cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Role of a Supreme Court in a Democracy

BY VIRTUE OF OUR CONSTITUTIONAL structure, the president is the head of state. The president symbolizes national unity and reflects sovereignty. The state itself has three main organs through which it functions. These are the three branches of government: the legislative, the executive, and the judicial. The legislative branch creates the laws of the state. This is its primary role. It also oversees the executive branch and, under certain conditions, may override it. The executive branch determines and executes the policies of the state. The judicial branch adjudicates disputes brought before it. These three branches of government are conferred equal constitutional status. All three organs are a product of our constitution a product of our Basic Laws. They function according to a relational system of "checks and balances" which was designed to ensure that each branch remains within the confines of its authority and that no branch will wield unlimited powers. The purpose of the checks and balances is not government efficacy; it is to ensure the liberty of the individual. In this system of authorities, the role of the judicial branch is to arbitrate disputes. Such adjudication is grounded in three main functions: First is the determination of facts. From the complex web of facts one can extract those relevant to the adjudication of the dispute. Second are the determinations of law. From the complex web of laws, one can extract the law according to which the dispute will be decided. The third function is the application of the law to the facts and deducing the requisite judicial conclusion. The main task of carrying out the first and third functions is performed by the first legal instance within the framework of the judiciary. The main task of carrying out the second function is placed upon the Supreme Court. This second function--determination of law--is simple in cases in which
Development of a Janus Kinase Inhibitor Prodrug for the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis.

While highly efficacious in treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the approved Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor, Tofacitinib (Tofa, CP-690 550), has dose-dependent toxicities that limit its clinical application. In this study, we have examined whether a prodrug design that targets arthritic joints would enhance Tofa’s therapeutic efficacy, which may provide an opportunity for future development of safer Tofa dosing regimens. A prodrug of Tofa (P-Tofa) was synthesized by conjugating the drug to the N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide (HPMA) copolymer via an acid cleavable carbamate linker. The therapeutic efficacy of a single dose of P-Tofa was compared to the dose-equivalent daily oral administration of Tofa in an adjuvant-induced arthritis (AA) rat model. Saline treated AA rats and age-matched healthy rats were used as controls. Observational analyses support the superior and sustained efficacy of a single dose P-Tofa treatment compared to the dose-equivalent daily Tofa administration in ameliorating joint infla...
Aspects of Fourier Transform Visible/UV Spectroscopy

Fourier transform spectroscopy, a technique which Mertz1 once called “a disagreeable indirect method to record a spectrum”, has matured in recent years into a widely used and accepted spectroscopic technique. The rapid increase in the popularity of Fourier spectroscopy can be attributed, at least in part, to the technological advances in computer hardware and to the development of the Cooley-Tukey alogrithm2 for computing Fourier transforms quickly. Both of these developments have helped to popularize Fourier spectroscopy and have given strong impetus to its growing appeal and commercialization by significantly reducing the time required to compute a final spectrum from the recorded interferogram.
Sex Differences in the Human Infant

The mind’s attraction to difference and automatic exaggeration of the contrast between physical stimuli is the partial consequence of reciprocal inhibition and exitatory processes in the cells of the central nervous system. But the mind also amplifies the difference between opposing categories. The English sailors who first encountered West Africans in the middle of the 16th century exaggerated both the contrast between the blackness of the Africans’ skin and their own as well as the psychological qualities that were at variance with the English conception of the ideal (Jordan, 1968). When categories form antonym pairs, we are tempted to go far beyond the essential contrasts that define the concepts and assume a much larger set. The small number of physical differences between human males and females have led some to expect a large set of biologically based psychological differences to accompany them. However, existing empirical data indicate that sex differences in infants and young children are the exception rather than the rule.
Community organizing with women of color: A feminist approach

The problems of women of color are related to gender, ethnic, and class inequality, yet little attention has been paid to methods for changing these structural conditions; most social work literature on gender and ethnicity has focused on individual models for change. Recent research on feminist organizing has identified ways in which community organization methods can be made more effective for use with groups of women. The implementation of these methods with women of color, however, will require addressing deficiencies of feminist theory in analyzing women's experience. This article presents one approach to organizing with women of color that suggests how race and gender issues can be worked on simultaneously. The issues and practice principles are relevant for both women of color and European American women organizing in communities of color.
TRANSMEMBRANE K+ TURNOVER BY PHYTOHEMAGGLUTININ (PHA) – STIMULATED HUMAN LYMPHOCYTES

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on transmembrane K+ turnover by phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-stimulated human lymphocytes. The alteration of the plasma membrane may be critical in the occurrence of blastogenesis and mitogenesis after lectin treatment of lymphocytes. It has been recently found that K+ efflux is accelerated instantaneously by PHA. Although a decrease of lymphocyte K+ concentration after lectin treatment has been reported, this was because of an artifact induced by cell washing. The steady state of cell K+ and the balanced isotopic flux could be explained either by an increase in K+K+ exchange or in concentrative K+ accumulation in response to the increased leak of K+ from the cell. The precise changes in the plasma membrane that follow the treatment of human lymphocytes with PHA are unknown. The lectin-induced membrane alteration in K+ permeability may be correlated with, but neither necessary nor sufficient for, blastogenesis.
Contrasting behavior of slow and fast photoreactive gases during the August 21, 2017, solar eclipse

The total solar eclipse on August 21, 2017, provided a rare opportunity to observe and test our understanding of atmospheric dynamics and photochemical dependency on solar irradiance. Here, we utilize observations from the continuous monitoring of both inert and photoreactive trace gases near Boulder, Colorado, for contrasting the unique dynamic and photochemical forcings on the eclipse day. The monitoring station saw a 93% solar obstruction during the peak of the eclipse. Eclipse day data are contrasted with the full month's record from this site. The loss of irradiance caused cooling of the surface air by ~3oC, and weakened convective and tur-bulent mixing. This resulted in a buildup of non-reactive gases (methane, volatile organic com-pounds) as well as nitrogen oxides (NO, NO2) in the surface layer. In contrast, ozone (O3) de-clined by ~15 ppb during the first part of the eclipse compared to median August diurnal mixing ratios. Similar O3 signatures were observed at a series of network stations along the Northern Colorado Front Range. With the loss of irradiance, the initial ratio of NO/(NO+NO2) of ~0.2 dropped steadily, bottoming out at
Hydrolysis and interactions of d-cellobiose with polycarboxylic acids.

Abstract The hydrolysis of cellulose model compound d -cellobiose was studied with a series of eight common polycarboxylic acids and two monocarboxylic acids in aqueous medium using 0.500 mmol -COOH/L at 170 °C. The maleic acid showed the highest catalytic activity with turnover frequency (TOF) of 29.5 h−1. The interaction of carboxylic acids with d -cellobiose in DMSO‑d6 was studied by determination of the pseudo first-order rate constant kH of anomeric -OH exchange rate in cellobiose using 1H NMR spectroscopy. The maleic, oxalic and citric acids showed infinitely large kH values indicating very strong interactions with d -cellobiose. The next highest interactions were found with phthalic acid (kH = 248.8 Hz). The FT-IR studies showed significant carboxylic acid C=O stretching frequency shifts (ΔνC=O) of 12, 13 and 10 cm−1 for maleic, oxalic and acetic acids respectively in mixtures with d -cellobiose.
Stabilization of Input Constrained Nonlinear Systems with Imperfect State Feedback Using Sum-of-Squares Programming

We study the problem of using imperfect state feedback to stabilize polynomial, control-affine systems which are subject to polytopic input constraints. The state feedback is assumed be subject to an additive, unknown, but bounded disturbance. An analysis framework based on Sum-of-Squares (SOS) programming is developed, in order to characterize the subset of the measurement space from where stabilization to a neighborhood of the origin with a Lyapunov-based, input constrained control law is guaranteed for the particular measurement assumptions. Subsequently, such a control law is developed based on the minimizer, at every (measured) state, of a low-dimension Quadratic Program (QP). The proposed control solution is designed in a way such that attempting to render the system stable from the perspective of a control law with knowledge of the imperfect measurement of the state implies the stabilization of the actual system. The stabilization guarantees provided by the SOS analysis part, combined with the efficiency of the QP-based control law make the proposed solution suitable for systems where embeddability, robustness to measurement disturbances and safety are important. Numerical simulations are used to illustrate the main contributions.
Highly Tunable, Flexible and Stretchable Frequency Selective Surface-Based THz Bandpass Filter

We report on a mechanically tunable THz filter based on highly flexible and stretchable elastomer comprising metallic nanostructures. The detailed numerical studies show that the proposed structure provides band-pass filters with the linewidths of 23 GHz and 170 GHz at 0.15 THz and 0.825 THz, respectively.
Calibration of atmospheric density model based on Gaussian Processes

Abstract Neutral mass density is presently the predominant uncertain term among all the factors affecting the atmospheric drag, which is the dominant perturbation force for space objects at low altitude. The current best density estimation performance is often achieved by empirical models that can be limited by their assumed, parametric formulations of regression . This paper presents a density estimation framework that integrates information from empirical models, environment conditions, and satellite measurement data. Different from existing frameworks, the new integration mechanism is based on Gaussian Processes (GPs) which are nonlinear, non-parametric regression methods. The method can estimate both current and future densities. Furthermore, it will provide uncertainty quantifications in its estimates through GPs’ underlying Bayesian inference. Simulations are designed to test the hypothesis that the new framework is valuable to improve the nowcast performance of the empirical models, and to predict future density. Empirical models including NRLMSISE-00 and JB2008 and accelerometer-inferred densities from satellite CHAMP are used for the study. The new method is shown to achieve better Pearson correlation coefficient (R), root mean squared error (RMSE), and mean ratio from the empirical models when the density estimation is tested on both the missing data and future densities, which are, respectively, within and following the GP’s training period. Together with providing quality uncertainty estimations, the proposed framework has the great potential to reduce the estimation errors from the empirical model and provide an effective means to estimate density for a satellite.
A 3D-printed sheathed elutriator for size resolved collection of microparticles and droplets

Abstract A low cost, easy-to-manufacture particle classification device for coarse mode, supermicrometer particles and droplets remains important for a variety of industries and environmental measurements, including agricultural sprays, pharmaceutical powders, spray drying processes, precipitation, and dust storms. While optical techniques can typically be used to analyze particle sizes in this range (20 μm–100 μm), there are few instruments available for size-segregated particle collection. Here, we demonstrate that a horizontal, parallel-plate sheathed elutriator can be designed and 3D printed, enabling modest-to-high resolution size segregated particle and droplet collection in the supermicrometer size range. In such elutriators, gravitational settling drives sampled particles vertically down the device (between two plates), while a clean sheath flow drives motion orthogonally; the net result is aerodynamic diameter-specific particle and droplet trajectories. In designing a sheathed elutriator, we develop both an analytical deposition location distribution function, similar to the transfer function of sheath mobility analyzers, as well as a 3D computational fluid dynamics model of a prototype instrument. The prototype is built solely from 3D printed parts (and PVC sheath lines) without any high voltage sources or high power pumps required. The performance of the prototype is tested by examining the deposition location distribution of monodisperse uranine-doped oleic acid droplets in the 26 μm–81 μm size range. Uranine signal intensity was determined using both traditional fluorometric analysis and via yellow-color intensity analysis from a digital camera, with both measurements in good agreement with one another. Overall excellent agreement is observed between the analytical model, computational fluid dynamics simulations, and experimental measurements, demonstrating that inexpensive elutriators provide a means to collect coarse-mode particles in a size selective manner, and further suggesting that they can be designed for aerodynamically monodisperse particle selection.
Stereotactic Radiosurgery Technology

Stereotactic radiosurgery has been used for decades to non-invasively manage intracranial lesions, including benign tumors, primary malignancies, and brain metastases. This chapter will outline the development of and technical principles underlying stereotactic radiosurgery. Relevant concepts, such as methods of beam shaping, treatment planning, patient immobilization, and image-guidance will be discussed. Since stereotactic radiosurgery was first used in the 1950s, various treatment platforms have been developed. This chapter will discuss the key features of the Gamma Knife, linear accelerator radiosurgery, the CyberKnife, and proton radiosurgery. The relative advantages and disadvantages of each system will be addressed, and a comparison will be made between the modalities with regard to clinical outcomes and dosimetry.
How to successfully navigate a nursing student academic/grade grievance

Abstract The challenges of managing an academic/grade grievance can be taxing on nursing faculty. Therefore, it is essential that faculty are well-equipped for these experiences. The purpose of this article is to enable nursing faculty to understand how to navigate a student academic/grade grievance. In this article, three nursing faculty with varying levels of teaching experience will share insightful information on the prevention, preparation, and processes for successfully navigating student academic/grade grievances. They will discuss steps for addressing an academic/grade grievance and lessons learned with helpful tips for nursing faculty to put into their toolbox for future use.
HIV-1 and microglia: EcoHIV and HIV-1 transgenic rats

The persistence of HIV-1 viral reservoirs in the brain, despite treatment with combination antiretroviral therapy (cART), remains a critical roadblock for the development of a novel cure strategy for HIV-1. To enhance our understanding of viral reservoirs, two complementary studies were conducted to 1) evaluate the HIV-1 mRNA neuroanatomical distribution pattern and major cell type expressing HIV-1 mRNA in the HIV-1 transgenic (Tg) rat (i.e., under conditions of latent infection), and 2) to validate our findings by developing and critically testing a novel biological system to model active HIV-1 infection in the rat. First, a restricted, region-specific HIV-1 mRNA distribution pattern was observed in the HIV-1 Tg rat. Microglia were the predominant cell type expressing HIV-1 mRNA in the HIV-1 Tg rat. Second, we developed and critically tested a novel biological system to model key aspects of HIV-1 by infusing F344/N control rats with chimeric HIV (EcoHIV). In vitro, primary cultured microglia were treated with EcoHIV revealing prominent expression within 24 hours of infection. In vivo, EcoHIV expression was observed seven days after stereotaxic injections. Following EcoHIV infection, microglia were the major cell type expressing HIV-1 mRNA, results which are consistent with observations in the HIV-1 Tg rat. Within eight weeks of infection, EcoHIV rats exhibited neurocognitive impairments, synaptic dysfunction, which may result from activation of the NogoA-NgR3/PirB-RhoA signaling pathway, and neuroinflammation. Collectively, these studies enhance our understanding of HIV-1 viral reservoirs in the brain and offer a novel biological system to model HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders and associated comorbidities (i.e., drug abuse) in rats.
Too slow, less dough for SARS-CoV-2 tests? A Micro-Comic Strip.

Laboratory testing for SARS-CoV-2 has been delayed in some laboratories due to high demand for testing and supply shortages. This has led to proposals and plans that reimbursement for delayed results be reduced or not paid at all (1, 2). Read the comic strip to find out more.
Wild red wolf Canis rufus poaching risk

Abstract The reintroduced red wolf population in northeastern North Carolina declined to 7 known wolves by October 2020. Poaching (illegal killing) is the major component of verified anthropogenic mortality in this and many other carnivore populations, but it is still not well understood. Poaching is often underestimated, partly as a result of cryptic poaching, when poachers conceal evidence. Cryptic poaching inhibits our understanding of the causes and consequences of anthropogenic mortality which is important to conservation as it can inform us about future population patterns within changing political and human landscapes. We estimate risk for marked adult red wolves of 5 causes of death (COD: legal, nonhuman, unknown, vehicle and poached) and disappearance, describe variation in COD in relation to hunting season, and compare time to disappearance or death. We include unknown fates in our risk estimates. We found that anthropogenic COD accounted for 0.724 – 0.787, including cryptic and reported poaching estimated at 0.510 – 0.635 of 508 marked animals. Risk of poaching and disappearance was significantly higher during hunting season. Mean time from collaring until nonhuman COD averaged 376 days longer than time until reported poached and 642 days longer than time until disappearance. Our estimates of risk differed from prior published estimates, as expected by accounting for unknown fates explicitly. We quantify the effects on risk for three scenarios for disappearances, which span conservative to most likely COD. Implementing proven practices that prevent poaching or hasten successful reintroduction may reverse the decline to extinction in the wild of this critically endangered population. Our findings add to a growing literature on endangered species protections and enhancing the science used to measure poaching worldwide.
Private goods and services contracts: Increased emergency response capacity or increased vulnerability?

Abstract The United States public sector increasingly contracts with and relies on private firms to provide public goods. While this has brought efficiency gains in many contexts, in the disaster response context, these gains may be offset by increasing vulnerability to the public emergency response system by making it subject to the fragility of lean supply chains. Public–private contracts rely on the private law enforcement regime, an analysis of which indicates that there may be disincentives for private contractors to perform contractual obligations as disasters disrupt efficient supply chains and increase the cost of performance. This article argues that increasing public sector reliance on private contractor performance under extreme stress and uncertainty increases the complexity and interdependence of component parts of the disaster response system, key predictors of system failure. This article addresses the challenge of relying on private firms to provide public goods during a disaster and suggests several possibilities to increase reliability.
Identity and Ethnic/Racial Self-Labeling among Americans of Arab or Middle Eastern and North African Descent

The identity of Americans of Arab or Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) descent has been relatively understudied within the U.S. racial landscape. Given that the U.S. Census categorizes indivi...
Victims of Maiming in Sturlunga saga : Worse off Living than Dead?

This article considers the status of physically disabled people in medieval Nordic society by examining in detail the lives of two intentionally disfigured individuals, Skaeringr Hroaldsson and Sturla Barðarson, as recounted in the 13th century Icelandic saga compilation known as Sturlunga saga. Intentional maiming, foot- and hand-hewing, figures prominently in the text especially as a form of political reprisal during the turmoil of the so-called ‘Age of the Sturlungs’ (1220–64). The analysis shows that although a range of motives and anxieties regarding maiming are depicted in this and other collateral sources, the two case studies developed here suggest that intentional disfigurements were not per se viewed as disabilities in medieval Icelandic society since neither the status nor social mobility of either individual appears affected as a direct result of their injuries.
AI vs. AI: Exploring the Intersections of AI and Cybersecurity

The future of cybersecurity will pit AI against AI. In this talk, we explore the role of AI in strengthening security defenses as well as the role of security in protecting AI services. We expect that the scale, scope and frequency of cyber attacks will increase disruptively with attackers harnessing AI to develop attacks that are even more targeted, sophisticated and evasive. At the same time, analysts in security operations centers are being increasingly overwhelmed in their efforts to keep up with the tasks of detecting, managing and responding to attacks. To cope, the security industry and practitioners are experimenting with the application of AI and machine learning technologies in different areas of security operations. These include a diverse set of areas such as detecting (mis)behaviors and malware, extracting and consolidating threat intelligence, reasoning over security alerts, and recommending countermeasures and/or protective measures. At the same time, adversarial attacks on machine learning systems have become an indisputable threat. Attackers can compromise the training of machine learning models by injecting malicious data into the training set (so-called poisoning attacks), or by crafting adversarial samples that exploit the blind spots of machine learning models at test time (so-called evasion attacks). Adversarial attacks have been demonstrated in a number of different application domains, including malware detection, spam filtering, visual recognition, speech-to-text conversion, and natural language understanding. Devising comprehensive defenses against poisoning and evasion attacks by adaptive adversaries is still an open challenge. Thus, gaining a better understanding of the threat by adversarial attacks and developing more effective defense systems and methods are paramount for the adoption of machine learning systems in security-critical real-world applications. The talk will provide an industrial research perspective and will cover research conducted at IBM Security Research over the several years.
Advocating for the Use of Restorative Justice Practices: Examining the Overlap between Restorative Justice and Behavior Analysis

Broadly defined, restorative justice (RJ) is a set of procedures based in Indigenous peacemaking practices that reduces recidivism and guides the effective reparation of harm. RJ practices provide harm-affected parties an opportunity for engagement in the resolution process, which theoretically enhances community well-being. RJ practices overlap significantly with behavior-analytic principles. Implementing RJ practices from a context-focused, appetitive-based approach that focuses on classes of behaviors may address harmful behaviors within police organizations. RJ practices may also facilitate changes in contexts that support behaviors valued by the community. The current review discusses criminal and restorative justice, RJ processes and practices, the effectiveness of RJ in various contexts, how RJ overlaps with behavior-analytic principles and existing behavior science models in general, research suggestions, and recommendations for behavior analysts implementing RJ within police organizations and communities to address officer misconduct.
‘Ultimate Introvert’ to the ‘Touchy-Chummy’: Using Simulations to Teach Interviewing Skills

In-depth interviews represent one of the most commons forms of qualitative data used in social science research, especially in ethnography. Yet preparing students to conduct good in-depth interviews is an area of relative neglect in social science literature, despite the potential marketability of this skill for anthropology and sociology students. Practice in communities may be impractical and/or problematic because of wariness due to historical legacies, as well as current political and economic uncertainty. However, relying on peer-interactions for “mock” interviews is problematic because of students’ collective inexperience. Without sufficient preparation, mistakes can be costly for all. In this paper, we advocate for the use of a simulated interview participant (SIP) to better prepare students as interviewers. We provide 12 SIPs and guidance for implementing them in classrooms. Through SIPs, instructors or other actors expose students to common interviewer pitfalls and better prepare them for research in diverse communities.
But You're Not a Dirty Mexican: Internalized Oppression, Latinos & Law Texas Hispanic Journal of Law & Policy, Vol. 7, pp. 59-114

This article explores how internalized oppression limits Latina/os', how that is manifested in law, and how to overcome it.
The Many Faces of Randomness

While “random” is a familiar word, the many subdisciplines found in mathematics and the sciences treat it differently. This chapter gives an overview of the terrain, looking at what randomness and closely related terms mean when used in a technical sense. As we will see, some are more relevant to the question of providence than others.
Relationships among innovativeness, attitudes, and barriers regarding the use of instructional media as perceived by teacher educators in arts education programs at Taiwan teachers colleges

s International., ^5, 09A. Redemsky, L. W. (1959). Student evaluation of films used in college social studies. AV Communication lieview, 7, 3-13. Reiser, R. A. (1987). Instructional technology: A history. In R. M. Gagne' (Ed.), Instructional technology: Foundations (pp. 11-48). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers. Reza, M. A. (1988). The benefits of educational'technology. Roshd, Magazine of Educational Technology., 4(2), 772-774. Ristow, J. A. (1987). A needs assessment of Idaho's industrial arts teachers (Doctoral dissertation, University of Minnesota, 1987). Dissertation Abstracts International, 4S, 08A. Roberston, T. S. (1971). Innovative behavior and communication. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston. Rogers, E. M. (1963). What are innovators like? Theory Into Practices, 2(5), 252-256. Rogers, E. M. (1983). Diffusion of Innovations. (3rd ed.). New York: The Free Press. Rogers, E. M. (1986). Communications technology: The new media in society. New York; Collier Macmillan Books. Rogers, E. M., & Shoemaker, F. F. (1971). Elements in the diffusion of innovations, in communication of innovationsa cross-cultural approach. New York: The Free Press. Rogers, E. M., & Stanfield, J. D. (1968). Adoption and diffusion of new products: Emerging generalization and hypothesis. In F. M. Bass,C. W. King, & E. A. Pessemier (Eds.), Applications of the sciences to marketing management (pp. 235-250). New York, NY: Wiley, John, & Sons, Inc. Rohner, D. J. (1981). Development and validation of an index of computer anxiety among prospective teachers. Unpublished master's thesis, Iowa State University, Ames, lA. Romizowski, A. J. (1988). The selection and use of instructional media. New York:
Efficient algorithms for finding multi-way splits for decision trees

Abstract A number of recent papers have pointed out that binary decision trees are not always the best model for some domains. In particular, for some distributions the best way to partition a set of examples might be to find a set of intervals for a given feature, and split the examples up into several groups based on those intervals. Binary decision tree induction methods pick a single split point, i.e., they consider only bi-partitions at a node in the tree. We have developed an efficient new algorithm that computes an optimal multisplit of an interval into k sub-intervals, for any fixed k less than the number of examples. The algorithm employs a penalty function for increasing values of k to prevent it from splitting the examples into trivial partitions. Our implementation demonstrates both the efficiency of this method and the kinds of distributions for which it can produce better decision trees.
Squalene Epoxidase of Rat Liver

Abstract The microsomal enzyme system from rat liver which catalyzes the epoxidation of squalene to 2,3-oxidosqualene (squalene epoxidase) has been investigated further with 10,11-dihydrosqualene as the artificial substrate. Liver supernatant contributes two essential components to the epoxidase system, one heat stable and the other heat labile (Yamamoto, S., AND Bloch, K. (1970) J. Biol. Chem. 245, 1670). The requirement for the heat-stable factor can be fully met by phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylglycerol, or phosphatidylinositol and partially by other phospholipids. The heat-labile supernatant component is a protein, molecular weight 44,000, which has been purified 84-fold. Supernatant protein factor fails to bind either squalene, 10,11-Dihydrosqualene, or 2,3-oxidosqualene as judged by chromatography of mixtures on Sephadex. In an epoxidase system reconstituted from washed microsomes, supernatant protein factor, and phosphatidylserine, FAD raises enzyme activity by about 50%.
Effects of Fire on Bird and Small Mammal Communities in the Grasslands of Wind Cave National Park

Wind Cave National Park initiated a prescribed burning program in 1972 and yearly burns have been conducted since to evaluate the effects of fire on the Park biota. This research project is designed to determine what effects burning is having on bird and small mammal populations within the grassland community. The objectives of this investigation include: 1. Comparisons of bird and small mammal population levels between pre- and post-burn transects and between burned and control areas; and 2. Vegetation sampling to demonstrate the importance of certain plant species densities and stand composition for the various species of birds and small mammals.
Acth and cortisone in allergic manifestations: Therapeutic results and studies on immunological and tissue reactivity

Abstract 1.1. Adrenocorticotrophic hormone and cortisone are of appreciable value in the temporary treatment of certain types and phases of allergic syndromes. They are most helpful in intractable asthma, in acute status asthmaticus, and in severe drug reactions. 2.2. These hormones have a number of limitations in their usefulness. The length of remissions after a single course of treatment varies from a few days to a few months, the necessity for frequent injections is a handicap, and some types of allergy do not respond. 3.3. ACTH and cortisone are not substitutes for more basic allergic management. 4.4. The dangers and hazards from continuous and sometimes from temporary use of these drugs are numerous, and the hormones must not be employed without a full understanding of their many actions. 5.5. In patients treated with ACTH or cortisone the skin reactions to antigens and histamine remained unchanged. 6.6. Quantitative studies of the ophthalmic and nasal reactions in those who have nasal and conjunctival allergy show them not to be significantly altered. 7.7. Sensitizing antibodies have remained unaffected after ACTH or cortisone therapy. 8.8. It is possible that the simple titration tests do not simulate the conditions of chronic allergy and that tests devised to resemble more closely continuous allergic stimulation might show a more decisive influence of these hormones on allergic reactivity.
Recent Developments in Laser-Driven Polarized Sources

Recent progress in the performance of laser-driven sources of polarized hydrogen and deuterium is described. The current status of the prototype source, I = 2.5 x 1017s-1, polarization = 0.29 (including atomic fraction), is comparable to classical Stern-Gerlach sources. A scheme to improve source performance by approximately an order of magnitude, using a combination of optical-pumping spin-exchange and RF transitions, is outlined.
Slow But Not Quite Silent

Regular earthquakes release large amounts of strain accumulated in Earth9s crust within a very short time. Recently, a different type of earthquake has been reported from subduction zones around the world. Deep in Earth9s crust, "slow" earthquakes may last weeks or months. In their Perspective, Melbourne and Webb explain that while slow, these earthquakes are not silent, as originally assumed. The authors highlight the report by Rogers and Dragert, who show that slow earthquakes in the Cascadia subduction zone, off the western coast of North America, are accompanied by a tremor that is absent when slow faulting is not occurring. The earthquakes are likely caused by fluid flow, a mechanism that may also apply to regular earthquakes.
Insertion reactions of scandium pyridyl complexes supported by a ferrocene diamide ligand

Abstract Unlike reported examples of early transition metal η2(N,C)-pyridyl complexes, scandium η2(N,C)-pyridyl complexes supported by a ferrocene diamide ligand react further with pyridines to give coupling products. Although most of their insertion reactions with unsaturated substrates are similar to those of previous yttrocene and zirconocene complexes, in the reaction with butadiene, higher reactivity than the one reported for the yttrocene complex was observed. Herein are discussed reactions of η2(N,C)-pyridyl scandium complexes supported by a 1,1′-ferrocene diamide ligand with ethylene, 2-butyne, and 1,3-butadiene.
RNA:DNA ratios of the hydrothermal-vent vestimentiferans Ridgeia piscesae and R. phaeophiale indicate variations in growth rates over small spatial scales

The ratio of RNA to DNA (RNA:DNA) was used to assess the relative growth rates of the hydrothermal vent vestimentiferans Ridgeia piscesae Jones and R. phaeophiale Jones. This biochemical indicator of growth is especially valuable when actual growth rates are difficult to measure. Tubeworms were collected from five hydrothermally active sites along the Juan de Fuca Ridge, in the Northeast Pacific Ocean in the summers of 1984 and 1986. We found significant variation in RNA:DNA among Ridgeia spp. from the five sites which was not due to size of the tubeworms or to a species-specific difference. Instead, differences in RNA:DNA were related to site of collection. Mean RNA:DNAs of 2.1 and 3.9 for R. piscesae from two sites were significantly different from each other, but not from that of tubeworms from a third site (mean=2.9). Similarly, mean RNA:DNAs of 2.3 and 4.5 for R. phaeophiale from two sites were significantly different. These patterns in RNA:DNA may reflect differences in growth rates arising from variation in environmental factors over spatial scales as small as 2 m.
Essay on Contemporary Issues in Ethology: Behavioral Ecology and the Study of Partner Choice

Female mate choice has been studied extensively by behavioral ecologists and ethologists. Mate choice is, however, only one form of 'partner choice'. Recent experimental work has demonstrated the existence of partner choice in many other contexts, for example, antipredator behavior, foraging behavior, mate searching, and anti-parasite decisions. These studies have revealed important new insights for the study of partner choice. We review these studies, and suggest how they might both pave the way for future work in this area and provide the underpinnings for a comprehensive conceptual framework for studying partner choice.
Whose Scripture? Whose Community? Reflections on the Dead Sea Scrolls Then and Now, By Way of Aramaic Levi

Reexamination of the varieties of manuscripts testifying to Aramaic Levi suggests already that they reflect not a single, relatively consistent work as many have long thought, but a work that existed in diverse recensions, including more than one among the numerous manuscripts at Qumran. Examination of 4Q213b, line 1 and 4Q213a 3–4, 3a suggests even more, that the forms of the work found among the Dead Sea Scrolls were the result of a Qumran compositional strategy of deploying, revising, and supplementing existing texts and traditions in ways consistent with the interests of the community. This suggests not only that the Dead Sea Scrolls include "sectarian works" that we have not yet acknowledged as such; it also warns us against assuming that we can ever know the scope and nature of works only partially preserved at Qumran by comparing them with similar or even supposedly identical works attested outside of the Qumran Scrolls.
High-dose carmustine, etoposide, and cisplatin for autologous stem cell transplantation with or without involved-field radiation for relapsed/refractory lymphoma: an effective regimen with low morbidity and mortality.

Abstract Over a 10-year period (January 1993 to October 2002), 101 relapsed or refractory non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients were treated at our center with high-dose chemotherapy and autologous transplantation. The median patient age was 54 years (range, 25–70 years). Thirty-two patients had indolent (low-grade), 42 had aggressive (intermediate-grade), and 27 had very aggressive (high-grade) non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Thirty-six patients had primary refractory disease, 20 had a chemoresistant relapse, 35 patients had a chemosensitive relapse, and 10 patients were "initial high risk" patients. The median number of prior chemotherapy regimens was 2 (range, 1–5). The preparative regimen (BEP) was bischloroethylnitrosourea (BCNU) 600 mg/m2, etoposide 2400 mg/m2, and Platinol (cisplatin) 200 mg/m2 given intravenously over 5 days. Within 3 weeks before transplantation, 70 patients received involved-field radiotherapy (IFR) 20 Gy to sites of currently active (>2 cm) or prior bulky (>5 cm) disease. Most patients (n = 93) received mobilized peripheral blood stem cells (median CD34+ cell dose, 6.7 × 106/kg). Median neutrophil (>500/μL) and platelet (>20 000/μL, untransfused) recoveries were 11 days (range, 7–19 days) and 14 days (range, 7–36 days), respectively. At a median follow-up of 41 months (range, 4 to 118 months) for survivors, Kaplan-Meier 5-year probabilities of overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were 58.6% and 51.1%, respectively. Four patients (4%) died within 30 days of stem cell infusion (1 pulmonary embolism, 2 septicemias with multiorgan failure, and 1 progressive lymphoma). Two patients (2%) developed interstitial pneumonitis most likely secondary to high-dose BCNU. Three cases (3%) of secondary acute myelogenous leukemia occurred. On multivariate analysis, age (
Modeling the Dynamics of Fabric in a Rotating Horizontal Drum Using the Discrete Element Method

In order to provide a tool for designing more efficient methods of mixing fabric, a simplified discrete element computational model was developed for modeling fabric dynamics in a rotating horizontal drum. Because modeling the interactions between actual pieces of fabric is quite complex, a simplified model was developed where individual pieces of bundled fabric are represented by spherical particles. This model is essentially a ball mill. The simulations are used to investigate fabric bundle kinematics, the power required to drive the rotating drum, and the power dissipated through normal and tangential contacts. Parametric studies were performed to investigate the effects of fill percentage, baffles, rotation speed, friction coefficient, and coefficient of restitution. The simulation results indicate that fill percentage, drum rotation speed, and friction coefficient play significant roles in the fabric bundle dynamics. For example, the specific drum power increases by a factor of 600% to 800% as the fi...
Individual α and β subunits of bacterial luciferase exhibit bioluminescence activity

The α subunit of luciferase, encoded by the luxA gene, and the β subunit, encoded by the luxB gene, have been expressed independently in Escherichia coli. We have found that the individual subunits of the heterodimeric (αβ) enzyme have bioluminescence activity. Overexpression of the individual subunits in Escherichia coli at 37° resulted in accumulation of large amounts of the specific subunit in the insoluble fraction, while expression at lower temperatures (20°–26°) resulted in accumulation of high levels of the individual subunits in the soluble fraction of the cell lysates. We were surprised to find that addition of n-decanal to extracts of cells carrying either the luxA gene or the luxB gene followed by injection of FMNH2, conditions of the standard luciferase assay, resulted in emission of significant bioluminescence. The occurrence of the activity in lysates of E. coli cells carrying the gene for only one subunit showed that the activity of the isolated subunits is not due to contamination of one subunit with trace amounts of the other. The observed bioluminescence activity is the result of reactions catalyzed by the α subunit in the absence of β subunit and also by the β subunit in the absence of the α subunit.
Epidermal barrier function: intercellular lamellar lipid structures, origin, composition and metabolism

Abstract In this short review, I have described recent advances in our understanding of mammalian stratum corneum. New ultrastructural methods complement powerful physical-chemical methods, together providing precise information about the structure and molecular architecture of stratum corneum intercellular domains. Secretion of epidermal lamellar body contents, not only of lipid precursors, but also of hydrolytic enzymes, results in dynamic modulations within the stratum corneum interstices; i.e., this tissue can no longer be considered inert. Furthermore, the epidermis is now appreciated to be a lipid biosynthetic factory, with all of the nucleated layers participating actively. Finally, though largely independent of the regulatory influence of circulating lipids, epidermal lipid synthesis is regulated by barrier requirements, and transepidermal water loss appears to be a regulatory factor.
Characterization of blister formation and pitting of tungsten ion implanted aluminum

the application of W implantation to Al1100 has resulted in improved resistance to pitting corrosion in a neutral pH, 1 wt% NaCl solution. Doses ranging from 3 {times} 10{sup 16} to 9 {times} 10{sup 16} ions/cm{sup 2} greatly enhanced the range of passivity during anodic polarization, and potentiostatic and immersion testing results indicated the implanted W acts to resist the growth of a nucleated pit. Although moderate increases in the pitting potential of Al 1100 (and also 99.9999% pure Al) have been realized, the extremely high pitting potentials achieved by co-sputtering thin films of Al and W were not reproducibly translated to bulk aluminum alloys. This discrepancy can possibly be traced to the morphology of the localized corrosion and breakdown of the passive film on ion-implanted Al, which takes the form of oxide blistering as a forerunner of pit growth.
Drug-induced alterations in the ultrastructural organization of Histoplasma capsulatum and Blastomyces dermatitidis.

Aspects of the fine structure as seen in thin section of yeastlike cells ofHistoplasma capsulatum andBlastomyces dermatitidis exposed to polyenic antibiotics are described and illustrated by electron micrographs. The exposure of log phase yeastlike cells to minimal fungicidal concentrations of both amphotericin B (Fungizone) and hamycin resulted in detectable alterations of the plasma membrane, and, to a lesser extent, the mitochondria. WithH. capsulatum, ultrastructural changes were observed to occur within 1 h exposure to amphotericin B. Marked degenerative changes and plasmolysis were observed to occur within 6 hrs exposure of the yeastlike cells to both polyenes. The observed changes in ultrastructural appearance are compatible with the concept of binding of the polyene with membrane sterol and subsequent damage due to alterations of permeability.
The median estimate of the autoregressive location parameter

A median-based estimate of the location (i.e. intercept) parameter in an autoregressive time series is considered. Specifically, the asymptotic joint distribution of the location estimate and a location invariant estimate of the AR parameter vector is derived. Applications of this result to rank-based estimates are briefly discussed and illustrated with a numerical example.