cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Regional variation in the incidence of diabetes-related amputations in the Netherlands

The purpose of this study is to identify the incidence of diabetes-related lower extremity amputations in 27 health regions in the Netherlands. A secondary database was used that contains all hospitalizations for a lower extremity amputation in the Netherlands in 1991 and 1992, recorded seperately for 27 health regions. The age-adjusted incidence lower extremity amputations per 10000 diabetic patients in the Netherlands was 25.05, and among the regions it ranged from 10.15 to 44.64. In the non-diabetic population, the age-adjusted incidence in the Netherlands was 1.24 and ranged by region from 0.77 to 1.77. Overall, diabetic males had higher age-adjusted incidence rates than diabetic females, although in four health regions the situation was reversed. In the Netherlands, there was an increasing incidence of diabetes-related lower extremity amputation as age increased: <45 years, 11.15; 45–64 years, 33.84; 65–74 years, 61.22; and 75+ years, 107.92 (P < 0.001). This continued to be a significant phenomenon for every health region (P < 0.001). This study found a wide range in the incidence of diabetes related lower extremity amputations in the 27 health regions in the Netherlands. A possible explanation could be differences in the severity of diabetes, in local treatment philosophies or the availability of subspecialties.
Supramolecular Modification of Ion Chemistry: Modulation of Peptide Charge State and Dissociation Behavior through Complexation with Cucurbit[n]uril (n = 5, 6) or α-Cyclodextrin

Electrospray Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry, ion mobility spectrometry, and computational methods were utilized to characterize the complexes between lysine or pentalysine with three prototypical host molecules: alpha-cyclodextrin (alpha-CD), cucurbit[5]uril (CB[5]), and cucurbit[6]uril (CB[6]). Ion mobility measurements show lysine forms externally bound, singly charged complexes with either alpha-CD or CB[5], but a doubly charged complex with the lysine side chain threaded through the host cavity of CB[6]. These structural differences result in distinct dissociation behaviors in collision-induced dissociation (CID) experiments: the alpha-CD complex dissociates via the simple loss of intact lysine, whereas the CB[5] complex dissociates to yield [CB[5] + H(3)O](+), and the CB[6] complex loses neutral NH(3) and CO, the product ion remaining a doubly charged complex. These results are consistent with B3LYP/6-31G* binding energies (kJ mol(-1)) of D(Lys + H(+)-alpha-CD) = 281, D(Lys + H(+)-CB[5]) = 327, and D(Lys + 2H(2+)-CB[6]) = 600. B3LYP/6-31G* geometry optimizations show complexation with alpha-CD stabilizes the salt bridge form of protonated lysine, whereas complexation with CB[6] stabilizes doubly protonated lysine. Complexation of the larger polypeptide pentalysine with alpha-CD forms a nonspecific adduct: no modification of the pentalysine charge state distribution is observed, and dissociation occurs via the simple loss of alpha-CD. Complexation of pentalysine with the cucurbiturils is more specific: the observed charge state distribution shifts higher on complexation, and fragmentation patterns are significantly altered relative to uncomplexed pentalysine: C-terminal fragment ions appear that are consistent with charge stabilization by the cucurbiturils, and the cucurbiturils are retained on the fragment ions. Molecular mechanics calculations suggest CB[5] binds to two protonated sites on pentalysine without threading onto the peptide and that CB[6] binds two adjacent protonated sites via threading onto the peptide.
Proton radiative capture into 209Bi through giant resonances and analog resonances

Abstract Detailed 208 Pb(p, γ) 209 Bi measurements show interfering giant dipole and isobaric analog resonances. A model analysis of the interferences yields either inhibited or enhanced El radiative strengths for the analog resonances, depending on the intrinsic phase difference between the analog resonances and the giant dipole resonances. The inhibited El strengths are comparable to analogous β-decay strengths previously measured in this mass region.
Dynamics of dissolved DNA polymers with counterions

A model for the dynamics of DNA dissolved in aqueous medium containing counterions is discussed. The dynamic behavior of B conformation poly(dA)-poly(dT) homopolymer DNA with sodium counterions is presented for two possible counterion-DNA interactions: totally site bound counterions and totally area bound counterions. We present an analysis of the eigenvectors of the modes below 100 cm-1 and show that the location and density of hydrogen bond breathing modes and propeller twist modes depend on the counterion-DNA interaction model. The prediction of a plasmon mode around 25 cm-1 for the site bound interaction model is discussed. We present an algorithm for calculating the dynamics of DNA with structural defects using this model.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Diagnosis: schizophrenic reaction due to or associated with intracranial viral infection.

Consequences are considered which may affect the field of psychiatry after it has been discovered that some forms of schizophrenias are caused by a chronic infection due to a slow acting virus.
Structural relationships between native and unfolded ribosomes

Abstract Mild hydrolysis catalyzed by ribonuclease produces one expressed breakage point and at least two hidden breakage points in the 23-S RNA of the 50-S ribosome. When hydrolyzed 50-S ribosomes are given treatments which express hidden breakage points, six rRNA fragments are produced. Mild hydrolysis of unfolded ribosomal particles (35 S) gives aggregates of RNA which can be dissociated by heat treatment which gives eight fragments of 23-S rRNA. At least one new site of hydrolysis has been exposed by the unfolding process, although several other sites remain the same in both states. The rate of ribonuclease A-catalyzed hydrolysis is reduced in going from 50-S ribosomes to unfolded 35-S particles. The unfolding of the 50-S ribosome may be accompanied by the relaxation of strained regions of RNA present in the 50-S state. The structure of 50-S ribosomes is maintained by RNA-RNA interactions as well as by protein-protein interactions.
Lipophilic 4-Isoxazolyl-1,4-dihydropyridines: Synthesis and Structure−Activity Relationships

A series of 4-isoxazolyl-1,4-dihydropyridines bearing lipophilic side chains at the C-5 position of the isoxazole ring have been prepared. The calcium channel antagonistic activity of these compounds has been evaluated. A hypothetical model for binding of these compounds in the calcium channel is proposed, and the validity of this model is evaluated based on the SAR of this series of calcium binding, especially for the two most active derivatives, 1a,g. The solid-state structure for the most active compound, 1a, has also been determined, and its important features are reported.
Characterization of the gene encoding the largest subunit of Plasmodium falciparum RNA polymerase III.

Abstract We report here the isolation, sequence analysis, structure, and expression of the gene encoding the largest subunit of RNA polymerase III (RPIII) from Plasmodium falciparum . The P. falciparum RPIII gene consists of 5 exons and 4 introns, is expressed in all of the asexual erythrocytic stages of the parasite as a 8.5-kb mRNA, and is present in a single copy on chromosome 13. The predicted 2339 amino acid residue RPIII subunit contained 5 regions that were conserved between different eukaryotic RPIII subunits, and 4 variable regions that separated the conserved regions. Three of the variable regions were greatly enlarged in comparison to the corresponding variable regions in other RPIII subunits. Variable region C′ represented nearly one-third of the P. falciparum RPIII subunit (750 amino acid residues), included a unique repeated decapeptide sequence, and had some homology with yeast DNA topoisomerase II. Noteworthy amino acid sequences and structures were identified in both the conserved regions and in the enlarged variable regions, and their possible role(s) as domains that regulate RPIII enzyme activity is discussed.
B-cell numbers in the blood of patients with non-HLA*B8 or non-HLA*B44 common variable immunodeficiency

Background Genetic susceptibility to common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) has been linked to the inheritance of part or all of 2 extended major histocompatibility complex haplotypes: HLA*B8*DR3(17) and HLA*B44*DR7. Objective To determine whether the inheritance of these major histocompatibility complex susceptibility haplotypes correlates with absolute B-cell numbers. Methods A retrospective medical record review of 55 consecutive patients with CVID whose blood was analyzed for B-cell numbers using a fluorescent-activated cell sorter. Results The mean ± SD absolute count of CD19 + B cells among the 36 patients (65%) with CVID who had inherited HLA*B8 or HLA*B44 was 218 ± 23 cells/mm 3 compared with 119 ± 27 cells/mm 3 in those who had not inherited HLA*B8 or HLA*B44 ( P = .008). There were no significant differences in B-cell numbers among the 33 patients (60%) with CVID who had inherited HLA*DR7 or HLA*DR3(17) and those who had not. Conclusions Patients with CVID who inherited HLA*B44 or HLA*B8 tended to have higher numbers of B cells in the blood than those who did not, suggesting that the mechanism of immunodeficiency may differ.
Quasi-elastic light scattering of suspensions of Limulus thick myofilaments in relaxed (long) activated and rerelaxed (short) states.

Photoelectron count autocorrelation function of light scattered by Limulus thick myofilament suspensions was measured as a function of scattering angle in the relaxed, activated and rerelaxed states. By using the cumulants method of data analysis, the average linewidth over large ranges of KL (up to 120), has been calculated with K and L being, respectively, the magnitude of the momentum transfer vector and the length of the myofilament. We have observed a dramatic increase in the average linewidth denoting the presence of additional high frequency components for the myofilament suspension on the activated state. By confirming our results on the size of the myofilaments from electron micrographs, we are able to attribute the high frequency (kHz) components to the “correlated” cross-bridge motions, representing, to our knowledge, the first direct experimental evidence of such movements in isolated thick myofilament suspensions.
Autonomously replicating plasmids and chromosome rearrangement during transformation of Nectria haematococca

Abstract A previously described, autonomously replicating plasmid was examined for its ability to replicate in the plant pathogenic fungus, Nectria haematococca (Nh). The plasmid, pFOLT4R4, replicates as a linear molecule, contains a subterminal inverted repeat, as well as the repeated hexanucleotide telomere consensus sequence, TTAGGG, at both ends, and increases frequency of fungal transformation approximately 100-fold compared to a similar integrative plasmid, pHRC. Transformation of Nh occurs by way of autonomous replication; the transformed, hygromycin B-resistant (HyR) phenotype is unstable without selection and in most cases pFOLT4R4 is maintained in the fungus, separate from chromosome-sized DNAs. Surprisingly, a non-autonomously replicating derivative of pFOLT4R4 (called pLD), lacking the subterminal inverted repeat and having the 5′-TTAGGG repeat in only one direction on the plasmid, transformed Nh at a rate as high as pFOLT4R4. Therefore, autonomous replication and high-frequency transformation are separable phenomena in Nh. In pLD transformants, plasmid sequences are integrated into chromosome-sized DNAs of Nh and these cultures generally have a stable HyR phenotype. Treatments involving ligation of Nh genomic DNA to pLD result in a lower frequency of transformation. In many cultures transformed with pLD plus genomic DNA, one wild-type chromosome-sized band is not visible, but another smaller chromosome-sized band is found. Mobility changes in some cases are consistent with deletions of over 1000 kb. Some HyS revertants of transformants appear to lack the entire chromosome into which integration had occurred. These results indicate that the Nh genome is extremely melleable and large portions may be non-essential for growth in culture.
An Additive-Utility Model of Delay Discounting.

Goods remote in temporal, spatial, or social distance, or in likelihood, exert less control over our behavior than those more proximate. The decay of influence with distance, of perennial interest to behavioral economists, has had a renaissance in the study of delay discounting. By developing discount functions from marginal utilities, this article provides a framework that resolves several anomalies of intertemporal choice. Utilities are inferred to be power functions of monetary value, delay, and probability. Utility, not value, is discounted, with decisions made by adding the utility of a good to the disutility of a delay or contingency. The theory reduces to standard treatments, such as exponential, hyperbolic and hyperboloid, and exponential-power; naturally predicts magnitude effects and other asymmetries; is consistent with subadditivity, immediacy, and certainty effects; returns conjointly measured determinations of monetary utility and temporal distance functions; and is extensible to other dimensions of distance.
HOST-PARASITE FACTORS IN GROUP A STREPTOCOCCAL INFECTIONS PYROGENIC AND OTHER EFFECTS OF IMMUNOLOGIC DISTINCT EXOTOXINS RELATED TO SCARLET FEVER TOXINS

The factors present in streptococcal lesion extracts (SLE) which enhanced the lethal and tissue-damaging properties of Gram-negative bacterial endotoxins and streptolysin O were identified with the scarlet fever group of toxins. Toxic manifestations attributed to this group of toxins included lethality, cardiotoxic and other tissue damage, enhancement of toxicity, and pyrogenicity. Of these, the measurement of febrile response in American Dutch rabbits was the most useful parameter of toxicity. In rabbits, repeated daily intravenous injections of 0.125 Lf of a purified erythrogenic toxin immunizes specifically against the pyrogenic activity; this technique was used to type the toxins and to distinguish them from exogenous and endogenous pyrogens; non-specific pyrogens, such as streptococcal endotoxin, were not found in SLE. All types of the Lancefield Group A streptococci tested produced one or or more immunologically distinct toxins in vivo in contrast to Groups B and C which did not produce them; toxins A and B, previously distinguished by neutralization of rash-inducing activity in the skin, were produced in vivo. The A toxin was the most common, as indicated by its presence in extracts prepared with Types 28, 12, 17, and 10 (NY-5); B toxin was found in 10 (NY-5) and 19. A new toxin, designated C, was obtained from a Type 18. In American Dutch rabbits, purified toxin at a concentration of 15 Lf (900,000 STD) neither gave a Dick test nor prepared the skin for the local Shwartzman reaction; by this route, however, in contrast to classical endotoxins, they enhance the lethal and tissue-damaging properties of sublethal doses of these and other toxins. These properties of the immunologic distinct exotoxins as demonstrated in American Dutch rabbits suggest by analogy their importance in the pathogenesis of streptococcal disease in man. Evidence that might implicate them in sequelae, in addition to scarlet fever, is discussed.
Insights Into the Long-Term Effects of Parents' Careers on Reported Parent-Offspring Closeness

This study examined the effects of career-family orientation, hours worked per week, and salary level on parent-offspring closeness as perceived by offspring. Results show that how close offspring felt toward their parents was directly related to their parents' family-versus-career orientation.
Sub-unit Specific Regulation of Type-A GABAergic Receptors During Post-Natal Development of the Auditory Cortex.

The GABA-A receptor has been strongly implicated in the organization and function of cortical sensory circuits in the adult mammal. In the present work, changes in the expression patterns of select GABA-A subunits were examined as a function of development. The RNA expression profiles for three subunit types were studied, a1, β2/3 and d at four developmental time points, (p0, p15, p30 and p90). The a1, β2/3 subunits were present at birth and following a modest increase early in life; mRNA expression for these subunits were found at stable levels throughout life. The expression pattern for the d subunit showed the most dramatic changes in the number of positive cells as a function of age. In early life, p0 through p15 expression of mRNA for the d subunit was quite low but increased in later life, p30 and p90. Together these data suggest that much of the potential for inhibitory connectivity is laid down in the pre and early post-natal periods.
Provincializing Albert Schweitzer's Ethical Colonialism in Africa

Unlike many commentators who tend to see Schweitzer's mission one-sidedly, I show the coexistence of liberal and conservative elements in his mission. While his mission intent was mostly motivated by the former, his mission practices largely show the latter. In this essay, I analyze them in detail in three parts. I first explain how such opposite elements can coexist by applying Dipesh Chakrabarty's notion of provincializing Europe. Like most nineteenth-century Western liberals, Schweitzer advocated Enlightenment rights for Europeans, but denied them to the colonized. I then argue that Schweitzer's mission was motivated by the liberal elements of his theology. When his critical theology led him to deny the divinity of Jesus, he found a new basis for Christianity in Jesus’ ethical activism, which led him to become a medical missionary to Africa. I then examine Schweitzer's conservative practices in Africa: by applying the developmental model of Hegelian-Marxist historicism to African society, Schweitzer op...
Hemodynamic and clinical benefits with intravenous milrinone in severe chronic heart failure: results of a multicenter study in the United States.

The response of patients with chronic severe heart failure to extended infusions (≥48 hours) of milrinone was evaluated in a multicenter, baseline-controlled, phase III efficacy and safety trial in 189 patients in the United States. Milrinone was given as loading and maintenance infusions according to one of four dose regimens. An effective response was defined as greater than or equal to 20% increases in cardiac index or decreases in pulmonary wedge pressure. All loading doses (range, 37.5 to 75 μg/kg/10 min) were effective short term, and maximum response occurred at 15 minutes. For the three effective regimens, cardiac index increased initially (at 15 minutes) by 24% to 42%, and pulmonary wedge pressure decreased by 24% to 33%. Systemic vascular resistance was reduced by 15% to 31%. The maximal acute response was effective in 99% of individual patients. During maintenance therapy, effective responses were seen at infusion doses of 0.375, 0.50, and 0.75 μg/kg/min, whereas an infusion of 0.25 μg/kg/min was ineffective. During 2 days of maintenance therapy, cardiac index remained augmented by 34% to 39% for the low and intermediate doses and by 44% to 73% for the high-dose infusion regimen. Pulmonary wedge pressure decreased an average of 18% on day 1 and 30% on day 2. Systemic vascular resistance was reduced by 20% to 25%, and stroke work index was augmented by 21% to 58%. Symptomatic improvement was common during intravenous milrinone therapy for symptoms of dyspnea (61% response), orthopnea (63%), edema (62%), and fatigue (40%). Improvement occurred more frequently in those with worse baseline functional indexes and in those with greater hemodynamic responses to therapy. Safety and tolerance were exceptionally good for these patients with advanced heart failure. These results suggest that intravenous milrinone is a useful agent for rapidly achieving and maintaining improved cardiovascular function and symptom reduction when heart failure is unresponsive to conventional oral therapy alone.
Biological characterization of uncleavable plasma membrane-anchored human macrophage colony-stimulating factor.

Abstract The cell-surface form of human macrophage colony-stimulating factor (CSF-1 256 , M-CSFα) is a plasma membrane-anchored transmembrane protein from which the soluble CSF-1 is released by ectodomain proteolytic cleavage. We have previously generated two forms of cell surface CSF-1 which failed to undergo the cleavage by deleting residues 161–165 or residues 159–165 in the extracellular juxtamembrane region (1). To determine the biologic significance of the ectodomain cleavage, we compared the biosynthesis and biologic activities of uncleavable mutant CSF-1 forms with those of the cleavable wild-type (WT) CSF-1. We found that the uncleavable CSF-1 forms were able to accumulate on cell surface at about threefold higher level than the cleavable WT CSF-1 did. We further demonstrated that the uncleavable plasma membrane-anchored forms of CSF-1 were biologically active in mediating the proliferation of CSF-1-dependent cells as well as the intercellular adhesion between CSF-1 receptor-bearing cells and CSF-1 expressing cells. Furthermore, the adhesive activity of uncleavable CSF-1 forms was about twofold stronger than that of WT CSF-1, which indicated that the ectodomain cleavage system plays an important role in regulating the biologic activities of membrane-anchored CSF-1.
Reconciling Internalization Theory and the Eclectic Paradigm

The eclectic paradigm of Dunning (1980) (with its OLI and four motives for FDI framework) can be reconciled with the firm and country matrix of Rugman (1981). However, the fit is not perfect. The main reason for misalignment is that Dunning is focused upon outward FDI into host economies, whereas Rugman’s matrix is for firm‐level strategy covering MNE activity in both home and host countries
Metal hydride studies at the National Research Council of Canada

Abstract As part of a continuing study of metal hydrides at the National Research Council of Canada, formation of ternary hydrides by the reaction of gaseous hydrogen with the binary intermetallics LaNi 5 , CaNi 5 and Mg 2 Ni has been investigated. Heat-conduction calorimetry has been used to derive enthalpic behaviour over composition ranges including single and 2-phase regions, and enthalpies of formation are reported for most of the hydride phases. In situ X-ray diffractometry techniques have been developed to identify associated structural changes.
Gradient generation platforms: new directions for an established microfluidic technology

Microscale platforms are enabling for cell-based studies as they allow the recapitulation of physiological conditions such as extracellular matrix (ECM) configurations and soluble factors interactions. Gradient generation platforms have been one of the few applications of microfluidics that have begun to be translated to biological laboratories and may become a new “gold standard”. Though gradient generation platforms are now established, their full potential has not yet been realized. Here, we will provide our perspective on milestones achieved in the development of gradient generation and cell migration platforms, as well as emerging directions such as using cell migration as a diagnostic readout and attaining mechanistic information from cell migration models.
Un reattore a flusso turbolento per lo studio della cinetica di reazione della idrazina

Studio di un reattore a flusso per la cinetica ad alta temperatura: viene adottato un flusso turbolento onde evitare il profilo parabolico di temperatura che si ha con flusso laminare ed ottenere una distribuzione di temperatura quanto piu e possibile uniforme. La variazione di temperatura che si verifica lungo il tubo viene utilizzata per determinare la velocita di reazione. Il reattore a flusso descritto e del tipo cilindrico a quarzo, collegato con un ugello del tipo convergente-divergente. La reazione puo avvenire tra gas opportunamente riscaldati e miscelati. Inoltre la cinetica di reazione di un liquido viene studiata evaporando prima il liquido e quindi iniettando il vapore riscaldato.
Dating of obsidian artifacts by depth-profiling of artificially hydrated surface layers

Abstract Fresh surfaces of obsidians are hydrated in the laboratory and the thicknesses of the hydrated layers are determined by hydrogen depth-profiling using secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) and 19 F nuclear reaction. From our results, we conclude that it is feasible to establish a hydration equation which will allow obsidian artifacts to be independently dated by their hydrated depths. However, it is important to operate in hydration time and temperature regimes in which dissolution of the obsidian surface can be avoided.
Lung Development in the Fetal Guinea Pig: Surfactant, Morphology, and Premature Viability

Guinea pigs demonstrate "precocious" physical and functional development, with newborns displaying open eyes, hair, self-feeding, and temperature regulation. In addition, morphologic lung development is precocious in the guinea pig, with advanced alveolarization taking place in utero. To explore whether pulmonary surfactant development is also advanced, and at what stage prematurely delivered guinea pigs are capable of survival, we delivered fetal guinea pigs at 2- to 3-day intervals from day 49 of gestation to day 69 (birth). These were examined for chronologic changes in lung morphology, lung tissue disaturated phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylglycerol and glycogen content, and serum glucocorticoid and thyroid hormone levels. Other prematurely delivered guinea pigs were given brief postnatal resuscitation and their survival noted. We confirmed advanced morphologic lung maturation, yet found that surfactant development, with antecedent hormone peaks and glycogen depletion, occurs during the final 10-15% of gestation. Lung biochemical development is thus "on time" in the guinea pig, rather than "precocious" compared to other frequently studied laboratory animals. In addition, greater than 50% of fetal guinea pigs are capable of survival by 8 days prior to term, well in advance of premature survivability in other small-sized species.
Multimodal Video Indexing and Retrieval Using Directed Information

We propose a novel framework for multimodal video indexing and retrieval using shrinkage optimized directed information assessment (SODA) as similarity measure. The directed information (DI) is a variant of the classical mutual information which attempts to capture the direction of information flow that videos naturally possess. It is applied directly to the empirical probability distributions of both audio-visual features over successive frames. We utilize RASTA-PLP features for audio feature representation and SIFT features for visual feature representation. We compute the joint probability density functions of audio and visual features in order to fuse features from different modalities. With SODA, we further estimate the DI in a manner that is suitable for high dimensional features p and small sample size n (large p small n ) between pairs of video-audio modalities. We demonstrate the superiority of the SODA approach in video indexing, retrieval, and activity recognition as compared to the state-of-the-art methods such as hidden Markov models (HMM), support vector machine (SVM), cross-media indexing space (CMIS), and other noncausal divergence measures such as mutual information (MI). We also demonstrate the success of SODA in audio and video localization and indexing/retrieval of data with missaligned modalities.
Verification and mitigation of the power-induced measurement errors for airport pseudolites in LAAS

Certain GPS receivers exhibit a power-induced measurement error when the input signal power exceeds a certain threshold that is a function of the receiver architecture. The characterization of this error is important in the case of airport pseudolites (APLs) due to receiver saturation at ranges close to the transmission antenna. This paper details an effort using laboratory test to characterize the power-induced measurement error in NovAtel Millennium and Beeline receivers that are widely used for APL development. The results from the laboratory tests show that this effect can lead to errors as large as 3 m on pseudorange measurement for the dynamic range typical for APLs. The carrier-phase error however is seen to be limited to 5 cm. On the verification and characterization of the error, a cost-effective mitigation technique for LAAS is proposed. A solution for the ground subsystem is sought by employing power-control measures to limit the amount of APL power that LGF GPS/APL receivers are exposed to. In order to keep the integration cost low, the solution for the airborne subsystem does not involve hardware modifications or additions, but rather relies on the transition to a differential carrier-phase positioning algorithm prior to the onset of the power-induced error along the approach path. The proposed architecture was flight-tested to verify successful mitigation of the power-induced error on both the ground and air, and the results from these tests are presented in the paper.
Synthesis and biodegradability of isomeric sodium p-(thia-n-dodecyl)-benzenesulfonates.

In an attempt to prepare improved biodegradable detergents, the eleven possible isomers of sodium p-(thia-n-dodecyl)benzenesulfonate have been synthesized. Preliminary biodegradability tests of these compounds show that the biodegradability of sodium p-1-thia-n-dodecylbenzenesulfonate is greater than that of LAS.
Dimerization is required for activation of eIF2 kinase Gcn2 in response to diverse environmental stress conditions.

In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, starvation for amino acids induces phosphorylation of the α subunit of eukaryotic initiation factor 2α by Gcn2 protein kinase, leading to elevated translation of GCN4. Gcn4p is a transcriptional activator of hundreds of genes involved in remedying nutrient deprivation. In addition to a conserved kinase domain, Gcn2p has a regulatory region homologous to histidyl tRNA synthetase enzymes that binds uncharged tRNA that accumulates during amino acid starvation. Flanking the carboxyl terminus of the histidyl-tRNA synthetase-related domain is a region spanning 162 residues that participates in the activation of the protein kinase. Gel filtration and chemical cross-linking analysis of the recombinant carboxyl-terminal Gcn2 protein revealed that this region is a stable homodimer that is highly resistant to high concentrations of salt. Residue alterations in three hydrophobic segments and one segment with a proposed amphipathic α-helix in this Gcn2p carboxyl terminus blocked oligomerization, supporting the role of hydrophobic interactions in the dimerization interface of Gcn2p. Introduction of residue substitutions that impaired dimerization into the full-length protein prevented the ability of Gcn2p to phosphorylate its substrate eukaryotic initiation factor-2α and induce GCN4 translational expression in yeast cells subjected to a variety of stresses including amino acid limitation or exposure to rapamycin or high levels of NaCl. This latter stress can be overcome by addition of increasing amounts of K+ ions, indicating that the Na+/K+ ion balance is central to this stress induction. We conclude that dimerization involving hydrophobic segments in the carboxyl-terminal region is required for activation of Gcn2p in response to a multitude of stresses.
Fish Furunculosis 1952–1966

Abstract A review is made of the furunculosis literature based on a bibliography of papers published from 1952–1966. It is noted that furunculosis is still a serious problem. Rapid diagnostic procedures have been developed. New therapeutic drugs have been introduced for treatment of sulfa resistant strains of A. salmonicida. Genetic resistance to and oral immunization against furunculosis show promise but require further study.
Fluxless bonding process in air using Sn–Bi–Au design

Abstract A new fluxless bonding technique using Sn–Bi–Au design is presented. Microstructure and phase growth mechanism of as deposited Au/Sn/Bi films were first studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction method (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). It is found that the crystallites of Au–Sn intermetallics are randomly distributed in Bi-rich matrix that forms a top-capping layer. The average size of AuSn 2 and AuSn 4 crystallite are 756 and 667 A, respectively. The bonding process was performed at 250 °C in air without the use of flux. The resulting joints exhibit high shear strength of 4.9 kg and show only a few voids. Melting temperature of 225 °C was measured. The joint is composed of near eutectic Sn–Bi alloy with ribbon shaped AuSn 2 +AuSn 4 intermetallic compound layer embedded inside the solder joint. The fracture of the Sn–Bi–Au solder joint mainly occurs along the interface between the Au–Sn intermetallic layer and the Sn-rich regions. This facture mode is ductile. The flux-free process is compatible with many pick-and-place machines that operate in ambient air.
Use of sertraline hydrochloride in the treatment of refractory neurocardiogenic syncope in children and adolescents.

Abstract Objectives. The purpose of our study was to determine whether the serotonin reuptake inhibitor sertraline hydrochloride could prevent neurocardiogenic syncope in children and adolescents resistant to or intolerant of other therapies. Background. The serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine hydrochloride has been reported to be effective in preventing neurocardiogenic syncope in adults. Methods. Seventeen consecutive young patients (mean age 15 years, range 10 to 18; 7 male, 10 female) with recurrent syncope and a positive bead-upright tilt table test, and in whom standard therapies (fludrocortisone, transdermal scopolamine, beta-adrenergic blocking agents, disopyramide) were ineffectual, poorly tolerated or contraindicated, were referred for study. Sertraline was administered orally at 50 mg daily for 4 to 6 weeks. A head-upright tilt table test was then reperformed, and the clinical effect was noted. Results. Three patients (18%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1 to 44) were intolerant of the drug, and it was discontinued. Nine patients became asymptomatic and tilt negative (53%, 95% CI 26 to 76), and five remained tilt positive (36%, 95% CI 15 to 65). Over a mean follow-up period of 12 ± 5 months, the tilt-negative patients remained symptom free while taking sertraline. Conclusions. The serotonin reuptake inhibitor sertraline hydrochloride can be effective in preventing recurrent neurocardiogenic syncope in selected patients unresponsive to or intolerant of other therapeutic modalities.
Current status of diuretics, β-blockers, α-blockers, and α-β-blockers in the treatment of hypertension

The article describes the current status of four main antihypertensives. Diuretics are making a bit of a comeback after seeing their popularity wane during the 1980s. beta-blockers also saw a bit of a popularity decrease in the 1980s due to some adverse side effects which the author feels were somewhat exaggerated. alpha-blockers have yet to be particularly successful in the treatment of hypertension, due to adverse side effects. alpha-beta-blockers appear to hold significant promise in the further treatment of hypertension.
Behavior of interaction energy and intramolecular bond stretch in linear and bifurcated hydrogen bonds

It is first demonstrated that a simple Morse potential can fit very well the ab initio interaction energy for both the linear H bond of the water dimer and the bifurcated arrangement in HOH‥HOCHCHOH, using simple physical properties as the parameters in the function. This energy correlates linearly with the stretching observed in the internal OH bond of the proton donor water, leading to the formulation of an analogous Morse function that can describe the latter stretch. Although simple physical parameters can be used for the linear H bond, a good fit is achieved in the bifurcated case only after the parameters are adjusted empirically. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Serum IgE as an important aid in management of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis.

Abstract Differentiating patients with allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) from patients with asthma who have immediate skin reactivity to Aspergillus fumigatus may be difficult when the characteristic clinical and laboratory findings of ABPA are absent. This article describes the response of ABPA patients to corticosteroid therapy. After treatment of the acute stage of the disease with corticosteroid therapy, all ABPA patients had ≥35% reduction of the total serum IgE within 2 mo. In 30 exacerbations of ABPA in 15 patients, there was ≥35% reduction of the total serum IgE in 24 exacerbations within 2 mo. Of the six exacerbations with 35% reduction of total serum IgE by 2 mo with the administration of corticosteroid therapy in patients highly suspected of ABPA ehould make one either question the diagnosis of ABPA or consider noncompliance of the patient to medical management with corticosteroids.
Inelastic excitation in the collisions of relativistic heavy ions

Abstract The penumbra of the profile function describing the nuclear collisions of relativistic heavy ions is related to the cross section for their producing a specific target-nucleus γ-ray, σ γ . The analysis assumes that the diffuse-edge diffraction model suffices to calculate the inelastic cross sections to the particle-stable states of the target nucleus. When the deformation lengths, δ L ≡ β L R , characterizing all important excitations are available from other experiments and the γ-branching of these states is also known, the only unknown quantity determining σ γ is found to be the ratio of the diffuseness parameter of the profile function, d , to its radius, R . The most reliably determined values of d R , for the target 40 Ca, imply a rather wide penumbra, consistent with microscopic calculations.
Analysis of magnetization, AC loss, and deff for various internal-Sn based Nb3Sn multifilamentary strands with and without subelement splitting

Abstract Magnetization, AC loss, χ DC and d eff were measured for several designs of rod-in-tube based internal-Sn Nb 3 Sn type superconducting multifilamentary strands. Two kinds of subelement geometries were used in strand construction. The first had the standard annular Nb/Cu ring surrounding a Sn source; the second was similar but included an internal split intended to reduce magnetization and loss. Strands with 18 and 36 subelements were measured, at strand diameters of 0.5–0.8 mm. Optical, SEM, and EDS measurements were performed on these samples; average radii are reported and physical barrier integrity is found to be good. The magnetizations of these structures were analyzed in terms of a d eff parameter, in this case calculated for annular structures. Analytical and numerical results of these calculations are presented. It was found that in general annular structures should be expected to have d eff values somewhat larger than the subelement diameter; the value of this enhancement is reported. Also, the effect of subelement splitting on d eff and magnetization was calculated. The results of these calculations are compared to the experimentally measured results. Reductions in d eff due to subelement splitting are compared to direct, low-field susceptibility measurements. Magnetization values are seen to be nearly uniformly lower in the split subelement strands, and this leads in some but not all cases to significantly lower d eff values. Possible reasons for these discrepancies are discussed.
What students see: Word processing and the perception of visual design

Abstract A study of students who have completed the first-year composition sequence shows that they are aware of, and understand the function of, some common design elements (boldface, italics, numbered lists) but are much less aware of other design elements (such as headers, indentation, and line spacing). These students' perceptions of design elements correlate strongly with their self-reported experience using word-processing packages and with their attitude concerning the design of a document and how that affects their ability to communicate, but not with other related demographics or attitudes. This study suggests that using a word-processing package can help writers learn to use and understand important elements of visual design. As more and more information is presented by dynamic, protean media such as the Internet, the ability to understand the codes of visual rhetoric will become more important for writers. Visual rhetoric should be addressed more directly in our teaching and research.
180: Early Fundoplication Reduces the Incidence of Chronic Allograft Dysfunction in Patients with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease

376 (93-442) vs. 363 (156-369) days (p NS). BAL BA levels, but not pepsin levels, as well as IL-8 and neutrophils were elevated in C patients (figure 1). Generally, BA levels, but not pepsin levels, positively correlated with BAL IL8 and neutrophilia (figure 2). Conclusions: Bile acid aspiration seems to be associated with P.aeruginosa airway colonization after LTx. Their possible role for inducing neutrophilic airway inflammation in the development of BOS after LTx should be further elucidated. Research funded by Research Foundation-Flanders (FWO) and GSK Belgium.
Effects of resistance training on resting immune parameters in women.

The aim of this investigation was to determine whether intense resistance training of 6 months duration influenced resting immune parameters. Previously untrained women underwent one of four training programs or were non-training controls (CON, n=7). The resistance-training groups trained for total body power (TP, n=16), total body hypertrophy (TH, n=18), upper body power (UP, n=15) or upper body hypertrophy (UH, n=15). Immune parameters were measured from a fasting morning blood draw in September/October (0 months, t 0), November/December (3 months, t 3), and April/May (6 months, t 6). Lymphocyte subsets [CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, natural killer cells (NK), and B cells], and mitogen-stimulated proliferation were measured. The concentration of NK cells increased (P<0.001) after 3 months of training for the resistance-training groups but not the CON group. This increase was not present after 6 months of training, thus it was a transient change. Lymphocyte proliferation responses were similar across time for the resistance-trained and CON groups for all stimulation conditions. Thus, resistance training induces a transient increase in NK cells but has little effect on lymphocyte trafficking or proliferation. This was consistent despite differences in the volume of muscle mass trained or the manner of training (power verses hypertrophy).
Topic Maps For Improving Services In Disaster Operations Management

Disaster operations management is an increasingly important application area for the developing techniques of service science. This paper examines the use of topic maps, a semantic technology, within this environment, and provides a preliminary discussion of the benefits that its implementation can provide in the capture and exchange of contextual information. The discussion is motivated by a look at the different phases of disaster operations management in a services context, and focuses on the need for effective and relevant information exchange as an important part of the services process. As the amount and complexity of information increases within such processes, semantic technologies are becoming increasingly important as a means representing and managing contextual information. This paper seeks to help further the understanding of the relevance of such tools as part of the study of service science.
Is This Time Different?: The Slowdown in Health Care Spending

Why have health care costs moderated in the last decade? Some have suggested that the Great Recession alone was the cause, but health expenditure growth in the depths of the recession was nearly identical to growth prior to the recession. Nor can the Affordable Care Act (ACA) take credit, since the slowdown began prior to its implementation. Instead, we identify three primary causes of the slowdown: the rise in high-deductible insurance plans, state-level efforts to control Medicaid costs, and a general slowdown in the diffusion of new technology, particularly for use by the Medicare population. A more difficult question is: Will this slowdown continue? On this question we are pessimistic, and not entirely because a similar (and temporary) slowdown occurred in the early 1990s. The primary determinant of long-term growth is the continued development of expensive technology, and there is little evidence of a permanent slowdown in that pipeline. Proton beam accelerators are on target to double between 2010 and 2014, while the market for heart-assist devices (costing more than $300,000 each) is projected to grow rapidly. Accountable care organizations (ACOs) and emboldened insurance companies may yet stifle health care cost growth, but our best estimate over the next two decades is that health care costs will grow at GDP plus 1.2 percent, a rate lower than previous estimates but still on track to cause serious fiscal pain for taxpayers and workers who bear the costs of higher premiums.
Nonlinear matched filtering and neural networks

A class of nonlinear matched filters is discussed. These filters involve the transformation of the signal spectrum and the filter transfer function through a nonlinearity, before they are multiplied in the transform domain. The resulting filter structures are equivalent to three-layer neural nets. They have better performance in terms of signal discrimination than previously known filters. The matched filters are further subdivided into two major classes according to the DFT (discrete Fourier transform) or the RDFT-based filtering. DFT and RDFT are approximations to the complex and real Fourier transforms, respectively. The RDFT-based filtering gives better performance in terms of spatial resolution, intermediate noise, and signal discrimination than the DFT-based filtering. >
Radioxenon production through neutron irradiation of stable xenon gas

The Spectral Deconvolution Analysis Tool (SDAT) software was developed to improve counting statistics and detection limits for nuclear explosion radionuclide measurements. SDAT utilizes spectral deconvolution spectroscopy techniques and can analyze both β–γ coincidence spectra for radioxenon isotopes and high-resolution HPGe spectra from aerosol monitors. The deconvolution algorithm of the SDAT requires a library of β–γ coincidence spectra of individual radioxenon isotopes to determine isotopic ratios in a sample. In order to get experimentally produced spectra of the individual isotopes, we have irradiated enriched samples of 130Xe, 132Xe, and 134Xe gas with a neutron beam from the TRIGA reactor at The University of Texas. The samples were counted in an Automated Radioxenon Sampler/Analyzer (ARSA) style β–γ coincidence detector. The spectra produced show that this method of radioxenon production yields samples with very high purity of the individual isotopes for 131mXe and 135Xe and a sample with a substantial 133mXe to 133Xe ratio.
Hybrid control of formations of robots

We describe a framework for controlling a group of nonholonomic mobile robots equipped with range sensors. The vehicles are required to follow a prescribed trajectory while maintaining a desired formation. By using the leader-following approach, we formulate the formation control problem as a hybrid (mode switching) control system. We then develop a decision module that allows the robots to automatically switch between continuous-state control laws to achieve a desired formation shape. The stability properties of the closed-loop hybrid system are studied using the Lyapunov theory. We do not use explicit communication between robots; instead we integrate optimal estimation techniques with nonlinear controllers. Simulation and experimental results verify the validity of our approach.