cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Biosynthesis of glycosaminoglycans in foraminifera: A review

Abstract Organic matrix deposits in the tests of benthic and planktic foraminifera contain glycosaminoglycans as a major component. They are present in organic linings, organic cements and secretion products. Following cytological, autoradiographic, and molecular cell biological studies in plants and animals, the intracellular process for glycosaminoglycan production is choreographed by ribosomes, the endoplasmatic reticulum and the Golgi complex. Synthesized proteins released from the ribosomes on the granular endoplasmic reticulum are glycosylated and sulfated in a multistage process within the Golgi compartments. The completed glycosylated proteins are shed as vesicles (secretory vesicles?) into the cytoplasm. Along microtubular strands the vesicles are transported to the cell membrane and either formed into organic linings or organic cements or are secreted. As indicated by their composition both the secretion of organic material by foraminifera as well as the production of organic linings and organic cements are caused by the same intracellular mechanism. Some aspects of the relation between macromolecular preorganization of the glycosaminoglycan-rich template and patterns of biomineralization are discussed.
Dissipative flow of liquid 4He in the limit of absolute zero.

Analyse, dans l'approximation hydrodynamique, de l'ecoulement superfluide dissipatif en l'absence de frottement du liquide normal; mise en evidence de nouveaux mecanismes de mouvement de tourbillons dissipatif et de regeneration de tourbillons dus a une rugosite de surface microscopique, permettant de rendre compte non seulement de vitesses critiques rendant possible une dissipation auto-entretenue mais egalement de phenomenes dissipatifs discrets en ecoulement oscillatoire
An integrated materials handling model for machine location in existing facilities

A machine location criterion is proposed for situations where machines must be located in existing facilities to manufacture new products. The location criterion is based on a measure of materials handling service. It is applicable when an existing, automated materials handling system is fully integrated within an existing manufacturing facility. The service level is measured by the expected rate of unsuccessful load transfers associated with a fixed production schedule, handling system, and assignment of machines to locations in a facility. An analytical model focused on the interfaces of automated materials handling systems is formulated to predict the corresponding service level associated with alternative machine locations in an existing facility. The model is illustrated through a sample problem which demonstrates how the specific operating characteristics of a typical automated materials handling system can be modelled to predict handling performance for alternative machine locations.
CHROMATIN CONDENSATION IN TERMINALLY DIFFERENTIATING MOUSE ERYTHROBLASTS DOES NOT INVOLVE SPECIAL ARCHITECTURAL PROTEINS BUT DEPENDS ON HISTONE DEACETYLATION

Terminal erythroid differentiation in vertebrates is characterized by progressive heterochromatin formation and chromatin condensation and, in mammals, culminates in nuclear extrusion. To date, although mechanisms regulating avian erythroid chromatin condensation have been identified, little is known regarding this process during mammalian erythropoiesis. To elucidate the molecular basis for mammalian erythroblast chromatin condensation, we used Friend virus-infected murine spleen erythroblasts that undergo terminal differentiation in vitro. Chromatin isolated from early and late-stage erythroblasts had similar levels of linker and core histones, only a slight difference in nucleosome repeats, and no significant accumulation of known developmentally regulated architectural chromatin proteins. However, histone H3(K9) dimethylation markedly increased while histone H4(K12) acetylation dramatically decreased and became segregated from the histone methylation as chromatin condensed. One histone deacetylase, HDAC5, was significantly upregulated during the terminal stages of Friend virus-infected erythroblast differentiation. Treatment with histone deacetylase inhibitor, trichostatin A, blocked both chromatin condensation and nuclear extrusion. Based on our data, we propose a model for a unique mechanism in which extensive histone deacetylation at pericentromeric heterochromatin mediates heterochromatin condensation in vertebrate erythroblasts that would otherwise be mediated by developmentally-regulated architectural proteins in nucleated blood cells.
Anion Conducting Polyaromatics Having Guanidine Base

A guanidine based poly(arylene ether sulfone)s (PAES-TMG) membrane was synthesized from the poly(arylene ether sulfone)s having activated fluorine group and tetramethylguanidine (TMG) without chloromethylation and/or bromination. The methylated PAES-TMG membranes do not have β-hydrogen, and TMG groups have high basicity (pKa = 13.6), which may reduce the potential of degradation due to E2 and SN2 reaction. The membrane showed the good stability in alkaline conditions (0.5M NaOH boiling temperature for 2hr, 80oC for 382hr). The OH- conductivities before and after NaOH test at 80oC for 382hr are 0.036 S/cm, and 0.023S/cm, respectively. The conductivity after exposure to ambient air is 0.019S/cm (σHCO3-) at 80oC.
Self-sustaining Rainbow Trout (Salmo gairdneri) Population in McConaughy Reservoir, Nebraska

Abstract A self-sustaining rainbow trout population has developed in the North Platte River drainage. This population inhabits McConaughy Reservoir and reproduces successfully in tributary streams of the North Platte River located approximately 113 to 145 km above the reservoir. Fall and spring spawning populations migrate from the reservoir. Scale analysis indicated 92% of the juveniles had spent 1 yr and 8% had spent 2 yr in the stream before the spring migration to the reservoir as 175–250 mm smolts. In the 1965–1969 spawning populations 13 life history categories were present. The spawning runs were composed of 76% maiden spawners, 22% second-year spawners and 2% third-year spawners. The sex ratio of the spawning runs ranged between 2.0–2.2 females per male. The rainbow trout population is subjected to a variety of conditions in tributary streams of the North Platte during summer including flooding, irrigation return water and high water temperatures. However, spawning rainbow trout utilize these grou...
Cholesterol levels, atherosclerosis and liver morphology in rabbits fed cyclopropenoid fatty acids

Abstract Male New Zealand rabbits were fed diets containing either 0.27% cyclopropenoid fatty acids (CPFA) or 0.5% cholesterol or both in combination. Compared with control animals, those receiving CPFA tended to have higher plasma- and liver-cholesterol levels and a higher incidence of aortic atherosclerosis. A similar pattern was seen when animals fed cholesterol and CPFA were compared with animals fed cholesterol alone. The observed increases in liver cholesterol, plasma cholesterol and plasma triglycerides indicated a wide range of sensitivity to CPFA. Some animals had plasma-cholesterol levels eight to ten times as high as normal after feeding had continued for 3 wk, while others showed only slight changes after 5 wk. Liver cells from all CPFA-fed animals had altered morphology and often showed extensive damage.
Marks and Marking Systems

Marking systems are frequent subjects of educational controversy because the process is difficult, because different educational philosophies call for different marking systems, and because the task is sometimes disagreeable. Claims that marks diminish the effectiveness of the educational system do not seem to be generally valid, and properly assigned marks do measure the degree of attainment of the basic objectives of education. Measurements and reports of achievement are essential in education and no better means than marks seems likely to appear. In this paper the basic purposes of marks and their effects on student attitude and motivation are discussed. Two basic systems of marking, relative and absolute, are compared, and means of improving marking through institutional standardization are discussed. Pass-fail grading and other alternatives to conventional marking systems are evaluated. Weighting of various measures of achievement in assigning marks is discussed, and detailed computational procedures for assigning marks are developed.
Group theory and reaction mechanisms: Permutation theoretic prediction and computational support for pseudorotation modes in C2H 5+ and C5H 5+ rearrangements

The McIver–Stanton rules concerning the symmetry of transition states have a counterpart in rules concerning the permutation symmetry of single steps in degenerate rearrangements, derivable with the aid of Longuet–Higgins group theory. The generalized rules are illustrated by the widely studied PX5 polytopal rearrangements. The analysis leads to prediction of hitherto unexplored “pseudorotation” pathways for rearrangements in ethyl and homotetrahedryl cations. CNDO computations of system energies, gradients, and curvatures at critical points on the C2H and C5H surfaces indicate that symmetry-breaking in keeping with the permutation-theoretic predictions is a key feature of the low-energy rearrangements of these systems. In particular, computation indicates that the C2v “classical” homotetrahedral cation corresponds to an energy maximum rather than an energy minimum, or a transition state.
Differential Detection for Nanoplasmonic Resonance Sensors

A differential measurement design employing two nearly collinear optical beams can lead to surface plasmon polariton (SPP) sensors of increased dynamic range and signal-to-noise ratio. We demonstrate a differential measurement device that is based on wavelength interrogation, employs a single incident polarization state, and is combined with a 2-D nanohole array for operation at near-normal incidence, where this approach offers a decrease in the measurement time.
Effect of microbial phytase on apparent nutrient digestibility of barley, canola meal, wheat and wheat middlings, measured in vivo using rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

Microbial phytase (Natuphos 5000G) was supplemented into barley, canola meal, wheat and wheat middlings at 500 FTU kg(-1) diet to test the effectiveness of the phytase on digestibility of crude protein (CP), gross energy (GE) and minerals for rainbow trout. A total of 180 rainbow trout (initial mean body weight 223.8 +/- 17.9 g) were stocked into ten 40-L fibreglass digestibility tanks with 18 fish per tank. Duplicate tanks were assigned to a reference diet and a single tank was assigned randomly to each of the eight diets made from these four ingredients supplemented with and without phytase. The collection of faeces lasted for 2 weeks. Faeces collected in each week represented a replicate and they were analysed separately. The mean apparent digestibility coefficients (average of four ingredients) in phytase supplemented and nonsupplemented ingredients were: CP, 97.3% and 96.5%; GE, 62.8% and 53.1%; calcium (Ca), 38.3% and -5.3%; magnesium (Mg), 72.4% and 50.3%; manganese (Mn), 31.0% and -4.2%; total-phosphorus (total-P), 71.1% and 47.6%; phytate-phosphorus (phytate-P), 87.5% and 22.3%; copper (Cu), 38.3% and 26.4%; potassium (K), 97.1% and 97.0%; sulphur (S), 90.2% and 88.6%; zinc (Zn), 12.3% and -16.6%. A two-tailed t-test indicated that phytase supplementation significantly (P < 0.05) improved the digestibility of Ca, Mg, Mn, total-P, phytate-P, and GE. The efficacy of phytase on nutrient digestibility also depended on the type of ingredient as measured in rainbow trout.
Testimonial of a convert from intellectual snob to PE: Professional registration? It can't hurt!

I remember a meeting during my senior year in college where a presentation was made about professional registration. To the best of my recall, all of the EE professors that I asked said that registration was for Civil Engineers and some Mechanical Engineers. EE's had no need for registration.
A Small Domain of CBP/p300 Binds Diverse Proteins: Solution Structure and Functional Studies

The transcriptional coactivators CBP and p300 are critical regulators of metazoan gene expression. They associate with many different DNA-bound transcription factors through small, conserved domains. We have identified a compactly folded 46 residue domain in CBP and p300, the IRF-3 binding domain (IBiD), and we have determined its structure by NMR. It has a helical framework containing an apparently flexible polyglutamine loop that participates in ligand binding. Spectroscopic data indicate that induced folding accompanies association of IBiD with its partners, which exhibit no evident sequence similarities. We demonstrate the significance both in vitro and in vivo of interactions between IBiD and a number of diverse partners. Thus, IBiD is an important contributor to signal integration by CBP and p300.
A unified view of the complexity of evaluation and interpolation

Four problems are considered: 1) from an n-precision integer compute its residues modulo n single precision primes; 2) from an n-degree polynomial compute its values at n points; 3) from n residues compute the unique n-precision integer congruent to the residues; 4) from n points compute the unique interpolating polynomial through those points. If M (n) is the time for n-precision integer multiplication, then the time for problems 1 and 2 is shown to be M (n) log n and for problems 3 and 4 to be M (n) (log n) 2. Moreover it is shown that each of the four algorithms are really all instances of the same general algorithm. Finally it is shown how preconditioning or a change of domain will reduce the time for problems 3 and 4 to M (n) (log n).
A simple method for making small lesions in the limbic system of the white rat

The operating technique for producing small lesions in the limbic system of the rat is described. The method for placing the animal into the stereotaxic instrument is described, and some typical lesions of the limbic system, obtained by this method, are reproduced.
Thoracoscopic Retrieval of a Fractured Thoracentesis Catheter

With the resurgence of laparoscopic surgical procedures, thorascopic procedures have followed close behind. Many procedures which in the past have required formal thoracotomy may now be performed via less invasive methods. Presented herein is a report and description of thoracoscopic retrieval of a fractured thoracentesis catheter.
Evaluation of area under the inhibitory curve (AUIC) and time above the minimum inhibitory concentration (T>MIC) as predictors of outcome for cefepime and ceftazidime in serious bacterial infections

The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship of the predicted pharmacodynamic parameters 24-h area under the inhibitory curve (AUIC=area under the concentration-time curve for 24h of dosing/minimum inhibitory concentration (AUC0-24/MIC) and time above the minimum inhibitory concentration (T>MIC) with clinical and microbiological outcomes in patients with bacteraemia and sepsis treated with cefepime or ceftazidime. Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic parameters were derived for 76 of 107 patients enrolled in two prospective, randomised, clinical trials comparing cefepime with ceftazidime for the treatment of sepsis with bacteraemia, lower respiratory tract infection or complicated urinary tract infection. The relationships between the pharmacodynamic parameters and outcomes were examined. Whilst no significant differences in clinical outcomes were observed between cefepime and ceftazidime, there were significant differences in the pharmacodynamic analysis. Patients with an AUIC> or =250 had significantly greater clinical cure (79% vs. 33%; P=0.002) and bacteriological eradication (96% vs. 44%; P MIC of 100% had significantly greater clinical cure (82% vs. 33%; P=0.002) and bacteriological eradication (97% vs. 44%; P MIC of MIC was <100%.
Capillary flow impedances for the dilution refrigerator

Abstract A very simple technique for making capillary-wire flow impedances for the dilution refrigerator is described.
Synthesis of 2,4-diamino-6-[2'-O-(ω-carboxyalkyl)oxydibenz[b, f]azepin-5-yl]-methylpteridines as potent and selective inhibitors of Pneumocystis carinii, Toxoplasma gondii, and mycobacterium avium dihydrofolate reductase

Six previously undescribed N-(2,4-diaminopteridin-6-yl)methyldibenz[b,f]azepines with water-solubilizing O-carboxyalkyloxy or O-carboxybenzyloxy side chains at the 2'-position were synthesized and compared with trimethoprim (TMP) and piritrexim (PTX) as inhibitors of dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) from Pneumocystis carinii (Pc), Toxoplasma gondii (Tg), and Mycobacterium avium (Ma), three of the opportunistic organisms known to cause significant morbidity and mortality in patients with AIDS and other disorders of the immune system. The ability of the new analogues to inhibit reduction of dihydrofolate to tetrahydrofolate by Pc, Tg, Ma, and rat DHFR was determined, and the selectivity index (SI) was calculated from the ratio IC 50 (rat DHFR)/IC 50 (Pc, Tg, or Ma DHFR). The IC 50 values of the 2'-O-carboxypropyl analogue (10), with SI values in parentheses, were 1.1 nM (1300) against Pc DHFR, 9.9 nM (120) against Tg DHFR, and 2.0 nM (600) against Ma DHFR. The corresponding values for the 2'-O-(4-carboxybenzyloxy) analogue (12) were 1.0 nM (560), 22 nM (21), and 0.75 nM (630). By comparison, the IC 50 and SI values for TMP were Pc, 13 000 nM (14); Tg, 2800 nM (65); and Ma, 300 nM (610). For the prototypical potent but nonselective inhibitors PTX and TMX, respectively, these values were Pc, 13 nM (0.26) and 47 nM (0.17); Tg, 4.3 nM (0.76) and 16 nM (0.50); Ma, 0.61 nM (5.4) and 1.5 nM (5.3). Thus 10 and 12 met the criterion for DHFR inhibitors that combine the high selectivity of TMP with the high potency of PTX and TMX.
Kinetics of Phase Change in Explosively Shock-Treated Alumina

The effect of shock treatment on the kinetics of transformation of transition-phase alumina has been examined. Alumina powder, consisting of spherical particles produced by melting and quenching, was shock-treated at 13- to 26-GPa maximum pressure and subsequently heat-treated at 1000° and 1050°C for various times. At 1050°C, the transformation of unshocked powder was typical of other aluminas with an incubation period of 60 min before significant conversion occurred. In contrast, in the shock-treated material, no incubation period was observed and the α-phase content increased exponentially with time. The growth kinetics of the shocked powder corresponded to a linear growth process with an activation energy of 482 kJ/mol. TEM examination revealed α-phase morphologies consistent with linear growth.
Effects of land cover on sediment regime and fish assemblage structure in four southern Appalachian streams

SUMMARY 1. We examined the relationship between catchment land cover, sediment regime and fish assemblage structure in four small streams in the upper Little Tennessee River basin of North Carolina. Study streams drained similar sized catchments (17–31 km2) with different fractions of non-forested land cover. Non-forested land cover was <3% in two ‘reference’ streams, whereas it was 13 and 22% in two ‘disturbed’ streams. Land cover data were compared with sediment transport data (suspended and bedload), benthic habitat data (embeddedness, substratum composition and coverage of fines) and fishes collected in autumn 1997. 2. Suspended sediment concentration was significantly higher in disturbed streams during both baseflow and stormflow. During baseflow disturbed streams nearly always exceeded 10 nephelometric turbidity units (NTU), whereas reference streams never exceeded this threshold. The difference in suspended sediment concentration between reference and disturbed streams was more consistent at baseflow than at stormflow. Therefore, baseflow turbidity may be a useful indicator of potential stream degradation. 3. Disturbed sites had five- to nine-fold more bedload transport than reference sites. Both embeddedness and streambed instability increased with increasing non-forested land cover. 4. Relative abundance of fishes requiring clean cobble/gravel substratum for spawning was lower in disturbed streams, whereas relative abundance of mound-building cyprinids, their nest associates and fishes that excavate nests in soft sediments (centrarchids) was higher. Relative abundance of fishes spawning in benthic crevices and gravel (BC + G) declined as the proportion of non-forested land cover increased. This study supports growing evidence that human-induced sedimentation alters stream fish assemblages.
TRANSITIONAL CELL CARCINOMA OF THE URETHRA IN FOUR FEMALE DOGS: ITS URETHROGRAPHIC APPEARANCE

ansitional cell urethral carcinoma in four female dogs is reported. Lesion distribution in the proximal two thirds of the urethra and the radiographic appearance with retrograde positive contrast urethrography were similar in each dog. The normally smooth longitudinal urethral striations were replaced by multiple small, poorly marginated intraluminal masses that resulted in a generalized moth-eaten appearance. Extension of contrast medium into the periurethral tissues also occurred. Retrograde urethrography, a simple diagnostic technic, aided in establishing a differential diagnosis in dogs that had urine retention and stranguria.
Short-distance analysis for heavy-quark systems: (I). Diagrammatics☆

Abstract We investigate the sense in which the coupling of soft external probes to heavy quark-antiquark bound states may be considered a short-distance process. We apply an observation of Applequist, Dine and Muzinich to justify performing operator product expansions on gluon insertions in the heavy-quark state; this allows us to summarize the couplings of this state to external probes as the matrix elements of a series in local operators. The criterion for the validity of the expansion, for a bound state of size a0, is that the external momentum scale be much less than the Rydberg energy g2/a0 associated with the color Coulomb potential. We calculate the Wilson coefficients of our expansion to leading order in g2 both for static quarks and for non-relativistic Q Q bound states.
Exploiting XML technologies for intelligent document routing

Today, XML is increasingly becoming a standard for representation of semi-structured information such as documents that combines content and metadata. Typical document management applications include document representation, authoring, validation, and document routing in support of a business process. We propose a framework for intelligent document routing that exploits and extends XML technologies to automate dynamic document routing and real-time update of business routing logic. The document-routing logic is stored in a secure repository and executed by a business rules engine. During rule execution, the input parameters of each business rule are bound with the data from each inbound XML document. This document routing framework is validated in a real-world implementation with reduced development cost, accelerated rule update cycle and simplified administration efforts.
Crystal structure of an asymmetric trimer of a bacterial glutamate transporter homolog

Glutamate transporters couple the uptake of glutamate to the transport of cations. A new crystal structure of an archaeal trimeric glutamate transporter homolog, GltPh, captured in an intermediate conformation between the outward and inward facing states, provides insights into the transport mechanism.
β-Limiting MHD instabilities in improved-performance NSTX spherical torus plasmas

Global magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) stability limits in the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) have increased significantly recently due to a combination of device and operational improvements. First, more routine H-mode operation with broadened pressure profiles allows access to higher normalized β and lower internal inductance. Second, the correction of a poloidal field coil induced error-field has largely eliminated locked tearing modes during normal operation and increased the maximum achievable β. As a result of these improvements, peak β values have reached (not simultaneously) βT = 35%, βN = 6.4, βN = 4.5, βN/li = 10, and βP = 1.4. High βP operation with reduced tearing activity has allowed a doubling of discharge pulse-length to just over 1 s with sustained periods of βN≈6 above the ideal no-wall limit and near the with-wall limit. Details of the β-limit scalings and β-limiting instabilities in various operating regimes are described.
Failure time in creep

Abstract This brief note proposes a method to estimate the useful life of a component subjected to constant load creep, using the total displacement or strain at any instant and the elapsed time. In contrast to the conventional methods based on the minimum creep rate or the steady state creep rate, the present method gives a more realistic and less conservative estimate of the ‘failure time’ in creep of a material, and hence predicts a longer design life for the component or structure.
The half life of 239Pu: By specific activity measurements and by mass spectronetric determination of daughter growth

Abstract Two nearly independent methods have been used for measuring the half life of 239Pu. In one, the alpha-particle activity of a known mass of plutonium of known isotopic composition (>99.9% 239Pu) was measured using a defined-solid-angle alpha-particle counter; the other method involved measuring the mass of the daughter 235U grown into a known mass of 239Pu, using isotope-dilution mass spectrometry with 233U and 238U as independent spikes. The concentrations of the plutonium solution and of the two uranium spike solutions were measured by oxidation-reduction titration. The mean half-life value determined by alpha-particle counting was 24,124.2±13.6yr and that determined by isotope-dilution mass spectrometry was 24,138.6±13.7yr, giving an overall average value of 24,131±16yr. (The uncertainties are one standard deviation.)
Directed mammalian gene regulatory networks using expression and comparative genomic hybridization microarray data from radiation hybrids

Meiotic mapping of quantitative trait loci regulating expression (eQTLs) has allowed the construction of gene networks. However, the limited mapping resolution of these studies has meant that genotype data are largely ignored, leading to undirected networks that fail to capture regulatory hierarchies. Here we use high resolution mapping of copy number eQTLs (ceQTLs) in a mouse-hamster radiation hybrid (RH) panel to construct directed genetic networks in the mammalian cell. The RH network covering 20,145 mouse genes had significant overlap with, and similar topological structures to, existing biological networks. Upregulated edges in the RH network had significantly more overlap than downregulated. This suggests repressive relationships between genes are missed by existing approaches, perhaps because the corresponding proteins are not present in the cell at the same time and therefore unlikely to interact. Gene essentiality was positively correlated with connectivity and betweenness centrality in the RH network, strengthening the centrality-lethality principle in mammals. Consistent with their regulatory role, transcription factors had significantly more outgoing edges (regulating) than incoming (regulated) in the RH network, a feature hidden by conventional undirected networks. Directed RH genetic networks thus showed concordance with pre-existing networks while also yielding information inaccessible to current undirected approaches.
Beyond productivity—productivity and the three types of efficiencies of information technology industries

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to analyze productivity and efficiency of information technology industries of fourteen OECD countries. IT productivity has been studied for years and most papers have confirmed the IT productivity. Some even proved that IT productivity is far better than other factors. The impact of IT to the economy depends not only on the productivity but also on the size of IT production. Thus, to analyze productivity and efficiency of IT industries is important. They are the drive for the economic growth in the new economy. Although productivity has been analyzed and discussed in the information systems field for years, little research has been done in efficiency of IT. This paper analyzes the productivity and productive efficiency of fourteen OECD countries and compared them to each other. The models we used in this paper follow Kumbhakar's 1989 models [Rev. Econ. Stat. (1989) 595] and some other econometric models in other productive efficiency studies. By using these models, we were allowed to estimate three different types of (in)efficiencies—technical, allocative and scale, and the percentage loss due to the inefficiency.
Incidence and clinical significance of hepatitis B virus precore gene translation initiation mutations in e antigen-negative patients

Hepatitis Be antigen (HBeAg)-negative chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is associated with hepatitis B virus (HBV) variants harbouring changes in the precore region. Most commonly, a G to A point mutation at nucleotide 1896 (m1896) creates a novel translation stop codon that prevents HBeAg production. In the Mediterranean region the m1896 mutation prevails in greater than 98% of HBeAg-negative CHB patients. In this study the prevalence of additional mutations in the precore region was investigated among patients with chronic HBV infection. Precore sequences were determined by sequencing serum HBV DNA amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with primers flanking the precore/core region. Thirty-one HBeAg-negative and five HBeAg-positive individuals were studied. All HBeAg-negative patients (100%) harboured the m1896 mutation and 20 (64.5%) also had a G to A mutation at nucleotide 1899 (m1899). Additional mutations affecting the translation initiation of the precore gene were found in seven (22.5%) patients, all with active liver disease, five of whom had episodes of HBV reactivation. HBeAg-positive patients had no mutations in these positions and neither did any of the five HBeAg-negative patients with normal levels of liver enzymes, representing the healthy carrier state of HBV infection. Serial sample analysis from one patient revealed that the initiation codon mutation developed following HBeAg seroconversion and the appearance of m1896. During periods of high HBV replication, the ratio of mutant to wild-type ATG was found to increase in parallel with HBV DNA levels. These data show that a significant proportion of HBeAg-negative patients who already harbour the 1896 stop codon mutation may subsequently develop precore translation initiation mutations, which appear to be associated with enhanced HBV replication and severe liver disease.
The Corneal Endothelium

Clinical specular microscopy has indicated that human cell healing occurs by spreading, there is a limited healing reserve, and premature cell loss is the equivalent of a ‘premature aging’ that may lead to later decompensation. This instrument has been useful in studying healing and cell damage from surgery, drugs, and special procedures such as intraocular lens insertion. It pointed out extensive cell loss at the time of intraocular lens insertion, and subsequent studies have indicated that at least part of this cell loss may be due to the methacrylate surface of the lens. Laboratory studies suggest that coating that surface can prevent this component of cell loss. The magnitude of benefits to be found from such coating requires further clinical study.
The Army Rapid Fielding Initiative

The army's rapid fielding initiative (RFI) is the process by which new equipment is distributed to soldiers either at home station or in a theater of operations. Currently, equipment is shipped from over SO suppliers around the United States to a single central warehouse on the east coast where it is packaged into sets. The sets are then shipped to the end user stationed at one of over 40 locations around the world. It is a process that costs the army time, money and a great deal of effort to execute. The purpose of this research is to develop various alternatives for improvement to the supply chain management system and equipment fielding operations. To develop a more efficient process, Lean methods are applied in conjunction with the systems decision process (SDP). The SDP is a four step process developed by the Department of Systems Engineering at the United States Military Academy. SDP is a value-focused thinking (VFT) approach where values are the driving force behind decision making. The primary focus for this project is in the decision making phase.
A Marketing Science Perspective on recognition-based Heuristics (and the fast-and-frugal Paradigm)

Marketing science seeks to prescribe better marketing strategies (advertising, product development, pricing, etc.). To do so we rely on models of consumer decisions grounded in empirical observations. Field experience suggests that recognition-based heuristics help consumers to choose which brands to consider and purchase in frequently-purchased categories, but other heuristics are more relevant in durable-goods categories. Screening with recognition is a rational screening rule when advertising is a signal of product quality, when observing other consumers makes it easy to learn decision rules, and when firms react to engineering-design constraints by offering brands such that a high-level on one product feature implies a low level on another product feature. Experience with applications and field experiments suggests four fruitful research topics: deciding how to decide (endogeneity), learning decision rules by self-reflection, risk reduction, and the difference between utility functions and decision rules. These challenges also pose methodological cautions.
Accelerating FPGA-based emulation of quasi-cyclic LDPC codes with vector processing

FPGAs are widely used for evaluating the error-floor performance of LDPC (low-density parity check) codes. We propose a scalable vector decoder for FPGA-based implementation of quasi-cyclic (QC) LDPC codes that takes advantage of the high bandwidth of the embedded memory blocks (called Block RAMs in a Xilinx FPGA) by packing multiple messages into the same word. We describe a vectorized overlapped message passing algorithm that results in 3.5X to 5.5X speedup over state-of-the-art FPGA implementations in literature.
Fetal surgery for congenital diaphragmatic hernia: the North American experience

The role for fetal surgery in treating fetuses with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is unclear. Two decades of investigation have improved our understanding of the prenatal natural history, pathophysiology, and outcomes of these patients. During this same period, there have been advances in fetal surgery techniques including improvements in fetal monitoring, maternal-fetal anesthesia, tocolysis, and improved instrumentation to permit increased application of videoscopic approaches. Because of technical challenges, open fetal repair of CDH has been abandoned. Fetal tracheal ligation has shown promise, but a recently published prospective, randomized trial failed to show a benefit of fetoscopic tracheal ligation compared with expert postnatal treatment. Although there is evidence that postnatal outcomes for infants with this disease have improved with the adoption of gentilation ventilator management, high-frequency ventilation, and ECMO, there continues to be a subset of infants with severe CDH that die or suffer serious long-term morbidity despite advanced surgical care. The purpose of this article is to review issues related to prenatal diagnosis, patient selection, and outcomes for fetal surgery; and ultimately to assess whether there is a role for fetal surgery in treating fetuses with CDH.
SEARCH, WELFARE, AND THE “HOT POTATO” EFFECT OF INFLATION

An increase in in‡ation will cause people to hold less real balances and may cause them to speed up their spending. Virtually all monetary models capture the …rst eect. Few capture the second— 'hot potato'— eect; and those that do associate negative welfare consequences with it. Since, via the in‡ation tax and the hot potato eect, in‡ation has negative eects on welfare, an optimal monetary policy will be characterized by Friedman rule. In the model presented in this paper there is a hot potato eect, but— holding all else constant— the hot potato eect has positive consequences for welfare. As a result, a departure from the Friedman rule will be socially desirable.
Immune Responses in the Central Nervous System

Immune responses occurring within the central nervous system (CNS) have unique features attributable to the cellular and functional organization of the CNS and to the presence of the blood-brain barrier. Immune responses to viral infection of the CNS involve the participation of most immunologically important cells: T and B lymphocytes, monocytes, and natural killer cells. Normally, helper/inducer T lymphocytes are predominant in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and in perivascular cuffs. After stimulation with antigen in tissue, these cells produce lymphokines, which stimulate mast cells to open capillary tight junctions, stimulate proliferation of lymphocytes, and attract monocytes and B lymphocytes. B lymphocytes mature into immunoglobulin-producing cells that secrete antibody locally which appears in the CSF. Cytotoxic/suppressor T lymphocytes, which damage antigen-containing cells, are predominant in immunopathologic reactions. In other situations the immune response targets normal CNS tissue rather than foreign antigens. Two general types of reactions may be seen: (1) vasculitis with destruction of vessel walls and infarction, and (2) perivascular inflammation with demyelination. The former is associated with immune complex deposition, and the cellular infiltrate includes polymorphonuclear leukocytes. The inflammation associated with perivenular demyelination is composed almost exclusively of mononuclear leukocytes. In the diseases for which pathogenetic mechanisms are understood, cells become sensitized to myelin constituents and induce local demyelinating lesions in which the damage is effected by macrophages. It is not clear whether macrophages are directed in this destructive effort by lymphokines or immunoglobulins or both.
Named Entity Transliteration with Comparable Corpora

In this paper we investigate Chinese-English name transliteration using comparable corpora, corpora where texts in the two languages deal in some of the same topics --- and therefore share references to named entities --- but are not translations of each other. We present two distinct methods for transliteration, one approach using phonetic transliteration, and the second using the temporal distribution of candidate pairs. Each of these approaches works quite well, but by combining the approaches one can achieve even better results. We then propose a novel score propagation method that utilizes the co-occurrence of transliteration pairs within document pairs. This propagation method achieves further improvement over the best results from the previous step.
Calcium delays senescence-related membrane lipid changes and increases net synthesis of membrane lipid components in shredded carrots

The influence of Ca2+ on firmness and membrane lipid structural components was evaluated during storage of shredded (wound-stressed) carrot tissues (Daucus carota L. ‘Caropak’). During 10 days of storage at 10 °C and 95% RH, Ca2+ treatment (applied as 1% w/v CaCl2 upon shredding) provided 6–16% greater firmness retention than did a water control treatment. Calcium accentuated net increases in total phospholipid and monogalactosyldiacylglycerol concentrations after 4 and 10 days of storage, and in acylated steryl glycoside concentrations after 4 days of storage. Calcium partially counteracted a net reduction in steryl glycoside concentration which occurred following 4 days of storage, and prevented an increase in the free sterol : phospholipid ratio following 10 days of storage. Calcium preserved membrane integrity of carrot shreds not only by delaying senescence-related membrane lipid changes, but also by apparently augmenting membrane restructuring processes.
Age-Associated Increase in Cleaved Caspase 3 Despite Phosphorylation of IGF-1 Receptor in the Rat Retina

Diseases of aging produce many alterations in the retina, but changes in growth factor signaling in normal aging are less characterized. This study investigated modifications in insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) receptor (IGF-1R) signaling in the retina of Brown Norway × Fischer 344 F1 hybrid rats at 8, 22, and 32 months. Immunoblotting for proteins involved in IGF-1R signal transduction and electroretinograms were done to evaluate changes with aging. Aging produced a significant decrease in b-wave and oscillatory potential amplitudes in the retina. Aging produced increased phosphorylation of IGF-1R. Despite the increase in IGF-1R activity, insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1) phosphorylation was significantly decreased with increasing age. Akt activity was significantly decreased at 22 and 32 months of age, resulting in increased cleaved caspase 3 levels. The results suggest that regulation of IRS-1 phosphorylation may modulate apoptotic rates in the aging retina, potentially preventing activation of vascular endothelial cell growth factor.
Amplitude hologram efficiencies with arbitrary modulation depth, based upon a realistic photographic film model*

Efficiencies for both thick- and thin-amplitude holograms of arbitrary modulation depth are theoretically investigated. A photographic film model, which includes both threshold detection and saturation effects, predicts a higher maximum efficiency than that given by the usual linear theory. The predictions are in better agreement with available experimental results.
The effect of preparation method and calcination temperature on the crystallite size and surface area of perovskite-type SrFeOx

We have investigated the synthesis of perovskite-type SrFeOx (2.5 ≤ x ≤ 3.0) using three preparative methods: sol-gel, mechanochemical processing and solid state reactions at high temperature of the corresponding oxides. The sample obtained after calcination of the gel from sol-gel method, contained the least amount of strontium carbonate impurity. The amount of strontium carbonate impurity decreased with the increase in calcination temper- ature. Perovskites obtained have been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and nitrogen adsorption isotherms. Samples obtained from three methods have been compared with respect to calcination temperature, crystallite size and specific surface area.
Routing to Multiple Destinations in Computer Networks

Algorithms for effectively routing messages from a source to multiple destination nodes in a store-and-forward computer network are studied. The focus is on minimizing the network cost (NC), which is the sum of weights of the links in the routing path. Several heuristic algorithms are studied for finding the NC minimum path (which is an NP-complete problem). Among them are variations of a minimum spanning tree (MST) heuristic and heuristics for the traveling salesman problem, both of which use global network information. Another set of heuristics examined are based on using only the shortest paths to the destinations. While the MST algorithm has the best worst case performance among all algorithms, a detailed, empirical study of the "average" performance of the algorithms on typical, randomly chosen networks reveals that simpler heuristics are almost as effective. The NC cost measure is also compared to the destination cost (DC), which is the sum of weights of the shortest path distances to all destinations. A scheme of algorithms is given which trades off between NC and DC.
Grammatical Morphology in School-Age Children with and without Language Impairment: A Discriminant Function Analysis

Purpose The purpose of this study was to test Bedore and Leonard’s (1998) proposal that a verb morpheme composite may hold promise as a clinical marker for specific language impairment (SLI) in Eng...
On hypercube reliability

Techniques for generating approximate measures for terminal and network reliability in a hypercube architecture are described. First, the author considers the total number of s-t paths of cardinability H(s,t) and H(s,t)+2, where H(s,t) represents the Hamming distance between source s and terminal t, and generates a bound on terminal reliability. Various theorems which help arrive at the solution are stated and proved. Second, utilizing the concept of degree matrix (for B/sub n/), the author presents a method to obtain the total number of spanning trees in B/sub n/ and hence an approximate measure for network reliability. >
Worldwide Residential Soil Regulatory Guidance Values for Chlorinated Methanes

In many environmental jurisdictions worldwide, surface soil contamination is regulated using guidance values that specify the maximum amount of pollutant that can be present without prompting a regulatory response. Three of the four chlorinated methanes are among the seven most frequently regulated synthetic surface soil contaminants. There are at least 80 U.S. regulatory jurisdictions and at least 30 international jurisdictions with guidance values for at least one of the chlorinated methanes, yielding as many as 106 values (for dichloromethane) for the same regulatory consideration. This analysis explores the variability of these values. Results indicate that the values span at least 5 orders of magnitude and are distributed in patterns similar to a lognormal random variable, but fit distributions that are statistically distinct. The distributions also contain value clusters that may imply emerging consensus about appropriate regulatory levels or demonstrate the impact of regulatory leadership to suppress variability. Simulation based on the current U.S. Environmental Protection Agency risk analysis model are used to estimate the degree to which value ranges may be attributed to uncertainty in exposure models. Approximately 50% of guidance values fall within the 95% confidence interval uncertainty bounds of risk model results.
Implementation of Engine Loss Analysis Methods in the Numerical Propulsion System Simulation

This paper describes the implementation and application of a new set of thermodynamic loss analysis tools in the Numerical Propulsion System Simulation. This analysis tool set is intended to enable fast, accurate estimation of losses in an engine cycle model with minimal effort on the part of the user. The basic thermodynamic concepts and analysis methods are first described. Next, the implementation of the necessary thermodynamic calculation functions is described. These functions are intended to be used in conjunction with a general-purpose loss analysis element to facilitate estimation of all losses in an engine cycle model. The loss analysis element is described in detail and is subsequently used to analyze a mixed flow turbofan engine. Typical performance and loss results are presented. The resultant detailed loss information is not normally available when using standard cycle analysis methods. The information gained from this analysis is useful in that it yields insight into the underlying losses that contribute to the overall engine performance.Copyright © 2005 by ASME