cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Adsorption of Admixtures on Portland Cement

In an attempt to verify theories on the effect of admixtures on portland cement, the adsorption isotherms for calcium lignosulfonate and salicylic acid on cement have been determined. The adsorption isotherms for these compounds on 3CaO·SiO2, 2CaO·SiO2, 3CaO·Al2O3, and 4CaO·Al2O3·Fe2O3 and on a mixture of these components in the ratio 60/25/5/10 have also been determined. Adsorption isotherms were determined at 24°C by a spectrophotometric method, using a Beckman DU spectrophotometer. As a check on the method, previous work of Ernsberger and France on the adsorption of lignosulfonates on portland cement was repeated and their results were confirmed. Results indicate that in aqueous solution the constituents of portland cement mainly responsible for the adsorption of the two compounds studied are the hydration products of 3CaO·Al2O3 and 4CaO·Al2O3·Fe2O3. Salicylic acid adsorption on cement compounds does not fit the Langmuir form. However, adsorption of salicylic acid on type I portland cement, for equilibrium concentrations above 0.005%, fits the form. Calcium lignosulfonate adsorption on type I portland cement, 3CaO·SiO2, 2CaO·SiO2, and partly on 4CaO·Al2O3·Fe2O3 fits the Langmuir form. Adsorption isotherms of salicylic acid on the major cement compounds were determined from ethyl alcohol solution to eliminate the hydration of the compounds occurring in aqueous solution. The adsorption of salicylic acid on the materials studied was found to be in the order: The effect of water on the adsorption of salicylic acid from ethyl alcohol solution was studied. It was found that the smaller the amount of water present, above a minimum value, the greater was the adsorption on 3CaO·Al2O3, 2CaO·SiO2, and 3CaO·SiO2. In the case of 4CaO·Al2O3·Fe2O3 the adsorption of salicylic acid was proportional to the amount of water present at all concentrations studied. It is observed in certain cases that it is probably not surface adsorption but a compound formation with salicylic acid.
OPTIMIZING PHOSPHORUS AND ZINC CONCENTRATIONS IN HYDROPONIC CHELATOR-BUFFERED NUTRIENT SOLUTION FOR RUSSET BURBANK POTATO

High rates of phosphorus (P) fertilizer for potato production have potentially negative environmental and nutritional consequences, including antagonistic interactions with micronutrients. Variable P or zinc (Zn) treatments were evaluated in chelator-buffered solutions to identify deficient, sufficient, and excess concentrations for Russet Burbank potato. Visual observations, dry matter, and nutrient concentrations confirmed 0.1 and 2 μM as deficient, 6 to 54 μM as sufficient and 162 and 456 μM Zn as excessive under variable Zn; and 32 μM as deficient, 64 to 512 as sufficient and 1024 and 2048 μM P as excessive under variable P. A strong impact of solution Zn on P concentration and almost no impact of solution P on Zn concentration of potato were observed. New and old shoot and root Mn concentrations were affected by solution P. Results facilitate further study of P-Zn interactions using the chelator-buffered solution.
METAL SUBSTITUTIONS IN CARBONIC ANHYDRASE: A HALIDE ION PROBE STUDY.

Abstract 35 Cl nmr line width and activity measurements are reported for the zinc, mercury and cadmium forms of bovine and human carbonic anhydrase B. The zinc data agree well with previous reports; however, there is no 35 Cl nmr line broadening observed for the cadmium and mercury derivatives of the enzyme which are inactive in the presence of excess zinc. The results suggest altered coordination geometry or first coordination sphere saturation by protein ligands for the cadmium and mercury derivatives of the enzyme.
Proteomics of lipid oxidation-induced oxidation of porcine and bovine oxymyoglobins

Myoglobin (Mb) redox state affects meat color and is destabilized by lipid oxidation products such as 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE). Our objective was to investigate lipid oxidation-induced oxymyoglobin (OxyMb) oxidation in Mb from two major meat-producing livestock species utilizing MS and proteomics tools. Porcine OxyMb was incubated with HNE and analyzed for metmyoglobin (MetMb) formation. MetMb formation was greater in the presence of HNE than controls at pH 7.4 and 37 degrees C (p <0.05). MALDI-TOF MS was used to identify adduct formation; only mono-adducts of HNE (via Michael addition) with porcine Mb were detected. LC-ESI-MS/MS identified three histidine (HIS) residues in porcine Mb that were readily adducted by HNE (HIS 24, 36 and 119), whereas in bovine Mb seven histidine residues (HIS 24, 36, 81, 88, 93, 119 and 152) were adducted. Quantitation of HNE-adducted peptides using isotope-labeled phenyl isocyanate indicated that, initially, HIS 36 was preferentially adducted in porcine Mb whereas HIS 81, 88 and 93 were the predominant sites of early HNE adduction in bovine Mb. Preferential HNE adduction at the proximal histidine (HIS 93) was observed exclusively in bovine OxyMb and may explain why lipid oxidation-induced OxyMb oxidation appears more extensive in beef, than in pork.
EFFECT OF WATER ACTIVITY ON NUCLEASE PRODUCTION BY Staphylococcus aureus

The effect of aw and three polyol humectants, glycerol, propylene glycol and butylene glycol on the production of heat-stable staphylococcal nuclease by S. aureus 196E was examined. Nuclease enzyme activity as detected by the DNA-agar-diffusion technique was related to the growth pattern in various test conditions. Of the conditions tested, 20% glycerol (0.95 aw), 10% proplyene glycol (0.97 aw), and 10% butylene glycol (0.98 aw) were shown to result in a reduced rate of nuclease production per unit cell, when compared to conditions of higher water activity.
Nutrition for Pregnant and Lactating Women: Implications for Worksite Health Promotion

Abstract Recent statistics provide strong evidence that more American women are entering and remaining in the work force. The majority of these working women are of prime childbearing age and choose to work during pregnancy and after childbirth. This labor force trend, coupled with the increasing interest in worksite health promotion programs, raises the issue of pregnancy, lactation and the nutritional needs of working women, and how worksite health promotion programs can best respond to these needs. This article aims to provide a framework for developing worksite maternal nutrition education programs for this population.
Probiotics, Prebiotics, and Commensal Bacteria: Perspectives and Clinical Applications in Gastroenterology

T his issue of the Gastroenterology Clinics of North America targets the basic science and clinical applications relating to the role of commensal bacteria in health and disease. Unresolved controversies regarding the mechanisms of action and clinical use of preand probiotics are being resolved by basic scientists and clinical investigators. The perspectives and potential clinical applications are offered by an international group of outstanding investigators. Each investigator’s work is an expression of his analytic skills and creativity, and this issue represents a rich diversity of investigative research. Our hope is that this issue will provide a platform for understanding the many potential clinical applications in this exciting area of research. Dysregulated immune responses in genetically susceptible hosts can result in a group of inflammatory and allergic illnesses. The research gives particular emphasis to the manipulation of bacterial flora for the betterment of human host health by the addition of probiotics and prebiotics. The induction of protective immune responses in normal hosts by commensal bacteria is fully discussed. Dr. Tannock states that the principles of microbial ecology are essential to an understanding of the relationship between the gut microbiota and the human host. A major advance in determining culturable bacterial species involves the revelation that the ribosomal subunit RNA (16S RNA) contained regions of nucleotide base sequences that were highly conserved across the world. These were interspersed with variable V regions containing the signatures of
Utopia and Its Discontents: The Kibbutz and Its Historical Vicissitudes

Following an explication of "utopianism," this article describes the social and cultural systems of the original utopian communes comprising the Israeli kibbutz movement. It then describes the radical changes that have been made in those systems. After accounting for these changes, it assesses their implications for the utopian and cultural determinist theories of human nature. (Keywords:
Bacillus thuringiensis: Laboratory tests against four species of biting lice (mallophaga: Trichodectidae)

Abstract Four species of mammalian biting lice, Bovicola bovis, B. crassipes, B. limbata, and B. ovis, were more susceptible in the laboratory to the spore-δ-endotoxin complex of Bacillus thuringiensis than to the β-exotoxin. The relative potency of these active principles was thus reversed from that for avian biting lice. The activity of the preparations tested was not homologous with that of E-61, the international standard for δ-endotoxin activity.
Notch and Wingless Signaling Cooperate in Regulation of Dendritic Cell Differentiation

Dendritic cell (DC) differentiation is regulated by stroma via a network of soluble and cell-bound factors. Notch is one of the major elements of this network. Its role in DC differentiation, however, is controversial. Here, we demonstrate that activation of Notch signaling in hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) promoted differentiation of conventional DCs via activation of the canonical Wingless (Wnt) pathway. Inhibition of the Wnt pathway abrogated the effect of Notch on DC differentiation. The fact that activation of the Wnt pathway in Notch-1-deficient embryonic stem cells restored DC differentiation indicates that Wnt signaling is downstream of the Notch pathway in regulating DC differentiation. Notch signaling activated the Wnt pathway in HPCs via expression of multiple members of the Frizzled family of Wnt receptors, which was directly regulated by the CSL (RPB-Jκ) transcription factor. Thus, these data suggest a model of DC differentiation via cooperation between Wnt and Notch pathways.
Electroretinographic response from the green rods of the isolated, perfused frog retina.

Abstract Increment thresholds were determined for the electroretinographic a-wave , the b-wave , and the isolated PIII component of isolated, perfused frog retinas as a function of white and red backgrounds. In the presence of white backgrounds of increasing intensity increment thresholds for test flashes of 500 and 560 nm rose linearly on a log-log plot and there was a Purkinje shift at higher background intensities. With a red background, however, the 560 nm plot was linear but that for 500 nm test flashes displayed a sharply decreasing slope at the brightest intensities. This variation in slope correlated with an abrupt change in ERG waveform. Spectral sensitivity determinations showed that this behavior was caused by the green rods, which were not adapted by the red background while other receptor systems were suppressed.
Ferrous Ferricyanide: Pyrolysis Preparation

Abstract The previously reported synthesis of ferrous ferricyanide involved pyrolysis of Prussian Blue which contained both the soluble KFeFe(CN)6 and the insoluble Fe4 [Fe(CN)6]3 forms. The soluble and insoluble Prussian Blues, and the ferrous ferricyanide compounds which derive from this vacuum pyrolysis at 300–500°C, have been examined by 57Fe Mossbauer spectroscopy. The extra ferric ion present in the cages in insoluble P.B., which is replaced by potassium in soluble P.B., becomes ferrous on pyrolysis and gives a very small quadrupole splitting. Since it absorbs in an otherwise clear region of the spectrum its presence forms an analytical indicator for determining the soluble/insoluble ratio of P.B.'s. The spectra from the high and low spin irons overlap severely and isotopic enrichment was used to clarify the ferricyanide region. Unexpectedly, the isotopic enrichment was gradually lost on pyrolysis and reconstruction. This suggests that the cyanide ligands rotate readily above 300°C. It also suggests...
Techniques for energy minimization of communication pipelines

The performance of many modern computer and communication systems is dictated by latency of communication pipelines. At the same time, power consumption is often another limiting factor in many portable systems. We address the problem of how to minimize the power consumption in system level pipelines under latency constraints. In particular, we exploit advantages provided by variable voltage design methodology to optimally select speed and therefore voltage of each pipeline stage. We define the problem and solve it optimally under realistic and widely accepted assumptions. We apply the obtained theoretical results to develop algorithms for power minimization of computer and communication systems and show that significant power reduction is possible without additional latency.
The effects of psychological stress on respiration: a preliminary study of anxiety and hyperventilation.

The occurrence of hyperventilation (overbreathing resulting in lowered end-tidal CO2) in conjunction with psychological stress was investigated. Twenty-nine normal subjects were individually placed in a stress condition by being required to make perceptual judgments under threat of electric shock for exceeding a specified number of errors. Feedback of errors was controlled by the experimenter and no subject was ever shocked since manipulated feedback never exceeded shock criterion. Stress induction consisted of four phases: request for participation, subject decision, pre-task instruction, and task. Dependent measures consisted of end-tidal CO2, respiration rate, heart rate, and State Anxiety scores. Stress manipulation was confirmed by significantly increased heart rate and anxiety scores from baseline values. Baseline comparisons indicated significant decreases in end-tidal CO2 (i.e., hyperventilation) for all phases as well as significant increases in respiration rate for all phases but one. Comparisons among several phases revealed significant changes in end-tidal CO2 either unaccompanied by or uncorrelated with changes in respiration rate. These results: 1) support the occurrence of hyperventilation to stress in normals, 2) suggest that respiration rate alone is an insufficient measure of respiratory reactivity to psychological stimuli, and 3) are discussed in terms of more appropriate functional assessments of respiratory response to stress.
Revisiting thematisation in the narrative study of epilepsy

Taking as its point of departure the set of categorised themes developed by Schneider and Conrad in Having Epilepsy: The Experience and Control of Illness, the article focuses analytic attention on the individual theorising that produces these themes-in-action. Utilising ‘illness narratives’ of individuals with an epilepsy, I suggest that in qualitative sociological investigations into the illness experience there has been a narrative detachment from the very artfulness that articulates these themes. While there certainly is an appreciation of the experiential categorisation that individuals do within their storytelling in this genre of research, it has nevertheless been underappreciated in a tendency to consolidate what is told into workable thematic categories. In essence, the difference of experience has been placed aside, in many ways dictating what is looked for in the analysis itself.
Expression of extracellular matrix molecules and cell surface molecules in the olfactory nerve pathway during early development

The spatial and temporal expression patterns of several extracellular matrix molecules—laminin and fibronectin and cell surface molecules, neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM), L1, tenascin, chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan, and peanut agglutinin (PNA) binding sites—were investigated during early olfactory nerve development. NCAM and L1 have similar patterns: They are expressed in the olfactory nerve and on the olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) commencing with the earliest olfactory axon outgrowth (E12-E15). Their expression patterns suggest that both NCAM and L1 are associated with extension and fasciculation of olfactory axons. A comparison of L1 and olfactory marker protein suggests that L1 is expressed predominantly on immature ORNs. Laminin has an unique punctate staining pattern in the developing olfactory pathway as early as E12. These laminin puncta might play a role in olfactory neurite outgrowth and guidance. At E14, when pioneer olfactory axons enter the brain, the laminin-positive meninges on the surface of the olfactory bulb primordium break down but remain intact in the rest of the telencephalon. This suggests a functional interaction between the olfactory axons and the glial-pial barrier. Fibronectin staining is diffuse throughout the cranial mesenchyme but is absent from the olfactory nerve pathway. No specific patterns of tenascin or chondroitin sulfate, were observed during early olfactory development. PNA binding sites were associated with olfactory axon fasciculation. The expression of several extracellular matrix molecules and cell surface molecules is spatially and temporally regulated in the developing olfactory system. These molecules, thus, may play functional roles in olfactory axon outgrowth, fasciculation, and/or guidance. ©1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Variance estimation of the Buckley–James estimator under discrete assumptions

The Buckley–James estimator (BJE) is a widely recognized approach in dealing with right-censored linear regression models. There have been a lot of discussions in the literature on the estimation of the BJE as well as its asymptotic distribution. So far, no simulation has been done to directly estimate the asymptotic variance of the BJE. Kong and Yu [Asymptotic distributions of the Buckley–James estimator under nonstandard conditions, Statist. Sinica 17 (2007), pp. 341–360] studied the asymptotic distribution under discontinuous assumptions. Based on their methodology, we recalculate and correct some missing terms in the expression of the asymptotic variance in Theorem 2 of their work. We propose an estimator of the standard deviation of the BJE by using plug-in estimators. The estimator is shown to be consistent. The performance of the estimator is accessed through simulation studies under discrete underline distributions. We further extend our studies to several continuous underline distributions throug...
Soluble, but Not Transmembrane, TNF-α Is Required during Influenza Infection To Limit the Magnitude of Immune Responses and the Extent of Immunopathology

TNF-α is a pleotropic cytokine that has both proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory functions during influenza infection. TNF-α is first expressed as a transmembrane protein that is proteolytically processed to release a soluble form. Transmembrane TNF-α (memTNF-α) and soluble TNF-α (solTNF-α) have been shown to exert distinct tissue-protective or tissue-pathologic effects in several disease models. However, the relative contributions of memTNF-α or solTNF-α in regulating pulmonary immunopathology following influenza infection are unclear. Therefore, we performed intranasal influenza infection in mice exclusively expressing noncleavable memTNF-α or lacking TNF-α entirely and examined the outcomes. We found that solTNF-α, but not memTNF-α, was required to limit the size of the immune response and the extent of injury. In the absence of solTNF-α, there was a significant increase in the CD8(+) T cell response, including virus-specific CD8(+) T cells, which was due in part to an increased resistance to activation-induced cell death. We found that solTNF-α mediates these immunoregulatory effects primarily through TNFR1, because mice deficient in TNFR1, but not TNFR2, exhibited dysregulated immune responses and exacerbated injury similar to that observed in mice lacking solTNF-α. We also found that solTNF-α expression was required early during infection to regulate the magnitude of the CD8(+) T cell response, indicating that early inflammatory events are critical for the regulation of the effector phase. Taken together, these findings suggest that processing of memTNF-α to release solTNF-α is a critical event regulating the immune response during influenza infection.
Movement and habitat use of two aquatic turtles (Graptemys geographica and Trachemys scripta) in an urban landscape

Our study focuses on the spatial ecology and seasonal habitat use of two aquatic turtles in order to understand the manner in which upland habitat use by humans shapes the aquatic activity, movement, and habitat selection of these species in an urban setting. We used radiotelemetry to follow 15 female Graptemys geographica (common map turtle) and each of ten male and female Trachemys scripta (red-eared slider) living in a man-made canal within a highly urbanized region of Indianapolis, IN, USA. During the active season (between May and September) of 2002, we located 33 of the 35 individuals a total of 934 times and determined the total range of activity, mean movement, and daily movement for each individuals. We also analyzed turtle locations relative to the upland habitat types (commercial, residential, river, road, woodlot, and open) surrounding the canal and determined that the turtles spent a disproportionate amount of time in woodland and commercial habitats and avoided the road-associated portions of the canal. We also located 21 of the turtles during hibernation (February 2003), and determined that an even greater proportion of individuals hibernated in woodland-bordered portions of the canal. Our results clearly indicate that turtle habitat selection is influenced by human activities; sound conservation and management of turtle populations in urban habitats will require the incorporation of spatial ecology and habitat use data.
ROAD: an order-impervious optimal detailed router for FPGAs

It is well known that the solution quality of the detailed routing phase is heavily influenced by the order in which nets are routed. To alleviate this situation a number of routing strategies have been developed that ripup and reroute (R&R) previously-routed nets that "block" the current net. In the R&R approach, there is not a significant amount of control over the solution quality (e.g., length, delay) for the ripped-up nets. We propose a detailed router ROAD (bump&Refit based Optimal Detailed router) that explores the solution space using an approach called bump-and-refit (B&R) in which the global routes of prior-routed nets are not changed but their track assignments are systematically altered in order to make space for the current net being routed. B&R thus does not have the above drawback of R&R. We start with an initial depth-first search method for this purpose that is optimal in finding a detailed routing solution with the minimum number of tracks irrespective of the net routing order. We then develop various optimality-preserving speedup methods including search space pruning based on clique detection and learning about and remembering unsuccessful search spaces, and second-level or lookahead transition costs. The combination of these methods results in an average speedup of 604 for small to medium VPR circuits and an extrapolated speedup of more than 5763 for larger circuits. Furthermore, comparison of ROAD run times to that of VPR's estimated detailed routing phase show that we are almost two times faster than VPR. This is noteworthy because an optimal detailed router is able to obtain solutions in reasonable times which are also faster than those of a nonoptimal (though effective) router.
Parent Predictors of Adolescents' Explanatory Style.

The current study tested the prospective relations (six month lag) between three aspects of the parent-child relationship at Time 1 (T1) and adolescents' explanatory styles at Time 2 (T2): caregiving behaviors, parents' explanatory style for their own negative events, and parents' explanatory style for their children's negative events. The sample included 129 adolescents aged 11 to 14 years at baseline and their parents. Adolescents reported on their own explanatory style and their parents' caregiving behaviors; parents self-reported on their caregiving behaviors and their explanatory style for their own and their children's events. Regression analyses identified maternal acceptance as a significant predictor of T2 adolescents' explanatory style. Marginal effects emerged for fathers' psychological control and fathers' explanatory style for their children's events. Findings suggest that the ways parents - especially mothers - interact with their children may play a role in adolescents' cognitive vulnerability to depression.
EXPERIMENTAL ACUTE NEPHRITIS: THE ELIMINATION OF NITROGEN AND CHLORIDES AS COMPARED WITH THAT OF PHENOLSULPHONEPHTHALEIN

1. Uranium and cantharidin, in the smallest doses capable of producing a distinct nephritis, tend to increase the elimination of nitrogen, probably by stimulating tissue katabolism. 2. Uranium, cantharidin, and potassium chromate, in larger doses, impair the power of the kidney to eliminate nitrogen; but this may not be evident unless the animal is on a high nitrogen diet, and the impairment, when due to potassium chromate, may not persist more than a day. 3. Small doses of uranium and of cantharidin cause a transient increase of chloride elimination which corresponds in a general way to the excess of diuresis. 4. Large doses of uranium and of chromate cause a fall, usually transient, in the chloride elimination. The chloride elimination may, however, be diminished forty per cent. for twenty-four hours without evidences of intoxication (vomiting). 5. The anatomic appearance of the kidney varies somewhat with the poison used and greatly with the period of survival after administration of the poison, but bears no definite relation to the nitrogen, chloride, or phenolsulphonephthalein elimination; marked anatomic alteration is compatible with normal elimination of all these substances and with freedom from symptoms of intoxication (vomiting). 6. The decrease in the elimination of phenolsulphonephthalein, which occurs in uranium, chromate, and cantharidin nephritides, and which, in a general way, is proportional to the dose of the poison, bears no constant relation to the changes in the nitrogen or chloride elimination. 7. A marked decrease in the elimination of the phenolsulphonephthalein occurs synchronously, as a rule, with the onset of the symptoms of intoxication (vomiting), and therefore the phenolsulphonephthalein test would seem to be a better indicator of the ability of the kidney to eliminate the toxic substance responsible for the symptoms of renal insufficiency than are either the anatomic changes or the elimination of total nitrogen or of chlorides.
Intellectual and academic performance in children undergoing solid organ pretransplant evaluation

Although prior research has shown lower intellectual functioning across pediatric solid organ transplant recipients relative to matched siblings or norm comparisons, few studies have assessed intellectual and academic performance prior to transplant across organ groups. The current data examine intellectual and academic functioning in children being evaluated for kidney, liver, or heart transplant. This investigation included intellectual and academic testing data from 195 children and adolescents between the ages of six and 19 yr evaluated for solid organ transplantation. Across organ groups, patients' intellectual functioning as estimated by the WASI/WASI-II at the time of pretransplant evaluation was within the average range, but lower compared to test norms. Patients demonstrated lower estimates of word reading, math computation, and spelling skills compared to the normal population, with the exception of heart patients' word reading and spelling skills and liver patients' spelling scores. Cognitive and academic impairments exist in children prior to transplantation. Findings emphasize the support that patients may require to manage the complicated medical regimen and succeed academically. Routine cognitive and academic assessment can inform healthcare providers regarding transplant patients' capacity to take on increasing medical responsibility and successfully reintegrate into the school environment.
ASBESTOS EXPOSURE DURING NAVAL VESSEL OVERHAUL.

Abstract A study among insulation workers in a shipyard has revealed several men on disability compensation and one death due to asbestosis. Exposures occur during the fabrication and installation of asbestos insulations and during removal of insulation for repairs or overhaul of ships. X-ray examinations are not adequate for control as cases usually take a minimum of seven years to develop.
A comparison of conventional linear regression methods and neural networks for forecasting educational spending

This study presents an application of neural network methods for forecasting per pupil expenditures in public elementary and secondary schools in the United States. Using annual historical data from 1959 through 1990, forecasts were prepared for the period from 1991 through 1995. Forecasting models included the multivariate regression model developed by the National Center for Education Statistics for their annual Projections of Education Statistics Series, and three neural architectures: (1) recurrent backpropagation; (2) Generalized Regression; and (3) Group Method of Data Handling. Forecasts were compared for accuracy against actual values for educational spending for the period. Regarding prediction accuracy, neural network results ranged from comparable to superior with respect to the NCES model. Contrary to expectations, the most successful neural network procedure yielded its results with an even simpler linear form than the NCES model. The findings suggest the potential value of neural algorithms for strengthening econometric models as well as producing accurate forecasts. [JEL C45, C53, I21] © 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Developments in Measurement of Rheological Properties of Food Dispersions

Determination of rheological properties of food dispersions is not a trivial subject. With food suspensions, effects of slip in concentric cylinder viscometers can be significant. Yield stresses of suspensions determined with a mixer were close to Bingham yield values. Rapid estimation of creep-compliance parameters of food emulsions can be done by non-linear regression.
Chromogranin A: friend or foe of the failing myocardium?

Chronic heart failure is defined as the inability of the heart to meet the circulatory demands of the organism. While cardiac injury, e.g. of ischaemic, toxic, metabolic, or genetic cause, is the initial abnormality, secondary changes occur over the course of the disease affecting most organ systems. This leads to a variety of pathologic changes including endothelial, pulmonary, hepatic, renal, endocrine and skeletal muscle abnormalities, and the state of multi-organ impairment in chronic heart failure is now considered the syndrome of chronic heart failure.1 A neuroendocrine activation has been described early in the stages of heart failure research with the demonstration of elevated levels or norepinephrine and epinephrine in patients with dilated and ischaemic cardiomyopathy.1 While initially thought to be a compensatory and protective mechanism, it has been shown that it in fact leads to increased myocardial oxygen demand, structural damage, myocardial apoptosis, and results in the suppression of myocardial β-adrenergic receptors which through a negative feed-back mechanisms leads to further increase in circulating levels of norepinephrine and epinephrine. Blockade of β-adrenergic receptors, initially highly controversial, has been shown to be one of the most effective … *Corresponding author. E-mail address : christian.schulze{at}bmc.org
A Communicative Framework of Value in Cross-Sector Partnerships

Cross-sector partnerships (XSPs) are an important part of today's organizational landscape and a favored strategy for addressing complex social problems. However, a discrepancy exists between the popularity and prevalence of XSPs and evidence of their ability to produce value with respect to the problems they address. We therefore offer a framework for increasing and assessing XSP value based on an alternative conception of organizational constitution rooted in communication theory. Our central argument is that the overall value of XSPs is not merely in connecting interested parties but, rather, in their ability to act—to substantially influence the people and issues within their problem domain. This ability, we argue, comes from the constitution of organizational forms that are distinct from their members and that display collective agency—the capacity to influence a host of relevant outcomes beyond what individual organizations could do on their own. Our primary contributions are developing a framework ...
The contribution of consonants versus vowels to word recognition in fluent speech

Three perceptual experiments were conducted to test the relative importance of vowels vs. consonants to recognition of fluent speech. Sentences were selected from the TIMIT corpus to obtain approximately equal numbers of vowels and consonants within each sentence and equal durations across the set of sentences. In experiments 1 and 2, subjects listened to (a) unaltered TIMIT sentences; (b) sentences in which all of the vowels were replaced by noise; or (c) sentences in which all of the consonants were replaced by noise. The subjects listened to each sentence five times, and attempted to transcribe what they heard. The results of these experiments show that recognition of words depends more upon vowels than consonants-about twice as many words are recognized when vowels are retained in the speech. The effect was observed when occurrences of [1], [r], [w], [y] [m], [n], were included in the sentences (experiment 1) or replaced by noise (experiment 2). Experiment 3 tested the hypothesis that vowel boundaries contain more information about the neighboring consonants than vice versa.
Transnasal esophagoscopy: State of the art

The purpose of this article is to trace the evolution of esophagoscopy from its inception over 100 years ago to its current state of the art. In so doing, the positive consequences that will likely result because of the transition from rigid, per oral, sedated esophagoscopy to flexible, transnasal, unsedated esophagoscopy will be described. Several of the seminal advances in esophagoscopy over the past century were the result of innovations by otolaryngologists. Until 10 years ago, the esophagoscopy performed by otolaryngologists had primarily been a rigid, transoral approach performed with the patient under general anesthesia or under intravenous sedation with local anesthesia. However, beginning in the mid 1990s otolaryngologists began to perform esophagoscopy utilizing an ultra thin, flexible scope passed transnasally, with the patient not sedated, solely relying on topical anesthesia. This approach, called Transnasal esophagoscopy (TNE), will ultimately be found to have the following advantages over traditional, peroral, rigid, or flexible esophagoscopy carried out in a sedated patient: 1) enhanced patient safety; 2) improved survival of esophageal adenocarcinoma; 3) increased practice efficiency. Within a short time TNE will be the primary manner in which the esophagus is examined by clinicians. It will be up to the otolaryngology community at large to apply the same levels of expertise that currently exist with respect to laryngeal disease to esophageal disease.
Physiological basis for antagonism of clethodim by CGA 362622

Abstract Greenhouse and laboratory experiments were conducted to determine the effect of CGA 362622 on the herbicidal activity of clethodim on goosegrass. CGA 362622 did not affect absorption and translocation of 14C-clethodim by goosegrass. Averaged across the two treatments of clethodim alone and clethodim plus CGA 362622, absorption was 27 and 85% of the applied 14C-clethodim at 0.5 and 96 h, respectively. By 96 HAT, only 0.8% of applied 14C had translocated to the shoot below the treated leaf. Metabolism of clethodim was not affected by the presence of CGA 362622. Three metabolites of clethodim were detected in treated tissue at all harvest intervals. By 96 HAT, 56% of absorbed 14C converted to a relatively polar form when clethodim was applied alone or in the presence of CGA 362622. One day after treatment, the photosynthetic rate in plants treated with CGA 362622 had decreased below the rate in the nontreated check and remained lower until 6 d after treatment. These data suggest that the antagonism ...
A home-based comprehensive care model in patients with Multiple Sclerosis: A study pre-protocol.

Background Disability is prevalent in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS), leading to difficulty in care access, significant caregiver burden, immense challenges in self-care and great societal burden. Without highly coordinated, competent and accessible care, individuals living with progressive MS experience psychological distress, poor quality of life, suffer from life-threatening complications, and have frequent but avoidable healthcare utilizations. Unfortunately, current healthcare delivery models present severe limitations in providing easily accessible, patient-centered, coordinated comprehensive care to those with progressive MS. We propose a home-based comprehensive care model (MAHA) to address the unmet needs, challenges, and avoidable complications in individuals with progressive MS with disabling disease. Objective The article aims to describe the study design and methods used to implement and evaluate the proposed intervention. Method The study will use a randomized controlled design to evaluate the feasibility of providing a 24-month, home-based, patient-centered comprehensive care program to improve quality of life, reduce complications and healthcare utilizations overtime (quarterly) for 24 months. A transdisciplinary team led by a MS-Comprehensivist will carry out this project. Fifty MS patients will be randomly assigned to the intervention and usual care program using block randomization procedures. We hypothesize that patients in the intervention group will have fewer complications, higher quality of life, greater satisfaction with care, and reduced healthcare utilization. The proposed project is also expected to be financially sustainable in fee-for-service models but best suited for and gain financial success in valued-based care systems. Discussion This is the first study to examine the feasibility and effectiveness of a home-based comprehensive care management program in MS patients living with progressive disability. If successful, it will have far-reaching implications in research, education and practice in terms of providing high quality but affordable care to population living with severe complex, disabling conditions.
TNF-alpha and IL-1 beta upregulate nitric oxide-dependent ciliary motility in bovine airway epithelium

Airway epithelial cells can be modulated by cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and interleukin (IL)-1 beta that are released from inflammatory cells. Since ciliary motility is an important host defense function of airway epithelium, we hypothesized that cytokines, released from lung macrophages, upregulate ciliary motility. To test this hypothesis, ciliary beat frequency (CBF) was measured by video microscopy in cultured ciliated bovine bronchial epithelial cells (BBECs) incubated for 24 h with bovine alveolar macrophage-conditioned medium (AM-CM). Exposure to AM-CM resulted in a delayed (> or = 2 h) increase in CBF that was maximal after 24 h exposure (13.70 +/- 0.43 for AM-CM vs. 9.44 +/- 0.24 Hz for medium; P < 0.0001) and which was largely blocked by either anti-TNF-alpha or anti-IL-1 beta antibodies. rTNF-alpha or rIL-1 beta similarly increased CBF, which could be blocked by preincubation with either anti-rTNF-alpha or anti-rIL-1 beta antibodies. Preincubation of BBECs with actinomycin D or dexamethasone also blocked rTNF-alpha- and rIL-1 beta-induced cilia stimulation, suggesting that new protein synthesis is required for cytokine-induced upregulation of CBF. Since NO is known to upregulate ciliary motility and cytokines can induce NO synthase (NOS), we hypothesized that TNF-alpha and IL-1 beta increase CBF by inducing NOS in BBECs. The cilia stimulatory effects of TNF-alpha or IL-1 beta were inhibited by NG-monomethyl-L-arginine, a competitive NOS inhibitor, and restored by the addition of either L-arginine, an NOS substrate, or sodium nitroprusside, an NO donor.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Blood Pressure, Heart Tones, and Diagnoses

The primary purpose of this chapter is to familiarize the reader with the basic concepts of blood pressure, heart tones, and some commonly associated diagnoses. Furthermore, it is important to reinforce the need for a deep understanding of basic physiological principles when interpreting physical examination findings. Commonly employed invasive and noninvasive methods for assessing blood pressure are discussed, as well as some of the newer technologies on the horizon. It remains the general consensus that even the most sophisticated electronic monitors cannot fully reduce the need for sound clinical skills such as: proper patient inspection, palpation, percussion, and/or auscultation.
Laser Cooling of a Micromechanical Membrane to the Quantum Backaction Limit

A 40-nanometer-thick membrane has been cooled to a low enough temperature that is has the minimum phonon occupation allowed by quantum backaction.
The Ties that (Don't) Bind: Transgender Family Law and the Un-Making of Families

The first comprehensive work on the transgender civil rights movement with analysis from legal and policy experts, activists and advocates, Transgender Rights assesses the movement's achievements, challenges, and opportunities for future action. This Author contributed a chapter on transgender family law.
The omnicultural imperative

Globalization is taking place in unprecedented ways, with unprecedented consequences, including large-scale sudden contact between human groups. Sudden inter-group contact without adequate pre-adaptation is sometimes resulting in catastrophic evolution, with radicalization and terrorism arising as (dysfunctional) defense mechanisms among some groups experiencing threatened collective identities. The main traditional policies for managing relations between diverse groups, assimilation and multiculturalism, are critically reviewed and found wanting. Omniculturalism is considered as an alternative policy; in stage one, the omnicultural imperative demands that during interactions with others we give priority to human commonalities; in stage two, group-based differences are recognized. A cross-national survey shows support for omniculturalism within the United States, but less so among minority group members.
Colony Movement of the Black Imported Fire Ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Argentina

We studied the movement of colonies of the black imported fire ant, Solenopsis richteri Forel, in its native land, Buenos Aires province, Argentina. We established 6 field plots and monthly monitored the number of abandoned and new mounds for 2 yr. We compared the movement of all colonies with the movement of colonies infected with the microsporidium Thelohania solenopsae Knell, Allen & Hazard. We estimated the distance of colony movement and recorded the duration of the colonies remaining in the same place. S. richteri colonies moved their mounds very often. The mean percentage of abandoned and new mounds per monitoring date was 36 and 30% of all active mounds, respectively. The pathogen T. solenopsae did not have any effect on colony movement. The mean estimated distance of displacement was 3.7 m and the mean duration of the colonies in the same place was 3.1 mo. Rainfall stimulated colony movement in Argentina.
Effect of Other Starches on the Gel Strength of Potato Starch

市販の代表的な澱粉である馬鈴薯澱粉と異種澱粉であるコーンスターチなどを混合し, 粘性, ゲル特性を調べた結果, 次のことがわかった.1) 4%澱粉濃度のアミログラム特性値は, 粘度上昇開始温度では, コーンスターチの混合比が増すに従いS字型に増加し, 最高粘度および30℃冷却粘度では, コーンスターチの増加に伴いほぼ比例して減少した.2) 15%澱粉濃度のゲル強度では, コーンスターチが馬鈴薯澱粉に10-50%の範囲で混合されると, ゲル強度は対照馬鈴薯澱粉より10-20%高くなった.3) 顕微鏡観察では, ゲル強度上昇効果のみられた混合澱粉のうち, 糊化開始温度の高いコーンスターチ粒は膨潤が遅れていた. 一方, 上昇効果のみられなかった混合系では, 両澱粉の糊化, 膨潤は並行して進んでいた.4) ゲル強度上昇効果を示した混合澱粉の低温保存によるゲル強度の変化は, 85℃加熱処理では馬鈴薯澱粉に, また120℃加熱処理ではコーンスターチに近似した変化を示した.以上のことから, 馬鈴薯澱粉とコーンスターチの混合系におけるゲル強度上昇効果は, 糊化, 膨潤の遅れたコーンスターチが充填材として機能し, ゲルを補強すると推定される. この特性は, 水産および畜肉ねり製品のゲル補強に応用できる.
Design of Signal Source for Quaternary Infrared Seeker Based on Image Sequence

For the requirement in development and test of infrared seeker, a signal source for quaternary IR seeker based on image sequence has been designed, which can make use of IR image sequence generated by software and flying data of other models and real-time output four pulse signals to the electronic cabin by hardware platform. The research is focused on signal source hardware system design based on PCI9054 and FPGA and wave generation method when image pixels and detector array are partly overlapped and the roll angle is not zero. The signal source designed can guarantees real-time and high accuracy.
New "rest period" protocol for inducing tolerance to high O2 exposure in adult rats

We report a new protocol for inducing marked tolerance to prolonged exposure to hyperoxia in adult rats that entails the use of a single "rest period" between exposures to a usually lethal concentr...
Expression and methylation in posttraumatic stress disorder and resilience; evidence of a role for odorant receptors.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common and potentially disabling disorder that develops in 1/5 to 1/3 of people exposed to severe trauma. Twin studies indicate that genetic factors account for at least one third of the variance in the risk for developing PTSD, however, the specific role for genetic factors in the pathogenesis of PTSD is not well understood. We studied genome-wide gene expression and DNA methylation profiles in 12 participants with PTSD and 12 participants who were resilient to similar severity trauma exposure. Close to 4000 genes were differentially expressed with adjusted p 2, with all but 3 upregulated with PTSD. Eight odorant/olfactory receptor related genes were up-regulated with PTSD as well as genes related to immune activation, the Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid A (GABAA) receptor, and vitamin D synthesis. No differences with adjusted significance for DNA methylation were found. We conclude that increased gene expression may play an important role in PTSD and this expression may not be a consequence of DNA methylation. The role of odorant receptor expression warrants independent replication.
Plays of Maturity

The plays of Shaw’s first period are, invevitably, of variable quality — it would be a daring critic indeed who could argue that The Philanderer was of equal significance with Candida or Caesar and Cleopatra — but none of them can be ignored by anyone who wants to understand Shaw fully. Each is a major effort, and whatever its degree of artistic success, each reveals some fresh aspect of the evolving Shavian Weltanschauung. But in the great second period of Shaw’s productivity, from 1901 to 1923, he wrote some plays over which we need not linger. There are minor sketches, occasional pieces, lesser efforts that in a book of reasonable proportions may be ignored or mentioned briefly. The first play Shaw wrote after Captain Brassbound’s Conversion, for example, is The Admirable Bashville, dashed off in January of 1901 to protect his copyright in his novel Cashel Byron’s Profession. A blank verse rendering of the book, it touches on the Shavian theme of eugenics in the union of a highbrow lady and a prize-fighter, but all of its fun — and in the theatre there is a fair amount for an indulgent audience — lies in the comic incongruity between the modern (1882) setting and the pseudo-Elizabethan English (spiced with a few lines lifted from Shakespeare and Marlowe).