cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Inhibitors of monoacylglycerol lipase, fatty-acid amide hydrolase and endocannabinoid transport differentially suppress capsaicin-induced behavioral sensitization through peripheral endocannabinoid mechanisms

Monoacylglycerol lipase (MGL) and fatty-acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) degrade the endocannabinoids 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) and anandamide (AEA), respectively. Pharmacological inhibition of these enzymes in the periphery may elucidate the role of endocannabinoids in controlling nociceptive transmission. We compared effects of the MGL inhibitor JZL184, the FAAH inhibitor URB597, and the endocannabinoid uptake inhibitor VDM11, administered locally in the paw, on behavioral hypersensitivities produced by capsaicin, the pungent ingredient in hot chili peppers. Intradermal capsaicin (10 microg i.pl.) produced nocifensive behavior, thermal hyperalgesia, and mechanical allodynia in rats. JZL184 (100 microg i.pl.) suppressed capsaicin-induced nocifensive behavior and thermal hyperalgesia without altering capsaicin-evoked mechanical allodynia. Effects of JZL184 were blocked by either the CB(1) antagonist AM251 (80 microg i.pl.) or the CB(2) antagonist AM630 (25 microg i.pl.). URB597 (75 microg i.pl.) suppressed capsaicin-induced mechanical allodynia without altering capsaicin-evoked thermal hyperalgesia or nocifensive behavior. Effects of URB597 were blocked by AM251 (80 microg i.pl.), but not by AM630 (25 microg i.pl.). VDM11 (100 microg i.pl.) suppressed capsaicin-evoked hypersensitivity for all three dependent measures (nocifensive behavior, thermal hyperalgesia, and mechanical allodynia), suggesting an additive effect following putative elevation of both AEA and 2-AG. The VDM11-induced suppression of capsaicin-evoked nocifensive behavior and thermal hyperalgesia was blocked by either AM251 (80 microg i.pl.) or AM630 (25 microg i.pl.), as observed with JZL184. The VDM11-induced suppression of capsaicin-evoked mechanical allodynia was blocked by AM251 (25 microg i.pl.) only, as observed with URB597. Thus, peripheral inhibition of enzymes hydrolyzing 2-AG and AEA suppresses capsaicin-evoked behavioral sensitization with distinct patterns of pharmacological specificity and in a non-overlapping and modality-specific manner. Modulation of endocannabinoids in the periphery suppressed capsaicin-evoked nocifensive behavior and thermal hyperalgesia through either CB(1) or CB(2) receptor mechanisms but suppressed capsaicin-evoked mechanical allodynia through CB(1) mechanisms only. Inhibition of endocannabinoid transport was more effective in suppressing capsaicin-induced sensitization compared to inhibition of either FAAH or MGL alone. These studies are the first to unveil the effects of pharmacologically increasing peripheral endocannabinoid levels on capsaicin-induced behavioral hypersensitivities. Our data suggest that 2-AG, the putative product of MGL inhibition, and AEA, the putative product of FAAH inhibition, differentially suppress capsaicin-induced nociception through peripheral cannabinoid mechanisms.
T.P.50 Outcomes associated with an Interdisciplinary Comprehensive Care program for DMD patients treated with long term glucocorticoids

Abstract Glucocorticoid (GC) treatment is the recommended standard of care for patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). The benefit/risk ratio of GC treatment is influenced by adverse effects – cushingoid facies, weight gain, linear growth failure, osteoporosis, etc.; and can be maximized with mitigation of adverse effects. The multi-systemic problems of GC treated patients require a coordinated care approach to improve/stabilize/slow progression of motor function with GC, attain optimal nutritional status for age (low glycemic index diet and treatment of insulin resistance) and prevent contractures (daily home stretch program and night resting ankle braces). Objective: To evaluate the outcomes of integrative care for a cohort of GC treated DMD patients. Study design: Retrospective case series review. Patient characteristics: N = 130; mean age at last visit 9.5 y (±1.9). GC: Daily GC (prednisone – 11; deflazacort – 110; Prednisone change to deflazacort – 9); mean start age of GC 5.0 y (2.6–8.0); daily start dose – 0.75 mg/kg prednisone or 0.9 mg/kg deflazacort. Clinical motor outcomes: (1) Independent ambulators: 7–9 y – 96% ( n = 69); 10–12 y −71% ( n = 44); (2) Ability to climb steps: 7–9 y – 89%; 10–12 y – 62%; (3) Age for point of slope change for NSAA – 11 y ( p = 0.02); timed Gowers 11 y ( p = 0.01), timed 30 ft walk/run – no slope change found up to age 13; (4) Ankle Contractures: 7–9 y – 20.6%; 10–12 y – 43.2%. Growth outcomes at last visit: Height %: 7–9 y 9.4 ± 14.5; 10–12 y 9.0 ± 17.4; weight%: 7–9 yr 47.7 ± 33.2; 10–12 y 52.4 ± 31.3; BMI% 7–9 y 81.3 ± 20.2; 10–12 y 82.4 ± 24.3. Bone health process outcomes: (1) Vitamin D sufficiency: 90% of patients ( n 120); mean 25 OH D – 36.9 ± 13.7 ng/ml; (2) % of patients with normal lumbar spine BMD z scores: 7–9 y 60%; 10–12 y 73%. Our review shows that an integrative care program for DMD patients on long term daily GC is effective in improving motor outcomes with an acceptable side effect profile.
Herbivore growth reduction by tannins: Use of waldbauer ratio techniques and manipulation of salivary protein production to elucidate mechanisms of action

Abstract The consumption and utilization of food by rats fed diets both high and low in condensed tannin was analysed on a dry weight basis and on a Kjeldahl nitrogen basis. Growth analyses followed the protocol devised for insects by Waldbauer. The hypothesis that tannin-induced proline-rich salivary proteins (PRPs) diminish the antinutritional effects of dietary polyphenolics in mammals was investigated by supplementing diets with 0.05% propranolol to suppress PRP production. Rats fed diets high in tannin gained less weight than those fed low tannin diets. This effect was too pronounced to be explained by differences in feed consumption and could only be attributed to depressed efficiency in converting injested food to body matter. The reduction in approximate digestibility (AD) with high tannin sorghum diets was low relative to the severe reduction in the conversion of digested food into body matter (ECD) for high tannin diets. The main growth reducing effect of tannin thus appears to have been on the post-absorptive utilization of nutrients rather than on the digestibility of the diet. On a nitrogen basis, AD(N) is reduced in the presence of tannins so tannins did act preferentially on the digestion and absorption of nitrogen. Nevertheless, on a nitrogen basis ECD(N) was even more substantially depressed by tannins and so it could not be concluded that tannins act only or even mainly as digestibility-reducing agents. Propranolol only produced adverse effects in combination with tannin but these were much more severe than those with tannin alone. Further evidence suggested that the cause was the suppression of PRP production. PRPs are known to bind to tannins in competition with other proteins and their absence denies the animal the means to neutralize dietary tannin. This study also examines the effect of sodium chloride (0.5%) in the diet following a previous report that salt alleviates the effect of dietary tannins in mice. In our experiments this had negligible effects. We conclude by comparing our data for a mammal to previous studies on insects using these same parameters to assess consumption and utilization of foods.
The Accuracy of an Automasking Algorithm in Plantar Pressure Measurements

Masking algorithms provide a way to analyze plantar pressure parameters based on distinct anatomical regions of the foot. No study has addressed their accuracy. The purpose of this study was to determine the accuracy of the Novel® ten-region standard masking algorithm in both dynamic and static measurements in normal feet. Static and dynamic plantar pressure measurements were collected from ten normal subjects (20 ft) with and without 10-mm radiopaque markers placed under the first through fifth metatarsal heads, fifth metatarsal base, and first proximal phalanx. The automask was then applied to subdivide the foot into distinct anatomical areas. Weight-bearing AP radiographs were obtained with and without markers. Plantar pressures and radiographs were overlaid. The percent accuracy of each marker within its appropriate mask region was calculated. The average accuracies of the automasking algorithm regions for dynamic and static measurements, respectively, were 98.8% and 90.4% (1MH), 89.9% and 80.6% (2MH), 98.6% and 81.4% (3MH), 96.8% and 82.3% (4MH), 93.1% and 80.8% (5MH), 97.3% and 92.5% (5MB), and 91.2% and 64.2% (1PPH). Marker presence did not alter foot structure or function as determined by intermetatarsal angles (range, p = 0.361 to p = 0.649) and the center of pressure excursion index (p = 0.727), respectively. The automasking algorithm accurately identifies most foot regions in normal feet, particularly in gait. Such accuracy may be reduced in the setting of foot deformity. Understanding the accuracy of masking algorithms may help guide the interpretation of plantar pressure measurements and ultimately both conservative and operative treatment decisions.
Energy dependence of the cross section for alkali—methyl iodide reactions

Abstract The dependence of the reaction cross section for all the alkali—methyl iodide reactions on the translational energy in the range E T = 0–40 kcal/mole has been discussed in an idealized collision model of hard-sphere interaction between colliding particles. In all reaction of the family, the cross section increases sharply with E T showing an Arrhenius-like positive energy dependence for E T just past threshold and then takes a maximum value. The maximum value is largest for the Cs reaction and decreases with the alkali mass except that it slightly increases from Rb to K, and the peak becomes broader as the mass decreases. In the post-maximum region the cross section decreases slowly with E T .
Optimization of the endoreversible otto cycle with respect to both power and mean effective pressure

Abstract The output response of an endoreversible Otto cycle with combustion is optimized with respect to both power and mean effective pressure. The endoreversible cycle is one in which the heating process by combustion and the heat removing process to the surroundings are the only irreversible processes in the cycle. Expressions for these two responses are derived and optimized and a comparative analysis of results conducted. This paper provides an additional criterion for use in the evaluation of the performance and the suitability of an Otto engine.
A partition theorem for collections of universal subcontinua

This paper is concerned with conditions under which a collection of universal subcontinua may be partitioned into finitely many subcollections, each of which has the finite intersection property. Throughout X will denote a Hausdorff topological space. A continuum A c X will be called a universal subcontinuum of (USC) X if A N B is a continuum for each continuum B c X. (Ordinarily it is assumed that X is a continuum, but this assumption is unnecessary for our purposes.) WALLACE, [3], studied USC under the title semi-chains. We are concerned with the following topological-combinatorial problem. If ~ is a collection of universal subcontinua, if n_->2 is a positive integer, and if of each n distinct elements of ct at least two have a non-empty intersection, does there exist an integer m <_- n -- 1 and m subcollections cq ..... at,, of ~, each of which has the finite intersection property, such that ct = ~ U -.- U ~t,,? We have not been able to answer this question in general, but in this paper we will answer it affirmatively for n = 3. The importance of the present problem lies in the fact that if ct is a collection of USC which has the finite intersection property then the intersection over ~ is a non-empty USC. The theorem presented here is of the type which has traditionally played a role in the study of the action of certain types of mappings on Hausdorff continua. It applies, for example, to collections of (i) compact nodal sets in a connected space, (ii) subcontinua of a hereditarily unicoherent continuum, and (iii) maximal cyclic elements in a peano continuum, [4]. It also applies to compact segments of the real line, where it overlaps a theorem of DEBRUNNER and HADWIGER [1] ; however, this special case can be treated by simpler methods than those used here. The following lemma is essentially lemma 1 of [2]. However, the proof is given here for the sake of completeness.
A MODEL OF PHYLLOTAXIS

Phyllotaxis is the study of the symmetrical arrangements of plant organs, and most often associated with the Fibonacci series of numbers. The present work points out that the well known Helmholtz equation of mathematical physics correlates all of the well known patterns in one simple algorithm, involving two integers p and q: p>q>0 accounts for spiral patterns, including "jugate" patterns, p=q gives the alternating whorl patterns, while p>0, q=0 gives superposed whorls. In spiral patterns, the integers p, q underlie the larger and more usual integers m, n. The integer number of leaves N in a pattern is given in all cases by the expression N=(p2+/-q2)/J, where J is an integer giving the number of leaves on a single (e.g. stem) level. A biochemical origin of the algorithm is suggested.Copyright 1998 Academic Press Limited
A class of statistics useful in testing increasing failure rate average and new better than used life distributions

Abstract A class of test statistics is introduced which can be used to test exponentiality against either increasing failure rate average or new better than used alternatives. The tests of Ahmad (unpublished (1974)) and Deshpande (Biometrika 70 (1983) 514–518) for increasing failure rate average and of Hollander and Proschan (Ann. Math. Statist. 43 (1972) 1136–1146) for new better than used are members of this class. It is shown that in the sense of Pitman asymptotic efficiency, neither Ahmad and Deshpande's nor Hollander and Proschan's tests are the best members in the class for some commonly used alternatives. The best members are identified and their relative efficiencies are evaluated. A numerical example is presented and small sample null distribution critical values are given based on Monte Carlo techniques.
QUANTITATIVE VIDEOFLUOROSCOPIC EVALUATION OF PHARYNGEAL FUNCTION IN THE DOG

Videofluoroscopic evaluation of both liquid barium and barium soaked kibble was performed in 11 adult, clinically normal dogs of varying breeds. Each examination was digitized and evaluated frame by frame to establish the normal timing sequence of the pharyngeal phase of swallowing. Closure of the epiglottis was considered the onset of swallowing. The time to each of the following events was recorded: (1) Maximum pharyngeal contraction, (2) Opening of the epiglottis, (3) Opening of the cranial esophageal sphincter, and (4) Closure of the cranial esophageal sphincter. These values were found to be consistent both intra and interpatient. Retrospective analysis of 3 videofluoroscopic examinations from dogs that met the subjective criteria defining cricopharyngeal achalasia was then performed. A statistically significant delay in the time to opening and closure of the cranial esophageal sphincter was found employing both liquid barium and barium soaked kibble in the dogs with cricopharyngeal achalasia.
Sprayed Fibrin Sealant as the Sole Hemostatic Agent for Porcine Laparoscopic Partial Nephrectomy

Purpose: Tisseel® is used to control minor bleeding during laparoscopic procedures. The DuploSpray MIS™ spray system allows thin, even application over a larger surface area. We use sprayed Tisseel as the sole agent to control hemorrhage and seal the renal collecting system after severe porcine laparoscopic partial nephrectomy.Methods and Materials: We performed staged bilateral severe laparoscopic partial nephrectomy in 12 Yucatan pigs using a longitudinal cut from upper to lower pole through the entire collecting system. In each pig 1 kidney was harvested immediately while the other was harvested after 4 weeks. After hilar clamping laparoscopic partial nephrectomy was done with cold scissors in 6 pigs while LigaSure™ was used in the other 6. Sprayed Tisseel was applied, and bleeding and urinary leakage were evaluated. Additional Tisseel was applied for repeat bleeding. We performed retrograde pyelogram (chronic) and burst pressure testing of the arterial and collecting systems.Results: All animals survi...
Adolescents’ Discussions About Contraception or STDs with Partners Before First Sex

Limited research has examined the individual family and relationship factors that determine whether teenagers discuss contraception or STDs with their sexual partners before having sex for the first time. Logistic regression analyses of data from 1426 teenagers who participated in Waves 1(1995)and 2(1996) of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health and who had first sex between waves examined factors influencing whether respondents discussed contraception or STDs with their partner before first sex and whether these factors differ by gender. Fifty-three percent of females and 45% of males discussed contraception or STDs before having first sex. The greater respondents perceived condom knowledge and the greater their communication with their parents about everyday life the higher their odds of discussing contraception or STDs before first sex (odds ratio 1.2 for each). Being black was positively associated with sexual communication before first sex (1.9); as the number of dating activities and score on a test of verbal ability increased so did the odds of such communication (1.6 and 1.02 respectively). The predictors of discussions about contraception or STDs did not differ by gender. By increasing teenagers knowledge about condoms and other methods of contraception pregnancy and STD prevention programs can help to encourage communication among teenage partners before the initiation of sexual intercourse. Programs should also encourage conversations between parents and teenagers even when not about sex. (authors)
Adverse occurrences in the intensive care unit.

To the Editor.— Inasmuch as we have been studying the frequency of human error in the emergency center as a basis for improving the quality of medical care, we welcome this splendid article (1980;244:1582) that recommends vigorous investigation of hazards in hospital. We would like to call the attention of the Pittsburgh group to the well-documented diurnal rise in human error that peaks at about 3 AM and 3 PM. This interesting phenomenon has been confirmed in a variety of settings including gas company personnel reading meters, automatic train breakers, and near-misses in train and truck operators. It is perhaps more pertinent to point out that at 3 PM, detection of hypertension in the emergency center of a university-affiliated public general hospital fell to one third its previous rate. 1 We would like the authors' opinion as to the relevance of these findings to their observation that intensive care unit
Modular neural networks and distributed adaptive search for traveling salesman algorithms

A modular system of neural networks and a genetic algorithm are employed at a meta level to control solvers for the traveling salesman problem. The neural networks extract features of the input problem and recommend an instantiation of the solver to apply. The genetic algorithm conducts an adaptive search that further refines the parameters that control the work of the solvers. The result is a system that consistently produces very high quality solutions to traveling salesman problems. 1.© (1990) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Angiogenesis in developing rat brain: an in vivo and in vitro study.

Brain capillary proliferation in postnatal rats was measured in vivo by [3H]thymidine autoradiography. Maximal capillary proliferation occurred between 5 and 9 postnatal days, and was 40 times greater than in the adult. To test the hypothesis that soluble angiogenesis factors play a role in this developmental vascularization of brain, we prepared extracts from the brains of 6-day-old rats at the peak of proliferative activity, and from adults when it was lowest. We assayed them using an in vitro growth system measuring [3H]thymidine incorporation into cultured brain capillary endothelial cells. Extracts prepared from either 6-day or adult rats and containing 150 μg/ml protein caused more than a 4-fold stimulation of the endothelial cells, increasing to 8-fold at a concentration of 1500 μg/ml. The presence of growth-promoting activity in brain extracts from both adult and immature rats suggests that soluble angiogenesis factors may be present in the brain throughout life, but are unavailable for stimulation of in vivo capillary growth unless released or activated by an appropriate stimulus.
Contextual and Audience Moderators of Channel Selection and Message Reception of Public Health Information in Routine and Crisis Situations

A richer understanding of audience channel selection and message reception during routine and crisis situations through receiver-oriented research offers great promise to extend situational theory's predictive utility. Key variables of situational theory, including involvement, constraint, and problem recognition in information seeking and processing may be moderated by broader demographic and contextual factors in consumption of health information. Thus, situational theory frames this analysis of channels most important for public use in routine and crisis contexts in health information seeking, differences in preferences between contexts, and the criteria publics apply when evaluating the quality of health information. Results of a national random telephone survey (n = 400) indicate a need for more receiver-based studies in public relations, as involvement and demographics played key moderating roles in channel preferences. Use of several channels including radio, magazine, and television differed betwe...
Effects of viral rate and feeding time on mortality of early-, mid-, and late-stadium larvae of Helicoverpa zea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) fed Baculovirus heliothis

Early-, mid-, and late-stadium Helicoverpa zea larvae were fed on a diet which was surface-treated with occlusion bodies (OB) at rates from 0.1 to 1, 000 OB/mm2 for periods ranging from 0.25 to 72 h. Fifty-percent of early-stadium larvae fed 0.1, 1, 10, and 100 OB/mm2 eventually died after they had fed for 7.5, 4.5, 2.3, and 0.3 h, respectively, and then were transferred to virus-free diet. Greater than 98% mortality occurred, regardless of the viral rate, after 24 h of feeding. Less than 0.5 h of feeding at the highest rate (1, 000 OB/mm2) resulted in 100% mortality. Using mid-stadium larvae, 50% mortality at 0.1, 1, or 10 OB/mm2 occurred when larvae had fed for 11.0, 3.5 or 0.3 h, respectively, and then were transferred to virus-free diet. Viral rates of 100 or 1, 000 OB/mm2 resulted in >90% mortality after only 0.25 h of feeding. All mid-stadium larvae fed the highest rates (10, 100 or 1, 000 OB/mm2) for at least 12 h and then transferred to virus-free diet, eventually died of a virus infection. One-hundred percent mortality, however, was never reached when larvae were fed for 72 h at the two lowest rates of 0.1 and 1.0 OB/mm2. Within each viral rate it did not seem to matter whether late-stadium larvae had fed for 1 or 72 h on virus-treated diet. Mortality of late-stadium larvae was never greater than 75% regardless of the viral rate or feeding time. Mortality of early-, mid-, or late-stadium larvae not fed virus never exceeded 2%.
Space-frequency adaptive Processing (SFAP) for radio frequency interference mitigation in spread-spectrum receivers

The performance of narrow-band SFAP is studied when the time domain samples are multiplied by a window function. It is shown that when the interference scenario consists of narrow-band as well as wide-band sources, windowing the time domain samples leads to improved performance. In the case of digital receivers processing spread-spectrum signals, one may be able to acquire and track the desired signal(s) in severe interference scenarios leading to more robust performance. It is also demonstrated that one needs to carry out some sample overlapping in SFAP to achieve the optimum performance. However, 20% to 25% sample overlapping is sufficient. This is a lot less than the present practice.
Perturbation approach to the complex-rotation method

Non-degenerate and almost degenerate perturbation theory is applied to the problem of calculating autoionizing resonances of the helium atom using the complex-rotation method. The radii of convergence of the series are often found to be too small to allow the perturbation method to have general utility.
A jump to the bell number for hereditary graph properties

A hereditary graph property is a collection of labeled graphs, closed under isomorphism and also under the taking of induced subgraphs. Its speed is the number of graphs in the property as a function of the number of vertices in the graph. Earlier research has characterized the speeds for hereditary graph properties up to n(1+o(1))n, and described the properties that have those smaller speeds. The present work provides the minimal speed possible above that range, and gives a structural characterization for properties which exhibit such speeds.More precisely, this paper sheds light on the jump from below n(1+o(1))n to the range that includes n(1+o(1))n. A measure jumps when there are two functions with positive distance such that the measure can take no values between those functions. A clean jump occurs when the bounding functions are well-defined and occur as possible values of the measure. It has been known for some time that the density of a graph jumps; recent work on hereditary graph properties has shown that speeds jump for properties with "large" or "small" speeds.The current work shows that there is a clean jump for properties with speed in a middle range. In particular, we show that when the speed of a hereditary graph property has speed greater than ncn for all c < 1, the speed is at least Bn, the nth Bell number. Equality occurs only for the property containing all disjoint unions of cliques or its complement.
Keynote address: Expanding the audience for computer science

According to prevailing labor projections, the demand for well-trained computer scientists and software developers will continue to grow in the coming years, in spite of the dot-com collapse. For the most part, the people who fill these positions -- and particularly those that require high levels of creativity and independence of thought -- will be trained by colleges and universities. Unfortunately, many highly talented students never investigate computer science as an academic option, either because they have not been exposed to what computing has to offer or because they feel themselves outside of the traditional computer science milieu. As computer science teachers, we have a collective responsibility to ensure that this discipline remains open to the widest possible range of students. In this talk, I will describe several strategies and tactics for achieving that goal.
The Geomorphology and Evolution of Hecate Chasma, Venus

Abstract Hecate Chasma is a discontinuous trough and fracture system extending from Atla Regio through Asteria Regio. A detailed examination of Hecate Chasma using Magellan image and altimetry data reveals morphologic features such as normal faults (including graben), compressional ridges, a variety of volcanic edifices, and coronae. There is no evidence for a systematic age progression among coronae in chains, thus a single, stationary thermal anomaly underlying a moving lithosphere is an unlikely origin for the chains. A comparison of the observed features with two possible models of evolution, subduction/delamination or lithospheric extension with limited rifting, shows some similarities between the predicted morphologies of each model and Hecate Chasma. The dominance of features related to upwelling and extensional tectonism strongly favor an extensional origin for this zone. The corona chain may have been formed by upwellings related to Rayleigh–Taylor instabilities, similar to those observed at terrestrial mid-ocean ridges, but in an environment of limited spreading.
Explicit Reformulation of the Colebrook−White Equation for Turbulent Flow Friction Factor Calculation

In this paper, we present an improvement of a mathematically equivalent representation of the Colebrook−White (CW) equation to compute friction factors for turbulent flow in rough pipes. This new form is simple and very well-suited for accurately estimating the friction factor, because no iterative calculations are necessary. Specifically, the friction factor is expressed as the sum of known simple functions and an unknown correction term. This correction term satisfies an auxiliary equation that can be accurately and easily solved with predictable error bounds over the complete range of pipe roughness and Reynolds number values encountered in practice. The simplest case, with the unknown correction term set to zero, resulted in friction factor estimates with errors of <1%. A simple linear approximation of the correction term resulted in a maximum error of 3.64 × 10-4%, whereas friction factor estimates from a continued-fractions-based approximation had a maximum error of 1.04 × 10-10%. These maximum erro...
Crystal structure of anhydrous cholesterol

CHOLESTEROL, the most abundant steroid in the animal kingdom, is found mainly as a component in cell membranes and lipoproteins. The presence of the hydrophilic C(3) hydroxyl group in this otherwise hydrophobic molecule allows cholesterol to occupy a position at polar–nonpolar interfaces. Crystals of 3-hydroxy steroids and their hydrates show a tendency towards double layer structures with an end-for-end arrangement of approximately parallel molecules1. As this molecular organisation is generally similar to that in membranes, it can be expected that some of the principles of intermolecular association in membranes might be revealed in the molecular packing in the crystal structures. Another common feature in these structures is the presence of more than one molecule in the crystallographic asymmetric unit. While this is a complicating factor in structure analysis, it clearly increases the amount of information regarding preferred conformation and intermolecular association to be gained from a structure determination. Craven2 has recently reported the remarkable crystal structure of one form of cholesterol monohydrate. The arrangement of the eight crystallographically independent molecules in the triclinic cell shows unusual local pseudo-symmetry. One pair of molecules is related to another by a non-crystallographic b/2 translation, while a third pair, oriented end-for-end relative to the first, is related to the fourth by a similar a/2 translation. Non-crystallographic twofold rotation symmetry relates members of the first and the third pairs. The overall structure is a stacking of bilayers of 33.9 A total thickness. We report here that anhydrous cholesterol crystals are also triclinic, with eight independent molecules per cell. This structure offers additional insight into the packing of cholesterol molecules, and a comparison with the monohydrate structure.
Impact and post impact behavior of composite sandwich panels

Assessing the residual mechanical properties of a sandwich structure is an important part of any impact study and determines how the structure can withstand post impact loading. The damage tolerance of a composite sandwich structure composed of woven carbon/epoxy facesheets and a PVC foam core was investigated. Sandwich panels were impacted with a falling mass from increasing heights until damage was induced. Impact damage consisted of delamination and permanent indentation in the impacted facesheets. The Compression After Impact (CAI) strength of sandwich columns sectioned from these panels was then compared with the strength of an undamaged column. Although not visually apparent, the facesheet delamination damage was found to be quite detrimental to the load bearing capacity of the sandwich panel, underscoring the need for reliable damage detection techniques for composite sandwich structures.
Modulation of brain development by morphine: Effects on central motor systems and behavior ☆

Morphine administration to neonatal rats on days 1-7 after birth produced long-term changes in behavior and brain function. The pups were smaller than saline-treated littermates and showed retarded motor development. As adults, the morphine-treated rats had impaired motor coordination, altered gait, and altered patterns of activity in an open field. Several brain regions of the adult rats, including motor areas, had decreased metabolic activity as measured by the 2-deoxy-glucose technique, suggesting decreased functional activity in these areas. These results may be relevant to findings that children exposed in utero to narcotics tend to have impaired motor development.
Manufacture, characterization, and pharmacodynamic evaluation of engineered ipratropium bromide particles

Purpose. The intent of this research was to generate and characterize respirable particles of ipratropium bromide (IPB), a short-acting anticholinergic bronchodilator, to achieve demonstrable sustained-release properties. The value of a long-acting anticholinergic agent is evident in the use of tiotropium for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.Methods. Hollow, spherical particles of ipratropium bromide suitable for inhalation were generated using a spray-drying process and characterized by laser diffraction particle size analysis, scanning electron microscopy, dynamic vapor sorption, X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, and dissolution testing. Experimental design techniques were used to identify critical process parameters and optimize the spray drying process. Pharmacodynamic studies were conducted to determine duration of effect.Results. Crystalline, stable, respirable particles with a range of dissolution profiles were manufactured by ap...
Canary: ion spectroscopy for ionospheric sensing

The Canary instrument is a miniature electrostatic analyzer designed to detect positively charged ions in the energy range 0-1500 eV. The Canary concept began with the development of a Micro-Electro-Mechanical (MEMS) Flat Plasma Spectrometer (FlaPS), which, integrated with electronics onto FalconSAT-3, reduced the size and mass of an ion plasma spectrometer to about 10x10x10 cm3 and 250 g. The successor to FlaPS was the Wafer Integrated Spectrometer (WISPERS), expanding the same instrument to seven sensors all with uniquely optimized energy ranges and azimuth/elevation look angles. WISPERS is due to fly on the USAF Academy's FalconSAT-5 satellite scheduled for launch in Spring 2010. FlaPS and WISPERS created a paradigm shift in the use of such instruments in a highly capable but small, low power package. The third generation, Canary (named after the "canary in the coal mine" - an earlier technology used to provide low-cost, effective warning of danger to operators), will be flown on the International Space Station (ISS) and used to investigate the interaction of approaching spacecraft with the background plasma environment around the ISS.
Diffusion of water in cereal-bread type food fibers

A study involving water vapor diffusion in cereal-bread type dietary fibers was conducted. the experimental diffusivity data were derived from adsorption rate measurements for water vapor in wheat bran, oat fiber, corn bran, and rice fiber at 278, 288, 298 and 310 K, using a gravimetric method. the effective bulk diffusivities were determined by employing a Fickian model for isothermal diffusion, and were subsequently correlated by an Arrhenius type expression. Thermal effects on the rate measurements were evaluated through a nonisothermal analysis. the rate at which water diffused in different fibers followed the trend: rice > oat > corn > wheat. the effective diffusion coefficients of water in all fibers were in the range of 10-3-10−4 cm2/s. As expected, all fiber samples were saturated faster at higher temperatures.
On document splitting in passage detection

Passages can be hidden within a text to circumvent their disallowed transfer. Such release of compartmentalized information is of concern to all corporate and governmental organization. We explore the methodology to detect such hidden passages within a document. A document is divided into passages using various document splitting techniques, and a text classifier is used to categorize such passages. We present a novel document splitting technique called dynamic windowing, which significantly improves precision, recall and F1 measure.
The effect of compatibilization on blends of polypropylene with a liquid-crystalline polymer

Abstract Compatibilization of blends of polypropylene (PP) with a thermotropic liquid-crystalline polymer (LCP) was considered in an attempt to improve the mechanical properties obtained by blending alone. The effect of compatibilization was investigated on injection-moulded plaques and tensile bars. Significant improvements were seen in the values of tensile modulus and strength. Substantial improvements were also obtained for torsion modulus and compliance. The surface finish of the blends was very smooth and homogeneous. The morphological investigations showed that the key to property enhancements lay in improved interfacial adhesion and a less phase-separated and more uniform dispersed-phase (LCP) distribution. The properties of the compatibilized PP/Vectra B blends compared favourably with those of the glass-filled PP.
I. Photochemical nitration of methoxybenzenes from charge‐transfer complexes with tetranitromethane

The direct irradiation of the charge-transfer (CT) absorption band of the 1/1 electron donor-acceptor complexes of dimethoxybenzenes with tetranitromethane leads to aromatic nitration with a high quantum yield. The analogous methoxytoluenes under the same photochemical conditions are converted in equally high yields to products of aromatic trinitromethylation. This dichotomy with different methoxybenzenes (ArH) is discussed within the context of the common reactive intermediates derived from the CT excitation of the complex. The subsequent interactions of the geminate fragments, i.e., by radical and ion-pair annihilation represent a unifying mechanism for the CT photochemistry leading to aromatic nitration and trinitromethylation.
The thyroid status of the Yanomamö Indians of Southern Venezuela : 1992 update

Previous reports described an apparent paradox in the clinical expression of endemic iodine deficiency in Amazonian Indians, who were severely iodine deficient but had no goiter and were clinically euthyroid. To confirm and explain this unique observation, we estimated the iodine intake and evaluated the functional and structural thyroid status of an isolated population of Yanomamo Indians (n = 104) in southern Venezuela. Twenty-six children, 32 adolescents, and 46 adults were studied with serum thyroid function tests, spot urinary iodide concentration determinations, and sonographic measurement of thyroid gland volume. A subset of adolescents and adults (n = 35) had 24-h fractional thyroidal 131I uptake determinations. No individual with goiter, clinical hypothyroidism, or cretinism was observed. Children had higher mean serum T4 (114.5 vs. 102.9 nmol/L; P < 0.02) and serum T3 (2.96 vs. 2.46 nmol/L; P < 0.02) concentrations than adults, with 2% and 50%, respectively, of children having levels more than 2...
Some observations of the relationship between the visual perceptual skills development of young hyperopes and age of first lens correction

A recently published report suggested that young hyperopes are more likely to manifest substandard visual perceptual skills than are young emmetropes and myopes. This study addresses some of the clinical implications of that proposition by comparing the visual perceptual skills of 48 six-to-twelve-year-old hyperopes (> 2.25D), some of whom (N = 18) obtained their first glasses before their fourth birthday, the others (N = 30) after that time. Data are presented that (a) corroborate the above cited report there is a high prevalence of visual perceptual skills deficits among young hyperopes;(b) support the notion that early application of lenses for hyperopia is likely to contribute to the ultimate development of adequate visual perceptual skills: the hyperopic children in this study who started to wear glasses before age four manifested far fewer visual perceptual skills delays than did those who began to wear glasses after their fourth birthday.
Control of Linear Motors for Machine Tool Feed Drives: Design and Implementation of H∞ Optimal Feedback Control

Direct drive linear motors have good potential for use as next generation machine tool feed drives since they can increase machining rates and improve servo accuracy by eliminating gear related mechanical problems. To exploit the high speed and high response direct drives for machining, the servo control must achieve as high as possible tracking performance while at the same time establishing as much as possible the dynamic stiffness in order to maintain machining stability and reduce the effect of machining disturbance forces on the tool position. This paper investigates the use of optimal H∞ control to design for large stiffness and closed-loop tracking performance. Position feedback alone is first considered, with cutting force feedback later added to augment closed loop stiffness. Optimal position feedback is experimentally seen to achieve up to a 46 percent stiffness improvement over that achievable with proportional-derivative control. The addition of force feedback to the servo-loop resulted in a further 70 to 100 percent stiffness improvement over the position feedback alone values.
Evidence for a gene extinguishing cell-surface expression of the Thy-1 antigen

Hybrids between the Thy-1− murine myeloma S194 and the Thy-l+ lymphoma BW5147 (Thy-l+) express neither the Thy-1.1 nor the Thy-1.2 antigen on their cell-surface. Subclones isolated from Thy-1− clones express both Thy-1.1 and Thy-1.2 antigens in amounts similar to those present on wild-type Thy-1+ lymphomas, demonstrating that the Thy-1− hybrids retain all the genes necessary for Thy-1 expression. The results are consistent with the idea that myeloma cells have a functional gene which acts to extinguish cell-surface Thy-1 expression in hybrids. The exact mechanism by which the gene acts to produce the Thy-1− phenotype remains to be determined.
A small-deformation strain-gradient theory for isotropic viscoplastic materials

This study develops a thermodynamically-consistent small-deformation theory of strain-gradient viscoplasticity for isotropic materials based on: (i) a scalar and a vector microstress consistent with a microforce balance; (ii) a mechanical version of the two laws of thermodynamics for isothermal conditions, that includes via the microstresses the work performed during viscoplastic flow; and (iii) a constitutive theory that allows: • the free energy to depend on ∇γ p , the gradient of equivalent plastic strain γ p , and this leads to the vector microstress having an energetic component; • strain-hardening dependent on the equivalent plastic strain γ p , and a scalar measure π p related to the accumulation of geometrically necessary dislocations; and • a dissipative part of the vector microstress to depend on , the gradient of the equivalent plastic strain rate. The microscopic force balance, when augmented by constitutive relations for the microscopic stresses, results in a non-local flow rule in the form o...
Accuracy of blood cytological screening techniques for the diagnosis of a possible hematopoietic neoplasm in the bivalve mollusc, Mya arenaria

Abstract The two in vivo bleeding techniques currently in use in our laboratory to diagnose a hematopoietic neoplasm in Mya arenaria are: (1) phase-contrast microscopy with fresh unstained hemocytes, and (2) bright-field microscopy with Giemsa-stained hemocytes. All in vivo diagnoses were checked by histopathological studies on tissues of the same mollusc. For both methods the correct diagnosis (true + or true −) was made in 94 out of 100 clams examined. A gradation of tissue involvement was observed in the diseased clams and the accuracy of the in vivo diagnosis is related to the disease severity. There is a positive correlation between the degree of tissue involvement and the number of circulating neoplastic cells. For this reason the more extensive the neoplasm the better is the ability to diagnose the neoplasm by the in vivo bleeding techniques. Depending on the percentage of neoplastic cells present in the hemolymph, the neoplasm was graded from level 1 to 5, with 5 being the most severe. In general, at level 1, the accuracy of a single in vivo diagnosis varied from 66 to 71% and at level 2, the accuracy of diagnosis varied from 76 to 93%, while at all other levels the accuracy was 100%. The percentage of diseased clams detected by the in vivo bleeding technique was 89–91% and the percentage of nondiseased clams detected was 95%. These values can be further improved by combining the two tests and/or through multiple bleedings. Between the two types of in vivo tests, the Giemsa-stained hemocytes provided better precision of diagnosis than the fresh unstained cells, although the differences were slight.
Acidity constants and its dependence on solvent selection from first-principles calculations using cluster-continuum models

Abstract Dissociation constants of selected carboxylic acids in aqueous and organic solvents were calculated at quantum chemical level. We considered cases in which trace quantities of water may be present, as well as cases in which water was entirely absent. In the latter cases, alternative proton acceptors need to be considered. For aqueous solvent, short-range solvation effects are considered by adding explicit water molecules as the first solvent shell. In the absence of water, corresponding organic solvents are used directly as the proton acceptors and the resulted pKa are quite comparable to those obtained from previous case of aqueous solvent.