cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of direct-current electrical shocks on systolic and diastolic left ventricular function in dogs

Abstract Although direct-current (DC) electrical shocks do not significantly alter left ventricular systolic performance, their effects on ventricular diastolic properties and the role of sympathetic stimulation in maintaining postshock contractility are unknown. Accordingly, we studied both diastolic and systolic left ventricular performance in seven open-chest dogs before and after three consecutive 50 joule DC shocks applied directly to the heart. High-fidelity left ventricular pressure and segmental dimensions were recorded as pressure was varied systematically under conditions of beta-adrenergic blockade. The exponential left ventricular end-diastolic pressure-segment length relationship was not significantly altered by electrical shocks. Likewise, pre- and postshock beats matched for loading conditions did not differ in peak positive dPdt, end-systolic segment length, or percentage of segment shortening, although mean normalized shortening rate decreased by approximately 11% ( p p
Dual-arm Z-scan technique to extract dilute solute nonlinearities from solution measurements

We present a technique in which small solute nonlinearities may be extracted from large solvent signals by performing simultaneous Z-scans on two samples (solvent and solution). By using a dual-arm Z-scan apparatus with identical arms, fitting error in determining the solute nonlinearity is reduced because the irradiance fluctuations are correlated for both the solvent and solution measurements. To verify the sensitivity of this technique, the dispersion of nonlinear refraction of a squaraine molecule is measured. Utilizing this technique allows for the effects of the solvent n2 to be effectively eliminated, thus overcoming a longstanding problem in nonlinear optical characterization of organic dyes.
The Dot/Icm transporter of Legionella pneumophila: A bacterial conductor of vesicle trafficking that orchestrates the establishment of a replicative organelle in eukaryotic hosts

Legionella pneumophila are gram negative bacteria that parasitize professional phagocytes. When ingested by their eukaryotic hosts, these bacteria have the unique ability to alter maturation of the endocytic vacuoles in which they reside initially and create an organelle that supports replication. This review will focus on several scientific breakthroughs made recently that shed light on the mechanisms by which L. pneumophila are able to establish a niche permissive for intracellular growth.
GABAA receptor facilitation of neurokinin release from primary afferent terminals in the rat spinal cord

Our goal was to test the following hypotheses: 1) GABA(A) receptors facilitate neurokinin release from primary afferent terminals; 2) they do this by suppressing an inhibitory effect of GABA(B) receptors; 3) the activation of these two receptors is controlled by the firing frequency of primary afferents. We evoked neurokinin release by stimulating the dorsal root attached to spinal cord slices, and measured it using neurokinin 1 receptor (NK1R) internalization. Internalization evoked by root stimulation at 1 Hz (but not at 100 Hz) was increased by the GABA(A) receptor agonists muscimol (effective concentration of drug for 50% of the increase [EC50] 3 microM) and isoguvacine (EC50 4.5 microM). Internalization evoked by root stimulation at 100 Hz was inhibited by the GABA(A) receptor antagonists bicuculline (effective concentration of drug for 50% of the inhibition [IC50] 2 microM) and picrotoxin (IC50 243 nM). Internalization evoked by incubating the root with capsaicin (to selectively recruit nociceptive fibers) was increased by isoguvacine and abolished by picrotoxin. Therefore, GABA(A) receptors facilitate neurokinin release. Isoguvacine-facilitated neurokinin release was inhibited by picrotoxin, low Cl-, low Ca2+, Ca2+ channel blockers and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonists. Bumetanide, an inhibitor of the Na(+)-K(+)-2Cl- cotransporter, inhibited isoguvacine-facilitated neurokinin release, but this could be attributed to a direct inhibition of GABA(A) receptors. The GABA(B) agonist baclofen inhibited NK1R internalization evoked by 100 Hz root stimulation (IC50 1.5 microM), whereas the GABA(B) receptor antagonist (2S)-3-[[(1S)-1-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)ethyl]amino-2-hydroxypropyl](phenylmethyl) phosphinic acid (CGP-55845) increased NK1R internalization evoked by 1 Hz root stimulation (EC50 21 nM). Importantly, baclofen inhibited isoguvacine-facilitated neurokinin release, and CGP-55845 reversed the inhibition of neurokinin release by bicuculline. In conclusion, 1) GABA(B) receptors located presynaptically in primary afferent terminals inhibit neurokinin release; 2) GABA(A) receptors located in GABAergic interneurons facilitate neurokinin release by suppressing GABA release onto these GABA(B) receptors; 3) high frequency firing of C-fibers stimulates neurokinin release by activating GABA(A) receptors and inhibiting GABA(B) receptors, whereas low frequency firing inhibits neurokinin release by the converse mechanisms.
Efficacy of 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in children

Objectives: To determine whether the use of an ambulatory blood pressure monitor (ABPM) is feasible and gives accurate readings in children, and to provide data on normal daily blood pressures (BPs) and BP patterns in children. Design: Cohort. Subjects: Ninety-nine healthy fifth-grade students. Interventions: Students wore an ABPM for 24 hours while recording their activities In diaries. Before and after the study period, earch subject had theee BPs simultaneously measured with the ABPM and a mercury manometer to assess the accuracy of the ABPM. An activity scale was retrospectively applied to diary entries to help explain the variety of BP patterns noted during data analysis. Results: Systolic BPs obtained with the ABPM at the beginning and end of the study were slightly higher than those obtained with a mercury manometer; dlastolic BPs were virtually identical. A circadian pattern of BPs was noted: mean systolic and diastolic BPs were higher during the day than at night. The BP patterns ranged from “hypoactive” (little baseline variation) to “hyperactive” (wide fluctuations with spikes to elevated BP ranges) during various activities. In general, higher BPs were noted at times of increased activity or emotional levels. Conclusions: Ambulatory BP monitoring was well tolerated, and measurements were reproducible and accurate. The variety of BP measurements noted at different activity levels indicate that a child's activity should be considered during data analysis. As further experience is gained, the ABPM should prove helpful in diagnosis and management of hypertension in children.
Some observations on control by spoken words in children's conditional discrimination and matching by exclusion

Abstract This study examined matching-to-sample procedures that might result in the emergence of conditional behavior never explicitly taught. Subjects were preschool children. Two pictures were displayed as comparisons on every trial, and samples were spoken words. In baseline training preceding each of three experiments, children learned to select pictures of a dog, a table, and a banana in response to their spoken English names. Thereafter, probe trials displayed novel comparisons with baseline comparisons: one novel comparison was displayed with the dog and another with the table. The three experiments differed primarily in the nature of the samples presented on probe trials. In Experiment 1, probe samples were novel words, “JAIJAI” and “BREEL.” On the probes, each of seven subjects reliably selected the novel comparisons, apparently “excluding” the familiar ones. In Experiment 2, probe samples were from the subjects' baseline. On one probe, for example, the sample was “TABLE,” and the subject had to choose either the dog or the novel picture. Exclusion was logically possible because the dog had always before been incorrect in the presence of “TABLE.” Under these conditions, however, only two of nine children excluded reliably. In Experiment 3, probe samples were words that had never been samples on any matching-to-sample trial, but that had controlled the children's behavior in other settings. On one probe, for example, the sample was “PENCIL,” and the subject had to choose either the dog or a novel picture. Subjects virtually always excluded the former and selected the latter. Unreliable exclusion in Experiment 2, therefore, apparently resulted because the probe samples had previously served also as samples on baseline trials. Spontaneous verbalizations recorded during probing provided further data consistent with this interpretation. The study helps to define variables controlling exclusion performances by showing that such performances are more likely to occur if the sample has no prior experimental history.
Does language choice influence the effectiveness of online introductory programming courses

The growing introduction of online courses and degrees places high emphasis on the need for thorough assessment of these offerings. This paper focuses on researching a reliable answer to whether changing the programming language used in online introductory programming courses from C++ to Java will have an impact on their effectiveness or not. The paper uses four distinct data sets to measure course effectiveness and implements an experimental, in-depth analysis procedure to come up with an answer to the posed research question. The data collected from classes, using C++, constitute the control group while data collected when Java was used constitute the experimental group. The first set uses data collected from students that express their perception of the effectiveness of various online course parameters. The second set directly measures students' achievement of course outcomes and compares the measured levels across the studied groups. The third set compares a number of students' success and interactivity indicators while the last set measures the student satisfaction with the course and the instructor. The obtained results for all studied performance measures asserted that there were no statistically significant differences between the control and experimental groups. Such findings can be deemed significant for IT-programs given the popularity of the studied languages and the fact that the study focused mainly on online offerings which are on the rise.
Compression schemes for differential categorical stream clustering

Stream data analysis differs significantly from traditional data processing. To process the data online the algorithm has to work in one pass, incorporating new data into a model maintained in main memory. Storing a model or synopsis of processed data in the memory, which we call "data compression", is an important technique in both incremental and differential stream mining. This paper proposes several data compression schemes in one-pass categorical data clustering, and demonstrates their performance on synthetic and real data. Our compression schemes can efficiently generate compact representations of original data, so as to enable the algorithm to process streams at high speed and detect the changes in underlying data. The example algorithm based on these compression schemes achieves good accuracy in short execution time.
SU‐E‐T‐230: Field Factor Verification in Small Fields

Purpose: Small field is being commonly used in radiosurgery and IMRT, however dosimetry is challenging due to source size, electronic disequilibrium and detector size. Correction factor, K, has been published for a limited set of detectors and beam energies. Validity of K for several detectors is investigated. Also extrapolation ion chamber could be used using reciprocity theorem for small fields which is attempted in this study. Methods: Various small volume detectors: IBA SFD, PTW TN60012 diode, and PTW Pinpoint N31006, Standard Imaging A16, along with Nuclear Associate N2339IT extrapolation chamber were used to measure output of square fields from 1×1 to 10×10 cm2 for Varian 6 and 16 MV beams. Measurements were made in a water phantom at 1.5cm depth for 6MV photon and 3.0cm depth for 15MV photon with SSD 100cm. Extrapolation chamber was used in solid water. Published correction factors (Francescon et al, MP, 2011)1, K were used for the detectors used in this study. The K value was derived for extrapolation chamber by modeling based on the difference between its detector output and the average output factor from the diodes and pinpoints. Results: The variation in output as measured from different detector is significant (±7.0%) for field sizes = 3×3 cm2 and converges after large field sizes for both energies. The output factor for the extrapolation chamber was out of range from diodes/pinpoints in both 6MV and 16 MV beams. After applying detector K, the field size factors agree each other within ±2.2% for all field sizes.Conclusions: The value of K provides reasonably good data for field factors irrespective of detector and the field factors can be matched within 2.2%. A mathematical function for extrapolation chamber also provides field factors comparable to the other detectors.
DRβ peptides block the antigen-specific response but not the alloresponse of a dual-reactive T-cell clone

Abstract It is generally assumed that alloreactivity and the response to foreign antigens are equivalent T-cell recognition events. We have addressed this issue by examining the antigen presentation of beef insulin by two DR1-restricted human T-clones. One of the clones was dual-reactive and exhibited alloreactivity. By employing 20 synthetic consecutive overlapping peptides representing the entire extracellular (residues 1–198) and intracellular (residues 222–273) parts of the DR2β molecule, the effects of each of these peptides on antigen presentation and alloreactivity were examined. The DR1-restricted response to beef insulin by both clones was inhibited by peptides from DR2β region 1–25. Other DR2β (residues 21–198 en 222–237) or control peptides had no effect. The DR3-associated alloresponse of the dual-reactive clone was not inhibited by any peptide. These observations suggest that recognition of antigen is fundamentally different from allorecognition.
Neural-network models of learning and memory : leading questions and an emerging framework

Real-time neural-network models provide a conceptual framework for formulating questions about the nature of cognition, an architectural framework for mapping cognitive functions to brain regions, a semantic framework for defining terms, and a computational framework for testing hypotheses. This article considers key questions about how a physical system might simultaneously support one-trial learning and lifetime memories, in the context of neural models that test possible solutions to the problems posed. Model properties point to partial answers, and model limitations lead to new questions. Placing individual system components in the context of a unified real-time network allows analysis to move from the level of neural processes, including learning laws and rules of synaptic transmission, to cognitive processes, including attention and consciousness.
Variability in derived parameters of furosemide pharmacokinetics

The pharmacokinetics of furosemide in normal man reported from a number of investigators show great discrepancies. We have evaluated the effect on derived pharmacokinetic parameters of furosemide of using different weighting factors or fewer data points to fit the same set of data to an exponential equation, or using noncompartmental analysis. Terminal half-lives of furosemide differed vastly, as did the volume of distribution, but to a lesser extent. The plasma clearance was rather consistent with the different methods used. Thus the discrepancies of the pharmacokinetics of furosemide may, in large part, be due to different methods of analysis of the data. The terminal half-life was most subject to errors of method and the plasma clearance the least.
KLINISCHE ERFAHRUNGEN MIT CLONAZEPAM UNTER BESONDERER BERÜCKSICHTIGUNG PSYCHOMOTORISCHER ANFÄLLE

The authors carried out this study on 34 patients with various types of psychomotor epilepsy (idiopathic or symptomatic) resistant to customary treatment. A few of these patients also occasionally had grand mal seizures. The average age of the treated patients was 26 years, and the duration of disease 17 years. Clonazepam (Ro 5-4023) was administered at doses of 2 to 12 mg per day. The main criterion of success of treatment was the reduction of seizures by 50 per cent in the first month, this improvement being maintained. Out of 34 patients 12 showed improvement. Of these 12 patients 7 showed remarkable improvement for 5 months or more, 3 out of these 7 patients had no further epileptic seizures. Furthermore, the authors also carried out investigations on 20 children mainly suffering from myoclonic astatic seizures (Lennox-syndrome). The results were not so good as those obtained by previous investigators, possibly because of the below average doses used. The results of intravenous treatment with clona-zepam were highly satisfactory. Six patients between the ages of 8 and 62 years with various types of status epilepticus were given clonazepam intravenously. A continuous EEG-control was recorded. In the majority of cases good results were obtained within a few minutes. Clonazepam proved to be more effective than diazepam and phenytoin. The results of this investigation can be considered good as the patients chosen for the study were mainly therapy-resistant to standard treatment and had a severe type of epilepsy. Side effects were minimal, mild and did not persist. The authors suggest using clonazepam in patients with various types of psychomotor epilepsy, where customary therapy has failed.
Spatial patterns in leaf area and plant functional type cover across chronosequences of sagebrush ecosystems

Since most studies of ecosystem dynamics after disturbance require longer durations of study than the life span of most research careers, many studies rely on chronosequence approaches to substitute space for time. We tested the chronosequence approach for assessing the change in plant functional type cover and leaf area index (L) using three replicated mountain big sagebrush (Artemesia tridentata var. vaseyana (Rydb.) Boivin) dominated ecosystems in southern Wyoming. We further tested our broader inferences of mountain big sagebrush ecosystem chronosequences by assessing whether dynamics in spatial patterning of plant functional type cover and leaf area index would compromise the chronosequence approach. We hypothesized that (1) L and total cover increase with age at similar rates across replicated chronosequences, (2) spatial autocorrelation is greatest with shrub cover, and (3) spatial autocorrelation increases with age. We failed to reject all three hypotheses. Our analyses showed that mean shrub cover, total cover, and L all increased linearly with time since disturbance across all three replicated chronosequences. While neither graminoid nor forb cover was correlated with time since disturbance, graminoid cover did show an inverse relationship with shrub cover and L. Semivariogram analysis showed that spatial patterning increased with shrub cover and time since disturbance. Thus, while we cannot yet provide a process to fit the spatial patterns, the chronosequence approach for sagebrush ecosystems recovering from disturbance has survived a rigorous test because the mean changes in shrub cover, total cover, and L were replicable across three different sites.
Evidence from hafnium isotopes for ancient sub-oceanic mantle beneath the Rio Grande rift

UNDERSTANDING the nature of the mantle underlying continents is important for balancing the inventory of the Earth's main chemical reservoirs1, 2 and for constraining aspects of mantle convection, such as the extent to which continental lithosphere is coupled to the asthenosphere beneath3–5. Strontium, neodymium and lead isotope studies of basaltic lavas from regions of continental extension, such as the southwestern United States, have identified at least two components of the sub-continental mantle6: one composed of ancient lithosphere, enriched by the addition of metasomatic fluids or crustal material, and an asthenospheric component with Sr, Nd and Pb isotope compositions matching those of ocean-island basalts. The lutetium–hafnium isotope system7–9 provides additional information not obtainable from the other systems; in particular, by betraying the presence of garnet during melting10, 11 (hence constraining the depth of previous melting events of the source mantle). Here we report that basalts derived from upwelling asthenosphere in the region of the Rio Grande rift, southwestern United States, have Nd and Hf isotope ratios that lie significantly off the ocean-island Nd–Hf array10. We interpret the low 176Hf/177Hf ratios in these basalts as reflecting derivation from ancient asthenospheric mantle that melted at shallow levels beneath the oceans. Hafnium isotopes in continental basalts may thus provide evidence for large-scale overriding by continents of sub-oceanic mantle.
Simulation of roll forming process with the 3-D FEM code PAM-STAMP

Abstract Roll forming is a well known process used to manufacture long sheet metal products with constant cross section. Despite the long history of the process, the design procedure for the roll formed products, forming rolls, and roll pass sequences still remains more an art than a science. Thus, to avoid forming defects and to reduce the process development efforts, finite element analysis can be used to predict strain distributions and sheet geometry during and after the process. This paper summarizes the results of roll forming simulations made with a commercial FEM code. Deformed geometry and strain distributions predicted by simulations are compared with the results from previously conducted experiments. This study provided considerable experience how and when it is best to apply a commercial 3-D FEM code to the design of a roll forming process.
Liver segmentation from registered multiphase CT data sets with EM clustering and GVF level set

In this study, clinically produced multiphase CT volumetric data sets (pre-contrast, arterial and venous enhanced phase) are drawn upon to transcend the intrinsic limitations of single phase data sets for the robust and accurate segmentation of the liver in typically challenging cases. As an initial step, all other phase volumes are registered to either the arterial or venous phase volume by a symmetric nonlinear registration method using mutual information as similarity metric. Once registered, the multiphase CT volumes are pre-filtered to prepare for subsequent steps. Under the assumption that the intensity vectors of different organs follow the Gaussian Mixture model (GMM), expectation maximization (EM) is then used to classify the multiphase voxels into different clusters. The clusters for liver parenchyma, vessels and tumors are combined together and provide the initial liver mask that is used to generate initial zeros level set. Conversely, the voxels classified as non-liver will guide the speed image of the level sets in order to reduce leakage. Geodesic active contour level set using the gradient vector flow (GVF) derived from one of the enhanced phase volumes is then performed to further evolve the liver segmentation mask. Using EM clusters as the reference, the resulting liver mask is finally morphologically post-processed to add missing clusters and reduce leakage. The proposed method has been tested on the clinical data sets of ten patients with relatively complex and/or extensive liver cancer or metastases. A 95.8% dice similarity index when compared to expert manual segmentation demonstrates the high performance and the robustness of our proposed method - even for challenging cancer data sets - and confirms the potential of a more thorough computational exploitation of currently available clinical data sets.
228. AAV Mediated Hypoxia-Inducible VEGF Expression and Neovascular Formation in Ischemic Pig Myocardium

Rapid, efficient overexpression of angiogenic growth factors in the peri-infarct zone is a promising approach for gene therapy of acute myocardium infarction. Patients suffering from an acute myocardial infarction often require invasive treatment, and gene transfer could be performed in combination with intravascular revascularization strategies or with bypass surgery. Many angiogenic factors such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), angiopoietins, fibroblast growth factor-4 (FGF-4) and placental growth factor (PlGF) have been shown to be potent inducers of arteriogenesis. VEGF is the most potent among these factors as it is capable of increasing proliferation and migration of endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cells, and attracting stem cell homing. In our previous studies, we have induced neovascular formation in ischemic mouse hearts with adeno-associated viral vector (AAV) mediated VEGF gene transfer. To avoid the harmful effect of excessive angiogenesis, we have constructed an AAV vector (MLCVEGF) with 9 copies of the hypoxia-response element (HRE) of the human erythropoietin (EPO) gene and the promoter of the rat myosin light chain 2v (MLC-2v) controlling VEGF gene expression. Since information derived from mouse model may not be directly applicable to human and the pig heart closely resembles the human heart closely, we tested the hypotheses that MLCVEGF can also mediate hypoxia- inducible VEGF expression and induce neovascular formation in the pig heart. We injected 1|[times]|1011 genomes of MLCVEGF or CMVVEGF (AAV vector with CMV promoter driving VEGF expression) into normal and ischemic pig myocardium after 90 minutes of occlusion and reperfusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD). CMVLacZ vector (AAV vector with CMV promoter driving LacZ gene expression) was used as control. All vectors were packaged in AAV serotype 1 capsid. Myocardiums were collected 2 weeks after the vector injection. Gene expression was analyzed by real-time RT-PCR and immunohistochemical staining. Capillaries and a-actin positive vessels were quantitated on anti PECAM-1 and smooth muscle a-actin antibody stained sections. We observed robust LacZ and VEGF gene expression at CMVLacZ and CMVVEGF injection sites and found more capillaries and a-actin positive vessels at VEGF vector injected sites than CMVLacZ injection sites. VEGF expression mediated by MLCVEGF vector was low in normal myocardium and was induced about 40-fold in ischemic myocardium 2 weeks after myocardial infarction and vector injection. Conclusions: 1) AAV serotype 1 can infect pig myocardium efficiently. 2) AAV vector containing VEGF controlled by MLC-2v promoter and 9 copies of EPO HRE can mediate hypoxia-inducible gene expression and induce neovascular formation in the pig myocardium.
Coupling genetic algorithms and rule-based systems for complex decisions☆

Abstract Due to the increasing need of supporting complex decisions in an effective manner, emergent approaches have been proposed to combine different AI technologies to form hybrid systems. Although hybrid systems are still largely experimental, many preliminary results indicate that such coupling can enable more complex problem-solving techniques than have been available to decision makers in the past. In this research, we design an interactive, Genetic Algorithms (GA)-based hybrid system for the support of the batch selection decision. We utilize a GA's stochastic search capability in identifying promising areas in the solution space. Then, the rule-based system is applied to reinforce the feasibility of the GA-identified potential solutions. Our experimental results indicate that our hybrid system has better performance than both the pure GA system and the rule-based system for complex decision-making.
A phase-field theory of dislocation dynamics, strain hardening and hysteresis in ductile single crystals

A phase-field theory of dislocation dynamics, strain hardening and hysteresis in ductile single crystals is developed. The theory accounts for: an arbitrary number and arrangement of dislocation lines over a slip plane; the long-range elastic interactions between dislocation lines; the core structure of the dislocations resulting from a piecewise quadratic Peierls potential; the interaction between the dislocations and an applied resolved shear stress field; and the irreversible interactions with short-range obstacles and lattice friction, resulting in hardening, path dependency and hysteresis. A chief advantage of the present theory is that it is analytically tractable, in the sense that the complexity of the calculations may be reduced, with the aid of closed form analytical solutions, to the determination of the value of the phase field at point-obstacle sites. In particular, no numerical grid is required in calculations. The phase-field representation enables complex geometrical and topological transitions in the dislocation ensemble, including dislocation loop nucleation, bow-out, pinching, and the formation of Orowan loops. The theory also permits the consideration of obstacles of varying strengths and dislocation line-energy anisotropy. The theory predicts a range of behaviors which are in qualitative agreement with observation, including: hardening and dislocation multiplication in single slip under monotonic loading; the Bauschinger effect under reverse loading; the fading memory effect, whereby reverse yielding gradually eliminates the influence of previous loading; the evolution of the dislocation density under cycling loading, leading to characteristic ‘butterfly’ curves; and others.
Paris, city of shadows: French crime cinema before the New Wave

Scholarly attention to the French New Wave has obscured 1950s French film, a dynamic popular cinema derived in part from the crime thriller, or policier, genre. This article provides a revisionist historical approach to the 1950s, analyzing the neglected significance both of the policier and commercial French cinema itself. It considers the policier's history and re‐emergence in the mid‐1950s, its generic constitution, and its depiction of underworld Paris as a transitional site of urban modernity. The essay also explores the policier as a catalyst within 1950s Franco‐American popular culture, situating crime film as an overlooked source for the criticism and filmmaking of the Cahiers du cinema collective.
An integrated approach for modeling solute transport in streams and canals with applications

A new modeling approach for solute transport in streams and canals was developed to simulate solute dissolution, transport, and decay with continuously migrating sources. The new approach can efficiently handle complicated solute source feeding schemes and initial conditions. Incorporating the finite volume method (FVM) and the ULTIMATE QUICKEST numerical scheme, the new approach is capable of predicting fate and transport of solute that is added to small streams or canals, typically in a continuous fashion. The approach was tested successfully using a hypothetical case, and then applied to an actual field experiment, where linear anionic polyacrylamide (LA-PAM) was applied to an earthen canal. The field experiment was simulated first as a fixed boundary problem using measured concentration data as the boundary condition to test model parameters and sensitivities. The approach was then applied to a moving boundary problem, which included subsequent LA-PAM dissolution, settling to the canal bottom and transport with the flowing canal water. Simulation results showed that the modeling approach developed in this study performed satisfactorily and can be used to simulate a variety of transport problems in streams and canals.
Activation of Arene C−H Bonds by a Cationic Hafnium Silyl Complex Possessing an α-Agostic Si−H Interaction

The reaction of Cp2Hf(SiMes2H)Me (1) with B(C6F5)3 produces zwitterionic Cp2Hf(eta2-SiHMes2)(mu-Me)B(C6F5)3 (2), which is stable for >8 h at -40 degrees C in toluene-d8. Spectroscopic data provide evidence for an unusual alpha-agostic Si-H interaction in 2. At room temperature, 2 reacts with the C-H bonds of aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene and toluene to produce Cp2Hf(Ph)(mu-Me)B(C6F5)3 (3), isomers of Cp2Hf(C6H4Me)(mu-Me)B(C6F5)3 (4-6), and Cp2Hf(CH2Ph)(mu-Me)B(C6F5)3 (7), respectively. The reaction involving benzene is first-order in both 2 and benzene; rate = k[2][C6H6]. Mechanistic data including activation parameters (DeltaH = 19(1) kcal/mol; DeltaS = -17(3) eu), a large primary isotope effect of 6.9(7), and the experimentally determined rate law are consistent with a mechanism involving a concerted transition state for C-H bond activation.
Characterization of Phytophthora infestans from Maine during 1999 and 2000

A total of 77 isolates ofPhytophthora infestans was collected in 1999 and 93 isolates were collected in 2000 from growers’ fields, home gardens, and research plots in Maine. Genotype diversity based onglucose-6-phosphate isomerase (Gpi) allozyme analysis was greater in the collections from 2000, with six genotypes identified vs two genotypes identified in 1999. The US-8 (Gpi 100/111/122) genotype constituted 88% of the isolates collected in 1999 and 75% of those collected in 2000. The US-14 (Gpi 100/122) genotype constituted 12% and 7% of the isolates collected in 1999 and 2000, respectively. Three newGpi genotypes constituted 7% of the isolates collected from potato in northern Maine in 2000. A new genotype (A1 mating type,Gpi 100/100) that was aggressive on both tomato and potato was identified from home gardens in western Maine and constituted 11% of the isolates collected in 2000. A1, A2, and A1A2 mating types as well as self-fertile isolates were collected in both years. Self-fertility in artificial culture appeared to be relatively common in field isolatesof P. infestans. Potential origins of the new genotypes are discussed.
γ-Cystathionase of rat liver: Effects of pyridoxal phosphate and other compounds on reaction rates

Abstract The reaction of cystathionase with cystathionine and homoserine decreases rapidly with time. Kinetic studies show that the reaction becomes inhibited, probably by the formation of a stable enzyme-bound intermediate. The inhibition can be partially relieved by pyridoxal phosphate, sodium chloride, α-keto acids, and other compounds. Since inhibition of the enzyme by 5,5′dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoic acid) is also prevented or delayed by these agents, a nucleophilic sulfhydryl is implicated in the substrate-induced inhibition. It is proposed that pyridoxal phosphate, and other agents, prevent the inhibition by providing an environment that helps to decrease the nucleophilicity of the sulfhydryl. This leads to an increase in the rate of product formation.
DURATION OF ANAESTHESIA WITH THIOPENTAL WHEN COMBINED WITH EACH OF MANNITOL, UREA, SODIUM BICARBONATE, OR TROMETHAMINE ("THAM," "TRIS").

Crossover experiments were earned out on ten medium-sized mongrel dogs using intravenous injections of a therapeutic dose of mannitol, urea, sodium bicarbonate, and tromethamine (THAM), to determine whether any of these would alter significantly the duration of thiopental “sleep” induced with a single intravenous dose of 25 mg/kg body weight. Mannitol, in a dose of 1 gm/kg given over 15 minutes, prolonged recovery time by approximately 25 per cent, whereas sodium bicarbonate, in a dose of 75 mg/kg given within 30 seconds shortened recovery by about 25 per cent Urea (1 gm/kg in 15 minutes) and tromethamine (300 mg/kg in 15 minutes) had no appreciable effect on recovery time although, with urea, there was a trend to delayed recovery, whereas with tromethamine, the trend was towards more rapid recovery Urea and tromethamine caused retching and/or vomiting during administration in some of the animals, and tromethamine caused apnoea and death in one. The biochemical effect of these drugs and the obscure mechanism of action on pulmonary ventilation were reviewed briefly along with their clinical applications. The prior unpredictability of their interaction with thiopental was evident from the results, and points to the importance of carrying out such studies before employing drug combinations clinically, particularly during the course of anaesthesia. Serious complications arising from the combination of therapeutic agents with anaesthetic drugs can only be prevented or managed effectively when one is aware of the specific responses that drug combinations can cause.
Characterization of InGaN Quantum Wells Grown by Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) Using Ammonia as the Nitrogen Source

Single quantum well InGaN was grown by molecular beam epitaxy with ammonia as the nitrogen source. The samples were grown on (0001) sapphire substrates. The photoluminescence (PL) intensity of InGaN quantum wells showed band-edge emissions at 2.71eV at low temperature (10 K). PL was investigated as a function of excitation intensity and temperature. The relationship between PL intensity and excitation intensity, as well as the relationship between PL intensity and lattice temperature was studied. Also studied was the combined effect of temperature and intensity variation. Detailed results are reported here.
Timing individuals in a group using a computer-generated code sequence

A method of timing individual subjects in any size group is described. Using a standard movie projector, a specially produced 16-mm film projects codes composed of three letters. Each code remains on the screen for 2/3 sec. Subjects are asked to record the code they see after completing each experimental task. Computer programs, written in BASIC, generate the 1,000 codes used in the film, edit the subject-recorded codes, and translate the codes into time measures. The code sequence on the film is designed: (1) to discourage subjects from attempting to calculate their own interval times, (2) to catch false codes and recording errors, and (3) to allow the experimenter who knows the structure of the codes to easily translate individual codes into time.
Modeling of phase separation mechanism in polycaprolactone/dioxane binary systems

PURPOSE Unidirectional freezing followed by freeze-drying is a way to produce microcellular material from a polymer solution for biomedical application. As a distinctive feature of this type of process, bundles of channels are observed with an average diameter of hundreds of microns. Variations in porous morphology, particularly in porosity, density, and degree of regularity of spatial organization of pores, have been observed when polymer concentrations and quenching temperature are changed. To examine these issues in more detail the thermally induced phase separation of a polycaprolactone/dioxane solution was studied as a function of polymer concentration and quenching temperature in connection with the ultimate morphology of the micro-cellular material. METHODS We prepared microcellular samples of polycaprolactone by freeze/freeze-drying technique. The microstructure of the material was observed by scanning electron microscopy. Moreover, a mathematical model for the prediction of the temperature profile and morphology was developed. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS A microstructural disorder region inside the samples was sometimes observed in connection with process parameters. The developed model is able to capture the formation of such a microstructural disorder region as a direct consequence of the slowing down of the solid-liquid interface. Predictions of the model as a function of freezing rate and concentration are in excellent agreement with experimental observation.
The WTM Genes in Budding Yeast Amplify Expression of the Stress-Inducible Gene RNR3

Cellular responses to DNA damage and inhibited replication are evolutionarily conserved sets of pathways that are critical to preserving genome stability. To identify new participants in these responses, we undertook a screen for regulators that, when present on a high-copy vector, alter expression of a DNA damage-inducible RNR3-lacZ reporter construct in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. From this screen we isolated a plasmid encoding two closely related paralogs, WTM1 and WTM2, that greatly increases constitutive expression of RNR3-lacZ. Moderate overexpression of both genes together, or high-level expression of WTM2 alone from a constitutive promoter, upregulates RNR3-lacZ in the absence of DNA damage. Overexpressed, tagged Wtm2p is associated with the RNR3 promoter, indicating that this effect is likely direct. Further investigation reveals that Wtm2p and Wtm1p, previously described as regulators of meiotic gene expression and transcriptional silencing, amplify transcriptional induction of RNR3 in response to replication stress and modulate expression of genes encoding other RNR subunits.
Validation of the species composition index

Abstract This paper is a validation of the Species Composition Index (SCI). The SCI is a data-handling technique which expresses the botanical composition of a sward as a vector. Inclusion of these vectors allows the incorporation, in response models, of the dynamic changes in species composition of sods which occur over time. The SCI was developed originally with a data set which was obtained in a beef (Bos taurus L.) steer 3-year experiment where several dependent variables (forage growth, consumption and animal performance) were measured concurrently with several environmental, plant and animal characteristics. The SCI was then validated with a different data set, obtained over another 3-year period, with the same species combined in different ways and more complex treatments. The SCI was related to the effects, if significant, of year, season, grazing pressure, forage quality, precipitation and air temperature on the dependent variables in the two data sets independently. The SCI was superior to the traditional classification variable ‘treatments’ in accounting for variation in the dependent variables in both data sets. When ‘treatments’ was entered into the model, coefficients of determination of 0·26, 0·43, 0·58 and 0·44 were obtained for forage growth and consumption, average daily gain and beef production with the first data set, and of 0·13, 0·40, 0·36 and 0·37 in the second data set, respectively; when SCI was used, coefficients increased to 0·40, 0·52, 0·68, 0·55, 0·42, 0·61, 0·58 and 0·58, respectively. Thus, the effectiveness of the SCI was similar in the two data sets and the SCI appears to be a useful tool for quantitatively describing dynamically changing sward compositions.
Evaluating the Technical, Economic, and Environmental Impact of the Level of Decentralization in Energy Investment Decisions

The goal of this paper is to analyze the impacts of the level of decentralization in energy investment decisions on the technical, economic, and environmental performance. The analysis is important because of the increasing popularity of decentralized renewable energy technologies such as solar cells, fuel cells, wind power, etc. In this paper, we show that depending on the level of decentralization at which the decisions are made, the overall system performance is different. We consider an investment decision that can be made at varying levels of decentralization. The HOMER software is used for analyzing scenarios at different levels. The goal of this paper is not to present a new approach for design but to illustrate the problem itself. Using this problem, we highlight the need to establish new methodologies and tools to make such decisions related to the energy infrastructure.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Problems of distance geometry and convex properties of quadratic maps

A weighted graph is calledd-realizable if its vertices can be chosen ind-dimensional Euclidean space so that the Euclidean distance between every pair of adjacent vertices is equal to the prescribed weight. We prove that if a weighted graph withk edges isd-realizable for somed, then it isd-realizable for $$d = \left[ {\left( {\sqrt {8k + 1} - 1} \right)/2} \right]$$ (this bound is sharp in the worst case). We prove that for a graphG withn vertices andk edges and for a dimensiond the image of the so-called rigidity map ?dn??k is a convex set in ?k provided $$d \geqslant \left[ {\left( {\sqrt {8k + 1} - 1} \right)/2} \right]$$ . These results are obtained as corollaries of a general convexity theorem for quadratic maps which also extends the Toeplitz-Hausdorff theorem. The main ingredients of the proof are the duality for linear programming in the space of quadratic forms and the "corank formula" for the strata of singular quadratic forms.
SU-FF-J-12: Respiratory Training Using Audio Visual Bio-Feedback

Purpose: To investigate the effectiveness of a novel respiratory training tool based on audio‐visual biofeedback for 4D CTimage acquisition and dynamic tumor tracking during radiation therapy.Method and Materials: During radiation therapy it is important that a patient follows the same breathing pattern throughout the treatment. However, in practice, such regularity is very difficult to achieve. Our hypothesis is that, by training a patient to breathe according to a representative breathing pattern constructed from the patient's own free breathing samples, it is possible to achieve significantly higher regularity and reproducibility in the real time breathing pattern. Initially for each subject, the real‐time position samples for free breathing are acquired using a real‐time position monitoring system. After collecting a sufficiently large number of free breathing samples, a representative breathing pattern is constructed by estimating the average of the Fourier series coefficients corresponding to each breathing cycle. The patient is then instructed to follow the representative breathing pattern as closely as possible. The new method of respiratory training was tested on four volunteers (non‐patients). For each volunteer, the data for free and trained breathing was analyzed to calculate the RMS error of period and displacement with respect to representative waveform. Results: The average of RMS errors in time period and displacement for trained breathing was 2.32 seconds and 4.32 cm respectively. Similarly, average of RMS errors for free breathing was found to be 3.27 seconds and 7.9 cm. The reduction in the errors from free breathing to trained breathing was approximately 30 percent in time period and 45 percent in displacement. Conclusion: This tool provides valuable insights into identifying respiratory training methods that are customized for each subject. Further analysis of this methodology will be performed by developing alternate user interfaces and investigating the data from a larger set of volunteers.
Immunohistochemical expression of neuron‐specific enolase and leu 7 in Ewing's sarcoma of bone

Neural features have been documented in a series of small round cell tumors of bone, previously classified as Ewing's sarcoma of bone (ESB), using light microscopic, ultrastructural, immunohistochemical, and in vitro techniques. To date, correlation of the presence of these features in ESB with clinical outcome has not been performed. The authors investigated the clinical relevance of positivity to antibodies against neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and Leu 7 (HNK 1) using the avidin-biotin complex technique in 40 cases of ESB seen at St. Jude (Memphis, TN) during the period 1968 to 1986. Twenty-three cases (58%) were positive for NSE and/or Leu 7. The median disease-free survival of patients with localized tumors and NSE and/or Leu 7 positivity was 3.8 years compared to a median disease-free survival of 1.6 years for those without these markers and localized disease. Using the log-rank test, a statistically significant difference was shown in these two groups of patients (P = 0.049). The authors conclude that in this relatively small series ESB commonly expresses NSE and/or Leu 7 and that the presence of these markers is of no prognostic significance overall, but that in patients with localized ESB the presence of NSE and/or Leu 7 by immunostaining may be a favorable prognostic indicator.