cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Twin-Screw Extrusion Puffing of Nonfat Dry Milk and Starch – The Effects of Acid Addition, Fluid Addition Rate and Nonfat Dry Milk Concentration on Extruded Products

Nonfat dry milk (NDM) and a modified cornstarch were extruded at three NDM concentrations (45, 65, 85%), three lactic acid concentrations (0, 33 and 50% of the added fluid) and two fluid addition rates (6.5, 7.3 kg/h) to alter extrudate characteristics. Process responses (die temperature, die pressure, motor torque and specific mechanical energy) and product responses (color, solubility, expansion ratio, bulk density and peak viscosity) were analyzed statistically and response surface plots were generated using the results to graphically illustrate relationships present. It was demonstrated that NDM provided structural integrity to the extrudates, and formula conditions altered product characteristics such as density and color to change its fitness for use in extruded products. The response surfaces generated allow for the selection of formula conditions to produce desired product attributes. Practical Applications Protein fortification of extruded products is popular, but NDM is not typically used because protein–protein interactions between caseins are difficult to induce during extrusion, and high lactose contents lead to excessive browning. Understanding formula and extrusion conditions to alter its functionality in puffed ingredients will benefit the industry and allow for the expanded use of this ingredient in extruded products.
Grain Growth Behavior of a Ni-Cr Based Superalloy GH4033 in Reheating Process Prior to Hot Rolling

In order to overcome the difficulties in multi-stand tandem hot rolling Ni-Cr based superalloy caused by their narrower processing temperature range, a preliminary study on grain growth behavior of superalloy GH4033 has been conducted in a wide reheating temperature range. The results show that carbides Cr23C6, Cr7C3 and TiC can restrain grains from growing when reheating temperature is lower than 1110 °C. With dissolution of the second phase particles when the reheating temperature is above 1150 °C, the austenite grain grows rapidly. A discussion and kinetic analysis of grain growth have been made in association of grain growth exponent with the reheating temperature. The grain growth models were finally established for this alloy upon the reheating temperature range.
Ecological design up-grade of a zinc oxide varistor suitable for distribution polymeric surge arresters

As the world is becoming more environmentally aware and European legislation is evolving with more stringent restrictions in this field. Rather than follow the emerging legislation and market requirements, AREVA T&D is anticipating this trend and adapting its products accordingly. Besides maintaining technical quality and being cost effective, the manufacture of ZnO varistors for lightning arresters must comply with environmental concerns and constraints, which are becoming more demanding and rigorous. The present communication will describe a number of taken actions to develop an environmentally friendly product the manufacturing of which has reduced or eliminated the use of materials posing health risks or contamination concerns. The new processing line does not require an acid etching step to increase the adhesion of the metal electrode to the ceramic body. A leadless glass has replaced the lead containing enamel used for passivation and at the same time the coating deposition process has been optimised. The varistor powder manufacturing process has also been redesigned to make it more efficient with less consumption of energy and material. The quantification of these environmental accomplishments during the manufacturing of ZnO varistors for distribution arresters has been evaluated using the EIME software design tool.
Microwave Oven Burns to Children: An Unusual Manifestation of Child Abuse

Two children sustained full-thickness burns as a result of being placed in microwave ovens. Well demarcated burns occurred on the skin surfaces closest to the microwave-emitting devices. Morbidity was limited to complications of direct thermal effects. One of the children sustained a distinctive pattern of relative sparing of tissue layers without electrical burn features, such as nuclear streaming and charring, at the entrance site. In both instances eventual identification of this unusual etiology was initiated by child abuse concerns.
Decoupling of genetic and phenotypic divergence in a headwater landscape

In stream organisms, the landscape affecting intraspecific genetic and phenotypic divergence is comprised of two fundamental components: the stream network and terrestrial matrix. These components are known to differentially influence genetic structure in stream species, but to our knowledge, no study has compared their effects on genetic and phenotypic divergence. We examined how the stream network and terrestrial matrix affect genetic and phenotypic divergence in two stream salamanders, Gyrinophilus porphyriticus and Eurycea bislineata, in the Hubbard Brook Watershed, New Hampshire, USA. On the basis of previous findings and differences in adult terrestriality, we predicted that genetic divergence and phenotypic divergence in body morphology would be correlated in both species, but structured primarily by distance along the stream network in G. porphyriticus, and by overland distance in E. bislineata. Surprisingly, spatial patterns of genetic and phenotypic divergence were not strongly correlated. Genetic divergence, based on amplified DNA fragment length polymorphisms, increased with absolute geographic distance between sites. Phenotypic divergence was unrelated to absolute geographic distance, but related to relative stream vs. overland distances. In G. porphyriticus, phenotypic divergence was low when sites were close by stream distance alone and high when sites were close by overland distance alone. The opposite was true for E. bislineata. These results show that small differences in life history can produce large differences in patterns of intraspecific divergence, and the limitations of landscape genetic data for inferring phenotypic divergence. Our results also underscore the importance of explicitly comparing how terrestrial and aquatic conditions affect spatial patterns of divergence in species with biphasic life cycles.
Long-term decline in carbon dioxide supersaturation in rivers across the contiguous United States

[1] The partial pressure CO2 (pCO2) in streams and rivers reflects both internal carbon dynamics and external biogeochemical processes in terrestrial ecosystems. CO2 is typically supersaturated in streams because rates of organic matter decomposition exceed photosynthetic uptake, and because of inflow of CO2 supersaturated ground waters. Using the U.S. Geological Survey's NASQAN database, we calculated pCO2 and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) concentration in 417 streams and rivers distributed across the contiguous United States over a 22-year period. In addition to demonstrating widespread supersaturation and distinct regional variation in pCO2 across the U.S., our analysis revealed that pCO2 significantly declined 78.4 ppmv y−1 from 1973 to 1994. This decline is not attributable to changes in terrestrial weathering or in-stream processes, but instead suggests large-scale declines in terrestrial CO2 production and import into aquatic ecosystems during this 22-year period.
Reducing Unnecessary and Duplicate Ordering for Ovum and Parasite Examinations and Clostridium difficile PCR in Immunocompromised Patients by Using an Alert at the Time of Request in the Order Management System

We implemented hospital information system (HIS) alerts to deter unnecessary test orders for ovum and parasite (O&P) exams and Clostridium difficile PCR. The HIS alerts decreased noncompliant O&P orders (orders after >72 h of hospitalization) from 49.8% to 30.9%, an overall decrease of 19%, and reduced noncompliant C. difficile PCR orders (orders <7 days after a previous positive result) from 30.6% to 19.2%, an overall decrease of 31.9%.
Very-high-order CEM modeling

According to the higher order or large-domain (entire-domain) computational electromagnetics (CEM) approach, a structure is approximated by a number of as large as possible geometrical elements, and the approximation of current/field components within individual elements is in the form of a single (one-, two-, or three-fold) functional series of a sufficiently high order. This approach can greatly reduce the number of unknowns for a given problem and enhance further the accuracy and efficiency of the analysis in practical applications. This paper reviews very-high-order techniques for analysis of electromagnetic problems developed in our group over the past ten years and presents some recent advances.
Isotopies of planar compacta need not extend to isotopies of planar continua

We construct an isotopy of a planar compactum that is not the restriction of an isotopy of any planar continuum.
Molecular genetic variation in the centromeric region of the X chromosome in three Drosophila ananassae populations. I. Contrasts between the vermilion and forked loci.

We have surveyed three natural populations of Drosophila ananassae for restriction map variation at the forked (f) and vermilion (v) loci, using 6-cutter restriction enzymes. Both loci are located in the centromeric region of the X chromosome. Two major conclusions can be drawn from the data. First, we found strong evidence for population subdivision, i.e., significant differences in the frequency distributions of polymorphisms and/or haplotypes between the Burma, India, and Brazil populations. Secondly, the pattern of DNA sequence variation between the two loci is unexpectedly different. The level of nucleotide variation in the v locus region is reduced (relative to f), especially in the Burma population. Furthermore, in contrast to v, we found no insertions/deletions larger than 700 bp and no significant linkage disequilibrium at f. The genetic differentiation among subpopulations can readily be attributed to restricted migration as the predominant evolutionary force. According to population genetics theory, the differences in DNA polymorphisms between the two loci are in qualitative agreement with the hypothesis that recombination is reduced in the v locus region ("centromere effect") but not at f. In order to test this hypothesis directly, we determined the cytogenetic positions of several loci in the centromeric region by in situ hybridization and found by comparison with the genetic map that recombination at v is indeed very low, much lower than at f.
On abolishing "death": an etymological note.

The distinction is made between two uses of the word "death," specifically, your death (the death of the other) and my death (the death of the self). It makes (logical, epistemological and phenomenological) sense for me to speak of your death, but not for me to speak of my death-inasmuch as, by reasonable definition, I cannot possibly ever experience my death. Dying is experienceable-although one can never be certain. The word death is a perfectly good word for the demise of the other; the word omega is suggested to allude to that non-event (the cessation of the self) now routinely spoken of as "my death,"
Transverse-mode discrimination in three-mirror resonators

By using a three-mirror arrangement, one of which is planar and two of which are spherical (paraboloidal), discrimination against transverse as well as longitudinal modes can be shown. Suitable design parameters are obtained.
Reliability and validity of six systems for the clinical assessment of disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus

Six systems for defining and evaluating disease activity in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) (the Ropes system, the National Institutes of Health [NIH] system, the New York Hospital for Special Surgery system, the British Isles Lupus Assessment Group [BILAG] scale, the University of Toronto SLE Disease Activity Index [SLE-DAI], and the Systemic Lupus Activity Measure [SLAM]) were tested on 25 SLE patients who were selected to represent a range of disease activity. The patients were evaluated independently by 2 physicians on 2 occasions approximately 1 month apart. Differences between patients demonstrated the largest source of variation in scores, accounting for 56-84% of the total variance, depending on the instrument. Differences between physicians (i.e., error) showed the next largest variation, 11-28% of the total variance, and differences between visits made up 5-16% of the total. The BILAG, SLE-DAI, and SLAM had the best inter-visit and inter-rater reliability. Convergent validity was shown by the strong correlations of scores among the different instruments (r = 0.81-0.97). All instruments correlated highly with the physicians' clinical impression of disease but less well with their evaluation of disease severity. The number of American Rheumatism Association criteria for SLE that were met by the patients correlated poorly with the physicians' global evaluation and with the scores of the instruments. The patients' self-reported disease activity scores correlated highly with the physicians' assessments of disease activity (r = 0.85-0.91), and the mean values from self-reports and from physicians' assessments were nearly equal. In contrast, severity scores correlated less well between self-reports and physician assessments (r = 0.49-0.69), and mean self-reported severity values were lower than the means from physicians. The BILAG, SLE-DAI, and SLAM systems appear to have better psychometric properties than the others for clinical research.
Femoro-Femoral Partial Bypass in the Treatment of Thoracoabdominal Aneurysms

This article describes our rationale for the use of femoro-femoral bypass as a primary modality for perfusion in the repair of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms at Stanford University School of Medicine. Benefits and limitations of this method are discussed and compared with other described techniques.
Teammate effects on pay

This paper explores the question of whether a worker's pay is affected by the attributes of co-workers. Using data from the NBA on players who have switched teams, it is found that teammate attributes do influence an individual's pay. Comparisons to the NHL suggest that differential co-worker effects reflect the nature of complementarity in different production environments.
Measurements of charging in capacitive microelectromechanical switches

Charge build up in capacitive microelectromechanical switches is measured during continuous cycling. Under unipolar cycling, charge rapidly builds up in the dielectric causing the switch control voltages to shift. However, under bipolar cycling, there is no net accumulated charge, but instead a decrease in the magnitude of the control voltages.
Rapid elimination by glomerular filtration of free prostate specific antigen and human kallikrein 2 after renal transplantation.

ABSTRACTPurpose: The low molecular mass and short half-life of free (f) prostate specific antigen (PSA) implies elimination from blood by glomerular filtration. In addition, patients with terminal renal failure have increased fPSA in serum but there have been sparse data reported on the rates and pathways of elimination of PSA complexes and human kallikrein 2 (hK2). We studied glomerular filtration dependent elimination of fPSA and hK2 in patients with renal insufficiency undergoing successful renal transplantation.Materials and Methods: We studied 14 patients with immediate onset of renal function after renal transplantation. Blood samples were obtained before and at regular intervals up to 160 hours after transplanted kidney reperfusion. Measurements of fPSA, total PSA and hK2 were performed with immunofluorometric assays and complexed PSA was determined by a chemiluminiscence assay. Glomerular filtration rates were monitored by analyzing serum creatinine and cystatin C. NONMEM, a multivariate pharmacok...
On the Operation of CMOS Active-Cascode Gain Stage

An s-domain analysis of the full dynamics of the pole-zero pair (frequency doublet) associated with the broadly used CMOS active-cascode gain-enhancement technique is presented. Quantitative results show that three scenarios can arise for the settling behavior of a closed-loop active-cascode operational amplifier depending on the relative locations of the unity-gain frequencies of the auxiliary and the main amplifiers. The analysis also reveals that, although theoretically possible, it is practically difficult to achieve an exact pole-zero cancellation. The analytical results presented here provide theoretical guidelines to the design of CMOS operational amplifiers using this technique.
A Composite Approach To The Identification Of High-Level Topological Features In A Histopathologic Image

Analysis of the large amounts of image data obtainable from very-high-speed scanning laser microscopes places severe demands on computer software and hardware architectures. The automated calculation of features over entire images can provide quantitative data useful to a pathologist who must make a diagnosis. A program that identifies objects of diagnostic interest in an image must utilize a model of the image. An expert system is an effective method for building abstract models of object hierarchies and for utilizing heuristic information. In this paper we discuss a composite approach to image understanding and assessment that utilizes an expert system to control a set of image processing functions for the recognition of various objects in an image.
Competing Damage Modes in All-Ceramic Crowns: Fatigue and Lifetime

A study is made of fracture from cyclic loading of WC spheres on the surfaces of brittle layers on compliant substrates, as representative of repetitive occlusal contact on dental crowns. Several damage modes—radial cracks at both top surface and cementation interface, and classical cone cracks as well as deep penetrating cone cracks from the top surface—have been identified and analyzed. The most dangerous fractures are radial cracks that initiate from either the top or bottom surfaces of the brittle layers and spread laterally to failure. In fatigue, these cracks are driven by chemical forces associated with the intrusion of water into the crack. Also dangerous are deep penetrating cone cracks which, unlike their classical cone crack counterparts, are mechanically driven by hydraulic pumping and can evolve rapidly with cyclic loading, threatening the lifetime of a dental crown veneer.
Theatres for opera and ballet during the reigns of Louis XIV and Louis XV

Anyone who has ever performed in or attended an opera, ballet or play knows that the place of performance influences both the scope of the production and the audience's perception of the performance. Although recent research has helped to guide modern recreations of early music, dance and theatre, little work has so far been done to evaluate the effect of performance spaces on these arts. An awareness of performance spaces is particularly important for our understanding of musical-theatrical genres, since productions of this kind were especially influenced by the physical conditions in which they were presented. Modern revivals could benefit from knowledge of the environment in which musical-stage works of the past were originally created.' Stage productions such as operas and ballets were important during the reigns of the Bourbon monarchs in France. Louis XIV in particular employed these and similar art-forms extensively not only to entertain the noblemen in his court but also to promote his own self-image and the gloire of his country.2 Multi-media stage productions enjoyed great popularity with both court and public audiences because of their integration of several arts. They also provided an effective means for asserting the power of the king. An understanding of French performance spaces for musical-theatrical works, both for court and the public, can help us better evaluate the effectiveness of productions as entertainments and as tools of propaganda. Where were French Baroque musical-stage works performed? Many 20th-century histories offer a
How many voters are needed for paradoxes

This paper presents a general procedure for finding profiles with the minimum number of voters required for many important paradoxes. Borda's and Condorcet's classic examples are revisited as well as generalizations. Using Saari's procedure line, we obtain an upper bound for the minimum number of voters needed for a profile for which the Condorcet winner is not strictly top ranked for all $w_{\rm s}^{3}$ weighted positional procedures. Also we give a simple upper bound on the minimum number of voters needed for a set of prescribed voting outcomes. In contrast to situations wherein small numbers of voters are needed, we consider paradoxes requiring arbitrarily large numbers of voters as well as large numbers of alternatives. Finally we indicate connections with statistical rank based tests.
Czochralski encapsulation growth of GeTe, SnTe and PbTe single crystals

Abstract Large single crystals of germanium telluride, tin telluride and lead telluride were grown by a modified Czochralski technique in which liquid encapsulation was combined with a substantial neutral-gas overpressure to eliminate vaporization during growth. The B 2 O 3 encapsulating layer also maintained a clean melt surface by acting as a fluxing agent. Growth conditions, physical appearance and electrical properties of the crystals are reported.
Effect of glycine upon action of insulin in rabbits.

SummaryRepeated injections of small amounts of glycine (3 mg per kg body weight) appear to increase the action of subsequent injections of insulin for a prolonged period of time.
Femtosecond time-resolved reflectivity of hydrodynamically expanding metal surfaces.

We present femtosecond time-resolved p- and s-polarized reflectivity measurements of silver, aluminum, and tungsten surfaces that are hydrodynamically expanding in response to pulsed laser excitation. A numerical model of the experimental results shows that (1) electron heating and surface expansion influence the reflectivity on distinguishable time scales and (2) covalency, described by non-Drude dielectric constants, is necessary to explain the time-resolved reflectivity of the tungsten target.
Hyponatremia, Mineral Metabolism, and Mortality in Incident Maintenance Hemodialysis Patients: A Cohort Study

Background Hyponatremia is associated with increased mortality in chronic diseases. Recent animal studies also implicate hyponatremia in bone abnormalities. However, associations between hyponatremia, mineral bone abnormalities, and mortality in incident hemodialysis patients are unknown. Study Design Nonconcurrent prospective cohort study. Setting & Participants Incident hemodialysis patients from the Accelerated Mortality on Renal Replacement (ArMORR) cohort with available serum sodium measurements from the time of dialysis therapy initiation (n = 6,127) were classified as hyponatremic (sodium, 145 mEq/L were excluded (n = 74). Predictor Hyponatremia (sodium, Outcomes Mineral bone abnormalities; rates of falls, fractures, and mortality. Measurements Hyponatremia and mineral bone abnormalities were assessed at the time of hemodialysis therapy initiation. Data for other outcomes were collected during a 1-year follow-up. Univariate and multivariable logistic and Cox proportion hazard analyses were conducted to compute ORs and HRs, respectively, with 95% CIs. Results 775 patients were hyponatremic and 5,278 were normonatremic at baseline. In univariate analyses, hyponatremia was associated with hypercalcemia (OR, 1.92; 95% CI, 1.11-3.30), elevated alkaline phosphatase level (OR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.12-1.66), and hypoparathyroidism (OR, 1.40; 95% CI, 1.18-1.65). Similar relationships were observed in multivariable models. No statistically significant relationships were observed with phosphorus abnormalities, hypovitaminosis D, falls, or fractures. 965 (15.8%) patients had died at the 1-year follow up. Compared with normonatremic patients, hyponatremic patients had higher 1-year mortality in univariate (HR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.34-1.87) and multivariable analyses (HR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.19-1.69). Limitations Low rate of falls and fractures, lack of data for bone density and fibroblast growth factor 23. Conclusions In incident hemodialysis patients, hyponatremia is associated with hypercalcemia, elevated alkaline phosphatase levels, hypoparathyroidism, and increased 1-year mortality. Future studies are needed to examine whether treatments to alter hyponatremia have effects on mineral bone abnormalities and mortality.
Inverse closed ray-nonsingular cones of matrices

Abstract A description is given of those ray-patterns, which will be called inverse closed ray-nonsingular, of complex matrices that contain invertible matrices only and are closed under inversion. Here, two n × n matrices are said to belong to the same ray-pattern if in each position either the entries of both matrices are zeros, or both entries are nonzero and their quotient is positive. Possible Jordan forms of matrices in the inverse closed ray-nonsingular ray-patterns are characterized.
Evaluation in Israel: A conversation with Arieh Lewy

Although evaluation practice in Israel is strongly influenced by American thinking, it is also a unique local response to societal, political, academic, cultural, and interpersonal pressures.
Performance and optimization of an HTR cogeneration system

Abstract This paper assesses performance of a high temperature reactor (HTR) coupled with a Rankine cycle cogeneration plant which simultaneously produces moderate temperature steam and electricity for a process heat application. Understanding the trade-offs of configurations on the performance and complexity of an HTR cogeneration application will help further HTR commercialization. Results indicate that the trade-off between process steam and electricity production is nearly linear. For a 300 °C process steam production temperature every 1 kg/s increase in steam production leads to a 1 MWe reduction in electricity production. For pure electricity production an acceptable cycle efficiency of 46% is achieved. When steam-to-steam reheat is added, cycle efficiency marginally improves to 46.2%, but low pressure turbine exhaust quality dramatically improves from 78% to 95%. The application of an HTR for a cogeneration plant appears feasible, but a more detailed extension of this analysis is required. Future work should include a more complete cogeneration plant with additional feedwater heaters, moisture separators, and high pressure and low pressure reboilers.
A Randomized Trial of Citalopram versus Placebo in Outpatients with Asthma and Major Depressive Disorder: A Proof of Concept Study

Background The prevalence of asthma has increased in recent years and depression is common in this population. Minimal data are available on the treatment of depressed asthma patients. Methods Ninety adults with asthma and current major depressive disorder were randomized to receive citalopram or placebo for 12 weeks. At each visit, the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD), Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology – Self-Report, Asthma Control Questionnaire, and Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire were administered, and oral corticosteroid use assessed. Results In the evaluable sample ( n = 82), the primary outcome, a random regression analysis of HRSD scores, revealed no significant between-group differences. Bonferroni corrected secondary outcomes revealed HRSD scores decreased significantly in both groups with a significantly greater decrease in the citalopram group at week 6. Changes in asthma symptoms were similar between groups. The groups had similar rates of oral corticosteroid use at baseline, but the citalopram group had less corticosteroid use during the study. Changes in asthma symptom severity correlated with changes in depressive symptom severity. Conclusions A reduction in depressive symptoms was associated with improvement in asthma. Corticosteroid use, an important measure of severe asthma exacerbations, was lower in the citalopram group. Larger clinical trials in this population are warranted.
DEVELOPMENT OF AN ALGORITHM FOR THE CALCULATION OF THE SCATTERING PROPERTIES OF AGGLOMERATES

A new, improved, and more efficient algorithm for calculation of the scattering, extinction, and absorption characteristics of agglomerates consisting of Rayleigh-size primary particles is presented. The computer code is based on a new formulation of the light scattering for such agglomerates and is more than 10 times faster than the codes based on previous formulations. The computational times required by the old and the new algorithms, run on VAX 7000, IBM 3090, and UNIX RS6000 mainframe computers, are compared for different agglomerate configurations, such as straight chains, clusters, and randomly branched chains. A distributed-parallel-computing scheme was used to run the new algorithm on four UNIX RS6000 processors concurrently, resulting in computational times 47 times faster than required for the calculations. Furthermore, the robustness and convenience of the algorithm are assessed.
Dissociation of the appetitive and consummatory phases of feeding behavior in Aplysia: a lesion study

In order to study the relationship between the initial appetitive phases of feeding and later consummatory phases, lesions were made of specific ganglia and interganglionic connections in Aplysia californica. Animals were tested for up to three weeks following surgery so that the effects of the anesthesia and trauma were minimized. We found that the appetitive and consummatory responses are differentially affected by various lesions. Removing the buccal ganglia or severing both cerebral-buccal connectives eliminated the consummatory (biting) phase of feeding. On the other hand, severing the cerebral-pedal pleural connectives eliminated the main appetitive phase (head waving) of feeding. Control lesions of the abdominal ganglion or of single connectives of bilateral pairs did not differentially eliminate appetitive and consummatory responses. The data suggest that although the appetitive and consummatory phases of feeding occur sequentially, the motor expression of the two phases can be dissociated, and are not necessarily causally linked.
The mechanics of short rod-like molecules in tension

Abstract The rapid development of single molecule experimental techniques in the last two decades has made it possible to accurately measure the force–extension response as well as the transverse fluctuations of individual rod-like macromolecules. This information is used in conjunction with a statistical mechanical model based on the treatment of the molecule as a fluctuating elastic rod to extract its bending and extension moduli. The models most commonly used to interpret the experimental data assume that the magnitude of the Brownian fluctuations are independent of the length of the macromolecule, an assumption that holds only in the asymptotic limit of infinitely long rods, and is violated in most experiments. As an alternative, we present a theoretical treatment of a finite length, fluctuating rod and determine its mechanical behavior by measuring the transverse Brownian fluctuations under the action of large stretching forces. To validate our theory, we have applied our methods to an experiment on short actin filaments whose force–extension relation is difficult to measure, but whose transverse deflections can be captured by current microscopy techniques. An important consequence of the short contour lengths is that the boundary conditions applied in the experiment affect the fluctuations and can no longer be neglected as is commonly done when interpreting data from force–extension measurements. Our theoretical methods account for boundary conditons and can therefore be deployed in conjunction with force–extension measurements to obtain detailed information about the mechanical response of rod-like macromolecules.
Lack of Correlation between Bristol Stool Scale and Quantitative Bacterial Load in Clostridium difficile Infection

Decision to test for Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is usually made when patients have loose stools with Bristol stool score of ≥5. We aimed to assess the relationship between bacterial load of C. difficile and Bristol stool scale, as well as stool frequency in stool samples collected from patients infected with the organism. Samples were collected at baseline, during therapy, and at the end of therapy. Spearman correlation test was used to evaluate these relationships. No correlation between Bristol stool scale and fecal load of C. difficile was found for both spores and vegetative cells at all time points as counts were persistently high (P = non-significant). Weak positive correlations were found between stool frequency and fecal load of C. difficile spores and vegetative cells (rs = 0.22 and 0.24, P = 0.04 and 0.03, respectively). These findings indicate that quantitative colony counts were sufficiently high to detect C. difficile, irrespective of stool consistency, and suggest that semiformed stool should be sought for the pathogen in symptomatic patients with frequent stools.
Stress profiles around a fiber break in a composite with a nonlinear, power law creeping matrix

Abstract A model is developed for the time evolution of the stresses and displacements around a fiber break in a simple planar composite loaded in tension. The composite consists of parallel, elastic fibers in a matrix that creeps according to a nonlinear, power law with memory, and which has exponents for both time and shear stress. Cases of three- and five-fiber composites are analysed using a shear-lag approximation which yields self-similar, closed-form solutions for fiber stresses, strains and displacements and for matrix shear stresses near the break. The exponents for the self-similar growth of the deformation zone, in both time and composite stress, are different from those of the matrix constitutive law. The length of the deformation zone is found typically to be finite at any given time in contrast to the case where the matrix is assumed to be linearly viscoelastic. Asymptotic results are obtained for the case of a high creep exponent in stress. These asymptotic results are similar to those for a perfectly plastic matrix material.
Trends in analyst earnings forecast properties

Abstract Forecast dispersion, error, and optimism are computed using 120,022 quarterly observations from 1990 to 2001. Forecast dispersion, error, and optimism all decrease steadily over the sample period, with loss firms showing an especially striking decrease. By the end of the sample period, dispersion and error differences between profit and loss firms are relatively minor, optimism for loss firms is around an unbiased 50%, and pessimism dominates profit firms. Additionally, loss firm earnings appear more difficult to forecast. The reduction in dispersion, error, and optimism does not appear fully attributable to earnings management, earnings guidance, or earnings smoothing. The trends are consistent with increased litigation concerns.
Binding of R and S warfarin to hepatic microsomal cytochrome P-450.

Abstract The R and S enantiomers of the anticoagulant, warfarin, are metabolized to a series of monohydroxylated products by rat hepatic cytochrome P-450. The patterns of metabolites are a function of the warfarin enantiomer used and of the induction of the microsomal enzymes by phenobarbital (PB) and 3-methylcholanthrene (MC). We have studied the binding of R and S warfarin to cytochrome P-450 by difference spectrometry to probe the heterogeneity of cytochrome P-450 and to determine the role of this heterogeneity in the production of the patterns of warfarin metabolites. Uninduced cytochrome P-450 yielded modified type II spectra with R and S warfarin with equivalent binding constants, Ks = 1.50 mM. PB-induced cytochrome P-450 yielded modified type II spectra which varied biphasically with warfarin concentration with Ks(S) = 0.24 and 0.07 m m ; Ks(R) = 0.79 and 0.12 mM. MC induction and 2-allyl-2-isopropylacetamide treatment yielded microsomes markedly enriched for cytochrome P-448 which, with R warfarin, yielded a type I spectrum, Ks = 0.24 mM, and with S warfarin a modified type II spectrum with Ks = 0.11 mM. The effects of the type I compound, hexobarbital, the type II compound, imidazole, or the opposite enantiomer to that being studied on the binding spectra of R and S warfarin to the variously induced cytochromes P-450 were investigated as an aid to elucidating the mode of interaction of cytochrome P-450 with warfarin. In all cases, prior binding of R or S warfarin influenced the binding of the opposite enantiomer. We conclude from these results that R and S warfarin bind to two separate forms of PB-induced cytochrome P-450 and two separate forms of MC-induced cytochrome P-448, all of which differ from uninduced cytochrome P-450. The variety of monohydroxylated metabolites of R and S warfarin is probably a consequence of the interactions with these different forms of cytochrome P-450.
Non-target effects of invasive species management: beachgrass, birds, and bulldozers in coastal dunes

Alteration of ecosystem processes by invasive species can lead to the decline of native species. Management actions targeted at removing these invaders and restoring native populations may have knock-on effects on non-target native species and ecosystems. For example, coastal dunes in the Pacific Northwest of North America are nearly monocultures of the introduced beach grasses, Ammophila arenaria and Ammophila breviligulata. These invasive grasses have converted open, low-lying sand dunes with a sparse covering of native plants to tall, densely-vegetated ridges dominated by the two invaders. As a result, the critical open-sand habitat of the federally threatened Western Snowy plover (Charadrius alexandrinus nivosus) has declined along with populations of several native dune plant species. Here we investigate how nearly 20 years of management targeted at the removal of Ammophila for plover recovery are impacting native plant species and dune morphology along 500 km of coastline in Oregon and Washington, U...
Microscopic Solubility-Parameter Theory of Polymer Blends: General Predictions

A microscopic solubility parameter theory for polymer blends is developed based on liquid-state polymer reference interaction site model (PRISM) integral equation methods. The well-defined approximations to obtain such a description are identified, and tractable schemes to go beyond them are discussed. Analytical predictions for the purely enthalpic χ-parameter are derived using the Gaussian thread model. Many novel, non-Flory-Huggins effects are predicted including the failure of mean-field theory for random copolymer alloys, strong deuteration swap effects, nonadditivity of chemical and conformational asymmetry contributions to the χ-parameter, and unusual and subtle temperature dependences of χ due to thermally-induced density and chain dimension changes. Both general model calculations and applications to specific polyolefins are presented. The simple enthalpy-based theory accounts for the absolute magnitude of olefinic χ-parameters and a wide range of «anomalous» non-Flory-Huggins phenomena observed in recent small-angle neutron scattering and cloud-point experiments. New, experimentally testable predictions are also made. The fundamental origin of the non-mean-field behavior is the dependence of local intermolecular packing, and hence cohesive energy density, on the chain aspect ratio or effective stiffness. Numerical studies using more realistic semiflexible chain models are also presented and are in qualitative agreement with the analytic predictions. The influence of nonlocal, excess entropy of mixing processes is investigated and found to be a relatively small effect for chain aspect ratios characteristic of flexible polymers. Moreover, for blends which can be studied in the miscible phase at experimentally relevant temperatures, the enthalpic contribution to χ arising from conformational asymmetry is generally orders of magnitude larger than the excess entropic contribution. These conclusions provide support for a fundamental assumption of regular solution theory that spatially local enthalpic effects make the dominant contribution to the excess mixture free energy
A Liturgical Tradition behind the Ending of James

The themes of healing and turning back the wayward, which come together in Jas 5.13-20, were traditionally associated. They appear side by side not only in the Tanak but also in later Jewish and Ch...
Differences between mouse and rat myocardial contractile responsiveness to calcium.

Abstract Genetically altered mice have become an increasingly important tool for the study of mechanisms of cardiac function, and therefore it is vital to characterize the basic contractile properties of the mouse heart. As a first approach to this goal, we first optimized perfusion conditions and characterized the effect of incremental left ventricular balloon inflation on end-diastolic, systolic and developed pressures in the isovolumically-contracting mouse heart. Under constant loading conditions, we determined developed pressure in response to changing perfusate calcium (1.25, 2.5, 3.75 and 5.0 mM) and perfusate temperature (30 and 37°C). We then compared the intrinsic inotropic responsiveness to changes in extracellular calcium of left ventricular myocardium from mouse to that from the rat. In the baseline state (1.25 mM extracellular calcium; [Ca 2+ ] o ), both isometric contraction duration and normalized active force at the peak of the active force–length relationship ( L max ) were less in mouse than in rat myocardium. Under isotonic conditions, temporal parameters of shortening and the relative shortening were less in mouse vs rat myocardium. Increasing [Ca 2+ ] o from 1.25 to 2.5 mM markedly increased active isometric force and rate of force development (+d F /d t ) in the mouse. However, rat myocardium responded to a lesser extent. Under isotonic conditions, peak shortening and the rate of shortening also increased to a greater extent in mouse relative to rat myocardium. Increasing the bath calcium concentration to 5.0 mM increased isometric force and +d F /d t further in the rat but not the mouse, suggesting that two species operate at different points on the force vs [Ca 2+ ] o relationship. We conclude that mouse myocardium exhibits increased sensitivity to changes in [Ca 2+ ] o within the physiologic range in comparison to rat. These differences do not appear to be due to differences in loading conditions. The data suggest that differences in inotropic responsiveness to calcium may reflect intrinsic differences in myocardial calcium sensitivity between species.
Upper-level Forcing of Explosive Cyclogenesis Over the Ocean Based on Operationally Analyzed Fields

Abstract Some of the recent research studies of explosive extratropical cyclogenesis have been based on detailed soundings or special reconstructions of the evolution in poststorm analysis. The focus of this cyclogenesis study is on the upper tropospheric and lower stratospheric features that may be determined from the operationally analyzed charts available to the maritime forecaster. To have the largest possible amount of over-ocean data, a sample of 23 explosive and nonexplosive deepeners from the western North Atlantic and western North Pacific regions during FGGE is examined. Potential vorticity and jet streak properties are derived from analyses prepared by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. The vertical and horizontal resolution of the archived analyses are not adequate to depict the tropopause folding and downward transport of potential vorticity thought by some investigators to be important in explosive cyclogenesis. Thus, the emphasis is put on the relative maxima in potenti...
The Death and Damnation of Poetry in Inferno XXXI-XXXIV: Ugolino and Narrative as an Instrument of Revenge

AbstractDante has an increasingly hard time progressing on his journey and in writing poetry about it as he approaches the bottom of the Inferno. Symbolic expression loses its grip before the nullity of absolute evil. Language returns to a pre-semiological state of signifying like a brute thing — especially by virtue of the concrete, literal, root senses of words that are reactivated as their conventional sense fails. Most penetratingly, Dante dramatizes in Ugolino the way that narrative, as used for revenge by the damned self, can kill meaning. Rather than opening events to being understood in their true purport, Ugolino's narrative attempts to fix one hate-driven conclusion and blot out all other potentially redemptive meanings of events. Thus, the raw significance of eating flesh is stripped of the sacramental significance it has for his sons, whose gestures imitate those of the Son of God. Ugolino's rage blinds him to every meaning other than revenge. Dante runs a similar risk: this episode exposes hi...
Effects of early experience on fear behaviour of Coturnix coturnix.

Abstract Isolated coturnix quail of two post-hatch ages were individually exposed to a moving, flashing, clicking stimulus on the day of hatching. Two other groups received identical treatment except for exposure to the stimulus, and a fifth group was given no initial treatment. Thirty-six and 48 hr after hatching each bird was tested with the stimulus functionally present and absent. Results indicate that there is a sensitive period in the development of coturnix during which exposure to a stimulus will produce a diminution in fear behaviours later elicited by that stimulus. Following of the stimulus object did not occur during testing. Birds exposed to the stimulus 5 to 9 hr after hatching exhibited fewer distress calls and less fear behaviour when later tested with the stimulus present than each of the other groups including those birds exposed to the stimulus 10 to 14 hr after hatching. It is suggested that the following response may be only one of an array of responses involved in imprinting. The results of this experiment also suggest that there is a systematic hierarchy of behavioural responses to novel stimuli in this species. A testable hypothesis was presented which suggests a mutually exclusive set of responses with probabilities of occurrence dependent on the amount of novelty in the stimulus complex of the organism. This hypothesis is amenable to direct experimental testing since both stimulus parameters, novelty, and response parameters, activity and distress calls, can be readily quantified.
Methotrexate and misoprostol for abortion at 57-63 days gestation

Methotrexate and misoprostol have been shown in preliminary studies to be effective for abortion at < or = 56 days gestation with minimal side effects. RU-486 is used in combination with prostaglandin for abortion < or = 49 days gestation in France but < or = 63 days gestation in England. This pilot study was performed to evaluate if methotrexate and misoprsotol may also be effective up to 63 days gestation. Ten pregnant women between 57-63 days gestation were treated with methotrexate 50 mg/m2 intramuscularly followed 3 days later by misoprostol 800 micrograms vaginally. Abortion occurred in 6 women; abortion occurred in one of the women after a repeat dose of misoprostol 24 hours after the first dose. The remaining 4 women all had a surgical abortion. In the successfully treated women, vaginal bleeding lasted 14 +/- 4 (mean +/- standard deviation) days and serum beta-hCG was < or = 25 IU/L by 32 +/- 5 days after the methotrexate injection. No methotrexate side effects occurred. Methotrexate and misoprostol do not appear to be as effective for medical abortion between 57 and 63 days gestation as compared to < or = 56 days gestation.