Streptococcus pyogenes is an important human pathogen and surface structures allow it to adhere to, colonize and invade the human host. Proteins containing leucinerichrepeats (LRR)...Full Text Available
Background: Thyroid-stimulating autoantibodies (TSAb) bind to the thyrotropin receptor (TSHR) extracellular domain, or ectodomain (ECD), comprising a leucine-richrepeat domain (LRD) linked by a hinge region to the transmembrane domain (TMD). The LRD (residues 22???260; signal peptide 1???21) contains two disulfide-bonded loops at its N-terminus. In the crystal structure of the isolated LRD complexed with human TSAb monoclonal antibody (mAb) M22, N-terminal disulfide loop 1 (residues 22???30) could not be determined because of crystal disorder. Nevertheless, present crystal structure data are interpreted to exclude a role for the LRD N-terminal disulfide loops in the TSAb epitope(s), contradicting prior functional evidence of a role for these loops in TSAb function. Materials and Methods: ...
Malignant gliomas are aggressive and angiogenic tumors with high VEGF content. Consequently, approaches such as metronomic chemotherapy, which have an antiangiogenic effect, are being investigated....Full Text Available
Summary CAG trinucleotide repeat length in the nuclear polymerase gamma gene (POLg) has been shown to be associated with men with reduced fertility. The present study investigated the frequency of CAG repeat length genotypes and three exonuclease motifs of the POLg in relation to the frequency of mitochondrial nucleotide substitutions. DNA from semen samples of 93 normozoospermic men and 192 non-normozoospermic men was isolated and the specific regions of the genes were amplified by polymerase chain reactions (PCR) and sequenced to identify mutations. The genotypic frequencies of pooled POLg CAG repeat lengths, =10/!=10 heterozygotes and !=10/!=10 homozygotes, were significantly different between normozoospermic and non-normozoospermic men (p p POLg genotype. Of the 17 men with non-synonym...
SummaryBackgroundCandida albicans is one of the most important etiologic agents causing superficial and deep fungal infections. For prevention of candidiasis, it is important to develop a rapid system that discriminates C. albicans at the strain level.ObjectiveTo develop a system that can identify C. albicans at the strain level.MethodsGenomic DNAs were purified from 179 clinical isolates of C. albicans, and were used as templates for PCR amplification of 25S rDNA and ALT repeats in repetitive sequences (RPSs). PCR products generated from ALT repeats were digested with EcoRI and/or ClaI in order to study the relationships between restriction profiles and amplification profiles.ResultsOne hundred and seventy nine clinical isolates were grouped into genotypes A (92 isolates), B (38 isolates)...
The Environmental Management System (EMS) is an instrument to manage the interaction between the organization and the environment. The scope od EMS is to reduce the environmental impact and to achieve improvements in overall performances. In particular, the focus point of EMS implementation is the method for identifying and assessing significant environmental aspects. This paper presents a review of methods and techniques existing in this area, and the definition of the state of the art. The results of the literature, regulation and case studies reviews have shown that rigorous, repeatable and transparent methodologies do not exist.
A unique feature of cyanobacteria genomes is the abundance of genes that code for hypothetical proteins containing tandem pentapeptide repeats approximately described by the consensus motif A(N/D)LXX. To date, the structures of two pentapeptide-repeat proteins (PRPs) have been determined, with the tandem pentapeptide-repeat sequences observed to adopt a novel type of right-handed quadrilateral ?-helix, or Rfr-fold, in both structures. One structure, Mycobacterium tuberculosis MfpA, is a 183-residue protein that contains 30 consecutive pentapeptide repeats and appears to offer antibiotic resistance by acting as a DNA mimic. The other structure, Cyanothece 51142 Rfr32, is a 167-residue protein that contains 21 consecutive pentapeptide repeats. The function of Rfr32, like the other 35 hypothetical PRPs identified in the genome of Cyanothece, is unknown. In an ...
An overall view of the 1982 plant operating performance is presented. All periods of ON-FEED operation, UNSCHEDULED SHUTDOWNS, and SCHEDULED SHUTDOWNS are accounted for and tabulated. Causes of UNSCHEDULED SHUTDOWNS are identified and discussed. Plant solutions aimed at reducing the effect of similar future shutdowns or preventing recurrence of such shutdowns are explained. Details of repeated, major maintenance problems with various pieces of equipment are presented. Discussion of each problem and solutions found during 1982 are given, where applicable.
A summary of the 1983 Critical Solvent Deashing unit performance at the Wilsonville Advanced Coal Liquefaction R and D Facility is presented. All periods of on feed operation, unscheduled shutdowns, and scheduled shutdowns are accounted for and tabulated. Causes of unscheduled shutdowns are identified and discussed. Details of repeated, major maintenance problems with various pieces of equipment are presented. Where applicable, solutions are discussed. Historical operations and maintenance data are presented and used for comparison purposes in order to better indicate areas of improvement in the unit. 4 references, 7 figures, 3 tables.
In this talk, we explore the feasibility of quantum computation using continuous-variable systems by means of local measurements only. In the first part of the talk, we will identify crucial limitations that arise when starting from Gaussian cluster states. This is done by resorting to a Gaussian projected entangled pair picture as well as to notions of continuous-variable quantum repeater networks. In the second part, we look at instances in which these limitations can be overcome, and how suitable encodings of qubits in oscillators and feasible non-Gaussian resource states give rise to universal schemes for quantum computing.
The Environmental Management System (EMS) is an instrument to manage the interaction between the organization and the environment. The scope od EMS is to reduce the environmental impact and to achieve improvements in overall performances. In particular, the focus point of EMS implementation is the method for identifying and assessing significant environmental aspects. The results of the literature and regulation reviews (Perotto 2006) have shown that rigourous repeatable and transparent methodologies do not exist. This paper presents a proposal method for identifying and assessing significant environmental aspects, that has all three of these important characteristics. In particular, the proposal methodology for assessing aspects is based on some criteria that are combined in a specific algorithm. It is important to specify that to make a correct application of the method a preliminary rigorous approach to investigating the ...
It is becoming clear that simple sequence repeats (SSRs) play a significant role in fungal genome organization, and they are a large source of genetic markers for population genetics and meiotic maps. We identified SSRs in the Laccaria bicolor genome by in silico survey and analyzed their distribution in the different genomic regions. We also compared the abundance and distribution of SSRs in L. bicolor with those of the following fungal genomes: Phanerochaete chrysosporium, Coprinopsis cinerea, Ustilago maydis, Cryptococcus neoformans, Aspergillus nidulans, Magnaporthe grisea, Neurospora crassa and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Using the MISA computer program, we detected 277,062 SSRs in the L. bicolor genome representing 8% of the assembled genomic sequence. Among the analyzed basidiomycetes, L. bicolor exhibited the highest SSR density although no correlation between relative abundance and the genome sizes was observed. In most genomes the short ...
Purpose: To evaluate the outcome of repeat stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for acoustic neuromas, we assessed tumor control, clinical outcomes, and the risk of adverse radiation effects in patients whose tumors progressed after initial management. Methods and Materials: During a 21-year experience at our center, 1,352 patients underwent SRS as management for their acoustic neuromas. We retrospectively identified 6 patients who underwent SRS twice for the same tumor. The median patient age was 47 years (range, 35-71 years). All patients had imaging evidence of tumor progression despite initial SRS. One patient also had incomplete surgical resection after initial SRS. All patients were deaf at the time of the second SRS. The median radiosurgery target volume at the time of the initial SRS was 0.5 cc and was 2.1 cc at the time of the second SRS. The median margin dose at the time of the initial SRS was 13 Gy and was 11 Gy at the time of the second ...
Perceptions of sensation and pain in healthy people are believed to be the net result of sensory input and descending modulation from brainstem and cortical regions depending on emotional and cognitive factors. Here, the influence of attention on neural activity in the spinal cord during thermal sensory stimulation of the hand was investigated with functional magnetic resonance imaging by systematically varying the participants' attention focus across and within repeated studies. Attention states included (1) attention to the stimulus by rating the sensation and (2) attention away from the stimulus by performing various mental tasks of watching a movie and identifying characters, detecting the direction of coherently moving dots within a randomly moving visual field and answering mentally-...
The gene encoding the human type I pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide receptor (ADCYAP1R1) was mapped to chromosome 7 by PCR analysis of genomic DNA from a human/rodent somatic cell hybrid mapping panel. This assignment was confirmed and the gene localized to chromosome band 7p14 by fluorescence in situ hybridization. A yeast artificial chromosome containing ADCYAP1R1 was identified in the CEPH {open_quotes}B{close_quotes} Mega-YAC library. This YAC includes two highly polymorphic dinucleotide repeat sequences that will facilitate genetic studies of the contribution of ADCYAP1R1 in disease states of the central nervous and neuroendocrine systems. 13 refs., 1 fig.
The product of the human GRO gene is a cytokine with inflammatory and growth-regulatory properties; GRO is also called MGSA for melanoma growth-stimulatory activity. The authors have identified two additional genes, GRO#beta# and GRO#gamma#, that share 90% and 86% identity at the deduced amino acid level with the original GRO#alpha# isolate. One amino acid substitution of proline in GRO#alpha# by leucine in GRO#beta# and GRO#gamma# leads to a large predicted change in protein conformation. Significant differences also exist in the 3' untranslated region, including different numbers of ATTTA repeats associated with mRNA instability. A 122-base-pair region in the 3' region is conserved among the three GRO genes, and a part of it is also conserved in the Chinese hamster genome, suggesting a role in regulation. DNA hybridization with oligonucleotide probes and partial sequence analysis of the genomic clones confirm that the three forms are derived ...
The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of a simple deformable phantom as a QA tool for testing and validation of deformable image registration algorithms. A diagnostic thoracic imaging phantom with a deformable foam insert was used in this study. Small plastic markers were distributed through the foam to create a lattice with a measurable deformation as the ground truth data for all comparisons. The foam was compressed in the superior-inferior direction using a one-dimensional drive stage pushing a flat 'diaphragm' to create deformations similar to those from inhale and exhale states. Images were acquired at different compressions of the foam and the location of every marker was manually identified on each image volume to establish a known deformation field with a known accuracy. The markers were removed digitally from corresponding images prior to registration. Different image registration algorithms were tested using this method. ...
The E and P industry has high levels of uncertainty and risk, which oil companies attempt to quantify before embarking on each individual E and P project. However, the actual return on investment often falls well short of the hurdle rate. This discrepancy has been attributed to systemic limitations in decision analysis processes and workflow, which result in repeated underestimation of risk and overestimation of the predicted production of the project. Well designed decision analysis processes in association with clearly defined, multi-scenario analyses of significant technical uncertainties are required. However, simulation of these uncertainties is not realistic given the performance and infrastructure limitations of conventional technology (Begg et al., 2001; Floris and Peersmann, 2000). During the past five years, more than 20 companies have attempted to map the requirements of new technology that is needed to improve uncertainty assessment and decision ...
The U.S. Department of Energy`s (DOE) Environmental Management Office of Science and Technology (EM-50) authorized studies on alternative systems for treating contact-handled DOE mixed low-level radioactive waste (MLLW). The on-going Integrated Thermal Treatment Systems` (ITTS) and the Integrated Nonthermal Treatment Systems` (INTS) studies satisfy this request. EM-50 further authorized supporting studies including this technology and subsystem cost sensitivity analysis. This analysis identifies areas where technology development could have the greatest impact on total life cycle system costs. These areas are determined by evaluating the sensitivity of system life cycle costs relative to changes in life cycle component or phase costs, subsystem costs, contingency allowance, facility capacity, operating life, and disposal costs. For all treatment systems, the most cost sensitive life cycle phase is the operations and maintenance phase and the most cost sensitive ...
The Cryocycling of Energetic Materials Project is sponsored by the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on advanced munition technologies. This MOU is an agreement between the Department of Energy and the Department of Defense (Office of Munitions) that facilitates the development of technologies of mutual interest to the two Departments. The cryocycling project is one of several that focus on demilitarization aspects of conventional weapons and weapon systems. During FY94 the project pursued the development of analytical and numerical models that can be used to describe and optimize the cryocycling process for preparing energetic materials for recycle and reuse. In addition, the demilitarization stockpile of the Department of Defense was analyzed to identify candidate munitions for the process, and pilot scale cryocycling operations were begun at an industrial contractor. When a material is cryocycled, it is repeatedly subjected to cycles of ...
The development of a silicon carbide (SiC) heat exchanger is a critical step in the development of the Externally-Fired Combined Cycle (EFCC) power system. SiC is the only material that provides the necessary combination of resistance to creep, thermal shock, and oxidation. While the SiC structure materials provide the thermomechanical and thermophysical properties needed for an efficient system, the mechanical properties of the SiC tubes are severely degraded through corrosion by the coal combustion products. To obtain the necessary service life of thousands of hours at temperature, a protective coating is needed that is stable with both the SiC tube and the coal combustion products, resists erosion from the particle laden gas stream, is thermal shock resistant, adheres to SiC during repeated thermal shocks (start-up, process upsets, shut-down), and allows the EFCC system to be cost competitive. This demanding set of technical performance and cost drivers was used ...
This paper studies neighbor discovery problem in wireless networks. A novel scheme, called compressed neighbor discovery is proposed, which assigns each node a unique signature and let nodes simultaneously transmit their signatures during the discovery period. The query node then determines, based on the superposition of the signatures, a small number of nodes as its neighbors, out of a large number of nodes in the network. This is fundamentally a sparse recovery problem. Using the proposed scheme, a single frame time suffices to achieve reliable discovery for large networks. This is in contrast to conventional schemes, where each node repeatedly transmits its identity with random delay, so that a receiver can identify each neighbor at least once without collision. Two practical, low-complexity discovery schemes are studied. The first scheme assigns sparse pseudo-random on-off signatures to the nodes, so that each node can listen to the channel ...
Safety standards for exposure to radiofrequency radiation must be based upon biologic consequences of exposure to such environments. Behavioral-based measures are considered to be the most-sensitive indices of biological effects. Current safety guidelines are based upon average power density and may not be relevant to the high-peak-power, short pulse width microwave radiation produced by newly developed high peak power microwave sources. The effects of exposure to high-peak-power radiation on reflexive responding and motor function in Fischer 344/N rats were assessed by measuring startle and general activity, and disruption of on-going performance of a rotarod task, respectively. The emitter used was the TEMPO repeat pulse axially extracted vircator. Exposure to single pulses resulted in significant startle responses. Exposure to 1 pps for 10 s produced significant alterations in baseline activity and marked disruption of performance of the rotarod task. The ...
Farmers' lung disease (FLD) is a pulmonary disease that results from repeated inhalation of antigens from mouldy hay or straw. The objective of this prospective study was to assess the reliability of four serological techniques in FLD diagnosis. Sera from 15 consecutive patients with FLD, 15 healthy control farmers and 30 urban controls were analysed using four serological techniques [electrosyneresis (ES), Ouchterlony double diffusion (DD), ELISA and Western blot (WB)] with four antigens (Absidia corymbifera, Eurotium amstelodami, Wallemia sebi and Saccharopolyspora rectivirgula). In the authors' region, ES on cellulose acetate with A. corymbifera antigen was the most relevant diagnostic tool for discriminating FLD patients from healthy exposed farmers (sensitivity 87 %, specificity 100 %). DD tests were in accordance with ES, but their discriminatory power was lower. No threshold indicating both good sensitivity and specificity could be established with ELISA. WB ...
AimsTo assess the tolerability and pharmacokinetic profile of single and repeat doses of the oral matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor marimastat in healthy male volunteers.Full Text Available
Spinocerebellar ataxia 10 (SCA10) is an autosomal dominant disease caused by large-scale expansions of the (ATTCT)nrepeat within an intron of the human ATXN10 gene. In contrast...Full Text Available
Since polyglutamine (polyQ) aggregate formation has been implicated as playing an important role in expanded CAG repeat diseases, it is important to understand the biophysics underlying the...Full Text Available
Huntington's disease (HD) is one of several neurodegenerative disorders caused by expansion of CAG repeats in a coding gene. Somatic CAG expansion rates in HD vary between organs, and the greatest instability...Full Text Available
During sexual development, Neurospora crassa inactivates genes in duplicated DNA segments by a hypermutation process, repeat-induced point mutation (RIP). RIP introduces C:G to T:A...Full Text Available
... Propulsive efficiency is equivalent to the product of thrust efficiency and the hull/waterjet interaction efficiency. ... t'waterjet pump Ktorque repeated ...
Cockayne syndrome (CS) is a rare autosomal recessive disease, which shows diverse clinical symptoms such as photosensitivity, severe mental retardation and developmental defects. CS cells are hypersensitive to killing by ultraviolet (UV)-irradiation and defective in transcription-coupled repair. Two genetic complementation groups in CS (CS-A and CS-B) have been identified. We analyzed mutations of the CSA gene in 5 CS-A patients and identified 3 types of mutations. Four unrelated CS-A patients (CS2OS, CS2AW, Nps2 and CS2SE) had a deletion including exon 4, suggesting that there is a founder effect on the CSA mutation in Japanese CS-A patients. Patient CS2SE was a compound heterozygote for this deletion and an amino acid substitution at the 106th glutamine to proline (Q106P) in the WD-40 repeat motif of the CSA protein, which resulted in a defective nucleotide excision repair. Patient Mps1 had a large deletion in the ...
The subjective experience of one's environment is constructed by interactions among sensory, cognitive, and affective processes. For centuries, meditation has been thought to influence such processes by enabling a nonevaluative representation of sensory events. To better understand how meditation influences the sensory experience, we used arterial spin labeling functional magnetic resonance imaging to assess the neural mechanisms by which mindfulness meditation influences pain in healthy human participants. After 4 d of mindfulness meditation training, meditating in the presence of noxious stimulation significantly reduced pain unpleasantness by 57% and pain intensity ratings by 40% when compared to rest. A two-factor repeated-measures ANOVA was used to identify interactions between meditation and pain-related brain activation. Meditation reduced pain-related activation of the contralateral primary somatosensory cortex. Multiple regression ...
Telomeres protect the chromosome ends from unscheduled DNA repair and degradation. Telomeres are heterochromatic domains composed of repetitive DNA (TTAGGG repeats) bound to an array of specialized...Full Text Available
Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis (HP) is an interstitial lung disease that develops following repeated exposure to inhaled environmental antigens. The disease is characterized by alveolitis, granuloma formation...Full Text Available
screens of fine wire was placed between the gun barrel and the panel to determine whether the gun performance was repeatable. The transducers were placed ...
Plate-boundary earthquakes have occurred repeatedly in the past several thousand years at the Cascadia subduction zone, where they are widely recorded ... ...
The use of repeated expressions to establish coreference allows an investigation of the relationship between basic processes of word recognition and higher-level...Full Text Available
Background: A possible association between the polymorphic CAG repeat in the DNA polymerase gamma (POLG) gene and the risk of testicular germ-cell tumours (TGCT) was investigated in this study. The hypothesis was prompted by an earlier preliminary study proposing an association of the absence of the common 10-CAG-long POLG allele with testicular cancer as well as previously reported in some European populations' association with male subfertility, which is a condition carrying an increased risk of TGCT. Patients and methods: The number of CAG repeats in both POLG alleles was established in 243 patients with TGCT and in 869 controls by the analysis of the genomic DNA fragment. Results: A significantly higher proportion of men homozygous allele of other than the common 10 CAG repeats was fou...
Oleoresin Capsicum (OC) is an extract of the pepper plant used for centuries as a culinary spice (hot peppers). This material has been identified as a safe and effective Less-Than- Lethal weapon for use by Law enforcement and security professionals against assault. The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is currently also evaluating its use in conjunction with other Less-Than-Lethal agents such as aqueous foam for use in corrections applications. Therefore, a comprehensive toxicological review of the literature was performed for the National Institute of Justice Less-Than-Lethal Force program to review and update the information available on the toxicity and adverse health effects associated with OC exposure. The results of this evaluation indicate that exposure to OC can result in dermatitis, as well as adverse nasal, pulmonary, and gastrointestinal effects in humans. The primary effects of OC exposure include pain and irritation of the mucous membranes of the ...
The detailed sequence stratigraphic analysis of the siliciclastic-dominated Late Cretaceous sediments (Aren Sandstone and Garumnian red beds, south central Pyrenees, Spain) reveals the repeating disposition of critical elements and controlling mechanisms of cycles and sequences. Our approach integrates (a) hierarchy of unconformity-bounded units, (b) physical expression of boundaries traceable from the continent to the basin, (c) featuring facies and depositional systems, (d) well log and seismic expression, and (e) driving basing-filling mechanisms. A comparison to other active basins is suggested in order to prove the validity beyond the regional scale. Four basin-wide transgressive facies cycles were identified and interpreted as third-order units. The transgressive phase of each cycle is represented by mixed shelf deposits, while regressive periods consists of complex delta systems. The cycles are composed within their regressive phase of ...
In 65 adult rabbits of both sexes (2.5 to 6 kg) the following salvaging procedures were performed after simulated trauma: (1) Continuous suture line; (2) closure with fibrin sealant after temporary clamping; (3) hemisplenectomy with omental wrap; (4) suture fixation of fragments and slices of spleen tissue to the peritoneum; (5) suture fixation of spleen fragments to the omentum; (6) extraperitoneal subcutaneous transposition of spleen cubes. In addition, the likelihood of spontaneous splenosis was examined in a preliminary study involving 5 animals by introducing unattached spleen meal and fragments. Scanning was repeated 4 to 12 weeks postoperatively. The functional competence of minor parenchymal islands was also investigated with well counter measurements of organ and muscle tissue homogenates. Spontaneous splenosis after abdominal injuries was not found to be the rule. Salvaging procedures at the natural vascular hilus by sutures, fibrin sealant and ...
California utilities have been exploring the use of critical peak prices (CPP) to help reduce needle peaks in customer end-use loads. CPP is a form of price-responsive demand response (DR). Recent experience has shown that customers have limited knowledge of how to operate their facilities in order to reduce their electricity costs under CPP (Quantum 2004). While the lack of knowledge about how to develop and implement DR control strategies is a barrier to participation in DR programs like CPP, another barrier is the lack of automation of DR systems. During 2003 and 2004, the PIER Demand Response Research Center (DRRC) conducted a series of tests of fully automated electric demand response (Auto-DR) at 18 facilities. Overall, the average of the site-specific average coincident demand reductions was 8% from a variety of building types and facilities. Many electricity customers have suggested that automation will help them institutionalize their electric demand savings and improve their ...
Extensive sequence repeats have been observed in a biologically active fragment of type 24 streptococcal M protein, namely Pep M24 [Beachey, E. H., Sayer, J. M. & Kang, A. H. (1978) Proc....Full Text Available
A probabilistic precursor study provides a complement to the 'root cause' analysis approach by focusing on how an event might have developed adversely, and implies the mapping of an operational event on a probabilistic risk model of the plant in order to obtain a quantitative assessment of the safety significance of the event. In order to benefit from state-of-the-art PSA features but also to assure repeatability of the analysis, a comprehensive set of PSAEA guidelines was developed. This PSAEA procedure was established in 1996-1998 by Enconet Consulting in the framework of an international project on behalf of - and involving - the nuclear regulatory bodies from 6 countries: AECB (Canada), AVN (Belgium), CSN (Spain), HSK (Switzerland), NII (United Kingdom) and SKI (Sweden). The PSAEA procedure defines preliminary requirements for the PSA model and code, and identifies input requirements such as information on plant status, event sequence ...
Aim: To evaluate the role of computed tomography (CT) in needle placement for ganglion impar blocks, and to determine the efficacy of CT-guided ganglion impar blocks in the management of coccydynia. Materials and methods: The results of ganglion impar blockade in eight patients with coccydynia secondary to trauma or unknown cause were reviewed. The diagnosis of coccydynia was based on clinical history, location of pain, and response to previous diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. The eight patients were treated with CT-guided ganglion impar blocks to manage their coccyx pain after conservative procedures, including oral medication and cushions, failed to provide relief. All patients were subjected to ganglion impar blocks under a thin-section CT-guided technique for needle placement, using a mixture of bupivacaine and triamcinolone. The patients were followed-up for a period of 6-months. Results: Eight patients were treated in this study with a total of 11 injections. A technical ...
We have established a reliable method to induce invasive and non-invasive carcinomas in the heterotopically transplanted urinary bladder of rats by repeated injection of N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU),...Full Text Available
We demonstrate rapid fabrication of submicrometer-diameter pores in borosilicate glass using femtosecond laser machining and subsequent wet-etch techniques. This approach allows direct and repeatable...Full Text Available
The genes which encode glycosomal glyceraldehyde-phosphate dehydrogenase (gGAPDH) of Trypanosoma cruzi are arranged as a tandemly repeated pair on a single chromosome and are identical at the level...Full Text Available
The purpose of this study was to determine if there were any beneficial or detrimental effects regarding delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), serum creatine kinase (CK), and maximum concentric strength...Full Text Available
Assembly of infectious adenovirus particles requires seven functionally redundant elements at the left end of the genome, termed A repeats, that direct packaging of the DNA. Previous studies revealed...Full Text Available
BackgroundYersinia pestis, the agent of plague, is a young and highly monomorphic species. Three biovars, each one thought to be associated with the last three Y....Full Text Available
Background:Children suffering from beta-thalassemia major require repeated blood transfusions which may be associated with dangers like iron overload and contraction of...Full Text Available
Digestion of plant chromatin from Brassica pekinensis and Matthiola incana with staphylococcus nuclease leads to a DNA repeat of 175 plus or minus 8 and a core size of 140 base pairs. DNase I digestion...Full Text Available
To evaluate whether children with and without autism could exhibit (a) functional equivalence in the course of yoked repeated-reversal training and (b) reversal learning set, 6 children, in...Full Text Available
PurposeAuto-propagation of anatomical region-of-interests (ROIs) from the planning CT to daily CT is an essential step in image-guided adaptive radiotherapy. The...Full Text Available
OBJECTIVEThis randomized, four-arm, placebo-controlled, dose-ranging phase 2 trial was conducted to determine whether repeated subcutaneous injections of the altered peptide ligand,...Full Text Available
Seventy-nine Mycobacterium bovis isolates recovered from Mexican and Texas cattle were categorized into 16 and 25 distinct types on the basis of IS6110 and direct-repeat fingerprint patterns, respectively....Full Text Available
1. The LD50 of iodomethane orally administered to rats is 76mg./kg. body wt. but repeated daily doses of 30–50mg./kg. body wt. are without effect. 2. Oral doses of iodomethane to...Full Text Available
Ten subjects balanced their own body or a mechanically equivalent unstable inverted pendulum by hand, through a compliant spring linkage. Their balancing process was always characterized by repeated...Full Text Available
Records of past climates contained in ice cores, ocean sediments, and other archives show that large, abrupt, widespread climate changes have occurred repeatedly in the past. These changes were especially...Full Text Available
BackgroundHelminth infections can alter susceptibility to malaria. Studies need to determine whether or not deworming programs can impact on Plasmodium infections...Full Text Available
Synthetic polypeptide antigens of L amino acids, although bearing repeating sequences, are thymus-dependent (L-TD), whereas the same polymers composed of D amino acids are thymus-independent (D-TI),...Full Text Available
Place fields of hippocampal pyramidal cells expand asymmetrically when adult rats repeatedly follow the same route. This behaviorally-induced expression of neuronal plasticity utilizes an NMDAR-dependent,...Full Text Available
BackgroundCucumber, Cucumis sativus L. is an important vegetable crop worldwide. Until very recently, cucumber genetic and genomic resources, especially molecular...Full Text Available
... 16223, 16292, and 16295, which classify them as haplogroup W (Richards et al. 2000). The sample that was ... belonged to haplogroup B, 2 individuals belonged to haplogroup W, and 1 individual belonged to ...
BackgroundDeveloping lepidopteran microsatellite DNA markers can be problematical, as markers often exhibit multiple banding patterns and high frequencies of non-amplifying "null"...Full Text Available
The recombinant product (rK39) of the 39-amino-acid repeats encoded by a kinesin-like protein-encoding gene of Leishmania chagasi was evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay...Full Text Available
A number of aberrant morphological phenotypes were noted during propagation of the Arabidopsis thaliana DNA hypomethylation mutant, ddm1, by repeated self-pollination. Onset of a spectrum of morphological...Full Text Available
Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of a program of repeated assessments, feedback, and training on the quality of coded clinical data in general practice.Design:...Full Text Available
PurposeTo establish normative values for macular light sensitivity and to determine the intrasession fluctuation of perimetric responses using the OPKO/OTI microperimeter.Full Text Available
Recent studies suggest that calcium influx via L-type calcium channels is necessary for psychostimulant-induced behavioral sensitization. In addition, chronic amphetamine upregulates subtype...Full Text Available
BackgroundPhysical performance measures are widely used to assess physical function, providing information about physiological and biomechanical aspects of motor performance. However...Full Text Available
A DNA fragment located on the 3' side of the Coxiella burnetii htpAB operon was determined by Southern blotting to exist in approximately 19 copies in the Nine Mile I genome. The DNA sequences of this...Full Text Available
Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) is an inflammatory lung disease caused by repeated inhalation of aerosolized antigens. With chronic exposure to an inhaled antigen, patients are at risk of...Full Text Available
This paper presents a unique method, currently under evaluation, that can continuously track pipeline operation providing essentially instantaneous responses to leaks or ruptures without causing a pressure drop or energy loss. Using the highly linear characteristics of a very accurate and repeatable meter and then correlating it to a second identical unit, a dynamic leak detection system is planned that can be retrofitted on existing pipelines without a major construction effort nor destroying the integrity of the existing transmission line. Initial tests performed on a crude oil transmission line verified the equipment's performance and established that the repeatability limits are sufficient to continue development of the concept.
The purpose of a FAAT analysis is to estimate the probability of system upset to an electromagnetic threat, for systems on which we have incomplete information. As an example of this process, we will discuss the response of part of a telephone repeater system to wideband transients. We first estimate the currents induced on above-ground and buried cables. After that, we describe the simple circuit we used to build a model of the amplifier and protective devices. Finally, we describe the scaling of the energy deposited in the electronics, including its nonlinear large-signal response, with the amplitude of the wideband waveforms.
A revision of some basic concepts related to the analysis of variance of repeated measures is presented within an ecological context topics such as the types of experiments in which the technique is applicable, the hypotheses of interest, and its preference over other traditional techniques such as regression and conventional analysis of variance, are discussed. As an example, the technique was successfully applied to an experiment carried out at Cienaga Grande de Santa Marta, Colombia, in which the concentration of cadmium #mu#g/g in leaves of the black mangrove Avicennia germinans was measured in several monitoring stations and throughout several sampling intervals representing seasons.
Heterochromatin constitutes a significant portion of the genome in higher eukaryotes; approximately 30% in Drosophila and human. Heterochromatin contains a high repeat DNA content and a low density of protein-encoding genes. In contrast, euchromatin is composed mostly of unique sequences and contains the majority of single-copy genes. Genetic and cytological studies demonstrated that heterochromatin exhibits regulatory roles in chromosome organization, centromere function and telomere protection. As an epigenetically regulated structure, heterochromatin formation is not defined by any DNA sequence consensus. Heterochromatin is characterized by its association with nucleosomes containing methylated-lysine 9 of histone H3 (H3K9me), heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1) that binds H3K9me, and Su(var)3-9, which methylates H3K9 and binds HP1. Heterochromatin formation and functions are influenced by HP1, Su(var)3-9, and the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway. My thesis project ...
The structure of the O-antigen polysaccharide (PS) from Escherichia coli O177 has been determined. Component analysis together with 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy experiments was used to determine the structure. Inter-residue correlations were determined by 1H,13C-heteronuclear multiple-bond correlation and 1H,1H-NOESY experiments. PS is composed of tetrasaccharide repeating units with the following structure: 2)-a-l-Rhap-(13)-a-l-FucpNAc-(13)-a-l-FucpNAc-(13)-b-d-GlcpNAc-(1 An a-l-Rhap residue is suggested to be present at the terminal part of the polysaccharide, which on average is composed of 20 repeating units, since the 1H and 13C chemical shifts of an a-linked rhamnopyranosyl group could be assigned by a combination of 2D NMR spectra. Consequently, the biological repeating unit has a 3-...
We have investigated the structures formed by oligonucleotides composed of two or four repeats of the telomeric sequences from Oxytricha and Tetrahymena. The Oxytricha four-repeat molecule (d(T4G4)4 = Oxy-4) forms structures with increased electrophoretic mobility in nondenaturing gels containing Na+, K+, or Cs+, but not in gels containing Li+ or no added salt. Formation of the folded structure results in protection of a set of dG's from methylation by dimethyl sulfate. Efficient UV-induced cross-links are observed in Oxy-4 and the related sequence from Tetrahymena (d(T2G4)4 = Tet-4), and join thymidine residues in different repeats. Models proposed to account for these data involve G-quartets, hydrogen-bonded structures formed from four guanosine residues in a square-planar array. We propose that the G-quartet structure must be dealt with in vivo by the telomere replication machinery.
The authors report the cloning, sequencing, and mapping of three short sequence repeat polymorphisms due to tetranucleotide (TAAA) repeats from human chromosome 21. These DNA markers (D21S221, D21S225, D21S226) have been cloned from the chromosome 21-specific plasmid library of J. C. Fuscoe, C. C. Collins, D. Pinkel, and J. W. Gray and were shown to be polymorphic by polymerase chain reaction amplification and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Genotypes were determined in informative CEPH pedigrees and used in linkage analysis relative to other mapped markers on human chromosome 21. One of these markers, D21S221, is closely linked to the amyloid precursor protein gene (APP), which has been implicated in the etiology of familial Alzheimer disease in some families. 18 refs., 3 figs., 2 tabs.
The structure of a demountable vacuum joint designed for operation from -120 to +120 deg C is developed and tested. Requirements of especially low gas release from the materials used have been fulfilled; the same concerns low sealing efforts, repeated action and keeping tightness under loads, indium being used as a sealant. Experimental studies of demountable vacuum joints, dia 100,125,140,160,180 and 200 mm, with an indium sealant permit to make the following conclusions: 1. The joints are sealed at sealing specific efforts of 0.4 kg/mm (without considering atmospheric pressure). 2. The joints retain tightness at opening and closing a cover five times and under +-120 deg C. 3. To ensure repeated operation of the joint with continued stable sealing effort, one should make sure the sealed surfaces coincide at repeated sealing. 4. When operating demountable vaccum joints with indium sealant, one must take into account the ...
Huntington?s disease (HD) is caused by an expansion of a polyglutamine repeat of more than 35?units in the huntingtin protein. The expanded repeat length is inversely correlated with the age at onset (AAO); however, additional genetic factors apart from the expanded CAG repeat length can modify the course and the AAO in HD. Aberrations in macroautophagy have been observed in Huntington, Alzheimer, Parkinson, motor neuron and prion diseases. Therefore, we hypothesized that polymorphisms in autophagy-related (Atg) genes might contribute to the variation in the AAO. We initially tested eight single nucleotide polymorphisms in five Atg genes (Atg3, Atg5, Atg7, Atg16L1 and Beclin-1) for their frequency of ?1%. Subsequently, we investigated the polymorphisms Atg7 V471A and Atg16L1 T281A for a di...
Blood kinetics and tissue distribution of 20, 80 and 110 nm silver nanoparticles were investigated in rats up to 16 days after intravenous administration once daily for 5 consecutive days. Following both single and repeated injection, silver nanoparticles disappeared rapidly from the blood and distributed to all organs evaluated (liver, lungs, spleen, brain, heart, kidneys and testes) regardless of size. The 20 nm particles distributed mainly to liver, followed by kidneys and spleen, whereas the larger particles distributed mainly to spleen followed by liver and lung. In the other organs evaluated, no major differences between the sizes were observed. Size-dependent tissue distribution suggests size-dependent toxicity and health risks. Repeated administration resulted in accumulation in li...
Abstract Bioluminescent bacteria have been used for many years for biotoxicological analysis. One of the main concerns with this microorganism is the low experimental repeatability when subjected to external factors. The aim of the present study was to obtain accurate, sensitive, and repeatable measurements with stable signals (during the detection and over days) for application in a water-analysis device for the detection of pollutants. Growth conditions were tested and optimized. An optimal freeze-drying procedure for the constitutive bioluminescent bacteria Vibrio fischeri and Photobacterium phosphoreum was developed. The luminescence stability after rehydration was also investigated. Freeze drying was found to be a critical process in survival and signal stability of luminescent bacter...
Greenman J, Thorn RMS, Saad S, Austin AJ. In vitro diffusion bed, 3-day repeat challenge `capacity' test for antimicrobial wound dressings. Int Wound J 2006;3:322-329. Abstract The aim of this study was to develop an in vitro wound infection model that allows the comparison of the bacterial kill rate of antimicrobial wound dressings over the course of 3 days, with renewed microbial challenges each day, under realistic wound-like conditions. A test bed model of a moderately exuding wound was constructed from a hydrogel containing releasable foetal calf serum (FCS), and cellulose discs dosed with test microbes (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) suspended in 50% FCS applied at the interface between the test dressing and the hydrogel test bed. Freshly prep...
Entanglement swapping allows to establish entanglement between independent particles that never have interacted nor share a common past. This feature makes it an integral constituent of quantum repeaters and a promising tool for future tests of the foundations of quantum physics. Here, we demonstrate entanglement swapping with time-synchronized independent sources with a fidelity high enough to violate a Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt (CHSH) inequality by more than four standard deviations. The fact that both entangled photon pairs are created by fully independent laser sources, which are only electronically connected, ensures that this technique is suitable for future long-distance entanglement swapping and quantum-repeater experiments.
A clinical laboratory evaluation was conducted on the Clinitek Auto 2000, the Super Aution Analyzer and the Urotron RL9 for the determination of glucose, protein, pH, blood, ketone-bodies and bilirubin.Precision of the systems was tested using three commercial control urine materials, and reported as the percentage of times the instrument repeats a certain value. Good repeatability was obtained with all the instruments.Accuracy of the systems was evaluated by comparison with quantitative procedures, and to check agreement between methods yielding semi-quantitative and quantitative results, ranges of acceptability were defined, based on the criteria reported in a previous paper [2]. It was then found that 87.5 to 98.9% of results from the Urotron RL9 and the Clinitek Auto 2000 were acceptable. With the Super Aution Analyzer the level of agreement was apparently lower because of the higher number of concentration steps used by this instrument. ...
An IAEA databank lists a number of reported cases of illicitly trafficked nuclear or other radioactive materials. Apart from the traditional concern with nuclear proliferation, the post September 11th public is now wary of a possible attack by terrorists with a nuclear or radiation dispersion device (RDD). Until now, the seized quantities have not been sufficient to manufacture a nuclear explosive device, but they might be enough to construct an RDD. Recognizing the latent global challenge to public health and safety, the G8 States (Japan, USA, Germany, France, UK, Italy, Canada, and Russia) have called for 'joint international efforts to identify and suppress illicit supply' of, and demand for, nuclear material and to deter potential traffickers. One measure gaining in significance is to identify seized material and trace it back to its origin the objective of an emerging science known as nuclear forensics. Repeatedly ...
We present a technique for identifying the amino acids responsible for a loss of immunoreactivity in response to treating an antigen with a chemical modifier. This is of particular interest...Full Text Available
Although hippocampal infusions of glucose enhance memory, we have found repeatedly that septal glucose infusions impair memory when γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors are activated....Full Text Available
The applicability of the electro-slag melting method for treating plutonium contaminated metallic waste was studied. A 100kg test furnace was built and simulated metallic waste was melted and solidified in this furnace. Waste volume was reduced to 1/25 with a decontamination factor of 25 and the slag and the copper mold are repeatedly usable. The process is expected to be employed in the project of PWTF (Plutonium contaminated Waste Treatment Facilities).
Transforming growth factor (TGF)-βs are secreted in large latent complexes consisting of TGF-β, its N-terminal latency-associated peptide (LAP) propeptide, and latent TGF-β...Full Text Available
BackgroundLand plant genomes contain multiple members of a eukaryote-specific gene family encoding proteins with pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) motifs. Some PPR proteins were shown...Full Text Available
'Small radioactive source results in big accident' have occurred repeatedly in China and worldwide alike. Radioactive source management is one of the key activities for a nuclear power plant to maintain its good safety record and image to the public. From aspects of establishing the management system, centralized storage, periodic accounting, performing whole process control to the source usage and experience feedback etc., the author reports the practice and experience of radioactive source management in Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant
A polarized proton physics run took place during January, 1988, at the Brookhaven AGS. It is the purpose of this paper to review the tune-up period preceding that run. This was the third such run at the AGS; the others occurred in June of 1984 and February of 1986. Some comparisons will be drawn among these. A thorough review of the history and hardware associated with the acceleration of polarized protons at the AGS can be found in the proceedings of the last meeting of this group at Protvino and will not be repeated here. 2 refs., 6 figs., 1 tab.
Staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) is a mobile genetic element characterized by flanking terminal direct and, in most cases, inverted repeat sequences,...Full Text Available
In Streptococcus pneumoniae, CpsB, CpsC, and CpsD are essential for encapsulation, and mutants containing deletions of cpsB, cpsC, or cpsD...Full Text Available
... The larvae's only hope for survival is if the antibiotic tetracycline is present -because it mops up the enzyme. The developers hope male GM mosquitoes will compete with normal males for females so that repeated releases cut numbers of A. aegypti in dengue-prone areas. The mosquitoes will be released in the inland districts of Bentong in the state of Pahang, and Alor Gajah and Melaka in the state of Malacca, according to the National Biosafety Board. Each location will have two release phases: the first at a site ...
Loss of organic matter is one of the main forms of soil degradation in Mediterranean agricultural soils, and external sources of organic matter are required to improve soil properties. the two-phase centrifugation system in the olive-oil extraction industry produces a large amount of olive mill waste sludge (TPOMW) which can be used to add organic C to degraded soils. (Author)
Cyclic strength of #alpha#+#beta#-titanium alloy BT3-1 is studied under load frequencies of 33 and 300 Hz. The increase in the cyclic strength with growing frequency is caused by formation of FCC interphase layers of titanium hydrides. Their formation is one of possible ways of raising the fatigue strength of titanium alloys. Peculiarities of FCC interlayer formation in #alpha#+#beta# phases under loading frequency variation are revealed.
An unusual S1-nuclease sensitive microsatellite (STMS) has been found in the single copy, rat polymeric immunoglobulin receptor gene (PIGR) terminal exon. In Fisher rats, elements within or beyond the...Full Text Available
The aim is to provide accurate data on elevation change due to mining activity, via the application of interferometry with ERS SAR data. Ultimately, these elevation changes can then be fed into subsidence models. Interferometry results are presented showing initial evidence of subsidence occurring within the 35 day repeat orbit period of the ERS satellites. The result of extending the monitoring period beyond 35 days is also shown.
The authors report the personal techniques and the results of CT-guided percutaneous drainage of postoperative abdominal fluid collections. CT-guided percutaneous drainage offers many advantages over surgery: it is less invasive, can be repeated and requires no anesthesia, there are not surgery-related risks and lower morbidity and mortality rates. Moreover, subsequent hospitalization is shorter and costs are consequently reduced. The authors conclude that CT-guided percutaneous drainage is the method of choice in the treatment of postoperative abdominal fluid collections.
Stress exposure increases the risk of addictive drug use in human and animal models of drug addiction by mechanisms that are not completely understood. Mice subjected to repeated forced swim stress...Full Text Available
Asymptotic giant branch stars are red supergiant stars of low-to-intermediate mass. This class of stars is of particular interest because many of these stars can have nuclear processed material brought up repeatedly from the deep interior to the surface where it can be observed. A review of recent theoretical and observational work on stars undergoing the asymptotic giant branch phase is presented. 41 refs.
We obtained the time-lapse cumulative slip before and after the 29 November 1999, Xiuyan, Liaoning, China, Ms = 5.4 earthquake by using "repeating events" defined by waveform cross-correlation. We used the seismic waveform data from the Liaoning Regional Seismograph Network from June 1999 to December 2006. Two "multiplets" located near the seismogenic fault of the 1999 Xiuyan earthquake and the 4 February 1975, Haicheng Ms = 7.3 earthquake, respectively, were investigated. For the "multiplet" that occurred before and after the 1999 Xiuyan earthquake, apparent pre-shock accelerating-like slip behavior, clear immediate-post-seismic change, and relaxation-like post-seismic change can be observed. As a comparison, for the "multiplet" near the 1975 Haicheng earthquake which occurred a quarter century ago, the cumulative slip appears linear with a much smaller slip rate.
Coal bed natural gas (CBNG) development in the Powder River (PR) Basin produces modestly saline, highly sodic wastewater. This study assessed impacts of wetting four textural groups (0-11%, 12-22%, 23 -33%, and > 33% clay (g clay/100 g soil) x 100%))with simulated PR or CBNG water on water retention. Soils received the following treatments with each water quality: a single wetting event, five wetting and drying events, or five wetting and drying events followed by leaching with salt-free water. Treated samples were then resaturated with the final treatment water and equilibrated to -10, -33, -100, -500, or -1,500 kPa. At all potentials, soil water retention increased significantly with increasing clay content. Drought-prone soils lost water-holding capacity between saturation and field capacity with repeated wetting and drying, whereas finer textured soils withstood this treatment better and had increased water-retention capacity at lower matric potentials.
Bone scintigraphy was performed in 16 men with newly diagnosed prostatic carcinoma before orchiectomy as well as 2 weeks and 2 months after operation. The uptake in the lower thoracic and lumbar vertebrae was registered up to 240 min after injection of /sup 99m/Tc-MDP and was then calculated for each patient and vertebra. The relative standard deviation in measured uptake due to measuring technique was estimated to be +-7%. In eight patients, who had normal bone scintigraphies before orchiectomy, there were no changes in the uptake values after operation. The remaining eight patients had widespread metastatic involvement prior to treatment, six of these patients showed a so-called 'flare phenomenon' in the abnormal vertebrae which means an initial increase in uptake after operation followed by a decreased uptake in response to therapy. One patient had a continuously increased uptake in all the abnormal vertebrae which correlated well with the clinical progression of ...
Bone scintigraphy was performed in 16 men with newly diagnosed prostatic carcinoma before orchiectomy as well as 2 weeks and 2 months after operation. The uptake in the lower thoracic and lumbar vertebrae was registered up to 240 min after injection of "9"9"mTc-MDP and was then calculated for each patient and vertebra. The relative standard deviation in measured uptake due to measuring technique was estimated to be #+-#7%. In eight patients, who had normal bone scintigraphies before orchiectomy, there were no changes in the uptake values after operation. The remaining eight patients had widespread metastatic involvement prior to treatment, six of these patients showed a so-called 'flare phenomenon' in the abnormal vertebrae which means an initial increase in uptake after operation followed by a decreased uptake in response to therapy. One patient had a continuously increased uptake in all the abnormal vertebrae which correlated well with the clinical progression of the disease, while ...
When thorium was biosorbed by biomass of Rhizopus arrhizus or Aspergillus niger it could be removed by treatment using carbonate solutions, but not by phosphates or distilled water. Desorption was rapid, reaching completion in 15 and 30 min respectively. Desorption efficiency was independent of the desorbent concentration above 0.05 mol dm[sup -3] but was strongly dependent on the biomass concentration, decreasing as the biomass concentration increased for both species. Biomass from both species could be regenerated by desorption using sodium carbonate solutions and reused for biosorption. In both species, the efficiency of biosorption and desorption fell as the number of exposures increased although there was an initial rise in desorption efficiency for R. arrhizus. Biosorption and desorption efficiencies of A. niger biomass showed the steeper decline but both were severely reduced in R. arrhizus after five treatments. There was also a significant loss of biomass during ...
Smoothness-constrained least-squares technique with ABIC minimization was applied to the inversion of phase velocity of surface waves during geophysical exploration, to confirm its usefulness. Since this study aimed mainly at the applicability of the technique, Love wave was used which is easier to treat theoretically than Rayleigh wave. Stable successive approximation solutions could be obtained by the repeated improvement of velocity model of S-wave, and an objective model with high reliability could be determined. While, for the inversion with simple minimization of the residuals squares sum, stable solutions could be obtained by the repeated improvement, but the judgment of convergence was very hard due to the smoothness-constraint, which might make the obtained model in a state of over-fitting. In this study, Love wave was used to examine the applicability of the smoothness-constrained least-squares technique with ABIC minimization. ...
We investigated the in vitro phenotypic transformation of human embryo (HE) cells that were repeatedly irradiated (7.5 cGy once a week) throughout their life-span. Irradiation was repeated until the cells had accumulated 195 cGy (equivalent to the 26th passage). Samples of cells were assayed for survival by colony formation, as well as for mutation at the hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (HGPRT) locus and for transformation by focus formation. The life-span (mean number of population doublings) of multiply irradiated cells with a total dose of 97.5 cGy was slightly but significantly prolonged over that of controls. After HE cells had accumulated 195 cGy, the maximum number of divisions increased to 130-160% of the number in non-irradiated control cells. Transformed foci were not observed until cells had accumulated 97.5 cGy, and then increased with the increasing accumulation of radiation. However, no cells showed immortality or ...
BACKGROUND: : Skills related to cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED) use by lay responders decay rapidly after training, and efforts are required to maintain competence among trainees. We examined whether repeated viewing of a reminder video on a mobile phone would be an effective means of maintaining CPR and AED skills in lay responders. METHODS: : In a single-blind case-control study, 75 male students received training in CPR and AED use. They were allocated either to the control or to the video-reminded group, who received a memory card containing a video clip about CPR and AED use for their mobile phone, which they were repeatedly encouraged to watch by SMS text message. CPR and AED skills were assessed in scenario format by examiners immediately and 3 months after initial training. RESULTS: : Three months after initial training, the video-reminded group showed more accurate airway opening (PCPR ...
Fatigue damage occurs in general when a boiler tube is subject to repeat cyclic or fluctuating loading although the stress produced is below the material yield strength. The types of fatigue damage include, e.g., corrosion, thermal, mechanical, vibration, and creep fatigue. It is important to determine which form of fatigue is active, because measures to avoid repeat failures differ as the case arises. In this lesson, the focus is exclusively on corrosion fatigue. Corrosion fatigue occurs by the combined synergistic actions of cyclic loading and a corrosive environment. It is a discontinuous process with crack initiation and growth during transient periods. The excessive stresses may be caused during boiler operation by the restraint at tube attachments and by load changes (in particular during cold starts or forced cools) or during shutdown or restart of circulation boilers by thermal stratification of water along the tube length. Poor water ...
A report is given of investigations into the possibility of utilizing red mud from the Bayer process for producing Ferrari cements. On repeated burning at 1450deg C suitable mixtures of red mud with silica and lime form a clinker with a low free lime content from which Ferrari cement can be produced. The average 28-day compressive strengths of cements produced from this clinker are so encouraging that further investigations are appropriate. (orig.).
We have performed molecular dynamics simulations of radiation damage in fused silica. In this study, we discuss the role of successive cascade overlap on the saturation and self-healing of oxygen vacancy defects in the amorphous fused silica network. Furthermore, we present findings on the topological changes in fused silica due to repeated energetic recoil atoms. These topological network modifications consistent with experimental Raman spectroscopic observation on neutron and ion irradiated fused silica are indicators of permanent densification that has also been observed experimentally.
We have isolated a genomic clone containing 'Lupinus luteus' 5S ribosomal RNA genes by screening with 5S rDNA probe clones that were hybridized previously with the initiator methionine tRNA preparation (contaminated) with traces of rRNA or its degradation products). The clone isolated contains ten repeat units of 342 bp with 119 bp fragment showing 100% homology to the 5S rRNA from yellow lupine. Sequence analysis indicates only point heterogeneities among the flanking regions of the genes. (author). 6 refs, 3 figs.
On the basis of literary sources and experimental data, the advantages of a monogamous reproductive strategy are analyzed. Monogamous species of Lepidoptera have no postcopulative mechanisms of control over the success of reproductive sperm competition, cryptic female choice, and, probably, the male?s nuptial gift. Selection of the sex partner and of the quality of the future generation is determined by the precopulative and copulative mechanisms of the reproductive behavior, which include chemocommunication and a ?lock-and-key? mechanism. In an experiment with one male and one female, the quota of successful mating can depend on the morphological complication of the genital apparatus of males. Cases are considered of repeated mating for some, usually monogamous, species. In comparison wit...
The excess energy of several III-V and II-VI strained-layer semiconductor superlattices (AC)_p(BC)_p is studied as a function of the repeat period p and orientation G=[001], [110], [111], and [201], using first-principles calculations. We discover a number of universal features, including the predicted instability for nearly all p's and G's with respect to bulk disproportionation, the identification of chalcopyrite as a metastable ordered structure, and the stability of all thin epitaxial [110] and [201] and most common-anion [001] superlattices relative to coherent phase separation.
Production decline-curve analysis is accepted for prediction of future performance of oil and gas wells and fields. One type of decline-curve analysis involves the hyperbolic-decline-curve equation. The challenge with this equation is to determine simultaneously three parameters. The new method creates a computer spreadsheet containing a set of production data. Then, the specific arrangement of cells and columns containing data and/or formulas allows for statistical fits of the data. Finally, setting-up the nonlinear solver allows for optimization of the three parameters by maximization of the square of the regression coefficient. Eight field cases demonstrated the repeatable and rapid curve-fitting of the method.
At the importance increase of UT (ultrasonic testing) with the application of rules on fitness-for-service for nuclear power plants, JAPEIC (Japan power engineering and inspection corporation) started education training for defect detection and sizing technique. Weld joints specimen with EDM (Electro-Discharged Machining) notches, fatigue cracks and intergranular stress corrosion cracks were tested and practiced repeatedly based on a modified ultrasonic method and the defect size measuring accuracy of the trainees was surely improved. Results of the blind test confirmed effectiveness of education training. (T. Tanaka)
The production of polarized negative ion beams by collisional pumping is described. Collisional pumping utilizes repeated charge changing collisions in a thick electron-spin-polarized gas or vapor target to form a polarized fast atom beam. The polarized fast atom beam is then partially converted into a polarized negative ion beam in a vapor target. Analysis is presented for a hydrogen beam passing through either a thick polarized H atom target or a thick polarized alkali target. Large polarizations and large currents may be possible.
The production of polarized negative ion beams by ''collisional pumping'' is described. Collisional pumping utilizes repeated charge changing collisions in a thick electron-spin-polarized gas or vapor target to form a polarized fast atom beam. The polarized fast atom beam is then partially converted into a polarized negative ion beam in a vapor target. Analysis is presented for a hydrogen beam passing through either a thick polarized H atom target or a thick polarized alkali target. Large polarizations and large currents may be possible.
Transplantation has emerged as the therapy of choice for many patients with end organ failure. One of the major goals is to tailor immunosuppressive therapy to the individual needs of every patient to balance the risk for rejection and over-immunosuppression. This will require diagnostic tools that can detect harmful processes in the allograft early, and that can be measured repeatedly. This review will consider recent advances in our understanding of the molecular nature of these processes and how this information is being utilized to design novel diagnostic assays to non-invasively monitor allografts. Highlighted is the need for large-scale prospective multi-centre studies to validate assays that show early promise in single centre studies.
The use of finely powdered ion exchange resins improve loading of specific ion exchange materials with better performance but as such these materials are not suitable for column operation. However, by proper selection of ion exchange support medium, it is possible to get better product. The radioactive solution can be treated by suspending this material, stirring and allowing to settle. The present method gives DF in the range of 70 - 80 even after repeated use as compared to DF in the range of 5 to 10 by single conventional chemical treatment process. (author)
The repeated use and limited lifetime of a composite tiring vessel compel a need to survey techniques for monitoring the structural integrity of the vessel in order to determine when it should be retired. Various nondestructive techniques were researched and evaluated based on their applicability to the vessel. The methods were visual inspection, liquid penetrant testing, magnetic particle testing, surface mounted strain gauges, thermal inspection, acoustic emission, ultrasonic testing, radiography, eddy current testing, and embedded fiber optic sensors. It was determined that embedded fiber optic sensor is the most promising technique due to their ability to be embedded within layers of composites and their immunity to electromagnetic interference.
Using the [sup 57]Fe Moessbauer spectroscopy, the microscopic behavior of Fe powders has been investigated during and after the mechanical alloying (MA) process for Al-Fe and Ag-Fe systems. A repeated rolling method as well as a conventional ball-milling method are employed in order to understand the microscopic process of the kneading of Al and Fe powders during their MA and the resultant powders show quite similar Moessbauer spectra suggesting that the kneading by an impact between colliding balls is the same process as that of the thickness reduction by cold rolling. Moessbauer spectra show clearly the occurrence of the mutual atomic dispersion for the thermodynamically immiscible Ag-Fe system. (orig.).
In the Wajima lung cancer screening program conducted under the auspices of Kanazawa University Hospital, Fuji Computed Radiography (FCR) was utilized in a new chest radiography trial. The results of the screening program are that the necessity of repeat examinations due to poor image quality are less common and the method enables detection of small pulmonary nodular shadows which are possibly candidates for surgery. Oblique chest X-ray with FCR is remarkably effective for the detection and the identification of small lesions. However, the disadvantage of slow processing and high cost must be fully satisfied if FCR is to become a new imaging modality for mass screening.
In the Wajima lung cancer screening program conducted under the auspices of Kanazawa University Hospital, Fuji Computed Radiography (FCR) was utilized in a new chest radiography trial. The results of the screening program are that the necessity of repeat examinations due to poor image quality are less common and the method enables detection of small pulmonary nodular shadows which are possibly candidates for surgery. Oblique chest X-ray with FCR is remarkably effective for the detection and the identification of small lesions. However, the disadvantage of slow processing and high cost must be fully satisfied if FCR is to become a new imaging modality for mass screening. (author).
Two aspects of the chromatin repeat length (r_l) are discussed: (i) Why is r_l longer for slowly dividing cells than in rapidly dividing cells?, and (ii) Why is the temporal evolution of r_l a decreasing function of time (t) in mammalian cortical neurons whereas it is an increasing function of t for granule cells around the time of birth? These questions are discussed in terms of a hypothesis which assumes a correlation between deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) packaging, transcription, and replication. (author). 27 refs.
This paper reports area and time dependent dielectric breakdown distributions of ethylene glycol and water solutions cooled to -23/sup 0/C. Electrode areas of 80, 400, 2000, and 10,000 cm/sup 2/ spaced 1 cm apart were repeatedly stressed with voltage pulses exponentially decaying in 5 to 20 ms. Approximately 80,000 measurements concentrated at electric field strengths near the 1% breakdown probability region of the samples were taken in order to obtain statistically accurate data on the dielectric strength of this liquid.
In this work we study the dephasing mechanism of a double quantum-dot system, which includes two electrons and a nearby quantum point contact (QPC) as a measurement device. We obtain that the QPC-induced decoherence is on time scales of microseconds. We also find that the electrons will be delocalized after continuous measurement, irrespectively of the initial conditions, and the frequent repeated measurements will localize the system, which is consistent with the quantum Zeno effect. Further, we consider the situation that the double quantum-dot system is irradiated by a microwave field.
A method for automatic optimal feeder design in steel casting processes is presented. The initial design is the casting part (without feeders) which is placed in a suitable mold box. Design of each feeder contains the following steps: determination of the feeder-neck connection point on the casting surface, initial feeder design, feeder shape optimization and feeder topology optimization. Completing designing the first feeder, the method attends to designing the next one, if it is required, and the same procedure will be repeated. In the presented method, feeders are designed in a descending order of their sizes. The feasibility of the presented method is supported with an illustrative example.
Marketing-led enterprise change management initiated by a major UK contractor is explored in this paper as a contrast to procurement-led changes to projects driven by clients. Procurement-led initiatives try to induce changes to behaviour through market governance. Relationship marketing and management proactively change organizational behaviour, the enterprise taking responsibility for its own destiny. Investment and resource allocation, and organizational behaviour have posed constraints, particularly concerning service continuity in construction. Overcoming these constraints offers opportunities for delivering service improvements and adding value for clients and yielding further increases in repeat business and increasing profitability. Relationship marketing is the conceptual starting...
To determine the accuracy of the intra-articular location of hyaluronic acid injection using a blind approach and to establish the usefulness of fluoroscopy-guided intra-articular injection. A fluoroscopy unit was used for 368 intra-articular injections of hyaluronic acid to 93 knees in 65 patients. Initially, blind needle positioning was conducted on the fluoroscopy table. The failure rate of the blind approach among the 368 injections was evaluated, and a relationship between the Kellgren-Lawrence grade (K-L grade) and the incidence of repeated failures using the blind approach was determined for injections to 52 knees in 37 patients who received a complete cycle of injections (five consecutive injections with a one-week interval between injections). Using a blind approach, 298 of 368 trials (81.2%) resulted in a needle tip being placed in an intra-articular location, while 70 of 368 trials resulted in an extra-articular placement of the needle tip. Among 52 ...
Metabolism of benzene is thought to be necessary to produce the toxic effects, including carcinogenicity, associated with benzene exposure. To extrapolate from the results of rodent studies to potential health risks in man, one must know how benzene metabolism is affected by species, dose, dose rate, and repeated versus single exposures. The purpose of our studies was to determine the effect of repeated inhalation exposures on the metabolism of [14C]benzene by rodents. Benzene metabolism was assessed by characterizing and quantitating urinary metabolites, and by quantitating 14C bound to hemoglobin and micronuclei induction. F344/N rats and B6C3F1 mice were exposed, nose-only, to 600 ppm benzene or to air (control) for 6 hr/day, 5 days/week for 3 weeks. On the last day, both benzene-pretreated and control animals were exposed to 600 ppm, 14C-labeled benzene for 6 hr. Individual benzene metabolites in urine collected for 24 hr after the exposure ...
Previous studies have been conducted in gene expression profiling to identify groups of genes that characterize the colorectal carcinoma disease. Despite the success of previous attempts to identify...Full Text Available
Motivation: The identification of gene regulatory modules is an important yet challenging problem in computational biology. While many computational methods have been proposed to identify...Full Text Available
This plan details the methods and procedures necessary to ensure a safe transition in the operation of the Light Duty Utility Arm (LDUA) System. The steps identified here outline the work scope and identify responsibilities to complete startup, and turnover of the LDUA to Characterization Project Operations (CPO).
While genomic alterations identified in human tumors using techniques such as comparative genomic hybridisation (CGH) may be recurrent, they frequently encompass large regions, in some cases...Full Text Available
The development of a computational intelligent tools based on neural network to identify commercial losses or fraud (theft energy), considering information from a database electric utility, is presented.
A method to identify hadronic molecules in the particle spectrum is reviewed and the conditions for its applicability discussed. Special emphasis is put on the discussion of molecule candidates in the baryon spectrum. (orig.)
Descriptive assessment methods have been used in applied settings to identify consequences for problem behavior, thereby aiding in the design of effective treatment programs. Consensus has not been...Full Text Available
Cancers are highly heterogeneous and contain many passenger and driver mutations. To functionally identify tumor suppressor genes relevant to human cancer, we compiled pools of short harpin...Full Text Available
Large-scale cancer genome projects will soon be able to sequence many cancer genomes to comprehensively identify genetic changes in human cancer. Genome-wide association studies have also identified...Full Text Available
...dates of the implementation of the standard unique health identifier for health care providers. 162.404 Section 162.404 Public Welfare DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES ADMINISTRATIVE DATA...
digital libraries, which was identified as a national challenge in the Information ... The linkages between the many digital libraries and information services are ...
This paper very briefly outlines hazardous waste management issues, including regulations, in Mongolia. Air, water, and soil pollutants are identified and placed in context with climatic, social, and economic circumstances. The primary need identified is technology for the collection and disposal of solid wastes. Municipal waste problems include rapid urbanization and lack of sanitary landfills. Industrial wastes of concern are identified from the mining and leather industries. 4 refs., 2 tabs.
Single-dose and repeated dose toxicity studies of prulifloxacin, a new antibacterial agent, were conducted in aged beagle dogs. I. A single-dose toxicity study Prulifloxacin was administered orally to aged female dogs at a single dose of 2500 and 5000 mg/kg. No death occurred in any group. Vomiting was observed in one of two animals at 2500 mg/kg and in both animals at 5000 mg/kg 3-4 hr after dosing. At 5000 mg/kg, vomiting was observed in both animals after feeding on the day after dosing. One animal also showed soft stool. Thereafter, no abnormalities were observed in any animal. No test article related changes were noted in food consumption, water consumption, body weight or pathological examination in any group. The results show that the lethal dose of prulifloxacin is judged to be greater than 5000 mg/kg in aged female dogs. II. A repeated dose toxicity study Aged male and female dogs were given the test article orally for 4 weeks at doses ...
It is proved that the mid-point grid, which is composed of samples obtained at ground track locations midway between crossover points (thus a subset of the full sampling), has the same resolving power as the full set; i.e., they resolve the same three-dimensional spectral space. The resolving power of the mid-point grid as derived previously by Tai (1995, 1998) is characterized by the Nyquist frequency ? c=? /T (where T is the repeat period of the exact-repeat satellite), and by (in local Cartesian coordinates) the zonal and meridional Nyquist wavenumber kc=2? /X and lc=2? /Y respectively (where X and Y are the east-west and north-south separation between adjacent parallel ground tracks). Here we re-derive this result in simplified terms. First, it is shown through the sampling theorem as demonstrated previously by Tai (1999) that even though samples of the real mid-point grid are not taken simultaneously, they resolve the same frequency range ...
This Corrective Action Investigation Plan contains the U.S. Department of Energy, Nevada Operations Office's approach to collect the data necessary to evaluate corrective action alternatives appropriate for the closure of Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 409 under the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order. Corrective Action Unit 409 consists of three Corrective Action Sites (CASs): TA-53-001-TAB2, Septic Sludge Disposal Pit No.1; TA-53-002-TAB2, Septic Sludge Disposal Pit No.2; and RG-24-001-RGCR, Battery Dump Site. The Septic Sludge Disposal Pits are located near Bunker Two, close to Area 3, on the Tonopah Test Range. The Battery Dump Site is located at the abandoned Cactus Repeater Station on Cactus Peak. The Cactus Repeater Station was a remote, battery-powered, signal repeater station. The two Septic Sludge Disposal Pits were suspected to be used through the late 1980s as disposal sites for sludge from ...
Forty-one patients were treated with epidural neurolysis using 50 % ethyl alcohol 2 ml. Thirty eight patients were suffering from cancer pain and three patients were complaining of chronic benign pain. Alcohol block was repeated 2.3 times (mean) in the same patient. Thirty patients were followed after the treatment. Forty-seven percent of the patients reported 70 % or greater pain relief and 20 % of the patients reported about 50 % pain relief. Duration of pain relief was from 9 days to 203 days with a mean duration of 54 days. Adverse effects were reported 43 % of the patients. There is no miserable adverse effect. Adverse effect reported most was pain with epidural injection of drugs after the alcohol block had been performed. PMID:8544293
Turbulent flow in a 2D channel with repeated rectangular rib roughness was numerically simulated using a low Reynolds number form of the k-epsilon turbulence model. Friction factors and average Stanton numbers were calculated for various pitch to rib height ratios and bulk Reynolds numbers. Comparisons with experiment were generally adequate, with the predictions of friction superior to those for heat transfer. The effect of variable properties for channel flow was investigated, and the results showed a greater effect for friction than for heat transfer. Comparison with experiment yielded no clear conclusions. The turbulence model was also validated for a related problem, that of flow downstream of an abrupt pipe expansion.
MRI (Magnetic resonance imaging) has been widely used in the diagnosis of primary carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). However, it has had limited clinical application in diagnosing persistent or recurrent CTS. We aimed to investigate the efficacy of this imaging modality in patients who had previously undergone open carpal tunnel release without relief of symptoms, and assess the correlation of MRI with intra-operative findings upon re-exploration. MRI studies were performed on 17 wrists (16 patients) presenting with recurrent/persistent symptoms and signs of CTS in whom repeat nerve conduction studies were also performed. Surgical re-exploration was undertaken on 16 wrists in which a 100% correlation was noted between MRI and intra-operative findings of an incompletely released or re-grown tran...
We describe calculations of the energy loss, range, stopping power, multiple scattering, and other related properties of a high-energy heavy-ion beam at any one of a set of beam line elements. A beam line element (e.g., any beam modification, detection, or control device) is characterized by its thickness, areal density, aperture, and function. The loss of multiply scattered particles to any finite-aperture detector is calculated in the small-angle approximation, and the position of the Bragg peak, as given by particles stopping in the second of two ionization chambers used for Bragg curve measurements, is estimated. A general purpose computer program, PROPAGATE, has been written to allow addition, deletion, and modification of the beam line elements used in the calculation and to provide a convenient means of repeating such calculations for arbitrary beam lines. Calculations and experimental measurements are compared and found to be in satisfactory agreement. ...
Tert-Butanol is an important intermediate in industrial chemical synthesis, particularly of fuel oxygenates. Human exposure to tert-butanol may occur following fuel oxygenate metabolism or biodegradation. It is poorly absorbed through skin, but is rapidly absorbed upon inhalation or ingestion and distributed to tissues throughout the body. Elimination from blood is slower and the half-life increases with dose. It is largely metabolised by oxidation via 2-methyl-1,2-propanediol to 2-hydroxyisobutyrate, the dominant urinary metabolites. Conjugations also occur and acetone may be found in urine at high doses. The single-dose systemic toxicity of tert-butanol is low, but it is irritant to skin and eyes; high oral doses produce ataxia and hypoactivity and repeated exposure can induce dependence...
The infection of cultured human cells with baboon endogenous virus (BEV) frequently leads to an association of viral DNA with a specific genetic locus (termed BEVI, for baboon endogenous virus infection) on chromosome 6. Restriction endonuclease digestion of DNA from BEV-infected human cells and their derived somatic cell clones frequently revealed a common cellular DNA sequence in the proximity of one of the junctions between cellular DNA and the integrated virus. We propose that a short cellular DNA sequence, repeated on chromosome 6 and separated by unique DNA sequences, presents a high-affinity target for the integration of BEV in human cells. PMID:6401843
Tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-?) antagonist drugs have been associated with increased risk of tuberculosis (TB). Tuberculin skin test (TST) is the most frequently used tool for identification of latent TB infection. We herein aimed to analyse the effect of TNF-? antagonists on the TST responses in a prospective study. The study group consisted of 182 patients (99 female, 83 male) who received TNF-? antagonists for various rheumatic disorders. All patients were evaluated with TST along with other parameters on the day of referral and on the 12th month visit. For those patients with a response of <5?mm induration at the initial evaluation, the TST was repeated to observe the booster effect. Out of 182 patients, 87 patients (48%) had a negative (0?4?mm) and 95 (52%) had a positive (?5?mm)...
Sandia National Laboratories has erected a research oriented, 34- meter diameter, Darrieus vertical axis wind turbine near Bushland, Texas. This machine, designated the Sandia 34-m VAWT Test Bed, is equipped with a large array of strain gauges that have been placed at critical positions about the blades. This manuscript details a series of four-point bend experiments that were conducted to validate the output of the blade strain gauge circuits. The output of a particular gauge circuit is validated by comparing its output to equivalent gauge circuits (in this stress state) and to theoretical predictions. With only a few exceptions, the difference between measured and predicted strain values for a gauge circuit was found to be of the order of the estimated repeatability for the measurement system.
The steam generator is a very important component of a nuclear power plant. Historically, vertical steam generators came to be used abroad and horizontal steam generators in our country. Both types of steam generators operate successfully in nuclear power plants and satisfactorily fulfill their functions, enabling the production of electricity. Repeated attempts to re-examine the existing concepts in one or another country have been unsuccessful because there are no convincing arguments for this. Nonetheless, the question of using a different type of steam generator is raised periodically in our country and abroad. This article briefly reviews different concepts of steam generators. Their parameters, characteristics, and thermal efficiency are compared and ways to increase the latter are a...
The excess energy of several III-V and II-VI strained-layer semiconductor superlattices ({ital AC}){sub {ital p}}(BC){sub p} is studied as a function of the repeat period {ital p} and orientation {bold G}=(001), (110), (111), and (201), using first-principles calculations. We discover a number of universal features, including the predicted instability for nearly all {ital p}'s and {bold G}'s with respect to {ital bulk} disproportionation, the identification of chalcopyrite as a metastable ordered structure, and the stability of all thin {ital epitaxial} (110) and (201) and most common-anion (001) superlattices relative to coherent phase separation.
Depending on the soil environment, selenium (Se) can exist as several species differing greatly in bioavailability. Characterization of soil Se reserves is thus necessary in assessing the nutritional supply of this essential element. In low-Se areas, Se fertilization is an option for securing adequate Se nutrition. Fertilization is, however, challenged by the unknown fate of the residual Se. In this study, we aimed to clarify the Se status of selenate-fertilized field soils by fractionating soil Se into five pools: salt-soluble (KCl), adsorbed (KH2PO4/K2HPO4), organically associated (NaOH), elemental (Na2SO3) and recalcitrant Se (NaOCl). Changes induced in these fractions by repeated application of low selenate doses were examined by comparing samples collected from the same locations in 1...
Retroelements constitute a large part of the human genome. These sequences are mostly silenced in normal cells, but genome-wide DNA hypomethylation in cancers might lead to their re-expression. Whether this re-expression really occurs in human cancers is largely unkown. We therefore investigated expression and DNA methylation of several classes of retroelements in human prostate cancer tissues and cell lines by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and pyrosequencing, respectively. The most striking finding was strong and generalized increased expression of the HERV-K_22q11.23 provirus in cancers, including de novo expression of a spliced accessory Np9 transcript in some tumors. In parallel, DNA methylation in the long terminal repeat (LTR) decreased. Conversely, HER...
Atomic ensembles, comprising clouds of atoms addressed by laser fields, provide an attractive system for both the storage of quantum information and the coherent conversion of quantum information between atomic and optical degrees of freedom. We describe a scheme for full-scale quantum computing with atomic ensembles, in which qubits are encoded in symmetric collective excitations of many atoms. We consider the most important sources of error-imperfect exciton-photon coupling and photon losses-and demonstrate that the scheme is extremely robust against these processes: the required photon emission and collection efficiency threshold is #approx#>86%. Our scheme uses similar methods to those already demonstrated experimentally in the context of quantum repeater schemes and yet has information processing capabilities far beyond those proposals.
Manual drilling in titanium structures is a tedious and labor-intensive work. To reduce man-hour requirements while concurrently improving hole quality, we developed a robotic drilling system for this application. The lean system contains the product holding fixture, the industrial robot, the end effector, the control and sensor system, and the offline programming. The system functions include locating workpiece with a calibration stick or the vision system, weld mark inspection, one-sided clamping, drilling and reaming hole in material stack combinations of titanium and aluminum, and real-time thrust force feedback. The positional accuracy and the repeatability of the system have successfully been placed within the specification?s 0.3?mm tolerance and 0.2?mm tolerance, respectively. The d...
The effects of repeated low-level nerve agent exposure on animal performance and lethality are a major concern of USAF Medical Research. This concern has generated interest in the role that pretreatment drugs such as pyridostigmine may play during simultaneous exposure to soman. This role was investigated by recording lethality, weights, symptoms, and cholinesterase (ChE) inhibition in rats chronically exposed to 4 levels of soman (32, 39, 48 or 59 micrograms/kg/day) while simultaneously receiving 10.0 milligrams/kg/day pyridostigmine, 1.0 milligrams/kg/day pyridostigmine, or vehicle via an osmotic pump. No effect (either protective or detractive) was found in the soman-poisoned animals due to the presence or absence of pyridostigmine. However, rat blood biochemistry is different from that of the primate, warranting further study in the primate before extrapolation to man.
HCV infection continues to spread at an alarming rate among IDU populations. The available evidence suggests that HCV is acquired relatively quickly following onset of injection. However, there are few prospective studies of HCV acquisition, particularly among IDU populations in resource-poor settings. A sample of young male heroin injectors with recent onset of injection (<4?years) was recruited in Hanoi, Vietnam for a prospective assessment of the early course of injection (n?=?179). Both behavioral and biological assessments (including detailed retrospective assessment of injection initiation) were conducted at baseline and repeated at 6-month intervals for a period of 16?months. Variables associated with HCV infection (p value?p value?=?0.0005). In multivariate logistic regression anal...
Computed tomography (CT) of the neck and mediastinum was performed in 16 patients with renal osteodystrophy. Thirty out of 34 excised parathyroid glands weighing more than 500mg were diagnosed preoperatively (88.2%). Scintigraphy of the neck with _2_0_1TlCl and sup(99m)TcOsub(4-) was also performed in 15 patients. The introduction of subtraction method with a mini-computor in the scintigraphy has remarkably improved the visualization rate of parathyroid glands. Ultrasonic echography (US) of the neck which is able to obtain not only transverse butalso longitudinal imaging was done in 7 patients. It has about same detection rate of the glands with CT. The visualization of enlarged parathyroid glands is valuable not only for localization but also for undeniable evidence of hyperparathyroidism. Also, repeated follow-up examination can determine the effectiveness of conservative treatment. (author).
Abstract It is well established that ageing handicaps the ability of prey to escape predators, yet surprisingly little is known about how ageing affects the ability of predators to catch prey. Research into long-lived predators has assumed that adults have uniform impacts on prey regardless of age. Here we use longitudinal data from repeated observations of individually-known wolves (Canis lupus) hunting elk (Cervus elaphus) in Yellowstone National Park to demonstrate that adult predatory performance declines with age and that an increasing ratio of senescent individuals in the wolf population depresses the rate of prey offtake. Because this ratio fluctuates independently of population size, predatory senescence may cause wolf populations of equal size but different age structure to have d...
Introduction Postoperative alopecia is a relatively rare event, and therefore both patients and surgeons are puzzled once it develops even though it is said to improve spontaneously with time in most cases. We report a parieto-occipital pressure-induced alopecia firstly developed in a patient who had undergone repeated surgery for 10?years after a traffic accident. Case report A 29-year-old male underwent segmental osteotomy at the upper and lower frontal edentulous areas for distraction osteogenesis. Throughout the operation, he was in the supine position with the hair covered with a paper cap and the head on a plastic vinyl chloride-covered soft foam horseshoe-shaped urethane sponge placed on the horseshoe-shaped headrest. About 2?weeks after the surgery, two patches of parieto-occipital...
As a consequence of the close integration of cattle into the food chain of humans, forensically relevant cases involving cattle (Bos taurus) DNA analysis are common. However, scientific publications reporting the information content of the commonly used bovine short tandem repeat (STR) loci remains scarce. Population studies were performed for 16 polymorphic STR loci (BM1818, BM1824, BM2113, CSRM60, CSSM66, ETH3, ETH10, ETH225, HAUT27, ILSTS006, INRA023, SPS115, TGLA53, TGLA122, TGLA126, and TGLA227) including 4,162 randomly selected cattle representing 20 distinct breeds. The power of parental exclusion, expected and observed heterozygosity, probability of identity, and non-amplifying (?null?) allele frequencies were calculated. Major differences existed in the information content between...
The fully depleted pn-junction charge coupled device (pn-CCD) has been developed as a detector for X-ray imaging and high-resolution spectroscopy for the X-ray satellite missions XMM and ABRIXAS. If the detector is exposed to a particle radiation environment, the energy resolution is degraded due to charge transfer losses and a dark current increase. In a first experiment, prototype devices were irradiated with 10 MeV protons. After completion of the detector development, the proton irradiation was repeated for a quantitative study of the radiation damage, relevant for the satellite missions. The irradiation test was extended by a 5.5 MeV {alpha}-particle and a 6 keV X-ray exposure of the pn-CCD, including the CAMEX preamplifier chip.
In this paper we present the results of time series analysis for a coal mining region based on partial unmixing. We test the method also known as mixture tuned matched filtering on an eight image Landsat 5 TM and Landsat 7 ETM+ time series covering the period from 1987 to 2003. Common change detection methods often include the comparison of two interactively generated classification results, such as derived from Maximum Likelihood classification. These approaches often yield highly accurate results. However, disadvantages include a strong analyst bias and hardly repeatable results. For a quantitative monitoring of a single surface class' development over time they are often not recommendable. Our goal was to test an unbiased quantitative way to assess the development of coal surfaces, such...
A non-dissipative drift kinetic simulation scheme, which rigorously satisfies the time-reversibility, is applied to the three-mode coupling problem of the ion temperature gradient (ITG) instability. It is found from the simulation that the three-mode ITG system repeats growth and decay with a period which shows a logarithmic divergence for infinitesimal initial perturbations. Accordingly, time average of the mode amplitude vanishes, as the initial amplitude approaches to zero. An exact solution is analytically given for a class of initial conditions. An excellent agreement is confirmed between the analytical solution and numerical results. The results obtained here provide a useful reference for basic benchmarking of theories and simulation of the ITG modes. (author)
Monocelis lineata is a complex of cryptic species (three in the Mediterranean and one in the Atlantic) widespread in midlittoral habitats. Throughout the range, populations with or without an ocular pigmented shield are found. We investigated the genetic structure of the North-East Atlantic populations with the aim of shedding light on their phylogeography and reconstructing possible patterns of recolonization after the Wrmian glaciation. Fourteen samples were investigated using cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and 13 by inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSRs). COI did not exhibit a clear pattern of decreased genetic diversity along a latitudinal gradient. Populations from Ferrol (Spain), Doolin (Ireland), and Helsingr (Denmark) showed a higher genetic variability, whereas a reduction in...
Grooving CVD diamond films using a focused ion beam (FIB) to quarry micro parts is described. The substrate-side surface of a polycrystalline diamond film which is prepared by means of microwave plasma CVD, is able to be grooved by a focused Ga ion beam scanned straight repeatedly. The groove has cross section whose shape is like an inverted Gaussian distribution curve. And the surface roughness of the films before grooved influences that of grooves. Under the same irradiation conditions, deeper, narrower, in short, high aspect ratio grooves are obtained on B-doped semiconducting microwave plasma CVD diamond films. Coating electrical conductive material is also effective method to obtain high aspect ratio grooves. It is supposed that these results are due to the degree of electrification on the surface and that FIB irradiation is a suitable method for micromachining semiconducting diamond films.
An investigation was made of the accumulation of laser damage to transparent polymers irradiated with nanosecond pulses from neodymium and ruby lasers. The damage was investigated by the method of scattering and luminescence in the visible and near ultraviolet parts of the spectrum. It was established that there were two stages in laser damage by repeated irradiation with pulses of intensity below the single-shot damage threshold. An absorbing defect evolved during the first stage in such a way as to create a thermal instability in the surrounding matrix. During the second stage this thermal instability caused spatial growth of laser damage because of propagation of an ionization-inducing absorption wave with a front traveling at the rate governed by the electron component of the thermal conductivity.
SR proteins are essential splicing factors whose function is controlled by multi-site phosphorylation of a C-terminal domain rich in arginine-serine repeats (RS domain). The protein kinase SRPK1 has been shown to polyphosphorylate the N-terminal portion of the RS domain (RS1) of the SR protein ASF/SF2, a modification that promotes nuclear entry of this splicing factor and engagement in splicing function. Later, dephosphorylation is required for maturation of the spliceosome and other RNA processing steps. While phosphates are attached to RS1 in a sequential manner by SRPK1, little is known about how they are removed. To investigate factors that control dephosphorylation, we monitored region-specific mapping of phosphorylation sites in ASF/SF2 as a function of the protein phosphatase PP1. W...
Materials and processing designs for advanced magnesium alloys with fine microstructures and superior properties were established by the combination of the repeated plastic working and the Mg{sub 2}Si synthesis in solid-state. The grain size was less than 1 {mu}m via RPW process due to its severe plastic working on raw powder. The hot extruded magnesium alloys produced in industries showed high ultimate tensile strength, e.g. 420{proportional_to}450 MPa, when employing Mg-Zn-Al-Ca-RE (Rare Earth) alloy coarse powder, having 0.5{proportional_to}2 mm diameter, as input materials. (orig.)
This paper focuses upon the workings of the electricity pool of England and Wales. Created as a generators` pool, with the twin objectives of preserving order-of-merit dispatch and setting marginal-cost pricing signals, it is now evident that the system may not provide an efficient market-clearing mechanism from the consumers` perspective. Thus, over the five years since its inception, there have been repeated calls to incorporate more explicitly demand-side pricing signals into the process. A number of official reviews and various consultants have looked at the issue and there have been trial periods of active demand-side bidding. This paper reviews that experience to date.
Carcinogenesis is now generally recognized to be an important detrimental effect in man after low dose irradiation. The carcinogenic action of ionizing radiation is clearly demonstrated after exposure to relatively high doses (in excess of 0.5 Gy) but for lower dose levels reliable direct observations are not available. With the introduction of special protocols for the performance of large scale screening programs by mammography the average absorbed dose in glandular tissue in the average breast can be restricted to a value of 3 mGy per mammogram. The risk for tumor induction after exposure to these low doses can never be established from human epidemiology. In order to investigate the risk of repeated exposure to small dose of ionizing radiation the induction of mammary tumors has been investigated in rats of the WAG/Rij strain after single and fractionated irradiations with gamma-rays. (author). 8 refs., 3 figs.
Vacuum pressure standards of the orifice-flow type require known gas flows of 10/sup -6/ mol/s (10/sup -2/ atm cm/sup 3//s at 0 /sup 0/C) and less. Known gas flows can also be used to calibrate ''standard'' leaks by comparing the pressures generated when flows from the leak and the flowmeter are alternately passed through a constant conductance. Two constant-pressure, piston displacement flowmeters developed at the National Bureau of Standards are described that can generate flows between 10/sup -6/ and 10/sup -10/ mol/s with an estimated uncertainty of 0.8% to 2%. Comparisons of the flowmeters with alternate calibration techniques, and repeated low-range leak and vacuum gauge calibrations, have been used to confirm the estimated uncertainty and random errors of the flowmeter.
Sensory stimuli are encoded differently across cortical layers and it is unknown how response characteristics relate to the morphological identity of responding cells. We therefore juxtasomally recorded action potential (AP) patterns from excitatory cells in layer (L) 2/3, L4, L5 and L6 of rat barrel cortex in response to a standard stimulus (e.g. repeated deflection of single whiskers in the caudal direction). Subsequent single-cell filling with biocytin allowed for post hoc identification of recorded cells. We report three major conclusions. First, sensory-evoked responses were layer- and cell-type-specific but always
Super light and high performance Mg{sub 2}Si/Mg composites, which had excellent mechanical properties, were developed via the combination of solid-state synthesis and hot extrusion process. In this study, cold compacting (CP) and repeated plastic working (RPW) were firstly carried out for the mixture of Mg-Si powders, and the refinement of both Mg grains and dispersoids. Each specimen was evaluated by observation of microstructure and tensile test. As a result, it was understood that Mg{sub 2}Si dispersoids were refined and dispersed into Mg matrix, and were flowed along extrusion direction. And their mechanical properties were higher than the conventional die casting alloys. Also the effect of RPW as the improvement of properties and the decrease of synthesis temperature were confirmed. (orig.)
Pd was deposited onto Si (111) 7x7 surface at approximately 700 K inside an ultrahigh vacuum transmission electron microscope. Plan-viewed transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observation indicated that the islands have two kinds of shapes, round and rectangular (one-dimensional) ones. In a diffraction pattern for the rectangular islands, extra spots along the <110> direction of the Si surface, spacing of which is 1/8 times as long as that of Si (220) spots, were seen. A high resolution TEM image showed the corresponding superstructure in the rectangular islands. In situ observation of the growing process of the rectangular islands showed repeat of introduction and relief of strains during the growth, suggesting that such superstructure would be constructed by stacking compositionally different phases or introducing defects so that the periodically maximized strain is relieved.
Computer vision imposes unique requirements on the representation and manipulation of image data and knowledge. At a vision system's lowest level are sensors that represent an image with purely numeric image arrays, while at the highest level are semantic world models that provide the final interpretation of the scene. In between are thousands of intermediate descriptions, many of which must be repeatedly accessed and processed during interpretation. In this article, the authors describe a representation and management system for use at the intermediate (symbolic) level of vision. Based on database management methodology, the intermediate symbolic representation (ISR) mediates access to intermediate-level vision data and forms an active interface to the higher-level inference processes that construct an image's interpretation. The system supports important types of data and operations and can be adapted to the changing needs of ongoing research. ...
Photoacoustic microscopy (PAM) offers label-free, optical absorption contrast. A high-speed, high-resolution PAM system in an inverted microscope configuration with a laser pulse repetition rate of 100,000 Hz and a stationary ultrasonic transducer was built. Four-dimensional in vivo imaging of microcirculation in mouse skin was achieved at 18 three-dimensional volumes per second with repeated two-dimensional raster scans of 100 by 50 points. The corresponding twodimensional B-scan (50 A-lines) frame rate was 1800 Hz, and the one-dimensional A-scan rate was 90,000 Hz. The lateral resolution is 0.23+/-0.03 ?m for Au nano-wire imaging, which is 2.0 times below the diffraction limit.
Occurrence of genetic variants during micropropagation is occasionally encountered when the cultures are maintained in vitro for long period. Therefore, the micropropagated multiple shoots of Vanilla planifolia Andrews developed from axillary bud explants established 10 years ago were used to determine somaclonal variation using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and intersimple sequence repeats markers (ISSR). One thousand micro-plants were established in soil of which 95 plantlets (consisting of four phenotypes) along with the mother plant were subjected to genetic analyses using RAPD and ISSR markers. Out of the 45 RAPD and 20 ISSR primers screened, 30 RAPD and 7 ISSR primers showed 317 clear, distinct and reproducible band classes resulting in a total of 30 115 bands. However, no ...
Keratinocyte growth factor receptor (KGFR) and fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) 2c share identical amino acid sequences, except for a 46-amino acid domain in the extracellular region. Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) specific to KGFR have not been reported nor are commercially available. In this study, we generated murine MAbs specific to KGFR in non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice using a modified Repeated Immunizations at Multiple Sites (RIMMS) technology. Stable cell lines expressing the full-length human KGFR or FGFR2c were produced to facilitate the identification of KGFR-specific MAbs. Following the initial screening of hybridoma clones with a fluorescence-based, confocal cell detection method and ELISA, KGFR-specific MAbs were selected and confirmed by flow cytometry and Western blot ...
We propose and analyze a novel regenerative amplifier free electron laser (FEL) to produce fully coherent x-ray pulses. The method makes use of narrow-bandwidth Bragg crystals to form an x-ray feedback loop around a relatively short undulator. Self-amplified spontaneous emission (SASE) from the leading electron bunch in a bunch train is spectrally filtered by the Bragg reflectors and is brought back to the beginning of the undulator to interact repeatedly with subsequent bunches in the bunch train. The FEL interaction with these short bunches not only amplifies the radiation intensity but also broadens its spectrum, allowing for effective transmission of the x-rays outside the crystal bandwidth. The spectral brightness of these x-ray pulses is about two to three orders of magnitude higher than that from a single-pass SASE FEL.
The abstract is additional with repect to the paper published in JGCD. Ordinary Earth satellites are usually placed into five categories of special orbits: sun-synchronous orbits, orbits at the critical inclination, frozen orbits, repeating ground track orbits, and geostationary orbits. This paper investigates their counterparts around Mars and examines the basic nature of these orbits, which are of special interest for missions conducted around Mars, including Mars reconnaissance. Mars' gravity field is much more complicated, with relatively smaller J2, compared to Earth's, which makes the behaviors of these Martian orbits different from those of Earth. Analytical formulations and numerical simulations are used to analyze these Martian orbits and compare them with their Earth counterparts. First, mean element theory is employed to describe variations of orbital elements and give the constraint conditions for achieving these special orbits. Then, numerical ...
A 65-yr-old female developed cough, fever and dyspnoea following repeated exposure to a home ultrasonic humidifier. High-resolution computed tomography showed ground-glass opacity in both lung fields. Arterial blood gas analysis gave an oxygen tension of 8.38 kPa (63 Torr). Pulmonary function testing revealed restrictive ventilatory impairment with a reduction in the diffusing capacity. The diagnosis of extrinsic allergic alveolitis (EAA) was confirmed by radiographic findings, pathological evidence of alveolitis and reproductive development by a provocation test to the humidifier water. The yeast Debaryomyces Hansenii was the only microorganism cultured from the water of the humidifier. The double diffusion precipitating test and lymphocyte proliferative response was positive for an extract of D. Hansenii, providing evidence to incriminate this fungus. This is the first described case of EAA caused by D. Hansenii. PMID:12449192
A test bench was designed and assembled to carry out impact tests on samples and components. The system allows simple and rapid adjustment of the test parameters, such as the shot size and air pressure, with good repeatability of the results. Tests on steel and light alloys were carried out under both as-produced condition and on thin hard-coated samples. Significant reductions in dimple dimensions were seen after coating. FE models simulating the experiments overestimated the dimple depths, although the parameter trend was satisfactorily captured. The residual stresses from coating and shot peening determined numerically are believed to have been proven effective against fatigue.
To evaluate the usefulness of portable chest radiographs by Fuji computed radiography (FCR) in ICU, FCR radiographs of 56 patients who were admitted to General Intensive Care Unit of Keio University Hospital were compared with the conventional portable images. Because FCR could show two differently processed images in one film and allowed a wide range of image reproduction, visualization of the trachea, bone soft tissues and catheters by FCR was easier than that by the conventional radiography. Repeated radiographs by FCR had similar optical densities and limited exposure errors. Furthermore, radiation was reduced than that of the conventional radiography. In conclusion, FCR is thought to be a useful technique for portable chest radiography in ICU patients. (author).
To evaluate the usefulness of portable chest radiographs by Fuji computed radiography (FCR) in ICU, FCR radiographs of 56 patients who were admitted to General Intensive Care Unit of Keio University Hospital were compared with the conventional portable images. Because FCR could show two differently processed images in one film and allowed a wide range of image reproduction, visualization of the trachea, bone soft tissues and catheters by FCR was easier than that by the conventional radiography. Repeated radiographs by FCR had similar optical densities and limited exposure errors. Furthermore, radiation was reduced than that of the conventional radiography. In conclusion, FCR is thought to be a useful technique for portable chest radiography in ICU patients. (author).
Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) is employed to study the changes in enthalpy of natural rubber latex samples when heated under a controlled temperature program. It is found that the mass normalized areas of the DSC curves between room temperature and 170??C for different latex samples are inversely proportional to the dry rubber content (DRC) of the samples, measured following the weighing and drying method. The changes in total enthalpy of the samples in this temperature range are interpreted as due to the variations in the quantity of water present in the samples. The measurements have been repeated by diluting selected samples with known quantities of water, and it is found that the normalized areas of the DSC curves are directly proportional to the amount of water added to the ...
Abstract Mammalian teeth exhibit incremental structures representing successive forming fronts of enamel at varying time scales, including a short daily increment called a cross striation and a long period called a stria of Retzius, the latter of which, in humans, occurs on average every 8-9 days. The number of daily increments between striae is called the repeat interval, which is the same period as that required to form one increment of bone, i.e. the lamella, the fundamental - if not archetypal - unit of bone. Lamellae of known formation time nevertheless vary in width, and thus their measures provide time-calibrated growth rate variability. We measured growth rate variability for as many as 6 years of continuously forming primary incremental lamellar bone from midshaft femur histologic...
It is the intention of this paper to point to some of the problems due to molecular motion and to suggest a few solutions to those problems. A few examples will be presented of model systems which demonstrate the effects of motion on the NMR spectroscopy and a very qualitative example of severe spectral distortion in fulvic acids will be shown. In the following discussions we will use concepts derived from the oft repeated thermodynamic picture shown in figure 1. When dealing with a homogeneous, pure compound this picture is sufficient but in a heterogeneous mixture, it is likely that there will be different compounds and different domains all with slightly different versions of figure 1 with poor thermodynamic contact between them. Thus optimal conditions for cross polarization in one domain may be totally inappropriate for another. 59 refs., 10 figs.
After having discussed the peculiarities of children in X-ray diagnosis the application of the effective as well as the mean equivalent doses as to the determination of the radiation exposure in children is represented. In using computerized tomograms to determine position and extent of an organ the exposure by repeated X-raying was calculated referring to the entrance dose. Entrance dose measurements for all types of X-ray examination in hospitals and ascertainments of the frequency of radiograms in 20 X-ray departments were used to determine per capita and collective doses, resp., in several age groups. Alltogether, the per capita dose of children in the GDR amounts to 30% of that of adults. Conclusions were drawn as to taking measures to further reduction of radiation exposure: (1) Technical measures, such as positioning of patients, shielding of organs, quality assurance; (2) elaboration of regulations concerning the execution of X-raying in children and ...
Background: Superficial inferior epigastric artery (SIEA) flap has a great advantage over other flaps of the area, that is, readily non-existent donor-site problems. The main reason why the SIEA flap has never been extensively used in breast reconstruction is the small diameter and variable anatomy of its donor artery. This study presents a possibility of enlarging the SIEA diameter using the delay-phenomenon mechanism. Methods: A prospective clinical study of 26 patients was undertaken. Prior to surgery, ultrasound examinations were performed, measuring the diameter of SIEA and the velocity of blood flow in SIEA. The ipsilateral deep inferior epigastric artery (DIEA) was then ligated in all patients who had a measurable SIEA preoperatively. Two weeks later, measurements were repeated. The...
A 33-year-old male of proven fertility suffered six attacks of malaria while resident in an African country. For this he received anti-malarial drugs. Semen analysis performed after the fourth attack, and repeated during the following 2 years after his return to Israel, revealed severe oligozoospermia, necrozoospermia and occasionally even azoospermia. Immunological examination of the patient revealed an inverse ratio of T-cell subsets and mast cell degranulation in response to palludrin. Twenty-five months after the last attack of malaria a significant improvement was found in semen quality and there was an increase in the ratio of T-helper to T-suppressor cytotoxic cells. These observations indicate that although malaria and its treatment may affect spermatogenesis, recovery may be expected eventually. PMID:3500921
FELs require tight control of the amplitudes and phase of the fields in two linear accelerator tanks to obtain stable lasing. The accelerator control loops must establish constant, stable, repeatable amplitudes and phases of the rf fields and must have excellent bandwidth to control high-frequency noise components. A model of the feedback loops has been developed that agrees well with measurements and allows easy substitution of components and circuits, thus reducing breadboarding requirements. The model permits both frequency and time-domain analysis. The accelerator control scheme and model are described and the control of noise in feedback loops is discussed, showing how low-frequency-noise components (errors) can be corrected, but high-frequency-noise components (errors) are actually amplified by the feedback circuit. Measurements of noise in both open- and closed-loop modes is shown and comparison is made with results from the model calculations.
Summary Large body size hinders locomotor performance in ways that may lead to trade-offs in predator foraging ability that limit the net predatory benefit of larger size. For example, size-related improvements in handling prey may come at the expense of pursuing prey and thus negate any enhancement in overall predatory performance due to increasing size. This hypothesis was tested with longitudinal data from repeated observations of 94 individually known wolves (Canis lupus) hunting elk (Cervus elaphus) in Yellowstone National Park, USA. Wolf size was estimated from an individually based sex-specific growth model derived from body mass measurements of 304 wolves. Larger size granted individual wolves a net predatory advantage despite substantial variation in its effect on the performance ...
A new subcarrier combining technique is proposed for MC -CDMA receiver in mobile Rayleigh fading channel. It exploits the structure formed by repeating spreading sequences of users on different subcarriers to simultaneously suppress multiple access interference (MAI) and provide implicit channel tracking without any knowledge of the channel amplitudes or training sequences. This is achieved by adaptively weighting each subcarrier in each symbol period by employing a simple gradient descent algorithm to meet the constant modulus (CM) criterion with judicious selection of step-size. Improved BER and user capacity performance are shown with similar complexity in order of O(N) compared with conventional maximum ratio combining and equal gain combining techniques even under high channel Doppler rates.
On 10 dialysis patients we performed 12 balloon dilatations, 2 catheter lyses, 6 stent implants (Palmaz stent) and one atherectomy of central venous stenoses or occlusions (v. subclavia, v. brachiocephalica) at the shunt arm of the patient. The primary success rate was, in balloon PTA and lysis, 12/14 interventions, and in stent placement and atherectomy 7/7. The angiographical and clinical primary result after stent implantation was significantly better than after conventional dilatation. After 66% of the balloon dilatations recidivation occurred within the first year; this can be treated by means of repeated PTA. Whether long-term exclusion of recurrence can be achieved by stent implantation, must be established by means of follow-up studies that are at present in progress. (orig.).
Assembly of icosahedral capsids of proper size and symmetry is not understood. Residue F170 in bacteriophage P22 coat protein is critical for conformational switching during assembly. Substitutions at this site cause assembly of tubes of hexamerically arranged coat protein. Intragenic suppressors of the ts phenotype of F170A and F170K coat protein mutants were isolated. Suppressors were repeatedly found in the coat protein telokin-like domain at position 285, which caused coat protein to assemble into petite procapsids and capsids. Petite capsid assembly strongly correlated to the side chain volume of the substituted amino acid. We hypothesize that larger side chains at position 285 torque the telokin-like domain, changing flexibility of the subunit and intercapsomer contacts. Thus, a sing...
The objective of the present work is to study the chemical variation in Calophyllum inophyllum growing along the Western Ghats of India. Contents of dipyranocoumarins (inophyllums) in C.?inophyllum were determined to assess whether they could be used as a taxonomic marker for C.?inophyllum. This study also aims to establish inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers that can be used to study genetic variation within the species and explore correlation between ISSR and chemical markers. The contents of dipyranocoumarins were estimated in seeds collected from 20 locations. Leaves from plants at the same 20 locations were assayed for ISSR variation. A dendrogram based on Nei?s genetic distance as well as principal component analysis based on dipyranocoumarins and ISSR variation clustered pla...
Purpose To evaluate the methods of applicator reconstruction in 3D MR-based planning for brachytherapy of cervical cancer, and to investigate applicator shifts and changes in DVH parameters during PDR treatment. Methods For each application MR scans with applicator in situ were made: three T2-weighted (4.5mm slices) Turbo Spin Echo (TSE) scans and a balanced Steady State Free Precession scan (1.5mm). Three observers tested two applicator reconstruction methods: (A) directly on the bSSFP scan and (B) on a resampled combination of the three T2-weighted scans. For 10 patients MR imaging was repeated on the second day of each PDR fraction to determine applicator shifts and changes in DVH parameters. Results For both applicator reconstruction methods the interobserver variation for the DVH para...
Fifty-nine patients underwent free flap osteocutaneous reconstruction that consisted of flaps of the dorsum of the foot in 26 patients and iliac crest flaps in 33 with a success rate of 92 percent and a mortality rate of 1.6 percent. These flaps, which require the expertise of microvascular surgeons, are time-consuming and complicate operating room and time management, but they represent a remarkable advance in reconstruction that can facilitate cosmetic and functional recovery of the patient. In particular, they promote healing in radiation-recurrent oral cancer and represent a definitive form of management for established radionecrosis of the mandible. The large volume of tissue available with iliac crest osteocutaneous grafts permits the management of patients with extensive cancer involving the skin, mucosa, and bone, but cancer control may still be disappointing and there is a need for improved adjuvant chemotherapy protocols. This technique appears to be a dependable, ...
A 21-year-old woman developed midesophageal stricture two weeks after ingestion of aluminium phosphide (AlP) tablets. Aluminium phosphide is a lethal protoplasmic toxin and is also the most common cause of suicidal poisoning in northern India. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy (UGIE) showed a tight esophageal stricture 29?cm from the incisors with a circumferential ulcer. Dilatation up to 17?mm was done using Savary-Gilliard dilators. She had repeated dilatations three times at nearly two-week intervals. In view of the resistant stricture, a silicone Polyflex stent was placed across the stricture and removed after 3?months; there was no recurrence of stricture even after three months of follow-up. Patients with recurrent esophageal stricture and those with fistula may benefit from silicone ...
Modeling artificial scanning electron microscope (SEM) and scanning ion microscope images has recently become important. This is because of the need to provide repeatable images with a priori determined parameters. Modeled artificial images are highly useful in the evaluation of new imaging and metrological techniques, like image-sharpness calculation, or drift-corrected image composition (DCIC). Originally, the NIST-developed artificial image generator was designed only to produce the SEM images of gold-on-carbon resolution sample for image-sharpness evaluation. Since then, the new improved version of the software was written in C++ programming language and is in the Public Domain. The current version of the software can generate arbitrary samples, any drift function, and many other features. This work describes scanning in charged-particle microscopes, which is applied both in the artificial image generator and the DCIC technique. As an example, the performance ...
Experiments have been reported previously in which lead-212 ions with lead carrier were instilled into the lungs of anaesthetised rabbits. Experiments were also reported in which bismuth-207 chloride was instilled into rabbit lung. To check that the chloride compound was cleared in the same way as ions instilled in isolation, lead-203 chloride has been instilled in three rabbits. Measurements of absorption of ionic lead have been repeated using the radon-222 daughter, lead-214. Rates of clearance from the lung of "2"0"3Pb as the chloride and "2"1"2Pb ions are compared, and retention functions are derived. Clearance from the lung of "2"1"4Pb ions is also shown, and retention functions are derived. (U.K.).
A computational environment, as a set of MapleV R.3 routines for doing symbolic calculations in Quantum Field Theory, is presented. The Q F T package`s routines extend the standard MapleV computational domain by introducing representations for anti commutative and noncommutative objects, tensors, spinors and gauge fields, as well as related objects and procedures (Dirac matrices, differential operators, functional differentiation w.r.t indexed fields, sum rule for repeated indices, etc.). Furthermore, the Q F T routines permit the user-definition of algebra rules for the commutation/ anti commutation of operators, to be taken into account during the calculations. (author) 2 refs.
Magnesium fructose-1,6-diphosphate is a novel agent of antimyocardial ischaemia. In the present study, the subchronic toxicity of magnesium fructose-1,6-diphosphate was investigated after 13-week repeated intravenous administration in beagle dogs. The animals received doses of 0, 75, 150 and 300 mg/kg/day (three males and three females for each dose). During the study period, clinical signs, mortality, body weights, food consumption, electrocardiogram, urinalysis, haematology, clinical biochemistry, macroscopic findings, organ weights and histopathology were examined. The administration of magnesium fructose-1,6-diphosphate resulted in increased incidence of clinical signs, including salivation and emesis. These effects were transient and were noted in almost all dogs given 300 mg/kg/day a...
These Appendices describe various technologies that may be applicable to the Mixed Waste Treatment Plant (MWTP) Chemical/Physical Treatment System (CPTS). These technologies were identified by the CPTS Technical Support Group (TSG) as potentially applicable to a variety of separation, volume reduction, and decontamination requirements. The purpose was to identify all available and developing technologies, and their characteristics, for subsequent evaluation for specific requirements identified for the CPTS. However, the technologies described herein are not necessarily all inclusive, nor are they necessarily all applicable.
This report describes an improved method of remotely identifying irradiated nuclear fuel assemblies. The method uses existing in-cell TV cameras to input an image of the notch-coded top of the fuel assemblies into a computer vision system, which then produces the identifying number for that assembly. This system replaces systems that use either a mechanical mechanism to feel the notches or use human operators to locate notches visually. The system was developed for identifying fuel assemblies from the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) and the Clinch River Breeder Reactor, but could be used for other reactor assembly identification, as appropriate.
A primary goal of noninvasive studies of human vision is to identify and characterize multiple visual areas in the human brain analogous to those identified in studies of nonhuman primates. By combining functional MEG measurements with images of individual anatomy derived from MRI, the authors hope to determine the location and arrangement of multiple visual areas in human cortex and to probe their functional significance. The authors have identified several different visual areas thus far which appear to be topographically organized. This paper focuses on the retinotopic characterization of the primary visual area (V1) in humans.
Timber Compartment Boundary This data set identifies the 90 timber compartment boundaries in a 200 square-mile study ... Kawishiwi Ranger Districts, Superior National ...
Recessive mutations of the early phase change (epc) gene in maize affect several aspects of plant development. These mutations were identified initially because of...Full Text Available
Though notes in electronic medical record systems (EMRs) have advantages, they are often criticized for their unattractive and unprofessional appearance. We sought to identify notes regarded by physicians...Full Text Available
... that operated in Pakistan, Dubai, and throughout the Middle East ... identifies 'funds' as one of eight major terrorist ... techniques, and procedures (TTP). ...
AbstractObjectiveTo estimate the prevalence and identify the determinants of non-prescription use of antibiotics for children in Mongolia.MethodsA...Full Text Available
BackgroundTo identify the differential tuberculosis (TB) characteristics within the immigrant population with respect to natives in Spain.Methodology/Principal...Full Text Available
This paper first discusses the challenge offered by natural and anthropogenic systems in all of their complexity and then indicates some areas of research in which specific scientific and technological needs are identifiable.
AIM: To analyze the contribution of Orvosi Hetilap (Hungarian Medical Journal) to the field of gastroenterology.METHODS: All issues of the journal between 1857 and 2008 and identified...Full Text Available
... The variogram analysis of the high resolution imagery has shown that although more spatial scales have been identified than from the SPOT image ...
A strain of Pseudomonas syringae was recently identified as the cause of a new foliar blight of impatiens. The bacterium was resistant to copper compounds, which are used on a variety...Full Text Available
To express growth-related changes in physiologic or other functions in forms usable for kinetic modeling, we are interested in identifying regular relationships that take the form of simple mathematical...Full Text Available
PurposeTo identify the extent of persistence (period of time of continuous therapy with the drug prescribed) of glaucoma patients treated with prostaglandins (latanoprost, bimatoprost,...Full Text Available
An almost linear optimization problem of importance in vibration isolation has been identified and algorithms were developed to minimize the forced vibrational response of structural systems. The constraints can be either displacements of accelerations. T...
BackgroundAs long-term nursing home care is likely to increase with the aging of the population, identifying chronic medical conditions is of particular interest. Although need factors...Full Text Available
The general methods used to complete measurements of human exposures are identified and illustrations are provided for the cases of indirect and direct methods used for exposure analysis. The application...Full Text Available
Objectives. The purposes of this study were to test the hypothesis that vaginal douching is linked to bacterial vaginosis in both symptomatic and asymptomatic women and to identify...Full Text Available
The Buried Waste Integrated Demonstration (BWID) is a program of the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Technology Development whose mission is to evaluate different new and existing technologies and determine how well they address DOE community waste remediation problems. Twenty-three Technical Task Plans (TTPs) have been identified to support this mission during FY-92; 10 of these have identified some support requirements when demonstrations take place. Section 1 of this report describes the tasks supported by BWID, determines if a technical demonstration is proposed, and if so, identifies the support requirements requested by the TTP Principal Investigators. Section 2 of this report is an evaluation identifying facility characteristics of existing Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) facilities that may be considered for use in BWID technology demonstration activities.
This exploratory research paper investigated the coping strategies of families of hospitalized psychiatric patients and identified their positive and negative coping strategies. In this paper, the coping...Full Text Available
BackgroundA mycovirus previously identified in brown discolored fruiting bodies of the cultivated mushroom Flammulina velutipes was characterized. We tentatively...Full Text Available
This report provides procedures for evaluating metal, consumable, and combustible cartridge cases. It identifies supporting tests, facilities, and equipment required. Subtests include weapon and ammunition preparation, initial inspection, ammunition chara...
Pathways of salicylic acid (SA) biosynthesis and metabolism in tobacco have been recently identified. SA, an endogenous regulator of disease resistance, is a product of phenylpropanoid metabolism formed...Full Text Available
We identify new organelles associated with the vacuolar system in plant cells. These organelles are defined biochemically by their internal content of three integral membrane proteins: a chimeric reporter...Full Text Available
Alpha-toxin, the major cytotoxic agent elaborated by Staphylococcus aureus, was the first bacterial exotoxin to be identified as a pore former. The protein is secreted as a single-chain, water-soluble...Full Text Available
...identified as oil when the shipment document accurately describes the material as: aviation fuel, diesel fuel, fuel oil, gasoline, jet fuel, kerosene, motor fuel, or...
A precise technique for studying coal liquefaction in a 200 cc stirred-batch-autoclave has been developed. Reaction pressures of up to 4000 psig and temperatures of up to 850/sup 0/F can be employed. The slurry temperature in the autoclave is controlled within 2/sup 0/F by raising or lowering the autoclave which is partially submerged in a sandbath; hence the name: Variable Submergence Temperature Control (VaSTeC). Heatup and cooldown are achieved in 5 and 2 minutes, respectively. A mini-scale vacuum distillation procedure was developed for measurement of 1000/sup 0/F-distillate with a repeatability of 0.3%. About 99% material balance is routinely obtained in the autoclave runs. The following yield repeatabilities have been demonstrated (MAF coal basis):H/sub 2/ cons. (0.1%), C/sub 1/ to C/sub 3/ gas (0.3%), C/sub 4/-1000/sup 0/F distillate (2.4%), and unconverted carbon (0.5%). The autoclave can simulate the yield slate of the thermal ...
Wasaga Distribution Inc. is located on Georgian Bay in one of the fastest growing communities in Ontario. It has a customer base of 10,400 residential customers in a service territory of 61 square kilometres. This presentation outlined Wasaga's experience with the Itron fixed network 2.0 RF Centron IDM meter. It outlined the dataflow features and capabilities of the meter in terms electricity endpoints, repeaters, and neighbourhood collectors. The repeater is designed to capture ERT IDM reads and retransmit at a higher power. The meter is also designed to reduce the number of cell control units (CCU) necessary to cover an area. The meter sleeve design allows for simple and cost effective installation, and has a bandwidth capable of over 3000 reads per second. The Itron CCU4 is a listening receiver that captures ERT reads and transmits the data to the utilities. It has a battery back up that lasts 4 hours in case of a power outage. It ...
(3H)Quinuclidinyl benzilate binding to rat brain muscarinic receptors decreased after repeated exposure to soman, a potent organophosphorus cholinesterase inhibitor. The topographical distribution of this decrement was analyzed by quantitative receptor autoradiography. After 4 weeks of soman, three times a week, quinuclidinyl benzilate binding decreased to 67 to 80% of control in frontal and parietal cortex, caudate-putamen, lateral septum, hippocampal body, dentate gyrus, superior colliculus, nucleus of the fifth nerve, and central grey. Minor or no decreases were observed in thalamic or hypothalamic nuclei, reticular formation, pontine nuclei, inferior colliculus, nucleus of the seventh nerve, and cerebellum. Scatchard analyses of saturation curves using frontal cortex sections from soman-treated rats revealed a decrease in maximal quinuclidinyl benzilate binding from that in control rats and a return toward control levels by 24 days without any significant ...
[3H]Quinuclidinyl benzilate binding to rat brain muscarinic receptors decreased after repeated exposure to soman, a potent organophosphorus cholinesterase inhibitor. The topographical distribution of this decrement was analyzed by quantitative receptor autoradiography. After 4 weeks of soman, three times a week, quinuclidinyl benzilate binding decreased to 67 to 80% of control in frontal and parietal cortex, caudate-putamen, lateral septum, hippocampal body, dentate gyrus, superior colliculus, nucleus of the fifth nerve, and central grey. Minor or no decreases were observed in thalamic or hypothalamic nuclei, reticular formation, pontine nuclei, inferior colliculus, nucleus of the seventh nerve, and cerebellum. Scatchard analyses of saturation curves using frontal cortex sections from soman-treated rats revealed a decrease in maximal quinuclidinyl benzilate binding from that in control rats and a return toward control levels by 24 days without any significant ...
The present study deals with two subjects. The first one is to determine the thermal properties of lauric acid (LA)-stearic acid (SA), myristic acid (MA)-palmitic acid (PA) and palmitic acid (PA)-stearic acid (SA) eutectic mixtures as latent heat storage material. The properties were measured by the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis technique. The second one is to study the thermal reliability of these materials in view of the change in their melting temperatures and latent heats of fusion with respect to repeated thermal cycles. For this aim, the eutectic mixtures were subjected to 360 repeated melt/freeze cycles, and their thermal properties were measured after 0, 90,1 80 and 360 thermal cycles by the technique of DSC analysis. The DSC thermal analysis results show that the binary systems of LA-SA in the ratio of 75.5:24.5 wt.%, MA-PA in the ratio of 58:42 wt.% and PA-SA in the ratio of 64.2:35.8 wt.% form eutectic mixtures ...
The Pequop Mountains (PM), Wood Hills (WH) and East Humboldt Range (EHR), NE Nevada, provide evidence that the hinterland of the Sevier thrust belt experienced large-magnitude Mesozoic shortening ([>=]55 km) and crustal thickening ([>=] 30 km). These ranges expose a structurally continuous crustal cross section of unmetamorphosed to high pressure upper amphibolite facies Triassic to Precambrian miogeoclinal strata. This sequence lies structurally beneath unmetamorphosed extensional klippen that omit metamorphic grade and crustal section, but also repeat stratigraphic units. Because they repeat stratigraphic units, the underlying miogeoclinal section, or footwall, must have once lain beneath a thrust fault (herein named the Windermere thrust). The footwall of the Windermere thrust was exhumed by two generations of top-to-the-W-NW low-angle normal faults that are distinguished by whether they are depositionally overlapped by Eocene volcanic ...
This study was intended to help explain individual differences in susceptibility to irritant effects of ozone (O3), by determining whether prior ambient O3 exposures and/or recent acute respiratory illness modified response to laboratory O3 exposures. Response was measured in terms of lung function changes and irritant symptoms. Initially, 59 adult volunteer Los Angeles area residents underwent screening exposures in spring, before the season of frequent high ambient O3 levels. Unusually responsive and nonresponsive individuals (N = 12 and 13 respectively) underwent followup exposures in autumn (late in the high-O3 season) and in winter (low-O3 season). All exposures were to 0.18 ppm O3 for 2 hr with intermittent heavy exercise at 31 degrees C and 35% relative humidity. Nonresponders tended to remain nonresponsive throughout. In fall, responders had lost much of their reactivity, as if they had adapted to summer ambient O3 exposures. They did not regain reactivity by winter. Clinical ...
Coilguns have demonstrated their capability to launch projectiles to 1 km/s, and there is interest in their application for long-range precision strike weapons. However, the incorporation of cooling systems for repetitive operation will impact the mechanical design and response of the future coils. To assess the impact of such changes, an evaluation of the ruggedness and reliability of the existing 50 mm bore coil designed in 1993 was made by repeatedly testing at stress levels associated with operation in a coilgun. A two-coil testbed has been built with a static projectile where each coil is energized by its own capacitor bank. Simulation models of the applied forces generated in this testbed have been created with the SLINGSHOT circuit code to obtain loads equivalent to the worst-case anticipated in a 50 mm coilgun that could launch a 236 g projectile to 2 km/s. Bench measurements of the seven remaining coils built in 1993 have been used to evaluate which coils ...
Understanding the mechanical properties of biomedical devices is critical in predicting and preventing their failure in the body. Such knowledge is essential, for example, in the design of biomedical stents, which must undergo repeated strain over their ten year lifetimes without breaking. Computational models are used to predict mechanical response of a device, but these models are not complete; there are significant deviations from the predictions, especially when devices are subjected to repeated multi-axial loads. Improving these models requires comparisons with actual measurements of strained nitinol. Local measurements of the full strain tensor can be made using X-ray diffraction techniques, but they are currently limited to materials whose grain size is larger than the X-ray beam size or require several diffraction patterns produced by rotation of the sample. Nitinol stents are nanocrystalline, with grains smaller than any available ...
Repeated exposure to cold air reduces the metabolic response to cold air exposure in man. The purpose of this investigation was to measure the change in resting metabolic rate (RMR) with exposure to 22C air and 4C air during a 12 day period. Four women sat in 22C air for 45 min followed by 45 min in 4C air each day for ten days. The authors measured RMR during a 45 min period in 22C air followed by 45 min in 4C air on four days. All subjects began their morning exposures on a Monday within 2 days of the onset of menses completing the study on a Friday, 12 days later. Subjects dressed in a T-shirt, shorts and cotton socks. During 45 min of exposure to warm air, RMR remained steady at 10% of VO{sub 2peak} on Day 1 and 10% on Day 5. RMR during exposure to warm air significantly increased to 13% of VO{sub 2peak} on Day 8 and remained elevated at 13% on Day 12. During exposure to cold air RMR peaked at 31% of CO{sub 2peak} by the 5th min on Day 1. Peak RMR on Day 5 was ...
We introduce the notion of watching systems in graphs, which is a generalization of that of identifying codes. We give some basic properties of watching systems, an upper bound on the minimum size of a watching system, and results on the graphs which achieve this bound; we also study the cases of the paths and cycles, and give complexity results.
Due to the large number of chemicals in commerce without adequate toxicity characterization data, coupled with an ineffective federal policy for chemical management in the United States, many states are grappling with the challenge to identify toxic chemicals that may pose a risk to human health and the environment. Specific populations (e.g., children, elderly) are particularly sensitive to these toxic chemicals. In 2008, the Children's Safe Product Act (CSPA) was passed in Washington State. The CSPA included specific requirements to identify High Priority Chemicals (HPCs) and Chemicals of High Concern to Children (CHCCs). To implement this legislation, a methodology was developed to identify HPCs from authoritative scientific and regulatory sources on the basis of toxicity criteria. Another set of chemicals of concern was then identified from authoritative sources, based on their potential exposure to ...
Defects in mismatch repair genes cause the genetic instability characteristic of hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer and a subset of sporadic colon tumors. The newest member of the mismatch repair gene family, GTBP, has recently been identified as a partial cDNA. Here, we describe the isolation of its 5{prime} terminus, allowing definition of the entire coding region. Several polymorphisms within the 5{prime} end were identified and are presented. 13 refs., 1 fig.
A new study identifies and ranks the 10 security gaps responsible for most outsider attacks on college computer networks. The list is intended to help campus system administrators establish priorities as they work to increase security. One network security expert urges that institutions utilize multiple security layers. (DB)
Twenty-six unclassified Campylobacter-like strains previously isolated from 15 chicken carcasses and caecal contents, together with two more strains isolated from chicken faeces on a different occasion, were identified as Helicobacter pullorum using various phenotypic identification methods. API Campy identification kits and a 16-test identification scheme developed for campylobacters failed to identify these bacteria, or identified them as Campylobacter spp. Eighteen strains (including the two isolated on a different occasion) were chosen for examination using a more comprehensive probabilistic identification scheme. Using this method, 14 of the 18 strains were identified as H. pullorum with ID scores > 95%; two strains were also identified as H. pullorum with lower ID scores. Of the remaining two strains, one was not identified with this scheme and the ...
Laboratory-based surveillance of Lyme disease in Connecticut during 1984 and 1985 identified 3,098 persons with suspected Lyme disease; 1,149 were defined as cases. Lyme disease incidence in Connecticut...Full Text Available
The motivation for this design study has been to identify magnet designs for useful magnetic fusion experiments which minimize capital cost. Some possibly useful novel design features have been identified. 5 refs., 6 figs., 3 tabs.
The objective of this work was to identify methods of improving the performance of gas-fired radiant burners through the use of Continuous Fiber Ceramic Composites (CFCCs). Methods have been identified to improve the price and performance characteristics of the porous surface burner. Results are described.
Radionuclide X-ray fluorescence analysis is a method, which has many advantages for analysing various historic artefacts, as it is relatively cheap, sensitive and non-destructive, and it allows measurements in-situ. However, this analysis has also certain limitations especially concerning sensitivity to chemical elements only, irrespective of the compounds or chemical forms in which these elements have been bonded. In addition, light elements emitting very soft X-rays cannot be measured, and in order to detect a wide range of elements, it is necessary to carry out repeated measurements with different radiation sources. Despite these limitations, valuable information can be obtained about the composition of historic materials and data about the origin and age of these artefacts can be derived. Analyses of wall paintings, ancient metal sculptures or other objects of art provide the basis for historic considerations documented in our results for some objects belonging ...
Radionuclide X-ray fluorescence analysis is a method, which has many advantages for analysing various historic artefacts, as it is relatively cheap, sensitive and non-destructive, and it allows measurements in-situ. However, this analysis has also certain limitations especially concerning sensitivity to chemical elements only, irrespective of the compounds or chemical forms in which these elements have been bonded. In addition, light elements emitting very soft X-rays cannot be measured, and in order to detect a wide range of elements, it is necessary to carry out repeated measurements with different radiation sources. Despite these limitations, valuable information can be obtained about the composition of historic materials and data about the origin and age of these artefacts can be derived. Analyses of wall paintings, ancient metal sculptures or other objects of art provide the basis for historic considerations documented in our results for some objects belonging ...
The {sup 252}Cf-source-driven noise analysis method has been used in measurements for subcritical configurations of fissile systems for a variety of applications including a dynamic measurement that was the first step in applying this method to monitor fuel in a future reprocessing plant These measurements showed that this method has potential to monitor many dynamic situations in processing plants such as in a continuous dissolver or batch dissolvers either to obtain the neutron multiplication factor k or to be used as a signature to verify that various processes are occurring in a repeatable or bounded way. This verification of normal operation would be by comparing noise analysis signatures for the process with reference signatures. Abnormal operation could be ascertained if the signature deviates by some specified amount from the reference signatures from normal operation. The deviations from normal could be specified by measurement or by Monte Carlo neutron ...
We present a method for optimising experimental cuts in order to place the strongest constraints (upper limits) on theoretical signal models. The method relies only on signal and background expectations derived from Monte-Carlo simulations, so no bias is introduced by looking at actual data, for instance by setting a limit based on expected signal above the ``last remaining data event.'' After discussing the concept of the ``average upper limit,'' based on the expectation from an ensemble of repeated experiments with no true signal, we show how the best model rejection potential is achieved by optimising the cuts to minimise the ratio of this ``average upper limit'' to the expected signal from the model. As an example, we use this technique to determine the limit sensitivity of kilometre scale neutrino detectors to extra-terrestrial neutrino fluxes from a variety of models, e.g. active galaxies and gamma-ray bursts. We suggest that these model rejection potential ...
Background and objectives.Thymidylate synthase (TS) expression levels appear to be related to response to 5-fluorouracil-(5-FU)-based chemotherapy in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. Three polymorphisms have been proposed as modulators of TS expression: a tandemly repeated sequence (2R/3R) in the 5? UTR, a SNP (G > C) within the 3R allele and a 6 bp deletion in the 3' UTR.To evaluate the influence of TS expression and polymorphisms on clinical outcome of 5-FU-treated patients we performed a comprehensive genetic analysis on 63 CRC patients.Methods.TS expression levels were analyzed in normal and tumor tissues. TS coding sequence and UTR polymorphisms were investigated on DNA from normal tissue. LOH analysis was performed to determine tumor genotype.Results.A difference in disease-free sur...
We examined, using thermo analytical methods, the effects of 2000 deg. C heat-treated graphite powders and heating rate of cure after impregnation on the thermal stability and carbon yield of furfuryl alcohol, which is frequently used not only as an impregnation but also as a matrix precursor for carbon fiber-reinforced carbon composites. It was founded that the addition of 30 wt%. graphite powders of furfuryl alcohol and the heating rate 35 deg. C/min showed the highest thermal stability of furfuryl alcohol/graphite powder mixture. The carbon yield above 1000 deg. C was enhanced more than 10% in comparison with the absence of graphite powders. It would be expected that this result can contribute to some extent to reduce the repeating number of processing cycle (carbonization {yields} impregnation {yields} cure {yields} re-carbonization) required to density a carbonaceous composite. (author). 9 refs., 8 figs.
Today, as a result of increase in oil prices, limited fossil fuel resources, environmental consideration and global warming, the methyl ester fuels have been focused on alternative fuels. Methyl ester fuels can be used more efficiently in low heat rejection engines (LHR), in which the temperature of combustion chamber is increased by creating a thermal barrier. In this study, the piston, cylinder head, exhaust and inlet valves of a diesel engine were coated with the ceramic material Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}-TiO{sub 2} by the plasma spray method. Thus, a thermal barrier was provided for the parts of the combustion chamber with these coatings. The effects of corn oil methyl ester that produced by the transesterification method, and No. D2 fuels' performance and exhaust emissions' rate were studied by using equal in every respect coated and uncoated engines. Tests were performed on the uncoated engine, and then repeated on the coated engine and the results ...
We present a study of 66 barred, early-type (S0-Sb) disk galaxies, focused on the disk surface brightness profile outside the bar region and the nature of Freeman Type I and II profiles, their origins, and their possible relation to disk truncations. This paper discusses the data and their reduction, outlines our classification system, and presents $R$-band profiles and classifications for all galaxies in the sample. The profiles are derived from a variety of different sources, including the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (Data Release 5). For about half of the galaxies, we have profiles derived from more than one telescope; this allows us to check the stability and repeatability of our profile extraction and classification. The vast majority of the profiles are reliable down to levels of mu_R ~ 27 mag arcsec^-2; in exceptional cases, we can trace profiles down to mu_R > 28. We can typically follow disk profiles out to at least 1.5 times the traditional optical radius ...
We investigate the influence of lunar-like satellites on the infrared orbital light curves of Earth-analog extra-solar planets. Such light curves will be obtained by NASA's Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF) and ESA's Darwin missions as a consequence of repeat observations to confirm the companion status of a putative planet. We use an energy balance model to calculate disk-averaged infrared (bolometric) fluxes from planet-satellite systems over a full orbital period (one year). The satellites are assumed to lack an atmosphere, have a low thermal inertia like that of the Moon and span a range of plausible radii. The planets are assumed to have thermal and orbital properties that mimic those of the Earth while their obliquities and orbital longitudes of inferior conjunction remain free parameters. Even if the gross thermal properties of the planet can be independently constrained (e.g. via spectroscopy or visible-wavelength detection of specular glint from a surface ...
There is increasing evidence that chemicals/test substances cannot only have adverse effects, but that there are many substances that can (also) have a beneficial effect on health. As this journal regularly publishes papers in this area and has every intention in continuing to do so in the near future, it has become essential that studies reported in this journal reflect an adequate level of scientific scrutiny. Therefore a set of essential characteristics of studies has been defined. These basic requirements are default properties rather than non-negotiables: deviations are possible and useful, provided they can be justified on scientific grounds. The 10 basic requirements for a scientific paper reporting antioxidant, antimutagenic or anticarcinogenic potential of test substances in in vitro experiments and animal studies in vivo concern the following areas: (1) Hypothesis-driven study design; (2) The nature of the test substance; (3) Valid and invalid test systems; (4) The selection ...
The running data of the super energy saving car on a course with a little difference within 1m in elevation were reported which was developed to pursue the minimum fuel consumption. The super car was featured by length of 2.72m, vehicle running mass of 38.5kg, engine displacement of 42cc and a rear drive tricycle with 2(F) and 1(R). The super car turned 10 times on a racing circuit of 925m a round at 20km/h or more in average speed, repeating engine-driven running and engine-stopped coasting. As a result, the vehicle velocity distribution was slightly affected by tire revolution, while the accelerating resistance was strongly affected by that. With an increase in tire revolution, the maximum accelerating resistance decreased in driven running and its variation converged rapidly in coasting. A total of distance in driven running was only 8% of the whole running one because of probably skilled driving as well as the vehicle performance. The fuel consumption rate also ...
Intracranial atherosclerosis is a major cause of ischemic stroke, and depending on the studied population, it accounts for 8%-15% of all strokes that are due to cerebral atherosclerosis. The prognosis of patients with symptomatic intracranial stenoses seems to depend on the location and extent of intracranial atherosclerosis. Currently, the primary treatment in intracranial atherosclerosis is the control of vascular risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, and smoking. Secondary prevention with antiplatelet therapy has been shown to reduce the risk of subsequent vascular events in patients who have suffered a recent ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA). Unfortunately, a significant number of patients with intracranial atherosclerosis continue to suffer from repeated strokes or TIA despite maximal medical treatment. Although endovascular revascularization for symptomatic intracranial stenoses remains at the investigational ...
The neutron capture cross sections of Sr-88 and Y-89 were measured in a quasi-stellar neutron spectrum for kT = 25 keV via the activation method. Relevant systematic uncertainties were determined experimentally by repeated activations under different conditions and with different samples. Gold was used as a cross section standard. The resulting stellar cross sections for kT = 30 keV are 6.13 + or - 0.18 mbarn for Sr-88 and 19.0 + or - 0.6 mbarn for Y-89. The partial cross section Sr-86(n, gamma) Sr-87m was measured to 48.1 + or - 1.2 mbarn. Compared to previous data, the associated uncertainties are reduced by factors of 3 and 5, respectively. The implications for s-process nucleosynthesis around magic neutron number N = 50 are discussed in the light of new information on neutron density and temperature. 38 refs.
The neutron capture cross sections of Sr-88 and Y-89 were measured in a quasi-stellar neutron spectrum for kT = 25 keV via the activation method. Relevant systematic uncertainties were determined experimentally by repeated activations under different conditions and with different samples. Gold was used as a cross section standard. The resulting stellar cross sections for kT = 30 keV are 6.13 + or - 0.18 mbarn for Sr-88 and 19.0 + or - 0.6 mbarn for Y-89. The partial cross section Sr-86(n, gamma) Sr-87m was measured to 48.1 + or - 1.2 mbarn. Compared to previous data, the associated uncertainties are reduced by factors of 3 and 5, respectively. The implications for s-process nucleosynthesis around magic neutron number N = 50 are discussed in the light of new information on neutron density and temperature. 38 refs.
The neutron capture cross sections of Sr-88 and Y-89 were measured in a quasi-stellar neutron spectrum for kT = 25 keV via the activation method. Relevant systematic uncertainties were determined experimentally by repeated activations under different conditions and with different samples. Gold was used as a cross section standard. The resulting stellar cross sections for kT = 30 keV are 6.13 + or - 0.18 mbarn for Sr-88 and 19.0 + or - 0.6 mbarn for Y-89. The partial cross section Sr-86(n, gamma) Sr-87m was measured to 48.1 + or - 1.2 mbarn. Compared to previous data, the associated uncertainties are reduced by factors of 3 and 5, respectively. The implications for s-process nucleosynthesis around magic neutron number N = 50 are discussed in the light of new information on neutron density and temperature.
A class-V myosin, myosin V, one of 18 known classes of actin-based motor proteins, plays a role in transporting organelles within a cell. Unlike myosin-II, which functions as an assembly in the thick filaments of muscle, myosin V is a two-headed processive motor protein, which functions as a single molecule: myosin V performs many consecutive steps before it detaches from an actin filament accompanied by catalytic cycles of ATP (adenosine 5'-triphosphate) ase. The mechanism of such chemomechanical steps is explained by a 'Hand-over-hand model' in which two heads of myosin V alternately repeat single-headed and double-headed bindings with an actin filament. To investigate the binding state of myosin V at several key nucleotide states during ATP hydrolysis, we measured the mechanical properties of a single myosin V - actin complex by applying an external load with optical trap.
The purpose of this program was to characterize Time Of Arrival Detectors (TOAD) pins response to shock loading with respect to risetime, amplitude, repeatability and consistency. TOAD pins were subjected to impacts of 35 to 420 kilobars amplitude and approximately 1 ms pulse width to investigate the timing spread of four pins and the voltage output profile of the individual pins. Sets of pins were also aged at 45{degrees}, 60{degrees}, and 80{degrees}C for approximately nine weeks before shock testing at 315 kilobars impact stress. Four sets of pins were heated to 50.2{degrees}C (125{degrees}F) for approximately two hours and then impacted at either 50 or 315 kilobars. Also, four sets of pins were aged at 60{degrees}C for nine weeks and then heated to 50.2{degrees}C before shock testing at 50 and 315 kilobars impact stress, respectively. Particle velocity measurements at the contact point between the stainless steel targets and TOAD pins were made using a Velocity ...
INTRODUCTION: This study examined the efficacy and safety of selegiline transdermal system (STS) and brief repeated behavioral intervention (BRBI) for smoking cessation in heavy smokers. We hypothesized that the quit rate of subjects who received STS and BRBI would be significantly greater than that of those who received placebo patch and BRBI. METHODS: This was a double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel-group study in which 246 men and women were randomized to receive either STS (n = 121) or placebo patch (n =125) for 9 weeks. Recruitment targeted heavy smokers, defined as individuals with self-reported use of ?15 cigarettes/day in the 30 days prior to enrollment, who had smoked cigarettes for the past 5 years, and had an expired CO level ?9 ppm during screening. RESULTS: Although STS was well tolerated, the overall results indicated that STS with BRBI was not more effective than placebo plus BRBI for smoking cessation (p = .58). Conclusions: The results are ...
Security of supply is defined as the availability and reliability of energy supply at acceptable prices. By security of energy supply we mean a globally large supply of reliable, affordable, clean energy. By virtue of its nature security of supply in the energy sector primarily requires making provisions for the future through exploration, innovation, research, diversification and investments in technology. Energy politics takes place in a tension field defined by the goals of economic efficiency, sustainability and security of supply. In the past there have been repeated shifts within this triad of goals. The task for a rational energy policy is to reconciliate these goals in a meaningful way. European energy policy is understood to comprise all sovereign measures taken by the European Union in the energy sector, in particular measures that impact on the supply and demand for energy resources. Energy law serves, or should serve, to bring energy policy to ...
The operation of industrial facilities has generally resulted in contamination of the surrounding soils and ground water. A variety of methods have been proposed for the remediation of contaminated sites. This paper presents new process technology that is capable of performing treatment on ground water or soil washing leachates. The process is targeted to treat low levels of radioactivity, organics and heavy metals present in the aqueous solutions, to be easily transported and provide simple operation on-site and provide an effluent that meets the specified discharge quality. The purification process involves sequential chemical treatment and filtration. The paper will describe the development of the technology and review the current progress in its use to remediate contaminated sites at Chalk River. The application of the process technology has demonstrated that the ambitious goal of setting the effluent targets to meet the drinking water standards was realized. A comparison of the ...
The operation of industrial facilities has generally resulted in contamination of the surrounding soils and ground water. A variety of methods have been proposed for the remediation of contaminated sites. This paper presents new process technology that is capable of performing treatment on ground water or soil washing leachates. The process is targeted to treat low levels of radioactivity, organics and heavy metals present in the aqueous solutions, to be easily transported and provide simple operation on-site and provide an effluent that meets the specified discharge quality. The purification process involves sequential chemical treatment and filtration. The paper will describe the development of the technology and review the current progress in its use to remediate contaminated sites at Chalk River. The application of the process technology has demonstrated that the ambitious goal of setting the effluent targets to meet the drinking water standards was realized. A comparison of the ...
Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ) is an effective technique for reliable transmission of packets in wireless networks. In ARQ, however, only a few erroneous bits in a packet will cause the entire packet to be discarded at the receiver. In this case, it's wasteful to retransmit the correct bit in the received packet. The partial packet recovery only retransmits the unreliable decoded bits in order to increase the throughput of network. In addition, the cooperative transmission based on Interleave-division multiple-access (IDMA) can obtain diversity gains with multiple relays with different locations for multiple sources simultaneously. By exploring the diversity from the channel between relay and destination, we propose a relay-assisted partial packet recovery in CDMA wireless network to improve the performance of throughput. In the proposed scheme, asynchronous IDMA iterative chip-by-chip multiuser detection is utilized as a method of multiple partial recovery, which ...
The need for noninvasive sensitive techniques for the diagnosis and follow-up of metabolic bone disease in dialysis patients has stimulated the author's interest in the efficacy of more detailed quantitative bone scintigraphy. Using hemodialysis to reduce elevated soft-tissue activity at scintigraphy, an attempt was made to assess the diagnostic sensitivity of quantitative bone scintigraphy as compared to qualitative bone scintigraphic, biochemical, radiographic and bone histologic studies. The second aim of these studies was to determine if one of the two major components of renal osteodystrophy is a major determinant for skeletal radiotracer uptake. The clinical observations on the efficacy and possible specificity of quantitative bone scintigraphy in the diagnosis and follow-up during treatment of renal osteodystrophy are presented briefly in this chapter. Thus, the use of scintigraphy for the routine detection and follow-up of renal osteodystrophy in dialysis patients may reduce ...
The "6"2Zn-"6"2Cu generator system is one of the few which yield a pure positron emitting daughter. The authors have developed a method for the preparation of this generator system following 32 MeV #alpha# particle bombardment of nickel targets. The chemical processing involves two stages: first a hydrous zirconium oxide column is used at pH 4-5 to separate the zinc and copper activities produced in the target nickel, and secondly, a conventional anion exchange column is used to retain the "6"2Zn and remove all copper activities in 2M HCl. This column serves as the "6"2Cu generator which will yield pure "6"2Cu repeatedly, free from "6"2Zn and other impurities, in a mixture of HCl and NaCl. A method is outlined also to obtain a solution of "6"2Zn using the hydrous zirconium oxide (HZO) column. "6"1Cu can be prepared as a by-product in the above procedure, but a method for the preparation of "6"1Cu alone using an 18 MeV #alpha# particle beam on a nickel target and ...
A thermal analyzer-differential scanning calorimeter-mass spectrometer (TG-DSC-MS) was used to study oxygen carriers (OC) for their potential use for the application of chemical looping combustion (CLC) to solid fuels. Reaction rates, changes in reaction rates with repeated oxidation-reductions, exothermic heats during oxidation, and the effect of changing reduction gas compositions were studied. Oxidation rates were greater than reduction rates and reaction rates were reproducible through multiple oxidation-reduction cycles except where agglomeration occurred with powders. Iron oxide (Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} powder) and iron-based catalysts were found suitable for CLC of solid fuels having rapid reduction rates which increased with higher reducing gas concentrations. Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} powder was used to oxidize a high carbon coal char in an inert gas removing 88% of the carbon from the char. Other properties such as cost and durability indicated iron oxide OCs potential ...
With its 527 217 m{sup 3} of low and medium activity wastes put in storage between 1969 and 1994, the C.S.M.( center of storage of Manche) is and remains to this day a necessary element to understand the problems posed by the eternal storage of nuclear materials and the limits of the notion of reversibility. There are therefore teachings to be drawn. We cannot repeat past mistakes in particular with high activity wastes which we wish to bury deep underground. This report is based on the analysis of the existing bibliography, of the internal A.N.D.R.A. documents which we released to the public, of the lessons drawn from our participation in the official concerting and work groups, and finally of the data obtained after inquiries were done in the region in the framework of R.I.V.I.E;R.E. (citizens network of radioecological surveillance, information and evaluation). In spite of all efforts produced, many questions remain unanswered regarding this site so it is ...
A novel technique is proposed for the growth of an InN film on a GaN/Al2O3(0001) template by radio-frequency plasma-excited molecular beam epitaxy (RF-MBE). The method involves 1) InN growth under an In-rich condition and 2) additional nitrogen radical irradiation after the InN growth under an In-rich condition. Excess In that appeared on the InN surface in the InN growth under an In-rich condition is transformed to InN by the additional nitrogen radical irradiation. The effective V/III ratio is easily controlled by monitoring the intensity in a reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) pattern. The growth of the InN film by repeating the InN growth under an In-rich condition and the additional nitrogen radical irradiation is also demonstrated. (copyright 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)
Diagnostic x-ray spectrometry, a method based on x-ray fluorescence analysis, was used for noninvasive determination of iron and zinc in two distinct skin areas, representing predominantly dermal and epidermal tissues, in 56 patients with beta-thalassemia major and intermedia. The mean iron levels in the skin of patients with beta-thalassemia major and intermedia were elevated by greater than 200% and greater than 50%, respectively, compared with control values. The zinc levels of both skin areas examined were within the normal range. The data indicate that the rate and number of blood transfusions, which correlated well with serum ferritin levels (r . 0.8), are not the only factors that determine the amount of iron deposition in the skin (r less than 0.6). Other sources of iron intake contribute to the total iron load in the tissues, particularly in patients who are not given multiple transfusions. The noninvasive quantitation of skin levels may reflect the extent of iron deposition ...
The multielement determination of major-to-ultratrace elements in salmon egg was carried out by ICP-AES and ICP-MS. First, salmon eggs (30 eggs used) were digested with conc. nitric acid and 60% perchloric acid by heating almost to dryness repeatedly. Finally, the residues of salmon eggs were dissolved in 1 M nitric acid and the sample solutions were analyzed by ICP-AES and ICP-MS. About 40 elements could be determined over the concentration range in 9 orders of magnitude. The concentrations of bio-essential elements, such as Zn, Fe, and Cu, in salmon egg were 10-100 times higher than those in human blood serum. In addition, the major-to-ultratrace elements in cell cytoplasm and cell membrane were separately determined in a similar manner to those in whole egg cell. The concentrations of most bio-essential elements were higher in cell cytoplasm than in cell membrane, while those of Fe and Cu were higher in cell membrane than in cell cytoplasm of salmon egg. ...
A metallization scheme has been developed which allows selective plating of silicon solar cell surfaces. The system is comprised of three layers. Palladium, through the formation of palladium silicide at 300/sup 0/C in nitrogen, makes ohmic contact to the silicon surface. Nickel, plated on top of the palladium silicide layer, forms a solderable interface. Lead-tin solder on the nickel provides conductivity and allows a convenient means for interconnection of cells. To apply this metallization, three chemical plating baths are employed. Palladium is deposited with an immersion palladium solution and an electroless palladium solution, and nickel is deposited with an electroless nickel solution. Solder is applied with a molten solder dip. Extensive development work has been performed to achieve an effective immersion palladium solution formulation, leading to reproducible formation of the palladium silicide contact layer. This metallization system has been repeatedly ...
The mechanism of trypsin inactivation by intact Hymenolepis diminuta has been investigated by biochemical and autoradiographic methods. Although worms inactivate trypsin and chymotrypsin in vitro, no inactivation of other endoproteases (subtilisin, pepsin and papain) could be demonstrated. Trypsin inactivation, as demonstrated by macromolecular substrates (azoalbumin, hemoglobin and casein), could not be detected using low molecular weight synthetic substrates such as N-p-benzoyl-DL-arginine-p-nitroanilide (BAPA) or N-p-tosyl-L-arginine methyl ester (TAME). In addition, the kinetic parameters (K/sub m/ and k_3) for H. diminuta-inactivated trypsin, using BAPA as the substrate, were not different from those of the native enzyme. The number of active sites for both native and inactivated trypsin were determined by titration with p-nitro-phenyl-p'-guanidinobenzoate. Absorbance values for both titrations were found to be identical. Dialysis, heating to 50 C, or repeated ...
Three test instruments are being evaluated to determine the feasibility of using photoacoustic technology for measuring unburned carbon in fly ash. The first test instrument is a single microwave frequency system previously constructed to measure photoacoustic signals in an off-line configuration. A second off-line instrument was constructed based in part on lessons learned with the first instrument, but which also expands the capabilities of the first instrument. Improvements include a control loop to allow more constant microwave power output and an ability to operate over a range of microwave frequencies. The third instrument, the on-line version of the fly ash monitor, has been designed, constructed, and initial efficiency tests have been conducted on the monitor's electrical components. This quarter focused on improving the signal strength of the accelerometer by increasing the power level of the microwaves that induced the thermo-elastic effect, and also to conduct ...
We report a patient who developed occlusion of the intracranial major arteries induced by radiation therapy for craniopharyngioma. The patient, a 9-year-old boy, presented with deterioration of vision, nausea and vomiting. He underwent a right ventriculo-peritoneal shunt operation, and the tumor was partially removed. Postoperatively, he received focal radiation therapy with total of 60 Gy. Preoperative cerebral angiography, cerebral vessels had no sigh of occlusive lesion or stenosis. One year after irradiation, he started to have repeated cerebral ischemic attacks. But no regrowth of the tumor was detected on CT scans. Two years and 8 months after irradiation, he suddenly had right hemiparesis. Cerebral angiography revealed severe stenosis of the right anterior cerebral artery (precommunicating segment), middle cerebral artery (horizontal portion) and terminal portion of the right carotid artery. Left carotid angiography showed complete occlusion of the terminal ...
We report a patient who developed occlusion of the intracranial major arteries induced by radiation therapy for craniopharyngioma. The patient, a 9-year-old boy, presented with deterioration of vision, nausea and vomiting. He underwent a right ventriculo-peritoneal shunt operation, and the tumor was partially removed. Postoperatively, he received focal radiation therapy with total of 60 Gy. Preoperative cerebral angiography, cerebral vessels had no sigh of occlusive lesion or stenosis. One year after irradiation, he started to have repeated cerebral ischemic attacks. But no regrowth of the tumor was detected on CT scans. Two years and 8 months after irradiation, he suddenly had right hemiparesis. Cerebral angiography revealed severe stenosis of the right anterior cerebral artery (precommunicating segment), middle cerebral artery (horizontal portion) and terminal portion of the right carotid artery. Left carotid angiography showed complete occlusion of the terminal ...
Due to the increased computer power and advanced algorithms, quantum mechanical calculations based on Density Functional Theory are more and more widely used to solve real materials science problems. In this context large nonlinear generalized eigenvalue problems must be solved repeatedly to calculate the electronic ground state of a solid or molecule. Due to the nonlinear nature of this problem, an iterative solution of the eigenvalue problem can be more efficient provided it does not disturb the convergence of the self-consistent-field problem. The blocked Davidson method is one of the widely used and efficient schemes for that purpose, but its performance depends critically on the preconditioning, i.e. the procedure to improve the search space for an accurate solution. For more diagonally dominated problems, which appear typically for plane wave based pseudopotential calculations, the inverse of the diagonal of (H - ES) is used. However, for the more efficient ...
Production treatment chemicals represent a diverse collection of chemical classes, added at various points from the wellhead to the final flotation cell, to prevent operational upsets and enhance the separation of oil from water. Information in the literature indicates that while many treatment chemicals are thought to partition into oil and not into the produced water, there are cases where a sufficiently water soluble treatment chemical is added at high enough concentrations to suggest that the treatment chemical may add to the aquatic toxicity of the produced water. A study was conducted to evaluate the potential effect of production treatment chemicals on the toxicity of produced waters using the US EPA Seven-day Mysidopsis bahia Survival, Growth and Fecundity Test. Samples of produced water were collected and tested for toxicity from three platforms under normal operating conditions, followed by repeated sampling and testing after a 72-hour period in which ...
Tau is a microtubule-associated protein that promotes microtubule assembly and stability. In Alzheimer's disease and related tauopathies, tau fibrillizes and aggregates into neurofibrillary tangles. Recently, oleocanthal isolated from extra virgin olive oil was found to display non-steroidal anti-inflammatory activity similar to ibuprofen. Since our unpublished data indicates an inhibitory effect of oleocanthal on A? fibrillization, we reasoned that it might inhibit tau fibrillization as well. Herein we demonstrate that oleocanthal abrogates fibrillization of tau by locking tau into the naturally unfolded state. Using PHF6 consisting of the amino acid residues VQIVYK, a hexapeptide within the third repeat of tau that is essential for fibrillization, we show that oleocanthal forms an adduct with the lysine via initial Schiff base formation. Structure and function studies demonstrate that the two aldehyde groups of oleocanthal are required for the inhibitory ...
This study develops a statistical model of industrial US natural gas consumption based upon historical data for the 1958-2003 period. The model specifically addresses interfuel substitution possibilities and changes in the industrial economic base. Using a relatively simple approach, the framework can be simulated repeatedly with little effort over a range of different conditions. It may also provide a valuable input into larger modeling exercises where an organization wants to determine long-run natural gas prices based upon supply and demand conditions. Projections based upon this demand framework indicate that industrial natural gas consumption may grow more slowly over the next 20 yr than being projected by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). This conclusion is based upon the assumption that natural gas prices will follow oil prices, as they have done over recent decades. If natural gas prices should lag well below oil prices, as envisioned by the ...
Individual monitoring of personal exposure to inhalation of uranium oxides throughout the manufacture of fuel for pressurized water reactor (PWR) includes lung gamma-spectrometry, fecal analysis and urine analysis. Examination of the results shows the following: internal exposure is the consequence of repeated intake incidents as revealed by early peaks of urinary and particularly fecal elimination; a shift is often observed with the results of aerosol concentration measured through air collectors; the measured variations of uranium lung incorporations are relatively fast (apparent mean period 165 d). Correct evaluation of the effective dose equivalent from inhalation requires further information concerning the aerosol size distribution at work stations, the physico-chemical characteristics of the product leading to an estimate of its actual biological solubility, and the measurement of the fraction of aerosol liable to intake with an individual portable collector.
The expression of three c-onc genes (c-erb, c-myc, c-myb) was investigated in five cell lines established from fibrosarcomas induced with 20-methylcholanthrene (MCA) of Japanese quails. These cell lines showed low levels of the three c-onc genes, with the exception of two cell lines that accumulated moderate (MCAQ 1-4) and large amounts (MCAQ 3-5) of c-myc RNA. Molecular cloning and restriction endonuclease analyses indicated that expression of c-myc in these two cell lines were not associated with detectable rearrangements in the c-myc locus, that the size of the c-myc transcript (2.7 kb) in MCAQ 3-5 was similar to that of the normal c-myc messenger RNAs (mRNA) and that the transcriptional activatin observed in MCAQ 3-5 was not mediated by the LTR (long terminal repeat) of a proximate ALV (avian leukosis virus) provirus. Finally, when analyzed with the restriction enzymes Msp I and Hpa II, the c-myc locus of MCAQ 3-5 and MCAQ 1-4 was found hypomethylated as ...
Pd was deposited onto Si (111) 7x7 surface at approximately 700 K inside an ultrahigh vacuum transmission electron microscope. Plan-viewed transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observation indicated that the islands have two kinds of shapes, round and rectangular (one-dimensional) ones. In a diffraction pattern for the rectangular islands, extra spots along the <110> direction of the Si surface, spacing of which is 1/8 times as long as that of Si (220) spots, were seen. A high resolution TEM image showed the corresponding superstructure in the rectangular islands. In situ observation of the growing process of the rectangular islands showed repeat of introduction and relief of strains during the growth, suggesting that such superstructure would be constructed by stacking compositionally different phases or introducing defects so that the periodically maximized strain is relieved.
RNA interference has become a powerful biological tool over the last decade. In this study, a tetracycline-inducible shRNA vector system was designed for silencing CFP expression and delivered alongside the yfp marker gene into Chinese hamster ovary cells using impalefection on spatially indexed vertically aligned carbon nanofiber arrays (VACNFs). The VACNF architecture provided simultaneous delivery of multiple genes, subsequent adherence and proliferation of interfaced cells, and repeated monitoring of single cells over time. Following impalefection and tetracycline induction, 53.1% 10.4% of impalefected cells were fully silenced by the inducible CFP-silencing shRNA vector. Additionally, efficient CFP-silencing was observed in single cells among a population of cells that remained CFP-expressing. This effective transient expression system enables rapid analysis of gene silencing effects using RNAi in single cells and cell populations.
To understand the molecular mechanisms of how 5^oC-incubation activates mRNA expression of Hsp70a and Samui genes in Bombyx mori diapause eggs, we first searched the 5'-upstream regions of the Hsp70a and Samui genes for heat shock elements (HSEs) and found two regions [Hsp70aHSE-1 (-95 to -58) and -2 (-145 to -121), and SamuiHSE-1 (-84 to -55) and -2 (-304 to -290)] corresponding to HSEs (repeats of nGAAn and/or nTTCn). We cloned four cDNAs encoding heat shock factor (HSF)-a2 (627 amino acids), -b (685 aa), -c (682 aa) and -d (705 aa), which were produced by alternative splicing. When we exposed diapause eggs to 5^oC beginning at 2 day post-oviposition to break diapause, HSFd mRNA only increased after chilling for 6-8 days, a pattern very similar to those of Hsp70a and Samui mRNAs. To exam...
Free electron laser (FEL) facilities as the FELI FEL Facility are proposed, for which a 150-MeV linac type injector for a Saga synchrotron light source (SLS) is employed in FEL mode. The linac has two operating modes; short macropulse mode a 1 #mu#s at 150 MeV for injection to a 1 - 1.3-GeV third generation type storage ring and long macropulse mode of 12 #mu#s at 100 MeV for four FEL Facilities. The macropulse beam consists of a train of several ps, 0.6 nC microbunches (peak current 100 A) repeating at 89.25 MHz. We are aiming to supply high power level photon beams covering an attractive wavelength range from 0.05 nm (25 keV) to 200 #mu#m (0.006 eV) for scientific researches, bio-medical and industrial applications, using the Saga third generation type SLS with a superconducting wiggler and the proposed four FEL Facilities. (author)
In recent years, discovery of association rules among itemsets in a large database has been described as an important database-mining problem. The problem of discovering association rules has received considerable research attention and several algorithms for mining frequent itemsets have been developed. Many algorithms have been proposed to discover rules at single concept level. However, mining association rules at multiple concept levels may lead to the discovery of more specific and concrete knowledge from data. The discovery of multiple level association rules is very much useful in many applications. In most of the studies for multiple level association rule mining, the database is scanned repeatedly which affects the efficiency of mining process. In this research paper, a new method for discovering multilevel association rules is proposed. It is based on FP-tree structure and uses cooccurrence frequent item tree to find frequent items in multilevel concept ...
The author studied the conditions needed to routinely estimate the radiation dose in chicken bone by repeated re-irradiation and measuring ESR signals. Chicken meat containing bone was {gamma}-irradiated at doses of up to 3kGy, accepted as the commercially used dose. The results show that points in sample preparation and ESR measurement are as follows: Both ends of bone are cut off and central part of compact bone is used for experiment. To obtain accurate ESR spectrum, marrow should be scraped out completely. Sample bone fragments of 1-2mm particle size and ca.100mg are recommended to obtain stable and maximum signal. In practice, by re-irradiating up to 5kGy and extrapolating data of the signal intensity to zero using linear regression analysis, radiation dose is estimated. For example, in one experiment, estimated doses of chicken bones initially irradiated at 3.0kGy, 1.0kGy, 0.50kGy and 0.25kGy were 3.4kGy, 1.3kGy, 0.81kGy and 0.57kGy. (author)
Binary mass transfer via Roche-lobe overflow (RLOF) is a key channel for producing stripped-envelope Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars and may be critical to account for SN Ib/c progenitors. RY Scuti is an extremely rare example of a massive binary star caught in this brief but important phase. Its toroidal nebula indicates equatorial mass loss during RLOF, while the mass-gaining star is apparently embedded in an opaque accretion disk. RY Scuti's toroidal nebula has two components: an inner ionised double-ring system, and an outer dust torus that is twice the size of the ionised rings. We present two epochs of Lband Keck NGS-AO images of the dust torus, plus three epochs of HST images of the ionised gas rings. Proper motions show that the inner ionised rings and the outer dust torus came from two separate ejection events roughly 130 and 250 yr ago. This suggests that RLOF in massive contact binaries can be accompanied by eruptive and episodic burst of mass loss, reminiscent of LBVs. We speculate ...
These summary descriptive data of ethnically similar cohorts of indigenous and migrant Japanese males have shown similarities or slight differences in characteristics wholly or largely genetically determined, such as blood groups, stature, and skeletal size. Differences have been noted in characteristics largely environmental or behavioral, such as diet and cigarette smoking habit, as well as in characteristics determined by a varying mixture of genetic and environmental influences, such as weight, blood pressure, glucose tolerance, and serum lipid and uric acid levels. Detailed analyses of the distributions of laboratory variables, of dietary data obtained by different methods, and of correlations among laboratory, dietary, physical, and demographic variables are currently in progress. Also part of the study plan are determinations of disease prevalence from evaluation of examination, laboratory, and electrocardiographic findings, of disease incidence from repeat ...
III--V based devices such as field effect transistors, heterojunction bipolar transistors, and lasers often have surface leakage and thermal degradation problems due to surface states which pin the Fermi level to the midgap. Sulfur based passivation processes are known to improve device performance by altering surface-state densities. We have developed a voltage-controlled anodic sulfur passivation scheme using Na[sub 2]S dissolved in ethylene glycol. Our process has repeatedly produced a [similar to]25% improvement in peak output power near the catastrophic damage limit in visible ([lambda]=670 nm) AlGaInP edge-emitting lasers. The threshold current density before and after passivation, and the [ital I]--[ital V] characteristics before and after catastrophic failure, were essentially unchanged indicating that passivation raises the threshold for facet damage.
III--V based devices such as field effect transistors, heterojunction bipolar transistors, and lasers often have surface leakage and thermal degradation problems due to surface states which pin the Fermi level to the midgap. Sulfur based passivation processes are known to improve device performance by altering surface-state densities. We have developed a voltage-controlled anodic sulfur passivation scheme using Na_2S dissolved in ethylene glycol. Our process has repeatedly produced a #approx#25% improvement in peak output power near the catastrophic damage limit in visible (#lambda#=670 nm) AlGaInP edge-emitting lasers. The threshold current density before and after passivation, and the I--V characteristics before and after catastrophic failure, were essentially unchanged indicating that passivation raises the threshold for facet damage.
Electrification of Teflon (PTFE) particles pneumatically transported while repeating collision with the wall is different from the cases of nylon 66 or PMMA. PTFE is known as negatively charging substance. Extremely little electrification was found when vertically colliding to the wall. By experiments, it was found that: 1. In the case of vertical collision, electrification was extremely low. 2. Chareg amount by collision increases as v cos increases when it is less than 7.5 m/s in a condition that a horizontal component of a collision speed is present. When v cos is more than 7.5 m/s, the charge approaches that of vertical collision. 3. Measured value of collision area roughly coincided with the result of calculation using an equation based on the assumption that the deforamtion depended only on the vertical component of the collision speed. 4. Charge density gets larger for less v cos and more v sin . Charge density of PTFE which was measured this time was (-1.56 ...
BWRs are so designed that the exhaust steam from main steam safety relief valves is led to pressure suppression pools, and the steam is condensed in pool water, but at this time, dynamic load seems to arise in the pool water. In Tokai No. 2 Power Station, a Mark-2 containment vessel was adopted to improve the reliability as much as possible and to obtain the design with margin. In this report, the result of actual machine test in Tokai No. 2 Power Station and the method of reducing the load are described. When a relief valve works, the discharge of water in exhaust pipes into a suppression pool, the exhaust of air in exhaust pipes and repeated expansion and contraction of bubbles in pool water, and the exhaust of steam and condensation occur. As for the construction of the suppression pool in Tokai No. 2 Power Station, cross-shaped quencher and the structure with jet deflector were installed. The test plan and the test result with an actual machine are reported. ...
By both increasing the optical iris of the video camera and removing the grid in fluoroscopic procedures involved in placement of a Dubbhoff feeding tube, the radiation dose to patients and staff was reduced by five to seven times. An average expected dose to a patient of about 300 mGy per procedure was reduced by two to three times when the grid was removed and by an additional three times when an iris of increased diameter was used. Because Dobbhoff procedures do not involve obtaining a diagnosis, the image degradation was acceptable and did not affect the total exposure times or ability to conduct the procedure. With the grid out, the difference between the mean exposure times of 5.1 minutes in 96 patient studies done with a normal iris opening and 4.0 minutes in 52 studies done with an enlarged iris was not statistically significant. The importance of reducing patient dose is reinforced by the finding that one-third of the patients underwent repeated ...
The image quality of digital luminescent radiography (DLR) is sufficient for routine biplane chest radiography and for follow-up studies of heart size, pulmonary congestion, coin lesions, infiltrations, atelectasis, pleural effusions, and mediastinal and hilar lymph node enlargement. Chest radiography in the intensive care unit may in most cases be performed using the DLR technique. there is no need for repeat shots because of incorrect exposure, and the position of catheters, tubes, pacemakers, drains and artificial heart valves, the mediastinum, and the retrocardiac areas of the left lung are more confidently assessed on the edge-enhanced DLR films than on conventional films. Nevertheless, DLR is somewhat inferior to conventional film-screen radiography of the chest as it can demonstrate or rule out subtle pulmonary interstitial disease less confidently. There is no reduction of radiation exposure of the chest in DLR compared with modern film-screen systems. As a ...
INTRODUCTION: Fatigue is a prominent symptom in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and it has distinctive features; however, there is a need for a robust scale to measure fatigue in COPD. METHODS: At baseline, 122 patients with COPD (forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV(1)) 52%, women 38%, mean age 66 years) completed a pilot fatigue scale covering a pool of 57 items and underwent a range of tests, including indicators of mood and a short general fatigue questionnaire. All patients responded to the 57-item scale and it was readministered to a subset of 30 patients. The pilot scale was first subjected to constructive validated shortening steps and then to a principal components analysis. RESULTS: The Manchester COPD fatigue scale (MCFS) consists of 27 items, loading into three dimensions: physical, cognitive and psychosocial fatigue. Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.97) and test-retest repeatability (r = 0.97, por=16 scores in the Center for ...
The objectives of this study are to make a biosensor on a trial basis which can instantaneously measure the nitrogen in wastewater, and to develop a wastewater treatment system which is capable of on-line measurement and controlling. The system provides easier operational control relating to such a high efficient treatment as the removal of nitrogen content in wastewater, serving as a solution to the eutrophication problem. It can be applied also to the analysis of fertilizer components for agriculture. Ammonia oxidizing bacteria were immobilized with cellulose acetate film, which is mounted on a diaphragm type oxygen electrode to make a sensor, and its responsibility was studied. The gradient is slow in high concentration but sharp in low concentration, and it seems possible to use it for the measurement for less than 20 ppm nitrogen concentration. The dependence of the sensor including electrodes and activity of bacteria on temperature is large, and the measurement should be made at ...
The Los Alamos FEL requires tight control of the amplitudes and phases of the fields in two linear accelerator tanks to obtain stable lasing. The accelerator control loops must establish constant, stable, repeatable amplitudes and phases of the rf fields and must have excellent bandwidth to control high-frequency noise components. A model of the feedback loops has been developed that agrees well with measurements and allows easy substitution of components and circuits, thus reducing breadboarding requirements. The model permits both frequency and time-domain analysis. This paper describes the accelerator control scheme and our model and discusses the control of noise in feedback loops, showing how low-frequency-noise components (errors) can be corrected, but high-frequency-noise components (errors) are actually amplified by the feedback circuit. Measurements of noise in both open- and closed-loop modes are shown and comparison is made with results from the model ...
Experimental and theoretical research has been conducted jointly at the Livermore and Los Alamos National laboratories on dc electromagnetic railgun Lorentz accelerators. Pellets weighing a few grams to tens of grams have been launched at velocities up to better than 11 km/s. The research is addressed to attaining repeated launches of samples at hypervelocity in target impact experiments. In these experiments, shock-induced pressures in the tens of megabars range are obtained for high pressure equation-of-state research. Primary energy sources of the order of several hundred kJ to a MJ and induction currents of the order of 1 or more MA are necessary for these launches. Erosion and deformation of the conductor rails and the accelerated sample material are continuing problems. The heating, stress, and erosion resulting from simultaneous imposition of rail induction current, dense plasma (armature) interaction, current distribution, magnetic field stresses and ...
Genetic analysis of resistance of plant introduction (PI) 438489B to soybean cyst nematode (SCN) have shown that this PI is highly resistant to many SCN HG types. However, validation of the previously detected quantitative trait loci (QTL) has not been done. In this study, 250 F2:3 progeny of a Magellan (susceptible)??PI 438489B (resistant) cross were used for primary genetic mapping to detect putative QTL for resistance to five SCN HG types. QTL confirmation study was subsequently conducted using F6:7 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from the same cross. Simple sequence repeat (SSR) and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers were employed for molecular genotyping. Interval mapping (IM), permutation tests, cofactor selection, and composite interval mapping (CIM) were performe...
The computer aided coal structure construction system is proposed, and a computational construction example is presented. The coal structure construction engine of this system fabricates molecular structure by connecting fragments sequentially inputted through a user interface. The best structure candidate is determined using construction knowledge and partial energy evaluation every addition of one fragment, and this process is subsequently repeated. The structure evaluation engine analyzes the 3-D conformation candidate by molecular dynamics, and evaluates the conformation by determining the energy value of an optimum structure. As an example, this system was applied to construction of coal molecular structure based on the actual data of partial structure composed of 26 structures from 2l kinds of aromatic cluster structures, 27 bonds from 2 kinds of bridged bonds, and 16 groups from 2 kinds of terminal substitutional groups. As a result, this system could ...
The circulation in microvascularized rib grafts has been compared with that in conventional rib grafts and in those augmented by a direct vascular bundle implantation into the bone grafts. A new experimental model has been designed to correlate vascular perfusion, bone scan patterns, tetracycline labeling, and histological findings in these bone grafts. Posterior microvascularized rib grafts were found to have a circulatory pattern identical to that of the normal rib. Failed microvascularized rib grafts were revascularized more slowly than conventional rib grafts. Vascular bundles implanted into rib grafts remained patent and increased the rate of revascularization. The stripping or preservation of periosteum had no observable effects on the rate or pattern of conventional rib graft revascularization. The circulation in rib grafts was accurately reflected in technetium 99 bone scans, as was the patency of the anastomoses of microvascularized rib grafts and of implanted vascular ...
An extremely sensitive stripping voltammetric procedure for ultra-trace determination of iridium(III) is reported. The method is based on the interfacial accumulation of the iridium(III)-CTAB complex onto the glassy carbon electrode, followed by the catalytic reduction of the adsorbed complex in the presence of bromate. 0.3molL^-^1 acetate buffer pH 4.7+6.9x10^-^2molL^-^1 NaBrO3+2.7x10^-^5molL^-^1 cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)+0.2molL^-^1 KCl was employed as the supporting electrolyte. The analytical procedure was verified by the analysis of the standard reference materials: Sea Water BCR-CRM 403 and Fresh Water NIST-SRM 1643d. The accuracy, expressed as relative error e%, was satisfactory, being lower than 6%, while precision as repeatability, expressed as relative standard deviat...
A CRC cooperative program was conducted to determine the difference in octane requirements between technical raters and 'customers' (the general driving public). The tests were conducted in two phases, with the second being a repeat of the first to verify the results obtained. The trained raters used the CRC E-15 procedure to determine the octane requirement of the vehicles while the customers' perception and objection to knock were determined through the use of a questionnaire. The customers' responses (perception and objection level) were based upon audible knock, acceleration performance, and after-run on a series of full-boiling-range customer/rater unleaded (FBRCU) reference-fuels. Data were analyzed from 168 1988-1991 model-year vehicles, with 126 of these tested in Phase II. The results showed that the customers, objections and perceptions were overwhelmingly based on knock, rather than acceleration performance or ...
Quantitative bone scintigraphy was performed on 23 white females with post-menopausal osteoporosis and vertebral compression fractures. These patients were then entered into a randomized, double-blind clinical trial or sodium fluoride therapy (NaF=14, placebo=9) which included repeat bone scintigraphy every six months. Scintigraphic images were acquired for 500K counts per image over the total body with computer acquisition over the posterior thoracic and lumbar spine. Images were obtained on a wide field-of-view gamma camera two hours after injecting 15 mCi of Tc-99m MDP. Data analysis showed a significant reduction in the activity ratio of abnormal vertebral body to normal vertebral body in those patients treated with sodium fluoride (paired t-test p=0.0095). No significant change was observed in the control group of (p=0.142). These results suggest that sodium fluoride therapy promotes more rapid healing of osteoporotic vertebral fractures. They also demonstrate ...
Heavy-duty trucks and buses are substantial contributors to the atmospheric oxides of nitrogen (NO_x) inventory, but prediction of their emissions in real use remains inchoate. Continuous emissions of NO_x were recorded from Chassis dynamometer testing of eight vehicles using a variety of transient cycles, including the Central Business District schedule. NO_x data were treated to account for sampling time lag and presented against instantaneous vehicle axle power. Data were repeatable from run to run and test schedule, but vehicle type and test cycle both influenced the instantaneous emissions rates. However, the resulting correlations may be used for mobile source NO_x contribution estimation when combined with vehicle activity data. The emissions data were also presented as NO_x/CO_2, which are valuable for comparison with remote sensing emissions data. The overall average ratio for all of the data considered was 0.0141, which corresponds to an emissions ...
The thermal-hydraulic performance in periodic frosting conditions is experimentally studied for the parallel-flow parallel-fin heat exchanger, henceforth referred to as a PF{sup 2} heat exchanger, a new style of heat exchanger that uses louvered bent fins on flat tubes to enhance water drainage when the flat tubes are horizontal. Typically, it takes a few frosting/defrosting cycles to come to repeatable conditions. The criterion for the initiation of defrost and a sufficiently long defrost period are determined for the test PF{sup 2} heat exchanger and test condition. The effects of blower operation on the pressure drop, frost accumulation, water retention, and capacity in time are compared under the conditions of 15 sequential frosting cycles. Pressure drop across the heat exchanger and overall heat transfer coefficient are quantified under frost conditions as functions of the air humidity and air face velocity. The performances of two types of flat-tube heat ...
In recent years, there has been increased interest in using early life stages of freshwater bivalves to test the toxicity of dissolved constituents in water. The authors have developed laboratory and in situ assays with artificially cultured Utterbackia imbecillis to examine effects of contaminants and existing conditions in embayments and rivers on mortality and reproductive success of unionid mussels. Age sensitivity of U. imbecillis to Cd and Cu was examined using both static acute and 8-day static renewal bioassays. Both aqueous and sediment exposures demonstrated greater sensitivity to Cd than Cu. LC{sub 50}`s for two-day old (2d) and 9d mussels were approximately half the LC{sub 50} calculated for 16d mussels in 48-hr bioassays with Cd. Additionally, acute assays were repeated twice to examine variability in response between different mussel cultures to the two metals. The results of this work reinforce the potential of juvenile U. imbecillis as a standard ...
A system is claimed for multiplexing or demultiplexing pulsed laser radiation having an acousto-optical device which is electrically controlled to switch a common path of high pulse rate laser radiation between a plurality of spatially distinct paths for relatively lower pulse rate laser radiation at which the pulses are sequenced according to a predetermined time pattern. The acousto-optical element typically includes a Bragg cell which is electrically driven by a set of distinct frequencies, causing deflection of radiation passing therethrough at a predetermined set of angles whereby pulsed radiation on a single path may be distributed onto the plural separate paths or radiation on plural separate paths of time-sequenced pulses of radiation can be combined into a single path of augmented pulse rate. The control of the acousto-optical element may be provided by selectively switching the output of a plurality of fixed frequency oscillators of different frequency to the acousto-optical ...
Improved test techniques are needed for evaluating the inherent stability of middle distillate fuels both in surveillance and in procurement activities. A project was initiated to define and evaluate the contributing conditions leading to the formation of deleterious products in accelerated aging tests of middle distillate fuels and to relate these results to an experimental definition of more repeatable/reliable middle distillate fuel stability test technique(s). A literature search was conducted to provide a list of stability test techniques and their interpretations which could be used in a correlative middle distillate fuel stability test program. For this program, seven accelerated stability tests were chosen and evaluated using a set of six test fuels. The test techniques were selected to represent a wide variety of test conditions, including temperature, aging time, and oxygen availability. These six test fuels were purposely chosen to represent a wider ...
We theoretically model a nuclear-state preparation scheme that increases the coherence time of a two-spin qubit in a double quantum dot. The two-electron system is tuned repeatedly across a singlet-triplet level-anticrossing with alternating slow and rapid sweeps of an external bias voltage. Using a Landau-Zener-Stueckelberg model, we find that in addition to a small nuclear polarization that weakly affects the electron spin coherence, the slow sweeps are only partially adiabatic and lead to a weak nuclear spin measurement and a nuclear-state narrowing which prolongs the electron spin coherence. This resolves some open problems brought up by a recent experiment. We also show that the electronic two-spin states singlet and triplet T_+ are promising candidates for the implementation of a qubit in GaAs double quantum dots (DQD). A coherent superposition of the two-spin states is obtained by finite time Landau-Zener-Stueckelberg interferometry and the single qubit ...
The aim of this study was to search for a sorbent that could act as an extraction phase and as a support for solid-matrix time-resolved luminescence (SMTRL). Four potential sorbents were investigated for this purpose using tetracycline (TC) as a model analyte. Sorbents prepared from C18 silica gel or calcium cross-linked pectin gel were able to extract TC from dilute solutions. Europium(III)-TC complex adsorbed on the surface of C18 generated the most intense TRL signal when measured at {lambda}{sub ex} = 388 nm and {lambda}{sub em} = 615 nm. This method achieved a 1 ng/ml limit of detection (LOD) with a 100 {mu}l sample solution in a repeated spotting mode. Hyphenation of sorbent extraction and SMTRL was demonstrated using C18. This method is suitable for screening of TC in foods or aqueous solutions and can be extended to other luminescent lanthanide-chelating analytes in physiological or environmental samples.
The control of gas activity and process technology has developed tremendously over the past two decades. While once considered to be primitive control systems using simple PID loops with thermocouples that were suspect and unable to perform repeatedly and consistently during the arduous process of plasma nitriding and processing, developments in recent years have elevated the control of the process into what might be considered one of the most controllable processes of the latter part of this century. The advent of plasma processing technology has improved control methods by observing and harnessing each of the various process parameters into many different combinations of control systems. Some of these control systems can control the complete function of the process, thus freeing the operator entirely for other duties, except that of load and unload, to the point where the operator is intimately involved with the process. Some of the control methods report from ...
This presentation describes a method for separating {sup 14}C-hexose from {sup 14}C-sucrose in extracts of plant tissue. Portions of ethanol extracts are treated with activated charcoal in microcentrifuge tubes. Aliquots are removed, ethanol evaporated and replaced with reaction mixture that phosphorylates hexose (HEPPS, K{sub 2}HPO{sub 4}, Mg(C{sub 2}H{sub 3}O{sub 2}){sub 2}, ovalbumen, Na{sub 2}ATP, yeast hexokinase). After a time course, the hexokinase reaction is stopped (slowed considerably) to minimize effects of contamination enzyme activities. The stopping agent used is lyxose, a nonphosphorylable analogue of glucose. The strong anionic charge of phosphate introduced through the hexokinase action results in binding (> 95%) of hexose-phosphate to anion-exchange resin. Sucrose remains unbound (> 95%) in solution. This batch ion-exchange is performed in microcentrifuge tubes to allow many samples to be processed simultaneously. Recovery of radiolabel in extracts is complete ...
Preliminary psychometric properties of a new instrument, Angie/Andy Cartoon Trauma Scales (ACTS), are presented. Angie/Andy features a cartoon-based methodology, measuring trauma-related sequelae of prolonged, repeated abuse. A sample of 208 children comprised intrafamilial trauma, extrafamilial trauma, combined trauma, and nontrauma groups. Angie/Andy demonstrated high internal consistency, with coefficient alphas from 0.70 to 0.95. The three trauma groups scored significantly higher than the nontrauma group on all scales (p's < 0.0001). Generally, the most severely traumatized group scored significantly higher than the less severely traumatized groups. The number of types of violence exposures correlated with Angie/Andy scores from 0.55 to 0.74. The frequency and severity of trauma exposure correlated with Angie/Andy scores from 0.44 to 0.56. The Angie/Andy parent version correlated with a standardized parent scale from 0.71 to 0.81. Parent/child agreement was ...
To propose a new design concept of a nuclear reactor used in the space, research has been conducted on the conceptual design of a new nuclear reactor on the basis of the following three main concepts: (1) Thermionic generation by thermionic fuel elements (TFE), (2) reactivity control by rotary reflector, and (3) reactor cooling by liquid metal. The outcomes of the research are: (1) A calculation algorithm was derived for obtaining convergent conditions by repeating nuclear characteristic calculation and thermal flow characteristic calculation for the space nuclear reactor. (2) Use of this algorithm and the parametric study established that a space nuclear reactor using 97% enriched uranium nitride as the fuel and lithium as the coolant and having a core with a radius of about 25 cm, a height of about 50 cm and a generation efficiency of about 7% can probably be operated continuously for at least more than ten years at 100 kW only by reactivity control by rotary ...
Background When assessing the function of the cardiovascular system, cardiac output (CO) is a substantial parameter. For its determination, numerous non-invasive techniques have been proposed in the recent years including inert gas rebreathing (IGR) and impedance cardiography (ICG). The aim of our study was to evaluate whether a novel ICG algorithm (electrical velocimetry) and IGR can be used interchangeably in the clinical setting. Methods A total of 120 consecutive stable patients were included resulting in two pairs of repeated non-invasive cardiac output measurements. Results The mean CO was 5.0???1.2?l/min (range 2.6?8.6?l/min) using IGR and 4.4???1.1?l/min (1.7?7.4?l/min) using ICG, respectively. Bland?Altman analysis revealed an acceptable agreement with a mean bias of 0.6???1.2?l/m...
A sequential problem in decentralized detection is considered. Two observers can make repeated noisy observations of a binary hypothesis on the state of the environment. At any time, observer 1 can stop and send a final binary message to observer 2 or it may continue to take more measurements. Every time observer 1 postpones its final message to observer 2, it incurs a penalty. Observer 2's operation under two different scenarios is explored. In the first scenario, observer 2 waits to receive the final message from observer 1 and then starts taking measurements of its own. It is then faced with a stopping problem on whether to stop and declare a decision on the hypothesis or to continue taking measurements. In the second scenario, observer 2 starts taking measurements from the beginning. It is then faced with a different stopping problem. At any time, observer 2 can decide whether to stop and declare a decision on the hypothesis or to continue to take more ...
The Girassol field is located in Angolan deep water of Block 17 and consists of large vertically stacked turbidities complexes. The reservoir extends over approximately 200 km{sup 2} and water depth ranges between 1300 and 1400 meters. In that context High Resolution 3D seismic became the most valuable tool to describe and monitor the reservoir. The field development plan took into account, through re-injection of the gas into the reservoir, Total environmental policy imposing the recycling of production gas. Monitoring of this injection was the main reason to shoot the first High Resolution 4D extremely early in the life of field. Despite the complexity of interpretation due to complex fluid situation and pressure effect, the results went way beyond expectations as the 4D images are of very high quality. Data has also been used to update and refine the reservoir flow model as well as to help deciding on the location of latest development wells. Other repeat ...
Olfactory tract has been demonstrated to be an important portal for inhaled solid nanoparticle transportation into the central nervous system (CNS). We have previously demonstrated that intranasally instilled Fe_2O_3 nanoparticles could transport into the CNS via olfactory pathway. In this study, we investigated the neurotoxicity and size effect of repeatedly low-dose (130 #mu#g) intranasal exposure of nano- and submicron-sized Fe_2O_3 particles (21 nm and 280 nm) to mice. The biomarkers of oxidative stress, activity of nitric oxide synthases and release of monoamine neurotransmitter in the brain were studied. Our results showed that significant oxidative stress was induced by the two sizes of Fe_2O_3 particles. The activities of GSH-Px, Cu,Zn-SOD, and cNOS significantly elevated and the total GSH and GSH/GSSG ratio significantly decreased in the olfactory bulb and hippocampus after the nano- and submicron-sized Fe_2O_3 particle treatment (p < 0.05). The ...
A survey of wetlands on the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR) was conducted in 1990. Wetlands occurring on ORR were identified using National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) maps and field surveys. More than 120 sites were visited and 90 wetlands were identified. Wetland types on ORR included emergent communities in shallow embayments on reservoirs, emergent and aquatic communities in ponds, forested wetland on low ground along major creeks, and wet meadows and marshes associated with streams and seeps. Vascular plant species occurring on sites visited were inventoried, and 57 species were added to the checklist of vascular plants on ORR. Three species listed as rare in Tennessee were discovered on ORR during the wetlands survey. The survey provided an intensive ground truth of the wetlands identified by NWI and offered an indication of wetlands that the NWI remote sensing techniques did not detect.
A survey of wetlands on the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR) was conducted in 1990. Wetlands occurring on ORR were identified using National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) maps and field surveys. More than 120 sites were visited and 90 wetlands were identified. Wetland types on ORR included emergent communities in shallow embayments on reservoirs, emergent and aquatic communities in ponds, forested wetland on low ground along major creeks, and wet meadows and marshes associated with streams and seeps. Vascular plant species occurring on sites visited were inventoried, and 57 species were added to the checklist of vascular plants on ORR. Three species listed as rare in Tennessee were discovered on ORR during the wetlands survey. The survey provided an intensive ground truth of the wetlands identified by NWI and offered an indication of wetlands that the NWI remote sensing techniques did not detect.
The Western Research Institute plan for addressing oil shale plant siting methodology calls for identifying the available resources such as oil shale, water, topography and transportation, and human resources. Restrictions on development are addressed: land ownership, land use, water rights, environment, socioeconomics, culture, health and safety, and other institutional restrictions. Descriptions of the technologies for development of oil shale resources are included. The impacts of oil shale development on the environment, socioeconomic structure, water availability, and other conditions are discussed. Finally, the Western Research Institute plan proposes to integrate these topics to develop a flow chart for oil shale plant siting. Western Research Institute has (1) identified relative topics for shale oil plant siting, (2) surveyed both published and unpublished information, and (3) identified data gaps and research ...
Many existing methods of identifying the optimum sites for installing power system stabilizers (PSSs) in multi-machine systems are restricted to the sequential PSS application, which considers the enhancement of damping of just one critical electromechanical mode at a time; the eigenstructure analysis of the open-loop system, which does not take the control matrix (i.e., the B matrix in the linearized model x = Ax + Bu for power systems) into consideration. This paper presents a method of identifying the optimum sites for installing power system stabilizers. The advantages of this method are: it can identify the optimum sites for installing PSSs so that several electrochemical modes are damped out simultaneously; it takes both the eigenstructure of the open-loop system and the control matrix into consideration.
'The overall objective of the basic research grant is to characterize the potential of common hydrocarbon contaminants in ecosystems to act as endocrine disruptors. The three major lines of research include (1) a biotechnology based screening system to identify potential hormone mimics and antagonists; (2) an animal screening system to identify biomarkers of endocrine effects. and (3) a literature review to identify compounds at a variety of DOE sites that need to be examined for endocrine disrupting effects. By relating results obtained from this research project to contamination problems at various DOE sites. CBR will provide data and information on endocrine disrupting contaminants to DOE for consideration in risk analyses for determining clean-up levels and priorities needed at the sites.'
Poaching of wildlife animals for subsistence and commercial purposes has lead to population declines in Africa. In forensic cases, a need exists to identify the species of origin of carcasses, meat or blood. In the study presented here, the mitochondrial COI gene was sequenced to determine the species of unknown samples in three suspect South African forensic wildlife cases. In two cases the unknown samples were identified as originating from domestic cattle (Bos taurus) and in the third case the sample was identified as common reedbuck (Redunca arundinum). This is the first report of the COI sequence of common reedbuck. The study highlights the need for accurate wildlife reference material from each country in order to convict wildlife cases.
Both the KRW fluidized-bed gasifier and the transport gasifier case studies were used for this assessment. The transport technology is a high-velocity circulating fluidized-bed reactor currently under development by The M.W. Kellogg Company. In the earlier assessment, seven design concepts or cases were identified; a process design was developed; major equipment items were identified; estimates of capital cost, operation and maintenance cost, and cost of electricity were developed; reliability was predicted; and development issues were identified for six studies. Three of the most probable cases were further evaluated for a Greenfield assessment in this report to adequately determine all costs independent of facilities at Plant Wansley.
Both the KRW fluidized-bed gasifier and the transport gasifier case studies were used for this assessment. The transport technology is a high-velocity circulating fluidized-bed reactor currently under development by The M.W. Kellogg Company. In the earlier assessment, seven design concepts or cases were identified; a process design was developed; major equipment items were identified; estimates of capital cost, operation and maintenance cost, and cost of electricity were developed; reliability was predicted; and development issues were identified for six studies. Three of the most probable cases were further evaluated for a Greenfield assessment in this report to adequately determine all costs independent of facilities at Plant Wansley.
Raniganj and Jharia regions together have been for long the single largest coal supplier in India, now contributing about a quarter of the total output in the country. Numerous reasons such as improper mining techniques and policy, as well as unauthorized mining caused surface and subsurface coalfires in these areas. These coalfires burn millions of tonnes of valuable coal resources, creating severe environmental problems and posing enormous operational difficulties of mining. After first use of remote sensing as a tool to identify coalfires in 1960s, with the time, the efficiency of remote sensing to identify and monitoring coalfires has been well established by several researchers. With the knowledge of local geological setting and density sliced surface temperature image the spatial dis...
The study reports the identification of different organic acids that are formed during the pyrohydrolysis of mixed carbide of uranium and plutonium using ion chromatography (IC). The identification of organic acids present in the pyrohydrolysis distillate is required to carry out interference free analysis of Cl and F. The study describes three stage isocratic separations with NaOH eluents having concentrations 2 mM, 10 mM and 50 mM respectively in order to separate and identify both aliphatic and aromatic acids. The present investigation identified formic, acetic, propionic, butyric, tartaric and oxalic acids in the distillate, however, aromatic acids could not be identified. (author)
Objectives1. To establish the present capacity and capability across all the sectors within the UK for - a) Undertaking research in the areas of toxicology and ecotoxicology and environmental hazard and risk assessment work on chemical subtances including emerging containments (e.g. enginerred nanomaterials); and b) Applying these skills in the policy and regulatory context. 2) The range of chemicals involved should include pharmaceutical and medical products, crop protection agents, biocides, vet [continued...]DescriptionThe aim of this project is to identify the current status of the scientific community, areas of expertise, and identify the gaps in skills, knowledge or recruitment. The project will use a questionnaire approach to obtain this information for all sectors of the business community. The analysis will identify the gaps in provision, and areas where investment is needed in future training and/or recruitment.
Atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) is a heterogeneous disease that is caused by defective complement regulation in over 50% of cases. Mutations have been identified in genes encoding both complement...Full Text Available
This paper summarizes the deliberations of a work group charged with addressing specific questions relevant to risk estimation in developmental neurotoxicology. We focused on eight questions. a) Does...Full Text Available
A common property of aging in all animals is that chronologically and genetically identical individuals age at different rates. To unveil mechanisms that influence aging variability, we identified markers...Full Text Available
BackgroundStrategies to accurately identify the occurrence of specific health care events in administrative data is central to many quality improvement and research efforts. Many...Full Text Available
BackgroundMicroarray studies can supplement QTL studies by suggesting potential candidate genes in the QTL regions, which by themselves are too large to provide a limited selection...Full Text Available
Extending genome wide association analysis by the inclusion of gene expression data may assist in the dissection of complex traits. We examined piebald, a pigmentation phenotype in both human and Merino...Full Text Available
An indoor radioactive survey is being conducted in an Italian district. Preliminary results identified a zone with significant radioactive levels, in which a new specific survey has been planned. In this paper attention is dedicated mainly to radon measurement technique and results.
Subcellular-fractionation techniques were used to characterize the endocytic pathway followed by ricin in rat liver in vivo and tentatively identify the site(s) at which the ricin interchain disulphide...Full Text Available
Receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase T (PTPRT/PTPρ) is frequently mutated in human cancers including colon, lung, gastric and skin cancers. More than half of the identified tumor-derived...Full Text Available
ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to identify patterns of brain activation elicited by erotic visual stimuli in patients treated with either Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors...Full Text Available
OBJECTIVE: The objective was to define and characterize the costs associated with trauma care at a level I trauma center. Once the costs were identified, attending physician-led teams were designed...Full Text Available
BackgroundA key feature of a good general practice consultation is that it is patient-centred. A number of verbal and non-verbal behaviours have been identified as important to establish...Full Text Available
We recently identified a cDNA encoding a putative isovaleryl-coenzyme A (CoA) dehydrogenase in Arabidopsis (AtIVD). In animals, this homotetrameric enzyme is located in mitochondria and catalyzes the...Full Text Available
Clarifies the concept of universal basic education. Highlights the need for performance criteria and ways to measure literacy attainment. Identifies issues related to improving primary education, seeing adult literacy as its necessary complement. Underscores the substantial resources required to achieve universal basic education. (CH)
The Arabidopsis ref2 mutant was identified in a screen for plants having altered fluorescence under UV light. Characterization of the ref2 mutants showed that they...Full Text Available
Terminal-differential algorithm for identification of local nonhomogeneities in items under control is developed on the basis of measurements of X-ray or gamma-radiation weakening. The algorithm may be applied by developing radiation schemes of nondestructive control, identifying inadmissible inclusions in the object under study
The problem on the ratio between the instability of physical systems and tachyons is discussed. It is shown that the tachyons participation in the real physical process of the system rearranging does not contradict any principles. It is noted that the tachyons constitute the most significant element of the systems, identifying the instability relative to the phase transition into the stable state.
We have identified the nonreceptor tyrosine kinase syk as a marker of differentiation/tumor suppressor in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Syk expression is lost in poorly differentiated PDAC...Full Text Available
Apr 20, 2009 ... "YY" is the 2-digit filter identifier .... In our example you can see a point- like optical/UV source in each of the filters at the ... The "sigma" paramter gives the detection threshold in terms of Gaussian sigma. ...
Surfactant protein A (SP-A), first identified as a component of the lung surfactant system, is now recognized to be an important contributor to host defence mechanisms. SP-A can facilitate phagocytosis...Full Text Available
The blood beryllium lymphocyte proliferation test (BeLPT) is a modification of the standard lymphocyte proliferation test that is used to identify persons who may have chronic beryllium disease. A major...Full Text Available
AbstractStudies performed to identify early events of ovarian cancer and to establish molecular markers to support early detection and development of chemopreventive regimens have been...Full Text Available
BackgroundUnderstanding the interactions between ion channels and blockers remains an important goal that has implications for delineating the basic mechanisms of ion channel function...Full Text Available
ObjectivesMild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) case-finding criteria have low specificity in general population studies. The present study retrospectively identifies cases...Full Text Available
ObjectivesTo examine the strength of the volume–outcome relationship among paramedics, a group of providers that has not been previously studied in this context. By identifying...Full Text Available
Sensory neurons in aging mammals undergo changes in anatomy, physiology and gene expression that correlate with reduced sensory perception. In this study we compared young and aged mice to identify...Full Text Available
A barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) mutant (Az34) has been identified with low basal levels of abscisic acid (ABA) and with reduced capacity for producing ABA in response to water stress....Full Text Available
BackgroundAn abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) that is identified when the abdomen is imaged for some other reason is known as an incidental AAA. No population-based studies have...Full Text Available
This assessment of Queensland's resources of black coal has been prepared by the Coal and Oil Shale Resources Assessment and Development Subprogram, Queensland Department of Mines, in accordance with the 'Code for Reporting of Identified Coal Resources and Reserves'.
BackgroundRandomized controlled trials (RCTs) which are of poor quality tend to exaggerate the effect estimate and lead to wrong or misleading conclusions. The aim of this study...Full Text Available
BackgroundSeveral proteins are known to be markedly expressed in the brain during cerebral ischemia; however, the changes in protein profiles within the ischemic brain after an ischemic...Full Text Available
AIM: To isolate and identify the biological characteristics of human colon cancer stem cells (SW1116 cells) and further study their proteome.METHODS: SW1116 cells were isolated and cultured with...Full Text Available
This study identified clinical (e.g., etiology) and demographic factors related to prosthesis use in persons with upper- and lower-limb amputation (ULA and LLA, respectively) and the effect...Full Text Available
The osmoprotectant Pro betaine is the main betaine identified in alfalfa (Medicago sativa). We have investigated the long-term responses of nodulated alfalfa plants to salt stress,...Full Text Available
Preterm birth is the leading cause of neonatal mortality and morbidity and long-term disability of non-anomalous infants. Previous studies have identified a prior early spontaneous preterm birth as...Full Text Available
Information from the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) is used to identify which variables measured in 1981 successfully predict the severity of disease in 1989 and the eight year change in severity...Full Text Available
ObjectivesPericardial tamponade after cardiac surgery is difficult to diagnose, thereby rendering timing of rethoracotomy hard. We aimed at identifying factors predicting the outcome...Full Text Available
Background:Falls have been identified as a potential adverse event associated with the administration of psychotropic medications to older patients.Objective:The...Full Text Available
The concentration of some organic acids in the atmosphere was determined using a wet effluent diffusion denuder-aerosol collector coupled with Ion Chromatography. Three organic acids and four inorganic anions were identified and quantified in the air sample, taken from the backyard of PSI. (author)
BackgroundOil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) is one of the most important oil bearing crops in the world. However, genetic improvement of oil palm through conventional...Full Text Available
Noncoding RNAs play important roles in various aspects of gene regulation. We have identified 7SK RNA to be enriched in nuclear speckles or interchromatin granule clusters (IGCs), a subnuclear domain...Full Text Available
Constitutive activation of the oncogenic transcription factor STAT3 frequently occurs in various human malignancies. STAT3 activation involves dimerization via intermolecular pTyr-SH2 interaction. Thus, antagonizing this interaction is a feasible approach to inhibit STAT3 activation for cancer therapy. In order to identify selective STAT3 inhibitors, we developed a biochemical HTS system based on AlphaScreen technology, which measures the abilities of test compounds to antagonize pTyr-SH2 interactions. We screened our chemical libraries using this system and identified 5,15-diphenylporphyrin (5,15-DPP) as a selective STAT3-SH2 antagonist. Selective inhibition of STAT3 nuclear translocation and DNA biding activity was observed in cells treated with 5,15-DPP. IL-6-dependent dimerization of STAT3, c-myc promoter binding and c-myc protein expression were all suppressed by 5,15-DPP, whereas no decrement in either expression or phosphorylation level ...
Recent work identified acetaldehyde oxime as the predominant product purged by inert gases from anaerobic in vivo nitrate reductase (NR) assays of soybean (Glycine max...Full Text Available
PurposeRetinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a genetically heterogeneous disorder characterized by progressive loss of vision. The aim of this study was to identify the causative mutations...Full Text Available
Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a heterogeneous group of inherited retinal dystrophies characterised ultimately by the loss of photoreceptor cells. We have recently identified a new gene (EYS) encoding...Full Text Available
If we are to stand any chance of understanding the circuitry of the superficial dorsal horn, it is imperative that we can identify which classes of interneuron are excitatory and which are inhibitory....Full Text Available
Cancer immunotherapies can be guided by cellular imaging techniques, which can identify the presence or absence of immune-cell accumulation in the tumor tissue in-vivo and in real time. This...Full Text Available
Two bacteriolytic enzymes secreted by Achromobacter lyticus M497-1 were purified and identified as being very similar (considering their amino acid composition and N-terminal sequence) to alpha- and...Full Text Available
The fungus Cryptococcus neoformans is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with impaired CD4+ T cell function, particularly those with AIDS. To identify...Full Text Available
Specific criteria have been developed based on computerized dynamic posturography (CDP) to assist clinicians in identifying patients with psychogenic balance problems (Cyr and Cevette, Full Text Available
The purpose of this prospective cohort study was to identify factors that place a dairy cow with uncomplicated milk fever (MF) at significant risk of becoming an alert downer cow (ADC) and to verify...Full Text Available
Background/Objective:To determine the utility of certain instruments to assess sexuality and fertility after SCI, an expert panel identified key areas to study and evaluated...Full Text Available
We have developed a method for dissecting single neurons from the nematode Ascaris suum, in order to determine their peptide content by mass spectrometry (MS). In this paper,...Full Text Available
Sources of manganese are identified. Uptake and distribution of manganese in plants and man are discussed, and the role of manganese in metabolism is described. The epidemiology of manganese toxicity is outlined, permissible air concentrations are listed, and the symptoms of manganese toxicity and deficiency are described. 555 references, 32 tables.
We had previously identified a macrophage surface protein whose expression is highly induced, transient, and specific, as it is restricted to actively fusing macrophages in vitro and in vivo. This protein...Full Text Available
Despite the demonstrated clinical efficacy of CD20 monoclonal antibody (mAb) for lymphoma therapy, the in vivo mechanisms of tumor depletion remain controversial and variable. To identify the molecular...Full Text Available
A histidine kinase protein (Cph1) with sequence homology and spectral characteristics very similar to those of the plant phytochrome has been recently identified in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis...Full Text Available
The aim of the present study was to identify specific behavioral patterns that contribute to diminished estrus expression in lame cows. Behavioral scan and focal sampling were used to examine...Full Text Available
Laboratory studies were performed to support field-testing of base injection into the F-Area Seepage Basins groundwater. The general purpose of these experiments is to provide information to guide the test of base injection and to identify potential adverse effects.
A lentivirus was isolated from 2 goats in Mexico that were seropositive to caprine arthritis encephalitis virus (CAEV) by the agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) test. The lentivirus was identified as CAEV...Full Text Available
A light-sensitive vitamin B12 derivative has been extracted from the adult cestode, Spirometra mansonoides. This corrinoid was identified as the cobamide coenzyme, adenosylcobalamin, by its chromatographic, chemical, and spectral properties. PMID:1003284
Mouse models have dramatically improved our understanding of cancer development and tumor biology. However, these models have shown limited efficacy as tractable systems for unbiased genetic...Full Text Available
BackgroundEstablishing an evidence-based method of improving knowledge and attitudes concerning depression has been identified as a priority in Chinese medical education. The purpose...Full Text Available
A fluid-phase immunoradiometric assay has been developed which identifies an antigen on the Factor VIII (antihemophilic factor) procoagulant protein. This sensitive and quantitative assay is not influenced...Full Text Available
BackgroundA large fraction of the human genome is attributable to L1 retrotransposon sequences. Not only do L1s themselves make up a significant portion of the genome, but L1-encoded...Full Text Available
ObjectiveThis study was conducted to provide a nationwide analysis on barriers to cervical cancer screening in Korea.MethodsData used for this study...Full Text Available
The identification and validation of biomarkers for diagnosing Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other forms of dementia are increasingly important. To date, ELISA measurement of β-amyloid(1–42),...Full Text Available
BackgroundGene regulation is a key mechanism in higher eukaryotic cellular processes. One of the major challenges in gene regulation studies is to identify regulators affecting the...Full Text Available
Using a genetic screen we have identified two chromosomal genes, cusRS (ylcA ybcZ), from Escherichia coli K-12 that encode a two-component, signal...Full Text Available
A nodulation plasmid, pRtr-514a, of molecular size 180 megadaltons (Mdal) was identified in Rhizobium trifolii strain NZP514. This plasmid was absent in both spontaneous and heat-cured Nod- derivatives...Full Text Available
Childhood cancer survivors often experience complications related to cancer and its treatment that may adversely affect quality of life and increase the risk of premature death. The purpose of this...Full Text Available
In-vitro experiments using 203Pb were performed to identify lead-binding components in human haemoglobin. Sephadex A-50 ion-exchange chromatography of haemolysate showed that different types of haemoglobin...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe long-term goal of the GKDZI (Genetics of Kidney Disease in Zuni Indians) Study is to identify genes, environmental factors, and genetic-environmental...Full Text Available
AimsTo identify the completeness of documentation of Complementary And Alternative Medicine (CAM) use in hospital medical records of patients before and after an education programme.Full Text Available
A linear structural equation model relates random variables of interest and corresponding Gaussian noise terms via a linear equation system. Each such model can be represented by a mixed graph in which directed edges encode the linear equations, and bidirected edges indicate possible correlations among noise terms. We study parameter identifiability in these models, that is, we ask for conditions that ensure that the edge coefficients and correlations appearing in a linear structural equation model can be uniquely recovered from the covariance matrix of the associated normal distribution. We treat the case of generic identifiability, where unique recovery is possible for almost every choice of parameters. We give a new graphical criterion that is sufficient for generic identifiability. It improves criteria from prior work and does not require the directed part of the graph to be acyclic. We also develop a related necessary ...
... Top of page Testing Radiation coming from granite countertops results from natural radioactive material in the granite. Identifying the presence and concentration of radioactive elements in granite requires expensive and sophisticated portable instruments or laboratory equipment. These instruments and equipment require proper calibration, and interpretation of ...
The ETS proteins are a family of transcription factors (TFs) that regulate a variety of biological processes. We made genome-wide analyses to explore the classification of the ETS gene family. We identified...Full Text Available
Exercise is essential for health, yet the amount, duration, and intensity that individuals engage in are strikingly variable, even under prescription. Our focus was to identify the locations and effects...Full Text Available
Despite the recent success of genome-wide association studies (GWASs) in identifying loci consistently associated with coronary artery disease (CAD), a large proportion of the genetic components of...Full Text Available
We present an algorithm to identify individual neural spikes observed on high-density multi-electrode arrays (MEAs). Our method can distinguish large numbers of distinct neural units, even when spikes...Full Text Available
1. One hundred and thirty-two antidromically identified paraventricular (PV) and supraoptic (SO) neurones were studied during milk ejection evoked by the suckling of the young, in thirty-four lactating...Full Text Available
AIM: To identify a method for efficient large-scale purification of functional hepatitis B virus polymerase (HBV-Pol) without addition of cellular factors.METHODS: Full-length HBV-Pol (843 amino...Full Text Available
Self-incompatibility (SI) is widespread in the angiosperms, but identifying the biochemical components of SI mechanisms has proven to be difficult in most lineages. Coffea (coffee;...Full Text Available
The incidence of melanoma is increasing more than any other cancer, and knowledge of its genetic alterations is limited. To systematically analyze such alterations, we performed whole-exome...Full Text Available
The development of rapid and specific diagnostic tests to identify individuals infected with malaria is of paramount importance in efforts to control the severe public health impact of this disease....Full Text Available
We have identified five acyl coenzyme A (CoA) oxidase isozymes (Aox1 through Aox5) in the n-alkane-assimilating yeast Yarrowia lipolytica, encoded by the POX1...Full Text Available
Clostridium perfringens type A food poisoning is the second most commonly identified bacterial food-borne illness. Sporulation contributes to this disease in two ways: (i) most food-poisoning...Full Text Available
Rodent models have been extensively utilized to identify putative human immunotoxicants; however, even when immunotoxicity is established, uncertainty remains whether the effects are predictive of human...Full Text Available
situ by isolating portions of the building envelope and performing tests .MAXIMUM ALLOWED LOAD ...and shall identify commissioning team members who will perform testing and prepare documentation.The commissioning agent may be
Evaluation of the impact and effectiveness of courses is necessary so that strengths and weaknesses can be identified and improvements made. This article uses Kirkpatrick's evaluation framework to present...Full Text Available
In-vitro experiments using 203Pb were performed to identify the lead binding components in human peripheral blood. The distribution of lead in plasma, in the red cell membrane, and within the red cell...Full Text Available
This article presents a study identifying benefits and challenges of a novel hospital-to-hospital information technology (IT) outsourcing partnership (HHP). The partnership is an innovative response...Full Text Available
The soil-isolated strain XP was identified as Rhodococcus erythropolis. R. erythropolis XP could efficiently desulfurize benzonaphthothiophene, a complicated model sulfur compound that...Full Text Available
CDC7 is an essential gene required for DNA replication in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Cdc7p homologs have recently been identified in vertebrates, but their role in DNA...Full Text Available
Coryneform isolates from clinical specimens frequently cannot be identified by either reference laboratories or research laboratories. Many of these organisms are skin flora that belong to a large number...Full Text Available
There are many methods to screen for abnormal amounts of proteinuria to identify patients at risk for progression of renal disease, but which method best predicts renal risk is unknown. Here, we analyzed...Full Text Available
BackgroundIt is often desirable to separate effects of different regulators on gene expression, or to identify effects of the same regulator across several systems. Here, we focus...Full Text Available
... After completing a review into direct coal liquefaction research carried out in Australia and internationally, CSIRO has identified potential new science and technology developments that may improve the cost and viability of CTL in a greenhouse gas-constrained environment. We are conducting research to: determine the optimum ...
BackgroundProspective measures of high knee abduction moment during landing identify female athletes at high risk for non-contact anterior cruciate ligament injury....Full Text Available
BackgroundThe southern African tick shell, Nassarius kraussianus (Dunker, 1846), has been identified as being the earliest known ornamental object used by human...Full Text Available
The authors' laboratory, using histochemicalmethods, previously identified two types of cholesterol-containing lipid particles in the extracellular spaces of human atherosclerotic lesions, one particle...Full Text Available
We study the integration of multisensory and central input at the level of an identified fly motoneuron, the ventral cervical nerve motoneuron (VCNM) cell, which controls head movements of the animal....Full Text Available
This study was designed to identify the causes of the development of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) associated with end stage kidney disease (ESKD). A total of 112 patients with ESKD, 64 on hemodialysis...Full Text Available
OBJECTIVE--To determine whether the seeming excess of childhood leukaemia and lymphoma identified in Seascale, Cumbria, UK, remains unusual when put into a wider context. DESIGN--Analysis of cancer...Full Text Available
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been identified in a number of solid tumors, but not yet in rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), the most frequently occurring soft tissue tumor in childhood. Hence, the aim of this...Full Text Available
Heavy ion tests of a switching converter using power MOSFETs have allowed us to identify the main parameters which affect the burnout sensitivity of these components. The differences between static and dynamic conditions are clarified in this paper. (author). 7 refs., 16 figs., 3 tabs.
Many plants are known to reduce the toxic effects of high soil boron (B) by reducing uptake of B, but no mechanism for limiting uptake has previously been identified. The B-tolerant cultivar of barley...Full Text Available
Fish living in contaminated environments accumulate toxic chemicals in their tissues. Biomarkers are needed to identify the resulting health effects, particularly focusing on early changes at a subcellular...Full Text Available
BackgroundOceans are iron-deficient and nutrient-poor environments. These conditions impart limitations on our understanding of and our ability to identify microorganisms from the...Full Text Available
The CD1 family of proteins binds self and foreign glycolipids for presentation to CD1-restricted T cells. To identify previously uncharacterized active CD1 ligands, especially those of microbial origin,...Full Text Available
We examined the bacterial aerobic nasal flora of 216 healthy volunteers to identify potential competitive interactions among different species, with special emphasis on the influence of staphylococcal...Full Text Available
Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved degradative pathway that has been implicated in a number of physiological events important for human health. This process was originally identified as a response...Full Text Available
Data from an epidemiological study in Ontario, involving 304 dairy herds, were used to identify associations between selected production indices and lipoarabinomannan antigen serological test results...Full Text Available
The Plan identifies the Army's organization, goals, objectives, and policies with respect to energy. It projects energy consumption and costs to the year 2000 and summarizes the programs required to support the long range goals. A summary of current and needed energy related legislation is included. (Author)
Background and purpose:Glycyrrhizae radix has been widely used as a cytoprotective, plant-derived medicine. We have identified a flavanoid, liquiritigenin, as an...Full Text Available
BackgroundHistone post-translational modifications are critical for gene expression and cell viability. A broad spectrum of histone lysine residues have been identified in yeast...Full Text Available
A goal of our research is to identify biochemical factors that underlie the susceptibility of bone marrow cell populations to benzene metabolites so as to develop a mechanistically based chemoprotective...Full Text Available
ObjectiveThe purpose of this study is to identify the factors affecting the failure of trials (<50% pain reduction in pain for trial period) to improve success rate of spinal...Full Text Available
BackgroundGenomics has substantially changed our approach to cancer research. Gene expression profiling, for example, has been utilized to delineate subtypes of cancer, and facilitated...Full Text Available
...Own Rules for Success (Hardcover) The authors have rightly identified that there is a growing demand for, trend towards, and interest in guidance for creating flexible working arrangements. However, for $27.99, you can secure more concrete advice on reaching your \\
Forty children with the fetal alcohol syndrome were identified in the west of Scotland. All were growth retarded and had abnormal facial features, and all those who were tested were found to have neurological...Full Text Available
SUMMARYATG12, an ubiquitin-like modifier required for macroautophagy, has a single known conjugation target, another autophagy regulator called ATG5. Here, we identify ATG3 as...Full Text Available
PurposeTo detail the highly variable ocular phenotypes of a French family affected with an autosomal dominantly inherited vitreoretinopathy and to identify the disease gene.MethodsSixteen...Full Text Available
BackgroundStorage of RBCs is necessary for an adequate blood supply. However, reports have identified potential negative sequelae of transfusing stored RBCs. An animal...Full Text Available
Traditional approaches to the study of hormones and cognition have been primarily observational or correlational in nature. Because this work does not permit causal relationships to be identified,...Full Text Available
Humanin (HN), a 24-residue peptide, was identified as a novel neuroprotective factor and shows anti-cell death activity against a wide spectrum of Alzheimer's disease (AD)-related cytotoxicities, including...Full Text Available
Fifty-two isolates of Fusarium species were obtained from soybean seeds from various parts of Korea and identified as Fusarium oxysporum, F. moniliforme,...Full Text Available
The disordered eating response team developed a protocol for assessment and intervention for athletes who are identified as at risk for disordered eating. Team members included the team physician,...Full Text Available
Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are leading causes of morbidity across all populations, with heritability estimates of ∼80% indicating a substantial genetic component. Population genetics...Full Text Available
BackgroundThis in vitro study was conducted to compare the accuracy of two digital image receptors in identifying the location of tip of a fine endodontic file and radiographic apex...Full Text Available
...shall, until three years following the completion of the self-evaluation, maintain on file and make available for public inspections: (1) A description of areas examined and any problems identified, and (2) A description of any...
BackgroundPathophysiological mechanisms involved in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are complex and none has identified reliable markers useful in routine patient evaluation....Full Text Available