cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Efficacy and safety of mecasermin rinfabate

There has been interest in using recombinant human (rh) insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I (rhIGF-I) to treat short stature, either alone or in combination with its binding protein (insulin-like growth factor binding protein [IGFBP]-3). IGF-I has been shown to increase growth velocity in children with IGF deficiency, either as a result of growth hormone insensitivity syndrome (GHIS) or IGF gene deletion. However, there have been adverse events, particularly hypoglycaemia, reported with administration of unbound rhIGF-I. In addition, the serum half-life of unbound rhIGF-I is shorter when administered to patients with GHIS, who have low serum concentrations of its binding proteins IGFBP-3 and acid-labile subunit (ALS), than when administered to normal volunteers or to the patient with an IGF-I gene deletion (who had normal levels of IGFBP-3). iPlex (mecasermin rinfabate), an equimolar mixture of IGF-I and its binding protein IGFBP-3, was developed to prolong the half-life and to counteract acute adverse events (particularly hypoglycaemia) associated with administration of IGF-I. Although there are no published data on the efficacy of mecasermin rinfabate in treating growth disorders, it does appear that mecasermin rinfabate has a longer half-life in patients with GHIS than unbound IGF-I, and fewer reports of adverse events (including hypoglycaemia) when administered to patients with diabetes.
Measuring addiction propensity and severity: The need for a new instrument

Drug addiction research requires but lacks a valid and reliable way to measure both the risk (propensity) to develop addiction and the severity of manifest addiction. This paper argues for a new measurement approach and instrument to quantify propensity to and severity of addiction, based on the testable assumption that these constructs can be mapped onto the same dimension of liability to addiction. The case for this new direction becomes clear from a critical review of empirical data and the current instrumentation. The many assessment instruments in use today have proven utility, reliability, and validity, but they are of limited use for evaluating individual differences in propensity and severity. The conceptual and methodological shortcomings of instruments currently used in research and clinical practice can be overcome through the use of new technologies to develop a reliable, valid, and standardized assessment instrument(s) to measure and distinguish individual variations in expression of the underlying latent trait(s) that comprises propensity to and severity of drug addiction. Such instrumentation would enhance our capacity for drug addiction research on linkages and interactions among familial, genetic, psychosocial, and neurobiological factors associated with variations in propensity and severity. It would lead to new opportunities in substance abuse prevention, treatment, and services research, as well as in interventions and implementation science for drug addiction.
The consumption of seaweed as a protective factor in the etiology of breast cancer

A review of the biological properties of seaweed is presented and the role of seaweed as a breast cancer anticarcinogen is suggested. Proposed mechanisms of action are: reduction of plasma cholesterol, binding of biliary steroids, inhibition of carcinogenic fecal flora, binding of pollutants, stimulation of the immune system, and the protective effects of beta-sitosterols. In an experiment using sarcoma-180 in mice, seaweed extract appeared to have an antitumor effect. Thus it is suggested that breast cancer may be prevented and that this dietary habit among the Japanese could be an important factor in understanding the lower breast cancer rates reported in Japan.
Revisiting the generality of public opinion on racial profiling: a statewide study of white perceptions

Within the last two decades, scholars have studied public opinion on racial profiling in multiple contexts, yet there have been limited studies that have examined whether public opinion on racial profiling is consistent across these unique contexts. Using a random sample of White adults from Pennsylvania, we studied whether perceptions on the discriminatory nature of racial profiling, and the perceived effectiveness of this practice in airports, retail settings, and traffic stops, form two distinct latent measures. We found that perceptions of racial profiling as discriminatory are general across these multiple contexts; the same was found to be true for perceptions of effectiveness as well. These latent measures also had different correlates by age and gender.
Improving code rate of McEliece's public-key cryptosystem

A method of improving a code rate of McEliece's public-key cryptosystem is presented. Some information bits are mapped into an artificial error vector to be added to a code-word. The number of information bits is increased by the number of total possible error vectors whose weight is fixed.
Control of Tissue Specificity: The Pattern of Cellular Synthetic Activities in Tissue Transformation

During transformation of the dorsal marginal iris into lens tissue after removal of the lens in the adult newt, the cells undergo gradual changes in synthetic activities. Autoradiographic data indicate an enhancement of RNA synthesis in the nucleus of iris cells, which is followed by enhancement of protein synthesis and onset ot DNA synthesis. After discharge of pigment granules and a period of cellular multiplication accompanied by ribosome production, the cells stop DNA synthesis and start to show detectable amounts of lens-specific proteins (α-,β-, and γ-crystallins). This time coincides with initiation of differentiation of primary lens fibers. In the later stages of regeneration, α- and β-crystallins are present in the dividing cells of the lens epithelium, as well as in the cells of the fiber area, but γ-crystallins are detected only in Che cells of the fiber area. The data were interpreted as suggesting that the gene utilization pattern typical for the iris is not directly converted into that for the lens, but goes through intermediate patterns before the tissue transformation is completed.
Student modeling to support multiple instructional approaches

Intelligent computer-assisted instruction (ICAI) systems have continually sought increased flexibility to respond appropriately to the multi-faceted interests of students. Research on theImage student modeler of theGuidon2 ICAI system has developed amultiple-anticipation approach to plan generation and interpretation that directly meets a wide range of communication goals: providing information support, encouraging exploration with interesting elaborations, recognizing strategic mistakes in actions and plans, evaluating success in domain tasks, diagnosing misconceptions, and recommending improvements for mistakes.
Buckling of Circular Cylindrical Shells with Different Moduli in Tension and Compression

An exact solution is derived for buckling of circular cylindrical shells with different elastic moduli in tension and compression under arbitrary combinations of axial and lateral pressure. The combinations include those in which one component of pressure causes tension. Classical buckling theory, by which is implied a membrane prebuckled shape, is used for simply supported edge boundary conditions. General results in a form analogous to Batdorf's classical k-Z form are presented for several ratios of tensile to compressive elastic moduli. Differences in tensile and compressive moduli are observed to cause significant differences in the buckling loads. This situation is particularly acute when only a small tensile loading component exists in conjunction with an apparently dominant compressive loading component. For example, if a small axial tensile loading is present in a principally external pressure loading environment, a reduction of 17% in the external pressure buckling load from the zero axial load case can occur for a tensile modulus that is half the compressive modulus. The present results are important because current composite materials often have significantly different elastic moduli in tension and compression.
Non-contractual relations in business: a preliminary study

Preliminary findings indicate that businessmen often fail to plan exchange relationships completely, and seldom use legal sanctions to adjust these relationships or to settle disputes. Planning and legal sanctions are often unnecessary and may have undesirable consequences. Transactions are planned and legal sanctions are used when the gains are thought to outweigh the costs. The power to decide whether the gains from using contract outweigh the costs will be held by individuals having different occupational roles. The occupational role influences the decision that is made.
N2O5 photolysis products investigated by fluorescence and optoacoustic techniques

Pulsed laser photolysis of N2O5 near 290 nm, coupled with fluorescence detection (calibrated by NO2 photoloysis), showed that the O(P-3) quantum yield is not more than 0.1. A pulsed laser optoacoustic technique in a flow tube was tested by photolysis of NO2 and then applied to N2O5. Nitric oxide was added to react with NO3 free radicals; the resulting increase in the optoacoustic signal confirmed the presence of NO3 free radicals. Based on the relative optoacoustic signals observed for NO2 and N2O5, the quantum yield for NO3 production is 0.8 + or - 0.2.
The sodium channel in membranes of electroplax. Binding of batrachotoxinin-a [3H]benzoate to particulate preparations from electric eel (electrophorus)

Abstract Batrachotoxinin-A [3H]benzoate ([3H]BTX-B) binds specifically and with high affinity (KD 48 nM) to sites (Bmax 2.1 pmol/mg protein) associated with voltage-dependent sodium channels in rodent brain vesicular preparations. High affinity binding requires the presence of scorpion (Leiurus) venom and a membrane potential. Local anesthetics antagonize the binding. Nonspecific binding is defined in the presence of veratridine. In particulate preparations from electroplax of the eel Electrophorus electricus, [3H]BTX-B binds with a KD of about 140 nM and a Bmax of 2.5 pmol/mg protein in the presence of scorpion venom. Higher concentrations of scorpion venom are required to enhance binding in Electrophorus preparations than in brain preparations. Local anesthetics antagonize binding in Electrophorus preparations with potencies similar to those in brain preparations. Veratridine and batrachotoxin are less potent in blocking binding in Electrophorus than in brain preparations. It appears likely that binding in Electrophorus preparations is primarily to membrane fragments rather than vesicular entities as in brain. Binding of [3H]BTX-B to particulate preparations from electroplax of the ray Torpedo californica and the catfish Malapterurus electricus is mainly nonspecific. Scorpion venom does not enhance total binding and local anesthetics are not effective in antagonizing binding.
Neutron Damage Annealing in Silicon n-Channel Junction Field Effect Transistors

Annealing of neutron damage has been studied in n-channel, epitaxial silicon JFET's. This study includes measurements of the parameters, gmsat, IDSS, and VPO in devices with various phosphorous concentrations in the channel region. The recovery in device parameters during isochronal annealing exhibits a significant dependence on both the exposure fluence and the phosphorous concentration. The fluence dependence is due to the non-linear relationship between device parameters and defect concentration. The dependence on the phosphorous concentration is thought to be caused by E-center formation and break-up during neutron damage reordering. The recovery observed in the JFET's during annealing occurs at temperatures which are commonly reached during normal operation of power devices. Hence, significant self-healing of damage may occur during operation of such devices.
Intrinsic fiber-optic Sagnac ultrasound sensor for process monitoring in composite structures

In this paper, we report the development of an intrinsic fiber-optic Sagnac-type ultrasound sensor for cure monitoring. The Sagnac ultrasonic sensor consists of a Sagnac demodulation unit and a sensing segment which can be embedded in a composite structure. The Sagnac optical demodulator is common-path and hence self-stabilized and much simpler than the alternate Fabry-Perot or Michelson type sensors which require external stabilization. Any phase variations that the sampling beams experience due to ultrasound impinging on the sensing segment are demodulated by the Sagnac sensor to produce a signal proportional to ultrasonic signal. The sensing fiber segment of the Sagnac is placed within the composite at the time of manufacture. As the composite is cured, this sensor detects ultrasound that is generated by a laser source or a pzt-transducer. The wavespeed and attenuation of the ultrasound are measured as the cure process proceeds, and these provide information on the state of cure of the composite. We discuss the details of the above intrinsic Sagnac sensor, as well as report on its characteristics including frequency response, sensitivity, and directionality. Results of a cure monitoring are also presented.
A model calculation of the anisotropic compressibility for superconducting HgBa2Can-1CunO2n+2+δ

Abstract We have previously developed a model that is capable of estimating the bulk modulus of high-Tc superconductors within typically 8% of the values from exacting neutron-diffraction experiments. Using this model, we calculate the anisotropic compressibilities for the recently discovered HgBa2Can−1CunO2n+2+δ superconductors. The estimated bulk moduli are B=88, 94 and 101 GPa for n=1, 2 and 3, respectively. Within our model calculation, HgBa2CuO4+δ with B=88 GPa is the most compressible of all high-Tc superconductors.
Effects of time gating and word length on isolated word-recognition performance.

This study examined the effects of forward time gating and word length on monosyllabic isolated word-recognition performance. Fifty (60-ms) time-gated words were developed from a pre-recorded versi...
Yeast 5S rRNA binding to ribosomal protein L1a alters the fluorescence of tryptophan residues lying outside the binding site.

Abstract The yeast ribosomal protein L1a contains two tryptophan residues located atpositions 95 and 183. Spectrofluorometric analysis showed that the average tryptophan environment is moderately polar. Quenching studies of the yeast 5S rRNA-L1a protein RNA-binding region of the L1a molecule. However, dissociation of the yeast 5S rRNA-L1a protein RNP complex to its components resulted in a decline of tryptophan fluorescence. The observation implied that the environment of the tryptophan-containing L1a regions which were not known to be involved in RNA binding was influenced by association with the 5S rRNA molecule.
Many-Body Effects on Diamagnetism of Free and Bloch Electrons

The effect of the electron-electron interactions on diamagnetic susceptibility is investigated using the Green's-function formalism. General expressions for the Green's function and eigenvalues of the effective one-particle Hamiltonian of the Coulomb gas are developed through second order in the magnetic field strength. Specializing to the Hartree-Fock approximation, the Sampson-Seitz prescription is proven: The susceptibility is given by the Landau-Peierls formula applied to the quasiparticle energy. Energy-band electrons are treated in the Hartree-Fock approximation, yielding a quasiparticle term plus an explicit many-body correction to the orbital paramagnetism. The quasiparticle term corresponds to treating the self-energy operator as a nonlocal pseudopotential. The explicit many-body correction is shown to be small for sodium and bismuth.
Influence of dietary factors on blood and tissue lead concentrations and lead toxicity.

Abstract The effect of dietary protein and amino acids (methionine or cystine) on blood and tissue lead concentrations and lead toxicity was investigated in 5-week-old rats receiving lead acetate (1 mg of Pb/ml) in their drinking water for 5 weeks. The criteria for lead toxicity were decreased growth rate and food utilization, increased urinary aminolevulinic acid excretion (ALA), and the production of lead-induced anemia, measured by a decrease in hemoglobin, hematocrit, and red cell count. Rats fed a low-protein diet (8% casein + 1% alanine) had severe signs of lead toxicity and high (369 μg/100 ml) blood lead concentrations. Substitution of methionine or cystine for alanine decreased lead toxicity, and blood lead decreased without a corresponding lowering of tissue lead concentration. Rats receiving a normal protein diet (27% casein) showed appreciable signs of lead toxicity as judged by ALA excretion and lead-induced anemia. Blood lead concentrations were only one-sixth of the values obtained on the low-protein diet, but there was no corresponding decrease in kidney and liver lead and there was even an increase in bone lead concentration. On the various diets, blood lead often did not reflect tissue lead concentrations, the extent of lead toxicity, or lead exposure. If the lack of correlation between blood lead, tissue lead concentrations, lead toxicity, and lead exposure observed in rats occurs also in humans, then blood lead would not be adequate as the sole criterion in screening human populations for lead exposure.
Bistatic receiver model for airborne lidar returns incident on an imaging array from underwater objects

We develop a bistatic model for airborne lidar returns collected by an imaging array from underwater objects, incorporating additional returns from the surrounding water medium and ocean bottom. Our results provide a generalization of the monostatic model by Walker and McLean. In the bistatic scheme the transmitter and receiver are spatially separated or are not coaligned. This generality is necessary for a precise description of an imaging array such as a CCD, which may be viewed as a collection of receiver elements, with each transmitter-element pair forming a bistatic configuration. More generally, the receiver may consist of photomultiplier tubes, photodiodes, or any of a variety of optical receivers, and the imaging array can range in size from a CCD array to a multiple-platform airborne lidar system involving multiple aircraft. The majority of this research is devoted to a derivation of the bistatic lidar equations, which account for multiple scattering and absorption in the water column. We then describe the application of these equations to the modeling and simulation of an imaging array. We show an example of a simulated lidar return and compare it with a real ocean lidar return, obtained by a CCD array.
Surface phonon-polariton mediated thermal conductivity enhancement of amorphous thin films

We predict theoretically that the effective in-plane thermal conductivity of polar, amorphous thin films can be increased by surface phonon-polaritons significantly beyond their intrinsic bulk values. We show that the thermal conductivity due to surface phonon-polaritons increases with decreasing film thickness. In particular, for a 40-nm-thick film of amorphous silicon dioxide, we calculate a total thermal conductivity of $4\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{W}\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}{\mathrm{m}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}{\mathrm{K}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ at 500 K, which is an increase of $\ensuremath{\sim}100%$ over the intrinsic phonon thermal conductivity.
Myoglobin-like aerotaxis transducers in Archaea and Bacteria

Haem-containing proteins such as haemoglobin and myoglobin play an essential role in oxygen transport and storage. Comparison of the amino-acid sequences of globins from Bacteria and Eukarya suggests that they share an early common ancestor, even though the proteins perform different functions in these two kingdoms1,2,3,4,5,6. Until now, no members of the globin family have been found in the third kingdom, Archaea. Recent studies of biological signalling in the Bacteria and Eukarya have revealed a new class of haem-containing proteins that serve as sensors7. Until now, no haem-based sensor has been described in the Archaea. Here we report the first myoglobin-like, haem-containing protein in the Archaea, and the first haem-based aerotactic transducer in the Bacteria (termed HemAT-Hs for the archaeon Halobacterium salinarum, and HemAT-Bs for Bacillus subtilis). These proteins exhibit spectral properties similar to those of myoglobin and trigger aerotactic responses.
Taxol induces microtubule-rough endoplasmic reticulum complexes and microtubule-bundles in cultured chondroblasts

Taxol induces a vast increase in the number of microtubules (MTs) in functional chondroblasts. The drug also induces a marked change in MT distribution. In control cultures, anti-tubulin stains long, fine, sinuous filaments radiating from a perinuclear center. In taxol-treated cells, anti-tubulin stains stubby, straight, chevron-like structures that assume a striking antipodal distribution. Such MT-bundles are relatively stable: they persist for over 48 h after removal of taxol, and even for 16-24 h in Colcemid. Many of these supernumerary MTs bind to, and align on, the cytoplasmic face of the rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER). In binding, the MTs displace the numerous ribosomes that normally stud the surface of the cisternae of the RER. The bound MTs form a remarkably uniform layer with center-to-center spacings of 40 nm. The attached parallel arrays of MTs achieve lengths of over 10 microns. These bound MTs not only dislodge ribosomes from the RER surface, but they also zip together adjacent ER complexes, forming tiers of two to eight cisternae. Numerous cytoplasmic bundles of hexagonally-ordered MTs are also induced. When closely aligned, the MTs assume a crystalline configuration with a six-fold symmetry, a central MT being surrounded by six equidistant MTs. A single cell can have over 100 MT-bundles and the number of MTs per bundles varies from 2-30. The forces aggregating cytoplasmic MT-bundles probably differ from those that bind MTs to the RER. Taxol also fragments the prominent Golgi complex that characterizes actively secreting chondroblasts. No obvious morphologic relationship has yet been detected between these induced MTs and other organelles such as intermediate-sized filaments, microfilaments, mitochondria, Golgi cisternae, or secretory vesicles.
AGU Expresses Condolences to People of Japan

[1] AGU president Mike McPhaden and executive director/chief executive officer Chris McEntee sent the following letter to Gaku Kimura, president of the Japan Geoscience Union, conveying sympathy and condolences to the people of Japan following the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan on 11 March.
Benzene modulated tetrathiafulvalenetetrathiolate donors: Synthesis and electrochemical properties

Abstract Bis(o-xylylphenyldithio)tetrathiafulvalene, bis(1,8-dimethylnaphthalenedithio)tetrathiafulvalene and bis(2,2′-dimethyl-1, 1'biphenyldithio)tetrathiafulvalene are synthesized from two separate routes. The donors containing 8, 9 and 10 membered heterocyclic rings repectively are compared electrochemically.
Fractal characterization of fracture surfaces in mortar

Abstract The objective of this paper is to characterize the fracture surface of mortar specimens in terms of fractal geometry. The specimens were sectioned perpendicular to crack plane and resulting profiles were digitized by using an Image Analyzer. Fractal dimension D for each profile is evaluated by the box counting method. Our results indicate that the concept of fractal geometry provides useful tools for fracture surface characterization. Fractal dimension of the mortar fracture appears to be ∼2.1.
Laetisaria (Aphyllophorales, Corticiaceae), a new genus for the teleomorph of Isaria fuciformis

Several nomenclatural and taxonomic problems associated with the name Isaria fuciformis Berk. are treated. A new generic name is proposed to accommodate Hypochnus fuciformis McAlp. and a new combination in Athelia is proposed for Corticium fuciforme Wakef. Athelia singularis Parm. is considered a synonym. Isaria fuciformis Berk. and Hypochnus fuciformis McAlp. are lectotypified.
Should Vein Be Saved for Future Operations? A 15-Year Review of Infrainguinal Bypasses and the Subsequent Need for Autogenous Vein

The decision to use prosthetic or autogenous vein as the initial conduit for first-time vascular bypass of the lower extremity depends in part on the likelihood of subsequent need for autogenous conduit for another leg or heart bypass. The true frequency of these later events is not known. To answer this question, we analyzed a database of infrainguinal and coronary artery bypasses (CABG) performed at one institution between January 1980 and July 1995, to determine how many patients required subsequent infrainguinal bypass or CABG after their initial leg bypass. Five hundred and seventy-two infrainguinal bypasses were performed on 440 patients (mean age 63.9); average follow-up was 5.6 years. The clinical philosophy favored autogenous vein for first bypass, which was used in 84% of first operations performed during the study period while prosthetic material was used in 16%. For patients in which vein was used for the first operation, and who went on to have a second operation, the use of prosthetic conduit rose from 16% of operations to 27% (p < 0.05). The rate of subsequent CABG after leg bypass was very low, 2% at 5 years, 3% at 10 years. The cumulative probability of requiring a subsequent infrainguinal bypass was 27% at 5 years, 32% at 10 years. Of these, 46% were ipsilateral and 54% were contralateral. Considering only subsequent tibial bypasses (where vein might be considered obligatory), the cumulative 5-year rate of subsequent leg bypass was only 13%. Another bypass was most likely to occur within the first 3 years, rarely thereafter. In summary, after primary infrainguinal bypass, additional procedures using vein may arise in 1/4 to 1/3 of patients, mostly in the first 3 years. However, only 13% will definitely need vein for tibial bypass in 5 years, and subsequent CABG is uncommon.
The World of Charles J. Kappler: A Digital Portrait

ABSTRACT Charles J. Kappler (1868–1946) is known almost exclusively for his Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties compilation, yet his life and his career were much fuller. Besides serving as Clerk for the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, he was co-counsel for the Pious Fund of the Californias v. Mexico proceedings before the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague and, in one role or another, played a substantial part in many significant federal Indian law cases before the United States Supreme Court in the years leading up to the establishment of the Indian Claims Commission. A digital Web site has been developed to present lesser known aspects of his personal and professional life.
Morphological integrity in Ilocano : A corpus-based study of the production of polymorphemic words in a polysynthetic language

The status of morphology and procedures of morphological production vary in remarkably diverse ways among languages of different typologies. The analysis presented in this study documents pervasive phenomena manifested in the discourse of Ilocano, as a result of the unique highly-prefixing typology of the language, which may contribute to our understanding of the concepts of lexeme, morphological integrity, and affixal boundness. From a thirty-hour corpus of natural interactions among native speakers of Ilocano, certain patterns of language production are introduced that typify the need to understand the synchronic role of morphology in a polysynthetic language and the status that inflectional and/or derivational affixes have in the lexicons of the speakers (Rubino 1994a). This paper will illustrate the intricate workings of the Ilocano language with regard to inter-morphemic pausing, production of affixes without lexical roots, the post-production restructuring of affixation, and the many uses of the versatile empty root kua which is employed by speakers who have uttered the syntactic frame of the word with appropriate affixes, before accessing the lexical root, suggesting that planning and production often take place at the morphemic level. It will then become apparent how the use of discourse data can be utilized to better our understanding of morphology and morphological processes.
Infrared transmission and glass formation in AgIAgFAlF3

Abstract Glasses were made by quenching melts of AgIAgF containing small amounts of AlF3. Glass could not be made from binary silver halide melts. Glassy AgIAgFAlF3 showed good infrared transparency to about 10 μm, with a band at 7.6 μm. These glasses had glass transition temperatures from 45 to 60°C and crystallization temperatures just above 100°C, from differential scanning calorimetry.
Residues of toxaphene, DEF, and paraquat in plant parts and gin waste from a treated cotton field.

The origin and fate of the gin waste residues of three chemicals—toxaphene, DEF, and paraquat—used frequently in cotton production in California were studied. Residues were determined for foliage and bolls in the live plants, for lint and seed in harvested seed cotton, and for gin waste and its lint and non-lint components, following commercial treatments to the cotton crop. Gin waste residues were followed during five months of open storage to ascertain dissipation rates in a typical waste sample. Relatively high residues of each of the three chemicals persisted at harvest, during storage prior to ginning, and in stored gin waste. The major proportion of gin waste residue was associated with the non-lint components—leaf parts, burrs, stems and other foreign matter. Average stored gin waste residues in the lint and non-lint components were 13 and 60, 11 and 58, and 5 and 10 ppm for toxaphene, DEF, and paraquat, respectively, during the open storage period.
Defects in Cu(In,Ga)Se2 Chalcopyrite Semiconductors: A Comparative Study of Material Properties, Defect States, and Photovoltaic Performance

Understanding defects in Cu(In,Ga)(Se,S)2 (CIGS), especially correlating changes in the film formation process with differences in material properties, photovoltaic (PV) device performance, and defect levels extracted from admittance spectroscopy, is a critical but challenging undertaking due to the complex nature of this polycrystalline compound semiconductor. Here we present a systematic comparative study wherein varying defect density levels in CIGS films were intentionally induced by growing CIGS grains using different selenium activity levels. Material characterization results by techniques including X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, secondary ion mass spectrometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and medium energy ion scattering indicate that this process variation, although not significantly affecting CIGS grain structure, crystal orientation, or bulk composition, leads to enhanced formation of a defective chalcopyrite layer with high density of indium or gallium at copper antisite defects ((In, Ga)Cu) near the CIGS surface, for CIGS films grown with insufficient selenium supply. This defective layer or the film growth conditions associated with it is further linked with observed current-voltage characteristics, including rollover and crossover behavior, and a defect state at around 110 meV (generally denoted as the N1 defect) commonly observed in admittance spectroscopy. The impact of the (In, Ga)Cu defects on device PV performance is also established.
Primate longevity: Its place in the mammalian scheme.

Data on captive longevity in 587 mammalian species were analyzed in order to evaluate primate longevity in the context of general mammalian life history patterns. Contrary to some recurrent claims in the literature, we found that 1) primates are not the longest-lived mammalian order, either by absolute longevity, longevity corrected for body size, or metabolic expenditure per lifetime; 2) although relative brain size is highly correlated with longevity in primates, this is an aberrant trend for mammals in general, and other body organs account for an even greater amount of variation in longevity; and 3) there has been no progressive evolution of increased longevity among the primate superfamilies. The exceptional magnitude of primate longevity may, in keeping with evolutionary senescence theory, be due to an evolutionary history of low vulnerability to environmentally imposed death due to their body size, arboreal habit, and propensity to live in social groups. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Noise properties of the chord-based algorithms for reduced scans

Progress in developing CT image reconstruction algorithms has been rapid in recent years. Some algorithms have been proposed to reconstruct exact ROI images from data that are less than the short scan data. These algorithms allow a reduction of the scanning effort and the radiation dose delivered to the patient. It is important to investigate the noise properties within reconstructed ROI images by use of these new algorithms because they are directly related to the accuracy of disease diagnosis. In this work, we study the noise properties of three reduced scan algorithms: BPF, MDFBP, and FBP
Consensus and Confusion in Molluscan Trees: Evaluating Morphological and Molecular Phylogenies

Mollusks are the most morphologically disparate living animal phylum, they have diversified into all habitats, and have a deep fossil record. Monophyly and identity of their eight living classes is undisputed, but relationships between these groups and patterns of their early radiation have remained elusive. Arguments about traditional morphological phylogeny focus on a small number of topological concepts but often without regard to proximity of the individual classes. In contrast, molecular studies have proposed a number of radically different, inherently contradictory, and controversial sister relationships. Here, we assembled a data set of 42 unique published trees describing molluscan interrelationships. We used these data to ask several questions about the state of resolution of molluscan phylogeny compared with a null model of the variation possible in random trees constructed from a monophyletic assemblage of eight terminals. Although 27 different unique trees have been proposed from morphological inference, the majority of these are not statistically different from each other. Within the available molecular topologies, only four studies to date have included the deep sea class Monoplacophora; but 36.4% of all trees are not significantly different. We also present supertrees derived from two data partitions and three methods, including all available molecular molluscan phylogenies, which will form the basis for future hypothesis testing. The supertrees presented here were not constructed to provide yet another hypothesis of molluscan relationships, but rather to algorithmically evaluate the relationships present in the disparate published topologies. Based on the totality of available evidence, certain patterns of relatedness among constituent taxa become clear. The internodal distance is consistently short between a few taxon pairs, particularly supporting the relatedness of Monoplacophora and the chitons, Polyplacophora. Other taxon pairs are rarely or never found in close proximity, such as the vermiform Caudofoveata and Bivalvia. Our results have specific utility for guiding constructive research planning to better test relationships in Mollusca as well as other problematic groups. Taxa with consistently proximate relationships should be the focus of a combined approach in a concerted assessment of potential genetic and anatomical homology, whereas unequivocally distant taxa will make the most constructive choices for exemplar selection in higher level phylogenomic analyses. (Aculifera; Conchifera; Mollusca; Serialia; supertree; Testaria.)
Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Future Source for Reparative Medicine

Current treatments for ischemic cardiomyopathy are aimed toward minimizing the deleterious consequences of damaged myocardium. The possibility of treating heart failure by generating new myocardium and vascular structures has provided major impetus for recent stem cell research. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), also referred to as marrow stromal cells, differentiate into a wide variety of lineages, including myocardial smooth muscle and possibly endothelial cells. The multilineage potential of MSCs, their ability to elude detection by the host's immune system, and their relative ease of expansion in culture make MSCs a very promising source of stem cells for transplantation. This paper reviews animal and human trials studying the role of MSCs in cardiomyogenesis and vasculogenesis in postinfarct myocardium, factors that stimulate MSC differentiation, routes of MSC delivery, and methods of detecting MSC engraftment.
Annihilation Radii for Dislocations Intercepting a Free Surface with Application to Heteroepitaxial Thin Film Growth

One critical issue in heteroepitaxial, lattice mismatched growth is the inevitable appearance of threading dislocations which reside in the relaxing film and degrade its semiconducting properties. It has been shown in previous work that threading dislocations interact with each other through a series of annihilation and fusion reactions to decrease their density as the film thickness increases and follow a l/h decay, where h is the film thickness. A characteristic reaction radius is associated with these interactions. In previous simulations, the reaction radius was taken to be a constant value estimated using a simple approximation based on infinite, parallel dislocation lines. Here, a continuum-based elasticity approach is taken to more accurately quantify the reaction radius by comparing the Peach-Koehler force of one dislocation acting on another at a free surface with the lattice resistance to dislocation motion. The presence of the free surface gives rise to a moderate reduction of the interaction force. Results are compared with preliminary experimental data for GaAs films grown on InP.
A New Method to Estimate PIN (Probability of Informed Trading)

In spite of the many successful applications of the concept of probability of information-based trading (PIN), the method used for its estimation (Easley et al., 1996) suffers several serious shortcomings. 1) It fails to deliver the PIN to a huge number of stocks. Using the most widely cited PIN estimates posted by Havidkjaer as an example, the joint market share of stocks with valid PIN estimates is only 52% of the entire market in 2001. The current trend is even worse because the steady increase of trading activities increases the failure rate. 2) It assumes that trading days or event days are independent, which is refutable. In this paper, a new method is developed to correct these problems. For example, the assumption of independence is discarded. The new method is designed to deliver PINs to all stocks. In contrast to the current method, the performance of the new method is an increasing function of the trading activities. After comparing the proposed new PINs with those in Easley et al. (1996) and Havidkjaer, many interesting findings are derived, which are presented here.
Improving communication of breast cancer recurrence risk

Doctors commonly use genomic testing for breast cancer recurrence risk. We sought to assess whether the standard genomic report provided to doctors is a good approach for communicating results to patients. During 2009–2010, we interviewed 133 patients with stages I or II, node-negative, hormone receptor–positive breast cancer and eligible for the Oncotype DX genomic test. In a randomized experiment, patients viewed six vignettes that presented hypothetical recurrence risk test results. Each vignette described a low, intermediate, or high chance of breast cancer recurrence in 10 years. Vignettes used one of five risk formats of increasing complexity that we derived from the standard report that accompanies the commercial assay or a sixth format that used an icon array. Among women who received the genomic recurrence risk test, 63% said their doctors showed them the standard report. The standard report format yielded among the most errors in identification of whether a result was low, intermediate, or high risk (i.e., the gist of the results), whereas a newly developed risk continuum format yielded the fewest errors (17% vs. 5%; OR 0.23; 95% CI 0.10–0.52). For high recurrence risk results presented in the standard format, women made errors 35% of the time. Women rated the standard report as one of the least understandable and least-liked formats, but they rated the risk continuum format as among the most understandable and most liked. Results differed little by health literacy, numeracy, prior receipt of genomic test results during clinical care, and actual genomic test results. The standard genomic recurrence risk report was more difficult for women to understand and interpret than the other formats. A less complex report, potentially including the risk continuum format, would be more effective in communicating test results to patients.
The Association of Greater Dispositional Optimism With Less Endogenous Pain Facilitation Is Indirectly Transmitted Through Lower Levels of Pain Catastrophizing

Abstract Dispositional optimism has been shown to beneficially influence various experimental and clinical pain experiences. One possibility that may account for decreased pain sensitivity among individuals who report greater dispositional optimism is less use of maladaptive coping strategies such as pain catastrophizing, a negative cognitive/affective response to pain. An association between dispositional optimism and conditioned pain modulation, a measure of endogenous pain inhibition, has previously been reported. However, it remains to be determined whether dispositional optimism is also associated with temporal summation (TS), a measure of endogenous pain facilitation. The current study examined whether pain catastrophizing mediated the association between dispositional optimism and TS among 140 older, community-dwelling adults with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis. Individuals completed measures of dispositional optimism and pain catastrophizing. TS was then assessed using a tailored heat pain stimulus on the forearm. Greater dispositional optimism was significantly related to lower levels of pain catastrophizing and TS. Bootstrapped confidence intervals revealed that less pain catastrophizing was a significant mediator of the relation between greater dispositional optimism and diminished TS. These findings support the primary role of personality characteristics such as dispositional optimism in the modulation of pain outcomes by abatement of endogenous pain facilitation and less use of catastrophizing. Perspective Results from this study further support the body of evidence that attests to the beneficial effects of positive personality traits on pain sensitivity and pain processing. Further, this study identified diminished pain catastrophizing as an important mechanism explaining the inverse relation between dispositional optimism and endogenous pain facilitation.
Interferon-γ ablation exacerbates myocardial hypertrophy in diastolic heart failure

Diastolic heart failure (HF) accounts for up to 50% of all HF admissions, with hypertension being the major cause of diastolic HF. Hypertension is characterized by left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy (LVH). Proinflammatory cytokines are increased in LVH and hypertension, but it is unknown if they mediate the progression of hypertension-induced diastolic HF. We sought to determine if interferon-γ (IFNγ) plays a role in mediating the transition from hypertension-induced LVH to diastolic HF. Twelve-week old BALB/c (WT) and IFNγ-deficient (IFNγKO) mice underwent either saline (n = 12) or aldosterone (n = 16) infusion, uninephrectomy, and fed 1% salt water for 4 wk. Tail-cuff blood pressure, echocardiography, and gene/protein analyses were performed. Isolated adult rat ventricular myocytes were treated with IFNγ (250 U/ml) and/or aldosterone (1 μM). Hypertension was less marked in IFNγKO-aldosterone mice than in WT-aldosterone mice (127 ± 5 vs. 136 ± 4 mmHg; P < 0.01), despite more LVH (LV/body wt ratio: 4.9 ± 0.1 vs. 4.3 ± 0.1 mg/g) and worse diastolic dysfunction (peak early-to-late mitral inflow velocity ratio: 3.1 ± 0.1 vs. 2.8 ± 0.1). LV ejection fraction was no different between IFNγKO-aldosterone vs. WT-aldosterone mice. LV end systolic dimensions were decreased significantly in IFNγKO-aldosterone vs. WT-aldosterone hearts (1.12 ± 0.1 vs. 2.1 ± 0.3 mm). Myocardial fibrosis and collagen expression were increased in both IFNγKO-aldosterone and WT-aldosterone hearts. Myocardial autophagy was greater in IFNγKO-aldosterone than WT-aldosterone mice. Conversely, tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-10 expressions were increased only in WT-aldosterone hearts. Recombinant IFNγ attenuated cardiac hypertrophy in vivo and modulated aldosterone-induced hypertrophy and autophagy in cultured cardiomyocytes. Thus IFNγ is a regulator of cardiac hypertrophy in diastolic HF and modulates cardiomyocyte size possibly by regulating autophagy. These findings suggest that IFNγ may mediate adaptive downstream responses and challenge the concept that inflammatory cytokines mediate only adverse effects.
SUPPRESSED MODE DAMPING FOR MODEL ERROR SENSITIVITY SUPPRESSION FLEXIBLE SPACECRAFT CONTROLLERS

Model Error Sensitivity Suppression (MESS) provides for control of preselected flexible spacecraft vibration modes (controlled modes) while simultaneously suppressing controller action to other modeled vibration modes, (suppressed modes). Suppressed modes, essentially decoupled from controller action, receive little damping from the MESS controller. To enhance system performance, some technique must be designed to provide damping for the suppressed modal systems. This paper advances a suppressed mode damping scheme based on direct feedback of sensor signals. This sensor "throughput" methodology results in an overall closed-loop system composed of primary and secondary controllers. The main controller (MESS design) provides large amounts of damping to controlled modes deemed critical to the control task. The secondary controller (sensor throughput design) provides modest amounts of damping to the suppressed modes which are not critical to the main control task. The throughput controller is designed so that noninteraction with the main controller occurs. Two complementary techniques to achieve this noninteraction between the two controllers are presented.
Profitability and timing of parliamentary land enclosures

Economic historians have long been interested in the role played by agriculture in the Industrial Revolution in England. One particular interest has been the impact of parliamentary land enclosures on eighteenth century agriculture. Much of the earlier work on parliamentary enclosures suggests that they increased productivity in agriculture.’ More recent investigations have addressed the questions associated with the impact of these productivity increases on the demand for factor inputs and (to a lesser degree) agricultural output. The great expense yet persistent popularity of enclosure suggests that it was privately profitable. Yet there are surprisingly few instances in which a profitability estimate is given and almost none in which the methodology is explained.2 The purpose of this paper is twofold: (1) to present estimates of the internal rates of return on five Nottinghamshire manors that were enclosed between 1787 and 1796; and (2) to examine the factors that influenced the internal rate of return. To the extent that the factors influencing the return were known prior to enclosure they will influence the timing of the enclosure, especially if the encloser has more than one manor that might be enclosed. The sample size is small both in number and geographical area, and no attempt is made to generalize these results to enclosures in general. Although the representativeness of the sample and results is unknown, the methodology of measurement can be useful to