symptoms

Levodopa-induced dyskinesias (LIDs) present a major problem for the long-term management of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. Due to the interdependence of risk factors in clinical populations, it is difficult to independently examine factors that may influence the development of LIDs. Using macaque monkeys with different types of MPTP-induced parkinsonism, the current study evaluated the degree to which rate of symptom progression, symptom severity, and response to and duration of levodopa therapy may be involved in the development of LIDs. Monkeys with acute (short-term) MPTP exposure, rapid symptom onset and short symptom duration prior to initiation of levodopa therapy developed dyskinesia between 11 and 24 days of daily levodopa administration. In contrast, monkeys with long-term MPTP exposure, slow symptom progression and/or long symptom duration prior to initiation of levodopa therapy were more resistant to developing LIDs (e.g., dyskinesia developed no sooner than 146 days of chronic levodopa administration). All animals were similarly symptomatic at the start of levodopa treatment and had similar therapeutic responses to the drug. These data suggest distinct differences in the propensity to develop LIDs in monkeys with different rates of symptom progression or symptom durations prior to levodopa and demonstrate the value of these models for further studying the pathophysiology of LIDs.
EXPERIMENTAL AND NUMERICAL RESPONSE OF A 1915 RIVETED THROUGH-GIRDER BRIDGE

Chester County Bridge #21, a 16.5-m (54-ft), single-span, riveted, through-girder bridge located in upper Oxford Township, Pennsylvania, was field tested to determine the response to controlled loading. The bridge was instrumented with strain and displacement transducers to monitor response at critical locations as a single-axle truck of known weight was driven across the structure at crawl and posted speeds. Strains generated in the girders and in transverse floor beams supporting the deck were measured along with girder midspan vertical deflections. Information produced from the tests was used to (a) assess the level of composite action and load distribution in the structure and (b) determine if certain members are reaching critical stress levels and to determine the load rating. In addition, analytical models were developed both to predict the response and to evaluate the level of calibration required to establish a model that accurately reflected measured response.
A Simple Model for Stratocumulus to Shallow Cumulus Cloud Transitions

AbstractIt is shown that essential features of stratocumulus to shallow cumulus cloud transitions can be represented by a simple stochastic model constructed from an ensemble of transitions, each of which depends on the amount of surface latent heat flux relative to initial cloud-top longwave net radiative flux. In its essence the simple model establishes a causal relation between the increase of sea surface temperature (SST) and the decrease in cloud fraction (CF) along the trade winds. The mean and variance of SST are taken from observations. Model predictions are compared with observations of CF along Lagrangian trajectories in four eastern subtropical ocean regions. The model reproduces well the decrease in mean CF and the peak in CF spread.
Binding of 2-formylpyridine monothiosemicarbazonato copper II to cat and normal human hemoglobins

The antitumor agent 2-formylpyridine monothiosemicarbazonato copper(II) forms adducts with sulfur and nitrogen donor atoms from cat hemoglobin but only nitrogen donor atoms from human hemoglobin. Improved resolution of the mI = −12 lines in the g∥ region at S-band not only confirms the number of nitrogen donor atoms in the square planar configuration but provides evidence for strong coupling from a proton. Adduct formation results in an increase in the oxygen affinity of hemoglobin. Thus, it is suggested that allosteric enzyme inhibition may be a mechanism for the action of this agent.
Validation of the Neuropathologic Criteria of the Third Consortium for Dementia With Lewy Bodies for Prospectively Diagnosed Cases

There is limited information on the validity of the pathologic criteria of the Third Consortium on Dementia with Lewy bodies (CDLB), and none are based on prospectively diagnosed cases. In this study, the core clinical features of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and the suggestive clinical feature of rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder were assessed using a battery of standardized clinical instruments in 76 patients with the clinical diagnosis of either DLB or Alzheimer disease. At autopsy, 29 patients had high-likelihood, 17 had intermediate-likelihood, and 6 had low-likelihood DLB pathology. The frequency of core clinical features and the accuracy of the clinical diagnosis of probable DLB were significantly greater in high-likelihood than in low-likelihood cases. This is consistent with the concept that the DLB clinical syndrome is directly related to Lewy body pathology and inversely related to Alzheimer pathology. Thus, the Third Consortium on DLB neuropathologic criteria scheme performed reasonably well and are useful for estimating the likelihood of the premortem DLB syndrome based on postmortem findings. In view of differences in the frequency of clinically probable DLB in cases with Braak neurofibrillary tangle stages V (90%) and VI (20%) and diffuse cortical Lewy bodies, a possible modification of the scheme is to consider cases with neurofibrillary tangle stage VI to be low-likelihood DLB.