cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Time-Varying Value on Infrastructure Resilience Assessments

Infrastructure resilience for a scenario can be assessed quantitatively from resilience curves that plot the evolution of system performance. Summary metrics map these curves to a single value to facilitate comparisons of different systems, scenarios, and policies. Commonly, these metrics are integral-based, e.g., cumulative infrastructure performance. However, since these curves and metrics only examine infrastructure performance, they fail to consider the dynamics of when stakeholders value the performance. For example, a power failure at a hospital during an ordinary day would be of less concern to emergency managers than during a hurricane recovery. This manuscript defines value weighting functions to represent the evolution of stakeholders’ value of performance. Temporal correlation between the performance and value weighting functions is described through a stochastic offset. Together, these concepts are used to define a holistic resilience metric: percent value satisfied. Through analytical and numerical approaches, percent value satisfied is treated as a resilience assessment’s stochastic output, and its distribution is compared to the naive metric, cumulative infrastructure performance. The naive summary metric is shown to be misleading in multiple potential scenarios; this work establishes that resilience assessments must consider the impact of time-varying stakeholder value and its correlation with infrastructure performance. These elements also provide new considerations for resilience assessments: opportunities to improve holistic system resilience without directly affecting infrastructure performance; hazard categories to inform value-weighted resilience analysis; and general insights to guide extensions from performance-based to value-weighted assessment.
A cure for woundless pain: Consumption of innocence in Japanese idol culture

Abstract As a cultural construct, the idol is a consumer product created to “heal” in the age of exhaustion. Layering a “guardian” aspect onto Laura Mulvey’s “male gaze,” this paper contextualizes the commodification and consumption of innocence. This paper brings the documentary, Tokyo Idols (2017), and the animated film, Perfect Blue (1997), into a conversation to theorize how femininity is constructed and commodified in Japan’s pop idol industry. The idol culture consumes innocence only to create more trauma for women by stressing the arbitrary importance of innocence and sacrificing female agency in the process.
The Blood Lactate/Pyruvate Equilibrium Affair

The Lactate Shuttle hypothesis is supported by a variety of techniques including mass spectrometry analytics following infusion of carbon labeled isotopic tracers. However, there has been controver...
Role of Computed Tomography in Assessment of the Thoracic Aorta

Thoracic aortic disease is increasing in prevalence and can result in serious morbidity and mortality. Computed tomography (CT) angiography is an important imaging modality for assessment of thoracic aortic pathology due to wide availability, rapid acquisition, reproducibility, superior spatial and temporal resolution, and capability for 3D image post-processing. CT is the preferred imaging modality in the acute setting to rapidly identify patients with acute aortic syndromes including dissection, intramural hematoma, and penetrating aortic ulcer. CT also plays an important role in post-procedural surveillance of the thoracic aorta for early and late complications from open or endovascular repair. Incidentally detected thoracic aortic aneurysms and congenital aortic anomalies such as coarctation can be thoroughly characterized and followed over time for potential elective intervention. Drawbacks of CT include exposure to radiation and iodinated contrast media; however, recent strategies for dose reduction and contrast optimization have significantly decreased these risks. Electrocardiogram (ECG)-gated CT angiography provides additional information about the aortic root, coronary arteries, and other cardiac structures without motion artifacts.
3-Methoxytyramine in the putamen as a gauge of the postmortem interval.

The armamentarium of the forensic thanatologist includes the examiner's subjective assessment of bodily changes together with comprehensive evaluation of environmental and associated factors to estimate the postmortem interval (PMI). Of the various objective means, postmortem accumulation of potassium in vitreous humor is a widely used gauge. In view of the considerable variability inherent in these techniques, an additional marker with greater accuracy would be a welcome supplement to these indices. We have developed a method of estimating PMI from the level of 3-methoxytyramine (3-MT) in the dorsal putamen of the brain. The supernatent of a sample of putamen, sonicated in 6 volumes (weight/volume) of 0.1 M perchloric acid and centrifuged at 51 000 times gravity for 10 min, was analyzed for 3-MT using high-pressure liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. The change of 3-MT in the putamen is linearly related to the PMI (range: 5.5 to 60 h), irrespective of patient age (1 to 84 years). This observation is attributable to several factors, including high substrate (dopamine) concentration, preservation of catechol-O-methyl transferase activity, and an inactivation of monoamine oxidase activity, as a result of a decrease in tissue pO2.
Microgenetic Studies of Self-Explanation

Microgenetic methods are useful for many purposes. They can yield more precise descriptions of cognitive change than would otherwise be possible, can reveal both similarities and dissimilarities in change processes across tasks and age groups, and can provide the type of detailed data that are essential for constructing formal models of cognitive change. Further, as is amply demonstrated in this volume, they are useful for examining change involving a wide variety of tasks and age groups and for addressing a wide variety of theoretical issues. In the present chapter, I pursue two main goals, one quite general and one relatively specific. The more general goal is to describe a theory of cognitive change – the overlapping waves approach – that has arisen from my own and other investigators' microgenetic studies. The more specific goal is to illustrate a use to which the microgenetic method is just beginning to be put, but one that it can serve very effectively: Helping us understand how instructional approaches exercise their effects. The particular instructional approach used to illustrate this function is encouragement to generate self-explanations, that is, encouragement to explain how or why events occurred. I first describe the general theory, then the specific application. Overlapping waves theory Implicit metaphors shape our thinking about many topics. A common implicit metaphor underlying traditional views of cognitive development was made explicit by the title of Robbie Case's (1992) book The mind's staircase .
Different mechanisms influencing permeation of PDGF-AA and PDGF-BB across the blood-brain barrier.

Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) exerts neurotrophic and neuromodulatory effects on the CNS. To determine the permeability of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) to PDGF, we examined the blood-to-brain influx of radioactively labeled PDGF isoforms (PDGF-AA and PDGF-BB) by multiple-time regression analysis after intravenous (i.v.) injection and by in-situ perfusion, and also determined the physicochemical characteristics which affect their permeation across the BBB, including lipophilicity (measured by octanol:buffer partition coefficient), hydrogen bonding (measured by differences in octanol : buffer and isooctane : buffer partition coefficients), serum protein binding (measured by capillary electrophoresis), and stability of PDGF in blood 10 min after i.v. injection (measured by HPLC). After i.v. bolus injection, neither 125I-PDGF-AA nor 125I-PDGF-BB crossed the BBB, their influx rates being similar to that of the vascular marker 99mTc-albumin. 125I-PDGF-AA degraded significantly faster in blood than 125I-PDGF-BB. PDGF-BB, however, was completely bound to a large protein in serum whereas PDGF-AA showed no binding. Thus, degradation might explain the poor blood-to-brain influx of PDGF-AA, whereas protein binding could explain the poor influx of circulating PDGF-BB. Despite their lack of permeation in the intact mouse, both 125I-PDGF-AA and 125I-PDGF-BB entered the brain by perfusion in blood-free buffer, and the significantly faster rate of 125I-PDGF-AA than 125I-PDGF-BB may be explained by the lower hydrogen bonding potential of 125I-PDGF-AA. Thus, the lack of significant distribution of PDGF from blood to brain is not because of the intrinsic barrier function of the BBB but probably because of degradation and protein binding. Information from these studies could be useful in the design of analogues for delivery of PDGF as a therapeutic agent.
LITIGATION HOLDS: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS

Litigation holds first came into existence about 10 years ago when it became apparent that most information in present-day litigation is in electronic form rather than in non-electronic form and needs to be preserved for potential litigation. The litigation hold requirement has been that information that relates to potential litigation must be preserved from the time it becomes reasonably apparent that litigation is possible until the expiration of the statute of limitations. If steps are not taken to properly collect, preserve, and produce such information for the discovery phase of litigation, it is likely that the ends of justice may not be well served. Electronically stored information destroyed negligently or intentionally may well be lost forever. Initial cases involving litigation holds have imposed severe sanctions for spoliation of evidence. Recent cases have reversed the decade-long trend of stringent standards requiring litigation holds leaving the state of the law in flux in spite of the fact that accepted best practices do recommend high standards for litigation holds. This paper reviews this conflict in the law and offers recommendations for future directions.
Modification of the h-root method for the determination of multicomponent Langmuir coefficients in liquid chromatography

A refined version of the h-root method is presented for the measurement of Langmuir equilibrium coefficients in liquid chromatography. As in the original method, the measurement is based on the column behavior in the frontal mode. However, in the present case only frontal capacity factors are required, as opposed to the original requirement of a complete effluent composition history. It has been shown that this refinement significantly reduces the experimental effort required for the measurement of the equilibrium coefficients.
Comparison of bivalirudin and argatroban for the management of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia.

Study objectives To compare the effectiveness of bivalirudin and argatroban in achieving anticoagulation goals and to compare clinical outcomes assessing the safety and efficacy in patients with known or suspected heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT). Design Single-center, retrospective analysis. Setting Large tertiary care academic medical center. Patients A total of 138 adults who received either bivalirudin (92 patients) or argatroban (46 patients) for at least 24 hours for known or suspected HIT between January 2007 and July 2008. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS. Data regarding demographics, direct thrombin inhibitor (DTI) dosing and monitoring, and related clinical outcomes were collected; statistical analysis was performed to compare results for patients receiving bivalirudin versus those receiving argatroban. Duration of DTI use ranged from 24-658 hours. At the time of DTI initiation, 108 patients (78%) were in an intensive care unit, with the highest proportion (61/138 [44%]) in the cardiothoracic surgery intensive care unit. The median (interquartile range [IQR]) DTI doses at the time of first reaching therapeutic goal were bivalirudin 0.06 mg/kg/hour (0.04-0.08 mg/kg/hr) and argatroban 1.0 μg/kg/minute (0.5-2.0 μg/kg/min). The median percentage of activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) values within therapeutic range while patients were receiving DTI therapy were similar for bivalirudin and argatroban (75% and 70%, respectively, p=0.238). A greater percentage of aPTT values were supratherapeutic with argatroban versus bivalirudin treatment (18% vs 8%, p=0.046). Median time to therapeutic goal was similar for bivalirudin (5.50 hrs [IQR 4-14.5 hrs]) and argatroban (5.75 hrs [IQR 3-17.7 hrs], p=0.499). New thromboembolic events occurred in seven patients (8%) receiving bivalirudin and two (4%) receiving argatroban (p=0.718). Bleeding events occurred at similar rates in both groups (9% for bivalirudin vs 11% for argatroban, p>0.999). Conclusions Bivalirudin and argatroban were similar in achieving and maintaining therapeutic anticoagulation goals, clinical outcomes, and safety. This study suggests that bivalirudin represents an alternative in the management of HIT, but prospective studies are needed.
A connectionist net approach to autonomous machine learning of effective process control strategies

Abstract The feasibility of connectionist nets of the Rumelhart semi-linear feedforward type for learning and exercising intelligent process and system control is investigated. Of particular interest is the ability of such nets to discover the basis for decision and control. Of great interest also is an unexpected finding that such a net automatically builds up a great deal of redundacy within itself, so that it has a certain holographic quality; its performance degrades gradually with internal damage.
Glucose kinetics and pregnancy outcome in Indian women with low and normal body mass indices.

Glucose kinetics and pregnancy outcome in Indian women with low and normal body mass indices
A note on the reduction of two-way automata to one-way atuomata

We describe a new elementary reduction of two-way automata to one-way automata. The reduction is based on the subset construction rather than on crossing sequence analysis.
Work In Progress: This is Rocket Science: Development and Testing of a Hybrid Rocket Motor in a Rocket Propulsion Course

This paper describes a unique design and laboratory experience that was incorporated into an introductory rocket propulsion course. Specifically, each student team designed, built and tested a 7 lbf thrust hybrid rocket motor. The thrust chambers were fabricated from aluminum and the nozzles were fabricated from graphite. Solid fuel grains consisting of HTPB and HTPB/Al were produced by each team. Each rocket was tested on a thrust stand that enabled the measurement of instantaneous oxygen mass flow rate, chamber pressure (Pc) and thrust. With these data, each team was able to measure specific impulse (Isp), characteristic exhaust velocity (C*) and thrust coefficient (CF) and compare these measurements to their theoretical models, which predicted instantaneous O/F, C*, Pc , and thrust. This design experience, which can be easily and inexpensively replicated at other institutions, was universally evaluated by students as a major highlight in their education to date and multiple students have expressed an interest in a career in aerospace engineering as a result
An automatic chemical lumping method for the reduction of large chemical kinetic mechanisms

A novel approach to the lumping of species in large chemical kinetic mechanisms is presented. Species with similar composition and functionalities are lumped into one single representative species. Simulations using the detailed scheme are used to gather statistical information on the distribution of the isomers within each lump group. These distributions are functions of space and time. Closure is performed in state space by approximating these distribution functions as the conditional averages depending on the independent state space variables of the lumped scheme. This approach is simplified further, so that the resulting chemical mechanisms can be used directly in standard chemistry packages. For this purpose, only the dependence of the isomer distributions on the temperature is retained, and optimal correcting factors are incorporated into the Arrhenius form of the rate coefficients of lumped reactions. Validation is performed using two comprehensive mechanisms for n-heptane and iso-octane oxidation....
Regulation of mitochondrial transport in neurons.

Mitochondria are cellular power plants that supply ATP to power various biological activities essential for neuronal growth, survival, and function. Due to unique morphological features, neurons face exceptional challenges to maintain ATP and Ca2+ homeostasis. Neurons require specialized mechanisms distributing mitochondria to distal areas where energy and Ca2+ buffering are in high demand, such as synapses and axonal branches. These distal compartments also undergo development- and activity-dependent remodeling, thereby altering mitochondrial trafficking and distribution. Mitochondria move bi-directionally, pause briefly, and move again, frequently changing direction. In mature neurons, only one-third of axonal mitochondria are motile. Stationary mitochondria serve as local energy sources and buffer intracellular Ca2+. The balance between motile and stationary mitochondria responds quickly to changes in axonal and synaptic physiology. Furthermore, neurons are postmitotic cells surviving for the lifetime of the organism; thus, mitochondria need to be removed when they become aged or dysfunction. Mitochondria also alter their motility under stress conditions or when their integrity is impaired. Therefore, regulation of mitochondrial transport is essential to meet altered metabolic requirements and to remove aged and damaged mitochondria or replenish healthy ones to distal terminals. Defects in mitochondrial transport and altered distribution are implicated in the pathogenesis of several major neurological disorders. Thus, research into the mechanisms regulating mitochondrial motility is an important emerging frontier in neurobiology. This short review provides an updated overview on motor-adaptor machineries that drive and regulate mitochondrial transport and docking receptors that anchor axonal mitochondria in response to the changes in synaptic activity, metabolic requirement, and altered mitochondrial integrity. The review focuses on microtubule (MT)-based mitochondrial trafficking and anchoring. Additional insight from different perspectives can be found in other in-depth reviews.
Multiphoton-excited serotonin photochemistry.

We report photochemical and photophysical studies of a multiphoton-excited reaction of serotonin that previously has been shown to generate a photoproduct capable of emitting broadly in the visible spectral region. The current studies demonstrate that absorption of near-infrared light by an intermediate state prepared via three-photon absorption enhances the photoproduct formation yield, with the largest action cross sections (∼10−19 cm2) observed at the short-wavelength limit of the titanium:sapphire excitation source. The intermediate state is shown to persist for at least tens of nanoseconds and likely to be different from a previously reported oxygen-sensitive intermediate. In addition, the two-photon fluorescence action spectrum for the fluorescent photoproduct was determined and found to have a maximum at ∼780 nm (3.2 eV). A general mechanism for this photochemical process is proposed.
Optimization of undoped GaAs by low-pressure OMVPE using trimethylgallium

Optimization of the electrical characteristics of undoped GaAs grown by low-pressure OMVPE using trimethylgallium is presented. The use of a lower growth pressure was found to reduce both then- andp-type background impurity incorporation. Both electrical and optical measurements revealed that the arsine partial pressure controls the background impurity level during low-pressure growth. Variation of this parameter allowed the attainment of both high mobility (maximum of 136,000 cm2/V-sec at 77 K in this study) and high resistivity layers suitable for field-effect transistor buffers. AlGaAs/ GaAs two-dimensional electron gas structures and GaAs MESFETs using the high resistivity buffer layers showed excellent electrical characteristics. Similar trends were obtained using different AsH3 sources despite variations in purity.
PSYCHOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS OF VALUE THEORY: B. F. SKINNERS SCIENCE OF VALUES

. The thesis that the sciences are value neutral has recently been criticized severely. However, both the critics of the value-neutrality thesis and its upholders share the separatist position that there is a fundamental dichotomy between fact and value, differing only on the degree to which science is impregnated with values. Skinner's claim that the science of operant behavior is the science of values rejects this dichotomy and is opposed to both the value-neutrality thesis and criticisms of it. I examine Skinner's claim that psychology is value-laden in the radical sense of providing a foundation for a theory of values and conclude that Skinner is arguing for an ethics and theory of values which is naturalistic, teleological, and both substantively and methodologically objective.
Multiple risks and comorbidity in an African-American population

Social problems tend to cluster, developing in similar areas, seemingly produced in similar families, and menacing similar individuals. This fact gives rise to questions about whether the same or different conditions predict violence, depression and alcoholism, whether co-occurrences of morbidity are attributable to similar risk conditions creating alternative ‘outcomes’ or to the co-occurrence of risk conditions, whether males and females are equally exposed to risk conditions, and whether adverse (and protective) conditions affect males and females similarly. To answer these questions, we used information about 456 males and 497 females who were part of a panel first studied when they entered elementary school, in 1966, and subsequently interviewed at the age of 32. Six risk factors were considered. Aggressiveness, intelligence, school attendance and frequency of spanking were measured when the panel was in first grade; age at leaving home and exposure to discrimination were measured retrospectively. Risk factors available when children were in first grade were reasonably effective predictors of morbidity 26 years later. The risk factors predicting violence differed from those predicting depression and alcoholism. In addition, some risk factors that increased the likelihood of depression in females increased the likelihood of alcoholism in males. Males were more likely to be exposed to multiple risks, but also males and females appear to have somewhat different responses to similar risk conditions. These results are discussed. Copyright © 1997 Whurr Publishers Ltd.
Reality television and the muscular male ideal

Although researchers have examined the negative effects of viewing reality television (RTV) on women's body image, this research has not been extended to men. Exploring the extent to which RTV depicts men who embody the muscular ideal may enhance our understanding of the potential influence of this media genre. We explored the extent to which RTV depicted men who embodied the muscular ideal using a quantitative content analysis. Based on binomial tests, the primary male cast members of programs airing on networks popular among young adult men during the Fall 2009 broadcast season were more muscular, with lower levels of body fat, than average U.S. men. The chest-to-waist and shoulder-to-waist ratios of these cast members did not differ as a function of program type (i.e., reality drama, endurance, and romance). Young men who view RTV programs included in the present study would be exposed to an unrepresentative muscular ideal.
Selective Protein Covalent Binding and Target Organ Toxicity

Protein covalent binding by xenobiotic metabolites has long been associated with target organ toxicity but mechanistic involvement of such binding has not been widely demonstrated. Modern biochemical, molecular, and immunochemical approaches have facilitated identification of specific protein targets of xenobiotic covalent binding. Such studies have revealed that protein covalent binding is not random, but rather selective with respect to the proteins targeted. Selective binding to specific cellular target proteins may better correlate with toxicity than total protein covalent binding. Current research is directed at characterizing and identifying the targeted proteins and clarifying the effect of such binding on their structure, function, and potential roles in target organ toxicity. The approaches employed to detect and identify the targeted proteins are described. Metabolites of acetaminophen, halothane, and 2,5-hexanedione form covalently bound adducts to recently identified protein targets. The selective binding may influence homeostatic or other cellular responses which in turn contribute to drug toxicity, hypersensitivity, or autoimmunity.
Dispositions and subjunctives

It is generally agreed that dispositions cannot be analyzed in terms of simple subjunctive conditionals (because of what are called “masked dispositions” and “finkish dispositions”). I here defend a qualified subjunctive account of dispositions according to which an object is disposed to Φ when conditions C obtain if and only if, if conditions C were to obtain, then the object would Φ ceteris paribus. I argue that this account does not fall prey to the objections that have been raised in the literature.
Prediction of uvulopalatopharyngoplasty response using cephalometric radiographs.

Purpose: To evaluate the relationship between facial cephalometric measures and response to uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP). Patients and Methods: Retrospective analysis of skeletal cephalometric measures obtained from a consecutive sample of 43 patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) who underwent body mass index (BMI) measures, UPPP, upright lateral cephalometric radiographs, and preoperative and postoperative polysomnography. Significant clinical effect by uvulopalatopharyngoplasty was arbitrarily defined as having a 50% reduction in the respiratory disturbance index (RDI). The cephalometric measurements used were based solely on skeletal landmarks. Results: No skeletal measurement predicted response to UPPP for the entire study population. When the patients were classified on the basis of retrognathia, 33 were identified without retrognathia. In that group, posterior airway length was the greatest predictor of response to UPPP (P < .05; odds ratio, 83.2). The distance between hyoid and mandible and the maxillary-mandibular relationship were also predictive of response (P < .05). Conclusion: The skeletal anatomy supporting the airway directly impacts the response to UPPP. Prediction of response requires stratification by skeletal subtype.
Phosphoprotein phosphatase activity of rat liver nuclear membrane.

Abstract Nuclear membranes from rat liver contain a phosphoprotein phosphatase activity capable of dephosphorylating endogenous nuclear membrane phosphoproteins. This activity was also expressed towards the 32 P-labeled exogenous phosphoprotein substrates phosvitin and lysine-rich histone. Differential effects of altered ionic strength, EDTA, pyrophosphate, and 2-mercaptoethanol on the phosphatase activity towards the two exogenous substrates suggest the presence of multiple phosphatases in the nuclear membrane. ATP, ADP, and sodium fluoride inhibited activity towards both exogenous substrates, while cyclic AMP or cyclic GMP at 10 −6 M had no apparent effect.
The Small World of the Cerebral Cortex

While much information is available on the structural connectivity of the cerebral cortex, especially in the primate, the main organizational principles of the connection patterns linking brain areas, columns and individual cells have remained elusive. We attempt to characterize a wide variety of cortical connectivity data sets using a specific set of graph theory methods. We measure global aspects of cortical graphs including the abundance of small structural motifs such as cycles, the degree of local clustering of connections and the average path length. We examine large-scale cortical connection matrices obtained from neuroanatomical data bases, as well as probabilistic connection matrices at the level of small cortical neuronal populations linked by intra-areal and interareal connections. All cortical connection matrices examined in this study exhibit “small-world” attributes, characterized by the presence of abundant clustering of connections combined with short average distances between neuronal elements. We discuss the significance of these universal organizational features of cortex in light of functional brain anatomy. Supplementary materials are at www.indiana.edu/∼cortex/lab.htm.
Bacterial mutagenicity and toxicity of cycloaliphatic epoxides

The mutagenicity of 12 cycloaliphatic epoxides was investigated using the Ames Salmonella assay without the addition of liver homogenate fractions. Base-pair substitution mutagenic activity was detected for 8 members of this series of compounds, confirming our laboratory's previous observations of weak mutagenic response at high dose levels for cis-1,2-disubstituted epoxides. While mutagenicity decreased with expanding ring size, inhibition of bacterial growth increased for increases in ring size. Toxicity accompanying the required high doses for the demonstration of mutagenicity for these compounds prevented the establishment of meaningful dose-response ranges for the remaining epoxides tested. The volatility observed with these oxiranes also made dose-response establishment difficult but was countered by the use of petri dish sealing bands during incubation. Mutagenicity in this series was found to be generally more pronounced in TA1535 while toxicity was detected with greater sensitivity by TA100. The use of the less permeable strains TA92, TA1950 and TA2410, all having normal lipopolysaccharide cell wall coatings, failed to reduce this marked toxicity. The repair test compared results in TA1535 (repair-deficient strain) with TA1975 (repair-proficient strain) and demonstrated that the bacteria were not being killed by damage to DNA since toxicity was not reduced in TA1975.
On the theorems for local volume averaging of multiphase systems

Abstract Proofs of the theorems of local volume averaging which relate averages of derivatives to derivatives of averages are presented. A distribution function whose derivatives are proportional to the Dirac delta function is used in the development and the proofs demonstrated are intended to be simpler than those found in the literature.
Improved High Performance Liquid Chromatographic Method for the Determination of Tris(Hydroxy-Methyl)Aminomethane (THAM) in Human Plasma, Erythrocytes, and Whole Blood

A sensitive high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) assay was developed to quantitate the organic amine proton-acceptor, tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane (THAM) in human plasma, erythrocytes,...
Ultrafast Excited-State Dynamics and Vibrational Cooling of 8-Oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanosine in D2O

Nguyen and Burrows recently demonstrated that UV-B irradiation of 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG), a signature product of oxidatively damaged DNA, can repair cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers in double-stranded DNA (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2011, 133, 14586−14589). In order to test the hypothesis that repair occurs by photoinduced electron transfer, it is critical to determine basic photophysical parameters of 8-oxodG including the excited-state lifetime. Here, femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy was used to study the ultrafast excited-state dynamics of 8-oxodG with excitation in the UV and probing at visible and mid-IR wavelengths. The excited-state lifetimes of both neutral and basic forms of 8-oxodG in D2O are reported for the first time by monitoring the disappearance of excited-state absorption at 570 nm. The lifetime of the first excited state of the neutral form is 0.9 ± 0.1 ps, or nearly twice as long as that of 2′-deoxyguanosine. The basic form of 8-oxodG exhibits a much longer excit...
Role of Knowledge of Results in Programed Instruction

A two-way analysis of variance design was used to compare the effects of knowledge of results, knowledge of results plus knowledge of what the correct response should be, knowledge of results plus an extrinsic reward, no knowledge of results, and the effects of using a teaching machine as a programed text for two modes of responding (multiple choice vs constructed response) in a programed instructional format on the achievement and attitudes of introductory psychology students. Results indicated that the type of reinforcement, mode of presentation, and mode of responding did not significantly affect achievement. Lower error rates on the programed lessons were noted for those groups which had knowledge of what the correct response should be and also for those who received an extrinsic reward. Responses of Ss concerning their attitudes toward the reported advantages of using programed materials were generally in a positive direction; however, most groups favored the traditional method of teaching, using pro...
The increasing prevalence of snacking among US children from 1977 to 1996

Abstract Objectives: To determine snacking trends and changes in nutrient contribution of snacking over time. Study design: Nationally representative data from the 1977-78 Nationwide Food Consumption Survey (NFCS77), 1989-91 Continuing Survey of Food Intake by Individuals (CSFII89), and 1994-96 (CSFII96) were used. The sample consisted of 21,236 individuals aged 2 to 18 years. Methods: For each survey year, mean numbers of snacks consumed, mean grams consumed per snack, and mean energy intake from snacks were computed, as was contribution of snacking to total energy intake and fat intake. Snacking was self-defined, and a snacking occasion consisted of all snack foods consumed during a 15-minute period. Differences in means between age groups and across survey years were compared. Results: The prevalence of snacking increased in all age groups. The average size of snacks and energy per snack remained relatively constant; however, the number of snacking occasions increased significantly, therefore increasing the average daily energy from snacks. Compared with non-snack eating occasions, the nutrient contribution of snacks decreased in calcium density and increased in energy density and proportion of energy from fat. Conclusion: Snacking is extremely prevalent in our society. Healthy snack food choices should be emphasized over high-energy density convenience snacks for children. (J Pediatr 2001;138:493-8)
GMREs and the minimal polynomial

We present a qualitative model for the convergence behaviour of the Generalised Minimal Residual (GMRES) method for solving nonsingular systems of linear equationsAx =b in finite and infinite dimensional spaces. One application of our methods is the solution of discretised infinite dimensional problems, such as integral equations, where the constants in the asymptotic bounds are independent of the mesh size. Our model provides simple, general bounds that explain the convergence of GMRES as follows: If the eigenvalues ofA consist of a single cluster plus outliers then the convergence factor is bounded by the cluster radius, while the asymptotic error constant reflects the non-normality ofA and the distance of the outliers from the cluster. If the eigenvalues ofA consist of several close clusters, then GMRES treats the clusters as a single big cluster, and the convergence factor is the radius of this big cluster. We exhibit matrices for which these bounds are tight. Our bounds also lead to a simpler proof of existing r-superlinear convergence results in Hilbert space.
Stone duality and Gleason covers through de Vries duality

Abstract We introduce zero-dimensional de Vries algebras and show that the category of zero-dimensional de Vries algebras is dually equivalent to the category of Stone spaces. This shows that Stone duality can be obtained as a particular case of de Vries duality. We also introduce extremally disconnected de Vries algebras and show that the category of extremally disconnected de Vries algebras is dually equivalent to the category of extremally disconnected compact Hausdorff spaces. As a result, we give a simple construction of the Gleason cover of a compact Hausdorff space by means of de Vries duality. We also discuss the insight that Stone duality provides in better understanding of de Vries duality.
The Effect of Cigarette Smoking on Plaque Formation

A total of 495 patients, including 237 smokers, participated in this controlled study of the effect of cigarette smoking on plaque accumulation. Clinical examination revealed no significant differences in plaque formation whether the subjects were nonsmokers or smoked an average of 10, 20, 30 or 40 or more cigarettes daily.
DNA synthesis turned on in unfertilized sea urchin eggs by treatment with NH4OH.

Abstract DNA synthesis is initiated in unfertilized sea urchin eggs (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus and Lytechinus pictus) by exposing them to NH4OH-sea water (ordinary sea water titrated to pH 9–9.1 with NH4OH). The eggs are considered to be unfertilized eggs by visual and electro-biological criteria and because they can later be fertilized and then do give visible and electrobiological fertilization reactions. The incorporation of 3H-thymidine proceeds in rounds, the magnitude increasing in successive rounds. It is also reported that the treatment with NH4OH activates the uptake of thymidine by the eggs, although the internal thymidine builds up more slowly in unfertilized eggs treated with NH4OH than it does in fertilized eggs. The magnitude of the incorporation of exogenously supplied labelled thymidine into DNA is lower in the NH4OH-treated unfertilized eggs than in normal fertilized eggs. This difference is not attributed to differences in the amount of DNA synthesized and the explanation is sought in thymidine uptake and nucleotide pathways.
Remark on the well-posedness of the problem of minimization of integral functionals

In this note, we study the well-posedness of the problem of constrained minimization of an integral functional and show that global well-posedness is equivalent to pointwise well-posedness almost everywhere. Our result extends an earlier one by Zolezzi.
Rationalisation, Race, and the Weimar Response to Jazz

Surveying articles on jazz in the Weimar-era popular press, one finds that commentators and critics commonly read the music as an expression of primitive blackness, a product of a rationally organised, industrial mode of composition, or a strange combination of both. The rationalised/industrialised and black elements perceived in jazz were generally understood as antithetical; the concept of blackness itself was rarely scrutinised. In exceptional cases, writers began to view blackness as a media-generated construct and thereby re-situate race itself as a product of modern popular culture. Siegfried Kracauer stands out in this regard. He recognised that the response to jazz was rarely about the music itself, and his critiques of jazz culture and the encompassing fascination with blackness contain an unusual degree of critical reflection on the public imagination of race in the Weimar Republic.
Empirical dynamics of emerging financial markets during the global mortgage crisis

Focusing on five major emerging markets, I investigate the interactions between credit default swap premiums, foreign exchange rates, local currency government bond spreads, and national stock market returns over the period 4/2/2007 to 8/27/2009. Empirical analysis indicates that bond markets, along with foreign exchange markets, were very dominant in the price discovery process during a common distressed period.
Analysis of the Brazil‐USA cotton dispute

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explain and conceptually analyse the origins and outcomes of the Brazil‐USA cotton dispute.Design/methodology/approach – The analysis is conducted using a conceptual framework to show the effects of US policies on Brazil and the world cotton market. The historical context of the conflict is presented, to explain the motivations of both countries and the background of the dispute.Findings – US cotton subsidies and related policies have the effect of harming international producers, including Brazil. This analysis, along with an explanation of Brazil's role in world cotton production, explains why Brazil had cause to complain to the WTO and why the WTO ruled in its favor.Practical implications – The implications of these rulings are that the international dispute and its unique resolution could foreshadow similar conflicts in the future between different parties over different commodities, and the analysis presented in this paper will serve to explain them.Originali...
Effects of acceleration on particulate fouling in reverse osmosis

Abstract Experimental data show that acceleration, as in a centrifuge, is effective in reducing the amount of particulate fouling in reverse osmosis. The effects of acceleration on particulate fouling were determined by testing hollow-fiber elements under accelerations of up to 500 G. The fouling agent was 40 ppm of iron hydroxide suspended in a solution of 0.5 percent sodium chloride. The data indicate that steady-state operating conditions of a fouled membrane are approached asymptotically. 500 G of acceleration allows a fouled membrane, in a steady-state, to realize over 90 percent of its unfouled capacity; the same membrane in a nonaccelerated state produced as little as 62 percent of its unfouled desalinate flow.
Interband Transitions for Metals in a Magnetic Field

A quantum-mechanical derivation of the frequency and magnetic field dependence of the optical reflection and transmission in metals is given. Both interband and intraband direct transitions are considered and explicit results are obtained for a model of two simple parabolic bands having energy extrema at k=0. Spin splitting is neglected. The calculated line shape is in good agreement with the magnetoreflection experiment of Brown et al. in bismuth. The results for the limiting cases of zero interband coupling or of zero magnetic field are in agreement with previous work. The study of the interband transitions in a magnetic field is shown to yield valuable information on the band structure of metals. The advantage of this method over magnetoplasma and zero-field interband studies is discussed.
Evidence for expression of a single distinct form of mammalian cysteine dioxygenase

Cysteine dioxygenase (CDO) plays a critical role in the regulation of cellular cysteine concentration. Because multiple forms of CDO ( approximately 23 kDa, approximately 25 kDa, and approximately 68 kDa) have been claimed based upon separation and detection using SDS-PAGE/western blotting (with antibodies demonstrated to immunoprecipitate CDO), we further investigated the possibility of more than one CDO isoform. Using either rabbit antibody raised against purified rat liver CDO or against purified recombinant his(6)-tagged CDO (r-his(6)-CDO) and using 15% (wt/vol) polyacrylamide for the SDS-PAGE, we consistently detected the approximately 25 kDa band, but never detected a approximately 68 kDa band, in rat liver, kidney, lung and brain. Nondenatured gel electrophoresis of r-his(6)-CDO yielded a molecular mass estimate of 25.7 kDa and no evidence of dimerization. Mass spectrometry of r-his(6)-CDO yielded two peaks with molecular masses of 24.1 kDa and 24.3 kDa. Anion-exchange FPLC of r-his(6)-CDO also gave two peaks, with the first containing CDO that was 7.5-times as active as the more anionic form that eluted second. When the two peaks recovered from FPLC were run on SDS/PAGE, the first (more active) CDO fraction yielded two bands (perhaps as an artifact of SDS/PAGE), whereas the second (less active) CDO fraction yielded only the approximately 23 kDa band. We conclude that the physiologically active form of CDO is the approximately 25 kDa (i.e., 23.5 kDa based on mass spectrometry) monomer and that this active form is probably derived by post-translational modification of the 23 kDa gene product.
A note on the inverse estimation of band-limited signals

Abstract In this note it is shown that indirectly observed signals can be recovered by unbiased and root- n consistent estimators provided that the signal is restricted to a class of band-limited functions. The result is shown in a very general and abstract setting. By way of an example an instance of deconvolution or indirect density estimation is considered which partly extends a result by Watson and Leadbetter (1963) for direct density estimation.
Changes in taste receptor cell sensitivity in a polyphagous caterpillar reflect carbohydrate but not protein imbalance

Caterpillars of the polyphagous arctiid, Grammia geneura, have a single cell in the medial galeal sensillum that responds to some sugars and to some amino acids. After conditioning on artificial diet containing unbalanced amounts of carbohydrate and protein, the responses of this cell alter. After protein-biased food it increases slightly, but after carbohydrate-biased food it decreases. Responses to both sucrose and amino acids change in the same direction and the changes would not provide the information necessary to redress a shortage of protein. The lateral galeal sensillum contains one cell that responds to fructose and another responding to some amino acids. The responses of each of these cells in the lateral sensillum are not consistently affected by conditioning diets. After conditioning for 20 h on a protein- or carbohydrate-biased diet, the insects started to feed without delay if offered carbohydrate-biased diet, but only after a pause if given protein-biased diet. This occurred irrespective of the conditioning diet. The duration of the first feeding bout was also longer on carbohydrate-biased diet and the longest bouts followed protein-biased conditioning.
Long-term WGS stability of Fe/Ce and Fe/Ce/Cr catalysts at high and low steam to CO ratios—XPS and Mössbauer spectroscopic study

Abstract Long term time on stream stability of Fe/Ce and Fe/Ce/Cr catalysts has been investigated for high temperature water gas shift (WGS) reaction. Excellent WGS stability was observed for the Fe/Ce catalyst at steam to CO ratio of 3.5 and temperature of 500 °C for 30 days. The Fe/Ce catalyst also exhibited remarkable stability in presence of sulfur since no deactivation was observed in the presence of 400 ppm of sulfur. However, at steam to CO ratio 1.5, Fe/Ce deactivated continuously with time due to continuous formation of carbon and methane. X-ray diffraction measurements reveal that all the catalysts are stable in terms of composition during the WGS reaction irrespective of the steam to CO ratio. However, sintering of the magnetite phase is rapid in the experiment at steam to CO ratio of 1.5. XPS and Mossbauer spectroscopic measurements show that surface and local structural rearrangement of iron ions are taking place in the experiment at steam to CO ratio 1.5. XPS measurements also indicate the carbonate formation during the activation of Fe/Ce catalyst. The present study shows that Ce is a good stabilizer for iron oxide for high temperature WGS reaction only for higher steam to CO ratio applications. At low steam to CO ratio, Ce does not stabilize the Fe3+/Fe2+ redox couple during the WGS reaction. Addition of Cr to the Fe/Ce catalyst improves the WGS long term stability of Fe/Ce catalyst at steam to CO ratio 1.5. Remarkably, no deactivation was observed for the Fe/Ce/Cr catalyst at steam to CO ratio 1.5 and in presence of 400 ppm of sulfur. Structural and surface characterization measurements suggest that both Ce and Cr prevent the magnetite phase from sintering of and local structural rearrangement of iron ions during the WGS reaction at steam to CO ratio 1.5.