cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The preparation of a carbohydrate fraction from prothrombin and its chemical nature.

Abstract A procedure has been found for separating a polysaccharide from purified bovine prothrombin. It is believed to be a polymer of glucose.
Unusual electron density profiles observed by Cassini radio occultations in Titan's ionosphere: Effects of enhanced magnetospheric electron precipitation?

[1] The Cassini radio science facility provided 13 occultation electron density profiles of Titan during the period of 2006 and 2009. This paper presents the results of all of these occultation observations. It shows that ten of the observed electron density profiles are similar, but three are significantly different. The number of observations is relatively small for meaningful statistical conclusions, but it is shown, using the corresponding measured electron spectra, that the three anomalous profiles in the ionospheric peak regions are likely to be the result of unusually intense electron precipitation events.
Enhancement of Microsomal Bentazon 6-Hydroxylase and Cinnamic Acid 4-Hydroxylase Activities from Grain Sorghum Shoots

Abstract Microsomes isolated from excised shoots of grain sorghum ( Sorghum bicolor , (L.) Moench) seedlings arylhydroxylated bentazon herbicide and cinnamic acid to 6-hydroxybentazon and p -coumaric acid, respectively. Constitutive, unprotected bentazon 6-hydroxylase (EC 1.14.13.) activity was low but measurable, whereas, constitutive, unprotected cinnamic acid 4-hydroxylase (EC 1.14.13.11) activity was much greater and was easily measurable. Inclusion of the isolation medium additives (i.e., protectants) ascorbate (40 m M ), β-mercaptoethanol (14 m M ), and EDTA (10 m M ) increased bentazon 6-hydroxylase and cinnamic acid 4-hydroxylase activities to levels 11.6 and 1.7 times the control activities, respectively. Naphthalic anhydride seed treatment induced bentazon 6-hydroxylase activity to a level 1.9 to 8.0 times the control activity, depending on the sorghum variety, but did not significantly induce cinnamic acid 4-hydroxylase activity in any variety. Isolation medium additives and naphthalic anhydride seed treatment independently enhanced bentazon 6-hydroxylase activity resulting in a combined increase in activity 21.3 times the control activity. Differential responses of bentazon 6-hydroxylase and cinnamic acid 4-hydroxylase to isolation medium additives and naphthalic anhydride seed treatment suggest that bentazon and cinnamic acid are hydroxylated by different microsomal monooxygenases in sorghum.
QTP in the 60s: John C. Slater and the beginnings of density functional theory

The contributions of John C. Slater and his students to the development of quantum theory of molecules and solids have often been overlooked, especially in the area of the early computer calculations using approximations which were the predecessor to Density Functional Theory. This paper looks back to the early days of the Quantum Theory Project, when Professor Slater was heavily involved, and acknowledges research in this area which laid the foundations to the theory which has become one of the premier approximations in quantum theory today.
Myocardial imaging with radioactive potassium and its analogs

G OALS common to both the clinical and investigative study of coronary heart disease concern accurate detection and definition of the site and extent of acute myocardial infarction, myocardial scar, and reversible myocardial ischemia. Radionuclide myocardial imaging techniques offer the possibility of ultimately fulfilling at least a portion of these goals. The increasing prevalence of the various myocardial imaging approaches over the past 5 yr has been due in part to major advances in instrumentation, development of new radiopharmaceuticals, and application of computer technology to standard clinical nuclear imaging. Early recognition of the association between acute myocardial ischemia and infarction and abnormality in regional potassium metabolism led to investigation of the possibility of utilizing radioactive potassium or radioactive potassium analogs to define abnormalities in the diseased atherosclerotic heart. When these radioactive cations are administered intravenously, sufficient myocardial uptake occurs to allow external detection or imaging of a myocardial radioactivity distribution. This distribution displays zones of infarction or ischemia as “cold spots,” or regions of relatively decreased to
Hydrostatic pressure effect on Tc in the high-temperature superconductors YBa2Cu3O6.60 and YBa2Cu3O6.93 at low pressure in the framework of the dipolon-mechanism

Abstract A previously proposed pairing mechanism involving dipolon excitations in YBa2Cu3O7−δ superconductors has been found by first-principles calculations, without fitting with any parameters, to yield the rate of change of transition temperature (Tc) with pressure (P), dTc/dP, equal to 6.1±1.6 K/GPa for YBa2Cu3O6.60 and 3.6±1.0 K/GPa for YBa2Cu3O6.93, considering Pauling's as well as Tessman, Kahn and Schockley's polarizabilities, in agreement with the corresponding experimental results of 7±1 K/GPa and 3±1 K/GPa due to Medvedeva et al.
Comparison between standard and renormalization group k-ε models in numerical simulation of swirling flow tundish

Because of the introduction of a cylindrical swirling chamber into a neotype tundish, the Swirling Flow Tundish (SFT), the numerical simulation becomes difficult for this kind of tundish by the standard two-equation k-e turbulence model. So another kind of k-e turbulence model, the Renormalization Group (RNG) k-e turbulence model derived from the theory of renormalization group, was adopted and compared with the standard one. Both of these two kinds of turbulence models were used to simulate the flow patterns in SFT on staggered grid systems based on Finite Volume Method (FVM) with SIMPLER algorithm for steady 3D and incompressible Newtonian turbulent flows. The comparison of simulation results from these two models shows that the RNG k-e turbulence model for SFT leads quicker convergence than the standard one. Unsymmetrical flow patterns were obtained and the grid independence of this mathematical model for SFT was also discussed. The theoretical analyses of forces on particle, turbulent kinetic energy distribution and lower flow velocity behind dam and weir show that there will be a good effect for non-metal inclusion aggregation and separation with the swirling chamber.
Brain stem activation of the hippocampus: A role for the magnocellular reticular formation and the MLF

In previous reports (Vertes 1977, 1979) we have shown that cells of the medial magnocellular reticular formation (MMRF) discharge at high rates of activity during both waking-movement and REM sleep and at low rates during quiet waking and slow wave sleep. We suggest that some of these reticular cells may be involved in the generation of the hippocampal theta rhythm since they fire maximally during the identical states (general movement and REM sleep) in which theta is present in the hippocampus of the rat. In the present study the influence of the brain stem on the hippocampus was analyzed by systematically mapping the entire brain stem with stimulation to determine its effect on hippocampal slow wave activity. The results showed that the most effective stimulation sites for eliciting hippocampal synchronization were those within the medial magnocellular reticular formation and in or near the medial longitudinal fasciculus (MLF) at the level of the pons. These results suggest that cells of the MMRF are critically involved in hippocampal theta generation and that the fibers of these theta-eliciting cells primarily ascend in the MLF in their route rostrally from the brain stem.
QoS-guaranteed one-to-many and many-to-many multicast routing

Quality-of-service (QoS) multicast routing with more than one metric has always been technically challenging, since many of them are NP-hard. Most existing QoS multicast routing algorithms are heuristic. Furthermore, many of them considered only the unicast shortest paths, either based on propagation delay or the number of hops. The first part of this paper deals with one-to-many multicast routing. We observed that the end-to-end delay experienced by network packets is determined not only by the propagation distance, but also (and in many cases largely) by the hop-by-hop transmission and queuing delay, which in turn depends on the available bandwidth. Based on this observation, we propose an optimal multicast routing algorithm (the MBDC algorithm), which maximizes the reserved bandwidth while satisfying both delay and bandwidth constraints. Its correctness and time complexity of O(n^2logn) are formally verified, where n is the number of nodes in the network. We also extend the algorithm to support dynamic membership, allowing nodes to join or leave the network, with the cast route updated dynamically. We carefully evaluate both the static and the dynamic algorithms via simulation. The second part of the paper focuses on minimizing the number of centers of multiple-shared multicast trees (MSMT) in many-to-many multicast routing. We propose three heuristic algorithms to this NP-complete problem and compare them with an existing one. We prove, theoretically and through simulation, that our algorithms give the same good results with a significantly shorter running time. We also apply the MBDC extension to the MSMT algorithms, so that the resulting solution not only reduces the number of centers, but also optimizes (maximizes) the bottleneck bandwidth. Proof of correctness, analysis of run-time, and simulation results of these extensions are also provided. We believe that the results report here are significant to the area of QoS-aware multicast routing; the algorithms may be applied to the Internet intra- and inter-domain multicast routing with minimal changes.
Production of φ mesons in central Si+Au collisions at 14.6 A·GeVc

Abstract The production of φ mesons from central Si+Au collisions has been measured by E859 at the BNL-AGS by selecting events with identified K + K − pairs. The values for the mass and width of the φ obtained from the invariant mass of the kaon pairs are consistent with those of the Particle Data Book. Preliminary results for the invariant 1 2πm T d 2 n dm T dy distribution and dN/dy are presented.
Stimulating results with stimulatory antibodies

In this issue of Blood , Svegliati and colleagues provide new insights into the mechanisms of chronic GVHD development by demonstrating the presence and functional activity of stimulatory anti–PDGF-R autoantibodies in patients with extensive chronic GVHD. Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is one
Convective turbulence in weakly ionized plasma

Abstract We show that the two-dimensional E × B and Rayleigh-Taylor driven turbulence in the weakly ionized plasma of the Earth's ionosphere is isomorphic to the viscous convection of an ordinary fluid in a porous medium due to temperature gradients ( E is the ambient electric field and B is the magnetic field). The turbulence results in fluctuations of the electron density which have been observed for several decades by incoherent radar backscattering techniques and rocket mounted instruments. A two-dimensional single field equation has been derived to describe this convective turbulence. Numerical simulations of this equation reveal a strong anisotropy in the turbulence, which consists of rising hot bubbles and falling cool bubbles. These bubbles break up into fingers. Sharp gradients are generated in the direction perpendicular to gravity or equivalently the driving electric field E . After reaching a quasisteady state, the omnidirectional energy spectrum approaches k −2 . Physical mechanisms leading to anisotropy are analysed. An equation, analogous to that for the convective ionospheric plasma, but applicable instead to the two-dimensional convection in the Earth's mantle is derived and simulated. The results from this simulation are discussed.
Characteristics and Outcomes of Entrepreneurial Collaborations

Increasingly, companies are using alliances and joint ventures to pursue entrepreneurial opportunities. These collaborations are voluntary arrangements between two or more firms that exchange, share, bundle, and create resources in pursuit of entrepreneurial opportunities. This paper proposes that the innovativeness and risk characteristics of these entrepreneurial collaborations significantly influence the outcomes that partner firms realize. Furthermore, interfirm trust works to moderate the effects of these characteristics and allows partners to effectively manage these arrangements. Using data from a sample of alliances and joint ventures engaged in new product development in the telecommunications, medical, and electronics industries, we empirically test the effects of these characteristics on partner satisfaction and partnership success.
Differential Roentgenologic Diagnosis for the Oral Surgeon

Intraoral roentgenography provides a third hand for the oral surgeon. It is the procedure most frequently employed for the preoperative and postoperative study of the tissues of the jaws and deserves credit for doing more to alter the nature and character of the work done by oral surgeons than any other aid. Oral roent­ genology has reached the status of a specialty within the practice of dentistry. It is not likely that the oral surgeon who has prepared for his specialty in the shortest time possible will have had an opportunity to gain sufficient experience in oral medicine and oral roentgenology to make him an expert, unless in his training he had an opportunity to handle thousands of patients, for each of whom complete physical and medical histories were obtained, tests and examinations were made, consultation, treatment or surgical intervention, or all t^ree, were carried out as indicated, with a follow-up study to demonstrate not only the efficacy of the prescribed treatment but, more important, the correctness of the diag­ nosis. It may follow, then, that the oral surgeon has as much need of help from the oral roentgenologist as the oral roent­ genologist has need of help from the oral surgeon. It is axiomatic that the patient will be served better by the combined efforts of the oral roentgenologist and oral surgeon than by either alone. The responsibility of obtaining roent­ genograms by the generous use o f film at different angles, and the use of contrast medium suitable for study, along with other roentgenologic aids to provide a result which is sharp in detail, falls to the roentgenologist. After studying the fin­ ished roentgenograms and drawing on his experience, he is able to offer an in­ terpretation of his observations. He must
Dyadic Perfectionism as a Predictor of Relationship Continuity and Distress among College Students.

This study examined the nature and impact of dyadic perfectionism over a 3-month interval within a sample of 116 college students who were currently involved in an intimate heterosexual relationship. Dyadic perfectionism scores were stable and correlated as expected with scores on concurrent measures of adult attachment orientations and relationship satisfaction. Logistic regression analyses revealed that, controlling for initial commitment status and adult attachment orientations, Time 1 dyadic perfectionism scores significantly and uniquely predicted relationship continuity 3 months later. Lastly, controlling for social desirability, relationship commitment status, and Time 1 adult attachment orientation scores, Time 1 dyadic perfectionism scores also uniquely predicted Time 2 relationship distress. Findings provide additional evidence that dyadic perfectionism is a risk factor for relationship dysfunction.
Preparation of ent-Prostaglandin E2

Abstract The enantiomeric prostaglandins, exemplified by ent-PGE2, are apparently produced in vivo by the nonenzymatic oxidation of arachidonic acid. To assess the physiological activity of ent-PGE2, it was necessary to prepare it by total synthesis. The key transformation in this synthesis was the equilibration of the kinetically prepared ent-15-E2t-isoprostane to ent-PGE2.
Examination of Gender-role Portrayals in Television Advertising across Seven Countries

This study examined the roles of cultural (Hofstede’s Masculinity value dimension—i.e., Gender of Nations), country-level (Gender-related Development Index), and execution-level (product type or gender of the typical user) factors in understanding gender-role portrayals in television advertising. Using content analysis methodology, we compared the gender and occupation of the prominent character and the gender of the voice-over across 2,608 television commercials in Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, South Korea, Thailand, and the United States. Results of regression analyses revealed that cultural and country factors predicted the gender of the voice-over only whereas product type consistently conformed with the gender of the prominent character. Overall, males were featured in prominent visual and auditory roles, while females were still portrayed in stereotypical ways.
Large Amplitude Shock-Wave Motion in Two-Dimensional, Transonic Channel Flows

Two-dimensional unsteady transonic channel flow with a shock wave is considered for the slowly varying time regime. Pressure oscillations, introduced downstream of the shock wave, cause the shock wave to oscillate; the case considered is that where the shock moves upstream to the throat, disappears, and then reappears as the downstream pressure first increases and then decreases. The subsequent shock-wave motion consists of oscillations either about the throat or about the original steady flow shock position, depending upon the values of various parameters. These two cases and the dividing case are illustrated with example calculations.
Regularized ℓ1-Graph for data clustering

l1-Graph has been proven to be effective in data clustering, which partitions the data space by using the sparse representation of the data as the similarity measure. However, the sparse representation is performed for each datum independently without taking into account the geometric structure of the data. Motivated by l1-Graph and manifold leaning, we propose Regularized l1-Graph (Rl1-Graph) for data clustering. Compared to l1-Graph, the sparse representations of Rl1-Graph are regularized by the geometric information of the data. In accordance with the manifold assumption, the sparse representations vary smoothly along the geodesics of the data manifold through the graph Laplacian constructed by the sparse codes. Experimental results on various data sets demonstrate the superiority of our algorithm compared to l1-Graph and other competing clustering methods.
Multiple vital functions of the daughterless (da) gene in Drosophila melanogaster and factors influencing its expression.

Multiple sub-vital effects, here designated as reductions in fitness S1−S5, for the second chromosome gene ‘daughterless’ (da) of Drosophila melanogaster were described as (S1) a recessive maternal lethality for daughters, (S2) a reduced fertility of da/da females, (S3) a recessive sub-vital zygotic effect, (S4) a recessive female-specific zygotic effect and (S5) a recessive maternal interaction effect on sons. (For S1–3 see also: Bell, 1954; Sandler, 1972; Cline, 1976). These five distinct effects were initially quantified from estimates of viability in single generation crossing experiments. Dynamic estimates of these fitness parameters were obtained by fitting the elimination rate of da from a series of large random mating cage populations to a recurrence equation by the method of minimum chi-square. The stability of these estimates discerns those effects which are truly pleiotropic versus those due to linked genes.
Toward an Explication of Media Enjoyment: The Synergy of Social Norms, Viewing Situations, and Program Content

In studying media enjoyment, communication scholars have assumed a measurable, internally valid relationship between program content and viewer response. Drawing on literature from sport and social psychology in addition to communication, this article posits that media enjoyment reflects a coalescence of 3 factors: (a) social norms, (b) viewing situations, and (c) program content. The article explores this conceptualization with televised football as a content source, social norms that reflect hegemonic masculinity, and a viewing situation in which audience members are part of a homogenous social group. Drawing on uses and gratifications, social identity, disposition, and uncertainty reduction theories, the article suggests that social norms and viewing situations are ultimately as central to enjoyment as content is.
Nanoridge Surface Plasmon Waveguides

Metal nanoridges can support well-confined propagating surface plasmon modes. Various geometries of silver nanoridges are investigated in this work. It is found that semicircular top nanoridges are optimal for supporting high figure-of-merit surface plasmon modes.
Race Differences in Selective Credulity and Self Esteem

Despite a large number of empirical studies showing blacks to have higher levels of self esteem than whites, no adequate explanation for this difference has been developed. This paper proposes a th...
α-Fe2O3/single-walled carbon nanotube hybrid films as high-performance anodes for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries

Abstract The hybrid films composed of single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) macro-films and α-Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticles in fine crystalline size (6–20 nm) are prepared by a simple heat treatment of the as-synthesized SWNT macro-films. The SWNT macro-films with superior conductivity and flexibility can facilitate the charge transfer processes as well as accommodate the volumetric change of the α-Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticles due to the Li-intercalated phase transformations, enabling high specific capacities over 1000 mAh g −1 and an excellent cyclic stability up to 100 cycles for the α-Fe 2 O 3 /SWNT hybrid films. The increment of the capacity to approach the theoretical capacity of α-Fe 2 O 3 during cycling results from the relaxed conversional reactions between the reduced and oxidized states of iron ions (Fe 0 , Fe(II) and Fe(III)). Experimental results have shown that the thickness of the hybrid films has a significant impact on the diffusion coefficient of Li + . With a thickness comparable to Li + characteristic diffusion length in the range of 300–500 nm, the hybrid films exhibit an optimal electrochemical performance. The findings on the synthesis approach and the thickness effect provide a promising strategy for a large-scale production of high-performance anode materials for Li-ion batteries.
Strategies in cancer vaccines development

The recent definition of tumour-specific immunity in cancer patients and the identification of tumour-associated antigens have generated renewed enthusiasm for the application of immune-based therapies for the treatment of malignancies. Recent developments in cancer vaccines have also been based on an improved understanding of the cellular interactions required to induce a specific anti-tumour immune response. Consequently, a number of cancer vaccines have entered clinical trials. Targeting broad-spectrum tumour-associated antigens has emerged as a strategy to lower the risk of tumour escape due to the loss of specific nominal antigen. Amongst the most challenging of tumour-associated antigens to which to target in active specific immunotherapy applications are carbohydrate antigens. As carbohydrates are intrinsically T-cell-independent antigens, more novel approaches are perhaps needed to drive specific-T-cell-dependent immune responses to carbohydrate antigens. In this context peptide mimetics of core structures of tumour-associated carbohydrate antigens might be developed to augment immune responses to these broad-spectrum antigens.
Androgen dependent penile development and erection physiology-a molecular connection?

carefully designed to control androgen exposure, evaluating the effects of dihydrotestosterone as the key androgen responsible for penile development. The protocol also employed smooth muscle biomarker measurements of the androgenic effects. The work provides evidence in support of the requirement of the neonatal testosterone surge for the differentiation of corpus smooth muscle cells and, thus, development of the penis. Notwithstanding their confirmation of androgen dependent penile development the investigators have made some striking observations that merit comment. 1 The localization of the androgenic effects on smooth muscle cells of the corpus cavernosum and not the corpus spongiosum suggests differential androgentargetingeffectsinpeniledevelopment.The investigators propose that this distinction is due to differences in the cellular composition and structure of the corpus cavernosum with specialized molecular interactions between endothelial cells of cavernous spaces and smooth muscle cells of trabeculae in thecorpuscavernosum.Chemicalmessagesoperating via intercellular communications are certainly possible and other investigative work has suggested molecular crosstalk between endothelial and smooth muscle cells in the penis. 2,3 Further investigative work in this model system offers to delineate the molecular interactions that may be in play. The finding of a significant reduction in PDE5a expression, also localized to the corpus cavernosum but notthecorpusspongiosum,uponandrogenwithdrawal in the neonatal period is also intriguing. The dependence of PDE5a expression on androgens has been disputed in prior investigations. 4,5 Evidence provided here 1 would support a contention that PDE5a expres
Comment on ``Phase properties of the quantized single-mode electromagnetic field''

We show that the approach by Pegg and Barnett [Phys. Rev. A 39, 1665 (1989)] to construct a phase operator through a limiting procedure does not give a satisfactory description of the phase properties of the quantized electromagnetic field. We refute the claim that their approach predicts the same results of physical experiments on phase properties as the conventional Hilbert space approach. Their procedure could only be used as a definition of the phase, but it is not a good definition because the ``phase'' states they used to construct their ``phase'' operator are not of precisely defined phase contrary to their assertion.
Assessment of currently available low-density lipoprotein apheresis systems.

: It has already been 10 years since the introduction of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) apheresis technologies. They have been established as technically and medically feasible for long-term treatment and economically acceptable, and their long-term treatment effects have been determined. Currently, there are efforts to develop more selective LDL removal systems. However, after 10 years of research, it is time to carefully review this strategy. The approach may have become too specific in light of the multiple macromolecules involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. In this paper, the six currently available LDL apheresis systems (plasma exchange, double filtration plasmapheresis, thermofiltration, LDL chemical adsorption (Kaneka system), LDL immunoadsorption, and the heparin-induced extracorporeal LDL precipitation [HELP] system) were reviewed and scored from various points of view such as effectiveness, simplicity, safety, and cost performance. Finally, each system was assessed from the global point of view in relation to the pathogenesis of lipid-related diseases.
Primary Anti-protein Antibody Synthesis elicited in vitro

ELICITATION of the primary antibody response after in vitro stimulation with participate antigens1,2 or after transfer of RNA or RNA protein complexes extracted from macrophages previously exposed to the antigen3 has recently been consistently demonstrated. Direct elicitation of the primary anti-protein antibody in vitro has been accomplished only inconsistently, however4. We describe here a simple and reliable system for the elicitation and study of the de novo antibody response after in vitro stimulation of fragment cultures with a protein antigen.
Channel hot electron effect in charge coupled devices

CCDs exhibit a channel hot electron effect analogous to the channel hot electron effect observed in IGFETs. The significance of this effect depends on the type of CCD and the technology used to fabricate it. However, a specific CCD structure and technology has been analysed to illustrate the basic principles and experimental methods which can be used to evaluate the effect for any charge coupled device. A four phase surface channel CCD was used for the analysis. The technology is n-channel, double polysilicon gate with 50 nm gate oxides and a 5Ω-cm substrate. A channel implant of 5.3×1011cm-2is used to raise the threshold of the FETs made concurrently with the CCDs.
Vapor growth of CdTe laser window materials

Abstract Vapor deposition of CdTe from elemental cadmium and tellurium sources was studied as a function of the Cd/Te ratio, the supersaturation and the substrate temperature, in order to achieve optimum growth conditions for CdTe windows with low optical absorptivity in the infrared. A multisubstrate arrangement was designed to enable acquisition of growth data simultaneously on up to six specimens, each exposed to different growth conditions. Polycrystalline blanks up to 15 cm 2 × 2 mm thick were grown at rates of 0.02-1.5 mm/h with the growth rate exhibiting sensitivity to all of the above variables. Our results show that stoichiometry (as well as free carrier concentrations) can be controlled by adjustments in the Cd/Te ratio and/or the substrate temperature. Similarly, microstructural aspects (e.g., grain and void size) are shown to exhibit strong sensitivity to variations in growth conditions.
Young children selectively seek help when solving problems.

Abstract There is strong evidence that children show selectivity in their reliance on others as sources of information, but the findings to date have largely been limited to contexts that involve factual information. The current experiments were designed to determine whether children might also show selectivity in their choice of sources within a problem-solving context. Children in two age groups (20–24 months and 30–36 months, total N = 60) were presented with a series of conceptually difficult problem-solving tasks and were given an opportunity to interact with adult experimenters who were depicted as either good helpers or bad helpers. Participants in both age groups preferred to seek help from the good helpers. The findings suggest that even young children evaluate others with reference to their potential to provide help and use this information to guide their behavioral choices.
On the Galois groups of Legendre polynomials

Abstract Ever since Legendre introduced the polynomials that bear his name in 1785, they have played an important role in analysis, physics and number theory, yet their algebraic properties are not well-understood. Stieltjes conjectured in 1890 how they factor over the rational numbers. In this paper, assuming Stieltjes’ conjecture, we formulate a conjecture about the Galois groups of Legendre polynomials, to the effect that they are “as large as possible,” and give theoretical and computational evidence for it.
Human recombinant factor VII for emergency reversal of coagulopathy in neurosurgical patients: a retrospective comparative study.

OBJECTIVE Severe coagulopathy in a neurosurgical patient with intracranial hemorrhage is a common and serious problem. Current therapy with vitamin K and fresh-frozen plasma (FFP) may be too slow in certain situations. There are reports of rapid reversal of coagulopathy using human recombinant factor VII. We present a retrospective controlled study of our experience with factor VII. METHODS We used factor VII as a second-line therapy after initial attempts at reversal with FFP had failed. Factor VII was given to 29 patients in the neurosurgical intensive care unit; 24 patients treated before the introduction of factor VII were control subjects. The groups were matched by age, sex, cause of coagulopathy, and presence of intracranial hemorrhage. RESULTS After initial FFP administration, the international normalized ratio (INR) changed from a mean of 2.57 to 1.67 in the factor VII group and from 2.17 to 1.85 in control subjects. In all patients, INR tended to rebound. Before administration of factor VII, the mean INR was 2.206. After 1.4 mg of factor VII, mean INR decreased to 1.12 (P < 0.05). Measured from admission, INR in the factor VII group normalized within 6.78 +/- 2.68 hours, and in control subjects, within 47.44 +/- 9.88 hours (P < 0.0005). Six factor VII patients and six control subjects died. The number of patients with good functional outcome (Glasgow Outcome Scale score of 5) was greater among patients treated with factor VII compared with those who received only vitamin K and FFP (nine versus two, P = 0.04). None of the deaths were the result of a thrombotic complication. There were no thrombotic complications in the factor VII group. CONCLUSION Factor VII is safe and highly effective when emergency reversal of coagulopathy is desired and may improve the functional outcome. We speculate that the use of factor VII as first choice may result in decreased use of FFP and thus increase patient safety.
Isothermal surface production and regulation for high heat flux applications utilizing porous inserts

Abstract The present work deals with an innovative way for producing and regulating an isothermal surface in high heat flux applications. This is achieved through the use of two fundamental configurations employing variable area channels. The flow field is modeled using the generalized formulation of the momentum equation and the energy equation is modeled based on one and two equation models. A comprehensive analysis of the influence of the inclination angle in producing flow area variations and its influence in creating an isothermal surface in the presence of an imposed high heat flux is presented. An isothermal surface along the bottom wall of a variable area channel configuration subjected to a high heat flux is produced for various controlling parameters and is presented graphically. The results presented in this work constitute an innovative way of producing and regulating isothermal surfaces in the presence of an imposed high heat flux.
Systolic architecture for discrete wavelet transforms with orthonormal bases

The wavelet transform provides a new method for signal/image analysis where high frequency components are studied with finer time resolution and low frequency components with coarser time resolution. It decomposes a scanned signal into localized contributions for multiscale analysis. This paper presents a general systolic architecture for efficient computations of both signal decomposition and signal reconstruction with orthonormal wavelet bases. When the number of data points windowed in the input is W equals 2 m , our discrete wavelet transform (DWT) systolic architecture is composed of m layers of 1-dimensional arrays, which compute the high-pass and the low-pass filtered components simultaneously. Input data string can enter and be processed on-the-fly continuously at the rate of one data point per clock period T. For an input signal of length N (multiple of W), the computation time is NT when N is large. Multiple DWT problems can be pipelined through the array. The computation time for a large number of successive DWT problems is also NT per DWT.
Power system transient stability analysis through a homotopy analysis method

As an important function of energy management systems, online contingency analysis plays an important role in providing power system security warnings of instability. At present, N-1 contingency analysis still relies on time-consuming numerical integration to assess transient stability. To reduce computational cost, this paper proposes a transient stability analysis method based on homotopy analysis. The proposed method analyzes power system transient stability by computing bifurcation points of nonlinear differential equations. These bifurcation points constitute transient stability region boundaries. The method judges if the post-fault system can survive a disturbance by analyzing whether the initial values following fault clearance locate within the boundaries. The proposed method provides an alternative approach to assessing power system transient stability instead of traditional numerical integration. A simple case is presented to demonstrate application of the proposed method; the analysis results of the proposed method are consistent with the results of numerical integration.
Isolation and partial characterization of the basal cell membrane of human placental trophoblast

The function of the syncytiotrophoblast in maternal-fetal exchange is related to the properties of its microvillous (maternal-facing) and basal (fetal-facing) plasma membranes. We have previously reported the properties of the microvillous membrane (Smith, C.H., Nelson, D.M., King, B.F., Donohue, T.M., Ruzycki, S.M. and Kelley, L.K. (1977) Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. 128, 190-196), and now describe the purification and partial characterization of the basal plasma membrane. Sonication and incubation with EDTA were used to isolate selectively the basal cell membrane. These steps were followed by a more conventional purification by centrifugation. The trophoblast was disrupted and its microvillous membrane and cytoplasmic contents were removed by sonication. The exposed basal cell membrane was selectively released from the underlying basal lamina by sonication in the presence of EDTA and further purified by discontinuous Ficoll gradient centrifugation. The material at the 4-10% Ficoll interface consisted of smooth membrane vesicles with internal microfilaments. It was 45-fold enriched in dihydroalprenolol binding activity and 11-fold enriched in ouabain binding activity. Other enzymatic analyses, including alkaline phosphatase, cytochrome-c oxidase, cytochrome-c reductase and galactosyl transferase indicated low contamination by other organelles. This procedure yields a preparation of relatively high purity which should be suitable for investigation of transport and other functions of the basal surface membrane of trophoblast. In principle, the purification procedures used may be applicable to other transporting epithelia.
Synthesis and characterization of thiol-functionalized polymer as binder in conductive ink

The technology of electrical printing has received industrial and scientific attention due to wide variety of application such as sensors, radio frequency identification cards (RFIDs), flexible display, and flexible solar cell. Especially a roll to roll gravure printing technique has been useful for mass production of electrical products. For the more high quality of conductive ink, the compatibility of organic binder and inorganic filler is very important. In this study, Thiol-functionalized polymer and core-shell conductive nanoparticles were used as the binder and filler. The thiol moieties in binder contribute to functionality of the synthesized polymer. Also, the conductivity and viscosity of synthesized ink and compatibility of filler with binder were characterized in various conditions.
Hadronic effects in the muon anomalous magnetic moment

Abstract We discuss the hadronic light-by-light scattering contribution to the muon anomalous magnetic moment, a μ = ( g μ − 2 ) / 2 , paying particular attention to the consistent matching of the short- and long-distance behaviors of the light-by-light scattering amplitude. Accounting for the short-distance constraints leads to an approximately 50% increase in the central value of a μ LbL compared with existing estimates.
Single-Molecule Imaging of a Fluorescent Unnatural Amino Acid Incorporated Into Nicotinic Receptors

We report on the first, to our knowledge, successful detection of a fluorescent unnatural amino acid (fUAA), Lys(BODIPYFL), incorporated into a membrane protein (the muscle nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, nAChR) in a living cell. Xenopus oocytes were injected with a frameshift-suppressor tRNA, amino-acylated with Lys(BODIPYFL) and nAChR (α/β19′GGGU/γ/δ) mRNAs. We measured fluorescence from oocytes expressing nAChR β19′Lys(BODIPYFL), using time-resolved total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy. Under conditions of relatively low receptor density (<0.1 receptors/μm2), we observed puncta with diffraction-limited profiles that were consistent with the point-spread function of our microscope. Furthermore, diffraction-limited puncta displayed step decreases in fluorescence intensity, consistent with single-molecule photobleaching. The puncta densities agreed with macroscopic ACh-induced current densities, showing that the fUAA was incorporated, and that receptors were functional. Dose-response relations for the nAChR β19′Lys(BODIPYFL) receptors were similar to those for wild-type receptors. We also studied nAChR β19′Lys(BODIPYFL) receptors labeled with α-bungarotoxin monoconjugated with Alexa488 (αBtxAlexa488). The nAChR has two αBtx binding sites, and puncta containing the Lys(BODIPYFL) labeled with αBtxAlexa488 yielded the expected three discrete photobleaching steps. We also performed positive control experiments with a nAChR containing enhanced green fluorescent protein in the γ-subunit M3-M4 loop, which confirmed our nAChR β19′Lys(BODIPYFL) measurements. Thus, we report on the cell-based single-molecule detection of nAChR β19′Lys(BODIPYFL).
Cellular robotic collision-free path planning

Presents a massively parallel, connectionist model for cellular robotic collision-free path planning. A number of cellular robots (represented by via points) are distributed along the initial path arbitrarily set up, and move toward the final positions to form an optimal collision-free path, following the locally defined rules. The local rules for individual cellular robots are based on the gradient of the potential field due to the polyhedral obstacles and the distances to the neighboring cellular robots. The cellular robotic path planning provides massive parallelism and has power to effectively deal with path planning of three dimensional case with translational and rotational motions. Finally, the algorithm incorporates simulated annealing to solve a local minimum problem. >
Optimal openings for overlapping signal and noise grains

Optimal openings are considered for extraction of signal from noise in the random binary union-noise model. Disjointness of signal and noise is not assumed, nor are grains within the signal or within the noise assumed to be disjoint. There is a constraint on the overlapping, but this reflects the manner in which binary granular images are derived from gray-scale images of touching objects. The method assumes that the degraded image is segmented by the binary watershed algorithm and that an optimal opening by reconstruction must be found to remove segmented noise grains while passing segmented signal grains.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Receptor-mediated uptake of GnRH agonist and antagonists by cultured gonadotropes: Evidence for differential intracellular routing

Abstract The binding and uptake of the GnRH agonist D-Lys 6 -GnRH and of the antagonists [N-Ac-D-(pyro)-Cl-Phe 1,2 -D-Trp 3 -Lys 6 -D-Ala 10 ]-GnRH and D-p-Glu 1 -D-Phe 2 -D-Trp 3 -D-Lys 6 -GnRH by dispersed pituitary gonadotropes was studied with electron microscopy. The peptides were coupled to colloidal gold markers with a diameter of 6 or 20 nm which were incubated separately or together for time periods between 15 and 180 min. Both antagonists could be found after 45 and 180 min at 37°C in lysosomes as well as at the plasma membrane of gonadotropes. Co-incubation of both antagonists or of agonist and either antagonist resulted in uptake of the conjugates into separate lysosomes as well as mixed together into the same lysosome. Localization of the antagonists in structures associated with the Golgi apparatus was not observed at the time points studied. The results show that both GnRH agonist- and antagonist-conjugates are biologically active and that they are internalized by the gonadotropes via receptor mediated endocytosis. The failure to detect antagonist conjugates in the Golgi apparatus may indicate that passage through this organelle requires activation of the receptors by agonists and that the uptake of antagonist into lysosomes due to normal membrane protein turnover.
Glass/Ceramic Interactions in the Can-in-Canister Configuration for Disposal of Excess Weapons Plutonium

A can-in-canister waste package design has been proposed for disposal of pyrochlore rich ceramics containing excess weapons plutonium. The can-in-canister configuration consists of a high-level waste (HLW) canister fitted with a rack that holds minicanisters containing the ceramic. The HLW canister is then filled with glass. The pressurized unsaturated flow (PUF) technique was used to investigate waste form/waste form interactions that may occur when water penetrates the waste containers and contacts the waste forms. Volumetric water content was observed to increase steadily from accumulation of water mass as waters of hydration associated with alteration phases formed on the glass surface. Periodic excursions in effluent electrical conductivity and pH were monitored and correlated with secondary phases formed during the test. Plutonium exited the PUF system primarily as filterable particulates. However, effluent Pu and Gd concentrations were found to decrease with time and remained at near detection limits after approximately 250 days, except during transient pH excursions. These results indicate that both Pu and Gd will be retained in the can-in-canister waste package to a very high degree.
Monoaminergic and gabaergic terminations in phrenic nucleus of rat identified by immunohistochemical labeling

The termination patterns of axons in the phrenic nucleus immunoreactive to synthetic enzymes for catecholamines and for serotonin and GABA were studied in rats. Spinal cord tissue in which phrenic motoneurons were retrogradely labeled with horseradish peroxidase was incubated with antisera against dopamine beta-hydroxylase, phenylethanolamine-N-methyltransferase, 5-hydroxytryptamine, and GABA to identify presumptive terminations of monoaminergic and GABAergic neurons onto identified phrenic motoneurons. In the C3 to C5 spinal cord, 5-hydroxytryptamine-, dopamine beta-hydroxylase- and GABA-like positive terminals with varicosities formed a dense network, with presumptive synaptic contacts on dendrites and somas of phrenic motoneurons. A similar pattern of terminations was also observed in adjacent (non-respiratory muscle) motoneuron pools. There were fewer phenylethanolamine-N-methyltransferase-positive terminal arborizations in the cervical spinal cord compared to thoracic spinal cord; phenylethanolamine-N-methyltransferase terminals were not seen in the vicinity of phrenic motoneurons. These results suggest that phrenic motoneuronal activity is influenced by multiple supraspinal inputs utilizing different neurotransmitters. These transmitters also mediate inputs to other (nearby) spinal motoneurons and thus are not unique for signal transmission to phrenic motoneurons.