cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Inheriting a structural scaffold for Golgi biosynthesis.

In animal cells, the Golgi complex undergoes reversible disassembly during mitosis. The disassembly/reassembly process has been intensively studied in order to understand the mechanisms that govern organelle assembly and inheritance during cell division. A long-standing controversy in the field has been whether formation of Golgi structure is template-mediated or self-organizes from components of the endoplasmic reticulum. A recent study1 however, has demonstrated that a subset of proteins that form a putative Golgi matrix can be inherited during cell division in the absence of membrane input from the endoplasmic reticulum. The outcome of this study suggests that a templating mechanism for the formation of Golgi structure may exist. This study has important implications for understanding mechanisms that govern Golgi biogenesis. BioEssays 24:584–587, 2002. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Voxel-Based Morphometry: An Automated Technique for Assessing Structural Changes in the Brain

The identification of structural changes in the brain on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans is increasingly important in the study of neurological and psychiatric diseases. MRI can be used to identify and exclude treatable causes of cognitive impairment and it has also become important in the
Model for incorporating social context in health behavior interventions: applications for cancer prevention for working-class, multiethnic populations.

Abstract Background This article proposes a conceptual framework for addressing social contextual factors in cancer prevention interventions, and describes work that operationalizes this model in interventions for working class, multiethnic populations. Methods The Harvard Cancer Prevention Program Project includes three studies: (1) an intervention study in 25 small businesses; (2) an intervention study in 10 health centers; and (3) a computer simulation modeling project that translates risk factor modifications into gains in life expectancy and number of cancers averted. The conceptual framework guiding this work articulates pathways by which social context may influence health behaviors, and is used to frame the interventions and guide evaluation design. Results Social contextual factors cut across multiple levels of influence, and include individual factors (e.g., material circumstances, psychosocial factors), interpersonal factors (e.g., social ties, roles/responsibilities, social norms), organizational factors (e.g., work organization, access to health care), and neighborhood/community factors (e.g., safety, access to grocery stores). Social context is shaped by sociodemographic characteristics (e.g., social class, race/ethnicity, gender, age, language) that impact day-to-day realities. Conclusions By illuminating the pathways by which social contextual factors influence health behaviors, it will be possible to enhance the effectiveness of interventions aimed at reducing social inequalities in risk behaviors.
Sowing the seeds: how adult incarceration promotes juvenile delinquency

Informed by recent research on the collateral consequences of the wars on crime and drugs, we hypothesize that high levels of adult incarceration are associated with high levels of juvenile delinquency. We test this hypothesis using panel data for North Carolina counties covering the years 1995 to 2009. A series of comprehensive regression models indicates a significant positive accelerating relationship between adult imprisonment and juvenile arrest rates (holding constant the prevalence of adult arrests and other factors). The results suggest that adult imprisonment rates are only linked to juvenile delinquency in the context of what has been called “mass imprisonment” or “hyper-incarceration.”
Regression-Type Estimation of the Parameters of Stable Laws

Abstract A regression-type method of estimating the four parameters of a stable distribution is presented. The estimators found are consistent and approximately unbiased for moderately large sample sizes. Their efficiencies, found through a simulation study, are greater than those of most other estimators for large portions of the parameter space. Moreover, the amount of computation involved is minimal and apparently less than that needed by the methods of Paulson, Holcomb, and Leitch (1975) and of maximum likelihood (DuMouchel 1971). Finally, this method is applied to stock price data from four corporations.
“My Second Son”: The Collaboration of Sergei Prokofiev and Sergei Diaghilev

Abstract Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) and Sergei Diaghilev collaborated on three ballets (Chout, Pas d’Acier, Prodigal Son) for the Ballets Russes, and maintained a crucial personal and artistic relationship for fifteen years during a formative period in Prokofiev’s artistic life. This article traces their collaboration on the three ballets, and the production history of each.
Phosphite, an Analog of Phosphate, Suppresses the Coordinated Expression of Genes under Phosphate Starvation

Phosphate (Pi) and its analog phosphite (Phi) are acquired by plants via Pi transporters. Although the uptake and mobility of Phi and Pi are similar, there is no evidence suggesting that plants can utilize Phi as a sole source of phosphorus. Phi is also known to interfere with many of the Pi starvation responses in plants and yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). In this study, effects of Phi on plant growth and coordinated expression of genes induced by Pi starvation were analyzed. Phi suppressed many of the Pi starvation responses that are commonly observed in plants. Enhanced root growth and root to shoot ratio, a hallmark of Pi stress response, was strongly inhibited by Phi. The negative effects of Phi were not obvious in plants supplemented with Pi. The expression of Pi starvation-induced genes such as LePT1, LePT2, AtPT1, and AtPT2 (high-affinity Pi transporters); LePS2 (a novel acid phosphatase); LePS3 and TPSI1 (novel genes); and PAP1 (purple acid phosphatase) was suppressed by Phi in plants and cell cultures. Expression of luciferase reporter gene driven by the Pi starvation-induced AtPT2 promoter was also suppressed by Phi. These analyses showed that suppression of Pi starvation-induced genes is an early response to addition of Phi. These data also provide evidence that Phi interferes with gene expression at the level of transcription. Synchronized suppression of multiple Pi starvation-induced genes by Phi points to its action on the early molecular events, probably signal transduction, in Pi starvation response.
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Anger, and Partner Abuse Among Vietnam Combat Veterans

The authors examined interrelationships among posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology, anger, and partner abuse perpetration among a sample of 60 combat veterans. Compared with PTSD-negative participants, PTSD-positive participants reported higher state anger across time and neutral and trauma prime conditions and higher anger reactivity during the trauma prime condition. PTSD-positive participants also exhibited more anger reactivity during the trauma prime than during the neutral condition. The same pattern of results was not found for anxiety reactivity during trauma memory activation. PTSD symptoms were associated with physical assault and psychological aggression perpetration, and trait anger mediated these relationships. Findings indicate a heightened anger response among PTSD-positive veterans and suggest the salience of dispositional components of anger in abuse perpetration in this population.
Helium isotope diffusion in natural diamonds

Abstract Stepped heating experiments in the range of 1200–1700°C were performed on terrestrial diamonds, some containing substantial cosmic ray-produced 3He, in order to study the diffusion coefficients and release characteristics of 3He and 4He. Cosmogenic 3He is shown to be much more retentive than 4He in the same sample, with as little as 0.3% of the total 3He, and up to 27.4% of the 4He released by 1700°C from diamonds in which cosmogenic 3He predominates (bulk 3 He 4 He = 176 R A ) . A tentative determination, from the data, of the site activation energy for cosmogenic 3He gives ~ 150 kJ/mol. The diffusion equation, with D0 = 6.1 × 10−11cm2/s, yields an extrapolated diffusivity at 1200°C of 1.9 × 10−16cm2/s. Other helium components are difficult to distinguish from each other by their apparent diffusion coefficients. In diamonds expected to have relatively low proportions of cosmogenic 3He, apparent D( 3 He) ≈ D( 4 He) , with measured and inferred diffusivities at 1200°C of 10−13 to 10−10 cm2/s. The higher apparent diffusivities of these components indicate a difference in distribution and siting relative to the homogeneous cosmogenic component. Diffusion coefficients from repeat isothermal extractions are successively lower, possibly indicating that near-surface or dislocation sites are depleted at lower temperatures. We predict that surface-correlated helium, such as that implanted from external radioactive decays, should be easily distinguishable by studies comparing grain size separates. Helium sited in isolated inclusions may be expected to have lower effective D than cosmogenic 3He, since removal from the inclusions is the ratelimiting step in low solubility systems (Trull and KURZ, 1993). However, this was not observed in our study. Bulk retention of trapped mantle helium over the age of most diamonds (> 1 Ga) would require effective diffusion coefficients at least several orders of magnitude lower than that inferred for the cosmogenic helium component at 1200°C, typical of mantle temperatures.
Ion Release Kinetics and Particle Persistence in Aqueous Nano-Silver Colloids

Many important aspects of nanosilver behavior are influenced by the ionic activity associated with the particle suspension, including antibacterial potency, eukaryotic toxicity, environmental release, and particle persistence. The present study synthesizes pure, ion-free, citrate-stabilized nanosilver (nAg) colloids as model systems, and measures their time-dependent release of dissolved silver using centrifugal ultrafiltration and atomic absorption spectroscopy. Ion release is shown to be a cooperative oxidation process requiring both dissolved dioxygen and protons. It produces peroxide intermediates, and proceeds to complete reactive dissolution under some conditions. Ion release rates increase with temperature in the range 0−37 °C, and decrease with increasing pH or addition of humic or fulvic acids. Sea salts have only a minor effect on dissolved silver release. Silver nanoparticle surfaces can adsorb Ag+, so even simple colloids contain three forms of silver: Ag0 solids, free Ag+ or its complexes, an...
Testing Equality of Binomial Parameters Based on Inverse Sampling

Several dichotomous (pass/fail) populations are sampled until the first failure is observed in each population. A likelihood ratio test for the hypothesis of identical populations is presented. Results also apply to repeated sampling from a single population.
Unlikely partners in weight loss

The classic role of bile acids is as a key component of cholesterol homeostasis. New evidence recently published in Nature (Watanabe et al., 2006), however, describes a bile acid signaling pathway that controls energy expenditure through induction of thyroid hormone signaling pathways. This work may point to new approaches to tissue-specific metabolic regulation.
Pulmonary emboli following therapeutic embolization of cerebral arteriovenous malformations in children.

Background. Reports of the complicating side effect of pulmonary embolism (PE) following endovascular therapy of cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVM) in children have been limited in number. Details of its occurrence are yet to be fully elucidated.¶Objective. The hypothesis is that inadvertent pulmonary migration of embolic material is common and may go unrecognized.¶Materials and methods. Forty-seven patients (ages 1 day to 16 years and 11 months) underwent embolization of a cerebral AVM with at least one material (cyanoacrylate, platinum coils, detachable balloons, polyvinyl alcohol particles). The medical records and chest radiographs were reviewed retrospectively. Chest radiographs were available in 34 patients. The radiographs were analyzed for the presence or absence of foreign material in the lungs.¶Results. The chest radiographs in 12 patients (35 %) showed pulmonary deposits of embolic material; cyanoacrylate in 10 patients and platinum coils in 2. Two of the patients with cyanoacrylate deposits in the lungs developed respiratory distress that required endotracheal intubation. The patients gradually improved after a time period of 7–10 days with conservative treatment.¶Conclusion. PE is not an uncommon complication in children undergoing embolization of brain AVM. Although usually asymptomatic, PE may cause severe symptoms.
On the form of the partition function for the helix–coil transition of random copolymers

The purpose of this paper is to examine and contrast several formulations of the partition function for the helix–coil transition of random-sequence nucleic acids. In the exact approach, the sequence of bases in a given molecule is fixed, but this leads to expressions which are difficult to evaluate. Another approach is to make a summation over all possible sequences, each weighted by the probability of its occurrence, thereby in effect allowing all sequences to a given molecule. The error in this approach is that it does not guarantee that the average base sequence is random. This difficulty can, in principle, be overcome by applying successively increasing constraints on the system to ensure that all moments of the distribution are equal to the random-sequence values. It is shown for the particular case of short molecules which melt only from the ends that the convergence of this method to the true solution is poor. The major conclusion is that composition fluctuations which cover a sizeable region of the molecule must be included in an accurate description of the melting transition.
Prison Wardens' Job Satisfaction

Using a national sample, the authors explore the level and determinants of prison wardens' job satisfaction. The data revealed that, both absolutely and compared with other occupational groups, war...
Grace: Recognition of Proximity-Based Intentional Groups Using Collaborative Mobile Devices

People in social environments often appear in groups to have face-to-face interactions, automatically recognizing these groups will facilitate many applications while being unobtrusive. In this work, we focus on recognizing multiple concurrent intentional groups of people in proximity using a real-time distributed approach running on commodity mobile devices. Specifically, we study Bluetooth signal strength probability distribution for proximity estimation and model the group probability distribution under Bluetooth signal strength. Further, we develop a real-time distributed group determination algorithm. We implement a prototype system on iOS platforms which includes both the group recognition service and a mobile social application using the service. Both our simulation and prototype results show that the proposed approach can recognize proximity-based intentional groups with high accuracy.
Avifauna associated with ephemeral ponds on the Cumberland Plateau, Tennessee

ABSTRACT Although ephemeral ponds act as small hotspots of plant, invertebrate, and salamander diversity, the importance of such ponds for birds has been little studied. We hypothesized that ephemeral ponds on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee would support a greater abundance, richness, and diversity of birds than the surrounding hardwood forests. In 2004, we recorded all birds seen or heard in 10 min within 50-m radius circles at 25 ephemeral ponds. We repeated the counts at control sites located 150 m from each pond in the surrounding forest. To quantify potential food availability, we captured aerial invertebrates using sweep nets at four points around a subsample of eight ephemeral ponds and at an equal number of control sites. We found significantly greater bird abundance, richness, and species diversity at ephemeral ponds than at control sites, and that pond area was not associated with either bird abundance or richness. Bird community composition at pond and control sites was similar. Aerial invertebrates were significantly more abundant at ephemeral ponds than at adjacent forest sites, providing one possible explanation for greater bird abundance at ephemeral ponds.
Fire and Ice: New Evidence for the Production and Preservation of Late Archaic Fiber-Tempered Pottery in the Middle-Latitude Lowlands

Fiber-tempered potsherds recovered from three sites of the Nebo Hill phase in western Missouri and eastern Kansas date to between 4550 and 3550 radiocarbon years (2600–1600 B.C.) and represent the earliest dated vessels in the midwest. The occurence of fiber-tempered pottery at this time period and this far north and west of the traditionally-defined southeastern hearth for such wares requires a major reappraisal of the assumed distribution and antiquity of Late Archaic ceramics in eastern North America. This report describes the ceramic sherds from the Nebo Hill type site in terms of their method of manufacture and probable use, and identifies factors influencing their survival and preservation in the middle-latitude lowlands. It is proposed that the temperate latitude distribution pattern of shallowly-buried, fiber-tempered potsherds is shaped primarily by the variables of time, ambient moisture and temperature, and ware porosity, and is not necessarily isomorphic with the prehistoric distribution of fiber-tempered vessels.
The weak pigeonhole principle for function classes in S12

It is well known that S12 cannot prove the injective weak pigeonhole principle for polynomial time functions unless RSA is insecure. In this note we investigate the provability of the surjective (dual) weak pigeonhole principle in S12 for provably weaker function classes. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Consumption of Foods from Vending Machines at the University of Delaware

(1981). Consumption of Foods from Vending Machines at the University of Delaware. Journal of American College Health Association: Vol. 30, No. 3, pp. 149-150.
Effects of halothane and isoflurane in the upper airway of dogs during development.

Abstract It has been previously found that volatile anesthetics significantly affect the activity of laryngeal receptors. In this study we have investigated the respiratory effects of these volatile anesthetics delivered into the upper airway of newborn and adult dogs. Experiments were performed on 17 5–14-day-old, 3 26–28-day-old and 3 adult dogs, anesthetized and breathing spontaneously theough a tracheostomy. In the youngest age group, halothane decreased ventilation ( Ve ) to37.6±6.8% of control(mean±SE; P Ve , but residual significant decreases in peak flows and Pes were still present and disappeared only after topical anesthetization of the nasal cavities. Isoflurane had similar but weaker effects on′∼E(74.2+2.8%of control; P
Note on a problem by Lance and a problem by Bellman

Abstract In this paper, the method of particular solutions developed in Ref. [1] for linear systems and Ref. [2] for nonlinear systems is employed to solve two difficult two-point boundary-value problems. One is the nonlinear problem of Lance and Rogers and the other is the linear problem of Bellman and Kalaba. In both cases, the method of particular solutions yields the solution without any difficulty.
The free radical chemistry of acyl tellurides: Mechanistic studies and synthetic applications

Abstract Photolysis of acyl aryl tellurides in the presence of thiophenol results in the clean formation of aldehydes indicating homolytic cleavage of the acyl-Te bond and the involvement of acyl radicals. Further cyclization reactions of unsaturated acyltellurides are reported together with some chemistry of the cyclization products.
Attractants from Bartlett pear for codling moth, Cydia pomonella (L.), larvae.

The alkyl ethyl and methyl esters of (2E,4Z)-2,4-decadienoic acid found in head-space samples of ripe Bartlett pear (Pyrus communis L.) stimulated a response from neonate larvae of the codling moth (CM), Cydia pomonella (L.), in both static-air Petri-plate and in upwind Y-tube and straight-tube olfactometer bioassays. In comparison with the known CM neonate attractant, (E,E)-α-farnesene, ethyl (2E,4Z)-2,4-decadienoate was attractive at 10-fold and 1,000-fold lower threshold dosages in the Petri-plate and in the Y-tube bioassays, respectively. Methyl (2E,4Z)-2,4-decadienoate was attractive to CM neonates in these bioassays at much higher doses than ethyl (2E,4Z)-2,4-decadienoate. Other principal head-space volatiles from ripe pear fruit and pear leaves, including butyl acetate, hexyl acetate, (Z)-3-hexenyl acetate, and (E)-β-ocimene, were not attractive to CM neonates. The potential uses of these pear kairomones for monitoring and control of CM in walnuts and apple are discussed.
Design, synthesis, and characterization of fluorine-free PAGs for 193-nm lithography

Photoacid generators (PAGs) are a key component in chemically amplified resists used in photolithography. Perfluorooctanesulfonates (PFOS) and other perfluoroalkylsulfonates (PFAS) have been well adopted as PAGs in 193 nm photoresist. Recently, concerns have been raised about their environmental impact due to their chemical persistency, bioaccumulation and toxicity. It is a general interest to find environmentally benign PAGs that are free of fluorine atoms. Here we describe the design, synthesis and characterization of a series of novel fluorine-free onium salts as PAGs for 193 nm photoresists. These PAGs demonstrated desirable physical and lithography properties when compared with PFAS-based PAGs for both dry and immersion exposures.
Differences in the distribution of urea and creatinine between red cells and plasma in normal and azotemic blood as assessed by autoanalyzer and manual chemical methods

It has been proposed that urea and creatinine may bind to red cell constituents. In the present studies, whole blood and plasma concentrations of urea and creatinine were compared using autoanalyzer techniques (that require solutes to pass through a dialysis membrane) and manual techniques (with no dialysis membrane). Blood samples from 11 normal and 10 azotemic subjects were studied. Concentration differences between plasma water and red cell water for these solutes were significant in normals with standard manual but not with autoanalyzer methods. Accordingly, red cell water concentrations in normals were greater with manual methods than with autoanalyzer methods. In azotemics, differences between red cell and plasma water concentrations and differences in red cell water concentrations between methods were proportionately less. The findings suggest that accumulation of these solutes in the red cell in azotemia is predominantly in the freely diffusable form. Any chemical interference of red cell proteins and/or solute binding to red cell constituents yields significant discrepancies between manual and autoanalyzer methods only at lower BUN and creatinine concentrations.
Polynomial recognition of equal unions in hypergraphs with few vertices of large degree

A family of nonempty sets has the equal union property if there exist two nonempty disjoint subfamilies having equal unions. If every point belongs to the unions, then we say the family has the full equal union property. Recognition of both properties is NP-complete even when restricted to families for which the degree of every point is at most three. In this paper we show that both recognition problems can be solved in polynomial time for families in which there is a bound on the number of points whose degree exceeds two.
Superconducting phonon structure in ultra-thin proximity-effect tunnel junctions

We report measurements of the phonon structure of superconducting Pb observed through ultra-thin layers (10-100 \AA{}) of Cu for electrodes deposited onto liquid-helium-cooled substrates and annealed to 77 K, which show that the tunneling density of states is substantially changed even for the smallest practical normal-layer thicknesses. Comparison is made with theory and the implications for using proximity structures for the study of the phonon spectrum of those high-${T}_{c}$ superconductors which do not form a native oxide suitable for high-quality tunneling studies are pointed out.
Murine bone marrow derived stromal progenitor cells fail to prevent or treat acute graft‐versus‐host disease

Human and murine stromal progenitor cells (SPCs) can suppress alloresponse in vitro, suggesting that SPCs may have clinical application toward prevention or treatment of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). However, th eresults of in vivo studies have been conflicting. This study utilized an established murine model of acute GVHD to assess the ability of bone marrow derived murine SPCs (mSPCs) to prevent or treat GVHD. GVHD was established by transplantation of B6 bone marrow and spleen cells into lethally irradiated (900 cGy) B6 x BALB/c F(1) recipients. mSPCs were administered using various dose and timing protocols designed to either prevent or treat GVHD. After transplantation, mice were monitored daily for weight and survival. Differences in symptom severity were compared using a clinical GVHD scoring system. All GVHD control mice died of lethal GVHD. All groups treated with mSPCs for the prevention of GVHD went on to develop clinical GVHD with no alteration of the disease course or severity compared to controls. Administration of mSPC after the development of GVHD failed to improve the disease course. We conclude that in this model, the ability of SPCs to suppress alloresponse in vitro does not correlate with in vivo prevention or treatment of acute GVHD.
Simple quantum mechanics and complicated ultrasonic attenuation

The ultrasonic attenuation of Al2O3 along the a axis at low temperatures is explained by taking into account the finite lifetimes of the thermal phonons. The longitudinal attenuation proceeds via unallowed transitions. The slow transverse is normal attenuation. The fast transverse is a mixed case.
Carbon Monoxide Adsorption on Selected Gold Clusters: Highly Size-Dependent Activity and Saturation Compositions

The carbon monoxide (CO) adsorption activity of small gold-cluster anions (AuN-, N = 4−19) has been measured by pulsed helium flow-reactor methods at room temperature. In contrast to other metals, the reaction-product distributions, AuN(CO)M = (N,M), measured over a range of CO partial pressure, reveal highly size-dependent adsorption activity and saturation. Preferred initial products include the (N,M) set {(5,1), (11,1), (15,1), (15,2)}, which can be explained by the gold electron (sub)shell fillings at 8, 14, 18, and 20 electrons, respectively, assuming CO acts as a two-electron donor. Pronounced saturation compositions include the complexes {(7,4), (9,6), (11,6), (13,6)}. The pressure-dependent adsorption patterns give insight into (CO,O2) coadsorption phenomena on model-catalyst systems, and may be exploited in further gas-phase experiments on coadsorption and catalytic cycles.
Defining the Role of Excess Electrons in the Surface Chemistry of TiO2

Understanding and quantifying the principles governing surface-to-adsorbate charge transfer is of utmost importance because excess electrons in n-type oxides alter significantly surface binding and reactivity. We performed a systematic study using density functional theory (DFT) of the role of excess electrons in rutile TiO2, which can result from point defects such as oxygen vacancies, bridging row hydroxyls, and interstitial Ti species. These defects create excess electrons within the Ti sublattice which can perform redox chemistry on adsorbates. We show the similarity of these defects in their ability to donate electrons to surface adsorbates, indicating that experimentally distinguishing the nature of the defects may be difficult. We examined the adsorption and reactivity of O2 in detail and also present a generalization of these findings for a variety of species. A characterization of the redox properties of the surface/adsorbate complex indicates that when the electronegativity of the adsorbate is g...
Recirculating-Loop Study of Dispersion-Managed 2R Regeneration

We develop an ultra-short recirculating loop that emulates a modified Mamyshev's regenerator comprised of multiple "nonlinear fiber + dispersion compensation" sections (1 loop = 1 section), and experimentally demonstrate eye-opening improvement by this regenerator.
Systems Methodology and Framework for problem definition in Mobile ad hoc networks

Mobile ad hoc networks are communication networks built up of a collection of mobile devices which can communicate through wireless connections. Mobile ad hoc networks have many challenges such as routing, which is the task of directing data packets from a source node to a given destination. This task is particularly hard in mobile ad hoc networks: due to the mobility of the network elements and the lack of central control, robustness and adaptability in routing algorithms and work in a decentralized and self organizing way. Through the principles of systems architecting and engineering, the problem statement in mobile ad hoc networks could be defined more specifically and accurately. The uncertainties and techniques for mitigating and even taking positive advantages of them can be achieved through a framework of uncertainties as in [1]. The systems methodology framework called total systems intervention (TSI) described by Flood and Jackson [2] select a systems methodology for mobile ad hoc networks. The purpose of this paper is to show how TSI when integrated with a framework created to understand the risks and opportunities can help develop strategies to minimize the risks and to take advantage of the opportunities for facing challenges in mobile ad hoc networks.
Effect of water vapor on the transport properties of oxygen through polyamide packaging materials

The barrier characteristics of polymeric packaging materials are measured by the intensity of the molecular exchange between the packaged product and its external environment. The exchange of penetrant molecules through polymeric materials is determined by the capacity of a polymer matrix to sorb the penetrant molecules, and the ability of the penetrant to diffuse through the polymeric material according to Fick's laws. However, the presence of other small relative molecular mass compounds present in the polymer matrix may change the way in which the permeant is sorbed and diffused. The case is such when water molecules are present in hydrophilic polymers affecting barrier characteristics of those polymers to penetrants such as oxygen or organic compounds. The oxygen barrier properties of hydrophilic polyamides change as a function of the amount of water in the polymer matrix. In addition, polymer morphology plays an important role in controlling the mode in which water molecules affect the transport of the penetrant. The change in oxygen barrier properties is then a function of the polymer water activity and morphology. A dual mode sorption model based on the Flory-Huggins and Langmuir equations is applied to the sorption of water by an amorphous and a semicrystalline polyamide, at three temperatures. The model provides the basis for the interpretation of the effect of water on the permeability, solubility and diffusion of oxygen within the polyamides. Different interaction mechanisms of water and oxygen within the polymers, to include self-association of water molecules and oxygen-water molecular competition, are discussed at different water activity values for both polyamides.
The thermodynamics of corrosion in molten carbonates: Application of E/pCO2 diagrams

Abstract The corrosion of metals in fused carbonates is discussed in terms of a diagrammatic presentation of the thermodynamic data. The treatment closely resembles that of Pourbaix and Littlewood; diagrams are plotted of E vs pCO2, where E is the redox potential of the system, and pCO2  log10(CO2). Each diagram is divided into three regions which mark the limits of stability at unit activity of the pure metal, metal oxide and liquid metal carbonate. In the oxide region the metal may become passivated, but this depends on structural factors and requires experimental confirmation. The electrochemical series in molten carbonates is presented, and the significance of pCO2 in relation to acid—base behaviour is discussed.
Computer aided characterization of the solitary pulmonary nodule using volumetric and contrast enhancement features.

Rationale and Objectives To investigate the utility of a computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) in the task of differentiating malignant nodules from benign nodules based on quantitative features extracted from volumetric thin section CT image data acquired before and after the injection of contrast media. Materials and Methods 35 volumetric CT datasets of solitary pulmonary nodules (SPN) with proven diagnoses (19 malignant/16 benign) were contoured by a thoracic radiologist. All studies had at least a baseline series obtained without contrast media and at least one series following an intravenous contrast injection at 45, 90, 180, and 360 seconds. Two separate contours were created for each nodule: one including only the solid portion and another including the ground-glass component, if any, of the nodule. For each contour 31 features were calculated that measured the attenuation, shape, and enhancement of the nodule due to the injection of contrast. These features were input into a feature selection step and three different classifiers to determine if the diagnosis could be predicted from the resulting feature vector. In addition, observer input was introduced to two of the classifiers as an a priori probability of malignancy and the resulting performance was compared. Training and testing was conducted in a resubstitution and leave-one-out fashion and performance was evaluated using ROC analysis. Results In a leave-one-out testing methodology, the classifiers achieved areas under the ROC curves (A Z ) that ranged from 0.69 to 0.92. A classifier based on logistic regression performed the best with an A Z of 0.92 while a classifier based on quadratic discriminant analysis performed the poorest (A Z , 0.69). The A Z increased when using a priori observer input in most cases reaching a maximum of 0.95. Conclusion Based on this initial work with a limited number of nodules in our dataset, it appears that CAD using volumetric and contrast-enhanced data has the potential to assist radiologists in the task of differentiating solitary pulmonary nodules and in the management of these patients. Further studies with an increased number of patients are required to validate these results.
Possible effects of forced report order on tachistoscopic recognition of bilaterally presented stimuli: a response to Young and Ellis.

Abstract Comparing visual field asymmetries for bilaterally presented words and corresponding line drawings, we found an RVF advantage for words and no visual field asymmetry for line drawings. We suggested that the RVF advantage previously obtained by Young, Bion, and Ellis ( Brain and Language , 11, 54–65, 1980) for bilaterally presented line drawings may have resulted from a forced order of report procedure, noting that the RVF advantage was greater on trials on which subjects were forced to report in the nonpreferred right-to-left order. Young and Ellis ( Brain and Language , 20, 166–171, 1983) attempt to discredit this claim and maintain their hypothesis that the RVF advantage for line drawings is attributable to better temporary storage of these stimuli by the left than the right hemisphere. In the present article, we present in greater detail our arguments for the effects of forced order of report on the perception of bilaterally presented stimuli and refute Young and Ellis's ibid. criticisms of this proposal.
Maturation of the mouse oocyte in vitro. I. Sequence and timing of nuclear progression

Liberation of mouse follicular oocytes into a chemically defined Krebs-Ringer salt solution with pyruvate is followed by resumption of meiosis and completion of the first maturation division. Examination of fixed whole mount preparations by light microscopy reveals that 90–95% of the germinal vesicles breakdown and proceed at least as far as metaphase I where about 5% arrest; the remainder go on to metaphase II. Three stages of chromatin condensation from the dictyate (germinal vesicle) stage are seen, first with filament shortening forming a chromatin lattice-work followed by condensation about the nuclear and nucleolar periphery and finally the appearance of discrete bivalents. Just prior to appearance of the spindle, the bivalents are circularly arranged and reach their maximum shortness. Spindle formation is followed by prometaphase I, metaphase I, anaphase I, telophase I with first polar body formation, the chromatin mass stage in which the chromatin assumes a half-moon shape, prometaphase II and finally metaphase II, the stage at which oocytes arrest both in vitro and in vivo. Examination at one-two hour intervals reveals first meiotic spindle formation beginning after three hours of culture and metaphase I first appearing at 4 and one-half hours. After nine hours of culture the majority of the oocytes are in metaphase I and anaphase I first appears at this time. There appears to be a six hour asynchrony in this division, some germinal vesicles requiring six hours to breakdown and the metaphase II stage accumulating between 11 and 17 hours of culture.
Effect of oxygen treatment and dressing oxygen permeability on wound healing

Although it has been shown that both the level of tissue oxygen and its gradient are critical factors in the healing process, optimal conditions for oxygen therapy have not been determined. In this study, both the oxygen level and oxygen gradient for a full-thickness defect were modified on the basis of preceding in vitro studies to determine the effect on the healing process. The goal of this study was to help determine the optimal clinical oxygen treatment protocol. Specifically, the healing of full-thickness defects in a rabbit model as determined by histomorphometric analyses (cell and tissue volume fraction, epithelialization, and contraction) under two types of dressings with or without oxygen treatment (70% O(2)) was investigated. One of the dressings was more oxygen permeable than the other. No significant differences were found in the histomorphometric response between the wounds covered with the oxygen-permeable and oxygen-impermeable dressings in the group without supplemental oxygen. Oxygen treatment, however, seemed to enhance the healing response significantly. According to the histomorphometric response, the wounds covered with the oxygen-impermeable dressings were significantly better than those with the oxygen-permeable dressing in the oxygen-treated group after 1 week, but the wounds covered by the oxygen-permeable dressings were better healed at 3 weeks. Therefore, oxygen-impermeable dressings may be useful only in the early stages of healing, before granulation tissue formation.
A Market Based Scheme to Integrate Distributed Wind Energy

Efficiently integrating wind energy into the smart grid is gaining momentum under renewable portfolio standard (RPS) with deep wind penetration. Due to the randomness of wind energy production, ancillary service (AS) is needed in large amount to regulate wind power for system stability and reliability. As a result, the cost of wind power depends on the AS market and may be, quite higher than that of conventional power. Therefore, it is challenging to economically integrate wind energy with current power system to satisfy RPS. With the communication, sensing and advanced control features incorporated into the smart grid, the interactions among the grid components will facilitate solving this problem. In this paper, we consider the wind energy integration of small-scale utilities installed with wind turbines and acted as distributed energy resources (DERs). Since wind energy can be integrated to serve customer load or enter a separate green energy market, we propose a theoretical framework to dynamically determine the role of wind energy and provide long-term RPS guarantee. This approach results in a simple dynamic threshold control policy which maximizes the expectation of the profit for a green utility and is easily implemented online.
Aerosol sampling at small forward-facing angles: differentiation of yaw from pitch

Abstract When sampling aerosols in ambient or industrial air environments with an inlet, small changes in wind direction or physical constraints in positioning the inlet in the system necessitate the assessment of sampling efficiency in both the vertical and horizontal planes at small angles. In this study we have experimentally investigated the overall sampling efficiency of tubular sharp-edged inlets in yaw (horizontal plane) and pitch (vertival plane) orientations at 0–20° from horizontal aerosol flows. We have developed a model for the overall sampling efficiency at yaw and pitch by extending our previously developed model for pitch to yaw based on our new wind tunnel data. In our model, the difference between yaw and pitch is expressed by the effect of gravity on the wall impaction process inside the inlet described by a gravity effect angle. At yaw, the gravity effect on the wall impaction process does not change with sampling angle. At pitch, the gravity effect on the impaction process results in particle loss increase for upward and decrease for downward sampling. A new relationship has been developed between the gravity effect and physical sampling angles. Using our model, we have developed graphical representations for aerosol sampling at small angles. These can be used in the field to determine the overall sampling efficiency of inlets at several operating conditions and the operating conditions that results in an acceptable sampling error. Pitch and diameter factors have been introduced for relating the efficiency values over a wide range of operating conditions to those of a reference condition. The pitch factor determines the overall sampling efficiency at pitch from yaw values, and the diameter factor determines the overall sampling efficiency at different inlet diameters.
The misclassification of blinks as saccades: Implications for investigations of eye movement dysfunction in schizophrenia

It is important to have a simple, accurate method for recording eye movements. Of the two popular approaches commonly adopted, electro-oculography (EOG) and infrared oculography (IROG), IROG is often accepted as the more accurate, and it is the method that is currently used most frequently to examine eye movements in schizophrenia. This study investigated whether the misclassification of blinks as saccades affects saccade rates when the presence of a blink is determined using only IROG recordings of eye position. Both vertical electro-oculography (VEOG), which can be used to objectively identify blinks, and IROG were recorded while 17 schizophrenia patients and 19 healthy controls were presented with sinusoidal stimuli. Of the blinks identified with the VEOG for the total group of participants, a substantial number (37%) were misclassified as catch-up and anticipatory saccades when only the IROG was used. Furthermore, in the schizophrenia group, but not in the healthy control group, the use of the IROG led to a significant misclassification of blinks as anticipatory saccades. Therefore, when IROG alone is used to identify blinks, the misclassification of blinks as saccades is likely to introduce measurement error into estimates of saccade rates, particularly estimates of anticipatory saccade rates in schizophrenia patients.
A Zinc-binding Domain Involved in the Dimerization of RAG1

Recombination-activating gene 1 (RAG1), as well as RAG2, are the only lymphoid-specific genes required for V(D)J recombination. RAG1 protein contains a C3HC4 zinc-binding motif (zinc ring finger) that binds two zinc ions. We have found that RAG1 contains additional zinc-binding motifs in the form of two separate C2H2 zinc finger sequences. One of the zinc fingers, in combination with the C3HC4 subdomain, forms a highly specific dimerization domain. A combination of biophysical techniques has been used to determine the energetics of association, the overall shape of the dimerization domain, and the relative orientation of the monomeric subunits within the dimer. These results provide direct evidence that a C3HC4 motif is involved in a protein-protein interaction, in this case via homodimer formation. In addition, the observation that the dimerization domain includes multi-class zinc binding motifs, namely both a zinc finger and a C3HC4 subdomain, has important implications for other C3HC4-containing proteins. The position of this dimerization domain in the N-terminal third of the RAG1 sequence of 1040 amino acid residues may have a significant influence on the activities associated with the C-terminal domains of the protein.
Evaluation of a neutral hydrophilic coated capillary for capillary zone electrophoretic separation of proteins

A neutral, hydrophilic coated capillary with negligible electroosmotic flow was characterized as to migration time reproducibility and separation efficiency for protein separation by capillary zone electrophoresis. Consecutive runs (over 200 runs) of the basic proteins at pH 6.0 yielded excellent migration time reproducibility (< 2% R.S.D.) and high separation efficiency (ca. 3–5 · 105 platesm). The acidic proteins were separated at pH 8.0 under the reversed polarity (cathode at the injection end), and excellent migration time reproducibility of less than 3% was achieved. Separation of egg white proteins at pH 3.0 showed migration time reproducibility of less than 0.5% R.S.D, (n = 36) for lysozyme, conalbumin and ovalbumin.
Cooperative versus Competitive Educational Psychology Classrooms: A Comparative Study.

Four introductory educational psychology classrooms were differentially taught, three with a cooperative (ns = 30, 36, and 31) and the other an individually competitive (n = 40) goal structure. A two-way repeated-measures ANOVA design was used to examine pre- and posttest (time) learning by treatments within subjects. The four groups were not found to be significantly different from each other on the pretest. All four groups obtained significant (p < 0.001) gains on their posttest scores as contrasted with their pretest scores. While a statistically significant interaction between treatment groups and time was obtained, no significant differences were encountered among the four groups' posttest scores. Affective differences were obtained among the four groups indicating significantly more negative perceptions being associated with the individually competitive as contrasted with the three cooperative groups. The data suggest that while significant achievement gains were obtained by all three goal structures, students have a much more negative experience with the individually competitive and prefer a cooperative goal structure.