cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Subaerial weathering of sedimentary organic matter

Abstract Small diameter core samples were taken from outcrops of the Permian Phosphoria Formation and the Cretaceous Pierre Shale of the Western United States to determine the effects of weathering on organic matter in shale outcrops. While the Pierre Shale core showed no evidence of weathering, the Phosphoria Formation showed significant reduction of overall organic content and pronounced changes in organic composition over the near-surface interval of the core. Total organic carbon is lower by as much as 60% over the upper 2 ft of the core. Chloroform-soluble organic matter and total hydrocarbon (C 15+ ) concentrations are 50% lower over this same interval. The ratio of saturated to aromatic hydrocarbons decreases steadily with core depth over the upper 2.6 ft of the core. Aromatic hydrocarbons are enriched in the stable carbon-13 isotope by an average of 1.7%. over this same interval. Shallow core samples also show a loss of n -paraffins relative to branched/cyclic compounds in the saturated C 15+ fraction. Although the extent of weathering is variable, certain characteristic effects are recognizable and can be applied to the interpretation of outcrop data in organic geochemical studies.
Radiochemical technique for intensification of underexposed autoradiographs.

Abstract A radiochemical technique has been used to recover images of underexposed and developed autoradiographs. The underexposed image was radioactivated in a solution of [ 35 S]thiourea, airdried, and reexposed to Kodak NMC film which was developed and processed in a Kodak X-Omat processor. Features which were not discernible in the underexposed autoradiographs were well distinguished in the intensified autoradiograph.
A role for CITED2, a CBP/p300 interacting protein, in colon cancer cell invasion

A thorough understanding of histone acetyltransferase CBP/p300-mediated regulation of gene expression and cell growth is essential to identify mechanisms relevant to the development of histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor-based preventive and therapeutic strategies. We found that knockdown of CBP/p300 interacting coactivator with glutamic acid/aspartic acid-rich tail 2 (CITED2) increased colon cancer cell invasiveness in vitro. Gene expression profiling revealed that CITED2 knockdown induced matrix metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13) gene expression in colon cancer cells. Butyrate, a naturally occurring HDAC inhibitor, induced CITED2 expression and downregulated MMP-13 expression in RKO cells. Additionally, ectopic expression of CITED2 arrested RKO cell growth. Thus, CITED2 regulates colon cancer invasion and might be a target for HDAC inhibitor-based intervention of colon cancer.
Experimental beetle metapopulations respond positively to dynamic landscapes and reduced connectivity

Interactive effects of multiple environmental factors on metapopulation dynamics have received scant attention. We designed a laboratory study to test hypotheses regarding interactive effects of factors affecting the metapopulation dynamics of red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum. Within a four-patch landscape we modified resource level (constant and diminishing), patch connectivity (high and low) and patch configuration (static and dynamic) to conduct a 23 factorial experiment, consisting of 8 metapopulations, each with 3 replicates. For comparison, two control populations consisting of isolated and static subpopulations were provided with resources at constant or diminishing levels. Longitudinal data from 22 tri-weekly counts of beetle abundance were analyzed using Bayesian Poisson generalized linear mixed models to estimate additive and interactive effects of factors affecting abundance. Constant resource levels, low connectivity and dynamic patches yielded greater levels of adult beetle abundance. For a given resource level, frequency of colonization exceeded extinction in landscapes with dynamic patches when connectivity was low, thereby promoting greater patch occupancy. Negative density dependence of pupae on adults occurred and was stronger in landscapes with low connectivity and constant resources; these metapopulations also demonstrated greatest stability. Metapopulations in control landscapes went extinct quickly, denoting lower persistence than comparable landscapes with low connectivity. When landscape carrying capacity was constant, habitat destruction coupled with low connectivity created asynchronous local dynamics and refugia within which cannibalism of pupae was reduced. Increasing connectivity may be counter-productive and habitat destruction/recreation may be beneficial to species in some contexts.
Isotopic Constraints on Biogeochemical Cycling of Fe

Cycling of redox-sensitive elements such as Fe is affected by not only ambient Eh-pH conditions, but also by a significant biomass that may derive energy through changes in redox state (e.g., Nealson 1983; Lovely et al. 1987; Myers and Nealson 1988; Ghiorse 1989). The evidence now seems overwhelming that biological processing of redox-sensitive metals is likely to be the rule in surface- and near-surface environments, rather than the exception. The Fe redox cycle of the Earth fundamentally begins with tectonic processes, where “juvenile” crust (high-temperature metamorphic and igneous rocks) that contains Fe which is largely in the divalent state is continuously exposed on the surface. If the surface is oxidizing, which is likely for the Earth over at least the last two billion years (e.g., Holland 1984), exposure of large quantities of Fe(II) at the surface represents a tremendous redox disequilibrium. Oxidation of Fe(II) early in Earth’s history may have occurred through increases in ambient O2 contents through photosynthesis (e.g., Cloud 1965, 1968), UV-photo oxidation (e.g., Braterman and Cairns-Smith 1987), or anaerobic photosynthetic Fe(II) oxidation (e.g., Hartman 1984; Widdel et al. 1993; Ehrenreich and Widdel 1994). Iron oxides produced by oxidation of Fe(II) represent an important sink for Fe released by terrestrial weathering processes, which will generally be quite reactive. In turn, dissimilatory microbial reduction of ferric oxides, coupled to oxidation of organic carbon and/or H2, is an important process by which Fe(III) is reduced in both modern and ancient sedimentary environments (Lovley 1991; Nealson and Saffarini 1994). Recent microbiological evidence (Vargas et al. 1998), together with a wealth of geochemical information, suggests that microbial Fe(III) reduction may have been one of the earliest forms of respiration on Earth. It therefore seems inescapable that biological redox cycling of Fe has occurred for at least several billion years of Earth's history.
Light-induced metastable defects in hydrogenated amorphous silicon

Abstract Recent developments in the investigation of light-induced metastable defects in a-Si:H are discussed. A kinetic model that quantitatively describes the creation of metastable dangling bonds in UHV deposited a-Si:H can be extended for a qualitative understanding of defect creation in SiGe alloys, samples containing common impurities (C,N,O), and in compensated a-Si:H. It is also shown that mechanical stress enhances the defect creation efficiency. Detailed information about the energy barrier distribution of the metastable dangling bonds can be obtained by ESR annealing studies. Finally, new results showing a light-induced, reversible quenching of low energy tunneling modes are presented.
Glovebox Fire Suppression Experimental and Computational Characterization

Gloveboxes are generally used to protect workers from the potential hazards that arise in the materials they are working with. In the middle of the 20th century gloveboxes were mainly used to protect workers against radioactive materials. Factory Mutual investigated accidents involved in gloveboxes at nuclear facilities from 1956 to 1965 that resulted in damages and contamination clean up efforts reported at $1,232,000 ($8.5 million in 2012 dollars) [1]. Fire suppression systems are therefore a key aspect to glovebox safety. Use of water based systems generally result in undesired transport of hazardous materials [2]. Halon suppression systems were used but due to its large potential to deplete ozone was phased out in the latter part of the 20th century. Activation tests of a commercial automatic fire suppression system (Fire Foe™) containing heptaflouropropane (FE-36) fire suppressant were conducted within a glovebox at the University of Texas Fire Research Group’s burn structure. Ten tests were conducted at four different fire sizes: three 13 kW, one 20 kW, three 25 kW, and three 50 kW. Activation times and gas temperatures were recorded. Gas temperatures from experiments were compared against NIST’s Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) gas temperatures with good agreement. More stratification was observed in experimental temperatures compared to FDS temperatures. The time and spatially averaged net heat flux on a virtual Fire Foe™ tube from the FDS simulations were passed to a thermo-physical semi-empirical submodel to predict activation. The submodel did not capture the exponential nature observed in the data of activation times versus fire heat release rate. Work is continuing on improving the submodel to capture the observed events.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
ḥusayn b. ʿAbd al-Ṣamad al-ʿāmilī's Treatise for Sultan Suleiman and the Shīʿī Shāfiʿī Legal Tradition

This study draws on the work Nūr al-ḥaqīqah wa-nawr al-ḥadīqah , a treatise on ethics written by ḥusayn b. ʿAbd al-Ṣamad al-ḥārithī extant in two autograph manuscripts, in an effort to explain how the author and his close companion Zayn al-Dīn al-ʿāmilī, two of the most important Twelver Shiʿi jurists of the sixteenth century, were able to obtain appointments as professors of law at Sunni madrasahs under Ottoman control. Evidence from Nūr al-ḥaqīqah , corroborated by information from biographical sources, shows that they obtained these appointments by claiming affiliation with the Shāfiʿī madhhab and presenting themselves as accomplished Shāfiʿī jurists. Their efforts were in fact part of a long and developed tradition of association with the Shāfiʿī madhhab among Twelver Shiʿi scholars.
The effect of bovine serum albumin on the synthesis of prostaglandin and incorporation of [3H]acetate into platelet-activating factor.

Abstract The binding of fatty acids by bovine serum albumin (BSA) is well documented. However, the interaction between the synthesis of prostaglandins (PGs) and the trapping of arachidonate released from cellular lipid stores is not as well understood. In this communication, we relate the trapping of fatty acids to the synthesis of PGs and the incorporation of [3H]acetate into platelet-activating factor (PAF). Our results show that, as determined by radioimmunoassay, BSA inhibits bradykinin (BK) (5 ng/ml) and ionophore A23187 (10 μ m )-stimulated synthesis of PGs in human embryo lung fibroblasts (IMR-90) in a concentration-dependent manner. Experiments using prelabel with [3H]arachidonate followed by extraction and thin-layer chromatography show that, in the presence of 2 mg/ml BSA, IMR-90 release essentially only fatty acid following stimulation with bradykinin. Little if any prostaglandin and no endoperoxide are detected. In the same experiment, in absence of BSA, about 70% of the released label is detected as prostaglandin. α-Cyclodextrin, another trapper of fatty acid, inhibits PG synthesis in much the same way. BSA and α-cyclodextrin also inhibit prostacyclin synthesis in endothelial cells derived from the calf pulmonary artery. However, the inhibition of PG synthesis in these cells is not as complete as that in the IMR-90. In contrast to the effect of the trappers on PG synthesis, BSA and α-cyclodextrin are observed to potentiate BK- and ionophore-stimulated incorporation of [3H]acetate into PAF in the endothelial cells. The labeled PAF is not released from the cells in either the presence or absence of the trappers, leading us to conclude that BSA causes an increase in acetate-labeled cellular PAF by trapping released fatty acid.
New sanitation techniques for controlling Tephritid Fruit Flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Hawaii

New approaches to sanitation in a cropping system susceptible to tephritid fruit flies (Diptera tephritidae) in Hawaii have been investigated. Six trials were conducted in tent-like structures to demonstrate that melon fly larvae ( Bacrocera cucurbitae , Coquillett) are not reliably controlled by malathion sprayed on the surface of whole or smashed fruit. Smashing fruit does not sufficiently reduce the rate of eclosion to be a reliable population control measure. Tilling fruit into the ground only partially reduced eclosion. Burying fruit 0.15 and 0.30 m deep also partially reduced eclosion. Burying fruit 0.46 m deep prevented adult fly eclosion. Screen between the infested fruit and the ground prevented 90.2% of fly eclosion (edges of the screen were buried to prevent the escape of eclosing adult flies). Larvae pupate within 0.7 m from their host fruit (mean distance = 13.88 ± 1.76 cm, 95% Cl = 10.4 to 17.4 cm). Augmentoria entrapped all adult flies eclosing from fruit placed inside the structure. The data suggests that the three (3) methods of interdicting adult fly eclosion should be practiced. They are, in order of effectiveness, placing cull fruit in augmentoria, burying the fruit 0.46 m under ground, or placing fruit on screen under and 0.7 m beyond the fruit pile. Journal of Applied Sciences and Environmental Management Vol 9(2) 2005: 5-14
Persistence of Benghal Dayflower (Commelina benghalensis) in Sustainable Agronomic Systems: Potential Impacts of Hay Bale Storage, Animal Digestion, and Cultivation

Experiments were conducted to evaluate factors affecting persistence of the invasive, federal noxious weed Benghal dayflower in sustainable agronomic systems. Seeds were exposed to a range of temperatures simulating those found in hay bales in the field and periodically tested for viability over 21 days. Seeds were nonviable after one day at 65 °C and after 14 days at 50 or 45 °C. A second series of experiments examined the effects of simulated rumen digestion on germination and viability of Benghal dayflower seeds and the response was compared to that with seeds of five other common weed species. Time courses revealed that seeds from the other weeds were acutely damaged by digestion and viability depressed after 48 and 96 h, but germination of Benghal dayflower seeds was increased at 48 h, and only a slight decrease occurred after 96 h. In the third experimental series, stem fragments of Benghal dayflower were buried in soil at 2 and 6 cm depths and exposed to aerial temperatures of 20, 25, 30, and 35 °C...
High Power Switches for Ion Induction Linacs

The success of linear induction ion accelerators for accelerator inertial fusion (AIF) applications depends largely on innovations in pulsed power technology. There are tight constraints on the accuracy of accelerating voltage waveforms to maintain a low momentum spread. Furthermore, the non-relativistic ion beams may be subject to a klystronlike interaction with the accelerating cavities, leading to enhanced momentum spread. In this paper, we describe a novel high power switch with a demonstrated ability to interrupt 300 A at 20 kV in less than 60 ns. The switch may allow the replacement of pulse modulators in linear induction accelerators with hard tube pulsers. A power system based on a hard tube pulser could solve the longitudinal instability problem while maintaining high energy transfer efficiency. The problem of longitudinal beam control in ion induction linacs is reviewed in Section 2. Section 3 describes the principles of the plasma flow switch. Experimental results are summarized in Section 4.
Detection of vector-borne agents in lone star ticks, Amblyomma americanum (Acari: Ixodidae), from Mississippi.

ABSTRACT In this study, we evaluated Amblyomma americanum (lone star tick) in Mississippi for the presence of Ehrlichia chaffeensis, causative agent of human monocytic ehrlichiosis; Ehrlichia ewingii, causative agent of human and canine granulocytic ehrlichiosis; Borrelia lonestari, putative agent of southern tick-associated rash illness; Francisella tularensis, the agent of tularemia; and Rickettsia spp., particularly R. amblyommii, a suspected pathogen, We collected adult A. americanum from four regions of Mississippi: Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, and East. Of the ticks collected, 192 were dissected and DNA was extracted for nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays to detect the above bacteria. In all, 3% of tick extracts had evidence of Borrelia sp., 4% for E. chaffeensis, 6% for E. ewingii, and 44% for a Rickettsia species. As determined by sequencing, most Rickettsia spp, were R. amblyommii. In addition, extracts from 42 pools (total of 950) of larval A. americanum collected in Southwest Mis...
The Structural Stability of the Endothelial Glycocalyx after Enzymatic Removal of Glycosaminoglycans

Rationale: It is widely believed that glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) and bound plasma proteins form an interconnected gel-like structure on the surface of endothelial cells (the endothelial glycocalyx layer–EGL) that is stabilized by the interaction of its components. However, the structural organization of GAGs and proteins and the contribution of individual components to the stability of the EGL are largely unknown. Objective: To evaluate the hypothesis that the interconnected gel-like glycocalyx would collapse when individual GAG components were almost completely removed by a specific enzyme. Methods and Results: Using confocal microscopy, we observed that the coverage and thickness of heparan sulfate (HS), chondroitin sulfate (CS), hyaluronic acid (HA), and adsorbed albumin were similar, and that the thicknesses of individual GAGs were spatially nonuniform. The individual GAGs were degraded by specific enzymes in a dose-dependent manner, and decreased much more in coverage than in thickness. Removal of HS or HA did not result in cleavage or collapse of any of the remaining components. Simultaneous removal of CS and HA by chondroitinase did not affect HS, but did reduce adsorbed albumin, although the effect was not large. Conclusion: All GAGs and adsorbed proteins are well inter-mixed within the structure of the EGL, but the GAG components do not interact with one another. The GAG components do provide binding sites for albumin. Our results provide a new view of the organization of the endothelial glycocalyx layer and provide the first demonstration of the interaction between individual GAG components.
Gender-specific issues in liver and kidney failure and transplantation: a review.

Introduction: Historically, research has been performed in male animals and extrapolated to the care of females regardless of biological differences. Men and women differ, however, with regard to severity and pathogenesis of disease and healthcare needs and this uniform approach, regardless of gender, is not always in the best interests of the patient. The relationship between sex hormones and immunological processes has been extensively documented but is not yet well understood and these differences will be discussed as they relate to liver and kidney failure and transplantation. Discussion: Certain forms of organ failure are more common in either men or women and the physiological changes associated with pregnancy present unique challenges to the transplant physician since pregnancy may adversely affect graft function and immunosuppression presents a risk for opportunistic infection in the mother or fetal injury. Donor and recipient gender affect graft and patient survival after transplantation and ther...
Molecular-mechanical studies of Z-DNA: a comparison of the structural and energetic properties of Z- and B-DNA.

Molecular-mechanical studies of the left-handed Z-DNA polymers have been carried out and the results compared with similar calculations on B-DNA polymers. We have studied d(CGCGCG)2, d(GCGCGC)2 (and their 5-methyl cytosine analogs), dG6·dC6, d(ATATAT)2, and d(TATATA)2 in both B- and Z-forms. For the left-handed Z helices, we considered the ZI and ZII model of Quigley and co-workers [Wang, A. H., Quigley, G. J., Kolpak, F. J., Crawford, J. L., van Boom, J. H., van der Marel, G. & Rich, A. (1979) Nature (London)282, 680–686], the actual “Z spermidine” and “Z spermine” structures of Quigley and the model-built structure of Chandresekharan et al. [Arnott, S., Chandresekharan, R., Bindsall, D. L., Leslie, A. G. W. & Ratliff, R. L. (1980) Nature283, 743–745]. The major conclusions of this study are as follows. (1) The stabilization of Z-DNA relative to B-DNA occurs as one increases the “effective” dielectric constant or adds counterions, consistent with observations of Z-DNA only under high salt conditions. (2) The ZII polymer is calculated to be more stable than the ZI polymer. It is not yet clear whether the greater stability of ZII than ZI is a real effect or an artifact caused by the lack of inclusion of specific solvation effects in these calculations. (3) The greater tendency of the 5-methyl cytosine analog of poly(dG-dC)·poly(dG-dC) to undergo the B Z transition is found in our calculations and is due to destabilizing base–base and base–phosphate interactions, which are greater in the B- than in the Z-form of the 5-methyl cytosine polymer. (4) There are no large sequence-dependent effects on the relative stabilities, and the AT polymers are calculated to be as likely to form Z-helices as the GC polymers. In addition, the relative stability of a nonalternating sequence in the conformation is only slightly less than that found for alternating sequences.
The Genomic Architecture of Sporadic Heart Failure

Common or sporadic systolic heart failure (heart failure) is the clinical syndrome of insufficient forward cardiac output resulting from myocardial disease. Most heart failure is the consequence of ischemic or idiopathic cardiomyopathy. There is a clear familial predisposition to heart failure, with a genetic component estimated to confer between 20% and 30% of overall risk. The multifactorial etiology of this syndrome has complicated identification of its genetic underpinnings. Until recently, almost all genetic studies of heart failure were designed and deployed according to the common disease-common variant hypothesis, in which individual risk alleles impart a small positive or negative effect and overall genetic risk is the cumulative impact of all functional genetic variations. Early studies used a candidate gene approach focused mainly on factors within adrenergic and renin-angiotensin pathways that affect heart failure progression and are targeted by standard pharmacotherapeutics. Many of these reported allelic associations with heart failure have not been replicated. However, the preponderance of data supports risk-modifier effects for the Arg389Gly polymorphism of β1-adrenergic receptors and the intron 16 in/del polymorphism of angiotensin-converting enzyme. Recent unbiased studies using genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism microarrays have shown fewer positive results than when these platforms were applied to hypertension, myocardial infarction, or diabetes, possibly reflecting the complex etiology of heart failure. A new cardiovascular gene-centric subgenome single nucleotide polymorphism array identified a common heat failure risk allele at 1p36 in multiple independent cohorts, but the biological mechanism for this association is still uncertain. It is likely that common gene polymorphisms account for only a fraction of individual genetic heart failure risk, and future studies using deep resequencing are likely to identify rare gene variants with larger biological effects.
Factors influencing ground-water recharge in the eastern United States

Summary Ground-water recharge estimates for selected locations in the eastern half of the United States were obtained by Darcian and chloride-tracer methods and compared using statistical analyses. Recharge estimates derived from unsaturated-zone (RUZC) and saturated-zone (RSZC) chloride mass balance methods are less variable (interquartile ranges or IQRs are 9.5 and 16.1 cm/yr, respectively) and more strongly correlated with climatic, hydrologic, land use, and sediment variables than Darcian estimates (IQR = 22.8 cm/yr). The unit-gradient Darcian estimates are a nonlinear function of moisture content and also reflect the uncertainty of pedotransfer functions used to estimate hydraulic parameters. Significance level is 0.3. Estimates of RSZC were evaluated using analysis of variance, multiple comparison tests, and an exploratory nonlinear regression (NLR) model. Recharge generally is greater in coastal plain surficial aquifers, fractured crystalline rocks, and carbonate rocks, or in areas with high sand content. Westernmost portions of the study area have low recharge, receive somewhat less precipitation, and contain fine-grained sediment. The NLR model simulates water input to the land surface followed by transport to ground water, depending on factors that either promote or inhibit water infiltration. The model explains a moderate amount of variation in the data set (coefficient of determination = 0.61). Model sensitivity analysis indicates that mean annual runoff, air temperature, and precipitation, and an index of ground-water exfiltration potential most influence estimates of recharge at sampled sites in the region. Soil characteristics and land use have less influence on the recharge estimates, but nonetheless are significant in the NLR model.
Key features of wave energy

For a weak point source or dipole, or a small body operating as either, we show that the power from a wave energy converter (WEC) is the product of the particle velocity in the waves, and the wave force (suitably defined). There is a thus a strong analogy with a wind or tidal turbine, where the power is the product of the fluid velocity through the turbine, and the force on it. As a first approximation, the cost of a structure is controlled by the force it has to carry, which governs its strength, and the distance it has to be carried, which governs its size. Thus, WECs are at a disadvantage compared with wind and tidal turbines because the fluid velocities are lower, and hence the forces are higher. On the other hand, the distances involved are lower. As with turbines, the implication is also that a WEC must make the most of its force-carrying ability—ideally, to carry its maximum force all the time, the ‘100% sweating WEC’. It must be able to limit the wave force on it in larger waves, ultimately becoming near-transparent to them in the survival condition—just like a turbine in extreme conditions, which can stop and feather its blades. A turbine of any force rating can achieve its maximum force in low wind speeds, if its diameter is sufficiently large. This is not possible with a simple monopole or dipole WEC, however, because of the ‘ nλ /2 π ’ capture width limits. To achieve reasonable ‘sweating’ in typical wave climates, the force is limited to about 1 MN for a monopole device, or 2 MN for a dipole. The conclusion is that the future of wave energy is in devices that are not simple monopoles or dipoles, but multi-body devices or other shapes equivalent to arrays.
Ρ-Queries: enabling querying for semantic associations on the semantic web

This paper presents the notion of Semantic Associations as complex relationships between resource entities. These relationships capture both a connectivity of entities as well as similarity of entities based on a specific notion of similarity called r-isomorphism. It formalizes these notions for the RDF data model, by introducing a notion of a Property Sequence as a type. In the context of a graph model such as that for RDF, Semantic Associations amount to specific certain graph signatures. Specifically, they refer to sequences (i.e. directed paths) here called Property Sequences, between entities, networks of Property Sequences (i.e. undirected paths), or subgraphs of r-isomorphic Property Sequences.The ability to query about the existence of such relationships is fundamental to tasks in analytical domains such as national security and business intelligence, where tasks often focus on finding complex yet meaningful and obscured relationships between entities. However, support for such queries is lacking in contemporary query systems, including those for RDF.
Low-cost TDRSS communications for NASA's long duration balloon project

A new low-cost non-space-qualified TDRSS user S-band transponder and RF ground support equipment have brought tracking and data relay satellite system (TDRSS) capabilities to a class of users who seek enhanced operations for low budget scientific investigations. The Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)/Wallops Flight Facility's Long Duration Balloon Project (LDBP) will take advantage of the new TDRSS user hardware for communications through the TDRSS S-band multiple access system during around-the-world scientific balloon flight campaigns. The balloon-class TDRSS user transponder and the TDRSS user RF test set (TURFTS) both achieve better performance and increased capabilities than their predecessors at a reduced cost. The balloon transponder is one-tenth the cost of the current generation space-qualified transponder and TURFTS is less than one-half the cost of the currently available transponder test equipment. >
Corruption, competition and democracy

Abstract This paper presents a model of the interaction between corrupt government officials and industrial firms to show that corruption is antithetical to competition. It is hypothesized that a government agent that controls access to a formal market has a self-interest in demanding a bribe payment that serves to limit the number of firms. This corrupt official will also be subject to a detection technology that is a function of the amount of the bribe payment and the number of firms that pay it. Under quite normal assumptions about the shape of the graph of the detection function, multiple equilibria can arise where one equilibrium is characterized by high corruption and low competition, and another is characterized by low corruption and high competition. Some suggestive empirical evidence is presented that supports the main hypothesis that competition and corruption are negatively related.
Electronic structure modification of copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) induced by intensive Na doping

Abstract The electronic structure modifications of copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) induced by interactions with Na are investigated with X-ray and ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy (XPS and UPS). The initial Na doping induces energy level shift, which has a linear dependence in the semi-log plot. For high doping ratios, the shifts of the energy levels diverge from each other. A detailed analysis of the core levels indicates that the doped Na ions tend to interact first with the Pc orbital around the N atoms. However, as the doping ratio increases, strong chemical reactions take place, involving transitions from Cu II to Cu I .
Vertebrate Endoderm Development and Organ Formation

The endoderm germ layer contributes to the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts and to all of their associated organs. Over the past decade, studies in vertebrate model organisms, including frog, fish, chick, and mouse, have greatly enhanced our understanding of the molecular basis of endoderm organ development. We review this progress with a focus on early stages of endoderm organogenesis including endoderm formation, gut tube morphogenesis and patterning, and organ specification. Lastly, we discuss how developmental mechanisms that regulate endoderm organogenesis are used to direct differentiation of embryonic stem cells into specific adult cell types, which function to alleviate disease symptoms in animal models.
Fluoro-Jade: a novel fluorochrome for the sensitive and reliable histochemical localization of neuronal degeneration.

Abstract Fluoro-Jade is an anionic fluorochrome capable of selectively staining degenerating neurons in brain slices. The histochemical application of Fluoro-Jade results in a simple, sensitive and reliable method for staining degenerating neurons and their processes. The technique will detect neuronal degeneration resulting from exposure to a variety of neurotoxic insults. Fluoro-Jade can be combined with other fluorescent methodologies including immunofluorescence, fluorescent axonal tract tracing, and fluorescent Nissl counterstaining. Compared to conventional methodologies, Fluoro-Jade is a more sensitive and definitive marker of neuronal degeneration than hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) or Nissl type stains, while being comparably sensitive yet considerably simpler and more reliable than suppressed silver techniques. © 1997 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
The role of nuclear medicine in pulmonary neoplastic processes

It has been demonstrated that the single most important factor in determining survival in patients with bronchogenic carcinoma is the extent of spread of metastasis from the primary lesion. This explains the extensive efforts in developing accurate staging tests for pulmonary tumors, both primary and metastatic, with special emphasis on the determination of pulmonary hilar and mediastinal spread of disease. Continued improvements in nuclear medicine instrumentation along with the development of tumor specific radiopharmaceuticals, as well as agents that have the capability of tracking tumor viability, have changed the orientation of scintigraphic techniques in the evaluation of pulmonary neoplastic processes. Gallium scintigraphy is no longer considered as a primary imaging modality in the staging of pulmonary tumors, and in most institutions has been replaced by computed tomography (CT) for this purpose. It has been demonstrated that gallium, relative to other imaging modalities, is a sensitive indicator of hilar spread of tumor. However, because of the normally high background activity within the sternum and spine, mediastinal abnormalities are poorly detected. Since most pulmonary tumors metastasize via regional nodes to the pulmonary hilum and then to the mediastinum, the high sensitivity for the detection of pulmonary hilar abnormalities and the high specificity for mediastinal lesion detection suggest that gallium scintigraphy is a valuable adjunctive test when used appropriately. Thallium 201 as a tumor agent is being studied by several institutions. Preliminary results indicate a high degree of sensitivity for the detection of pulmonary hilar and mediastinal lesions and there are early indications that thallium is a promising agent to evaluate tumor viability. With the development of new generation monoclonal antibodies, the prospects for highly sensitive and specific agents for detecting hilar and mediastinal spread of tumor is extremely encouraging. CT and NMR have made major contributions to the noninvasive workup of patients with bronchogenic carcinoma. Neither modality has been demonstrated to be accurate enough to adequately evaluate this patient population. Thus, there is a critical need for new noninvasive tests that will accurately assess the status of the patient so that appropriate therapy can be instituted.
Opportunities and challenges for studying disaster survivors

Studying survivors of natural disasters and traumatic events provides a unique opportunity to address some of the important and difficult questions in psychology and other social sciences. However, such an opportunity does not come without challenges. Several methodological challenges to studying survivors of natural disasters are discussed, including recruiting participants, choosing appropriate procedures, and the safety of data collectors. Several ethical issues are also presented, such as the ability of participants to make decisions, the impact of participating, and the importance of informed consent. In addition, approaches are suggested that help to deal with these methodological and ethical challenges. We conclude that while attention must be focused on methodological and ethical considerations, research stemming from natural disasters should be employed to answer important basic and applied conceptual questions and address issues of practice and policy, while assuring that steps have been taken to protect participants and that the potential risks are minimal.
Simplifying algebra in Feynman graphs. II. Spinor helicity from the spacecone

Manifestly Lorentz-covariant Feynman rules are given in terms of a ``scalar'' field for each helicity, dramatically simplifying the calculation of amplitudes with massless particles. The spinor helicity formalism is properly identified as a null complex spacelike (not lightlike) gauge, where two massless external momenta define the reference frame. Usually, this gauge is applied only to external line factors; we extend this method to vertices and propagators by modifying the action itself using light-cone methods.
The ongoing evaluation of breast cancer screening.

Two articles in this issue of Cancer are representative of an evolving trend in research on breast cancer screening, and each raises unique issues regarding how we should view the role of screening in the control of breast cancer and the importance of continuing to address questions concerning early breast cancer detection. The first trial of breast cancer screening, the Health Insurance Plan of Greater New York (HIP) study, was launched in 1963. Seven additional trials in Europe and Canada followed and have since concluded, the most recent being the National Breast Screening Studies I and II (NBSS), which were initiated in Canada in 1980. One additional trial currently is underway, the Age Trial, which was established by the United Kingdom Coordinating Committee on Cancer Research (UKCCCR) in 1991 to address the efficacy of initiating breast cancer screening in women ages 40–41 years. An interim analysis is expected in the near future. During the 40 years since trials of breast cancer screening were initiated, strong scientific evidence supporting the value of the early detection of breast cancer has accumulated and served as the basis for health policies supporting regular screening. However, during this same period, there have been ongoing debates, with occasional public flare-ups, over various aspects of breast cancer screening, most notably questions regarding screening efficacy for women in their 40s, concerns about harms associated with false-positive results, and concerns regarding the detection rate of ductal cancer in situ and the overtreatment of potentially nonprogressive lesions. Some researchers have even questioned the value of breast cancer screening for any woman, despite the abundance of solid evidence and the conclusions of expert groups that screening effectively advances the time of breast cancer diagnosis and reduces mortality. Although the trials have made important contributions, individually and taken together the data have been limited in varying degrees with regard to answering enduring and new questions concerning the efficacy and effectiveness of mammography. Each randomized clinical trial followed a somewhat different protocol, and the outcome in each was influenced by a number of factors that have important implications for the interpretation of study results, including study methodology, the screening interval and number of views, participation rates in the study group (compliance), screening rates in the control group (contamination), and the number of screening rounds before an invitation to screening was extended to the control group. There also were other factors that likely influenced trial results, in1327
Quartzose turbidites of the accretionary complex of Barbados; I, Chalky Mount succession

ABSTRACT Quartzose sandstone and mudstone turbidites of Cenozoic and possibly older age constitute a large proportion of strata in the accretionary complex of the Lesser Antilles arc exposed at its structural high on Barbados. The Chalky Mount succession is the thickest (> 628 m) and best exposed of structurally continuous turbidite sequences on the island. Four classes of layer types are distinguished among Chalky Mount beds: single sandstones (between 0.2 and 12 m thick), amalgamated sandstones, multilayers of sandstone (< 20 cm thick) and mudstone, and thick mudstone units. Layer types are divided among 65 types based on Bouma sequences, grading within sandy divisions, and sand to mud gradation. Of these, less than a dozen types occur frequently. Although many layer types cannot be in erpreted uniquely as turbidites, the occurrence of classic turbidites throughout the section indicates the succession is of subsea sediment-gravity flow origin. The vertical succession of layer types can generally be interpreted as reflecting lateral facies migration of a radial fan, and includes from bottom to top: basin plain, distal outer fan, proximal outer fan, midfan, inner fan (?), midfan, abandoned fan, proximal outer fan. The sequence indicates initial progradation, followed by retrogradation and abandonment, then rejuvenation of the former fan. Paleocurrent directions at several horizons in the section indicate transport mainly between north and east relative to present coordinates. The applicability of the radial fan model to the Chalky Mount and other turbidite successions of Barbados suggests that a base-of-slope configuration of the depositional sites was likely.
A comparative study of power efficient SRAM designs

This paper investigates the effectiveness of combination of different low power SRAM circuit design techniques. The divided bit line (DBL), pulsed word line (PWL) and isolated bit line (IBL) strategies have been implemented in a various size SRAM designs and evaluated using 0.35Micron technology and 3.3V VDD at 100MHz frequency. Different decoder structures have been investigated for their power efficiency as well. It is observed that the power reduces by 29%, 32% and 52% over an unoptimized SRAM design when (PWL+IBL), (PWL+DBL) and (PWL+IBL+DBL) are implemented in a 256*2 size SRAM respectively.
Compression of binary memoryless sources using punctured turbo codes

In this letter, we propose the use of punctured turbo codes to perform near-lossless compression and joint source-channel coding of binary memoryless sources. Compression is achieved by puncturing the turbo code to the desired rate. No information about the source distribution is required in the encoding process. Moreover, the source parameters do not need to be known in the decoder, since they can be estimated jointly with the iterative decoding process.
Imaging brain dynamics using independent component analysis

The analysis of electroencephalographic and magnetoencephalographic recordings is important both for basic brain research and for medical diagnosis and treatment. Independent component analysis (ICA) is an effective method for removing artifacts and separating sources of the brain signals from these recordings. A similar approach is proving useful for analyzing functional magnetic resonance brain imaging data. In this paper, we outline the assumptions underlying ICA and demonstrate its application to a variety of electrical and hemodynamic recordings from the human brain.
Readmission After Robot-assisted Radical Cystectomy: Outcomes and Predictors at 90-Day Follow-up

Objective To characterize the outcomes and predictors of readmission after robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) during early (30-day) and late (31-90–day) postoperative periods. Methods We retrospectively evaluated our prospectively maintained RARC quality assurance database of 272 consecutive patients operated between 2005 and 2012. We evaluated the relationship of readmission with perioperative outcomes and examined possible predictors during the postoperative period. Results Overall 30- and 90-day mortality was 0.7% and 4.8%, respectively, with 25.5% patients readmitted within 90 days after RARC (61% of them were readmitted within 30 days and 39% were readmitted between 31–90 days postoperatively). Infection-related problems were the most common cause of readmission during early and late periods. Overall operative time and obesity were significantly associated with readmission ( P = .034 and .033, respectively). Body mass index and female gender were independent predictors of 90-day readmission ( P = .004 and .014, respectively). Having any type of complication correlated with 90-day readmission ( P = .0045); meanwhile, when complications were graded on the basis of Clavien grading system, only grade 1-2 complications statistically correlated with readmission ( P = .046). Four patients needed reoperation (2 patients in early “for appendicitis and adhesive small bowel obstruction” and 2 in late “for ureteroenteric stricture” readmission); meanwhile, 6 patients needed percutaneous procedures (4 patients in early “1 for anastomotic leak and 3 for pelvic collections” and 2 “for pelvic collections and ureterocutaneous fistula” in late readmission). Conclusion The rate of readmission within 90 days after RARC is significant. Female gender and body mass index are independent predictors of readmission. Outcomes at 90 days provide more thorough results, essential to proper patient counseling.
People and places: Relocating to neighborhoods with better economic and social conditions is associated with less risky drug/alcohol network characteristics among African American adults in Atlanta, GA

Abstract Background Few studies assess whether place characteristics are associated with social network characteristics that create vulnerability to substance use. Methods This longitudinal study analyzed 7 waves of data (2009–2014) from a predominantly substance-using cohort of 172 African American adults relocated from public housing complexes in Atlanta, GA, to determine whether post-relocation changes in exposure to neighborhood conditions were associated with four network characteristics related to substance use: number of social network members who used illicit drugs or alcohol in excess in the past six months (“drug/alcohol network”), drug/alcohol network stability, and turnover into and out of drug/alcohol networks. Individual- and network-level characteristics were captured via survey and administrative data were used to describe census tracts where participants lived. Multilevel models were used to assess relationships of census tract-level characteristics to network outcomes over time. Results On average, participants relocated to census tracts that had less economic disadvantage, social disorder, and renter-occupied housing. Post-relocation reductions in exposure to economic disadvantage were associated with fewer drug/alcohol network members and less turnover into drug/alcohol networks. Post-relocation improvements in exposure to multiple census tract-level social conditions and reductions in perceived community violence were associated with fewer drug/alcohol network members, less turnover into drug/alcohol networks, less drug/alcohol network stability, and more turnover out of drug/alcohol networks. Conclusion Relocating to neighborhoods with less economic disadvantage and better social conditions may weaken relationships with substance-using individuals.
How to Smile When They Can't See Your Face: Rhetorical Listening Strategies for IM and SMS Reference

This article suggests IM instant message and SMS short message service reference strategies based on the stance of rhetorical listening in an attempt to create in digital communication environments in which both patrons and reference librarians can utilize similar affordances that they might encounter in a face-to-face interactions, for instance, especially nonverbal communication. Drawing upon research in computer-mediated communication, the social sciences, and library studies, the author suggests four specific strategies for beginning implementation of rhetorical listening into IM and SMS reference: material sensitivity, syntactic mirroring, emoticon use, and professional ethos awareness.