cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dynamic adsorption and tension of nonionic binary surfactant mixtures

For the first time, a model for dynamic adsorption and tension of diffusion-controlled systems has been extended to binary premicellar mixtures of nonionic surfactants of different adsorption capacities and nonideal interactions in the monolayer. Local equilibria between subsurface concentrations and adsorbate densitities are modeled using the nonideal adsorbed solution theory, which describes these two elements. The model shows that larger molecules (those with the smaller adsorption capacity) tend to be preferentially adsorbed at low times, if they have equal adsorption equilibrium constants and diffusivities, and smaller moleules at longer times. This adsorption selectivity is reduced when larger molecules have a much larger adsorption equilibrium constant, or when there are negative deviations from ideality in the monolayer. This model's predictions are compared to tension data for two nonionic surfactants, C12E5 and Triton X-100, at 25°C. The data are represented well by the diffusion-controlled model with a finite diffusion-layer thickness, which describes the faster decrease in tension observed with the bubble surfactometer, compared to data with other techniques. With this model, surface coverages and concentration profiles are calculated, thus elucidating the adsorption selectivity of molecules of different adsorption capacities. Synergistic effect in dynamic tension and adsorption can be predicted. Mild synergism in dynamic tension lowering by the preceding nonionic surfactants is also observed.
The effects of divided attention during encoding and retrieval on amnesic patients' memory performance.

Abstract This study examined the effect of divided attention during encoding or retrieval on primary (recall) or secondary (button-pressing) task performance by amnesic patients and control subjects. Experiment 1 demonstrated that control subjects' recall was affected by divided attention during encoding but not during retrieval, while the amnesic patients' recall remained at the same low level for all conditions. Both groups showed a reduction in rate of button-pressing during encoding relative to their baseline levels and a further reduction during the retrieval interval. In Experiment 2, five learning trials, instead of just one, were presented. This acted to increase all subjects' recall and also had the effect of producing superior recall following free encoding relative to encoding during divided attention for the amnesic patientsas well as for the control subjects. Button-pressing performance during the encoding interval increased to baseline for both groups during the five presentation trials, but there was no increase in the rate of button-pressing during the retrieval interval. Amnesic patients' normal attention to the primary task during encoding and retrieval was felt to have several implications for future neuroimaging tasks with these patients.
Two-generated ideals in non-Noetherian semigroup rings

Abstract We determine when a semigroup ring R [ S ] has the 2-generator property for large classes of commutative cancellative semigroups S and commutative rings R . We also give a structure theorem for certain torsion-free modules over these semigroup rings.
Immunochemical characterization of alkaline phosphatase isozymes of the young mouse duodenum.

Abstract Antisera were prepared against the predominant alkaline phosphatase (orthophosphoric monoester phosphohydrolase, EC 3.1.3.1) isozyme of the duodenum of 11-day mice (11D-LR) and the predominant isozyme of 20-day mice (20D-HR). An immunochemical characterization by titration, absorption, and immunodiffusion studies has shown that although these isozymes appear to cross react with one another, they can be distinguished by immunochemical differences. A third duodenal phosphatase isozyme (20D-IR) was found to be immunochemically similar to both the 11D-LR and 20D-HR forms of the enzyme.
Denosumab prevents metacarpal shaft cortical bone loss in patients with erosive rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective Osteoclast-mediated bone loss in the hand predicts future bone erosions in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Osteoclast activity depends on RANKL, which is inhibited by denosumab, an investigational fully human monoclonal antibody against RANKL. We measured metacarpal shaft cortical bone thickness using a novel computer-based technique, digital x-ray radiogrammetry (DXR), to evaluate the effects of denosumab on cortical bone in RA. Methods Patients (n = 227) with active, erosive RA were randomized to receive subcutaneous denosumab 60 mg or 180 mg or placebo every 6 months. All patients received stable doses of methotrexate and daily calcium and vitamin D. For this blinded post hoc analysis (n = 218), cortical bone loss was determined by DXR using computer-assisted measurement of cortical thickness and shaft width at 21 midshaft levels of the second through fourth metacarpal bones of both hands. Results At 12 months, patients receiving denosumab had significantly less metacarpal bone loss versus placebo (denosumab 60 mg: −0.0034, denosumab 180 mg: 0.0001 gain, placebo: −0.0108; P ≤ 0.01 for both denosumab doses). Twelve-month decreases from baseline greater than the smallest detectable change occurred in 2 patients in the denosumab 180 mg group, 9 patients in the denosumab 60 mg group, and 12 patients in the placebo group. Negative correlation was significant between static cortical thickness ratios and static erosion scores (6 and 12 months), and for placebo, between changes in erosion scores and changes in cortical thickness ratio. Conclusion Twice-yearly injections of denosumab with ongoing methotrexate treatment significantly reduced cortical bone loss in RA patients for up to 12 months. These results add to the growing evidence supporting the clinical utility of DXR.
Freezing characteristics of air-entrained concrete in the presence of deicing salt

Abstract The interaction between a salt solution and ice formation in capillary pores might provide new insight into the salt frost scaling process. To accomplish this small prismatic specimens (10 mm × 10 mm × 90 mm) were cut from air-entrained concrete, dried at 50 °C until constant weight, then immersed in sodium chloride (NaCl) solutions of different concentrations (0%, 3%, 9% and 12%) until they reached full capillary saturation. They were then subjected to a freeze–thaw (F–T) cycle in a high resolution low temperature dilatometer (LTD) with the surface temperature and uniaxial length-change continuously monitored. Internal saturation of capillary pores with increasing salt solutions is found to have a profound effect on the F–T response including the temperature rise and instant dilation associated with ice nucleation. It is concluded that salt ions retard ice formation and the effect of ice-growth on pore expansion during an F–T cycle. The presence of salt ions in the concrete pores and surface liquid has a counter-balancing effect on specimen length-change associated with ice-growth, which may provide one possible explanation for the pessimum salt concentration effect. The extent of surface scaling is also affected by the intrinsic capillary transport property (i.e., sorptivity) of the porous cementitious binder. Salt scaling is exacerbated in concretes with increasing sorptivity.
A simple method for the production of homogeneous water drops down to 1 micron radius

Abstract A simple method for the production of homogeneous water drops down to 2 μ diameter is described. When bubbles of a given size burst at an air-water interface, the collapse of the bubble cavity produces an upward moving jet which quickly disintegrates into several small drops. Each of these drops, not necessarily all the same size, rises to a height which is remarkably constant from one bubble to the next. The drop size at each of these heights was found to be equally constant. Photographs are shown of the drops produced and their remarkable uniformity in size. The size of the drops is a function of the bubble size.
A role for decorin in controlling proliferation, adhesion, and migration of murine embryonic fibroblasts.

The proteoglycan decorin putatively inhibits cell adhesion and cell migration on various extracellular matrix substrates through interactions with β1 integrins. This study, therefore, examined the adhesive, migration, and proliferative characteristics of decorin knockout (Dcn−/−) murine embryonic fibroblasts compared to wild-type controls on collagen-coated, fibronectin-coated, and uncoated tissue culture plates. The Dcn−/− cells showed significantly greater proliferation than wild-type controls on all substrates. The Dcn−/− cells also showed significantly greater adhesion to both collagen and fibronectin; both cell types showed greater adhesion to collagen. The addition of exogenous decorin had a differential effect on adhesion to collagen between cell types, but not on fibronectin. For collagen, blocking either α2 or β1 integrin subunits significantly reduced adhesion for Dcn−/− cells; whereas for fibronectin, blocking either the α5 or β1 integrin subunits reduced adhesion for both cell types. Decorin and the α5β1 integrin may have lesser roles in adhesion to fibronectin than previously presumed. Finally, compared to wild-type cells, Dcn−/− cells showed greater migration on both uncoated and collagen substrates. This study demonstrates that decorin affects the biology of various integrins that participate in cell proliferation, adhesion, and migration on various substrates. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res, 2010
Some mathematical aspects of spin-orbit resonance. II

This paper continues the mathematical study of spin/orbit coupling which was begun in earlier articles by the second author. The equation studied is\(\ddot \theta = \varepsilon P(t,\theta ) + \varepsilon T(t,\dot \theta )\) whereP andT are periodic int and the angle θ. No specific form forP andT is assumed but only the conditions necessary to analyze the system near resonance or a ground state. The behavior of an averaged system of these equations is shown to be reflected qualitatively in the actual equations by rigorous mathematical methods.
THE EFFECT OF TWEEN 80 ON THE ENUMERATION OF MARINE BACTERIA BY THE SPREAD AND POUR PLATE METHODS1,2

The effect of adding Tween 80 to water from Fisher’s Island Sound was studied. Spread and pour platings, using media with and without yeast extract, showed highest counts by the spread technique, corroborating previous work. Tween 80 at 20 ppm was inhibitory; at 10 ppm showed only irregular increases, in contradiction to the findings with California waters.
Premarital Cohabitation and Housework: Couples in Cross‐National Perspective

The authors examine the effect of premarital cohabitation on the division of household labor in 22 countries. First, women do more routine housework than men in all countries. Second, married couples that cohabited before marriage have a more equal division of housework. Third, national cohabitation rates have equalizing effects on couples regardless of their own cohabitation experience. However, the influence of cohabitation rates is only observed in countries with higher levels of overall gender equality. The authors conclude that the trend toward increasing cohabitation may be part of a broader social trend toward a more egalitarian division of housework.
Pathlengths of SPEC benchmarks for PA-RISC, MIPS, and SPARC

The total instruction pathlength and instruction frequency counts are measured for the SPEC89 benchmark programs on the PA-RISC architecture and compared with previously published information for the MIPS and SPARC architectures. The PA-RISC architecture typically requires significantly fewer instructions than the other two architectures for the same benchmark. The differences in counts for instruction subclasses are compared and used to estimate the actual impact of some PA-RISC architectural features designed for pathlength reduction. The total geometric mean of the ratio of pathlengths showed that both MIPS and SPARC executed 33% more instructions than PA-RISC. Since these programs are large and different in nature, this may be considered a significant empirical measure of the effectiveness of the PA-RISC pathlength reduction features in both its instruction-set architecture and its compilers. >
A real time process control system for IC testing

In IC manufacturing, testing plays an important role. Once a wafer completes fabrication, each individual die on the wafer must pass a battery of tests before assembly. This testing process produces a large amount of data that must be converted into useful information, accessible in the right format, to be useful to yield engineers, test engineers, design engineers, process engineers, and production operators. The main goals of the Test Productivity System (TPS) are to apply real-time statistical process control the techniques to IC testing in order to reduce failures, shorten the yield improvement learning curve, and increase the overall efficiency of the production operation, thereby reducing manufacturing costs while producing a higher quality product. >
CD4+ lymphocyte adenosine triphosphate determination in sepsis: a cohort study

Patients suffering from sepsis are currently classified on a clinical basis (i.e., sepsis, severe sepsis, septic shock); however, this clinical classification may not accurately reflect the overall immune status of an individual patient. Our objective was to describe a cohort of patients with sepsis in terms of their measured immune status. Fifty-two patients with sepsis (n = 13), severe sepsis (n = 21), or septic shock (n = 18) were studied. The immune status was determined by measuring the CD4+ lymphocyte adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content after mitogen stimulation in whole blood. The measured CD4+ lymphocyte ATP content at the time of ICU admission did not differ among the various groups defined by the sepsis classification system (sepsis = 454 ± 79 ng/ml; severe sepsis = 359 ± 54 ng/ml; septic shock = 371 ± 53 ng/ml; P = 0.44). Furthermore, survivors of sepsis had a significantly higher CD4+ lymphocyte ATP content at the time of ICU admission than did nonsurvivors of sepsis (431 ± 41 ng/mL vs. 266 ± 53 ng/mL, respectively; P = 0.04). The sepsis classification system that is currently used is not representative of the individual immune status as determined by measuring the CD4+ lymphocyte ATP content. Moreover, a lower CD4+ ATP content at the time of ICU admission is associated with a worse clinical outcome in those suffering from sepsis.
Pulsed ESR at 140 GHz

We report pulsed electron spin resonance (ESR) experiments at a static magnetic field (B0) of 5.0T, corresponding to a microwave frequency of ˜140 GHz for g = 2 electrons. The experiments were performed with a transmission spectrometer, utilizing a 300 watt extended interaction klystron (EIK) operating in pulsed mode, together with a crossed waveguide Fabry-Perot resonator which provided 30–40 dB of receiver isolation. Signal averaging was accomplished by mixing the pulse from the EIK with a 139.95 GHz reference oscillator, which was subsequently mixed with a local oscillator to generate a trigger signal for a digital oscilloscope. Concurrently, the ESR signal was mixed to an intermediate frequency using a second low frequency oscillator which was phase-locked to the same source as the trigger oscillator and detected with a transient digitizer. In this configuration we achieved π/2 pulses of −14 ns, and the isolation of the Fabry-Perot provided short spectrometer dead times (20–50 ns, including the pulse) for subsequent detection of the free induction decays. The performance of the spectrometer is demonstrated with spectra obtained from crystals of fluoranthenyl hexafluorophosphate.
Comparison of Oligo- and Polysaccharides Formed from Starch During Processing of Sweet Potato Puree by Endogenous and Exogenous Enzyme Treatments

Hydrolysis patterns of starch were monitored during production of sweet potato puree (Jewel variety) using high performance size exclusion chromatography. A wide range of polysaccharides from large molecular size to simple sugars was observed. Lye peeling, prior to pureeing, induced partial hydrolysis by native enzymes due to gelatinization of starch from heat and alkali. Native enzymes were inactivated by steam injection (105°C for 5 min) and the puree treated with Bacillus subtilis alpha-amylase and Tenase, a thermostable alpha-amylase. Bacillus subtilis alpha-amylase produced a narrower molecular size range of polysaccharides during hydrolysis relative to Tenase. The average molecular size distribution of amylolysis end products from the native and exogenously treated systems differed. Specific lower molecular weight oligosaccharides formed during the final stages of amylolysis.
Optical chiral negative-index metamaterial design

A material parameter extraction procedure for general BI metamaterials has been presented. The retrieved material parameters correspond to those of the homogeneous BI material slab of the same thickness that produces the same transmission and reflection properties. A doubly-periodic chiral NIM design in the near-IR spectrum has been presented along with the extracted material parameters.
Ozone depletion and UV-B radiation in the Antarctic—Limitations to ecological assessment

Abstract Ozone depletion has been detected in the upper atmosphere over the Antarctic since the late 1970s. This depletion results in increased fluences of incident ultraviolet-B radiation in Antarctic environments. There is considerable information available about the chemical and physical characteristics of this atmospheric phenomenon, but the ecological impact of this annual pollution cycle has not been determined. Only a few studies on the UV-photobiology of Antarctic organisms have been initiated, and neither the extent of ecosystem modification nor the time scale for ecosystem response are known.
Spike leakage of thin Si PIN limiters

Thin PIN diode limiters (10 /spl mu/m or less) are used to protect sensitive microwave components from fast-risetime microwave pulses having energies exceeding 1 to 10 /spl mu/J. This paper analyzes and experimentally confirms the performance of these PIN limiters. It is shown that spike leakage is a transit-time effect that is controlled by the mobility of the carriers. A p-type background I-region should yield less spike leakage energy for a given thickness. It is proposed that the hysteresis effect observed when limiters are operated under cw conditions is due to space charge effects and stored charges remaining after the reverse-biased half cycle. Detailed agreement between the measured and calculated device voltage waveforms requires accurate modeling of the circuit parasitics because of the high rate-of-change currents arising from avalanching. >
Efficacy and haemodynamic effects of vacuum-assisted closure for post-sternotomy mediastinitis in children

OBJECTIVES: Post-sternotomy mediastinitis is a significant morbidity with controversial management. Vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) has been used to treat mediastinitis, with many reports documenting its efficacy and feasibility, particularly in adults. However, its use is not prevalent in the paediatric population because of concerns that it may deteriorate haemodynamics. This study aimed to evaluate outcomes and effects of VAC on the haemodynamics of paediatric patients with post-sternotomy mediastinitis. METHODS: Six patients were treated with VAC between April 2005 and March 2013. We retrospectively investigated their profiles, clinical outcomes and haemodynamic changes, including mean blood pressure (MBP), mean heart rate (MHR), urinary output, amount of diuretics and vasoactive-inotropic score (VIS), before and after VAC initiation. RESULTS: The median age and body weight of patients were 6.4 months and 4.5 kg, respectively. Three patients (50%) had single ventricular physiology. The median VAC duration was 12 days. One patient died of pulmonary venous obstruction after mediastinitis was cured. The average MBPs in every 8-h period were examined, and there were no significant changes (P= 0.773); the average MHRs were examined in the same manner and they decreased significantly after initiation of VAC (P= 0.032). Only 2 patients required vasoactive agents. The VIS did not change in 1 patient and decreased in the other. The mean amount of diuretics administered and urinary output per body weight did not change significantly (P= 0.395 and 0.273, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the haemodynamics of children were not significantly affected by the negative pressure of VAC, indicating that this therapy may be safe and effective for post-sternotomy mediastinitis, even in small children with complex cardiac anomalies.
Ice-Minus strawberries, Flavr Savr tomatoes, and science literacy: the disconnect between science and the public

"Breeding a better ketchup: Tomato tinkerers plan gene-altered condiments", "They're fiddling with our food, " "Allergy dangers lurk in gene mix": for over a decade headlines have questioned the safety of biotechnology-produced food products. Biotechnologists themselves have been portrayed as greedy and amoral. Why is biotechnology receiving such alarmist press? Why do biotechnology opponents seem to more easily convert the public to their own "truths" when at the same time many scientific pronouncements seem to be met from the start with suspicion? One proposed solution is to raise the level of science literacy for the non-scientifically trained, but will an ability to recite science facts ameliorate the problem? There is growing recognition that poor communication between scientists and the public is a major root of the disconnect. This panel paper uses the Ice-Minus and Flavr Savr cases to examine Daniel E. Koshland Jr.'s statement that "there are two truths in this world: one of the laboratory, and the other of the media. What people perceive as the truth is truer in a democracy than some grubby little experiment in a laboratory notebook". The paper will address ways to forge a real connection between the public and biotechnology.
Thirty years of "batch size effects"

The method of non-overlapping batch means is the standard for constructing a confidence interval for the mean of a steady-state simulation output. In "Batch Size Effects in the Analysis of Simulation Output," published in Operations Research in 1982, Schmeiser recast the problem of selecting a batch size by examining the marginal benefit of attaining the largest number of batches (smallest batch size) that still yields a valid confidence interval. His formulation of the problem, and the conclusions he reached, influenced nearly all later work on batching and batching algorithms for confidence-interval estimation.
Grading and staging the histopathological lesions of chronic hepatitis: the Knodell histology activity index and beyond.

In the last half of the 20th century, use of the liver biopsy has grown to serve multiple purposes: (1) confirmation of clinical diagnosis, (2) assessment of severity of necroinflammation and fibrosis, (3) evaluation of possible concomitant disease processes, and (4) assessment of therapeutic intervention. The current practice for reporting histopathological evaluation of chronic hepatitis involves separate statements for the cause of disease, if known, for severity of necroinflammatory lesions, and for the extent of parenchymal fibrosis. The Knodell histology activity index (HAI), published in HEPATOLOGY in 1981,1 was the first system of its type and is widely regarded as the benchmark for objective, semiquantitative, reproducible description of the various morphological lesions of chronic hepatitis. The report has been cited more than 940 times since its publication. Other proposals for semiquantitative evaluation have followed.2-8 Among these was the consensus report of Desmet et al.,2 which appeared in 1994 in HEPATOLOGY and has been cited more than 440 times. It not only described a modified grading and staging system but also significantly updated the classification of chronic hepatitis to include etiology.
Scene Text Segmentation via Inverse Rendering

Recognizing text in natural photographs that contain specular highlights and focal blur is a challenging problem. In this paper we describe a new text segmentation method based on inverse rendering, i.e. decomposing an input image into basic rendering elements. Our technique uses iterative optimization to solve the rendering parameters, including light source, material properties (e.g. diffuse/specular reflectance and shininess) as well as blur kernel size. We combine our segmentation method with a recognition component and show that by accounting for the rendering parameters, our approach achieves higher text recognition accuracy than previous work, particularly in the presence of color changes and image blur. In addition, the derived rendering parameters can be used to synthesize new text images that imitate the appearance of an existing image.
Human fibrosarcoma cells produce fibronectin-releasing peptides.

A sensitive radioimmunoassay, specific for human fibronectin, was used to measure the ability of certain biologically active polypeptides to release fibronectin from cultured human lung fibroblasts into their culture media. Concentrated, serum-free culture supernatant from a human fibrosarcoma cell line was fractionated by gel filtration chromatography in the presence of acetic acid. Various polypeptides with molecular weights between 46,000 and 6,000 were tested for their ability to release fibronectin from cells. The column fraction, containing polypeptides with an apparent molecular weight of 10,000, exhibited the ability to rapidly release fibronectin from target cells. The activity could be inhibited by phenylmethyl sulphonylfluoride. Several other hormonal factors, tested in parallel with the column fractions, failed to show this effect. The 10,000 dalton molecular weight polypeptides may represent a family of cellular gene products responsible for maintenance of low levels of surface associated fibronectin in fibrosarcoma cells and thus be related to their infiltrating properties by preventing the formation of the extracellular matrix.
Anti-collision policy for RFID systems: fast predict tags in field algorithm

Passive radio frequency identification (RFID) technology is developed and designed to identify many items that are ‘tagged’ within range as quickly as possible. To explain the identification process briefly, the interrogator issues a command that it is ready to listen and allots T time slots for tags to respond in. The tags that received the command pick a time slot between 0 to T –1 and respond in that time slot. Considering this one frame of communication; the entire identification process usually requires multiple frames to complete identifying all tags in field. Assuming a fairly random distribution of the time slots selected by all the tags in the field ( N ), the value of T should be ideally equal to N to complete identification of all N tags in minimum time while minimising idle and collision slots and maximising single reply slots. Establishing a value of T not knowing N is a challenge. The research documented in this article describes the conception of a new fast predict tags in field algorithm (FPTFA), the hardware complexity and processor overhead involved in its implementation and compares it with popular anti-collision algorithms that are in practice.
Estimation of shark home ranges using passive monitoring techniques.

We examined a population of blacktip sharks, Carcharhinus limbatus, within a coastal nursery area to define how individuals use the nursery habitat throughout the summer. We used a series of acoustic hydrophones to passively monitor the movement patterns of sharks for periods up to 167 days. We used passive monitoring data to calculate home range estimates using minimum convex polygon (MCP) and fixed kernel estimators. MCP calculated the extent of an individual's range. Kernel estimates provided information regarding the utilization of space within the home range including core area (50% kernel) and larger excursions outside the core area (95% kernel). Individuals within the nursery area typically used a consistently small core area. All sharks monitored in the study site underwent a home range expansion during the month of July, suggesting a synchronous population-level change in habitat use. This change in habitat use was reflected in all home range calculations. Passive monitoring revealed that young sharks remain within the nursery area for up to 6 months. The long-term use of this nursery area reflects its critical importance to young blacktip sharks.
Prevalence of feline infectious peritonitis in specific cat breeds

Although known that purebreed cats are more likely to develop feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), previous studies have not examined the prevalence of disease in individual breeds. All cats diagnosed with FIP at a veterinary teaching hospital over a 16-year period were identified. Breed, sex and reproductive status of affected cats were compared to the general cat population and to mixed breed cats evaluated during the same period. As with previous studies sexually intact cats and purebreed cats were significantly more likely to be diagnosed with FIP; males and young cats also had a higher prevalence of disease. Abyssinians, Bengals, Birmans, Himalayans, Ragdolls and Rexes had a significantly higher risk, whereas Burmese, Exotic Shorthairs, Manxes, Persians, Russian Blues and Siamese cats were not at increased risk for development of FIP. Although additional factors doubtlessly influence the relative prevalence of FIP, this study provides additional guidance when prioritizing differentials in ill purebreed cats.
Implementation of a color-capable optofluidic microscope on a RGB CMOS color sensor chip substrate

We report the implementation of a color-capable on-chip lensless microscope system, termed color optofluidic microscope (color OFM), and demonstrate imaging of double stained Caenorhabditis elegans with lacZ gene expression at a light intensity about 10 mW/cm2.
QTL ANALYSIS OF FLORAL TRAITS IN LOUISIANA IRIS HYBRIDS

The formation of hybrid zones between nascent species is a widespread phenomenon. The evolutionary consequences of hybridization are influenced by numerous factors, including the action of natural selection on quantitative trait variation. Here we examine how the genetic basis of floral traits of two species of Louisiana Irises affects the extent of quantitative trait variation in their hybrids. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping was used to assess the size (magnitude) of phenotypic effects of individual QTL, the degree to which QTL for different floral traits are colocalized, and the occurrence of mixed QTL effects. These aspects of quantitative genetic variation would be expected to influence (1) the number of genetic steps (in terms of QTL substitutions) separating the parental species phenotypes; (2) trait correlations; and (3) the potential for transgressive segregation in hybrid populations. Results indicate that some Louisiana Iris floral trait QTL have large effects and QTL for different traits tend to colocalize. Transgressive variation was observed for six of nine traits, despite the fact that mixed QTL effects influence few traits. Overall, our QTL results imply that the genetic basis of floral morphology and color traits might facilitate the maintenance of phenotypic divergence between Iris fulva and Iris brevicaulis, although a great deal of phenotypic variation was observed among hybrids.
The dielectric spectrum of europium doped CaF2

Abstract The complex dielectric constant has been measured at five audio frequencies (102–104 Hz) over the temperature range 4.2–400K for samples of europium-doped (nominal concentrations of 0.55% and 1.26%) CaF2. Three strong relaxations are observed which indicates rather large amounts of the Eu3+ ion. The three principal relaxations, which have activation energies of 0.413, 0.573 and 0.746 eV, are compared with previously observed dipolar complexes in rare-earth doped alkaline-earth fluorides. Of particular significance is the absence of strong, low-temperature relaxations which are often found in rare-earth doped alkaline-earth fluorides. Several weak relaxations are also observed.
Constraints on the Profiles of Total Water PDF in AGCMs from AIRS and a High-Resolution Model

Atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) cloud parameterizations generally include an assumption aboutthesubgrid-scaleprobabilitydistributionfunction(PDF)oftotalwateranditsverticalprofile.Inthepresent study, the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) monthly-mean cloud amount and relative humidity fields are used to compute a proxy for the second moment of an AGCM total water PDF called the ‘‘RH01 diagnostic,’’ whichistheAIRSmeanrelativehumidityforcloudfractionsof0.1orless.Thedependenceofthesecondmoment on horizontal grid resolution is analyzed using results from a high-resolution global model simulation. The AIRS-derived RH01 diagnostic is generally larger near the surface than aloft, indicating a narrower PDF near the surface, and varies with the type of underlying surface. High-resolution model results show that the verticalstructureofprofilesofthe AGCMPDFsecond momentis unchanged asthegrid resolutionchangesfrom 200to100to50 km,andthatthesecond-momentprofilesshifttowardhighervalueswithdecreasinggridspacing. Several Goddard Earth Observing System, version 5 (GEOS-5), AGCM simulations were performed with several choices for the profile of the PDF second moment. The resulting cloud and relative humidity fields were shown to be quite sensitive to the prescribed profile, and the use of a profile based on the AIRS-derived proxyresultsinimprovementsrelativetoobservationalestimates.TheAIRS-guidedtotalwaterPDFprofiles, including their dependence on underlying surface type and on horizontal resolution, have been implemented in the version of the GEOS-5 AGCM used for publicly released simulations.
Effect of propionate and citrate on depressed feed intake after intraruminal infusions of acetate in dairy cattle.

Abstract Intraruminal infusions of acetic acid (neutralized to pH 6.5) reduced hay consumption in fistulated dairy heifers by 39%. Substitution of a portion of the acetate with an equicaloric amount of propionate prevented the depression. Addition of citrate to the acetate partially alleviated the depression. Temperature of the tympanum of the ear increased following infusion of acetate, but was maintained lower by the acetate-propionate mixture. The data suggest that a balance of the volatile fatty acids in the rumen may be a significant factor in controlling their voluntary feed intake.
Delivery systems for intraocular routes

Abstract Intravitreal drug delivery has been developed to treat posterior segment diseases because the blood-ocular barrier prevents treatment by topical, systemic, or subconjunctival routes from attaining therapeutic levels in the vitreous. Endophthalmitis, uveitis, proliferative vitreoretinopathy, and viral retinitis are treated by intravitreal injection. Efforts to sustain drug delivery have included encapsulation of drugs in liposomes (made of lipids) or microspheres (made of polymers). In many instances the drug's toxicity to the retina was reduced and the clearance time was slowed. However, these methods cause clouding of the vitreous and can prolong drug delivery for only one month. Implantable devices have been used, such as an osmotic minipump, a drug pellet coated with polyvinyl alcohol and ethylene vinyl acetate, and polysulfone capillary fiber. Biodegradable devices are under investigation, including a drug matrix and a porous reservoir system, both made of polymers; these devices would not require surgical removal.
An "optimal" k-needle placement strategy and its application to guiding transbronchial needle aspirations.

This article addresses the problem of finding an “optimal” strategy for placing k biopsy needles, given a large number of possible initial needle positions. We consider two variations of the problem: (1) Calculate the smallest set of needles necessary to guarantee a successful biopsy; and (2) Given a number k, calculate k needles such that the probability of a successful biopsy is maximized. Note that “needle” is used as shorthand for the parameter vector that specifies the needle placement. Both problems are formulated in terms of two general, NP-hard optimization problems. Our k-needle placement strategy can be considered as “optimal” in the sense that we are able to formulate it as a known NP-hard problem for which it is believed (NP≠P conjecture) that no efficient algorithm exists that computes the optimal solution. In other words, our strategy is “optimal” with respect to the best approximative algorithm known for the respective NP-hard problem. For the second variation we have implemented an approxi...
Peace building: a literature review

Ball, Nicole and Tammy Halevy (1996) Making Peace Work: The Role of the International Development Community, Policy Essay No. 18, Washington, DC: Overseas Development Council. Center for Strategic ...
Latitudinal dependency of geomagnetic polarity transition durations

Palaeomagnetic records of the Matuyama–Brunhes polarity transition were obtained from seven, low sedimentation rate, deep-sea cores from the Pacific Ocean. The cores were taken near the 180° meridian and provide a latitudinal transect of transition records extending from 45.3° N to 33.4° S. Examination of these records suggests that low sedimentation rate cores may not be capable of recording the fine details of transitional field behaviour, but there are indications that these cores may, in fact, provide accurate records of the more general features of the reversal. Most notable of these features is that the duration of the transition is dependent on the site latitude, with durations at mid-latitudes being more than a factor of 2 longer than at equatorial latitudes.
Regulation of ERK (extracellular signal regulated kinase), part of the neurotrophin signal transduction cascade, in the rat mesolimbic dopamine system by chronic exposure to morphine or cocaine

Local infusion of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) into the ventral tegmental area (VTA) can prevent and reverse the ability of chronic morphine or cocaine exposure to induce tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) in this brain region. The present study examined a possible role for extracellular signal regulated kinases (ERKs), the major effector for BDNF and related neurotrophins, in morphine and cocaine action in the VTA. Chronic, but not acute, administration of morphine or cocaine increased ERK catalytic activity specifically in the VTA. This increase in ERK activity reflected an increase in the state of phosphorylation of ERK, with no change in levels of total ERK immunoreactivity. Chronic infusions of BDNF into the VTA reduced total ERK immunoreactivity with no change in ERK activity, and also blocked the morphine-induced increase in ERK activity. These results suggest that chronic BDNF elicits a compensatory increase in the phosphorylation of the remaining ERK molecules and thereby prevents any additional increase in response to drug exposure. Such a role for ERK in morphine action was demnostrated directly by chronically infusing antisense oligonucleotides to ERK1 into the VTA. This treatment selectively reduced levels of ERK1 immunoreactivity in a sequence-specific manner without detectable toxicity. Intra-VTA infusion of ERK1 antisense oligonucleotides mimicked the effects of chronic BDNF infusions on ERK immunoreactivity, ERK activity, and TH immunoreactivity in the VTA under both control and morphine-treated conditions. The chronic morphine-induced increases in ERK activity and TH expression in the VTA also were blocked by local infusion of NMDA glutamate receptor antagonists, suggesting a role for glutamate in mediating these drug effects. Together, these findings support a scheme whereby chronic, systemic administration of morphine or cocaine leads to a sustained increase in ERK phosphorylation state and activity in the VTA, which, in turn, contributes to drug-induced increases in TH, and perhaps other drug-induced adaptations, elicited selectively in this brain region.
Compensatory Feeding in Danaus plexippus (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) in Response to Variation in Host Plant Quality

Abstract Because plant nitrogen content varies within and between plants, insects must often compensate for low nitrogen levels by consuming more or suffer decreased performance. To test the effects of varying nitrogen content and plant characteristics that are affected by nitrogen content on monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus L.) growth and development, we applied high and low nitrogen fertilizer treatments to common milkweed grown in a glasshouse. High nitrogen fertilization resulted in increased leaf nitrogen and plant height, but also higher disease and pest levels. Monarchs fed plants in the low nitrogen fertilization treatment showed higher relative consumption rates. Monarch performance, measured with development time and relative growth rate, was affected differently in different larval stadia, but larvae of all stadia fed leaves from the low nitrogen fertilization treatment weighed as much as or more than those fed high nitrogen leaves. These results suggest that monarch larvae compensate for lo...
Reaching Bicameral Legislative Agreement in Canberra and Washington

Congressional analysts and practitioners actually can benefit from looking at their institution from a broader, comparative perspective than they usually adopt. This paper compares a critical stage of the legislative process in bicameral national assemblies by looking at how two such assemblies, both with unusually strong senates, go about trying to reach legislative agreements. The paper discusses the procedures available in both the Australian Parliament and the US Congress, but emphasizes how the broader constitutional, electoral, and partisan contexts of each political system influence the procedures that actually are used and the legislative outcomes that ensue.
Improved Performance of High Areal Density Indirect Drive Implosions at the National Ignition Facility using a Four-Shock Adiabat Shaped Drive

Hydrodynamic instabilities can cause capsule defects and other perturbations to grow and degrade implosion performance in ignition experiments at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). Here, we show the first experimental demonstration that a strong unsupported first shock in indirect drive implosions at the NIF reduces ablation front instability growth leading to a 3 to 10 times higher yield with fuel ρR>1 g/cm(2). This work shows the importance of ablation front instability growth during the National Ignition Campaign and may provide a path to improved performance at the high compression necessary for ignition.
Regulation and the cost of childcare

ABSTRACTFemale labour market choices depend on the availability, affordability and quality of childcare. In this article, we evaluate different regulatory measures and their effect on both the quality and the cost of childcare. First, we analyse data on regulations and costs to estimate the effect of regulatory measures on the cost of childcare. Next, we summarize the existing literature on the effect of regulation on childcare quality. We find that regulation intended to improve quality often focuses on easily observable measures of the care environment that do not necessarily affect the quality of care but that do increase the cost. Thus, we find that the regulatory environment could be improved by eliminating costly measures that do not affect quality of care.
The motives, characteristics and experiences of US Black Friday shoppers

Despite the popularity of Black Friday (BF) shopping, there is surprisingly little research on shoppers' Black Friday motivations, characteristics, experiences and behaviors. The purpose of this study was to examine a broad range of Black Friday shopping behaviors and experiences, as well as the relationships between Black Friday shoppers' motivations and experiences. In this study, we collected data from consumers who did and did not participate in BF shopping during the most recent holiday season. As expected, compared to non-shoppers, Black Friday shoppers reported higher levels of hedonic shopping motivations. In particular, Black Friday shoppers appear to be especially attracted to experiences of pleasurable shopping emotions and the BF holiday may be particularly good at stimulating and satisfying those emotions. In addition, Black Friday shoppers with more positive experiences reported more extensive shopping behaviors and reported shopping for products that were similar to those products that they...
Imagery Writing of Contemporary Hui Muslim Writers in Ningxia

Hui Muslim writers constructed an imagery world with the spirit of purity in Ningxia. In concrete,Hui Muslim writers focused their imagery on the nature,religious buildings and animals. The characteristic selection of these imageries reflected writers' praise of life,belief and personality,influenced by the Islamic culture. Hui Muslim's literature on purity imagery conveys the harmonious relations between Hui Literature and Islamic culture,as well as enlarging the representing value and spiritual connotations of Hui Muslim Literature.
Conjoined twins: whose best interest should prevail? An argument for separation.

This article discusses a sensitive issue that is complex and provocative, and will undoubtedly stimulate a variety of opinions. What do you think? Post your comments on the Pediatric Nursing website discussion site about this topic and read what others have to say as well. Visit our homepage at www.pediatricnursing.net and click on "Discussion." The opinions and assertions contained herein are the private views of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Pediatric Nursing Journal or the publisher.
Review: platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa blockers for PCI or acute coronary syndromes reduce death and MI but increase bleeding.

Source Citation Bosch X, Marrugat J. Platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa blockers for percutaneous coronary revascularization, and unstable angina and non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. Coc...
A Longer, Better Ride With Engineered Stem Cells⁎

A television series called Pimp My Ride depicts the transformation of run-down, shabby automobiles into fantasy-lands of extreme color and function customized to the owner's interests, with built-in light shows, clothes dryers, sound studios, and movie theaters. At the end of each episode, we are
Mending Walls: Information Sharing after the USA Patriot Act

The conventional wisdom is that the USA PATRIOT Act tore down the wall that prevented counterterrorism officials from sharing information with one another. Yet a number of laws remain on the books that could restrict data exchange, including the National Security Act of 1947, the Posse Comitatus Act, and the Privacy Act. Each statute reflects a blend of distinct policy concerns – for instance, preventing criminal investigators from evading the legal limits on domestic surveillance, keeping military and intelligence agencies from using excessive force in contexts where it’s unjustified, ensuring that the armed forces remain subordinate to civilian authorities, and safeguarding individual privacy against government intrusions. These laws are overbroad; they have the potential to restrict not just the harmful conduct Congress sought to proscribe, but also innocent information sharing. In fact, it’s possible to expand sharing while simultaneously vindicating these laws’ underlying principles. Intelligence agencies are unlikely to collect evidence for law enforcement officials to use in criminal proceedings, because doing so would undermine their institutional interests. Information sharing can mitigate intelligence and military incentives to operate in inappropriate spheres. The chances that data exchange might undermine civilian control of the military are too slight to justify sharing restrictions. And information sharing can preserve privacy values by reducing the need for agencies to engage in multiple rounds of privacy-eroding surveillance.