cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
α‐Adrenoceptor blocking activity of fenoldopam (SK&F 82526), a selective DA1 agonist

The alpha-adrenoceptor blocking activity of fenoldopam (SK&F 82526), a selective dopamine vascular receptor (DA1) agonist, was evaluated in isolated segmental preparations of rabbit aorta, dog mesenteric and rabbit splenic arteries. Fenoldopam, in concentrations ranging from 10(-6) to 10(-4) M, produced parallel, dextral shifts of concentration-contractile response curves to noradrenaline. Slopes of the Schild regression lines were not significantly different from unity in the three vessels. pA2 values for fenoldopam in the rabbit aorta, dog mesenteric and rabbit splenic arteries were 5.48 +/- 0.08, 5.78 +/- 0.05, and 5.20 +/- 0.05, respectively. In experiments where the drug was added to the bathing medium before exposing the vascular segments to the irreversible alpha-adrenoceptor antagonist, phenoxybenzamine, fenoldopam provided nearly complete protection against alpha-adrenoceptor blockade. These results demonstrate that fenoldopam possesses alpha-adrenoceptor antagonist activity and competes with alpha-phenoxybenzamine, for occupancy at the same receptor site.
Structural and functional profile of the carbohydrate esterase gene complement in Phytophthora infestans

The plant cell cuticle is the first obstacle for penetration of the host by plant pathogens. To breach this barrier, most pathogenic fungi employ a complex assortment of cell wall-degrading enzymes including carbohydrate esterases, glycoside hydrolases, and polysaccharide lyases. We characterized the full complement of carbohydrate esterase-coding genes in three Phytophthora species and analyzed the expression of cutinase in vitro and in planta; we also determined the cutinase allele distribution in multiple isolates of P. infestans. Our investigations revealed that there are 49, 21, and 37 esterase homologs in the P. infestans, P. ramorum, and P. sojae genomes, respectively, with a considerable number predicted to be extracellular. Four cutinase gene copies were found in both the P. infestans and P. ramorum genomes, while 16 copies were found in P. sojae. Transcriptional analyses of cutinase in P. infestans revealed that its expression level during infection is significantly upregulated at all time points compared to that of the same gene in mycelium grown in vitro. Expression achieves maximum values at 15 hpi, declining at subsequent time points. These results may suggest, therefore, that cutinase most likely plays a role in P. infestans pathogenicity.
Foil thickness measurements from convergent-beam diffraction patterns An experimental assessment of errors

Abstract Foil thickness measurements from convergent-beam electron diffraction (CBED) patterns may be easily made using a technique based on the two-beam approximation to dynamical diffraction theory. A previous theoretical study showed that, under certain conditions, multiple-beam interactions could seriously affect the accuracy of the technique by causing systematic errors. In the present study, the precision of a CBED technique for the measurement of foil thickness was studied experimentally by analysing diffraction patterns taken at several locations using four different diffraction vectors in a Co-based alloy. A precision of ∼3% was achieved when measurements from a single location taken under different conditions were compared. For the individual thickness measurements, using patterns from 220 or 311 reflections, the width of the 95% confidence intervals was in no instance greater than 4% of the measured thickness. Values of ξg, which are also obtained from the CBED analysis, showed a 95% confidence...
A Phase II study of 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin, adriamycin, and cisplatin (FLAP) for metastatic gastric and gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma : A penn cancer clinical trial group and roswell park cancer institute community oncology research program trial

A Phase II study was performed to evaluate the activity and toxicity of 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin, Adriamycin, and cisplatin combination chemotherapy (FLAP) in patients with previously untreated advanced gastric and gastroesophageal (GE) junction adenocarcinoma. Forty-two consecutive patients were enrolled to received FLAP in this multi-institutional trial. Response, toxicity, and survival data were noted. Fifteen of 42 (36%) patients demonstrated objective responses, with two complete responses (5%) and 13 partial responses (31%). The median time to disease progression was 17 weeks, and the overall survival duration was 30 weeks. Myelosuppression was significant, requiring dose modifications, but there were no treatment-related deaths. FLAP is an active regimen in the treatment of advanced gastric and GE junction adenocarcinoma. We are presently using this regimen in the neoadjuvant setting in patients with gastric and GE junction cancers.
Understanding Democratic Survival and Democratic Failure in Africa: Insights from Divergent Democratic Experiments in Benin and Congo (Brazzaville)

How do we explain adequately the relative success or failure of complex political phenomena such as democratization? In the battle between conceptual and explanatory parsimony, on the one hand, and rich, thick description on the other, social scientists often fall into traps that obscure more complete explanations for our cases from the portfolio of the possible. For example, we often unconsciously generalize from the cases we know best. In single case studies, we can fail to recognize the explanations that don't shine brightly or bark loudly. More generally, we acquire a habit of thinking that orders causality in particular ways for each of us, a result both of an empirical reliance on our own familiar cases, and the conceptual and theoretical conclusions we have generalized consciously or unconsciously from those cases. In this article, we are self-consciously engaged in two tasks: (1) comparing divergent outcomes of democratization in otherwise fairly similar cases—Benin and the Republic of Congo (Brazzaville); and (2) proposing three possible primary causal hypotheses for the successful (Benin) and failed (Congo) outcomes.
Merging [FeFe]-Hydrogenases with Materials and Nanomaterials as Biohybrid Catalysts for Solar H2 Production

The catalysts commonly used for the H 2 producing reaction in artificial solar systems are typically platinum or particulate platinum composites. Biological catalysts, the hydrogenases, exist in a wide-variety of microbes and are biosynthesized from abundant, non-precious metals. By virtue of a unique catalytic metallo-cluster that is composed of iron and sulfur, [FeFe]-hydrogenases are capable of catalyzing H 2 production at turnover rates of millimoles-per-second. In addition, these biological catalysts possess some of the characteristics that are desired for cost-effective solar H 2 production systems, high solubilities in aqueous solutions and low activation energies, but are sensitive to CO and O 2 . We are investigating ways to merge [FeFe]-hydrogenases with a variety of organic materials and nanomaterials for the fabrication of electrodes and biohybrids as catalysts for use in artificial solar H 2 production systems. These efforts include designs that allow for the integration of [FeFe]-hydrogenase in dye-solar cells as models to measure solar conversion and H 2 production efficiencies. In support of a more fundamental understanding of [FeFe]-hydrogenase for these and other applications the role of protein structure in catalysis is being investigated. Currently there is little known about the mechanism of how these and other enzymes couple multi-electron transfer to proton reduction. To further the mechanistic understanding of [FeFe]-hydrogenases, structural models for substrate transfer are being used to create enzyme variants for biochemical analysis. Here results are presented on investigations of proton-transfer pathways in [FeFe]-hydrogenase and their interaction with single-walled carbon nanotubes.
A comparative study of the glycosaminoglycan-peptides obtained after degradation of cartilage proteoglycan by different proteinases, and their use in the characterization of different proteoglycans.

Proteoglycan subunit was isolated from bovine nasal cartilage by extraction with 2 M CaCl2 and purified by CsCl-density gradient centrifugation. Proteolytic degradation of the proteoglycan by different commercially available proteinases was used to produce glycosaminoglycan-peptides of varying structures. Degradation products containing chondroitin sulfate were isolated by precipitation with cetylpyridinium chloride and their properties studied by Sepharose 4B chromatography, viscometry, agarose/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis, hexosamine analysis and amino acid analysis. The results suggest that the proteoglycan core protein may have short constant sequences at the points of attachment of the glycosaminoglycan chains and variable sequences between the chains. The length and composition of the variable sequences determine the susceptibility of each interchain-peptide to cleavage by a particular proteinase and hence account for the multiplicity of degradation products. These degradation products are the...
The argos gene encodes a diffusible factor that regulates cell fate decisions in the drosophila eye

The argos gene encodes a protein that is required for viability and that regulates the determination of cells in the Drosophila eye. A developmental analysis of argos mutant eyes indicates that the mystery cells, which are usually nonneuronal, are transformed into extra photoreceptors, and that supernumerary cone cells and pigment cells are also recruited. Clonal analysis indicates that argos acts nonautonomously and can diffuse over the range of several cell diameters. Conceptual translation of the argos gene suggests that it encodes a secreted protein.
Another Wrinkle in the Debate about Successful Aging: The Undervalued Concept of Resilience and the Lived Experience of Dementia:

The concept of "successful aging" is a contested discourse in gerontology. Two conflicting paradigms dominate the discussion: a health promotion activity model, and a model critical of the concept of successful aging. However, this study takes a different perspective and proposes that perhaps we have been striving for the wrong goal. The true quest as we age should not be for successful aging, but our goal should be for resilience, an undervalued and not fully examined concept in aging. Developing resilience is possible for many older adults regardless of social and cultural backgrounds or physical and cognitive impairments, unlike successful aging. This article discusses the concept of resilience from a theoretical resilience framework, applies the framework to a dementia population by providing two in-depth case studies of resilience among people with Alzheimer's disease, and concludes by advocating to move the resilience paradigm more front and center into the gerontological debate on successful aging.
Maternal Early Life Risk Factors for Offspring Birth Weight: Findings from the Add Health Study

The aim of this study was to examine the pathways that link mothers' early life socio economic status (SES) and mothers' experience of childhood maltreatment with birth weight among their later born offspring. Data were drawn from a nationally representative longitudinal survey of school-aged respondents, initially enrolled during adolescence in Wave I (1994-1995) and Wave II (1996) of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health and followed-up in adulthood in Wave III (2001-2002). Data on offspring birth weight were obtained from nulliparous females (N = 1,897) who had given birth between Waves II and III. Analyses used structural equation modeling to examine the extent to which early life maternal risk predicted offspring birth weight, and demonstrated that maternal childhood SES and maternal childhood maltreatment predicted offspring birth weight through several mediated pathways. First, maternal adolescent substance use and prenatal cigarette use partially mediated the association between maternal childhood SES and offspring birth weight. Second, maternal adolescent depressive symptoms and adult SES partially mediated the association between maternal childhood SES and offspring birth weight. Third, adult SES partially mediated the association between maternal childhood SES and offspring birth weight. Fourth, maternal adolescent substance use and prenatal cigarette use partially mediated the association between maternal childhood maltreatment and offspring birth weight. Finally, maternal adolescent depressive symptoms and adult SES partially mediated the association between maternal childhood maltreatment and offspring birth weight. To our knowledge, this is the first study to identify maternal childhood maltreatment as an early life risk factor for offspring birth weight among a nationally representative sample of young women, and to demonstrate the mechanisms that link childhood SES and maltreatment to offspring birth weight. These findings suggest the importance of designing and implementing prevention and intervention strategies to address early life maternal social conditions in an effort to improve inter generational child health at birth.
Audience Awareness in Technology-Mediated Environments

Fifth graders interacted with their teacher, local, and distant peers over a telecommunications network. Activities included developing and exchanging questions, responses to questions, and descriptive compositions with their audiences. The investigation focused on how the information exchanges impacted students' development of audience awareness in written discourse. The fifth graders were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups where they were instructed to construct an informative composition that would be read by 1) their teacher, 2) a self-selected classmate, or 3) their distant peers. Analytic and holistic scoring procedures were applied to determine differences in the performance of students' writing performances for the different audiences. Compositions directed to the distant audiences consisted of more elaborations, better organization and cohesion, and overall, a higher interest level. Those prepared for the local peers received the relatively lowest ratings. Results are discussed in...
Practice and Research in Career Counseling and Development - 2002

The authors present a review of the 2002 career development literature. The literature review is divided into the following areas: career theory, career assessment, career counseling interventions and practice, career counseling training and professional issues, and international issues in career counseling. The authors discuss the implications of the findings in this literature for career counseling practice.
Selective 3-(O-carboxymethyl)oxime formation in steroidal 3,20-diones for hapten immunospecificity.

Abstract The direct one-step synthesis of 3-(O-carboxymethyl)oximes of representative C21-4-pregnen-3,20-diones is reported. The method requires the preparation of a 3-enamine derivative which, serving as an intermediate product, is readily converted to the 3-(O-carboxymethyl)oxime upon addition of one molar equivalent of O-(carboxymethyl)hydroxylamine hemihydrochloride. The reaction appears to be generally applicable for selective 3-(O-carboxymethyl)oxime formation in steroids possessing multi-carbonyl groups, thus facilitating the coupling of steroidal haptens to protein at the C-3 position of the steroid molecule for enhanced immunospecificity. In this manner, antisera to 16α-hydroxyprogesterone and 17α-hydroxy-progesterone were obtained from immunized rabbits and specificity was established by radioimmunoassay.
Highly fluorinated high nitrogen compounds

Abstract Compounds that contain large amounts of nitrogen concomitantly with polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl substituents normally are inert materials that exhibit excellent hydrolytic and thermal properties. We have reported the synthesis of a variety of new polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl secondary and tertiary amines, tetraazanes, and highly fluorinated-nitrogen heterocycles [1]. Currently, repeated chlorofluorination and photolysis reactions of the rather intractable CCl 2 NCCl 2 CCl 2 NCCl 2 have led us through a variety of new compounds to the new stable hydrazine, Just as is the case for R f NSF 2 and R f NCF 2 , bis(polyfluoralkoxy)sulfimides and bis(polyfluoroalkoxy)carbimides behave differently under similar reaction conditions, viz., New diethers as well as polynitrogen compounds are possible base on the latter reaction.
Excess admixture proportion of extended major histocompatability complex haplotypes of Caucasian origin among rheumatoid arthritis associated haplotypes in African Americans and Afro-Caribbeans.

Abstract Several extended major histocompatability complex (MHC) haplotypes are associated with susceptibility to autoimmune disease in Caucasian populations. It is known that African Americans and Afro‐Caribbeans are ethnic groups descended from west, central and southern black African populations which are admixed with Caucasians. To examine the possible association of some marker of Caucasian MHC genes and susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in African Americans, we studied extended MHC haplotypes (HLA‐B, complement and DR) in a sample of 18 African American and Afro‐Caribbean probands with RA, their first degree relatives and in 15 non‐RA families. We defined 36 disease‐associated RA haplotypes among the probands and 96 normal haplotypes in normal individuals. To obtain the most conservative estimate, we excluded recognized Caucasian, DR4‐bearing, extended MHC haplotypes from the analysis. Admixture proportions for non‐HLA‐DR4 extended MHC haplotypes of known Caucasian origin among RA‐associat...
Latitude-dependent nature and physical characteristics of transverse aeolian ridges on Mars

[1] Narrow-angle images from the Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) have revealed the common occurrence of small-scale (<100 m wavelength) bright transverse aeolian ridges (TARs) on the surface of Mars. MOC images were used to assess the broad distribution of TARs from 90°N to 90°S between 180°E and ∼240°E to investigate their relationship to latitude, elevation, thermal inertia, geologic units, local slopes, and surface roughness. Out of 5112 examined images from the primary mission, 520 (10%) contain evidence of TARs, 92% of the images with TARs are located between ±50° latitude, and very few occur in the middle to upper latitudes or polar regions of either hemisphere. TARs are observed at elevations from −5 km to 3 km, with the highest frequency (26%) between −1 and 0 km. There is no systematic relationship between the distribution of TARs and global thermal inertia measurements. Most TARs occur in geologic units associated with the Channel System Materials (39%) and the Olympus Mons Aureole (33%). At a length scale of 1.85 km/pixel, the average local slopes for images with and without TARs are 1.92° and 1.36°, respectively. Of the parameters investigated, the latitudinal trend of TARs in both hemispheres appears to be predominantly related to surface roughness, with a positive linear correlation between the surface roughness of geologic units and frequency of TARs (R2 = 0.87). Factors affecting the semiglobal distribution of TARs are likely related to the climate and wind regimes in which they formed but do not provide definitive evidence for either saltation or reptation formation mechanisms.
Optimal Distributed Beamforming for Cooperative Cognitive Radio Networks

In this paper, we consider the problem of optimal distributed beamforming at the relay nodes of a cognitive radio (CR) network. We assume that the CR network is a cooperative relay network with amplify-and-forward (AF) relaying scheme and is composed of single-antenna source, relay and destination nodes. We further assume that the direct link between the secondary source and destination is absent. Based on these assumptions, we first formulate the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) at the primary and the secondary destinations as a function of beamforming vector at the secondary relay nodes. We then develop an SINR maximization problem at the secondary destination subject to satisfying a minimum received SINR at the primary destination to guarantee a minimum quality-of-service (QoS) for the primary network. The proposed optimization problem is not generally convex and we relax it to a convex feasibility problem to be able to solve it numerically. Numerical results show that by using a simple bisection algorithm, we can efficiently find the solution to the constrained SINR maximization problem. We numerically study the performance of the proposed scheme in terms of the received SINR in several different scenarios. The proposed method enables a secondary network to use the licensed spectrum of a primary system while imposing a controlled interference and thereby guaranteeing a minimum QoS to the primary network.
Self and space

Abstract Seemingly incomparable, self and space are seen as related, both psychologically and ontologically. The experience of self as expansive space has distinct psychological benefits, which are explored through a clinical vignette. Next, the issue of the “reality” of self is taken up. It is argued that the ontological status of self is indeterminate, which means that it is open to being that which it is considered to be. The powerful effect of such considerations on the being of self and its Ufe experience are explored both through various philosophical conceptions of self (e.g., as extensionless point, intentional consciousness, or limitless space) and through the self‐fulfilling prophecies which conceptions of self generate in people's lives. Lastly, it is proposed that the consideration of self as space can open the door to a rich, expanded, connected, harmonious living.
Early Discrimination of Atlantic Salmon Smolt Age: Time Course of the Relative Effectiveness of Body Size and Shape

Abstract The goal of this study was to test the relative effectiveness of morphological measurements and body size in predicting the smolt age of Atlantic salmon Salmo salar and to determine the time course of body size and shape differences between smolt ages. Analyses were conducted on age-0 to age-2 fish that were stocked as fry in the West Brook, Massachusetts and on laboratory-raised age-0 to age-1 fish. Using both body size and shape, we could partition the age-0 fish collected during fall into future early or late smolts, although the predictive ability of body shape was somewhat weaker than that of body size, especially in the laboratory. Classification success averaged 81% (size) and 79% (shape) in the field and 85% (size) and 73% (shape) in the laboratory. Despite differences in smolt age between the field and the laboratory, the relative timing of growth rate differences between future early and late smolts was similar in the field and the laboratory and peaked at 50-60% of development from fry...
Synaptic development in brains of rats exposed perinatally to ethanol

Development of brain synaptosomal uptakes of3H-norepinephrine and3H-dopamine in pups whose mothers received ethanol were nearly normal. However, development of synaptosomal uptake of3H-serotonin was significantly lower than in controls, while uptake of3H-norepinephrine into synaptic storage vesicles was increased.
An improved pressurizer model with bubble rise and condensate drop dynamics

Abstract The dynamic prediction of pressurizer performance in a pressurized water nuclear power plant can be improved by incorporating the bubble rise and condensate drop velocity concepts. The pressurizer is divided into two stratified elements separated by a water vapor interface. The bottom element contains subcooled or boiling liquid and the top element contains superheated or condensing vapor. Bubbles forming in the bottom element rise and enter the top element after an appropriate transport delay. Condensate forming in the top element falls and enters the bottom element after an appropriate time lag. Using this mass exchange concept and applying the equations of continuity, energy and steam-water properties for top and bottom elements combined with the pressurizer pressure control features, a comprehensive analytical model is developed. The predictions of this mathematical model are in good agreement with available data on the Shippingport pressurizer performance. Unlike previous pressurizer models, this improved model provides unique solutions and does not require changing the interface evaporation and condensation coefficients to match the experimental data.
Prevention in oral health problems: Social behavioral aspects

Abstract The potential of prevention in oral health is perhaps greater than in any other health area. A real possibility exists that by applying the combined measures now at hand, the two main dental diseases—dental caries and periodontal disease—can be prevented. Major preventive techniques include tooth sealants, fluorides, plaque removal, and diet modification. If these measures are to fulfill their potential they must be appropriately delivered and accepted by target populations. The present paper reviews issues and data on social-behavioral aspects as they apply to potential preventive approaches. The current status of school-based experimental programs for preventive services and dental health education is discussed. Self-applied procedures, such as supervised fluoride mouth rinsings, are receiving much consideration because of effectiveness and cost/benefit advantages. School dental health education projects utilize teachers and behavior modification techniques for teaching the effective performance of oral hygiene procedures to children. Such innovative approaches have provided short-term changes in behavior and oral status, but long-range behavioral effects are uncertain. Adequate data are lacking as to the extent, nature, and effectiveness of preventive practices of dentists. The most important factor in the success of dental prevention is the population's compliance with preventive regimens which currently require conscientiously applied home routines and changes in eating habits. Thus the importance of developing and applying knowledge on social-behavioral aspects of preventive approaches should be recognized.
A Monte-Carlo step-by-step simulation code of the non-homogeneous chemistry of the radiolysis of water and aqueous solutions--Part II: calculation of radiolytic yields under different conditions of LET, pH, and temperature.

The importance of the radiolysis of water in the initial events following irradiation of biological systems has motivated considerable theoretical and experimental work in the field of radiation chemistry of water and aqueous systems. These studies include Monte-Carlo simulations of the radiation track structure and of the non-homogeneous chemical stage, which have been successfully used to calculate the yields of radiolytic species (H·, ·OH, H2, H2O2, eaq−, …). Most techniques used for the simulation of the non-homogeneous chemical stage such as the independent reaction time (IRT) technique and diffusion kinetics methods do not calculate the time evolution of the positions of the radiolytic species. This is a major limitation to their extension to the simulation of the irradiation of radiobiological systems. Step-by-step (SBS) simulation programs provide such information, but they are very demanding in term of computer power and storage capacity. Recent improvements in computer performance now allow the regular use of the SBS method in radiation chemistry simulations. In the first of a series of two papers, the SBS method has been reviewed in details and the implementation of a SBS code has been discussed. In this second paper, the results of several studies are presented: (1) the time evolution of the radiolytic yields from the formation of the radiation track to 10−6 s; (2) the effect of pH on yields (pH ~ 0.4–7.0); (3) the effect of proton energy (and LET) on yields (300 MeV-0.1 MeV), and iv) the effect of the ion type (1H+, 4He2+, 12C6+) on yields. Nonbiological applications, i.e., the study of the temperature on the yields (about 25–300°C) and the simulation of the time evolution of G(Fe3+) in the Fricke dosimeter are also discussed.
What Level of Bowel Prep Quality Requires Early Repeat Colonoscopy: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Impact of Preparation Quality on Adenoma Detection Rate

What Level of Bowel Prep Quality Requires Early Repeat Colonoscopy: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Impact of Preparation Quality on Adenoma Detection Rate
Identification and characterization of a novel rat ov-serpin family member, trespin

Abstract Serpins are responsible for regulating a variety of proteolytic processes through a unique irreversible suicide substrate mechanism. To discover novel genes regulated by transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), we performed differential display reverse transcriptase-PCR analysis of NRP-152 rat prostatic epithelial cells and cloned a novel rat serpin that is transcriptionally down-regulated by TGF-β and hence named trespin (TGF-β-repressibleserine proteinase inhibitor (trespin). Trespin is a 397-amino acid member of the ov-serpin clade with a calculated molecular mass of 45.2 kDa and 72% amino acid sequence homology to human bomapin; however, trespin exhibits different tissue expression, cellular localization, and proteinase specificity compared with bomapin. Trespin mRNA is expressed in many tissues, including brain, heart, kidney, liver, lung, prostate, skin, spleen, and stomach. FLAG-trespin expressed in HEK293 cells is localized predominantly in the cytoplasm and is not constitutively secreted. The presence of an arginine at the P1 position of trespin's reactive site loop suggests that trespin inhibits trypsin-like proteinases. Accordingly, in vitro transcribed and translated trespin forms detergent-stable and thermostable complexes with plasmin and elastase but not subtilisin A, trypsin, chymotrypsin, thrombin, or papain. Trespin interacts with plasmin at a near 1:1 stoichiometry, and immunopurified mammal-expressed trespin inhibits plasmin in a dose-dependent manner. These data suggest that trespin is a novel and functional member of the rat ov-serpin family.
Intelligent dispatching for flexible manufacturing

Abstract A decision rule for real-time dispatching of parts, each of which may have alternative processing possibilities, has been developed and tested in a simulated flexible manufacturing system. A part, upon completion of an operation, is not routed to a specific machine, but is, in effect, sent to a general queue. Thus, a machine has a global option for choosing parts which in turn may be processed on alternative machines. For effective use of the system's routeing flexibility under these circumstances, the machine needs an intelligent part-selection strategy (rather than shallow heuristics represented by the conventional dispatching rules) that takes into account the current state and trends of the system. The proposed intelligent reasoning procedure has been found to achieve better shop performance than some of the popular dispatching rules, the improved performance being due to the ability to respond to changing circumstances.
Quasi-simultaneous detection of CH2O and CH by cavity ring-down absorption and laser-induced fluorescence in a methane/air low-pressure flame

The combination of two-dimensional, planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) and cavity ring-down (CRD) absorption spectroscopy is applied to map quantitatively the spatial distributions of CH2O and CH in a methane/air flame at 25 Torr. Both species are detected in the same spectral region using the overlapping CH2O A 1 A 2 -X 1 A 1 41 0 and CH B-X(1,0 )bands. The combination of diagnostic techniques exploits the spatial resolution of LIF and the quantitative CRD absorption measure of column density. The spatially resolved PLIF provides the distribution of absorbers and line-of-sight CRD absorption the absolute number density needed for quantitative concentration images. The peak CH2O concentration is (3.5±1.4 )×1014 cm-3, or 1450±550 ppm at 1000 K. The lack of precise absorption cross-section data produces these large error limits. Although a flame model predicts lower amounts, these large uncertainties limit this measurement’susefulness as a test of the flame chemistry.
Importance of surface free radicals in an aqueous chlorination reaction (Indan-ClO2) promoted by granular activated carbon

Abstract Indan reacted with chlorine dioxide in the presence of ICI HD 3000 granular activated carbon (GAC), as well as other GAC's, to yield some chlorine-containing products. However, when the GAC was pretreated with 2,6-di-t-butyl-p-cresol (BHT) or diazomethane, reagents which rapidly react with or destroy free radicals, chlorinated products were not formed. Reagents which selectively destroy carboxyl (methanolic HCl or BF3) or phenolic hydroxyl (acetic anhydride) groups did not significantly affect the chlorination reaction. A GAC (Calgon F 400) which was less effective in producing the chlorinated derivatives could be converted to a more active form by oxidizing the carbon with ClO2. There was little or no correlation between the ash content of a given GAC and its ability to promote chlorination, suggesting that the importance of metal ions in the reaction scheme is probably negligible.
The Economics of Agricultural Prices

I. FARM PRODUCTION DECISIONS, OUTPUT SUPPLY, AND INPUT DEMAND UNDER UNCERTAINTY. 1. Introduction. 2. Production Under Uncertainty. 3. Coping with Risk: Financial Transactions, Diversification, and Hedging. II. MARKETING FARM OUTPUT AND FARM-LEVEL DEMAND. 4. Farm Output and Input Pricing. 5. Farm-Level Demand. 6. The Theory of Commodity Storage and Pricing. 7. Measuring Welfare Effects. 8. Industrial Organization of Argriculture Markets. III. FARM COMMODITY PROGRAMS. 9. Analysis of Farm Programs: Part I. 10. Analysis of Farm Programs: Part II. APPENDICES. A. Comparative Static Analysis. B. Production Decisions in an Uncertain World. C. Farm Output and Input Pricing. D. Spatial Equilibrium Analysis. E. Welfare Analysis. Answers to Problems. Index.
Endoscopic intraventricular biopsy of infundibular Langerhans cell histiocytosis: case report.

OBJECTIVE Surgical biopsy of isolated infundibular lesions is indicated in patients who are symptomatic or whose imaging suggests a treatable lesion. Early therapy can prevent irreversible neurological or endocrinological damage and, potentially, metastasis. These considerations justify the small risk associated with surgery. CLINICAL PRESENTATION A 5-year-old boy presented with diabetes insipidus and an enhancing lesion of the pituitary stalk without evidence of extracranial disease. INTERVENTION The lesion was biopsied via an endoscopic intraventricular approach without complications. Pathological examination revealed Langerhans cell histiocytosis. CONCLUSION Endoscopic intraventricular biopsy can be considered as a less invasive alternative to craniotomy in patients with infundibular lesions protruding superiorly into the third ventricle.
An assessment of contemporary atomic spectroscopic techniques for the determination of lead in blood and urine matrices

Abstract The preparation and validation of a number of clinical reference materials for the determination of lead in blood and urine is described. Four candidate blood lead reference materials (Lots, 047–050), and four candidate urine lead reference materials (Lots, 034, 035, 037 and 038), containing physiologically-bound lead at clinically relevant concentrations, were circulated to up to 21 selected laboratories specializing in this analysis. Results from two interlaboratory studies were used to establish certified values and uncertainty estimates for these reference materials. These data also provided an assessment of current laboratory techniques for the measurement of lead in blood and urine. For the blood lead measurements, four laboratories used electrothermal atomization AAS, three used anodic stripping voltammetry and one used both ETAAS and ICP-MS. For the urine lead measurements, 11 laboratories used ETAAS (most with Zeeman background correction) and 10 used ICP-MS. Certified blood lead concentrations, ±S.D., ranged from 5.9±0.4 μg/dl (0.28±0.02 μmol/l) to 76.0±2.2 μg/dl (3.67±0.11 μmol/l) and urine lead concentrations ranged from 98±5 μg/l (0.47±0.02 μmol/l) to 641±36 μg/l (3.09±0.17 μmol/l). The highest concentration blood lead material was subjected to multiple analyses using ETAAS over an extended time period. The data indicate that more stringent internal quality control practices are necessary to improve long-term precision. While the certification of blood lead materials was accomplished in a manner consistent with established practices, the urine lead materials proved more troublesome, particularly at concentrations above 600 μg/l (2.90 μmol/l).
Design and Synthesis of a Novel Photochromic HDAC Inhibitor and its Photo Reversible Inhibitory Effect

Core histone is composed of two H2A-H2B dimers and H3-H4 tetramers. Each histone have tail domain, which regulates dynamic structure of chromatin and transcription through posttranslational modifications. Histone acetylation-deacetylation is one of such epigenetic regulations of gene expression in eukaryotes. Histone deacetylase (HDAC) catalyze deacetylation of lysine residues in N-terminal domain of core histones and regulates gene transcription and expression. Inhibition of HDAC induces transcriptionally active chromatin, causing arrest of growth, differentiation and apoptosis.
Design iterations for a location-aware event planner

We present the user-centered design and testing process of a mobile, location-aware event planner. Using questionnaires, interviews, and discussions with potential users, we investigated the ways individuals plan social events, such as business meetings, dinners and gatherings, and perform the attendant communication tasks. We catalogued the contextually dependent ways in which people plan their meetings and informal social events and devised a wide range of conceptual sketches to address our potential users’ professed needs. We developed a preliminary PDA-based prototype based on clear conceptual entities (people, places, locations and events) and designed to support short interaction sequences and large maps. Its evaluation with a group of nine participants provided qualitative feedback and prompted an interface redesign. This development process taught us a number of interesting lessons applicable to this category of location-aware applications, which we report at the end of the article. The set of design recommendations can assist designers in the development of location aware systems.
LAND-USE IMPACT ON WATERSHED RESPONSE: THE INTEGRATION OF TWO-DIMENSIONAL HYDROLOGICAL MODELLING AND GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION SYSTEMS

The integration of a two-dimensional, raster-based rainfall-runoff model, CASC2D, with a raster geographical information system (GIS), GRASS, offers enhanced capabilities for analysing the hydrological impact under a variety of land management scenarios. The spatially varied components of the watershed, such as slope, soil texture, surface roughness and land-use disturbance, were characterized in GRASS at a user-specified grid cell resolution for input into the CASC2D model. CASC2D is a raster-based, single-event rainfall-runoff model that divides the watershed into grid cell elements and simulates the hydrological processes of infiltration, overland flow and channel flow in response to distributed rainfall precipitation. The five-step integration of CASC2D and GRASS demonstrates the potential for analysing spatially and temporally varied hydrological processes within a 50 square mile semi-arid watershed. By defining possible land-use disturbance scenarios for the watershed, a variety of rainfall-runoff events were simulated to determine the changes in watershed response under varying disturbance and rainfall conditions. Additionally, spatially distributed infiltration outputs derived from the simulations were analysed in GRASS to determine the variability of hydrological change within the watershed. Grid cell computational capabilities in GRASS allow the user to combine the scenario simulation outputs with other distributed watershed parameters to develop complex maps depicting potential areas of hydrological sensitivity. This GIS-hydrological model integration provides valuable spatial information to researchers and managers concerned with the study and effects of land-use on hydrological response.
Surface Second Harmonic Generation from Asymmetric Multilayer Assemblies: Gaining Insight into Layer-Dependent Order

We report on the use of surface second harmonic generation (SHG) measurements to probe microscopic organization in asymmetrically bound aliphatic multilayer assemblies. The use of layers that are bound asymmetrically using metal ion coordination chemistry allows the orientation of the individual layer constituents to be controlled, and the asymmetric coordination makes the assemblies χ(2)-active. We find that, for the systems we report here, the surface second-order nonlinear response increases in proportion to the square of the number of layers initially and then saturates and decreases with additional adlayers. Optical null ellipsometry and FTIR data point to regular growth in terms of thickness and chromophore density, and the surface SHG data point to increasing disorder with the adsorption of additional layers. The FTIR data suggest a subtle decrease in overall order of these chains with increasing number of layers, but this trend is not as pronounced as that seen in the surface SHG data. We interpre...
Attitudes of Practitioners and Students toward Marketing

This research surveyed three groups: marketing practitioners, undergraduate mar keting majors, and students taking their first course in marketing. Respondents' attitudes toward marketing as a societal force, marketing as a career, and various topic areas in marketing were assessed. The results indicated that practitioners hold more favorable attitudes toward marketing's role in society and toward marketing as a career than do students. Practitioners and students agreed on the relative importance of mar keting topics. Most important topics were marketing strategy, advertising, buyer behavior, and the marketing concept; least important topics were industrial marketing, international marketing, nonbusiness and service marketing, and physical distribution.
Preparation and catalytic properties of transition metal carbides and nitrides

Abstract Interstitial alloys are formed by the incorporation of carbon, nitrogen and oxygen into the lattices of early transition metals to produce a class of compounds with metallic character. The crystal structure of the materials is similar to that of the metals, with the metal atoms usually forming closed-packed lattices. The compounds can now be prepared in very high surface area form by a number of methods. They have excellent catalytic activity in a wide variety of reactions: ammonia synthesis and decomposition, hydrogenolysis, isomerization, methanation, and hydroprocessing. In particular, for hydrogenation type reactions they display activity approaching or surpassing those of the best Group 8 metals. Although their activity is similar to those of the noble metals, kinetics and product selectivities are often different and indicate that the carbides and nitrides provide unique catalytic pathways.
Measuring Time: The Stability of Special Education Teacher Time Use

Instructional time use is an intervention without equal. The measure of such has clear and important implications for special education practice and research. Although exhortations to maximize instruction and thereby student engagement exist throughout the literature, few studies discuss how special education teachers use their time, and none address the sampling or measurement issues related to differences of time across the academic calendar, by day or by teacher. This empirical investigation reports the requirements for adequate sampling, discussing variance by teacher and across the calendar year with attention to the standard error of measurement and denoting when stability is achieved. High-quality measurement provides opportunity for a more scientific approach to maximizing time use and thus student achievement. Results suggest that approximately 10 days appear to be sufficient to obtain a reasonably stable measure of teacher time use with a multiple code instrument designed to capture a variety of...
Inhibition of nitrogenase activity and nodule oxygen permeability by water deficit

Short-term effects of water deficit on nitrogenase activity were investigated with hydroponically grown soybean plants (Glycine max L. Merr. cv. Biloxi) by adding polyethylene glycol (PEG) to the hydroponic solution and measuring nitrogenase activity, nodule respiration, and permeability to oxygen diffusion (P o ). These experiments showed a rapid decrease in acetylene reduction activity (ARA) and nodule respiration. A consequence of the decreased respiration rate was that P o calculated by Fick's Law also decreased. However, these results following PEG treatment were in direct conflict with a previous report of stability in P o determined by using an alternative technique. To resolve this conflict, an hypothesis describing a sequence of responses to the initial PEG treatment is presented. An important finding of this study was that the response to water deficit induced by PEG occurred in two stages. The first stage of decreased nodule activity was O 2 -limited and could be reversed by exposing the nodules to elevated pO 2 . The second stage which developed after 24h of exposure to PEG resulted in substantial loss in nodule activity and this activity could not be recovered with increased pO 2 . Severe water deficit treatments disrupt nodule activity to such a degree that O 2 is no longer the major limitation.
A survey and classification of hypertext documentation systems

The authors describe and classify different hypertext documentation approaches by surveying a number of existing systems. They comprehensively list features of each system but do not numerically compare systems because of the subjective nature of evaluation. Instead, the data provided should be used as a basis for local comparisons by the reader. The classification breaks systems down according to publishing type, i.e. those designed for both publishing and accessing hypertext, either publishing or accessing documentation, and those that use general-purpose hypertext systems for document production and presentation. These categories are further subdivided according to functionality and specific system information. >
An organ culture model for assaying wound repair of the fibrocartilaginous knee joint meniscus

We describe an in vitro organ culture system that can be used to test the effect of various substances and compounds on the wound healing process in the fibro cartilaginous substance of the knee joint meniscus. Using culture medium containing either 10% fetal bo vine serum (FBS) or our recently developed serum-free, defined culture medium (DM), we have demonstrated the ability of meniscal fibrochondrocytes from intact rabbit menisci to extricate themselves from their sur rounding matrix and migrate into an exogenous, purified fibrin clot in vitro. After 4 weeks of culture in FBS containing medium, the cells which had invaded the clot had initiated the early aspects of a typical reparative response; the same response did not occur in DM alone. Morphologically, the cells on the surface of the clot resembled the original superficial fibrochondro cytes, whereas those cells within the substance of the clot more closely resembled the original deep fibro chondrocytes. After 10 weeks, the reparative response had ...