cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Differentiating New Marijuana Use From Residual Drug Excretion in Occasional Marijuana Users

Increases in urine drug concentration that result from changes in urinary output may be mistakenly interpreted as new drug use rather than carryover from previous drug exposure. Normalization of drug excretion to urine creatinine concentration reduces the variability of drug measurement attributable to urine dilution. A specimen ratio of 1.5 or greater between two creatinine normalized positive urine cannabinoid tests was previously proposed as an indicator of new marijuana use. This approach has received wide attention for potential use in treatment and employee assistance programs associated with workplace drug testing. Unfortunately, there has been limited evaluation of the usefulness of this ratio under controlled-dosing conditions with marijuana smokers. A controlled clinical study was conducted to examine the excretion profile of creatinine and marijuana metabolites in a group of six marijuana users who smoked two different doses of marijuana over a 4-week period. A relative operating characteristic curve was constructed from sensitivity and specificity data for 26 different specimen ratios ranging from 0.1 to 2.0. The most accurate specimen ratio (85.4%) for differentiating new use from residual excretion was 0.5. Use of this ratio provided a sensitivity of 80.1%, a specificity of 90.2%, and 5.6% false-positive and 7.4% false-negative predictions. To substantiate the validity of the 0.5 specimen ratio, urine cannabinoid and creatinine data from a controlled clinical trial specifically addressing water dilution as a means of specimen adulteration were evaluated. Sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and percent false-positive and percent false-negative predictions were 71.9%, 91.6%, 83.9%, 5.4%, and 10.7%, respectively. These data compared favorably with the results from the first clinical study, with the exception of slightly lower sensitivity and higher false-negative percentages in the water dilution study. This would be expected because of the ingestion of large amounts of water and consequent dilution of urine drug concentration. These data indicated that selection of a specimen ratio to evaluate sequential creatinine normalized urine drug concentrations can improve the ability to distinguish residual excretion from new marijuana usage. The selection of an appropriate specimen ratio can be made based on the needs of a specific urine drug-testing program taking into account sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy data.
MEASURING HABITAT QUALITY: A REVIEW

Understanding habitat quality for birds is crucial for ecologists and managers, but few papers have explored the advantages and disadvantages of different ways to measure it. In this review I clarify terminology and distinguish habitat quality from related terms, differentiate habitat quality at the levels of individual birds and populations, and describe different field methods for measuring habitat quality. As much as feasible, biologists concerned with habitat quality should emphasize demographic variables while recognizing that reproduction, survival, and abundance may not all be positively correlated. The distribution of birds can also reveal habitat quality (e.g., through patterns of habitat selection), but researchers should first investigate how closely their subjects follow ideal distributions because numerous ecological factors can lead birds to select poor and avoid rich habitats. Measures of body condition can provide convenient measures of habitat quality, but to be useful they must be a consequence, rather than a cause, of habitat selection. Habitat ecologists should use caution before relying on shortcuts from more labor-intensive demographic work. To increase the reliability of our habitat quality measurements, we should work to develop new methods to assess critical assumptions of nondemographic indicators, such as whether birds follow ideal distributions under natural conditions and whether spatial variation in body condition manifests in differential fitness.
Range-Wide Conservation Genetics of Buff-Breasted Sandpipers (Tryngites subruficollis)

ABSTRACT. Range-wide monitoring of shorebirds (Aves: Charadriiformes) suggests that many species are declining. For most species, it is unknown whether distinct population units exist, which makes management and conservation difficult. One shorebird of conservation concern, the Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Tryngites subruficollis), is a New World migrant that breeds at Arctic latitudes in North America and Russia and winters in southeastern South America. We conducted a molecular survey of samples representing each of three migratory regions (breeding, migration, and wintering) using nine polymorphic microsatellite loci and 1.5 kb of highly variable mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from the cytochrome b gene and mtDNA control region. We analyzed contemporary population structure, demographic trends, and phylogeographic patterns. Overall, microsatellite and mtDNA analyses revealed that Buff-breasted Sandpipers are panmictic both regionally and at a global scale, with no signal of a recent genetic bottleneck. The mtDN...
Concepts and strategies for distributed information-sharing

The focus of this paper is on understanding the nature of the communication environment, needs, and what we call strategies for optimizing distributed situation assessment among a group of nodes that each have their own automated data fusion (DF) processes and reside in a particular data/communications topology with particular characteristics. We do not however address at this time the complications due to the topology and the communication system characteristics and parameters. Our focus is strictly on trying to understand the nature of the data sharing problem. We assume a common-sense model of agents involved in situation assessment.
Toward a Fully Parametric Retrieval of the Nonraining Parameters over the Global Oceans

Abstract In light of the upcoming launch of the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission, a parametric retrieval algorithm of the nonraining parameters over the global oceans is developed with the ability to accommodate all currently existing and planned spaceborne microwave window channel sensors and imagers. The physical retrieval is developed using all available sensor channels in a full optimal estimation inversion. This framework requires that retrieved parameters be physically consistent with all observed satellite radiances regardless of the sensor being used. The retrieval algorithm has been successfully applied to the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer-Earth Observing System (AMSR-E), the Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I), and the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Microwave Imager (TMI) with geophysical parameter retrieval results comparable to independent studies using sensor-optimized algorithms. The optimal estimation diagnostics characterize the retrieval further, pro...
Coupling of DNA unwinding to nucleotide hydrolysis in a ring-shaped helicase

The ring‐shaped T7 helicase uses the energy of dTTP hydrolysis to perform the mechanical work of translocation and base pair (bp) separation. We have shown that the unwinding rate of T7 helicase decreases with increasing DNA stability. Here, we show that the dTTPase rate also decreases with increasing DNA stability, which indicates close linkage between chemical transition steps and translocation steps of unwinding. We find that the force‐producing step during unwinding is not associated with dTTP binding, but dTTP hydrolysis or P i release. We determine that T7 helicase extracts ∼3.7 kcal/mol energy from dTTPase to carry out the work of strand separation. Using this energy, T7 helicase unwinds ∼4 bp of AT‐rich DNA or 1–2 bp of GC‐rich DNA. T7 helicase therefore adjusts both its speed and coupling ratio (bp/dTTP) to match the work of DNA unwinding. We discuss the mechanistic implications of the variable bp/dTTP that indicates T7 helicase either undergoes backward movements/futile hydrolysis or unwinds DNA with a variable bp‐step size; ‘long and fast’ steps on AT‐rich and ‘short and slow’ steps on GC‐rich DNA.
Requirement for Pax6 in corneal morphogenesis: a role in adhesion

The Pax6 transcription factor functions early during embryogenesis to control key steps in brain, pancreas, olfactory and ocular system development. A requirement for Pax6 in proper formation of lens, iris and retina is well documented. By examining the corneas of heterozygous Small eye (SEY) mice, this report shows that Pax6 is also necessary for normal corneal morphogenesis. In particular, the epithelial component of the postnatal and adult SEY (+/-) cornea is thinner owing to a reduction in the number of cell layers, despite a tenfold increase in the proliferative index and no change in TUNEL labeling. Ultrastructural views revealed large gaps between corneal epithelial cells and a change in the appearance of desmosomes, suggesting that adhesion abnormalities contribute to the corneal phenotype of SEY (+/-) mice. Western blot analysis and immunofluorescence showed equivalent amounts and normal localization of E-cadherin in SEY (+/-) corneas, and the actin cytoskeleton appeared normal as judged by phalloidin staining. By contrast, the levels of desmoglein, beta-catenin and gamma-catenin were reduced in the SEY (+/-) cornea. In addition, the amount of keratin-12 mRNA and protein, the major intermediate filament, was reduced in SEY (+/-) corneal epithelium as shown by in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry. Finally, the SEY (+/-) corneal epithelium adheres less well than wild-type when challenged with gentle rubbing using a microsponge. In conclusion, our results indicate that cellular adhesion is compromised in the SEY (+/-) corneal epithelium and suggests a role for Pax6 in the proper generation and maintenance of the adult cornea.
Hepatitis B-associated polyarteritis nodosa in alaskan eskimos: Clinical and epidemiologic features and long-term follow-up

We analyzed the demographic, clinical, laboratory and histologic features of 13 patients who were diagnosed as having polyarteritis nodosa associated with hepatitis B virus infection over a 12-year period, 1974 to 1985. All 13 patients were Yupik Eskimos and resided in southwest Alaska, an area hyperendemic for hepatitis B virus infection. The annual incidence of hepatitis B virus-associated polyarteritis nodosa for this population is 7.7 cases per 100,000 population. All patients presented with multisystem disease, and all had biopsy or angiographic findings consistent with polyarteritis nodosa. All 13 were positive for hepatitis B surface antigen and hepatitis B e antigen at diagnosis. Two untreated patients and two of five patients who received corticosteroids died, vs. none of six who received corticosteroids plus cyclophosphamide. None of the patients who survived the initial bout of polyarteritis nodosa has relapsed after a mean follow-up of 55 months, but all have become chronic HBsAg carriers. In eight patients, clinical or serologic evidence indicated that polyarteritis nodosa followed recent hepatitis B virus infection. We concluded that hepatitis B virus-associated polyarteritis nodosa is a serious, life-threatening complication that occurs early in the course of hepatitis B virus infection, is ameliorated by immunosuppressive therapy and can be prevented by hepatitis B vaccine.
Sensor Scheduling using a 0-1 Mixed Integer Programming Framework

In this paper, we propose a novel myopic sensor scheduling methodology for tracking a target moving through a network of energy-constrained acoustic sensors. Specifically, we address the problem of activating the minimum-energy combination of sensors in a network that maintains a desired squared-error accuracy in the target's position estimate. We first formulate the scheduling problem as a binary (0-1) nonlinear programming (NLP) problem. Using a linearization technique, we then convert the 0-1 NLP problem into a 0-1 mixed integer programming (MIP) problem. We solve the reformulated 0-1 MIP problem using a linear programming relaxation based branch-and-bound technique. We demonstrate through Monte Carlo simulations that our proposed MIP scheduling method is very computational efficient as we can find optimal solutions to scheduling problems involving 50-60 sensors with processing time in the order of seconds
Effect of copper surface roughness on thermal conductance of copper/carbon nanotube array interface

In this work, we demonstrate a systematic study on the contact conductance of Cu/carbon nanotube array interface and the effective thermal conductivity of carbon nanotube array as a function of out-of-plane root-mean-square surface roughness of copper. The rms roughness of Cu was controlled at 0.005, 0.024, 0.065, and 0.192 µm, and the carbon nanotube array was bonded to the controlled Cu surface with In. Using phase sensitive thermal reflectance thermometry, we found that the effective thermal conductivity does not affect by the Cu surface roughness while the contact conductance increased from 0.14 MW/m2-K to 1.2 MW/m2-K as the Cu surface roughness decreased from 0.192 µm to 0.065 µm. Such an increasing trend in contact thermal conductance suggests that the scale of target surface roughness is one of the key factors for CNT arrays based TIMs reach to order of 1 MW/m2K in thermal conductance.
Preparing Food at Home: What is the Labor cost?

Food demand is an important component of the agricultural sector and much food preparation occurs in the home. While there is much information about the market cost of food, there has been no information about the preparation cost of food at home because there has been no data available on the quantity of time spent in food preparation. Using newly released time diary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, this paper provides the first known estimates of the cost of time in food preparation at home. We also consider a demographic profile comparable with someone who may be on Food Stamps and following the recipes based on the USDA Thrifty Food Plan, which is designed to help low income groups on Food Stamps.
Self-certified group key generation for ad hoc clusters in wireless sensor networks

Dynamic formation of node clusters is inherently embedded in a wide range of emerging wireless sensor network (WSN) applications. It is expected that security will play a key role in the design and successful deployment of these, as well as many other, applications. The ad-hoc nature and unique power-constraint characteristics of WSN suggest that a prerequisite for achieving security is the ability to encrypt and decrypt confidential data among an arbitrary set of sensor nodes. Consequently, the nodes are required to generate a joint secret key. Elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) has emerged as a suitable public key cryptographic foundation for WSN. This paper describes a pragmatic ECC-based methodology for self-certified group key generation in ad hoc clusters of sensor nodes. A novel load-balancing technique and chained data exchange yield reduced overall communications and facilitate an efficient distribution of the computational effort involved.
Respiratory Disease of the Bovine Neonate

Respiratory disease is an important problem in bovine neonates. Early detection of clinical disease is challenging. In the newborn calf, mucous membrane color, character and frequency of the respiratory effort, thoracic auscultation, and ability to oxygenate are critical elements of the examination to determine whether or not respiratory disease is present. Within a few days of birth, screening calves for fever, abnormal nasal or ocular discharge, or an inducible cough finds many calves with early respiratory disease. This article describes respiratory conditions in newborn calves that veterinarians are most likely to encounter, along with diagnostic and treatment options that can be applied to both herd investigations and individual animals.
Comparison of oral prednisone and topical fluticasone in the treatment of eosinophilic esophagitis: a randomized trial in children

Background & Aims: Although eosinophilic esophagitis is recognized increasingly, outcome data guiding therapy are limited. We conducted a prospective randomized trial comparing oral prednisone (P) and swallowed fluticasone (F) for histologic and clinical response. Methods: Patients were randomized to receive P or F for 4 weeks, followed by an 8-week weaning protocol. Esophageal histology was evaluated at baseline and after 4 weeks of therapy. Clinical assessments were performed at weeks 0, 4, 12, 18, and 24. Results: Eighty patients with eosinophilic esophagitis were enrolled: 40 in the P arm and 40 in the F arm. Histologic improvement was seen in 30 of 32 P and 34 of 36 F patients, with a greater degree of histologic improvement in the P group. All P and 35 of 36 F patients were free of presenting symptom(s) at week 4. Symptom relapse was seen in 45% of patients by week 24. Kaplan–Meier analysis showed no difference between P and F with regard to relapse rate (P = .7399). No significant difference in time to relapse was found between groups (P = .2529). Systemic adverse effects were noted in 40% of the P arm, whereas esophageal candidal overgrowth was seen in 15% of the F arm. Conclusions: Systemic and topical corticosteroids were effective in achieving initial histologic and clinical improvement. P resulted in a greater degree of histologic improvement, without evidence of an associated clinical advantage over F in terms of symptom resolution, relapse rates, or time to relapse. Symptom relapse was common to both groups upon therapy discontinuation, highlighting the need for maintenance treatment protocols.
Role of Ectoine in Vibrio cholerae Osmoadaptation

Vibrio cholerae is both an intestinal pathogen and a microbe in the estuarine community. To persist in the estuarine environment, V. cholerae must adjust to changes in ionic composition and osmolarity. These changes in the aquatic environment have been correlated with cholera epidemics. In this work, we study the response of V. cholerae to increases in environmental osmolarity. Optimal growth of V. cholerae in minimal medium requires supplementation with 200 mM NaCl and KCl. However, when the NaCl concentration is increased beyond 200 mM, a proportionate delay in growth is observed. During this delay in growth, osmotic equilibrium is reached by cytoplasmic accumulation of small, uncharged solutes that are compatible with growth. We show that synthesis of the compatible solute ectoine and transport of the compatible solute glycine betaine impact the length of the osmoadaptive growth delay. We also demonstrate that high-osmolarity-adapted V. cholerae displays a growth advantage when competed against unadapted cells in high-osmolarity medium. In contrast, low-osmolarity-adapted V. cholerae displays no growth advantage when competed against high-osmolarity-adapted cells in low-osmolarity medium. These results may have implications for V. cholerae population dynamics when seawater and freshwater and their attendant microbes mix.
Age modifies the genotype-phenotype relationship for the bitter receptor TAS2R38

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of TAS2R38 haplotypes and age on human bitter taste perception. Children (3 to 10 yrs), adolescents (11 to 19 yrs) and adults (mostly mothers, 20 to 55 yrs (N = 980) were measured for bitter taste thresholds for 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) and genotyped for three polymorphisms of the AS2R38 gene (A49P, V262A, I296V). Subjects were grouped by haplotype and age, as well as sex and race/ethnicity, and compared for PROP thresholds. Subjects with the same haplotype were similar in bitter threshold regardless of race/ethnicity (all ages) or sex (children and adolescents; all p-values > 0.05) but age was a modifier of the genotype-phenotype relationship. Specifically, AVI/PAV heterozygous children could perceive a bitter taste at lower PROP concentrations than could heterozygous adults, with the thresholds of heterozygous adolescents being intermediate (p 0.05) perhaps because there is less variation in taste perception among these homozygotes. These data imply that the change in PROP bitter sensitivity which occurs over the lifespan (from bitter sensitive to less so) is more common in people with a particular haplotype combination, i.e., AVI/PAV heterozygotes.
ELECTRICITY PRODUCTION BY GEOBACTER SULFURREDUCENS ATTACHED TO ELECTRODES

Previous studies have suggested that members of the Geobacteraceae can use electrodes as electron acceptors for anaerobic respiration. In order to better understand this electron transfer process for energy production, Geobacter sulfurreducens was inoculated into chambers in which a graphite electrode served as the sole electron acceptor and acetate or hydrogen was the electron donor. The electron-accepting electrodes were maintained at oxidizing potentials by connecting them to similar electrodes in oxygenated medium (fuel cells) or to potentiostats that poised electrodes at +0.2 V versus an Ag/AgCl reference electrode (poised potential). When a small inoculum of G. sulfurreducens was introduced into electrode-containing chambers, electrical current production was dependent upon oxidation of acetate to carbon dioxide and increased exponentially, indicating for the first time that electrode reduction supported the growth of this organism. When the medium was replaced with an anaerobic buffer lacking nutrients required for growth, acetate-dependent electrical current production was unaffected and cells attached to these electrodes continued to generate electrical current for weeks. This represents the first report of microbial electricity production solely by cells attached to an electrode. Electrode-attached cells completely oxidized acetate to levels below detection (<10 micro M), and hydrogen was metabolized to a threshold of 3 Pa. The rates of electron transfer to electrodes (0.21 to 1.2 micro mol of electrons/mg of protein/min) were similar to those observed for respiration with Fe(III) citrate as the electron acceptor (E(o)' =+0.37 V). The production of current in microbial fuel cell (65 mA/m(2) of electrode surface) or poised-potential (163 to 1,143 mA/m(2)) mode was greater than what has been reported for other microbial systems, even those that employed higher cell densities and electron-shuttling compounds. Since acetate was completely oxidized, the efficiency of conversion of organic electron donor to electricity was significantly higher than in previously described microbial fuel cells. These results suggest that the effectiveness of microbial fuel cells can be increased with organisms such as G. sulfurreducens that can attach to electrodes and remain viable for long periods of time while completely oxidizing organic substrates with quantitative transfer of electrons to an electrode.
Wakers-of-the-dead

Chapter 6 is the last preparatory chapter before turning to Holderlin’s poetry. In it we consider the failure of the Renaissance, despite its interest in Greece (and even Dionysus), to retrieve the Dionysiac chronotope (and language). This is made worse by the hyper-rationalisations of the Enlightenment whose most sinister forms represent the emergence of modern (intellectual) “media control”. Important here shall be (1) the abrupt leap to industrialised energy capture and (2) the monetised individual greed upon which this leap, for all its creativity, rests. But before turning to Holderlin’s songs and translations, one final stop is necessary: The new mood of Romanticism and its (understandable) need to retrieve a pre-industrial, more natural past to battle the estrangement of modern time. Although, like all romantics, Holderlin’s experimental voyage to capsizes, the chapter concludes by drawing attention to his forthcoming socio-political significance for us today.
Chapter 9 – Trees

Publisher Summary Trees are the most important class of graphs that make fine modeling tools. Trees are widely used in mathematics and computer science, as well as in linguistics and the social sciences. This chapter presents the concept of a tree and the two necessary and sufficient conditions for a graph to be a tree. A tree is a connected acyclic graph. The chapter presents the concept of a spanning tree for a connected graph, the algorithms for finding it, and the important classes of rooted trees. Trees facilitate (1) sorting and searching, (2) representing and computing numeric expressions, and (3) constructing efficient coding schemes and algorithms. To qualify as a tree, a connected graph must fulfill path and edge requirements. Trees serve to model isomers of saturated hydrocarbons, hierarchical charts, genealogy, tournaments, and decision-making. They also serve well in evaluating algebraic expressions, as well as in sorting and searching.
Vertical Penetration of Offshore Pipelines: A Comparative Study Between Finite Element and Finite Volume Methods

Deepwater surface laid pipelines generally penetrate a fraction of their diameter into the seabed. The near surface penetration behaviour of steel catenary risers (SCRs) is equally important in offshore oil and gas developments. Theoretical, physical and numerical investigations have been performed to understand pipeline–soil interaction during vertical penetration. The large deformation finite element (LDFE) modeling is a recent and advanced tool among different numerical modeling techniques. The authors of this study simulated the penetration of pipeline using Abaqus CEL Finite Element (FE) software [1]. They also developed a numerical modeling technique based on finite volume approach using ANSYS CFX [2] and showed some of its advantages. However, in that study an ideal soil (i.e. no softening or strain rate effects on undrained shear strength) was used. Strain rate and softening have significant effects on penetration behaviour and therefore in this study a numerical technique has been developed to incorporate these effects in ANSYS CFX. Comparison of the results shows that ANSYS CFX can also model the penetration behaviour. Moreover, ANSYS CFX has some advantages including low computational time, modeling of suction and pipeline–soil–water interaction. A parametric study is also presented to provide more insights into the pipeline–soil–water interaction.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Financial Market Regulations and Legal Challenges in South Asia: A Comparative Analysis between Family Firms and Concentrated Ownership Structures in South Asia

As well as other aims and objectives, the chapter also seeks to address gaps in the literature -- gaps in the current and previous literature which support the fact that family firms, concentrated ownership systems and structures suffer from less problems and issues associated with information asymmetries than pre-dominantly based dispersed ownership systems and structures, as well as the claim relating to the worth and informational value of credit ratings agencies -- in particular that relating to the negative impact of credit ratings announcements and their more "significant" impacts in emerging markets. Can audits be effectively relied upon to provide better and more reliable information than credit ratings agencies? If indeed, it could be demonstrated that credit agencies only have access to publicly available information and that they "lag behind financial markets" in processing such information, then there are fundamental reasons to justify the role of audits in the selected jurisdictions -- as well as reasons to discredit the claim that concentrated ownership systems and structures suffer from less problems and issues associated with information asymmetries than pre-dominantly based dispersed ownership systems and structures. Finally, the chapter seeks to propose rules and recommendations whereby the current legal and regulatory challenges faced by financial markets in South Asia could be addressed.
Allelic loss of chromosome 10q23 is associated with tumor progression in breast carcinomas

To determine the status of chromosome 10q23 in primary breast carcinomas, in situ and invasive carcinomas were analysed for allelic loss using microsatellite markers spanning the 10q23 region. No LOH was seen in pure intraductal carcinomas (0/20 cases). On the other hand, LOH was observed in 40% (17/42) of invasive carcinomas (P = 0.0005). Interestingly, in situ lesions found in invasive tumors displayed LOH. Allelic loss was also significantly associated with loss of the estrogen receptor (P = 0.011). Thus, loss of the 10q23 is strongly associated with tumor progression.
Documentation of an Extended Latent Infection Period by Phakopsora pachyrhizi, the Soybean Rust Pathogen

Abstract Phakopsora pachyrhizi, the soybean rust pathogen, overwinters on kudzu in the southern United States. However, even with severely affected kudzu adjacent to soybean fields, disease symptom...
A Method of Establishing Certain Irrationalities

(1964). A Method of Establishing Certain Irrationalities. Mathematics Magazine: Vol. 37, No. 4, pp. 208-210.
Messdatenunterstützte Motormodelle zur dynamischen Simulation von Abgasanlagen

Fur Betriebsfestigkeitsnachweise von Abgasanlagen ist die FEM heute zu einem unverzichtbaren Werkzeug geworden. Die erwartete Realitatsnahe der Simulation erfordert, die Randbedingungen der Tests moglichst genau abzubilden. Dazu werden Anregungsdaten aus Messungen abgeleitet. Der Antriebsstrang (Motor und Getriebe) ist verglichen mit der Abgasanlage sehr steif, so dass er als Starrkorper vereinfacht werden kann. Tenneco entwickelte ein Werkzeug, um vereinfachte Motormodelle samt Motoranregung automatisch zu erstellen. Dieses Programm verbessert Rechengeschwindigkeit und -robustheit.
A N3S(thioether)-Ligated CuII-Superoxo with Enhanced Reactivity

Previous efforts to synthesize a cupric superoxide complex possessing a thioether donor have resulted in the formation of an end-on trans-peroxo-dicopper(II) species, [{(Ligand)CuII}2(μ-1,2-O22–)]2+. Redesign/modification of previous N3S tetradentate ligands has now allowed for the stabilization of the monomeric, superoxide product possessing a S(thioether) ligation, [(DMAN3S)CuII(O2•–)]+ (2S), as characterized by UV–vis and resonance Raman spectroscopies. This complex mimics the putative CuII(O2•–) active species of the copper monooxygenase PHM and exhibits enhanced reactivity toward both O–H and C–H substrates in comparison to close analogues [(L)CuII(O2•–)]+, where L contains only nitrogen donor atoms. Also, comparisons of [(L)CuII/I]n+ compound reduction potentials (L = various N4 vs DMAN3S ligands) provide evidence that DMAN3S is a weaker donor to copper ion than is found for any N4 ligand-complex.
A quantum chemical study of the mechanism of action of Vitamin K epoxide reductase (VKOR): II. Transition states☆

Abstract A reaction path including transition states is generated for the Silverman mechanism [R.B. Silverman, Chemical model studies for the mechanism of Vitamin K epoxide reductase, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 103 (1981) 5939–5941] of action for Vitamin K epoxide reductase (VKOR) using quantum mechanical methods (B3LYP/6-311G**). VKOR, an essential enzyme in mammalian systems, acts to convert Vitamin K epoxide, formed by Vitamin K carboxylase, to its (initial) quinone form for cellular reuse. This study elaborates on a prior work that focused on the thermodynamics of VKOR [D.W. Deerfield II, C.H. Davis, T. Wymore, D.W. Stafford, L.G. Pedersen, Int. J. Quant. Chem. 106 (2006) 2944–2952]. The geometries of proposed model intermediates and transition states in the mechanism are energy optimized. We find that once a key disulfide bond is broken, the reaction proceeds largely downhill. An important step in the conversion of the epoxide back to the quinone form involves initial protonation of the epoxide oxygen. We find that the source of this proton is likely a free mercapto group rather than a water molecule. The results are consistent with the current view that the widely used drug Warfarin likely acts by blocking binding of Vitamin K at the VKOR active site and thereby effectively blocking the initiating step. These results will be useful for designing more complete QM/MM studies of the enzymatic pathway once three-dimensional structural data is determined and available for VKOR.
Transmitting Mishnah: The Shaping Influence of Oral Tradition

Departing from the conventional view of mishnaic transmission as mindless rote memorisation, Transmitting Mishnah, first published in 2006, reveals how multifaceted the process of passing on oral tradition was in antiquity. Taking advantage of the burgeoning field of orality studies, Elizabeth Shanks Alexander has developed a model of transmission that is both active and constructive. Proceeding by means of intensive readings of passages from tractate Shevuot and its Talmudic commentaries, Alexander alerts us to the fact that transmitters and handlers of mishnaic text crafted both the vagaries of expression and its received meanings. She illustrates how the authority of the Mishnah grew as the result of the sustained attention of a devoted community of readers and students. She also identifies the study practices and habits of analysis that were cultivated by oral performance and shows how they were passed on in tandem with the verbal contents of the Mishnah, thereby influencing how the text was received and understood.
Status and Quality of Teacher Education in the US: Neoliberal and Professional Tensions

Writing about the quality of teacher education in the US, the author describes two contending developments, one inspired by neoliberalism with its emphasis on commodification of social services, and markets and competition, and a form of professionalism offered by teacher educators that flows from local control and local responsibility for the education of teachers. Neoliberal influences have lead to contradictory emphases, including aggressive programs of accountability and the proliferation of teacher certification programs, including for-profits. Creation of professional development schools with their emphasis on better linking universities and schools is discussed as an example of the quest for greater professionalism.
Early clinical esophageal adenocarcinoma (cT1): Utility of CT in regional nodal metastasis detection and can the clinical accuracy be improved?

Abstract Introduction Treatment of early esophageal cancer depends on the extent of the primary tumor and presence of regional lymph node metastasis.(RNM). Short axis diameter >10 mm is typically used to detect RNM. However, clinical determination of RNM is inaccurate and can result in inappropriate treatment. Purpose of this study is to evaluate the accuracy of a single linear measurement (short axis > 10 mm) of regional nodes on CT in predicting nodal metastasis, in patients with early esophageal cancer and whether using a mean diameter value (short axis + long axis/2) as well as nodal shape improves cN designation. Methods CTs of 49 patients with cT1 adenocarcinoma treated with surgical resection alone were reviewed retrospectively. Regional nodes were considered positive for malignancy when round or ovoid and mean size >5 mm adjacent to the primary tumor and >7 mm when not adjacent. Results were compared with pN status after esophagectomy. Results 18/49 patients had pN+ at resection. Using a single short axis diameter >10 mm on CT, nodal metastasis (cN) was positive in 7/49. Only 1 of these patients was pN+ at resection (sensitivity 5%, specificity 80%, accuracy 53%). Using mean size and morphologic criteria, cN was positive in 28/49. 11 of these patients were pN+ at resection (sensitivity 61%, specificity 45%, accuracy 51%). EUS with limited FNA of regional nodes resulted in 16/49 patients with pN+ being inappropriately designated as cN0. Conclusions Evaluation of size, shape and location of regional lymph nodes on CT improves the sensitivity of cN determination compared with a short axis measurement alone in patients with cT1 esophageal cancer, although clinical utility is limited.
Bimodal Distributions on the Horizontal Branch

We present preliminary versions of log g - log Teff diagrams for a number of clusters with gaps in their blue horizontal branches and for two normal clusters.
Product Variability Prediction for Distillation Configuration Selection

Abstract A technique is developed which uses industrial feed composition data to predict distillation column closed-loop product variabilities. Signal processing techniques are used to obtain the frequency components of the feed composition signal. These frequency components are then combined with the closed loop Bode plot for disturbance rejection to predict closed loop product variabilities of the column. The prediction technique is illustrated using industrial propylene / propane (C 3 ) splitter feed composition data. Also, three different distillation configurations [(L,B), (L,V) and (D,V)] were analyzed using the proposed technique which indicate that this approach can be used for distillation configuration selection.
NEGATIVE PION CAPTURE IN HELIUM

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the negative pion capture in helium. The absorption of pions in nuclei is a two-nucleon process. For light nuclei, two models have been used to describe pion absorption. The Eckstein model uses an effective Hamiltonian, wherein the pion interacts with two nucleons in a state of zero angular momentum in the zero-range approximation. The two effective coupling constants of Hamiltonian, which save a phase factor between them, are determined from pion production in nucleon–nucleon scattering. The Cheon-Koltun-Reitan model assumes an interaction Hamiltonian made up of the sum of one-body operators including re-scattering terms. There are nuclear wave functions that are realistic and suitably behaved over all configuration space. Using these in the analysis and then comparing the final theoretical results with experiment would allow the extraction of information on the phase factor.
Muonic hydrogen and the proton size

We reexamine the structure of the $n=2$ levels of muonic hydrogen using a two-body potential that includes all relativistic, recoil and one-loop corrections. The potential was originally derived from QED to describe the muonium atom and accounts for all contributions to order ${\ensuremath{\alpha}}^{5}$. Since one-loop corrections are included, the anomalous magnetic moment contributions of the muon can be identified and replaced by the proton anomalous magnetic moment to describe muonic hydrogen with a pointlike proton. This serves as a convenient starting point to include the dominant electron vacuum polarization corrections to the spectrum and extract the proton's mean squared radius ${r}_{p}=\sqrt{⟨{r}^{2}⟩}$. Our results are consistent with other theoretical calculations that find that the muonic hydrogen value for ${r}_{p}$ is smaller than the result obtained from electron scattering.
A New Voronoi-Based Blanket Coverage Control Method for Moving Sensor Networks

This brief addresses the blanket coverage problem, in which it is desired to cover a long region by moving the blanket within the boundaries representing the main region. To this purpose, a group of autonomous mobile sensors are deployed aiming at maximizing the sensing performance. The blanket coverage area, which is considered to be a region with changing boundaries, is directed to move along the boundaries of the region. Throughout this process, the agents adapt to the varying coverage area by imposing the dynamics of the boundaries on their respective control law. The presented control law ensures that the agents move toward the centroid of their respective Voronoi cell while taking into account the effect of the moving boundaries. The proposed coverage method deploys the agents within the boundaries of coverage area and ensures the (locally) optimal partitioning for the moving coverage area. Performance of the proposed blanket coverage method is examined via numerical examples that use sections of Ohio river and a border buffer zone.
Urban Environment: The Differences between the City in Europe and the United States

Urban form is the physical organization of urban areas. Urban form is measured by residential and employment densities, activity distribution, degree of mixed use, centralization, and urban design. Various factors influence urban form. The US urban form is compared with that in Europe. Due to different historical development, the US metropolitan form is characterized by low development densities, dispersed population and employment, and a larger role for the private car. European metropolitan areas have higher densities and more centralized land-use patterns with lower car use and stronger land-use controls, which preserve compact urban form; with urban development occurring in rail corridors while in the United States suburban development reinforces vehicle dependence, leading to the inefficient use of scarce urban space. Planning in Europe and the United States, and land-use development tools are reviewed.
To Err is Human: Pondering the Undoing of Human-Induced Climate Change

In this paper we examine how park and protected area managers and scholars might respond to the attempted undoing of human-induced climate change. Drawing from Michael Lewis’ The Undoing Project (2017), we proceed from the assumption that we humans are prone to make mistakes in our assessments of what is and what is not the case when reaching conclusions about complex environmental problems. We reason further that the consequences of making certain kinds of mistakes should be taken into account when shaping management policy, specifically surrounding climate change. We then illustrate how Type 1 and Type 2 errors might serve as useful lenses to better envision how to manage risk in times of uncertainty by applying them to the real or imagined nature of human-induced climate change. We also consider the likely consequences of making Type 1 and Type 2 errors regarding climate change decision-making. Finally, we discuss what we believe is the preferred error to make when thinking about human-induced climate change with regard to the management of parks and protected areas, as well as the implications for individuals and society at large. In so doing, we turn what is commonly referred to as ‘liberal’ and ‘conservative’ thinking inside out, and leave the reader with the question of just who are the conservatives and who are the liberals when thinking about the prospect of undoing human-induced climate change. Subscribe to JPRA
Failure Due to Random Vibration

Certain statistical properties of the response of a vibratory system depend on the excitation process. The response process can be that of displacement, of acceleration, of stress, or of some other dynamic quantity. It would be highly desirable if the statistics on such dynamic response quantities could be simply converted into statistics on the reliability of the structure or equipment in the random vibration environment. This would then provide information directly useful to the designer or test engineer. Unfortunately, this is one of the least well-developed aspects of random vibration theory. Knowledge concerning the precise nature of failure mechanisms is far from complete and even in some cases where a clear-cut failure model exists, the purely mathematical problems of translating the dynamic response statistics into useful reliability statistics appear to be beyond the present powers. This chapter outlines the present state of the art of fatigue failure. For the particular mechanism of fatigue failure, the theory has been fairly well developed. Within certain limitations, it is possible to use the dynamic response statistics to predict both the mean time to failure and the variance about this mean. With the help of certain rational hypotheses, a reasonably valid model for the fatigue failure of metals under random vibration has been assembled. The chapter discusses the background of these hypotheses and their application to a failure model for narrow-band random stress histories.
Sarcoidosis presenting with an unusual erythematous rash and persistent hypercalcemia.

Abstract Sarcoidosis is a multisystem disease that often presents with constitutional symptoms and ocular and skin manifestations. The chest roentgenogram may show no abnormalities or only diffuse interstitial disease. The serum calcium level is uncommonly persistently elevated and responds rapidly to low-dose corticosteroid therapy. The level of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D is often elevated, and the level of parathyroid hormone is almost always suppressed. Skin manifestations vary considerably and may appear in an unusual fashion. A skin biopsy may often be essential in the diagnosis of sarcoidosis.
Debond Fracture Testing

Results from experimental studies using the debond test specimens introduced in Chapter 10, i.e. the double cantilever beam (DCB), tilted sandwich debond (TSD), cracked sandwich beam (CSB), single cantilever beam (SCB), three-point sandwich beam (TPSB), mixed mode bending (MMB), and double cantilever beam-uneven bending moments (DCB-UMB) specimens are discussed. Results of particular interest are the compliance and energy release rate, and the manner in which the crack propagates, i.e., interface propagation or crack kinking and the determination of debond fracture toughness.
A Washing Technique for Collection of Honeybee Semen

SummaryA simple and fast method for collecting honeybee semen in large quantity is described. Semen and mucus of many drones, everted and ejaculated by hand, were scraped into Kiev diluent in a semen-washing funnel and a collecting tube. The semen-mucus-diluent mixture was centrifuged at 2500 rpm for 10 min to separate semen from mucus and the diluent. The collecting tube containing semen was incorporated into a special large-capacity syringe, and the semen was used to inseminate queen honeybees.No significant differences were found in the amount of brood produced between 31 queens instrumentally inseminated with semen collected by this method, queens inseminated with semen collected by the conventional Mackensen technique, and open-mated queens (P > 0·05 in all cases). However, significant differences were observed in the onset of oviposition (P < 0·05 in all cases). There was a delay before oviposition by all the instrumentally inseminated queens, which was greatest for queens inseminated with semen col...
Court-Ordered School Desegregation

Research on student outcomes and changes associated with school desegregation has focused primarily on student achievement and personality variables (Hawley, 1981; St. John, 1975). Much of this research has assessed the degree to which school desegregation facilitates racial equality and “equal educational opportunity” in the public education setting. Reflecting a definition of equal opportunity as similarity in behavioral outputs (Mosteller & Moynihan, 1972), the research has most commonly compared the performance of desegregated black students with their white classmates and/or segregated black students. The assumption is that if equal opportunity is afforded, there will be no significant differences between the performance of black and white students. Conversely, this definition assumes that differences which do exist are the result of inequities in schooling.
Statistical Mechanics of Vortex Filaments

Turbulent flow can be idealized as a collection of filiform vortex filaments. In an appropriate range of scales, these filaments can be viewed as being in thermal equilibrium. That equilibrium can be analyzed by a variety of tools, including renormalization, simulation on a lattice, pivot-like algorithms, and Monte-Carlo methods. The analysis reveals the mechanics by which integral constraints (for example, conservation of helicity and of energy) create correlations and scaling behavior in physical space, and provides reasonable estimates of characteristic exponents and of the values of the parameters that describe the higher statistics of the flow.