cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Heating rate and temperature effects on pyrolysis products from live wildland fuels

Abstract Wildland fire, which includes both planned (prescribed fire) and unplanned (wildfire) fires, is an important component of many ecosystems. During wildland fires, low heating rate pyrolysis (slow pyrolysis) occurs during preheating and/or smoldering of plant material. High heating rate pyrolysis (fast pyrolysis) exists in the flame region. Pyrolysis temperature and heating rate play important roles on the yields and the compositions of pyrolysis products. In this work, the effects of pyrolysis temperature and heating rate on the yields and the compositions of pyrolysis products from 14 plant species native to the forests of the southern United States are shown. The slow pyrolysis experiments were performed at a low heating rate of 0.5 °C s−1 and an operating temperature of 500 °C. However, the fast pyrolysis experiments were operated at a high heating rate of 180 °C s−1 and a temperature of 765 °C. The yields and compositions of the pyrolysis products during the slow and fast pyrolysis experiments were analyzed in detail. The results showed that the average tar yield for all plant species (live and dead) was 58 wt% on a dry-ash free (daf) basis for the fast pyrolysis experiments compared to 49 wt% (daf) for the slow pyrolysis experiments, an increase of 9 wt%. The average gas yields for the slow and fast pyrolysis of the plants were 20 and 22 wt% (daf), respectively. The average volatile yield increased from 69 wt% (daf) at the low heating rate experiments to 80 wt% (daf) for the high heating rate experiments. The major light gas species for both the slow and fast pyrolysis experiments (wt% basis) were CO, CO2, CH4, and H2, with higher yields of CO observed in the high heating rate experiments and higher yields of CO2 in the slow pyrolysis experiments. The slow pyrolysis experiments led to formation of aliphatic and 1-ring aromatic compounds with large number of attachments on their rings, such as phenol, 1,2-benzenediol, 2-methoxy phenol, etc. In the fast pyrolysis experiments, phenol was still one of the major products. However, in contrast with the slow pyrolysis experiments, 1- to 5-ring aromatic compounds with very few attachments, such as fluorene, anthracene, phenanthrene, fluoranthene, pyrene, etc. were major tar compounds during the fast pyrolysis experiments.
Room-Temperature Cubic Perovskite Thin Films by Three-Step All-Vapor Conversion from PbSe to MAPbI3

Device performance of organic–inorganic halide solar cells significantly depends on the quality of the perovskite absorber films, which is dominated by synthesis techniques. Here, we demonstrated a...
A comprehensive approach to detecting multitudinous bioactive peptides in equine plasma and urine using hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry.

Bioactive peptides possess pharmacological effects and can be illicitly used in sports. To deter such misuse, an untargeted method using high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) has been developed for comprehensive detection of multitudinous exogenous peptides in equine plasma and urine. Forty-four peptides were extracted using mixed-mode solid-phase extraction (SPE) from plasma and urine, separated with a hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) column, and detected on an HRMS instrument. Ammonium formate as a mobile phase additive had effects on HILIC retention and charge state distribution of the peptides. The acetonitrile percentage in the reconstitution solution affected the solubility of peptide neat standards and peptides in plasma and urine extracts differently. The stability of the peptides in plasma at ambient temperature was assessed. The limit of detection (LOD) was 10-50 pg/mL for most of the peptides in plasma, and ≤ 500 pg/mL for the remaining. LOD was 100-400 pg/mL for the majority of the analytes in urine, and ≤ 4000 pg/mL for the others. The method was used successfully to analyze incurred plasma and urine samples from research horses administered dermorphin. Even in the absence of reference standards, dermorphin metabolites (aFGYPS-NH2 , YaFG, and YaF) were identified. These results demonstrate that data generated with this method can be retrospectively reviewed for peptides that are unknown at the time of sample analysis without requiring re-analysis of the sample. This method provides a powerful novel tool for detection of numerous bioactive peptides and their metabolites in equine plasma and urine for doping control.
Seabed Scattering Model from Low Frequency Reverberation Measurements in Shallow Water

Abstract : LONG-TERM GOALS: The long-term goal of this work is: to develop a low-frequency (LF) seabed scattering model from shallow-water (SW) reverberation measurements. The model can be used to predict SW reverberation and echo-to-reverberation ratio in a frequency range of 100-3000 Hz, and to analyze LF seabed scattering mechanisms at low grazing angles (LGA), as well as to extract the LF seabed scattering parameters. OBJECTIVES: The scientific objectives of this research in FY2011 are: (1) To integrate the energy-flux method for SW reverberation with physics-based seabed scattering models in the angular domain; (2) To derive LF seabed scattering strength as a function of angle and frequency from SW reverberation measurements; and (3) To reveal the physics of the reverberation-derived LF seabed scattering function.
Sensory attributes of e-cigarette flavours and nicotine as mediators of interproduct differences in appeal among young adults.

Objective To estimate the extent to which specific sensory attributes, for example, smoothness, mediate differences in electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) appeal between products in non-tobacco versus tobacco flavours and varying nicotine content in young adults. Method E-cigarette users (n=100; aged 18–34 years) administered standardised two-puff e-cigarette doses of different products varying in a flavour (fruit, menthol, tobacco) × nicotine (nicotine-containing (6 mg/mL freebase), nicotine-free) within-subject design. Participants rated sensory attributes (sweetness, bitterness, smoothness and harshness) and appeal on 100-unit visual analogue scales after administering each product. Sensory ratings were tested as simultaneous mediators of flavour, nicotine and flavour × nicotine effects on appeal. Results Appeal preferences for fruit versus tobacco flavours were mediated by sweetness-enhancing (βindirect=0.092), smoothness-enhancing (βindirect=0.045) and bitterness-reducing (βindirect=0.072) effects of fruit flavours. Appeal preferences for menthol versus tobacco flavours were mediated by menthol’s smoothness-enhancing (βindirect=0.039) and bitterness-reducing (βindirect=0.034) effects. Lower appeal of nicotine-containing versus nicotine-free products was mediated by nicotine’s sweetness-reducing (βindirect=–0.036), smoothness-reducing (βindirect=–0.156) and bitterness-increasing (βindirect=0.045) effects. Flavour × nicotine interaction effects on appeal were explained by menthol-related suppression of nicotine’s bitterness-enhancing and sweetness-reducing mediation pathways and fruit-related suppression of nicotine’s bitterness-enhancing mediation pathway. Harshness did not mediate appeal after adjusting for other sensory attributes. Conclusion Bitterness and smoothness may be cross-cutting mediators of interproduct variation in the effects of types of non-tobacco flavours and nicotine on e-cigarette appeal in young adults. Sweetness may also mediate appeal-enhancing effects of fruit and appeal-reducing effects of nicotine. Non-tobacco flavours may suppress appeal-reducing effects of nicotine in e-cigarettes through attenuation of nicotine’s aversive taste attributes.
Precharging Photon Upconversion: Interfacial Interactions in Solution-Processed Perovskite Upconversion Devices.

Recent advances in perovskite-sensitized photon upconversion via triplet–triplet annihilation (TTA) in rubrene have yielded several unanswered questions about the underlying mechanism and processes...
Paying for Law School: Law Student Loan Indebtedness and Career Choices

Student loan debt has reached crisis levels, topping $1.64 trillion dollars this year and surpassing credit card debt to become the second largest source of debt held by Americans. When discussing student loan debt, it is easy to fixate on the aggregate impact of the burdens this debt places on taxpayers, the economy, and borrowers alike, such as the depressive effects that student loan debt has on marriage, homeownership, and entrepreneurship. Yet, a discussion of which graduates are saddled with the largest student loans and how their debt obligations impacts their career choices is often absent from conversations about student debt and has been understudied to date. This Article contributes to the discourse about student loan debt and its potentially negative externalities by investigating responses from an original survey administered at four law schools, revealing novel findings about law students’ expected debt loads, career choices, and intentions to participate in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. In Part I of this Article, the student loan crisis is more closely examined with particular emphasis on its salience for law school graduates. In addition, the first part of this Article provides credible descriptive evidence that rates and amounts of borrowing to attend law school impact law students differentially on the basis of their endowed characteristics, such as race and parental education. Next, Part II explores the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, describing the program’s creation and implementation, in addition to evaluating its efficacy and the direct and indirect costs of its administration. Part III discusses two pervasive issues within the legal academy with significant social implications — the access-to-justice gap and the public-interest drift — against the backdrop of the student loan crisis and the possible answers that the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program could provide in addressing these issues. Part IV describes the data collected from the original survey, the methods used to analyze these data, and reports and discusses the results. The findings reported in Part IV offer insight into how a law student’s endowed and acquired traits influence their career intentions and provide evidence of the causal relationship between loan debt and career choice and intentions to enroll in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. Finally, this Article concludes by suggesting that the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program presents the best available option to address problems stemming from the access-to-justice gap and the public-interest drift, while also offsetting the negative effects of structural stratification in legal education.
Perceived Importance of Factors in Cannabis Purchase Decisions: A Best-worst Scaling Experiment.

Abstract Background Consumers’ access to cannabis has been considerably expanded in US states where recreational cannabis was legalized and commercialized. However, little is known about the important factors influencing consumers’ purchase decisions in cannabis retail dispensaries. This study examined cannabis users’ perceptions of the relative importance of policy-relevant factors when they made cannabis purchase decisions. Methods An online survey was administered to 817 adult cannabis users in seven states in the US (California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington) that had approved cannabis commercialization by the time of interview in January 2018. Twenty policy-relevant cannabis attributes were evaluated, including those pertaining to product characteristics, quality, package characteristics, price and free sample, store characteristics, and restrictions on use. A best-worst scaling experiment was employed, which asked respondents to select the most and the least important attributes in a choice scenario. Each respondent answered 10 choice scenarios, each including a random combination of four attributes out of the 20. The relative importance of each attribute was evaluated using hierarchical Bayesian estimation of mixed logit models. Results Overall, ‘quality’, ‘strain type’, ‘price’, ‘THC’ (tetrahydrocannabinol) and ‘pesticide’ were the top five important attributes affecting cannabis users’ willingness to buy cannabis in a dispensary. These five attributes jointly accounted for approximately half of the total importance. In subsample analysis, both recreational and dual-purpose users attached higher importance to ‘quality’, ‘THC’, and ‘price’, whereas medical users tended to think ‘CBD’ (cannabidiol) and ‘pesticide’ were more important. All cannabis users perceived ‘package’ to be the least important attribute. Gender had no major differences in perceptions. Conclusions Cannabis users in general perceived product characteristics, quality, and price to be important factors in their willingness to buy cannabis in dispensaries. There were heterogeneities in the perceptions by cannabis use purposes. The findings might deserve consideration in cannabis policy design.
Complex Surface Singularities with Rational Homology Disk Smoothings

A cyclic quotient singularity of type p2∕pq − 1 (0 < q < p, (p, q) = 1)) has a smoothing whose Milnor fibre is a \(\mathbb Q\)HD, or rational homology disk (i.e., the Milnor number is 0). In the 1980s, we discovered additional examples of such singularities: three triply-infinite and six singly-infinite families, all weighted homogeneous. Later work of Stipsicz, Szabo, Bhupal, and the author proved that these were the only weighted homogeneous examples. In his UNC PhD thesis, our student Jacob Fowler completed the analytic classification of these singularities, and counted the number of smoothings in each case, except for types \(\mathcal W\), \(\mathcal N\), and \(\mathcal M\). In this paper, we describe his results, and settle these remaining cases; there is a unique \(\mathbb Q\)HD smoothing component except in the cases of an obvious symmetry of the resolution dual graph. The method involves study of configurations of rational curves on projective rational surfaces.
The structure of centralizers in the finite symmetric inverse semigroup

For an integer n≥1, let In be the symmetric inverse semigroup of partial injective transformations on an n-element set. For λ∈In, denote by C(λ) and C2(λ), respectively, the first and second centra...
“Who doesn’t like dinosaurs?” Finding and Eliciting Richer Preferences for Recommendation

Real-world recommender systems often allow users to adjust the presented content through a variety of preference elicitation techniques such as “liking” or interest profiles. These elicitation techniques trade-off time and effort to users with the richness of the signal they provide to learning component driving the recommendations. In this paper, we explore this trade-off, seeking new ways for people to express their preferences with the goal of improving communication channels between users and the recommender system. Through a need-finding study, we observe the patterns in how people express their preferences during curation task, propose a taxonomy for organizing them, and point out research opportunities. We present a case study that illustrates how using this taxonomy to design an onboarding experience can lead to more accurate machine-learned recommendations while maintaining user satisfaction under low effort.
The No-Nonsense Guide to Research Support and Scholarly Communication

The challenges surrounding the areas of scholarly communication and research support initiatives for academic libraries are a huge and complex topic. This book attempts to provide a succinct, intro...
Limits of Arbitrage and Primary Risk Taking in Derivative Securities

Classic option pricing theory values a derivative contract via dynamic replication, and views the derivative as redundant relative to the replicating portfolio. In practice, while dynamic replication proves highly effective in drastically reducing the risk in derivative investments, the remaining risk can still be large and significant due to practical limits of arbitrage. Because of these limits, derivative securities can play primary roles in risk allocation and investors can demand compensation for taking these primary risks. This paper documents the effectiveness of delta hedging on U.S. stock options under practical situations, examines the cross-sectional and intertemporal variation of investment returns from writing options on different stocks, and attributes the return variation to variations in primary risk exposures in the delta-hedged option investments.
Improving Remote Environment Visualization through 360 6DoF Multi-sensor Fusion for VR Telerobotics

Teleoperations requires both a robust set of controls and the right balance of sensory data to allow task completion without overwhelming the user. Previous work has mostly focused on using depth cameras that fail to provide situational awareness. We have developed a teleoperation system that integrates 360° camera data in addition to the more standard depth data. We infer depth from the 360° camera data and use that to render it in VR, which allows for six degree of freedom viewing. We use a virtual gantry control mechanism, and also provide a menu with which the user can choose which rendering schemes to render the robot's environment with. We hypothesize that this approach will increase the speed and accuracy with which the user can teleoperate the robot.
Neurotoxic Effects of Anesthetics on the Developing Brain

With millions of infants and children in the United States undergoing surgical, nonsurgical, and diagnostic procedures each year, the potential effects of anesthetic agents on the developing brain are important concerns for parents, caretakers, and providers. Preclinical studies in animals have consistently found that exposure to commonly used anesthetics at a very young age induce long-term neurocognitive and behavioral deficits. Translation of these findings to infants and children has been challenging and inconsistent. While some clinical studies have shown a potential association between early anesthetic exposure and neurodevelopmental abnormalities in children, recent major clinical studies have been reassuring. Further research is needed to elucidate the many questions that remain.
Über die Bedeutung des Function-Point-Verfahrens in rezessiven Zeiten

Im Jahr 1990 wurde bei Volkswagen das Function Point Verfahren sr Aufwandschatzungen von Neuentwicklungsprojekten eingefuhrt und im darauffolgenden Jahr um die Aufwandschatzung sr den jahrlichen Serviceaufwand von Anwendungssystemen erweitert.
PRIVATIZING ELECTRICAL UTILITIES IN POLAND

This study consists of an extensive review of the literature related to the topic of privatizing the electrical utility industries in the Visegard country of Poland. The intent of the study is to examine the status of the Polish privatization campaign, review of privatization strategies used and an assessment of successful or unsuccessful campaigns. The review of the literature to date reflects the relative youth of these privatization initiatives. Unlike the UK privatization effort, which is over 25 years old, this 10-year-old campaign has far less written on the subject and a paucity of empirical analysis available on the Polish campaign. The majority of the literature available consists of press releases and feature stories that would appear in the business and financial sections of newspapers and magazines. This study of the literature provides the historical, political, and economic foundation and context for empirical study.
Intimate Partner Violence, Condom Use and HIV Risk for Adolescent Girls

ABSTRACT Adolescent girls account for a growing number of new cases of HIV in the United States, primarily transmitted through heterosexual sex. The principal method of HIV prevention for heterosexually-active girls is condom use by their male partners. Most HIV prevention interventions aimed at adolescent girls have focused on promoting the girls' individual behavior change and are most effective in situations that are under girls' control. A growing body of literature indicates the importance of recognizing partner influence on girls' condom use and negotiation strategies, and a beginning recognition of the role that intimate partner violence (IPV) may play in the decision-making control within the dyad. To better understand these linkages, this paper examines the association between IPV and girls' HIV risk through condom non-use with a systematic review of the literature and a theory-informed conceptual background. Six studies with adolescent girls were found that reported an association between intima...
Surface Structures of Escherichia coli That Produce Diarrhea by a Variety of Enteropathic Mechanisms

Strains of Escherichia coli, mostly of human origin, were obtained from several different investigators who had isolated them from patients with diarrhea from many different parts of the world. The mechanisms by which these E. coli were thought to have caused diarrhea included: (i) synthesis of labile, stable, or Shigella dysenteriae-like enterotoxins; (ii) invasion of the intestinal mucosa; and (iii) unknown. Each strain was carefully examined for pili or flagella to correlate the presence or absence of such surface structures with a particular mechanism of diarrhea. The presence of pili was determined by colony morphology on minimal media, pellicle formation in static broth culture, and transmission electron microscopy. The pili were categorized as type 1 if the bacteria fermented rhamnose and if pellicle formation was inhibited by α-methyl-d-mannoside. The presence of flagella was confirmed in motility media and by transmission electron microscopy. Six invasive E. coli strains lacked pili and flagella. Ten E. coli strains that synthesized enterotoxins or produced diarrhea by an unknown mechanism were piliated (seven with type 1 pili), and all but one had flagella. Pili and flagella seem to be associated with strains of E. coli that produce diarrhea by enterotoxin synthesis or unknown mechanisms. Strains that produce diarrhea by mucosal invasion lack both types of surface structures.
Regulation of 2',5'-oligoadenylate synthetase gene expression by interferons and platelet-derived growth factor.

Abstract In murine BALB/c 3T3 cell cultures, either beta interferon or platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) enhanced expression of the 2',5'-oligoadenylate synthetase mRNA and protein. The time course of induction in response to beta interferon was similar to that in response to PDGF. Of several growth factors known to be present in clotted blood serum (i.e., epidermal growth factor, transforming growth factor beta, and PDGF), only PDGF enhanced expression of 2',5'-oligoadenylate synthetase. The linkage of an interferon response element-containing segment from the 5'-flanking region of a human or murine 2',-5'-oligoadenylate synthetase gene made a heterologous gene responsive to interferon. The expression of such a gene construct in transfected cells was also induced by PDGF. Induction by PDGF was inhibited by mono- or polyclonal antibodies to murine interferon, which suggested that induction by PDGF requires interferon. Both PDGF and interferon induced nuclear factors that bound to this interferon response element-containing segment in vitro.
Paper coating performance of hemicellulose-rich natural polymer from distiller's grains

Coatings contribute to about 10% of the overall cost of paper production of which, the binder is the highest cost component in the formulation. In addition to costs, the binders that are currently being used are synthesized from fossil fuel feedstock raising concerns towards the sustainability of paper coatings. Furthermore, papers coated with waxes, polyolefins and other synthetic materials are difficult to recycle or compost. These challenges inherent with synthetic binders can be addressed by using renewable, plant based binders. This research focused on an abundant and underutilized source of hemicellulose based binders (DG gum) that can be extracted from distiller's dried grains. The extracted binder was compared with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) in a coating formulation consisting of 10:1 CaCO3 to binder formulation coated on light weight paper. Cobb test, dry and wet tensile tests, optical properties (brightness, color, opacity), water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) analysis were performed to compare the hemicellulose based binder with PVA. The results indicate water absorptivity reduction by 25% for both DG gum and PVA coatings from the base paper value. Dry tensile index was lower with higher coating weights for both coatings with similar performance. The performance on WVTR analysis for both coatings was also comparable. No significant differences in optical properties after coating were observed from that of the base paper. These results suggest that hemicellulose based binder extracted from distiller's grains has the potential to replace synthetic binders in paper coating formulations.
Time-Sliced Transillumination Imaging of Normal and Cancerous Breast Tissues

Transillumination images of in vitro human female breast tissue specimens were recorded using an ultrafast electronic gated imaging camera system. Breast tissue specimens comprising normal and cancerous tissues were illuminated with 800 nm, approximately 130 fs, 1 kHz repetition-rate light pulses from a self-mode-locked Ti:sapphire laser and amplifier system. The gated imaging system formed a sequence of two-dimensional images using approximately 80-ps time slices of the transmitted light pulse. Images recorded with different time slices of transmitted light highlighted different types of tissues, and allowed distinguishing between normal and cancerous tissues. Transillumination imaging as a function of wavelength over the 1225–1300 nm range using a Crrforsterite laser demonstrated that the optical absorption band of adipose tissues around 1203 nm could be used as a ‘spectral finger print’ to obtain images of adipose tissues distinct from that of the fibrous tissues.
Lentivirus vectors encoding both central polypurine tract and posttranscriptional regulatory element provide enhanced transduction and transgene expression

Incorporation of a central polypurine tract (cPPT) and a posttranscriptional regulatory element (PRE) into lentivirus vectors provides increased transduction efficiency and transgene expression. We compared the effects of these elements individually and together on transduction efficiency and gene expression, using lentivirus vectors pseudotyped with vesicular stomatitis virus G protein (VSV-G) and encoding enhanced green fluorescent protein (GFP) and rat erythropoietin (EPO). The transduction efficiency was greater than 2-fold higher in the vector containing the PRE element, 3-fold higher in vector encoding the cPPT element, and 5-fold increased in the GFP virus containing both cPPT and PRE elements relative to the parent virus. In comparison with parent vector the mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) of GFP expression was 7-fold higher in cells transduced with virus containing PRE, 6-fold increased in cells transduced with virus containing cPPT, and 42-fold increased in GFP-virus containing both cPPT and PRE elements. EPO-virus containing a PRE element showed a nearly 5-fold increase in EPO secretion over the parent vector, and the vector encoding both PRE and cPPT showed a 65-fold increase. Thus, lentivirus vectors incorporating both PRE and cPPT showed expression levels significantly increased over the sum of the components alone, suggesting a synergistic effect.
The Political Science of Immigration Policies

Understanding the political, ideological, and institutional forces that shape immigration and immigration policy is of increasing importance to social service providers and their clients. Though still in its infancy, political science literature provides a unique lens through which immigration policy can be better understood. Literature on the theories and concepts that political scientists use to explain immigration and resulting public policies was examined. Specific attention was given to normative, critical, post-modern, and political geographic theories used by political scientists to analyze immigration policy.
The specific heat of (Y1−xPrx)Ba2Cu3O7: Effects of Pr3+ singlet-ground state ordering and PrO hybridization

Abstract Specific-heat measurements suggest that the Pr valence in (Y1−xPrx)Ba2Cu3O7 is +3, and that Pr hybridization with the CuO2 planes results in an entropy excess over that expected from the Pr3+ crystal-field states.
Action of Escherichia coli P1 restriction endonuclease on simian virus 40 DNA.

Abstract The P1 restriction endonuclease (EcoP1) prepared from a P1 lysogen of Escherichia coli makes one double-strand break in simian virus (SV40) DNA. In the presence of cofactors S-adenosylmethionine and ATP the enzyme cleaves 70% of the closed circular SV40 DNA molecules once to produce unit-length linear molecules and renders the remaining 30% resistant to further cleavage. No molecules were found by electron microscopy or by gel electrophoresis that were cleaved more than once. It would appear that the double-strand break is made by two nearly simultaneous single-strand breaks, since no circular DNA molecules containing one single-strand break were found as intermediates during the cleavage reaction. The EcoP1 endonuclease-cleaved linear SV40 DNA molecules are not cleaved at a unique site, as shown by the generation of about 65% circular molecules after denaturation and renaturation. These EcoP1 endonuclease-cleaved, renatured circular molecules are resistant to further cleavage by EcoP1 endonuclease. The EcoP1 endonuclease cleavage sites on SV40 DNA were mapped relative to the partial denaturation map and to the EcoRI and HpaII restriction endonuclease cleavage sites. These maps suggest there are a minimum of four unique but widely spaced cleavage sites at 0.09, 0.19, 0.52, and 0.66 SV40 units relative to the EcoRI site. The frequency of cleavage at any particular site differs from that at another site. If S-adenosylmethionine is omitted from the enzyme reaction mix, SV40 DNA is cleaved into several fragments. An average of 4.6 ± 1 methyl groups are transferred to SV40 DNA from S-adenosylmethionine during the course of a normal reaction containing the cofactors. Under conditions which optimize this methylation, 7 ± 1 methyl groups can be transferred to DNA. This methylation protects most of the molecules from further cleavage. The methyl groups were mapped relative to the Hemophilus influenzae restriction endonuclease fragments. The A fragment receives three to four methyl groups and the B and G fragments each receive one to two methyl groups. These fragments correspond to those in which cleavage sites are located.
Coagulation of kaolinite colloids in high carbonate strength water

Abstract Dynamic light scattering (photon correlation spectroscopy) was used to investigate the influence of a carbonate rich groundwater on the aggregation kinetics of kaolinite clay colloids. Suspension stability was determined by the ratio of the Smoluchowski rate expression for irreversible aggregation to the experimentally determined binary aggregation rate. At solution pH of 7.8 kaolinite particles were stable in electrolyte, NaCl, concentrations below 100 mM. Charge reversal of edge surfaces and double-layer compression at electrolyte concentrations exceeding 100 mM are proposed as the governing mechanisms for observed kaolinite aggregation. Edge-to-face heterocoagulation by electrostatic attraction was not observed. Implication for facilitated contaminant transport in carbonate rich groundwater is discussed.
Resolving the multi-gap electronic structure of USb2 with interband self-energy

Abstract The simple yet effective method of calculating a renormalized band structure based on approximate interband self-energy is shown. Application to a multi-gap f -electron system USb 2 is discussed and details are given. The method allows a direct visualization of multiple band renormalizations in N band systems, helping to resolve and picture the complex interacting band structure of USb 2 .
A multifunctional neurotrophin with reduced affinity to p75NTR enhances transplanted Schwann cell survival and axon growth after spinal cord injury

The lack of regeneration of axonal pathways after SCI is associated with the presence of inhibitory molecules within the glial scar, the loss of the neuron's intrinsic capacity to grow and the absence of growth factors. The NGF family of neurotrophins is a potent growth factor for several types of supraspinal and sensory axons. It is unclear, however, whether the neurotrophin's axon growth-promoting activities after central nervous system (CNS) injuries are mediated through the Trk receptors or p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75(NTR)) or both. To investigate the role of these receptors in the re-growth of specific fiber tracts after SCI, we created a series of neurotrophins that preferentially bind to either TrkB/C or p75(NTR) receptors. All the mutations were made on the NT-3/D15A backbone, a multifunctional neurotrophin that can bind TrkB, TrkC and p75(NTR). To test the mutants' axon growth-promoting activity after rat contusion SCI, we examined several spinal cord fiber projections after transplanting Schwann cells (SCs) expressing the different multi-neurotrophins. Grafts expressing the NT-3/D15A with reduced binding affinity to p75(NTR) contained more surviving SCs, and sensory as well as supra-spinal fibers, within the transplant than the NT-3/D15A neurotrophin-SC grafts. These data support the idea that neurotrophins lacking p75 activity can be more effective in promoting axon growth after CNS injury.
Ex vivo generation of mature equine monocyte-derived dendritic cells

Abstract Dendritic cells (DCs) are innate immune cells specialized in antigen detection and presentation. They perform an essential role in initiating and guiding the immune response, the direction of which largely depends upon the activation state of the DCs. The objective of this study was to generate mature equine monocyte-derived DCs and, in doing so, to develop a method for measuring the activation state of these cells. Equine DCs were stimulated with UV-inactivated Escherichia coli (E. coli), and the activation status was measured by analyzing cell surface marker expression, cytokine production, and endocytic capacity. Comparisons for each parameter measured were performed between macrophages, non-stimulated DCs and stimulated DCs. Equine monocyte-derived DCs may be distinguished from macrophages based on cell surface expression of MHC class II (p
Flow Injection/Sequential Injection Analysis Systems: Potential Use as Tools for Rapid Liver Diseases Biomarker Study

Flow injection/sequential injection analysis (FIA/SIA) systems are suitable for carrying out automatic wet chemical/biochemical reactions with reduced volume and time consumption. Various parts of the system such as pump, valve, and reactor may be built or adapted from available materials. Therefore the systems can be at lower cost as compared to other instrumentation-based analysis systems. Their applications for determination of biomarkers for liver diseases have been demonstrated in various formats of operation but only a few and limited types of biomarkers have been used as model analytes. This paper summarizes these applications for different types of reactions as a guide for using flow-based systems in more biomarker and/or multibiomarker studies.
Brush cytology in the diagnosis of colonic neoplasms

During a three-year period (1986-1988), 234 colonic brush specimens were received in the authors' laboratory. Nine samples (4%) were deemed unsatisfactory for evaluation because of inadequate cellularity and/or poor fixation. In 11 cases concomitant or follow-up histologic specimens were not available. The remaining 214 specimens included 82 malignant neoplasms, 88 neoplastic polyps (adenomas), and 44 nonneoplastic lesions. Sixty-seven (82%) of malignant neoplasms were correctly diagnosed by brush cytology. Three cases of adenoma with severe dysplasia or in situ carcinoma were diagnosed as adenocarcinoma by cytology. No false-positive diagnoses were made of nonneoplastic lesions. Brush cytology was found to be a more sensitive technique in the diagnosis of colon cancer than endoscopic biopsy (82% and 74% sensitivity, respectively). The combination of the two techniques increased the sensitivity to 90% and improved the overall accuracy of the test. Seventy-one (82%) of the colonic adenomas were correctly diagnosed by cytology. Brush cytology is a convenient, safe, and accurate technique which should be used concurrently with endoscopic biopsy or polypectomy.
Anesthesia in a patient with chromosome 11;22 translocation : a case report and literature review

Chromosome 11;22 translocation is a rare genetic condition, which results in characteristic features some of which may present problems when these children require surgery and anesthesia. We describe a child with this chromosomal variant who presented for surgery and anesthesia. The case report and review of the literature is presented here.
System management software for virtual environments

Recently there has been an increased interest in the use of system-level virtualization using mature solutions such as Xen, QEMU, or VMWare. These virtualization platforms are being used in distributed and parallelenvironments including high performance computing. The use of virtual machines within such environments introduces newchallenges to system management. These include tedious tasks such as deploying para-virtualized host operating systems to support virtual machine execution or virtual overlay networks to connect these virtual machines. Additionally, there is the problem of machine definition and deployment,which is complicated by differentiation in the underlying virtualizationtechnology. This paper discusses tools for the deployment and management of both hostoperating systems and virtual machines in clusters. We begin with an overview of system-level virtualization and move on to a description of tools that we have developed to aid with these environments. These tools extend prior work in the area of cluster installation, configuration and management.
Microbial Sulfate Reduction and Biogeochemistry of Arsenic and Chromium Oxyanions in Anaerobic Bioreactors

A pilot-scale anaerobic bioreactor with high levels of microbial sulfate reduction, known to be capable of removing cationic metals from a metal- and acid-contaminated waste stream, was utilized to determine if the system would be effective in removing metals in the form of oxyanions such as arsenate and chromate. The system removed 90 % to >99 % of the arsenic and between 86 % and 94 % of the chromium from a waste stream containing 5 mg/L of each. Cadmium, copper, iron, lead, and zinc also were removed. An equilibrium geochemistry computer modeling code, MINTEQAK, modified from MINTEQA2, was used for the chemical modeling of processes in the bioreactor. Experimental evidence on the chemical and biological reduction of arsenic and chromium and fluorescent diffraction analysis of precipitates support the following hypotheses: the primary removal process for chromium was the reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) by sulfides, followed by precipitation of chromium hydroxide [Cr(OH)3(s)]; removal of arsenic was by direct microbial enzymatic reduction of As(V) to As(III) followed by precipitation of arsenic sulfides (As2S3 or AsS). Experimental evidence and modeling with MINTEQAK confirmed that 90 % to 95 % of the removal of arsenic and chromium occurred in the first quarter volume of the bioreactor. Additional removal of arsenic and chromium occurred in the remaining volume of the bioreactor. The use of a sulfate reduction-based anaerobic treatment system was effective for metal-laden wastewater with elevated concentrations of arsenic and chromium.
Searching for experts in the enterprise: combining text and social network analysis

Employees depend on other people in the enterprise for rapid access to important information. But current systems for finding experts do not adequately address the social implications of finding and engaging strangers in conversation. This paper provides a user study of SmallBlue, a social-context-aware expertise search system that can be used to identify experts, see dynamic profile information and get information about the social distance to the expert, before deciding whether and how to initiate contact. The system uses an innovative approach to privacy to infer content and dynamic social networks from email and chat logs. We describe usage of SmallBlue and discuss implications for the next generation of enterprise-wide systems for finding people.
Susceptibility of larval and adult Simulium vittatum (Diptera: Simuliidae) to the solubilized parasporal crystal of Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis.

Larval and adult Simulium vittatum were exposed to alkaline-solubilized parasporal crystals of Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis. Larvae were killed when suspended in water containing the material, and adults were killed when they received the preparations as an enema.
Conjugate lateral eye movements in Pan troglodytes

Abstract The direction of conjugate lateral eye movements was assessed in four juvenile and four adolescent chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes ). A significant bias in favor of left eye movements was found in the two older adolescents. Neither the two younger adolescents nor the four juveniles revealed a significant asymmetry in the direction of conjugate lateral eye movements. The data suggest that mature members of this species so closely related to man may demonstrate a bias in hemispheric activation similar to that demonstrated by Homo spiens .
Mean telomere length and risk of incident venous thromboembolism: a prospective, nested case-control approach.

Abstract Background Recent studies have shown telomere-length shortening as a risk predictor for cardiovascular disease. However, to date, no prospective data are available on its potential involvement in venous thromboembolism (VTE). Methods Using leukocyte DNA samples collected at baseline in a prospective cohort of 14,916 initially healthy American men, we examined the relationship of mean telomere repeat copy number to single gene copy number ( T / S ratio), using a modified quantitative polymerase chain reaction protocol, amongst 108 White males who subsequently developed a first ever VTE event and amongst an equal number of age- and smoking-matched White males who remained free of vascular events during follow-up (controls). Results An inverse correlation between T / S ratios and age was observed in our controls ( p = 0.04). However, the T / S ratios were similar between cases and controls ( p = 0.31). Furthermore, in a multi-variable adjusted analysis, we found no evidence for an association of the observed T / S ratios with VTE risk (odds ratio = 1.20; 95%CI = 0.58–2.52; p = 0.62). Conclusions The present investigation found no evidence for an association of relative telomere length with risk of incident VTE.
Flaccidity after head injury: diagnosis, management, and outcome

Upon admission, 17 of 223 (8%) consecutive patients with severe head injury exhibited a flaccid, wholly unresponsive motor examination. In this study alcoholic intoxication neither caused depressed motor responsiveness in head-injured patients with high serum ethanol levels nor accounted for the motor examination in those exhibiting the flaccid state. Flaccidity was attributed principally to impaired ventilation in 4 patients, a major intracranial mass in 12, and a spinal cord injury in 1. Compared to the larger group of head-injured patients, the flaccid patients had a significantly greater incidence of hypercapnia (P less than 0.001), acidosis (P less than 0.01), and both elevated and uncontrollable intracranial pressure (ICP) (P less than 0.001). These findings and the high mortality rate (76%) in this study suggest that the magnitude of respiratory complications and the severity of mechanical brain injury are greater in flaccid patients. The flaccid patients undergoing surgical decompression for major intracranial mass lesions (11 cases) have all died and, although still small in number, this group may represent an important subset with a poor prognosis. Nonetheless, a protocol that encourages rapid radiological and electrophysiological assessment and vigorous surgical and ICP management until the probable cause of flaccidity is identified and treated has benefit. The flaccid state was reversed and a good recovery was attained after the restoration of blood pressure and/or ventilation in 2 patients who appeared to have sustained a very grave head injury. In another patient, absent somatosensory evoked potentials greatly facilitated the diagnosis of a spinal subdural hematoma. This program of prompt diagnosis and intense therapy did not result in a protracted course or undue numbers of severely brain-damaged survivors.
Glass formation and high conductivity in lead halide-lead metaphosphate glasses

Abstract Seeking possible divalent cation conducting glasses, we have investigated glass formation and conductivity in Pb ( PO 3 ) 2 + PbX 2 (X = halide) glasses. Glass formation is found to extend to 40 mol% PbF 2 , 60 mol% PbCl 2 , 80 mol% PbBr 2 but no glasses could be obtained with PbI 2 . Comparison of PbBr 2 - and PbCl 2 -containing glasses suggests the observed conductivity is anionic. In this case it seems that 40 Pb(PO 3 ) 2 ·60 PbCl 2 , with σ 200°C = 7.08 × 10 −6 Ω −1 cm , may be the best anion-conducting glass yet reported. The PbBr 2 -containing glasses have the lower activation energies, however, which would be consistent with cationic conduction. t + data are need to clarify.
Long continental records of climate — An introduction

Abstract The Symposium on Long Continental Records presented new information on past climates on land. It seems that throughout the last 2.5 million years the climate in the middle latitudes changed in the same complex fashion as during the better known Late Pleistocene and Holocene times. Over 40 interglacial/glacial shifts took place during this interval. Out of those 40, 10–12 glacials were markedly stronger and/or longer lasting than the others. The apparently abrupt shifts from interglacials to glacials were probably gradual oscillatory coolings interrupted by warming episodes. In that respect, the detailed anatomy of the past climate changes does not differ substantially from the climate oscillations documented by instrumental weather records in the last two centuries. The pronounced expansions of dry and cold steppes on land were accompanied by corresponding increases of the ice volume indicated by the oxygen isotope ratio. The two exceptions occurred around 1.4 Ma ago and 1.6 Ma ago. The reason for this discrepancy is not known. By far the most expressed change of land environments occurred at about 2.4 Ma ago.
Stroboscopic Flash Source for Kinetic Spectroscopy

A stroboscopic light source is described for observing the kinetic behavior of chemical systems by absorption spectrometry. The light consists of a short train of flashes in an accurately timed sequence. Such a system takes advantage of the brilliance of the xenon flash source while at the same time making it possible to observe the system at a sequence of times. Accurate timing is inherent in the apparatus.
Progress in sleep

People often voice concern about the adequacy of their own sleep and — perhaps only as a form of politesse — the sleep patterns of others. "Did you sleep well?" is a question routinely asked of those subject to unusual conditions or tensions. There is implicit recognition of the important roles of both physiologic and psychological factors in the complex phenomenon of sleep. In view of the observations mentioned below, immunologic factors might also be considered. Attempts to cope with difficulties in sleeping take many forms. At the less serious end of the spectrum is the use of nonprescription medication . . .
Update 2001: Pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum: long-term results of “one and a half ventricular repair”

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