cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Recent Advances in the Development of Chemically Amplified Resists for Applications in Electron Beam Lithography

The use of chemically amplified resists in electron beam lithography presents several challenges that are often specific to the ultimate application of this technology. The coupling of electron beams with positive tone chemically amplified resists, whether it be for NGL device manufacturing with a projection system or high-end mask making with a raster-scan tool, has provided an opportunity to probe some of the chemical and physical subtleties that are inherent to these complex systems. The ability to fine-tune a resist system for a particular end use requires a fundamental understanding of the parameters that control aspects of the resist such as sensitivity, deprotection kinetics and process latitude. Over the last few years, these issues have been explored for an IBM-developed, low activation energy resist, KRS-XE. Features of this work are summarized here with particular emphasis on the roles of both the environment in which the resist is exposed and the thickness of the resist film.
A quantitative method for estimating Pasquill stability class from windspeed and sensible heat flux density

A simple exponential expression, based upon a form of the Kazanski-Monin stability parameter, modified to account explicitly for effects of surface roughness, and semi-empirically derived from both qualitative and quantitative observations, is presented that relates windspeed and sensible heat flux density to Pasquill stability class. The method, though simple in mathematical form, gives results consistent with physical intuition and reproduces, quantitatively, the essential features of previously published nomograms with an added capability for treating all stability classes and any surface roughness from 0.10 to 100 cm. For the stable classes, a new expression for the wind profile stability factor, predicted by similarity theory, is introduced that produces results more consistent than the more common linear form.
Detecting near-duplicate text documents with a hybrid approach

Near duplicate data not only increase the cost of information processing in big data, but also increase decision time. Therefore, detecting and eliminating nearly identical information is vital to enhance overall business decisions. To identify near-duplicates in large-scale text data, the shingling algorithm has been widely used. This algorithm is based on occurrences of contiguous subsequences of tokens in two or more sets of information, such as in documents. In other words, if there is a slight variation among documents, the overall performance of the algorithm decreases. Therefore, to increase the efficiency and accuracy performances of the shingling algorithm, we propose a hybrid approach that embeds Jaro distance and statistical results of word usage frequency for fixing the ill-defined data. In a real text dataset, the proposed hybrid approach improved the shingling algorithm's accuracy performance by 27% on average and achieved above 90% common shingles.
Education as Authentic Dialogue or Resolute Attunement

The article identifies some key philosophical themes, important to a Heideggerian appropriation of a philosophy of education, that promisingly resonate or contrast with certain key philosophical themes in the movement that calls itself the School of the Dialogue of Cultures (SDC). It is argued that an existential view of education, involving attunement by beings aware of their own historicality, points to a fruitful future dialogue between this approach and a view celebrating authentic dialogue.
cDNA cloning and sequence analysis of the 3'-terminal region of zucchini yellow mosaic virus RNA

The 3′ half of the RNA of the cucurbit potyvirus zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV) was genetically cloned and the cDNA sequence of a portion of the putative RNA polymerase gene, the complete coat protein gene and the 3′ untranslated region was determined. The coat protein and putative polymerase genes are both part of a continuous open reading frame as is the case for other potyviruses whose genomes are expressed as polyproteins. The Q/S protease cleavage site for the N terminus of the coat protein was deduced by alignment of the coat protein and polymerase genes with other potyviral sequences. The resulting protein has 279 amino acids and a calculated M r of 31 214. The predicted amino acid sequence indicates a ZYMV-unique N-terminal region and potyvirus-characteristic central and C-terminal regions. These data also verify that ZYMV is distinct from the cucurbit potyvirus watermelon mosaic virus 2.
Cancer Stem Cells: The Final Frontier for Glioma Virotherapy

Cancer stem cells (CSC) are a very small subset of all cancer cells and possess characteristics very similar to normal stem cells, in particular, the capacity for self-renewal, multipotency and relative quiescence. These chemo- and radiation resistant cells are responsible for maintaining tumor volume leading to therapy failure and recurrence. In glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most common primary intracranial malignancy, glioma stem cells have been implicated as one of the key players in treatment failure. Many novel treatment modalities are being investigated to specifically target this small group of cells. In this review, we shed light on one such targeted therapy, specifically, oncolytic virotherapy, and review the literature to highlight the advances and challenges in designing effective oncolytic virotherapy for glioma stem cells.
Assessing Preferences in Cost‐Benefit Analysis: Reflections on Rural Water Supply Evaluation in Haiti

This article examines an area of cost-benefit methodology which has come under increasing philosophical scrutiny in recent years: the appropriate treatment of individuals' preferences. We illustrate some of the difficulties involved in assessing preferences in the context of a concrete example: the evaluation of a rural water supply project in southern Haiti. Four problems in the application of cost-benefit principles are discussed: (1) how to count the social value of private water taps connected to homes if they are preferred for prestige reasons, (2) how to assess husbands' preferences concerning the time savings by wives who previously carried water from more distant sources, (3) how to count preferences based on a respondent's desire to support general community welfare, and (4) how to evaluate a water project when people's preferences may change after the new water system is installed. We argue that policy analysis will be improved by presenting philosophical arguments as to why some preferences should be included in the evaluation and others ignored.
Hyperbaric oxygen in the critically ill.

Objective:To review aspects of hyperbaric medicine pertinent to treating critically ill patients with hyperbaric oxygen in both monoplace and multiplace chambers.Data Sources:Literature review of online databases, research repositories, and clinical trial registries.Results:The search of these resou
Evaluation of Gill-Net Sampling for Estimating Abundance and Length Frequency of Reservoir Shad Populations

Abstract Horizontal and vertical gill nets were used to intensively sample gizzard shad Dorosoma cepedianam and threadfin shad D. petenense in Lake Texoma, Texas–Oklahoma, in August 1991. We evaluated spatial patterns, sampling precision, mesh-size selectivity, and sample sizes required to detect differences in shad abundance. Abundance patterns differed among species, length-groups, and sampling sites. Age-0 shad occurred mainly near the surface, whereas older fish were more evenly distributed over depth. Spatial variation in abundance was more pronounced among embayments than between nearshore and offshore sites within embayments. Spatial aggregation of shad was similar to that reported for a variety of other aquatic organisms, suggesting that experimental designs for gill-net surveys should incorporate statistical approaches similar to those used in other sampling programs. With horizontal gill nets, investigators can estimate median catch rate (number per net) within 25% of the true median with 95% ce...
Field management effects on soil enzyme activities

There is growing recognition for the need to develop sensitive indicators of soil quality that reflect the effects of land management on soil and assist land managers in promoting long-term sustainability of terrestrial ecosystems. Eleven soil enzymes assays were investigated relative to soil management and soil quality at two study sites. Soils were sampled from the Vegetable Crop Rotation Plots (VRP) (established in 1989 in humid western Oregon) which compared continuous fescue (Festuca arundinacea) and four winter cover crop treatments in annual rotation with a summer vegetable crop. The second site was the Residue Utilization Plots (RUP) (initiated in 1931 in semi-arid Eastern Oregon) which is under a winter wheat–summer fallow and compared inorganic N, green manure and beef manure treatments. Soil also was sampled at the research center from a nearby grass pasture that is on the same soil type. The enzymes were α- and β-glucosidase, α- and β-galactosidase, amidase, arylsulfatase, deaminase, fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis, invertase, cellulase and urease. At both sites there was a significant treatment effect for each enzyme tested (P<0.05). Enzyme activities (except α- and β-glucosidase and α- and β-galactosidase) were generally higher in continuous grass fields than in cultivated fields. In cultivated systems, activity was higher where cover crops or organic residues were added as compared to treatments without organic amendments. It was found that use of air-dried soil samples provided the same ranking of treatments by a number of enzyme assays and would facilitate adoption of these assays for practical or commercial applications. Deaminase was not a good indicator of soil quality, while β-glucosidase was suggested as an assay that reflects soil management effects and has microbial ecological significance because of its role in the C cycle.
Parallel ICA and its hardware implementation in hyperspectral image analysis

Advances in hyperspectral images have dramatically boosted remote sensing applications by providing abundant information using hundreds of contiguous spectral bands. However, the high volume of information also results in excessive computation burden. Since most materials have specific characteristics only at certain bands, a lot of these information is redundant. This property of hyperspectral images has motivated many researchers to study various dimensionality reduction algorithms, including Projection Pursuit (PP), Principal Component Analysis (PCA), wavelet transform, and Independent Component Analysis (ICA), where ICA is one of the most popular techniques. It searches for a linear or nonlinear transformation which minimizes the statistical dependence between spectral bands. Through this process, ICA can eliminate superfluous but retain practical information given only the observations of hyperspectral images. One hurdle of applying ICA in hyperspectral image (HSI) analysis, however, is its long computation time, especially for high volume hyperspectral data sets. Even the most efficient method, FastICA, is a very time-consuming process. In this paper, we present a parallel ICA (pICA) algorithm derived from FastICA. During the unmixing process, pICA divides the estimation of weight matrix into sub-processes which can be conducted in parallel on multiple processors. The decorrelation process is decomposed into the internal decorrelation and the external decorrelation, which perform weight vector decorrelations within individual processors and between cooperative processors, respectively. In order to further improve the performance of pICA, we seek hardware solutions in the implementation of pICA. Until now, there are very few hardware designs for ICA-related processes due to the complicated and iterant computation. This paper discusses capacity limitation of FPGA implementations for pICA in HSI analysis. A synthesis of Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) is designed for pICA-based dimensionality reduction in HSI analysis. The pICA design is implemented using standard-height cells and aimed at TSMC 0.18 micron process. During the synthesis procedure, three ICA-related reconfigurable components are developed for the reuse and retargeting purpose. Preliminary results show that the standard-height cell based ASIC synthesis provide an effective solution for pICA and ICA-related processes in HSI analysis.
The Mathematical Analysis of a Novel Approach to Maximize Waste Recovery in a Life Support System

NASA has been evaluating closed-loop atmosphere revitalization architectures that include carbon dioxide (CO2 ) reduction technologies. The CO2 and steam (H2 O) co-electrolysis process is one of the reduction options that NASA has investigated. Utilizing recent advances in the fuel cell technology sector, the Idaho National Laboratory, INL, has developed a CO2 and H2 O co-electrolysis process to produce oxygen and syngas (carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H2 ) mixture) for terrestrial (energy production) application. The technology is a combined process that involves steam electrolysis, CO2 electrolysis, and the reverse water gas shift (RWGS) reaction. Two process models were developed to evaluate novel approaches for energy storage and resource recovery in a life support system. In the first model, products from the INL co-electrolysis process are combined to produce methanol fuel. In the second co-electrolysis, products are separated with a pressure swing adsorption (PSA) process. In both models the fuels are burned with added oxygen to produce H2 O and CO2 , the original reactants. For both processes, the overall power increases as the syngas ratio, H2 /CO, increases because more water is needed to produce more hydrogen at a set CO2 incoming flow rate. The power for the methanol cases is less than pressure swing adsorption, PSA, because heat is available from the methanol reactor to preheat the water and carbon dioxide entering the co-electrolysis process.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Fluorescence of native and partially denatured variant-3 scorpion neurotoxin

The multi-component fluorescence intensity decay of variant-3 scorpion neurotoxin is measured with time-correlated single photon counting as a function of guanidine hydrochloride (GuHCl) concentration. Available evidence suggests that while the NH2-terminal (beta) - sheet strand may be denatured in GuHCl, the remaining core neurotoxin structure remains intact. We investigate this hypothesis with computer simulations of variant-3 scorpion neurotoxin with lysine-1 to tyrosine-4 deleted. Previous combination thermodynamic perturbation and umbrella sampling, adiabatic mapping and minimum perturbation mapping computer simulations of tryptophan-47 in the native neurotoxin exhibited multiple rotational isomers that might correspond to the observed fluorescence intensity decay components. The new simulations allow us to compare the number of rotational isomers, the isomer populations, the order parameters, and the transition state theory isomer interconversion rates in the native and denatured states.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
X-linked hypogonadism, gynecomastia, mental retardation, short stature, and obesity—a new syndrome

Five male members in four generations of the same family had hypogonadism, gynecomastia, mentalretardation, obesity, and short stature. The X-linked mode of inheritance, the distinctive facies, the normal size of the hands and feet, and the true gynecomastia are the main characteristics. Endocrine evaluation and histologic studies of the testes suggest partial hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. This disorder represents a new syndrome distinct from others previously described.
The measurement of psychological androgyny.

This article describes the development of a new sex-role inventory that treats masculinity and femininity as two independent dimensions, thereby making it possible to characterize a person as masculine, feminine, or "androgynous" as a function of the difference between his or her endorsement of masculine and feminine personality characteristics. Normative data are presented, as well as the results of various psychometric analyses. The major findings of conceptual interest are: (a) the dimensions of masculinity and femininity are empirically as well as logically independent; (6) the concept of psychological androgyny is a reliable one; and (c) highly sex-typed scores do not reflect a general tendency to respond in a socially desirable direction, but rather a specific tendency to describe oneself in accordance with sex-typed standards of desirable behavior for men and women. Both in psychology and in society at large, masculinity and femininity have long been conceptualized as bipolar ends of a single continuum; accordingly, a person has had to be either masculine or feminine, but not both. This sex-role dichotomy has served to obscure two very plausible hypotheses: first, that many individuals might be "androgynous" ; that is, they might be both masculine and feminine, both assertive and yielding, both instrumental and expressive—depending on the situational appropriateness of these various behaviors; and conversely, that strongly sex-typed individuals might be seriously limited in the range of behaviors available to them as they move from situation to situation. According to both Kagan (1964) and Kohlberg (1966), the highly sex-typed individual is motivated to keep his behavior consistent with an internalized sex-role standard, a goal that he presumably accomplishes by suppressing any behavior that might be con
Artificial mobile DNA element constructed from the EcoRI endonuclease gene.

Abstract There exist several examples of mobile group I introns. These introns appear to use a straightforward mechanism to achieve highly site-specific and efficient insertion into homologous intronless genes. Because the only intron-specific function required by the prevailing model for the mechanism of intron mobility is the introduction of a site-specific double-stranded break in the intronless recipient DNA molecule, we reasoned that it should in principle be possible to construct artificially mobile DNA sequences. We have constructed an artificial mobile element from the gene for the restriction enzyme EcoRI that is capable of site-specific insertion at rates near those of authentic mobile introns. The generality of the mobility mechanism may enable high-efficiency targeted gene replacements or disruptions in a variety of organisms.
Electrical parameters and ion species for active transport in human esophageal stratified squamous epithelium and Barrett's specialized columnar epithelium

The human esophagus is lined by stratified squamous epithelium (ESSE), and in some subjects with reflux disease the distal esophagus becomes lined by Barrett's specialized columnar epithelium (BSCE...
Identifying Mechanisms Through Which Preschool Problem Behavior Influences Academic Outcomes: What Is the Mediating Role of Negative Peer Play Interactions?

Given theoretical and empirical support for the importance of peer play within the preschool classroom to early learning, the present study tested the hypothesis that associations between teacher-r...
A gradient-based method to guard against system degradation in robust parameter design

Robust parameter design (RPD) can be implemented in systems in which a user, through the setting of the levels of controllable factors, seeks to minimise the variability of a system response influenced by uncontrollable factors while obtaining a consistent and reliable system response over time. RPD is conducted under the assumption that the relationship between the system response and controllable and uncontrollable variables does not change over time. Since performance degradation in real-world systems will almost certainly occur; this assumption will inevitably be violated. We propose a methodology to find new levels of controllable factor settings that will be robust to moderate system degradation while remaining robust to noise variables within the system. A gradient-search algorithm is presented for this enhanced RPD analysis utilising quadratic regression.
Percutaneous absorption of vapors in human skin

Context: The absorption of vapors through the skin is an important issue because exposure of skin to chemicals in the ambient air occurs at all times. In regards to occupational health, accurately quantifying percutaneous absorption is crucial for worker health and safety.Objective: Review the available data regarding the percutaneous absorption of vapors in humans.Methods: We conducted a systematic search in Scopus® and PubMed using keywords “vapor” and “percutaneous absorption” up until September 23, 2010.Results: Eleven articles document the absorption of vapors in human skin in vivo. Seven articles utilized aromatic solvents including xylene and toluene, two tested 2-methoxyethanol, and two tested solely 2-butoxyethanol. Of the 11 articles, eight estimated the percentage of skin absorption compared with whole body exposure. Of the eight articles, four concluded that percutaneous absorption of aromatic solvent vapors from the air is likely to be insignificant and four concluded that dermal uptake of al...
What would radio‐television critics like us to understand? The critics speak

What are the most important things for the public to understand about the broadcast media? Columnists cite economic realities, effects of television, and new technology.
Early auditory experience and the ontogeny of alarm-call discrimination in Belding's ground squirrels (Spermophilus beldingi).

Because young ground squirrels are vulnerable to predation, selection would favor the early ability to respond to alarm calls. This requires discrimination of classes of alarm calls from each other as well as from non-alarm calls. Pre-emergent auditory experience may influence the development of discrimination. As a means of determining when Belding's ground squirrels (Spermophilus beldingi) can discriminate among calls, cardiac responses to alarm calls and control stimuli were recorded from 2 rearing groups that differed in the frequency of alarm-call exposure. Results suggest that before natal emergence, young can discriminate between 2 classes of alarm calls but they may not discriminate these calls from control stimuli. No differences in responses were found between the rearing groups; thus experience with calls may not influence the onset of discrimination. Early discrimination may facilitate the rapid development of post-emergent behavioral alarm-call responses. In many species of group-living birds and mammals, the appearance of a predator elicits vocalizations that can alert other animals of impending danger (for a review, see Klump & Shalter, 1984). These alarm calls may be especially important to individuals that have not already detected the predator, because the calls indicate that danger is imminent and quick action is required to reduce the likelihood of capture. Responding properly to alarm calls may be especially important to immature young, because they are generally more susceptible to predators than adults. Given that trial-and-error learning can be fatal, one might expect that inexperienced young would be able to respond appropriately to alarm calls the first time they heard such calls. This expectation raises the question of when and how young develop adaptive behavioral responses to alarm calls. To display such responses, young must first be able to discrim
Monadification of functional programs

The structure of monadic functional programs allows the integration of many different features by just changing the definition of the monad and not the rest of the program, which is a desirable feature from a software engineering and software maintenance point of view. We describe an algorithm for the automatic transformation of a group of functions into such a monadic form. We identify two correctness criteria and argue that the proposed transformation is at least correct in the sense that transformed programs yield the same results as the original programs modulo monad constructors. The translation of a set of functions into monadic form is in most cases only a first step toward an extension of a program by adding new features. The extended behavior can be realized by choosing an appropriate monad type and by inserting monadic actions into the functions that have been transformed into monadic form. We demonstrate an approach to the integration of monadic actions that is based on the idea of specifying context-dependent rewritings.
Logic soft errors in sub-65nm technologies design and CAD challenges

Logic soft errors are radiation induced transient errors in sequential elements (flip-flops and latches) and combinational logic. Robust enterprise platforms in sub-65nm technologies require designs with built-in logic soft error protection. Effective logic soft error protection requires solutions to the following three problems: (1) accurate soft error rate estimation for combinational logic networks; (2) automated estimation of system effects of logic soft errors, and identification of regions in a design that must be protected; and, (3) new cost-effective techniques for logic soft error protection, because classical fault-tolerance techniques are very expensive.
Remarkably stable ortho-halophenylcopper reagents

Abstract We wish to report the generation of remarkably stable o-halophenlycopper reagents at room temperature by the direct oxidative addition of activated copper to o-flouro-and o-choloriodobenzene. The reagents will undergo substitution reactions with suitable organic halides at 25°C.
Small practice effects on neurocognitive testing – markers of early cognitive impairment among adolescents with SLE?

Methods TNPB, Ped-ANAM, quality of life (PedsQL), and depression scales (CDI-S) were administered by psychology associates blinded to clinical status at two research visits. Differences in mean TNPB standardized scores, PedANAM throughput scores (raw Throughput=correct responses/minute), and clinical variables between visits were compared using paired Student t-tests. Multi-variable linear regression analysis was used to assess the influence of initial test performance, aPL/LAC status, disease duration, and cumulative prednisone dosing on composite TNPB or Ped-ANAM scores at a second visit.
Studying Democracy and Teaching Classics: What Is Happening in the Field of Comparative Politics?

n this essay, I assess how comparative politics is taught at the undergraduate and graduate levels and what our approach to teaching says about the state of the subfield. What do practitioners emphasize in a comparative politics course in light of the enormous global changes of the past decade? Which topics are included and which ignored? What should be included that is now missing, even at the cost of excluding something else? I found that many undergraduate syllabi take as their starting point the triumph of the "third wave of democratization." Instructors use democracy and democratization as their organizing principle; this is reflected in the case studies covered in the courses. This choice comes at the cost of not studying countries or regions where democracy is underdeveloped or stunted. Many courses thus highlight a limited range of countries and conceptual themes while ignoring critical issues that dominate the headlines, such as the politics of nondemocracies and current U.S. national security preoccupations with rebuilding demolished states, containing Islamic fundamentalism, and disarming "rogue" states. In the not so distant past, national security concerns heavily influenced the structure and content of lower-level comparative politics courses, since instructors felt compelled to familiarize students with "totalitarian," or Soviet-style, regimes. Perhaps our excitement with the spread of democratic ideals and institutions has obscured the fact that numerous parts of the world are still governed by autocracies. Graduate courses also emphasize institutional developments and democratic structures at the expense of new topics (such as ideas, culture, norms, and values), as well as older themes (such as welfare state policy, social and political mobilization, gender, the impact of international trade, and state capacity). Field seminars have become more narrowly focused than they used to be, aiming primarily to summarize the endeavors of earlier generations of scholars, assess knowledge, and advance theory related to state-society relations first laid out by the founders of the social sciences: Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, Max Weber, Vilfredo Pareto, and Robert Michels.
Smoking and depressive symptoms in a college population

A number of studies have documented the relationship between smoking and depression in adolescent and adult populations. The purpose of this study was to examine the level of depressive symptoms am...
LONG-RANGE VAN DER WAALS INTERACTION

Van der Waals interaction is an elusive many-body effect arising from instantaneous charge fluctuations. Fundamental understanding of this effect plays an important role in computational chemistry, physics and materials science. In this article, recent advances in the evaluation of van der Waals coefficients, in particular the higher-order ones, are reviewed.
Conjunctival and Corneal Intraepithelial and Invasive Neoplasia

The histopathologic findings and clinical records of 98 patients with conjunctival and corneal intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and 22 patients with invasive neoplasia were studied. Pathologic material was evaluated for cell type, degree of dysplasia, margins of excision, and change in pattern with recurrence. Clinical records were reviewed for demographic features, presenting symptoms, clinical appearance, therapy, and subsequent course. Recurrences occurred in 23 patients with CIN and 9 patients with invasive neoplasia. Intraocular or orbital extensions or both occurred in four patients and metastatic disease in two patients. The cell type, clinical appearance, and degree of dysplasia did not correlate with recurrence; involvement of the margins of the initial excision was an important prognostic sign for recurrence.
Effects of Acid stress on aerobic decomposition of algal and aquatic macrophyte detritus: direct comparison in a radiocarbon assay.

Radiolabeled phytoplankton and macrophyte lignocelluloses were incubated at pHs 4 and 7 in water from a naturally acidic freshwater wetland (Okefenokee Swamp; ambient pH, 3.8 to 4.2), a freshwater reservoir (L-Lake; pH 6.7 to 7.2), and a marine marsh (Sapelo Island; pH ∼7.8). The data suggest that acidity is an important factor in explaining the lower decomposition rates of algae in Okefenokee Swamp water relative to L-Lake or Sapelo Island water. The decomposition of algal substrate was less sensitive to low pH (∼5 to 35% inhibition) than was the decomposition of lignocellulose (∼30 to 70% inhibition). These substrate-dependent differences were greater and more consistent in salt marsh than in L-lake incubations. In both freshwater sites, the extent to which decomposition was suppressed by acidity was greater for green algal substrate than for mixed diatom or blue-green algal (cyanobacteria) substrates. The use of different bases to adjust pH or incubation in a defined saltwater medium had no significant effect on substrate-dependent differences. Although pH differences with lignocellulose were larger in marine incubations, amendment of lakewater with marine bacteria or with calcium, known to stabilize exoenzymes in soils, did not magnify the sensitivity of decomposition to acid stress.
Households and the Emergence of Cities in Ancient Mesopotamia

The world’s first cities emerged on the plains of Mesopotamia (modern Iraq and Syria) in the fourth millennium BC. Attempts to understand this settlement process have assumed revolutionary social change, the disappearance of kinship as a structuring principle, and the appearance of a rational bureaucracy. Most assume cities and state-level social organization were deliberate functional adaptations to meet the goals of elite members of society, or society as a whole. This study proposes an alternative model. By reviewing indigenous terminology from later historical periods, it proposes that urbanism evolved in the context of a metaphorical extension of the household that represented a creative transformation of a familiar structure. The first cities were unintended consequences of this transformation, which may seem “revolutionary” to archaeologists but did not to their inhabitants. This alternative model calls into question the applicability of terms like “urbanism” and “the state” for early Mesopotamian society.
Crustal structure of the West Antarctic rift system and Marie Byrd Land hotspot

The West Antarctic rift system is one of the largest zones of continental extension on Earth. However, little is known of its crustal structure owing to the vast ice sheet that dominates the region. We report on new insights gained from a recent broadband seismic experiment. The 25-km-thick crust measured on the southern flank of the Marie Byrd Land dome suggests that the high topography there is partially supported by a low-density mantle, possibly a hotspot, whereas the interior of the rift appears to be underlain by average-density mantle, suggesting that active volcanism is not present beneath the interior of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. The fact that a crustal thickness of only 21 km was measured in the Bentley subglacial trench suggests that the region has undergone locally extreme extension.
Variation in transcriptional regulation of cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor p21waf1/cip1 among human bronchogenic carcinomas

Cell proliferation control depends in part on the carefully ordered regulation of transcription factors. The p53 homolog p73, contributes to this control by directly upregulating the cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor, p21waf1/cip1. E2F1, an inducer of cell proliferation, directly upregulates p73 and in some systems upregulates p21 directly. Because of its central role in controlling cell proliferation, upregulation of p21 has been explored as a modality for treating bronchogenic carcinoma (BC). Improved understanding of p21 transcriptional regulation will facilitate identification of BC tissues that are responsive to p21-directed therapies. Toward this goal, we investigated the role that E2F1 and p73 each play in the transcriptional regulation of p21. Among BC samples (N = 21) p21 transcript abundance (TA) levels varied over two orders of magnitude with values ranging from 400 to 120,000 (in units of molecules/106 molecules β-actin). The p21 values in many BC were high compared to those observed in normal bronchial epithelial cells (BEC) (N = 18). Among all BC samples, there was no correlation between E2F1 and p21 TA but there was positive correlation between E2F1 and p73α (p < 0.001) TA. Among BC cell lines with inactivated p53 and wild type p73 (N = 7) there was positive correlation between p73α and p21 TA (p < 0.05). Additionally, in a BC cell line in which both p53 and p73 were inactivated (H1155), E2F1 TA level was high (50,000), but p21 TA level was low (470). Transiently expressed exogenous p73α in the BC cell line Calu-1, was associated with a significant (p < 0.05) 90% increase in p21 TA and a 20% reduction in E2F1 TA. siRNA mediated reduction of p73 TA in the N417 BC cell line was associated with a significant reduction in p21 TA level (p < 0.01). p21 TA levels vary considerably among BC patients which may be attributable to 1) genetic alterations in Rb and p53 and 2) variation in TA levels of upstream transcription factors E2F1 and p73. Here we provide evidence that p73 upregulates p21 TA in BC tissues and upregulated p21 TA may result from E2F1 upregulation of p73 but not from E2F1 directly.
Inhibitory Activity of Alkoxyalkyl and Alkyl Esters of Cidofovir and Cyclic Cidofovir against Orthopoxvirus Replication In Vitro

A new series of ether lipid esters of cidofovir (CDV) were evaluated against vaccinia and cowpox viruses. Activity was dependent on number of atoms in the alkyl or alkoxyalkyl chain, the linker moiety, and the presence of a double bond in the alkoxyalkyl chains linked to the phosphonate moiety of CDV.
The Blame Game

Executives often blame external factors for their own bad performance. I propose a textual analysis-based measure to detect when corporate executives blame bad performance on external factors such as industry and economy (or BLAME measure). Using this methodology to analyze quarterly earnings announcement conference call transcripts, I find that: (1) these attribution behaviors are negatively related to the financial performance, indicating a higher desire to attribute bad performance to external factors; (2) a high BLAME measure predicts low returns subsequent to the conference call date after controlling for the tone of the transcripts and other known predictive variables. The hedged portfolio that takes long positions in companies with low BLAME measure and short positions in companies with high BLAME measure generates abnormal returns as high as 7% per year; (3) BLAME measure negatively predicts SUE and analyst recommendation revision in the subsequent quarter, indicating underreaction to firm-specific negative information; (4) a high BLAME measure reduces turnover performance sensitivity. Overall, the evidence suggests that investors underreact to negative information when managers attribute bad performance to negative external factors.
Electrolytic Conduction and Diffusion

There are a number of features which distinguish kinetic problems in solutions from those in the gas phase. The most obvious is that the chemical entities being studied are different in the two phases. A sodium ion in the gas phase is a bare ion. In solution it carries with it a sheath of solvent, i.e., it is solvated. This difference is apparent in the equilibrium properties of solutions. In most instances there are both enthalpy changes and volume changes upon solvation. These effects clearly indicate that the solvated species and the pure substance differ significantly, differences which also affect the kinetic properties.
NEXAFS and SEXAFS Studies of Chemisorbed Molecules: Bonding, Structure and Chemical Transformations

We discuss the application of the surface extended X-ray absorption fine structure (SEXAFS) and near edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) techniques to study the intramolecular and chemisorption bonds of carbon-, nitrogen-, oxygen-, and sulfur-containing molecules and their reaction intermediates on metal surfaces. NEXAFS is dominated by intramolecular multiple scattering resonances and is, therefore, preferentially sensitive to the intramolecular bonding and structure. It provides the intramolecular bond length, the hybridization of the molecular bond and the molecular orientation on the surface. SEXAFS mainly arises from single scattering processes off the atomic cores of substrate neighbor atoms and determines the chemisorption site and the chemisorption bond lengths. An example is given of a complete structure determination for formate (HCO2) on Cu(100). The power of NEXAFS is pointed out to monitor surface-induced molecular bond length variations, e.g., C2H2 on Pt(lll), CO/Na/Pt(111) as well as chemical transformations of complex molecules, e.g., C4H4S/Pt(lll).
Antitrust and the Future of Nursing: Federal Competiton Policy and the Scope of Practice

In 2011, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released a major report on the nursing profession and its present and potential roles in U.S. health care: The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health. According to the IOM, nurses’ regulatory scope of practice often proves to be narrower than the ideal, socially desirable, or medically prudent scope of practice; and the space between the regulatory standard and the ideal is large enough that it is a substantial health policy problem. To ameliorate the problem the IOM suggests, among other things, that regulatory restrictions on the scope of practice receive attention from the federal antitrust agencies. This paper considers what such antitrust therapy might entail, chiefly by explaining some of what antitrust law and policy have had to say about licensure and scope of practice already. We focus, in particular, on a species of soft antitrust intervention employed by one of the nation’s two competition authorities, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Recent years have seen the issuance of a series of competition policy analyses addressing the IOM’s concern about over-strict limits on nurses’ scope of practice. In these, the staffs of the FTC’s Office of Policy Planning, Bureau of Economics, and Bureau of Competition have observed that (1) many geographic areas (or markets) are subject to primary care workforce or manpower shortages, (2) market forces may be slow to clear those shortages for reasons that include, among others, regulatory impediments to competition; (3) such shortages may impinge upon both price and non-price competition between health care service providers; (4) in some places, such shortages may impede patient access to primary care services and may, in the limit, drive the supply of certain services to nil; and (5) certain licensing or scope of practice restrictions on APRNs appear under-rationalized (at best), where they purport to rest upon patient protection concerns that are unsupported either by demonstrated patient harms or empirically grounded assessments of substantial patient risks. Because regulatory restrictions on APRNs’ licensure and scope of practice may come at a substantial competitive cost, FTC staff have recommended that such limits not be more stringent than patient protection requires. In broad strokes, they have asked that state policy makers account for competitive costs when considering scope of practice restrictions, and they have suggested that certain costs should not be imposed on the public absent an evidence-based promise of countervailing consumer protection benefits.The paper synthesizes these various advocacy comments, expands upon their bases in competition law and economics, and describes future research pertinent to the access issues of concern to both the IOM and the FTC.
Pigment studies on the incisor teeth of vitamin E deficient rats of the Long-Evans strain.

Conclusions1. Vitamin E deficient rats of the Long-Evans strain did not show the extensive depigmentation of the maxillary incisors as reported by the other investigators. 2. Female rats maintained on an E-deficient diet for 310 days or longer gradually developed a slight incisor depigmentation that was statistically significant. Male rats on similar diets failed to manifest a significant change. 3. A comparison of diet differences, sex and age variations in our animals and those of other workers failed to provide an adequate explanation for our contradictory results. 4. It is suggested that a genetic difference between the Long-Evans and albino strains of rats may be the explanation for the failure of the former strain to show the maxillary incisor depigmentation earlier reported in vitamin E deficient albino rats.
Pharmacy impact on medication reconciliation in the medical intensive care unit.

Objective: Pharmacy-driven medication history (MH) programs have been shown to reduce the number of serious or potentially life-threatening (S/PLT) medication discrepancies (MDs) in many settings, but not Intensive Care Units (ICUs). Methods: MHs were repeated over a 6-week period. Demographics, number, and nature of MDs were documented. Discrepancy severity was graded using a previously published method. Primary outcome was the proportion of MHs containing >1 S/PLT MDs. Findings: Sixty-three MHs were repeated. Pharmacy MHs were less likely to contain ≥1 S/PLT MDs (0% vs. 50%, P Conclusion: Pharmacy MHs contained fewer S/PLT MDs in this small sample. S/PLT MDs on admission and home medication lists were common in patients admitted to the medical ICU. Pharmacy-driven medication reconciliation (MR) reduced the number and frequency of these discrepancies. Further research is required to improve current MR procedures.
Looks can be deceiving.

BACKGROUND A thorough history, physical examination, and comprehensive work-up is important to differentiate the etiology of a cervical mass in unusual cases. CASE A 36-year-old white female presented with heavy vaginal bleeding, pelvic pain, and an exophytic cervical mass extending to the anterior vaginal wall. She underwent cold knife cone with biopsies of the vagina. Pathology revealed dysgerminoma. Computed tomography of the abdomen and pelvis demonstrated pelvic lymphadenopathy, an enlarged uterus, and a 4 cm complex ovarian mass. The final pathology helped establish the true diagnosis. CONCLUSION The accurate diagnosis of rare tumors requires a broad differential diagnosis and careful review of the pathologic findings and clinical scenario.
Institutional Delivery and Satisfaction among Indigenous and Poor Women in Guatemala, Mexico, and Panama

Indigenous women in Mesoamerica experience disproportionately high maternal mortality rates and are less likely to have institutional deliveries. Identifying correlates of institutional delivery, and satisfaction with institutional deliveries, may help improve facility utilization and health outcomes in this population. We used baseline surveys from the Salud Mesoamerica Initiative to analyze data from 10,895 indigenous and non-indigenous women in Guatemala and Mexico (Chiapas State) and indigenous women in Panama. We created multivariable Poisson regression models for indigenous (Guatemala, Mexico, Panama) and non-indigenous (Guatemala, Mexico) women to identify correlates of institutional delivery and satisfaction. Compared to their non-indigenous peers, indigenous women were substantially less likely to have an institutional delivery (15.2% vs. 41.5% in Guatemala (P<0.001), 29.1% vs. 73.9% in Mexico (P<0.001), and 70.3% among indigenous Panamanian women). Indigenous women who had at least one antenatal care visit were more than 90% more likely to have an institutional delivery (adjusted risk ratio (aRR) = 1.94, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.44-2.61), compared to those who had no visits. Indigenous women who were advised to give birth in a health facility (aRR = 1.46, 95% CI: 1.18-1.81), primiparous (aRR = 1.44, 95% CI: 1.24-1.68), informed that she should have a Caesarean section (aRR = 1.41, 95% CI: 1.21-1.63), and had a secondary or higher level of education (aRR = 1.36, 95% CI: 1.04-1.79) also had substantially higher likelihoods of institutional delivery. Satisfaction among indigenous women was associated with being able to be accompanied by a community health worker (aRR = 1.15, 95% CI: 1.05-1.26) and facility staff speaking an indigenous language (aRR = 1.10, 95% CI: 1.02-1.19). Additional effort should be exerted to increase utilization of birthing facilities by indigenous and poor women in the region. Improving access to antenatal care and opportunities for higher-level education may increase institutional delivery rates, and providing culturally adapted services may improve satisfaction.
Thinking on Forest Park Tourism Development in Jincheng Mountain

The article starts with basic situation of Jincheng Mountain forest park,introduces the achievements of construction and some problems in urgent need of solution,such as solve tourist routes traffic,establish the visitor center,construct ecological and culture exhibition hall,construct waste disposal facilities.Then put forward some suggestions to development forest park tourism resource in Jincheng Mountain,as to strengthen the propaganda,ascension popularity,broaden the financing channels,raise development funds,build infrastructure,carry forward ecological culture,broaden tourism road,construct green channel and so on.