cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The demonstration of cilia in canine macula densa cells

Although the presence of cilia in mammalian epithelia is common, the finding of cilia in the macula densa cell of the kidney has never been reported. In this paper are reported electron microscopic observations of cilia in canine macula densa cells. The cilia observed have the classic 9+2 configuration. The centriole, basal body, foot process, ciliary rootlet and the substructure of the latter also were observed.
Defects and Their Origin in Thin Films of (001) Alkaline Earth Oxides

MgO is used as an optical isolation layer for waveguides epitaxially grown on silicon. The crystalline perfection of MgO is a critical issue because it serves as a substrate for the single crystal, perovskite guiding layer. Imperfections in the MgO will result in imperfections in the guiding layer and lead to large optical losses for the planar waveguide structure. We show that the most common defect to form in thin films of MgO are twin boundaries between {111}-type planes. The highest density of twins is observed when (001) MgO is grown directly on silicon/MgO interlayers containing barium. Twinning is shown to accommodate the large size of barium impurities incorporated in the MgO films through the formation of internal grain boundaries and open surfaces other than the growing (001) of MgO.
Electron hydration and ion-electron pairs in water clusters containing trivalent metal ions.

The hydrated electron is one of the most fundamental nucleophiles in aqueous solution, yet it is a transient species in liquid water, making it challenging to study. The solvation thermodynamics of the electron are important for determining the band structure and properties of water and aqueous solutions. However, a wide range of values for the electron solvation enthalpy (−1.0 to −1.8 eV) has been obtained from previous methods, primarily because of the large uncertainty as to the value for the absolute proton solvation enthalpy. In the gas phase, electron interactions with water can be investigated in stable water clusters that contain an excess electron, or an electron and a solvent-separated monovalent or divalent metal ion. Here, we report the generation of stable water clusters that contain an excess electron and a solvent-separated trivalent metal ion that are formed upon electron capture by hydrated trivalent lanthanide clusters. From the number of water molecules lost upon electron capture, adiab...
Assimilation of aggregated inputs into Delphi forecasts: A regression analysis

Abstract To examine the manner in which the individual assessments of a panel of delphi experts are combined into a delphi forecast, the supporting reasons they gave for their forecasts of 40 computer applications were coded into categories of assessed “technical feasibility,” “cost of initiating,” and “benefits or needs provided.” Even though different sets of experts provided these statements in support of their individual forecasts, with some experts emphasizing one aspect and others another, it was found that the median forecast of the entire panel was significantly related to the average proportion of reasons in each category which favored bringing about the development. That is, the delphi forecasts of computer applications suggest that the computer application is forecasted to occur sooner to the extent it was judged to be technically feasible, beneficial to users or society, and not costly to develop. The results indicate further that delphi forecasting among a group of experts has logical validity, and that individual contributions are integrated into a group outcome.
Multidimensional segmentation of coronary intravascular ultrasound images using knowledge-based methods

In vivo studies of the relationships that exist among vascular geometry, plaque morphology, and hemodynamics have recently been made possible through the development of a system that accurately reconstructs coronary arteries imaged by x-ray angiography and intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) in three dimensions. Currently, the bottleneck of the system is the segmentation of the IVUS images. It is well known that IVUS images contain numerous artifacts from various sources. Previous attempts to create automated IVUS segmentation systems have suffered from either a cost function that does not include enough information, or from a non-optimal segmentation algorithm. The approach presented in this paper seeks to strengthen both of those weaknesses -- first by building a robust, knowledge-based cost function, and then by using a fully optimal, three-dimensional segmentation algorithm. The cost function contains three categories of information: a compendium of learned border patterns, information theoretic and statistical properties related to the imaging physics, and local image features. By combining these criteria in an optimal way, weaknesses associated with cost functions that only try to optimize a single criterion are minimized. This cost function is then used as the input to a fully optimal, three-dimensional, graph search-based segmentation algorithm. The resulting system has been validated against a set of manually traced IVUS image sets. Results did not show any bias, with a mean unsigned luminal border positioning error of 0.180 ± 0.027 mm and an adventitial border positioning error of 0.200 ± 0.069 mm.
Unphysical and physical(?) solutions of the Lorentz-Dirac equation

A simple proof of a weak version of Eliezer's theorem on unphysical solutions of the Lorentz-Dirac equation is given. This version concerns a free particle scattered by a spatially localized electric field in one space dimension. (The solutions are also solutions in three space dimensions.) It establishes that for certain physically reasonable localized fields, all solutions which are free (i.e., unaccelerated) before they enter the field have unbounded proper acceleration and velocity asymptotic to that of light in the future. For any given initial velocity, the fields yielding this unphysical behavior can be arbitrarily weak. The result is then extended to a class of static fields which need not be spatially localized, including Coulomb fields. For this case the same conclusion is obtained omitting the assumption that the particle be free in the past. The rest of the paper discusses solutions to the localized field problem which are assumed free in the future rather than the past. Some strange features of these solutions are noted. The possibility of experimentally detecting deviations from the Coulomb law for a particle obeying the Lorentz-Dirac equation is discussed.
Conversion electron Mössbauer study of magnetite/nickel and magnetite/chromium multilayers obtained by pulsed laser deposition

Abstract In this paper, we report the preparation of several magnetite/nickel and magnetite/chromium multilayers by pulsed laser deposition. The total thickness of the films was 100–120 nm, with the thickness of the magnetite and metal layers taking the values 5, 10, 20 and 40 nm. The magnetic structures were analyzed by conversion electron Mossbauer spectroscopy (CEMS). The dependence of hyperfine magnetic fields and site populations on the layer thickness was extracted from these spectra. The effect of layer thickness on the magnetic properties and microstructure of magnetite films was analyzed.
Expression and Activity of the CDK Inhibitor p57Kip2 in Chondrocytes Undergoing Hypertrophic Differentiation

Growth plates ofp57-null mice exhibit several abnormalities, including loss of collagen type X (CollX) expression. The phenotypic consequences of p57 expression were assessed in an in vitro model of hypertrophic differentiation. Adenoviral p57 expression was not sufficient for CollX expression but did augment induction of CollX by BMP-2. Introduction: During hypertrophic differentiation, chondrocytes pass from an actively proliferative state to a postmitotic, hypertrophic phenotype. The induction of growth arrest is a central feature of this phenotypic transition. Mice lacking the cyclin dependent-kinase inhibitor p57Kip2 exhibit several developmental abnormalities including chondrodysplasia. Although growth plate chondrocytes in p57-null mice undergo growth arrest, they do not express collagen type X, a specific marker of the hypertrophic phenotype. This study was carried out to investigate the link between p57 expression and the induction of collagen type X in chondrocytes and to determine whether p57 overexpression is sufficient for the induction of hypertrophic differentiation. Materials and Methods: Neonatal rat epiphyseal or growth plate chondrocytes were maintained in an aggregate culture model, in defined, serum-free medium. Protein and mRNA levels were monitored by Western and Northern blot analyses, respectively. Proliferative activity was assessed by fluorescent measurement of total DNA and by3H-thymidine incorporation rates. An adenoviral vector was used to assess the phenotypic consequences of p57 expression. Results and Conclusions: During in vitro hypertrophic differentiation, levels of p57 mRNA and protein were constant despite changes in chondrocyte proliferative activity and the induction of hypertrophic-specific genes in response to bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-2. Adenoviral p57 overexpression induced growth arrest in prehypertrophic epiphyseal chondrocytes in a dose-dependent manner but was not sufficient for the induction of collagen type X, either alone or when coexpressed with the related CDKI p21Cip1. Similar results were obtained with more mature tibial growth plate chondrocytes. p57 overexpression did augment collagen type X induction by BMP-2. These data indicate that p57-mediated growth arrest is not sufficient for expression of the hypertrophic phenotype, but rather it occurs in parallel with other aspects of the differentiation pathway. Our findings also suggest a contributing role for p57 in the regulation of collagen type X expression in differentiating chondrocytes.
P53 Expression in Adenomyosis in Endometrial Carcinoma Patients

Abstract Histopathologic changes ranging from simple cystic hyperplasia to carcinoma in situ may be observed in adenomyotic foci in patients with endometrial carcinoma. These changes can be an area of concern and physicians should be aware of their clinicopathologic significance. We studied a total of 94 patients, including endometrial carcinoma with (28 patients) and without adenomyosis (56 patients), and control group of adenomyosis cases (10 patients) without endometrial carcinoma. The histopathological changes in adenomyosis in patients with endometrial carcinoma varied from endometrial glands resembling the basal endometrium (13 of 28) through simple hyperplasia (8 of 28) to complex atypical hyperplasia, resembling carcinoma in situ (7 of 28). Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues from 55 patients (45 endometrial carcinomas and 10 control adenomyosis) were stained with monoclonal antibodies against P53. P53 positivity was not detected in adenomyosis cases without endometrial carcinoma but was present in 7 of the endometrial carcinoma-related cases. P53 positivity was found in 14 of 45 endometrial carcinomas studied. In all of the adenomyosis-positive cases, the endometrium was also positive. In conclusion, adenomyosis with a range of hyperplastic to atypical changes is not uncommon in adenocarcinoma patients. Our findings regarding P53 positivity in adenomyosis are consistent with the hypothesis that hyperplastic and atypical changes in adenomyosis might be due to a carcinogenic field effect in the vicinity of endometrial carcinoma rather than by direct invasion.
Multiple-time scale approach to stress growth in suspensions of rodlike macromolecules

Abstract The rheologial properties of a dilute suspension of rigid rodlike macromolecules at the inception of a steady homogeneous flow are examined within the framework of the kinetic theory of polymeric liquids. The cases of simple shear and elongational flows are considered under the assumption of small non-dimensional shear rates, ϵ = κ 0 /6 D , where D is the rotation diffusion of the particles. The method of multiple-time scales is used to solve the problem and the resulting transport coefficients are shown to reveal new features as compared with the results of the straightforward perturbation technique. In particular, the onset of stress oscillations leading to an undershoot following the overshoot of the shear viscosity and the overshoot of the normal stress difference are detected as ϵ approaches unity.
Qualitative human chorionicgonadotropin testing of cervicovaginal washings for the detection of preterm premature rupture of membranes.

Objective This study was performed to determine whether a qualitative human chorionicgonadotropin (hCG) test using cervicovaginal washings obtained from pregnant women is a useful predictor of recent preterm premature rupture of the membranes (PPROM). Study design A prospective observational analysis of qualitative hCG testing on cervicovaginal washings in patients with either known PPROM or with intact membranes was performed. Patients with singleton gestations between 24 and 34 completed weeks were included. PPROM patients had documented comfirmatory tests, including visualized pooling of amniotic fluid in the vaginal vault that was nitrazine-positive and demonstrated ferning. Those with vaginal bleeding or an anomalous fetus were excluded. Before collection, all patients were screened for bacterial vaginosis and trichomoniasis. Washings were then collected from the posterior vaginal fornix with the use of a 5-mL sterile saline irrigation and aspiration technique. Samples were then agitated manually and applied to the Quickvue Onestep qualitative pregnancy test (Quidell, San Diego, Calif) with a threshold of 25 mIU/mL. Data were analyzed with the t test, χ 2 , and Fischer exact tests. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive (PPV) and negative (NPV) predictive values were calculated. When applicable, all 2-tailed P Results Fifty-two patients were enrolled in the study with 24 in the PPROM group and 28 in the control group. The 2 groups were similar with respect to demographic characteristics and wet preparation results. The mean gestation age was 31.4 ± 2.4 (X ± SD) and 30.8 ± 2.7 weeks in the PPROM and control groups, respectively. The hCG test was positive in 19 (79%) of the PPROM patients and in 1 (3.6%) of the controls (sensitivity 79%, specificity 96%, PPV 95%, NPV 84%). Conclusion Qualitative hCG testing of cervicovaginal washings appears to be an useful predictor of PPROM.
Soil vapor and groundwater analysis from a recent oil spill

In northern Virginia, a fuel-storage terminal operated by a major oil company released approximately 200,000 gallons of liquid hydrocarbons into the underlying soil. The storage terminal is on 5-10 feet of silty clay soil overlying 10-50 feet of chemically weathered rock, saprolite, overlying unweathered bedrock. The water table and the overlying contamination plume are located in the saprolite. Mica imparts a planar fabric called foliation to the saprolite and to the underlying bedrock. The foliation is steeply inclined, almost vertical, and strikes to the northeast from the storage facility. The groundwater is unconfined, and locally the water table can reach the surface during intervals of heavy precipitation. However, the hydrocarbon moves along narrow partings parallel to the northeasterly directed foliation surfaces. The contamination plume migrated from the fuel-storage facility in a northeasterly direction in this narrow zone, approximately 200 feet wide. By 1993, almost three years after the contamination was discovered, the plume reached almost 2,500 feet from its site of origin. The origin of this narrow zone of enhanced permeability in the saprolite is probably related to weathering of the foliated saprolite under the storage-tank facility. Natural percolation of groundwater that entered the northeasterly partings in the foliation overmore » geologic time has evidently formed pathways normally used by groundwater. The large volume of hydrocarbons passing through these pathways has contributed to increased solubility because of mixing. In the following study, the soil vapor above the hydrocarbon plume and the groundwater below the product were analyzed for total petroleum hydrocarbons, TPH, and the individual hydrocarbons. The free product was also analyzed for the chemical identity of the fuel components present. 14 refs., 1 fig., 3 tabs.« less
Earth-Period (24-Hr) Satellites

An Earth-period satellite is a satellite which has an orbital period of revolution exactly equal to the Earth 's period of rotation on its axis (i.e., one sidereal day). As originally conceived, the term implies an idealized equatorial and circular orbit where no relative motion exists between the Earth and satellite. This paper discusses the type of relative motion which will exist in a practical case where the orbital plane is inclined, the motion is elliptical, and perturbations due to the moon, sun and Earth's oblateness are considered. Several illustrations are given showing the effect of various different orbital parameters (using exaggerated values) on the satellite ground track. Some possible practical uses are mentioned, and it is suggested tha t the use of an inclined orbit may have some merit for observation purposes.
Common and Distinct Pathways for Cellular Activities in FGF-2 Signaling Induced by IL-1β in Corneal Endothelial Cells

PURPOSE To determine the mechanism by which IL-1β induces FGF-2 and to elucidate the signaling pathways of IL-1β-induced FGF-2 in corneal endothelial cells (CECs).
Direct Observation of Family Management: Validity and Reliability as a Function of Coder Ethnicity and Training ☆

This study examines the influence of coder ethnicity on the validity and reliability of direct observations of family management. Eight coders, 4 European American (EA) and 4 African American (AA), were randomly assigned to conduct behavior ratings of videotaped family interactions of European American and African American families, under two conditions: untrained and trained. Results indicated statistical differences between EA and AA coder ratings of family management practices across both untrained and trained conditions, suggesting the presence of ethnocentric perceptions of coders. Specifically, EA coders tended to rate AA families as exhibiting poorer family management skills compared with those of EA families. AA coder ratings for EA and for AA families showed no statistical differences. Although not statistically significant, posttraining coding results indicated a trend toward decreased differences among coder perceptions, especially in improving the validity and reliability of EA coder ratings of AA families. These findings are discussed with respect to recommendations for cross-cultural research as well as general theories of ethnic socialization.
Temperature and dose dependence of fission-gas-bubble swelling in U3Si2 ☆

Abstract Large fission gas bubbles were observed during metallographic examination of an irradiated U 3 Si 2 dispersion fuel plate (U0R040) in the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR). The fuel temperature of this plate was higher than for most of the previous silicide-fuel tests where much smaller bubble growth was observed. The apparent conditions for the large bubble growth are high fission density (6.1 × 10 21 f/cm 3 ) and high fuel temperature (life-average 160 °C). After analysis of PIE results of U0R040 and previous ANL test plates, a modification to the existing athermal bubble growth model appears to be necessary for high temperature application (above 130 °C). A detailed analysis was performed using a model for the irradiation-induced viscosity of binary alloys to explain the effect of the increased fuel temperature. Threshold curves are proposed in terms of fuel temperature and fission density above which formation and interconnection of bubbles larger than 5 μ are possible.
Dynamical evolution of Jupiter's Trojan asteroids

TROJAN asteroids, which may outnumber the asteroids in the asteriod belt, are objects that orbit the Sun with the same mean semi-major axis as Jupiter, but lead or trail the position of Jupiter in its orbit by ˜60°. One very interesting aspect of the Trojan swarms is that a significant number of asteroids are on orbits that analytic theory suggests should be unstable1. Here we present the results of long-term dynamical integrations of the Trojan asteroids, that enable us to investigate the stability of the swarm population. We find that the orbits of the swarm asteroids are not stable indefinitely—the gravitational effects of the giant planets have reduced the swarms' outer boundaries over time. We estimate that there are over 200 escaped Trojan asteroids with diameters >lkm currently roaming the Solar System, a few of which may be on Earth-crossing orbits.
Respiratory pattern in midline-lesioned brainstems and hemibrainstems from adult turtles

Discrete midline lesions uncouple left and right respiratory motor output in mammals, but not in frogs and lampreys. To address this question in reptiles, isolated adult turtle brainstems were cut along the midline while recording respiratory motor output (bursts of action potentials) on left and right hypoglossal (XII) nerves. XII motor bursts were synchronized as long as a small portion of the midline was still intact. When turtle brainstems were completely cut along the midline and separated into hemibrainstems, XII motor bursts were produced that could be abolished by mu-opioid receptor (MOR) activation or exposure to high pH (7.80) solution. Also, 13/57 hemibrainstems expressed episodic discharge (>1.75bursts/episode). To test whether crossed connections were necessary to express a long-lasting increase in burst frequency (i.e., frequency plasticity), phenylbiguanide (PBG, 5-HT(3) receptor agonist, 20microM) was bath-applied to hemibrainstems. Although PBG significantly increased burst frequency by 0.43+/-0.10bursts/min after 60min, no frequency plasticity was observed because burst frequency returned to near baseline levels after a 2-h washout. Thus, crossed connections in turtle brainstems synchronize respiratory motor output and are not required for normal respiratory pattern formation, but are required for PBG-dependent frequency plasticity.
Network Coding for Efficient Broadband Data Delivery in Infrastructure-Based Vehicular Networks with OpenFlow

This paper proposes a system architecture for supporting efficient broadband data delivery in infrastructure based vehicular networks. The proposed approach addresses two major challenges for high throughput data transport from Internet to moving vehicles over infrastructure wireless networks such as today's 4G technologies: difficulty in maintaining stable throughput over high latency wide area paths in core networks; difficulty in maintaining continuous data download across road-side units (RSUs) in the edge. Specifically, the system multicasts network-encoded packets in the core network (wired Internet infrastructure) to multiple selected RSUs, while the RSUs collaborate in disseminating and scheduling delivery of the encoded packets to vehicles. Realizing the overall system requires network coding and multipath forwarding capabilities in the core network, and network decoding support in the vehicles. For network coding to be efficient, however, dynamic control of the forwarding paths of the network coded packets are essential. This paper presents the proposed system architecture, its key components, and how they can be experimentally studied over National Science Foundation's Global Environment for Network Innovations (GENI) testbed. Experiments on ProtoGENI testbed show the feasibility and advantages of network coding in core networks.
Development of a cylindrical PEM fuel cell

Abstract Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) have strong potential as power conversion devices of the future, especially for man-portable and mobile applications. However, the manufacturing cost should be significantly reduced for making PEMFCs commercially attractive. An improvement of the power density with respect to the weight of the cell - termed as gravimetric power density in this study - can help in achieving lower manufacturing cost and reducing parasitic power losses, which is particularly important in man-portable applications. Furthermore, the power density of a PEMFC with respect to the overall volume of the cell - termed as volumetric power density in this study - must be improved for man-portable and automotive applications. The bipolar plates made out of graphite contribute significantly to the cost, weight, and volume of the cell. The state-of-the-art PEM fuel cells are of planar design. While several commercial planar prototypes have been demonstrated, cost and water management are still major issues. These problems arise partly as a result of the complicated bipolar plate design in planar PEMFC. Because the planar fuel cell concept has been so well-entrenched, alternate designs have not been seriously pursued. In this paper, we present some experimental studies on a novel cylindrical PEM fuel cell design that addresses the cost, gravimetric and volumetric power density issues. This study while highlighting the advantages of the tubular design also identifies areas of research that will have tremendous utility in further development of this technology.
Early heart development: Dynamics of endocardial cell sorting suggests a common origin with cardiomyocytes

The myocardial and endocardial cell sorting out processes take place primarily between 19 and 29 hr of development in the avian embryo. This occurs in an apparent rostral to caudal wave through the heart forming region. During heart development considerable uncertainty exists regarding the processes that regulate cell commitments, progressive aggregation, and sorting out of the different precardiac cell populations. The question addressed in this report is whether endocardial and myocardial cells have a common origin or do the endocardial cells arise from a distinct population of cells from within the precardiac mesoderm. These cells then migrate to become localized between the developing myocardium above and the endoderm below. The distribution of preendocardial cells and premyocardial cells has been followed immunohistochemically in quail heart-forming region mesoderm explants from embryos approximately 18 hr in development and incubated for a 24-hr period. Differentiating myocardiocytes were immunostained with anti-N-cadherin and endocardiocytes with QH-1, a monoclonal antibody that recognizes an antigenic determinant on quail endothelial cells. Sparsely localized QH-1 labeled endothelial cells are localized in the stage 5 heart-forming region. These cells are often arranged in a columnar fashion in the mesoderm explants 6 hr after explantation. By 15–22 hr large patches of QH-1 expressing cells are interspersed with the N-cadherin expressing myocardiocytes. A subpopulation of cells express both N-cadherin and QH-1 antigen suggesting that endocardial and myocardial cells may arise from a common precursor population and that N-cadherin regulation may be a mechanism underlying specific cell sorting of these two cell populations during heart development. © 1993 wiley-Liss, Inc.
Forecasting Errors, Diversification and Inventory Fluctuations

The behavior of inventory changes in the individual firm has important implications for the economy as well as for the firm itself. For the firm, fluctuations in inventory change induce fluctuation...
Health care ethics consultation competences and standards: a roadmap still needing a compass.

Tarzian and the American Society of Bioethics and Humanities (ASBH) Core Competencies Update Task Force have published a revision to the 1998 (first edition) of the Core Competencies and Emerging S...
Lethal and mutagenic effects of radiation and alkylating agents on two strains of mouse L5178Y cells

Abstract In previous studies, the two closely related strains of L5178Y (LY) mouse lymphoma cells, LY-R and LY-S, have been shown to differ in their sensitivity to UV and ionizing radiation. Thus, in comparison to strain LY-R, strain LY-S has been found to be more sensitive to the lethal effects of ionizing radiation, more resistant to the lethal effects of UV radiation, but less mutable at the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (HGPRT) locus by both UV and X-radiation. In the present work, the lethal and mutagenic effects of ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS), methyl nitrosourea (MNU) and UV radiation (254 nm) were compared in the tow strains. Mutability at the Na+/K+-ATPase locus as well as the HGPRT locus was determined. As previously reported, we found strain LY-S to be more resistant than strain LY-R to the lethal effects of UV radiation. In contrast, strain LY-S was more sensitive to the cytotoxic effects of the two alkylating agents. In spite of these differences in sensitivity, we found strain LY-S to be less mutable than strain LY-R by all 3 agents at the HGPRT locus. At the Na+/K+-ATPase locus, strain LY-S was also less mutable than strain LY-R by equal concentrations of EMS and UV radiation and by equitoxic concentrations of MNU. However, the difference between the strains was much more pronounced at the HGPRT locus than at the Na+/K+-ATPase locus. We have suggested that the interaction of unrepaired lesions in strain LY-S tends to cause an excess of deletions and multilocus effects, which in turn result in a locus-dependent decrease in the recovery of viable LY-S mutant cells.
Aerodynamics of viscous flow in counter-rotating finite jets

The aerodynamics of viscous counter-rotating jets flowing through opposed porous disks of infinite radial extent and finite axial separation distance is investigated theoretically. It is found that viscous effects remove the resonance phenomena obtained earlier in the analysis of inviscid problem. The calculated velocity profiles are presented for a representative range of Reynolds and Rossby numbers. Also, the variation of the stretch rates with the jet angular velocity in viscous flow is found to be in good qualitative agreement with the previous experimental observations of premixed and diffusion flame extinction. Nomenclature A = instantaneous flame surface area a = function defined in Eqs. (8) and (10) b = function defined in Eq. (9) cp = heat capacity at constant pressure D = mass diffusion coefficient Ek = Ekman number a)L2lv g = function defined in Eq. (11) h = function defined in Eq. (11) L = half separation distance between burner nozzles 1D = characteristic diffusional length D/w Iff = characteristic hydrodynamic length v/w 1T = characteristic thermal length a/w p = pressure Re = Reynolds number VLIv Ro = Rossby number V/uL r = radial coordinate t = time u = radial velocity V = axial velocity at z = ± L v = azimuthal velocity w = axial velocity Xf = mole fraction of species i z — axial coordinate a = thermal diffusivity \/pcp r = rate of stretch A~l dA/dt A = thermal conductivity IJL = dynamic viscosity v — kinematic viscosity fju/p £ = dimensionless axial coordinate zIL p = density T = dimensionless time tV/L H = a>L/V a) = rotation velocity of the burner Subscripts c = onset of recirculation layer in inviscid flow F = fuel
Methanol-gasoline blends: blending agents to prevent phase separation

Abstract The use of methanol-gasoline blends as automotive fuel is limited, in part, by phase separation at low temperatures. The separation temperature of these mixtures can be adjusted by varying the percentage of blending agent present. Two blending agents were considered in this study, tertiary butyl alcohol and isopropyl alcohol. Both were found to significantly lower the separation temperature, although, isopropyl alcohol is more effective, possibly due to its greater ability to form hydrogen bonds. Correlation equations were derived relating the percentage compositions and the separation temperature.
How Prepared Are You For The First Day Of Class--Or "Blink", Does It Matter?

Recent findings indicate that students often form lasting impressions and opinions of teachers and their potential teaching effectiveness within the first few minutes or even the first few seconds on the first day of class. This paper argues it is the entire first day of an economics class that deserves special attention. Teachers of economics should clearly define economics as a science and explain its scientific methodology. They should emphasize the distinct limitations of economics that explain the many widespread disagreements among economists. Of equal importance, they should stress that understanding the science of economics will be of assistance in preparing and expanding a student’s critical-thinking skills that will ultimately result in sound decisions throughout life. Finally, the paper calls upon teachers to bond with their students by reaching out with genuine concern for each student's success in the class.
Ceric‐initiated polymerization onto polyacrylonitrile with carbohydrate end groups. Graft versus block copolymer formation

Starch-g-polyacrylonitrile (starch-g-PAN) copolymers were prepared by ceric ammonium nitrate initiation, and the major portion of the starch in these graft copolymers was then removed by acid hydrolysis to yield PAN with oligosaccharide end groups. Although these PAN-oligosaccharide samples reacted with methyl methacrylate in the presence of ceric ammonium nitrate, the resulting products were largely graft copolymers rather than the expected PAN-poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) block copolymers. The following evidence is presented for a PAN-g-PMMA structure: (i) PAN without oligosaccharide end groups also produced a copolymer with methyl methacrylate under our reaction conditions. (ii) Starch-g-PAN (51 or 37% add-on) was a less reactive substrate toward ceric-initiated polymerization than PAN with oligosaccharide end groups. (iii) Low-add-on (18%) starch-g-PAN reacted with methyl methacrylate to give a final graft copolymer in which a large percentage of PMMA was grafted to the PAN component rather than to starch.
Foreign Glycoproteins Can Be Actively Recruited to Virus Assembly Sites during Pseudotyping

Retroviruses like human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), as well as many other enveloped viruses, can efficiently produce infectious virus in the absence of their own surface glycoprotein if a suitable glycoprotein from a foreign virus is expressed in the same cell. This process of complementation, known as pseudotyping, often can occur even when the glycoprotein is from an unrelated virus. Although pseudotyping is widely used for engineering chimeric viruses, it has remained unknown whether a virus can actively recruit foreign glycoproteins to budding sites or, alternatively, if a virus obtains the glycoproteins through a passive mechanism. We have studied the specificity of glycoprotein recruitment by immunogold labeling viral glycoproteins and imaging their distribution on the host plasma membrane using scanning electron microscopy. Expressed alone, all tested viral glycoproteins were relatively randomly distributed on the plasma membrane. However, in the presence of budding HIV-1 or Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) particles, some glycoproteins, such as those encoded by murine leukemia virus and vesicular stomatitis virus, were dramatically redistributed to viral budding sites. In contrast, the RSV Env glycoprotein was robustly recruited only to the homologous RSV budding sites. These data demonstrate that viral glycoproteins are not in preformed membrane patches prior to viral assembly but rather that glycoproteins are actively recruited to certain viral assembly sites.
The vortices of geostrophic turbulence

A solution for decaying geostrophic turbulence at large Reynolds number is analysed by means of an automated vortex census. The census identifies the flow structures that approximately conform to the idealized shape of an isolated, coherent geostrophic vortex. It also determines vortex characteristics, such as amplitude, size, and shape. The distributions of these characteristics within the vortex population are examined, as are their time evolutions. These distributions are interpreted with reference to the dynamical processes of vortices, and they are compared to analogous distributions from a solution for two-dimensional turbulence.
FSK and DPSK Performance in a Mixture of CW Tone and Random Noise Interference

The bit error probability performance of both frequency-shift-keyed (FSK) and differential phase-shift-keyed (DPSK) binary systems are described when disturbed by an interference consisting of a mixture continuous wave (CW) tone and narrow-band random noise in addition to the usual broad-band thermal noise background. Performance of the two systems is shown to be identical with the exception that the equivalent DPSK performance occurs at 3 dB less signal-to-thermal-noise ratio. The combination of CW tone and noise interference severely degrades system performance under a broad range of conditions.
Can CK-MB and cTn-I be detected in the peripheral circulation within the first 10 min of acute coronary ischemia?

There are approximately 4 million patients hospitalized with suspected acute coronary syndromes (ACS) annually. However, the current standard tools for assessing ACS in the Emergency Department are felt to have insufficient sensitivity and specificity. Animal studies have demonstrated that CK-MB and troponin-I are released in a biphasic pattern with an initial transient release which peaks and falls within the first 10 min of ischemia. We hypothesize that transient elevations of CK-MB and troponin-I can be detected in the peripheral circulation within the first 10 min of ischemia in a human model of brief coronary ischemia. We also present results from our pilot study that failed to confirm this hypothesis; however, this pilot studied was insufficiently powered to detect potentially clinically important results.
Incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse in parous/nulliparous pairs of identical twins.

Aim To evaluate the role of vaginal delivery in the development of urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse in four sets of identical twins. Methods Four sets of identical twins were identified from 101 pairs of parous/nulliparous postmenopausal sister pairs, who completed a comprehensive questionnaire, and underwent clinical evaluation of urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse as part of a study. Findings of identical twin sisters were compared to each other. Results Ages ranged from 52 to 56 years; the parous sister in each pair had two vaginal deliveries. Two twin pairs reported no incontinence. One pair reported incontinence with activities and stress incontinence was confirmed with VLPP of 120 and 130 cm H2O in the nulliparous and parous sister respectively. In one pair only the nulliparous sister reported incontinence, however both sisters were diagnosed with stress incontinence with VLLP of 130 and 120 cm in the nulliparous and parous sister respectively. Using POP-Q staging for relaxation of the pelvic support system, only one twin pair had a greater than 1 stage difference in any compartment. Conclusions All four pairs of identical twins were diagnosed with identical continence status. Three pairs were identical with regard to support in all three compartments. Vaginal delivery was not associated with urinary incontinence or clinically relevant differences in relaxation of the pelvic support system within four sets of postmenopausal identical twins with different parity status. Neurourol. Urodynam. 27:496–498, 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Yield enhancement of asynchronous logic circuits through 3-dimensional integration technology

This paper presents a systematic design for yield enhancement of asynchronous logic circuits using 3-D (3-Dimensional) integration technology. In this design, the target asynchronous circuits on one planar device layer which is fabricated with aggressive technology, are built on fault tolerant graph models with extra spare resources, and can be reconfigured by autonomous reconfiguration logic on another planar device layer which is fabricated with conservative technology, in the presence of hard errors. The yield analysis shows that this method can result in 20--30% overall yield enhancement. This design methodology can be conveniently applied to clocked designs without significant changes.
Myth of Diffuse Ownership in the United States

This paper offers evidence on the ownership concentration at a representative sample of U.S. public firms. 96% of these firms have blockholders; these blockholders in aggregate own an average 39% of the common stock. The ownership of U.S. firms is similar to and by some measures more concentrated than the ownership of firms in other countries. These findings challenge current thinking on a number of issues, ranging from the nature of the agency conflict in domestic corporations to the relationship between ownership concentration and legal protections for investors around the world.
Effects of fuel treatments on fire severity in an area of wildland-urban interface, Angora Fire, Lake Tahoe Basin, California

Abstract The Angora Fire burned 1243 ha of Jeffrey pine and mixed conifer forest in the Lake Tahoe Basin between June 24 and July 2, 2007. The Angora Fire burned at unusually high severity due to heavy fuels; strong winds; warm, dry weather; and unseasonably low fuel moistures. The fire destroyed 254 homes, and final loss and suppression cost estimates of $160,000,000 make the Angora Fire one of the ten costliest wildfires in US history. The Angora Fire burned into 194 ha of fuel treatments intended to modify fire behavior and protect private and public assets in the Angora Creek watershed. The fire thus provides a unique opportunity to quantitatively assess the effects of fuel treatments on wildfire severity in an area of wildland–urban interface. We measured fire effects on vegetation in treated and adjacent untreated areas within the Angora Fire perimeter, immediately after and one year after the fire. Our measures of fire severity included tree mortality; height of bole char, crown scorch, and crown torch; and percent crown scorch and torch. Unlike most studies of fuel treatment effectiveness, our study design included replication and implicitly controlled for variation in topography and weather. Our results show that fuel treatments generally performed as designed and substantially changed fire behavior and subsequent fire effects to forest vegetation. Exceptions include two treatment units where slope steepness led to lower levels of fuels removal due to local standards for erosion prevention. Hand-piled fuels in one of these two units had also not yet been burned. Excepting these units, bole char height and fire effects to the forest canopy (measured by crown scorching and torching) were significantly lower, and tree survival significantly higher, within sampled treatments than outside them. In most cases, crown fire behavior changed to surface fire within 50 m of encountering a fuel treatment. The Angora Fire underlines the important role that properly implemented fuel treatments can play in protecting assets, reducing fire severity and increasing forest resilience.
The Antiapoptotic Factor Growth Arrest and DNA-Damage-Inducible 45 β Regulates the Nuclear Receptor Constitutive Active/Androstane Receptor-Mediated Transcription

The nuclear receptor constitutive active/androstane receptor (CAR) up-regulated expression of the apoptotic growth arrest and DNA-damage-inducible 45 β (GADD45B) gene in HepG2 cells. Overexpression of GADD45B augmented CAR-mediated induction of the human CYP2B gene by the CAR activator 1,4-bis[2-(3,5-dichloropyridyloxy)]benzene (TCPOBOP) and coactivated CAR-dependent transcription of the NR1-luciferase reporter gene. Small interfering RNA knockdown of GADD45B resulted in repression of both the induction and the coactivation. Induction of the mouse Cyp2b10 gene by TCPOBOP was profoundly attenuated in the primary hepatocytes prepared from GADD45B-knockout mice compared with those from wild-type mice. Because CAR is a key transcription factor that activates the genes that encode for xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes and transporters, GADD45B, acting as a CAR coactivator and coregulating CAR target genes, may be involved in hepatic drug metabolism and excretion of xenobiotics.
Counterregulatory hormones oscillate during steady-state hypoglycemia.

During hypoglycemia, the magnitude of the counterregulatory response depends on the extent of plasma glucose reduction. However, our clinical observations during steady-state hypoglycemia indicate ...
The computation of electromagnetic scattering from concentric spherical structures

The computation of electromagnetic scattering from concentric spherical structures by means of the rigorously exact Mie series solution is discussed. Significant extension of existing numerical results is shown possible with a conventional program capable of handling problems involving 25 layers. Some aspects of the computation are briefly discussed indicating areas and techniques for improvement of accuracy. The results of three different problems are presented: a dielectric sphere, a dielectric shell spaced away from a central perfectly conducting sphere and both 5 and 10 discrete layer approximations to the Luneberg and Eaton-Lippmann radially-inhomogeneous spherical structures. The consideration of this computation technique is used to determine the efficacy of novel methods and approximations, and to indicate areas needing improved numerical analysis.
Injury rates in intramural sports.

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the rate of injury in eight intramural league sports at a small (< 3,000 students) private college in the south-eastern United States. The number and types of injuries were tracked during the 2011–2012 and 2012–2013 academic years for eight intramural league sports: flag football, softball, floor hockey, volleyball, 3v3 basketball, ultimate frisbee, soccer, and 5v5 basketball. For the two academic years combined, the injury rate was 5.56 (95% confidence interval, or CI, = [4.67, 6.61]) per 100 participants; the major injury rate was 0.37 (95% CI = [0.19, 0.73]) per 100 participants. By assessing the rate of injury for intramural sports, intramural staff can strategically implement action plans to minimize risk and be better prepared to respond to injuries when they occur.
Deformation and Fracture by Sharp Rolling Contacts

The contact mechanics of sharp “glass-cutting” rollers is analyzed. Assuming the contact to be plastic, expressions are developed for the width and length of a static contact and the width of a rolling track. The residual stress-intensity factor and stable length for median cracks generated beneath a roller track are derived, assuming the track to have been created by an equivalent wedge loading and modeling the plastic deformation zone as an expanding cylindrical cavity. The strengths of components containing dominant roller flaws are then derived by superposing an applied stress field onto the residual contact field and solving for instability. The contact dimensions, median crack lengths, and strengths are all expressed in terms of the roller radius and included angle, contact load, and indented material hardness, modulus, and toughness. Tests on soda–lime glass and aluminum confirm the predicted dependences.