cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nuclear RNA Synthesis in Human Leukaemic Cells

SEVERAL investigators1–4 have demonstrated RNA synthesis in normal and leukaemic lymphocytes by extraction of RNA from intact cells. To gather more information about RNA synthesis in human leukaemic leukocytes, experiments were designed to characterize nuclear RNA sedimentation patterns. Particular emphasis was placed on the comparison of nuclear RNA synthesis in cells derived from patients with chronic granulocytic leukaemia to those from patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. These leukaemic cell types were chosen for investigation as examples of readily accessible human neoplastic cells of relatively low grade malignancy which appear to originate from two distinct haematopoietic cell lines.
Comparative statics for markov chains

Abstract For a finite ergodic Markov chain, the effects of a change in the transition matrix on the equilibrium probability vector and on the mean first passage matrix are described.
Ideas and images : developing interpretive history exhibits

Ideas and Images presents eleven case studies, walking you through the process of developing interpretive history exhibits. Learn how to identify and build new audiences, work with consultants and experts, cope with institutional change, present temporary and permanent exhibitions, and experiment with new subjects, design techniques and media.
Configurations of the Low Terms of Ti II

Series relations among the high even terms of Ti I afford conclusive evidence that the lower of the two $^{4}F$ terms in Ti II arises from the configuration ${d}^{2}s$, and the other from ${d}^{3}$.
Runoff from an intertidal marsh during tidal exposure— recession curves and chemical characteristics1

The runoff from marshlands during low tide exposure is enriched in dissolved silica, phosphate, and bicarbonate and probably also ammonia. These substances diffuse from the interstitial water rcscrvoir of the sediment into a thin layer of seawater left on the surface of the marsh by the receding tide; during the period of exposure this thin layer of enriched water drains from the marsh surface. The input of these substances to coastal waters by runoff from the marshlands of South Carolina is probably about equal to that supplied by freshwater runoff from the state. Thus marsh runoff may have an important effect on the concentration of nutrient clcmcnts in coastal waters.
On evaluating the emulsifying properties of protein using conductivity measurements

Abstract Selected oil-in-water emulsifying properties of α-lactalbumin, β-lactoglobulin and bovine serum albumin were evaluated at solution concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 20 mg/ml. Changes in emulsion conductivity were recorded during and shortly after homogenization, and interpreted for each protein in terms of properties related to emulsifying activity and emulsion stability. A new quantitative analysis of the pattern of the entire conductivity curve is described and defended as an improvement on current interpretation of emulsion conductivity data which considers only the initial slope in evaluation of short term emulsion stability. In a manner consistent with past research, emulsion stability so calculated was found to increase with increasing concentration. Moreover, differences in emulsion stability among the three proteins were found to be consistent with known molecular influences on their surface activity at apolar interfaces.
Catalytic Silica Particles via Template-Directed Molecular Imprinting

The surfaces of silica particles were molecularly imprinted with an α-chymotrypsin transition-state analogue (TSA) by utilizing the technique of template-directed synthesis of mineralized materials. The resulting catalytic particles hydrolyzed amides in an enantioselective manner. A mixture of a nonionic surfactant and the acylated chymotrypsin TSA, with the TSA acting as the headgroup at the surfactant−water interface, was used to form a microemulsion for silica particle formation. Incorporation of amine-, dihydroimidazole-, and carboxylate-terminated trialkoxysilanes into the particles during imprinting resulted in enhancement of the rates of amide hydrolysis. Acylated imprint molecules formed more effective imprints in the presence of the functionalized silanes than nonacylated imprint molecules. Particles surface-imprinted with the chymotrypsin TSA were selective for the trypsin substrate, and particles surface-imprinted with the l-isomer of the enzyme TSA were enantioselective for the d-isomer of the...
Annual Review, 1991–1995: Occupational Health

Abstract The article reviews the diverse literature on occupational health for the years 1991–1995. Models of occupational health and stress were used to develop an overarching taxonomy to conceptually integrate the literature. Key constructs included environmental characteristics, individual characteristics, cognitive appraisal, coping, and short- and long-term outcomes. The literature pertaining to each major construct in this taxonomy is reviewed and then summarized by identifying gaps in the literature and recommendations for future research. The final section of the paper provides general conclusions.
Impacting delayed pediatric influenza vaccination: a randomized controlled trial of text message reminders.

Background Influenza vaccination coverage is low, especially among low-income populations. Most doses are generally administered early in the influenza season, yet sustained vaccination efforts are crucial for achieving optimal coverage. The impact of text message influenza vaccination reminders was recently demonstrated in a low-income population. Little is known about their effect on children with delayed influenza vaccination or the most effective message type. Purpose To determine the impact of educational plus interactive text message reminders on influenza vaccination of urban low-income children unvaccinated by late fall. Design Randomized controlled trial. Setting/participants Parents of 5,462 children aged 6 months–17 years from four academically affiliated pediatric clinics who were unvaccinated by mid-November 2011. Intervention Eligible parents were stratified by their child’s age and pediatric clinic site and randomized using a 1:1:1 allocation to educational plus interactive text message reminders, educational-only text message reminders, or usual care. Using an immunization registry-linked text messaging system, parents of intervention children received up to seven weekly text message reminders. One of the messages sent to parents in the educational plus interactive text message arm allowed selection of more information about influenza and influenza vaccination. Main outcome measures Influenza vaccination by March 31, 2012. Data were collected and analyzed between 2012 and 2014. Results Most children were publicly insured and Spanish speaking. Baseline demographics were similar between groups. More children of parents in the educational plus interactive text message arm were vaccinated (38.5%) versus those in the educational-only text message (35.3%; difference=3.3%, 95% CI=0.02%, 6.5%; relative risk ratio (RRR)=1.09, 95% CI=1.002, 1.19) and usual care (34.8%; difference=3.8%, 95% CI=0.6%, 7.0%; RRR=1.11, 95% CI=1.02-1.21) arms. Conclusions Text message reminders with embedded educational information and options for interactivity have a small positive effect on influenza vaccination of urban, low-income, minority children who remain unvaccinated by late fall.
Quality of Life in Men With Locally Advanced Adenocarcinoma of the Prostate: An Exploratory Analysis Using Data From the CaPSURE Database

Purpose: We present longitudinal quality of life outcomes in a national observational cohort of men with locally advanced prostate adenocarcinoma.Materials and Methods: The CaPSURE® registry was used to evaluate quality of life in men with clinical T3 or T4 prostate adenocarcinoma who underwent primary treatment and had a minimum followup of 2 years. Records were reviewed for treatment, patient age, T stage, prostate specific antigen at diagnosis, body mass index, and initial and posttreatment quality of life using the SF-36® and UCLA-PCI questionnaires, which can each be scored from 0 to 100 with higher scores indicating better outcomes. The association of treatment type and quality of life changes after treatment were evaluated with multivariate mixed model analysis, adjusting for age, time of quality of life assessment, and interaction between treatment and time.Results: Of the 13,740 men enrolled in CaPSURE 608 (4.42%) presented with T3 or T4 tumors. In this subgroup 151 men completed baseline and a m...
Nonradiative Transport of Atomic Excitation in Na Vapor

Measurements are reported which show the effect of nonradiative losses at a gas-window interface on the backscattered fluorescence intensity for Na vapor at frequencies in the vicinity of the resonance lines near 589 nm. The Na $3{P}_{\frac{1}{2},\frac{3}{2}}$ states are excited with a low-intensity single-mode tunable dye laser at high Na densities and the frequency integral of the backscattered fluorescence intensity in the $D1$ and $D2$ lines is measured. As the laser is tuned through resonance, the loss of atomic excitation to the window appears as a sharp decrease in the frequency-integrated fluorescence intensity. For example, at 7\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{20}$ atoms ${\mathrm{m}}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$ the fluorescence intensity decreases by a factor of 4 in a frequency interval of 4 GHz. Measured absolute fluorescence intensities versus laser frequency are compared with predictions made using the theory of Hummer and Kunasz which includes both radiative and nonradiative transport processes. The agreement between theory and experiment is remarkably good when one considers that the theory contains only one unknown coefficient, i.e., the reflection coefficient for excited atoms at the windows. In our case the excited atoms are assumed to be completely destroyed at the window.
Simple Model of Forward Visibility for Snowplow Operators Through Snow and Fog at Night

Backscattered light reflected from falling snow, rain, and fog impairs visibility and can hinder performance of snowplow operators. New York State Department of Transportation snowplow operators cite backscattered glare as an important problem, and many drivers use their own “solutions” to counteract it. A literature review yielded two important conclusions: backscattered light from a lamp in fog and falling snow is reduced, and visibility is improved (a) as the lamp is moved away from the operator's line of sight and (b) with a narrow-beam lamp. Field tests of lighting configurations during inclement weather were conducted to determine the effects of beam type and displacement from the operator's line of sight on visibility, glare, and satisfaction. On the basis of these data and the literature, a simple mathematical model was developed that predicts the forward-visibility ratings of snowplow operators. This model can be used to guide specifiers in selecting light sources and mounting locations for snowp...
Porous-Core Electrode for Emission Spectroscopy

A core was made of porous graphite to fit a preformed electrode. This porous-core electrode replaces old popular methods using graphite powder as an absorbent to accomplish concentration of liquid samples, but without causing contamination problems of Teflon® ware. When the amount of sample solution is not limited, a concentration of several thousand times is possible, to extend detection limits required by the modern electronics industry. High-purity water, solvents, volatile acids, and alkali were concentrated, and ultra trace impurities were determined. Some organic material can be ashed at 400°C on the electrode for arcing. Boron in trichlorosilane was separated with an addition of mannitol and routinely determined in low ppba range. The cost of this operation is a small fraction of that for new instrumentation required for achieving these sensitivities. The old spectrograph with a dc arc source unit and photographic detection has found some applications to meet new stringent requirements. The technique should be able to be easily applied to the determination of metallic impurities in trichlorosilane, dichlorosilane, hydrogen chloride, and others.
Cross-National Comparison of Population Density

The unresolved difficulties associated with defining and measuring population density strictly circumscribe the scope and nature of the conclusions that can be properly derived from differentials in man:land ratios. Any conclusions about human density will have meaning only to the extent that they are based on a recognition that this density must be viewed in both static and dynamic terms and that it cannot be isolated in analysis, from either the social and cultural setting, the demographic characteristics of the population, or the broader processes of social change within the society. In and of itself, the familiar man:land ratio says more about area than it does about either the human experience of density or the relation of population to resources. This ratio is therefore essentially meaningless as an indicator of comparative conditions of life among different countries and different geographic regions. The mere fact of having a relatively low average population density thus, does not automatically entitle a nation to complacency about its ability to adjust readily to future population change, either in terms of growth in numbers or in the geographic location of its people.
Exploring a Science Teacher's Uncertainty with Integrating Engineering Design: An Action Research Study

This study examines a fifth grade science teacher’s attempts at integrating engineering design using the construct of uncertainty. Collaborative action research served as a supportive mechanism to uncover and confront the teacher’s uncertainties. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews, reflections, classroom observations, lesson plans, and student work. Data analysis entailed the use of grounded theory. Findings from this study revealed that teaching science through engineering design is both challenging and problematic. Underpinning the teacher’s pedagogical experiences was the constant force of uncertainty, in various forms, and how her sense of doubt was beneficial rather than problematic.
Beckett's Critical Complicity: Carnival, Contestation, and Tradition

Samuel Beckett's work harbors an inevitable complicity with traditional modes and values. His idealist and even nihilist inclinations, for example, are closely related to the abstracting and systematizing tendencies that have predominated in Western thinking. His drama and fiction, in reproducing these tendencies, also help to reinforce and legitimate them. Beckett's work can thus be said to encourage an attitude of stoic resignation or life-denying withdrawal.Sylvie Debevec Henning's study reveals an important countertendency. In examining Beckett's art and literary criticism, his novel "Murphy," plays "Krapp's Last Tape" and "Endgame," his only film venture, and the late story "The Lost Ones," she shows that through a variety of double-voiced techniques -- irony, parody, and satire -- Beckett also brings a powerful critical light to bear upon our culture's repeated attempts to reduce or eliminate the more problematic aspects of existence and even mocks our desire to do so. His disquieting and occasionally uproarious interweaving of contradictory perspectives -- somber and carnivalized, established and contestory -- suggests that suffering and anguish are fundamental to life, while it affirms their relation to laughter and creative vigor within a richer, if less settled, cultural context.Drawing upon the work of Nietzsche, Heidegger, Foucault, Derrida, and particularly Bakhtin, Henning argues that Beckett's profound critique of Western intellectual tradition does not necessarily entail the loss of all positive values and beliefs. On the contrary, his use of carnivalesque and dialogized modes signals a revitalizing capacity that has not been fully appreciated.
Feasibility Frontier—A Method for Aligning Competitive Strategy with the Choice of IT Architectures

This article introduces an approach that addresses the challenge of aligning choices about IT architecture with the strategic goals of a corporation. This takes the form of a framework that captures how managers make IT architecture choices and how those choices impact an organization's competitive position. Based on microeconomic theory, the framework provides a set of conceptualizations for understanding alignment, plus some recommendations on how organizations should approach IT architecture adoption in a way that assures optimal alignment with strategic goals. The most important facilitating factor for the framework is the commitment to complete, accurate, and unbiased cost and quality assessment of business processes and their supporting IT infrastructure.
Evaluation and Treatment of Suspected Type II Endoleaks in Patients with Enlarging Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms

Purpose To evaluate angiographic diagnosis and embolotherapy of patients with enlarging abdominal aortic aneurysms and computed tomographic (CT) diagnosis of type II endoleak.
Fiber-optic temperature sensors based on differential spectral transmittance/reflectivity and multiplexed sensing systems.

A concept for optical temperature sensing based on the differential spectral reflectivity/transmittance from a multilayer dielectric edge filter is described and demonstrated. Two wavelengths, λ1 and λ2, from the spectrum of a broadband light source are selected so that they are located on the sloped and flat regions of the reflection or transmission spectrum of the filter, respectively. As temperature variations shift the reflection or transmission spectrum of the filter, they change the output power of the light at λ1, but the output power of the light at λ2 is insensitive to the shift and therefore to the temperature variation. The temperature information can be extracted from the ratio of the light powers at λ1 to the light at λ2. This ratio is immune to changes in the output power of the light source, fiber losses induced by microbending, and hence modal-power distribution fluctuations. The best resolution of 0.2 °C has been obtained over a range of 30–120 °C. Based on such a basic temperature-sensing concept, a wavelength-division-multiplexed, temperature-sensing system is constructed by cascading three sensing-edge filters that have different cutoff wavelengths along a multimode fiber. The signals from the three sensors are resolved by detecting the correspondent outputs at different wavelengths.
Women's History and Family History: Fruitful Collaboration or Missed Connection?

Although the intellectual projects of women's history and family his tory have been diverse, there have been some fruitful interrelationships as well as continuing disagreements about conceptualization and method. A systematic exami nation was carried out of the content of articlespublished in the period 1976-1985 in the Journal of Family History, in three self-defined feminist or women's studies journals, and in four general historical journals. Definitions of the two fields were derived from this exercise. These show that women's history, unlike family history, is movement history; it is closer to more central historical fields in the kinds of questions it asks and in method. Because of its role in placing women as a group into a context of family relationships, family history has an important contribution to make to women's history. To the extent that diversity among women, institutions and informal politics become more central to women's history, it will come closer to family history.
Comparative study of the optical feedback sensitivity of oxide-confined vs. proton-implanted VCSELs

Summary from only given. We compare the relative sensitivity to feedback of oxide-confined VCSELs to that of proton implanted devices. The devices used in this work are 850 nm VCSELs designed to lase in a single-transverse mode, using either proton implantation or oxide-confinement. We have estimated the coupling efficiency of the external cavity to each VCSEL using two independent experimental techniques.
Theoretical Study of Chloroalkenylperoxy Radicals

DFT and ab initio molecular orbital calculations have been performed to investigate the structures and energetics of the Cl−O2−isoprene peroxy radicals arising from the Cl-initiated oxidation of is...
Model research in the river hydraulic laboratory of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Hydraulic model studies have proved to be of great aid to the engineer, and research along hydraulic lines is essential to progress in this field. To provide for this type of activity, a River Hydraulic Laboratory was started at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1929. Several investigations have been already completed or are being carried on at present.
Arginine Deiminase Resistance in Melanoma Cells Is Associated with Metabolic Reprogramming, Glucose Dependence, and Glutamine Addiction

Many malignant human tumors, including melanomas are auxotrophic for arginine due to reduced expression of argininosuccinate synthetase1 (ASS1), the rate-limiting enzyme for arginine biosynthesis. Pegylated arginine deiminase (ADI-PEG20), which degrades extracellular arginine resulting in arginine deprivation, has shown favorable results in clinical trials for treating arginine-auxotrophic tumors. Drug resistance is the major obstacle for effective ADI-PEG20 usage. To elucidate mechanisms of resistance, we established several ADI-PEG20-resistant (ADIR) variants from A2058 and SK-Mel-2 melanoma cells. Compared with the parental lines, these ADIR variants showed the following characteristics: (i) all ADIR cell lines showed elevated ASS1 expression resulting from the constitutive binding of the transcription factor c-Myc on the ASS1 promoter, suggesting that elevated ASS1 is the major mechanism of resistance; (ii) the ADIR cell lines exhibited enhanced AKT signaling and were preferentially sensitive to PI3K/AKT inhibitors, but reduced mTOR signaling and preferentially resistant to mTOR inhibitor; (iii) these variants showed enhanced expression of glucose transporter 1 and lactate dehydrogenase-A, reduced expression of pyruvate dehydrogenase, and elevated sensitivity to the glycolytic inhibitors, 2-deoxy-glucose and 3-bromopyruvate, consistent with the enhanced glycolytical pathway (the Warburg effect); (iv) the resistant cells showed higher glutamine dehydrogenase and glutaminase expression and were preferentially vulnerable to glutamine inhibitors. We demonstrated that c-Myc, not elevated ASS1 expression, is involved in upregulation of many of these enzymes because knockdown of c-Myc reduced their expression; whereas overexpressed ASS1 by transfection reduced their expression. This study identified multiple targets for overcoming ADI-PEG resistance in cancer chemotherapy using recombinant arginine-degrading enzymes.
Evaluating the fitness of human lysozyme transgenic dairy goats: growth and reproductive traits

While there are many reports in the literature describing the attributes of specific applications of transgenic animals for agriculture, there are relatively few studies focusing on the fitness of the transgenic animals themselves. This work was designed to gather information on genetically modified food animals to determine if the presence of a transgene can impact general animal production traits. More specifically, we used a line of transgenic dairy goats expressing human lysozyme in their mammary gland to evaluate the reproductive fitness and growth and development of these animals compared to their non-transgenic counterparts and the impact of consuming a transgenic food product, lysozyme-containing milk. In males, none of the parameters of semen quality, including semen volume and concentration, total sperm per ejaculate, sperm morphology, viability and motility, were significantly different between transgenic bucks and non-transgenic full-sib controls. Likewise, transgenic females of this line did not significantly differ in the reproductive traits of gestation length and litter size compared to their non-transgenic counterparts. To evaluate growth, transgenic and non-transgenic kid goats received colostrum and milk from either transgenic or non-transgenic does from birth until weaning. Neither the presence of the transgene nor the consumption of milk from transgenic animals significantly affected birth weight, weaning weight, overall gain and post-wean gain. These results indicate that the analyzed reproductive and growth traits were not regularly or substantially impacted by the presence or expression of the transgene. The evaluation of these general parameters is an important aspect of defining the safety of applying transgenic technology to animal agriculture.
An analysis of trehalose, glycerol, and mannitol accumulation during heat and salt stress in a salt marsh isolate of Aureobasidium pullulans

Polyhydroxy compounds from Aureobasidium pullulans exposed to stress treatments of heat, salt, and simultaneous heat and salt were isolated, identified, and quantified. Results from both thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) showed that concentrations of trehalose, mannitol, and glycerol increased under stress conditions that induce osmotic- and thermotolerance in A. pullulans. The cellular concentration of trehalose increased in heat-stressed and in simultaneously heat- and salt-stressed cells but not in cells subjected to salt stress alone. Mannitol increased under all stress conditions examined, while an increase in intracellular glycerol was apparent only in salt-stressed cells. The significance of these findings in relation to stress tolerance in salt marsh environments is discussed.
Play behavior in rats pretreated with scopolamine: Increased play solicitation by the non-injected partner

Play behavior was assessed in juvenile rat pups following chronic administration of scopolamine (0.5 or 1.0 mg/kg, i.p.) to one partner in each dyad of rats. Scopolamine administration significantly reduced the number of pins and mean pin duration of both playmates in pairs where only one rat was injected with scopolamine (irrespective of dose). However, dorsal contacts were significantly increased in rats exposed to a play partner that had been injected with scopolamine, indicating an increase in play solicitation when the partner was rendered non-responsive with this drug. These effects were stable and consistent over the course of 15 days of repeated testing in the presence of scopolamine. In other words, normal animals did not extinguish play solicitation even after prolonged periods of non-reciprocity. Upon cessation of drug treatment, play behavior returned largely to normal in both animals. Overall locomotor activity levels were significantly reduced in pairs where one rat had been injected with scopolamine. Together, these data suggest that the effects of repeated scopolamine are acute in nature, and that disruption of normal play behavior following chronic scopolamine treatment does not produce long-term impairments in social play behavior beyond acute action of the drug.
Characteristics and outcomes of patients with Ewing sarcoma over 40 years of age at diagnosis

Abstract Background : The peak incidence of Ewing sarcoma (EWS) is in adolescence, with little known about patients who are ≥40 years at diagnosis. We describe the clinical characteristics and survival of this rare group. Methods : This retrospective cohort study utilized the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results database. 2780 patients were identified; including 383 patients diagnosed ≥40 years. Patient characteristics between age groups were compared using chi-squared tests. Survival from diagnosis to death was estimated via Kaplan–Meier methods, compared with log-rank tests, and modeled using multivariable Cox methods. A competing risks analysis was performed to evaluate death due to cancer. Results : Patients ≥40 years of age were more likely to have extra-skeletal tumors (66.1% vs. 31.7%; p p = 0.01), and metastatic disease at diagnosis (35.5% vs. 30.0%; p = 0.04) compared to younger patients. Five-year survival for those age ≥40 and age p p Conclusion : Patients ≥40 years at diagnosis with EWS are more likely to have extra-skeletal tumors, metastatic disease, and axial primary tumors suggesting a difference in tumor biology. Independent of differences in these characteristics, older patients also have a lower survival rate.
Sagnac loop interferometer based on polarization maintaining photonic crystal fiber with reduced temperature sensitivity

A Sagnac loop interferometer based on polarization-maintaining photonic crystal fiber was built and analyzed. Mainly the temperature dependence of the Sagnac loop filter function was measured and analyzed. By measuring the filtering function of the Sagnac loop as a function of the temperature over 200 degrees C, we deduced an unambiguous temperature dependent birefringence coefficient, d n/dT = 2.0 x 10-9 /K. Over the full temperature swing, the maximum peak shifts was less than 10% of the filter period. For comparison, a standard Sagnac loop was built with the exact same length and experimental condition, where we deduced d n/dT = 7.0 x 10-8 /K.
A role for the cytoplasmic DEAD box helicase Dbp21E2 in rhodopsin maturation and photoreceptor viability.

Abstract:The Dbp21E2 (DEAD box protein 21E2) is a member of a family of DEAD box helicases active in RNA processing and stability. The authors used genetic mosaics to identify mutants in Dbp21E2 that affect rhodopsin biogenesis and the maintenance of photoreceptor structure. Analysis of a green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged Rh1 rhodopsin construct placed under control of a heat shock promoter showed that Dbp21E21 fails to efficiently transport Rh1 from the photoreceptor cell body to the rhabdomere. Retinal degeneration is not dependent on the Rh1 transport defects. The authors also showed that GFP- and red fluorescent protein (RFP)-tagged Dbp21E2 proteins are localized to discrete cytoplasmic structures that are not associated with organelles known to be active in rhodopsin transport. The molecular genetic analysis described here reveals an unexpected role for the Dbp21E2 helicase and provides an experimental system to further characterize its function.
Moral Cognition and the Law and Ethics of Armed Conflict

In contemporary political science, many believe that normative restrictions on armed conflict are an outgrowth of Western culture and the just war tradition. Drawing on historical evidence, which shows that political actors in Ancient China and the early Islamic empire endorsed civilian protection rules, I claim that such norms are more common than most International Relations (IR) theorists suppose. For IR theory, this raises an important puzzle: How can we explain why similar normative ideas emerged in human societies that are otherwise very different? Building on research in cognitive science, social psychology, and social neuroscience, I argue that most people have natural cognitive and emotional predispositions that bias the emergence and transmission of cultural norms that protect non-combatants. More specifically, capacities for perspective-taking and empathy shape how people interpret the limits of their moral commitments, and when these capacities are engaged, intuitional heuristics affect how they judge the morality of killing in war. What is more, I claim that three key contextual variables moderate the connection between innate moral intuitions and the development of civilian protection norms: (i) societal interdependence, (ii) the social empowerment of marginal actors, and (iii) the creation of norms in argumentative contexts that require impartial moral reasoning. I argue that rationalist and constructivist theories of norm emergence will be able to better explain the emergence, the durability, and the institutional design of the norms of war by incorporating this naturalistic theory of moral cognition.
A geographic analysis of collisions involving child pedestrians in a large southern California county

Objectives: The goal of this study is to explore the relationship between child pedestrian injuries and socioeconomic characteristics of neighborhoods in the context of local traffic volume. Methods: Child pedestrian collisions were identified in the data of the California Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS). Nine hundred sixty crashes over a 5-year period were identified, geocoded, and mapped to Orange County census tracts. Census data from 2000 were used to identify tracts, population, and population characteristics in the county of approximately 3,000,000 individuals. Pedestrian collision maps were merged with census characteristics and analyzed using STATA (Version 10.1, Stata Corp, College Station, IX) to determine correlations between socioeconomic factors and collision rates within census tracts. Results: The percentage of the population living in households with low income (less than 185% of the federal poverty level) was the strongest predictor of pedestrian injuries. One fourth ...
Diastolic heart failure in the community: Clinical profile, natural history, therapy, and impact of proposed diagnostic criteria

Background: Diastolic heart failure (DHF) has been broadly defined as “signs and symptoms of congestive heart failure (CHF) with normal/near normal systolic function.” The clinical profile and natural history of the syndrome remain controversial. Furthermore, the frequency with which patients with CHF and normal ejection fraction (EF) fulfill recently proposed standardized diagnostic criteria for DHF is unclear. Our objective was to determine the clinical profile, Doppler echocardiographic features, current management, prognosis, and predictors of outcome of all patients with new onset CHF who had normal EF in Olmsted County, Minnesota, during 1996-1997. The frequency with which patients met recently proposed standardized criteria for diagnosis of DHF was assessed. Methods: Using the resources of the Rochester Epidemiology Project, all residents of Olmsted County, Minnesota, with a new diagnosis of CHF in 1996-1997, an ejection fraction >45%, and no valve disease (n = 83) were identified. Results: Patients were elderly (79 ± 13 yr), predominately female (76%), and had hypertension and/or coronary artery disease (85%). New-onset atrial fibrillation, ischemia, and medical comorbidities were frequently present at diagnosis. Although most patients (81%) met criteria for “probable DHF” by recently proposed clinical criteria, only half of patients met European criteria in which evidence of abnormal function/filling is required. The 1-, 2-, and 3-year mortality rates were 29%, 39%, and 60%, respectively. Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition (P =.0008) and β-blocker (P =.02) therapy were independently associated with improved survival. Conclusion: This population-based study provides a comprehensive clinical profile, current management, prognosis, and predictors of outcome of patients with new onset CHF who had normal ejection fraction.
The Potentiality and the Consequences of Surplus: Agricultural Production and Institutional Transformation in the Northern Basin of Mexico

Social scientists define surplus as excess, either excess production beyond a physiologically defined threshold or excess labor that can then be routed to “non-productive” means. Methodologically, this model is advantageous and simplifies analysis. Yet this approach can render social minimums as secondary to biological minimums and economic production as distinctive from social production. Subjectively, meeting biological requirements often are secondary to meeting societal obligations. Many producers in past states, for example, had to pay a set tax even in cases of poor yields. Today, paying one's rent or mortgage can entail sacrificing a healthy diet. Simultaneously, social and economic opportunities also shape surplus production—the ability to enrich relationships, participate in the market, host significant events, and gain prestige. Documenting biological minimums, while allowing us to recognize excess methodologically, sometimes has limited value in understanding surplus subjectively. Surplus represents a potentiality, which can be employed creatively or destructively. Within these extremes lay real people, both the powerful and the powerless, making decisions and inheriting their consequences.
Nanoparticle-coated chemiresistors with CMOS baseline tracking and cancellation

Chemiresistors (CR) with thiolate-monolayer-protected gold nanoparticle (MPN) interfacial layers can provide sensitive detection of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). However, baseline resistances are high (~M-ohm) relative to the typical responses (~ohms), and baseline drifts can be large. These factors represent impediments to the implementation of CRs and CR arrays in microanalytical systems for multi-VOC monitoring. This paper presents a new baseline cancellation and tracking system for MPN-coated CRs. This system separates the sensor response and baseline in the analog domain. Concentrations down to hundreds of ppm were measured. The circuitry of the system demonstrated a sensor input range of over 45.8 dB. Most importantly, it accurately tracked and removed baseline drifts on the order of 2 mV/min and measured multiple sensors whose baselines differed by 27 MOmega.
High quality InGaN for photovoltaic applications: Type and spatial distribution of crystalline defects and “phase” separation

The III-nitride material system with band gap ranging from 0.7eV to 6.2eV has substantial potential to develop high-efficiency solar cells. The III-nitride materials are grown by MOCVD on a lattice mismatched sapphire substrate (0001). This paper presents the generation of extended crystalline defects and their spatial distribution in the GaN and In 0.12 Ga 0.88 N layers as a function of In 0.12 Ga 0.88 N thickness. The material is characterized by photoluminescence, and the primary peak intensity is observed to increase with thickness, up to 200 nm, but the intensity diminishes with further increase in thickness. Additional photoluminescence peaks are observed for In 0.12 Ga 0.88 N thicknesses greater than 100 nm. These observations are attributed to extended crystalline defects and are characterized by high resolution x-ray diffraction. A detailed analysis of these extended crystalline defects is presented based on rocking curves, symmetric and asymmetric reciprocal space maps. The crystalline defects are unavoidable during epitaxial growth, but knowledge of their generation process yields better control over them.
Gastroesophageal reflux symptoms do not correlate with objective pH testing after peroral endoscopic myotomy.

Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) is an emerging treatment for esophageal achalasia. Postoperative reflux has been found in a significant number of patients, but it is unknown whether subjective reports of reflux correlate with objective pH testing. The purpose of this study was to compare the objective rate of reflux with standardized reflux symptom scales after POEM. Our hypothesis was that subjective symptoms would not correlate with objective measurement of reflux. Data on all patients undergoing POEM were collected prospectively between August 2012 and June 2014 and included demographics, objective testing (48-h pH probe, manometry, endoscopy), as well as gastroesophageal reflux disease health-related quality of life (GERD-HRQL), GERD symptom scale (GERSS), and antacid use. Forty-three patients underwent POEM during the study period. The mean age was 53.5 ± 17.4 years with a BMI of 29.6 ± 8.4 kg/m2, and 27 (63%) were male. Forty-two patients (98%) completed at least 6 months of follow-up, and 26 (60%) underwent repeat pH measurement. Dysphagia scores improved from 4 (0–5) at baseline to 0 (0–3) (p < 0.001). On follow-up pH testing, 11 (42%) were normal and 15 (58%) had elevated DeMeester scores. Postoperative GERSS or GERD-HRQL scores did not correlate with DeMeester scores on Spearman’s rank-order tests (r = 0.02, p = 0.93 and r = 0.04, p = 0.50, respectively). Postoperative PPI use was not significantly associated with normal or abnormal pH testing: 5 of 7 (71%) patients who were taking PPIs postoperatively had abnormal DeMeester scores compared to 9 of 18 (50%) of patients who were not taking PPIs (p = 0.332). Peroral endoscopic myotomy provides excellent dysphagia relief for patients with achalasia, but is associated with a high rate of reflux on pH testing postoperatively. Subjective symptoms are not a reliable indicator of postoperative reflux. Routine pH testing should be considered in all patients following POEM.
Integrative Biology, an Organismic Biologist's Point of View.

Under conditions of social stability such as existed in an earlier and simpler era when there was little change from one generation to the next, it is reasonable to assume that there was a positive correlation between age and wisdom. Today the validity of that assumption seems tenuous, to say the least. Consider my situation. I am 85 years old. Clearly, I am an old scientist, and I am not sure that I have any scientific wisdom to communicate. My uncertainty is in part related to the dynamics of the scientific enterprise. Because of the success of the natural sciences and the technology derivative from them, for the past four or five centuries the human species has lived in a state of accelerating technological and cultural change. The rate of change has been particularly high for us scientists. Indeed, we live in a state of continuous intellectual revolution—and that is not an easy situation to which to adjust. As one of the elder members of the community of integrative biologists, I am overwhelmingly aware that during this continuing intellectual revolution, seniority is more likely to be correlated with obsolescence than with wisdom. However, despite the rapidity of scientific change, science is an intensely historical activity: every investigator stands on the shoulders of those who have preceded him or her. My thoughts may be old-fashioned, perhaps obsolete, and almost certainly they are platitudinous. Nevertheless, they may have some historical interest, because they represent the understanding of a person whose university education and scientific activity spans more than 60% of the Twentieth Century, a period of scientific expansion and intellectual change without precedent in human history. Most scientists, consciously or subconsciously, operate within a series of assumptions about the nature of their areas of professional concern. I can identify the assumptions that have been the basis of my view of biology. My confidence in them has been sufficient for me to treat them as if they were axioms. In retrospect, it is clear that they have shaped my interpretation of research data and sometimes guided my selection of research problems. Some of these assumptions, which have been axiomatic to me, may be platitudes to you. They reflect the fact that during a lifetime of studying the functional adaptations of organisms I have never been able to decide whether I was a student 1 From the Symposium Integrative Biology: A Symposium Honoring George A. Bartholomewpresented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology, 5‐9 January 2004, at New Orleans, Louisiana.
Building a Sustaining Classroom Climate for Purposeful Ethical Citizenship

In this chapter the author argues that in an age and society where children and adolescents have eroding support for building good lives, best practice for classroom teaching needs to be extended beyond mastery learning climates and caring communities. The author proposes building “sustaining climates”. A sustaining classroom climate is more than a good learning environment and it is more than a caring classroom. It also fosters students’ sense of purpose, as individuals and as groups around social engagement. It is characterized by collaborative leadership, community fellowship, democratic practice, and enhancement of human potential. It fosters awareness of human fallibilities, including the types of ethical orientations identified by Triune Ethics theory (security, engagement, imagination). Students learn to foster engagement and imagination ethics while minimizing the self-centered security ethic. In sustaining classrooms, students learn skills for flourishing and helping others to flourish.
QDENSITY/QCWAVE: A Mathematica quantum computer simulation update

The Mathematica quantum computer simulation packages QDENSITY and QCWAVE are updated for Mathematica 9-10.3. An overview is given of the new QDensity, QCWave, BTSystem and Circuits packages, which includes: (1) improved treatment of tensor products of states and density matrices, (2) major extension to include qutrit (triplet), as well as qubit (binary) and hybrid qubit/qutrit systems in the associated BTSystem package, (3) updated sample quantum computation algorithms, (4) entanglement studies, including Schmidt decomposition, entropy, mutual information, partial transposition, and calculation of the quantum discord. Examples of Bell’s theorem and concurrence are also included. This update will hopefully aid in studies of QC dynamics.
Spectrum Efficiency of Nested Sparse Sampling

This paper addresses the spectrum efficiency study of nested sparse sampling in the estimation of power spectral density for QPSK signal. The authors proposed nested sampling only showed that this new sub-Nyquist sampling algorithm could achieve enhanced degrees of freedom, but did not consider its spectrum efficiency performance. Spectral efficiency describes the ability of a communication system to accommodate data within a limited bandwidth. In this paper, we provide the procedures of using nested sampling structure to estimate the QPSK signal’s autocorrelation and power spectral density (PSD) using a set of sparse samples. From our simulation results, we show that by making N 1 and N 2 large enough, the main lobe of PSD obtained from nested sparse sampling is much narrower than the original QPSK signal. That is, the bandwidth B occupancy of the sampled signal is smaller, which improves the spectrum efficiency. Besides the smaller average rate, the enhanced spectrum efficiency is a new advantage of nested sparse sampling.
Possible effect of a sex chromosome on reproductive performance in Columbidae

In comparison with the reproductive performance of matings within Streptopelia risoria, the species hybrid males, from matings to S. risoria of males of S. chinensis or S. senegalensis, displayed increased infertility, but not an increase of embryo mortality. Previous findings of a high percentage of sperm abnormalities provide a basis that explains in part the infertility of the species hybrid males. The infertility and embryo mortality of both kinds of species hybrid females, the heterogametic sex, was much higher than in the S. risoria X S. risoria matings. The reproductive performance of the backcross females of the first, second and third backcross generations, having either species hybrid or backcross hybrid males as parents, could be divided into two classes, differing significantly either in percentage of infertility or embryo mortality, or in both categories. The backcross females producing the lower reproductive performance presumably carried the X chromosome of the wild parental species. Limited date obtained following a mating between a S. senegalensis female and a S. chinensis male showed a very low percentage of infertility of eggs from two species hybrid females and a backcross female (1/4-S. chinensis), indicating that the adverse effect of changes affecting infertility, presumably on the X-chromosome of these two wild species, towards S. risoria, had occurred in parallel during their evolution. The genetic changes affecting embryo mortality, and particularly the death of the squabs before becoming adults, are located on somatic chromosomes.