cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Investigation of sulfur forms extracted from coal by perchloroethylene

Abstract The forms of sulfur present in a number of coals before and after extraction with perchloroethylene (PCE) at its boiling point 121°C for up to an hour have been examined by a combination of sulfur XAFS and Mossbauer spectroscopies and standard chemical methods. A hybrid forms-of-sulfur analysis was devised that included determinations of pyritic sulfur, elemental sulfur, organic sulfide, thiophene, oxidized organic sulfur forms, and sulfate. Of these forms of sulfur, only elemental sulfur was shown to be significantly extracted by PCE in the coals examined. Except for complications involving pyrite segregation during the extraction process in certain experiments, changes in all other sulfur forms with respect to the extraction were less than experimental uncertainties in the hybrid forms-of-sulfur analyses. Mossbauer and CCSEM data showed that pyrite and all other minerals in the examined coals are not significantly affected by the PCE extraction.
Codependence and Conduct Disorder: Feminine Versus Masculine Coping Responses to Abusive Parenting Practices

This study supported the hypothesis that codependence reflects a stereotypically feminine coping strategy to environmental stressors, while conduct disorder represents an alternate coping response reflecting stereotypically masculine behaviors. High school students (N= 218; 81% Anglo-American, 8% Asian-American, 5% Hispanic-American) completed measures of femininity/masculinity, codependence, conduct disorder, and unhealthy parenting practices. Multiple regression analyses revealed that codependence is related to parental abuse and femininity (R= .50). A marginal relationship between codependence and parental alcoholism was mediated by parental abuse, calling into question the validity of the codependence construct. Conduct disorder was related to parental abuse, masculinity, parental alcoholism, and gender (R= .62). The tendency to label stereotypically feminine coping strategies as pathological, while ignoring a more prevalent and destructive masculine coping strategy is discussed.
Generic metrics and quantitative approaches for system resilience as a function of time

Abstract Resilience is generally understood as the ability of an entity to recover from an external disruptive event. In the system domain, a formal definition and quantification of the concept of resilience has been elusive. This paper proposes generic metrics and formulae for quantifying system resilience. The discussions and graphical examples illustrate that the quantitative model is aligned with the fundamental concept of resilience. Based on the approach presented it is possible to analyze resilience as a time dependent function in the context of systems. The paper describes the metrics of network and system resilience, time for resilience and total cost of resilience. Also the paper describes the key parameters necessary to analyze system resilience such as the following: disruptive events, component restoration and overall resilience strategy. A road network example is used to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed resilience metrics and how these analyses form the basis for developing effective resilience design strategies. The metrics described are generic enough to be implemented in a variety of applications as long as appropriate figures-of-merit and the necessary system parameters, system decomposition and component parameters are defined.
Attention focus during physical effort: The mediating role of task intensity

Abstract Objectives Tenenbaum's (2001) [A social-cognitive perspective of perceived exertion and exertion tolerance. In R. N. Singer, H. Hausenblas, & C. Janelle (Eds.), Handbook of sport psychology (pp. 810–820). New York, NY:Wiley] exercise intensity-attention linkage model was used to design and carry out two studies to examine individuals’ attentional strategies during engagement in two physically demanding tasks, and the mediating effect of task intensity on attention focus. Design An experimental design was employed where thought classifications (associative vs. dissociative) during three stages of a handgrip task (study 1) and during 50%, 70%, and 90% VO2 max effort in a cycling task (study 2) were subjected to non-parametric Chi-square analysis. Methods Male and female participants were exposed to the increasing sensation of physical effort via two fatiguing tasks: an isometric handgrip task (n=35), and a stationary cycling task (n=13). During each task participants were instructed to vocally express their current thoughts—in sentences, phrases or words—continuously throughout the testing procedure. Participant's self-reported thoughts were recorded during the tasks, and later classified to reveal patterns of associative and dissociative attention focus. Results Attention focus was predominantly associative when task intensity was high. These findings are consistent with Tenenbaum's (2001) [A social-cognitive perspective of perceived exertion and exertion tolerance. In R. N. Singer, H. Hausenblas, & C. Janelle (Eds.), Handbook of sport psychology (pp. 810–820). New York, NY:Wiley] model postulating the relationship between exercise intensity and attention allocation, which maintains that above a given effort threshold physiological cues dominate attention focus. Conclusions During conditions of high workload and prolonged duration, attention is focused on overwhelming physiological sensations, which dominate focal awareness. At this point an associative attention focus is almost unavoidable.
An Instantaneous‐Profile Laser Scanner to Measure Soil Surface Microtopography

Soil surface roughness affects overland flow and soil erosion processes, yet studies on roughness effects are hampered by the difficulty of acquiring microtopographic data. The purpose of this study is to develop an instantaneous surface-profile laser scanner that has significantly higher data acquisition rate and smaller overall size than previous laser scanners. This laser scanner consists of two diode lasers and a digital camera mounted on a single rail. The lasers project a bright line on the surface and the shape of this line, digitized by the camera from an oblique angle, changes depending on the surface microtopography. From the geometry of the laser-camera assembly, the line image is converted to surface heights using a calibration procedure based on a triangulation principle. A computer drives the translation of the laser-camera assembly along the rail, processes the images from the camera, and records the surface profile data during the scan. This ensures the reconstruction of the surface morphology by juxtaposing successive profiles. The current system can measure the microtopography of a 50 cm by 4 m surface with a positional and elevational accuracy of 0.5 mm. The scanner can digitize six surface profiles per second. This translates to a time of 7.4 min to scan a 4-m long section with profiles taken every 1.5 mm apart. The instantaneous-profile laser scanner is significantly faster than previous scanner technologies and allows new research opportunities in quantifying surface boundary processes, such as soil erosion.
EPICARDIAL SEGMENTATION IN DYNAMIC CARDIAC MR SEQUENCES USING PRIORS ON SHAPE, INTENSITY, AND DYNAMICS, IN A LEVEL SET FRAMEWORK

We propose a method for epicardial segmentation in dynamic MR sequences using priors on shape, intensity, and dynamics. The prior models are built from a training set of manually segmented sequences. The dynamics of the heart and background intensities are modeled with linear autoregressive models whose parameters are learnt from training data and then used as priors for segmentation purposes. The segmented training shapes are registered with respect to a common reference. Each registered shape is represented with a signed distance function, and a statistical shape model is learnt using PCA on these functions. Segmentation is achieved by minimizing a spatial-temporal generalization of the Mumford-Shah energy functional in a level set framework
Studies of Performance and Field Reproducibility of a Precision 40KG Superconducting Dipole Magnet

An 8° bending magnet system for 30 GeV primary protons from the Brookhaven AGS is to be installed in the summer of 1973. This bend requires operating two magnet modules, each 6-ft. long, at an excitation up to 37kG. The cold bore I.D. is 3.375-in. A 20-in. long full-scale cross section model has been extensively tested. Multipole field components due to the magnet circuit, produce field error ~1 × 10-4 parts below 20kG out to the measurement radius at 82% of the radius to the superconductor. The "good field" (~1×10-4 parts) shrinks to a radius ~50% of the radius to the superconductor by 40kG. Diamagnetic effects in the superconductor are completely negligible by 5kG, with the exception of the (r4,5?) multipole. This contributes 6.5 x 10-4 parts to the field at 82% of radius. End effects are sufficiently small that for 6-ft. long magnets little or no modifications of end contours are required for even very exacting applications. The magnet has operated to 45kG with no evidence of significant training. The magnet has been thermally cycled several times, and the field aberrations allowed by magnet design symmetries reproduce exactly from the first to last measurement runs. At 19. lkG, all allowed multipoles, i. e., 5?,7?,9?,11?, with 3? tuned to zero agree to 1×10-4 parts error over the duration of experimental measurements. However, ferromagnetic effects due to martensitic transformations in the stainless steel inner form on which the coils are wound have grown with repeated thermal and magnetic cycling.
Oxidation of hydrogen sulfide over microporous carbons

Abstract Microporous carbon of high purity was produced by the carbonization of Saran at 900° followed by activation in either CO2 at 900°, O2 at 300°, or air at 425°. The activated carbons were characterized using N2 adsorption at −195° CO2 adsorption at 25°, and mercury and helium displacements. Hydrogen sulfide oxidation (at H2S pressures between 0.4–3.8 Torr) by O2 (in excess of stoichiometric amount) was studied between 100–160° using a microbalance, that is by weighing the build-up of sulfur on the carbon. The predominant reaction, H 2 S + 1 2 O 2 → 1 2 S 2 + H 2 O was first order in H2S concentration and independent of O2 concentration. The rate was only slightly reduced by sulfur build-up to at least 36%, by weight, on the carbon. The oxidation rate was significantly higher over the O2-activated carbon than over the CO2-activated carbon. Throughout the studies, oxidation rates could be correlated with area active to O2 chemisorption. It is concluded that H2S oxidation proceeds via rapid dissociative chemisorption of oxygen on carbon sites followed by reaction with H2S. Rates of H2S oxidation were also studies over commercial, granular activated carbons of significant ash contents.
Enhancement of amino acid detection and quantification by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.

A new strategy for amino acid analysis is reported involving derivatization with an N-hydroxysuccinimide ester of N-alkylnicotinic acid (Cn-NA-NHS) followed by reversed-phase chromatography and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (RPC−MS). Detection sensitivity increased as the N-alkyl chain length of the nicotinic acid derivatizing agent was increased from 1 to 4. N-Acylation of amino acids with the Cn-NA-NHS reagents in water produced a stable product in roughly 1 min using a 4-fold molar excess of derivatizing agent in 0.1 M sodium borate buffer at pH values ranging from 8.5 to 10. Some O-acylation of tyrosine was also observed, but the product hydrolyzed within a few minutes at pH 10. The cystine product also degraded slowly over the course of a few days from reduction of the disulfide bond to form cysteine. The retention time of Cn-NA derivatized amino acids was lengthened in reversed-phase chromatography to the extent that polar amino acids were retained beyond the solvent peak, particularly i...
Radiopharmaceucticals for cardiovascular imaging.

Abstract Radionuclide cardiac imaging is a noninvasive technique routinely used to detect coronary artery disease (CAD). This imaging modality includes techniques such as planar, single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), positron emission tomography (PET) and radionuclide ventriculography—each technique having unique features of its own. Each technique employs various radiopharmaceuticals suitable for assessing different physiological and functional parameters that may become abnormal in the presence of CAD. Various cardiac imaging techniques include myocardial perfusion or blood flow, myocardial metabolism and cardiac function and wall motion. While radionuclide ventriculography gives the global functional status of the heart, SPECT and PET techniques provide information as to the regional blood flow and metabolic status of the myocardium. The following is a review of radiopharmaceuticals that are utilized clinically and in research in different types of nuclear cardiac imaging. Radiopharmaceuticals have been grouped according to the technique employed in which they are used. Various characteristics, merits and disadvantages of each radiopharmaceutical are discussed in detail.
Factors associated with the platelet count in patients with chronic hepatitis C

Background There are many potential causes of thrombocytopenia in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC).
The Effect of Hay Net Design on Rate of Forage Consumption When Feeding Adult Horses

Abstract Modern horse management systems tend to limit a horse's opportunity to forage. The objective of this experiment was to investigate the effect of hay net design on the rate of forage consumption when feeding horses. Eight adult horses were fed in individual stalls in a replicated Latin square design, with two horses per treatment per week. Horses were fed hay off the stall floor (control), or from one of three hay nets: large (15.2 cm openings), medium (4.4 cm openings), and small (3.2 cm openings). Horses had access to hay for two 4-hour periods each day. When horses could not consume all forage from the medium and small hay nets in 4 hours, a second study using a crossover design gave horses an unlimited amount of time to feed from the hay nets. Stopwatches were used to calculate time to consumption and dry matter intake rates (DMIR). Mean time to consumption was 3.1 and 3.4 hours for the control and large hay net, respectively, in study 1, and 5.1 and 6.5 hours for the medium and small hay nets, respectively, in study 2. Mean DMIR during the 4-hour feeding period were 1.5, 1.3, 1.1, and 0.9 kg/hr for the control, large, medium, and small hay nets, respectively; all treatments were different ( P
Thermal effects in the ultrafast photoinduced electron transfer from a molecular donor anchored to a semiconductor acceptor

A nonadiabatic molecular dynamics (MD) simulation of the photoin- duced electron transfer (ET) from a molecular electron donor to the TiO 2 semicon- ductor acceptor is carried out in a microcanonical ensemble with an average tem- perature of 350 K. The electronic structure of the dye-semiconductor system and the adiabatic dynamics are simulated by ab initio MD, while the nonadiabatic (NA) effects are incorporated by a quantum-classical mean-field approach. The ET dy- namics are driven by thermal fluctuations that dominate ionic motions at the simu- lated temperature. The ground and excited state ion dynamics are similar; therefore, the change in the quantum force due to the electronic photoexcitation can be neglected, and the final analysis is greatly simplified. The simulated ET occurs on a 5-fs timescale, in agreement with recent ultrafast experimental data. Vibrational motions of the chromophore ring carbons induce an oscillation of the photoexcited state energy, resulting in a bimodal distribution of the initial conditions for ET. At low energies the photoexcited state is localized primarily on the chromophore, while at high energies the photoexcited state is substantially delocalized into the first 3 surface layers of the TiO 2 surface. Thermally driven adiabatic transfer is the domi- nant ET mechanism. Compared to the earlier simulation at 50 K, the rate of NA transfer at 350 K remains almost unchanged, whereas the rate of adiabatic ET increases substantially.
Compounds and Solid Solutions of Cobalt, Copper Phosphates

Cobalt phosphates have been synthesized and their thermal behavior examined. The formation of compounds and solid solutions among cobalt and copper phosphates is studied by X-ray diffraction. Unlimited solubility exists between the pyrophosphates Co2P2O7 and Cu2P2O7, the orthophosphates Co3(PO4)2 and Cu3(PO4)2, and Co3(PO4)2 and Cu2P2O7. X-ray diffraction indicates that the structures of cobalt and copper pyrophosphate solid solutions vary gradually from one end member to the other. The structures of orthophosphate solid solutions vary in a more complex manner: the change is gradual from Co3(PO4)2 to Co2Cu(PO4)2. At Co1.5Cu1.5(PO4)2, a new structure (L) occurs. At 950°C, CoCu2(PO4)2 also exhibits this structure, which is similar to that of graftonite, Fe3(PO4)2. CoCu2(PO4)2 is dimorphic, changing reversibly at 1000°C to a triclinic structure (H) related to that of Cu3(PO4)2. From CoCu2(PO4)2 (H) to Cu3(PO4)2, the structure appears to vary gradually. A new phosphate, Cu+Cu2+Co3(PO4)3, has also been synthesized.
Inflammatory pseudotumor of the spleen

Objective: I nflammatory pseudotumor (ipt) is a rare process which occurs in a number of different organ systems . Methods: T his 40 year-old male had no significant past medical history and presented to his primary medical doctor with worsening hypertension. Results: I nflammatory pseudotumor of the spleen (ipt) is a rare disease process which continues to be a challenge to diagnose. Conclusions: I nflammatory pseudotumor (ipt) is a rare process which occurs in a number of different organ systems. The spleen is an unusual location for ipt. Due to non-specific clinical findings at presentation and on radiographic imaging, splenic ipt is challenging to diagnose pre-operatively.
Weekly scheduling models for traveling therapists

Abstract This paper presents a series of models that can be used to find weekly schedules for therapists who provide ongoing treatment to patients throughout a geographical region. In all cases, patient-appointment times and visit days are known prior to the beginning of the planning horizon. Variations in the models include single vs. multiple home bases, homogeneous vs. heterogeneous therapists, lunch break requirements, and a nonlinear cost structure for mileage reimbursement and overtime. The single home base and homogeneous therapist cases proved to be easy to solve and so were not thoroughly investigated. This left two cases of interest: the first included only lunch breaks while the second added nonlinear overtime and mileage reimbursement costs. For the first case, 40 data sets were solved, each consisting of either 15 or 20 therapists and between roughly 300 and 540 patient visits over five days. For each instance, we were able to obtain the minimum cost of providing residential healthcare services using a commercial solver. The results showed that CPU time increases more rapidly than total cost as the total number of visits grows. For the second case, which was much more difficult, it was necessary to develop heuristics to find good solutions quickly. Results for 5- through 20-therapist instances are presented and compared to the linear programming relaxation lower bounds. In the first of two parametric analyses, the tradeoff between the number of therapists on staff and the cost of providing service was examined. In the second, a similar tradeoff was explored between cost can the number of home bases used by the therapists.
Investigating the effects of opioid drugs on electrocortical activity using wavelet transform

Fetal electrocortical activity (ECoG) is characterized by two distinct patterns: HVSA (high voltage, slow activity) and LVFA (low voltage, fast activity). Using the wavelet transform (WT), we recently reported that the frequency characteristics of these two ECoG patterns undergo significant maturational changes prior to birth (Akay et al. 1994a). We now report that fetal ECoG can also be significantly affected by pharmacological agents. In this paper, we compared the effects of two opioid drugs (morphine and [D-Pen2, D-Pen5]-enkephalin, DPDPE) on fetal ECoG, using the chronically instrumented fetal lamb model. Morphine was infused intravenously (i.v.) at 2.5 mg/h, while DPDPE was infused into the lateral cerebroventricle (i.c.v.) at 30μg/h. The ECoG was analyzed using WT. We performed multiresolution decomposition for four sets of parameters D 2j where ?1 < j < ?4. The four series WTs represent the detail signal bandwidths: (1) 16---32 Hz, (2) 8---16 Hz, (3) 4---8 Hz, (4) 2---4 Hz. The data were subjected to statistical analysis using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov (KS) test. Both morphine and DPDPE resulted in a significant increase in power in the first wavelet band, while power was reduced in the second, third and fourth wavelet bands. In addition, both drugs resulted in a disruption of the normal cyclic pattern between the two ECoG patterns. There was a difference in the time course of action between morphine and DPDPE. This is the first occasion in which continuous ECoG has been subjected to rigorous statistical analysis. The results suggest that the WT-KS method is most suitable for quantitating changes in the ECoG induced by pharmacological agents.
Factors associated with failed retrieval of the Günther Tulip inferior vena cava filter.

Purpose To identify potential factors associated with failed retrieval of the Gunther Tulip inferior vena cava (IVC) filter. Materials and Methods A retrospective review was performed of patients who underwent placement of the Gunther Tulip filter with at least one attempt at filter retrieval over a 3-year period. Patient demographics, filter dwell time, filter angulation, and filter leg protrusion were analyzed. Results A total of 188 patients were included in the study. Primary retrieval success was achieved in 166 patients (88.3%), for an overall retrieval success rate of 94.2%. The overall mean dwell time was 63 days, whereas the mean dwell time in cases of retrieval failure was 95.4 days. A total of seven filters were in place for longer than 6 months, four of which were successfully retrieved. The degree of filter tilt was not found to be significantly related to retrieval success ( P = .36), even though filter angulation was commonly cited as a reason for retrieval failure. On venography, 90.9% of filters that could not be retrieved showed leg protrusion beyond the lumen of the IVC. Finally, increasing patient age also correlated with retrieval failure ( P = .01). Conclusions Prolonged dwell time and increasing patient age are associated with failed filter retrieval. However, even filters in place for extended periods can be safely removed.
Effect of pH, phosphate buffer concentration and the ionic strength on the stability of cefotetan disodium

AbstractThe stability of cefotetan disodium between the pH range 2-8 has been studied using a stability-indicating HPLC assay method. The optimum pH range of stability appears to be 3.6-6.4. At pH 2 or 8, the decomposition was approximately 2 times faster than between pH 3.6-6.4. The HPLC method used is accurate and precise with percent relative standard deviation of 1.0 based on 5 readings. The decomposition of cefotetan followed first-order law. The Kh and Koh values were estimated to be 3.8 and 4.4 × 104 d-1.
The Use of Behavior Contracts in Employability Development Planning

The counseling procedure of the behavior contract is suggested for the enhancement of the employability development plan. Some of the difficulties associated with the use of employability development planning, such as lack of motivation for completion, can be dealt with successfully by incorporation of a behavioral contract. Specific behaviors and responsibilities are defined and appropriate reinforcements are applied in a combined approach. Although this type of planning may require some examination of the two processes for full use within a manpower program, the end result appears to be a more effective use of manpower programs. The article examines employability development planning and behavior contracts and discusses their possible use by counselors.
Physical Processes and Critical Biological Areas in the Vicinity of a Proposed Petroleum Transfer Facility

The Northern Tier Pipeline Company proposes to locate a major crude oil transfer facility along the Strait of Juan de Fuca at or west of Port Angeles, Washington. The facility would receive tankers carrying primarily Alaska North Slope crude oil and transport this crude to Midwest refineries via a 1500-mile long pipeline. A portion of the pipeline would pass through the eastern end of the Strait. Most of the critical marine biological areas in the vicinity of the proposed facility are located in the nearshore habitats to the east of the transfer facility site. These areas are highly important to migratory and breeding marine birds, marine manuals, nearshore fishes, and benthic invertebrates. Nearshore currents along the south shore and local winds in the vicinity of the site are frequently from the west, resulting in a probable eastward transport of any oil spills that may occur during the operation of the facility. Thus, though the critical areas are not immediately adjacent to the proposed facility site, they could be affected by oil spilled at the site being transported eastward. Also, the underwater portion of the proposed pipeline passes directly through or very near some critical biological areas. This paper describes and interrelates the major physical processes that would influence the fate of spilled oil and the major biological communities that exist within the influence of the proposed facility.
Further aspects of weak shock theory applied to the solar chromosphere.

The low chromosphere now seems definitely to require mechanical heating, and dissipation of initially acoustic waves by shocking is one of the most promising possibilities. Results of recent calculations indicate that the weak shock theory may be applicable here, but discrepancies exist among various applications of this theory, and the explanations offered to date are not completely satisfactory. It is shown here that the different approximations used by different authors to evaluate the mechanical flux integral play an important role in producing these discrepancies, in addition to the already well known effects of the density scale heights and the wave periods. Arguments are presented favoring Ulmschneider's method for evaluation of this flux integral.
Nonlinearity in dynamic adjustment: Semiparametric estimation of panel labor supply

We estimate a semiparametric dynamic panel data model by the local linear kernel method and we interpret the slope of the nonparametric component function as a varying slope coefficient. Thus, the slope coefficient is a smooth, but otherwise unknown, function of some of the regressors. A Monte Carlo experiment is reported to examine the finite sample performance of the local linear estimator. We apply the estimation method to a labor supply equation for men from the triannual Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP). Specification tests based on the estimated labor supply elasticities, partial adjustment coefficients, and residuals demonstrate the improvements from a semiparametric partially linear model. Our empirical results point to a need by economists to revisit the issue of the speed of labor market adjustment to policy induced shifts in labor demand and to take more formal econometric account of heterogeneity in wage effects when studying the distributional consequences of tax reforms for labor supply earnings.
Syntactical computing using pulse-coupled neural network modules

The pulse-coupled neural network (PCNN) is a biologically motivated algorithm that has tremendous potential. The PCNN has several inherent properties that make it useful in a variety of applications. This paper introduces a syntactical information processing architecture that is mainly driven by PCNNs. It exploits several of the inherent properties of the PCNN to receive and process information, to convert the information to a syntactical phrase and its 1D form which can then be used to generate an appropriate response to the information received as an input. Examples of PCNN performance which is appropriate for this systems are given.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
An evaluation of the use of digitonin for the analysis of faecal sterols.

NUMEROUS reports have appeared in the literature dealing with the analysis of faecal sterols1–3. Before the complexity of the sterol mixture of faeces was appreciated4, a commonly employed procedure for the analysis of coprostanol was based on the difference between the total sterol determined by gravimetric analysis of the digitonide of the mixture and the amount of cholesterol or ‘chromogenic sterol’ calculated from the colour produced with the Liebermann–Burchard reagent1,2. While many investigators recognize that the chromogenic property of coprostanol will introduce an error in the analysis if coprostanol is determined as cholesterol using the digitonide precipitation procedure, a more serious error arises from the fact that the digitonide of coprostanol is significantly soluble in many of the solvent mixtures used (for example, the Sperry–Webb determination for cholesterol5). This unusual solubility property of coprostanol digitonide was recognized early by Dam6 when he reported that in contrast to cholestanol digitonide, the digitonide of coprostanol was significantly soluble in methanol, a property which allowed the crude separation of the two sterols. This information prompted us to study the solubility of coprostanol digitonide in the solvent mixture routinely employed in the Sperry–Webb procedure and to compare our results with cholesterol digitonide as a reference.
The Numbers Game: Gender and Attention to Numerical Information

Research suggests that males outperform females on standardized tests of math ability from early adolescence onward. Several explanations for this difference focus on the different experiences of females and males with numerical information. We reasoned that males have more experience with numerical information than females because “typical” male interests (e.g., sports) are more likely to involve numerical information than “typical” female interests (e.g., physical appearance). Thus, we predicted that males would attend more to numerical information than would females, at least when the information was presented in a male-related or gender-neutral context. Females were expected to attend more than males when the context was female-related. Results using White/Caucasian subjects provided some support for these predictions. Implications for future research on the relationship between the gender-linkage of math materials and gender differences in math performance are discussed.
Infectious sequelae in the use of polyglycolic acid mesh for splenic salvage with intraperitoneal contamination

Salvage of the injured spleen is important in the trauma patient. Loss of the spleen can result in both early and late infectious complications due to immunologic and phagocytic deficits. Splenic salvage techniques include the use of polyglycolic acid (PGA) mesh to wrap and tamponade the damaged and bleeding spleen. However, the use of mesh may increase the incidence of infection in the presence of intraperitoneal contamination. We examined whether mesh in the contaminated field increases the infection rate compared to splenectomy in a murine model. Sixty male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups of 20 each: splenectomy, splenic wrap with PGA, and control (with splenic mobilization). All rats were subjected to a standard inoculum of enteric bacteria at the time of celiotomy. Sixteen (80%) of the splenectomy rats, 10 (50%) of the PGA mesh wrapped rats, and four (20%) of the control rats expired (P < 0.5). In surviving rats, necropsy at 7 days demonstrated abscess formation in all four (100%) of splenectomy, four of 10 (40%) in PGA mesh wrapped, and two of 16 (13%) of control rats. All of the abscesses in the wrap group involved the mesh. Overall infection rates (including fatal peritonitis, abscess formation, and empyema) were 100% for splenectomy, 75% for PGA mesh wrapped, and 30% for control rats (P < 0.05). We conclude in this experimental model that the use of PGA mesh wrap does increase susceptibility to infection, but much less so than splenectomy in the presence of intraperitoneal contamination.
Pairwise kidney exchange: Comment

Abstract In their recent paper, Roth et al. [Pairwise kidney exchange, J. Econ. Theory 125 (2005) 151–188] consider pairwise kidney exchanges, and show within this subset of feasible exchanges that a priority mechanism is strategy-proof. We show that this result can be broadened to allow much more general mechanisms and restrictions on the feasible set of allocations, including allowing three-way exchanges, regional specifications, and others. The key requirement is that the choice mechanism be consistent, i.e., if an allocation is chosen from some set of feasible allocations, it is also chosen from any subset of that set.
Methodological Questions about the Ontology of Music

There are probably more views about musical on tology in play today than ever before. If we go back far enough, there were few views about this topic because few were interested in it. More re cently the main debate seems to be about what type or kind a work of music is: an eternal struc tural type, an indicated type, a norm-kind, and so on.1 But most recently, there has been an explo sion of interest in and views about musical ontol
Isolation compliance among university students during a mumps outbreak, Kansas 2006

A large mumps outbreak occurred among students at a Kansas university in 2006. To reduce transmission, students with mumps were asked to isolate themselves. We describe isolation measures and student compliance with these measures. Questionnaires were administered to students suspected of having mumps. Of the 132 students instructed to stay isolated, 75% stayed isolated for the number of days recommended and were considered compliant. Case-students told to stay isolated for 1-4 days were more likely to be compliant [86% vs. 66%; adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 3.6, 95% CI 1.4-9.0] than those told to stay isolated for 5-9 days. Those who rated avoiding contact with others during isolation as very important were also more likely to be compliant (83% vs. 60%; aOR 3.6, 95% CI 1.5-8.4) than those who rated the importance lower. In a college setting, it may be difficult to achieve high compliance with guidelines recommending that persons stay isolated for much longer than 4 days.
Feasibility of Long-Distance Transfer for High Resolution Optical Mapping of Cardiac Tissue Constructs

An increasing number of protocols are used to create engineered heart tissue (EHT) constructs, using different progenitors of cardiac cells with various scaffolds and bioreactors. Different laboratories develop their own EHT protocols, which are in most cases highly specialized and involve methods that do not transfer easily from one lab to another. Likewise, the imaging protocols used to evaluate the functional, structural and molecular properties of EHTs are also highly specialized and can involve equipment and methods that do not transfer well between the labs. As a result, it is often necessary to move EHTs between the location where they are engineered to locations where they are used for physiological testing or advanced imaging. In this work, we establish the feasibility of long-distance overnight shipping of EHTs grown in at Columbia University with electrical stimulation to George Washington University for high resolution optical mapping. The EHTs survived overnight shipping in sealed culture media flasks, as evidenced by robust synchronized contractions upon arrival at the destination institution. Calcium transients were readily recordable upon loading of the constructs with Fluo-4. Waves of electrical activity propagating throughout the constructs were imaged using high quantum efficiency back illuminated CCD camera. Due to perfusion limitations, cardiomyocyte-containing layers of EHT are usually restricted to 100-300 microns and the cell density is significantly lower than in intact myocardium. Therefore it was critical to show that the intensity and fidelity of the signals from EHTs stained with the potentiometric dye RH237 are sufficient to record wave propagation throughout the entire 7 mm-wide EHT with 50 micron spatial resolution. The data confirm the feasibility of collaborative arrangements between tissue engineering centers and other laboratories for high resolution fluorescence imaging.
ISPC 2007 second editorial

I am pleased to present the second set of papers from the ISPC symposium held at the University of San Francisco in August 2007. The third and final set will be published in another issue of Foundations later this year. The papers contained in this issue cover a greater variety of topics related to the philosophy and history of chemistry than those from the symposium published in Foundations of Chemistry 10.3. These disparate topics have the advantage of revealing how diverse the field of philosophy of chemistry has become. Thus, N. Sukumar’s ‘‘The Chemist’s Conception of Molecular Structure’’ and James Salmon’s paper on emergence tread different paths, but both provide new perspectives on topics that have received relatively cursory attention from scholars within the field; by contrast, Pio Garcia, Richard Pagni, and Meredith Tromble’s papers on serendipity, the history of the acidity function, and Sonia Rapaport’s art, respectively, provide virtually new pathways for philosophers of chemistry to investigate. N. Sukumar’s ‘‘The Chemist’s Conception of Molecular Structure’’ provides a chemist’s-eye view on the current debate on structure in philosophy of chemistry. Rather than arguing for or against the realism of molecular structures and representations he provides a thorough review of ways physical chemists have theorized molecular structure. Starting with the Born–Oppenheimer Approximation (BOA) he shows us the limits of the BOA approach, its modification via virial partitioning into the Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules, and how chemists have moved beyond the BOA altogether to formulate new theories, like Nuclear Orbital plus Molecular Orbital theory, that include, among other things, the dynamic aspects of molecular structure such as Jahn–Teller Molecules, tautomers and the conformational flexibility of biomolecules. James Salmon’s ‘‘Emergence in Evolution’’ argues that explanations for emergence in evolution, including the evolution of life forms, cosmic evolution and the evolution of chemical/biochemical systems, goes beyond that captured by the quantitative notion of ‘‘frequency of occurrences’’. As an alternative to Whitehead’s process metaphysics, which others have applied to emergence in chemical systems, Salmon suggests Teilhard de Chardin’s informal metaphysics of spirit-matter as an equally valid, and more accessible,
Distinct Secretases, a Cysteine Protease and a Serine Protease, Generate the C Termini of Amyloid β‐Proteins Aβ1‐40 and Aβ1‐42, Respectively

The carboxy-terminal ends of the 40- and 42-amino acids amyloid beta-protein (Abeta) may be generated by the action of at least two different proteases termed gamma(40)- and gamma(42)-secretase, respectively. To examine the cleavage specificity of the two proteases, we treated amyloid precursor protein (APP)-transfected cell cultures with several dipeptidyl aldehydes including N-benzyloxycarbonyl-Leu-leucinal (Z-LL-CHO) and the newly synthesized N-benzyloxycarbonyl-Val-leucinal (Z-VL-CHO). All dipeptidyl aldehydes tested inhibited production of both Abeta1-40 and Abeta1-42. Changes in the P1 and P2 residues of these aldehydes, however, indicated that the amino acids occupying these positions are important for the efficient inhibition of gamma-secretases. Peptidyl aldehydes inhibit both cysteine and serine proteases, suggesting that the two gamma-secretases belong to one of these mechanistic classes. To differentiate between the two classes of proteases, we treated our cultures with the specific cysteine protease inhibitor E-64d. This agent inhibited production of secreted Abeta1-40, with a concomitant accumulation of its cellular precursor indicating that gamma(40)-secretase is a cysteine protease. In contrast, this treatment increased production of secreted Abeta1-42. No inhibition of Abeta production was observed with the potent calpain inhibitor I (acetyl-Leu-Leu-norleucinal), suggesting that calpain is not involved. Together, these results indicate that gamma(40)-secretase is a cysteine protease distinct from calpain, whereas gamma(42)-secretase may be a serine protease. In addition, the two secretases may compete for the same substrate. Dipeptidyl aldehyde treatment of cultures transfected with APP carrying the Swedish mutation resulted in the accumulation of the beta-secretase C-terminal APP fragment and a decrease of the alpha-secretase C-terminal APP fragment, indicating that this mutation shifts APP cleavage from the alpha-secretase site to the beta-secretase site.
PRODUCTION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF ANTIBODY AGAINST STERIGMATOCYSTIN

Conjugation of sterigmatocystin (ST) to bovine serum albumin (BSA) was achieved by converting ST to its hemiacetal followed by a reductive alkylation method under conditions similar to those for the preparation of afla B2a-BSA conjugate. Useful antibody was obtained from rabbits 6 weeks after they were immunized with BSA-ST conjugate. Antibody titers reached maxima (1:51,200) 10–12 weeks after immunization. ELISA analysis revealed that the dehydro-ST is about 16 times less reactive with the antibody than is ST. The antibody practically has no cross reaction with aflatoxins B1, B2a, G1, G2, and M1, and 6-0-methyl-ST.
Chemisorption and reactivity studies of H2 and CO on sulfided Ni(100)

Abstract Sulfur segregation to the surface poses a perplexing problem in basic research on low surface area nickel materials. In addition sulfur effectively poisons catalytic reactions involving CO adsorption on nickel as well as other transition metal catalysts in technically important processes such as methanation and Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. It is not surprising then that considerable attention has been given the sulfur/nickel system [1–7]. For the Ni(100)/sulfur system investigators [6, 7] using LEED, photoemission, as well as other techniques, agree that sulfur is chemisorbed with fourfold site coordination. The sulfur forms a p(2 × 2) structure at one-quarter monolayer coverage and a c(2 × 2) structure at one-half monolayer. The one-half monolayer corresponds to a saturation coverage.
Electrofluid gasification of coal with nuclear energy

Abstract The gasification of coal by reaction with steam requires addition of large amounts of energy. This energy can be supplied by a high-temperature nuclear reactor which is coupled to a fluidized bed gasifier either thermally or electrically via an electrofluid gasifier. A comparison of the economics of supplying energy by these two alternatives demonstrates that electrofluid gasification in combination with a high-temperature nuclear reactor may in some circumstances be economically attractive. In addition, a review of recent experiments in small-scale electrofluid gasifiers indicates that this method of gasification is technically feasible.
An ESR study of radiation damage of bisphenol‐A‐based epoxy resin at low temperature: Selective hydrogen addition to benzene‐ring‐forming cyclohexadienyl‐type radical

In the γ-irradiated aromatic epoxy resin, diglycidylether of bisphenol A cured with diaminodiphenylmethane, the cyclohexadienyl-type radical is produced as one of the main radical species. Although both the resin and the hardener contain benzene rings, it is concluded that the cyclohexadienyl-type radical is formed by selective addition of the OH hydrogen to the benzene ring on the resin side. The selectivity is accounted for in terms of electron capture by the benzene ring followed by proton transfer from the OH group which is located in front of the benzene ring. This reaction scheme is further supported by the effect of the addition of an electron scavenger on the radical yield as well as by the photobleaching behavior of the radicals involved.
Development of zonular patterns in the human adrenal gland.

Microscopic studies of human adrenal glands from 58 autopsy specimens, ranging in age from one month gestation to 69 years, revealed a pertinent developmental pattern in the establishment of definitive zonation. This pattern was established using the following criteria: (1) relationship of age to the developing zones; (2) times of formation of definitive zonation; and (3) the morphological determination of developmental patterns based on staining characteristics. Using these criteria, development was divided into five phases: (1) condensation of coelomic epithelium; (2) secondary proliferation of coelomic epithelium; (3) finding of PAS-positive material within the fetal cortex; (4) decline and disappearance of the fetal cortex; and (5) establishment and stabilization of the definitive zonular patterns. Significant features occurring in this development were: (1) the origin of both permanent and fetal cortex from proliferation of coelomic epithelium; (2) the appearance of PAS-positive granules surrounding a homogenous mass in the fetal cortex and the zona reticularis during maturation and organization; and (3) the gradual establishment of definitive zones by proliferation of the permanent cortex, maturation of the fetal cortex, and growth of the medulla; with the adult structure of the adrenal gland achieved by the eleventh to fifteenth year without any apparent major involution or hemorrhage.
Development of catheter-based treatment of patent ductus arteriosus: a medium-sized centre experience.

Objectifs. - Cette etude decrit les debuts de notre experience dans la fermeture percutanee du canal arteriel permeable. Methodes. - Entre 2001 et 2007, 73 patients consecutifs âges de trois mois a 70 ans, ont eu une fermeture percutanee du canal arteriel. Un Amplatzer duct occluder (ADO) a ete utilise pour le canal superieur a 2 mm et un Coil detachable (DC) pour le canal inferieur a 2 mm. Resultats. - Le diametre du canal a varie 1 a 7.2 mm (moyenne 2.9 ± 1.3 mm). Un ADO a ete utilise chez 50 patients (68 %), et un DC chez 23 patients. Les prostheses ont ete implantees avec succes chez tous les patients, avec une fermeture complete du canal a 12 mois dans 98% des cas dans le groupe ADO et 100% des cas dans le groupe DC. Quatre patients (5.4%) ont montre une protrusion asymptomatique de la prothese : dans l'isthme aortique chez trois patients de 5, 6, et 10kg et dans l'artere pulmonaire chez un patient de 7kg. Un patient de 7kg a presente une bradycardie transitoire severe, due a une embolie pulmonaire gazeuse. Un autre patient de 3.3kg a presente une occlusion asymptomatique de l'artere femorale. Chez un troisieme patient de 17kg, l'ADO a migre du canal arteriel jusqu'a l'aorte descente, ou il fut decouvert 12 mois plus tard. Conclusion. - Meme au cours de la periode d'apprentissage, cette procedure peut avoir d'excellents resultats. L'adhesion stricte aux protocoles et un suivi rigoureux sont necessaires. Chez les tous petits patients, l'ADO pourrait entrainer une obstruction au niveau de l'aorte ou de l'artere pulmonaire, ou une migration de la prothese. La recherche minutieuse des complications est essentielle, surtout chez les petits enfants et en cas de large canal.