cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of pressure and composition on lattice parameters and unit-cell volume of (Fe,Mg)SiO3 post-perovskite

We obtained unit-cell volumes (V) for (Fe{sub 0.2}Mg{sub 0.8})SiO{sub 3} and (Fe{sub 0.4}Mg{sub 0.6})SiO{sub 3} post-perovskite (PPv) over a pressure (P) range of 80-145 GPa by in-situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements in laser-heated diamond anvil cells (DACs). Our study suggests that the PPv structure is highly resistant to back transformation to Pv and (Fe{sub 0.4}Mg{sub 0.6})SiO{sub 3} PPv was preserved down to 80 GPa upon laser heating during decompression before transforming to pure perovskite (Pv). The bulk modulus (K{sub 0}) of PPv was determined to be 215(1) and 198(1) GPa for (Fe{sub 0.2}Mg{sub 0.8})SiO{sub 3} and (Fe{sub 0.4}Mg{sub 0.6})SiO{sub 3} PPv respectively, with a fixed K'{sub 0} = 4. The substitution of Fe for Mg in PPv results in the largest expansion along the b-axis among all three axes and the expansion of the b-axis is nearly independent of pressure whereas the expansion along the a and c directions slightly decreases with increasing pressure. Combining our results with previous studies on (Fe{sub x},Mg{sub 1-x})SiO{sub 3} PPv (x = 0, 0.09, 0.1) shows that the bulk modulus of PPv decreases with increasing Fe content over a composition range x = 0 to 0.4, varying from 231 GPa for x = 0more » to 198 GPa for x = 0.4 with zero pressure volumes scaled to composition, V{sub 0} ({angstrom}{sup 3}) = 162.2 + 19.5x and fixed K'{sub 0} = 4.0. The increase of Fe content in PPv from x = 0 to 0.4 results in a 6.3% increase in density and a 5.3% decrease in bulk sound velocity at 130 GPa.« less
Lessons for emerging european constitutionalism from the United States constitution: Trigger rules

This essay offers some lessons from the history of the United States Constitution for constitutions for emerging democracies in Eastern Europe. The United States Constitution declined in efficacy over time because special interests eroded its restraints on rent-seeking. This essay seeks to consider solutions to prevent constitutional decline. It suggests that since special interests will try to dissolve constitutional restraints, the original constitution should itself contain trigger rulers imposing new restraints when certain events occur that suggest the old restraints are weakening. Thus in this essay I suggest creating constitutional provisions to spring into effect when the consequences of constitutional decline become apparent in the polity.Cet article met en avant quelques lecons puisees dans lhistoire de la constitution americaine pour les constitutions des democraties naissantes de lEurope Orientale. La constitution des Etats-Unis a perdu de son efficacite au fil du temps parce que les interets particuliers ont entame les contraintes qui pesaient sur les activites de recherche de rente. Cet article essaye denvisager des solutions pour contrecarrer le declin constitutionnel. Il suggere que, puisque les interets particuliers essayent de dissoudre les contraintes constitutionnelles, la constitution devrait inclure, a lorigine meme, des regles dactivation imposant de nouvelles contraintes quand certains evenements qui surviennent revelent linsuffisance des contraintes anterieures. Ainsi, dans cet article, lauteur suggere la creation de dispositions constitutionnelles qui sont activees quand les consequences du declin constitutionnel sont apparentes au niveau politique.
Shallow and Thermally Stable Ohmic Contacts to p-InAsP

We have investigated the electrical and metallurgical behavior of ohmic contacts to p-InAs 0.80 P 0.20 . Auger depth profiling reveals that Ru, Ti, and V have better thermal stability against reaction than Pt, Pd, and Ni on p-InAsP. However, contacts with Pd deposited as the first layer exhibit lower specific contact resistances than contacts with Ti, V, Ni, Ru, or Pt as the first layer. For this reason, multilayer contacts were studied, adding Au as the top layer to minimize the metal sheet resistance. Transmission electron microscopy indicates that Pd/Ru/Au contacts aged for 3 days exhibit a uniform and shallow reaction with p-InAsP, with the Pd consuming only 4 nm of the semiconductor and the Ru serving as an effective diffusion barrier. Specific contact resistances of 3.8 X 10 -6 Ω cm 2 as deposited and 1.7 X 10 -6 Ω cm 2 for contacts aged at 250°C for 90 days in an evacuated quartz tube were measured for the Pd/Ru/Au contacts.
Home Visits in a Violent World

Given the merits of home visitations, the social work commitment to community outreach, and the very real risks of harm posed by a violent society, there is a surprising lack of information on safe...
A Marketing History of American Pewter and its Competitors

This article presents a marketing history of American pewter and the materials with which it once competed. Pewter was popular from colonial times through the early 1800s, when sales peaked, but then commenced a sharp decline. By 1880, the industry had virtually disappeared. This article describes how this occurred, explains why, and offers some implications for marketing thought.
End the wasteful tyranny of reviewer experiments.

Peer review of scientific papers in top journals is bogged down by unnecessary demands for extra lab work, argues Hidde Ploegh.
Self-consistent treatment of nonequilibrium spin torques in magnetic multilayers

It is known that the transfer of spin angular momenta between current carriers and local moments occurs near the interface of magnetic layers when their moments are noncollinear. However, to determine the magnitude of the transfer, one should calculate the spin transport properties far beyond the interface regions. Based on the spin-diffusion equation, we present a self-consistent approach to evaluate the spin torque for a number of layered structures. One of the salient features is that the longitudinal and transverse components of spin accumulations are intertwined from one layer to the next, due to the presence of the much longer longitudinal spin-diffusion length and thus, the spin torque could be significantly amplified with respect to treatments which concentrate solely on the transport at the interface. We conclude that bare spin currents do not properly estimate the spin angular momentum transferred between the magnetic background; the spin transfer that occurs at interfaces should be self-consistently determined by embedding it in our globally diffuse transport calculations.
Nursing staff, patient, and environmental factors associated with accurate pain assessment.

Abstract Context Although pain ranks highly among reasons for seeking care, routine pain assessment is often inaccurate. Objectives This study evaluated factors associated with nurses (e.g., registered) and other nursing support staff (e.g., licensed vocational nurses and health technicians) discordance with patients in estimates of pain in a health system where routine pain screening using a 0–10 numeric rating scale (NRS) is mandated. Methods This was a cross-sectional, visit-based, cohort study that included surveys of clinic outpatients (n=465) and nursing staff (n=94) who screened for pain as part of routine vital sign measurement during intake. These data were supplemented by chart review. We compared patient pain levels documented by the nursing staff (N-NRS) with those reported by the patient during the study survey (S-NRS). Results Pain underestimation (N-NRS S-NRS) in 7% of the cases. Nursing staff used informal pain-screening techniques that did not follow established NRS protocols in half of the encounters. Pain underestimation was positively associated with more years of nursing staff work experience and patient anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder and negatively associated with better patient-reported health status. Pain overestimation was positively associated with nursing staff's use of the full NRS protocol and with a distracting environment in which patient vitals were taken. Conclusion Despite a long-standing mandate, pain-screening implementation falls short, and informal screening is common.
The role of helical CT in the diagnostic work-up for pulmonary embolism

The clinical diagnosis of pulmonary embolism remains an important challenge despite the multitude of imaging modalities and variety of diagnostic schemes available. Contrast-enhanced helical CT has recently gained favor as an alternative primary imaging modality in the noninvasive diagnosis of pulmonary embolism. This essay reviews the role of helical CT in diagnostic work-up for pulmonary embolism with special emphasis on scan interpretation and diagnostic pitfalls.
Toward implementation of a flexible hearing aid measurement system.

Abstract An evaluation of a computerized hearing aid measurement system was performed with input and output compression hearing aids simulated using high-quality audio equipment. The results of the computer measurements were compared to those from a manual technique using conventional laboratory instrumentation. The results from the computerized and manual methods matched very closely. However, the computer system was found to be considerably more flexible than conventional instrumentation and was much easier to use.
Natural right and the emergence of the idea of interest in early modern political thought: Francesco Guicciardini and Jean de Silhon

(1981). Natural right and the emergence of the idea of interest in early modern political thought: Francesco Guicciardini and Jean de Silhon. History of European Ideas: Vol. 2, No. 4, pp. 277-298.
Asymmetrical division of the kinetoplast DNA network of the trypanosome

Trypanosome mitochondrial DNA is a network containing thousands of interlocked minicircles. Silencing of a mitochondrial topoisomerase II by RNA interference (RNAi) causes progressive network shrinking, allowing assessment of the minimal network size compatible with viability. We cloned surviving cells after short-term RNAi and found, as expected, that the number of surviving clones decreased with the duration of RNAi. Unexpectedly, a clonal cell line contained heterogeneously sized networks, some being very small. Several experiments showed that cells survived network shrinkage by asymmetrical division of replicated networks, sacrificing daughters with the small progeny network. Therefore, the average network size gradually increased. During the network shrinkage and early stages of recovery, there were changes in the minicircle repertoire.
Ionenaustauscher in der analytischen Chemie. Entwicklungen in den letzten Jahren

Die Wirksamkeit eines Ionenaustauschverfahrens wird durch die Gleichgewichtskonstanten der Ionen bestimmt, die durch verschiedene Faktoren, wie Eluiermittel und Komplexbildner, beeinflust werden. Eine umfangreiche Tabelle bringt zahlreiche Trennverfahren fur anorganische Ionen mit Literaturhinweisen; einige spezielle Anwendungen von Ionenaustauschern werden beschrieben.
A novel parabolic trough solar lighting and thermal system for building energy efficiency

The popularization of solar energy has been obstructed for a long time by its high price and low efficiency. Many researches and projects have been done with a variety approaches in those areas. This paper reviews two solar energy systems: daylighting system and photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) system. The advantages and disadvantages of these systems are analyzed. An innovative parabolic trough solar lighting/thermal (PTL/T) system is proposed by combining the advantages of both systems. PTL/T system uses parabolic trough collector (PTC) as a solar collector. The sunlight collected is split by a cold mirror into visible light and inferred rays. The visible light and IR are used for daylighting and heating generation respectively. The basic structure of PTL/T is outlined and described. Its feasibility is analyzed by the calculation of system efficiency, annual savings by unit area of collector, break-even capital cost, and greenhouse gas reduction. The results show that the presented PTL/T system is a possible low price and high efficiency solution for the utilization of solar energy in building energy efficiency.
Simultaneous determination of d- and l-thyroxine in human serum by liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection

Abstract A method for the determination of d - and l -thyroxine in human serum is described. The method involves extraction of thyroxine from serum and the separation of thyroxine enantiomers on a reversed-phase, high-performance liquid chromatographic column by use of a chiral eluent containing l -proline and cupric sulfate. Satisfactory resolution of the enantiomers of thyroxine, triiodothyronine, and reverse triiodothyronine can be achieved in 12 min and, employing amperometric detection to monitor the separation, the detection limit for serum thyroxine is in the range of 1–3 ng per injected sample.
Characteristics and land use of contaminated brownfield properties in voluntary cleanup agreement programs

This paper reports exploratory empirical research on the property characteristics and land use of contaminated brownfield properties. This research investigated 1415 contaminated brownfield properties in environmental cleanup programs in the states of New York and Texas in the US. This research attempts to clarify some confusion about contaminated brownfield sites, provide detailed information on the diverse land uses that caused the contamination on these properties, and to provide a better base of knowledge about brownfield sites that may be used in developing and implementing policy to remediate and redevelop contaminated brownfields properties in both older industrial regions and in more recently industrialized regions. This research analyzed land use data for these properties at the time they became contaminated and at the time they entered the environmental cleanup program. It also attempts to identify similarities and differences in the characteristics of the properties in these two states with strikingly different histories of industrialization. Several common assumptions about brownfield properties are extracted from the literature review and tested using the data. Some of our results are surprising, including the variety of past land uses of these contaminated brownfield properties and the differences in the history of land use and the characteristics of the properties in the older versus newer industrial region.
Gas exchange and control of breathing in the electric eel, Electrophorus electricus

1. The electric eel Electrophorus electricus is an obligate air breather. Its mouth is structurally adapted for air breathing by an extensively diverticulated and richly vascularized oral mucosa. Air is regularly taken into the mouth and later expelled at the opercular openings. The present investigation concerns the respiratory properties of blood, the dynamics of gas exchange and the control of breathing in the electric eel. 2. Fishes were anesthetized and catheters implanted for sampling of gas in the mouth and blood from the jugular vein draining the mouth respiratory organ, and from a systemic artery. A blood velocity transducer was implanted on the ventral aorta. Following recovery, gas from the mouth, blood gases, blood pH as well as other respiratory and circulatory parameters, were monitored during normal breathing cycles and in response to low and high oxygen tensions in both the aquatic and aerial environment surrounding the fish. In addition, the fish were exposed to a CO2 enriched environment. 3. Table 2 summarizes the respiratory properties of blood. The high oxygen capacity and oxygen affinity may be an adaptive measure against the mixed conditions of arterial blood. The oxygen capacity was largely unaffected by CO2. 4. Electrophorus showed arterial CO2 tensions higher than for typical aquatic breathers and other air breathing fishes studied. PCO2 is increased due to the shunting of blood from the mouth organ to the venous side of the systemic circulation. For the same reason arterial oxygen tensions are normally much below the P100 value. The blood bicarbonate concentration is higher than in typical aquatic breathers. 5. The gas exchange ratio was very low for the mouth respiratory organ and tended to decrease still further in the intervals between air breaths. The gills and/or skin are hence important for CO2 elimination. 6. The interval between air breaths rarely exceeded two minutes in intact free-swimming fish surrounded by aerated water and normal ambient air. The fish was irresponsive to changes in oxygen and CO2 tensions in the water, but breathing of hypoxic and hypercarbic atmospheres caused marked and very prompt increase in the rate of air breathing. Inhalation of a hyperoxic atmosphere caused a depression of air breathing. 7. Heart rate and cardiac output values were higher than earlier reported values for fish. Calculations showed that marked changes occured in the fractional distribution of the cardiac output related to the phase of the breathing cycle and the oxygen tension in the mouth organ. 8. When long intervals prevailed between air breaths the heart rate and cardiac output declined late in the breath interval. Inflation of the mouth organ with oxygen or nitrogen both prompted cardioacceleration and increased blood flow. The changes were of reflex nature and caused by pressure or tension changes inside the mouth.
Effect of soil strength on root growth under different water conditions

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of soil water and soil strength on root growth in situations where the individual effects of both of these factors were important. Three grain legumes were grown from pre-germinated seeds for five days on 50-mm compacted columns of two major soils of Sri Lanka. Four or five levels of bulk density (1.1 to 1.8 Mg.m−3) and five or six levels of matric potential (−0.02 to−2.0 MPa) were used.
Probing functional polymorphisms in the dengue vector, Aedes aegypti

Dengue is the most prevalent arboviral disease world-wide and its primary vector is the mosquito Aedes aegypti. The current lack of commercially-available vaccines makes control of vector populations the only effective strategy to prevent dengue transmission. Aedes aegypti geographic populations exhibit great variability in insecticide resistance and susceptibility to dengue infection. The characterization of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as molecular markers to study quantitatively this variation is needed greatly because this species has a low abundance of microsatellite markers and limited known restriction fragments length polymorphisms (RFLPs) and single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) markers. We used RNA-seq to characterize SNPs in three Ae. aegypti strains, including the Liverpool (LVP) strain, from which the current genome annotation is derived. We identified 131,764 unique genome locations with at least one alternative nucleotide to what is reported in the reference annotation. These comprised changes in both open-reading frames (ORFs) and untranslated regions (UTRs) of transcripts. An in depth-look at sequence variation in immunity genes revealed that those associated with autophagy, MD2-like receptors and Peptidoglycan Recognition Proteins had more sequence variation in their 3’UTRs than mutations associated with non-synonymous changes. This supports the conclusion that these genes had maintained their functional specificity while being adapted to different regulatory domains. In contrast, a number of peroxidases, serpins and Clip-domain serine proteases exhibited conservation of putative UTR regulatory sequences while displaying diversification of the ORFs. Transcriptome evidence also was found for ~2500 novel transcriptional units (NTUs) not annotated in the reference genome. The transcriptome-wide assessment of within and inter-strain polymorphisms in Ae. aegypti adds considerably to the number of molecular markers available for genetic studies in this mosquito. Additionally, data supporting NTU discovery emphasizes the need for continuous amendments of the reference genome annotation.
Robust performance characterization of PID controllers in the frequency domain

In this paper a method is introduced for finding all proportional integral derivative (PID) controllers that satisfy a robust performance constraint for a given single-input-single-output transfer function of any order with time-delay. This problem can be solved by finding all achievable PID controllers that simultaneously stabilize the closed-loop characteristic polynomial and satisfy constraints defined by a set of related complex polynomials. A key advantage of this procedure is that it only depends on the frequency response of the system and does not require the plant transfer function coefficients. If the plant transfer function is given, the procedure is still appropriate. The ability to include the time-delay in the nominal model of the system will often allow for designs with reduced conservativeness in the plant uncertainty and an increase in size of the set of all PID controllers that robustly meet the performance requirements.
An Exploratory Study of Grandparents' and Stepgrandparents' Financial Obligations to Grandchildren and Stepgrandchildren

The purpose of this study was to examine beliefs about intergenerational financial responsibilities between (step)-grandparents and (step)grandchildren. Two hundred women and 116 men responded to questions about hypothetical characters in multi-paragraph vignettes. Perceived obligations to assist a (step)grandchild pay for music schooling did not differ for grandparents and stepgrandparents. Divorce and remarriage of the middle generation did not affect grandparents' perceived obligations, but they did change perceptions about stepgrandparents' obligations to help. Stepgrandparents were no longer seen as obligated to assist following divorce and remarriage. The financial status of the oldest generation, prior commitments to assist, quality of the relationships, and mutual agreement between all family members were among the considerations that affected perceptions of intergenerational obligations for both grand parents and stepgrandparents.
Circadian organization and the role of the pineal in birds.

All organisms exhibit significant daily rhythms in a myriad of functions from molecular levels to the level of the whole organism. Significantly, most of these rhythms will persist under constant conditions, showing that they are driven by an internal circadian clock. In birds the circadian system is composed of several interacting sites, each of which may contain a circadian clock. These sites include the pineal organ, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus, and, in some species, the eyes. Light is the most powerful entraining stimulus for circadian rhythms and, in birds, light can affect the system via three different pathways: the eyes, the pineal, and extraretinal photoreceptors located in the deep brain. Circadian pacemakers in the pineal and in the eyes of some avian species communicate with the hypothalamic pacemakers via the rhythmic synthesis and release of the hormone melatonin. Often the hypothalamic pacemakers are unable to sustain persistent rhythmicity in constant conditions in the absence of periodic melatonin input from the pineal (or eyes). It has also been proposed that pineal pacemakers may be unable to sustain rhythmicity in constant conditions without periodic neural input from the SCN. Significant variation can occur among birds in the relative roles that the pineal, the SCN, and the eyes play within the circadian system; for example, in the house sparrow pacemakers in the pineal play the predominant role, in the pigeon circadian pacemakers in both the pineal and eyes play a significant role, and in Japanese quail ocular pacemakers play the predominant role.
Shifting functional roles and the evolution of conifer pollen-producing and seed-producing cones

Exploring patterns in the evolution of seed plant reproductive morphology within a functional context offers a framework in which to identify and evaluate factors that potentially drive reproductive evolution. Conifers are a particularly useful group for studies of this kind because they have a long geologic history and their reproductive organs are borne on separate structures with discrete functions. Multivariate analysis of morphological data collected from pollen-producing and seed-producing cones of Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and extant conifer species shows that seed cones underwent a significant expansion of morphological diversity that began during the Early–Middle Jurassic and has continued into the present day. In contrast, pollen cones show significantly lower levels of morphological diversity and exhibit similar basic morphologies throughout conifer evolutionary history. The increase in seed cone diversity through time is primarily the result of two novel structural and organizational features that evolved independently in different conifer families during the Mesozoic: robust, tightly packed cones in members of Araucariaceae, Cupressaceae sensu lato, and Pinaceae, and highly reduced, fleshy cones or solitary seeds in Podocarpaceae, Taxaceae, and some members of Cupressaceae sensu stricto. In extant conifers, these cone morphologies are associated with species that have strong interactions with vertebrate seed predators, seed dispersers, or a combination of both. This suggests that increases in the strength and complexity of biotic interactions in the Jurassic and Cretaceous were a primary driver of conifer reproductive evolution, and that patterns of character evolution relate to the increasing importance of cone tissue in seed protection and seed dispersal through time.
Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) Home Range and Habitat Selection in West Texas

We studied Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) habitat use during spring and summer 2011 on the Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch in the Red Rolling Plains of west Texas. We captured 9 roadrunners (1 male, 8 females) and fitted each with a 10-g backpack-style radio-transmitter. We relocated roadrunners 2–4 times per week from February to August. Roadrunners used a mean minimum convex polygon home range of 43.0 ha, a 50% core range of 11.9 ha, and 33% overlap between adjacent home ranges. Home ranges were approximately half the size of those reported in a recent study of roadrunners in north Texas. Habitat selection ratios showed that roadrunners selected for ridge and grassland vegetation types and avoided bare ground and flatland vegetation types at both first- and second- but not third-order levels of selection. Similar results were documented for roadrunners in north Texas.
Impaired peripheral thyroid hormone metabolism in genetic obesity.

The obese Zucker rat has alterations in thyroid hormone metabolism resulting in a lower serum T3 concentration and T3 plasma appearance rate compared to its lean littermates. This study was undertaken to measure the contribution of specific nonthyroidal tissues to the total production of T3 in vivo in the Zucker fatty rat. Simultaneous pulse kinetic studies of T4 and T3 were performed in lean and obese Zucker littermates and analyzed according to a three-pool model of distribution and metabolism. The serum concentration and plasma appearance rate of T3 were both decreased in the obese vs. lean Zucker phenotype (P < 0.05) despite an elevated serum concentration and plasma appearance rate for T4. The quantity of T4 within the fast pool (i.e. liver and kidney) available for deiodination was equal for both phenotypes; however, generation of T3 within the fast pool was impaired for the obese compared to the lean group (-25%; P < 0.05). The tissue content of radiolabeled T3 generated within the liver 24 h post ...
Severe Pneumonia Due to Adenovirus Serotype 14: A New Respiratory Threat?

Background Adenoviruses are associated with sporadic infection and community and institutional outbreaks; they can cause especially severe disease in infants, young children, immunocompromised persons, and transplant recipients. Fifty-two adenovirus serotypes have been recognized and classified within 7 subgroups or species (A-G), with limited data available on associated clinical syndromes and disease severity in more than one-half of the known serotypes. Methods We describe the clinical presentation and virologic characterization of 1 adult and 2 pediatric patients admitted to 2 separate hospitals during April-May 2006 with severe acute respiratory tract infection. All patients had underlying chronic pulmonary disease; none were severely immunocompromised. All 3 experienced serious chronic sequelae or died. Results Adenovirus was isolated from all 3 case patients. Adenovirus serotype 14, a subspecies B2 serotype not previously associated with severe clinical illness, was confirmed by neutralization assay and sequencing of the hexon gene. Restriction enzyme analysis with BamHI, BglII, HindIII, and SmaI showed all 3 viruses to be identical and to belong to a new genome type that we have designated "Ad14a." Conclusions Our identification of severe respiratory illness due to a previously rarely reported adenovirus serotype may signify the emergence in the United States of a new genomic variant that has the potential to spread globally and cause epidemics. These case reports highlight the need for rapid diagnosis and improved surveillance, with serotyping and molecular characterization, to identify emerging variants of adenovirus, which may assist with targeted development of antiviral agents or type-specific vaccines.
Deletion of the 5‐HT3A‐receptor subunit blunts the induction of cocaine sensitization

Serotonin (5-HT) receptors are classified into seven groups (5-HT1–7), comprising at least 14 structurally and pharmacologically distinct receptor subtypes. Pharma-cological antagonism of ionotropic 5-HT3 receptors has been shown to modulate both behavioral and neuro-chemical aspects of the induction of sensitization to cocaine. It is not known, however, if specific molecular subunits of the 5-HT3 receptor influence the development of cocaine sensitization. To address this question, we studied the effects of acute and chronic intermittent cocaine administration in mice with a targeted deletion of the gene for the 5-HT3A-receptor subunit (5-HT3A −/−). 5-HT3A (−/−) mice showed blunted induction of cocaine-induced locomotor sensitization as compared with wild-type littermate controls. 5-HT3A (−/−) mice did not differ from wild-type littermate controls on measures of basal motor activity or response to acute cocaine treatment. Enhanced locomotor response to saline injection following cocaine sensitization was observed equally in 5-HT3A (−/−) and wild-type mice suggesting similar conditioned effects associated with chronic cocaine treatment. These data show a role for the 5-HT3A-receptor subunit in the induction of behavioral sensitization to cocaine and suggest that the 5-HT3A molecular subunit modulates neurobehavioral adaptations to cocaine, which may underlie aspects of addiction.
Visual colour processing is completed in the retina

Analysis of mammalian visual pathways is limited by difficulty in recording from single cells earlier than the third-order ganglion cells, but the electroretinogram (ERG) has separable components for each of the three afferent orders. The flash ERG a-wave is generated by the photoreceptors (Tomita and Yanagida, 1981; Heynen and van Norren, 1985), the b-wave by bipolar cells (Heynen and van Norren, 1985; Dick et al., 1985) and the pattern ERG by the ganglion cells (Fiorentini et al, 1981; Maffei and Fiorentini, 1981). We have obtained action spectra from each of these components and behavioural thresholds from the final common path. At the photoreceptor stage the data are fit by the sum of middle- and long-wave cone response. At the bipolar stage some inhibitory interaction between the red and green responses begins. At the ganglion stage there is greatly enhanced red—green inhibition and amplification of the blue response. There is no significant change between the ganglion cells and the final common path, so it may be concluded that colour processing is complete in the retina.
Test of a Model of Domain Satisfactions and Well-Being: Equity Considerations

There is a need for conceptual models that accommodate data on older as well as younger adults. The Campbell et al. (1976) model of life quality proved more successful in accounting for life-domain satisfactions for persons 54 and younger than for those 55 and older. The model for this study includes as predictors the discrepancies of own situation from the 4 most powerful reference frames used by Campbell et al. (aspiration, typical American, best ever had, and close friends), plus equity. Typical American, equity, and best ever had were the most successful reference frames in accounting for independent variance in satisfactions with 13 domains of life experience for adults 25-98. Aspiration, unlike any of the other 4 predictors, appears to exhibit an age-group interaction effect: In several cases it is related more closely to domain satisfaction for people under 55 than for those older. Reference frame-own situation differences, summed across domains, were effective in predicting overall well being or l...
A memory-conscious code parallelization scheme

While there have been considerable work in the last couple of years for architecting embedded chip multiprocessors, programming and compiler support required for them took relatively less attention. Our goal in this paper is to show that conventional compiler-directed code parallelization used in high performance computing is not very suitable for embedded chip multiprocessors where minimizing memory space requirements is an important issue. We propose and evaluate a novel memory-conscious loop parallelization strategy with the objective of minimizing the data memory requirements of processors. The proposed approach, which is formulated as a branch-and-bound problem, accomplishes its objective by being careful in selecting the loops to parallelize in a given loop nest. Miscellaneous. Experimentation, Algorithms, Performance.
Analytical method to measure three-dimensional strain patterns in the left ventricle from single slice displacement data

Background: Displacement encoded Cardiovascular MR (CMR) can provide high spatial resolution measurements of three-dimensional (3D) Lagrangian displacement. Spatial gradients of the Lagrangian displacement field are used to measure regional myocardial strain. In general, adjacent parallel slices are needed in order to calculate the spatial gradient in the through-slice direction. This necessitates the acquisition of additional data and prolongs the scan time. The goal of this study is to define an analytic solution that supports the reconstruction of the out-ofplane components of the Lagrangian strain tensor in addition to the in-plane components from a single-slice displacement CMR dataset with high spatio-temporal resolution. The technique assumes incompressibility of the myocardium as a physical constraint. Results: The feasibility of the method is demonstrated in a healthy human subject and the results are compared to those of other studies. The proposed method was validated with simulated data and strain estimates from experimentally measured DENSE data, which were compared to the strain calculation from a conventional twoslice acquisition. Conclusion: This analytical method reduces the need to acquire data from adjacent slices when calculating regional Lagrangian strains and can effectively reduce the long scan time by a factor of two.
Alcohol impairs leucine-mediated phosphorylation of 4E-BP1, S6K1, eIF4G, and mTOR in skeletal muscle

Acute alcohol (EtOH) intoxication impairs skeletal muscle protein synthesis. Although this impairment is not associated with a decrease in the total plasma amino acid concentration, EtOH may blunt ...
Blockade of the type I somatomedin receptor inhibits growth of human breast cancer cells in athymic mice.

Abstract Insulin and insulin-like growth factors (IGIs) stimulate the growth of human breast cancer cells in vitro. The type I somatomedin receptor (SR) expressed in these cells may mediate the growth effects of these peptides. We have examined the role of this receptor on human breast cancer growth with a monoclonal antibody (alpha-IR-3) that blocks the receptor binding domain and inhibits IGF-I-induced growth. alpha-IR-3 inhibited clonal growth in vitro and blocked the mitogenic effect of exogenous IGF-I in both MCF-7 and MDA-231 breast cancer cell lines. Antibody-induced blockade of the type I SR also inhibited the estrogen-independent MDA-231 cells growing in vivo in nude mice, but growth of the estrogen-dependent MCF-7 cells was unaffected. IGIs are important growth regulators of MDA-231 breast cancer cells. Blockade of this growth stimulatory pathway may provide a new treatment strategy.
Designing internal control points in partially managed processes by using business vocabulary

The challenges of automatically detecting compliance failures in partially managed processes are addressed and a solution is proposed. Detecting compliance failures by creating internal controls is a requirement of enterprise risk management framework. In case of unmanaged or partially managed processes, lack of full process visibility and the dependence on in depth knowledge of IT system and business application code are the main challenges of generating internal controls. Integration of business provenance management system with a business rule management system is proposed to overcome these challenges.
Forgiveness of non-adherence to HIV-1 antiretroviral therapy

Superior adherence to HIV-1 antiretroviral therapy is a mainstay of successful HIV management. Studies performed in the early era of highly active antiretroviral therapy demonstrated the need for > or =95% adherence in order to achieve and sustain viral suppression. High rates of viral suppression have been observed at more moderate levels of adherence with newer antiretroviral regimens. The term 'forgiveness' is being used to describe the ability of a regimen to achieve and sustain viral suppression, despite suboptimal adherence. A variety of pharmacological, viral and host properties determine the level of forgiveness of any specific regimen. As the choice of treatment options continues to expand, forgiveness of non-adherence is likely to emerge as an increasingly important factor in therapeutic decision-making.
Disseminated intravascular coagulation during the continuous infusion of endotoxin in rabbits: Morphologic and physiologic studies

Endotoxinemia was produced in rabbits by a continuous intravenous infusion of endotoxin (30 to 50 βg per kilogram per hour) for 8 to 14 hours. Disseminated intravascular coagulation occurred 6 to 14 hours after the onset of the infusion. Fibrin deposition was observed in decreasing order of frequency in kidney, liver, lung, and spleen. Approximately 50 per cent of the treated animals revealed focal glomerular necrosis. The extent of glomerular fibrin deposition was correlated to the occurrence of focal glomerular necrosis. In one group of animals allowed to survive lysis of glomerular fibrin deposition was demonstrated in kidney sections. Hemodynamic studies revealed a rise in central venous pressure during the experiment. The parameters of pH, pCO 2 , serum lactate, and base excess indicated a steady state of metabolic acidosis during the infusion. Renal function revealed a polyuric phase with disturbed medullary function preceding renal failure.
Design, synthesis, and evaluation of bivalent conformationally constrained Smac mimetics that concurrently targeting both BIR2 and BIR3 domain of XIAP

PR-2 XIAP is a central apoptosis regulator that inhibits apoptosis by binding to and inhibiting the effectors caspase-3/-7 and an initiator caspase-9 through its BIR2 and BIR3 domains, respectively. Smac/DIABLO (second mitochondria-derived activator of caspase or direct IAP binding protein with low pI), a protein released from mitochondria in response to apoptotic stimuli, in its dimeric form effectively antagonizes XIAP by concurrently targeting both its BIR2 and BIR3 domains. We designed, synthesized and evaluated a series of non-peptide, cell-permeable, bivalent small-molecules which mimics Smac protein for targeting XIAP. SM-164 is one of the most potent Smac mimetics we have designed. Our binding and gel filtration studies shows SM-164 concurrently targets both the BIR2 and BIR3 domains in XIAP and binds to XIAP containing both BIR domains with an IC50 value of 1.39 nM, being 300 and 7000-times more potent than its monovalent counterparts and the natural Smac AVPI peptide, respectively. In our cell-free caspases functional assays, SM-164 completely restores the activity of caspase-9 and caspases-3 and -7 inhibited by XIAP at the same molar concentraction as XIAP. In cell-based assays, SM-164 effectively induces apoptosis at concentrations as low as 1 nM in several cancer cell lines and has a minimal toxicity to normal cells at 10,000 nM. The potency of SM-164 in binding, functional and cellular assays is 2-3 orders of magnitude higher than its corresponding monovalent Smac mimetics.
Is it Time to Admit the Failure of an Employer-Based Pension System

In her contribution to the Twelfth Annual Lewis and Clark Business Law Forum (The Aging of the Baby Boomers and America's Changing Retirement System), Susan Stabile paints a pessimistic picture of the state of retirement security in the United States. She examines two aspects of the failure of an employer-based pension system, focusing first on the problems associated with defined contribution plans such as 401(k) plans, which have become the dominant means by which employers offer their employees pension coverage, and second, on the reality that millions of employees lack any pension coverage at all. She argues that the failures of the employer-based system can not be rectified by incremental changes and that serious consideration must be given to alternative models of providing Americans with retirement security. Although recognizing that neither of the models she discusses, i.e., the provision of a government pension for everyone and movement to a mandatory employment-based system with more stringent regulation than currently exists, would be politically easy to enact, she argues that some major overhaul is needed if we remain convinced that adequate retirement security is an important social goal.
Fluctuating populations of house wrens and Bewick's wrens in foothills of the Western Sierra Nevada of California

In foothills of the western Sierra Nevada, 31 km east of Madera, California, we studied whether Bewick's Wrens (Thryomanes bewickii) tend to be excluded from an area occupied by House Wrens (Troglodytes aedon) as reported in several studies in the eastern United States. Neither point counts from 1985 to 1997 nor spot mapping from 1989 to 1993 suggests any interaction between these species. The study period included the most prolonged drought and the most severe period of winter weather in the 64-year climatological record from the study site. House Wren abundance was significantly related to the 4-year running average of annual precipitation and to the lowest temperature recorded in the winter months preceding survey counts. We speculate that House Wrens cannot maintain their numbers by local recruitment during droughts in the oak-pine woodlands that dominate our study area and that recovery of their population following droughts involves recruitment from other areas, probably riparian zones and other mesic habitats elsewhere in the Sierra foothills and Central Valley of California. There was no influence of precipitation on abundance of Bewick's Wrens and, although they apparently sustained heavy mortality during a period of extreme winter weather, their numbers otherwise were not related to the lowest temperature during the winter preceding counts.
Simulation Research on Dynamic Response Characteristics of Grid-connected Photovoltaic Power System

The model of photovoltaic power system was built based on DIgSILENT,and the dynamic response characteristics of photovoltaic power system connecting to the grid were researched.The power output model of photovoltaic cell,the control model of MPPT(maximum power point tracking) and the control model of inverter were discussed in detail.Meanwhile the dynamic response characteristics of the photovoltaic power system with a fast change of irradiance and grid fault were simulated and analyzed.
Investigation of Epidemic Prevalence of Thyroid Cancer in Changzhou,2011—2013

Objective To investigate the morbidity and mortality of thyroid cancer in Changzhou during 2011- 2013 and learn its distribution characteristic and regularity. Methods Thyroid cancer incidence data and death data in Changzhou during 2011- 2013 were extracted from Changzhou cancer registry and the death cause surveillance and report information system of disease prevention and control centre in Changzhou. 847 new cases were reported during 2011- 2013. The incidence,crude and standardized incidence,mortality,crude and standardized mortality were calculated. Results 847 new cases including 145 males and 702 females,the ratio of mortality was 1∶ 4. 84,the ratio of crude mortality was 1∶ 4. 82 and the difference was significant( χ2= 53. 89,P 0. 05). The morbidity of thyroid cancer in Changzhou from 2011 to 2013 showed that the crude mortality increased from 5. 57 /100 000 in 2011 to 10. 23 /100 000 in 2013 and the standardized incidence increased from 4. 46 /100 000 to8. 07 /100 000 in 2013. Incidence rate ranked 13 th in 2011,while it ranked 8th. Among females,incidence rate of thyroid cancer increased from 9. 14 /100 000 in 2011 to 17. 20 /100 000 in 2013 and the standardized incidence increased from 7. 30 /100 000 in 2011 to 13. 30 /100 000 in 2013. Incidence rate ranked 8th in 2011,while it ranked 6th. Among males,incidence rate of thyroid cancer still ranked 14 th with little change in the three years. Standardized death rate was 0. 29 /100 000 in 2011,0. 23 /100 000 in 2012 and 0. 29 /100 000 in 2013 with little change in the three years. The death rate between males and females was1: 1. 86,without significant difference( χ2= 3. 54,P 0. 05). Among the 808 cases confirmed as thyroid caner by pathological diagnosis,627( 77. 6%) were papillary carcinoma,140( 17. 3%) were follicular carcinoma,18( 2. 2%) were medullary carcinoma,16( 2. 0%) were undifferentiated carcinoma and 7( 0. 9%) were other types. Conclusion Thyroid cancer incidence is increasing sharply in Changzhou city,especially among females,while the mortality has no obvious change. The result provides reference for the government to work out the cancer preventive strategies.
A religion for Darwinians

A review of Philip Kitcher's book, Living with Darwinism: evolution, design, and the future of faith.
Biology and Diseases of Ruminants (Sheep, Goats, and Cattle)

Ruminants continue to be important in their traditional role in agricultural research and teaching. They are now also extensively used for studies in molecular biology; genetic engineering; and biotechnology for basic science, agricultural and clinical applications. Concern and interest for the welfare for these species and improved understanding of their biology and behavior have continued and are reflected in changing husbandry and management systems. This chapter addresses at high levels basic biology, husbandry, and the more common or important diseases of the three ruminant species used most commonly in the laboratory, namely sheep, goats and cattle.
MESOSCALE METEOROLOGY | Convective Storms: Overview

This article is reproduced from previous edition, volume 2, pp 548–559, © 2003, Elsevier Ltd.