cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Portfolio Return Metric: Equal Weights Versus Value Weights

Whereas the existing literature focuses on the relation between weighting schemes and abnormal portfolio return metrics, this study extends the literature and investigates the relation between weighting schemes and raw portfolio return metrics. We show that the equal-weight portfolio return metric systematically yields higher estimates of portfolio returns for event samples than the value-weight portfolio return metric. We also demonstrate that value-weight portfolio return metric can be a biased estimator of the counterpart of the population. These results imply that the commonly used testing procedure based on the matching portfolio method and the Fama-French three factor regression can produce misleading inferences. Several remedies are proposed in this study.
A Simulation Study of Categorizing Continuous Exposure Variables Measured with Error in Autism Research: Small Changes with Large Effects

Variation in the odds ratio (OR) resulting from selection of cutoffs for categorizing continuous variables is rarely discussed. We present results for the effect of varying cutoffs used to categorize a mismeasured exposure in a simulated population in the context of autism spectrum disorders research. Simulated cohorts were created with three distinct exposure-outcome curves and three measurement error variances for the exposure. ORs were calculated using logistic regression for 61 cutoffs (mean ± 3 standard deviations) used to dichotomize the observed exposure. ORs were calculated for five categories with a wide range for the cutoffs. For each scenario and cutoff, the OR, sensitivity, and specificity were calculated. The three exposure-outcome relationships had distinctly shaped OR (versus cutoff) curves, but increasing measurement error obscured the shape. At extreme cutoffs, there was non-monotonic oscillation in the ORs that cannot be attributed to “small numbers.” Exposure misclassification following categorization of the mismeasured exposure was differential, as predicted by theory. Sensitivity was higher among cases and specificity among controls. Cutoffs chosen for categorizing continuous variables can have profound effects on study results. When measurement error is not too great, the shape of the OR curve may provide insight into the true shape of the exposure-disease relationship.
An experimental study of satisfiability search heuristics

Interest in propositional satisfiability (SAT) has been on the rise lately, spurred in part by the recent availability of powerful solvers that are sufficiently efficient and robust to deal with the large-scale SAT problems that typically arise in electronic design automation application. A frequent question that CAD tool developers and users typically ask is which of these various solvers is "best"; the quick answer is, of course, "it depends". In this paper we attempt to gain some insight into, rather than definitively answer, this question.
Apparent serotonergic modulation of the dose-dependent biphasic response of neostriatal neurons produced by d-amphetamine

Summary Previous reports indicate that amphetamine produces a dose-dependent shift in the firing rate of neurons in the anterior neostriatum that parallels the shift in behavior from locomotion to focused stereotypy. To determine if para -chlorophenylalanine (PCPA), which alters the pattern of the behavioral response to amphetamine, also changes the pattern of the neuronal response to the drug, a dose-response analysis was performed on amphetamine-induced changes in unit activity in the anterior neostriatum of rats pretreated 48 h previously with 300 mg/kg PCPA or vehicle. An intraperitoneal injection of 1.0 mg/kg d -amphetamine, which inhibited neostriatal activity in vehicle controls, produced in PCPA-pretreated animals a prolonged excitation. In contrast, the pronounced increase in firing rate produced by 7.5 mg/kg d -amphetamine in control rats was significantly reduced following PCPA pretreatment. Liquid chromatograhy with electrochemical detection revealed that compared to controls, PCPA produced a significant reduction of serotonin, but not dopamine or norepinephrine, in the telencephalon. The differential effects of PCPA on the action of low and high doses of d -amphetamine in the anterior neostriatum may explain the differential influence of serotonergic systems on amphetamine-induced locomotion and stereotypy.
Constructing sorting networks from k-sorters

We study the problem of using sorters of k values to form large sorting and merging networks. For n an integral power of k, we show how to merge k sorted vectors of length nk each using 4logkn-3 layers of k-sorters and 4logk n-5 layers of k-input binary mergers. As a result, we show how to sort n values using 2log2kn-logkn layers of k-sorters and 2log2kn-3logkn+1 layers of k-input binary mergers.
EFFECTS OF LIGHT INTENSITY AND TEMPERATURE ON CRYPTOMONAS OVATA (CRYPTOPHYCEAE) GROWTH AND NUTRIENT UPTAKE RATES1

Specific growth rate of Cryptomonas ovata var. palustris Pringsheim was measured in batch culture at 14 light-temperature combinations. Both the maximum growth rate (μm) and optimum light intensity (Iopt) fit an empirical function that increases exponentially with temperature up to an optimum (Topt), then declines rapidly as temperature exceeds Topt. Incorporation of these functions into Steele's growth equation gives a good estimate of specific growth rate over a wide range of temperature and light intensity. Rates of phosphate, ammonium and nitrate uptake were measured separately at 16 combinations of irradiance and temperature and following a spike addition of all starved cells initially took up nutrient at a rapid rate. This transitory surge was followed by a period of steady, substrate-saturated uptake that persisted until external nutrient concentration fell. Substrate-saturated NO3−-uptake proceeded at very slow rates in the dark and was stimulated by both increased temperature and irradiance; NH4+-uptake apparently proceeded at a basal rate at 8 and l4 C and was also stimulated by increased temperature and irradiance. Rates of NH4−-uptake were much higher than NO3−-uptake at all light-temperature combinations. Below 20 C, PO4−3-uptake was more rapid in dark than in light, but was light enhanced at 26 C.
investment, not ‘aid’, is the key to development

How can poor countries get rich? David Osterfeld, of the Heritage Foundation Washington DC, argues that multi-national companies and foreign investment hold the key to economic development and escape from poverty.
Change in the Transmissivity Parameter with Atmospheric Path Length

Abstract Calculations and measurements show that the transmissivity parameter t is an increasing function of the optical air mass m. An equation for estimating t for several model atmospheres is presented, and the direct beam flux calculated with the estimates is compared with that obtained using a constant value of t. The equation gives significantly better results for hourly or instantaneous values, and for daily totals on some surfaces.
Safer ski jump landing surface design limits normal impact velocity.

Skiing and snowboarding have become more acrobatic with terrain park jumps and other manmade features playing a prominent role in an increase in serious spinal cord injuries. Yet these jumps rarely, if ever, involve formal or detailed design or engineering. This paper presents a coherent theory and methodology for the design of ski jump landing surfaces. The motion of the skier center of mass is modeled. Although jumpers may land in many configurations, we assume that the probability of severe landing injury is correlated with the component of skier velocity perpendicular (normal) to the landing surface v⊥ or, more understandably, with the corresponding equivalent fall height (EFH). The requirement that v⊥ and EFH be small is satisfied by making the landing surface nearly parallel to the skier flight path at landing. Safer landing surfaces that limit EFH to a given value are shown to satisfy a first order ordinary differential equation (ODE). Having chosen an EFH deemed safe enough by the designer, integration of this ODE provides members of an infinite family of landing surfaces that limit the EFH to the desired value, for any jumper in-run velocity. Using the takeoff ramp angle as another design variable, one can choose a member of this family to fit on almost any available jump site. The formulation incorporates the fact that skiers can slightly modify velocity direction and magnitude at takeoff by jumping and is valid for any landing body configuration. Such landing surfaces can still yield exhilarating flight experiences with relatively large flight times and air height above the surface, but without the danger posed by jumps created in an ad hoc manner, which can expose the skier to much larger unsafe equivalent fall heights.
Team-based resident handoff improves identification of patient complications

Introduction Transfers in care to night float services demand teamwork and effective handoff communication. We studied the results of changing from a resident-to-resident checkout (individual handoff) to a team based system (team handoff). Methods We standardized a team-based patient handoff process, led by chief and senior residents, at designated times weekday mornings and evenings. Residents identified "problem patients" as patients likely to have a clinically significant event overnight. Over three months all nighttime complications were summarized into three groups: (a) predicted problems in "problem patients," (b) unpredicted problems in "problem patients," and (c) problems occurring in patients not identified as problematic. Results were compared to those in a previous three month period using an individual handoff system. Results Nearly 5,000 patients were signed out: 99 complications screened during the individual handoff system, and 190 after implementation of team handoffs. Team and individual handoff systems predicted complications at similar rates, 44% (84/190) vs. 42% (42/99), respectively. Identifying patients at risk for complications improved under team handoffs, with 84% (160/190) of complications occurring in identified "problem patients" compared with 63% (62/99) under the individual handoff system. Of major events (those requiring surgical, endoscopic, or interventional radiologic intervention, life threatening events requiring ICU level care, or death of the patient) 88% (38/43) occurred in identified "problem patients" during team handoffs, vs. 54% (19/35) with individual handoffs. Conclusions Transfers of care requires critical review to assure accurate communication of essential information and to alert on-call residents of problem patients and potential complications.
Water-Energy Linkages in Nebraska

Nebraska is well endowed with water, particularly groundwater, but has few fossil fuel reserves. However, it is located adjacent to states which have almost no water but have enormous quantities of coal and oil shale. Recent court cases facilitate the movement of water from water-rich states such as Nebraska to water-short states, such as Colorado and Wyoming. The possibility of an energy-water partnership exists and raise numerous policy questions. Within Nebraska, energy consumption patterns are similar to those of the nation's, with consumption of electricity in the agricultural sector growing fastest. Water consumption in the state is dominated by agriculture, and future development of groundwater for irrigation is expected to be intense. Although water and energy are both factors of economic production, an equivalent amount of water consumption provides more jobs in the energy industries than in agriculture. Water and energy are also interdependent. Each is required to produce the other and conservation of one will cause conservation of the other. If both agriculture and electricity are involved, such as in irrigation, the conservation effects are synergistic. Current water policy in Nebraska is biased toward agriculture relative to the energy industries and provides little incentive for water conservation. Given recent court cases and economic conditions, the advantages and disadvantages of the sale of water for export or the use of water with Wyoming coal for energy development need to be compared systematically with those of using water only for agriculture.
SPRAY DRYING ANTHOCYANIN CONCENTRATES FOR USE AS FOOD COLORANTS

Spray-dried powders from three anthocyanin sources were prepared as food colorants. The sources were cranberry press cake, Concord grape juice filter trim and Roselle calyces. The first two were extracted with 95% ethanol, 0.01% citric acid mixture and the third was a water extract prepared in Trinidad. All three were concentrated (10:1) in a vacuum pan and chilled prior to filtering. A carbohydrate carrier (Morrex 1918) was added to obtain a 30% total solids mixture and the product was spray dried. Air outlet temperatures of 90°C were suitable for production of anthocyanin concentrates of suitable bulk density with a minimum of anthocyanin degradation.
Performance Budgeting: The Perspective of State Agencies

Although performance-based budgeting requirements are pervasive, what remains a challenge is how to gain the support from all stakeholders in the budget process that are essential to the integration of performance information with budgeting. This study examines the perspective and role of state agencies on performance budgeting. The finding indicates that for agencies to conduct performance-informed budgeting, the focus needs to be on elevating managerial capacity to use performance information, and improving measurement quality. Moreover, it is crucial to recognize that performance budgeting is a collaborative process in which each participant plays a valuable role.
Remote Control of Tissue Interactions via Engineered Photo-switchable Cell Surfaces

We report a general cell surface molecular engineering strategy via liposome fusion delivery to create a dual photo-active and bio-orthogonal cell surface for remote controlled spatial and temporal manipulation of microtissue assembly and disassembly. Cell surface tailoring of chemoselective functional groups was achieved by a liposome fusion delivery method and quantified by flow cytometry and characterized by a new cell surface lipid pull down mass spectrometry strategy. Dynamic co-culture spheroid tissue assembly in solution and co-culture tissue multilayer assembly on materials was demonstrated by an intercellular photo-oxime ligation that could be remotely cleaved and disassembled on demand. Spatial and temporal control of microtissue structures containing multiple cell types was demonstrated by the generation of patterned multilayers for controlling stem cell differentiation. Remote control of cell interactions via cell surface engineering that allows for real-time manipulation of tissue dynamics may provide tools with the scope to answer fundamental questions of cell communication and initiate new biotechnologies ranging from imaging probes to drug delivery vehicles to regenerative medicine, inexpensive bioreactor technology and tissue engineering therapies.
Critical angles and grazing incidence: the breakdown of regular shock reflection in solids

The regular pattern for shock reflection in a nonlinear hyperelastic solid is a centered array of shocks and simple wave fans. As the angle of incidence approaches grazing incidence or a critical angle, the reflection pattern overtakes the incident wave until finally the regular pattern can no longer be sustained. By expanding the reflection solution in powers of amplitude about the linear reflection solution, it is possible to develop a procedure to solve the reflection problem for weak but finite shocks for any material symmetry. Explicit solutions can be exhibited for isotropic materials, including relationships between amplitude and limiting angle for various boundary conditions and incident waves. Some problems require consideration of a nonlinear boundary condition even in the first approximation. Typically, these cases lead to considerable amplification in the leading reflected wave.
Baier's test for practical rules re-examined

REFERENCES 1. A. N. Prior. "Indirect Speech Again," Philosophical Studies, this issue. 2. L. Jonathan Cohen. "Why Do Cretans Have to Say So Much?" Philosophical Studies, 12:72-78 (October 1961). 3. A. N. Prior. "Epimenides the Cretan," Journal of Symbolic Logic, 23:261-66 (1958). 4. L. Jonathan Cohen. "Can the Logic of Indirect Discourse Be Formalised?" Journal of Symbolic Logic, 22:225-32 (1957). 5. R. Carnap. Meaning and Necessity. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1947. Pp. 83ff. 6. L. Jonathan Cohen. The Diversity of Meaning. London: Methuen, 1962.
Migrant labour and the politics of scale: gendering the Philippine state

The purpose of this paper is to situate the study of international labour migration, and especially the policies of labour export, within a gendered geopolitical framework. In so doing I open avenues of inquiry into the complexities of political ideologies that guide state apparatuses. Specifically, I examine how the Philippine state negotiates and operates within contradictory capitalist spaces through discourses of scale. Spatial scales are politically and socially constructed to legitimise power relations and to justify particular policies and programmes. In its support of capital accumulation, the Philippine state tends to adopt a discourse of globalisation; when confronted with charges of migrant exploitation, the Philippine state couples a discourse of the global with a discourse of the body. This corporeal discourse attempts to deflect attention and criticism away from the state, thereby maintaining its political hegemony.
Analysis and simulation of a two-phase self-pumping water heater

The thermal performance of a two-accumulator self-pumping solar water heater is characterized in a daily simulation. The passive vapor transport system operates in cycles, alternating between run, pressurizing, and pump phases. Three isothermal closed-system thermodynamic models characterize the operational phases of the system. The applicable conservation of mass and energy equations of each model are combined in the numerical simulation. Instantaneous temperature and heat transfer rates, as well as integrated energy quantities and thermal efficiencies, are compared to experimental values. The qualitative behavior of the analytical model agrees with that of the physical system.
Spatial and temporal content-based access to hypervideo databases

Providing content-based video query, retrieval and browsing is the most important goal of a video database management system (VDBMS). Video data is unique not only in terms of its spatial and temporal characteristics, but also in the semantic associations manifested by the entities present in the video. This paper introduces a novel video data model called Logical Hypervideo Data Model. In addition to multilevel video abstractions, the model is capable of representing video entities that users are interested in (defined as hot objects) and their semantic associations with other logical video abstractions, including hot objects themselves. The semantic associations are modeled as video hyperlinks and video data with such property are called hypervideo. Video hyperlinks provide a flexible and effective way of browsing video data. Based on the proposed model, video queries can be specified with both temporal and spatial constraints, as well as with semantic descriptions of the video data. The characteristics of hot objects' spatial and temporal relations and efficient evaluation of them are also discussed. Some query examples are given to demonstrate the expressiveness of the video data model and query language. Finally, we describe a modular video database system architecture that our web-based prototype is based on.
Enhancement of intermittent androgen ablation by "off-cycle" maintenance with finasteride in LNCaP prostate cancer xenograft model.

BACKGROUND Intermittent androgen ablation (IAA) was developed with the intention of delaying progression of prostate cancer to androgen-independence and improving quality of life. Our previous studies suggest that relative to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), testosterone (T) is a weak inducer of proliferation and a more potent inducer of differentiation. We hypothesize that administration of finasteride (F), a type-II 5-α-reductase inhibitor that increases T and decreases DHT, during the IAA “off-cycle” would enhance the efficacy. METHODS After LNCaP tumor establishment, nude mice were castrated and randomized to continuous androgen ablation (CAA), continuous androgen ablation plus finasteride (CAA + F), intermittent androgen ablation (IAA), or intermittent androgen ablation plus finasteride (IAA + F). RESULTS After one cycle of therapy, mice treated with IAA + F had significantly less tumor growth than the other treatment groups (P = 0.002). Mice treated with IAA + F had the best survival (P = 0.048) and were 3–5 times more likely to be alive 70 days following treatment initiation. CONCLUSIONS IAA with finasteride provides the most favorable tumor growth kinetics and survival compared to both CAA and standard IAA. Prostate © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Occurrence and distribution in North Carolina waters of Lagenidium callinectes Couch, a fungal parasite of blue crab ova

Ovigerous blue crabs,Callinectes sapidus, collected from certain North Carolina waters during the periods June, 1, 1971, to August 1, 1971, and May 1, 1972, to August 1 1972, were examined for infection of the ova with the fungus,Lagenidium callinectes. During the period May 1, 1972, to August 1, 1972, the rate of infection was as high as 95% during the month of May, but declined steadily during June and July with no infected crabs being collected after July 19, 1972. Attempts to correlate infection rate with water temperature and salinity were inconclusive. Other crabs that had ova that were naturally infected withL. callinectes includedPanopeus herbstii andLibinia dubia. Ova ofMenippe mercenaria were susceptible to artificial infection in the laboratory.
Effect of dextran-coated charcoal on radioimmunoassays of unconjugated estriol in serum

Abstract Lipid interference in the radioimmunoassay of steroids can cause an apparent variation in post-prandial serum concentrations of unconjugated estriol. The effects of increased concentrations of dextran-coated charcoal (15–60 g/l) in the radioimmunoassay of estriol standards with and without triglycerides were studied. All concentrations of dextran-coated charcoal used in this study eliminated the previously observed effects of estriol-lipid partitioning. When we used similar concentrations of dextran-coated charcoal, we found that serum cortisol levels in pregnant women declined significantly during the day ( P
An Evaluation of the Relation Between Distress Tolerance and Posttraumatic Stress within a Trauma-Exposed Sample

The present investigation examined the incremental associations between distress tolerance, or the perceived capacity to tolerate emotional distress, and global posttraumatic stress symptom severity as well as symptom cluster severity, beyond the variance accounted for by number of trauma exposure types and negative affectivity. The sample consisted of 140 adults (72 women; Mage = 25.9, SD = 11.1) who endorsed exposure to traumatic life events, as defined by posttraumatic stress disorder diagnostic criterion A (American Psychiatric Association 2000). Participants did not meet diagnostic criteria for current axis I psychopathology. Distress tolerance demonstrated significant incremental associations with global posttraumatic stress symptom severity (p < .01) as well as re-experiencing (p < .05), avoidance (p = .05), and hyperarousal (p < .001) symptom cluster severity. Given the cross-sectional study design, causation cannot be inferred. Theoretical implications and future directions for better understanding associations between distress tolerance and posttraumatic stress are discussed.
Spontaneous macroscopic spin polarization in independent spinor Bose-Einstein condensates.

We present experimental evidence for the spontaneous formation of a macroscopic spin polarization in overlapping regions of two independent Bose-Einstein condensates produced in different hyperfine states of $^{87}\mathrm{R}\mathrm{b}$. The condensates are independent in the sense that we do not explicitly introduce a relative phase between them. A single ``spin-tip'' pulse maps the transverse spin polarization into longitudinal spin polarization, and the atomic density distributions are measured with a Stern-Gerlach imaging method. The resulting matter-wave interference patterns are anticorrelated.
Epilepsy and brain tumors: implications for treatment

Primary intraparenchymal tumors of the brain are important etiologic factors in partial or focal epilepsy. Indolent low-grade gliomas may be associated with a long-standing seizure disorder refractory to medical treatment. Surgical resection of the neoplasm and the epileptogenic area may render patients seizure-free. Removal of the tumor alone may also be associated with an excellent survival rate and surgical outcome. Conventional neurosurgical procedures are restricted in patients with tumors that are deep-seated lesions or involve functional cerebral cortex. Computer-assisted stereotactic surgical procedures have been developed for biopsy and resection of intra-axial brain-mass lesions. Stereotactic tumor resection may allow pathological determination of intracranial lesions and produce a worthwhile reduction in seizure activity in some patients with intractable partial epilepsy.
Blood Pressure Targets in CKD

With the release of the 2014 Guidelines for the Management of Hypertension in Adults, a significant amount of discussion has ensued around both the 9 major recommendations promulgated by the Panel and the nature of the evidence base used to formulate those recommendations. In this article, the author will review the data used to support the 2 recommendations made by the Panel that specifically addressed treatment goals (Recommendation 4) and desirable agents to use (Recommendation 8) in hypertensive patients with CKD. Most published recommendations are actually similar, and there is a general consensus that the blood pressure goal should be at least less than 140/90 mm Hg in CKD; some recommend a target of less than 130/80 mm Hg in patients with CKD who have significant proteinuria. This article represents the view of the author and should not be construed as Panel endorsement.
Outcomes assessed in trials of gout and accordance with OMERACT-proposed domains: a systematic literature review

Objective. The aim of this study was to systematically review outcome domains and measurement tools used in gout trials and their accordance with the preliminary OMERACT gout recommendations published in 2005. Methods. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-RCTs investigating any intervention for gout published up to February 2013 were included. Recruitment start dates and all measured outcomes were extracted. Risk of bias (RoB) was assessed with the Cochrane Collaboration tool. Numbers of OMERACT domains were compared for trials at low vs unclear/high RoB and for recruitment start date before 2005 or 2005 and later. Results. Of 9784 articles screened, 38 acute and 30 chronic gout trials were included. Mean (S.D.) number of OMERACT outcomes was 2.9 (1.1) (out of 5) and 2.5 (1.2) (out of 9) for acute and chronic gout trials, respectively. Health-related quality of life, participation and joint damage imaging were not assessed in any trial. Tools used to measure individual domains varied widely. There were no differences in the number of OMERACT outcomes reported in acute or chronic gout trials recruiting before 2005 vs 2005 or later [mean (S.D.): 3.0 (1.1) vs 3.5 (1.3), P = 0.859 and 2.7 (1.1) vs 2.8 (1.4), P = 0.960, respectively]. While both acute and chronic trials at low RoB reported more OMERACT domains than trials at unclear/high RoB, these differences were not significant. Industry-funded trials and trials performed by OMERACT investigators reported more OMERACT outcome domains.
Evidence for similar biochemical requirements for bioluminescence among the coelenterates.

We present evidence that the chemical requirements among all the bioluminescent coelenterates that have been examined are very similar or identical to those already described for Renilla by Cormier and associates. Components required for luminescence in Renilla were also found in a number of bioluminescent coelenterates examined such as Aequorea, Obelia, Cavernularia, Ptilosarcus, Stylatula, Acanthoptilum, Parazoanthus and Mnemiopsis. Depending on the organism these include one or more of the following: luciferyl sulfate, luciferase, and luciferin sulfokinase. These isolated components were found to be indistinguishable from those found in Renilla as evidenced by their reactivity in the Renilla bioluminescent system, by the spectral characteristics of the isolated luciferyl sulfates, by the molecular weights of the luciferases, and by the colors of the bioluminescence produced in vitro.
Efficiently Detecting Races in Cilk Programs That Use Reducer Hyperobjects

A multithreaded Cilk program that is ostensibly deterministic may nevertheless behave nondeterministically due to programming errors in the code. For a Cilk program that uses reducers, a general reduction mechanism supported in various Cilk dialects, such programming errors are especially challenging to debug, because the errors can expose the nondeterminism in how the Cilk runtime system manages a reducer. We identify two unique types of races that arise from incorrect use of reducers in a Cilk program and present two algorithms to catch them. The first algorithm, called the Peer-Set algorithm, detects view-read races, which occur when the program attempts to retrieve a value out of a reducer when the read may result a nondeterministic value, such as before all previously spawned subcomputations that might update the reducer have necessarily returned. The second algorithm, called the SP+ algorithm, detects determinacy races, instances where a write to memory location occurs logically in parallel with another access to that location, even when the raced-on memory locations relate to reducers. Both algorithms are provably correct, asymptotically efficient, and can be implemented efficiently in practice. We have implemented both algorithms in our prototype race detector, Rader. When running Peer-Set, Rader incurs a geometric-mean multiplicative overhead of 2.32 over running the benchmark without instrumentation. When running SP+, Rader incurs a geometric-mean multiplicative overhead of 16.76.
Mobilization of Cu and Zn in contaminated soil by nitrilotriacetic acid

Batch and upflow column leaching experiments were used to evaluate the nature and extent of Cu and Zn solubilization from contaminated soil by nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) in 0.025 M NaClO4. In batch soil suspensions, NTA levels of 10−5 to 10−3 M substantially promoted Cu and Zn release from the metal-enriched soil. The ability of NTA to enhance Cu and Zn solubility decreased with increasing solution acidity probably due to competitive binding of NTA by protons and Fe released by hydrous oxide dissolution. However, in the pH range typically encountered in northeastern U.S. soils, soluble metal levels were nearly constant for a given NTA concentration. Leaching soil columns with NTA solutions enhanced Cu release more than Zn, as the enrichment ratio (cumulative metal leached by NTA compared to the 0.025 M NaClO4 control leachate) after 85 pore volumes displacements was 23.6 and 4.3 for Cu and Zn, respectively. While Cu release by 0.01 M CaCl2 differed little from the control, 0.01 M CaCl2 was substantially more effective than 10−5 M NTA in displacing bound Zn. The data reflect different retention mechanisms for Cu and Zn in this soil.
Microstructure and wear resistance of low temperature hot pressed TiB2

Abstract Fine-grained TiB 2 compacts have been hot pressed to 98–99% theoretical density at 1400 °C. The compacts were consolidated from sub-micron powders prepared by a high-energy ball milling technique. Titanium diboride (TiB 2 ) powders were obtained from the milling of commercially synthesized TiB 2 and also from the mechanical alloying (MA) of Ti and B precursors. The formation of TiB 2 from Ti and B powders by mechanical alloying was found to reach completion after 3 h, and wear debris from steel mill vials and media introduced 0.8 to 1.5 wt% Fe in the sintered compacts. The dry erosion resistance of the highest density compacts was examined using an ASTM standard test with an abrasive jet of Al 2 O 3 impinging at a normal angle of incidence. Steady-state erosion rates of 0.5 mm 3 /kg of erodent compare favorably with the measured value of 9 mm 3 /kg for commercial, fine-grained WC–Co cermets under identical conditions. Microstructures, fracture surfaces, and erosion craters were also examined by electron microscopy.
Computer measurement of cardiac output by dye dilution: comparison of computer, Fick, and Dow techniques

Seventy-five indocyanine green dye curves were done in 27 patients, with Fick cardiac output determinations being carried out just before the dye curves. A digital computer was programmed to calculate dye cardiac output by the method of Hamilton, using four different segments of the washout portion of the curves to approximate an exponential and exclude recirculation. Comparison of computer determinations with those done manually revealed remarkably similar results for all four programmes with a standard deviation of the difference of approximately 6%. Considerations of ease of programming and economy of calculations, as well as accuracy of the results, have led to selection of two of the programmes as providing the most effective method of analysis. Computer Hamilton analysis and the Dow formula were compared with the Fick in the entire patient population and in those patients with reduced cardiac output. The Dow formula produced significantly more scatter than the Hamilton technique in both normal and low output states; there was no consistent underestimation of cardiac output by the dye method in low output states, nor when the distance between injection site and sampling site was maximized. Analysis of dye curves by digital computer provides a rapid and accurate method for multiple cardiac output determinations.
An Immersed Boundary Method for General Flow Applications

The development of a direct-forcing immersed-boundary method for general flow applications is outlined in this paper. A cell-classification procedure based on a signed distance to the nearest surface is used to separate the computational domain into cells outside the immersed object (‘field cells’), cells outside but adjacent to the immersed object (‘band cells’), and cells within the immersed object (‘interior cells’). Interpolation methods based on laminar / turbulent boundary layer theory are used to prescribe the flow properties within the ‘band cells’. The method utilizes a decomposition of the velocity field near embedded surfaces into normal and tangential components, with the latter handled using power-law interpolations to mimic the energizing effects of turbulent boundary layers. A procedure for directly embedding sequences of stereo-lithography files as immersed objects in the computational is described, as are extensions of the methodology to compressible, turbulent flows. Described applications include human motion, moving aerodynamic surfaces, and shock / boundary layer interaction flow control.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Structure, Activity, and Inhibition of the Carboxyltransferase β-Subunit of Acetyl Coenzyme A Carboxylase (AccD6) from Mycobacterium tuberculosis

In Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the carboxylation of acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA) to produce malonyl-CoA, a building block in long-chain fatty acid biosynthesis, is catalyzed by two enzymes working sequentially: a biotin carboxylase (AccA) and a carboxyltransferase (AccD). While the exact roles of the three different biotin carboxylases (AccA1 to -3) and the six carboxyltransferases (AccD1 to -6) in M. tuberculosis are still not clear, AccD6 in complex with AccA3 can synthesize malonyl-CoA from acetyl-CoA. A series of 10 herbicides that target plant acetyl-CoA carboxylases (ACC) were tested for inhibition of AccD6 and for whole-cell activity against M. tuberculosis. From the tested herbicides, haloxyfop, an arylophenoxypropionate, showed in vitro inhibition of M. tuberculosis AccD6, with a 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 21.4 ± 1 μM. Here, we report the crystal structures of M. tuberculosis AccD6 in the apo form (3.0 A) and in complex with haloxyfop-R (2.3 A). The structure of M. tuberculosis AccD6 in complex with haloxyfop-R shows two molecules of the inhibitor bound on each AccD6 subunit. These results indicate the potential for developing novel therapeutics for tuberculosis based on herbicides with low human toxicity.
Anatomic Landmarks Versus Fiducials for Volume-Staged Gamma Knife Radiosurgery for Large Arteriovenous Malformations

Purpose: The purpose of this investigation was to compare the accuracy of using internal anatomic landmarks instead of surgically implanted fiducials in the image registration process for volume-staged gamma knife (GK) radiosurgery for large arteriovenous malformations. Methods and Materials: We studied 9 patients who had undergone 10 staged GK sessions for large arteriovenous malformations. Each patient had fiducials surgically implanted in the outer table of the skull at the first GK treatment. These markers were imaged on orthogonal radiographs, which were scanned into the GK planning system. For the same patients, 8–10 pairs of internal landmarks were retrospectively identified on the three-dimensional time-of-flight magnetic resonance imaging studies that had been obtained for treatment. The coordinate transformation between the stereotactic frame space for subsequent treatment sessions was then determined by point matching, using four surgically embedded fiducials and then using four pairs of internal anatomic landmarks. In both cases, the transformation was ascertained by minimizing the chi-square difference between the actual and the transformed coordinates. Both transformations were then evaluated using the remaining four to six pairs of internal landmarks as the test points. Results: Averaged over all treatment sessions, the root mean square discrepancy between the coordinates of the transformed and actual test points was 1.2 ± 0.2 mm using internal landmarks and 1.7 ± 0.4 mm using the surgically implanted fiducials. Conclusion: The results of this study have shown that using internal landmarks to determine the coordinate transformation between subsequent magnetic resonance imaging scans for volume-staged GK arteriovenous malformation treatment sessions is as accurate as using surgically implanted fiducials and avoids an invasive procedure.
MICROPROBE STUDY OF DIAGENESIS IN CALCAREOUS ALGAE1

SUMMARY Initial results of investigation of the diagenesis of calcareous algae by electron microprobe are: 1 A few conceptacles and other cavities in Recent algae specimens are partly to completely filled with younger carbonate. In contrast to the surrounding skeleton of about 10–20% mol MgCO3-calcite, these deposits are either very low (0–2%) or very high (15–50%) in MgCO3 content. 2 Highest magnesian values in Recent algae studied are thought to be in high-Mg calcites rather than in any other phase, with very few possible exceptions. 3 Calcian dolomite replacing fossil algae in cores from Eniwetok Atoll commonly has Ca-rich lenses resembling exsolution laminae.
Hemodynamic vascular forces contribute to impaired endothelium-dependent vasodilation in reperfused canine epicardial coronary arteries.

Abstract Objectives. We studied canine coronary arterial vasoreactivity after occlusion and reperfusion to examine whether reduced flow or pressure contributed to the abnormalities observed. Background. Ischemia and reperfusion alter endothelial and myocardial function. Causative factors may include altered flow, complement activation or free radical production by endothelial or white blood cells after reoxygenation and neutrophil activation. Methods. The coronary arteries of anesthetized, open chest dogs were subjected to 90-min occlusion ±2 h of reperfusion. The effect of reperfusion on arterial responses to intracoronary acetylcholine, nitroprusside and phenylephrine was studied using in vivo ultrasound. Arterial segments were also harvested, perfused ex vivo with cell-free buffer and exposed to potassium chloride, nitroprusside, acetylcholine and bradykinin. The effect of ex vivo flow cessation with or without maintained intralumen pressure was also studied. Results. Results are expressed as mean value ± SEM. In vivo arterial cross-sectional area increased during infusion with acetylcholine (10−5mol/liter [18.5 ± 9%]) and nitroprusside (10−5mol/ liter [22.5 ± 10%]) and decreased with phenylephrine (10−5mol/liter [7.6 ± 7%]). After reperfusion, acetylcholine caused 13.5 ± 9% vasoconstriction. Nitroprusside and phenylephrine responses were unchanged. Reperfused arterial segments also showed impaired vasodilation in response to 10−6mol/liter of acetylcholine (10.6 ± 5.1% vs. 47.1 ± 4.9% in control vessels) and 10−3mol/liter of bradykinin (4.4 ± 6.7% vs. 27.9 ± 8% in control vessels). Ex vivo flow cessation impaired acetylcholine-mediated vasodilation, but this abnormality was prevented when high intralumen pressure was maintained during the no-flow period. Conclusions. Reduction in flow and intralumen pressure contribute to the impaired acetylcholine-mediated vasodilation seen after coronary occlusion. This is prevented by maintaining high intralumen pressure during the no-flow period, suggesting that hemodynamic forces may change endothelial function independent of circulating complement or blood cell elements.
Water dispersible colloids and factors influencing their dispersibility from soil aggregates

Since water dispersible colloids (WDC) influence many aspects of soil processes, development of a better understanding and characterization of this soil fraction is necessary. This study involved the fractionation of WDC from 6 soil samples with diverse physicochemical and mineralogical composition and the evaluation of soil and colloidal properties affecting colloid dispersibility from soil aggregates. The percentage of the WDC fraction recovered from the samples ranged from 1.0 to 29.9%, depending on the soil properties and the mineralogical composition of the soil clay (< 2 μm) and WDC fractions. The kaolinite content in the soil clay or colloidal fraction, and the Fe, and Al content in the soil accounted for most of the variability in soil dispersibility. Total clay, cation exchange capacity (CEC), organic carbon (OC), exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP), sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), and ionic strength (1) in the ranges of thesoils studied, and mica, quartz and surface area (SA) of the clay or WDC fractions were not significant contributors. The most significant single-variable linear regression relationship (P≤ 0.01) was between log Al and WDC (R2 = 0.85). The highest correlation coefficient (r = − 0.87) through an exponential function was obtained between colloid kaolinite and WDC. The coefficient of determination (R2) was improved only slightly by combining the effects of kaolinite, Fe and Al in the multiple regression, apparently due to synergistic effects. Potentiometric titration data suggested that the dispersibility of colloids is controlled by their mineralogical composition and the magnitude of charges on particle surfaces. soils dominated by kaolinitic minerals due to low charge were less dispersed than those dominated by more reactive minerals.
Localization of sensory mechanisms utilized by coral planulae to detect settlement cues

Coral planulae are induced to settle and metamorphose by contact with either crustose coralline algae or marine bacterial biofilms. Larvae of two coral species, Pocillopora damicornis and Montipora capitata, which respond to different metamorphic cues, were utilized to investigate the sensory mechanisms used to detect metamorphic cues. Because the aboral pole of the coral planula is the point of attachment to the substratum, we predicted that it is also the point of detection for cues. To determine where sensory cells for cues are localized along the body, individual larvae were transversely cut into oral and aboral portions at various levels along the oral–aboral axis, and exposed to settlement-inducing substrata. Aboral ends of M. capitata metamorphosed, while oral ends continued to swim. However, in larvae of P. damicornis, ¾ oral ends (i.e., lacking the aboral pole) were also able to metamorphose, indicating that the cells that detect cues may be distributed along the sides of the body. These cells do not correspond to FMRFamide-immunoreactive cells that are present throughout the body. Cesium ions induced both aboral and oral ends of larvae of both species to settle, suggesting that oral ends have not lost their capacity to metamorphose, despite lacking sensory cells to detect natural cues. To determine whether sensory cells in larvae of P. damicornis are restricted to one side of the body, swimming behavior over substrata was observed in larvae labeled with diI, a red fluorescent lipophilic membrane stain. The larvae were found to rotate around the oral–aboral axis, with their surface against the substratum, not favoring a particular side for detecting cues. While clarifying the regions of the larval body important for settlement and metamorphosis in coral planulae, we conclude that significant differences between coral species may be due to differences in the distribution of sensory structures in relation to different planular sizes.
Estimating the forested-wetland resource in the southeastern United States with forest survey data

Abstract Data from the most recent forest surveys in the states of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida were used to examine the wetland forest resource. Consistent estimation of the forested wetland resource is difficult because of diverse species mixes and habitat types, weather cycles that influence hydroperiod, and the timing of field visits. Using stand information collected on Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) permanent plots, area of wetland timberland in the Southeast was estimated and described. The method was as close as practicable to methods of classifying wetlands currently agreed upon by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. This accepted method utilizes indicator species, soil data, and sb in the FIA algorithm include overstory and understory species occurrence, physiography, hydroperiod, and cover type data. This method provides a repeatable means of assessing area of forested-wetland communities.
General One-Pot Method for the Preparation of N-tert-Butanesulfinylamine Diastereomer Mixtures as Standards for Stereoselectivity Determinations

The one-pot preparation of N-sulfinylamine diastereomers proceeds in excellent yields (84−98%) for a diverse set of N-sulfinyl imine addition products. The method is operationally simple and extractive isolation provides analytically pure mixtures of diastereomers as standards for the rapid and accurate determination of N-sulfinylamine diastereomeric purity.
Self-testing data acquisition system for the digital recording of precise images

An accuracy requirement of +/- 0.011 degrees in the declination measurement of a remotely imaged munition cannot easily be satisfied using conventional imaging instrumentation. A dedicated, digital, data acquisition system capable of extensive self diagnostics is developed. Based on internal testing, the developed system is expected to meet design goals during a formal certification process.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Randomized prospective trial of early versus delayed feeding after percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy placement.

Randomized Prospective Trial of Early Versus Delayed Feeding After Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy Placement