cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
THREE-YEAR OUTCOMES AFTER DEFERRAL OF REVASCULARIZATION BASED ON INSTANTANEOUS WAVE-FREE RATIO OR FRACTIONAL FLOW RESERVE

The safety of deferral of revascularization based on instantaneous wave-free ratio (iFR) is established in randomized controlled trials, whereas there is little data regarding long-term outcomes after deferral of revascularization based on iFR in real-world practice. This is a post hoc analysis of
Correction for Pozsgai et al., "Modified mariner Transposons for Random Inducible-Expression Insertions and Transcriptional Reporter Fusion Insertions in Bacillus subtilis".

Volume 78, no. 3, p. 778–785, 2012, [https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.07098-11][1]. The TnKRM series of transposons functions as advertised in Bacillus subtilis, but the delivery plasmids carrying the transposons are unstable when propagated in Escherichia coli. We recommend one of three solutions. The
Effect of niobium on the microstructure and properties of submerged arc welds in HSLA steel

High-strength low-alloy or microalloyed steels are thermo-mechanically control processed (TMCP) to achieve desired microstructures and mechanical properties, and microalloy additions are critical for obtaining optimum properties. The steel of interest in this study is microalloyed with approximately 0.1 wt% Nb, levels that are typical in pipeline steels such as X70. Submerged arc welding (SAW) is a commonly utilized manufacturing method for constructing pipe segments via seam welding. There were two parts to this investigation. Part 1 analyzed controlled dilution levels consisting of commercially available SAW electrodes and Nb-bearing steel in proportions to simulate submerged arc weld metal. Part 2 of this investigation evaluated actual submerged arc welds on low-alloy steels. Bead-on-plate welds were deposited, and the Nb content of the weld metal was systematically increased by adding ferro-niobium directly to the flux. Two-run welds representative of line pipe production were also evaluated using the same ferro-niobium flux additions in order to increase the weld metal Nb content. The microstructural evolution and corresponding mechanical properties with increased Nb are evaluated based on this work and on the published literature.
Engineering the atomic structure of sequence-defined peptoid polymers and their assemblies

Abstract Peptoids are a family of sequence-defined, non-natural biomimetic polymers which show excellent properties including good chemical and enzymatic stability and high structural tunability. The solid-phase submonomer synthesis method allows precise control over the identity and sequence of chemically diverse side chains, enabling the atomic engineering of their chemical structures for a variety of applications. This unprecedented level of structural control enables access to atomically defined three-dimensional chain conformations and assemblies, facilitating the design and optimization of a variety of nanoscale architectures that can function in biology and materials science. In order to approach the rational design of peptoid materials in a more predictive and precise manner, it is crucial to fully understand how chemical information, in the form of the monomer sequence, encodes their folding and assembly into structurally defined, functional 3D shapes. This perspective focuses on recent studies into the atomic engineering of peptoid nanostructures by examining the impact of sequence variations on their secondary and three-dimensional structures, as well as their functional properties.
Abstract IA05: Signaling networks in small-cell lung cancer

SCLC is a lethal neuroendocrine (NE) cancer that accounts for ~15% of all lung cancers and causes ~250,000 deaths worldwide each year. SCLC is linked to heavy cigarette smoking and exposure to carcinogens. Unfortunately, the number of SCLC-related deaths continues to rise. A major clinical challenge is that ~70% of SCLC patients have disseminated disease at the time of diagnosis; these patients have a 5-year survival of Citation Format: Julien Sage. Signaling networks in small-cell lung cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on the Evolving Landscape of Cancer Modeling; 2020 Mar 2-5; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(11 Suppl):Abstract nr IA05.
Exploration of Statewide Fragmentation of Activity and Travel and a Taxonomy of Daily Time Use Patterns using Sequence Analysis in California

Sequence analysis is used in this paper to measure fragmentation in activity participation and travel. Fragmentation here is defined as the sequencing of many short and long activities and trips th...
Decentralized Cooperative Localization with LoS and NLoS UWB Inter-agent Ranging

This paper develops an infrastructure-free global cooperative localization solution for a group of communicating mobile agents (e.g., first responders or exploring robots) via an ultra-wideband (UWB) inter-agent ranging aided dead-reckoning. UWB offers a decimeter level accuracy in line-of-sight (LoS). Still, its accuracy degrades significantly in non-line-of-sight (NLoS) due to the significant unknown positive bias in the measurements. Instead of identifying and excluding the NLoS measurements, this paper proposes a framework to use the NLoS measurements. The method includes (a) proposing a bias compensation method to process NLoS measurements; (b) taking into account the probabilistic nature of the NLoS identifiers and casting the UWB measurements by a probabilistic bi-modal model; (c) using an interacting multiple model estimator to process the bi-modal UWB measurements. Our cooperative localization’s effectiveness is demonstrated via a set of two experiments for a group of pedestrians who use UWB relative range measurements among themselves to improve their shoe-mounted INS geolocation.
Nitrogen fertilization and aspects of fruit yield in a Missouri black walnut alley cropping practice

Increasing nut production through cultural practices is important to landowners for maximizing economic gain from agroforestry plantings. This project studied the effects of applying low rates of nitrogen (N) fertilizer during either the spring or late summer, on pistillate flowers formed, fruits retained, and fruit quality (percentage kernel) in black walnut (Juglans nigra L.) grown under alley cropping management. Treatments consisted of two forms of nitrogen fertilizers (NH4NO3 and NaNO3) applied in mid-April, or mid-August of 1995 and 1996, and a nonfertilized control group. Pistillate flowers counted in May, 1996, showed that fertilized trees, regardless of timing or form of N applied, produced from 2.3 to 3.4 times the number of pistillate flowers as unfertilized control trees. Through the season, the fertilized trees had greater fruit retention, and ended with 2.9 to 4.8 times more walnuts (on a whole tree basis) than nonfertilized control trees. In addition, all fertilizer treatments resulted in increased nut yields from 1995 to 1996, while unfertilized control tree yields decreased approximately 70%. Summer application of fertilizer showed the greatest benefit to kernel weight. Average kernel weights of nuts from the summer-fertilized trees increased from 1995 to 1996, while kernel weight averages from spring-fertilized and nonfertilized trees remained unchanged or decreased.
Transfer Pricing: UN Practical Manual – China

Any contemporary Chinese transfer pricing assessment needs to consider the United Nation (UN) Practical Manual on Transfer Pricing for Developing Countries released in May 2013. In particular, Chapter 10 discusses Country Practices and presents China’s most up to date transfer pricing policy statement. China is not an Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) member nor has it formally adopted the OECD’s Transfer Pricing Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises and Tax Administrations. Chapter 10 makes it very clear that China is charting a different transfer pricing course in at least nine important areas. China believes that: 1. significant comparability adjustments are needed when comparable sets are drawn from developed countries; 2. the transactional net margin (TNMM) is considered overused and inaccurate; 3. location savings must be reflected in the costs; 4. toll manufacturers will be converted into contract manufacturers; 5. limited risk distributor status is denied for brand building distributors; 6. market premiums must be reflected in Chinese profits; 7. tax haven based IP ownership can be “looked through” or denied; 8. cost-plus methodology is rejected for “high and new technology status” (HNTS) entities; 9. royalty adjustments over time are necessary.The Chinese approach to transfer pricing or at least the approach presented in the Practical Manual uses familiar OECD terminology but it places a very different emphasis on some basic concepts in the OECD Guidelines. Thus, the Chinese market economics strengthens the State Administration of Taxation’s hand and encourages more forceful transfer pricing policies. This is the case even though these policies diverge from OECD norms. This paper considers the nine major areas where the Chinese position in the UN Practical Manual differs from positions in the OECD Guidelines.
Comprehensive Dictionary of Electrical Engineering

This expanded second edition includes 1500 new entries, more than 120 tables and illustrations, and more than 11,000 total terms, updated, expanded, and improved to provide the most accurate, authoritative, and complete reference to date.
HER2 therapy. HER2 (ERBB2): functional diversity from structurally conserved building blocks

EGFR-type receptor tyrosine kinases achieve a broad spectrum of cellular responses by utilizing a set of structurally conserved building blocks. Based on available crystal structures and biochemical information, significant new insights have emerged into modes of receptor control, its deregulation in cancer, and the nuances that differentiate the four human receptors. This review gives an overview of current models of the control of receptor activity with a special emphasis on HER2 and HER3.
Vestibular schwannomas in the modern era: epidemiology, treatment trends, and disparities in management

Object There are a variety of treatment options for the management of vestibular schwannomas (VSs), including microsurgical resection, radiotherapy, and observation. Although the choice of treatment is dependent on various patient factors, physician bias has been shown to significantly affect treatment choice for VS. In this study the authors describe the current epidemiology of VS and treatment trends in the US in the modern era. They also illustrate patient and tumor characteristics and elucidate their effect on tumor management. Methods Patients diagnosed with VS were identified through the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database, spanning the years 2004–2009. Age-adjusted incidence rates were calculated and adjusted using the 2000 US standard population. The chi-square and Student t-tests were used to evaluate differences between patient and tumor characteristics. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to determine the effects of various patient and tumor characteristics on the ch...
The Effect of Retropubic Urethropexy on the Dynamic Urethral Closure Pressure Profile

The most consistent finding in the postoperative period in successfully treated patients is the presence of positive pressure transmission during increases in intra-abdominal pressure. The usual profile preoperatively is characterized by pressure equalization with each cough and no margin to leakage. Various dynamic profiles are done routinely in the urodynamic evaluation of the incontinence patient. These may include rectal and urethral sphincter tightening, Valsalva and cough profiles (Chapters 15*#x2013;17). The sphincter tightening profiles are compared to the resting profile in order to determine whether or not the patient has the voluntary ability to tighten the skeletal muscles of the pelvic floor and urethra. When this ability exists an increase of pressure in the respective profile will be measured. The Valsalva and cough profiles are dynamic recordings done during constant or intermittent increases in intra-abdominal pressure as discussed in Chapter 17. These profiles are done primarily to stress the urethral sphincteric mechanism and to determine the presence or absence of pressure equalization causing incontinence.
The Soft Resource Allocation Problem

In this paper, we propose a hierarchical framework for organizing and staffing a product development process at a leading software company that produces tax software. Every year, starting in August, the firm struggles with a high workload imposed by thousands of changes in tax rules announced by the IRS. These changes have to be processed and incorporated into the next generation of the product by mid-December. Wide variations in the types of tax forms and their processing requirements together with feedback loops within the development process makes project management extremely difficult. In this competitive market, any delay in the release of the product leads to significant losses. We develop models for organizing and staffing the development activities to meet the deadline at the lowest cost. First, U.S. states are partitioned into groups based on a grouping index. Second, an optimization problem is solved to determine the staffing levels for each group. To provide the firm with a range of resource configurations, we use two approaches: a conservative pull approach that treats the process line similarly to an assembly line, and a liberal push approach that focuses on the total workload at each stage.
A Dual Process Evaluability Framework for decision anomalies

Abstract Alternative explanations have been offered to explain consumers’ inconsistent preferences in decision problems. We present a Dual Process Evaluability Framework (DPEF) which suggests that the characteristics of the decision problem, including response mode, presentation mode, and choice-set structure, are critical to predicting preference reversals related to decisions under risk and uncertainty, over time, and between product assortments, as well as presentation mode reversals involving joint versus separate evaluations, and response mode reversals involving a combination of choice tasks, monetary value tasks, and attractiveness ratings. Our framework, grounded in evaluability theory and dual process models, predicts how these decision problem characteristics directly affect the ease of evaluation of alternatives which subsequently affects the relative dominance of feeling versus calculation in these tasks. Application of DPEF to previously documented preference reversals, complemented by three studies which test new predictions of DPEF, reveals that DPEF provides a parsimonious explanation for a variety of decision anomalies.
Recombination of cluster ions

In the first part of my talk, I will discuss some of our recent work on molecular band emissions from recombination of molecular dimer ions (N4 + and CO+ CO). Much of the experimental work was done by Y.S. Cao1; the results on N4 + recombination have been published2. The second part of my talk is a brief progress report on our ongoing measurements of neutral products of recombination using the flowing-afterglow Langmuir-probe technique in conjunction with laser-induced fluorescence. These measurements are carried out in cooperation with Prof. M.F. Golde and L. Weber.
Performance evaluation of buffered multistage interconnection networks with look-ahead contention resolution scheme

Packet-switched multistage interconnection networks (MINs) have been widely used for parallel computer systems and digital data communication. It is well-known that the maximum throughput of an input-buffered switch is limited due to the head of line (HOL) blocking. To overcome the HOL blocking, a technique known as look-ahead contention resolution (LCR) is used. In this paper we first present an efficient model for the performance evaluation of MINs with the LCR scheme. Then we demonstrate by simulation that the proposed model offers an accurate and easy means for analyzing the LCR performance.
Cosmic Microwave Background Observations as a Way to Discriminate Among Inflation Models

The upcoming satellite missions MAP and Planck will measure the spectrum of fluctuations in the Cosmic Microwave Background with unprecedented accuracy. We discuss the prospect of using these observations to distinguish among proposed models of inflationary cosmology.
Diffusion of Al, O, Pt, Hf, and Y atoms on α-Al2O3(0001): implications for the role of alloying elements in thermal barrier coatings

We use density functional theory with periodic boundary conditions to investigate diffusion of Al, O, Pt, Hf, and Y on the α-Al2O3(0001) surface as a simple model to obtain insight into possible diffusion mechanisms occurring at alumina grain boundaries (GBs) in thermal barrier coatings (TBCs). We calculate diffusion pathways, activation energies, and diffusion constants. For the elements involved in alumina growth, we find that Al diffusion is facile and involves a simple hop from one most stable adsorption site to the next without local minima in between whereas O diffusion has a much higher barrier and has local minima along the minimum energy pathway. This trend is consistent with relative rates of diffusion at alumina GBs. Regarding common dopants in the metal (bond coat) alloy substrate from which alumina grows, we predict that Pt diffusion is facile but thermodynamically disfavored relative to Pt remaining in the bond coat alloy, while Hf and Y diffusion involve much higher barriers than Al diffusion. We use these results to rationalize some observations regarding the role of reactive elements Hf and Y as well as Pt in TBCs.
Tissue-specific regulation of the Na, K-ATPase by the cytosolic NaAF: some thoughts on brain function

The dual topology P-2 ATPase, which consists of a α²β² tetramer, explains numerous functions of the cation transporting ATPase system. The ubiquitous cytosolic protein regulator (NaAF) of 170 k Da mass regulates P-2 ATPase function in a low Ca (µM) neighborhood where Ca acts as the terminal regulator in the intracellular signaling cascade. The Na, K- ATPase also seems to function as an H, K-ATPase or a Ca-ATPase in altered states based on the local environment (low pH or high Ca) in a tissue specific manner. These altered effects are analogous to that of the 80 k Da cytosolic HAF in regulating the gastric H, K-ATPase system of the parietal cells. However there are some important differences. The HAF stimulates the Na, K-ATPase but the NaAF cannot stimulate H, K-ATPase. Also, HAF is as effective as NaAF in stimulating the kidney Na, K-ATPase but about 60% as effective in stimulating brain Na, K-ATPase. These observations reveal that the Na, K- ATPase systems from kidney and brain, consisting of different kinds of αβ–isoforms, interact differently with the HAF molecule; thus substantiating that P-2 ATPase system plays different roles in different tissues in response to an universal NaAF. Another rare feature of the HAF is that it has histone kinase activity, suggesting that the HAF and NaAF may be capable of sending a direct signal to the nucleus for gene expression. In this paper, the central role of the NaAF-regulated Na, K-ATPase system in the activity and function of brain tissue is discussed. It is noted that the altered function of the nerve terminus located Na, K-ATPase system works as a Ca-pump (after depolarization) and as a Na-pump (in repolarization) in alternate sequence. The possible role of Ca-sensing receptor (CaR) in the voltage gated channeling of Ca has been raised and the possibility of a dual channel Na/H antiporter (NhaA) in pH homeostasis is discussed.
Methusaleh’s Zoo: How Nature provides us with Clues for Extending Human Health Span

As impressive as the accomplishments of modern molecular biologists have been in finding genetic alterations that lengthen life in short-lived model organisms, they pale in comparison to the remarkable diversity of lifespans produced by evolution. Some animal species are now firmly documented to live for more than four centuries and even some mammals, like the bowhead whale, appear to survive 200 years or more. Another group of species may not be as absolutely long-lived, but they are remarkably long-lived for their body size and metabolic rate. These species include a number of bats, some of which live for at least 40 years in the wild, as well as the naked mole-rat, which is the same size, but lives nearly 10 times as long as the laboratory mouse. Together these exceptionally long-lived organisms have important roles to play in our future understanding of the causal mechanisms and modulation of ageing. Bats and naked mole-rats in particular have already contributed in the following ways: (1) they have contributed to the abandonment of the rate-of-living theory and weakened enthusiasm for the oxidative stress hypothesis of ageing, (2) they have helped evaluate how the tumour-suppressing role of cellular senescence is affected by the evolution of diverse body sizes as well as diverse longevities, (3) they have shed light on the relationship between specific types of DNA repair and ageing and (4) they have yielded insight into new processes, specifically the maintenance of the proteome and hypotheses concerning how evolution shapes ageing. The continuing acceleration of progress in genome sequencing and development of more and more cross-species investigatory techniques will facilitate even more contributions of these species in the near future.
Rectal Cancer Staging

Rectal cancer staging provides critical information concerning the extent of the disease. The information gained from staging is used to determine prognosis, to guide management, and to assess response to therapy. Accurate staging is essential for directing the multidisciplinary approach to therapy. This article focuses on the evolution of staging systems, the rational for staging, and current methods used to stage rectal cancer.
Mapping spatial aggregation from counts data: a penalized likelihood approach†

A model for counts data on a spatial domain is presented. The counts are assumed to follow the negative binomial distribution, with both the mean and dispersion parameter allowed to vary spatially. The ratio of the mean to the dispersion parameter is estimated via non-parametric penalized likelihood regression, and is equivalent to David and Moore's ecological index of aggregation. The dispersion parameter is assumed to follow a parametric model whose parameters are estimated via minimization of a variant of the well-known generalized approximate cross-validation (GACV) score, which is simultaneously used to estimate the smoothing parameter associated with estimation of the mean to dispersion parameter ratio. The increased flexibility of the model permitted by allowing the dispersion parameter to vary spatially is illustrated through spatial maps of David and Moore's and other indices of aggregation, such as Lloyd's indices of crowding and patchiness, using real and simulated data. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Crown retention: a comparative study of core type and luting agent

The in vitro bond strengths of both zinc phosphate and polycarboxylate cemented crowns to 4-pin amalgam and composite cores were investigated. The surface area and taper of each core were measured. The crowns were cemented to the cores and either stored for one week, 3 weeks, 6 weeks and 12 weeks or thermocycled for the same periods of time. The bond strength necessary to pull the crowns off the cores was measured using a universal testing machine. The bond strength was then represented as force/surface area. At all time periods, the composite resin with zinc phosphate cement showed significantly higher bond strengths than the other combinations of core type and cement.
On thermodynamic proofs of mathematical results

Abstract It is shown that a class of mathematical inequalities can be obtained using the first and second laws of thermodynamics and some additional assumptions. Certain objections raised against the proof are considered.
A semi-theoretical model for predicting refrigerant/lubricant mixture pool boiling heat transfer

Abstract This paper outlines the framework of a semi-theoretical model for predicting the pool boiling heat transfer of refrigerant/lubricant mixtures on a roughened, horizontal, flat pool-boiling surface. The predictive model is based on the mechanisms involved in the formation of the lubricant excess layer that exists on the heat transfer surface. The lubricant accumulates on the surface in excess of the bulk concentration via preferential evaporation of the refrigerant from the bulk refrigerant/lubricant mixture. As a result, excess lubricant resides in a thin layer on the surface and influences the boiling performance, giving either an enhancement or degradation in heat transfer. A dimensionless excess layer parameter and a thermal boundary layer constant were derived and fitted to data in an attempt to generalize the model to other refrigerant/lubricant mixtures. The model inputs include transport and thermodynamic refrigerant properties and the lubricant composition, viscosity, and critical solution temperature with the refrigerant. The model predicts the boiling heat transfer coefficient of three different mixtures of R123 and lubricant to within ±10%. Comparisons of heat transfer predictions to measurements for 13 different refrigerant/lubricant mixtures were made, including two different refrigerants and three different lubricants.
Software Defined Radio Implementation of SMSE Based Overlay Cognitive Radio in High Mobility Environment

A spectrally modulated spectrally encoded (SMSE) based overlay cognitive radio has been implemented and demonstrated in [1] via GNU software define radio (SDR). However, like most of the current cognitive radio implementations and demonstrations, this work does not consider the mobility between cognitive radio nodes. In a high mobility environment, the frequency offset introduced by Doppler shift leads to loss of the orthogonality among subcarriers. As a direct result, severe inter-carrier interference (ICI) and performance degradation is observed. In our previous work, we have proposed a new ICI cancellation method (namely Total ICI Cancellation) for OFDM [2] and MC-CDMA [3] mobile communication systems, which eliminates the ICI without lowering the transmission rate nor reducing the bandwidth efficiency. In this paper, we apply the total ICI cancellation algorithm onto the SMSE base overlay cognitive radio to demonstrate a high performance cognitive radio in high mobility environment. Specifically, we demonstrate an SMSE based overlay cognitive radio that is capable of detecting primary users in real time and adaptively adjusting its transmission parameters to avoid interference to (and from) primary users. When the primary user transmission changes, the cognitive radio dynamically adjusts its transmission accordingly. Additionally, this cognitive radio maintains seamless real time video transmission between the cognitive radio pair even when large frequency offset is introduced by mobility between CR transmitter and receiver.
Effect of Mg on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Copper-Coated Short Carbon Fiber Reinforced Al Alloy Matrix Composite

Abstract: Copper coated short carbon fiber reinforced aluminum alloy matrix composites have been prepared with 0.3-1.5 wt% Mg as alloying addition by stir casting. Effect of Mg on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the composites was investigated. The microstructure was observed by scanning electron microscopy and the results show that adding Mg can make the distribution of carbon fibers uniform in the composites, reduce laminated and agglomerated. Tensile test and hardness test were carried out, the results show that the tensile strength and the hardness of the composite is increased by 13% and 8% when Mg content is 0.9 wt%.
Electrical stimulation of tooth pulp in humans. II. Qualities of sensations.

Abstract Individual premolar teeth of 22 normal volunteers were stimulated via intradentinal electrodes using brief electrical pulses. Questionnaires were used to determine the qualities of sensations produced by this stimulation. Operationally defined “innocuous’ sensations predominated between 1 and 10 dB SL, and were absent above 30 dB SL. Similarly defined ”painful’ sensations were observed throughout the range of suprathreshold intensities but were most common above 20 dB SL.‘Uncomfortable’ sensations were especially frequent between 1 and 20 dB SL. These findings demonstrate that non-painful sensations can arise from electrical tooth pulp excitation in circumstances in which spread of the stimulating current to periodontal and gingival structures is most unlikely. Two interpretations of these results are considered: (1) that tooth pulp afferents may have some unspecified sensory function besides mediation of painful sensations and (2) that they may be specialized in the mediation of nociceptive impulses but may give rise to innocuous sensations under special circumstances.
THE EFFECT OF VENTRAL HYPOTHALAMIC LESIONS ON SODIUM AND POTASSIUM METABOLISM IN THE DOG

The urinary excretion and plasma levels of sodium and potassium in 1.8 dogs with ventral hypothalamic lesions have been compared to those found in normal, hypophysectomized and adrenalectomized animals on a daily diet containing 40 m.eq. of sodium and 8 m.eq. of potassium, on a diet containing 0.5 m.eq. of sodium and 50 m.eq. of potassium, and after the intravenous administration of a salt load equivalent to 5.13 m.eq. per kilogram of body weight. The ventral hypothalamic lesions produced diabetes insipidus, gonadal atrophy and/or inhibition of hydroxycorticoid secretion in response to surgical trauma in a large number of the animals studied. However, none of the animals showed abnormal sodium and potassium metabolism and all withstood salt restriction and handled a salt load in a normal fashion. Hypophysectomized dogs also responded normally, but adrenalectomized dogs, maintained before and during the diet studies on hydrocortisone alone, became hyponatremic and died when subjected to salt restriction.
Snow as an expedient sorbent for hazardous materials

Abstract Laboratory tests indicate that snow can be an effective sorbent for spills of insoluble hazardous materials. Fresh snow was found to be the most effective, followed by old snow and wet snow. The sorption ratios ranged from 0.24 g/g of snow to 3.12 g/g of snow depending on the type of snow and hazardous material. Although these sorption ratios are much lower than those for some commercial sorbents, adequate snow quantities for spill cleanup should be available at most snowcovered sites. Also, a column study indicated that much of the adsorbed liquid will drain out if soon after it is mixed with the snow. A hypothetical scenario is presented that shows how snow might be used as a sorbent in a typical spill.
Negative moments of current distribution in random resistor networks.

We investigate the size-dependent behavior for negative moments of current distribution in random resistor networks. With the extreme value statistics idea, we derive the explicit form of the current distribution in small-current regime. The distribution is found to be the Weibull distribution n(x)\ensuremath{\sim}exp(-${x}^{m}$), with mg1 and x==-logi/logL. $L--- is the system size. Using this distribution function, we show breakdown of multifractal behavior in negative moments regime and nonoccurrence of thermodynamic phase transition.
Effect of primary mitral regurgitation on left ventricular synchrony.

Mitral regurgitation (MR) promotes left ventricular (LV) dilatation and eccentric remodeling. In the presence of LV dyssynchrony and heart failure, cardiac resynchronization therapy decreases the severity of MR. Whether primary MR can cause LV dyssynchrony is unknown. We investigated whether moderate to severe primary MR causes LV dyssynchrony in the presence of LV dilation and an ejection fraction (EF) >55%. We studied 37 normal subjects and 22 patients with moderate to severe MR and no coronary artery disease. Electrocardiographically gated cine and tagged cardiac magnetic resonance imaging was performed. Two-dimensional, maximum-circumferential shortening strain and time-to-peak strain (TTPS) were computed using harmonic-phase analysis of tagged magnetic resonance imaging. LV dyssynchrony was assessed by comparing TTPS delay of various LV quadrants and TTPS dispersion among the contralateral quadrants in patients with MR and normal subjects. Statistical comparison was done using a generalized linear model for repeated measurements. LV end-diastolic and LV end-systolic volumes were significantly larger in patients with MR versus normal subjects (207 ± 11 vs 130 ± 4 and 73 ± 5 vs 47 ± 2 ml, p
The use of DSS as an internal standard in PMR studies of nucleic acid interactions

Two commonly used PMR internal reference compounds, 3-(trimethyl silyl) propane sulfonic acid sodium salt (DSS) and 3-(trimethyl silyl) sodium propionate (TSP), have been shown to interact with purine in aqueous solution, causing significant shifts in the resonance position of their reference protons. Tetramethyl ammonium chloride (TMACl) appears to be a more suitable reference compound for such studies.
Fortification of Cottage Cheese with Vitamins A and C

Abstract Regular (4% fat) and lowfat (1.5% fat) cottage cheese were fortified in plant under actual production conditions with vitamin A palmitate and ascorbic acid (vitamin C) at levels of 2500 IU and 35 mg per serving (113.6 g), respectively. Fortified cheese samples along with unfortified control samples were stored immediately at 3°C for 2 wk. Some fortified samples were also stored in the dairy case of a local store for 2 wk under actual display conditions. Cheese samples were analyzed at zero time and after 2 wk of storage for pH, acidity, and vitamins A and C. Selected fortified samples were also evaluated for odor, taste, and appearance by 21 untrained panelists. The results indicated that the level of fortification used provided at least 25% of US RDA of both vitamins per serving. The results also indicated that the level of fortification used did not significantly change pH, titratable acidity, or sensory attributes of fortified cottage cheese. Moreover, fat content or size of container had no significant effect on retention of both vitamins during refrigerated storage.
Conveying the Importance of the Preanalytical Phase

Preanalytical issues do not readily lend themselves to systematic teaching and the approach to teaching must be modified for each of the populations who require such education. The populations to be educated include patients, nurses, medical students and physicians. The different approaches that we have tried, and continue to use are described.
On the use of earth radiation budget statistics for studies of clouds and climate

Abstract Daily observations of albedo and outgoing terrestrial radiation derived from NOAA Scanning Radiometer measurements are used to relate cloudiness variations to regional features of the general circulation and to estimate the relative importance of the albedo and infrared effects of clouds on the net radiation balance of the earth on a regional basis. The results indicate that there are clear relationships between the variability in outgoing IR and features of the atmospheric circulation, which appear to be linked to changes in cloudiness. A method requiring only measurements of planetary albedo and total outgoing IR is devised to evaluate the relative importance of the albedo and IR effects of the current distribution of cloud for the net radiation balance of the earth. The results obtained from this method suggest that globally the effect on the radiation balance of the high albedo of clouds is two or more times greater than the effect of clouds in reducing outgoing IR, so that an increase in the...
A nanoengine for gliding motility

The terminal organelle present in some mycoplasma species is a very large, complex, flexible structure involved in cell adherence, motility and cell division. In this issue of Molecular Microbiology, Hasselbring and Krause report on a mutant in which the terminal organelle is only weakly connected to the rest of the cell. 'Run-away' terminal organelles first stretch the cells, then break away and continue moving independently for more than half an hour. This remarkable observation proves that the 'nanoengine' driving motility is indeed associated with the terminal organelle, and opens up new opportunities for dissecting and understanding its mechanism.
Acetate Repression of Chlorophyll Synthesis in Euglena gracilis

THE photosynthetic apparatus of Euglena gracilis is exceptionally labile and can be bleached by a variety of chemical and physical agents. During a recent series of experiments on streptomycin1, heat2 and hydroxyurea3 inhibition of chlorophyll synthesis in Euglena, it was noted that cells grown in the presence of excess sodium acetate contained less chlorophyll than cells grown with smaller amounts of acetate. This observation led to the present experiments.
Computation of Two-Dimensional Potential Flow Using Elementary Vortex Distributions

most of the landings occur at low descent velocities, the use of a nonlinear orifice damper in the shock absorber is preferred from the fatigue damage point of view. Viewing this in a global way, the conventional nonlinear orifice damper seems to be better than a linear damper. As the linear damper design given by Hall needs special fabrication, it appears that an optimized nonlinear orifice damper offers simplicity in design and better performance.
Progressive neuronal differentiation in the submandibular ganglia of a series of human fetuses.

Serial sections of a series of 20 human fetuses, ranging in age from 4+ weeks (6 mm C.R.) through full term (470 mm C.H.) were studied from the standpoint of progressive development changes in the the submandibular ganglion neuroblasts. The basic staining technique used was the silver nitrate method of Holmes, with luxol fast blue, toluidine blue, gallocyanin and H&E employed as alternate counterstains. General topography and the formation of roots in relation to the developing ganglion were studied. Morphological changes in the neuroblasts were related to time of first appearance in the series. Neuroblasts were easily distinguished from non-nervous ganglion cells at the 79 mm stage. Neuroblastic multipolarity was present at the 79 mm stage also, and the cells were predominantly multipolaar at the 278 mm stage. Neurofibrillae, Nissl bodies, well-formed capsules and the reduction of the number of nucleoli to one or two were characteristics first observed in the 120 mm fetus. Preganglionic terminal arborizations were observed as early as the 25 mm stage. Counts of ganglion neuroblasts of four selected fetuses indicated a progressive reduction in numbers from 12,128 at 17 weeks (120 mm) to 5,988 at full term. Measurements of ganglion neuroblasts of four selected fetuses revealed a progressive increase in the cytoplasmic/nuclear ratio from 1.38 at 15 weeks (97 mm) to 2.05 at full term.
Characterization of permineralized kerogen from an Eocene fossil fern

Abstract The processes of organic maturation that occur during the permineralization of fossils and the detailed chemistry of the resulting products are incompletely understood. Primary among such processes is the geochemical alteration of biological matter to produce kerogen, such as that which comprises the cell walls of the fossils studied here: essentially unmetamorphosed, Eocene plant axes (specimens of the fossil fern Dennstaedtiopsis aerenchymata cellularly permineralized in cherts of the Clarno Formation of Oregon and the Allenby Formation of British Columbia). The composition and molecular structure of the kerogen that comprises the cell walls of such axes were analyzed using ultraviolet Raman spectroscopy (UV–Raman), solid state 13 C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy ( 13 C NMR) and pyrolysis–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (py–GC–MS). Cellularly well-preserved fern axes from both geologic units exhibit similar overall molecular structure, being composed primarily of networks of aromatic rings and polyene chains that, unlike more mature kerogens, lack large polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) constituents. The cell walls of the Allenby Formation specimens are, however, less altered than those of the Clarno chert, exhibiting more prevalent oxygen-containing and alkyl functional groups and comprising a greater fraction of rock mass. The study represents the first demonstration of the effectiveness (and limitations) of the combined use of UV–Raman, 13 C NMR and py–GC–MS for the analysis of the kerogenous cell walls of chert-permineralized vascular plants.
Dosimetry of computerized tomography in the evaluation of hip dysplasia

The usefulness of computerized tomography (CT) in the assessment of hip dysplasia has recently been given attention in the literature and concern regarding radiation dose has been raised. This study was undertaken to measure the radiation dose, both in and out of plaster, for plain films, arthrography, tomography, and CT. A method is suggested to reduce dosage by 80% without compromising diagnostic information. Our experience with 25 scans of patients aged 4 months to 39 years is presented.
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and dementias

In the broad context of dementing disease, a brief overview of infectious, biological, genetic and physical properties of these agents is presented
Short cycling in the Kravitz-Reed public key encryption system

The Kravitz-Reed public key encryption system, a variant of the MIT system based on Galois fields, is interesting because it offers the potential of high security with efficient implementation. In the letter we demonstrate that high security and efficient implementation are not, in reality, compatible goals with this algorithm. Efficient implementation is subject to a short cycling attack that exposes the secret key to computation. If the parameters of the algorithm are selected for high security, then the algorithm cannot be efficiently implemented.
Reconstructing Mutational Pathways from Serial Evolutionary Trees

RNA viruses like HIV and HCV have an extraordinary evolutionary potential to escape from both immune pressures and targeted drug therapies. In HIV infections, the emergence of drug resistant strains is of particular interest, as it complicates the choice of an optimal follow-up regimen. A series of bioinformatics tools for predicting drug resistance were previously developed to support physicians in this task. A new method is proposed that captures the order of occurrence of drug-resistant mutations and can be applied to serially-sampled viral sequence data from patients taking antiretroviral drugs. The new phylogenetic approach reduces a serial evolutionary tree inferred by the Sliding MinPD program [12] to a set of mutational pathways of drug resistance. The method is applied to data from an HIV-1 clinical study of the reverse transcriptase inhibitor, Efavirenz. This approach can effectively identify mutational pathways by considering all available information and the statistical support for each prediction.
The cell cycle as a therapeutic target for Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disease worldwide. It is a progressive, incurable disease whose predominant clinical manifestation is memory loss, and which always ends in death. The classic neuropathological diagnostic markers for AD are amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, but our understanding of the role that these features of AD play in the etiology and progression of the disease remains incomplete. Research over the last decade has revealed that cell cycle abnormalities also represent a major neuropathological feature of AD. These abnormalities appear very early in the disease process, prior to the appearance of plaques and tangles. Growing evidence suggests that neuronal cell cycle regulatory failure, leading to apoptosis, may be a significant component of the pathogenesis of AD. A number of signaling pathways with the potential to activate aberrant cell cycle re-entry in AD have been described. The relationships among these signaling cascades, which involve the amyloid precursor protein (APP), cyclin-dependent kinases (cdks), and the cell cycle protein Pin1, have not yet been fully elucidated, but details of the individual pathways are beginning to emerge. This review summarizes the current state of knowledge with respect to specific neuronal signaling events that are thought to underlie cell cycle regulatory failure in AD brain. The elements of these pathways that represent potential new therapeutic targets for AD are described. Drugs and peptides that can inhibit molecular steps leading to AD neurodegeneration by intervening in the activation of cell cycle re-entry in neurons represent an entirely new approach to the development of treatments for AD.
The role of prostaglandins in the maternal recognition of pregnancy in mares

Abstract Prostaglandin F (PGF) was quantified in intra-uterine luminal flushings, endometrium and in vitro incubations of endometrium alone and endometrium in the presence of conceptus membranes. There were significant day by status interactions in all cases, indicating that the patterns of PGF synthesis and/or secretion were affected differently according to the presence or absence of an embryo. Endometrial PGF content and in vitro production capability both reached peaks on or about day 14 post ovulation in cycling mares then declined following luteolysis. Likewise, uterine luminal PGF peaked abruptly on day 14, remained elevated, then declined to day 20. In contrast, endometrial content of PGF remained lower in pregnant mares until an elevation on day 20, while the in vitro production capability of endometria from pregnant mares continued to increase post day 14. Co-incubation of endometrial tissue and conceptus membranes in vitro , however, reduced PGF production suggesting that embryonic factors may be capable of blocking endometrial PGF synthesis or secretion. PGFM measurements suggested that reduced PGF in uterine luminal flushings or in in vitro incubations was not reflected by a higher rate of metabolism. Corpora luteal PGF receptors retained the ability to bind PGF during early pregnancy. These data suggest that luteal maintenance in pregnant mares may involve inhibition of PGF synthesis and/or release and therefore should be considered luteostasis.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NITROGEN FERTILIZATION AND CHLOROPHYLL CONTENT IN PINEAPPLE PLANTS

Since nitrogen is an essential part of the chlorophyll molecule, any appreciable lack of it in the mineral nutrient supply of the plant should result in a suppression of chlorophyll formation. The extent of this suppression would, of course, be modified if there were a deficiency in other growth factors such as light, iron, magnesium, carbon dioxide, and water. It is the purpose of this paper to show the relationship existing in leaves of pineapple plants between the total chlorophyll (a + 3) concentration and various amounts of nitrogen applied as fertilizer in a series of field experiments.
Influence of Low Protein Diet on Distribution of D-Amino Acid Oxidases in Rats.∗

Summary1. D-amino acid oxidases in livers and kidneys of rats on a low protein diet with or without addition of alpha estradiol have been compared with those of rats on a full diet. 2. The levels of D-amino acid oxidases in the kidneys was the same in all 3 groups. 3. In livers of rats on low protein diet, irrespective of feeding of alpha estradiol, the level of D-amino acid oxidases dropped to about half of that found in rats on full diet.