cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Physiological changes associated with potassium deficiency in cotton

Abstract Potassium (K) fertility recommendations based on cotton petiole diagnostic analysis results have been inconsistent in the past, partly because the lowest acceptable petiole K concentration is unknown. Therefore, cotton was grown in sand filled 8‐L pots under two K treatments in a growth chamber at the Altheimer Laboratory in Fayetteville, AR to determine the petiole K concentration that will impact leaf physiology. Chamber‐grown plants were watered every second day with nutrient solution and with deionized water on alternate days. At 14 days after planting two treatments were established consisting of (1) continued complete nutrient solution, and (2) nutrient solution containing no K. Measurements were taken 13, 19, and 26 days after treatment establishment (DATE). Organ K concentrations, leaf chlorophyll, photosynthesis, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and nonstructural carbohydrate concentrations were monitored as plant K deficiencies developed. All organ K concentrations were much lower in the n...
Generating Test Cases for Programs that Are Coded against Interfaces and Annotations

Automatic test case generation for software programs is very powerful but suffers from a key limitation. That is, most current test case generation techniques fail to cover testee code when covering that code requires additional pieces of code not yet part of the program under test. To address some of these cases, the Pex state-of-the-art test case generator can generate basic mock code. However, current test case generators cannot handle cases in which the code under test uses multiple interfaces, annotations, or reflection. To cover such code in an object-oriented setting, we describe a novel technique for generating test cases and mock classes. The technique consists of collecting constraints on interfaces, annotations, and reflection, combining them with program constraints collected during dynamic symbolic execution, encoding them in a constraint system, solving them with an off-the-shelf constraint solver, and mapping constraint solutions to test cases and custom mock classes. We demonstrate the value of this technique on open-source applications. Our approach covered such third-party code with generated mock classes, while competing approaches failed to cover the code and sometimes produced unintended side-effects such as filling the screen with dialog boxes and writing into the file system.
The reversibility of virus attachment to mineral surfaces

Virus transport through groundwater is limited by attachment to mineral surfaces and inactivation. Current virus transport models do not consider the implications of the reversibility of virus attachment to minerals. To explore the reversibility of virus attachment to mineral surfaces, we attached PRD1, a bacteriophage considered to be a good model of enteric viruses, to quartz and ferric oxyhydroxide-coated quartz surfaces over a range of pH values in equilibrium “static columns.” Following attachment, we detached the viruses by replacing the pore solution with solutions of equal and higher pH. The extent of virus attachment followed an attachment “edge” that occurred at a pH value about 2.5–3.5 pH units above the pHiep of the mineral surfaces. Viruses attached below this edge were irreversibly attached until the pH of the detachment solution exceeded the pH value of the attachment edge. Viruses attached above this edge were reversibly attached. Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) potential energy calculations showed that the attachment edge occurred at the pH at which the potential energy of the primary minimum was near zero, implying that the position of the primary minimum (attractive or repulsive) controlled the equilibrium distribution of the viruses. The results suggest that the reversibility of virus attachment must be considered in virus transport models for accurate predictions of virus travel time.
A problem in the theory of numerical estimation

The type of estimation to be discussed here is illustrated by such problems as estimating the length of time spent at a given task, or the volume of a room, or the maximum temperature on a certain day. All such questions relate to problems of estimation in which a continuous (i.e. non-discrete) numerical magnitude is involved. To have a definite and concrete example before us, let us try to estimate the height of yonder tree. It must be about 25 feet high. Of course we do not and cannot claim that it is exactly 25 feet ; it is 25 feet 'approximate ly', 25 feet 'give or take a couple'. We do not and must not pretend to absolute precision in estimates of this kind. The very best we can do is to make an estimate of the type: the height of the tree is 25 feet, give or take, say, 3 feet. This 'give or take' limitation is crucially important in any attempt to. estimate the value of a continuous magnitude. No matter how elaborate and extensive the body of evidence upon which our estimate is based even down to the most accurate measurements made with the most sophisticated instrumentation we are never justified in making an estimate which involves a perfectly precise specification of the magnitude in question leaving no margin of possible error whatsoever. However refined may be the data upon which our estimate rests, there must always remain a range of possible deviation due to the limited accuracy of our instruments, perturbational variation in measuring procedures, human error, and the like.1) Perfect precision of estimation must thus be excluded from the realm of possibility. But although absolute precision is unattainable, it is important to recog nize that increased confidence in the correctness of our estimates can
A simple method for creating a large period optical standing wave for atom manipulation

Abstract A method has been developed for producing an optical standing wave with a period much larger than the wavelength of the light used. The spatial period of this wave is easily adjustable from 80 μm to more than 300 μm. This method has been used to create an optical field gradient suitable for use in a study of the dipole force on atoms, as well as a cylindrical lens for focusing an atomic beam.
Prolonged Exposure to a Mer Ligand in Leukemia: Gas6 Favors Expression of a Partial Mer Glycoform and Reveals a Novel Role for Mer in the Nucleus

Mer tyrosine kinase is ectopically expressed in acute lymphoblastic leukemia and associated with enhanced chemoresistance and disease progression. While such effects are generally ascribed to increased engagement of oncogenic pathways downstream of Mer stimulation by its ligand, Gas6, Mer has not been characterized beyond the scope of its signaling activity. The present study explores Mer behavior following prolonged exposure to Gas6, a context similar to the Gas6-enriched microenvironment of the bone marrow, where a steady supply of ligand facilitates continuous engagement of Mer and likely sustains the presence of leukemic cells. Long-term Gas6 exposure induced production of a partially N-glycosylated form of Mer from newly synthesized stores of protein. Preferential expression of the partial Mer glycoform was associated with diminished levels of Mer on the cell surface and altered Mer localization within the nuclear-soluble and chromatin-bound fractions. The presence of Mer in the nucleus is a novel finding for this receptor, and the glycoform-specific preferences observed in each nuclear compartment suggest that glycosylation may influence Mer function within particular subcellular locales. Previous studies have established Mer as an attractive cancer biologic target, and understanding the complexity of its activity has important implications for potential strategies of Mer inhibition in leukemia therapy. Our results identify several novel features of Mer that expand the breadth of its functions and impact the development of therapeutic modalities designed to target Mer.
The Post-activation refractory phase: A mechanism to measure antigenic complexity and ensure self-tolerance among mature peripheral T lymphocytes

This paper outlines a model describing how the post-activation refractory phase of mature T cells may promote adaptive self/nonself-discrimination among mature peripheral T cells in extrathymic tissues. This model is based on the following experimental observations. First, activation of myelin basic protein-specific T-helper cells elicits a single episode of interleukin 2 production followed by a 7-10 day refractory phase during which antigenic restimulation elicits proliferation but without interleukin 2 production or re-expression of encephalitogenic activity. Secondly, T lymphoblasts exhibiting post-activation refractoriness are substantially more susceptible to anergy as compared to resting T cells. Third, myelin basic protein-induced activation at low T-cell densities elicits a refractory phase that is prolonged as compared to that of high T-cell density cultures. These results support a model by which a pioneer T-cell encountering peripheral antigen produces a limited supply of interleukin 2. This T cell will upregulate effector functions or will become anergic, depending on continual immigration of additional antigen-reactive clones, each of which makes a limited supply of interleukin 2 before entering into the post-activation refractory phase. By this model, immune responses will be sustained in areas with high degrees of antigenic complexity (infectious process) but will falter in regions of low antigenic complexity (unaltered self tissues).
Investigation of Paediatric Liver Disease

The investigation of children with liver disease falls into two categories: the investigation of the cholestatic baby and the investigation of the older child (over 2 years) with hepatomegaly. The approach to investigation is directed by the clinical features and employs many different investigational methods including biochemistry, haematology, radiology, electrophysiology and histology. As the clinical presentation of many diseases is similar, it is appropriate to perform a variety of first-line tests, proceeding to more complex investigations only as indicated.
Giving voice to enterprise mobile applications

Speech technology is gaining popularity and is used in a wide range of mobile applications and consumer devices. Speech-based interfaces circumvent the typing difficulties posed by soft keyboards. This paper describes the design and research of a speech-based interface for an enterprise sales application that combines speech recognition, natural language processing, and web services to drive the application. The paper further delves into the research methods applied--paper prototype testing, structured interviews, and a lab study--to gather feedback at various design stages. Finally, the paper describes how each of the three distinct research methods provided researchers with a more complete understanding of the user experience and led to a redesign.
Quarkonium mass splittings in three-flavor lattice QCD

We report on calculations of the charmonium and bottomonium spectrum in lattice QCD. We use ensembles of gauge fields with three flavors of sea quarks, simulated with the asqtad improved action for staggered fermions. For the heavy quarks we employ the Fermilab interpretation of the clover action for Wilson fermions. These calculations provide a test of lattice QCD, including the theory of discretization errors for heavy quarks. We provide, therefore, a careful discussion of the results in light of the heavy-quark effective Lagrangian. By and large, we find that the computed results are in agreement with experiment, once parametric and discretization errors are taken into account.
Tin-117m: Production, chemistry and evaluation as a bone-scanning agent

Abstract Cyclotron and nuclear reactor methods of producing 117mSn were compared. Reactor production gave the highest yield. Of several chelates studied, in rats 117mSn tartrate gave the highest bone uptake (55 per cent) with less than 5 per cent uptake in soft tissue. Because of a favorable half-life of 14 days and emission of 158 keV photons, 117mSn is considered as a possible bone-scanning agent. Scintillation camera and whole-body scan pictures show uptake of 117mSn-tartrate in bone of beagle dogs. Radionuclidic purity, chemical toxicity, and absorbed radiation dose are within limits acceptable for human use.
Theoretical basis of protocols for seed storage. II. The influence of temperature on optimal moisture levels.

The premise of this paper is that the chemical potential of water strongly influences aging reactions in seeds, and that there will be an optimal chemical potential of water for seed longevity. If this is true, the optimum moisture content for storage and the optimal drying protocols should vary with the storage temperature, but should be predictable from water sorption isotherms. Isotherms for pea, soybean and peanut are given for temperatures between 65° and −150°C. Relative humidity/moisture content relationships were determined directly for temperatures between 5° and 50°C using saturated salt solutions. At extreme temperatures, isotherms were calculated from heat capacity measurements using differential scanning calorimetry or extrapolations of van't Hoff analyses. The family of isotherms was used to predict optimum moisture contents at storage temperatures between 65°C and −150°C. The optimal moisture contents for these three species are consistently shown to increase as the storage temperature is lowered.
Surgical management of pineal region tumors.

The authors advocate an aggressive surgical approach to pineal region tumors to provide a definitive histological diagnosis and to facilitate extensive tumor removal. This strategy is based on their surgical experience in 160 operations for pineal region tumors in which operative mortality was 4% with 3% permanent major morbidity. One-third of pineal tumors were benign for which surgery alone was usually curative. A gross total removal was possible in 31 of 107 malignant tumors. The supracerebellar infratentorial approach was preferred in 86% of patients.
Protein relaxation dynamics in human myoglobin

Abstract Transient absorption spectra in the Soret region have been measured following the photolysis of human MbCO in 75%(w/w) glycerol:water at 250, 270, and 290 K. The peak of the transient difference spectrum near 436 nm shifts from low to high energy on the nanosecond time scale. The spectral changes are quantitatively analyzed using an approach based on singular value decomposition, and the results are interpreted in terms of a structural relaxation of the protein. The kinetics of the relaxation and ligand rebinding are nonexponential in time. At all three temperatures, the relaxation is complete prior to the end of the geminate phase of recombination. At 250 K the transient spectra have relaxed to the equilibrium deoxyMb-MbCO spectrum after 10 μs. At 290 K the relaxation is faster and is complete on the ns time scale. The kinetics of the geminate recombination following the spectral changes are single exponential.
Population dynamics of nematode transmission in western flower thrips on caged impatiens.

Abstract To evaluate potential of Thripinema nicklewoodi (Tylenchida: Allantonematidae) as a biological control agent of western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), dynamics of nematode transmission were studied in two experimental thrips populations with different initial parasitism rates in caged impatiens plants. The initial parasitism rates of adult female thrips were set at 50% in a ‘Low nematode’ treatment and at 70% in a ‘High nematode’ treatment and were compared to a control population. Transmission of T. nicklewoodi persisted for seven host generations in both nematode treatments. There was convergence in both number of parasitized thrips and percent parasitism among all the subpopulations of the western flower thrips, and no differences were found between the two treatments. The highest parasitism rates were in adult female thrips, reaching 52% in the second generation of the ‘Low nematode’ treatment and 48% in the fifth generation of ‘High nematode’ treatment. Populations of healthy (i.e., not parasitized) female thrips declined 50–79% in the ‘Low nematode’ treatment and 39–73% in ‘High nematode’ treatment compared to the control thrips population between the fourth and seventh generations. However, no significant reductions were found in numbers of larval thrips in either treatment, compared to controls, and the numbers of larval thrips were not different between the two treatments. Higher proportion of male in thrips populations with nematode was observed during the last four sampling dates when adult female thrips declined significantly in both treatments compared to control population.
W.E.B. Du Bois and Filipino/a American exposure programs to the Philippines: race class analysis in an epoch of ‘global apartheid’

The article highlights the ongoing relevance of W.E.B. Du Bois for the global analysis of race and class. Engaging scholarly debates that have ensued within the educational subfields of critical race theory (CRT) and (revolutionary) critical pedagogy, the article explores how a deeper engagement with Du Bois’s ideas contributes theoretically and methodologically to these two subfields. Of particular focus is Du Bois’s conceptualization of a ‘guiding hundredth,’ which he forwarded as a corrective to his ideas of a ‘talented tenth.’ The article also offers a case study analysis of the film Sounds of a New Hope, which documents a hip hop exposure program to the Philippines. The case study draws upon Du Bois’s ‘guiding hundredth’ for a twenty-first century context as a Filipino American cultural worker utilizes hip hop to articulate, analyze, and alter the lived experiences for Filipino/a Americans in a global diaspora.
Species differences in upper respiratory tract deposition of acetone and ethanol vapors

Regional deposition patterns determine the dose of inhaled gaseous toxicant received by various areas of the respiratory tract. To study potential species differences in upper respiratory tract (URT) deposition of acetone and ethanol vapors, and to determine if deposition of these vapors could be described by a ventilation-perfusion (V-P) model, URT deposition efficiencies of these vapors were measured over a 12- to 18-min period at selected flow rates in the surgically isolated URT of urethane-anesthetized Fischer rats and Hartley guinea pigs. For both gases in both species, deposition efficiencies were significantly dependent upon inspiratory flow rate (p < 0.0005). The V-P model predicts a linear relationship will exist between the ratio of the deposited to the nondeposited fraction and the inverse of the inspiratory flow rate. Such relationships were observed for deposition of acetone (r = 0.93, p < 0.0005) and ethanol vapors (r = 0.95, p < 0.0005) in the guinea pig and for deposition of acetone vapor (r = 0.95, p < 0.0005) in the rat. In contrast, a linear relationship was not observed for ethanol in the rat suggesting that deposition mechanism(s) differ for this vapor in this species. Despite the fact that the surface area of the URT of the guinea pig is greater than that of the rat, URT deposition of these vapors was as much as twice as efficient in the rat as in the guinea pig (p < 0.0005). This effect was not due to different blood:air partition coefficients as they were identical in both species. In toto, these results suggest there may be important anatomic and/or physiologic differences in the URT of the Hartley guinea pig and Fischer rat. Such differences may have to be considered when comparing the response(s) of these species to toxic gases or when extrapolating data obtained from these species to the human.
A new assignment of the disulfide linkage in stellacyanin.

Which cysteine of apostellacyanine reacts with 4-vinylpyridine in 6 M guanidine—HCl depends upon the pH. We infer that a disulfide switch occurs at higher pH and that in the native protein the disulfide bridge occurs between Cys-59 and Cys-93. Thus Cys-87, which is homologous to the cysteine ligands of azurin and plastocyanin, is available to bind copper.
Response of cortical collecting ducts from remnant kidneys to arginine vasopressin.

Response of cortical collecting ducts from remnant kidneys to arginine vasopressin. Chronic renal failure is associated with impaired urine concentration. Previous studies have demonstrated that cortical collecting ducts (CCD) from uremic rabbits (with remnant kidneys) have an impaired response to arginine vasopressin (AVP). To determine whether this defect is an early, integral component of compensatory renal growth by the remnant kidney, we studied the response of CCD derived from rabbits one week after 75% nephrectomy. At one week, hypertrophy and adaptation in sodium transport are fully developed, but azotemia and interstitial fibrosis are absent. The animals with remnant kidneys failed to respond normally to water deprivation and dDAVP (maximum urine osmolality 738 ± 29.1 mOsm/kg compared to 1378 ± 207 in sham operated). However, in isolated, perfused CCD from remnant kidneys, AVP stimulated hydraulic water permeability to the same extent as in normal CCD or CCD from sham operated animals. AVP-induced cAMP generation per mm tubule length was significantly higher in the CCD from remnant kidneys (137.4 ± 14.5 fmol/mm) than in the control group (82.4 ± 11.9 fmol/mm), but not different when expressed per µ% protein. These studies demonstrate that one week after reduction in renal mass there is no defect in the response of CCD to AVP, suggesting that the mechanisms responsible for the hyposthenuria after loss of renal mass are not related to any intrinsic cellular changes that occur in CCD early during compensatory renal growth.
p38 Inhibitors: beyond pyridinylimidazoles

Since the discovery of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) as a potential intracellular modulator that regulates the crucial biosynthesis and functions of pro-inflammatory cytokines (e.g., TNF-α and IL-1β), numerous groups have disclosed their efforts to find small-molecule p38 inhibitors as potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), Crohn’s disease (CD) and psoriasis. Although greater selectivity has been achieved with these newly disclosed series, their safety profile after chronic treatment remains a question to be answered in human clinical trials. The p38 inhibitors that have been disclosed in the recent patent literature (2000 – 2004) are summarised here. These compounds will be classified into series based on their intrinsic structures and by their binding modes, as revealed by either crystallography or molecular modelling.
TESTS FOR AGGREGATION AND SIZE-BASED SAMPLE-UNIT SELECTION WHEN SAMPLE UNITS VARY IN SIZE

Previous tests for aggregation of organisms among sampling units that vary in size and tests for size-based sample-unit selection fail to account for variation in the size of the sample unit. When sample units vary in size, tests that assume equal-sized sample units overestimate the degree of aggregation and have a tendency to find selection for large-sized sample units. Previous tests for selection of large or small leaves by phytophagous insects have been biased toward detecting selection for large leaves when no leaf selection or selection for small leaves may actually be present, and toward detecting aggregation even when populations are Poisson random or repulsed. We derive explicitly the population mean and variance of the number of organisms per sample unit when the size of the sample unit is random, and we outline procedures to estimate the degree of aggregation and test for size-based sample-unit selection using a generalized linear model based on a Poisson null hypothesis of independent random placement.
Comparison of two waist-mounted and two ankle-mounted electronic pedometers.

This study compared two ankle-mounted pedometers [StepWatch 3 (SW-3Ankle) and Activity Monitoring Pod 331 (AMPAnkle)] and two waist-mounted pedometers [New Lifestyles NL-2000 (NLWaist) and Digiwalker SW-701 (SW-701Waist)] under controlled and free-living conditions. In part I, 20 participants walked on a treadmill at speeds of 27–107 m min−1. Actual steps were counted with a hand counter. In part II, participants performed leg swinging, heel tapping, stationary cycling, and car driving. In part III, 15 participants wore all pedometers for a 24 h period. The SW-3Ankle displayed values that were within 1% of actual steps during treadmill walking at all speeds. The other devices underestimated steps at slow speeds but all gave mean values that were within ±3% of actual steps at 80 m min−1 and above. The SW-3Ankle registered some steps during heel tapping, leg swinging, and cycling, while the AMPAnkle was only responsive to leg swinging. During car driving no devices recorded more than eight steps, on average. Over 24 h, the AMPAnkle recorded 18% fewer steps than the SW-3Ankle (P<0.05), while the SW-701Waist and the NLWaist recorded 15 and 11% less than the SW-3Ankle, respectively (NSD). The SW-3Ankle has superior accuracy at slow treadmill walking speeds (although it was also more likely to detect “fidgeting” activities). Over 24 h, the SW-3Ankle tended to give higher estimates of steps per day than the other ankle- and waist-mounted pedometers.
Institutional and Occupational Undulant Fever in Colorado

Our failure to secure positive results in an attempt to incriminate milk goats in the dissemination of undulant fever in and about Denver 1 led us to test our agglutinating antigens on two institutional herds of milk cattle reputed to harbor abortion disease, as well as on a limited number of pupils and employees using raw milk in these institutions, on a group of veterinary meat inspectors in slaughter houses, and on a group of employees in a hog cholera serum plant. There was no reason to doubt the reliability of our antigens because one of them was made from a culture of Bacterium melitensis, var. abortus (no. 456), received from the National Institute of Health, Washington, D. C, while the other was prepared from a culture (our no. 5009) obtained from the blood of a patient in the Colorado General Hospital with typical undulant fever; both cultures were morphologically and culturally characteristic, and both reacted well with the blood serum of other patients with undulant fever.2 But the fact that with these antigens we were able to detect agglutinins in the blood and milk serums of cattle and in the blood serums of pupils in these institutions, as well as in the serum of veterinary meat inspectors, not only is of interest as a control for our negative results with goats, but is of significance in itself as an indication of the dissemination of undulant fever through the drinking of raw milk from cows and the handling of infected meat. On the other hand, we were unable to find any evidence of infection in 12 employees of a hog cholera serum plant.
Relation between clinically measured tonic accommodation and refractive status in 6- to 14-year-old children.

ABSTRACT Previous studies have shown a relation between refractive status and tonic accommodation (TA), with corrected hyperopes displaying a significantly higher TA than corrected myopes. TA measurements in those studies were made on adult subjects, under laboratory conditions with an infrared or laser optometer. The study reported here used a different measurement method and younger subjects. The TA of 113 (19 hyperopic, 61 emmetropic, 33 myopic) children, ages 6 to 14 years, was measured by a clinical method described earlier. Analysis of variance indicated significant (p<0.25) between-group mean differences similar to the adult-subject data cited above. Clinical implications of the data and the measurement method are discussed.
A Kelvin-Voight Fractional Derivative Model for Viscoelastic Characterization of Liver Tissue

There has been interest in the mechanical properties of the non-load bearing soft body tissues (brain, liver, prostate etc.) in recent years. The motivation comes from three areas: characterizing tissue response to crash injuries [1], modeling for robotic surgical devices [2] and elastographic diagnosis of disease processes using ultrasound [3].Copyright © 2002 by ASME
Transparent Thin Film Transistors Based on InZnO for Flexible Electronics

There is strong interest in new forms of transparent, flexible or wearable electronics using non-Si materials deposited at low temperature on cheap substrates. While Si-based thin film transistors (TFTs) are widely used in displays, there are some drawbacks such as light sensitivity and light degradation and low field effect mobility (
Collaboration to collect climate data

A new atmospheric radiation and cloud station, or ARCS, in Australia, could help to better understand climate change. The station was dedicated on 31 July. The station is part of the U.S. Department of Energy's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program. The program, which is the agency's largest nd most comprehensive climate data collection project, includes stations in the north slope of Alaska and the southern Great Plains in the United States, and also in the tropical western Pacific. The new ARCS will gather standard types of weather data, and also measure solar and ground radiation, and cloud reflectivity.
Remodeling and activation of Escherichia coli RNA polymerase by osmolytes.

The ability of bacteria to survive environmental stresses and colonize the gastrointestinal tract depends on adaptation to high osmolarity. The adaptation involves global reprogramming of gene expression, including inhibition of bulk σ70 RNA polymerase transcription and activation of bulk σ38 transcription. The activating signal transduction pathways that originate with osmolytes remain to be established. Experiments here confirm that accumulation of a simple signaling molecule, glutamate, can reprogram RNA polymerase in vitro without the need for specific protein receptors. During osmotic activation, glutamate appears to act as a Hofmeister series osmolyte to facilitate promoter escape. Escape is accompanied by a remodeling of the key interaction between the σ38 stress protein and the β-flap of the bacterial core RNA polymerase. This activation event contrasts with the established mechanism of inhibition in which glutamate, by virtue of its electrostatic properties, helps to inhibit binding to ribosomal ...
English School, American Style: Testing the Preservation-seeking Quality of the International Society

This article addresses criticism that the English School fails to test empirically the validity of its main claims. The article takes a neglected yet highly significant aspect of the international society, its preservation-seeking quality, and tests it. It hypothesizes that if the international society truly exists and is inclined to act in order to guarantee its survival, its members should respond to threats to the existence of the society with rigorous collective action atypical of `normal politics'. To validate the hypothesis, the article examines the way in which members of the international society have responded to the systemic threat posed by the al Qaeda-led jihadi movement, focusing on the regime to suppress the financing of terrorism. Subsequently, the article lauds the theoretical contribution of the English School to understanding systemic threats, as well as its unique exposition of the war on terrorism.
Some methodological questions concerning receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis as a method for assessing image quality in radiology.

This paper raises five methodological questions concerning Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis: (1) can the ROC “confidence criterion” be applied in a valid, reliable way?; (2) can ROC deal with ambiguous findings?; (3) can ROC deal effectively with false-negative findings?; (4) are ROC curves susceptible to valid statistical testing?; and (5) are ROC results useful in choosing among alternative imaging modalities? A review of the evidence leads to six conclusions. First, using ROC, all radiological findings must be unambiguously scored as true-positive, true-negative, false-positive, or false-negative, often forcing arbitrary, procrustean choices on readers and evaluators. Second, ROC requires radiologists to report findings by confidence level on a consistent, reliable basis throughout a ROC experiment; something that seems unrealistic, given what is known about human performance in almost all perceptual tasks of comparable complexity. Third, as gathered during the typical experiment, ROC data are probably nominal, but treated as if ordinal (or even interval) data, leading to distorted results. Fourth, ROC does not deal effectively with false-negatives, despite their importance. Fifth, there is no satisfactory method for statistically testing the significance of observed differences between two ROC curves if they are based on nominal data. Finally, the artificial tasks required of radiologists in a ROC evaluation limit the usefulness of ROC results in choosing among the imaging modalities.
Dissolving the Relationship Between Divorce Law and Divorce Rates

It is well known that associations can be shown between many things that have no causal link. The inclination to attribute causal connections is nonetheless often strong, particularly in areas of social concern. Surely, most people believe it would be a good thing if marriages were, on average, more durable. The hope that a relatively simple change in the law could bring about such a worthwhile result tempts judgment. But the hope does not survive a careful examination of the data. This article demonstrates that in almost all states divorce rates began increasing before legal changes to no-fault divorce. Those changes sometimes yielded a short-term increase in the divorce rate of a year or two, but there is no evidence of any long-term effect. It is far more plausible to conclude that divorce rates and divorce laws share causal influences. In the 1960s and 1970s, when changing cultural factors yielded more marital instability, pressures also rose to amend divorce laws to make divorce more accessible. In the 1980s and 1990s, the social pendulum began its return arc. Divorce rates leveled off, then fell, and those who make and comment upon social policy now find restrictive divorce laws more appealing than did their older brothers and sisters. Although the proponents of more restrictive laws hope to bring about societal change, the truth is that, like their predecessors, the change they seek has already begun, and their policy preference may well be its consequence rather than its cause.
Origin of Lead in Andean Calc-Alkaline Lavas, Southern Peru

Lead isotope data from Quaternary andesitic lavas of the Arequipa and Barroso groups of southern Peru and from regional Precambrian granulitic gneisses reveal a lead component in the lavas from the gneisses. The lava leads can be accounted for by two-component mixtures of lead from mantle and lower crustal sources, although the mixing process need not have occurred in the lower crust.
Byron, Spain, and the romance of Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage

While romantic studies have often focused on Byron’s relationship to specific topographies – Greece, Italy, and the East in particular – surprisingly little has been written about what is clearly one of Byron’s most important cultural geographies – Spain. This essay, by contrast, seeks to reestablish the centrality of the Iberian Peninsula to Byron’s imagination by showing how Byron’s poetics of ambivalence, which critics have identified as an essential characteristic of Byron’s poetry more broadly, is born out of his conflicted attitudes toward Iberia in particular rather than an ambivalence toward life in general. More specifically, this essay develops a reading of Canto 1 of Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage that challenges the critical tendency to read the so‐called “Spanish Canto” as predominantly critical and ironic in its attitudes toward Spain and the romance genre. Focusing on Byron’s literary treatment of the Iberian Peninsula through the form of romance – a genre in which Spain was stereotypically por...
O se lo enseñamos demasiado pronto y no pueden aprenderlo o demasiado tarde y ya lo conocen: el dilema de «aplicar a Piaget»

(1981). O se lo ensenamos demasiado pronto y no pueden aprenderlo o demasiado tarde y ya lo conocen: el dilema de «aplicar a Piaget». Journal for the Study of Education and Development: Vol. 4, Monografia Number 2: PIAGET, pp. 163-177.
Automated symbolic algebra for quantum chemistry

Today, state-of-the-art computational methods and programs for quantum theory for electron correlation may not be developed entirely manually. They are often constructed with the essential aid of symbolic algebra systems automating lengthy and error-prone mathematical derivation and computer implementation, inevitable in these developments. Recent progress in this new paradigm of chemical theory development—complete automation—is reviewed.
Spectral content of buried Ag foils at 1016 W/cm2 laser illuminationa)

Sources of 5–12 keV thermal Heα x-rays are readily generated by laser irradiation of mid-Z foils at intensities >1014 W/cm2, and are widely used as probes for inertial confinement fusion and high-energy-density experiments. Higher energy 17–50 keV x-ray sources are efficiently produced from “cold” Kα emission using short pulse, petawatt lasers at intensities >1018 W/cm2 [H.-S. Park, B. R. Maddox et al., “High-resolution 17–75 keV backlighters for high energy density experiments,” Phys. Plasmas 15(7), 072705 (2008); B. R. Maddox, H. S. Park, B. A. Remington et al., “Absolute measurements of x-ray backlighter sources at energies above 10 keV,” Phys. Plasmas 18(5), 056709 (2011)]. However, when long pulse (>1 ns) lasers are used with Z > 30 elements, the spectrum contains contributions from both K shell transitions and from ionized atomic states. Here we show that by sandwiching a silver foil between layers of high-density carbon, the ratio of Kα:Heα in the x-ray spectrum is significant increased over direct...
Self-healing polymers and composites based on thermal activation

Structural polymer composites are susceptible to premature failure in the form of microcracks in the matrix. Although benign initially when they form, these matrix cracks tend to coalesce and lead in service to critical damage modes such as ply delamination. The matrix cracks are difficult to detect and almost impossible to repair because they form inside the composite laminate. Therefore, polymers with self-healing capability would provide a promising potential to minimize maintenance costs while extending the service lifetime of composite structures. In this paper we report on a group of polymers and their composites which exhibit mendable property upon heating. The failure and healing mechanisms of the polymers involve Diels-Alder (DA) and retro-Diels-Alder (RDA) reactions on the polymer back-bone chain, which are thermally reversible reactions requiring no catalyst. The polymers exhibited good healing property in bulk form. Composite panels were prepared by sandwiching the monomers between carbon fiber fabric layers and cured in autoclave. Microcracks were induced on the resin-rich surface of composite with Instron machine at room temperature by holding at 1% strain for 1 min. The healing ability of the composite was also demonstrated by the disappearance of microcracks after heating. In addition to the self-healing ability, the polymers and composites also exhibited shape memory property. These unique properties may provide the material multi-functional applications. Resistance heating of traditional composites and its applicability in self-healing composites is also studied to lay groundwork for a fully integrated self-healing composite.
Conformational changes of yeast plasma membrane H+-ATPase during activation by glucose : Role of threonine-912 in the carboxy-terminal tail

Yeast Pma1 H+-ATPase, which belongs to the P-type family of cation-transporting ATPases, is activated up to 10-fold by growth on glucose, and indirect evidence has linked the activation to Ser/Thr phosphorylation within the C-terminal tail. We have now used limited trypsinolysis to map glucose-induced conformational changes throughout the 100 kDa ATPase. In the wild-type enzyme, trypsin cleaves first at Lys-28 and Arg-73 in the extended N-terminal segment (sites T1 and T2); subsequent cleavages occur at Arg-271 between the A domain and M3 (site T3) and at Lys-749 or Lys-754 in the M6−M7 cytoplasmic loop (site T4). Activation by glucose leads to a striking increase in trypsin sensitivity. At the C-terminal end of the protein, the Arg- and Lys-rich tail is shielded from trypsin in membranes from glucose-starved cells (GS) but becomes accessible in membranes from glucose-metabolizing cells (GM). In the presence of orthovanadate, Lys-174 at the boundary between M2 and the A domain also becomes open to cleavag...
The value of water as an urban club good: A matching approach to community-provided lakes

Abstract Community-provided urban lakes located in arid environments provide significant amenities to residents but require large quantities of water to maintain lake levels. We use matching techniques to recover the average capitalized value of lakes above the costs of maintenance by comparing transactions in lake communities to observationally similar transactions in surrounding communities. We differentiate between adjacent and non-adjacent houses to recover heterogeneous treatment effects and allow estimates to vary across communities. Importantly, we consider the role of imperfect matching on spatially and temporally varying unobservable variables in our choice of estimator and the appropriate set of potential control properties. Our results suggest that the capitalized value of lakes is heterogeneous with a mean estimate of $6500 an acre-foot. Our results provide estimates of the changes in water prices that would make this form of development unprofitable, illustrating the linkage between water pricing policy and the water intensity of development.
Kinematic modeling and its implication in longitudinal chemotherapy study of tumor physiology: ovarian xenograft mouse model and contrast-enhanced dynamic CT (Honorable Mention Poster Award)

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate that dynamic CT provides the necessary sensitivity to quantify tumor physiology and differences in chemotherapeutic response. A compartmental mouse model utilizing measured contrast-enhanced dynamic CT scans is used to simulate systematic and statistical errors associated with tumor physiology: perfusion, permeability (PS), fractional plasma volume (fp), and fractional interstitial volume. The solute utilized is a small molecular weight radio-opaque contrast agent (isovue). For such an intravascular-interstitial medium, the kinematics simplifies to a two compartmental diffusive dominated set of coupled differential equations. Each combination of physiological parameters is repeatedly simulated fifteen times from which statistical errors calculated. The fractional change relative to the true value (systematic error) and standard deviation (statistical error) are plotted as a function of PS, fp, scanner temporal resolution and noise, and contrast media injection rates. By extrapolating from experimental data found in literature, a relative change in PS and fp of approximately 40% is required. Thus, the longitudinal response of two chemotherapeutic drugs under investigation - proteasome and IMPDH inhibitors - are hypothesized to induce different physiological responses. The first set of simulations varies PS from 0.05 to 0.40 mL/min/mL and fp from 0.01 to 0.07 mL/mL while holding all other physiological parameters constant. Errors in PS remain below 3% while statistical errors for fp increase significantly as the volume decreases toward 1-2%: errors remain less than 6% for fp>0.03 while increasing to above 15% for fp<0.02. The second set of simulations are performed quantifying the relationship between scanner temporal resolution and contrast media injection rate for various tumor permeabilities. For the majority of cases, the errors remain below 5%. As PS approaches perfusion, a total error less than 6% can be maintained for a temporal resolution less than or equal to 3 seconds, and an error less than 9% up to 5-7 seconds. As the injection rate decreases from 2 mL/min down to 0.25 mL/min, inadequate sampling of the contrast dynamics necessary to decouple the physiological parameters is lost increasing both systematic and statistical errors from 10% when sampling at 5 seconds in excess of 20-25% at a 9 second sampling rate. In each case, dynamic CT provides the necessary sensitivity to distinguish between the differing therapeutic reponses of proteasome and IMPDH inhibitors.
Glutamate-immunoreactive neurons and their gonadotropin-releasing hormone-neuronal interactions in the monkey hypothalamus.

Glutamate (Glu) is the most prevalent excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain and has been implicated in the regulation of GnRH secretion in several mammalian species, including the monkey. To investigate the neuroanatomical basis for Glu-GnRH interactions, we performed an immunocytochemical study at both the light and electron microscopic levels on the brains of four female and five male macaques. Initially, we determined the location of Glu-immunoreactive (-ir) elements using a monoclonal antibody specific for glutaraldehyde-fixed Glu (Glu-2) and 3,3'-diaminobenzidine-4-HCl (DAB). Glu-ir was observed in the cytoplasm and to a variable degree in the nuclei of neurons in the diencephalon. Cytoplasmic staining was particularly intense in numerous neurons in the arcuate nucleus, supraoptic nucleus, and many paraventricular nucleus neurons. Short Glu-ir processes were evident in these and other hypothalamic regions and were extremely dense in the infundibular stalk and median eminence. Prior absorption of t...
Counterstories from White mainstream preservice teachers: resisting the master narrative of deficit by default

The desire to extinguish deficit thinking within education majors is laudable. However, there are indications that many teacher educators harbor deficit perspectives about the preservice teachers, presuming that their lack of exposure to economically, ethnically and linguistically diverse settings renders them deficient as future educators. This project began with the premise that counternarratives generated by typically mainstream education majors might reveal a more complex and a less caricatured representation. In collaboration with his own preservice teachers, the author uncovered shifting identities that indicate that mainstream future teachers do not fit the “damaged goods” label that ardent multiculturalists might be tempted to impose. In the end, the practice of essentializing education majors because of their perceived deficiencies born of privilege are inaccurate and unproductive.
The Effect of Mechanical Stimulation on the Keratinization of Sulcular Epithelium

This study was designed to evaluate the effect of mechanical stimulation on the keratinization of the sulcular epithelium in four adult Rhesus monkeys. Each animal received a thorough prophylaxis. One week later, each monkey received one of the following modalities of plaque control: (a) daily intravenous tetracycline and rubber cup prophylaxis, (b) daily rubber cup prophylaxis, (c) daily intravenous tetracycline injections; (d) no treatment, as a control. After sacrifice and tissue processing the histologic sections were evaluated for the presence of sulcular keratinization. The keratin width and length were measured, and an Inflammatory Index determined. It was found that all treatment modalities reduced inflammation significantly, when compared to the control. No differences among the three procedures tested were found. Although all permitted keratinization to develop, sulcular keratinization was significantly increased when daily prophylaxes were performed. It was concluded that mechanical stimulation...