cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Revision total knee arthroplasty using the Kinemax Plus Superstabilizer prosthesis: minimum 10-year follow-up.

Abstract The results of revision total knee arthroplasty using the Kinemax Plus Superstabilizer prosthesis at a minimum of 10 years are reviewed. The implant was designed specifically for revision surgery with integral distal and posterior femoral build-ups and a modular metal reinforcement rod within the tibial polyethylene post. Eighteen consecutive knees revised for aseptic loosening or instability were studied prospectively and reviewed at 10–13 years (mean 11.6 years). Mean HSS scores improved from 51 to 86, KS knee scores from 40 to 83 and KS function scores from 48 to 82, with 83% good and excellent results. There was one re-revision for recurrent instability. Additional distal femoral add-ons were needed in 33% and posterior add-ons were needed in 22% of cases. No post breakage or deformation occurred. The design rationale has proven successful with satisfactory clinical and radiographic outcomes.
A cinematographic investigation into the fish's bioelectric breathing signal

The buccal-ventilatory movements of bluegill sunfish, Lepomis macrochirus and fathead minnows Pimephales promelas and strip chart recordings of these movements were filmed simultaneously. The amplitudes of the ventilatory signals were greatest when a fish was perpendicular to the plane of either electrode, and the polarity of a signal corresponded to the fish's direction to one of the electrodes. The most common breathing waveforms for both species reflected a bimodal pattern. These patterns varied in frequency and shifted toward single modality in response to stress. Portions of the recorded waveforms consistently coincided with the period in which a fish was displaying either full opercular flare or closure. Similar occurrences corresponded with mouth positions. Several commonly occurring variations of the ventilatory signal waveforms are presented, including the response of bluegill sunfish to a strong concentration of chlorinated water.
Attenuated extracellular dopamine levels after stress and amphetamine in the nucleus accumbens of rats with neonatal ventral hippocampal damage

In vivo microdialysis was used to study the effects of restraint stress (30 min) and amphetamine (AMPH) (5 mg/kg, i.p.) in awake adult male rats with neonatal ventral hippocampal (VH) damage. Extracellular levels of dopamine (DA), dihydrophenylacetate (DOPAC), homovanillate (HVA) and 5-hydroxyindolacetate (5-HIAA) were measured in the nucleus accumbens (NA). There were no differences in the baseline levels of DA, DOPAC, HVA or 5-HIAA in the lesioned as compared to the sham rats. Release from restraint resulted in increased extracellular levels of DA in the sham but not in the lesioned animals. AMPH increased DA release in both sham operated and lesioned animals, but this increase was significantly attenuated in the lesioned rats. Our data suggest that this developmental lesion alters function of the dopaminergic system in response to environmental and pharmacological challenge.
A SHORT-TERM DEMOGRAPHIC STUDY OF CYSTOSEIRA OSMUNDACEA (FUCALES: CYSTOSEIRACEAE) IN CENTRAL CALIFORNIA1

Several demographic features were examined in the field over a period of eleven months for the subtidal alga Cystoseira osmundacea (Turner) C. Agardh at two localities near Monterey, California. This species showed a restricted distribution with depth, with peak average numbers of 3–4 plants per m2 occurring at 6–8 m and forming a dense canopy on the surface of the sea. Below 10 m depth, there was a decline in the abundance of plants and also in the proportion of plants which bore seasonal fronds and reproductive tissue. Macrocystis pyrifera (L.) C. Agardh plants were also common at both localities. There was a negative correlation between the presence of this species and C. osmundacea at a scale of 1 m2, but no correlation at 4, 9, and 25 m2. Cohorts of C. osmundacea were mapped and tagged at one locality. The plants had markedly seasonal growth, with the greatest elongation of fronds occurring between March and June. Dense surface canopies and reproductive tissue were present during the summer months of June–August. These seasonal fronds were shed during September, leaving small perennial holdfasts and fronds. Plants were strictly dioecious, and there was a one-to-one ratio of male to female plants at both localities. Length-dry weight relationships showed that the largest plants had over 80% of their weight invested in seasonal fronds (vegetative plus reproductive tissue). Recruits of C. osmundacea at one locality appeared during September–November only in areas cleared to bare substratum. There was 15% survival of recruits between November and the following May, while 98% of the original mapped cohort survived for the 11 months of the study.
Studies in histochemistry: quantitative histological distribution of cholesterol in adrenal glands of the cow, rat and monkey, and effects of stress conditions, ACTH, cortisone and desoxycorticosterone.

AS PART of a broader program dealing with the quantitative histochemical basis for the functions of the adrenal gland, this study on cholesterol extends recent work on ascorbic acid (Bahn and Glick, 1954a, b), potassium and lipid (Glick et al., 1955), phenolsulfatase (Glick et al., 1954), enzymatic conjugation of m-aminophenol with sulfate and glucuronate (Glick and Stecklein, 1954), β-glucuronidase (Wattenberg and Glick, 1953; Nayyar and Glick, 1955), and coenzyme A (Malmstrom and Glick, 1954). The fall in the cholesterol content of the adrenal cortex, like that of ascorbic acid, has been taken as an indication of adrenal cortical stimulation and, as with ascorbic acid, the previous quantitative work on cholesterol dealt with analyses of whole glands or whole cortices (Long, 1947). The present investigation was designed to carry the analyses to the individual zones so that a histological differentiation of the quantitative effects could be made.
Effects of tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) isolates, host plants, and temperature on survival, size, and development time of Frankliniella fusca

The effects of different isolates of the tomato spotted wilt tospovirus (TSWV), host plants, and temperatures on Frankliniella fusca (Hinds) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), the most important vector of TSWV in North Carolina, were measured in the laboratory. Thrips were reared at either 18.3, 23.9, or 29.4 °C until adult eclosion on excised leaves of Datura stramonium L. or Emilia sonchifolia (L.). Plants were either infected with the TSWV isolates CFL or RG2, or left uninfected (control). The results revealed a positive relationship between larval survival and temperature, regardless of host plant or TSWV isolate. Both survival to adult and percentage transmission of TSWV by F. fusca were significantly affected by the interaction between host plant and TSWV isolate. The consequence of this interaction was that the cohort-based percentage transmission from infected E. sonchifolia plants for CFL was 1.3-fold greater than that of RG2, whereas the percentage transmission from infected D. stramonium plants for RG2 was twice that of CFL. Both host plant and TSWV isolates showed significant effects on thrips development time to adult and head capsule width of adult thrips, as well as on the incidence of thrips infection with TSWV. The infection status of these thrips was determined by ELISA for the NSs viral protein. Infected thrips reared on infected host foliage took longer to develop to adult and were smaller than non-infected thrips which had also been reared on infected host foliage, demonstrating a direct effect of the TSWV on thrips. However, non-infected thrips reared on non-infected leaves took longer to develop than non-infected thrips reared on infected leaves, suggesting an effect of the plant tissue on thrips. In addition, adult thrips reared on TSWV-infected D. stramonium at 29.4 °C developed smaller head capsules than thrips developing on infected foliage at lower temperatures and on non-infected leaves of D. stramonium or E. sonchifolia. Both TSWV isolates and host plants differentially affected females more than males. In conclusion, both the infection of thrips by TSWV and TSWV-mediated changes in host plant quality were found to have significant biological effects on F. fusca.
Room temperature oxidation of silicon induced by UV irradiation of Cu3Si

Abstract Thick silicon dioxide films were prepared by room temperature oxidation of Si(100) induced by Cu 3 Si. This Cu 3 Si-enhanced oxidation process is accelerated by ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation. Rutherford backscattering (RBS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were employed to characterize the chemical and structural properties of the silicon dioxide layer underneath the oxidized Cu 3 Si surface layer. The resulting films of silicon dioxide are denser and stoichiometric when silicon oxidation proceeds under UV irradiation at room temperature.
Asymmetric Action in the Human Newborn: Sex Differences in Patterns of Organization

We developed a procedure and scale to quantify movement asymmetry in 36 full-term newborns from several normal newborn nurseries (Measure of Behavioral Laterality, MOBL). The majority of newborns had elicited reflexes and spontaneous movements that were stronger and more coordinated on the right than on the left side of the body; there was no asymmetry in the latency, threshold, or habituation of these behaviors. Although asymmetry of different movements was associated if they relied on the same motor pool, there was little association of movement asymmetries among different body regions, indicating that multiple subsystems, rather than a single asymmetric system, controls asymmetric action in the newborn. Finally, there was a sex difference in asymmetry of all 3 distal lower-body elicited reflexes: females were right biased, but the majority of males were left biased. These sex differences are discussed in terms of alternative mechanisms for the development of asymmetric action and the role of newborn reflexes in adult voluntary movement.
Lifetime analysis of silicon solar cells by microwave reflection

Abstract Microwave photoconductive decay ( μ PCD) has become a standard technique for measuring the carrier lifetime of silicon used in solar cells. Here, we have used μ PCD to examine the carrier lifetimes at common doping levels used in the base region of silicon photovoltaic devices. For the conductivity range used in the p-type base of n + –p structures, the microwave penetration depth is less than the wafer thickness. In this case, the reflectance–conductivity relationship is very nonlinear. We will show that quasi-steady-state photoconductivity (QSSPC) and resonance-coupled photoconductive decay (RCPCD) lifetime measurements track over a wide range of injection level, and generally agree at higher injection levels. Our μ PCD data will be compared with the transient RCPCD data over the same range. The data from the latter agree at low-injection levels, but show serious disagreement at higher injection levels. The conclusion is that μ PCD must be limited to low-injection levels in the doping range used for solar cells.
Who's socializing whom? The impact of socializing newcomers on insiders, work groups, and organizations

Abstract While there has been extensive work on the impact of organizational socialization practices on newcomer attitudes and behaviors, there has been very little examination of how socializing newcomers influences the attitudes and behaviors of “socialization agents,” those insiders responsible for socializing new hires. This article explores both the positive and negative consequences of socializing newcomers on these veteran workers as well as on their work groups and their organizations. The article also suggests characteristics of the socialization process, the socialization agents, the organizational context, and the newcomers themselves which are likely to influence whether the socialization process will be mutually beneficial for newcomers and socialization agents alike.
PHYTOTECHNOLOGY APPLIED TO A SEVERELY OILED SHORELINE

ABSTRACT Northwest Indiana has been the home of oil refining since 1890. Historic practices of dumping waste oil into the ground, releases from aged and/or abandonned infrastructure, and reoiling from groundwater, and oil sediments have created a shoreline comprised of 15–35% oil. Conventional wisdom has been that oil can be neither bioremediated nor phytoremediated if the oil exceeds 8%. This three year study was conducted in both the green house and the field. Trees, grasses and tuberous plants were investigated to determine if any of them would grow, if they would stay alive and if they actually were able to degrade oil. The field study determined that plants could survive living in this environment, although certain cultivars as well as certain species performed much better than others. We chose the strongest cultivars and planted larger sections with them in the second year. We were able to show that biological activity in the soil was augmented by between 2–5 orders of magnitude. We were also able t...
Re-examination of the Discrepancy Between Acidophil Numbers and Growth Hormone Concentration in the Anterior Pituitary Gland Following Thyroidectomy

Differential cell counts of the anterior pituitaries from rats killed at intervals of from 4 to 18 days following thyroidectomy were compared with those of intact controls. At all intervals the reduction in acidophils correlated well with a rapid failure of growth. On the other hand, the growth hormone content of the anterior pituitary, as assayed in immature hypophysectomized rats by the tibia test, remained at normal levels until 18 days post thyroidectomy. A possible explanation for this discrepancy was that thyrotrophin, present in the extracts, augmented the assay. Re-assay in hypophysectomized- thyroidectomized rats, which are remarkably sensitive to bovine growth hormone, revealed extremely low growth hormone concentrations at 12 days after thyroidectomy. The results suggest that contamination of pituitary extracts with thyrotrophin rather than an inability to observe acidophil granulation with the light microscope accounts for the failure to correlate growth hormone concentration with the status o...
Trimethoprim Resistance of Dihydrofolate Reductase Variants from Clinical Isolates of Pneumocystis jirovecii

Pneumocystis jirovecii is an opportunistic pathogen that causes serious pneumonia in immunosuppressed patients. Standard therapy and prophylaxis include trimethoprim (TMP)-sulfamethoxazole; trimethoprim in this combination targets dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR). Fourteen clinically observed variants of P. jirovecii DHFR were produced recombinantly to allow exploration of the causes of clinically observed failure of therapy and prophylaxis that includes trimethoprim. Six DHFR variants (S31F, F36C, L65P, A67V, V79I, and I158V) showed resistance to inhibition by trimethoprim, with Ki values for trimethoprim 4-fold to 100-fold higher than those for the wild-type P. jirovecii DHFR. An experimental antifolate with more conformational flexibility than trimethoprim showed strong activity against one trimethoprim-resistant variant. The two variants that were most resistant to trimethoprim (F36C and L65P) also had increased Km values for dihydrofolic acid (DHFA). The catalytic rate constant (kcat) was unchanged for most variant forms of P. jirovecii DHFR but was significantly lowered in F36C protein; one naturally occurring variant with two amino acid substitutions (S106P and E127G) showed a doubling of kcat, as well as a Km for NADPH half that of the wild type. The strongest resistance to trimethoprim occurred with amino acid changes in the binding pocket for DHFA or trimethoprim, and the strongest effect on binding of NADPH was linked to a mutation involved in binding the phosphate group of the cofactor. This study marks the first confirmation that naturally occurring mutations in the gene for DHFR from P. jirovecii produce variant forms of DHFR that are resistant to trimethoprim and may contribute to clinically observed failures of standard therapy or prophylaxis.
Biophysical analysis of binding of WW domains of the YAP2 transcriptional regulator to PPXY motifs within WBP1 and WBP2 adaptors.

YAP2 transcriptional regulator mediates a plethora of cellular functions, including the newly discovered Hippo tumor suppressor pathway, by virtue of its ability to recognize WBP1 and WBP2 signaling adaptors among a wide variety of other ligands. Herein, using isothermal titration calorimery (ITC) and circular dichroism (CD) in combination with molecular modeling (MM) and molecular dynamics (MD), we provide evidence that the WW1 and WW2 domains of YAP2 recognize various PPXY motifs within WBP1 and WBP2 in a highly promiscuous and subtle manner. Thus, although both WW domains strictly require the integrity of the consensus PPXY sequence, non-consensus residues within and flanking this motif are not critical for high-affinity binding, implying that they most likely play a role in stabilizing the polyproline type II (PPII) helical conformation of the PPXY ligands. Of particular interest is the observation that both WW domains bind to a PPXYXG motif with highest affinity, implicating a preference for a non-bulky and flexible glycine one-residue C-terminal to the consensus tyrosine. Importantly, a large set of residues within both WW domains and the PPXY motifs appear to undergo rapid fluctuations on a nanosecond time scale, arguing that WW-ligand interactions are highly dynamic and that such conformational entropy may be an integral part of the reversible and temporal nature of cellular signaling cascades. Collectively, our study sheds light on the molecular determinants of a key WW-ligand interaction pertinent to cellular functions in health and disease.
1-alkyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (platelet-activating factor) stimulates calcium influx in rabbit platelets

Summary 1-Alkyl-2-acetyl- sn -glycero-3-phosphocholine (platelet-activating factor) induces an influx of Ca 2+ in rabbit platelets that is time-, temperature-, and concentration-dependent. The ionophoretic activity of 1-alkyl-2-acetyl- sn -glycero-3-phosphocholine is much higher (>2-fold at 10 −10 M) than 3-hexadecyl-2-acetyl- sn -glycero-l-phosphocholine, 1-hexadecyl-2-lyso- sn -glycero-3-phosphocholine, 1-acyl-2-acetyl- sn -glycero-3-phosphocholine, or 1-hexadecanoyl-2-lyso- sn -glycero-3-phosphocholine.
A proper orthogonal decomposition of a simulated supersonic shear layer

SUMMARY The Karhunen-Loeve procedure is applied to the analysis of an ensemble of snapshots obtained from a conditionally sampled localized shear layer simulation. The computed set of optimal basis functions is used to economically characterize sampled flow realizations. Pictorially it is seen that the essential features (and roughly 80% of the energy) of typical flows are captkred by retaining roughly 10-20 parameters in the expansion. Smaller-scale features are resolved by retaining more terms in the series.
Assessment of Medication Errors That Involved Drug Allergies at a University Hospital

Objectives. To determine the reporting accuracy of true patient-related allergies to drugs in a large teaching institution (908 licensed beds), and to identify factors contributing to medication errors that involved drug allergies. Of particular interest was the accuracy of allergy information in the medical record and the occurrence of medication errors that involved penicillin antibiotics. Methods. From a sample population of 340 patients, 50 adult patients admitted to our university-affiliated hospital who met criteria and had an allergy to selected drugs that was documented in the hospitalwide computer system were randomly selected and interviewed to determine the timing, nature, and extent of the reaction. Furthermore, data were collected from identified Medication Error Reports when an agent was prescribed for a patient with a reported allergy to that agent or class. Prospective data collection was conducted from November 2000-February 2001. Using the information obtained by the patient interview and chart documentation, we assessed the reported allergy. In addition, contributing factors for medication errors that involved drug allergies were identified. Results. Of the sample population, 133 patients (39%) reported allergies to at least one drug. Allergies to β-lactams, sulfonamides, and opioid narcotics were reported in 12.6% (43 patients), 9.1% (31), and 14.4% (49) of the sample population, respectively. Most agents involved in medication errors were β-lactam antibiotics, with an overwhelming number of these errors due to piperacillin-tazobactam (51.4%, 36 errors). Other drugs involved were ampicillin (10%, 7 errors), other β-lactams (24.3%, 17 errors), opioid narcotics (10%, 7 errors), and sulfonamides (4.3%, 3 errors). Most contributing factors were classified as “MD [prescribing physician] not aware of allergy.” Conclusion. These results suggest a need for ensuring that prescribers review each patient's allergy profile before order entry.
Tissue remodeling during maturation of the Drosophila wing.

The final step in morphogenesis of the adult fly is wing maturation, a process not well understood at the cellular level due to the impermeable and refractive nature of cuticle synthesized some 30 hours prior to eclosion from the pupal case. Advances in GFP technology now make it possible to visualize cells using fluorescence after cuticle synthesis is complete. We find that, between eclosion and wing expansion, the epithelia within the folded wing begin to delaminate from the cuticle and that delamination is complete when the wing has fully expanded. After expansion, epithelial cells lose contact with each other, adherens junctions are disrupted, and nuclei become pycnotic. The cells then change shape, elongate, and migrate from the wing into the thorax. During wing maturation, the Timp gene product, Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinases, and probably other components of an extracellular matrix are expressed that bond the dorsal and ventral cuticular surfaces of the wing following migration of the cells. These steps are dissected using mutants of the batone and Timp genes and ectopic expression of αPS integrin, inhibitors of Armadillo/β-catenin nuclear activity and baculovirus caspase inhibitor p35. We conclude that an epithelial-mesenchymal transition is responsible for epithelial delamination and dissolution.
Anion exchange behaviour of uranium and thorium in mixed solvent systems

Abstract The adsorption of uranium (VI) and thorium on Dowex 1-X8 resin from alcoholic hydrochloric and nitric acid solutions was measured. In each case, the acidity of the solutions was sufficiently low that the sorption mechanism could be considered as a distribution of the neutral complex between two phases. Correspondingly, the relationships of log D vs. mole fraction alcohol were examined and were found to be linear in all cases. This indicates that the major factor that affects the distribution is the change in the free energy of solvation of the neutral complex with change in alcohol content.
Sexual functioning in persons with diabetes: Issues in research, treatment, and education

Abstract Diabetes mellitus affects millions of people worldwide and has well-documented effects on sexuality, especially as a cause of male erectile failure. This review considers research findings and methodological problems in the existing literature on sexuality and diabetes, including gender-related effects. Treatment of sexual dysfunctions in diabetic persons is also covered. In general, the research strongly suggests that neurological dysfunctions are linked to many, but not all, cases of erectile failure in diabetic men. For diabetic women, the findings are less cohesive, but suggest that psychological factors may be more important etiologically than physical ones. The interplay between physiological and psychological factors has not been sufficiently studied for either gender. Related to this, most treatments for sexual dysfunction in diabetic men have assumed a physiologic etiology. Cultural factors and expectations about what constitutes “normal” sexuality have added to this bias. Psychologists could assist more than they currently do with this population, both by improving the methodologies employed in sexuality research with diabetic persons and by incorporating information about sexuality in their treatment and education.
Multilayer coated optics for an alpha-class extreme ultraviolet lithography system

We present the results of coating the first set of optical elements for an alpha-class extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) lithography system, the Engineering Test Stand (ETS). The optics were coated with Mo/Si multilayer mirrors using an upgraded DC-magnetron sputtering system. Characterization of the near-normal incidence EUV reflectance was performed using synchrotron radiation from the Advanced Light Source at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Stringent requirements were met for these multilayer coatings in terms of reflectance, wavelength matching among the different optics, and thickness control across the diameter of each individual optic. Reflectances above 65% were achieved at 13.35 nm at near-normal angles of incidence. The run-to-run reproducibility of the reflectance peak wavelength was maintained to within 0.4%, providing the required wavelength matching among the seven multilayer-coated optics. The thickness uniformity (or gradient) was controlled to within {+-}0.25% peak-to-valley (P-V) for the condenser optics and {+-}0.1% P-V for the four projection optics, exceeding the prescribed specification for the optics of the ETS.
Mechanisms of Hybrid Sunflower Resistance to the Sunflower Midge (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae)

A study was conducted to identify mechanisms of resistance in sunflower to the sunflower midge, Contarinia schulzi Gagne. Infestation ratings, larval counts, and damage ratings were used to quantify midge resistance in seven sunflower hybrids grown at three locations. Six of the seven hybrids possessed midge resistance. Each hybrid was further categorized with respect to infestation resistance, antibiosis, and tolerance. Two bud characteristics, percent open and size, were examined for their contribution to infestation resistance. The percentage of time that buds of each hybrid were open was negatively correlated with infestation (indicating a preference for the open characteristic). Infestations were higher in buds ≥ 2.5 cm in diameter. In artificial infestation trials, damage caused by first and second instars was very low due to high larval mortality. When sunflower buds were artificially infested with midge adults, moderate larval infestations occurred. Artificially infesting plants with adults confirmed the presence of antibiosis in two resistant and one susceptible hybrid.
Perylenequinone natural products: total syntheses of the diastereomers (+)-phleichrome and (+)-calphostin D by assembly of centrochiral and axial chiral fragments.

The first total synthesis of (+)-calphostin D and the total synthesis of (+)-phleichrome are outlined. The convergent syntheses utilize an enantiopure biaryl common intermediate, which is formed vi...
Some three-dimensional inclusion problems in elasticity

Abstract The theory of potential functions is applied to solve a number of three-dimensional problems involving sheet-like inclusions embedded in elastic solids. Two types of inclusions are considered; namely, that of a rigid elliptical disk and a rigid sheet containing an elliptical hole. By varying the ellipticity of the disk and hole, certain information on the general character of the stresses around a plane inclusion of arbitrary shape may be obtained. More precisely, if reference is made to a suitable coordinate system, the functional forms of the stresses in the close neighborhood of the inclusion border can be expressed independently of uncertainties of both the inclusion geometry and of the applied stresses or displacements. In general, the intensification of the local stresses can be described by three parameters which may be used to establish criteria for the failure of the solid containing the inclusions.
Partial molar volumes of oxygen and carbon monoxide in blood.

Abstract Before and after equilibrating blood or cell suspensions with O 2 , or CO, measurements were made of the weight of a constant volume in a pycnometer, or the volume of a constant weight in a volumeter. In this way it was found that 1 mole of O 2 in the presence of hemoglobin does not occupy a volume of 31 ml as it does in water but appears to occupy no volume at all. Either the Hb molecule and its surrounding water decreases in volume to compensate for the volume occupied by the oxygen or the oxygen fits into a void in the Hb molecule. The average partial molar volume of oxygen in blood in 116 experiments was 0.4 ± 3.5 ml per mole. Carbon monoxide behaves much like oxygen with an average partial molar volume in Hb of 4.6 ± 2.6 tmml / mole instead of 32.8 as in water.
Prediction of the light scattering patterns from bacteria colonies by a time-resolved reaction-diffusion model and the scalar diffraction theory

In order to maximize the utility of the optical scattering technology in the area of bacterial colony identification, it is necessary to have a thorough understanding of how bacteria species grow into different morphological aggregation and subsequently function as distinctive optical amplitude and phase modulators to alter the incoming Gaussian laser beam. In this paper, a 2-dimentional reaction-diffusion (RD) model with nutrient concentration, diffusion coefficient, and agar hardness as variables is investigated to explain the correlation between the various environmental parameters and the distinctive morphological aggregations formed by different bacteria species. More importantly, the morphological change of the bacterial colony against time is demonstrated by this model, which is able to characterize the spatio-temporal patterns formed by the bacteria colonies over their entire growth curve. The bacteria population density information obtained from the RD model is mathematically converted to the amplitude/phase modulation factor used in the scalar diffraction theory which predicts the light scattering patterns for bacterial colonies. The conclusions drawn from the RD model combined with the scalar diffraction theory are useful in guiding the design of the optical scattering instrument aiming at bacteria colony detection and classification.
Design methodology for optimum dosage air monitoring site selection

Abstract An air monitoring site selection procedure has been developed that ranks potential air monitoring sites according to their ability to represent the ambient dosage (i.e. the product of the concentration by exposure time) pattern in a monitoring network. The Dosage Monitoring Survey Design (DMSS) analyzes the dosage impact at grid receptors by dispersion modeling. High-dosage grids become potential monitoring sites. The uniqueness of DMSS is the introduction of a cluster of contiguous grid receptors that exceed a threshold value. One station is assigned to the cluster, thus eliminating redundancies among adjacent high dosage grids. The site selection procedure specifies locations for high-dosage monitoring stations along with the cluster area capabilities of each station. An efficiency term based on the ratio of a station's dosage measuring capabilities to the total dosage in the network provides a method of ranking stations. An analysis of the design procedure shows that as the threshold concentration decreased the distance from the source where the maximum dosage was found increased and there was a slight increase in station efficiency. Also, as averaging time increased, higher efficiencies were achieved for individual stations.
Reactivity inversion in the NiOO2 system

Abstract The rate of redistribution of carbon-14 between CO and CO2 has been investigated over NiO catalysts in the temperature range 274 ° to 450 °C, and at p CO 2 p CO ratios 0.1 to 10. Analysis of the results shows that the sign of the relation between the reaction rate and the p CO 2 p CO ratio is a function of temperature and p CO 2 p CO ratio. A thermodynamic model for the description of the gas-solid defect equilibrium has been formulated to explain (a) the reactivity inversion, (b) the numerical values of the mathematical relationship between reaction rate coefficients and the p CO 2 p CO ratio. On the basis of the model, suggestions are advanced for (a) the rate-controlling step of the isotopic exchange reaction, (b) the nature of surface defect sites active in the catalytic reaction and of the adsorbed oxygen intermediate, (c) the slow reaction step and the gas-phase equilibrium controlling the surface concentration of oxygen during the oxidation of CO by O2 on NiO. The reactivity reversal is discussed in the framework of the inversion in physicochemical properties that is known to take place in NiO.
Stability and sequence of center-based and family childcare: Links with low-income children's school readiness

Abstract The school readiness of a large sample (n = 2682) of ethnically and linguistically diverse, low-income children was examined as a function of whether children remained in family childcare (FCC) or center-based care (CBC) throughout their three and four-year-old preschool years, or whether they switched to the other type of childcare or to a public school pre-K program at age four. Children's pre-academic development (cognition, fine motor, and language) was assessed with the Learning Accomplishment Profile — Diagnostic (LAP-D), and teachers and parents rated children's social skills and behavior concerns with the Devereux Early Childhood Assessment (DECA) at three time points over two years. All children, regardless of childcare sequence, demonstrated some gains in school readiness. However, children receiving stable CBC over the two years made moderate gains in pre-academic skills and teacher-reported social skills. Children in stable FCC exhibited some gains in fine motor, language, and teacher reported-social skills but lost ground relative to national norms in cognitive skills. Children who switched between CBC and FCC did not show as much pre-academic growth (with those who switched to FCC gaining the least); however, children who switched from CBC to FCC did demonstrate strong teacher-reported social skills. Children who switched to public school pre-K programs at age four showed the strongest school readiness and were the only group to score above national averages in language and cognition.
Molecular self-assembly of conducting polymers

Abstract A new molecular self-assembly process based on the alternate deposition of a p-type-doped electrically conductive polymer and a conjugated or non-conjugated polyanion has been developed. In this process, monolayers of electrically conductive polymers are spontaneously adsorbed on to a substrate from dilute solutions and subsequently built up into multilayer thin films by alternate deposition with a soluble polyanion. To date, we have successfully utilized this technique to assemble thin films of polypyrrole, polyaniline and poly(3-hexylthiophene). Conductivities as high as 40 S cm −1 can be readily obtained on films containing as few as four deposited layers. Since it is a layer-by-layer deposition process, it is also possible to use this approach to fabricate complex multilayer thin films containing layers of different conducting polymers. The ability to readily fabricate multilayer thin films of doped conducting polymers via a molecular self-assembly process opens up completely new vistas with regard to the thin film processing of conducting polymers and related electroactive materials.
From the Arab Street to the Silk Road: Implications of the Unrest in North Africa for the Central Asian States

An American political geographer and noted specialist in the electoral geography of the post-Soviet states explores the extent to which underlying social, political, and economic conditions in North African countries experiencing regime change prompted by mass political unrest (Egypt, Tunisia) resemble those prevailing in the five Central Asian states. The author compares the countries' rankings on a number of relevant indicators (e.g., Human Development Index, Corruption Perceptions Index, Freedom House indices of political rights and civil liberties) before undertaking a more qualitative assessment of human rights, institutional control, and external support for current Central Asian regimes. Although Uzbekistan, the most populous state with the most repressive regime in the region, is a focus of attention, the same abuses and challenges are evident, albeit in varying degrees, in other vulnerable post-Soviet countries of Central Asia.
Unrelated umbilical cord blood transplantation in adult patients.

Abstract Since January 1996, we have administered myeloablative therapy followed by infusion of unrelated umbilical cord blood cells in 57 adult patients with high-risk disease. The median age was 31 years (range, 18–58 years), and the median weight was 70 kg (range, 46–110 kg). Two patients were treated for genetic disorders and 55 for advanced hematologic malignancies. The preparative regimens were total body irradiation or busulfan based, both with antithymocyte globulin. HLA matching between donor and recipient was 3 of 6 in 3 patients, 4 of 6 in 44 patients, 5 of 6 in 8 patients, and 6 of 6 in 2 patients. The median nucleated cell dose was 1.50 × 107/kg (range, 0.54–2.78 × 107/kg), and the median CD34+ cell dose was 1.37 × 105/kg (range, 0.02–12.45 × 105/kg). All patients received granulocyte colony-stimulating factor after transplantation until neutrophil recovery. Graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis consisted of cyclosporine and steroids. The median number of days to an absolute neutrophil count of 500/μL was 26 (range, 12–55 days). The median time to an untransfused platelet count of >20 000/μL was 84 days (range, 35–167 days). Seventeen patients developed grade II to IV acute GVHD. The median survival of the entire group was 91 days (range, 10–2251 days). Eleven patients were alive at a median follow-up of 1670 days (range, 67–2251 days), 1 with autologous recovery and 1 with relapsed lymphoma. The actuarial projected 3-year survival is 19%. Infection was the primary cause of death. These results suggest that unrelated umbilical cord blood transplantation is a viable option for adult patients and should be explored in patients with earlier-stage disease.
Rigorous results in steady finger selection in viscous fingering

This paper concerns the existence of a steadily translating finger solution in a Hele-Shaw cell for small but non-zero surface tension (ɛ2). Though there are numerous numerical and formal asymptotic results for this problem, we know of no mathematically rigorous results that address the selection problem. We rigorously conclude that for relative finger width λ in the range , with small, analytic symmetric finger solutions exist in the asymptotic limit of surface tension if and only if the Stokes constant for a relatively simple nonlinear differential equation is zero. This Stokes constant S depends on the parameter and earlier calculations by a number of authors have shown it to be zero for a discrete set of values of a. The methodology consists of proving the existence and uniqueness of analytic solutions for a weak half-strip problem for any λ in a compact subset of (0, 1). The weak problem is shown to be equivalent to the original finger problem in the function space considered, provided we invoke a symmetry condition. Next, we consider the behavior of the solution in a neighborhood of an appropriate complex turning point for the restricted case , for some . This turning point accounts for exponentially small terms in ɛ, as ɛ→0+ that generally violate the symmetry condition. We prove that the symmetry condition is satisfied for small ɛ when the parameter a is constrained appropriately.
A 40 keV cyclotron for radioisotope dating

We have built and begun testing a small low energy negative ion cyclotron for direct detection of 14C. At present, the cyclotron is operated in a high resolution mode at the 31st harmonic, with 1–2 kV on the dees. The high harmonic and a minimum number of turns of approximately 100, should give a fwhm mass resolution of about 130000 — sufficient to suppress the background from molecular ions such as 13CH−. Background such as scattered ions of 12C− and 13C− should be totally suppressed by the cyclotron acceleration process. (At the 88″ cyclotron at LBL we found that ions only 1% off-resonance are suppressed by more than a factor of 1017.) A miniature Cs sputter source located at the center of the cyclotron is expected to provide more than 1 μA of negative carbon ions. Negative ions are used in order to eliminate the interference from 14N. Unlike high energy cyclotrons, focussing is obtained solely from the axial components of the accelerating electric field. The magnetic field is kept flat to within 1 part in 104 in order to maintain exact isochronism throughout the several thousand accelerating rf cycles. The low final energy of 40 keV eliminates any danger from radiation or need for shielding, and the final orbit radius of only 10.5 cm, reduce the size and cost of the machine to that of conventional mass spectrometers.
Maximum carrying capacity and granular temperature of A, B and C particles

The observed cyclic operation of a riser near choking was calculated using a computational fluid-dynamic model used previously to predict its flow regimes. An approximate analytical expression for the maximum carrying capacity of Geldart A, B and C particles was developed and compared to data in the literature. In the new theory, an unknown parameter is the pseudosonic velocity of the particles. To estimate this quantity, new granular temperatures were measured and compared to data from the literature for Geldart A, B and C particles. In the riser flow regime (2% to 20% solid volume fraction), the turbulent intensity of the particles is approximately 0.5, in agreement with the theory. The theoretical value involves the ratio of particle viscosity to the granular conductivity.
Refractive Index Sensing Based on the Reflectivity of the Backward Cladding-Core Mode Coupling in a Concatenated Fiber Bragg Grating and a Long Period Grating

This study demonstrates the coupling between the backward cladding mode and the backward core mode in a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) cascaded with a long period grating (LPG) to create induced wavelength channels for detecting refractive index variation. Cladding-to-core mode coupling is based on the phase matching condition in which the wave vector of the LPG is equal to the difference between the backward core mode and the backward cladding mode wave-vector in FBG. Moreover, by means of varying the refractive index of the surrounding cladding layer region from an FBG end to the other LPG end, the reflectivity of both the induced wavelength channels and the Bragg wavelength channel is therefore changed due to different mode couplings. This property of index sensing of concatenating an FBG and an LPG by monitoring the reflection power may be exploited for chemical sensing and environmental monitoring applications.
Ballistic-Diffusive Heat-Conduction Equations

We present new heat-conduction equations, named ballistic-diffusive equations, which are derived from the Boltzmann equation. We show that the new equations are a better approximation than the Fourier law and the Cattaneo equation for heat conduction at the scales when the device characteristic length, such as film thickness, is comparable to the heat-carrier mean free path and/or the characteristic time, such as laser-pulse width, is comparable to the heat-carrier relaxation time.
Role of nuclear cardiology in evaluating the total ischemic burden in coronary artery disease

Abstract Goals of exercise radionuclide imaging are to: (1) enhance sensitivity, specificity and predictive value of coronary artery disease (CAD) detection; (2) noninvasively assess extent and severity of functionally significant CAD; (3) determine prognosis so that specific therapeutic strategies can be more rationally implemented; (4) detect silent ischemia in asymptomatic subjects or in patients with known CAD with a higher degree of specificity than can be accomplished by electrocardiogram stress testing alone; (5) evaluate the response to therapeutic interventions aimed at enhancing coronary blood flow. Two major radionuclide techniques are currently used in evaluating the total ischemic burden in patients with CAD. These are myocardial perfusion imaging with either thallium-201 or rubidium-82, and radionuclide angiography performed after administration of technetium-99m. Areas of diminished thallium-201 activity on early postexercise images are abnormal and represent either areas of stress-induced ischemia or myocardial scar. To differentiate between the two, delayed images are obtained to determine if the initial postexercise defect either persists or demonstrates redistribution (i.e., delayed defect disappearance or improvement). Defects demonstrating redistribution represent transient ischemia, whereas areas of previous infarction or scar usually appear as persistent defects. Patients with left main or 3-vessel CAD usually show multiple thallium-201 redistribution defects in more than 1 vascular supply region, a phenomenon often associated with abnormal lung thallium-201 uptake. In terms of radionuclide angiography, the normal ventricular response to exercise has been defined as an absolute increment of at least 5 % in the left ventricular ejection fraction without the development of regional wall motion abnormalities. In response to exercise, patients with multivessel CAD have a more profound decrease in ejection fraction than do patients with less high-risk anatomy. The observation that electrocardiographic and radionuclide markers of ischemia are more common during exercise testing than angina in patients with CAD appears to indicate a significant prevalence of asymptomatic ischemia. Patients who demonstrate thallium-201 redistribution remote from an infarct region, or who have a decrease in left ventricular ejection fraction from rest to exercise during predischarge testing after an uncomplicated myocardial infarction, should be considered for early catheterization. Certain patients demonstrate these abnormal perfusion or functional findings at variable thresholds of double-product response, suggesting that vasoconstriction may sometimes be a component in the ischemic response to stress.