cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Resistance to Potassium Phosphite in Phytophthora Species Causing Citrus Brown Rot and Integrated Practices for Management of Resistant Isolates.

Phytophthora citrophthora, P. syringae, P. nicotianae, and less commonly P. hibernalis are causal agents of brown rot of citrus fruit in California. The chronic disease occurs during the winter season, requires annual management, and has limited California citrus exports because of quarantines in some markets. Potassium phosphite (KPO3) is registered as a pre- and postharvest fungicide in the United States to manage Phytophthora brown rot. We evaluated the in vitro toxicity of KPO3 to 65, 60, and 38 isolates of P. citrophthora, P. syringae, and P. nicotianae, respectively, that were obtained from major growing regions of California. Frequency distributions of effective concentrations to inhibit mycelial growth by 50% (EC50 values) were not normally distributed, with skewness values of 1.84, 1.60, and -0.51 for each species, respectively. Isolates considered sensitive (EC50 values 75 µg/ml) were identified for each species. The majority of P. citrophthora (83.1%) and P. syringae (78.3%) isolates were sensitive, whereas most P. nicotianae isolates (86.8%) were moderately resistant or resistant. Resistance factors were calculated as 65, 19, and 10 for the three species, respectively. In preharvest field trials, KPO3 (2,280 g/ha) applications were not effective in reducing citrus brown rot incidence when orange fruit were inoculated with a resistant (EC50 = 161.9 µg/ml) isolate of P. citrophthora, demonstrating the potential for field resistance. Oxathiapiprolin (32.6 g/ha), however, was highly effective, indicating the absence of multidrug resistance. Postharvest treatments with KPO3 were only effective in reducing brown rot caused by the resistant isolate of P. citrophthora to a low incidence when high rates (8,000 µg/ml) were used in heated (54°C) applications. The sensitive and moderately resistant isolates were managed using rates of 4,000 µg/ml, but heated treatments at this rate were needed to reduce brown rot to commercially acceptable levels when decay was caused by a moderately resistant isolate.
The Development and Evaluation of a Tactile Graphics Kit

Tactile graphic displays represent an important medium for communicating information to the blind. Because the need for such displays often cannot be met by standard mass production methods, practi...
“No Love”: What Becomes of Post-Racial Figures in a New Political Era?

Shifts in public and political discourses around race and gender globally provide opportunities for scholars and journalists alike to further societies’ understanding of themselves and their social values. In the United States, race and politics are imbued with the country’s history of slavery, colonization, and immigration, with its newer narrative myth of post-race ideology that insists that the nation has transcended its racial past despite evidence to the contrary. While changes in the American national conversation brought some explicit media discussion of race and gender in the 2016 US election cycle, the coverage lacked nuance, thus missing a prime opportunity for the public to reckon with the country’s racist and sexist legacy.
Other Premalignant Cutaneous Dysplasias

Arsenical keratoses may disclose a cryptic exposure to arsenic many years earlier. Such lesions usually appear on the palms and soles, as they do elsewhere, as cornlike, hard, yellowish papules, with a predisposition along sites of trauma and friction. These lesions may coalesce into verrucous plaques and may evolve into full-thickness dysplasia, or Bowen’s disease.
Voice Entry for Reducing Pilot Workload

An experiment was conducted to assess the potential improvement in operator performance when data entry is performed by voice input over keyboard input. In a workload condition simulating manual/vi...
Corrigendum: The Human Neonatal Gut Microbiome: A Brief Review

There was an error in the nomenclature in original Figure 1. Members of the genus Ruminococcus belong to the phylum Firmicutes, not Proteobacteria. This has now been corrected in this revised figure.
Exploration of the planets - An invited discourse presented before the Sixteenth General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union, Grenoble, France, August, 1976

Until recently the entire astronomical endeavor was restricted to passive observations from the surface of the Earth. Natural experiments -- such as stellar occultations, eclipsing binaries, or supernova explosions -- might fortuitously arrange themselves, and systematic inventories were performed of information carried by reflected or emitted electromagnetic radiation. But it is only in the last twenty years that our species has been able to carry out in situ experiments on astronomical objects.
Factor Based Approaches to Risk Parity

This paper finds that factor based risk parity portfolios are able to outperform other standard asset allocation approaches, including 60/40 and long-only risk parity. By using a group of factors which have negligible correlations with each other and the market, this portfolio generates a stable return stream with little exposure to macroeconomic risks. If these factors are dynamically scaled according to their conditional volatility the portfolio's performance markedly increases. While this portfolio is composed of well known factors it exhibits 'alpha through construction' by scaling out of strategies when their expected returns are lowest and using minimally correlated components.
Finding Fusin/CXCR4, the First "2nd Receptor" for HIV Entry

Shortly after the pioneering Montagnier/Gallo discoveries of HIV as the etiologic agent of AIDS, the CD4 antigen was identified as the primary receptor for HIV entry. The focus of the present story begins with 1986 report from Richard Axel’s group that recombinant human CD4 conferred permissiveness to HIV-1 infection when expressed on diverse human cell types, but not on mouse cells. The block was at an early replication step after virion binding, perhaps virus internalization (1).
Assessing the Landscape of Tools and Approaches for Novel Tuberculosis Regimen Development

Keywords. tuberculosis; drug-resistant tuberculosis; pharmacokinetics; pharmacodynamics; animal model. In 2011, the Critical Path to TB Drug Regimens (CPTR) initiative, a broad-reaching collaboration among industry, academia, government, regulatory, and nonprofit organizations, was formed with the vision to support innovations in antituberculosis drug development. The CPTR program, led by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Tuberculosis Alliance and Critical Path Institute, is keenly focused on the accelerated delivery of safer, more efficacious, and faster-acting tuberculosis regimens by developing and promoting innovative regu
Liver fat, statin use, and incident diabetes: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

Abstract Background and aims To balance competing cardiovascular benefits and metabolic risks of statins, markers of type 2 diabetes (T2D) susceptibility are needed. We sought to define a competing risk/benefit of statin therapy on T2D and cardiovascular disease (CVD) events using liver attenuation and coronary artery calcification (CAC). Methods and results 3153 individuals from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) without CVD, T2D/impaired fasting glucose, or baseline statin therapy had CT imaging for CAC and hepatic attenuation (hepatic steatosis). Cox models and rates of CVD and T2D were calculated to assess the role of liver attenuation in T2D and the relative risks/benefits of statins on CVD and T2D. 216 T2D cases were diagnosed at median 9.1 years follow-up. High liver fat and statin therapy were associated with diabetes (HR 2.06 [95%CI 1.52–2.79, P 100 and low liver fat were more likely to benefit from statins for CVD reduction (NNT 29) relative to T2D risk (NNH 67). Among those with CAC >100 and fatty liver, incremental reduction in CVD with statins (NNT 40) was less than incremental risk increase for T2D (NNH 24). Conclusions Liver fat is associated with incident T2D and stratifies competing metabolic/CVD risks with statin therapy. Hepatic fat may inform T2D surveillance and lipid therapeutic strategies.
Photodissociation dynamics of NOCl: State-specific Λ-doublet ratios in the 2Π12 and 2Π32 states of NO

Abstract Photodissociation of jet-cooled NOCl at 355 and 499.4 nm proceeds via parallel and perpendicular transitions, respectively, and the dissociation is fast and direct. State-specific NO spin-orbit and Λ-doublet population ratios are observed. At 355 nm, [NO ( 2 Π 1 2 )] ≈ [NO ( 2 Π 3 2 )], and the Λ-doublet component perpendicular to the NO plane of rotation, Π(A″), is preferentially populated in both spin-orbit states. With 499.4 nm excitation, we find that [NO( 2 Π 3 2 )] > [NO( 1 Π 1 2 )]. Also, the two NO Λ-doublet components of NO ( 2 Π 3 2 ) are equally populated, while in the NO( 2 Π 1 2 ) state Π(A″) > Π(A′).
Area aggregation of network systems

A physically motivated reduction of "network" systems which are encountered in power systems, economics and circuits, etc., is considered. The technique is to aggregate the states in an area of the system into the center of inertia variable. Aggregability conditions are examined in terms of the structure and dynamics of the systems. The resulting aggregate model also has the network system structure. Near-aggregability and time-scales separations are investigated when the aggregability conditions are only approximately satisfied.
An exploratory study of self‐regulating activities and their effects on job performance

The present study attempted to assess the extent to which job incumbents engage in performance relevant self-regulatory activities. Specifically, the degrees to which 62 insurance salespersons; (1) set performance goals, (2) monitored performance levels, and (3) exercised contingent self-reward or punishment with respect to goal achievement or goal failure were measured; and, the consequences that such activities had on performance were examined. The results of this study indicate that, in general, subjects set goals, but typically of a distal/result-orientated, as opposed to a proximal/behaviourally orientated-nature. Goal setting per se had no effects on sales performance, although an objective measure of goal difficulty was related to this criterion. With respect to self-monitoring, it was discovered that the greatest amount of performance feedback came from oneself and one's supervisor, as opposed to one's co-workers. In terms of performance, there was an interaction of feedback source and feedback preference such that the ability to generate internal feedback was related to performance only for individuals who had a preference for such internal feedback. There appeared to be no substantial amount of contingent self-reward occurring within this organization, although contingent self-punishment (in the form of self-criticism) was in evidence; and, such self-admonishment seemed to have detrimental effects on performance. While the three classes of variables independently explained 26 per cent of the variance in performance, the interactive effects suggested by theories of self-regulation (Bandura, 1977; Kanfer, 1971) were not in evidence.
DOSC: dispersed operating system computing

Over the past decade the sheer size and complexity of traditional operating systems have prompted a wave of new approaches to help alleviate the services provided by these operating systems. The emergence of micro-kernels and a plethora of non-traditional operating system models, both geared toward reducing the role of the OS, attest to the promise of practical alternatives. The problem with these methods is that the three-tiered system of software, operating system, and hardware is still preserved. Even though the operating system might find some reprieve by having to handle less work there is a nascent notion being triggered by these alternative approaches that the operating system as an abstract entity is no longer a necessity. We propose a radical method of computing where we take this notion to the extreme and push the operating system into the software and hardware levels. By doing so, we create a decentralized operating system environment known as Dispersed Operating System Computing (DOSC). We outline how the Dispersed Operating System paradigm works, its benefits, and immediate practical applications in today's world.
Emerging new paradigms for ABCG transporters

Every cell is separated from its external environment by a lipid membrane. Survival depends on the regulated and selective transport of nutrients, waste products and regulatory molecules across these membranes, a process that is often mediated by integral membrane proteins. The largest and most diverse of these membrane transport systems is the ATP binding cassette (ABC) family of membrane transport proteins. The ABC family is a large evolutionary conserved family of transmembrane proteins (>250 members) present in all phyla, from bacteria to Homo sapiens, which require energy in the form of ATP hydrolysis to transport substrates against concentration gradients. In prokaryotes the majority of ABC transporters are involved in the transport of nutrients and other macromolecules into the cell. In eukaryotes, with the exception of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR/ABCC7), ABC transporters mobilize substrates from the cytoplasm out of the cell or into specific intracellular organelles. This review focuses on the members of the ABCG subfamily of transporters, which are conserved through evolution in multiple taxa. As discussed below, these proteins participate in multiple cellular homeostatic processes, and functional mutations in some of them have clinical relevance in humans.
Evaluation of a wedge gas-sampling probe

The performances of a wedge-type gas-sampling probe and pitot probes are compared in applications to flowfield profile studies. The flow structure data obtained by these techniques are found to agree well in flow regions with and without significant gradients. The wedge-type probe showed a good service life and allowed a substantial reduction of the sampling time. The wedge probe design is discussed.
Influence of dobutamine on hemodynamics and coronary blood flow in patients with and without coronary artery disease

The influence of dobutamine on hemodynamics and coronary blood flow was studied in patients after routine cardiac catheterization. The data demonstrated that dobutamine is a powerful inotropic agent at a dose that has a relatively small influence on heart rate. In patients without coronary artery disease dobutamine greatly increased coronary arterial perfusion. In patients with severe coronary artery diseases dobutamine resulted in a much smaller increase in coronary perfusion, and the pattern of perfusion became more inhomogeneous. The results suggest that dobutamine has a potential inotropic value but raise concern about its influence on regional myocardial perfusion in patients with serious coronary artery disease.
Fast computation of functional networks from fMRI activity: a multi-platform comparison

The recent deployment of functional networks to analyze fMRI images has been very promising. In this method, the spatio-temporal fMRI data is converted to a graph-based representation, where the nodes are voxels and edges indicate the relationship between the nodes, such as the strength of correlation or causality. Graph-theoretic measures can then be used to compare different fMRI scans. However, there is a significant computational bottleneck, as the computation of functional networks with directed links takes several hours on conventional machines with single CPUs. The study in this paper shows that a GPU can be advantageously used to accelerate the computation, such that the network computation takes a few minutes. Though GPUs have been used for the purposes of displaying fMRI images, their use in computing functional networks is novel. We describe specific techniques such as load balancing, and the use of a large number of threads to achieve the desired speedup. Our experience in utilizing the GPU for functional network computations should prove useful to the scientific community investigating fMRI as GPUs are a low-cost platform for addressing the computational bottleneck.
Delayed occurrence of multiple spinal drop metastases from a posterior fossa choroid plexus papilloma: Case report

Choroid plexus papilloma is a benign central nervous system tumor that occasionally spreads along the subarachnoid space. The authors report the case of a 49-year-old man who presented with back pain 19 years after resection of a posterior fossa choroid plexus papilloma. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed multiple spinal lesions without any residual or recurrent intracranial tumor. All spinal lesions were resected and histologically diagnosed as atypical choroid plexus papilloma. The authors suggest that patients in whom choroid plexus papilloma is diagnosed should undergo total neuraxis imaging at the time of initial diagnosis as well as periodic follow-up examinations after resection to rule out drop metastases.
Physicochemical property effects of three herbicides and three soils on herbicide mobility in field lysimeters

Abstract Understanding herbicide mobility in soils is necessary to prevent ground water contamination. We studied the mass balance distribution of three 14 C-labeled herbicides (atrazine, metolachlor, and primisulfuron-methyl) in three soils (Blanton, Norfolk, and Rains) 128 days after treatment (DAT) to fallow soil column field lysimeters. Analyses were made of surface soil, subsoil, and leachate samples. Volatilization losses were calculated by difference. Our objectives were to examine, measure, and correlate the leaching patterns of the chemicals and correlate their leaching characteristics with physicochemical and biological properties of the herbicides and the physicochemical properties of the soils. Metolachlor was the most mobile herbicide, as indicated by the retardation factor ( R f ) ( R f =0.48 in 1992 and 0.19 in 1993), followed by primisulfuron-methyl ( R f =0.41 in 1992 and 0.12 in 1993), and atrazine ( R f =0.38 in 1992 and 0.15 in 1993), where mobility was greatly affected by water input (637 mm in 1992 and 509 mm in 1993). Herbicide mobility ( R f ) was related to 14 C-parent compound in leachate (0.02–6.9% of 14 C applied), 14 C in the subsoil (9–24%), and the pesticide leaching potential (PLP) index of each herbicide, as computed using a simple decision-aid model. The herbicides were most mobile through Blanton, followed by Norfolk and Rains soils and mobility ( R f ) was inversely related to mean % organic matter (OM) content of the soil profiles and directly related to soil pH and soil leaching potential (SLP) indices of the soils. Physicochemical and biological properties of the herbicides and soils were related to many of the measured herbicide distribution parameters.
Interbronchoscopist variability in endobronchial path selection: a simulation study.

Background Endobronchial path selection is important for the bronchoscopic diagnosis of focal lung lesions. Path selection typically involves mentally reconstructing a three-dimensional path by interpreting a stack of two-dimensional (2D) axial plane CT scan sections. The hypotheses of our study about path selection were as follows: (1) bronchoscopists are inaccurate and overly confident when making endobronchial path selections based on 2D CT scan analysis; and (2) path selection accuracy and confidence improve and become better aligned when bronchoscopists employ path-planning methods based on virtual bronchoscopy (VB). Methods Studies of endobronchial path selection comparing three path-planning methods ( ie , the standard 2D CT scan analysis and two new VB-based techniques) were performed. The task was to navigate to discrete lesions located between the third-order and fifth-order bronchi of the right upper and middle lobes. Outcome measures were the cumulative accuracy of making four sequential path selection decisions and self-reported confidence (1, least confident; 5, most confident). Both experienced and inexperienced bronchoscopists participated in the studies. Results In the first study involving a static paper-based tool, the mean (± SD) cumulative accuracy was 14 ± 3% using 2D CT scan analysis (confidence, 3.4 ± 1.3) and 49 ± 15% using a VB-based technique (confidence, 4.2 ± 1.1; p = 0.0001 across all comparisons). For a second study using an interactive computer-based tool, the mean accuracy was 40 ± 28% using 2D CT scan analysis (confidence, 3.0 ± 0.3) and 96 ± 3% using a dynamic VB-based technique (confidence, 4.6 ± 0.2). Regardless of the experience level of the bronchoscopist, use of the standard 2D CT scan analysis resulted in poor path selection accuracy and misaligned confidence. Use of the VB-based techniques resulted in considerably higher accuracy and better aligned decision confidence. Conclusions Endobronchial path selection is a source of error in the bronchoscopy workflow. The use of VB-based path-planning techniques significantly improves path selection accuracy over use of the standard 2D CT scan section analysis in this simulation format.
The relationship of voice stress, anxiety, and depression to life events and personal style variables

Two studies of the relationships between environmental events, personal style variables, and reaction states were described. In study 1 the correlations between life events, state anxiety, trait anxiety, and voice stress were measured in 32 males and 32 females. For males there was a significant correlation between life stress scores and state anxiety. For females there was a significant correlation between voice stress scores and state anxiety. The implications of these findings for a model of the human stress paradigm were discussed, and improvements in measures were proposed. A second study employed improved measures of life events and voice stress and adding the variables of Type A/ B personal style and depression was done with 24 females and 21 males. More than a dozen significant correlations were found and discussed. Regression analyses indicated that the best predictor of voice stress was negative life events. The best predictor of depression was trait anxiety with gender adding significantly to the prediction equation. The best predictor of state anxiety was negative life events with trait anxiety adding significantly to the equation. The implications of these findings were discussed.
A peer-to-peer microblogging service based on IP multicast and social virtual private networking

Microblogging services such as Twitter have become an indispensable communication tool on the Internet. However, due to their centralized nature, microblogging services have been susceptible to blocking by governments and powerful groups. To address this issue, we present a peer-to-peer microblogging service that is resistant to government intrusions and censorship. The strength of our design lies in the fact that we leverage trusted, peer-to-peer connections for the dissemination of information. Our proposed design consists mainly of two key components: a microblogging service which uses UDP and IP multicasting to push and pull updates, and a peer-to-peer VPN (SocialVPN) which enable IP multicasting over the Internet and provide direct IP connectivity among social peers. We also implemented and deployed a prototype to show the feasibility of our approach.
Soluble β-amyloid induces Alzheimer's disease features in human fibroblasts and in neuronal tissues

Abstract It has been shown that K + channels, Cp20 (a 20kD GTP-binding protein), and intracellular calcium release, play a key role in associative memory storage. These same elements have been shown to be altered in fibroblasts from Alzheimer's Disease (AD) patients. In addition, it has been shown that PKC, also implicated in memory storage and closely related to the above mentioned components, is also altered in AD fibroblasts. Moreover, β-amyloid was capable of inducing an AD-like phenotype for K + channels and Cp20 in otherwise normal fibroblasts, providing additional evidence for the potential involvement of these components in AD and suggesting a possible pathological consequence of soluble β-amyloid elevation in AD. Preliminary evidence shows that comparable changes in potassium channel function are also present in human olfactory neuroblasts from AD patients. These results indicate that the observed changes not only occur in peripheral tissues such as fibroblasts, but also in neural tissue, the primary site of AD pathology.
The quest to optimize neurodevelopmental outcomes in neonatal arch reconstruction: The perfusion techniques we use and why we believe in them

Major advances in surgical techniques and medical care have brought exciting change to the outcomes of children treated for complex congenital heart disease. Hypoplastic left heart syndrome, for example, was uniformly fatal only 30 years ago, but now has a 5-year survival of approximately 70%. Although the survival for those with surgically repaired complex congenital heart defects has markedly improved, associated morbidities remain high. The neurodevelopmental outcomes of infants and children requiring multiple cardiac operations in childhood are among the major concerns of those who care for patients with congenital heart disease. Deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA), an adjunctive surgical technique that requires cooling the patient to 18 C and ceasing all blood flow to the entire body including the brain, has until recently been the standard intraoperative procedure used to perform aortic arch reconstruction in infants and young children. The development of DHCA in the early 1970s was a breakthrough that allowed for the operative treatment of many lesions previously not amenable to repair in neonates. Unfortunately, although still a mainstay in congenital heart surgery, DHCA is associated with the potential for poor neurodevelopmental outcomes.
Synaptotagmin I and 1B4 are identical : implications for Synaptotagmin distribution in the primate brain

Abstract We have determined that the human cDNA sequence of the previously described primate brain mRNA species 1B4 is nearly identical (99.95% similarity) to that of human Synaptotagmin I. The apparent identity of Synaptotagmin I with 1B4, whose distribution in the brain of the monkey Cynomolgous was determined previously by Northern blot and in situ hybridization (ISH) analyses, reveals that Synaptotagmin I is differentially expressed in the primate brain. Primate Synaptotagmin I mRNA is enriched in hindbrain structures relative to forebrain structures by Northern blot analysis. By ISH analysis, primate Synaptotagmin I mRNA is highly expressed in occipital cortex and lateral geniculate (visual system components) and differentially expressed across topographic cortical boundaries between inferior and superior temporal gyrus (a polymodal zone with visual, auditory and somatosensory inputs) and between areas 17 and 18 of the visual cortex (primary and secondary visual areas). Cortical expression is also enriched in layers V and VI, which contain large pyramidal projection neurons. Synaptotagmin I's greater association with large projection neurons and with some components of visual sensory transduction could reflect a requirement of these neural components for greater synaptic activity. Synaptotagmin I expression in the primate brain is also dissimilar to Synaptotagmin I expression in rodents. Thus, variation of Synaptotagmin I expression has occurred during mammalian evolution, perhaps as a consequence of the larger size and neurotransmitter requirements of primate neurons.
Size determination of aerosol particles using the LDA-visibility technique in the backscatter direction

Abstract Based on the laser Doppler anemometry (LDA) technique and Mie scattering theory, the visibility-particle size relationship (visibility curve) is computed for spherical particles of complex index of refraction. The analysis is restricted to the backscatter direction, for incident light that is circularly polarized. It is observed that the shape of the visibility curve is greatly influence by the index of refraction of the particle and the optical parameters of the system. The domains of values of the index of refraction for which the visibility technique is feasible is determined for specific values of the optical parameters. The information about these domains are presented in the form of special maps. Preliminary results establish that the LDA-visibility technique is feasible for particle sizing over a limited range of index of refraction with certain restrictions placed on the optical configuration.
The Initial Trauma Center Fluid Management of Penetrating Injury: A Systematic Review

Background Damage-control resuscitation is the prevailing trauma resuscitation technique that emphasizes early and aggressive transfusion with balanced ratios of red blood cells (RBCs), plasma (FFP), and platelets (Plt) while minimizing crystalloid resuscitation, which is a departure from Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) guidelines. It is unclear whether the newer approach is superior to the approach recommended by ATLS.
Effect of heme compounds on lipid oxidation

By polarographic oxygen analyzer, the rate of oxidation of linoleate solutions was catalyzed by low concentrations of heme and heme-proteins and inhibited by higher concentrations. High concentrations of these substances also inhibited lipoxygenase catalysis of linoleate oxidation. Manganese and cobalt salts inhibited heme-catalyzed linoleate oxidation. These combined effects may reflect the oxidative synthesis of antioxidants from heme compounds.
Continuous precipitation polymerization of vinylidene fluoride in supercritical carbon dioxide : Modeling the rate of polymerization

The kinetics of the surfactant-free precipitation polymerization of vinylidene fluoride (VF2) in supercritical carbon dioxide have been studied in a continuous stirred autoclave. Diethyl peroxydicarbonate was used as the free-radical initiator. The stirring rate and agitator design had no effect on the rate of polymerization (Rp) or on the weight-average molecular weight (Mw) of the formed poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF). The fractional conversion of VF2 ranged from 7 to 26%, and Rp was as high as 27 × 10-5 mol/L·s at 75 °C and at a VF2 feed concentration of 2.5 mol/L. The PVDF polymer was collected as a dry, “free-flowing” powder and had Mw's up to 150 kg/mol and melt flow indices as low as 3.0 at 230 °C. Homogeneous, free-radical kinetics provided a reasonable basis for describing the rate of polymerization, despite the heterogeneous nature of the system. The order of the reaction with respect to the monomer was found to be 1.0, and the order with respect to the initiator was 0.5. The experimental data...
Variable first-pass elimination of propranolol following single and multiple oral doses in hypertensive patients.

The disposition of orally administered propranolol has been studied in twelve patients with mild to moderate hypertension. Each patient received single doses of 40, 80, and 160 mg. Serial blood samples were obtained and quantitated using a sensitive gas chromatographic analytical technique. Ten of the twelve patients received 40 mg doses of propranolol every 6 hours for 5 doses. Blood samples were obtained after administration of the first, second, third, and fifth doses. Substantial intersubject variability in the areas under the bloodconcentration-time profiles (AUC) was observed. p ]Evidence for a nonlinear first-pass effect was not obtained in all patients. The patients displaying a nonlinear relationship between dose and AUC for single propranolol doses consistently showed a similar relationship during multiple dosing. Blood levels obtained following the evening dose (08h00 to 14h00) appeared to be lower than expected based on multiple-dosing pharmacokinetic principles. These findings suggest that monitoring propranolol blood levels is the most viable way to ascertain therapeutic concentrations of this drug.
Wearable cable-driven upper arm exoskeleton - motion with transmitted joint force and moment minimization

Safety is a critical issue for upper arm exoskeletons intended for human use. Joint forces and moments experienced by a human user during motion must be minimized to ensure safety. Trajectory planning and control of cable-driven exoskeletons is challenging due to the unique property that cables can transmit forces only in tension. This paper introduces the design of a 4-DOF cable-driven upper arm exoskeleton and schemes for trajectory planning and control. Simulations show that in most cases a feasible point-to-point trajectory can be generated while minimizing reaction joint forces and moments.
Factors that influence algorithm performance in the Face Recognition Grand Challenge

A statistical study is presented quantifying the effects of covariates such as gender, age, expression, image resolution and focus on three face recognition algorithms. Specifically, a Generalized Linear Mixed Effect model is used to relate probability of verification to subject and image covariates. The data and algorithms are selected from the Face Recognition Grand Challenge and the results show that the effects of covariates are strong and algorithm specific. The paper presents in detail all of the significant effects including interactions among covariates. One significant conclusion is that covariates matter. The variation in verification rates as a function of covariates is greater than the difference in average performance between the two best algorithms. Another is that few or no universal effects emerge; almost no covariates effect all algorithms in the same way and to the same degree. To highlight one specific effect, there is evidence that verification systems should enroll subjects with smiling rather than neutral expressions for best performance.
Children's Social Interaction and Parental Attitudes Among Hupa Indians and Anglo-Americans

Summary Observations of California preschool children in early childhood education centers in Davis and on the Hoopa Indian Reservation were recorded by videotape. Social interactions of the children were categorized according to 12 social acts in the Whitings' study of children in six cultures. Parental attitudes of Indian and white parents were surveyed, and differences in Davis and Hoopa child rearing attitudes were examined with reference to differences in the children's social behaviors and the values of their cultural background. Although both children's groups were found to show predominantly nurturant and responsible behavior, the Anglo-Americans were highly authoritarian-aggressive, while the Hupa children were sociable-intimate. These behaviors are shown to be consistent with the expectancies of their respective cultures.
Pesticides and Fishes—A Review of Selected Literature

Abstract This paper reviews selected literature on pesticide interactions in aquatic habitats, with special reference to their effects on fishes, and is hopefully an objective critique of research to date, and a projection of future needs in this field. The questions that have been asked are compared to the answers that must be provided. Factors (physical and biological) that affect toxicity are presented to define the data required for the judgment of a “safe” environmental concentration as related to LC50 (mean lethal concentration). Residue analyses give some indications of the action and effects of pesticides on fishes and their ecosystems. Analytical techniques are briefly reviewed. Research programs necessary for the detection of any sublethal damage to a population are suggested in the hope that in the near future direct mortality may not be the chief criteria of danger from pesticides.
Developed resistance to azinphosmethyl in a predator-prey mite system in greenhouse experiments

Susceptible predatory,Amblyseius fallacis (Garman), and prey mites,Tetranychus urticaeKoch, developed comparable levels of resistance to azinphosmethyl when provided with unlimited food and similar selection treatments over 22 generations. Susceptible populations of each when hybridized with limited numbers of resistant mites, incorporated the resistance rapidly and at comparable rates when selected for 5–8 generations. When selected together as interacting populations at 75% selection of the prey, but higher selection of the predator, prey developed only limited resistance after 9 selections, but predators developed appreciable resistance, equal to the susceptibility level of the prey. Data are discussed in relation to developed resistance to azinphosmethyl observed in field populations of spider mites and predators in apple orchards.
Reconstruction of the Heat Release Response of Partially Premixed Flames

The forced response of a swirl-stabilized, partially premixed flame to inlet velocity and equivalence ratio oscillations was experimentally investigated in a model lean-premixed gas turbine combustor. Three different forcing mechanisms were studied: the response of a premixed flame to velocity oscillations, the response of a partially premixed flame to equivalence ratio oscillations, and the response of a partially premixed flame to velocity and equivalence ratio oscillations. The overall heat release response of the flame was determined from measurements of the CH* chemiluminescence emission intensity from the entire flame, while the response of the spatially distributed heat release was determined from phase-synchronized chemiluminescence images. In addition, simultaneous measurements were made of the inlet velocity and equivalence ratio oscillations using the two-microphone method and the IR absorption technique, respectively. The results show that in the linear regime, the response of a partially premixed flame to simultaneous velocity and equivalence ratio oscillations can be reconstructed from independent measurements of the flame’s response to velocity oscillations and to equivalence ratio oscillations using a vector summation method. This is the first experimental demonstration of a two-input one-output model of a swirl-stabilized partially premixed flame. It suggests that the response of a partially premixed flame is governed by four physical parameters, i.e., the oscillation frequency, the amplitude of velocity oscillation, the amplitude of equivalence ratio oscillation, and the phase difference between the two oscillations. As a result, the heat release response of a partially premixed flame can be amplified or damped, depending on the phase difference between the velocity and equivalence ratio oscillations at the combustor inlet.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Toxicity effects of compressed and supercritical solvents on thermophilic microbial metabolism

Selection of biocompatible solvents is critical when designing bioprocessing applications for the in situ biphasic extraction of metabolic end-products. The prediction of the biocompatibility of supercritical and compressed solvents is more complicated than for liquid solvents, because their properties can change significantly with pressure and temperature. The activity of the anaerobic thermophilic bacterium, Clostridium thermocellum, was studied when the organism was incubated in the presence of compressed nitrogen, ethane, and propane at 333 K and multiple pressures. The metabolic activity of the organisms in contact with compressed solvents was analyzed using traditional indicators of solvent biocompatibility, such as log P, interfacial tension, and solvent density. The toxicity of the compressed solvents was compared with the phase and molecular toxicity effects measured in liquid alkanes at atmospheric pressure. Inactivation increased with time in the presence of the compressed solvents, but was constant in the presence of atmospheric liquid solvents. Knowledge of molecular and phase toxicity provides a framework for the interpretation of C. thermocellum metabolism in contact with atmospheric and compressed solvents.
A decision analytic approach for technology portfolio prioritization: Aviation safety applications

A decision analytic approach for evaluating new aviation safety products and technologies is developed and demonstrated to consolidate five existing program assessment metrics to develop a unified metric that simultaneously considers the relative importance and contribution of each. This allows for a meaningful and objective evaluation and comparison of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Aviation Safety Program (AvSP) advanced aeronautical products and technologies. The resulting decision model is referred to as the Composite Program Assessment Score (CPAS). The CPAS includes the five existing metrics; technical development risk, implementation risk, fatal accident rate reduction, safety benefits and cost, and safety risk reduction, which are each defined and quantified by different sources. The CPAS involves the scaling and combination of these individual metrics. In this paper, two alternative combinatorial modeling approaches to calculate the CPAS are presented. The weighted sum m...
Techniques for Quality‐of‐Water Interpretations from Calibrated Geophysical Logs, Atlantic Coastal Areaa

In the fall and winter of 1967–68, a 2,587-foot test well was drilled at Moore's Bridges Filter Plant, Norfolk, Virginia. The well penetrated rocks of post-Miocene, late and middle Miocene, late Eocene, Cenomanian, Cenomanian and Albian, Albian and Aptian, and Aptian and Neocomian age. Empirical data must be established in the Tidewater area for the successful calculation of ground-water quality from calibrated geophysical logs. Chemical analyses of water samples from seven separate zones at depths between 850 feet to 2,500 feet below sea level indicate that the water type changes from a predominantly sodium bicarbonate water above 1,700 feet to a sodium chloride water in the deeper zones. The sodium bicarbonate type water in shallow aquifers must be corrected for divalent cation effects when using the self potential method or for the bicarbonate effect when using the resistivity method of interpretation. Using calibrated geophysical logs, an approximation of the dissolved-solids and chloride content may be calculated using the formula Rw= Ro/Ff and the appropriate figures in the text. A field formation factor (Ff) of 4.2 is proposed for the Cretaceous aquifers in the Atlantic Coastal area. A K value of 84 should be used to check the validity of the magnitude of the self potential curve for the fresh- and brackish-water aquifers in the Cretaceous. If the amount of dissolved solids is known for the Cretaceous waters, the chloride content may be approximated by the formula Cl = 0.5 (dissolved solids–300), provided the dissolved solids are less than 3,500 mg/l (milligrams per liter), and by the formula Cl = 0.6 (dissolved solids–400), if the dissolved solids are greater than 3,500 mg/l. In the Tidewater area, if the saturated resistivity (Ro) reading on the electric log is less than 25 ohmmeters the total solids and chloride content of the water are probably in excess of Public Health standards for potable water. An empirical method of calculating the quality of water from electric logs is presented.
Personal communications networks bridging the gap between cellular and cordless phones

Today's cellular radiotelephone systems currently serve some 12 million subscribers but at average costs of $70/month for service, cellular remains a business, not a consumer, service. On the other hand, cordless phones are already a consumer product in over 40% of US households and annual sales of new cordless phones are already greater than sales of regular corded phones. Personal Communications Networks (PCN) providing Personal Communications Services (PCS) are designed to bridge the gap between expensive public cellular and private cordless services. In this paper we explore PCN/PCS topics including: a definition of the service, identification of the underlying technologies, and discussion of tradeoffs between the technologies. >
Process analysis and optimal design of a fermentation process based upon elemental balance equations: Generalized semitheoretical equations for estimating rates of oxygen demand and heat evolution

Based upon elemental balance equations, generalized semitheoretical equations are developed for estimating the rates of oxygen demand and heat evolution of a fermentation process. The results estimated by these equations are in good agreement with data obtained from yeast–hydrocarbon and yeast–carbohydrate fermentation processes for citric acid production. Furthermore, a direct relationship between rates of oxygen demand and heat evolution is derived with a correlation constant of 0.18 kcal/mM O2.The relationship has been verified by data of citric acid fermentation processes and also confirmed by published data. These derived equations would be useful for process design and optimization.
Comparison of sweat bottle and sweat print measures under resting-state conditions

Palmar sweat measurements were obtained under resting-state conditions using both the newly developed sweat bottle technique and the frequently employed sweat print method. Measurement reliability was high for both approaches. The two methods, at least under generally nonstressful conditions, appear to reflect essentially different aspects of palmar sweating.
Emerging software standards: Opportunity and challenge

Abstract Although computer technology standards have been under development for over two decades, all too often the results of these activities were overlooked or underutilized. Now users are faced with differing proprietary products that inhibit transfer of information. Meanwhile, the U.S. computer industry is facing increased international competition, coupled with the threat of a variety of restrictive national standards. As a result, the demand for communications and software standards has surged - not only from users, but from vendors as well. Fortunately, a number of needed standards are flowing out of national and international standards organizations to meet the demand. This paper will consider emerging software standards and efforts to speed their development and use.
Behavior of ionized plasma in the high latitude topside ionosphere: The polar wind

A numerical model is used to investigate the steady-state behavior of a fully ionized plasma encompassing the geomagnetic field lines from 1500 km to 10 earth radii, and solutions of the 16 moment system of transport equations for the polar wind are obtained. For the present cases studied, results of the 13 and 16 moment simulations are found to be similar, although the temperature anisotropy is quite high. Polar wind studies reveal an electron temperature anisotropy developing around 2500 km, with the collisions keeping the electron temperature isotropic below 2500 km. Good agreement is found between the present polar wind simulations and recent observations.
Solvation of Sodium Chloride: An Effective Fragment Study of NaCl(H2O)n

Calculations on NaCl microsolvated with up to 10 water molecules were performed by treating the NaCl with restricted Hartree−Fock (RHF) 6-31G(d) ab initio wave functions and the waters with the effective fragment potential (EFP) model. Increasing numbers of local minima are found with the addition of successive water molecules. As the number of waters is increased, the Boltzmann-averaged NaCl bond distance lengthens from 2.397 to 3.167 A, the Mulliken charges increase to ±0.98, and the Boltzmann-averaged NaCl stretching frequency decreases from 359 to 94 cm-1. The incremental binding energies (in kcal/mol) as a function of n are 15.4 (n = 1), 15.1 (n = 2), 14.0 (n = 3), 13.9 (n = 4), 12.3 (n = 6), 12.8 (n = 8), 9.1 (n = 10).