cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Alignment and Fusion of Multimodal 3D Serial Sectioning Datasets

As an example of data fusion in the context of 3D characterization of materials, this article demonstrates the procedures necessary to align and fuse separate imaging modes, traditional backscattered electron imaging (BSE) and electron backscattered diffraction mapping (EBSD), from serial-sectioning data. The fused data form a unified 3D reconstruction of additively manufactured 316L stainless steel processed by laser powder-bed fusion. We show that, by combining the relatively low-information yet high-fidelity BSE image stack with the more data-rich yet spatially distorted EBSD maps, the 3D reconstruction can leverage the strengths of both imaging techniques. The fully automated alignment procedures and frameworks rely on a number of optimized image warping techniques, with the result that spatial alignment errors are on the order of 0–3 $$\upmu {\hbox {m}}$$ within a region of interest that is $$> 1$$ mm.
Optimal synthesis into fixed XX interactions

We describe an optimal procedure, as well as its efficient software implementation, for exact and approximate synthesis of two-qubit unitary operations into any prescribed discrete family of XX-type interactions and local gates. This arises from the analysis and manipulation of certain polyhedral subsets of the space of canonical gates. Using this, we analyze which small sets of XX-type interactions cause the greatest improvement in expected infidelity under experimentally-motivated error models. For the exact circuit synthesis of Haar-randomly selected two-qubit operations, we find an improvement in estimated infidelity by ~31.4% when including alongside CX its square- and cube-roots, near to the optimal limit of ~36.9% obtained by including all fractional applications of CX.
Modeling Secondary Students’ Genetics Learning in a Game-Based Environment: Integrating the Expectancy-Value Theory of Achievement Motivation and Flow Theory

This study examined students’ genetics learning in a game-based environment by exploring the connections between the expectancy-value theory of achievement motivation and flow theory. A total of 394 secondary school students were recruited and learned genetics concepts through interacting with a game-based learning environment. We measured their science self-efficacy, science outcome-expectancy beliefs, flow experience, feelings of frustration, and conceptual understanding before and after playing the game, as well as their game satisfaction. Mixed-model ANOVA, correlation tests, and path analysis were run to answer our research questions. Based on the results, we found that the game had a significant impact on students’ conceptual understanding of genetics. We also found an acceptable statistical model of the integration between the two theories. Flow experience and in-game performance significantly impacted students’ posttest scores. Moreover, science outcome-expectancy belief was found to be a significant predictor of students’ flow experiences. In contrast, science self-efficacy and pretest scores were found to be the most significant factors influencing the feeling of frustration during the game. The results have practical implications with regard to the positive role that an adaptive game-based genetics learning environment might play in the science classroom. Findings also underscore the role the teacher should play in establishing productive outcome expectations for students prior to and during gameplay.
Does quality of marital sex decline with duration

Does the quality of marital sex increase or decrease with marital duration? Previous research assumes that it decreases; however, there is no empirical evidence of declining quality of marital sex with duration in the literature. This study theoretically and empirically examines how the quality of marital sex changes with duration. Theoretically, two effects may influence the change of quality of marital sex: the effect of diminishing marginal utility (the marginal utility of consuming a good or service diminishes as the consumption of that good or service increases) and the effect of the investment in the marriage-specific human capital (including the "partner specific" skills that enhance the enjoyment of marital sex and the knowledge about the spouse's sexual preferences, desires, and habits). The quality of marital sex could either increase or decrease depending on which effect is dominant. The multivariate analysis of the National Health and Social Life Survey data shows that marital duration has a small and negative effect on the quality of marital sex. The gender difference in the quality of marital sex is discussed.
Continuous Evolution of the Total Field

This chapter combines the results of the preceding two chapters in order to obtain the uniform asymptotic description of the total pulsed wavefield evolution in a given causally dispersive material. From the discussion given in Sect. 12.4, the propagated plane wavefield in either a single resonance Lorentz model dielectric [see (12.352)] or a Drude model conductor [see (12.356)] may be expressed either in the form
Molecular cloning, nucleotide sequence, and tissue distribution of malonyl-CoA decarboxylase.

Abstract Malonyl-CoA decarboxylase was purified from goose uropygial gland, reduced, carboxymethylated, and digested with trypsin. Several peptides were purified by high performance liquid chromatography and their amino acid sequences determined. Oligonucleotide probes were prepared based on their amino acid sequences. Size-selected RNA from the goose uropygial gland was used to construct cDNA libraries in lambda gt11 and pUC9 vectors. Immunological screening of the lambda gt11 cDNA library yielded one clone, lambda DC1, which contained a 2.2-kilobase pair insert; hybridization with the synthetic oligonucleotide probes confirmed its identity as malonyl decarboxylase. Screening of the pUC9 cDNA library with the insert of lambda DC1 as a probe detected one clone, pDC2, with an insert of 2.9 kilobase pairs. The nucleotide sequences of the two cDNAs revealed an open reading frame encoding a polypeptide of 462 amino acids. The deduced amino acid sequence was confirmed as malonyl-CoA decarboxylase by matching it to the amino acid sequences of three tryptic peptides derived from mature enzyme. Northern blot analysis of mRNA from goose brain, kidney, liver, lung, and gland revealed malonyl-decarboxylase mRNA of 3000 nucleotides. Since clone pDC2 contains a 2928-nucleotide insert, it represents nearly the full length of mRNA. Brain, kidney, lung, and liver contained less than 1% of the malonyl-CoA decarboxylase mRNA in the gland. Southern blot analysis of genomic DNA showed a single band in both liver and gland, suggesting that malonyl-CoA decarboxylase is a single copy gene.
American Indian Lesbians and Gays

Abstract This article is a study of American Indian lesbians and gays. Using interview content, this study helps practitioners understand these virtually unstudied individuals. Interview data are compared to reports in the literature in an effort to understand how American Indian lesbians and gays are similar to and different from other lesbians and gays. Implications about future research and social work practice with American Indian lesbians and gays are discussed.
The Ecology and the Economy: What is Rational? (1)

The article considers the problem of the global environmental change and its consequences. The author puts the environmentalists’ goals into the context of the geopolitical situation in the world-system and the structural features of the capitalist society. He suggests a complex view of coping with ecological difficulties, trying to combine intellectual, moral and political aspects of solving the said problems.
A neglected topic in relativistic electrodynamics: transformation of electromagnetic integrals

Although relativistic electrodynamics is more than 100 year old, there is one neglected topic in its presentation and application: relativistic transformations of electromagnetic integrals. Whereas in theoretical and applied electrodynamics electric and magnetic fields are mainly expressed in terms of integrals over charge and current distributions, relativistic transformations are traditionally applied to point charges and elementary currents. The purpose of this paper is to show that relativistic transformations can be easily applied to electromagnetic integrals and that relativistic transformation of such integrals constitutes a valuable method for solving a variety of electromagnetic problems involving moving electromagnetic system. Six illustrative examples on relativistic transformation of electromagnetic integrals, including transformation of Maxwell's equations in their integral form, are presented in this paper.
A Place for the Muslim Minority of D.R. Congo in Democratic Elections

What role can historically marginalized groups play in post-conflict elections? This paper addresses this question using the Muslim minority of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a group that experienced intense repression and marginalization during the colonial period, resulting in detachment from politics that carried over to the post-independence period. In the recent post-conflict period, however, Muslims have become increasingly active, as evidenced by the proliferation of Islamic associations involved in spiritual and development realms. Members of the Muslim community have for the first time expressed interest in participation in democratic institutions. Yet for historical reasons, few Muslims hold significant political or leadership positions in the DRC. They are underrepresented at all levels of the government. Thus after the 2006 elections, only four Muslims sat in the 500-person National Assembly, with three in the 120-member Senate. Even in Maniema, where most Muslims live, there are no Muslims in the Provincial Assembly. Based on ethnographic research, I present a history of the Muslim community’s marginalization, and their recent attempts to overcome this through electoral victories in the second democratic elections of 2011-13. The implications of this case for expanding other historically marginalized groups’ electoral power across Africa are addressed.
Conserved tyrosine-147 plays a critical role in the ligand-gated current of the epithelial cation/amino acid transporter/channel CAATCH1.

SUMMARY CAATCH1 functions both as an amino-acid-gated cation channel and as a cation-dependent, proline-preferring, nutrient amino acid transporter in which the two functions are thermodynamically uncoupled. This study focuses on the ionic channel aspect, in which a Tyr 147 (wild type) to Phe 147 (Y147F) site-directed mutation was investigated by steady-state electrophysiological measurements in the Xenopus laevis oocyte expression system. This tyrosine residue is conserved within the third transmembrane domain in members of the Na + :neurotransmitter transporter family (SNF), where it plays a role in binding pharmacological ligands such as cocaine to the serotonin (SERT), dopamine (DAT) and norepinephrine (NET) transporters. Epithelial CAATCH1 is a member of the SNF family. The results show that amino acid ligand-gating selectivity and current magnitudes in Na + - and K + -containing media are differentially altered in CAATCH1 Y147F compared with the wild type. In the absence of amino acid ligands, the channel conductance of Na + , K + and Li + that is observed in the wild type was reduced to virtually zero in Y147F. In the wild type, proline binding increased conductance strongly in Na + -containing medium and moderately in K + -containing medium, whereas in Y147F proline failed to elicit any cation currents beyond those of N -methyl-D-glucamine- or water-injected oocytes. In the wild type, methionine binding strongly inhibited inward Na + currents, whereas in Y147F it strongly stimulated inward currents in both Na + and K + -containing media. Indeed, in Na + -containing medium, the relative potency ranking for inward current inhibition in the wild type (Met>Leu>Gly>Phe>Thr) was similar to the ranking of ligand-permissive gating of large inward currents in Y147F. In Na + -containing medium, current/voltage relationships elicited by ligands in the wild type were complex and reversing, whereas in Y147F they were linear and inwardly rectifying. In K + -containing medium, current/voltage relationships remained non-linear in Y147F. Both wild-type and Y147F currents were Cl - -independent. Together, these data demonstrate a critical role for Tyr 147 in ligand-binding selectivity and modulation of the ionic channel conductance in CAATCH1. The results support the argument that inhibition of the CAATCH1 conductance by free methionine shares some properties in common with ligand inhibition of DAT, SERT, NET and the γ-aminobutyric acid transporter (GAT1).
Imaging extreme ultraviolet photons and energetic neutral atoms: A common approach

Abstract New techniques for studying the dynamics of Earth's plasmasphere and magnetosphere from space are at hand. Global images of these regions can be obtained by remote sensors which detect two types of emissions: extreme ultraviolet (EUV) photons and energetic neutral atoms (ENA). Efficient imagers for EUV and ENA share several important features, including a wide field of view, high throughput, the absence of transmitting optics, appropriate time and spatial resolution, and similar detectors. We have built and tested prototypes of imagers whose designs recognize these common requirements. Coded apertures replace lenses to provide the needed spatial resolution. A special class of aperture designs permits artifact‐free reconstruction (limited only by noise) of any source region within the field of view, even if the source overfills the field of view. These designs also provide signal to noise ratios superior to those of a single‐aperture imager in most applications contemplated here. We have evaluated...
The cytotoxic and mutagenic effects of 5-bromodeoxyuridine-plus-black-light treatment in cultured mammalian cells.

Abstract The cytotoxic and mutagenic effects of the incorporation of 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU)_followed by exposure to black light were investigated with Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells in cell culture. Mutation induction at the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (hgprt) locus was determined by selection for 6-thioguanine resistant (TG r ) mutants (CHO/HGPRT system). BrdU alone has been shown to be mutagenic only at concentrations of 50 μM or greater. This study was performed in an effort to determine whether BrdU is actually incorporated into the hgprt gene when lower, nonmutagenic concentrations are employed. Neither BrdU (1–20 μM) nor exposure to black light alone was mutagenic, but the combined treatment did result in the induction of TG r mutants. The mutant frequency increased with increasing light exposure at constant BrdU and with inreasing BrdU at constant light exposure. These results show that BrdU is incorporated into the hgprt gene, but that this does not result in mutation induction in the absence of light exposure. Such a BrdU-plus-light procedure might be applied to studies of DNA repair at this locus, since mutation induction requires both BrdU incorporation and subsequent exposure to black light.
Applications of 3D finite element modeling to the study of ventricular physiology

A 3D, nonlinear finite element (FE) model of the diastolic canine heart was constructed from multislice magnetic resonance images (MRI). The model was solved using the p-version of the FE method to predict stress and deformation in diastole. Finite element models were employed in an 'inverse' problem to estimate the nonlinear material properties of intact diastolic myocardium. Additionally, FE models were employed to examine the effects of RV pressure overload on LV pressure-volume (P- V) relationships in the pathologic heart. A 3D, nonlinear FE model had 1,704 degrees of freedom and 8 elements, it had a maximum principal stress value of 429,127 dynes/cm2 and a minimum principal stress of -344,599 dynes/cm2 at p equals 6. Average nonlinear material parameters estimated for 6 dogs were E equals 28,722 +/- 15,984 dynes/cm2 and c equals 0.00182 +/- 0.00232 cm2/dyne. Examination of the effects of RV pressure increase on LV P-V relationships indicated substantially different effects of RV pressure overload on the different pathologic conditions (p < 0.005 by ANOVA) with increasing RV pressure having a more pronounced effect on the dilated heart than the hypertrophied heart. When the mechanical effects of the pericardium were included in the model, at higher RV pressures, all of the pressure-volume (P-V) curves became similar indicating that at higher RV pressures, the P-V curves were independent of ventricular shape and material properties and depended only on the RV pressure. In conclusion, FE models of the heart were constructed from MRI images of the heart and were employed to study diastolic ventricular function in the normal and pathologic heart.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Age, growth and size interact with stress to determine life span and mortality

Individuals in a large experimental field population, of the short-lived perennial species Plantago lanceolata, were followed to determine the sources of variation that influence mortality and life span. The design included multiple age groups with initially similar genetic structure, which made it possible to separate age effects from period effects and to identify the genetic component to variation in life span. During a period of stress, individuals of all ages showed parallel increases in mortality but different cohorts experienced this period of high mortality at different ages. This then influenced the distribution of life spans across cohorts. Age and size-age interactions influenced mortality during the period of stress. Smaller individuals died but only if they were old. Additionally, growth and age interacted with stress such that older individuals had negative growth and high mortality whereas younger individuals had positive growth and relatively lower mortality during stress. The results of this study show that it is not simply the environment that can have a major impact on demography in natural populations; rather, age, size and growth can interact with the environment to influence mortality and life span when the environment is stressful.
Effect of Axial Force on Dynamic Fracture of a Beam or Plate in Pure Bending

The dynamic fracture response of a long beam of brittle elastic material subjected to pure bending is studied. If the magnitude of the applied bending moment is increased to a critical value, a crack will propagate from the tensile side of the beam. As an extension of previous work, a dynamically induced axial force which is generated during the fracture process is included in the analysis. Thus an improved formulation is presented by means of which the crack length, crack tip velocity, bending moment, and axial force at the fracturing section are determined as functions of time after crack initiation. It is found that the effect of the axial force becomes significant after the crack travels about one third of the beam thickness, and better agreement with experimental data is achieved. The results also apply for plane strain fracture of a plate in pure bending provided that the value of the elastic modulus is appropriately modified. /Author
Reading and listening to oral‐based versus literate‐based discourse

Previous research has rarely examined listening/reading differences in conjunction with conceptually relevant discourse variation. In the present study, college students either listened to or read ghostwritten speeches or magazine articles. Participants also completed tests of listening ability, reading ability, prior knowledge, and amount of invested mental effort. Consistent with listenability theory, results indicated that listeners and readers alike best comprehended oral‐based discourse. Reading was superior for acquiring information, though it required greater investment of mental effort.
Individual Distance in the Hermit Crabs Clibanarius Tricolor and Clibanarius Antillensis

The distances at which individual hermit crabs (Clibanarius tricolor and C. antillensis) showed agonistic behavior patterns was recorded after the animals had been held at one of two densities for a week. 1) Behavior patterns differed significantly in the average distance of separation when they were executed. 2) For almost all patterns, there was considerable variability in the distances at which they were shown. 3) Part of this variance in distances was due to the behavior of the other crab. 4) Density treatment affected the distances at which behavior patterns were shown, the crabs held at the lower density having greater distances. Apparently as a result, lower density crabs lost more interactions. 5) The distances at which behavior patterns were shown were not correlated with either absolute or relative size of the acting crab. 6) Comparison of distances in intraspecific and interspecific interactions indicated very similar behavior in the two species, except that C. antillensis was not as clearly affected by the density treatment.
Olenid-dominated trilobite fauna from the Shallow Bay Formation (Cow Head Group), Cambrian–Ordovician boundary interval, western Newfoundland

A single boulder (PH 8.14), recovered from unit 8 on the Point of Head, Cow Head Peninsula, Shallow Bay Formation (Cow Head Group), contains a unique olenid-dominated trilobite fauna composed of the following taxa: Boeckaspis geordii n. sp., Leiobienvillia terranovica (Rasetti, 1954), hystricurid n. gen. n. sp., Tulepyge sp. A, Tulepyge sp. B, Tulepyge? sp. C, and Symphysurina sp. The pelturine trilobite B. geordii dominates the assemblage. Boulder PH 8.14 consists of light grey-brown packstone to grainstone. This is atypical for olenid-dominated faunas, which usually occur in dark laminated limestones and shales. The fauna is likely earliest Ordovician in age, but a latest Cambrian age cannot be entirely ruled out. Regardless, this assemblage is unique in that it is the only known olenid-dominated fauna from Cambrian–Ordovician boundary sediments in Laurentia. A phylogenetic analysis of Boeckaspis and other putatively closely related taxa (Westergaardia Raymond, 1924 and Jujuyaspis Kobayashi, 1936) was ...
Total thyroidectomy for occult familial medullary carcinoma of the thyroid in children

Experience with 17 children in one kindred with familial medullary carcinoma of the thyroid and pheochromocytoma has demonstrated the utility and validity of periodic provocative testing by calcium infusion or pentagastrin injection in the identification of children with early medullary carcinoma of the thyroid or its premalignant precursor, C-cell hyperplasia. In these 17 patients with two consecutive elevations of calcitonin levels greater than 0.55 ng/ml after stimulation all but one have had MTC or CCH at operation. Total thyroidectomy has been well tolerated and can be performed with an acceptably low incidence of complications in this group of patients.
A note on packing random intervals with varying density

Abstract It is known that given N random subintervals of [0, 1], one can find a disjoint subcollection that covers all of [0, 1] except a set of length about ( log N) 2 N . We investigate what happens when the distribution of the intervals is biased to favor shorter intervals or intervals close to the endpoints of [0, 1]. Quite surprizingly, the order ( log N) 2 N is very robust.
A polynomial time dual algorithm for the Euclidean multifacility location problem

The Euclidean multi-facility location (EMFL) problem is one of locating new facilities in the Euclidean space with respect to existing facilities. The problem consists of finding locations of new facilities which will minimize a total cost function which consists of a sum of costs directly proportional to the Euclidean distances between the new facilities, and costs directly proportional to the Euclidean distances between new and existing facilities. In this paper, it is shown that the dual of EMFL proposed by Francis and Cabot is equivalent to the maximization of a linear function subject to convex quadratic inequality constraints and therefore can be solved in polynomial time by interior point methods. We also establish a theorem on the duality gap and present a procedure for recovering the primal solution from an interior dual feasible solution.
The thermodynamic driving force in mutual diffusion of hard spheres

Abstract The derivation of mutual translational diffusion coefficients from irreversible thermodynamics is shown to be ambiguous. The rather different results of Batchelor on the one hand and Berne and Pecora on the other follow from fundamentally different assumptions regarding the thermodynamic driving force that exactly balances the actual hydrodynamic friction force on the solute. The thermodynamic driving force of Batchelor ( V μ 2 ) T , p /(1 - φ 2 ), which was obtained by a generalization of Einstein's argument, is favored by recent experimental data on a model hard sphere system. It is argued that the driving force in N -particle statistical thermodynamic theories should likewise contain a factor of (1 - φ 2 ) −1 , which has not previously been applied. Incorporation of such a factor would exactly cancel the backflow correction factor (1 - φ 2 ) suggested by Phillies (to maintain zero volume flux). Thus, the completely uncorrected N -particle theories should converge to Batchelor's result with increasingly accurate treatment of the hydrodynamic interactions, as is found to be the case, due to cancelling errors of omission. The constraint of zero velocity of approach at contact, which is predicted to hold for a rigorous stick boundary condition for the solvent fluid on a smooth hard spherical solute surface, is not obeyed by the experimental model system, and would not be expected to hold for that particular surface in any case.
Oil-soluble contrast during hysterosalpingography in women with proven tubal patency

To determine if there are therapeutic advantages to oil-soluble contrast medium compared with water-soluble medium during hysterosalpingography.A randomized, controlled trial including 56 infertile patients undergoing hysterosalpingography was performed. After a hysterosalpingogram with water-soluble contrast demonstrated tubal patency, 30 patients were randomized to receive oil-soluble contrast medium (oil group) and 26 patients received no additional contrast medium (control group). The outcome was pregnancy and timing of pregnancy in relation to hysterosalpingography. There were 18 (64%) pregnancies in the oil group and 14 (56%) pregnancies in the control group. Mean time to achieve pregnancy was shorter in the oil group: 3.8 months in the oil group compared with 6.1 months in the control group (P =.06) There was a clinically meaningful improvement in pregnancy rates between the oil group and the control group at 1 month postprocedure (relative risk [RR] 2.1, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.6, 7.2). However, at 12 months postprocedure, the advantage was diminished. (RR 1.3, CI 0.8, 2.1)Eighteen months after hysterosalpingography, contrast does not appear to influence cumulative pregnancy rates; however, the addition of oil-soluble contrast medium to water-soluble contrast medium may have the potential to reduce the time to conception.
Immunosuppressant from Group A Streptococci

A cytoplasmic component of group A streptococci suppresses both 19S and 7S antibody responses of mice to sheep erythrocytes. Partial purification is achieved by differential centrifugation and gel filtration. When the direct and indirect hemolytic plaque techniques are used, a single injection of this group A material given before injection of erythrocytes produces more than 90-percent suppression of either primary or secondary immune response.
Protein kinase activity of purified rat liver glucocorticoid receptor.

Abstract Molybdate-stabilized nonactivated rat liver glucocorticoid receptor (GR) was purified to near homogeneity using a biospecific affinity adsorbent, Bio Gel A 0.5m and DEAE-Sephacel. The purified GR sedimented in the 9–10S region in 5–20% sucrose gradients containing 0.10M KCl and 20mM Na 2 MoO 4 . SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed a major single band with an apparent molecular weight of 90,000 ± 2,000. Affinity labeling of GR with [ 3 H]-dexamethasone mesylate showed association of the radioactivity with a peptide of 90,000 molecular weight. Purified receptor preparation was dialyzed to remove molybdate and was incubated with different protein substrates in the presence of 50μM [λ- 32 P]-ATP and divalent cations. Radioactive phosphate from [λ- 32 P]-ATP was seen to be incorporated into calf thymus histones, turkey gizzard myosin light chain kinase and rabbit skeletal muscle kinase in the presence of Mg 2+ and Ca 2+ ions. Addition of steroid ligand exogenously to the reaction mixture appeared to increase the extent of protein phosphorylation. No autophosphorylation of GR was evident under the above conditions. The data suggest that purified rat liver GR displays protein kinase activity.
Electrospinning of linear homopolymers of poly(methyl methacrylate): exploring relationships between fiber formation, viscosity, molecular weight and concentration in a good solvent

Abstract A series of seven linear homopolymers of poly(methylmethacrylate) ranging from 12,470 to 365,700 g/mol M w , were utilized to further explore scaling relationships between viscosity and concentration in a good solvent at 25 °C and to investigate the impact of these relationships on fiber formation during electrospinning. For each of the polymers investigated, chain dimensions (hydrodynamic radius and radius of gyration) were measured by dynamic light scattering to determine the critical chain overlap concentration, c * . The experimentally determined c * , was found to be in good agreement with the theoretically determined value that was calculated by the criteria c * ∼1/[ η ], where the intrinsic viscosity was estimated from the Mark–Houwink parameters, K and a (at 25 °C in dimethyl formamide) obtained from the literature. The plot of the zero shear viscosity vs. c / c * distinctly separated into different solution regimes, viz. dilute ( c / c * c / c * c / c * >3). The crossover between semidilute unentangled and semidilute entangled regimes in the present investigation occurred at c / c * ∼3, which, therefore, marked the onset of the critical chain entanglement concentration, c e , according to the procedure utilized by Colby and co-workers [Colby RH, Rubinstein M, Daoud M. J de Phys II 1994;4(8):1299–310. [52] ]. Electrospinning of all solutions was carried out at identical conditions to ascertain the effects of solution concentration, molecular weight, molecular weight distribution and viscosity on fiber formation and morphological features of the electrospun material. Only polymer droplets were observed to form from electrospinning of solutions in the dilute concentration regime due to insufficient chain overlap. As the concentration was increased, droplets and beaded fibers were observed in the semidilute unentangled regime; and beaded as well as uniform fibers were observed in the semidilute entangled regime. Uniform fiber formation was observed at c / c * ∼6 for all the narrow MWD polymers ( M w of 12,470–205,800 g/mol) but for the relatively broad MWD polymers ( M w of 34,070 and 95,800 g/mol), uniform fibers were not formed until higher concentrations, c / c * ∼10, were utilized. Dependence of fiber diameter on concentration and viscosity was also determined, viz. fiber dia∼( c / c * ) 3.1 and fiber dia ∼ η 0 0.71 respectively. These scaling relationships were in general agreement with that observed by Mckee et al. [McKee MG, Wilkes GL, Colby RH, Long TE. Macromolecules 2004;37(5):1760–67. [33] ].
The effect of sorbed penetrants on the aging of previously dilated glassy polymer powders. IV

Uniform, submicron-diameter polystyrene (PS) and poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) microspheres were dilated by preswelling with pure organic vapors followed by rapid removal of the preswelling penetrant by protracted evacuation of the preswelling chamber to a pressure of 10−3 mm Hg. Aging of the preswollen polymers was carried out both in vacuum and in the presence of various penetrants at sorbed concentrations typically less than 2 wt%. Inferences about relaxations of the polymers were based upon changes in concentrations of the penetrants within the microspheres, at a given temperature and penetrant activity, which result from aging in vacuum or in the presence of penetrant. The kinetics of the relaxations were monitored by probing the expanded glasses with relatively low concentrations of penetrants. In general, the continuous presence of these low concentrations of probe molecules either arrested or retarded the ensuing relaxation as compared with the aging that occurred in vacuum. A series of lower monohydric alcohols, lower n-alkanes, and some other similar penetrants were used as probes to test explicitly and systematically the effects of size and structure of the penetrant contacting the polymer during aging on the decay of excess sorption capacity of the preswollen glassy polymers. Decay of excess sorption in the presence of penetrant was evident only when molecularly small penetrants with interactive functional groups, alcohols for example, were sorbed into preswollen PMMA. This result suggested that the relaxation occurring in the presence of penetrant involved specific interactions between the penetrants and the carbonyl groups in the PMMA.
A general affinity chromatographic method for preparing monospecific antibody to mammalian serum haptoglobin.

Abstract A general affinity chromatographic method for preparation of monospecific antibody to serum haptoglobin of any species is described. Hemoglobin prepared from the species to be immunized is coupled to an organomercurial substituted agarose gel support (Affi-Gel 501). The immobilized hemoglobin binds haptoglobin with great affinity and allows removal of other serum proteins by extensive washing. The haptoglobin-hemoglobin complexes are then specifically eluted by buffers containing dithiothreitol or other thiols and are further purified by chromatography on concanavalin A-agarose and Sephacryl S-200 columns. The pure complexes are very effective immunogens. Potent monospecific antisera to rabbit and to human haptoglobin have been prepared. The potential usefulness of affinity chromatography support media with specifically cleavable ligand sites in studies of haptoglobin and in other biological studies is discussed.
An Ultrasonic Global Inspection Technique for an Offshore K-Joint

The catastrophic collapse of several offshore platforms has spurred the development of nondestructive inspection techniques for offshore structures. Presented here are the concepts of an ultrasonic global inspection technique. Also presented are the results of feasibility studies conducted on 1/19-, 1/10-, and 1/3-scale model K-joint models using this techique for early detection of damage. The technique takes advantage of the geometry of tubular joints to give global ultrasonic coverage of a joint while employing a similarity-coefficient-based algorithm for actual damage detection. The data from the scaled models indicate a correlation between the value of the similarity coefficient and the extent of induced damage. The results are encouraging for further development of the technique for field use.
Unwanted radiation produced by leakage neutrons from medical electron accelerators.

Monte Carlo calculations have been made to determine the energy delivered to a phantom by neutrons escaping from the head of a Varian Clinac 35 medical accelerator at an SSD of 1 m. The energy was sorted into two regions: inside and outside a volume defined by a circular beam of area 100 and 600 cm/sup 2/. For the two beam sizes, the energies outside the treatment volume were 12 and 8.7 g-rad (per photon rad) respectively. Room scattering increased these values by about 20%. These energies are smaller than those delivered by scattered photons by more than ten times.
Obstructive sleep apnea and cardiovascular disease: implications for clinical practice.

Obstructive sleep apnea is common, underdiagnosed, undertreated, and highly associated with cardiovascular risk. It is characterized by daytime sleepiness and disrupted sleep and is confirmed by overnight sleep studies (polysomnography). Treatment with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) improves sleep and daytime sleepiness, but its effects on cardiovascular risk, while promising, are still unclear.
Conductance equation of dilute mixed strong electrolytes. II. Hydrodynamic and osmotic terms in relaxation field

The hydrodynamic and osmotic terms in the relaxation field are computed up to order linear in concentration for a dilute solution of mixed strong electrolytes using the primitive model. The computation is based on the relative function μji computed in part earlier for the purely electrostatic interaction and in part in this work for the hydrodynamic interaction assuming the adequacy of the Fuoss velocity field. The results are compared with the earlier computations of Fuoss and Onsager, Murphy and Cohen, and Falkenhagen, Ebeling, and Kraeft. It is found that some terms of the new results are in agreement with the earlier computations and the other terms represent an improved computation.
Preservation of the density of the dopamine uptake complex in aging Fischer 344 rat brain.

Abstract —This study was performed to determine if there are selective regional or global changes in the density or pharmacology of the dopamine uptake complex (DAUC) in aged rodent. Fifteen regions of the Fischer 344 rat (aged 4, 12, and 24 months) central nervous system were analyzed for the density of the DAUC employing [ 3 H]GBR 12935 and in vitro quantitative autoradiography. Additionally, cocaine competitions were performed in the striatum of all of the animals. A 26-fold variation in the DAUC density was found in the regions sampled. However, no significant age-related changes were identified. Intrastriatal analysis of the DAUC density revealed binding heterogeneities; decreasing lateral to medial and decreasing dorsal to ventral gradients. No significant effect of aging on striatal gradients was observed. The proportion of high and low affinity sites for cocaine was unchanged in the three age groups. Taken together, these findings suggest a stability of this dopamine presynaptic marker in aging rat central nervous system.
Cavity ringdown spectroscopy of the A - X electronic transition of the CH3C(O)O2 radical

Cavity ringdown spectra of the near-IR A2A‘ − X2A‘ ‘ electronic transition of the acetyl peroxy radical and its perdeutero analogue are reported. The electronic origin for the CH3C(O)O2 is observe...
Factors Affecting the Price of Fresh First Eggs at New York, 1919–1928

Abstract Economic research, especially that applying to the behavior of prices, attempts to answer the question ‘how’ by first answering the question ‘why.’ If we can accurately determine why prices behaved as they did in the past, we stand a good chance of being able to determine how they will behave in the future as soon as information regarding price determining factors is available. The recent more general use of multiple correlation methods facilitated by improvements in mechanical calculators has resulted in an intensified interest in the subject of price forecasting. The very fact that interest has increased greatly and the fact that there is a peculiar fascination about combining a mass of figures in a standard formula and deriving an answer, which is apparently a measure of relationship, may lead to false conclusions. It should be kept constantly in mind that only those factors should be used between which good . . .
Progestin implants can rescue demi-embryo pregnancies in goats: A case study

Abstract Survival after transfer of demi-embryos (i.e., half-embryos produced by embryo splitting) to recipients usually is lower than survival after transfer of intact embryos. Reduced survival after demi-embryo transfer could be due to loss of viability after splitting, failure of a viable demi-embryo to prevent corpus luteum (CL) regression in the recipient female, or a combination of factors. From a retrospective analysis of pregnancy and embryo survival rates after demi-embryo transfer in sheep and goats, we report the rescue of caprine demi-embryo pregnancies in which CL regression occurred at the end of diestrus despite the presence of a viable conceptus in the uterus with progestin implants. Day 5 or 6 morulae and blastocysts were flushed from superovulated ewes and does and split into demi-embryos of approximately equal halves. Demi-embryos were either transferred fresh to synchronized recipients of the homologous species or frozen in liquid nitrogen. Approximately half of the recipient does and ewes were treated with norgestomet implants on Day 10 of the embryo transfer cycle and again 2 wk later. Serum collected on Day 25 from recipients with implants was assayed for progesterone to determine if a CL of pregnancy had been maintained. Pregnancy was diagnosed by ultrasonography on Day 35 of gestation. Corpus luteum regression occurred despite the presence of a viable conceptus in the uterus in 6 of 55 progestin-treated caprine demi-embryo recipients and in 0 of 66 ovine demi-embryo recipients. Five of the caprine pregnancies were maintained to term with norgestomet implants and produced 5 live kids. The sixth fetus, which was carried by a progestin implant-treated 8-mo-old dueling, died at approximately 50 d of gestation. These results suggest that, at least in goats, some demi-embryos may provide inadequate signaling for maternal recognition of pregnancy, and such pregnancies can be rescued with progestin treatment to the doe.
Liver Transplantation for Alagille's Syndrome

• Twenty-three children with Alagille's syndrome and end-stage liver disease underwent liver transplantation with cyclosporine and low-dose steroid immunosuppression. Two to 9 years (mean, 4.4 years) after surgery, 13 (57%) of the children were still alive, with normal liver function. Three of the fatalities were due to cardiovascular failure secondary to associated cardiopulmonary disease. Mortality was higher among patients who had more severe cardiac disease and patients who had previously undergone a Kasai procedure. Although it has a higher than average risk, liver transplantation can be efficacious in patients with Alagille's syndrome and end-stage liver disease. ( Arch Surg. 1993;128:337-339)
The geometric similarity of the laminar sections of boundary layer-type flows

Abstract Experimental observations of the shape of the laminar and transition sections of a confined coaxial jet show that the laminar length (L) is always approximately ten times greater than the wavelength of the first sinusoidal deformation of the flow (λ). This discovery coincides with the L∼ 10 λ proportionality noted in an earlier study of the laminar sections of air plumes rising above concentrated heat sources. A search of the literature shows that the L∼ 10 λ proportionality characterizes other boundary layer-type flows, for example the flow over a flat plate and the plane mixing layer. Using the confined jet and the round plume as examples, it is shown also that the L∼ 10 λ proportionality can be derived theoretically.
Use of Functional Aerobic Capacity Based on Stress Testing to Predict Outcomes in Normal, Overweight, and Obese Patients

Abstract Objective To determine the poorly studied relationship between functional aerobic capacity (FAC) as measured by treadmill stress testing and mortality in normal, overweight, and obese patients. Patients and Methods Patients were identified retrospectively from the stress testing database at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. We selected 5328 male nonsmokers (mean ± SD age, 51.8±11.5 years) without baseline cardiovascular disease who were referred for treadmill exercise testing between January 1, 1986, and December 31, 1991, and classified them by body mass index (BMI) into normal-weight (18.5-24.9 kg/m 2 ), overweight (25.0-29.9 kg/m 2 ), and obese (≥30 kg/m 2 ) categories. Functional aerobic capacity was assessed by maximal exercise test results based on age- and sex-specific metabolic equivalents, and patients were stratified into fitness quintiles. Cox proportional hazards analysis was used to determine the relationship of all-cause mortality to fitness in each BMI category. Results There were 322 deaths during 14 years of follow-up. After adjustment for age and exercise confounders, FAC predicted mortality in the 3 BMI groups. Hazard ratios for FAC less than 80% of predicted vs a reference group with normal BMI and fitness (FAC ≥100%) were 1.754 (95% CI, 0.874-3.522), 1.962 (1.356-2.837), and 1.518 (1.056-2.182) for the normal, overweight, and obese groups, respectively. The CIs of the hazard ratios overlapped with no statistically significant differences ( P >.05). Conclusion A significant increase in mortality occurs with FAC below 80% of predicted for overweight and obese subjects and below 70% for normal weight subjects. Our results suggest that clinicians need not adjust the standard for low fitness in obese patients.
Reduction of testosterone availability to 5α-reductase by human sex hormone-binding globulin in the rat ventral prostate gland in vivo

The present studies assess the effects of human sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) on the conversion of [3H]testosterone (T) into dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in rat ventral prostate gland in vivo using a constant aortic infusion technique. The DHT/T ratio was determined using two-dimensional thin-layer chromatography (TLC), and these results were confirmed with reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. The prostatic gland DHT/T ratio was 2.1 * 0.4, 1.3 2 0.2, 0.24 * 0.02, or 1.1 t 0.2, following a 60 sec aortic perfusion of [3H]testosterone dissolved in either Krebs-Henselite buffer (KHB), 5 g/dl human serum albumin (HSA), human pregnancy serum (HPS), or heat inactivated HPS, respectively. Heat inactivation (60°C, 60 min) selectively denatured SHBG in HPS. The distribution of [3H]testosterone in rat ventral prostate was examined with thaw-mount light in microscopic autoradiography. Following an aortic perfusion of [3H]testosterone in buffer alone, the radiolabeled steroid was uniformly distributed among the epithelial and stromal compartments. However, the ['Hlsteroid hormone was selectively sequestered in the stroma1 compartment following aortic perfusion of HPS. In conclusion, these studies demonstrate that human SHBG markedly restricts the availability of circulating testosterone to 5a-reductase in the prostate gland in vivo and that the presence of SHBG in serum causes the selective sequestration of the steroid hormone within the stromal compartment of the gland in vivo.
The line index and minimum cut of weighted graphs

In this paper we discuss the line index and the minimum capacity, sum of the weights in a minimum cut, of weighted graphs, relationships between the line index and the minimum capacity, between the two kinds of minimum capacities, and between graphs with only negative weights and graphs with both positive weights and negative weights. We provide linear algorithms for both the line index and the minimum capacity of series-parallel graphs. We discuss simplifications in computing the line index and the minimum capacity of weighted graphs. We show that the generalization of algorithm of Orlova and Dorfman, and Hadlock to mixed graphs is just one step. We also discuss the k-approximation of the minimum capacity.