cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of Feeding Spirulina on Specific and Nonspecific Immune Responses of Channel Catfish

Abstract Administration of various immunostimulants to fish has resulted in enhanced immune responses. The purpose of this study was to determine if feeding Spirulina, a processed form of the blue-green alga Spirulina platensis, enhanced specific and nonspecific immunity and resistance against Edwardsiella ictaluri infection in channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus. Peritoneal phagocytes from fish fed Spirulina showed enhanced phagocytosis to zymosan and increased chemotaxis to E. ictaluri exoantigen. No significant difference in mortality due to E. ictaluri existed between fish fed Spirulina and fish fed a basal diet. No significant difference in antibody titer or in the percentage of fish positive for E. ictaluri antibody was found between the groups after immunization with formalin-killed E. ictaluri. Spirulina-fed fish had significantly higher antibody titers to key hole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) on day 22, and a greater percentage of these fish were positive for KLH antibody on days 15 and 36. Feeding Sp...
Effect of Clavulanic Acid on the In Vitro Synergism Between Carbenicillin and Gentamicin Against Serratia marcescens

Abstract Clavulanic acid, a potent β-lactamase inhibitor, reduced the minimum inhibitory concentrations of carbenicillin for 13 of 15 clinical isolates of Serratia marcescens by at least eightfold. The combination of clavulanic acid and carbenicillin also exhibited synergistic activity with gentamicin against 11 of 15 isolates tested, including 9 of 10 strains which were highly resistant to carbenicillin (minimum inhibitory concentration ≥ 8,000 μg/ml) and had previously been found resistant to the synergistic activity between carbenicillin and gentamicin.
The Effect of Molecular Weight of Biodegradable Hydrogel Components on Indomethacin Release from Dextran and Poly(DL)lactic Acid Based Hydrogels

Biodegradable hybrid hydrogels from chemically modified dextran and poly(DL)lactic acid (PDLLA) were prepared by UV photocrosslinking of different molecular weights (MWs) of these precursors. A ser...
Measurement of Air Flow Characteristics Using Seven-Hole Cone Probes

The motivation for this work has been the development of a wake survey system. A seven-hole probe can measure the distribution of static pressure, total pressure, and flow angularity in a wind tunnel environment. The author describes the development of a simple, very efficient algorithm to compute flow properties from probe tip pressures. Its accuracy and applicability to unsteady, turbulent flow are discussed.
Laminar Analysis of Excitatory Local Circuits in Vibrissal Motor and Sensory Cortical Areas

Rodents move their whiskers to locate and identify objects. Cortical areas involved in vibrissal somatosensation and sensorimotor integration include the vibrissal area of the primary motor cortex (vM1), primary somatosensory cortex (vS1; barrel cortex), and secondary somatosensory cortex (S2). We mapped local excitatory pathways in each area across all cortical layers using glutamate uncaging and laser scanning photostimulation. We analyzed these maps to derive laminar connectivity matrices describing the average strengths of pathways between individual neurons in different layers and between entire cortical layers. In vM1, the strongest projection was L2/3→L5. In vS1, strong projections were L2/3→L5 and L4→L3. L6 input and output were weak in both areas. In S2, L2/3→L5 exceeded the strength of the ascending L4→L3 projection, and local input to L6 was prominent. The most conserved pathways were L2/3→L5, and the most variable were L4→L2/3 and pathways involving L6. Local excitatory circuits in different cortical areas are organized around a prominent descending pathway from L2/3→L5, suggesting that sensory cortices are elaborations on a basic motor cortex-like plan.
Rotary Lip Seal Operation With an Ingested Meniscus

Previous numerical simulations and experimental observations have shown that the meniscus in a rotary lip seal will be ingested into the sealing zone when the shaft speed exceeds a critical value. The present numerical analysis shows that once the meniscus is ingested, multiple equilibrium operating points exist, so the steady-state operating characteristics of the seal will depend on the history of the seal as well as on the steady-state operating conditions and seal properties. The analysis also shows that if the meniscus moves too close to the liquid-side of the seal, asperity contact between the lip and the shaft will occur.
DOE Analysis of Effects of Geometry and Materials on Cu/Low-K Interconnect Stresses

In 3D-IC packages, the low-k dielectrics are favored to improve many electrical characteristics in IC devices; hence the corresponding researches are being widely studied extensively. For the purpose of studying thermal-mechanical effects on Cu/low-k interconnects in the wafer, the three dimensional finite element analysis (FEA) was adopted in this paper. Several low-k dielectrics were considered in FEA, which are SiLK, BCB and SiCOH. By using FEA, the corresponding thermal-mechanical induced stresses distribution of Cu/low-k interconnects would be obtained. Furthermore, in order to study the sensitivity information of Cu/low-k interconnects, the method of design of experiments (DOE) as well as factorial design methodology and response surface methodology were also used. Five major parameters of geometric dimensions of copper interconnects/vias structure were selected as the design factors and the maximum average value of von Mises stress in copper interconnects/vias structure was selected as the response to be optimized. Through the DOE analysis, the optimum geometric parameters of copper interconnects/vias structure that resulted in smaller von Mises stresses in Cu/low-k interconnects could be obtained. The results also show that the geometric dimension of copper interconnects/vias had significant influence on von Mises stresses distribution. Moreover, the maximum value of von Mises stress for different copper interconnects/vias geometric dimensions could also be easily predicted by using the response surface curve and its corresponding regression model from DOE analysis.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Modulation of the cAMP Response by G\alpha _i and G\beta \gamma : A Computational Study of G Protein Signaling in Immune Cells

Cyclic AMP is important for the resolution of inflammation, as it promotes anti-inflammatory signaling in several immune cell lines. In this paper, we present an immune cell specific model of the cAMP signaling cascade, paying close attention to the specific isoforms of adenylyl cyclase (AC) and phosphodiesterase that control cAMP production and degradation, respectively, in these cells. The model describes the role that G protein subunits, including G $$\alpha _s$$ , G $$\alpha _i$$ , and G $$\beta \gamma $$ , have in regulating cAMP production. Previously, G $$\alpha _i$$ activation has been shown to increase the level of cAMP in certain immune cell types. This increase in cAMP is thought to be mediated by $$\beta \gamma $$ subunits which are released upon G $$\alpha $$ activation and can directly stimulate specific isoforms of AC. We conduct numerical experiments in order to explore the mechanisms through which G $$\alpha _i$$ activation can increase cAMP production. An important conclusion of our analysis is that the relative abundance of different G protein subunits is an essential determinant of the cAMP profile in immune cells. In particular, our model predicts that limited availability of $$\beta \gamma $$ subunits may both $$(i)$$ enable immune cells to link inflammatory G $$\alpha _i$$ signaling to anti-inflammatory cAMP production thereby creating a balanced immune response to stimulation with low concentrations of PGE2, and $$(ii)$$ prohibit robust anti-inflammatory cAMP signaling in response to stimulation with high concentrations of PGE2.
Effect of stress on the aluminum-induced crystallization of hydrogenated amorphous silicon films

The effect of stress, resulting from the presence of hydrogen, on the aluminum-induced crystallization of hydrogenated amorphous silicon films was studied. Layered thin films of hydrogenated and unhydrogenated amorphous silicon and aluminum, deposited by sputtering, were used to study this effect. The stress of the deposited films was determined by measuring the radius of curvature of c-Si substrates before and after deposition of the films. It was observed that unhydrogenated amorphous silicon films exhibit a high compressive stress compared with hydrogenated ones. The amount of stress is shown to decrease with increasing hydrogen content. It was also observed that aluminum always provides tensile stress. After the initial stress measurements, all the samples were annealed for 30 min at temperatures between 200 °C and 400 °C. X-ray diffraction was used to determine the crystallinity of the silicon films. The results of the study show that the temperature at which crystallization of amorphous silicon is initiated is lower for films with a lower initial stress.
Efficient remote profiling for resource-constrained devices

The widespread use of ubiquitous, mobile, and continuously connected computing agents has inspired software developers to change the way they test, debug, and optimize software. Users now play an active role in the software evolution cycle by dynamically providing valuable feedback about the execution of a program to developers. Software developers can use this information to isolate bugs in, maintain, and improve the performance of a wide-range of diverse and complex embedded device applications. The collection of such feedback poses a major challenge to systems researchers since it must be performed without degrading a user's experience with, or consuming the severely restricted resources of the mobile device. At the same time, the resource constraints of embedded devices prohibit the use of extant software profiling solutions. To achieve efficient remote profiling of embedded devices, we couple two efficient hardware/software program monitoring techniques: Hybrid Profiling Support(HPS) and Phase-Aware Sampling. HPS efficiently inserts profiling instructions into an executing program using a novel extension to Dynamic-Instruction Stream Editing(DISE). Phase-aware sampling exploits the recurring behavior of programs to identify key opportunities during execution in order to collect profile information (i.e. sample). Our prior work on phase-aware sampling required code duplication to toggle sampling. By guiding low-overhead, hardware-supported sampling according to program phase behavior via HPS, our system is able to collect highly accurate profiles transparently. We evaluate our system assuming a general purpose configuration as well as a popular handheld device configuration. We measure the accuracy and overhead of our techniques and quantify the overhead in terms of computation, communication, and power consumption. We compare our system to random and periodic sampling for a number of widely used performance profile types. Our results indicate that our system significantly reduces the overhead of sampling while maintaining high accuracy.
Inhibition of adenylate cyclase by Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol in mouse spleen cells: A potential mechanism for cannabinoid- mediated immunosuppression

The ability of delta 9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (delta 9-THC) to modulate adenylate cyclase activity in mouse spleen cells was investigated. These studies were prompted by the recent identification and cloning of a G-protein coupled cannabinoid receptor localized in certain regions of the brain and the potential for a common mechanism between cannabinoid-mediated CNS effects and immunosuppression. Temporal addition studies were initially performed to identify the period of time when spleen cells in culture were most susceptible to the inhibitory effects of delta 9-THC, as measured by the day 5 IgM antibody forming cell response. delta 9-THC was only inhibitory when added to spleen cell cultures during the first 2 hr following antigen sensitization. In light of this time course, adenylate cyclase activity was measured in spleen cells incubated in the presence of 22 microM delta 9-THC for 5 min and subsequently stimulated with forskolin. delta 9-THC treated spleen cells demonstrated a 33% inhibition and a 66% inhibition in intracellular cAMP after a 5 or 15 min stimulation with forskolin, respectively. These studies suggest that inhibition of immune function by delta 9-THC may be mediated through the inhibition of intracellular cAMP early after antigen stimulation.
INTRACELLULAR TRANSPORT OF SECRETORY PROTEINS IN THE PANCREATIC EXOCRINE CELL : III. Dissociation of Intracellular Transport from Protein Synthesis

Experiments have been carried out to determine whether intracellular transport of pancreatic secretory proteins is obligatorily coupled to protein synthesis or whether it is a separable process which can be independently regulated. To this intent, guinea pig pancreatic slices were pulse labeled with leucine-3H for 3 min and incubated post-pulse for 37 min in chase medium containing cycloheximide up to concentrations sufficient to inhibit protein synthesis by 98%. In controls, newly synthesized secretory proteins are transported over this interval to condensing vacuoles of the Golgi complex. Since the latter are recovered in the zymogen granule fraction upon cell fractionation, intracellular transport was assayed by measuring the amount of protein radioactivity found in the zymogen granule fraction after a (3 + 37) min incubation. The results indicated that at maximum inhibition of protein synthesis (5 x 10-4 M cycloheximide), transport proceeded with an efficiency ∼80% of control. Parallel radioautographic studies on intact slices confirmed these data and further indicated that all the steps of intracellular transport, including discharge to the acinar lumen, were independent of protein synthesis. We conclude that: (1) transport and protein synthesis are separable processes; (2) intracellular transport is not the result of a continuous delivery of secretory proteins from attached polysomes to the cisternae of the rough endoplasmic reticulum; and (3) transport is not dependent on the synthesis of "specific" nonsecretory proteins within the time limits tested.
Engineering Escherichia coli for the efficient conversion of glycerol to ethanol and co-products

Given its availability, low prices, and high degree of reduction, glycerol has become an ideal feedstock for producing reduced compounds via anaerobic fermentation. We recently identified environmental conditions enabling the fermentative metabolism of glycerol in E. coli, along with the pathways and mechanisms mediating this metabolic process. In this work, we used the knowledge base created in previous studies to engineer E. coli for the efficient conversion of crude glycerol to ethanol. Our strategy capitalized on the high degree of reduction of carbon in glycerol, thus enabling the production of not only ethanol but also co-products hydrogen and formate. Two strains were created for the co-production of ethanol-hydrogen and ethanol-formate: SY03 and SY04, respectively. High ethanol yields were achieved in both strains by minimizing the synthesis of by-products succinate and acetate through mutations that inactivated fumarate reductase (DeltafrdA) and phosphate acetyltransferase (Deltapta), respectively. Strain SY04, which produced ethanol-formate, also contained a mutation that inactivated formate-hydrogen lyase (DeltafdhF), thus preventing the conversion of formate to CO(2) and H(2). High rates of glycerol utilization and product synthesis were achieved by simultaneous overexpression of glycerol dehydrogenase (gldA) and dihydroxyacetone kinase (dhaKLM), which are the enzymes responsible for the conversion of glycerol to glycolytic intermediate dihydroxyacetone phosphate. The resulting strains, SY03 (pZSKLMgldA) and SY04 (pZSKLMgldA), produced ethanol-hydrogen and ethanol-formate from unrefined glycerol at yields exceeding 95% of the theoretical maximum and specific rates in the order of 15-30 mmol/gcell/h. These yields and productivities are superior to those reported for the conversion of glycerol to ethanol-H(2) or ethanol-formate by other organisms and equivalent to those achieved in the production of ethanol from sugars using E. coli.
HIV prophylaxis for health care workers

The US Public Health Service (PHS) published new recommendations for preventing HIV seroconversion in health care workers suffering needle-stick injuries. In response, health care institutions across the United States are updating their internal protocols to meet the currently accepted standard of care in this area. We found the new guidelines lacking in critical definitions necessary to clarify practical applications in specific cases. We also found the recommendations of when to use one, two, or three drugs for post-exposure prophylaxis confusing. We report our university hospital's experience with needle-stick injuries over the past year. We propose modified guidelines that more finely stratify risk categories, define clinical variables which occur in practice, and simplify the algorithm for case management. The cost of managing our cases according to the modified guidelines are compared with management costs using the PHS guidelines. Potential costs of applying the PHS guidelines in our institution ranged from $68,994-$260,544; according to our modified guidelines, costs would range from $19,199-$54, 749. We also present an analysis of the number of injured health care workers who need to be treated to prevent one case of seroconversion in the various risk stratifications.
Complexities in life stress-dysfunction relationships: a case in point--tension headache.

The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to evaluate the role of disregulation in tension headache and (2) to demonstrate how disregulation may lead to erroneous inferences about the etiological role of stress in tension headache. A headache group (N=25; ages 18 to 30) and a control group (N=25; ages 10 to 25) matched for sex and roughly equated for psychopathology and self-report life stress was selected after screening 1219 undergraduate students. Measures of self-reported acute stress and headache status, vigilance performance, frontalis EMG, and peripheral temperature were obtained. Both groups were assessed before, during, and after a stressful hour-long vigilance task. The results provide the frequently sought but rarely, if ever, obtained support for Schwartz's disregulation model. As disregulation was apparent with respect to both self-report acute stress and life stress, the results also suggest that reliance on self-report measures of life stress in studies of the physical outcomes of life stress may conceal the process by which life events results in physical dysfunction.
John Dewey und die Pädagogik

by Jurgen Oelkers, Beltz Verlag, 2009, 347 pp., €32.95 (Hardback), ISBN 978-3-407-85886-3 Women Educators in the Progressive Era: The Women behind Dewey’s Laboratory School, by Anne Durst, Palgrave...
Understanding the conduction and switching mechanism of metal oxide RRAM through low frequency noise and AC conductance measurement and analysis

Low frequency noise (LFN) and AC conductance measurement and analysis were performed on bipolar metal oxide resistive switching random access memory (RRAM) devices. The DC noise current power spectral density is 1/ƒα-like (1&#60;α&#60;2) and the AC conductance is ƒβ-like (β∼2). An electron tunneling model was established to elucidate the filamentary conduction process: the observed LFN behavior is a result of the distribution of transition time of electron tunneling between the electrode and the traps in the conductive filaments; and the observed AC conductance behavior arises from the electron tunneling between the nearest neighbor traps within the CFs.
A hybrid nudging-ensemble Kalman filter approach to data assimilation in WRF/DART

A hybrid nudging-ensemble Kalman filter (HNEnKF), previously tested in the Lorenz three-variable model and a two-dimensional shallow-water model, is now explored in WRF/DART with real observations using a Cross Appalachian Tracer Experiment case from September 1983 (CAPTEX-83). The HNEnKF, effectively combining observation nudging and the ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF), achieves a more gradual data assimilation and greatly reduces the insertion noise compared to the EnKF. Three-hourly surface observations and 12-hourly rawinsonde observations from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) are assimilated. These assimilated meteorological observations are used to verify the priors of the experiments. It is found that the HNEnKF generally obtains better priors than the EnKF. To independently verify the HNEnKF approach, the hourly WRF experiment results are also used to drive the Second-Order Closure Integrated Puff (SCIPUFF) model to predict surface tracer concentrations that are verified against the observed surface concentration data. The HNEnKF analyses driving SCIPUFF produce better statistics of the independent tracer data than the EnKF. Thus there appear to be some advantages in the hourly dynamic analyses produced by the continuous HNEnKF compared to the intermittent EnKF. The analyses of surface pressure tendency demonstrate that the HNEnKF is able to provide better temporal smoothness and dynamic consistency in the hourly analyses than the EnKF. Copyright © 2012 Royal Meteorological Society
Simultaneous Determination of Sugars and Organic Acids in Cheddar Cheese by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

In a simple, rapid isocratic HPLC method sugars and organic acids were separated on an Aminex HPX-87 column in the H+ form and detected using ultraviolet and refractive index detectors in series. Sugars (lactose, glucose and galactose) and acids (orotic, citric, pyruvic, lactic, uric, formic, acetic, propionic, butyric and hippuric) were identified by retention times. This method affords a simple technique for monitoring starter culture activity and following quality changes during cheese maturation.
Laparoscopic aortorenal bypass in an acute porcine model under warm ischemia: feasibility study and resident training module.

ABSTRACT Background and Purpose: Laparoscopic aortorenal bypass (LARB) in a human being has never been reported. Both the skills required and the concern over preserving renal parenchyma by minimizing ischemia time has limited laparoscopic renal revascularization. The limit of safe renal warm ischemia is 30 minutes, which, it may be argued, is too short to permit laparoscopic anastomosis by those who have never performed the procedure. We sought to demonstrate the feasibility of LARB by determining whether it can be performed under warm ischemia and entirely by a resident after sufficient training. We describe our training program and experience with LARB. Materials and Methods: An LARB was performed in four pigs. There were no practice pigs, as data were collected on the first pig, which was intentionally euthanized postoperatively, while the remaining three were allowed to survive for 24 hours. All procedures were performed by a resident with limited previous training after a regimented program in a “dr...
Continuous mode operation of a PRIZ space-time light modulator

A conducting PRIZ device is fabricated and shown to exhibit the unique image processing features of edge detection, directional spatial filtering, and dynamic image selection. The active element is single crystal bismuth silicon oxide (Bi12SiO20 or BSO) . Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and neutron activation analysis (NAA) techniques were applied to BSO to identify the impurities which contribute to the device operation.© (1990) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Synthesis of 2,5-H-2,5-azepindiones from quinones and hydrazoic acid

Abstract 2,5-H-2,5-Azepindiones have been prepared by the reaction of substituted quinones with hydrazoic acid in a significantly clarified manner. Such 7-membered ring compounds are now readily available in high yields. The reaction conditions are important to obtain these and not other products. 2,5-H-2,3,6-Trimethyl-2,5-azepindione, 2,5-H-3-methyl-6-isopropyl-2,5-azepindione, 2,5-H-6-methyl-3,4-benzoazepin-2,5-dione, 2,5-H-3,6-dimethyl-2,5-azepindione and 2,5-H-3,4,6,7-tetramethyl-2,5-azepindione have been synthesized. The NMR spectra of the azepindiones and their bromo derivatives are essential data to substantiate structural assignments. The reaction takes place on the least hindered carbonyl group and the inserted NH group is attached to the least substituted carbon atom.
Entropic thermoelasticity of thin polymeric films

An asymptotic membrane theory for thin, heat-conducting, finitely-deforming elastic films is presented. Constitutive equations for the stress and heat flux are obtained from their three-dimensional antecedents and applied to the study of isotropic films that exhibit entropic elasticity. The model is illustrated by solving coupled axisymmetric boundary-value problems for the deformation and temperature fields.
A test of the consolidation theory with ECT patients

Patients who learned a story and a map design the night before, recalled less after ECT than those who learned the same material from 5 to 90 min. prior to ECT, or control Ss tested after a night but without ECT. Memory tended to be most intact with the shorter intervals between learning and shock. The results do not fit the consolidation theory, but can be reconciled with other findings that support it. New learning, if it involves organization, exceeds the duration of the consolidation process, and beyond that limit interference with recall increases with time.
Interrelationships of Work Commitment Constructs

Bivariate correlations have typified research on interrelationships of work commitment constructs. A model of work commitment is presented which specifies multivariate relationships among organizational commitment, career salience, work group attachment, job involvement, and the Protestant work ethic. Data from a sample of university employees reveal that multivariate findings are generally consistent with reported bivariate correlations. While four of the five hypothesized relationships in the theoretic model are supported, the study highlights the need for further conceptual and empirical work to improve the model's fit.
Electron-impact ionization in the magnesium-isoelectronic sequence

Excitation-autoionization contributions to the electron-impact ionization of the Mg-like ions S/sup 4 +/, Cl/sup 5 +/, and Ar/sup 6 +/ are calculated in the distorted-wave approximation. The calculations indicate that the largest contributions are due to the 2p..-->..3p monopole and 2p..-->..3d dipole excitations from either the 2p/sup 6/3s/sup 2/ ground-state configuration or the 2p/sup 6/3s3p excited-state configuration. Excellent agreement with the experimental crossed-beam measurements of Howald et al. is obtained when one assumes that a substantial fraction of the ions coming from the electron cyclotron resonance ion source are in metastable states of the 2p/sup 6/3s3p excited-state configuration.
When Pernicious Foreigners Become Citizens: Naturalization in Early Twentieth-Century Mexico

Concern about foreigners who seemingly live in Mexico with little regard for joining the Mexican nation has endured throughout the twentieth century and to the present. Today, Mexicans do not believe naturalized citizens should be afforded the same political rights as Mexican-born citizens. This attitude, however, has often contradicted larger national economic and political demands that warranted bringing immigrants to populate Mexico and support the development of the nation-state. Immigration policies respond to this dichotomy of both needing immigrants to bolster the Mexican economy while also creating restrictive policies to discourage “less desirable” – in particular, ethnically undesirable – immigrants. This tension is not unique to Mexican policy nor is it a historical aberration. The concept of citizenship has significance for Mexicans and prompts a question about how citizenship is granted, what it involves, and who might be eligible. While there have been studies on the number of immigrants in Mexico and their historical roles in Mexico, there has been a dearth of analysis to understand the process of obtaining Mexican citizenship and who becomes a naturalized citizen in twentieth-century Mexico. This article describes the prominent features of Mexican immigration law, the criteria to become a Mexican citizen, and analyzes data of 6,619 naturalized Mexican immigrants offering insights about the development of the Mexican nation-state, the cultural notion of mexicanidad, and the limits of political inclusion.
Variation of ignition temperatures of fuel particles in vitiated oxygen atmospheres: Determination of reaction mechanism

Ignition temperatures of five different fuels—an anthracite, a bituminous coal, and 3 chars (FMC, HRC, and Exxon)—have been measured, for particles in the size range 30 microns to 115 microns radius, and in oxygen atmospheres from 1% to 21% (air); for one char (Exxon), enriched oxygen concentrations up to 70% O 2 were used. This extends prior work by Chen et al 2 using the method of Cassel and Liebmann 3 in which a small pulse of fuel particles is floated into an electric tube furnace whose temperature is slowly falling to determine the lowest ambient gas temperature required for ignition. The results showed ignition temperatures falling with increasing oxygen concentration thus failing to support predictions from a homogeneous ignition model developed by Annamalai and Durbetaki. 6 The alternative heterogeneous (TET) ignition model was used to develop reaction orders, activation energies, and combustion rates. The reaction orders were less than 0.5 (0.1 to 0.4) implying Zone I reaction. Some activation energies, however, were more consistent with Zone II behavior (15 to 30 kcal/mole). With some numerical differences in values, however, results were otherwise substantially in agreement with Chen's measurements: ignition temperatures were in the range 600–700K; there was no significant differentiation between coals and chars; and a prior inferential conclusion that ignition was hetereogeneous is directly supported.
Free carrier optical absorption in vitreous Tl2SeAs2Te3

Abstract Infrared, microwave, and d.c. conductivities of the semiconducting glass Tl2SeAs2Te3 exhibit (1) a frequency independent extended state or band conductivity from d.c. to 1010 Hz and (2) a thermally activated free carrier absorption from 200 to 2000 cm-1 (5–50μ) in both the liquid and glass with an activation energy equivalent to that for d.c. conductivity (ΔE≅0.35 eV). The infrared measurements confirm the low carrier mobility (μ ≤ 1 cm2/Vsec) measured by transport techniques.
Abstract LB-299: Comprehensive preclinical evaluation of VE-822, the first ATR-targeted drug candidate: a novel approach to transforming the efficacy of DNA damaging agents.

DNA damaging agents have been the cornerstone of cancer therapy for decades yet they provide only modest benefit for most patients. For example, standard of care for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is dominated by the use of platinating drugs and ionizing radiation (IR), however outcome remains very poor with 5-year survival rates of VE-822 potently inhibits ATR in biochemical assays with Ki 90% of lines showed >3-fold shifts in IC50 for cisplatin in the presence of VE-822, with ~50% of lines showing >10-fold increases in cisplatin cytotoxicity. In contrast normal cells tolerate inhibition of ATR. In a panel of mouse xenograft models, derived from various primary human NSCLC tumor tissues, oral or IV administration of VE-822 strongly sensitized tumors to cisplatin treatment. In many cases, combinations including VE-822 led to tumor regression or extensive tumor growth delay. Inhibition of ATR activity and accumulation of DNA damage by VE-822 was observed coincident with efficacy. When administered alone or in combination with cisplatin VE-822 was well tolerated in mice at doses that block ATR activity. These data support the potential for ATR inhibitors to substantially increase the efficacy of standard-of-care agents in diseases such as NSCLC. Citation Format: Diane Boucher, Peter Charlton, Jean-Damien Charrier, Brinley Furey, Yong Gu, Amy Hall, Brian Hare, Howard Li, Sean Milton, Cheryl Murphy, Philip Reaper, Darin Takemoto, Taturo Udagawa, Yuxin Wang, Mark Wood, John Pollard. Comprehensive preclinical evaluation of VE-822, the first ATR-targeted drug candidate: a novel approach to transforming the efficacy of DNA damaging agents. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-299. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-LB-299
An axisymmetric model for the charging of a liquid-dominated geothermal reservoir

Abstract Heat and mass transfer processes occurring in a model of an axisymmetric liquid-dominated geothermal reservoir are described. The system is composed of a vertical cylindrical region of fractured rock surrounded by a much larger annular aquifer. Hot liquid water, convected into and up the central cylindrical zone is forced into the neighbouring aquifer. Heat is lost to the cold surface as the liquid flows horizontally (radially) in the aquifer. A combination of boundary layer techniques and numerical methods are used to obtain solutions for velocity, temperature and pressure distributions in the system and for the heat flux emanating from the surface of the cap rock. The deep portion of the axisymmetric aquifer is found to be cooled faster than the equivalent part of a planar model.
Egg Quality and Aureomycin

Abstract With the introduction of aureomycin supplements in poultry growing mashes, it is of interest to note whether this antibiotic, when fed to laying birds, has any influence on egg quality factors. Observations on blood and meat spot incidence are of particular interest because of the controversy surrounding the effect of aureomycin on clotting time of blood (Macht and Farkas, 1949; Parker and Wright, 1952). For this study, size and incidence of blood and meat spots, shell thickness, egg weight, and albumen quality were observed in eggs from hens fed various levels of aureomycin. Egg samples were taken in April and November of the same year. At twenty-two weeks of age two hundred and forty March hatched Rhode Island Red pullets were transferred from range to six houses with forty birds in each. The first egg sample was taken when the birds were twelve months of age and had been housed …
Hydrogen Solubility in Austenitic Stainless Steels

Hydrogen solubility was directly measured in specimens of Types 304L, 21-6-9, and modified A-286 austenitic stainless steels saturated with hydrogen at 69 MPa pressure at 470 K. Nitrogen in Type 21-6-9 stainless steel and precipitate morphology in the modified Type A-286 stainless steel altered the hydrogen solubility. Cold work and surface treatment had only minor effects on hydrogen solubility in the three stainless steels. This reports discusses this study.
Modeling and dynamic optimization of fuel-grade ethanol fermentation using fed-batch process

Abstract This paper investigates optimization of operational strategies of an industrial ethanol fermentation process. One of the challenges associated with this type or process is that most of the measurements are only taken sporadically, thereby complicating process monitoring and optimization. The one exception to this rule involves temperature measurements, which are readily available. However, an existing model of the plant investigated in this paper does not include an energy balance and, accordingly, the temperature measurements cannot be used to estimate model parameters. This paper addresses these deficiencies and proposes modifications to an existing ethanol fermentation model. The proposed changes include the derivation of an energy balance, modification of the reaction kinetics to include additional inhibition terms, and also estimation of model parameters from industrial data. The new model is validated against plant data and then used for optimization of the process operations. It is shown that modifications of the input profiles for the cooling rate and the glucoamylase addition can lead to an approximately 10% increase in ethanol yield. These are promising results, even though these findings will ultimately need to be validated during real plant operations.
Land and popular politics in Ireland

This book analyses County Mayo in Ireland from the Elizabethan pacification of the county to the first stage of the Land War in the late nineteenth century. During those three centuries the county was transformed from being a remote, isolated, impoverished and hostile region of the country to being at the centre of Irish politics and integrated into an agrarian capitalist economy. The book is divided into two sections. The first contains an analysis of the county prior to the Great Famine, and provides the foundation for a core/periphery analysis of Mayo's economic development and its impact upon popular politics in the county. The second, employing a core/periphery analysis of the post-Famine economic and political transformation of the county, demonstrates that the structural changes that gave rise to the Land War occurred more rapidly in central Mayo than along its western coastline or eastern boundaries. This uneven development helps account for both the initial strength and rapid disintegration of the land movement in the county.
Approximations to the Probability Integral

RECENT numbers of NATURE contain two interesting approximations to the probability integral, one by Prof. H. C. Plummer (October 25, 1924), and one by Mr. S. Krichewsky (January 10, 1925). A comparison made by the latter shows that of the two different formulae Prof. Plummer's is more accurate for small values of the argument, but breaks down completely for
Comparison methods for impulsively perturbed delay-differential control systems

Until recently most authors have devoted their research to the theory of functional differential systems with continuous perturbation. A very general comparison theorem for functional differential systems with impulse perturbation is developed employing the theory of systems functional differential inequalities. Sufficient conditions are given to insure that the solutions are integrally stable.
Characterization of antibody responses to annual influenza vaccination over four years in a healthy elderly population.

Abstract The effects of yearly influenza immunization on the level of antibody responses were assessed in 92 healthy elderly subjects immunized over four contiguous years (1993–1996) with a trivalent influenza vaccine that included A/Texas annually. Anti-A/Texas antibodies increased significantly and similarly post-vaccination each year, but returned to comparable baseline levels annually. Percentages of subjects with anti-A/Texas titers ≥40 post-vaccination were comparable over four years. Importantly, post-vaccination titers ≥40 to A/Texas in 1993–1994 predicted anti-A/Texas titers ≥40 in subsequent years. Thirty percent of individuals produced four-fold rises to any vaccine component the first year it was included in the vaccine, however, this percentage decreased to about 10% after subsequent vaccination with the same component. This study clearly supports the concept that annual immunization with the same influenza vaccine component over multiple years does not significantly decrease antibody titers in a healthy elderly population.
Adversity, acceptance, and accomplishment: female athletes in Japan's modern sportsworld

In Japan as elsewhere, sport is strongly coded as a masculine field. Nonetheless, women have long played sports at elite and popular levels despite considerable, continuing disadvantages in material resources, media attention and ideological support. I propose four reasons for the surprising profile of Japanese sporting women over the past century. Japan has long placed importance on its success in the Olympic Games; as the Games were opened up to female events, national ambition motivated Japan to improve opportunities for elite female athletes and celebrate their success. A second factor is extensive corporate sponsorship of a range of individual and team sports at elite levels for both male and female employees, which opened up opportunities to women for intensive training and national and even international participation. Moreover, sporting accomplishment more generally in Japan has foregrounded trained effort and focused on commitment rather than ‘natural’ ability or brute strength. And mainstream no...
Seeking a Balance Between the Statistical and Scientific Elements in Psychometrics

In this paper, I will review some aspects of psychometric projects that I have been involved in, emphasizing the nature of the work of the psychometricians involved, especially the balance between the statistical and scientific elements of that work. The intent is to seek to understand where psychometrics, as a discipline, has been and where it might be headed, in part at least, by considering one particular journey (my own). In contemplating this, I also look to psychometrics journals to see how psychometricians represent themselves to themselves, and in a complementary way, look to substantive journals to see how psychometrics is represented there (or perhaps, not represented, as the case may be). I present a series of questions in order to consider the issue of what are the appropriate foci of the psychometric discipline. As an example, I present one recent project at the end, where the roles of the psychometricians and the substantive researchers have had to become intertwined in order to make satisfactory progress. In the conclusion I discuss the consequences of such a view for the future of psychometrics.
Cognitive radio engine parametric optimization utilizing Taguchi analysis

Cognitive radio (CR) engines often contain multiple system parameters that require careful tuning to obtain favorable overall performance. This aspect is a crucial element in the design cycle yet is often addressed with ad hoc methods. Efficient methodologies are required in order to make the best use of limited manpower, resources, and time. Statistical methods for approaching parameter tuning exist that provide formalized processes to avoid inefficient ad hoc methods. These methods also apply toward overall system performance testing. This article explores the use of the Taguchi method and orthogonal testing arrays as a tool for identifying favorable genetic algorithm (GA) parameter settings utilized within a hybrid case base reasoning/genetic algorithm CR engine realized in simulation. This method utilizes a small number of test cases compared to traditional design of experiments that rely on full factorial combinations of system parameters. Background on the Taguchi method, its drawbacks and limitations, past efforts in GA parameter tuning, and the use of GA within CR are overviewed. Multiple CR metrics are aggregated into a single figure-of-merit for quantification of performance. Desirability functions are utilized as a tool for identifying ideal settings from multiple responses. Kiviat graphs visualize overall CR performance. The Taguchi method analysis yields a predicted best combination of GA parameters from nine test cases. A confirmation experiment utilizing the predicted best settings is compared against the predicted mean, and desirability. Results show that the predicted performance falls within 1.5% of the confirmation experiment based on 9 test cases as opposed to the 81 test cases required for a full factorial design of experiments analysis.
Complication prevalence following use of tutoplast-derived human acellular dermal matrix in prosthetic breast reconstruction: a retrospective review of 203 patients.

Summary Use of human acellular dermal matrix (ADM) during prosthetic breast reconstruction has increased. Several ADM products are available produced by differing manufacturing techniques. It is not known if outcomes vary with different products. This study reports the complication prevalence following use of a tutoplast-derived ADM (T-ADM) in prosthetic breast reconstruction. We performed a retrospective chart review of 203 patients (mean follow-up times 12.2 months) who underwent mastectomy and immediate prosthetic breast reconstruction utilizing T-ADM, recording demographic data, surgical indications and complication (infection, seroma, hematoma, wound healing exceeding three weeks and reconstruction failure). During a four-year period, 348 breast reconstructions were performed Complications occurred in 16.4% of reconstructed breasts. Infection occurred in 6.6% of breast reconstructions (3.7% – major infection, requiring intravenous antibiotics and 2.9% minor infection, requiring oral antibiotics only). Seromas occurred in 3.4% and reconstruction failure occurred in 0.6% of breast reconstructions. Analysis suggested that complication prevalence was significantly higher in patients with a BMI >30 ( p = 0.03). The complication profile following T-ADM use is this series is comparable to that reported for with other ADM products. T-ADM appears to be a safe and acceptable option for use in ADM-assisted breast reconstruction.
Magnetoresistive sensors for rotary position encoders

It is pointed out that a magnetoresistor is very sensitive to flux changes, and may therefore operate with wide tolerances in the air gap between it and the encoder wheel. It may also be designed with a high impedance for low power consumption. A general description of a magnetic encoder and its typical output is given. Encoder wheels and magnetoresistors are discussed. Encoder performance is examined: the continuous output wave from one channel with 40 mV peak-to-peak is shown. >
Exploiting semantics for event detection systems

This dissertation is building towards a flexible and scalable middleware for sentient spaces wherein sensors are used to observe the state of a physical environment in real time to create awareness which, in turn, is used to build applications that bring new functionalities and/or new efficiencies to the environment. Examples of such sentient spaces could be as varied as smart buildings that use video sensors for surveillance or for building pervasive applications such as person locator to dynamically instrumented crisis sites wherein sensors carried by first responders and/or brought to crisis sites are used to monitor the crisis site and the progress of response activities. The key goal of this work is towards developing a robust and scalable middleware technology that can handle challenges related to heterogeneity of sensors, limited resources (e.g., network bandwidth), and the need for rapid deployment (e.g., self-calibration of sensing), and programmability (e.g., hiding complexity of sensor and sensor programming from the application writers).
Taking It to the Streets Helmet Use and Bicycle Safety As Components of Inner-City Youth Development

A three-week bicycle safety module (BSM) featuring helmet use was developed for an inner-city, comprehensive youth development program in East Wheeling, West Virginia. Prior to BSM intervention, no helmet use had been observed in the test neighborhood. After a three-week program focusing on safety behaviors and helmet use, students demonstrated significant improvements in knowledge, a positive relationship between skill and knowledge, and nearly 100 percent helmet usage rates. Unfortunately, neighborhood helmet use rates fell to nearly zero after the summer camp was over. The data suggest that helmet use and improved knowledge and skills could become the norm in an inner-city day-camp context, but periodic, model-oriented reinforcement of the BSM is recommended for maintenance of observed knowledge and usage improvements.