cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Heterogeneity of cartilage laminae in MR imaging

The purpose of this study was to investigate the discrepancy in the number of laminae observed in magnetic resonance (MR) images of articular cartilage (the magic angle effect in MRI of cartilage). Microscopic MR imaging (μMRI) experiments were carried out at 14-μm pixel resolution on full-depth cartilage-bone plugs from several locations (central, intermediate, and peripheral) on the humeral heads of two young healthy beagles. When the articular surface of the plug was perpendicular to the direction of the magnetic field, the cartilage appeared to have two layers in the plugs from the central locations of the humeral head, three layers in the plugs from the greater tubercle side of the humeral head, and three or five layers in the plugs from the lesser tubercle side. This heterogeneity of cartilage laminae was observed within a single humeral head and was symmetrical about the median plane of the animal. This result suggests that some structural variations related to cartilage structure in various regions of load bearing may cause some unique laminar patterns seen in MRI of cartilage. This novel and new observation may resolve the controversy about whether cartilage appears as two or three layers in MR images. A comprehensive model for the collagen structure over a curved two-dimensional surface of a joint is suggested as a replacement of the classic three-zone model of fiber orientation in collagen. This heterogeneity of cartilage laminae is speculated to be related to the load-bearing status of the tissue in the joint. The ability to visualize such structural heterogeneity is important because of the direct connection between collagen structure and the mechanical characteristics of cartilage. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2000;11:686–693. © 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Design of fast high-radix SRT dividers and their VLSI implementation

Division accounts for a significant fraction of the total arithmetic operations, and most implementations for the division are based on the SRT algorithm that uses a recurrence producing one quotient digit for each step. The complexity of the quotient-digit selection process can be simplified significantly by using a look-up table, referred to as the quotient-digit selection table (QST). However, the table size of the conventional QST approach increases unmanageably as the radix increases. For fast high-radix applications, the study proposes an alternative approach which determines the quotient digit using two much smaller tables instead of a huge table for the conventional approach. The proposed process is comprised of two major steps: estimation of quotient digit; and correction of the estimated quotient digit and updating the partial remainder. Results show that the table size is reduced significantly. Further, an estimation limit is introduced to keep the table size reasonably small when the radix increases. Thus the proposed approach can be well-suited for high-radix implementation.
Multivariable controller design for linear systems having multiple time delays

A multivariable, multidelay compensator, capable of handling general, linear time delay problems is derived in a form applicable both in continuous and discrete time. The controller developed is shown to have the same structure as the linear-quadratic optimal feedback controller for input delays and reduces to the Smith predictor (and the analytical predictor) for the special case of a single time delay. Some examples representative of engineering practice are used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the controller.
Proteolytic Processing Mechanisms in the Biosynthesis of Neuroendocrine Peptides: The Subtilisin-like Proprotein Convertases

The recent discovery of a novel family of precursor processing endoproteases has greatly accelerated progress in understanding the complex mechanisms underlying the maturation of prohormones, neuropeptides, and many other precursor-derived proteins. At least six members of this family have been found thus far in mammalian species, several having alternatively spliced isoforms, and related enzymes have been identified in many invertebrates, including molluscs, insects, nematodes, and coelenterates. The proprotein convertases are all dependent on calcium for activity and all possess highly conserved subtilisin-like domains with the characteristic catalytic triad of this serine protease (ordered Asp, His, and Ser along the polypeptide chain). Two members of this family, PC2 (SPC2) and PC1/PC3 (SPC3), appear to play a preeminent role in neuroendocrine precursor processing. Both convertases are expressed only in the brain and in the extended neuroendocrine system, while another important family member--furin/PACE (SPC1)--is expressed more ubiquitously, in almost all tissues, and at high levels in liver. SPC2 and SPC3 exhibit acidic pH optima and other properties which enhance their activity in the acidic, calcium-enriched environment of the dense-core secretory granules of the regulated pathway in neuroendocrine cells, while furin has a neutral pH optimum and is localized predominantly to the trans Golgi network where it is retained by a C-terminal transmembrane domain. Furin processes a wide variety of precursors in the constitutive pathway, such as those of growth factors, receptors, coagulation factors, and viral glycoproteins. Recent findings on the processing of proopiomelanocortin, proinsulin, proglucagon, and several other neuroendocrine precursors by SPC2 and SPC3 are discussed, along with information on the structure, properties, evolution, developmental expression, and regulation of the convertases. An inherited defect in the fat/fat mouse which affects the processing of proinsulin, and probably also many other prohormones, due to a point mutation in carboxypeptidase E has recently been identified and has begun to provide new insights into the functional integration of the individual processing steps.
Procrastination as a Tool: Exploring Unconventional Components of Academic Success

Academic procrastination has often been attributed to a fear or avoidance response and elicits negative connotations with both educators and students. Such negative attitudes toward the act of procrastination may result in increased stress for students who procrastinate. However, is this always an appropriate assumption or is procrastination sometimes used as a tool when completing familiar tasks in an advanced educational setting? The current study examines procrastination behaviors of 123 graduate level students currently enrolled across 11 US universities within 20 fields of study. Data collected via self-report questionnaire showed significant relationships between increased academic procrastination and high grade outcomes, when both high levels of familiarity with the testing medium and low levels of fear were present. These data suggest that for settings where the testing medium no longer elicits an acceptable level of fear required for optimal performance, as per the Yerkes-Dodson Law of Arousal, some students may use procrastination to increase arousal. With greater understanding and acceptance of this possibility, students may avoid additional stress associated with non-acceptance of procrastination, which might result in stress levels that are too high and lead to task failure. Additionally, educators who identify this trait in their students may help by creating strategies to aid in this style of task completion.
Using Tall Fescue to Remove Nutrients from Renovated Turkey Processing Wastewater

Abstract. The aim of this study was to use commercially valuable ornamental plants, such as tall fescue, for wastewater treatment without decreasing the overall treatment efficiencies of a laboratory-scale hydroponic system. The wastewater, from a turkey processing plant, was treated in a sand bioreactor system. Nitrate and phosphorus were measured in wastewater influent and effluent to evaluate the nutrient removal performance of the laboratory-scale hydroponic system. Tall fescue was cultured on media consisting of perforated plastic plates and one layer burlap. The plate/fabric/grass cells were tested at different hydraulic retention times. Two days of retention achieved 53% NO 3 - -N removal and 68% PO 4 3- -P and was considered optimal for nutrient removal at 22-28 days of growth.
The choice of an invoicing currency in international trade and the balance of trade impact of currency depreciation

Cross-country differences in the choice of an invoicing currency in international trade is one reason for cross-country differences in estimated exchange rate coefficients in short-run balance of trade equations. If exports are invoiced in domestic currency while imports are invoiced in a foreign currency, a depreciation will increase the domestic currency value of outstanding import contracts, and may cause the balance of trade to fall in the short run. Countries with different invoicing patterns will have different effects on the short-run trade balance following a depreciation. We explore a simple theory of invoicing currency choice, drawing inferences regarding the likely choices for 14 countries. This allows a classification of countries according to the expected short-run balance of trade effect of a currency depreciation. Empirical estimates support the hypothesized groupings based on suggested currency invoicing patterns.
Circulation on the continental shelf within the Mississippi Bight

The University of Southern Mississippi’s Central Gulf of Mexico Ocean Observing System (CenGOOS) operates three long-range (~200 km) 5 MHz CODAR high frequency radar (HFR) stations at Singing River Island in Pascagoula, Mississippi, Gulf State Park in Orange Beach, Alabama, and Henderson Beach State Park in Destin, Florida. Each station broadcasts electromagnetic (EM) waves that follow the conducting sea surface and are Bragg-scattered preferentially by surface gravity waves with a wavelength of one half the wavelength of the EM waves moving towards or away from the antenna. The back-scattered waves are Doppler shifted by the sum of the speed of the waves through the water and the component of the surface velocity in the radial direction to the receive antenna. If the water depth is sufficient for the deep-water approximation to hold (in this case deeper than 20 m), the wave speed is a function of only the wavelength, so it is known from the Bragg-scattering condition. Thus, the component of the surface velocity radial to the receive antenna can be computed from the amount of Doppler shift, and these components are known as “radials”. Where there is overlapping coverage of radials, the total surface current vectors are estimated. The HFR stations cover much of the Mississippi Bight (MSB) seaward of the 20 m isobath. The surface current fields have been analyzed for annual and seasonal climatology.
Phylogenetic relationships among the baleen whales based on maternally and paternally inherited characters

Phylogenetic relationships in the Cetacean suborder Mysticeti (baleen whales) have recently been the focus of increased attention. Here, we examine the evolutionary history of this group by comparing genealogies derived from Y chromosome and mitochondrial DNA sequences. We generated topologies based on paternally and maternally inherited characters for males from nine baleen whale species, including representatives of three families (Balaenidae, Eschrichtiidae, and Balaenopteridae) and four genera (Balaena, Eschrichtius, Balaenoptera, and Megaptera). Divergence among species was fifteen times greater for mtDNA than for Y-specific DNA. Both mtDNA and yDNA topologies revealed the family Balaenopteridae to be paraphyletic, but this relationship was neither strongly supported nor consistent across phylogenetic analysis methodologies. Humpback and fin whales, representing different genera, were reciprocally monophyletic sister species according to mtDNA. Although the monophyly of fin whales decayed for yDNA, a close relationship between fin and humpback whales was retained in yDNA trees. The paraphyly of fin whales and the long branch leading to humpback whales for the yDNA marker may suggest life history differences between these species. Specifically, male humpback whales showed higher than average divergence from other baleen whales at yDNA, although not at mtDNA, suggesting a potential for smaller effective population sizes among male humpbacks on an evolutionary timescale. The observation that those species that have been found to hybridize in nature (blue/fin and blue/humpback) do not reveal evidence for paraphyly for either maternal or paternal markers suggests that introgressive hybridization has not historically been extensive and thus may not represent a substantial source of phylogenetic error for Mysticeti.
CON due-data determination and sequencing

Abstract We consider a CON due-date problem where the objective is to determine an optimal sequence S ∗ and the associated optimal due-date d ∗ which will minimize the total weighted earliness and tardiness of jobs. Except in some special cases, moderate to large instances of the problem cannot be solved in reasonable time with the existing methodology. This paper presents solution strategies that are more effective. A 0–1 quadratic programming formulation, branch and bound schemes based on recursion, and dynamic programming algorithms are used for finding exact solutions to the problem. A simple heuristic based on the 0–1 programming approach is also proposed. Results of a computational study are reported to show the relative effectiveness of the different methods.
Populism, elitism, and the populist ideology of elites: The reception of the work of Murray Edelman

Abstract Over the course of his career, Murray Edelman made one of the few sustained attempts by a theoretically inclined political scientist to explore the effects of the public's overwhelming ignorance of politics. In his early work, he focused on political elites’ manipulation of an ignorant public through the deployment of symbolism. In his later work, however, he suggested that even elites are the puppets of their ideologies. His early work has been well received; his later work has gone largely unremarked. The reason may have to do with the very thing that Edelman was, in his later work, addressing: the (populist) ideological biases of his politically elite (academic) audience.
SURFED--AN INTERACTIVE EDITOR FOR FREE-FORM SURFACES

Abstract An editor is described for creating and modifying free-form surfaces. A modular system was developed in order to provide the researchers with a facility for communicating design ideas and new mathematical forms through an interactive graphical interface to a computer-based model. To achieve this it was necessary to invent a new graphical construct called a ‘spider’ for inputting three-dimensional parameters. This experimental system has the essential features of a large-scale implementation, with the capability of utilizing many new surface forms that have not yet been tried in actual applications.
Least squares approximation of a function

The best linear approximation of a function f (x)near a point cis the tangent line at (c, f (c)).In spite of the well‐known measure of the error in the approximation in elementary calculus, it is not clear for how wide an interval about cis the tangent line the best. A fairly strong competitor is the least squares linear approximation of the function that can be defined over any interval (β, α) containing c.General formulae are derived for the slope and y‐intercept of the least squares line. A comparison is made with the tangent line approximations in the special cases of the sine function and the cube root function for selected values of c, βand α. Numerical results indicate that the least squares approximation is generally better if xis relatively far from c.Values of care subject to the common restriction that f(c) must be readily computed. It is shown that, for given x,it is not always possible to find an appropriate csuch that the resulting tangent line approximation is guaranteed to be superior to t...
The case for partnering doctoral students with librarians: a synthesis of the literatures

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to ask how the academic library may better position itself to assist with the demonstrated need for improved research ability in doctoral students. The paper examines the literature on doctoral student retention, which demonstrates problems with research self‐efficacy in students, and connects this issue to the library literature demonstrating the impact of library instruction.Design/methodology/approach – The main approach is the review of the literatures in library science on the impact of instruction, and in the wider education literature on student retention and doctoral student attrition.Findings – It was found that library instruction does demonstrably improve student research skills, and that doctoral students are generally underprepared to conduct dissertation level research. There is a case for partnering doctoral students with academic librarians to improve dissertation completion rates and lower attrition due to lack of research skill.Practical implication...
Gas Bearing Technology for Oil-Free Microturbomachinery: Research Experience for Undergraduate (REU) Program at Texas A&M University

The education of undergraduate mechanical engineering students (UGME) in state of the art technology development for microturbomachinery (MTM) is of importance to ensure the availability of qualified labor satisfying MTM manufacturer and end used needs, as well as to encourage the students towards pursing advanced degrees in science and engineering. National Science Foundation (NSF) funds a three-year summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program (#0552885) to conduct hands-on training and research in mechanical, manufacturing, industrial, or materials engineering topics related to technological advances in microturbomachinery. The paper details the progress in research achieved by four UG students during 10 weeks in the summer of 2008. The students, assisted by seasoned graduate students and expert faculty, conducted work in aspects of gas bearing technology from manufacturing bearing components, to conducting rotordynamic performance tests, and to predicting rotordynamics performance. During the program, the students attended to a number of technical seminars including vocational and counseling presentations and preparation for admission to graduate school. The paper showcases the students’ technical posters produced upon completion of their 10 week research program: (1) Precision Tooling for Manufacturing an Underspring of a Generation II Foil Bearing, (2) Measurements of Imbalance Response of a Rotor Supported on Gas Foil Bearings, (3) Predictions of Nonlinear Rotordynamics of Rotor-Foil Bearing Systems, and (4) Measurements of Rotor Lift-Off and Break Up Torque in a Metal Mesh Foil Bearing. NASA GRC and Honeywell Turbocharging Technologies also provided support that enabled the success of the NSF REU program. URL http://reumicro.tamu.edu provides full descriptions on the program, topics of study, faculty involved and participating students.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Surface Reactions in Discharge and Cvd Deposition of Silane

Glow discharge deposition of hydrogenated amorphous silicon films involves; (A) the electron collisions which produce the reactive species, (B) the gas reactions these species undergo while diffusing or drifting to the surfaces, and (C) the surface reactions involved in film growth and gas processing. I will first describe our knowledge of the electron and gas reactions in these discharges, then of the surface reactions, and finally I will offer some conjectures regarding the influence of these different surface reactions and bombardments upon film properties.
Severe hemorrhage secondary to primary, isolated in situ carcinoma of renal pelvis.

Abstract Primary transitional cell carcinoma in situ of the renal pelvis is usually found in association with ureteral or vesical neoplasms. However, a case of primary carcinoma in situ of the renal pelvis without previous or concomitant ureteral or vesical carcinoma is presented. Microscopic hematuria is a common finding in cases of carcinoma in situ. Gross hematuria is unusual, but not rare. However, severe hemorrhage (hematocrit 12.1, hemoglobin 3.3 g/dL) as the presenting feature is rare. Diagnosis of such microscopic isolated lesions can be difficult to make preoperatively. Only after nephrectomy will such a lesion be diagnosed, as was the case hi this patient.
Fast optimization of the exact likelihood of AR and ARMA processes

Abstract A convenient expression for the likelihood function of a stationary autoregressive-moving average process for a given series is obtained by modifying the algorithm of Ansley(Biometrika 66, 1979).The same modification is also advantageous in connection with the filtering algorithm of Pearlman (Biometrika 67,1980) and Melard(Applied Statistics33, 1984).This approach provides,not only the log-likelihood function, but also its gradient vector and its Hessian matrix with respect to the autoregressive parameters,using less operations than the direct application of the algorithms of Ansley or Pearlman. The new expression should be used when maximizing the log-likelihood function with a modified Newton-Raphson method,and it shows that it is advantageous to maximize first with respect to the set of autoregressive parameters conditioned to the current values of the set of moving-average parameters, and then to maximize with respect to the latter.
Separation and characterization of two extracelluar H2O2-dependent oxidases from ligninolytic cultures of Phanerochaete chrysosporium

Two H2O2-dependent oxidases found in the extracellular medium of the white rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium were separated by chromatography on blue agarose. The first enzyme fraction to elute from the column generated ethylene from 2-keto-4-thiomethylbutyric acid (KTBA) in the presence of veratryl alcohol, and catalyzed the α,β cleavage of the diarylpropane 1-(3,4-diethoxyphenyl)1,3-dihdyroxy-(4-methoxyphenyl)propane (I). During the diarylpropane cleavage, 18O from 18O2 was incorporated specifically into the α-position of the product 1-(4-methoxyphenyl)1,2-dihdyroxyethane (III), suggesting that this enzyme is an H2O2-dependent oxygenase. The second enzyme which binds to blue agarose is an Mn2+-dependent, lactate-activated peroxidase. The enzyme catalyzed the oxidation of phenol red, o-dianisidine, Poly R, and a variety of other dyes. It was also capable of decarboxylating vanillic acid.
Ionization and metastable excitation in low- energy collisions of ground state argon atoms

Ionization and metastable excitation in low energy collisions of ground state argon atoms formed by charge transfer
Have Changes in Gender Relations Affected Marital Quality

We used national data from two samples reflecting different marriage cohorts to examine long-term changes in gender relations within marriage, long-term changes in marital quality, and the association between the two. The first marriage cohort consisted of individuals married between 1964 and 1980 (N = 1,119) and interviewed in 1980, whereas the second marriage cohort consisted of individuals married between 1981 and 1997 (N = 312) and interviewed in 1997. Compared with the earlier cohort, the more recent cohort reported larger contributions to household income among wives, more employment of wives with preschool-age children, less traditional gender-role attitudes, a greater share of housework on the part of husbands, less husband influence in marriage, and greater wife influence in marriage. Members of the more recent marriage cohort also reported significantly more marital discord. This difference in discord was explained partly by greater work-family conflict in the more recent cohort. Other changes in gender relations, however, were not related to increases in marital discord
Merosin-positive congenital muscular dystrophy with mental retardation and cataracts: A new entity in two families

Merosin-positive congenital muscular dystrophy is a heterogenous group of disorders with varying clinical presentations and severity. In general, central nervous system involvement is not present. There is also evidence for still unclassified forms. Here we report three cases in two families with merosin-positive congenital muscular dystrophy, mild mental retardation, bilateral cataracts and normal cranial magnetic resonance imaging. To our knowledge, such an association has not been reported previously, and thus is a new entity within congenital muscular dystrophy nosology.
The MCMI as a measure of DSM-III axis II diagnoses: An empirical comparison

This study compared MCMI and clinician Axis II diagnoses for DSM-III diagnostic categories. Subjects were 151 consecutively admitted inpatients at a private psychiatric hospital. The MCMI was administered to all subjects shortly after admission and shortly before discharge. MCMI diagnostic impressions for both admission and discharge then were compared to clinician diagnoses. Results indicated that the MCMI diagnosed Axis II disorders much more frequently than did clinicians. Agreement rates between the MCMI and clinicians were uniformly low across all categories except dependent personality. In addition, there was a relatively low degree of correspondence between MCMI admission diagnoses and MCMI discharge diagnoses. Implications of these results are discussed.
The rate(time)-dependence of ductile fracture at room temperature

Abstract Room temperature uniaxial tensile tests on HY 80 Steel show significant creep. At stress levels around the yield strength creep is primary but accelerating creep is found near the ultimate strength. Necking is shown to proceed in a time-dependent fashion. Results suggest that ductile fracture is time(rate)-dependent even at room temperature.
Microbiology of intracranial abscesses and their associated sinusitis.

Objective To evaluate the organisms recovered from infected sinuses and associated intracranial abscesses (IAs). Design Retrospective review of findings from aspirate of pus from 10 infected sinuses and their corresponding IAs. Setting Academic medical center. Patients Ten patients diagnosed as having sinusitis (age range, 7-58 years). Main Outcome Measure Aerobic and anaerobic bacteria findings from infected sinuses and IAs. Results Polymicrobial flora was found in 9 sinuses and 8 IAs. Anaerobes were isolated from all sinuses and 9 IAs. A total of 26 isolates (2.6 isolates per specimen) were recovered from the sinuses: 19 anaerobic, 6 aerobic or facultative, and 1 microaerophilic; 17 isolates were found in the IAs (1.7 isolates per site): 13 anaerobic, 2 aerobic or facultative, and 2 microaerophilic. The predominant anaerobes wereFusobacteriumspecies (in 5 corresponding sinuses and abscesses, 1 in a sinus only, and 1 in an IA only),Prevotellaspecies (in 3 corresponding sinuses and abscesses),Peptostreptococcusspecies (in 2 corresponding sinuses and abscesses, and 4 in a sinus only),Staphylococcus aureus, Haemophilus influenzaetype b, microaerophilic streptococci, andBacteroides ureolyticus(in 1 corresponding sinus and abscess each).Streptococcus pneumoniaewas recovered 2 times, only from a sinus. α-Hemolytic streptococci and β-hemolytic streptococci group F were each isolated once from the sinus. Concordance in the microbiological findings between the sinus and the IA was found in all instances. However, certain organisms were present at only one or the other site. Conclusion These data illustrate the concordance in the recovery of organisms from infected sinuses and their associated IA and confirm the importance of anaerobic bacteria in sinusitis and IA.
Clarifying Alpha Crystallin Chaperone Function by using an Insulin B-Chain Aggregation Model

The crystallin family of proteins exist in high concentrations in the lens of the eye by are also found throughout the body. In the lens, alpha-crystallin isoforms A and B exist in a ratio of 2 to 3. Their role in the eye is to provide a structural matrix and prevent protein misfolding. The inducible aggregation of the insulin-B chain serves as a model to the protein aggregation that occurs in the human lens over time. This protein aggregation contributes to lens opacity, which is the beginning of cataract formation. In this study, we explore the kinetic and thermodynamics of such system in order to understanding the mechanism of alpha-crystallin chaperone function in insulin aggregation. Insulin aggregation can be measured through light scattering. Our preliminary result suggest a mechanism for aggregation in which a B-chain insulin dimer formation precedes aggregation and that alpha crystallin and insulin monomer form a 2 to 1 complex that inhibits this aggregation. Thermodynamic and kinetic constants will be presented for the purified alpha chrystallins as well as mixtures and bulk protein.
Mystery case: Cowden syndrome presenting with partial epilepsy related to focal cortical dysplasia

A 55-year-old man presented with seizures characterized by “tightening” of the right side and variable loss of awareness. EEG showed focal epileptogenic abnormalities over left and midline central regions. MRI showed left frontal focal cortical dysplasia (figure 1). He had multiple skin lesions (figure 2) and colonoscopy revealed gastrointestinal mucosal ganglioneuromas. Genetic testing of PTEN gene confirmed a diagnosis of Cowden syndrome (CS).
Immunofluorescent imaging of capillaries and pericytes in human skeletal muscle and retina

Abstract A new technique for visualizing small vessels and pericytes in unsectioned tissues has been developed based on immunofluorescent staining of vascular basement membranes. Following brief fixation, tissue from human skeletal muscle and retina is gently teased apart with fine forceps and then incubated sequentially with: (1) rabibit antibody directed against purified human glomerular basement membrane and (2) goat anti-rabbit immunoglobulin tagged with fluorescein isothiocyanate. The tissue is then examined by fluorescence microscopy using incident light. In skeletal muscle, branching vascular networks and loops are seen overlying lightly stained muscle fibers; pericyte cell bodies and their processes are visualized within the vascular basement membrane. Pericyte processes demonstrate considerable variation in shape and frequently form bridges between neighboring capillaries. Pericytes in retinal vascular networks, obtained without trypsin digestion, are more uniform in shape and in closer apposition to vessels than those in skeletal muscle. Pericyte processes and branching patterns are not evident in retinal vessels even at high magnification. The technique described provides a simple method for light microscopic visualization of the microvasculature with preservation of three dimensional relationships that otherwise could only be appreciated by tedious reconstruction of tissue sections.
Immunization of ovarian cancer patients with a synthetic Lewisy-protein conjugate vaccine : A phase 1 trial

As the initial step in developing carbohydrate-based vaccines for the treatment of ovarian cancer patients in an adjuvant setting, 25 patients were immunized with a Lewisy pentasaccharide (Ley)-keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH)-conjugate vaccine together with the immunological adjuvant QS-21. Four different doses of the vaccine, containing 3, 10, 30, and 60 μg of carbohydrate were administered s.c. at 0, 1, 2, 3, 7, and 19 weeks to groups of 6 patients. Sera taken from the patients at regular intervals were assayed by ELISA for reactivity with naturally occurring forms of Ley (Ley-ceramide and Ley mucin) and by flow cytometry and a complement-dependent cytoxicity assay for reactivity with Ley-expressing tumor cells. The majority of the patients (16/24) produced anti-Ley antibodies as assessed by ELISA, and a proportion of these had strong anti-tumor cell reactivity as assessed by flow cytometry and complement-dependent cytotoxicity. One serum, analyzed in detail, was shown to react with glycolipids but not with glycoproteins or mucins expressed by ovarian cancer cell line OVCAR-3. The vaccine was well tolerated and no gastrointestinal, hematologic, renal, or hepatic toxicity related to the vaccine was observed. On the basis of this study, Ley-KLH should be a suitable component for a polyvalent vaccine under consideration for the therapy of epithelial cancers. Int. J. Cancer 87:79–85, 2000. © 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Management of patients with anterior abdominal stab wounds: A western trauma association multicenter trial

Background:The optimal management of hemodynamically stable, asymptomatic patients with anterior abdominal stab wounds (AASWs) remains controversial. The goal is to identify and treat injuries in a safe, cost-effective manner. Common evaluation strategies include local wound exploration (LWE)/diagno
An outlook on hypersonic flight

The NASA Langley Research Center has been active in hypersonic research since the 1950's. A central part of the research conducted since 1970 has focussed on high speed airbreathing propulsion - in particular on supersonic combustion ramjets or scramjets. Renewed interest in very high speed flight in the 1980's has led to some expansion and broadening of this activity with particular attention to extreme speeds approaching orbital velocity. The purpose of this paper is to review the impact of extreme speed on the potential of scramjet propulsion. The implications of system performance objectives on propulsion and vehicle requirements will be explored. Some pertinent results from past studies will be summarized along with examples of engineering design and detailed analysis methods applied to typical scramjet components. Critical areas where fundamental knowledge is lacking will be highlighted, and some proposed studies to deal with these uncertainties will be outlined.
NASA Revisited: Theory, Analogy, and Public Sociology1

This ethnographic account of the rituals of risk and error after NASA’s Columbia accident reveals the mechanisms by which sociological theory traveled across the disciplinary boundary to public and policy domains. The analysis shows that analogy was the instigator of it all, enabled by the social mechanisms of professional legitimacy, conversation, technologies, time, networks, and social support. It demonstrates the work sociologists do when theory travels from professional sociology to nonacademic audiences and what happens to the theory and the sociologist in the process. It reveals the tensions when professional sociology, critical sociology, public sociology, and policy sociology are joined. A study of sociology in the field, it shows how sociologists negotiate the meaning of their work in a nonacademic situation. Thus, this account contributes to research and theory on social boundaries, the diffusion of ideas, the sociology of scientific knowledge, and current debates about public sociology and the...
Defining quality of life in North Carolina

Abstract While most popular studies of quality of life define community livability using a wide number of electric variables, this statewide investigation found that quality of life in North Carolina is framed by a narrow set of fundamental concerns: jobs, educational opportunities, clean air and water, and adequate public facilities. Community size and urban-rural characteristics did not significantly impact respondents assessment of the factors influencing local quality of life. Metropolitan location did, however, provide a partial framework for common approaches to defining community livability.
Renormalization group treatment of correlated percolation

A renormalization group procedure is developed for correlated site percolation lattices that can be described by Gaussian statistics. The procedure is a generalization of the procedure for independent site percolation lattices. As an example, a simple renormalization group procedure is generalized from the independent triangular lattice to the correlated triangular lattice. The procedure gives the exact percolation threshold ${p}_{c}=\frac{1}{2}$ for both the independent and the correlated triangular lattice.
A resonant tunneling CdSe quantum dot photodetector for spectral resolution in the visible region

A spectrally resolving quantum dot photodetector has been designed and fabricated which is able to discriminate wavelengths in the visible region. The device consists of a monolayer of 5.4 nm diameter CdSe nanoparticles that have been sandwiched between two organic layers of Hexanedithiol, all on a highly doped p-type InP substrate. A thin, semitransparent layer of gold deposited on the top of the device made the second contact. The two layers of Hexanedithiol act as tunnel barriers for electrons inside the nanoparticles. Changing the bias voltage across the device, causes specific energy states inside the quantum dot to align with the conduction band edge of the InP. Any excited carriers in these energy levels will tunnel trough the organic barrier and be collected as photocurrent. By changing the wavelength of the incident light, the device shows a wavelength dependent I-V spectrum with jumps in the current at specific voltages. Comparing which peaks in different wavelengths are present, shows that the device has a spectrally dependent response to the incident light.
Tuning and design of single‐input, single‐output control systems for parametric uncertainty

Frequency domain methods, which are for the design and tuning of control systems for processes with uncertain parameters, and are easy to use and interpret, are proposed. The advantages of the proposed methods over other H∞ methods are mainly that they require substantially less expertise on the part of the designer, and that they result in control system performance that closely approximates that which was desired. Several examples illustrate the proposed methods. A stable second-order lag and dead time process, with gain and dead time uncertainties, provides the vehicle for studying controller designs for single and two degree of freedom control systems. Application of Mp tuning to an uncertain, unstable, first-order lag, plus dead time process, shows that there can be a significant performance penalty associated with using a simple feedback control system rather than an internally stable model-based control system. The performance of a controller for an integrating, oscillatory process obtained by Mp synthesis also compares favorably with that of a controller obtained by other investigators using loop shaping.
Uniformly ultimately bounded fuzzy adaptive tracking controllers for uncertain systems

Fuzzy adaptive tracking controllers for a class of uncertain nonlinear dynamical systems are proposed and analyzed. The controllers consist of adaptive and robustifying components whose role is to nullify the effects of uncertainties and to achieve a desired tracking performance. The interactions between the two components have been investigated. The closed-loop system driven by the proposed controllers is shown to be stable with all the adaptation parameters being bounded. In particular, the proposed controllers guarantee uniform ultimate boundedness of the tracking error and the time bound of the uniform ultimate boundedness is obtained. An upper bound on the steady-state tracking error is obtained as a function of the gain of the robustifying term and the parameters of the adaptive component. The controllers are tested on an inverted pendulum and simulation results are included. A comparison of the proposed controllers with the ones in the literature is conducted.
Fatty Acid composition in tobacco I. Green tobacco plants.

The major fatty acids (16 and 18 carbons) in leaves, flowers, and seeds of Nicotiana tabacum L. cv. Catterton have been analyzed at various intervals during the growth period. From the pattern of their accumulation and relative distribution, it was found that A) the amount of fatty acids in upper young leaves attained a maximum about 75 days after transplanting which is the time of early flowering, while in older leaves the fatty acids continuously declined; B) the relative amount of linolenic acid (18:3) increased progressively with leaf development, from 30% at an early stage to 60% at maturity, while other fatty acids (18:2, 18:1, 18:0, and 16:0) decreased during the same period, indicating a progressive desaturation; and C) a rapid increase of fatty acids was found as flowers developed into seedpods, particularly of linoleic acid (18:2), which comprises 75% of tobacco seed oil.Air-curing resulted in a loss of fatty acids, especially the unsaturated ones.
Structured Approach to Early Recognition and Treatment of Acute Critical Illness

Well-known global health priorities (malaria, pneumonia, sepsis, diarrhea, human immunodeficiency virus [HIV], tuberculosis, trauma), although very different threats to an individual’s health, share a common consequence: Development of acute, life-threatening illness. In the developed world, such illness is routinely treated in an intensive care unit (ICU) by highly specialized physicians, nurses and support staff. This model of intensive care is spreading rapidly to low and middle income countries and as it spreads, challenges and limitations to this model arise [1].
Genetic Interactions Among Sex-Determining Genes in the Fern Ceratopteris richardii

Haploid gametophytes of the fern Ceratopteris are either male or hermaphroditic. The determinant of sex type is the pheromone antheridiogen, which is secreted by the hermaphrodite and directs male development of young, sexually undetermined gametophytes. Three phenotypic classes of mutations that affect sex-determination were previously isolated and include the hermaphroditic (her), the transformer (tra) and feminization (fem) mutations. In the present study, linkage analysis and tests of epistasis among the different mutants have been performed to assess the possible interactions among these genes. The results indicate that sex determination in Ceratopteris involves at least seven interacting genes in addition to antheridiogen, the primary sex-determining signal. Two models describing how antheridiogen may influence the activity states of these genes and the sex of the gametophyte are discussed.
Software versus hardware shared-memory implementation: a case study

We compare the performance of software-supported shared memory on a general-purpose network to hardware-supported shared memory on a dedicated interconnect.Up to eight processors, our results are based on the execution of a set of application programs on a SGI 4D/480 multiprocessor and on TreadMarks, a distributed shared memory system that runs on a Fore ATM LAN of DECstation-5000/240s. Since the DECstation and the 4D/480 use the same processor, primary cache, and compiler, the shared-memory implementation is the principal difference between the systems. Our results show that TreadMarks performs comparably to the 4D/480 for applications with moderate amounts of synchronization, but the difference in performance grows as the synchronization frequency increases. For applications that require a large amount of memory bandwidth, TreadMarks can perform better than the SGI 4D/480.Beyond eight processors, our results are based on execution-driven simulation. Specifically, we compare a software implementation on a general-purpose network of uniprocessor nodes, a hardware implementation using a directory-based protocol on a dedicated interconnect, and a combined implementation using software to provide shared memory between multiprocessor nodes with hardware implementing shared memory within a node. For the modest size of the problems that we can simulate, the hardware implementation scales well and the software implementation scales poorly. The combined approach delivers performance close to that of the hardware implementation for applications with small to moderate synchronization rates and good locality. Reductions in communication overhead improve the performance of the software and the combined approach, but synchronization remains a bottleneck.
Characterization of Adherent Bacteroidales from Intestinal Biopsies of Children and Young Adults with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

There is extensive evidence implicating the intestinal microbiota in inflammatory bowel disease [IBD], but no microbial agent has been identified as a sole causative agent. Bacteroidales are numerically dominant intestinal organisms that associate with the mucosal surface and have properties that both positively and negatively affect the host. To determine precise numbers and species of Bacteroidales adherent to the mucosal surface in IBD patients, we performed a comprehensive culture based analysis of intestinal biopsies from pediatric Crohn's disease [CD], ulcerative colitis [UC], and control subjects. We obtained biopsies from 94 patients and used multiplex PCR or 16S rDNA sequencing of Bacteroidales isolates for species identification. Eighteen different Bacteroidales species were identified in the study group, with up to ten different species per biopsy, a number higher than demonstrated using 16S rRNA gene sequencing methods. Species diversity was decreased in IBD compared to controls and with increasingly inflamed tissue. There were significant differences in predominant Bacteroidales species between biopsies from the three groups and from inflamed and uninflamed sites. Parabacteroides distasonis significantly decreased in inflamed tissue. All 373 Bacteroidales isolates collected in this study grew with mucin as the only utilizable carbon source suggesting this is a non-pathogenic feature of this bacterial order. Bacteroides fragilis isolates with the enterotoxin gene [bft], previously associated with flares of colitis, were not found more often at inflamed colonic sites or within IBD subjects. B. fragilis isolates with the ability to synthesize the immunomodulatory polysaccharide A [PSA], previously shown to be protective in murine models of colitis, were not detected more often from healthy versus inflamed tissue.
The Osmotically Functional Water Content of the Human Erythrocyte

Experiments were directed toward estimation of the magnitude of error incurred by the presumption of idealized osmometric behavior in the author's recent studies of monosaccharide transport through the human erythrocyte membrane. Thick suspensions of washed cells in isotonic buffered balanced salt medium were mixed in fixed proportions with varying dilutions of a concentrate of either (a) the mixed chlorides of the medium, or (b) glucose in the isotonic medium, and the resultant freezing point and hematocrit values determined. The form of the responses in the tonicity and the cell volume, as functions of the variable dilution of sugar or salts, conformed consistently with relations derived from the classical van't Hoff-Boyle-Mariotte pressure-volume relation. However, the effective cell water contents appeared substantially less than the weight lost in conventional drying, and varied somewhat according to the index used: expressed as grams of H2O per milliliter of cells at isotonic volume, the cell water implied by the hematocrit behavior was 0.614 ± 0.015 (SD); by the salt tonicity response, 0.565 ± 0.027; by the immediate glucose tonicity response, 0.562 ± 0.044; and by the equilibrium glucose tonicities, 0.589 ± 0.043. Olmstead's reports of gross deviation from the van't Hoff relation, in the rabbit red cell's responses to tonicity displacement, are attributed primarily to a systematic aberration in his method of data analysis, the observations themselves agreeing substantially with the present findings.