cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Experimental Investigation of Single-Phase Convective Heat Transfer of Nanofluids in a Minichannel

Nanofluids have been proposed as a promising candidate for advanced heat transfer fluids in a variety of important engineering applications. A consensus is now lacking on if and how the dispersed nanoparticles alter the thermal transport in convective flows. An experimental investigation was conducted to study single-phase forced convection of Al2 O3 -water nanofluid in a circular minichannel. The friction factor and convection heat transfer coefficients were measured for nanofluids of various volume concentrations (up to 5%) and were compared to these of the base fluid. The Reynolds number varied from 600 to 4500, covering the laminar, transition and early fully developed turbulent regions. It was found that the nanofluids exhibit pronounced entrance region behaviors in the laminar region. In the transition and turbulent regions, the onset of transition to turbulence is delayed in nanofluids. Further, both the friction factor and convective heat transfer coefficient are below these of water at the same Re in the transition flow. Once fully developed turbulence is established, the difference in the flow and heat transfer of nanofluids and water will diminish. A scaling analysis showed these behaviors may be attributed to the variation in the relative size of nanoparticle with respect to the turbulent microscales. This work suggests that the particle-fluid interaction has a significant impact on the flow physics of nanofluids, especially in the transition and turbulent regions. Consequently, nanofluids should be used in either the laminar flow or fully developed turbulent flow at sufficiently high Re in order to yield enhanced heat transfer performance.© 2010 ASME
Impacts of competitive market on real-time operations

Within the competitive market paradigm, real time system operation has the responsibility not only of maintaining system reliability and security, but also of ensuring compliance to market protocols. This paper summarizes key areas where market protocols could impact real time system operation, with a focus on real-time market applications for generation-load balancing and congestion management. Constraint modeling, which is central to congestion management, is discussed further to highlight how it contributes to convergence between day-ahead scheduling and real-time dispatch.
Optofluidic microchip with integrated 780-nm VCSEL arrays for biomedical and chemical sensing

We report the compact integration of high-power 780-nm VCSEL arrays with a microfluidic channel to create an optofluidic microchip. Characterization of the microchip using a near-infrared fluorescent dye yields a detection limit of 10 µM.
Characterization of Tusc5, an adipocyte gene co-expressed in peripheral neurons.

Tumor suppressor candidate 5 (Tusc5, also termed brain endothelial cell derived gene-1 or BEC-1), a CD225 domain-containing, cold-repressed gene identified during brown adipose tissue (BAT) transcriptome analyses was found to be robustly-expressed in mouse white adipose tissue (WAT) and BAT, with similarly high expression in human adipocytes. Tusc5 mRNA was markedly increased from trace levels in pre-adipocytes to significant levels in developing 3T3-L1 adipocytes, coincident with several mature adipocyte markers (phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 1, GLUT4, adipsin, leptin). The Tusc5 transcript levels were increased by the peroxisome proliferator activated receptor- (PPAR) agonist GW1929 (1g/mL, 18 h) by >10-fold (pre-adipocytes) to ∼1.5-fold (mature adipocytes) versus controls (p < 0.0001). Taken together, these results suggest an important role for Tusc5 in maturing adipocytes. Intriguingly, we discovered robust co-expression of the gene in peripheral nerves (primary somatosensory neurons). In light of the marked repression of the gene observed after cold exposure, these findings may point to participation of Tusc5 in shared adipose–nervous system functions linking environmental cues, CNS signals, and WAT–BAT physiology. Characterization of such links is important for clarifying the molecular basis for adipocyte proliferation and could have implications for understanding the biology of metabolic disease-related neuropathies. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.
Infrared detection from GaInAs/InP nanopillar arrays

We report on the photoresponse from large arrays of 40 nm radius nanopillars with sensitivity in the long-wavelength infrared regime. Using photoluminescence techniques, a peak wavelength blue shift of approximately 5 meV was observed at 30 K from GaInAs/InP nanopillar structures, indicating carrier confinement effects. Responsivity measurements at 30 K indicated peak wavelength response at about 8 µm with responsivity of 420 mA W−1 at −2 V bias. We have also measured the noise and estimated the peak detectivity to be 3 × 108 cm Hz1/2 W−1 at 1 V reverse bias and 30 K. A maximum internal quantum efficiency of 4.5% was derived from experiment. Both the photo and the dark transport have been successfully modelled as processes that involve direct and indirect field-assisted tunnelling as well as thermionic emission. The best agreement with experiment was obtained when allowances were made for the non-uniformity of barrier widths and electric field heating of carriers above the lattice temperature.
Tuberculous meningitis: Diagnostic and therapeutic challenges

Neurologists are often the first medical providers to evaluate patients with possible infectious meningitis. Knowledge of the clinical presentations and cerebrospinal fluid, microbiologic, and neuroimaging findings for different etiologies is essential to make a prompt diagnosis and initiate appropriate treatment. Tuberculosis is a common cause of meningitis in developing countries with a high prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis. However, tuberculosis affects populations in every country and all neurologists need to be vigilant for possible cases of tuberculous meningitis presenting to their medical facilities. This article discusses the challenges of diagnosing and treating tuberculous meningitis and highlights recent advances in diagnostic technology.
The effect of pre-eclampsia on human placental corticotrophin-releasing hormone content and processing

Prior studies have shown that levels of corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH) in the umbilical cord blood of infants born after pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia are significantly higher than fetal plasma CRH concentrations in uncomplicated pregnancies. In the present study we have measured CRH by radioimmunoassay in the placenta and fetal membranes from 13 pregnancies complicated by pre-eclampsia and compared them to 24 uncomplicated pregnancies. In addition we have investigated the effect of chronic intrauterine fetal stress on the processing of CRH in the placenta and fetal membranes. Placental CRH peptide content was significantly higher in the pregnancies complicated by pre-eclampsia, 12 900 ± 4230 pg/g tissue, than in the uncomplicated pregnancies, 3130 ± 430 pg/g of tissue (P<0.01). Gel filtration of the homogenates of normal placenta revealed a major peak of CRH immunoactivity eluting in the same position as synthetic human CRH A second smaller molecular weight peak of CRH-immunoactivity was also present and in both the amnion and the chorion, the CRH eluted in the position of the smaller molecular weight peak. In contrast, the bulk of the CRH immunoactivity in the placenta and fetal membranes obtained after pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia eluted in the position of intact synthetic human CRH Thus, in pregnancy complicated by pre-eclampsia, both placental CRH release into fetal plasma and CRH peptide content is higher than in uncomplicated pregnancy.
Growth and characterizations of InP self-assembled quantum dots embedded in InAlP grown on GaAs substrates

We report the characteristics of InP self-assembled quantum dots embedded in In0.5Al0.5P on GaAs substrates grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. The InP quantum dots show increased average dot sizes and decreased dot densities, as the growth temperature increases from 475°C to 600°C with constant growth time. Above the growth temperature of 600°C, however, dramatically smaller and densely distributed self-assembled InP quantum dots are formed. The small InP quantum dots grown at 650°C are dislocation-free “coherent” regions with an average size of ∼20 nm (height) and a density of ∼1.5 × 108 mm−2. These InP quantum dots have a broad range of luminescence corresponding to red or organge in the visible spectrum.
883 CHRONIC LYMPHOCYTIC LEUKEMIA (CLL) IN A CHILD

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) effects older people, is rare under age 30 and only 4 cases are reported in children. We present a 2 1/2 year old boy with all the clinical and morphologic findings of the disease. Two days of diarrhea, vomiting and cough prompted the visit of this previously well child to the Medical College of Virginia Hospital. He was found to have 2+ cervical adenopathy and a spleen palpable just below the umbilicus. Hemoglobin and platelets were normal. WBC was 40,000 with 97% lymphocytes which were monotonously small and normal in appearance. The bone marrow was normal except for 70% small lymphocytes. Immunologic surface marker studies showed B cell phenotype with B1 and Leu 14 positive in 96% of cells. The lymphs also expressed an antigen detected by Leu 1 which is present on T lymphocytes and cells of B-CLL. Heavy chain (Cμ) and Kappa light chain gene rearrangements were demonstrated with radio-labelled nucleotide by southern blot hybridization techniques. Chromosome analysis with banding was normal. These findings offer positive evidence for the presence of B-CLL in this child.
The stability problem: New results and counterexamples

Let I be the group of rotations of the circle and for each n, let I n be the subgroup of I having exactly n elements. For sufficiently small e, it is shown that every e-homomorphism from I n into I is an e-perturbation of a homomorphism. Best possible results are given for n=2, 3, 4. For maps from I n into I n , best possible results are given for n≤12.
Productivity and species richness in an arid ecosystem: a long-term perspective

There is little consensus on the form of the relationship between biodiversity and productivity, and most of the research examining it has been done in temperate grasslands, with arid ecosystems receiving comparatively little attention. Using 9 years of data collected using standardized sampling methods from five different community types in the Chihuahuan Desert (Jornada Basin Long-Term Ecological Research site, New Mexico, USA), we evaluate the relationship between productivity and species richness at multiple spatial scales. The relationship was consistently unimodal at the largest scale considered; however, community types differed in both the form of the relationship and the degree to which patterns fluctuated over time. Although significant linear and unimodal patterns were evident, these models fit poorly, suggesting that annual primary productivity is a weak predictor of mean species richness in arid communities. We suggest that productivity–diversity relationships are best described by a boundary that places an upper limit on species coexistence across the gradient of productivity for a site. This upper limit often appears to be maximized at intermediate levels of productivity, but it has relatively few points on the downward portion of the boundary. By focusing efforts on characterizing boundaries, approaches should be developed to determine the factors that are reducing species richness compared to what would be expected, given the level of productivity.
Effects of accelerated growth during rearing on reproduction and lactation in ewes lambing at 13 to 15 months of age.

Three trials were conducted using ewe lambs to determine the effects of accelerated growth during rearing on reproduction and lactation. Data were obtained on 113 ewes. Early weaned ewe lambs were randomly assigned to the following prebreeding treatments: (1) thin (T, moderate gain) and (2) fat (F, accelerated gain). They were bred to lamb at 13 to 15 months of age. After breeding, one half of the ewes on the T and F treatments were switched to the other treatment so that postbreeding treatments were TT, TF, FF and FT. Prebreeding treatment did not affect conception rate (T, 95%; F, 96%), but lambing rates were 43, 28 and 27% higher (P<0.05) for F than T ewes in trials 1, 2 and 3, respectively. Daily milk production was higher in T ewes than F ewes for each trial, but the differences were significant only in trial 3. Estimated daily milk yields over the 60-day period were: T ewes, 1482, 1571, 1614 g; F ewes, 1183, 1373, 1321 g for trials 1, 2 and 3, respectively. Number of alveoli also favored T ewes. Switching ewes to the alternate treatment after breeding did not affect reproduction or milk production. Correlations between weight to height ratio and milk yield were negative in trials 1 and 3 but were positive in trial 2. There was no indication that serum T4 levels affected milk production or reproduction. The results of this study show that accelerated growth during rearing increased lambing rate but may impair milk production. These effects appeared to be fixed by the time the ewes were bred.
A Virological Investigation of Transient Synovitis. 354

It is believed that Transient Synovitis may be caused or preceded by a viral infection. OBJECTIVE: This study's objective is to evaluate children with Transient Synovitis (TS) for serological evidence of Parvovirus B-19(PVB) and Human Herpesvirus 6 (HHV6) infection. DESIGN/SETTING: Prospective patient series in an urban children's hospital emergency department. PATIENTS: 20 children ages 15 months to 6 years (12 boys) diagnosed with TS. INTERVENTIONS: Clinical data were collected and acute PVB and HHV6 IgG and IgM titers were performed on all patients. Ten patients returned 4-6 weeks later for convalescent titers. RESULTS: Mean age was 4.1 years. Prodromal symptoms within a week of presentation were noted in 50% of patients, most commonly fever (25%) and upper respiratory infection (20%). Mean sedimentation rate was 11 mm/hr (range 2-22), and mean white blood count was 11,000/ul (range 5-22). Parvovirus results: no patients had an elevation of acute or convalescent IgM titers, and none of the 10 returning for convalescent titers had a significant rise of IgG. For HHV6: no patients had elevated acute or convalescent IgM titers. A majority (80%) had elevated acute HHV6 IgG reflecting immunity from previous infection. No patients demonstrated a significant rise in convalescent IgG titers. CONCLUSION: Although many patients with Transient Synovitis have a history suggestive of a recent viral illness, there is no serological evidence in this series for recent Parvovirus B-19 or Human Herpesvirus-6 infection.
Morphologically distinctive forms of cutaneous mast cell degranulation induced by cold and mechanical stimuli: An ultrastructural study

To determine whether morphological differences in the response of cutaneous mast cells characterize clinically distinct forms of urticaria, we used ultrastructural techniques to examine skin biopsy specimens from three patients with cold-induced urticaria and four patients with dermographism. Biopsy specimens were obtained before application of the stimulus and at the time of lesion formation. Patients with cold-induced urticaria exhibited morphological alterations only after stimulus application consisting of enlargement and uniform disorganization of some, but not all, granules, fusion of the membranes of adjacent granules, fusion of granule membranes with mast cell membranes, and discharge of electron-lucent and disorganized granule contents into the extracellular space. Mast cells from patients with immediate as well as delayed dermographism exhibited alterations before and after stimulus application consisting of enlargement of most granules, nonuniform (zonal) disorganization or solubilization of granule contents, fusion of granule membranes with mast cell membranes, and extracellular discharge of granule contents. Small cytoplasmic vesicles containing disorganized granular material were associated with the degranulation process. Endothelial cells lining nearby postcapillary venules exhibited prominent perinuclear condensation of contractile microfilaments during degranulation in both groups. Both before and after application of the stimulus, the walls of the superficial dermal vessels of the patients with dermographism were thinner and contained less extracellular matrix material than vessel walls of the patients with cold-induced urticaria. The morphologically distinctive types of mast cell degranulation that characterize these two clinically separable urticarial disorders may indicate different pathogenic mechanisms of lesion formation.
The High Pressure Rheology of Mixtures

The Newtonian mixing rules for several binary systems have been experimentally investigated. Some systems show non-ideal mixing response and for some systems the non-ideal response is pressure-dependent, yielding an opportunity for manipulation of the pressure-viscosity behavior to advantage. The mixing of differing molecular weight straight cuts can produce very different pressure-viscosity response. This behavior underscores the difficulty in predicting the pressure-viscosity coefficient based upon chemical structure and ambient viscosity since the molecular weight distribution is also important, but it also provides another opportunity to control the high-pressure response by blending. The first experimental observation of double shear-thinning within a single flow curve is reported. Blending then provides the capability of adjusting not only the Newtonian viscosity but also the non-Newtonian shear-thinning response as well.
Antioxidant properties of α-tocopherol derivatives and relationship of antioxidant activity to biological activity

A series of α-tocopherol analogs substituted at the 5-methyl group were evaluated for their ability to protect β-carotene dissolved in hydrogenated, tocopherol-stripped corn oil from air oxidation. These results were compared with the ability of these compounds to prevent the development of dietary necrotic liver degeneration in rats and vitamin E deficiency-induced muscular dystrophy in rabbits. Although a good correlation was seen between the antioxidant activities of some of the compounds and their biological activities, in the case of other compounds the correlation was poor. The importance of the phytyl side chain of the tocopherols and their derivatives for their antioxidant activities was evident from these studies.
Measurement and Evaluation of School Crisis Prevention and Intervention: Introduction to Special Issue

The field of school crisis prevention and intervention, particularly in the area of violence, has made notable advances in the past decade. This introduction to the special issue of Journal of School Violence first reviews some of the advances in understanding violence within a prevention science framework. Second, the translation of this knowledge into action through developing interventions and examining efficacy and effectiveness is discussed. Third, issues relevant for implementing, disseminating, and monitoring interventions are reviewed. Finally, the articles in the special issue are introduced. Each of the articles, written by experts from diverse fields, includes empirical findings using a variety of methodologies, implications for schools, and an outline of the direction for future research in the area.
Close electric field signatures of dart leader//return stroke sequences in rocket-triggered lightning showing residual fields

[1] Vertical electric field waveforms due to dart leader/return stroke sequences measured on the ground 15 and 30 m from the negative lightning channel are used to examine the so-called residual electric field, the difference between the leader electric field change, and the following return stroke electric field change. At these distances, no residual field is expected if the return stroke neutralizes essentially all the charge deposited by the leader within a few hundred meters above ground. There is a clear tendency for strokes having larger peak currents to be associated with larger residual electric fields. The ratio of residual electric fields at 15 and 30 m suggests that the residual field varies as r−1.5, where r is the horizontal distance from the lightning channel. The residual electric field is found from modeling to be associated with an equivalent point charge of the order of hundreds of microcoulombs to a few millicoulombs at a height of 15 to 30 m deposited by the leader but presumably left unneutralized by the return stroke. This residual point charge decays exponentially on a timescale of the order of milliseconds to tens of milliseconds. While the nature of the residual charge is unknown, it could be associated with small branches formed near the descending leader tip just prior to or during the attachment process. In long laboratory spark experiments, such branches have apparently been observed to lose their connection with the main channel.
Series shunt evaluation of polyurethane vascular graft materials in chronically AV-shunted canines

Well characterized, laboratory-synthesized polymeric materials which have been extensively tested for biocompatibility via initial platelet and protein deposition in an acute ex vivo canine model were placed as interpositional series shunts in canines with chronically implanted iliac arteriovenous shunts ex vivo. Platelet deposition was measured on a base polyurethane block copolymer, a sulfonated ionic derivative, an alkyl grafted (C18) derivative, Biomer, polyethylene, and polydimethylsiloxane for 24 h using radiolabeled platelets. Platelet survival and in vitro aggregation were determined to investigate the effects of the shunting pprocedure on experimental animals. The viability of adopting a chronic arteriovenous (iliac) shunted canine model for use with series shunts to evaluate polyurethanes having applications as materials in vascular graft construction was investigated and the results compared with acute model data.
Increased Elastin Production by Progeria Skin Fibroblasts is Controlled by the Steady-State Levels of Elastin mRNA

Hutchinson-Gilford progeria is a unique, rare disease with markedly accelerated aging. The average lifespan of affected individuals is 12 years. Although the biochemical basis of the syndrome is unknown, its influence appears to be primarily upon mesodermal tissues. Characteristics such as the altered appearance of the skin and the extensive and fatal involvement of the cardiovascular system led us to study elastin production in cultured skin fibroblasts from three progeroid individuals. We found tropoelastin production by progeroid cells was elevated six- to nine-fold at the protein and mRNA levels, while relative collagen synthesis was similar to control strains. There was little difference between progeroid and normal cells in expression of total protein or in total cellular mRNA content. Western blot analysis of tropoelastin from progeroid fibroblasts confirmed increased production of elastin but revealed no gross changes in the molecular mass. The significant increase in tropoelastin expression lends support to the concept that progeria results from a mesenchymal dysplasia, and offers a possible biochemical marker for the phenotype.
A precision-measuring adapter for small-volume syringes

Es wird eine Spritze beschrieben, die mittels einer automatischen Arretiervorrichtung des Kolbens — ohne visuelle Kontrolle des Injizierenden — die Verabreichung genauer Mengen von der Grosenordnung eines hundertstel Kubikzentimeters Flussigkeit ermoglicht.
Vigabatrin, a GABA Transaminase Inhibitor, Reversibly Eliminates Tinnitus in an Animal Model

Animal models have facilitated basic neuroscience research investigating the pathophysiology of tinnitus. It has been hypothesized that partial deafferentation produces a loss of tonic inhibition in the auditory system that may lead to inappropriate neuroplastic changes eventually expressed as tinnitus. The pathological down-regulation of γ-amino butyric acid (GABA) provides a potential mechanism for this loss of inhibition. Using an animal model previously demonstrated to be sensitive to treatments that either induce or attenuate tinnitus, the present study examined the effect of the specific GABA agonist vigabatrin on chronic tinnitus. It was hypothesized that vigabatrin would decrease the evidence of tinnitus by restoring central inhibitory function through increased GABA availability. Vigabatrin has been demonstrated to elevate central GABA levels (Mattson et al. 1995). Tinnitus was induced in rats using a single 1-h unilateral exposure to band-limited noise, which preserved normal hearing in one ear. Psychophysical evidence of tinnitus was obtained using a free-operant conditioned-suppression method: Rats lever-pressed for food pellets and were trained to discriminate between the presence and absence of sound by punishing lever pressing with a mild foot shock (0.5 mA; 1 s) at the conclusion of randomly introduced silent periods (60 s) inserted into background low-level noise. Additional random insertion of pure tone and noise periods of variable intensity enabled the derivation of psychophysical functions that reflected the presence of tinnitus with features similar to 20-kHz tones. Vigabatrin was chronically administered via drinking water at 30 and 81 mg kg−1 day−1, with each dose level tested over 2 weeks, followed by a 0-mg washout test. Vigabatrin completely and reversibly eliminated the psychophysical evidence of tinnitus at both doses. Although vigabatrin has serious negative side effects that have prevented its clinical use in the USA, it is nevertheless a potentially useful tool in unraveling tinnitus pathophysiology.
Radio Electrons and Magnetic Fields in the Galactic Halo

Radio electron density and magnetic field in galactic halo from primary cosmic ray and radio brightness measurements
Optofluidic cellular immunofunctional analysis by localized surface plasmon resonance

Cytokine secretion assays provide the means to quantify intercellular-signaling proteins secreted by blood immune cells. These assays allow researchers and clinicians to obtain valuable information on the immune status of the donor. Previous studies have demonstrated that localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effects enable label-free, real-time biosensing on a nanostructured metallic surface with simple optics and sensing tunability. However, limited sensitivity coupled with a lack of sample handling capability makes it challenging to implement LSPR biosensing in cellular functional immunoanalysis based on cytokine secretion assay. This paper describes our recent progress towards full development of a label-free LSPR biosensing technique to detect cell-secreted tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α cytokines in clinical blood samples. We integrate LSPR bionanosensors in an optofluidic platform capable of handling target immune cells in a microfluidic chamber while readily permitting optical access for cytokine detection.
Characteristics of Children Who Struggle with Reading: Teachers and Speech-Language Pathologists Collaborate to Support Young Learners

Speech language pathologists (SLPs) have developed specialized knowledge about oral language and its relationship to early literacy development that can be particularly useful to early childhood educators. The purpose of this article is to highlight ways in which an SLP can support early childhood teachers in a Response to Intervention role by assessing and facilitating young students’ early literacy acquisition. In this article, we observe students who are struggling to attain one of the Common Core State Standards, discuss factors that may inhibit their typical development of early literacy, and illustrate several evidenced-based instructional practices to assist young students who struggle with reading to achieve success.
Surgical experience in patients with cystic fibrosis: a 25-year perspective.

The spectrum of surgical diseases in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) has not been comprehensively studied. A retrospective review of 792 consecutive patients with CF presenting over a 25 year period (1970-1994) was made to determine the incidence of operations, procedures performed, complications encountered, and impact on physical development and pulmonary function tests (PFTs). A total of 191 operations were performed on 130 (16%) of the 792 patients; 98 operations (51%) were abdominal, 58 (30%) thoracic, and 31 (16%) hernias; 64 were male, and 66 female; average age was 14 +/- 10 years. Complications occurred in 12 (16%); 9 deaths were from progressive respiratory failure, 2 from superficial wound infections, and 1 from an episode of line sepsis. In the first 15 years, 9 complications occurred in 126 operations vs. 3 in 73 operations during the last 10 years. Operations were classified as emergent, urgent, or elective. Of the 9 deaths, 8 occurred after emergent or urgent operations (4 abdominal and 4 thoracic), while 1 death occurred following elective herniorrhaphy. For each subgroup, (abdominal, thoracic, and hernia), there was no difference in height/weight indicies, peak flow, forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expired volume in 1 sec (FEV(1)), or FEV(1)/FVC ratio when comparing 1 year preoperation and 1 year postoperation. In conclusion, patients in this high-risk population were operated on with few complications, but when a complication occurred it tended to be pulmonary and fatal (4.7% of all operations). Furthermore, operations did not cause significant deteriorations in PFTs and they did not cause these children to fall off their expected age-adjusted growth curves.
Orthogonal projections are optimal algorithms

Abstract Some results on worst case optimal algorithms and recent results of J. Traub, G. Wasilkowski, and H. Woźniakowski on average case optimal algorithms are unified. By the use of Housholder transformations it is shown that orthogonal projections onto the range of the adjoint of the information operator are, in a very general sense, optimal algorithms. This allows a unified presentation of average case optimal algorithms relative to Gaussian measures on infinite dimensional Hilbert spaces. The choice of optimal information is also discussed.
Safe Testing of Nuclear Rockets

In the early 1960s, Werner Von Braun and others recognized the need for a nuclear rocket for sending humans to Mars. The great distances, the intense radiation levels, and the physiological response to zero gravity all support the concept of using a nuclear rocket to decrease mission time. These same needs have been recognized in later studies and, especially, in the Space Exploration Initiative in 1989. One of the key questions that has arisen in later studies, however, is the ability to test a nuclear rocket engine in the current societal environment. Unlike the Rover/Nuclear Engine for Rocket Vehicle Applications programs in the 1960s, the rocket exhaust can no longer be vented to the open atmosphere. As a consequence, previous studies have examined the feasibility of building a large-scale version of the Nuclear Furnace Scrubber that was demonstrated in 1971. We have investigated an alternative thatwoulddeposit the rocket exhaust alongwith anyentrained  ssion products directly into the ground. The subsurface active  ltering of exhaust concept would allow variable-sized engines to be tested for long times at a modest expense. A system overview, results of preliminary calculations, and current status of a proof-of-concept demonstration are presented.
Dysthymia among Substance Abusers: An Exploratory Study of Individual and Mental Health Factors.

The purpose of this study was to examine the individual characteristics and mental health factors of dysthymic and nondysthymic substance abusers. Out of a total of 1,209 medical records reviewed to select cases of dysthymic and nondysthymic substance abusers attending a community drug treatment program, 183 medical records were selected, 48% of which were dysthymic substance abusers. Bivariate analyses indicated that dysthymic substance abusers were more likely to be male, older individuals, reported high levels of alcohol dependence, lower quality of life, and higher number of previous substance abuse treatment. Results from hierarchical multiple logistic regression analyses indicated that age, gender, and quality of life were significant predictor for having dysthymia. Implications for the mental health field are discussed, underlining the importance of developing and providing competent treatment for substance abusers with co-occurring disorders.
Somatostatin Release from Rat Hypothalamus in Vitro: Effects of Melatonin and Serotonin

The release of immunorective somatostatin (SRIF) from explants of rat medial basal hypothalamus, which were maintained in culture for 24 h, was quantitated by a sensitive RIA. Validity of the specific SRIF assay has been previously established by chromatographic criteria using gel and high pressure systems and by the demonstration of immunological parallelism. After 24 h of culture in medium containing heatinactivated fetal calf serum, hypothalamic fragments were incubated in serum-free medium, and the release of immunoreactive SRIF was quantitated. Melatonin at concentrations of 10-8 and 10-7 M stimulated SRIF release, and no significant increases were observed at concentrations of 10-9 M or less or at concentrations of 10-6 M or greater. Serotonin oxalate at concentrations of 10-8-10-5 M significantly inhibited SRIF release. The serotonin antagonist cyproheptadine at a concentration of 1CT5 M had no effect on basal SRIF release but abolished the inhibitory effect of 10-7 M serotonin. Finally, when hypot...
Aging-Induced Phenotypic Changes and Oxidative Stress Impair Coronary Arteriolar Function

We aimed to elucidate the possible role of phenotypic alterations and oxidative stress in age-related endothelial dysfunction of coronary arterioles. Arterioles were isolated from the hearts of young adult (Y, 14 weeks) and aged (A, 80 weeks) male Sprague-Dawley rats. For videomicroscopy, pressure-induced tone of Y and A arterioles and their passive diameter did not differ significantly. In A, arterioles L-NAME (a NO synthase blocker)–sensitive flow-induced dilations were significantly impaired (Y: 41±8% versus A: 3±2%), which could be augmented by superoxide dismutase (SOD) or Tiron (but not l-arginine or the TXA2 receptor antagonist SQ29,548). For lucigenin chemiluminescence, O2·− generation was significantly greater in A than Y vessels and could be inhibited with SOD and diphenyliodonium. NADH-driven O2·− generation was also greater in A vessels. Both endothelial and smooth muscle cells of A vessels produced O2·− (shown with ethidium bromide fluorescence). For Western blotting, expression of eNOS and C...
Novel Epitaxial Nanostructures for the Improvement of InGaN LEDs Efficiency

We demonstrated that the efficiency of an InGaN LED can be improved by using a novel epitaxial nanostructure, namely, the nanostructured semipolar (NSSP) gallium nitride (GaN). The NSSP GaN template was fabricated on a c-plane GaN surface using a standard GaN metal-organic chemical vapor deposition tool on c-plane sapphire substrates. We showed that the surface of NSSP GaN consisted of two semipolar orientations: (10-11) and (11-22). InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells (MQWs) fabricated on NSSP GaN exhibited negligible quantum-confined Stark effect (QCSE) and a 30% improvement in internal quantum efficiency as compared to planar c-plane InGaN/GaN MQWs. Using time-resolved photoluminescence (PL), a considerable improvement in radiative recombination lifetime was also observed. We fabricated and characterized semipolar InGaN LEDs on NSSP GaN that emitted at 543 nm and showed negligible QCSE. The NSSP GaN structure can also be applied to improve the photon extraction efficiency of InGaN-based LEDs. The surface texturing was performed in situ together with the LED epitaxy without additional ex situ etching processes. The in situ surface texturing improved the PL intensity by a factor of two. An electrical injection LED structure employing in situ surface texturing was also demonstrated.
Growth and Amino Acid Requirements of Various Strains of Group B Streptococci

A chemically defined medium (FMC; B. Terleckyj, N. P. Willett, and G. D. Shockman, Infect. Immun. 11:649-655, 1975) was used to compare the growth and amino acid requirements of 16 strains of group B streptococci, consisting of both laboratory-passaged organisms and fresh clinical isolates from adult and neonatal infections. The 5 standard Lancefield immunizing strains of group B streptococci, 090 (Ia), H36B (Ib), A909 (Ic), 18RS21 (II), and D136C (III), had doubling times in FMC (28 to 36 min) similar to those observed in Todd-Hewitt glucose broth (24 to 30 min). Similar doubling times were obtained with 11 clinical isolates growing in Todd-Hewitt glucose broth and FMC. The optimum buffering capacity of FMC was provided by 0.06 M sodium phosphate, and 1% glucose gave maximum cell yield. The group B streptococci, with minor exceptions, were very homogeneous in their amino acid requirements under both aerobic and anaerobic growth conditions. Phenylalanine, tyrosine, tryptophan, glutamate, arginine, valine, leucine, lysine, methionine, isoleucine, cystine, and histidine were required by all 16 strains under both aerobic and anaerobic growth conditions. In addition, threonine was required by all strains under aerobic growth conditions, whereas only 9 strains required threonine under anaerobic conditions. Serine was required by only 3 type III fresh clinical isolates aerobically, but not anaerobically. A requirement for glycine varied from strain to strain, apparently influenced by the oxidation-reduction potential of the growth medium.
Dermal connective tissue permeability in rheumatoid arthritics.

Previous studies indicate thatthetransfer of proteins andother substances between synovial fluid andblood ismoreextensive forrheumatoid arthritics thanfornormalpersons (Harris, Millard, and Banerjee, 1958;Platt, Holley, andPigman, 1957; Michelazzi, 1943). Theprotein concentration in synovial fluid isalso higher forrheumatoid arthritics thanforhealthy individuals (Platt andothers, 1957; Decker, McKenzie, McGuckin,and Slocumb, 1959;Johansen andSylvest, 1961). Thesealterations suggest that afeature ofthis disease maybean enhanced permeability oftheconnective tissue. Thealtered permeability, inturn, could arise froma change ofthephysical state oftheground substance ofconnective tissue, particularly ofthehyaluronic acid, whichisespecially important forthephysical properties oftheground substance. Thisconcept is inagreement withtheobservations that thedegree of polymerization ofhyaluronic acid isdecreased inthe synovial fluid ofpatients withconnective tissue disease (Ragan andMeyer,1949; Sundblad, 1953; Bollet, 1956;Stafford, Niedermeier, Holley, and Pigman, 1964), since thesynovial fluid isprobably derived fromtheground substance. Thislaboratory hasbeenengaged forsometimein studying thenature oftheoxidative-reductive depolymerization (ORD-reaction) ofhyaluronic acidby autoxidants andtherelation ofthisreaction to catabolic processes (Pigman, Matsumura, andHerp, 1965). Several autoxidants andantioxidants (inhibitors) whichaffected theinvitro oxidative-reductive depolymerization ofhyaluronic acid(Pigman, Rizvi, andHolley, 1961; PigmanandRizvi, 1959) werealsofoundtoaffect invivoskinpermeability (Fabianek, Herp,andPigman, 1963; 1965). Thepresent paperreports dataonastudy ofthe "permeability" ofhumanskinforgroups ofhealthy subjects, hospitalized non-arthritic patients, and rheumatoid arthritic patients. Sincemostofthe arthritics wereonmedication atthetimeofexperimentation, theeffect oforal ingestion ofaspirin and other inhibitors ontheskin"permeability" ofrats wasalso investigated.
Childhood cancer and occupational radiation exposure in parents

To test the hypothesis that a parent's job exposure to radiation affects his or her child's risk of cancer, the authors compared this exposure during the year before the child's birth for parents of children with and without cancer. Parents of children with cancer were no more likely to have worked in occupations, industries, or combined occupations and industries with potential ionizing radiation exposure. Bone cancer and Wilms' tumor occurred more frequently among children of fathers in all industries with moderate potential ionizing radiation exposure. Children with cancer more often had fathers who were aircraft mechanics (odds ratio (OR) = infinity, one-sided 95% lower limit = 1.5; P = 0.04). Although four of these six were military aircraft mechanics, only children whose fathers had military jobs with potential ionizing radiation exposure had an increased cancer risk (OR = 2.73; P = 0.01). Four cancer types occurred more often among children of fathers in specific radiation-related occupations: rhabdomyosarcoma among children whose fathers were petroleum industry foremen; retinoblastoma among children whose fathers were radio and television repairmen; central nervous system cancers and other lymphatic cancers among children of Air Force fathers. Because numbers of case fathers are small and confidence limits are broad, the associations identified by this study need to be confirmed in other studies. Better identification and gradation of occupational exposure to radiation would increase the sensitivity to detect associations.
Adam's Genesis Game: Parallels of the Motivations Linking the First Man to the Modern Gamer

Religion and gaming addiction appear to be disparate subjects, but this paper examines the psychological connection that the two share. Reaching back as far as Genesis, a parallel can be drawn in the motivations of the first man and the modern man. In particular, Adam's desire for majesty, dignity, and collaboration align with the concepts of competence, autonomy, and relatedness in game design. This work serves to link two psychologically intriguing fields and to postulate that continued understanding of historical motivating factors will spur an increase in gaming engagement.
Hafnium Titanate bilayer structure multimetal dielectric nMOSCAPs

A novel approach of fabricating laminated TiO/sub 2//HfO/sub 2/ bilayer multimetal oxide dielectric has been developed for high-performance CMOS applications. Ultrathin equivalent oxide thickness (/spl sim/8 /spl Aring/) has been achieved with increased effective permittivity (k/spl sim/36). Hysteresis was significantly reduced using the bilayer dielectric. Top TiO/sub 2/ layer was found to induce effective negative charge from the flatband voltage shift. Leakage current characteristic was slightly higher than control HfO/sub 2/, and this is believed to be due to the lower band offset of TiO/sub 2/. However, the interface state density of this bilayer structure was found to be similar to that of HfO/sub 2/ MOSCAP because the bottom layer is HfO/sub 2/. These results demonstrate the feasibility of new multimetal dielectric application for future CMOS technology.
Oceanic nitrogen reservoir regulated by plankton diversity and ocean circulation

The average nitrogen-to-phosphorus ratio of marine phytoplankton (16N:1P) is closely matched to the nutrient content of mean ocean waters (14.3N:1P). This condition is thought to arise from biological control over the ocean's nitrogen budget, in which removal of bioavailable nitrogen by denitrifying bacteria ensures widespread selection for diazotrophic phytoplankton that replenish this essential nutrient when it limits the growth of other species. Here we show that in the context of a realistic ocean circulation model, and a uniform N:P ratio of plankton biomass, this feedback mechanism yields an oceanic nitrate deficit more than double its observed value. The critical missing phenomenon is diversity in the metabolic N:P requirement of phytoplankton, which has recently been shown to exhibit large-scale patterns associated with species composition. When we model these variations, such that diazotrophs compete with high N:P communities in subtropical regions, the ocean nitrogen inventory rises and may even exceed the average N:P ratio of plankton. The latter condition, previously considered impossible, is prevented in the modern ocean by shallow circulations that communicate stoichiometric signals from remote biomes dominated by diatoms with low N:P ratios. Large-scale patterns of plankton diversity and the circulation pathways connecting them are thus key factors determining the availability of fixed nitrogen in the ocean.
Nominalism through de-nominalization

Etude de la critique du consensus entre semantique du premier ordre, semantique du second ordre et theorie des ensembles chez Quine, developpee par G. Boolos a partir d'un scheme distinguant les quantificateurs monadiques et les quantificateurs polyadiques.
Comparison of intracoronary vs. intravenous administration of abciximab in coronary stenting

There have been animal and human studies looking at intracoronary (IC) use of abciximab with good short-term clinical outcomes. There exists no data comparing intracoronary with intravenous (IV) administration of abciximab beyond 30 days. We compared the clinical outcomes between the IC (n = 101) and IV (n = 72) group of patients. Patients who had coronary stenting and received abciximab were included in the study. All the patients received the standard systemic bolus dose of abciximab 0.25 mg/kg either via the IC or IV route, followed by a 12-hr IV infusion at 0.125 microg/kg/min. The 6-month composite endpoint of death or myocardial infarction was slightly higher in the IV (13.9%) than in the IC group (5.9%; P = 0.04). The frequency of bleeding complications was similar in both groups. The IC bolus route of abciximab may be superior to the intravenous route. Prospective randomized trials are warranted to validate these findings.