cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pharmacological dissection reveals functional roles for KCNQ channel subtypes in human urinary bladder smooth muscle contractility (1057.12)

This study is aimed at investigating the molecular expression of voltage-gated potassium (KCNQ) channels in urinary bladder smooth muscle (UBSM) and to reveal their functional role in regulating the contractility of this tissue. Using native, freshly-isolated human UBSM single cells and whole UBSM tissue, we examined the mRNA and protein expression for all KCNQ channel subtypes and elucidated their functional role in human UBSM contractility using RT-PCR, western blot, and isometric UBSM tension recordings of isolated human UBSM strips. Human UBSM tissues were collected from open bladder surgeries and represent patients without preoperative symptoms of overactive bladder. Expression of KCNQ channel subtypes were identified at both the mRNA and protein levels in human UBSM. Functional studies revealed that spontaneous phasic contractility was significantly increased by the KCNQ channel inhibitor, XE991. On the contrary, the KCNQ channel activators retigabine, L-364,373 (R-L3), and ICA-069673 attenuated UBS...
Nucleic Acid of Rubella Virus and Its Replication in Hamster Kidney Cells

Ribonucleic acid (RNA) has been isolated from partially purified rubella virus preparations and fractionated by rate zonal centrifugation in sucrose density gradients. The bulk of the RNA sedimented as a sharp band with a sedimentation coefficient of 38S. Rubella virus RNA appears to be single-stranded on the basis of its sensitivity to the degrading action of ribonuclease. Fractionation by precipitation with 1 m NaCl, followed by chromatography on cellulose columns, and by rate zonal centrifugation in sucrose density gradients of labeled RNA isolated from actinomycin D-treated and infected baby hamster kidney cells revealed the presence of the following virus-specific types of RNA: (i) single-stranded RNA with a heterogeneous sedimentation pattern, the 38S viral RNA becoming the predominant species only after long periods of labeling late after infection; (ii) double-stranded RNA with a sedimentation coefficient of 20S; (iii) RNA apparently composed of 20S double-stranded RNA and single-stranded branches. On the basis of their properties, the last two species were tentatively identified as the replicative form and the replicative intermediate of rubella virus RNA. Rubella virus RNA was infectious.
A Computational Method for Solving Adaptive Optimal Control Problems on Parallel Machines

In this paper, the Epsilon-Ritz method is used with piecewise constant orthogonal functions such as Walsh and Block-pulse to find solutions for the optimal feedback control and the system parameter identification problems. The two solutions are then combined to render an adaptive optimal control computational method. The computations utilized the VEC notations developed by Brewer [4] which is straight forward and convenient for implementation on parallel machines. Simulation results are shown indicating superiority of the proposed method.
Compaction and Diagenesis of Sandstones – the Role of Pressure Solution

Abstract A model is presented for the compaction of granular aggregates that accommodates the serial processes of grain-contact dissolution, grain-boundary diffusion, and precipitation at the pore wall. Importantly, this treatment follows the progress of grain interpenetration as contact areas grow, mass transport lengths increase, and rate-limiting processes may switch with the progress of compaction. A simple repeating closed system incorporates two stressed grains in contact and enables the progress of compaction, and the evolution of the mass concentration of the pore fluids to be followed with time, for arbitrary mean stress, fluid pressure, and temperature conditions. Hindcast comparisons with experimental results for the compaction of quartz sand in a closed system ( Elias and Hajash, 1992 ) show excellent agreement for rates of change of porosity, the asymptotic long-term porosity, and for the development of silica concentrations in the pore fluid with time.
Maternal Symptoms of Stress, Depression, and Anxiety Are Related to Nonresponsive Feeding Styles in a Statewide Sample of WIC Participants

Parenting, including nonresponsive feeding styles, has been related to under- or overweight among young children. The relationship between maternal mental health and feeding styles has not been examined. We hypothesized that mothers who report more symptoms of stress, depression, or anxiety report less responsive (e.g. more controlling, indulgent, and uninvolved) feeding styles than mothers who report fewer symptoms of stress, depression, or anxiety. Our analyses included 702 mother-infant pairs from a statewide sample of Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children mothers. We assessed maternal mental health and feeding styles by a telephone survey. After adjusting for potential confounding variables, maternal stress symptomatology was significantly associated with forceful (beta = 0.03; 95% CI = 0.02, 0.05) and uninvolved (OR = 1.4; 95% CI = 1.1, 1.7) feeding style scores, maternal depression symptomatology was significantly associated with forceful (beta = 0.03; 95% CI = 0.004, 0.05), indulgent (beta = 0.03; 95% CI = 0.004, 0.06), and uninvolved (OR = 1.5; 95% CI = 1.001, 2.2) feeding styles scores, and maternal anxiety symptomatology was significantly related to restrictive (beta = 0.11; 95% CI = 0.01, 0.21), forceful (beta = 0.04; 95% CI = 0.02, 0.06), and uninvolved (OR = 1.4; 95% CI = 1.01, 1.9) feeding style scores. Among mothers who perceived their infant as temperamentally fussy, there was a significant positive relationship between restrictive feeding styles scores and 3 indices of maternal mental health (stress, beta = 0.18; 95% CI = 0.07, 0.28; depression, beta = 0.21; 95% CI = 0.04, 0.38; and cumulative mental health symptomatology, beta = 0.29; 95% CI = 0.10, 0.48). Mothers who report stress, depression, or anxiety symptoms are at risk for nonresponsive feeding styles. These findings provide support for broadening the focus of existing child nutrition programs to include strategies that recognize how issues of maternal mental health can affect feeding styles.
Masking effects of speech competing messages.

Initially two experiments were performed on eight subjects to determine the effect of semantic content or meaning of a competing speech message on the identification of synthetic sentence material....
An empirical investigation of the influence of social desirability on the factor structure of the Chinese 16PF

Abstract This study examined whether social desirability affects the factor structure of the Chinese 16PF. Participants were 4645 Chinese first-year undergraduate and graduate students who completed the Chinese 16PF as part of a mandatory psychological assessment. Based on students’ score on the Impression Management scale (Paulhus, 1998), two groups were formed: (a) the high socially desirable responding group, consisting of students whose IM scores fell within the upper 20% of the distribution, and (b) the low socially desirable responding group, consisting of students whose IM scores fell within the bottom 25% of the distribution. A series of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the factor pattern and factor loadings of the Chinese 16PF were invariant across these two groups.
The nodI gene product of Rhizobium leguminosarum is closely related to ATP-binding bacterial transport proteins; nucleotide sequence analysis of the nodI and nodJ genes.

Abstract The nucleotide sequence of a 2-kb fragment immediately downstream of the nodABC genes of the Rhizobium leguminosarum symbiotic plasmid pRL1JI has been determined. Genes corresponding to the two open reading frames identified are named nodI and nodJ . Tn5 insertions into these genes result in a “nodulation-delayed” phenotype. The predicted amino acid sequence of the nodI gene shows considerable homology to inner-membrane-located gene products involved in active transport systems in Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium . The predicted product of the nodJ gene is very hydrophobic, suggesting that it may be an integral membrane protein.
Measurement of Distal Forearm Bone Mineral Density: Can Different Forearm Segments Be Used Interchangeably?

Abstract Many different forearm sites have been used for the measurement of bone mineral density (BMD) and the prediction of risk of future fracture among community-dwelling populations. In populations in which' bone densitometry of peripheral sites may be the most cost-effective and practical means of measuring BMD, such as the nursing home population, knowing the characteristics of forearm BMD measures would be beneficial. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship of four common commercially available measures to each other and to estimate the inter- and intrarater reliability of the measures in a sample of nursing home residents as a first step toward identifying appropriate forearm measurement sites. These sites were the distal radius, the distal ulna, a composite of the distal radius and distal ulna, and the ultra distal radius. BMD measurements on 48 nursing home patients were obtained using single X-ray absorptiometry. Inter- and intrarater reliability was excellent at all four sites (intraclass correlation coefficients > 0.85). Moderate to high correlations (0.84–0.91) between the distal radius and ultra distal radius sites of the forearm suggest that these measures may be interchangeable. Although not directly assessed here, differences in bone composition among forearm sites may partially explain moderate rather than high correlations among sites and may affect the ability of each site to predict future fractures. Thus, different forearm sites may be used interchangeably for diagnostic purposes, however, the prognostic value of each site remains unknown.
When the University Went ‘Pop’: Exploring Cultural Studies, Sociology of Culture, and the Rising Interest in the Study of Popular Culture

This article examines why the study of popular culture has taken off as a subject of university course offerings and as a topic of scholarly inquiry since the 1980s. Placing the current explorations of popular culture in historical context, the article argues that popular culture's study and studies in the sociology of culture can illuminate many of the classic concerns that animate sociology and related fields, such as the social organization and power of institutions, debates about public life and the formation of public opinion, concerns about the relationship between consumption, social status, and politics of the privileged elite, and the role of media in the development of social movements and in individual and subcultural understandings. The article considers how popular cultural studies are currently shaping the study of social life, and concludes by considering trends that might be encouraged among students and emergent scholars seeking to study in this area.
Predictors of Maternal Language to Infants during a Picture Book Task in the Home: Family SES, Child Characteristics and the Parenting Environment.

This study investigated the contribution of child characteristics and parenting environment to the relationship between family SES/demographic characteristics and maternal language to infants.1157 children were drawn from a representative sample of 1292 infants born to mothers in rural Appalachian counties and rural counties in southern minority U.S. communities. Mothers and their 6–8 month old babies were videotaped at home while talking about a wordless picture book. Mothers' language output and complexity were analyzed. Child temperament, age, and parenting environment (knowledge of child development and observed mother–child engagement) were predictors of maternal language. Furthermore, their inclusion reduced the magnitude of the association between demographic characteristics and maternal language. Tests of mediation suggested that the parenting environment partially mediates the relationship between SES/demographic characteristics and maternal language. Findings are discussed with respect to identifying proximal processes that explain how SES may exert its influence on the language of young children.
Creating and Implementing a Faculty Interest Group for Historically Underrepresented Faculty

This article describes the creation and implementation of a faculty interest group for historically underrepresented faculty at a large, urban community college in the Northeast. Faculty interest groups provide opportunities for faculty across disciplines to meet to explore common interests and share concerns and best practices. The faculty interest group described in this article was designed to explore and address the challenges faced by historically underrepresented faculty and facilitate the process of attaining reappointment, promotion, and tenure. Nationwide, nearly half of community college students come from populations that are also historically underrepresented, and community colleges are challenged to recruit and retain faculty that mirror the student body. Research demonstrates that historically underrepresented faculty members enrich the overall education of all students, and yet a significant number of those faculty members describe their college campuses as unwelcoming. Factors that make ca...
Scale independence of till rheology

Representation of till rheology in glaciological models of ice motion over deformable sediments has, until now, focused largely on two end-member cases: (1) linear, or mildly non-linear, viscous rheology and (2) (nearly) plastic rheology. Most laboratory and in situ experiments support the latter model. Hindmarsh (1997) and Fowler (2002, 2003) proposed that experimental results represent the behavior of small till samples (characteristic length scales of � 0.1 to � 1 m) but that till behaves viscously over length scales that are relevant to determination of ice-flow rates in glaciers and ice sheets (� 1 km or more). Observations of short speed-up events on the ice plain of Whillans Ice Stream, West Antarctica, provide an opportunity to compare the in situ rheology of this till, integrated over � 10-100 km, with the rheology of till from beneath the same ice stream determined on small laboratory samples and in local borehole experiments. This comparison indicates that the rheology of the subglacial till beneath Whillans Ice Stream is independent of scale.
Conditions under which bacterial amylases survive ultrahigh temperature sterilization.

The α-amylase of the thermophile Bacillus stearothermophilus 1518 was used as a model enzyme to examine the heat resistance of a bacterial amylase at ultrahigh temperature in a starch-based pudding. When heated in the laboratory pudding at 143°C for the equivalent of 22.2 set, approximately 26% of the initial amylolytic activity was retained. The presence or absence of individual ingredient groups (starch, caseinate-nonfat dry milk, oilemulsifiers, salts, or sucrose) of the pudding had no significant effect on amylase heat resistance. A combination of any two of the starch, caseinate-nonfat dry milk, or oil-emulsifier ingredients were found to be important for thermostability. The amylase of the mesophile Xanthomonas campestris 13957–2 exhibited similar thermal inactivation characteristics.
Data transmission performance of CVD grown sub-20 nm indium antimonide nanowires

We investigated the data transmission performance of indium antimonide (InSb) nanowires (NWs) synthesized on InSb (100) substrate using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) having diameters below 20 nm. The data transmission measurement was accomplished over the NW field effect transistors (NWFETs) fabricated on Si/SiO2 substrates. Digital data stream is randomly generated and then uploaded to a waveform generator which generates the stream and transmits it repeatedly with the desired frequency. The signal was applied on the sources of the NWFETs and collected from the drains of the same devices. Collected data was first filtered with a low pass filter (LPF), and then the output of the filter was used to create the eye diagrams of the NWs. Bit error rate (BERs), attenuation , quality factor (Q-factor) and maximum data transmission are extracted from eye diagrams. The results indicate that the data transmission performance of NWs suffer from low mobility values on the order of 10-to-15 cm2V-1s-1 because of their small diameters, crystal defects and oxidation occurs during growth and cooling. 20 nm NWs can sustain data rates up to 10 mega bits per second (Mbps) and the data rate is directly proportional to the diameter of the NWs.
Separated two-phase flow in a nozzle

Abstract This work was performed to extend and further test the method of handling separated two-phase flow by studying each phase separately and, particularly, by placing emphasis on the study of the gas phase with interface transport expressions showing the influence of the liquid phase on it. A one-dimensional flow model for accelerating flows was used in conjunction with experimental data to obtain the pressure distribution and velocity distribution in a converging nozzle for several values of flow quality and nozzle inlet stagnation pressure. The results tend to support the use of the model (which includes the assumption that the gas is in critical flow when the two-phase mixture is in critical flow) and give some insight regarding the nature of the liquid distribution near the nozzle throat.
Influence of variability in larval development on recruitment success in the euphausiid Euphausia pacifica : elasticity and sensitivity analyses

Simple life-history models were employed to identify those larval stages of Euphausia pacifica (Hansen) with the greatest potential contribution to variability in recruitment success. Using stage-specific vital parameters (i.e. stage duration and specific mortality) the models explored the influence of developmental variability without ascribing the variability to any particular cause or forcing. Through such a non-mechanistic modelling approach, the critical periods in larval development were determined. The results led to inferences about larval population responses to temperature/food heterogeneity in the natural environment. Peaks in recruitment-success elasticity were evident for variability imposed during the egg and Furcilia I and II stages. The high elasticity of the egg stage suggested the importance of female nutrition and the timing and location of egg release in determining their viability and subsequent recruitment success. Peak elasticity during the Furcilia I and II stages supported the notion that indirect developmental pathways of pleopod development during these stages may be associated with diminished recruitment success. Sensitivity analyses further highlighted the influence of these early furcilia stages in determining recruitment success, and also suggested the importance of the Furcilia III and VII stages. The robustness of elasticity and sensitivity results with respect to the life-history structure utilized is discussed. A criterion is presented for the identification of life-history structures which might obscure the true elasticity relationships of a developmental sequence.
Heat, Mass, and Momentum Transfer to a Rising Ellipsoidal Bubble

Semianalytical solutions were obtained for the heat, mass, and momentum transfer to an oblate ellipsoidal bubble. The flow field around the bubble was assumed irrotational and inviscid. The solutions were validated by their asymptotic approach to the limit of the single spherical bubble, as well as by their comparisons with data obtained by other authors.
Biocompatible Polyurethane-Based Hydrogel

A polyurethane polymer developed at W. R. Grace has been evaluated for a variety of biomedical applications. The primary property of the polymer exploited for these applications is its ability to prevent protein adsorption when coated on a surface. The prepolymer consists of a trifunctional poly(ethyleneoxide-propylene oxide) triol end capped with isophorone diisocyanate. The prepolymer is reactive with water and can be converted to a hydrogel, a thin coating, or a soluble conjugate with another compound. Each category lends itself to separate biomedical applications which are described in detail. The non-toxic nature of the polymer was demonstrated in a number of systems and suggests its utility in biomedical applications.
Sampling-based motion planning with reachable volumes: Theoretical foundations

This research supported in part by NSF awards CNS-0551685, CCF-0833199, CCF-0830753, IIS-0916053, IIS-0917266, EFRI-1240483, RI-1217991, by NIH NCI R25 CA090301-11, by Chevron, IBM, Intel, Oracle/Sun and by Award KUS-C1-016-04, made by King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST).
Prostacyclin Receptor Activation and Pial Arteriolar Dilation After Endothelial Injury in Piglets

Background and Purpose Both light/dye endothelial injury and indomethacin treatment inhibit hypercapnia-induced cerebral prostacyclin synthesis and pial arteriolar dilation in newborn pigs. Topical iloprost can allow hypercapnia-induced dilation of pial arterioles to occur in piglets treated with indomethacin. We addressed the hypothesis that prostacyclin receptor activation with iloprost can return the ability of pial arterioles with endothelial injury to respond to hypercapnia. We also examined whether the endothelial dependence and the permissive role of prostacyclin extended to histamine-induced dilation or are specific for hypercapnia. Methods Experiments used chloralose-anesthetized piglets equipped with closed cranial windows. Hypercapnia (Paco2 ≈80 mm Hg) and topically applied histamine (10−6 and 10−5 mol/L) dilated pial arterioles. Dilations in response to both stimuli were abolished by light/dye treatment. Results Simultaneous topical treatment with iloprost (10−12 mol/L, which caused no residua...
Topological mass generation in 3 + 1 dimensions

The 4-dimensional theory of a 1-form Abelian gauge field A coupled to a 2-form (antisymmetric tensor) potential B is studied. The two gauge invariances of the theory admit a coupling mB ∧ F where F is the field strength (F=dA) of A. It is shown that this theory is a unitary, renormalizable theory of a massive spin-one field with no additional degrees of freedom. In this sense, it is a generalization to four dimensions of topological mechanisms in two dimensions (the Schwinger model) and three dimensions (Chern-Simons theory). The issue of spontaneous symmetry breaking is also examined.
Radiative Corrections to the Muon Polarization in K μ 3 0 Decays

Radiative corrections to the muon polarization vector in ${K}_{\ensuremath{\mu}3}^{0}$ decays have been calculated, based on a phenomenological weak $K\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\pi}$ vertex and perturbation theory. All terms which contribute to order $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ have been retained, with no approximations concerning the smallness of the muon mass or the "real" inner bremsstrahlung. The results depend logarithmically on a cutoff, but are not particularly sensitive to variations between one and two proton masses. The radiative corrections to the three components of the polarization vector (longitudinal, transverse, and perpendicular) have been evaluated numerically at 10-MeV intervals throughout the Dalitz plot, for various complex values of $\ensuremath{\xi}$. In addition, the integrated radiative correction to the degree of polarization as a function of muon energy has also been computed. It is found that these corrections are generally small, less than 1% degree of polarization in magnitude.
Raman spectroscopy of acoustic phonons in periodic and Fibonacci superlattices

Abstract Results of Raman scattering experiments on (a) periodic superlattices made up of GaAs/In x Ga 1−x As layers with high indium concentrations, (b) GaAs/Ga 1−x Al x As Fibonacci superlattices, are presented. We discuss the observed peak positions and intensities using the continuum theory of acoustic wave propagation in layered media and the photo-elastic coupling model.
Impaired diagnosis and successful management of a rare intra-axial central nervous system plasmacytoma in a patient with multiple myeloma.

Intracranial central nervous system (CNS) plasmacytomas assoiated with multiple myeloma (MM) are exceptionally rare, and umors not involving either bone or dura are even rarer. This eport uniquely demonstrates a successful surgical approach in a 5-year old man with an intra-axial plasmacytoma as metastatic pread of MM. Initial diagnosis was uniquely challenging as magetic resonance (MR)-imaging findings were uncharacteristic for he lesion, and the patient had renal insufficiency which preluded the use of contrast-enhanced imaging. However, surgical anagement was clear due to clinical signs and imaging characeristics.
Biobanking in the emergency department: implementation of the Mayo Clinic Emergency Department Sepsis Biorepository

Biomarker discovery research has not focused on the emergency department (ED) due to perceived lack of access to ED patients for study, difficult patient identification, and preemption by time-critical clinical needs. The aim of this study was to use an automated process to accrue, within the ED, a biobank of patients presenting at risk for severe sepsis.
Efficacy of cognitive behavior therapy and systematic desensitization in the treatment of rape trauma

The present study addresses the role of behavior therapies in the recovery from rape trauma by presenting two lines of evidence. First, 60 immediate-treatment seekers are compared to 24 late-treatment seekers. Although the late-treatment seekers began treatment at a time point comparable to the point at which the immediate-treatment seekers completed treatment, both groups of subjects showed comparable pre-post improvement. Second, all treated subjects (N=84) are compared to untreated subjects in assessment-only studies conducted at other sites. Although the treaated subjects in the present study were significantly more symtomatic than subjects in the assessment-only studies at initial assessment, symptom levels were comparable by three-to-four months postassault, suggesting that treatment intervention accounted for the greater change observed in the treated subjects.
Effect of Externally Applied Stresses on the Moisture Diffusion Characteristics of Epoxy Glass Composites

A model is proposed which relates externally applied tensile stresses to changes in absorption capacity as well as diffusion rate. The model postulates that changes seen in the diffusion process are the result of stress-dependent changes in the free volume of the epoxy resin. The free volume changes of the resin are calculated through laminate plate theory, which itself becomes a function of fiber angle as well as a host of elastic properties of the constituents. Consequently, according to the proposed model, changes in diffusion parameters are dependent upon the magnitude of applied stress, the loading angle, as well as elastic properties of the constituents.Additionally, a finite element model is presented. The proposed finite element model establishes an analogy between thermal and mass diffusion for use in solving the moisture diffusion problems, both in free and stressed states. Input parameters for the FE model are found through use of the previously established mathematical diffusion model.In order to experimentally verify the proposed models, a series of epoxy glass laminate samples were manufactured at varying fiber angles and immersed in a moist environment while subjected to varying levels of tensile loading. Weight gain measurements were recorded throughout the diffusion process until full saturation was achieved. The experimental values exhibited excellent agreement with both the suggested theoretical model and the finite element model.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Derivation of the fine structure constant using fractional dynamics

Abstract Both classical and quantum electrodynamics assume that random fluctuations are absent from the steady-state evolution of the underlying physical system. Our work goes beyond this approximation and accounts for the continuous exposure to stochastic fluctuations. It is known that the asymptotic limit of quantum field dynamics, dominated by large and persistent perturbations, may be described as an anomalous diffusion process. We use fractional calculus as an appropriate tool to handle this highly non-trivial regime. It is shown that the fine structure constant can be recovered from the fractional evolution equation of the density matrix under standard normalization conditions.
El procedimiento judicial de riepto entre nobles y la fecha de composición de la historia "Roderici" y "El poema de Mio Cid"

Al haberse establecido en estos ultimos anos una fecha cierta para las Cortes de Najera en que se redacto el famoso Ordenamiento regulando enemistades, paces, treguas, desafios y rieptos entre los hidalgos, es preciso replantearse el problema de la fecha de composicion de la Historia Roderici (HR) y del Poema de mio Cid (PMC), puesto que en ambos textos hay referencias al procedimiento judicial de riepto y se emplea la terminologia legal asociada al mismo. Ya a fines del siglo xix Eduardo de Hinojosa habia indicado que los procedimientos con que se iniciaba y se llevaba a cabo el riepto en el tercer cantar del PMC coincidian con lo establecido en el Fuero Viejo, el Fuero Real y las Partidas. Senalaba, ademas, que las reglamentaciones de los fileros municipales sobre el desafio en el caso de homicidio de parientes concordaban en lo esencial con las del riepto del poema, como, en efecto, se puede constatar al compararlas con las disposiciones del Fuero de Cuenca (1189-1190) ^ Sin embargo, a pesar de la fecha tardia de estas fiientes juridicas —desde fines del siglo xii a fines del xiii— en las ultimas paginas de su articulo el historiador del derecho concluia inexplicablemente que el PMC habia sido redactado «en la segunda mitad del siglo xii, a cuya epoca se acomoda, mejor que a principios o mediados del xiii, el estado social y juridico reflejado en la obra» . En los ultimos anos, Maria Eugenia
Thermodynamics of gas phase chromium species: the chromium chlorides, oxychlorides, fluorides, oxyfluorides, hydroxides, oxyhydroxides, mixed oxyfluorochlorohydroxides, and volatility calculations in waste incineration processes

Abstract The thermodynamics of 12 gaseous chromium chlorides and oxychlorides and 12 gaseous chromium fluorides and oxyfluorides are assessed for application to chromium volatility calculations in thermal oxidation processes such as waste incineration. A method is also proposed for estimating the thermodynamics for mixed chromium oxyfluorochlorohydroxide species which contain varying proportions of oxygen, fluorine, chlorine, and hydroxide. The thermodynamic functions, C p 0 ( T ) and −( G 0 ( T ) − H 0 (298))/ T , and the thermodynamic constants, S 0 (298) and H 0 (298) − H 0 (0), for the gaseous chromium chlorides, oxychlorides, fluorides, and oxyfluorides are evaluated by the molecular constant method using molecular parameters taken from the literature or estimated from known constants for related vapor species. The enthalpies of formation of the gaseous chromium chlorides, oxychlorides, fluorides, and oxyfluorides are assessed based on available data in the literature. In some cases, only minimum values of the standard formation enthalpies can be established. The thermodynamic constants, S 0 (298), ΔH f 0 (298), and H 0 (298) − H 0 (0), are tabulated for all 12 chloride and oxychloride and all 12 fluoride and oxyfluoride gaseous species. Likewise, the thermodynamic functions, −( G 0 ( T ) − H 0 (298))/ T and C p 0 ( T ), are tabulated in polynomial form as a function of temperature. In addition, the ΔH f 0 (298) values for many of the chromium hydroxides and oxyhydroxides have been recalculated based on the revised ΔH f 0 (298) values for the chromium chlorides, oxychlorides, fluorides, and oxyfluorides given herein. A general assessment of the volatility of chromium in waste incineration processes at temperatures ranging from 800 to 1600 K with p (HC1) = 0.010 atm and p (HF) = 0.0032 atm yields CrO 2 Cl 2 (g) as the dominant oxychloride and CrO 2 F 2 (g) as the dominant oxyfluoride species except at higher temperatures where CrO 2 Cl(g) and CrOCl 2 (g) are important and where CrO 2 F(g) and CrOF(g) dominate. In addition to these oxychloride and oxyfluoride vapor species, other species such as CrO 2 (OH) 2 (g), CrO 2 ClOH(g), and CrO 2 FOH(g) are expected to be important. At higher temperatures, CrO 3 (g), CrOClOH(g), CrO 2 OH(g), CrO(OH) 2 (g), and CrOOH(g) also contribute to the overall chromium volatility.
New Fractional Frequency Reuse Patterns for Multi-Cell Systems in Time-Varying Channels

Fractional frequency reuse (FFR) and exploitation of the channel state information at the transmitter (CSIT) are effective approaches to improving the spectrum efficiency of the outer coverage region. When channels vary within a physical transmission frame, the above improvement is substantially suppressed. To remedy this, this letter develops new FFR patterns for multi-cell OFDMA systems with frequency or time division duplexing (FDD/TDD) in time-varying channels. Simulation results show notable performance gains of the proposed schemes over the existing ones.
Sulfanilamide, Antipneumococcus Serum and Vitamin G Therapy in Type II Pneumococcal Pneumonia of Rats:

Conclusion1. Sulfanilamide was at least as effective as specific antiserum, in the doses employed, in treating Type II pneumococcal rat pneumonia. A probable clinical application to similar human pneumonia is thereby suggested. 2. The combination of sulfanilamide and serum was no more effective than sulfanilamide alone. 3. Contrary to the observations in rabbits (Locke and Mellon), in rats Vitamin C alone, or in any combination tried, is ineffective.
Globalization and Wage Stagnation: Historical and Theoretical Perspectives

U.S. real-wages stagnation since 1973 in spite of rising labor productivity is an unprecedented phenomenon. This paper presents the history of the relationship between real wages and productivity and based upon long-run evidence rejects two possible explanations, measurement issues and skill-biased technical change. Instead it focuses on the coincidence of the development of productivity/wage wedge and the conversion of the U.S. economy to an open one in the 1970s. It suggests that in an open economy, technical improvements and foreign competition may collaborate to generate a fall in real earnings, where they would not in a closed economy.
Use of a chimeric monoclonal anti‐CD4 antibody in patients with refractory rheumatoid arthritis

Objectives. To evaluate the safety, immunogenicity, and biologic effects of chimeric monoclonal anti-CD4 (cM-T412) in patients with refractory rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and to obtain preliminary data on the clinical response to this treatment. Methods. Twenty-five patients with active refractory RA were treated with incremental doses (10 to 700 mg) of cM-T412 in an open-label, escalating-dose phase I trial. Results. Infusion with cM-T412 was followed by an immediate, rapid decline in CD4+ T cells. The level of circulating CD4+ T cells remained depressed in most patients even at 6 months posttreatment. Following antibody infusion, proliferative responses of peripheral blood lymphocytes to mitogens and antigens were determined; mitogen and antigen responses were decreased compared with pretreatment responses. Mitogen responses tended to return to baseline values more rapidly than did responses to antigen. Adverse events included fever (19 patients), which was associated with myalgias, malaise, and asymptomatic hypotension; these symptoms were self-limited and appeared to correlate with transient elevations in interleukin-6. No significant human antibody response to the cM-T412 variable region was detected; only 2 patients developed transiently low levels of antibodies reactive with cM-T412. Significant clinical improvement, defined as ≥50% decrease in tender joint counts compared with baseline, was noted in 43% of patients at 5 weeks and 33% at 6 months following cM-T412 infusion. Conclusions. Treatment of refractory RA with cM-T412 appears to be safe and is associated with sustained decreases in circulating CD4+ T cell counts and depressed in vitro T cell responses. No significant human antichimeric antibody response was detected. Nonblinded assessment of clinical end points suggests that treatment with cM-T412 may have beneficial effects in these patients with refractory RA. A double-blind clinical trial is warranted to determine its clinical efficacy in treating RA.
A combined passive water vapor exchanger and exhaust gas diffusion barrier for fuel cell applications

Fuel cells operating on hydrocarbon fuels require water vapor injection into the fuel stream for fuel reforming and the prevention of carbon fouling. Compared to active water recovery systems, a passive approach would eliminate the need for a separate water source, pumps, and actuators, and thus reduce parasitic thermal losses. The passive approach developed in this paper employs a capillary pump that recovers the water vapor from the exhaust, while providing a diffusion barrier that prevents exhaust gases from entering the fuel stream. Benchtop proof tests have proven the feasibility of the passive fuel humidifier concept, and have provided a calibration factor for a computational design tool that can be used for industrial applications.
Cancer‐Related Web Sites

In this bibliography, Shedivy includes selected Internet resources for four different audiences interested in cancer. Researchers will find sites for searching the CANCERLIT and Medline databases as well as how to apply for specific research grants, obtain human tissue for their studies, and contact fellow oncology experts. Health care professionals can search for related articles and find up‐to‐date cancer descriptions with standard therapy protocols plus documents they can use in patient education. Patients and their families can learn how to research specific cancers and can read documents on screening, detection, diagnosis, treatment, and more. The general public can access a wealth of highly readable factual information.
Second-line treatment of ovarian cancer with single-agent gemcitabine.

Single-agent gemcitabine has been examined in several phase II trials in platinum- and paclitaxel-resistant advanced ovarian cancer. In this population, where patients are often heavily pretreated prior to the administration of gemcitabine, an acceptable dose and schedule is 800 to 1,000 mg/m(2) weekly for 3 weeks, followed by a 1-week rest. The anticipated objective response rate in the platinum/taxane-resistant population is approximately 15%. This level of activity (confirmed in several phase II trials), and the generally favorable toxicity profile for gemcitabine in this group of patients, leads to the conclusion that single-agent gemcitabine is a reasonable second-line treatment option in previously treated women with advanced ovarian cancer.
Towards a new paradigm for management of complex engineering projects: A system-of-systems framework

The objective of this paper is to propose a system-of-system framework for bottom-up assessment of complex engineering projects. The traditional project management paradigm is mainly based on centralized planning and control. The centralized planning and control are rooted in a reductionism perspective in which engineering projects are identified as monolithic systems while, in reality, complex engineering projects are systems-of-systems. Systems-of-systems have different traits compared with monolithic systems. Thus, lack of consideration of engineering projects as systems-of-systems has led to methodological challenges in creation of integrated tools and techniques for better analysis and management of complex projects. In this paper, a system-of-systems (SoS) framework is proposed as an integrated methodological structure towards the creation of tools and techniques for integrated management of complex engineering projects. Different dimensions of the proposed SoS framework are introduced and evaluated with respect to the required capabilities for addressing the existing methodological challenges in traditional project management. The analysis demonstrated in this paper reveals that the proposed framework is capable of addressing the methodological challenges pertaining to traditional project management paradigm, and can be tested by researchers from different engineering fields to advance the body of knowledge in management of complex engineering projects.
TU-E-201B-09: Accuracies of the Monochromatic CT Numbers and Effective Atomic Numbers Generated with the Rapid KVp Switching DE GE HD750 CT Scanner

Purpose: A study was performed to investigate the accuracies of the monochromatic images and effective atomic number maps generated with the new GE HD750 dual energy CTscanner. To our knowledge this is the first study of this type. Method and Materials: A Gammex‐RMI Model 467 Tissue Characterization Phantom and the CT# linearity section of a Phantom Laboratory Catphan 600 phantom were scanned with GE HD750 scanners at our institution. Monochromatic images at various energies between 40 and 100 keV and effective atomic number (Zeff) maps were generated. The monochromatic CT numbers and Zeff s of the materials within these phantoms were measured. The true Zeff‐values were either supplied by the phantom manufacturer or computed using Mayneord's equation (MF Phelps, Radiology 1975). The linear attenuation coefficients for the true CT numbers were either supplied by the manufacturer or computed using the NIST XCOM program with the input of manufacturer supplied elemental compositions and densities. Results: The Zeff's of LDPE, polystyrene, acrylic, delrin and Teflon in the Catphan were accurate to within 0.9. The Zeff s of lung simulating materials in the 467 phantom were not measurable, but those of most of the other materials (simulated adipose, breast, liver,brain, inner bone) were accurate to within 0.6. The Zeffs of solid water and cortical bone were most inaccurate, being underestimated by 1.2 and 1.6, respectively. The accuracies of the CT#'s of the materials in both phantoms varied with energy and material, with inaccuracies as large as 439 HU (cortical bone). However, at each energy, fits between true and measured CT#'s were highly linear (r2 > 0.99) and could be used for calibration.Conclusion: Initial tests indicate the Zeff's computed with DECT are reasonably accurate and the monochromatic CT#'s are linearly related to the true CT#'s. Further test results will be presented including reproducibility.
Ultraviolet photoabsorption by halocarbons 11 and 12 from electron impact measurements

DEPLETION of the stratospheric ozone layer by chlorine atoms released through solar photolysis of the chlorofluoromethanes is a matter of widespread concern1. Predictions of the magnitude and time development of this effect depend on large scale models of atmospheric transport and photochemical kinetics which require reliable data on the primary reaction processes involved. One important input is the ultraviolet absorption spectrum of halocarbons 11 and 12, that is, CFCl3 and CF2Cl2, respectively. Published optical determinations2 of the absorption spectra for these molecules between 200 and 120 nm (that is, 6.2 and 10.33 eV) have been called into question, however, by the measurements of Rowland and Molina3.
CIGSS Thin Film Solar Cells: Final Subcontract Report, 10 October 2001-30 June 2005

This report describes the I-III-VI2 compounds that are developing into a promising material to meet the energy requirement of the world. CuInSe2 (CIS) and its alloy with Ga and S have shown long-term stability and highest conversion efficiency of 19.5%. Among the various ways of preparing CuIn1-xGaxSe2-ySy (CIGSS)/CdS thin-film solar cells, co-evaporation and sputtering techniques are the most promising. Sputtering is an established process for very high-throughput manufacturing. ARCO Solar, now Shell Solar, pioneered the work in CIS using the sputtering technique. The two-stage process developed by ARCO Solar involved sputtering of a copper and indium layer on molybdenum-coated glass as the first step. In the second step, the copper-indium layers were exposed to a selenium-bearing gas such as hydrogen selenide (H2Se) mixed with argon. The hydrogen selenide breaks down and leaves selenium, which reacts and mixes with the copper and indium in such a way to produce very high-quality CIS absorber layer. Sputtering technology has the added advantage of being easily scaled up and promotes roll-to-roll production on flexible substrates. Preliminary experiments were carried out. ZnO/ZnO:Al deposition by RF magnetron sputtering and CdS deposition by chemical-bath deposition are being carried out on a routine basis.
Linear and nonlinear susceptibilities of a decoherent two-level system

The linear and nonlinear dynamical susceptibilities of a two-level system are calculated as it undergoes a transition to a decoherent state. Analogously to the Glover-Tinkham-Ferrell sum rule of superconductivity, spectral weight in the linear susceptibility is continuously transferred from a finite frequency resonance to nearly zero frequency, corresponding to a broken symmetry in the thermodynamic limit. In this respect, the behavior of the present model (the Mermin model) differs from the spin-boson model. The third order nonlinear susceptibility, corresponding to two-photon absorption, has an unexpected nonmonotonic behavior as a function of the environmental coupling, reaching a maximum within the decoherent phase of the model. Both linear and nonlinear susceptibilities may be expressed in a universal form.
A novel mechanism of cell killing by anti-topoisomerase II bisdioxopiperazines.

Abstract Bisdioxopiperazines are a unique class of topoisomerase II inhibitors that lock topoisomerase II at a point in the enzyme reaction cycle where the enzyme forms a closed clamp around DNA. We examined cell killing by ICRF-187 and ICRF-193 in yeast cells expressing human topoisomerase II α (htop-IIα). Expression of htop-IIα in yeast cells sensitizes them to both ICRF-187 and ICRF-193, compared with cells expressing yeast topoisomerase II. ICRF-193 is still able to exert growth inhibition in the presence of genes encoding both ICRF-193-resistant and ICRF-193-sensitive htop-IIα enzymes, indicating that sensitivity to bisdioxopiperazines is dominant. Killing by ICRF-193 occurs more rapidly, than the killing in yeast cells due to a temperature-sensitive yeast topoisomerase II incubated at the non-permissive temperature. These results are reminiscent of a top-II poison such as etoposide. However, the killing caused by ICRF-193 and ICRF-187 is not enhanced by mutations in theRAD52 pathway. The levels of drug-induced DNA cleavage observed with htop-IIα in vitro is insufficient to explain the sensitivity induced by this enzyme in yeast cells. Finally, arrest of cells in G1 does not protect cells from ICRF-193 lethality, a result inconsistent with killing mechanisms due to catalytic inhibition of top-II or stabilization of a cleavable complex. We suggest that the observed pattern of cell killing is most consistent with a poisoning of htop-II by ICRF-193 by a novel mechanism. The accumulation of closed clamp conformations of htop-II induced by ICRF-193 that are trapped on DNA might interfere with transcription, or other DNA metabolic processes, resulting in cell death.