cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Analysis of Binary Relationships within Ternary Relationships in ER Modeling

In this paper, we discuss which binary relationship cardinalities are permitted within ternary relationships, during ER modeling. We develop an implicit Binary Cardinality (IBC) rule, which states that, in any ternary relationship, the cardinality of any binary relationship embedded in the ternary, is many-to-many when there are no explicit constraints on the data instances. We then present an Explicit Binary Permission (EBP) rule, which explains and enumerates all permitted binary relationships for various cardinalities of ternary relationships. Finally we present an Implicit Binary Override (IBO) rule, which states that the implicit binary cardinalities can be constrained in a ternary relationship by explicit constraints imposed by a binary relationship. We also detail how the cardinalities within the ternary are altered as a single binary, and then multiple binary relationships are imposed.
Effects of Module Encapsulation in Repetitively Modular Genotypes on the Search Space

We introduce the concept of modularity-preserving representations. If a representation is modularity-preserving, the existence of modularity in the problem space is translated into a corresponding modularity in the search space. This kind of representation allows us to analyze the impact of modularity at the genomic level. We investigate the question of what constitutes a module at the genomic level of evolutionary search and provide a static analysis of how to identify good and bad modules based on their ability to reduce the search space, thus, biasing the search space towards a solution. We also prove, under a set of assumptions, that the systematic encapsulation of lower order modules into higher order modules does not change the size or bias of a search space and that this process produces a hierarchy of equivalent search spaces.
Gamma-ray lines from accreting neutron stars

The current generation of gamma-ray telescopes (SIGMA, GRO) provides a new opportunity for observing red-shifted gamma-ray lines from the atmospheres of accreting neutron stars. A successful observation would provide important information about how the accretion stream settles onto the neutron star and might allow limits to be placed on the nuclear equation of state. Thus, a theoretical reanalysis of different gamma-ray emission mechanisms was undertaken. This paper describes the results on the 4.438 MeV gamma-ray line emission from C-12 and O-16 and outlines the ongoing calculation of the 2.2 MeV D-recombination line flux expected from the spallation of incident helium. It is shown that a neutron star accreting material of solar abundances will produce a 4.438 MeV gamma-ray line flux that is below the current observational limits.
Mutation in the UL97 open reading frame of human cytomegalovirus strains resistant to ganciclovir.

The same point mutation in the human cytomegalovirus UL97 open reading frame was found in three independently isolated ganciclovir-resistant mutants of strain AD169. Point mutations in the DNA polymerase genes of these strains have been previously identified (N.S. Lurain, K.D. Thompson, E.W. Holmes, and G.S. Read, J. Virol. 66:7146-7152, 1992). All three strains are, therefore, double mutants. To determine the contribution of the UL97 mutation to the high ganciclovir resistance of these mutants, the mutation from the ganciclovir-resistant strain D6/3/1 was transferred to the wild-type strain AD169 to produce the recombinant R6HS. The ganciclovir resistance of R6HS is 4-fold lower than that of D6/3/1 but 10-fold higher than that of AD169. R6HS, like AD169, is sensitive to the nucleotide analogs (S)-1-[(3-hydroxy-2-phosphonylmethoxy) propyl]adenine and (S)-1-[(3-hydroxy-2-phosphonylmethoxy)propyl]cytosine. Ganciclovir phosphorylation in R6HS-infected cells was at the same reduced level as that found in cells infected with the parental mutant D6/3/1. The same G-to-T transversion at nucleotide 1380 in the UL97 coding sequence is present in both R6HS and D6/3/1. This mutation results in the substitution of isoleucine for methionine at amino acid residue 460. In an alignment of the R6HS UL97 amino acid sequence with the amino acid sequences of a wide range of protein kinase family members, methionine 460 lies within a highly conserved region which may function in nucleotide binding and phosphate transfer.
Observations and Experiments on Solitary Wave Deformation

A series of experiments were run in a two-dimensional wave channel to study solitary wave deformation on plane slopes ranging from horizontal to vertical. The test objectives included verification of deformation theories, delineation of the shoaling processes associated with various beach slopes, and examination of the limit-height-wave concept. The results showed that the deformation process can be classified as a function of the ratio of initial wave height to water depth and beach slope. The deformation theory for reflection from a vertical wall was verified, but the theory for low slopes was found to be only qualitatively accurate. Finally, a redefinition of the limit-height wave on sloping beaches is suggested.
Solid helium: Supersolid: crystal or plastic?

The flow behaviour of solid helium at very low temperatures has recently generated as much controversy as excitement. An experiment looking directly at the grain boundaries offers fresh insights.
Adult Equivalent Scales: An Alternative Approach

Adult equivalent scales were estimated for five food groups and total food consumed at home. The scales were specified as continuous functions of age and restrictions were placed on the scales so that they approximate the way an individual affects household food expenditures throughout his life. The scale function is easily incorporated into expenditure models, and statistical tests can be used to determine the importance of household composition in explaining household expenditure behavior. Children were found to consume less total food—beef, pork, and vegetables—than adults, while the middleaged spent less on fruit than the elderly.
Auditory event-related potentials in adolescents at risk for drug abuse

We evaluated sensory and cognitive information processing in noninstitutionalized delinquent male adolescents and in age-matched low delinquency controls. Detailed psychometric testing documented the nature of the aggressive behavior of these young men. Deficits in information processing, as assessed by event-related potential (ERP) techniques, were observed at several levels of the auditory system in the delinquent group. The delinquent group showed delays in wave V of the brainstem auditory evoked potential, shorter N100 latency, and decreased slow wave amplitude of cognitive event-related potentials when subjects were asked to perform a mental task in a noisy environment. It remains to be determined whether or not such information-processing deficiencies are common among delinquent populations and how they might influence the development of delinquent behavior and drug abuse.
Facile synthesis of bimetallic nanoplates consisting of Pd cores and Pt shells through seeded epitaxial growth.

Pd−Pt core−shell nanoplates with hexagonal and triangular shapes were synthesized through the heterogeneous, epitaxial growth of Pt on Pd nanoplates. The Pd nanoplates were synthesized by reducing Na2PdCl4 precursor with PVP as a reducing agent, which then served as seeds for the nucleation of Pt atoms formed by reducing H2PtCl6 with citric acid. Characterization of the as-prepared Pd−Pt nanoplates by scanning transmission electron microscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy reveals that a thin, uniform Pt shell was formed around the Pd nanoplate, demonstrating the layer-by-layer epitaxial growth of Pt on Pd surface in this approach. The close lattice match between Pd and Pt (lattice mismatch of only 0.77%) and the slow reduction rate associated with the mild reducing power of citric acid play key roles in achieving the epitaxial growth of Pt shells on Pd nanoplates.
E‐mail Survey Response Rates: A Review

Electronic mail (e-mail) has been used to distribute surveys and collect data from online users for almost fifteen years. However, some have suggested that the use of e-mail is becoming obsolete. This study analyzes response rates to e-mail surveys undertaken since 1986 and examines five influences to response rates: the year the study was undertaken, the number of questions in the survey, the number of pre-notification contacts, the number of follow-up contacts and survey topic salience. Response rates to e-mail surveys have significantly decreased since 1986. Correlation and regression analyses suggest that year that the survey was undertaken and number of follow-up contacts had the most influence on response rates. A discussion of other influences and future research into this area is provided.
The γ-aminobutyric acid system in the developing chick embryo cerebellum

Abstract The time-sequence of the development of the components of the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) system in the chick embryo cerebellum was correlated with development as observed at both light and electron microscopic levels. Study also was made of the subcellular distribution pattern of the GABA system with the age of the embryo. Characteristic synapse-like structures were observed in the chick cerebellum as early as 11 days of incubation, the degree of synaptogenesis increasing greatly thereafter. The enzymes of the GABA system, l -glutamic decar☐ylase (GAD) and GABA-transaminase (GABA-T), began to increase much later in development than did the weight and protein content of the cerebellum. All of the data are consistent with the interpretation that the development of the whole GABA system temporally is better correlated with the development and increase in recognizable synaptic structures than with the accretion of the total mass of the cerebellum. The fractionation data at all stages showed GAD to be more highly concentrated in presynaptic endings than elsewhere and the GABA-T to be particularly high in the free mitochondria, which probably come from postsynaptic neuronal sites and from glial and endothelial cells. The results fit the suggestion that in the chick cerebellum GABA largely is formed at presynaptic sites and metabolized at postsynaptic sites onto which it is liberated, but definitive proof of this idea will only come when it will be possible to visualize GAD, GABA-T, and GABA at an ultrastructural level in specific sites of sections of the cerebellum.
N-Type Calcium Channel Inactivation Probed by Gating-Current Analysis

N-type calcium channels inactivate most rapidly in response to moderate, not extreme depolarization. This behavior reflects an inactivation rate that bears a U-shaped dependence on voltage. Despite this apparent similarity to calcium-dependent inactivation, N-type channel inactivation is insensitive to the identity of divalent charge carrier and, in some reports, to the level of internal buffering of divalent cations. Hence, the inactivation of N-type channels fits poorly with the "classic" profile for either voltage-dependent or calcium-dependent inactivation. To investigate this unusual inactivation behavior, we expressed recombinant N-type calcium channels in mammalian HEK 293 cells, permitting in-depth correlation of ionic current inactivation with potential alterations of gating current properties. Such correlative measurements have been particularly useful in distinguishing among various inactivation mechanisms in other voltage-gated channels. Our main results are the following: 1) The degree of gating charge immobilization was unchanged by the block of ionic current and precisely matched by the extent of ionic current inactivation. These results argue for a purely voltage-dependent mechanism of inactivation. 2) The inactivation rate was fastest at a voltage where only approximately (1)/(3) of the total gating charge had moved. This unusual experimental finding implies that inactivation occurs most rapidly from intermediate closed conformations along the activation pathway, as we demonstrate with novel analytic arguments applied to coupled-inactivation schemes. These results provide strong, complementary support for a "preferential closed-state" inactivation mechanism, recently proposed on the basis of ionic current measurements of recombinant N-type channels (Patil et al., . Neuron. 20:1027-1038).
Resource patch density and larval aggregation in mushroom-breeding flies

For organisms exploiting patchy resource landscapes, the degree of aggregation of individuals across patches has important implications for population and community ecology. For insects breeding in mushrooms, carrion, or fallen fruit, larval aggregation has previously been shown to be sensitive to the density of ovipositing females and to variation in patch quality and detectability. However, effects of resource patch density (interpatch spacing) have not been examined. I tested for an effect of patch density on larval aggregation in natural populations of mushroom-breeding flies. Larval aggregation increased strongly and consistently with declining patch density (increasing patch spacing). This effect could be due to increased aggregation of ovipositing females, but is more likely due to increased clutch sizes laid by females facing higher travel costs for movement among patches (when those patches are more distantly spaced).
Breeding for Low Fecundity in the Fowl with the Aid of the Progeny Test

Abstract HISTORY OF THE EXPERIMENT IT WAS apparently recognized by Woods (1908), director of the Maine Agricultural Experiment Station, as long ago as 1898 that an increase in annual egg production is not convincing evidence that genetic selection for high fecundity is effective, unless selection for low production is practiced concurrently so that the effects of changes in housing, feeding, and other details of management can be evaluated. Two experiments were therefore planned in which the effectiveness of selection for either high or low egg production could be studied at the Maine station. The first was designed to improve egg production by selecting as breeders females which laid 150 eggs or more, and males whose dams laid more than 200 eggs during their first year of production. This experiment was conducted by Professor Gowell during the nine years beginning in 1898. The results were disappointing; the general level of egg production . . .
Geochronology of paleoenvironmental change, clovis type site, Blackwater draw, New Mexico

Geoarchaeological investigations at the Clovis type site, Blackwater Locality No. 1, in 1983 and 1984 included core drilling, archaeological test excavations, stratigraphic profiling, sedimentary analyses, and radiocarbon dating. Six lines of core holes transverse to the outlet channel clearly defined the subsurface configuration and stratigraphy of the prehistoric spring run. Pieces of large animal bone from units B, C, D, and E that elsewhere in the site contain Paleoindian artifacts suggest occurrences of additional buried sites along the ancient spring run. Four Paleoindian projectile points recovered during archaeological testing confirm these prospects. The Clovis type site, located in an abandoned gravel pit, is in a natural depression initially occupied by a late Pleistocene lake. After breaching of the depression by overflow or sapping, it became a springhead and was enlarged by slumping and slopewash. Detailed stratigraphic profiling of the south wall of the abandoned gravel pit provided precise stratigraphic control for sediment sampling and radiocarbon dating, and revealed more complex microstratigraphy and facies relationships than heretofore known for the site. The interfingering of dune facies around the depression with lacustrine and spring-laid facies within it aid paleoclimatic interpretation. Deflational contacts within the depression appear to correlate with adjacent wedges of dune sand reflecting relatively arid intervals. Between these arid episodes occur intervals of increased ground water level attended initially by deposition of spring-laid sands of unit B during the late Pleistocene (13,000–11,500 yr B.P.). As the water table rose following a period of severe deflation, slumping and gravity flow deposited clayey sand, Unit C, on the floor of the blowout between 11,500 and 11,000 yr B.P. During this time Clovis people first appeared at the site. After another brief period of deflation, a lake rose causing sand of Unit D0 to be washed in from shore followed by deposition of diatomities, units D1 and D2. These were separated by a brief influx of eolian sand, unit D2z. Between 10,800 and 10,000 yr B.P. outflow from the lake was reduced by accumulation of eolian sand in the outlet while Folsom people and later Agate Basin people arrived to hunt bison during this time. Cody complex people appeared during and after a brief erosional episode that preceded deposition of eolian silt and sand of units E and F from 10,000 to 8000 yr B.P. Eolian deposition during post-Folsom time converted the pond to a wet meadow and eventually, during Cody time, to a grassy swale. Some of these deposits were blown out during the Altithermal arid period (ca. 8000-5000 yr B.P.), a time when prehistoric Archaic peoples excavated wells in the floor of the depression. Subsequent eolian activity has resulted in deflation and dune migration during the late Holocene. The best prospects for Paleoindian finds are along the buried outlet south of the south wall and in early Holocene dune sands on the uplands around the depression. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Epidemiologic Evidence on the Carcinogenicity of Metalworking Fluids

The purpose of this review is to organize and evaluate the epidemiologic evidence regarding the potential carcinogenicity of metalworking fluids. Published literature was initially examined to identify the key contributions, with a strong emphasis on the series of studies by Eisen et al. A key challenge to addressing the issue is the diversity of metalworking fluids, additives, and by-products produced in use, along with the notable changes in the composition and use of such agents over time. Although several smaller cohort studies provided useful data on this issue through the 1980s, the Eisen et al. studies offer unique information given the size of the cohort, sophistication in exposure assessment, and detailed analysis of cancer mortality risks within the cohort as a function of estimated exposure. The most notable associations, based on precision, magnitude, and evidence for increasing risk with increasing exposure are those between straight metalworking fluids and both rectal and laryngeal cancer, as well as soluble metalworking fluids and laryngeal cancer. Further progress will require additional studies of the scale of Eisen et al.'s as well as a more systematic approach to integrating information from toxicology and industrial hygiene into the interpretation of the epidemiologic literature.
Embedding sheaf models for set theory into boolean-valued permutation models with an interior operator

Etude des interpretations de la theorie ZF des ensembles. Plongement des modeles de faisceaux dans les modeles de permutations a valeurs booleennes avec un operateur interieur
Variation in alpha-L-fucosidase properties among 28 inbred mouse strains: six strains have high enzyme activity and heat-stabile enzyme with a variant pH-activity curve; twenty-two strains have low activity and heat-labile enzyme.

Alpha-L-fucosidase in tissues of 28 inbred mouse strains varied with respect to three properties: high or low heat stability, a pH-activity curve with high or low relative activity at pH 2.8, and high or low activity. Alpha-L-fucosidase from six strains (A/J, BDP/J, LP/J, P/J, SEA/GNJ, and 129/J) had high heat stability, high pH 2.8 relative activity, and high activity, whereas the other 22 strains all had low heat stability, low pH 2.8 relative activity, and low activity. The heat-stability difference was seen in all organs tested (brain, liver, kidney, spleen, heart, skeletal muscle, lung, and testis) for two heat-stabile strains (P/J and 129/J) and four heat-labile strains (C57 BL/6J, C3H/HeJ, DBA/2J, and BALB/cJ) studied in detail. The findings suggested that two structural variants of alpha-L-fucosidase, probably genetically determined, exist in these 28 inbred mouse strains, although the presence of linkage disequilibrium between alleles of tightly linked structural and regulatory genes could not be excluded.
Analysis of edge elements for a new active constrained layer treatment

This paper is concerned with the investigations of edge elements' effects on a new class of active constrained layer (ACL) treatment, the so-called enhanced active constrained layer (EACL) configurations. Specific interests are on understanding how the edge elements will influence the passive damping ability, the active action transmissibility, and their combined effects in EACL. Analysis results indicate that the edge elements can significantly improve the active action transmissibility of the current ACL treatment. Although the edge elements will slightly reduce the viscoelastic material (VEM) passive damping effect, the EACL will still have significant damping from the VEM. Combining the overall active and passive actions, the new EACL with sufficiently stiff edge elements can achieve better performance with less control effort as compared to systems with purely active or current ACL treatments.
Can all strains of a specific organism be recognized by agglutination

The agglutination test has been used primarily in clinical diagnosis for the recognition of disease, as for example typhoid. It is realized that the reaction does not identify all cases of the disease. The reason ordinarily given is that some patients do not respond to the growth of the causal bacilli in the tissues by the production of agglutinins. Experimental proof of this error can easily be obtained through the injection of a series of animals with a specific strain of the organism and the testing of the serum against the strain in question. I am not aware that errors in the opposite direction have been recognized; namely, that the agglutinins produced under the stimulus of a specific strain of an organism will not react with all other strains of the same organism. If this error exists, some cases of disease will not be recognized by the agglutination test, due to too great a specificity of the agglutinins. It is recognized that different strains of an organism will not give quantitatively the same results with an immune serum. The culture which was used in immunizing the animal is usually agglutinated by a smaller amount of the serum than the other strains. The quantitative differences that have been noted are usually small. The second application of the agglutination reaction has been for the identification of bacteria. An animal is immunized with a culture of a
Polymers on nanoperiodic, heterogeneous surfaces

Herein we establish a relationship between controlled nanoscale surface interactions and subsequent macromolecular ordering. Striped surfaces of oxide and metal are generated over large areas, where the stripe width is comparable to the size of a polymer molecule. Homopolymers are found to anisotropically dewet such surfaces, while incompatible polymer mixtures phase separate at the substrate/polymer interface on a molecular level. An orientation of lamellar block copolymer microdomains normal to the surface is found, when substrate and polymer length scales are commensurate.
The Guidebook for standards-aligned online course evaluation and creation

The following is an excerpt from: Zyko Rukobo, E., Paul, A., & Shrem, J. (2012). GlobalClassroom Publishing Suite Guidebook. New York, NY: RMC Research Corporation. The GlobalClassroom Publishing Suite Guidebook, which comprises four components: Guiding Definitions, eCourse Standards, eCourse Review Guide, and eCourse Framekworks (for fully-facilitated, facilitator lite, and self-paced courses). The Guidebook provides anyone in the eLearning field a comprehensive framework for standards-aligned online course evaluation and creation.
Fibronectin and laminin elicit differential behaviors from SH-SY5Y growth cones contacting inhibitory chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans.

Neuronal growth cones integrate signals from outgrowth-promoting molecules, e.g., laminin (LN) or fibronectin (FN), and outgrowth-inhibiting molecules, e.g., chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs), to navigate through extracellular matrix (ECM). Sensory neurons on LN typically turn to avoid areas rich in inhibitory CSPGs, whereas neuron-like cells of human origin (SH-SY5Y) preferentially stop/stall. These different behaviors may reflect differences in neuron type, response to outgrowth-promoters, or the mechanisms involved in outgrowth vs. inhibition. We used image analysis to determine the effects of different outgrowth promoters on the response of SH-SY5Y cells to inhibitory CSPGs. LN increased neurite initiation and elongation compared to cells plated either on endogenous matrix or FN. On a patterned substratum consisting of alternating stripes of FN and CSPGs, 59.6 +/- 9.3% of SH-SY5Y growth cones turned upon CSPG contact, whereas only 31.9 +/- 8.2% of growth cones turned at a LN/CSPG border. Growth cones on LN spread more upon contact with CSPG than growth cones on FN, whereas growth cones on LN or FN not contacting CSPGs were morphologically similar. Because it is known that integrins are involved in outgrowth on promoters, we analyzed integrin expression in response to inhibitory CSPGs in a choice assay. CSPGs did not induce increases or redistribution of several integrin subunits in SH-SY5Y cells. Furthermore, an anti-beta1 integrin function-blocking antibody did not alter growth cone behavior at a CSPG border. These results indicate that significant mechanistic differences may exist between outgrowth on homogenous outgrowth promoters and growth cone turning at inhibitory molecules.
Regulation of FFA by the acyltransferase pathway in focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion

Cerebral insult is associated with a rapid increase in free fatty acids (FFA) and arachidonic acid release has been linked to the increase in eicosanoid biosynthesis. In transient focal cerebral ischemia induced by middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion, there is an inverse relationship between the increase in FFA and the decrease in ATP, both during the ischemia period and at later time periods after reperfusion. In this study, the focal cerebral ischemia model was used to examine incorporation of [14C]arachidonic acid into the glycerolipids in rat MCA cortex at different reperfusion times after a 60 min ischemia. The label was injected intracerebrally into left and right MCA cortex 1 hr prior to decapitation. Labeled arachidonic acid was incorporated into phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine and neutral glycerides. With increasing time (4–16 hr) after a 60 min ischemia, an inhibition of labeled arachidonate uptake could be found in the right ischemic MCA cortex, whereas the distribution of radioactivity among the major phospholipids was not altered. When compared to labeled PC, there was a 3–4 fold increase in incorporation of label into phosphatidic acid and triacylglycerols (TG) in the right MCA cortex, suggesting of an increase in de novo biosynthesis of TG. In an in vitro assay system, synaptosomal membranes isolated from MCA cortex 8 and 16 hr after a 60 min ischemia showed a significant decrease in arachidonoyl transfer to lysophospholipids, due mainly to a decrease in lysophospholipid:acylCoA acyltransferase activity. Assay of phospholipase A2 activity with both syaptosomes and cytosol, however, did not show differences between left and right MCA cortex or with time after reperfusion. These results suggest that besides ATP availability, the decrease in acyltransferase activity may also contribute to the increase in FFA in cerebral ischemia-reperfusion.
Antibody Active Sites and Immunoglobulin Molecules

In order to obtain detailed information about the relationship between structure and function in antibody molecules, a method called affinity labeling has been devised to attach chemical labels specifically to amino acid residues in the active sites of antibody molecules. With antibodies to three different haptens, highly specific labeling of the active sites has been achieved. Tyrosine residues on both heavy and light polypeptide chains have been labeled in a molar ratio close to 2:1, and labels on the two chains are equally specific to the active sites. Peptide fragmentation studies of the labeled chains of one antibody system have shown that: (i) within 25 amino acid residues of the labeled tyrosine on either chain, substantial chemical heterogeneity exists among different antibody molecules of the same specificity; and (ii) the labeled peptide fragments from both chains are very similar in physicochemical characteristics, including average size, heterogeneity, and unusual hydrophobicity. These experimental results have led us to the view that a particular region of the heavy chain and a particular region of the light chain are utilized to construct the active sites of the three different antibodies, differences in specificity arising from chemical perturbations in these two regions. Correlated structural studies of affinity-labeled antibodies and of the homogeneous light chains (Bence Jones proteins) and heavy chains produced in multiple myeloma may permit the identification of these special active-site regions. The view that active sites of different specificity are chemical perturbations of a particular region of the antibody molecule has a possible close analogue in enzyme systems, particularly among the esterases. The marked chemical similarities we have observed between the active site regions of heavy and light chains indicate to us that chemical homologies, but not identities, exist between the chains. This is reinforced by recently obtained amino acid sequence data which reveal homologies between the two chains near their carboxyl-terminals. These results indicate that the structural genes which code for the synthesis of heavy and light chains are related, presumably having arisen from some common ancestral gene during evolution. This conclusion strongly suggests that both heavy and light chains determine antibody specificity, and has important implications for the still-unknow mechanisms of antibody biosynthesis.
Pretreatment of yellow pine in an acidic ionic liquid: extraction of hemicellulose and lignin to facilitate enzymatic digestion.

Abstract The acidic ionic liquid 1- H -3-methylimidazolium chloride can effectively pretreat yellow pine wood chips under mild conditions for enzymatic saccharification. Wood samples were treated at temperatures between 110 and 150 °C for up to 5 h in the ionic liquid and three fractions collected; a cellulose rich fraction, lignin, and an aqueous fraction. This treatment caused the hemicellulose and the lignin to be degraded and dissolved from the cell walls of the pine wood. The lignin was depolymerized and subsequently dissolved in the ionic liquid. This process occurred more quickly at higher temperatures, although at the highest temperatures tested, significant cellulose degradation also occurred. The cellulose rich fraction was saccharified using cellulase from Trichoderma viride, with longer pretreatment times at 130 °C resulting in higher glucose yields.
Compositionally Modulated Ripples Induced by Sputtering of Alloy Surfaces

Sputtering of an amorphous or crystalline material by an ion beam often results in the formation of periodic nanoscale ripple patterns on the surface. In this Letter, we show that, in the case of alloy surfaces, the differences in the sputter yields and surface diffusivities of the alloy components will also lead to spontaneous modulations in composition that can be in or out of phase with the ripple topography. The degree of this kinetic alloy decomposition can be altered by varying the flux of the ion beam. In the high-temperature and low-flux regime, the degree of decomposition scales linearly with the ion flux, but it scales inversely with the ion flux in the low-temperature, high-flux regime.
Optimal linear granulometric estimation for random sets

This paper addresses two pattern-recognition problems in the context of random sets. For the first, the random set law is known and the task is to estimate the observed pattern from a feature set calculated from the observation. For the second, the law is unknown and we wish to estimate the parameters of the law. Estimation is accomplished by an optimal linear system whose inputs are features based on morphological granulometries. In the first case these features are granulometric moments; in the second they are moments of the granulometric moments. For the latter, estimation is placed in a Bayesian context by assuming that there exists a prior distribution for the parameters determining the law. A disjoint random grain model is assumed and the optimal linear estimator is determined by using asymptotic expressions for the moments of the granulometric moments. In both cases, the linear approach serves as a practical alternative to previously proposed nonlinear methods. Granulometric pattern estimation has previously been accomplished by a nonlinear method using full distributional knowledge of the random variables determining the pattern and granulometric features. Granulometric estimation of the law of a random grain model has previously been accomplished by solving a system of nonlinear equations resulting from the granulometric asymptotic mixing theorem. Both methods are limited in application owing to the necessity of performing a nonlinear optimization. The new linear method avoids this. It makes estimation possible for more complex models.
Arachidonic acid potentiates superoxide anion radical production by murine peritoneal macrophages stimulated with tumor promoters

The role of arachidonic acid (AA) metabolism in the stimulation of oxygen radical production by murine peritoneal macrophages treated with tumor promoters was assessed. In vivo administration of the phospholipase A2 inhibitor dibromacetophenone, the anti-inflammatory steroid fluocinolone acetonide or the lipoxygenase inhibitor nordihydroguiaretic acid just prior to i.p. injection of phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA, 100 ng) into unmanipulated CD-1 female mice resulted in a dose-dependent decrease in the number of peritoneal exudate cells (PEC) producing superoxide anion radical (O2) as assessed by the reduction of nitroblue tetrazolium, i.e. the formation of formazan-positive PEC. The cycloxygenase inhibitor indomethacin had no effect on the number of formazan-positive PEC caused by PMA treatment. The ability of PMA, phorbol-12,13-dibutyrate mezerein, phorbol-12,13-diacetate and 4-O-Me-PMA to stimulate the production of oxygen radicals by murine peritoneal macrophages correlated with their ability to stimulate the release of [3H]AA equivalents from the macrophages. The calcium ionophore A23187 which stimulated significant [3H]AA equivalent release did not stimulate superoxide anion radical production by the macrophages. PMA administered i.p. to SENCAR mice increased the number of formazan-positive PEC 4-to 5-fold compared with similarly treated C57BL/6 mice. PMA also stimulated the release of twice the amount of [3H]AA equivalents from peritoneal macrophages from SENCAR mice compared with that released by macrophages from C57BL/6 mice. The addition of low concentrations of AA (1-10 microM) in vitro to casein-elicited murine peritoneal macrophages treated with low concentrations of PMA (1 ng/ml) resulted in a 2-fold potentiation of the amount of superoxide anion radical produced compared with PMA treatment alone as assessed by the reduction of cytochrome c. These results demonstrate that AA and/or a lipoxygenase product can potentiate the production of oxygen radicals by murine peritoneal macrophages treated with tumor promoters.
Work sampling training: A simulation gaming approach

Abstract This article presents a strategy that shows that simulation-based gaming can be used to educate in-plant management and staff as well as industrial engineering students in the work sampling technique. A functional simulation game is developed through narrative and flow charts that will give students a better understanding of the many variables inherent in a work sampling study. The simulation-based learning experiences permits many of the decisions made in a real work sampling study to be made in just minutes on a CRT or teletype, in contrast to days or even weeks of real time under actual study conditions.
Effect of PVP-coated silver nanoparticles using laser direct patterning process by photothermal effect

Laser direct patterning of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) conductive patterns on a polyimide substrate using photothermal effect of nanoparticles provides various advantages for applications in flexible electronics. Two PVP content AgNPs were used in this research. Since the thin and thick PVP-coated AgNPs have a strong optical absorption at 426 and 405nm, respectively, a UV laser (405nm and 60mW) is used to trigger AgNPs to convert light into heat due to photothermal effect of nanoparticles. After UV laser beam irradiating on the AgNPs thin film, the AgNPs aggregate into larger conducting grains and improve the adhesion between AgNPs and the polyimide substrate at the same time. Then the desired AgNPs conductive lines (line width: [email protected], line space: [email protected]) are formed after washing the unirradiated AgNPs. By this method, we have demonstrated a [email protected] width AgNPs conductive line. In the mean time, we also found out that the higher PVP content, the laser direct patterning of AgNPs conductive lines would have more straight and smooth boundaries. And the adhesion between the AgNPs conductive patterns and PI substrate would be better while using higher PVP content AgNPs.
The genetics of fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva

Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) is a rare, heritable disorder with infrequent genetic transmission of the condition owing to low reproductive, fitness. The recent identification of several small, additional families with inheritance of classic features of FOP has provided the opportunity to expand positional cloning efforts to identify the mutated gene in FOP through whole-genome linkage nnalyses. Candidate gene studies using both genetic (linkage), and molecular (gene expression) approaches also are contributing to information about the genetic and cellular, causes of FOP.
Mathematical techniques in extended surface analysis

Abstract The customary method for analyzing the performance of extended surface in a heat exchanger involves setting up a system of differential equations, one for each fin in the array, and coupling these equations through boundary conditions which express continuity of the variables. Because the resulting system can become computationally unwieldy, design engineers often settle for rough estimates of the heat transfer characteristics based on the concept of fin efficiency, a somewhat imprecise performance measure for individual fins. The present paper describes a precise, unambiguous, and accurate mathematical model of extended surface which leads to much simpler algorithms for design evaluation. In particular, the individual fins are represented by lumped-parameter elements derived from the differential equations, and the continuity conditions are automatically and efficiently enforced with a simple graph-theoretical construction. Applications to a particular industrial heat exchanger are given.
Molybdenum isotope evidence for mild environmental oxygenation before the Great Oxidation Event

Abstract We use the molybdenum isotope paleoredox proxy to look for evidence of small amounts of O2 in the environment ∼50 Ma before the Great Oxidation Event (GOE) in a high resolution profile from the ∼2.5 Ga Mt. McRae Shale. The molybdenum isotope compositions (δ98/95Mo) from samples throughout the sequence span a range from 0.99‰ to 1.86‰. All samples have heavier δ98/95Mo compared to average upper continental crust. In addition, the upper (S1) and lower (S2) black shale units within the Mt. McRae Shale exhibit systematic differences in average isotopic compositions and distinct patterns of δ98/95Mo variation. Heavier δ98/95Mo values occur in the S1 unit, where δ98/95Mo correlates with Mo enrichments. In the S2 unit, δ98/95Mo is not as heavy and is relatively invariant. Based on sedimentary Fe proxies we infer that S1 sediments were deposited under euxinic conditions, so that Mo removal from bottom waters was likely quantitative. Thus, δ98/95Mo in this interval likely records coeval seawater. The lighter δ98/95Mo values in the S2 unit may indicate a less fractionated ocean Mo inventory relative to the S1 unit. However, sedimentary Fe proxies suggest that S2 sediments accumulated under a water column that was ferruginous rather than euxinic, raising the possibility of non-quantitative Mo scavenging and hence an expressed δ98/95Mo fractionation relative to coeval seawater. Because any associated fractionations during this process would have favored the light isotope in sediments, the lighter δ98/95Mo values in the S2 unit represent a lower limit on the value in contemporaneous seawater. After evaluating a range of hypotheses, we conclude that the isotopically heavy δ98/95Mo values seen throughout the Mt. McRae Shale likely reflect the effects of oxidative weathering and adsorption of Mo to oxide mineral surfaces on land or in surface oceans. The extent of environmental oxygenation in either unit is difficult to assess due to uncertainties in the global Mo isotope budget. Because of the small ocean Mo inventory in the Late Archean, documented by low concentrations of Mo and low Mo/TOC, the extent of oxygenation required to account for the observed fractionations is much smaller than in modern oceans. However, when juxtaposed against the record of δ98/95Mo through time, our findings provide further evidence of the onset of environmental oxygenation before the GOE.
Amorphous Rare Earth-Transition Metal Alloys for Magneto-Optical Storage

Amorphous alloys of the heavy rare earth elements with cobalt and iron have magnetic and optical properties that make them ideally suited for magneto-optical mass storage media. These materials are used in all commercial erasable (MO) optical disk systems and in optically assisted magnetic storage such as the recordable music minidisk. The important properties of these materials for this application are: 1/ ferrimagnetic exchange with a magnetic compensation point near room temperature, 2/ perpendicular easy axis anisotropy when prepared under suitable conditions as thin films, 3/low media noise as compared to polycrystalline films, 4/low processing temperatures compatible with polymer substrates and 5/thermally stable when cycled repeatedly to the Curie temperature. The magneto-optical Kerr effect that is used to read the information off the disk is large at the 800 nm wavelength used in current devices but low at 400 nm. Since the areal storage density is set by the diffraction limit, improvements in shorter wavelength device performance are needed.
FR66979 REQUIRES REDUCTIVE ACTIVATION TO CROSS-LINK DNA EFFICIENTLY

Abstract The activity of FR66979 as a DNA-DNA interstrand cross-linking agent in the absence of exogenous reducing agents was re-examined. Samples of FR66979 prepared by hydrogenation of FR900482 (H 2 /Pd-C) were quite active whereas reduction of FR900482 with sodium borohydride afforded inactive or very weakly active FR66979 samples. Rigorous purification of FR66979 from either source abolished the observed cross-linking activity thus indicating that FR66979 does not efficiently cross-link DNA in the absence of exogenous reducing agents. LC-MS analysis of active samples indicated the possible presence of the over-reduced impurity 3 , below. The DNA-DNA cross-link arising from the same sample was identical in structure to that formed by reductively activated FR66979.
The differential effect of directional unexpected earnings and post-earnings announcement drift behaviour

This research investigates whether the post-earnings announcement equity security price return drift is monotonic but (1) at a different rate than at the time of the earnings announcement, and (2) at different rates for positive unexpected earnings and negative unexpected earnings. Our results indicate that the post-earnings announcement equity security price return drift amplifies the equity security return reaction at the time of the earnings announcement for negative earnings changes. However, post-earnings announcement equity security price return drift reverses the equity security return reaction at the time of the earnings announcement for positive unexpected earnings. Implications of our research results for equity security return drift, reversal, and volatility are that equity security prices under-react at the time of the earnings announcement to negative unexpected earnings and over-react at the time of the earnings announcement to positive unexpected earnings.
Millimeter-wave components for use in a variable state four-port network analyzer

The analyzer contains a phase shifter which varies the state of the network, thus allowing accurate measurements to be made with approximately half the hardware required by conventional six-port analyzers. The phase shift is obtained using either a p-i-n diode reflection type phase-shifter or a mechanically positioned sliding short. Reflection measurements from two such waveguide analyzers are presented: one operates in the 27- to 40-GHz Ka-band, the other in the 75- to 100-GHz W-band. Waveguide-to-microstrip transitions have been developed for these analyzers, to characterize millimeter-wave planar circuits. A back-to-back Ka-band transition was built with a maximum VSWR of 1.9. A second back-to-back transition displayed a maximum VSWR of 1.45 over the W-band. >
Rapid Development of Ferricretes on a Subtropical Valley Side Slope

Ferricretes can be formed along some valley‐side slopes in the southeastern United States coastal plain as a consequence of erosional exposure of zones of iron precipitation in areas of groundwater...
Keeping in shape

The Neuronal Cytoskeleton. Edited by Robert O. Burgoyne Wiley-Liss: 1991. Pp. 344. £62.80, $94.95.
Offering induction of labor for 22-week premature rupture of membranes: a survey of obstetricians.

Offering induction of labor for 22-week premature rupture of membranes: a survey of obstetricians
BER enhancement due to parasitic coupling in VCSEL array interconnects

Lateral interactions due to fringe field overlap or "stray" reflections from optical elements in VCSEL array based interconnects are analyzed. Interacting cavity pairs act as coupled oscillators. The cavity that happens to switch on first, determined by the bit sequence between neighbors, acts as a master oscillator that affects the switch on jitter for the next cite. Earlier analytic results for the BER rate are extended to include the influence of the cavity coupling strength on the switch on jitter. Numerical examples, including pre-biasing cases, demonstrate the potential for a large degradation in BER rate at small coupling strengths. Extreme cases result into complete pulse suppression (bit skipping).
A rational theory for predicting soil liquefaction

Abstract In this paper the authors propose a theory and equations that predict pore-pressure buildup and hence soil liquefaction potential under a given earthquake stress time history. A procedure is outlined for easy determination of the soil parameters that are used in the above prediction equations. Experimental data are presented that indicate good agreement between pore pressures predicted by the above theory and those observed in the laboratory.